Sporty sport sport

A couple of items on the ssssppppoooorrrttttzzzz front that require a bit of commentary:

1. Big-time, colossal, wicked awesome Rangers trade

Yep, it's true. I like the deal Doogie pulled off last week. I would do Choke-o Cordero, Shrek Mench, "Give It To Me, Laynce" Nix, and Julian (No Relation) Cordero for Carlos Lee and Nelson Cruz any day of the week and twice on Sunday. Even if Lee is only here for two months.

Choke-o wore out his welcome here earlier in the year by setting a major league record for blown saves. He's been up and down since losing his job to Aki Otsuka, and I think he's done. He may rattle around the bigs for a few more years, but I don't think you're going to hear much about him after this.

Kevin Mench is a great guy, hustles his ass off, and has streaks where he just beats the crap out of the ball. But, we've seen all we're gonna see from him. He will end his career as a very average player. Not that there's anything wrong with that. He just wasn't ever going to get much better.

And Laynce Nix? So much potential, which may yet be realized. But the guy just couldn't string any luck together. Moving to a new situation may be just the thing he needed. However, it was hard to see him ever living up the billing here.

Oh, about Julian Cordero? I got nothing. Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better. Never heard of the guy.

And in return we get a legit power hitter in Carlos Lee. A guy who should put the "feared" adjective back into the Rangers line-up. I hope Doogie can resign him, but that's not even the point.

To me, the point is this: You gave up essentially nothing (Mench is a little something, but not much) for Nelson Cruz. This guy has the potential to be a HUGE star. Keep an eye on him.

We would also be remiss if we didn't mention the hustle we've seen from Doogie. You know, this time last year, I wasn't sure telephone lines had made it out to the Temple. No one there seemed to be using a phone, so I just assumed, you know? Thank you, Doogie, for proving me wrong. Even if Eaton bombs and Lee bolts, you still get an A in my book for this year.

2. Cowboy camp opens

The fatality rate on Dallas-area freeways is sure to skyrocket, as the Pear-Shaped Football Genius puts drivers all over the Metroplex to sleep with his circle-jerk press conferences. They ought to pipe those damn things into the cells down in Gitmo, except the ACLU would probably go nuts about the cruelty being shown to those poor jihadists. And they'd be right. What a time waste.

And, for the record, I still wish failure on this team. I like my chances to get it, too.