The End of An Era

Well, I've been doing this site for over 5 1/2 years now, I can't quite figure out how many posts I've done since I've done the site on 3 different servers. I can figure out this is post 390 since March of 08, so I'm going to say it's fair to say I've done about 1500 posts in that time. Meaning, there have been 1,500 or so pictures of the day in their current form. Starting next week, it won't be the picture of the day you are used to. I'm still not sure how to do it or how long it will last but I figure there is no better way to bring this era to an end than to feature a new photo of Picture of the Day favorite, Kristen Bell.



The Rangers are in the home stretch of the season, they have 23 games left and some ground to make up. They have switched around their starting rotation so that their 3 hottest pitchers, Scott Feldman, Kevin Millwood and Tommy Hunter will get 15 of those starts between them.

Rangers have mapped out how their five best starters will fulfill playoff quest

By JEFF WILSON
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
jwilson@star-telegram.com

Only 23 games remain on the 2009 schedule for the Texas Rangers, who realize that each game carries tremendous importance as they attempt to secure the club’s first postseason berth since 1999.

The coaching staff has set the pitching rotation in a way it believes will allow the Rangers to make up two games on Boston in the American League wild-card standings or 5 on Los Angeles in the AL West.

Kevin Millwood, Scott Feldman and Tommy Hunter are scheduled to start five games apiece the rest of the way as the Rangers use two off days, one Thursday and another in six days, to make the most of the three pitchers they believe give them the best chance to win.

Derek Holland and Brandon McCarthy will start four times each.

With the exception of Feldman, who continues to win games, the other four seem to be flawed, either with a recent trend in their performances or because they are in unfamiliar territory.

But the Rangers made their final judgments based on a body of work, not just what has happened lately.

"It has nothing to do with anything other than timing," pitching coach Mike Maddux said. "If you have those same outings in May, people just say, 'Aw, it was a bad outing.’ If you make them now, people try to make it more than that."

McCarthy has done well since coming off the disabled list, and his arm doesn’t have the wear and tear of the other four. There is some concern about Hunter and Holland, two rookies who have never pitched this deep into September, let alone into October.

"As guys come up through the minor leagues, the finish line is Sept. 1," Maddux said. "In the course of this game, when it’s your first time pitching in September, it’s going to be tough."

So is reaching the postseason, but the Rangers have lined up their rotation to give them their best shot.

What's this, 2 Ranger stories in 1 day? Yup, they come home tonight and for the first time in a long time, there are huge games to be played at the Ballpark in Seattle. With the Cowboys starting up next door, will anyone notice?

Upon Texas Rangers’ return, we have open arms, open questions

By RANDY GALLOWAY
Ft. Worth Star Telegram
rgalloway@star-telegram.com

galloway Move over, Boss Hawg Bowl, the lights will be shining again tonight at north Arlington’s other venue, this one the pint-sized version, including plumbing and video board.

In the last 22 days, huge crowds have crammed through the road-work hell that is the Collins Street corridor, trooping into Jerry’s place for Cowboys’ exhibition games, Sam Bradford’s misfortune and 14 consecutive hours of high school football contests.

Your attention, please:

For those failing to notice, it is now time for very meaningful Arlington baseball games in the month of September, a local Halley’s comet type of occurrence, last observed here in 2004, and before then, 1999.

Since Aug. 21, the Rangers have had three days and four games at the Ballpark. Fifteen of the last 18 on the road, and by winning eight of those road games, the improbable postseason quest still has life and legs.

Don’t know about you, but watching so many road games on TV, I’ve become addicted to the Tom Grieve pitch-tracker. (Do you think Tom secretly moves those dots around to benefit the Rangers’ case?)

Anyway, coming right up, nine all-divisional home games in 10 days. Seattle, Oakland and then, yes, the Angels. Plenty of good seats still remain. Operators are standing by, as are Tom Hicks’ bankers.

Legit question: Will the Rangers outdraw at any point this weekend the Euless Trinity vs. Some Team from Utah schoolboy game of last Monday? That would mean 30,000 will have to show up for one of the games against the Mariners.

Regardless of ticket sales, meaningful baseball games in September are a blessed event, and in the spirit of cooperation and goodwill, I’m here to help in any way possible.

News flash: It’s still about the pitching. The baseball gods and Mike Maddux, now considered a local baseball god, have given us something that defies logic. Good pitching started happening in, like, late April, and only lately has there been troublesome hints of decline.

The timing is bad for any decline. Don’t slip now. This is fun, as I’ve been reminded lately. With the Rangers now at 79 wins, several e-mailers already have sent jabs that my seasonal prediction was for 80.

Very true. However, here’s my story and I’m sticking to it:

Manny Pacquiaou is going to fight Miguel Coto in November. Look for the 24/7 on HBO to begin in October.

Pacquiao-Cotto fight scheduled for November

By Bill Dwyre
Los Angeles Times

They cheered Manny at Yankee Stadium on Thursday.

No, not the guy with the dreadlocks and the Boston Red Sox legacy. Never that Manny. Not here.

No, this was Manny Pacquiao, and the day was about boxing, not baseball.

On Nov. 14, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, the fast-moving career of the Filipino hero will make another stop with a battle against the dangerous welterweight Miguel Cotto. Thursday marked the first of a five-stop media tour -- New York, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego -- and Yankee Stadium made a nice backdrop.

The old Yankee Stadium, still standing across the way but soon to yield to the wrecking ball and become a park, was home to many great fights over the years. One speaker reminded the crowd that Joe Louis' fight versus Max Schmeling once drew 70,000 people there.

On Thursday, they let the public in for free and perhaps 800 showed up. One of the Yankees officials was prattling on about how Yankee Stadium was the home of this and that. From the crowd came the response: "And the home of the overpriced ticket."

It is boxing and this is New York. You expect chaos and get it.

Even though the Cotto-Pacquiao fight is two months away, the gathering served as a reminder of some good stuff ahead for boxing fans.

It starts Saturday night with Andre Ward, former Olympic gold medalist who is undefeated as a pro, in a tune-up fight at Pechanga in Temecula. On the same Showtime telecast, but coming from Denmark, will be a tuneup fight involving WBA super-middleweight champ Mikkel Kessler. Then, on Nov. 21 in Oakland, Ward and Kessler will meet.

More prominent than that will be consecutive-weekend super-fights, starting with Floyd Mayweather versus Juan Manuel Marquez at the MGM Grand on Sept. 19 and the much-anticipated Vitali Klitschko-Chris Arreola heavyweight battle at Staples Center on Sept. 26. Sometime before the end of the year, the once-postponed Kelly Pavlik-Paul Williams matchup, probably in Atlantic City, N.J., should be back on the calendar.

But the biggie is Cotto-Pacquiao.

Bob Arum, whose Top Rank Promotions handles both fighters and who served in his usual role of master of ceremonies for this media gathering, called Cotto-Pacquiao "the best fight of the year and maybe of the decade."

He will stand by that until his next promotion, which he will call, "the best fight of the year and maybe of the decade."

Cotto-Pacquiao and Mayweather-Marquez are conceptually joined at the hip.

Mayweather retired as boxing's pound-for-pound poster boy two years ago. Pacquiao took over that mythical crown by beating the legendary Oscar De La Hoya and the tough Brit, Ricky Hatton, while Mayweather went to nightclubs in Las Vegas and claimed he was retired for good. That, of course, was nonsense. The only retired boxers are those who can't get any more fights.

Now, the outcome of Mayweather-Marquez is being watched closely, especially by Pacquiao, who is careful about what he says but who acknowledged Thursday that "Pacquiao-Mayweather would be huge."

The waters are always muddied in boxing.

Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach, who was introduced by Arum as "the world's greatest trainer" and who may have lived up to that honor in Pacquiao's last few fights, said he'd rather see Marquez win and have Manny take a shot at him again. Pacquiao and Marquez fought twice, and Pacquiao came away with a draw and a split-decision win.

"I want one more shot," Roach said. "I want Manny to beat him so they will stop whining about the other fights and just shut up."

This is a bummer, Maura Tierney is leaving the new show Parenthood. They had pushed back the premiere because she was undergoing Cancer treatment, now she has bowed out altogether. Not sure what that means for her returning to Rescue Me next season.

Maura Tierney drops out of 'Parenthood'
Actress has scheduling conflicts with cancer treatments

By Nellie Andreeva
Hollywood Reporter
Sept 10, 2009, 04:28 PM ET

Maura Tierney has pulled out of NBC's upcoming drama series "Parenthood" because its production schedule would interfere with her breast cancer treatments.

NBC has begun the process of recasting her role in the project based on the 1989 movie that's written and executive produced by Jason Katims.

"Ms. Tierney and her doctors remain confident that the outcome of her treatments will be positive," Tierney's spokeswoman said Thursday. "She is deeply disappointed that she will not be able to rejoin such a highly respected, talented, fun and funny group of actors and wishes to thank Jason Katims and NBC for their patience and support."

"Parenthood," in which Tierney was to play one of the central characters alongside Peter Krause, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard, Bonnie Bedelia and Craig T. Nelson, originally was slated to premiere this month but was pushed to midseason in July when, shortly before the series was to enter production, Tierney's doctors discovered a tumor in her breast.

At the time, the production start date was postponed until November to give Tierney time to undergo the necessary medical procedures.

It now appears Tierney's treatment will take longer, so NBC will recast the role in order to make the midseason launch date.

Tierney had garnered strong notices for her performance in the pilot for "Parenthood," where she played a contemporary version of the character portrayed by Dianne Wiest in the movie.

"While we are saddened that Maura Tierney won't be able to continue in her current role in 'Parenthood,' our main concern is for her quick and full recovery," an NBC spokesman said. "Our thoughts and best wishes are with her."

The fall TV season is about to kick off as shows will begin in the next couple of weeks. Here is a way to remind yourself what happened last on several shows, we'll start with the Office.

Returning fall TV: 'The Office'

By Arienne Thompson and Kelley L. Carter, USA TODAY

Returns: Thursday, 9 ET, NBC

Season: 6

Where we left things:

Inept but loyal leader Michael Scott (Steve Carell) left to start his own paper company with receptionist-turned-saleswoman Pam (Jenna Fischer) and self-destructive temp-turned-executive Ryan (B.J. Novak). When Michael threatened to steal major clients, Dunder Mifflin bought out his company and the three returned. The season finale, at the company picnic, saw Michael pining for his ex Holly Flax (Amy Ryan), and Pam discovering she's pregnant.

Where we're headed:

It's all about Pam and Jim (John Krasinski), and their little bundle of joy, this fall. The longtime loves will tie the knot and welcome a baby, which pushes Jim to secure his family's future. "He's going to try to advance at Dunder Mifflin, and that's going to threaten Michael," says producer Paul Lieberstein, who also plays chronically downtrodden HR guy Toby Flenderson. Dunder Mifflin also will find itself on the verge of collapse, providing plenty of fodder for a good old-fashioned Michael Scott freak-out. As for Pam and Jim's wedding, co-executive producer Mindy Kaling (who plays Kelly Kapoor) says to expect plenty of antics. "I was watching the Ross and Rachel episode of Friendswhere he said her name accidentally at his wedding (to Emily), so I know NBC has this rich tradition of wedding episodes."