"I Stink"

It is just one game, Millwood looks like a Ranger, and Big Papi is good…Padilla vs. Wakefield tonight.

Millwood, who is supposed to lead this staff by example, made no excuses. After allowing five runs in five innings, all of them after there were two outs, Millwood channeled all-time Rangers win leader Charlie Hough. After losses, Hough used to drag off a cigarette and say plainly: "I stunk."

Though recent results have often suggested the same answer would apply, Rangers pitchers have rarely echoed that sentiment. Over and over Monday, Millwood said his outing simply was unacceptable.

"I threw too many bad pitches," said Millwood, who won the AL ERA title with Cleveland last year and signed a five-year, $60 million deal with the Rangers in December. "I stopped locating pitches. It was a frustrating day, whether it was opening day or not. I'd be frustrated by this kind of performance in July. I'd be frustrated by this kind of performance if I won. I expect a lot more out of myself."

In Boston, Schilling is back in form …

Now Schilling is back. At least he was yesterday. In the Sox' first Opening Day win since 2000, Big Schill stuffed the slugging Rangers, holding Texas to five hits and two runs over seven innings in an impressive 7-3 victory over the team that used to be owned by Schilling's favorite president.

''Curt looked great," said Sox owner John W. Henry, who watched the early innings in the lower boxes. ''That was as big as the win today. Bigger, actually. It means a tremendous amount to this club to see him healthy and pitching well."

Catcher Jason Varitek seconded that emotion, saying, ''Curt set the tone, big-time, for us. People don't understand the severity of the injury he had and he still tried to pitch for us. If he throws the ball like he did today, we're going to have a chance to win a lot of games."

Schilling was 21-6 for the Red Sox in that magical season of 2004, his first in Boston. But he was getting shots in his ankle after April that season and yesterday said he's feeling stronger than he has at any time since 2002 (23-7 for Arizona). This is bad news for American League hitters and great news for Red Sox Nation.

''He is at the top of his game," said Rangers skipper Buck Showalter, who managed Schilling briefly with Arizona in 2000. ''You've got to tip your hat to him. When you are playing against a guy like him, there is not much room for error."

I know sports are tough. I know life in sports is tougher. Trust me, when I watched a disappointed Martin Skoula slowly slip in a cab outside a Calgary hotel after the Stars had traded him a few weeks ago, you realize that being a professional athlete is not perfect.

Having said that, I will recognize that the Rangers hate to lose their little buddy, David Dellucci. By all accounts, DD was a good dude, stand-up guy, and popular in the room. Here are the comments from Mark Teixeira and Mike Young:

Tex ….

"It's tough when your No. 2 starter goes down and you trade the most popular guy in the clubhouse," first baseman Mark Teixeira said.

Young …

Many people associated with the team expressed sorrow to see such a vocal team leader go.

"I was shocked. I didn't think Looch was going anywhere, considering how productive he was," shortstop Michael Young said. "... I can't let my personal feelings get involved here, because [today is] Opening Day."

OK. Mark and Mike are sad that DD is gone. I get that. What I don’t get is what would ever make these guys happy! So, last August, the Rangers two best players tee off on management at the trade deadline for not doing anything and getting them help. Now, management gets them help and they are not happy what they had to give up to get it. I have a thought for both of them: Shut-up. They are getting pitching to make you guys happy so that you will want to stay here, and if they have to trade a buddy to get it, try to remember your hot opinions of 8 months ago. If I was Jon Daniels, I would tell these guys to worry about playing.



Florida dominates; bores America ….

The Gators defeated U.C.L.A., 73-57, on Monday night for Florida's first N.C.A.A. tournament championship. And these Gators, who had a No. 3 seeding, will truly go down as one of the consummate teams in tournament history.

The Gators began the season an unranked group of nobodies and ended it in resplendent fashion, with their run of five blowouts in six tournament games as dominant as it was improbable. Florida beat its opponents by an average of 16.0 points and dominated U.C.L.A., leading for the final 37 minutes. In perhaps the most telling statistic, the Gators had assists on 21 of their 26 field goals.

"It was really a total team effort," said Florida Coach Billy Donovan, who at age 40 became the second-youngest coach to win the tournament.

Noah won the tournament's most outstanding player award. He scored 16 points, grabbed 9 rebounds and set a title-game record with 6 blocked shots. But four Gators finished in double digits, and many others could have easily laid claim to the award.

Chmura pounds Favre …Trouble in Packerland continues….

"People who don't think that it's all about him are fooling themselves," said Chmura, referring to Favre not yet making known his plans to return next season or retire. "With a quote like, 'What are they going to do, cut me?' It's all about him."
Favre made his comment about getting cut last week to reporters. It sounded like a line tossed out in jest, but some observers, including Chmura, have chosen to see an example of Favre's arrogance in it.

"It's OK to think it, but you can't say stuff like that," Chmura said. "That's this guy's mind-set."

Chmura, 37, said Favre was hurting the Packers organization by not letting them know what he is going to do.

"Where it's hypocritical is, he's very critical of Javon Walker and he's not a team player, you know he (Walker) doesn't care about the team," Chmura said. "Well, what is he (Favre) doing now? I mean, does he think this is the best thing possible for the team? I mean, they have one quarterback on the roster who they like, who hasn't even started one NFL game. They have to know."

Chmura's comments about Favre occupied about 10 minutes of air time. He said Favre was stringing the Packers along by not making up his mind.

"These quotes are 'I am better than the game,'" Chmura said. "'I will make my decision when I want, and Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy aren't going to tell me what to do,'" Chmura said, referring to the Packers' general manager and coach.
Chmura said if Favre returned it would be for the money.

"He had the other quote in the newspaper saying if he comes back this is definitely his last year," Chmura said. "Well, the Packers aren't going to the Super Bowl. They aren't close to the Super Bowl. I think if they keep going in the direction they are, they can go 8-8, 9-7. Why come back? Why, if not for the money?"

Chmura said Favre did not support him during his trial.

"He's a selfish guy," Chmura said. "He's a very selfish guy. And what people don't know, I'm not going to say this to throw the guy under the bus, but this is a guy from my arrest to my acquittal never called me one time."

A Cowboys-heavy MMQB with Peter King …

Whatever happened to Craiggers? …Hasn’t Kilborn fallen off the face of the earth?

Matt Mosely, bit guy …

The Channel 8 streaker …unedited of course….

soccer rap ….

So, you want to get rich by fighting in the octagon? Well, you can put duct tape on your back window …Folks, there is very little money in this…

In fact, since the last three links were all from youtube.com, go there, search “1310” and enjoy…