Monkeypox

Little blurb about the kid (Dated March 13, 2008): http://ssfootball.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=785137 "Texas lineman John Noble is said to be one of the top player at his position despite not yet holding an offer. Noble from Rockwall (Texas) has great size at 6-5, 289 and with a 73.35 SPARQ rating should start opening up some eyes of coaches. "

Well, the best-case scenario happened, IMO. Mike is making the move to 3rd. I think this is really good news. Move Mike to a position that better suits his defensive abilities, the Rangers solve the 3rd base issue for the time being, and all the fans get to keep rooting for MY.

On Fitz, my one statement: 1) Yes, he was in a system to utilize his talents, but: 2) More importantly, he was THE top threat on the team, and with ALL of our opponents knowing the ball was going to Fitz, he still made the numbers. When people are giving you their full attention and you can still play at a high lvl, you deserve the accolades, system or not. As to Riley, I'm eager and anxious to see the kid play here. There are legitimate questions as to his durability, size, and armstrength, but I'll wait til I see him in a full season's action to make any judgements on him. If he looks good on the field, does all he can to help the team win, puts up good numbers, etc... that's what I care about, regardless of whose kid he is.

Agreed. It really has become a scary thing.

3rd star to the right, straight on til morning...

Not to answer for Jim, but I've read it and was unimpressed. The Sun Belt now is way better than it was in our upstart days.

Saying it were an equal $2500 paid out to me, you know what I would do? I would pay down some of the debt I'm working on. Yep, that's right. It would go right back to those banks. So you'd have the same payout to them (at least as far as I'm concerned), except I'd actually get the credit back. This way, I'm getting to pay them twice.

I hope you're kidding about the return. You won't get near that for Michael Young. You're talking about a 32-yr-old shortstop of average capabilities entering a 5-yr, $80 million contract extension. You get a B prospect and you hope you don't have to eat too much of the salary. That's why the idea that this move is a money-SAVER (as some have implied) is simply ridiculous. They're on the hook for this contract the same they were for A-Rod (except, of course, A-Rod was the best player in baseball). They're not doing this because they're ready for Andrus. They're doing this bc they have no options at 3B but a lot of young talent at SS and moving MY was gonna happen eventually one way or another. Also, they think (mistakingly, IMO) that the club will be in competition mode in 2010, and you won't do that if you're breaking in a whole lineup of young guys, so they'd like to get more guys acclimated to the bigs this year, with the expected growing pains. What the Rangers SHOULD do is tell MY they will attempt to trade him, and that they will wish he reconsiders a move to 3rd base. Say it as sweetly as possible. And when he refuses AND you can find no suitable trade offers (both highly likely), you sign yourself a solid defensive stopgap SS and you pencil him in at 3B. He plays or he's out millions of dollars. It all comes down to this. The Rangers crowned MY the FACE OF THE FRANCHISE for whatever reason, and as a PR move signed him to an ill-advised contract extension that many rightfully thought would come back to bite them in the butt. It has. Now, people want them to, in ANOTHER PR move, keep MY at a position to which he is ill-suited so they don't hurt his feelings. Well, I for one would like it if they would start making sound BASEBALL moves and forget about PR, and that means moving MY to 3rd base and either signing a stopgap SS (much better options out there than 3B) and/or letting Andrus get his feet wet in a year where there's really no pressure.

I was gonna say sunglasses... Monkeypox doesn't see color. It's why they wouldn't let me into NASA.

Replace Michael Jordan with something that no one cares about and you're onto something.

It's perfectly in line. It's a different animal, indeed, bc we're not getting paid millions of dollars on a guaranteed contract. Even as it is, if your boss tells you to do something, you do it or hit the bricks. That's your choice. Saying "well, it's bc they TOLD me to do it instead of ASKING me to" makes you sound like a spoiled child. That's what I believe it comes down to, as MY has been a vocal critic of any attempts to rebuild (and understandably so). I believe the reason they are asking him to move is that they indeed wish to rush Andrus, and, perhaps, more to the point, they have absolutely no answer at 3rd and there's nothing worthwhile in free agency. They're kicking the tires on Joe Freaking Crede. If the options are a) 3B Crede/Metcalf/Spare + SS MY OR 3B MY + SS Andrus, i think it's an easy choice. I'm not on board with rushing Andrus, personally, but the decision makes sense from an organizational standpoint, and most within the organization feel Elvis' MENTAL makeup is ready, even should he come up and falter. I just think MY wants out of the rebuild. Gonna be hard to move him, though, without giving up more than you like or taking on salary. I think the best case scenario is to do what the Nats did (and we should've done) to Soriano. You can play where we tell you or you can not get paid.

GG is a popularity contest. No one is crowning Andrus the 2nd coming. I believe the only way you must believe that is by thinking Michael Young is Baseball Jesus.

Actually, Young is not pretty good all around, and never really has been as a SS. Defensive metrics show him being below average, and that's fairly generous. More fans will drive to see a winner than they will to see Michael Young. Period. And this team is no more likely to win with him at this point than they are otherwise. Nobody's saying you crown Andrus a superstar, but for a team not likely going anywhere in the next few years, committing to MY at his current position when he's (1) Not very good there and (2) potentially blocking a young prospect you need to develop, this is a no-brainer. And, again, they don't WANT to trade MY. They want to move him to 3rd base. He would rather be traded somewhere where he can still play SS. I don't know if there will be many takers on that. In terms of moving Andrus to 3rd, you are significantly decreasing his value as a player, and his value to the franchise. SS defense is more of a premium than 3B defense. These are basic principles. This is a smart move by the Rangers, unpopular though it may seem.

I think it has more to do with having no good options at 3B, a rising star at SS, and a serviceable but overpaid and aging SS in MY who profiles much better at 3rd.

Why the hell would you move a plus defender at a position in order to placate a bad (defender)/aging/declining one?

Actually, NOTHING like Pudge, who was a plus defender at C, so even at his diminishing offensive abilities, he was worthwhile. MY was an outstanding 2B who they foolishly moved to SS for Soriano's lead glove. He profiles much better at 3B, where his footwork won't get him into as much trouble, but he can still take advantage of his arm strength, and it's currently a need for the Rangers. Also, Pudge's contract was coming up, and he felt he should be paid like an elite C. After coming off of knee surgery, Pudge was demanding A-Rod money and a contract that they'd still be paying on today. What he got in FA was a one-year deal with the Florida Marlins for half that. Yes, he won a World Series with them, and he's still an outstanding player and person, but he's not a player which you should be paying $15-20 million for today. His offensive skills have diminished substantially, and if they had given him a long-term contract for that kind of money, they'd still be under it today. Michael Young is a guy they overpaid to extend (which wasn't the case with Pudge, who gave them a nice hometown discount) and are now stuck with. His defense is poor and his offense is simply serviceable. Then you get to the point that Texas is FINALLY sticking to a true rebuilding plan and that, despite a number of early boneheaded moves by Daniels, has managed to put together a top farm system, and just one of those elite prospects is knocking on the door at SS right behind MY, and this type of move makes sense. Note that it ISN'T the Rangers wanting to trade MY. They want to move him to 3rd where he can best help the team. A spot which they have open and into which he can fit. He doesn't want to and has asked to be traded, which is easier said than done, since you're looking at a 32-yr-old SS who put up a .741 OPS in a hitter's park last year.

Reality is Young is a likeable but not elite player with questionable defense at SS and an albatross of a contract. Moving him to 3rd base is the best thing for the team, but if the Rangers can find someway to unload him, they'll be better for it in the long run.

As a person who works right next to TCU currently (and was out buying liquor at King's that day), I can tell you the attendance figures for this year's bowl game were pretty accurate.

Unless you count bombing pharmaceutical plants in the Sudan.

Oh, the Big East is definitely a bigger joke than the MWC.

Isn't that your job? But why convince anyone? I think I'd rather just point to their undefeated record and whine about it on a message board while continuing to funnel money to the "powers that be."

How about we take the Tennessee Titans and make them play in the NFL? And then we'll take the Cleveland Browns and make them play against my nephews pee-wee league. Your new National Champion Cleveland Browns? What I'm hearing is: "The BIG BCS schools get all the money and media attention. However, none of that media and money make them better at football. And we refuse to recognize the championship system in place." Which begs the question: "What exactly are you whining about, if you don't think the money and media makes them better at football and you don't recognize their championship?"

Wade = good assistant coach, crappy head coach. The end.

maybe just a NT fan. it hurts... i know, it hurts.

Geez, no kidding. This program could've taught Walt Disney a thing or two about Mickey Mouse.