Dallas Cowboys Trivia

Kickholder posts some interesting old-time Dallas Cowboys trivia questions:

(1) True or False: The Cowboys have not had a tie in a regular season game since the decade of the 1960s.

(2) How many ties (regular season) did the Cowboys have during the decade of the 1960s?

(3) Since the NFL went to a 16-game format for the 1978 season, which Cowboys team had the highest winning percentage in a single season?

(4) What is highest winning percentage of any team in franchise history?

(5) During which season did Dallas have its highest winning percentage in a year where the Cowboys did not make the playoffs?

(6) When did Dallas set the team record for most consecutive division titles in a row?

(7) Name the divisions in which the Cowboys were members during the decade of the 1960s.

(8) The Cowboys won how many consecutive games to open both the 1968 and the 1969 seasons?

(9) Against which team did Dallas score the most points during the decade of the 1960s, and how many points did the Cowboys score?

(10) True or False: The Cowboys have never scored 60 or more points in a single game.

No fair Googling! Click the link for the answers (in the first comment).

Dallas Cowboys Camp Battles

CowboysBlog’s Joe Rodriguez has a rundown of some training camp battles to look out for as several young players battle veterans for starting spots.

On the offensive side, it’s the battle of the running backs, with Julius Jones in the last year of his rookie contract trying to hold off fan favorite Marion Barber, last year’s touchdown machine. Rodriguez thinks Jones will shine with Bill Parcells gone. I hope he’s right. Regardless, presuming both stay healthy, both will see a lot of touches again this year.

Defensively, most of the action is at linebacker, with six studs battling for four starting slots. The rotation last season:

OLB Demarcus Ware
MLB Bradie James
MLB Akin Ayodele
OLB Greg Ellis

That’s two first round picks on the outside and a 5th rounder and free agent on the inside. Battling for spots are last year’s first round pick, Bobby Carpenter, and this year’s first round pick, Anthony Spencer.

It looks like Wade Phillips will move Carpenter back inside, which frankly makes him a wasted pick at the 18th spot, as that’s way too high to take an inside ‘backer. Still, he’s got the athleticism and pedigree to beat out James. It’s almost inconceivable that Spencer, hand chosen by Phillips, won’t crack the lineup. Whether that’s by displacing Ellis or through creative scheming that uses three “outside” linebackers is hard to say.

Indeed, it’s rather likely that there will be a heavy rotation, such as not seen in the Jimmy Johnson pre-free agency era. There’s a lot of talent at linebacker and Phillips has shown he knows how to get the most out of his guys in the 3-4.

The only other significant battle in the starting rotation will be at free safety, with Patrick Watkins trying to earn his job back by holding off veteran free agent Pat Watkins. Frankly, I don’t care which gets the starting job so long as somebody finally provides some insurance against Roy Williams’ inability to handle pass coverage.

One battle Joe misses: Kicker. The Cowboys re-signed the mediocre Martin Gramatica to a fairly expensive contract in the offseason and then drafted Nick Folk in the 6th round. Unless they want to waste a roster spot by having a kickoff guy and a field goal guy, somebody’s going to be hitting the road. My hunch–based on nothing other than the fact that they used a draft pick on a kicker–is that Folk will win the job.

Prospects You Need to Keep An Eye On

Don’t you love prospects? Who doesn’t? Anyone from Brien Taylor to Alex Rodriguez have been top prospects. Some players have what it takes to dominate the minors and the majors while others end up as AAAA players or out of professional baseball all together. Below is a list of prospects you may or may not have heard of. These are all players that have done one of the above I mentioned: dominate the minors. All they have left to do is prove thier worth in the bigs.

I am not profiling guys that have any big league experience. No Alex Gordon, no Billy Butler, no Delmon Young, no Matt Garza, no Phil Huges… you get the point.

If you are in fantasy keeper leagues that allow you to have a certain number of minor leaguers stashed away I suggest you look closely at the list provided. Some of the players are you going to start tearing up the bigs this season, some will have to wait until 2009.

Without any more rambling I present you with a few prospects you need to keep your eye on.

3B Evan Longoria – Longoria is just 21 and only a year out of college. He has gone a combined .317/.393/.595 in 388 at-bats in his pro career. What is most astounding are his power numbers. Over those 388 at-bats he already has 28 homers, 22 doubles, 1 triple, 92 RBI, 73 runs scored, and a BB/SO ratio of 44/71 (including 25/27 this season). He is a plus defender at 3B with a good arm. He doesn’t have much speed but runs the bases well. He crushes lefties but he hits righties very well too. Longoria projects as a .300-30-110-5-100 middle of the order bat for the Rays. ETA: Sep 2007

SS Reid Brignac – In 128 games in 2006 he hit .321/.376/.539 with 100 runs 32 doubles, 5 triples, 24 homers, 99 RBI, and 15 stolen bases. His only knock is he is an “ok” defender and struck out 113 times. He has improved significantly on his defense and scouts say he can play SS in the majors. He got off to a good start, hitting .298 with 4 homers in his first 114 at-bats. He’s slowed down sicne, going 7 for his last 40 with no homers in his first full season in AA but don’t be fooled, he is one of the youngest players in that league. Brignac projects as a .290-25-90-10-90 guy at SS. If you are in a deep keeper league and have minor league rosters I would stash him away if he isn’t already taken. ETA: Sep 2007 at the earliest and could be the big league SS for TB starting 2008

OF Jay Bruce – Bruce, 20, is one of my favorite prospects. He is a true RF, with plus-plus power and a strong arm. He needs to imporve on hitting lefties so he doesn’t become a platoon plyer but he is too good to allow this to happen. So far this year for the Reds HiA Florida State League (pithcer friendly league) team he has hit .340/.389/.642 with impressive power numbers: 9 homers 12 doubles and 5 triples in only 162 at-bats, driving in 30 and scoring 31 in 40 games. He hit .291/.355/.516 last year with 16 homers 42 doubles 5 triples 81 RBI 69 runs and 19 steals in 444 at-bats. But don’t let the steals fool you, he only has 2 so far this year and isn’t exactly a burner. Bruce projects as a .310-35-110-8 guy in the bigs. That’s no joke! Store him now if you can. ETA: 2009

OF Cameron Maybin – Maybin, 20, is off to a hot start: .317/.434/.486 in 142 at-bats with 4 homers, 6 doubles, and 3 triples. He’s also scored 31 and drove in 20 in 39 games with 13 steals and a 29/47 BB/SO ratio. He needs to cut the strikeouts down a bit but that is an impressive walk rate for a young hitter in a pitcher’s league (HiA FSL). Maybin is the Tigers CF of the future and is an impact bat with plus range and a good arm for center. Last year he hit .304/.387/.457 with 9 homers 20 2B and 6 3B in 385 at-bats, not to mention he drove in 69 and scored 59 and stole 27 bases. He is very young and still a little raw. The Tigers expect him to fill his frame out and when he does they expect some of those doubles to turn into homers. He could be a yearly .300-18-85-30-95 guy in the bigs. ETA: 2009

OF Justin Upton – Upton, who doesn’t turn 20 until late August, is the younger brother of B.J Upton. Upton was the first overall pick by the Diamondbacks two years ago out of high school. He did “ok” last year hitting .263/.343/.413 with 12 homers and 15 steals in 438 at-bats. This year he is tearing up anything that comes his way. He is now in AA at the ripe age of 19 and is hitting a combined .347/.439/.611 between HiA and AA. He also has 9 homers 7 doubles and 2 triples to go with 10 steals a BB/K ratio of 22/33 and 34 runs and 28 RBI in 144 at-bats. The D-Back believe he can be a #3 hitter and see him as a .310-25-100-25-100 player. ETA: SEP 2008

OF Travis Snider – Snider, 19, is tearing up Midwest league pitching to the tune of .366/.394/.557 with 2 homers 11 doubles and 4 triples in 131 at-bats. He has driven in 27 and scored 16 with 3 steals. His BB/SO ratio (8/27 in 33 games) needs to improve and will with more experience. Snider impressed in the Appy league last year going .325/.412/.567 with 11 homers 12 doubles and a triple in 194 at-bats with a 30/47 BB/K ratio. He also stole 6 and had 36 runs and 41 RBI. Snider is projected as a RF, with plus power potential and a good arm that will be fine in RF. The Blue Jays won’t rush him. He projects as a .300/25/100 bat. ETA: SEP 2009

SP Jake McGee – McGee, 20, is 3-1 in 8 starts in HiA ball with a 1.51 ERA in 41.2 innings pitched. He’s also struck out 45 and walked 17. Here is what is key though, only 27 hits allowed for a .182 average and no home runs allowed. Last year he posted a 2.96 with 171 SO in 134 IP and only 7 homers allowed with a .211 avg. McGee is a power pitcher and is a front of the rotation type starter. ETA: Sep 2008 at the earliest

SP Wade Davis – Davis, 21, is 2-0 in 8 starts in HiA ball with a 1.70 ERA in 47.2 IP, including a no-hitter. He has struck out 45 against 14 walks. Like McGee, he doesn’t allow many hits, only 31 for a .191 avg and only one homer against him. Last year he posted a 3.02 ERA and struck out 165 in 146 IP while allowing only 5 homers. Anothr power arm like McGee and also projects as a 1-3 starter. ETA: Sep 2008 at the earliest

SP Adam Miller – Miller, 22, is waiting for a spot in the Indians rotation to open up. He is currently 4-1 with a 2.45 in 44 AAA innings. He a has struck out 39 and walked 14 and only given up 2 homers. His numbers last year were 15-6 with a 2.84 and 161 K to 46 BB in 156.1 IP. He could be at the top of the Indians rotation for many years. ETA: Sep 2007

SP Homer Bailey – Bailey is possibly the best pitching prospect in all of pro ball, possibly better than Phil Highes. Bailey is 21 and doing quite well in AAA with a 3-1 record and a 2.27 ERA in 39.2 IP. His walks are up and strike outs are down (27/19 SO/BB) and that is the only reason he’s not in the Reds rotation right now. Even with the high walk rate he has only allowed 2 homers and a .194 avg against. His numbers last year were 10-6 with a 2.47 in 138.2 IP and 156 SO and a .198 avg against. ETA: no later than Sep 2007

SP Kevin Slowey – Slowey, 23, is a pitcher with great command and control. Some scouts still like to question his “stuff” but his numbers tell the story. So far this year he is 4-2 with a 1.46 in 49.1 AAA innings. What is most impressive is his 44/3 SO/BB ratio. That’s right, only 3 walks! He has a .176 avg against and only 2 homers against. Last year he posted an 8-5 record with a 1.88 ERA and 151/22 SO/BB ration in 148.2 IP with a .188 avg against. He should join the Twins rotation very soon. ETA: mid June 2007.

-stats are from games through 5/18/07

Homer Simpson’s All-Time MLB Team

In honor of the Simpson’s 400th episode this Sunday on Fox. The moment we have all been waiting for, Homer’s All-Time Baseball team.

Homer says: I first fell in love with baseball as a teenager. Like the players, I was always trying to get to second base in spite of the best efforts of the opposing team. Here’s my all-time major league baseball roster.

Catcher: Yogi Berra
Hit home runs and stole picnic baskets. I like his life partner Boo Boo as well.

First Base: Bill Buckner
I’ve had a lot of things go through my legs too, so I can relate. Plus I know what it’s like to be hated by a whole city.

Second Base: Billy Martin
Only major league player to get in more drunken bar brawls than me.

Third Base: Pete Rose
He’s in my Hall of Fame for helping me place all those bets against the Reds.

Shortstop: Cal Ripken Jr.
We share a special kinship, because I’ve been late to work 2,632 consecutive days.

Outfield: Harmon Killebrew
His name is what I do every night at Moe’s.

Outfield: Ty Cobb
A great hitter, and he invented an awesome salad full of bacon and cheese.

Outfield: Ted Williams
Greatest hitter who ever lived, and he was just a frozen head! Just think what he could’ve done with a whole body.

Designated Hitter: That guy from “The Natural”
It was so cool when he broke that light and then ran in slow motion.

Starting Pitcher: Vida Blue

Hell of an arm, and his last name reminds me of the color of my pants.

Starting Pitcher: Sandy Koufax
Like him, I refuse to work on all Jewish holidays. L’chaim!

Relief Pitcher: Goose Gossage
Mmm, goose at the end of the game.

Now play ball, everybody!

What, no Babe Ruth? Chocolate, peanuts, and caramel, yum!

source: Fox Sports

Royals Week in Review – 5/18/07

The Kansas City Royals are winners. There’s just no other way to put it. Check out the week-by-week record.

4/2  – 2-4
4/9  – 1-5
4/16 – 3-3
4/23 – 2-5
4/30 – 2-5
5/7  - 2-4
5/14 – 3-1

It has taken seven weeks to make it happen, but the Royals are finally a winning ball club.

Pitching
Million-dollar Gil has been earning his dollars so far. Take out his horrid start on April 7, his numbers look like this:

G IP   H  R  ER BB SO HR ERA
8 54.1 49 14  7 14 43 3  1.16

Even adding in those seven unearned runs only puts his RA at 2.33 over that period.

Hitting
Last week, we pointed this out about John Buck.

Dates       G  AVG OBP SLG OPS
4/2  – 4/20 14 429 529 893 1422
4/22 – 5/10 14 175 286 300 586

Apparently, John reads this blog, because he went on a six game hitting streak with three homeruns and seven RBIs. Mr. Buck, duly noted.

Transactions
It’s getting to that point in the season when a lot of players are shuffled between the big league roster, the minor leagues and the disabled list.

Here are some of the notable transactions from this past week.

5/10 – Reinstated RHP Luke Hudson from the 15-day DL
5/13 – Placed RHP Luke Hudson on the 15-day DL

Two innings, four walks and five runs allowed. Thanks for stopping by, Luke.

5/13 – Recalled SS Angel Berroa from Triple-A Omaha and placed INF Ross Gload on the 15-day disabled list with strained quadriceps.

The out machine is back. Here is how Angel Berroa and Tony Pena, JR stack up after 41 games.

    YR AVG OBP SLG Fld%
TPJ 07 250 285 340 957
AB  06 238 248 331 969

Range stats are still an inexact science, but most scouts will tell you that Pena is getting to a lot more balls than Berroa would have. From an offensive standpoint, TPJ will keep the advantage as long as he keeps slapping those triples.

5/16 – Recalled 1B Ryan Shealy from his injury rehabilitation assignment and activated him from the 15-day disabled list; Optioned OF Billy Butler to Triple-A Omaha.

It’s being commented elsewhere that Billy Butler is getting the Justin Huber treatment, but I don’t think that’s fair. The team called him up because he was ready and has been upfront about the fact he rode the bench to avoid injury as soon as they knew that he would be sent down when Shealy came back.

If Reggie Sanders isn’t on the DL, I think Emil Brown is touring Triple-A facilities for some other team right now. Alex Gordon playing first base isn’t anything we want to see for an extended period of time and putting Mike Sweeney there everyday is a ruptured disc waiting to happen.

Shane Costa can fight it out with Emil for the corner outfield spot until Reggie Sanders comes back, and it won’t be the organization’s top prospect getting sporadic playing time. I imagine Butler will be back sooner rather than later and at season’s end, the average age of the Royals lineup will be sitting somewhere south of 30.

Giambi Believes Apology To Fans Overdue

Duh! But, is it too late? I for one can’t watch drug enhanced players breaking long standing records of truly Great players. An apology does not fix this. Damage has been done. The question is, can we learn from these mistakes?

New York Yankees slugger Jason Giambi , saying he’s likely tested for illegal performance-enhancing drugs more often than anyone else, believes Major League Baseball should have apologized years ago for its widespread drug problem.

Here is what he had to say before the game.

“I was wrong for doing that stuff,” Giambi told USA TODAY on Wednesday before playing the Chicago White Sox . “What we should have done a long time ago was stand up – players, ownership, everybody – and said: ‘We made a mistake.’

“We should have apologized back then and made sure we had a rule in place and gone forward. — Steroids and all of that was a part of history. But it was a topic that everybody wanted to avoid. Nobody wanted to talk about it.”

Here Giambi goes on to say, “That stuff didn’t help me hit home runs”. But, it sure did give him the power to get the baseball out of the park.

“Unfortunately, (the rumors) are going to be a part of it. But that’s OK. I’m probably tested more than anybody else. I’m not hiding anything,” said Giambi, hitting .273 with five homers this season. “That stuff didn’t help me hit home runs. I don’t care what people say, nothing is going to give you that gift of hitting a baseball.”

I believe they should start opening up a little more. If they want the healing to begin.

When asked, “So why did you take steroids?” Giambi said: “Maybe one day I’ll talk about it, but not now.”

source: aol sports

Schlereth’s Next Play? ‘Stink’ Up Daytime Soaps

First, “The Body” Ventura becomes Governor of Minnesota. Now, “Stink” will make his acting debut with, “Guiding Light” on June 14. I can’t wait to see what’s next! This could shatter my wonderful memories of the three time Super Bowl Champ! (1 Redskins, 2 Broncos)

There’s a big “Stink” in the soap opera business.

And it’s being caused by Mark Schlereth, former Broncos lineman and new daytime television hunk.

In Denver, we know him as lovable No. 69. He’s the football player with more replacement parts than an old VW bus. We will forever remember the guy affectionately called “Stink” plopped on the ground at the Super Bowl, sharing a laugh in the end zone with Broncos legend John Elway.

But soap opera buffs across America are about to see Schlereth in a whole new light.

He has landed a dramatic TV role as Roc Hoover, a dashing police detective/crime novelist who’s easy on the eyes and quick with a quip.

It seems his buddies over at ESPN are having a great time with this one. I can’t say I blame them.

His pals at ESPN Radio, however, have acted as semibenevolent agents for Schlereth, going so far as to develop the Roc Hoover persona and even record a catchy jingle (“Ain’t No Messin’ With the Hoov”) that the folks in charge of “Guiding Light” found simply irresistible.

Behind the nickname.

Mark’s nickname is “Stink.” He revealed the reasoning behind it on ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike in the Morning on November 2, 2006. Schlereth said this nickname originated during his first season with the Broncos in 1995. He told a story about his sister working in an Eskimo town in Alaska, where people cut the heads off of fish and consider the head a delicacy; these heads are known as Stinkheads. Schlereth was called “Stinkhead” that season, later shortened to “Stink.” Schlereth also revealed on this same Mike and Mike appearance that due to the lack of restroom facilities on the sideline, he would often urinate in his game pants (originally saying that was the reason for the “Stink” nickname, although he was joking).

source: The Denver Post

Horse owners want bigger share of slots revenue at Pompano Tracetrack

Pompano Park’s three year agreement with horse owners ended this week. From the Sun-Sentinel-

The horses raced without interruption Wednesday at The Isle Casino & Racing at Pompano Park as uneasy horse owners and track officials remain locked in tense contract negotiations.

The three-year agreement dictating how much the track pays the horsemen ended Tuesday, as a potentially nasty legal battle brews between Pompano Park and the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association. The association is suing the harness track, accusing Pompano Park officials of refusing to give the horsemen a fair cut of the money generated by the new casino’s Las Vegas-style slot machines.

The association — which represents about 600 owners, breeders, trainers and drivers — wants the state to ban the track from operating its slot machines until a revenue-sharing agreement is reached.

Pompano Park officials announced Wednesday that they would increase the money paid out to the horsemen as of tonight’s races.

“We are pleased to say that on average our purses will increase approximately 45 percent and in some of our more popular race classes, the purse will rise more than 50 percent,” said Doug Shipley, Pompano Park’s general manager.

The attorney for the horsemen’s association questioned Thursday whether the increase in purses is temporary until “the heat is off.”

“Even with this supposed 45-50 percent increase, Pompano Park pales in comparison to what other parks are paying out in other jurisdictions,” said attorney Jeffrey Schneider. “This is even inconsistent with their earlier statements [to the news media] where they said the purses would more than double.”

Horse owner Dave Schneider said he’s considering moving his 15 horses at the track out of state.

“What’s making morale low right now is people don’t know what the future is going to bring,” said Schneider, no relation to the attorney. “You are afraid to leave if it gets good, but afraid to stay if it gets bad.”

Schneider’s threat is pretty empty. Horse racing in this country is in serious decline, click here and here for examples. Moving to another state is not going to improve anything for this horse owner.

Yes the horseman should get a proper share from Pompano Park’s new revenue source, but at the same time the racing industry should be grateful. Without the casino, Pompano Park may have died like so many other racetracks.

Wright is the wrong excuse

I like Ken Rosenthal. In the past decade or so he’s transformed from a standard issue baseball columnist to one who is informed by statistics. And he knows how to use statistics, they’re not just an adornment to his column.In assessing the possibilities of different managers getting fired this year (either during the season or after) he writes this about the state of the Orioles

…but the team probably is doomed anyway after losing starting pitchers Kris Benson, Jaret Wright and Adam Loewen to injuries. A managerial change is more likely after the season.

This is not up to his regular standards. The loss of those pitchers have little to do with the Orioles’ problems this year. For one thing, last year the Orioles had a 5.35 ERA; this year the team ERA (so far) is nearly a whole run lower at 4.43. (The team’s batting average allowed is nearly 30 points lower too; and the strikeout to walks ratio is improved too.

And that’s without Benson, Wright and Loewen.

When Benson was injured the Orioles quickly countered by signing his former Mets’ teammate, Steve Trachsel. Last year Benson pitched to an ERA ; this year Trachsel’s been a pleasant surprise with an ERA of 3.94. (While he has a respectable WHIPS of 1.34; his strikeout rate and strikeout to walk ratios are poor and indications that his luck may run out soon.) Last year Benson pitched to an ERA of 4.82. His WHIPS was 1.40 and his strikeout and walk ratios were not great, but better than Trachsels’s this year. Though it may be fleeting, for now Trachsel is a step up over Benson.

On its own, I can’t see what the Orioles expected from Jaret Wright. Wright has not been both effective and healthy in the same year since 1997, except for 2004. True that’s the year when Leo Mazzone was his pitching coach. But doesn’t it strain credibility to assume he could work this miracle twice? Counting on Jaret Wright is a failure of the organization. Not specifically of the manager.

So even without Benson, Wright and Loewen the Orioles pitching is fine. The team’s ERA is right in middle of the pack.

The problem is the hitting. The Orioles as a team have a .718 OPS. Currently on Kansas City and Chicago in the AL are worse. They are one of only six teams with a slugging percentage below .400.

I suspected that at the end of the year when the team was lamenting a 75-87
record that some official would point to the unavailability of Wright. Ken Rosenthal did it a few months early. While the injury to Wright is a sign of an organizational failure, it is not what ails the O’s. What ails the O’s is a power failure.

Crossposted on Soccer Dad.