It's starting to feel a lot like baseball season again

My NCAA Tournament bracket is completely hopeless. None of my predicted Final Four teams are alive. Once March Madness nears its conclusion, the best part about this time of the year year is looking ahead to baseball season.

Today, with six days until the Texas Rangers open the season against Boston, was the first time it hit me this spring that Opening Day is steadily approaching.

I'm watching the Rangers take on the Cubs right now in Surprise, Ariz., on ESPN2. First time I've watched the team on TV this spring. Initially, it felt like I was living in the past a little bit. C.J. Wilson, our 2011 ace, took the hill, Nelson Cruz smashed a double to right-center field and Mitch Moreland blasted a home run over the right-field fence. The last time I watched the guys on TV was obviously the World Series.

It's time to move on to 2011. The Rangers have a promising roster that could set them up to repeat as AL West champions.

My brother Dave visited me in Lawrence for my birthday last weekend, and we were definitely in the Opening Day spirit:



Here's what's on my mind with Opening Day six days away:

• Neftali Feliz, after being considered to move to the rotation, will remain in the bullpen in 2011. It's understandable why management made this decision. If Feliz starts, then who closes? Is Alexi Ogando ready? Mark Lowe has looked dreadful this spring. Frank Francisco was traded over the offseason for Mike Napoli. It's probably too late to make a trade. The bullpen consists of plenty of seventh- and eighth-inning guys (Darren Oliver, Arthur Rhoades, Lowe, Ogando, Darren O'Day), but there's no bona fide closer in that mix. Feliz, who saved 40 games last year, is clearly that guy who brings a presence to the back end of the bullpen.

• The news of Tommy Hunter beginning the season on the disabled list because of a sore right groin is a tough development. I'm sure plenty of Rangers fans will clamor for Feliz to crack the rotation even more in light of Hunter's injury. But if this is a different Rangers era than a few years ago — and I think it is — then the depth should allow the rotation to stay afloat. Let's say Hunter and Brandon Webb miss the first month of the season. You're rolling with Wilson, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, Derek Holland and either Ogando (who's being stretched out), Michael Kirkman, Dave Bush or Eric Hurley. There are options; a welcome change from past Texas teams.

• The batting order is also pretty much determined: Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton, Adrian Beltre, Cruz, Michael Young, Mitch Moreland, Yorvit Torrealba, Julio Borbon. I'm curious to see how much time Borbon sees to begin the season. He's had a fair share of outfield errors this spring, but has hit very well.

• My curiosity for seeing Beltre play remains at its peak. I still haven't seen him play in a Rangers uniform because manager Ron Washington benched several of the starters after playing in a night game the day before. Fair enough. I still can't wait to see Beltre, particularly in the field at third base. The excitement and hype surrounding Beltre reminds me of Vladimir Guerrero last spring. I couldn't wait to see Vlad in the uniform.

Can't wait for the season to start. Six days and counting.

Kinsler hitting leadoff over Elvis: good or bad idea? Plus, should Neftali Feliz start?

When the Rangers play their first game of the 2011 season — April 1 vs. Boston in Arlington — they will begin the year with a new batting order.

Manager Ron Washington recently announced that Ian Kinsler would move into the leadoff role, Elvis Andrus would hit second, and Michael Young would bat sixth.

It came as a little bit of a surprise, given the fact that the Rangers went all the way to the World Series with Andrus hitting leadoff the majority of the year. Andrus, still only 22, hit for a .265 average, sported a .342 on-base percentage, stole 32 bases and scored 88 runs in 2010. Hardly numbers that jump off the page, but for a 22-year-old leadoff guy, they were more than serviceable.

My first thought after hearing about the new order was, if Andrus continues to mature as a hitter, where does his future project in the lineup? I thought it was leadoff, as long as he still has that blazing speed. At 22, he won't be losing his step any time soon. Maybe his several basepath blunders last year were enough to prompt the switch at the top of the order. Perhaps management feels Kinsler is a smarter runner who can still get on base, steal some bags and provide extra power at the same time.

In limited duty last year, Kinsler posted a career high .382 on-base percentage in 103 games. Better than Andrus' .342. OBP. Maybe that's what management looked at. I'm starting to come around to the new lineup, which should look like this on Opening Day 2011:

1. Ian Kinsler
2. Elvis Andrus
3. Josh Hamilton
4. Adrian Beltre
5. Nelson Cruz
6. Michael Young
7. Mitch Moreland
8. Yorvit Torrealba
9. Julio Borbon

• Speaking of Opening Day, I received a package in the mail on Monday that helped me get in spring training mode. The weather is getting better and it's officially March. Time to start thinking baseball again:



MLB.com had a President's Day sale going on last weekend: Buy one item, get an additional item of equal or lesser value at 40 percent off. So I went with a polyester/spandex workout shirt to the right, and a Nolan Ryan throwback powder blue jersey. I shy at the idea of spending big bucks on jerseys because of the contemporary age of free agency and trades. Can't go wrong with a jersey of the Rangers president, though. And it was $60. Jerseys these days seem to go for $80-100. That's my first actual Rangers jersey, surprisingly enough. I have Kinsler and Hamilton shirt-jerseys, but most of my Rangers gear consists of team shirts.

• The more and more I think about the Rangers' rotation heading into 2011, the more I think Neftali Feliz should start. If he's ready. And if Alexi Ogando is ready to close. Think about how much more dangerous the team was last year with a dominating starter in Cliff Lee. Feliz could be that guy. That's not to say he should immediately jump into the No. 1 slot. I'm just thinking off the top of my head, but what's wrong with a C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Feliz, Tommy Hunter and Derek Holland opening day rotation? It appears Brandon Webb may not be ready for the start of the season. Starting pitching is always top priority. That's why I'm thinking it may be more beneficial to get 6-7 innings from Feliz every fifth day, as opposed to one inning to close out games. Closers seem to be more replaceable than starters. Worth a thought.

• The Rangers have started Cactus League 1-1 with a split against the Royals in Surprise, Ariz. Wish I could be out there at this time of the year. I've taken one trip to spring training — March 2006, when I was in college on spring break. Best trip I ever took. Hopefully, one of these days, I'll get back out there for some spring training action.

• Exactly one month until Opening Day. Let the countdown begin.

Mavs head into all-star break looking good

I'm glad I had the night off from work tonight so I could watch the Mavericks on TNT. Dallas held off Phoenix, 112-106, on the road to take a victory and a 40-16 record into the All-Star Break.

Typically, this space is reserved for Rangers observations, but I like to reflect on the Mavs a bit when I can.

Here's a few things I like about Dallas heading into the break:

• Tyson Chandler. Love this guy. In a 2010 offseason that will surely be remembered for LeBron's decision and a bevy of other free agents, the Mavs made an under-the-radar move to acquire Chandler. All they gave up to Charlotte were Erick Dampier, Eduardo Najera and Matt Carroll. This has to be one of the best trades in Mavericks history. Chandler is still only 28 years old. He's averaging 10.5 points and 9.4 rebounds and provides stellar defense. He's already one of the best Mavericks centers ever (granted, that's not saying much). But he's been one of the main reasons Dallas has the second-best record in the West (to San Antonio's surprising 46-10).

• The depth. Most impressively, it's all without Caron Butler, who will miss the remainder of the regular season after requiring right knee surgery. Butler and Chandler play fantastic defense. But the Mavs are still incredibly deep, particularly with the return of guard Rodrigue Beaubois. After the break, here's my starting five, along with key bench players:

1: Jason Kidd
2. Roddy Beaubois
3. Peja Stojakovic
4. Dirk Nowitzki
5. Tyson Chandler

Key reserves: Jason Terry, Shawn Marion, J.J. Barea, DeShawn Stevenson, Brendan Haywood.

Stojakovic was signed after Toronto released him in January. Very low risk there.

And Terry and Marion are like starters. Both played more than 32 minutes on Thursday night against Phoenix. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has a very nice rotation going right now.

Imagine if Butler was in the picture, starting in place of Peja. That'd be one of the better starting fives in the NBA. Butler has said he could return in the postseason. Not sure how I feel about that. Naturally, you want to welcome it, but you hope it doesn't mess up chemistry and rhythm, particularly so late in the season.

• Roddy B. Beaubois, only 22 years old, has given the Mavs a much-needed boost of youth for the two games he played before the All-Star break. He missed the first 54 games of the season with a foot injury. His return gives the over-30 guys (and there are a lot of them) a bit more of a rest.

The Mavs have made the playoffs for the last 10 years. That's a heck of a run. They've lost in the first round, however, three of the previous four years.

The balance of power in the NBA has totally shifted from the West to the East. Boston, Miami, Chicago and Orlando are all championship contenders. The Lakers (38-19, lost last three) don't look as dominant as in years past. So it's really just L.A. and San Antonio on that first tier, and then Oklahoma City, Portland and Denver.

The West is up for grabs this season. Hopefully, the Mavs make a run for it, culminated with a deep run in the playoffs.

With the Rangers World Series run in October/November 2010, that'd be an incredible sports year for the Metroplex.

Top 5 Rangers stories to follow heading into spring training

I love this time of the year. The weather is getting better, baseball is just around the corner, college basketball is picking up steam and my birthday isn't too far away.

Only two days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Surprise, Ariz.

Here are my top 5 Rangers stories to keep an eye on heading into spring training:

1. The Michael Young saga

Still no trade. All signs point to Young reporting to spring training as a Ranger. Talk about awkward. How will he handle it? I was expecting some sort of message through the media before spring training to ease the tension, but still nothing. The last we heard from Young, he wanted to be traded.

2. What to do with Neftali Feliz?

Will the young flamethrower be the closer again or crack the rotation as a starter? For the second straight year, Texas will stretch out Feliz in spring training as if he's starting. Worked for C.J. Wilson last year. My prediction is he stays in the bullpen as the closer. In losing Frank Francisco (to Toronto in a trade for Mike Napoli), the Rangers will want to make sure they don't lose too many power arms toward the back of the bullpen.

3. Adrian Beltre

I want to see all this hype around his defense. Plus, how will he do batting cleanup? Beltre, the Rangers' big offseason acquisition (6 years, $96 million), hasn't had much attention on him at all this offseason with the Young saga. Maybe that's a good thing for him.

4. Health.

This arguably could be No. 1, but not much will be made of it unless something happens. Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz have had their battles with the disabled list. Will everyone stay healthy? That's the one thing you want as spring training comes to an end in late March.

5. Brandon Webb.

The former Diamondbacks ace figures to be the No. 3 or 4 starter if he's healthy. He hasn't pitched in a major league game in two years after shoulder issues sidelined him. If he can induce ground balls like he did in Arizona, he should be effective in Texas.

Rapid reax: Rangers, Hamilton agree on two years, $24 million

Josh Hamilton and the Rangers agreed on a two-year, $24 million contract on Thursday to avoid salary arbitration.

Time for a rapid reaction: I love this deal.

Clearly, Hamilton, 29, has a past. Drug problems. Injuries. How his body will hold up in his mid-30s is a question no one has the answer to at this point.

But when healthy, he is one of the top 5 players in the game at any position. That's why I love the move by general manager Jon Daniels to go two years and $24 million.

Honestly, $24 million seems like a bargain for a player of Hamilton's value. Take a look at some of the free agent signings this offseason:

Carl Crawford: 7 years, $142 million to Boston
Jayson Werth: 7 years, $126 million to Washington
Cliff Lee: 5 years, $115 million to Philadelphia
Adrian Beltre: 6 years, $96 million to Texas

Hamilton just completed his third year in Texas. Two of the three years have been remarkable. The brief breakdown:

2008 (156 games): .304 avg, 32 HR, 130 RBI, 98 R, 9 SB, .371 OBP, .530 SLG, .901 OPS.
2009 (89 games): .268 avg, 10 HR, 54 RBI, 43 R, 8 SB, .315 OBP, .426 SLG, .741 OPS.
2010 (133 games): .359 avg, 32 HR, 100 RBI, 95 R, 8 SB, .411 OBP, .633 SLG, 1.044 OPS.

Hamilton is under team control for two more years, so if he drives his stock up in time to be a free agent, maybe the relationship with his teammates and the front office will drive him to return to Arlington in two years when he becomes a free agent.

JD killed it with this deal. The natural reaction to signing Hamilton to a long-term deal right now would be fear. Can he play 150 games a year after age 30? Even if he's clean now, will his drug past haunt him with respect to keeping his longevity?

With this contract, the front office can continue to closely track him and see whether he deserves a long-term contract. If Hamilton continues to display that he can be an elite player, bring on the long-term contract in two years. He's helped turn around the franchise.

For now? I'm going to sit back and enjoy this widely affordable contract for one of the best players in baseball.

Young's stance understandable, but trading him would be tough pill to swallow

For the past week, trading Michael Young has dominated Rangers offseason baseball talk.

Young, who has played every game of his career with the Rangers since 2000, has requested a trade because he feels he's been "misled and manipulated" by the Texas front office.

Young has undoubtedly made offseason adjustments in the past for the better of the team. He switched from second base to shortstop for Alfonso Soriano in 2004. Five years later, he switched from shortstop to third base for Elvis Andrus. Now, president Nolan Ryan and general manager Jon Daniels are asking him to move from third base to designated hitter with the offseason acquisition of Adrian Beltre.

Apparently, Young had enough.

Young, 34, still feels like he can be an everyday player in the field. Since Texas can't promise him that, Young wants out.

No deal has been made yet. I get the sense this could turn into an awkward situation.

Young has three years and $48 million remaining on his contract. The chances of a team trading for Young and picking up that hefty sum is between slim and none. Yet, Daniels isn't just going to let Young walk, be traded and receive nothing in return. I don't blame him. Daniels has said the Rangers would accompany Young's request to be traded if it upgrades the team.

Except I don't see any team that would part with top-level prospects and/or eat most of Young's remaining salary.

What if JD and Nolan can't find a return that upgrades the club? Would Young still report to spring training on Feb. 17 in Surprise, Ariz.? Talk about awkward.

It's a shame it's come to this. Young has defined the Rangers for so many years, and he's one of my favorite athletes of all-time. I had a Twitter conversation with a few friends about greatest Rangers ever. Young is, without question, in the top three, along with Pudge Rodriguez and Nolan Ryan. He's been productive for so long that it's easy for fans to take his professionalism for granted.

When the Rangers advanced to the postseason last October, no one deserved it more than Young. He's wanted to be a Ranger all along. Mark Teixeira didn't. Neither did Alex Rodriguez, or, more recently, Cliff Lee. But Young did. So when Texas knocked out Teixeira, Rodriguez and the Yankees last postseason, it was that much sweeter. Young's loyalty was rewarded.

If he gets traded, it will be one of the toughest pills I've ever had to swallow as a Rangers fan. When Teixeira left, there was a super-talented youth movement in return that shaped the franchise for years to come. When A-Rod left, it was beyond necessary because management couldn't spend money on anyone else.

Plus, Teixeira had only been with the franchise for five years; A-Rod for three years. Young has been with the Rangers for 11 years.

I remember it well when Young was crowned 2005 American League batting champion. I watched the 2006 All-Star game when he won MVP. I enjoyed the five straight years he hit .300. I watched on mlb.tv as he became the all-time Rangers hits leader. Fittingly, the hit that broke the record was an RBI single up the middle in a clutch situation against the Marlins.

His leadership in the clubhouse can't be immediately replaced. Beltre may be a better option at third base. Maybe the Rangers can repeat as AL West champions in 2011 without Young. It's just extremely difficult to picture Young in any other uniform.