TCU finds a new home

The news that TCU is heading to the Big East isn't a surprise, although it is sad that the Big 12 couldn't find a way to get them in. Maybe they could have brought BYU with them. While it looks good from a football perspective, the basketball team is going to get their asses handed to them on a regular basis. Not that they don't most days anyway, but it's going to be downright embarrassing. At least in football, they can lose two or three games and probably win the conference and get a BCS bid anyway. So they don't have to sweat as much to get a big BCS bowl payday. And that's what this is about after all - money. If any Frog supporter thinks this will make it easier for TCU to get into a national championship down the road, they'll be greatly disappointed. As of now, the caliber of play in that conference is really mediocre at best; they could run the table and still probably not get any higher than No. 3. It could actually hurt them in the long run. At least Utah was No. 5 at some point. I don't see a Big East team other than TCU even sniffing the Top 10 anytime soon.

Emmitt in the next issue

Was lucky enough to be invited to an event featuring Emmitt Smith last week and was able to interview for a pretty long time, asking him about life after football, the Cowboys' current sorry state, and, yes, tequila. That only makes sense, since the event was sponsored by Herradura. I had never had a tequila old-fashioned, but damn that's a tasty drink.

But I digress. We're planning to run the interview in next week's issue. Check it out.

Re-signing Cliff Lee

The Ticket's Bob Sturm was talking about a story he read from a New York writer about the risks involved with signing free agent pitchers to four-year deals. Basically, they don't work out the vast majority of the time. I didn't hear the rest of the segment, so I don't know if he was using that article to support his feeling that the Rangers shouldn't try to re-sign Cliff Lee. Take Bob out of the equation, since I don't know his opinion.

But if anyone thinks that, they're crazy. Sure, Lee is 32 and would be 36 or 37 (at least) at the end of the contract he's about to sign. If you want him, you'll have to give him a four-year deal at the very least. It'd more than likely be a six- or seven-year deal. That's just what you have to pay to play, in this case.

Anyone signing him won't be doing so with the expectation Lee will be anywhere near what he is now. They're signing him for two years of high expectations. Anything they get from him after that would be gravy. That's just the way it is, whether it makes fiscal sense or not.

The Rangers know that. The Yankees know that. Everybody else in the Lee derby knows that. Sure, this franchise was burned by the A-Rod deal, but Tom Hicks was a moron by paying that douche two times more than anyone else was willing to pay. The Rangers won't do that with Lee. They'll make a competitive offer -- maybe top whatever New York offers by a little bit -- but they won't break the bank for him. This new regime is too smart for that.

There's no need to over-think this. The Rangers need Cliff Lee. They know what he did in the stretch run and the playoffs, and they know his track record before he even came to Texas. Pay what you have to pay without being an idiot and bring him back. Hey, he may flame out; you never know. Nobody thought the Cowboys would be 1-7. But that's a chance I'd be more than willing to take.

Phillips Fired

Here we go again....another coach bites the dust. The headline should read "Phillips Fired Today...Another Scapegoat Bites The Dust". I am now convinced Jerry Jones will never realize he is the problem. Here is a brief run down of the coaching changes since Lord Tom was fired;

2006-2010 Wade Phillips 34-20-0
2003-2006 Bill Parcells 16-16-0
2000-2002 Dave Campo 15-33-0
1998-1999 Chan Gailey 18-16-0
1994-1997 Barry Switzer 45-26-0
1989-1993 Jimmy Johnson 51-37-0

This organization continues to be the laughingstock of the league.

Cowboys - When Will The Owner Figure It Out

As a fifth generation Texan, growing up a Cowboy fan was expected. The 70's were great and the players were role models. But when the franchise changed hands and the hillbillies from Arkansas showed up and fired the legendary Tom Landry, fan loyalty went out the window. Those fans not from Texas, or those recently moved to this great state that don't understand the legacy, stayed on board. The greatness of Jimmy and the Super Bowls in the 90's brought lots of fans back. However, the ignorance and arrogance of Jerry Jones has taken this team from the penacle of the NFL to the laughingstock. Jerry's attention to "whoring out" this brand has effected his ability to put a quality team on the field. His #1 objective is monetizing everything possible within the brand....to a point of alienating fans, media, sponsors, players and more. Some local media types labeled him a "marketing genius" because of his aggressive approach in selling every inch of real estate available, etc. What the local media failed to realize in attaching this label is that anyone who can figure out a way to purchase one of the most recognized brands in the world understands how to leverage that brand to maximize revenue. I'm not so sure that the label as "marketing genius" still applies to the kiss ass local media who started it....the only thing that Jerry has accomplished with his marketing approach is fielding a losing team and alienating his fan base.

He is getting what he deserves...and is the only one to blame. The only solution is to sell the franchise to an owner that knows how to build a winner or get the hell out of the way and let someone who knows football take over without the leash.

Check out this story.http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Jones-Heads-will-roll-in-Big-D-after-pathetic?urn=nfl-283321