Quick Update from the Road

Cameron Richardson is from Harper's Island.



Andruw Jones had 3 HR's last night in LA against the Angels which means the Rangers are now 1 game up on them. It also means that he hit as many HR's last night as he did all last season.

Jones' trifecta powers Rangers past Angels
By JEFF WILSON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Andruw Jones has hit nearly 400 home runs in a big-league career that started in 1996, and he was cruising toward the Hall of Fame before an abysmal 2008 season put the breaks on a splendid career.

But those who have been around him every day since spring training, watching his swing return and seeing him improve at the plate, aren’t surprised by what he has done this season with the Texas Rangers.

Not even when he hits three home runs in a game.

Jones went deep in each of his first three at-bats Wednesday, jump-starting the Rangers early and sending them to an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels that moved them back into sole possession of first place in the American League West.

The Rangers took two of three games at Angel Stadium in a series that started with the two teams tied for first place and improved to 7-2 against the Angels, the preseason favorite to win the division.

Jones led the way, starting with a two-run homer in the first inning and solo shots in the third and fifth.

“It’s just good to go out there and perform well and get a win,” said Jones, who has 14 homers in 160 at-bats this season. “I was patient enough to put good wood on the ball and drive it.”

Taylor Teagarden had a solo shot, his first of the season, in the fourth, and Marlon Byrd launched a two-run homer two batters after Jones tied the club mark for homers in a game.

Jones registered the second three-homer game of his career and the first by a Rangers player since Brad Wilkerson hit three against the Angels on July 3, 2007 at Rangers Ballpark.

Jones had two cracks at the first four-homer game in club history and the first in the majors since 2003, but he popped out and struck out in his final two at-bats.

“I was thinking about it, I tried, but I just didn’t get it done,” he said.

His effort goes down as the 15th three-homer game in club history, the fourth on the road and the second on the road since 1980. Mark Teixeira had three homers July 13, 2006, at Baltimore.

And no one in the victorious clubhouse seemed all that surprised by what Jones had done, even though many had discounted him after hitting .158 with three homers last year for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

“You’re talking about a guy who was on his way to being a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” third baseman Michael Young said. “Andruw’s got a lot left in the tank. He works hard. He’s got a good idea of what he wants to do. He’s got monster pop.”

Jones’ first show of power gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead in the first as he launched a fastball from Ervin Santana over the wall in left-center field. After Omar Vizquel had doubled and scored on wild pitch in the fourth, Jones made it 4-0 with a towering drive that flirted with the left-field foul pole.

He sent a line drive in the Angels’ bullpen in a three-run fifth. All three of his homers came with two outs and were off fastballs, and he hit four in the three games against the Angels.

Of Jones’ past 10 homers, six have either tied the game or given the Rangers the lead. The Rangers had hoped to score early to back Vicente Padilla, who was pitching for the first time since June 29.

“When we scored those two runs right way, we gave him breathing room,” Jones said of Padilla. “And after that, he was on.”

Looks like the Mavs have made a trade for Shawn Marion. Hmmm.

Mavericks trade for Marion, source says

12:47 AM CDT on Thursday, July 9, 2009

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

The Mavericks finally pushed the ball over the goal line, scoring big by trading for Shawn Marion from Toronto.

An NBA source said Wednesday that the deal for the 6-7 swingman will happen and that a trade call with the NBA office had been set up for today. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the deal will go through today.

Details weren't completely known. But it's a sure thing that Jerry Stackhouse is the principal piece moving from the Mavericks to Toronto. But it is likely he will move on from there.

Stackhouse will be an unrestricted free agent when he is bought out by the team that eventually ends up with him. That team, which is believed to be either Memphis or Oklahoma City, will absorb a $2 million salary, the guaranteed portion of Stackhouse's 2009-2010 contract.

Other players could be involved in the deal, although none of the Mavericks' key personnel will be included. It is believed that Antoine Wright and Devean George may be headed out in the deal.

The Mavericks had been close to completing a deal for Marion for two days, but had to find a third team to help facilitate the deal by taking on Stackhouse's salary.

The Raptors had to dump some salary to help clear room to sign their primary free-agent target, Hedo Turkoglu.

The Mavericks now have a potential starting lineup of Marcin Gortat, Dirk Nowitzki, Marion, Josh Howard and Jason Kidd, with sixth man of the year Jason Terry coming off the bench.

Marion, 31, has been on the decline the last few seasons but has averaged 17.8 points and 9.9 rebounds in his career. He had a strong second half last season after getting traded from Miami to Toronto, averaging 16 points and 9.3 rebounds in April.

The Marion situation topped a busy day for the Mavericks who signed Gortat, a 6-11 center, to an offer sheet that would make him a Maverick for five years, starting at $5.854 million. The Orlando Magic has seven days to match the deal or perhaps come up with a creative way to send Gortat, 25, to Dallas while still getting something in return.

The Mavericks also signed free-agent guard Quinton Ross, a former Kimball High School and SMU standout, to a two-year deal.

Gortat's signing, given the maximum annual raises of 8 percent, will be worth $33,953,200 for the life of the five-year deal. It is believed to be fully guaranteed.

"He's athletic, and we think he's a guy who is pretty skilled who can really help us," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "He brings toughness, dynamic athleticism and a different personality to our team. Statistically, I don't know how all that stuff is going to translate.

Most people complain about T.O. and all the yapping he does. I have to say, he is nothing compared to Greg Ellis. That guy wears me out. He's a friggin Raider now and he's still barking about how badly the Cowboys treated him. This time he drags DeMarcus Ware into it.

Ex-Cowboy Ellis says Ware took himself out of games to force more playing time for Ellis

12:12 AM CDT on Thursday, July 9, 2009

By TIM MacMAHON / dallasnews.com
tmacmahon@dallasnews.com

During his final season as a Cowboy, Greg Ellis didn't hide his displeasure about his limited playing time.

According to Ellis, one of his prominent former teammates was so frustrated by the veteran's diminished role that he'd hide from coaches during games to force them to put Ellis on the field.

"It's a disgrace when DeMarcus Ware comes off the field just so I can get in the game and when the coaches tell him to come on the field, he tries to hide so I can play," Ellis said during an appearance on ESPN 103.3's Michael Irvin Show. "And you're telling me we're trying to win the Super Bowl?"

Ware, the weak side outside linebacker who threatened the NFL's season sacks record during his third consecutive Pro Bowl campaign, could not immediately be reached for comment. Ware rarely sat out a defensive snap with the exception of late in the Thanksgiving win over the Seahawks, when he suffered a knee injury.

Ellis made the comment while discussing how his lack of playing time prevented him from providing the leadership that the Cowboys needed last season. Anthony Spencer's role increased at Ellis' expense during the latter half of the season. Spencer will take over Ellis' spot at strong side outside linebacker in the starting lineup this season after the Cowboys released the 11-year veteran, who signed with the Oakland Raiders.

Irvin, the Hall of Fame former Cowboys receiver, asked for clarification that Ware would take himself out of games to force the coaches to play Ellis.

"On his own," Ellis said. "He would say, 'G, come on.' And I would tell him, 'No, DeMarcus, go ahead, man. You're coming up on your contract year. Don't mess that stuff up. Go ahead and do you, and we're just going to do what the coaches, or whoever the powers that be, what they want to do.'"

Ware has one season remaining on his rookie contract, but his agent and Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones have been negotiating a deal that is expected to make Ware one of the league's highest-paid players.

Robin Williams has a new stand up special that will be on HBO in December.

Robin Williams lined up for HBO comedy special

NEW YORK (AP) — Robin Williams is bringing his standup act back to HBO.

The cable network says a special of Williams performing in Washington will air in December. The show is part of the 57-year-old actor-comedian's Weapons of Self-Destruction tour.

Williams has done four solo specials on HBO. The most recent, which aired in 2002, received five Emmy nominations. His relationship with HBO dates back to his appearance on a Young Comedians show in 1977.

Williams co-stars with John Travolta in the upcoming Disney comedy Old Dogs.

Bruce played Herning, Denmark last night.

July 8 / MHC Messecenter / Herning, DEN

Notes: to come...

Setlist:

En Yndig of Frydefuld sommertid [Nils solo accordion intro]
Badlands
No Surrender
My Lucky Day
Out in the Street
Outlaw Pete
Working on a Dream
Candy's Room
Seeds
Johnny 99
Atlantic City
Hungry Heart
Rendezvous
Mony Mony
Thunder Road
Prove It All Night
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
I'm on Fire
Surprise Surprise
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

Encore

Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land
Rosalita
Dancing in the Dark
Twist and Shout

What Would a Day Be Like Without a Visit to the Hospital?

We've got a blast from the past today as I'm watching an old Saturday Night Live from 1978, Carrie Fisher is the host. So, she joins us today on the Picture of the Day stage.



The Rangers kicked off a big series with the Angels last night by getting hammered. Whoops. The good news is Josh Hammilton returned to the lineup and they got 2 more shots at the Angels. Win them both and they leave Anaheim with a 1 game lead in the west. Just trying to keep the big picture in mind.

Chasing Angels: Hamilton returns, but Texas Rangers fall to LA

01:03 AM CDT on Tuesday, July 7, 2009

By JEFF WILSON / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

ANAHEIM, Calif. - Don't waste too much time wondering why Texas Rangers ace Kevin Millwood faltered badly for the first time this season Monday night.

There were no lingering aftershocks from not being selected as an All-Star. No issues with facing the Los Angeles Angels in back-to-back starts.

Make no mistake that the Angels' talented lineup played a role in sending Millwood and the Rangers to a 9-4 loss at Angel Stadium to open a three-game series.

But the right-hander said he struggled with his location during his shortest outing of the season and made too many mistakes, and the Angels capitalized.

"It was a bad night. There's not much more I can say," said Millwood, who allowed all nine runs over five innings in his 18th start of the season. "It was just one of those nights when I didn't hit my spots, and they didn't miss my mistakes."

The Rangers, who entered the game tied with the Angels for the lead in the American League West, reached the halfway point of the season nine games above .500 (45-36) and witnessed the return of Josh Hamilton to the lineup. But they now sit a game behind the Angels in second place.

Millwood (8-6) had only two easy innings as the Angels collected nine hits against him and drew three walks.

Hamilton helped the Rangers shoot to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Making his first start since May 30, Hamilton singled in the first and scampered home from first on a Hank Blalock single and an error.

"It's good to be back," said Hamilton, who doubled in the third and struck out in his final two at-bats. "It's all about building confidence. If I'd struck out twice to start the game, I might not have gotten those two hits."

The Angels erased the deficit with one swing, a three-run homer by Jeff Mathis in the second inning off Millwood.

Millwood said he was trying to throw a two-seam fastball down and away, but the ball stayed over the middle and landed just behind the wall in left-center field.

The Angels added two runs in the third and put the game out of reach with a four-run fifth. The first five Angels reached before Millwood got the first out on a sacrifice fly by Kendry Morales.

"When you look at their lineup one through six, it's as good as it gets," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Seven, eight and nine aren't easy to get through. It's a tough lineup to get through, and we didn't get through it.

"He's only human. Sometimes, it happens."

Millwood has never allowed more than nine runs in a game and had allowed that many just twice, most recently May 9, 2006, against Minnesota. He hadn't allowed more than five runs in a game this season.

That's one reason he was on the short list of AL players who have performed like All-Stars in the first half of the season but didn't make the team.

Men's Health magazine says that Arlington, TX is the most sports obsessed city in the country. I still consider Arlington my home but that does make me go, huh.

When it comes to obsession with sports, Arlington ranks No. 1

11:11 PM CDT on Monday, July 6, 2009

Column by KEVIN SHERRINGTON / The Dallas Morning News | ksherrington@dallasnews.com

Congratulations, Arlington – home of Six Flags, JerryWorld and Tom Hicks' next garage sale – you're No. 1!

No, not your baseball team.

You.

Of all the whacked-out, face-painted, foam-finger-waving towns in America, you're the most sports obsessed, according to a study released last week by Men's Health.

"What they found was an enormous amount of fan energy in Texas," the release reads, "with three Lone Star State cities ranking in the Top 10."

Fort Worth came in seventh. Dallas was eighth. San Antonio (19) was the only other Texas city to crack the magazine's top 20. Austin finished 30th and Corpus Christi – Corpus Christi –ranked 43rd, just two rows behind Houston and a bleacher section or two ahead of El Paso (72) and Lubbock (73).

If this survey is accurate, it means only one thing, other than most of us Texans need to get a life:

Fans here in the greater Arlington area are getting ripped off. Big time.

They vote Josh Hamilton to an All-Star appearance he didn't deserve.

They buy the jersey of a quarterback who hasn't won a playoff game.

They follow the love life of a power forward who had his girlfriend arrested.

And then there's all the money and emotions exhausted on an NHL team, a minor league hockey team, three minor league baseball teams, a Major League Soccer team, a horse track, race track, rodeos, a couple of PGA Tour events, college teams, high school teams, junior high teams, not to mention 8 gazillion youth leagues.

"And the bowling congress moved here recently," said Robert Cluck, mayor of America's No. 1 sports town.

Right. Bowling.

And what do these faithful fans get in return for their unparalleled loyalty to local sports franchises?

They haven't seen a Lombardi Trophy or Stanley Cup hoisted in years. It's been more than a decade since the Cowboys or Rangers even won a playoff game or series, and the biggest news coming from the Mavs these days is that Jason Kidd will be back for three more years.

Frankly, that's not much of a payback for the investment. But that's come to be expected. Fans here have been so loyal, you might call them enablers, particularly in baseball.

For decades, Boston reveled shamelessly in its "Curse of the Bambino." Chicago's "die-hard Cubs fans" have been a winsome curiosity.

Meanwhile, only one MLB organization has never won a playoff series.

Yet Rangers fans still hope that this season's team isn't a tease.

What the greater Arlington area really needs is group therapy, probably. But at least someone noticed.

"Men's Fitness magazine?" Cluck asked.

No, Mr. Mayor. Men's Health. Sort of like Cosmopolitan without the cleavage.

The editors apparently aren't kidding, although it's hard to say for sure. A PR person for the magazine said their offices were closed Monday.

The release states that the magazine's study considered attendance at baseball, basketball and football games, college and pro, as well as at high school sporting events and NASCAR.

The study also factored in who's watching what on TV, who's buying the most sports apparel and how many people consider themselves "foam-finger-waving fanatics," according to Scarborough Sports Marketing.

Cluck said he's "very happy" about the recognition, but he's not surprised, either.

"We're a town of sports fans, that's for sure," he said.

The Producers of Lost, Damon Lindeloff and Carlton Cuse promise that this upcoming final season will bring total closure, the series will not live on in other forms.

'Lost' producers promise closure -- and no movies

By Rick Porter
Zap2It.com

Damonlindelof_lost_290 The men responsible for seeing "Lost" through to the end of its run say the show's finale will be its finale in all forms of media.

Speaking at a BAFTA event in London, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse promised that the show will end by answering as many questions as possible. Lindelof also said he doesn't want to extend the story in a movie, comic books or anywhere else.

"We won't be vague and ambiguous –- there will be a lot of answers," Lindelof said, according to the U.K.'s Broadcast magazine. "We feel that if we hold anything back in the final season, it would be bad. Everyone's come this far, and they want a conclusion to the story. We have no plans to continue the story of 'Lost' beyond [season] six. My wife says 'never say never.' I say 'never.'"

Production on the final season of "Lost" begins in August; Cuse, Lindelof and their fellow writers head back to work next week. The two showrunners were typically tight-lipped about the course of events in season six, though Cuse did let a couple of things slip.

For starters, he said, the final season will feel "more like [season] one. There's a circularity to the show." He also teased that the smoke monster will become "an interesting character in and of itself."

Lindelof reiterated that fans wouldn't be left with any kind of cliffhanger during the series finale, but he acknowledged that not everyone will be happy with the ending. "Bittersweet comes with the territory," he said. "The ending we're aspiring to is fair."

Bruce played Vienna, Austria on Sunday.

July 5 / Ernst Happel Stadion / Vienna, AUT

Notes: During his previous four stops in Vienna, Bruce had always treated his Austrian audiences to a fair share of special moments (a rare duet with Patti on "Two Hearts" in 1997, the only known live performance to date of "Dollhouse" in 1999, and both a full-band "Incident" and cover of Chuck Berry’s "Roll Over Beethoven" in 2003). But tonight's surprises turned out to be even more jaw-droppin'/heart-stoppin'/earth-shakin'/history-makin', and were totally worth the six-year dry period since he last visited our beautiful city by the Danube.

Speaking of the Danube, Nils opened with an accordion version of Johann Strauss' classic waltz "An der schoenen blauen Donau," before the band ripped into an unusual "Jackson Cage" kicking off the show, followed by "Badlands" and a relatively rare "Cover Me"—not a bad start at all. During the sign collecting, the Big Man held up a sign of his own, asking for The Clash's "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," which Bruce unfortunately rejected. But who was complaining when we got "Growin' Up," "Rendezvous," and the tour premiere of "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)"—certainly one of the show's definitive highlights—instead? Appearing later in the set, "Into The Fire" was another (very much unexpected) tour debut, and a truly fine performance at that.

Even the new material, in particular "Outlaw Pete," went over really well with the Viennese crowd, who are normally notorious for their somewhat reserved attitude at outdoor rock concerts, but not tonight. By the time the ladies and gentlemen of E Street had finished their stomping rendition of CCR's "Proud Mary" (another sign request), Springsteen pretty much owned the place. And come the encores, everybody up to the stadium's nosebleeds were off their butts, raising their hands and dancing in the dark.

The real "holy shit" moment of the evening, however, occurred during the band's pre-encore bows. The screen camera zoomed into the pit, and there was a young woman sitting on someone's shoulders, wearing an orange "Jersey Girl" logo t-shirt. It appears that Bruce motioned the camera operator to keep the focus on her, and eventually, the shirt came off (she was wearing a bra underneath). Bruce had the shirt handed over to him onstage, showed it to the crowd and said, "Well, I guess we'll have to play that one now, right?" The whole place went totally ape, and then followed what was one of the most awe-inspiring, goosebump-inducing moments I have ever witnessed at a Springsteen show: What else but an absolutely beautiful rendition of "Jersey Girl," performed for the first time ever outside the U.S.

Previous show reports had already suggested that these guys are seriously on fire on this European leg of the tour, and after witnessing tonight's concert, I can only confirm that. They just keep getting better and better and are continuously raising the bar, it seems. Another unforgettable night even the most casual Austrian concert-goer most certainly will remember for a long, long time.

Setlist:

An der schoenen blauen Donau AKA The Blue Danube Waltz [Nils solo accordion intro]
Jackson Cage
Badlands
Cover Me
My Lucky Day
Outlaw Pete
Darlington County
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Darkness on the Edge of Town
Raise Your Hand (instrumental, while collecting signs)
Growin’ Up
Rendezvous
Proud Mary
4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)
Because the Night
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
Into the Fire
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Cadillac Ranch

Encore

Jersey Girl
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Twist and Shout

I Could Be Smoking Hash on the Street But Nooooooooo!!!!!

I'm telling you the Wimbledon women's final would have been better if the Russians had made it. here is Ana Ivanovic.



Jason Kidd signed a 3 year, $25 million contract to stay with the Mavs. I think that's a good deal but I do know it infuriate my buddy Eric.

Kidd decides to remain with Dallas Mavericks

12:56 AM CDT on Monday, July 6, 2009

By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News
esefko@dallasnews.com

Jason Kidd has agreed to come back to the Mavericks for a three-year contract worth more than $25 million, owner Mark Cuban said Sunday night.

Kidd, 36, whom the Mavericks traded for in February 2008, had been pursued by the New York Knicks, among others, in the free-agent period this summer.

"We are excited to have Jason Kidd back in a Mavs' uniform," Cuban said. "He was a major contributor for us last year, and we expect more of the same next year.

"We also are excited to have him tutor [point guards] Roddy Beaubois and J.J. Barea. This is hopefully the first of several deals to come in the next couple weeks."

The Knicks could not offer Kidd a salary that would be competitive with the Mavericks. Barring a sign-and-trade, the Knicks were limited to offering a contract starting at about $5.5 million, expected to be the mid-level exception when the NBA confirms the salary cap later this week.

At three years, that deal would be worth $18 million.

The Mavericks could offer any amount up to the league maximum.

Free agents were allowed to begin negotiations last Wednesday, but cannot officially sign contracts until this Wednesday. It was unknown whether the Mavericks' deal was front-loaded. Dallas was hoping to protect as much salary-cap room as possible for next summer, when the free-agent bonanza includes players such as Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Amare Stoudemire.

The Mavericks also are in the running this summer for restricted free agent Marcin Gortat, the 6-11 center who played for Orlando last season. The Mavericks have offered a five-year contract worth more than $30 million to Gortat. The Magic will have seven days to match the deal when the Mavericks officially sign Gortat to the offer sheet Wednesday.

Re-signing Kidd was believed to be a major factor in the Mavericks' ability to chase other teams' free agents.

The Rangers are having financial issues and it appears that may start affecting what is on the field but probably not until next year.

Rangers' cash flow will be bigger issue in off-season

06:03 PM CDT on Sunday, July 5, 2009

Column by TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News | wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com

• E-mail

On the Fourth of July, the Texas Rangers found themselves locked in a first-place tie with the ruling kings of the American League West, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Texas' first series of the season in Anaheim (Monday through Wednesday) surely will tell us more about how long these Rangers can contend. The good news is that the club knows help is on the way.

The bad news is it almost surely has to come from Oklahoma City.

There are at least two secondary reasons why the Rangers aren't likely to add prominent pieces before the July 31 trade deadline that we will get to in a moment. But the latest reports of the shakiness of the Tom Hicks financial empire are at the forefront.

The Rangers' borrowing money, perhaps as much as $15 million from Major League Baseball, probably wasn't the big deal it was made out to be earlier in the week. It was money the Rangers would have collected later this season, anyway.

Treat it like your employer giving you a couple of extra paychecks ahead of schedule which, of course, doesn't happen to us. But it's not something that will lead to commissioner Bud Selig making moves with the Rangers' 40-man roster.

However, the loan or advance from MLB, along with the decision to dissolve Hicks Sports Marketing Group this week, are just further signs of the troubles the Rangers owner is experiencing.

You can add to that the Stars pretty much watching free agency from the sidelines this week, although the club's payroll is such that they weren't likely to be doing any big spending regardless.

I think it's pretty obvious, however, that with so much having been made of this team's No. 1-ranked farm system and an all-but-established target of 2010 as the time to pursue the playoffs, the Rangers won't be big players at the trade deadline.

If help comes, it could be from the bats of Josh Hamilton, finishing his rehab in Oklahoma, or top hitting prospect Justin Smoak, just promoted to Triple-A from Frisco.

If there is bullpen help to be found, it could be top pitching prospect Neftali Feliz, recently moved out of the rotation, carrying the kind of role Tampa Bay's starter Saturday night, former No. 1 overall pick David Price, performed for the Rays last September and October.

Maybe Price (six runs in 1 1/3 innings Saturday) should revisit the 'pen for a bit.

But if you're still thinking about top-end starting pitchers on the block coming to Texas, don't bother. And it's not simply because Hicks doesn't want to spend.

For one thing, in addition to money which Hicks may or may not have, those elite players cost prospects. It makes little sense for the Rangers to start reducing that farm-system ranking at this time.

In addition, check the standings. In the National League, only three of 16 teams can be considered to be out of the division or wild-card races – San Diego, Arizona and Washington.

And those teams aren't overburdened with veteran salaries to dump.

Who would be the Rangers' potential trade partners in the American League? Possibly Baltimore, Kansas City and Cleveland.

The Rangers have 2 guys who made the All Star team. Josh Hammilton will start in the outfield and Michael Young is a reserve at 3rd base. I really thought Kevin Millwood and Ian Kinsler would make it, Kinsler still has a shot though.

Hamilton, Young make All-Star roster for Texas Rangers
By DREW DAVISON
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram

ARLINGTON — A year after taking New York by storm with a remarkable showing in the home run derby, Josh Hamilton is going back to the All-Star Game for the second consecutive year.

Hamilton, who is currently at Triple A Oklahoma City on a rehabilitation assignment from surgery on a torn abdominal muscle, received the third-most votes for outfielders and will start for the American League in the 80th All-Star Game on July 14 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

"It’s definitely an honor, but I do have mixed feelings about it," said Hamilton, who will not compete in this year’s home run derby. "I don’t feel personally I should go, but, at the same time, the fans voted me in, so I’m real happy about that."

Hamilton, who has played in only 35 of the Rangers’ 79 games, will be joined by teammate Michael Young, who was selected for the sixth straight season as a reserve. Young moved from shortstop to third base in the off-season and entered Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay hitting a team-high .314 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI.

"It means a lot," Young said. "Going back to the winter, there was tons of uncertainty on how it all would play out. I’m really honored to be a player selection. It’s the ultimate honor."

While Hamilton and Young certainly appreciated their selections, Rangers ace Kevin Millwood and second baseman Ian Kinsler were left off the team.

Millwood had All-Star credentials in the first half, posting a 2.80 ERA, the fifth best in the AL. Still, that wasn’t enough for AL and Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon to select him. Instead, Maddon went with Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who has 10 wins and a 4.30 ERA.

Maddon said Millwood was one of three pitchers left off that easily could’ve been selected, along with Seattle reliever David Aardsma and Tampa Bay left-hander J.P. Howell.

"It was real tough," Maddon said. "Once you get a chance to walk in the choosing shoes, it’s not fun. You know you’re going to disappoint some people and it really stinks. But I’m a big admirer of Kevin and I think he’s a great pitcher.

"Wakefield is having a good year, obviously. He’s pitches in Boston and he’s had a tremendous body of work throughout his entire career. I just felt that getting him on the team was the right thing to do."

Millwood, who is scheduled to start today against the Angels, was not available for comment Sunday because he was flying to Los Angeles.

Rangers manager Ron Washington said he was "really disappointed" Millwood was left off the team.

Andy Roddick and Roger Fedderer played a classic Wimbledon final yesterday.

Andy Roddick and Roger Federer's Shakespearean saga of a match

Steve Bardens
Los Angeles Times

8:49 PM PDT, July 5, 2009

For tennis fans, for sports fans, for fans of drama and skill and guts, what great luck that the Taj Mahal of tennis would produce a second straight match-for-the-ages in the men's final at the All England Club.

We thought we'd seen it all last year, a marathon finished in darkness, the Swiss king finished off by a Spanish prince, 9-7 in the fifth set.

Rafael Nadal didn't show for this year's title defense, sidelined by knee tendinitis, and in his absence everyone figured Roger Federer would walk off with the crown without even suffering a bruise.

This was the thinking, the smart money, the safe bet, even as Andy Roddick began his steady climb at this latest Wimbledon. When the tall and rangy American beat British hope Andy Murray in Friday's semifinal, a momentous upset, there remained little doubt: Come the final, he would wilt against greatness. Didn't Roddick have just two wins in 20 matches against Federer?

This, we now know, was the same old Roger -- rock solid, with a magician's panache. Steady as a metronome. It was his seventh straight Wimbledon final, his 20th Grand Slam final, all since 2003. He'd just won his record-tying 14th Grand Slam title in Paris. Now he was going for the all-time record.

But a different Andy Roddick showed up.

It was Roddick who made this match happen, Roddick who forced the tension and the steady surge of emotion. His game sizzled with half-volley winners, forehand blasts, backhands and serves that touched chalk and went dipping, diving and dancing -- unreturnable.

Roddick brought his own magic for five unforgiving, unforgettable sets. We know about his bad luck. The tense, missed volley in the second set tiebreaker. The break points lost late in the match. We also know about the good fortune he diligently produced -- from the opening stroke, when bright light filled the game's greatest stage, to the last point, when shadows fell once again on Centre Court.

That serve, what'd it average, 130 mph each time he toed the line? That's how it seemed. Roddick was Nolan Ryan at the top of his game. But he also moved like Sugar Ray Leonard, and counter-punched like him too.

There was a moment, there were many moments, when it seemed as if he would produce what would have been the most stunning upset at a Wimbledon final since Arthur Ashe beat Jimmy Connors in 1975.

Then we remembered who was on the other side. Roger Federer is not like the rest of us. He has just one weakness, kryptonite named Rafael Nadal, but in the long view, he overcomes kryptonite by never fading away.

Remember last year, after Wimbledon, when it was said that he'd lost his touch? Make way for the era of Nadal, we were told. Since that Wimbledon final, which he was two points from winning, Federer has won three of four Grand Slams.

This, truth be told, is still Roger Federer's time. And here he has just played yet another match that will stand the test of time. In men's tennis at Wimbledon, Sunday's match now sits right beside all the other greatest, most memorable ones. Beside Bjorn Borg beating John McEnroe in 1980. Beside 41-year-old Pancho Gonzales turning back young Charlie Pasarell, taking 5 hours and 12 minutes in the first round in 1969. Beside, among a handful of other matches, Andre Agassi's startling five-set win over Goran Ivanisevic in the 1992 final.

But that's the long view. The shorter view, focused on just this last final, speaks solely to the immediate brilliance of two men.

It "could have gone on for a few more hours I think," Federer said when the 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14 epic was done.

The way these two were playing -- Roddick never backing off, Federer scratching and clawing and defending -- a few more hours of tennis seemed a possibility. Every time one man came close, the other turned him back. Remember that there were, aside from the set points Roddick lost early on, two break points saved by Federer in the middle chapter of the fifth set.

If Federer had lost just one of those fifth-set points, Roddick probably would have won. What a story that would have been. But this wasn't that kind of story: a thrilling, long-march upset that would finish somewhat conventionally.

No, this was Shakespeare. On and on and on they went.

We watched in awe, surprised as it became clear 2009 was mirroring 2008, which mirrored 2007.

We watched in agony, hearts heavy and sad as Andy Roddick bowed his head after that final miss.

Bruce played in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday.

July 3 / Commerzbank-Arena / Frankfurt, GER

Notes: Frankfurt had one of the most fabulous set lists of this tour, a night of true beauty. After Nils' now-standard accordion intro, the show opened with a thundering powerhouse, the first four tracks pulsating with drive and passion, careering from "Badlands" into "Adam Raised a Cain" into "The Ties that Bind" and then "My Lucky Day" without a moment to pause for breath. "Outlaw Pete" is still the centerpiece of the early part of the show, getting an enormous crowd reaction. "Seeds" simmered and soared, with another blistering solo from Bruce, clearly letting us know exactly what he can do with a guitar. Max, too, was brilliant on this song—Jay is a great drummer, but Max is simply without peer.

The images displayed on the screens are terrific, with the cameras letting us watch the fretwork in fascinating detail. The huge screen behind the stage is dramatic in its effect, and the images displayed underpin the songs; with deep red hues, and images of prison bars, nothing was left to doubt as to the content of the songs such as "Johnny 99."

After this one, Bruce paused and called, "Give me an F harp, Kev." As he slowly began to strum, he said, "Now I'm gonna count the band in—easy..." and they played a very unexpected "Factory," a new arrival to the Recession Pack. With such a setlist so far, this was turning in to a real "Night 2." "Factory was followed by a sublime "Something in the Night," played only once before on this tour. A wonderful array of songs followed in the request section, starting with a very uplifting "I'm Goin' Down." After this Steve pointed to a request on the floor—Bruce seemed to hesitate, but Steve was absolutely insistent, pointing and saying "that one, that one!" The resulting "Ramrod" was a real treat, and Bruce played it while wearing a green inflatable floating ring with the words "Quarter to Three" written on it, struggling to reach the mic as the ring shifted up around his neck—very funny, and a little surreal!

The roar of appreciation for Nils' solo after "Because the Night" was the loudest of the evening. If that weren't enough, the boundless beauty of "Point Blank" seeped gloriously into the night air, revealing all the brilliance of the man who wrote it, as Bruce sang this song as if he meant and felt every word of it.

Again, after the bows following "Born to Run," the band stayed on stage to go straight into the encores. Bruce unfurled a rolled sign that read, "Play Jungleland - many concerts, never Jungleland." Bruce smiled, rolled the request back up and then the beauty began again, and Clarence's solo pierced into the night, awesomely perfect, uniting 50,000 folk as time seemd to temporarily stand still.


Setlist:

Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus AKA Wooden Heart [Nils solo accordion intro]
Badlands
Adam Raised a Cain
The Ties That Bind
My Lucky Day
Outlaw Pete
Hungry Heart
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Factory
Something in the Night
I'm Goin' Down
Ramrod
Trapped
Because the Night
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Point Blank
Kingdom of Days
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

Encore

Hard Times
Jungleland
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Twist and Shout

Bruce played Munich on Thursday.

July 2 / Olympiastadion / Munich, GER

Notes: A fantastic show for Roy Bittan's 60th, with the main man very relaxed, smiling, and energized. From the outset Bruce was excedingly loose, and an early high point was "Spirit in the Night," with fabulous singing from a young boy in the crowd (the same kid later to take Bruce's mic and sing the refrain in "Sunny Day"!). Bruce tried to make a paper airplane from the sign for "Spirit," which crashed immediately—"after all that work!" he groaned. He even stopped the song in the middle, picking up an enormous inflatable birthday cake from the crowd. A bit bemused, he read the words "Drive All Night" slowly and then exclaimed, "But there's no name! Whose birthday?" And then he looked sheepish and laughed as he finally got it. It was Roy's birthday, of course, and the Professor was now smiling—no, beaming—into the cameras. Bruce brought the cake over and placed it right on the piano.

Guitars were flayed and seared during an incendiary "Johnny 99," with Steve and Bruce just ripping at the strings in a frenzied mutual attack on their guitars. At the end of the instrumental "Raise your Hand" for the sign collection section, Bruce went to the mic and "played" the squeaking of a green squeezy plastic toy he had picked up in the crowd. It was hilarious, he threw it away, and then went bang! into an extended "Seven Nights to Rock." The Birthday Boy was instructed to "Play it Roy—only 60 keys!"

Then taking a random choice from a series of numbered requests, Bruce opened number 3 to find the words "This Hard Land," called for a G harp, and they just nailed it. It was really turning into the Professor's night, with Roy excelling on this one, and then most of the band taking solos, from Soozie to a sax closer from Clarence.

But the true high of the evening was yet to come. Bruce picked up a massive sign, and as he held it forward he said "We don't know this song, but this is an example of a great sign." He read from the sign the words "Ooh Pretty Woman So sexy for Roy," and laughed: 'I think they mean you, Roy!" There was a picture of a beautiful woman on the sign, and Bruce said that "íf Roy had this woman, he'd never have another birthday!" Then taking on the request: "Dare we, dare we? We don't know this one... what about the bridge,is there a C in there?" Then they began to play "Pretty Woman," and it was utterly fantastic, such a spontaneous, wonderful moment of creation by the whole E Street Band. As they finished, Bruce yelled, "We did it! I´m keeping this sign forever!" and absolute pandemonium broke out as the crowd cheered.

A glorious, tinkling, crystal bell passage from Roy introduced a spellbinding "Because the Night" with a stadium-stunning solo from Nils, exhibiting his utter mastery. "Kingdom of Days" made a very welcome return after another perfect "River."

After two-and-a-quarter hours the band took their bows, but never left the stage, rolling into the encores to make it really a single set just shy of three hours. The "Detroit Medley" had the whole place dancing like loons. As Bruce thanked us for coming, he looked over the vast swathes of poeple, and said, "A beautiful night, a perfect night to play. It's great to stand up here on a night like this—you're feeling really lucky. You're a fabulous audience, thank you so much, Munich." I can only agree, and say that those of us there were very lucky indeed—this was a standout show.

Setlist:

Muss i denn zum Städtele hinaus AKA Wooden Heart [Nils solo accordion intro]
Badlands
My Lucky Day
No Surrender
Outlaw Pete
Spirit in the Night
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Atlantic City
Seven Nights to Rock
This Hard Land
Pretty Woman
Because the Night
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
Kingdom of Days
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Tenth Avenue Freeze-out

Encore

Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land
Detroit Medley
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark

You Gotta Love the Short Work Week

Elena Dementieva is playing Serena Williams right now in a Wimbledon semi-final. Another russian is playing Venus in the other semi later today. Is it wrong of me to be rooting for the Russians? Hey, what can I say, I'd rather "see" a match between the two Russians.



In what was only the 2nd game all year we've been able to attend (and most likely our last) the Rangers won a game they had to win. I don't like the path they took to win it but hey, it was exciting.

Rangers have a blast to start July

By JEFF WILSON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram

ARLINGTON — No one in the jubilant Texas Rangers clubhouse knew what was discussed at the pitcher’s mound before Hank Blalock stepped into the batter’s box in the ninth inning.

No one really seems to care, either.

Blalock launched the first pitch from reliever Justin Speier over the center-field wall for a two-out, two-run walk-off homer that gave the Rangers a 9-7 victory at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Wednesday.

The blast, Blalock’s second of the game, helped the Rangers overcome a blown save by Frank Francisco in the top of the ninth and secure a series victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

A second straight victory moved the Rangers only a half-game behind the Angels in the American League West and improved their mark against division foes to 15-4 this season.

"I’ve never really had success off Speier, so I was just trying to get a base hit to win the game," said Blalock, who entered the game in a 7-for-46 slump. "The Angels have been dominating for a couple years now, so if you want to be the best team, you’ve got to beat the best team."

One of the first questions posed to manager Ron Washington after the Rangers’ fifth walk-off victory this season was if he thought the Angels would pitch to Blalock, a left-handed hitter who had homered in the fourth and doubled in the sixth.

Rookie Julio Borbon, another lefty, waited on deck, but the Angels opted to let the right-handed Speier pitch to Blalock. His 16th homer of the season, and the first walk-off blast of his career, traveled 415 feet.

"I don’t manage for Mike [Scioscia], but I’m certainly glad Speier threw it where he threw it," Rangers manager Ron Washington said. "Hank was outstanding tonight. Three times he came through when we needed him."

Said second baseman Ian Kinsler: "I was a little surprised the gave him a pitch to hit, but that’s a credit to Hank to be ready for the pitch and to drive it out of the ballpark."

The Rangers scored five times in the sixth to take a 7-1 lead, but the Angels scored the next six runs — three off Kevin Millwood in the seventh and three more off Francisco with two outs in the ninth on a Juan Rivera home run.

Millwood pitched well enough for a ninth victory, even though he was touched for four runs in 6 1/3 innings. But he was far better than Jered Weaver (5 1/3 innings, seven runs) in a showdown between two potential All-Stars.

The Rangers won for the fourth time this season in a game Millwood has started against a divisional foe. Blalock got them started with a solo homer in a two-run fourth that also included a two-out run-scoring single by Chris Davis.

After the Angels scored once in the sixth, Byrd walked and Blalock doubled to start the bottom of the inning. Julio Borbon, pinch-hitting as Nelson Cruz came up with a stiff back, lined a single to center for his first career hit and aggressively took second.

Weaver would surrender four more runs, but the Angels didn’t quit until Blalock ended the game. The Rangers were in line for a far less dramatic victory, but Francisco blew his second consecutive save.

The Angels ran themselves out of a bigger ninth, though, as Chone Figgins was erased trying to stretch a double into a triple to start the inning.

The Figgins out was one of four the Angels made on the base paths.

Cowboy fans came out in droves to see Tiger Woods play with Tony Romo yesterday in Washington D.C.

Cowboys Fans in Droves
Dan Steinberg
Washington Post

This is when I knew it was gonna be bad. We were on Congressional's 12th fairway, Tiger and Tony's third hole, when I saw a father and daughter in matching Romo jerseys perched around the green. That would be Joe Ramirez from Mechanicsburg, Pa., along with his 5-year old daughter, Dallas. Yeah, Dallas.

"Better than naming her Washington," he said.

And this, sports fans, is why you don't invite the Cowboys' quarterback to play with the tournament host in Bethesda, even if they are both friends with Hank Haney. Honestly, for a good part of the day, it felt like being at FedEx Field on a certain late fall Monday evening, with a certain black-and-gold fan base emerging from dark vans like cockroaches, the kind of cockroaches that wear those gloating little smirks and whisper bad things about your treasured civic institutions under their breath.

The numbers at yesterday's pro-am were exponentially smaller, but the Cowboys stuff was everywhere in that mob following Tiger and Tony. On fathers and sons and daughters, on old friends and new friends, on hats and shirts and jerseys and visors. It rankled the course's soul, made patrons' Gatorade Tiger Focus stick in their craws. It should be a mark that never leaves Tiger's résumé, no matter how many times he says he loves D.C.

"I got chills -- so close to greatness," one fan said, after a particularly nice approach shot. By the quarterback.

"People were nice," Romo said. "People inherently are good, I think, and it was a good reception out here. There's a lot more Cowboys fans than I thought, but even the Washington fans, it's just all in good fun, the way the day went. You know what to expect a little bit, but honestly, people were very respectful."

Sure, there was Phil Yonker from Rockville, wearing a "Dallas Sucks" T-shirt. "Why wouldn't you wear something to represent D.C.?" he asked. "Are you kidding me?"

And there were the more vocal ones, like Del Lynch, in an Art Monk hat, shouting out "Hit it like it's December!" from a few feet behind Romo on the seventh tee, and Chris Wellde from Ellicott City, letting rip a "Let's go, Redskins!" from the ninth. And when a starter on that seventh tee asked for a nice Washington Redskins welcome for the visiting quarterback, there was a chorus of boos, just like there was during the opening shot festivities an hour later.
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"Oh, I heard them," said Romo's girlfriend, Jessica Simpson, when I asked whether she had met any Redskins fans. "I heard them."

But still, everywhere you looked, that dang star.

"Tiger and Tony together, you can't beat it," said Chauncey Strong, 39, of Alexandria. "To have the quarterback of the Cowboys with Tiger, my God. You can't beat it at all."

"America's team," noted Brett Zenewicz, wearing his "Romo wuz not built in a day" shirt.

Nobody gives a crap about steroids except sports writers. So, Manny Ramirez comes back tomorrow with a lot of negative stories written about it and full stands where ever he goes.

Players, fans don't care about steroids so ... welcome back, Manny!

Scott Ostler
San Francisco Chronicle

(07-01) 22:42 PDT -- Thanks to Manny Ramirez, I have seen the light.

When Ramirez becomes eligible for the Hall of Fame, he gets my vote. Same with all the other 'roid boys.

No longer will I try to hijack the game of baseball from its rightful owners - the fans and players.

Ramirez has provided the final proof that nobody cares if a player has more needles stuck in his butt than a porcupine. If the fans don't care, and the players don't care, who am I to care?

What am I? A knucklehead?

Ramirez returns to the Dodgers on Friday in San Diego, and it could get brutal out there at Petco. Who knows what might happen when those Padres' fans get all hopped up on microbrew and fish tacos?

"You may have a few knuckleheads that throw some disparaging comments his way," said Dodgers pitcher Scott Linebrink, formerly a Padre.

There you have it. Anyone who doesn't welcome Manny back to baseball as if he went away for two months to build an orphanage for war refugees is a knucklehead.

So I welcome Ramirez back - as a great slugger, fun guy, cool teammate and the man who has provided the final proof that steroids are OK, at least for professional baseball players.

During Ramirez's recent mini-tour of the minor leagues, shaking off the rust, he played a game at Lake Elsinore, home of the Padres' Class A affiliate. During pregame intros, he received a few boos, drowned out by wild cheering.

In five minor-league appearances, Ramirez drew five adoring SRO crowds. At one game the gate was 8,099. So intense was the love that Manny apparently feared for his safety. When 100 fans waited for him after one game, to grovel for the autograph of a man suspended 50 games for cheating, Ramirez used a police escort to escape through the mob to his car.

Ladies and gentlemen, Manny has left the building.

I'm not being critical. I'm not so heartless that I would come down on a man who has been dealing with the anguish of an unplanned pregnancy.

Ramirez didn't talk to the media during his whirlwind tour of the bushes. He said to one group of reporters hoping to interview him, "No thank you. Go to YouTube."

YouTube? Maybe on YouTube there's a video of Ramirez saying he's sorry for cheating, compromising his team, setting a bad example for kids and copping out with a lame excuse. Or maybe there isn't.

You can bet there won't be any knuckleheads in the Dodgers' clubhouse when their wayward son returns Friday. Baseball players are remarkably (and suspiciously) nonjudgmental of teammates who get busted for steroids. Joe Torre couldn't be more supportive of Ramirez if the skipper were to wear a dreadlocks wig.

When the Dodgers return to Dodger Stadium, you know how the fans are going to be. Oh, the love, especially in Mannywood, the section of seats near Ramirez's leftfield position where fans wear Mannywood T-shirts. (No, the T-shirts don't have faux-pregnancy belly padding.)

Ramirez will be more popular than ever in Los Angeles because his suspension has made him even more of a celebrity.

I learned a lesson many years ago when I worked in L.A. and wrote a column critical of Vin Scully for not reporting bad news, such as an impending players strike. I got a ton of mail, exactly 100 percent of it explaining what an idiot I was. Baseball is our escape from the real world, the writers wrote.

And if Los Angeles celebrities happen to be drugged up or artificially enhanced, hey, the deeper the mystique. If you can perform, all is forgiven. See: Kobe Bryant.

Ramirez has inspired outrage and indignation, but only among a few media people. L.A. Times columnist Bill Plaschke was spitting mad when he went to one of Manny's minor-league games and experienced an outpouring of unqualified love for Manny.

Plaschke might as well rail against the evils of Dodger Dogs.

Hey, Look at that, The Rangers can Hit After All

2 Signs that you aren't a very good country musician - 1 - before most people have heard of you, you pose like that for Maxim. 2 - you use a "catchy" name like Jessie James. I'm not saying that's a stage name but if she was interested in being an "artist" don't you think she would have buttoned her shirt and she'd go by Jessica James?



Here's a shocker, one night in a 162 night baseball season is not an indicator of things to come. Apparently I shouldn't get too excited about the Rangers hitting.

Rangers' one-night hitting resurgence is a mirage

12:30 AM CDT on Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Column by KEVIN SHERRINGTON / The Dallas Morning News | ksherrington@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – Here in North Texas every summer, we can assume a few givens.

Your air conditioning will go out. Your vacation will be too short.

Your temper will overheat.

Your Rangers will hit.

Bulletin: Not so fast on that last one.

Even as the Rangers wallowed around in their worst month of hitting since their inaugural season, wasting improved pitching and fielding and squandering a first-place lead in the process, you've been steadily assured that this slump shall pass. Everyone says so. Players, coaches, the manager.

Even me.

Consider me cured of that notion, friend. Not even Tuesday's 9-5 rout of the Angels could persuade me otherwise, either, no matter how many home runs Marlon Byrd whacked or bases Elvis Andrus stole. The fireworks weren't entirely unexpected. Something about the Ballpark gets in the head of the Angels' Joe Saunders, who shows an 11.67 ERA in Arlington and 1.44 against the Rangers otherwise.

Come to think of it, be glad the Mark Teixeira-for-Saunders-and-Casey Kotchman trade didn't go down. Saunders might be in therapy by now.

Anyway, the assumption about a hitting resurgence has been based on the fact that the Rangers always hit, therefore, they always will.

Don't feel bad if you bought into it. Bernie Madoff's clients made a similar assumption, only no one's going to jail for this one. I hope.

The only thing the Rangers hit last month was bottom. Or at least that's what Ron Washington hopes.

Frankly, it should only get better, as indicated by Tuesday's results.

But can you reasonably expect the Rangers to sustain anything close to it?

Not if you look at individual track records, or, more precisely, the lack thereof.

Of the Rangers' regulars, only two, Ian Kinsler and Michael Young, are on an upward trend. Three if you count Byrd, who'd played more than 109 games only once before last season.

Nelson Cruz was great for 31 games last season and terrific in May. And that pretty much covers his career highlights.

Coming into this season, David Murphy had played in the equivalent of one full major league season. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, too. Chris Davis had 80 games under his belt. Andrus didn't have any.

Yes, all of the above had impressive minor league stats and projected well, and most looked promising last season. But there may be a reason for that, too.

One Rangers official advanced this theory: When the club's pitching was its usual ineffective self last year, opponents didn't feel threatened. They threw the back end of their bullpens at them. Cushioned by big leads, mediocre pitchers challenged the Rangers with fastballs, and the Rangers pounded them.

But the Rangers' improvement in pitching and defense this season has in some cases worked against them.

Opposing pitchers are more careful. They're not throwing as many fastballs, and the Rangers still have trouble laying off pitches, particularly breaking balls in the dirt.

Case in point: In four at bats Tuesday, Saltalamacchia saw six pitches. Maybe he was just excited.

Of course, if Josh Hamilton were still in the lineup, it would make a difference. For that matter, if Milton Bradley were still here, that'd help, too. Not to mention what it'd do for Lou Piniella's blood pressure.

Without that type of veteran presence – and neither Andruw Jones nor Hank Blalock appears capable of supplying it – it puts more pressure on the kids. Opposing pitchers are forcing them to make adjustments, and they have little experience to call upon. Most aren't used to struggling.

The diagnosis is simple enough: Too many free swingers, not enough patience, too few adjustments, not enough contact.

Tony Romo is playing a round of Golf today with Tiger Woods in the AT&T Pro AM. The kicker here is that it is in Washington D.C. and the fans probably will not be very nice to the Cowboys QB.

Romo Will Not Receive The Silent Treatment

Dan Steinberg
Washington Post

There are certain standards in golf, and certain standards at Congressional Country Club. You don't wear your baseball hat backward. You don't wear cargo shorts. You don't yell at golfers mid-swing, and you sure as heck don't boo.

This morning will put those standards to a severe test. Tiger Woods -- the most popular athlete in the world -- will tee off in a group with Tony Romo -- who might not be the most hated athlete in D.C. but isn't likely to get many fist bumps in greater Bethesda. Think less "Get in the hole!," and more "Fall in that ditch!"

"Oh, I'm gonna definitely boo him," said one extremely well-respected member of Congressional, who, being a Washingtonian, asked her name not be used. "This is Redskins territory. It's like the Yankees; you hate the Yankees and you hate the Cowboys. I might have to wear a Redskins shirt."

"It's a matter of principle," added another Congressional member, who also requested anonymity. "He's basically asking for it, showing his face here."

"Do I think they should interfere with the round of golf? No," said Paul Goydos, himself a Rams fan. "Do I think they should give him some [stuff] if they get the opportunity? That's part of life. He gets paid very well. A Cowboy coming into Redskin or Eagle or Giant territory has to expect that a little bit."

Word of this non-silent protest had evidently filtered back to the tournament host, who was asked to address his pro-am partner during a pre-tournament meeting with the media. What Tiger should have said was, "Hey, at least I'm not playing with [Sidney] Crosby or LeBron [James]!" but what he actually said was this:

"We're very lucky to have him here; to have him come out and have Jessica [Simpson] come out and sing the National Anthem is gonna be pretty special for all of us," Woods said, nearly causing at least one media member to boo right then and there. "Certainly I didn't realize it was gonna be this big a deal. . . . It's gonna be a fun round, but also an interesting one. He's used to being booed. It is what it is."

So at least Tiger has the football terminology down. And Jessica's was hardly the only bold name rattled off at the mic. Just to keep us all grounded, here are several takes on those names, from Tiger and the field.

HBO's Hung got the biggest ratings a new show on that channel has gotten in 2 years. Too bad because there have been shows better than that one that people should have been watching.

'Hung' starts big for HBO
Net's most-watched series debut since June 2007

By James Hibberd
Hollywood Reporter

June 30, 2009, 07:56 PM ET
The premiere of HBO's newest comedy "Hung" was seen by 2.8 million viewers, making it the network's most-watched series debut in two years.

"Hung," about a well-endowed man (Thomas Jane) who becomes a hustler, was the biggest -- tough to avoid the puns -- premiere for the network since "John From Cincinnati," which aired after the series finale of "The Sopranos" in June 2007.

Lead-in "True Blood," meanwhile, hit yet another series high, drawing 3.7 million viewers. "Hung" held 76% of the vampire drama's audience.

If you throw in encore presentations of both shows, "Hung" grows to 3.7 million viewers and "Blood" to 5.1 million.

HBO said "Blood" is averaging a cross-platform audience of more than 10.8 million viewers per episode. That's if you count network airings, HBO On Demand and DVR, making the sophomore show outperform its first-season average by 38%.

Here is one for my wife, the 2 leads from Law and Order:SVU will be back for 2 more years.

'Law & Order: SVU' stars seal their deals

By Rick Porter

Zap2It.com
June 29, 2009 3:36 PM

Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni are staying on the "Law & Order: SVU" beat for at least one more season.

Protracted contract negotiations between the two stars and NBC Universal concluded Monday (June 29) with the two stars agreeing to new one-year deals with an option for a second season. The new contracts will give both actors a pay raise above the reported $375,000-$385,000 per episode they have been making.

What's more, the showbiz trade papers are reporting that Emmy winner Christine Lahti will guest-star in the first four episodes of the season as the Special Victims Unit's assistant district attorney. Stephanie March will then return to the show full-time; she reprised her role as ADA Alexandra Cabot in several episodes last season.

The new deals for Hargitay and Meloni mean that all of the core players in NBC's highest-rated returning drama -- including showrunner Neal Baer -- will be back for the show's 11th season.

U2 began it's 360 tour last night in Barcelona. Here is a summary of the show.

'Come in Barcelona'
U2.com
30 June 2009

U2 unveiled their 'space station' in Barcelona tonight and 90,000 Spanish fans gave it lift off.

Arriving on stage at Camp Nou at just gone 10pm local time, the band played 22 songs over two hours and twenty minutes , eliciting an extraordinary reception from passionate Spanish fans.

As well as seven songs from No Line on the Horizon, the band soared through the catalogue returning to many classic tracks that have been missing from the set on recent tours.

The groundbreaking new stage production, designed by Willie Williams and Mark Fisher, was the first thing to hit the audience as they arrived at the venue - its four huge legs stretching across the hallowed home of Barcelona FC and suspending a giant spherical screen delivering crystal clear 360 vision throughout the huge stadium.

'This has been our neighbourhood for the last couple of weeks,' explained Bono, taking a breath after four opening songs from No Line. 'This is where we wanted to build our space station...'

The space station soon made contact with another one, when Bono called up the astronauts orbiting planet earth on the International Space Station. They immediately appeared live on the screens. 'Very nice to hear you,' said one astronaut as the microphone floated around the cabin.

'Commander, can you see Barcelona?' asked Bono.

'Right now the most beautiful sight in our cosmos is the blue planet earth,' came the reply.

Larry, Adam and Edge joined in the conversations with the space travellers, each of whom held out a sheet of paper, creating the phrase 'The Future Needs A Big Kiss' .

Larry wanted to know if the earth was really round. 'Actually, that's classified...' came the reply. 'Escape yourself and gravity' goes Unknown Caller, and considering this was its live debut it immediately sounded like a classic set to stay in the set for years. Sounded pretty cool hearing an entire stadium rhythmically chanting, 'Restart and re-boot yourself.' If it was a surprise to hear Unforgettable Fire, title track of an album released in 1984, it sounded majestic - of the 22 tracks the band performed we counted selections from eight different albums.

Another striking moment was when Bono dedicated 'Walk On' to Aung San Suu Kyi, democratically elected leader of Burma in 1990 but under house arrest for most of the years since. As the electronic screens weaved lower and elongated spectacularly over the stage, huge images of Aung San Suu Kyi appeared just as dozens of people began walking slowly along the external stage runway, each holding up her mask. 'Let her face be your face.' said Bono, as people all around the stadium began pulling out their own masks and wearing them.

Apart from a stumble during One, the band sounded looked pretty happy to be back on stage and back amongst their audience - Adam and Edge regularly crossed the elegant arched bridges spanning the inner stage and outer runway, reaching out to different parts of the audience. It feels as though the new production will do what it was commissioned to and turn a stadium into a club.

'U2 is most at home when we're playing live.' explains Larry in the Tour programme. 'This is the place where our songs live.'

Here is the setlist:

Breathe
No Line on the Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful DaY
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
Angel of Harlem
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding LIghts
Vertigo
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One

Encore

Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Bruce played Bern, Switzerland last night.

June 30 / Stade de Suisse / Bern, SUI
Notes: The concert that locals had been waiting 10 years for—Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band—offered something for everyone last night. On a hot, muggy evening in a soccer stadium on the outskirts of the Swiss capital city of Bern, Nils took the stage first to deliver an accordion instrumental of a local traditional tune "Ds Vogellisi" ("Come out Tonight") that had the locals clapping and singing from the start. "Badlands" followed, which, as Steve would say later during Glory Days ("according to my Swiss watch") really started "Boss time." Bruce said a few words in his best Swiss Deutsch about being glad to be in Switzerland, but for the most part the pace of the evening was fast.

The reaction to "Outlaw Pete" was surprisingly the strongest of the early tunes, with a lot of participation and pure pleasure in the cowboy hat shtick. "Out in the Street" seemed to falter somewhat, with Bruce struggling to hit the highest notes and Clarence having a tough time with the sax solo. The Big Man, however, redeemed himself throughout the evening, and seemed at the end to be stronger than ever.

A mesmerizing, extended version of "Atlantic City," a tour premiere, was a perfect addition to the "hardship trio" of songs. "Hungry Heart" was fun, and I must say from where I was the Swiss did not remember the first verse so well, but the chorus was no problem! The band was loose for the requested "I Fought the Law," the Bobby Fuller Four hit and clearly another tribute to Joe Strummer. During the middle Bruce exclaimed that he thought there's a solo part somewhere, and then nailed it—fun and frenzied. Like "Atlantic City," the rare "Downbound Train" was haunting and perfect for the mood and the times we're in. Then "Because the Night" as the sun descended on Bern, bringing some much needed cooler winds, perhaps generated by Nils whirling around the stage. There was a very artistic sign for "The River" that Bruce had pulled out to quite a few cheers earlier, and he brought the sign back out to play it later on. According to a Swiss radio report the morning after, "The River" was the highlight for many in attendance.

A few songs later and we’re already to the set closer "Born to Run" (lights up), but the band doesn't leave, and the stage lights go dark. A spontaneous "Thunder Road" emerges like magic in the night, Bruce playing the classic song to the yearning of the crowd in all its sincerity and passion. By the end of the evening, the notoriously reserved Swiss were eating off the palms of the band's sweaty hands, hopping fervently during "American Land" and dancing happily in the dark (with some cues from Steve).

Finally, in a surprise extra song for those who've been following the tour, it was John Fogerty's "Rockin' All Over the World" to close, prompted by a long sign that said something like, "Hey Marissa, go see if Bruce is still Rockin' all Over the World." Well, as everyone bore witness in Bern last night, indeed he is—and thank God for that!

Setlist:
[Nils solo accordion intro]
Badlands
No Surrender
She's the One
Outlaw Pete
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Atlantic City
Hungry Heart
I Fought the Law
Downbound Train
Because the Night
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run

Encore

Thunder Road
Hard Times
Bobby Jean
American Land
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark
Rockin' All Over the World

The Boys Aren't Home Yet and I'm Already Exhausted

Cameron Diaz is all over the talk shows I watch lately.



What the hell is going on with the Rangers? You telling me the reason for this collapse is the offense? Up is down, left is right. I'm confused.

Not ususal suspect: Offense undermining Texas Rangers

01:34 AM CDT on Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Column by TIM COWLISHAW / The Dallas Morning News | wtcowlishaw@dallasnews.com

ARLINGTON – The Rangers lost their grip on first place in the American League West over the weekend. They lost their grip on the bat long ago.

If I must concede to the Rangers naysayers who contended that this team would be anything but a true contender by the time the All-Star break arrived, I will ask one question.

Did you really think their lousy offense would be the problem?

Monday night wasn't quite as bad as Sunday, but still it ended in a 5-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, who stretched their division lead to 2 ½ games.

Back-to-back home runs from David Murphy and Marlon Byrd in the third inning supplied the only Texas fireworks. Otherwise, a fairly lifeless Ballpark crowd of – get this – 16,985 watched the Angels walk off with a methodical win that felt nothing like the start of a series that would decide first place.

Really, on a rather pleasant night (by Texas standards), this team can't get 30,000 people to show up for the Angels? Or 25,000? Or even 20,000?

Well, as it turns out, first place won't change hands in this series. We now know the Angels will leave here with a lead after Wednesday night. My guess is that it will be more than half a game.

By the time the Rangers get to Seattle for a four-game series July 9-12 just before the All-Star break, that series probably won't feel much like a battle for second, either.

The Mariners, compared to the local club, are hot.

The Rangers aren't because they no longer can hit.

A disastrous June is almost at an end. The Rangers' 10-15 record for the month only begins to tell the story.

In the last three nights, the Rangers have lost at home to the Padres' Kevin Correia and Chad Gaudin and the Angels' Sean O'Sullivan. They have scored a total of five runs against that elite trio of starters and a few relievers.

The club's total of 90 runs in June is the worst in the American League.

The Rangers' batting average and on-base percentages for the month are the worst in the majors.

Pity the fan who ran to the restroom or the concession stand in the bottom of the third and missed a stretch of eight pitches in which Murphy and Byrd deposited pitches over the fence in center and left center.

That was it for the Rangers' attack.

Better than the one hit that came off of Michael Young's bat in a 2-0 loss to San Diego on Sunday night?

Sure.

Enough to keep this team viable in the American League West where the Angels are finally getting hot?

No.

Enough to maintain fan interest around here in the month before the Cowboys start shoving each other around on the Alamodome practice field?

Let Monday's paid attendance be your guide.

Time To Get Back To Work

Christina Milan welcomes me back to the work week.



The Rangers are having a tough time lately. Last night was another tough day at the office. At least Josh Hamilton looks to be about ready to come back.

Rangers hit rock bottom with shutout loss
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
By JEFF WILSON

ARLINGTON — The players have grown tired of talking about the slump that has caused the Texas Rangers to fall from a 5 1/2 -game lead in the American League West to a 1 1/2 -game deficit in 30 days.

With the exception of two days late last week, when the Rangers scored 21 runs, the offense continues to come up largely empty.

Sunday night was just about as close to E as the tank can get.

Chad Gaudin was masterful for eight innings as he and Heath Bell combined on the first one-hitter thrown by an opponent in Rangers Ballpark history in a 2-0 San Diego victory.

"It’s a broken record right now," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said. "There’s nothing we can say."

Some attempted to put the offense’s extended woes into words. Ron Washington said his club had hit rock bottom.

David Murphy winced when facing that reality, only to then agree with his manager.

Gaudin, released by the Cubs just before the season started, mesmerized Rangers hitters. Michael Young singled in the first, and Gaudin retired 23 of the final 25 batters he faced.

Young had the only hit when Dontrelle Willis and four Detroit relievers one-hit the Rangers on May 19, also in the first inning. The Rangers’ once-mighty offense, which is hitting .220 this month, has been held to two or fewer hits five times this season.

Gaudin, who entered with a 1-4 career record and an 8.10 ERA in 11 games at Rangers Ballpark, used a sharp slider to keep the Rangers in a funk.

He also kept pumping two-seam and four-seam fastballs into the strike zone so often that he needed only 101 pitches to complete eight innings.

"I don’t think we ever envisioned that anyone could shut this offense down to one hit," Washington said. "It happened tonight."

Young and Washington took solace in the fact that today gives the Rangers another chance to get going.

The players remain confident, they said, and continue to work on improving.

They’ve tried everything, including a hitters meeting in San Francisco, early work before batting practice, watching video and consulting hitting coach Rudy Jaramillo.

"What more is there to do?" said Murphy, who was the only Rangers hitter to reach second base. "We know what we’re trying to do. We’re not little leaguers. We’re grown men, and we’re professionals.

"The only thing left to do is go hit."

Bruce resumed his European tour this weekend, headlining two festivals over there.

June 28 / Hard Rock Calling - Hyde Park / London, UK
Notes: A taste of what was to come later in the evening came when Bruce joined The Gaslight Anthem on stage for one of their songs, as he did the previous night at Glastonbury. I've never seen this band before, but will definitely be picking up some of their stuff. They put on a real show for their 30 minute set, and of Bruce's "warm-up acts" (Beauvoir, James Morrison and the Dave Matthews Band) they received the best reaction from the crowd. Lead singer Brian Fallon introduced their guest by telling the crowd that there were a lot of great bands here today... they in turn responded "Broooooce!" in unison. "Ask and ye shall receive" said Fallon, as the Boss made his way on for "The '59 Sound."
- Andrew Crombie reporting - photograph by Steve Tye

Notes: Neil Lockwood sets the scene: "On the hottest day of the year so far, Bruce and the band rolled into a packed Hyde Park for the Hard Rock Calling Festival. Having endured the searing sunshine (for England!) and some 'interesting' support bands, the time came for what else but 'London Calling,' again Bruce's tribute to Joe Strummer to open the E Street Band's set. This immediately had the crowd jumping and forgetting all the ills of standing for what was 9 hours in my case."

"A smart—if potentially risky—move to start with 'London Calling,'" writes Jonathan Phillips. "Sometimes British audiences can be a little protective and parochial over such iconic tunes, but with a full lawn brimming with enthusiasm this worked brilliantly. The crowd's vocals on 'and I... I live by the river' raised the E Streeters' eyebrows with its fervor and volume. 'Badlands' then made its suitably powerful presence well felt. This was a strong start to the show with 'Night' coming over neatly; likewise, the power of 'Outlaw Pete' and a well-engaged crowd singalong of 'Working on a Dream' kept things ticking along fine, although running down to the crowd for the first time brought a nasty shock—a huge staircase back up to the stage!"

The stage was a full story above the crowd, Bruce hamming it up "as he stumbled up the flight of stairs," Dave Jones tells us, "and got up shaken but not stirred. To Steve, who came to his aid: 'I'm 60 years old, for god's sake, get me a fuckin' elevator! I want a fucking elevator!' This was greeted with a huge cheer—or gasp of relief!"

As at Glasto, the Gaslight Anthem's Brian Fallon was back out for "No Surrender" in the request set. Reaching back out to the crowd for "Waitin' on a Sunny Day," Bruce just about got a shy little boy on his dad's shoulders to sing. "Just a little louder..." encouraged Bruce, and the crowd ate it up.

Glastonbury-goer Mark Warham writes: "A much more varied pace than the previous night, Bruce taking the time to work in some quieter/slower numbers for a more Bruce-focused crowd—especially stretching out slowly on 'Racing in the Street' and 'Jungleland.' The crowd was a good deal more middle-aged than at Glasto, as you'd expect, but was making plenty of noise and boogieing hard at the end."

"'Radio Nowhere,' 'Lonesome Day' and 'The Rising' took us to the pinnacle" continues Lockwood, "but could he take us higher? You bet! Those damn steps wiped him out on 'Born to Run,' as Bruce lay on his back flat out, needing Steve to help him up before he could end the song. But you had to know at least some shtick was involved, as Bruce skipped the encore break and blew right through 'Rosalita' and 'Hard Times.' They never left the stage, and it was clear he was really enjoying himself now!"

Jonathan Russell: "Towards the end, Steve frantically waved for one final sign, which was duly delivered and held aloft by both Boss and lead guitar slinger. It was an apt sign-off from a group that I would have to say were once again surpassing the top of their game. In true postcard style the sign simply read, 'Greetings From Hyde Park.' Many a prayer and twitter answered with a high energy opening of 'London Calling'... Stevie as engaged as I have seen him in many a year... some 'curfew-busting boss time'... a crowd off the Richter scale (well, for an English audience)... glorious weather.... A lot of folk who did not make it will surely have wished they were here."

Guesting with The Gaslight Anthem:
The '59 Sound

Setlist:
London Calling
Badlands
Night
She's the One
Outlaw Pete
Out in the Street
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Youngstown
Good Lovin'
Bobby Jean
Trapped
No Surrender (with The Gaslight Anthem)
Waitin' on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
Racing in the Street
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Rosalita

Encore

Hard Times
Jungleland
American Land
Glory Days
Dancing in the Dark

June 27 / Glastonbury Festival / Glastonbury, UK

Notes: Rumored for years to be playing the annual Glastonbury festival, Springsteen finally makes his first appearance at Worthy Farm for the 39th annual Glasto, Bruce's first-ever festival performance in the U.K. "'I've heard about it... I've heard about it... I've heard about it... now I'm seeing it!" Mark Warham describes the scene for us: "Having been warned of the famed Glastonbury mud and told 'to wear boots you'll never want to wear again,' Bruce sported knee high leather wellingtons. But it was a great atmosphere at the end of a beautiful sunny afternoon—flags and banners waving everywhere. Bruce worked the crowd more than anyone else at Glasto over the weekend, and the crowd responded—especially to his visits to the front row."

This was one of Joe Strummer's homes-away-from-home, and with Strummer partially credited for getting Bruce to show, Springsteen had the late, great Clashman in mind. Emerging with Clarence for an acoustic opener, he offered up the Mescaleros' "Coma Girl," perfect for the occasion, and as the E Street Band kicked in, Bruce sent out "Badlands" to Strummer for good measure. The crowd erupted, and from there, it was non-stop, as Warham writes: "A very high-velocity, high-energy show. Bruce stormed through it as if racing against a tight curfew (which he was). No space for any slow numbers."

Joe Richardson tells us: "Bruce followed Kasabian, who are a pretty heavy (dirty) rock band, very similar to Oasis who play lots of big songs which make little lyrical sense but get a certain crowd going.... and it was an intense, crushing pit. It was impossible for most Kasabian fans to get out without pulled out by security, so they all decided to stay. Despite not really wanting to be there, most of these young, non-Bruce fans wound up completely focused on Springsteen during the set and in awe of him by the end."

After collecting signs during "Raise Your Hand," Bruce granted requests for "Because the Night" and "No Surrender." The latter brought a special guest to the stage, Brian Fallon from the band The Gaslight Anthem. Earlier, Springsteen had joined his fellow New Jerseyans during their set on "The '59 Sound," and Fallon looked thrilled to be returning the favor.

With the BBC broadcasting, both on radio and TV, this will be the best documented show of the tour so far, preserving the night's most memorable visual. Richardson describes it: "An amazing moment came during "The River," when Bruce was actually smoking—steam rising off his body—which showed the crowd how much effort he was putting in. That moment sealed the performance for most of those around me."

Giving no quarter despite a ticking clock, Bruce played a six-song encore, closing with the huge crowd-pleasers "Glory Days" and "Dancing in the Dark." The Daily Mirror reports that Bruce and the E Streeters broke "the 12.30 a.m curfew by nine minutes. [Glastonburg organizer Michael] Eavis will be fined £3,000, but he said it's worth it. 'The last nine minutes were spectacular. It was probably the best show of his life.'"

Guesting with The Gaslight Anthem:
The '59 Sound

Setlist:

Coma Girl
Badlands*
Prove It All Night*
My Lucky Day
Outlaw Pete*
Out in the Street*
Working on a Dream*
Seeds
Johnny 99
The Ghost of Tom Joad
Raise Your Hand
Because the Night
No Surrender (with The Gaslight Anthem)
Waitin' on a Sunny Day*
The Promised Land*
The River*
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run*

Encore

Hard Times
Thunder Road*
Land of Hope and Dreams*
American Land*
Glory Days*
Dancing in the Dark*

*broadcast live on BBC2