Thursday's Blog Time

Well, another day in sportstown, USA:

Owens being Owens …

"I got to a point where I was feeling a little bit healthier," Owens said. "Obviously, to go out there and practice, I just felt like my reps really weren't monitored as they should've been and got more reps than I should have."
Owens said he takes most of the blame for taking too many reps, but "I don't want to take total blame." Normally, the position coaches monitor how much a rehabbing player works in practice.
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"When I play the game, I play the game full speed," Owens said. "I don't really have any doubts about if I'm going to perform or not. Obviously, I need to get on the field to try to get in a rhythm with the offense, and I think that will come with time. I don't think I'm too far off."

Owens has noticed his hamstring injury has received much more scrutiny than those of Carolina's Steve Smith and Pittsburgh's Hines Ward.

"Every hamstring is different," Owens said. "It's not a situation where I tore it. I think this is a severe pull to the point of [it affects] the way I run, the way I practice. I go out and I aggravate it once, [then] I start to feel better ... So, like I said, I'm back to my same words: It's day-to-day."

In case you missed that, he is blaming the Cowboys for using him too much in practice.

Drew Henson’s happy day …he gets away from Bill Parcells

Drew Henson called it a good day, which says about everything one needs to know about his previous days with the Cowboys.

The former Michigan quarterback and New York Yankees third baseman, who came to the Cowboys in 2004 as the latest Next Troy Aikman, will not be on the roster in 2006. The Cowboys are seeking a trade but will likely have to release Henson.

"Today is a good day in my mind," Henson said in a phone interview. "I have a lot to offer teams. I'm healthy and 26, and more motivated than I've ever been....I'm looking forward to what comes next."

Personally, I think that unlike Carter and Hutchinson, Henson will play well in this league at some point.
Ho Hum. Rangers lost again …I wish I was shocked…

Wednesday, however, after they lost to the lowly Devil Rays 7-3, their third consecutive loss against Tampa Bay, the Rangers might have sent an unpleasant message to themselves.

Perhaps they are not serious contenders, having fallen 7 1/2 games behind Oakland.
"The last couple of weeks, we felt that every game was a must win," first baseman Mark Teixeira said. "You don't want to put too much pressure on yourself, but, at the same time, when you're five, six, seven games out, you can't say: 'OK, let's wait until tomorrow.'"

Nothing went right for the Rangers. Kevin Millwood, their best pitcher who is having a terrific season on the road, walked four batters and gave up six earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.

After striking out 13 times Tuesday, Rangers batters struck out 12 times Wednesday, and the offense, again, was limited. Texas has scored three runs in three consecutive games and is averaging only 3.3 runs in the past seven games.

We talked about it yesterday, and I am now really pondering this quite a bit: What does Buck Showalter have to do to get fired? 4 years, 1 marginally decent result, and so far nothing higher than 3rd place in a 4 team division. The players don’t seem to respond this time of year to many of his tactics and despite personnel upgrades its still the same ol’ Rangers. I believe I am close to a full-fledged endorsement of his firing at season’s end.

Richie Whitt blogs about the Ticket’s Cowboys coverage, including the delay dilemma …

With the advents of cable and satellite to go along with old-school rabbit ears, there are now three different broadcast methods delivering the game to TVs. If you had three TVs lined up, each with a different method of reception, you’d see the game at three different “speeds.” For example, standard broadcast-TV viewers would’ve seen Glenn’s miraculous catch first; three seconds later, cable subscribers saw it; and six seconds later, satellite subscribers had their belated turn.

“It’s a bit of a frustration point, because it’s impossible to sync with all three,” says Sturm. “We’re trying to work through it. But we can only get in step with one, and the question becomes, which one?”

As it was in the past with flagship stations KVIL-FM (103.7) and KLUV-FM (98.7), the answer will likely be the standard rabbit-ears majority. That’s because the metroplex has the highest percentage of non-cable/satellite homes of any major U.S. city. (Why? I dunno. Why do wheels on cars look as if they’re spinning backward? Some things just defy explanation.) The ultimate goal, obviously, of The Ticket’s broadcasts is to mesh with the most viewers. So dust off your old antennae, or get ready for yet another season of Sham being one step ahead of you. –Richie Whitt

Is it wrong to quote yourself on your own blog? It felt wrong.

Gold Len Pasquarelli audio! …

Boro 2, Chelsea 1 …Awesometown…

Here is sports mail:

Bob,

I don't care about Landon myself but this paragraph from your blog interested me:

This is why I have soured on a kid like Landon Donovan. Donovan tried Europe, got home sick, missed his girl friend, and now is more than happy to dominate in Los Angeles, which would be like Dirk dominating in Berlin. There is no way a soccer player can be the best he can be if he stays in the MLS, but Donovan is more worried about lifestyle than maximizing his career. I find that weak.

Who are we, the sports public, to tell an athlete how and where to spend their life on this Earth. If Landon Donovan chooses to spend the best years of his life in his homeland close to family and loved ones versus year after year in a foreign country, who are we to tell him otherwise? If Dirk wakes up tomorrow and decides that he wants to spend the next 20 years with his family and friends in Germany and taking advantage of all the things he loves about Germany that he can't find in Dallas, TX who could really argue otherwise? I admire athletes making choices on where they perform much more when the decision is based on real life issues rather than just money. Sacrificing your happiness and letting the world pass by you for the sake of your career? I find that weak.

Nigel Lowrie

Nigel, you make a fair point. Many people may agree with you, but I absolutely do not. I believe that some of us are blessed with special gifts. I then find that responsibility goes with that gift. Nothing is more annoying in sports than the ultra talented player who does not wish to fully develop his skills and be the best he could be.

That is what makes Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan so great. It isn’t the talent. It is also the drive to never be happy with taking 2nd place. Never to be happy that you have arrived. They are always trying to be the best they can be, and never settling for the path of least resistance.

So, Landon may find that his girl friend likes Los Angeles and so does he. Maybe he thinks that European weather sucks, and so does the food, and everyone talks weird. But, with each passing day as he plays against inferior competition with inferior methods he wastes his special gift a little more.

Incidentally, Dirk would never do that. He has proven he is about basketball. And he is about doing whatever he can to get better and better.

Today’s Youtube:

Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl was just unfair:


Ohio State Dorks