Texas Trade Wind Anemometer: Cowboys Catharsis
Joey Matschulat
Right-hander Brad Penny (pictured) could put the Boston Red Sox out of the running for Ben Sheets. - peggy/Flickr.comHot Sports Opinion #1,958,104 on the Dallas Cowboys' campaign-ending blowout defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon: virtually everything about that laughably miserable effort (a veritable comedy of errors, if you will) exuded a thick air of discombobulation, from Nick Folk's errant opening kickoff to Donovan McNabb's final victorious kneel-down.
Tony Romo and Jason Witten were clearly never right from a physical standpoint (the former reportedly sustained a rib injury at some point during the day's proceedings, a contributing factor to his collapse in the locker-room shower later in the evening), and some of the blame for the Cowboys' thoroughly inept offensive showing should deservedly be attributed to that. But the inexcusable turnovers, the idiotic penalties, the debilitating confusion that pervaded the Dallas sideline ... you can't pin all that on the injury bug.
I don't profess to be a Cowboys fan in the slightest (in actuality, I'm on the exact opposite end of the spectrum), and perhaps the fact that my football loyalties lie with a 6-10 team some 1,000-plus miles to the north disqualifies me from criticizing the regional product. Daily media exposure to this team breeds familiarity, however, and while my pre-season skepticism that this squad of talented misfits would win a playoff game (much less execute a patented run to the Lombardi Trophy, as some were convinced into believing) was quite strong from the outset, I can honestly say I never foresaw a regular-season collapse of such embarrassing magnitude.
My deepest sympathies to the legions of walking wounded football fans that no doubt comprise a considerable portion of Texas's populace this morning -- the very nature of this recreational pursuit of ours that we call sports fanaticism frequently lends itself to the painful malady of heartbreak.
We can only hope the Texas Rangers will soon formulate the antidote.
● The Red Sox are set to ink free-agent right-hander Brad Penny to an incentive-laden one-year, $5 million deal (pending the completion of a physical exam and contractual language), and have agreed to terms with free-agent catcher Josh Bard on a non-guaranteed one-year, $1.6 million deal (Sean McAdam, Boston Herald)
[Is it just me, or does the impending Penny deal have a very Jason Jennings-esque feel to it? Beset by mid-season shoulder tendinitis in 2008, the 30-year-old Penny fared miserably after May 2nd (52.1 IP, 8.77 ERA, 1.87 WHIP) and was shut down entirely in late September, opting for the rest and rehabilitation plan that Brandon McCarthy employed to such great effect months prior. Texas was thought to be interested in the hard-throwing Dodger earlier in the off-season, but there had been little word on that front for weeks on end, and it can be reasonably inferred that the Rangers decided they would be better served by pursuing alternative options.
The signing of Bard should only marginally impede the well-publicized negotiations between the Rangers and Red Sox on that proposed catcher-for-pitcher swap that I'm beginning to suspect will never materialize; at 30 years old, he's not a long-term solution behind the plate, his defense is suspect on top of that (a lifetime caught-stealing percentage of 15.9 percent does little to inspire confidence), and while he could conceivably regain his 2006 and 2007 form with the stick, heavily betting on him to do so would likely border on folly. In other words, he's second-string material.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the Penny signing is its potential adverse impact on the Red Sox' interest in Ben Sheets, who may not have a rotation spot available to him in Boston depending on the front office's view of Tim Wakefield's projected effectiveness and Penny's projected health, not to mention the ever-alluring Clay Buchholz. The cash-flush Red Sox could certainly still decide to make a play there, but that possibility became a tad less likely on Sunday.]
● There are rumblings that the Rangers may be tossing around the idea of signing free-agent southpaw Andy Pettitte (Nick Cafardo, Boston Globe)
[Again, don't bet on it.]
Reader Comments (11)
What a weird, weird and utterly humiliating way to end a season. We had Christmas at the Vittas house yesterday as well, and it was one of the most forgettable ones I can ever remember, just because the proceedings on television put a damper over those that had assembled and put my Dad in an otherworldly cranky mood most of the afternoon. Not even the margaritas that were whipped up later in the evening seemed to make much of a difference (although he did fall asleep in his favorite recliner at very parent-friendly time of 8:30 PM.)
I can't remember the last time an NFL team was hyped up so much and failed so horrifically. Worst of all I find myself actually agreeing with TO (he doesn't deserve puncuation anymore) about there needing to be changes made.
Start with him. Sure there were injuries, and sure there was bad play calling, and yes there was lawlessness and no control over players and just general disarray going on all over the place. But if you ask me, that's where the decay on the 2008 Cowboys began.
The Cowboys worst loss in 20 years!!! Who would of seen this coming, although what do you expect with Jerry's collection of misfits, eventually it comes back to bite you. Romo is a turnover machine and by the way not very accurate, and Tony you are NOT Favre, and never will be "you know". TO is washed up. Roy E. Williams is your first round pick, and by the way your third and sixth. PacMan Jones just isn't that good, and is a distraction. This team is a JOKE again, now that Jerry's got his hands on everything again. Somewhere "Big Bill" has to be having a good chuckle, and rightly so. The coaching staff can't make adjustments, and seem to have no clue, or leadership. I'm sorry , but if I say punt and a player waves it off regardless if it is the right decision, I call a timeout, grab him by the face mask and tell him to sit his duff down, and send out the punter. It was idiotic that PacMan was out there after fumbling, and after his costly penalty, this guy has done nothing, get him out of here. Can this coaching staff sit anyone for poor effort? Tank Johnson, what has he done here? Get him out of here, at least he got fired up, albeit too late. It's time for someone to punch a hole in a wall, throw trash cans, tables, and get it these "boys" face. To me you got to get rid of these "misfits" if this team is to move forward, before they corrupt the whole team. In a way it's funny after seeing Jone's this past week as arrogant ever, and it's that arrogance that has brought this franchise down. Good luck playing like men next year Cowboys, your gonna need it.
I don't know how much longer I can root for this team, with Jones here, anyone else feel this way?
I don't think TO's washed up. I'm not basing this on his statistics at all from this season, but at his age I think he still has oodles of talent. His problem is that he's a lunkhead and a (dare I say it) locker room cancer, and it's gotten so bad that those two things have far outshadowed any kind of ability he has on the field.
See I think the offensive woes rest on the shoulders of Tony Romo whom I think is exactly like Brett Favre. I've always thought Favre was one of the most overrated QBs in history because he held the Packers back with his critical errors as much as he helped them with his sandlot improv. plays. Romo's becoming the same player. I think he'll put it together and maybe give us a magical Superbowl run like Favre circa: 1996, but if you've built what should be a very good defense. You have a running game you have to be excited about. You have a very big (yet overrated, and kind of soft) offensive line. Then the QB should just have to manage the game. Hey, I love to see the big scores as much as anyone else, but I hate seeing Romo throw at least one interception every single game. On more than half of his interceptions I can't even figure out what he was thinking. I live an hour and half outside of Pittsburgh (Fairmont, WV), and Neil O'Donnell is a joke in these parts akin to Buckner in the New England area because of Super Bowl XXX. Romo constantly makes THOSE kinds of throws. If he can keep the interceptions (and fumbles) down, we're as good a team as there is in the league.
Trading for Roy Williams was a monumental mistake. I understand that Crayton will never be anymore than a good second or a great third receiver. I'm okay with that. I understand that Owens is aging - fairly rapidly it looks like. But you're top receiver is Jason Witten. You don't need another all star on offense. You can't allocate anymore resources to the passing game when you have a big offensive line and a deep running back system. You're not going to be able to keep everyone happy, and having Romo throw the ball 40-50 times a game is a recipe for a disaster.
John, exactly right. However outside of the one big game TO had (7 rec. 213 yds) ,look at his streak of games he had without a 100 yards receiving. It was 13 games before the lowly 49ers game to town. I just don't think with his attitude, and his locker room infectious cancer that he is worth all the trouble. There's no denying his physical attributes for a 35 year old, they just seem to be absent more times than not on game day anymore. It's because of this and all the whining, and distractions that I called him "washed up".
Clearly Witten is our best go to guy on the field, and Robert your right we got to play to our strengths next year: run more, pass less and make it more manageable for Romo. What this team needs is to become a team. I don't care what the score is either, the bottom line is to win. cause no matter how pretty you played a loss is ugly.
Not to interrupt the Cowboys-centric tone of the conversation, but here are a few tidbits that probably don't warrant their own post:
- The field of teams bidding for Derrick Turnbow is down to three, and the Pirates are one of those teams; the Rangers have been linked to Turnbow, but I don't know that his horrific control problems are correctable at this point...
- Richard Durrett has a Q&A out with Jason Jennings, in which he explains he has begun a normal throwing program and is now long-tossing from 200 feet and getting some work in from flat ground...he attributes his injuries in '08 to rushing himself back to the mound too quickly, and appears to be seeking a major league deal (which I doubt he'll get)...I still foresee Texas inking him to a minor league deal at some point...
- The Rangers have announced their 2009 minor league staff, and Low-A Clinton pitching coach Danny Clark is the new minor league pitching instructor, with Double-A Frisco pitching coach Terry Clark receiving a promotion to OKC...Steve Buechele is notably the new manager at High-A Bakersfield...
Jennings to a minor league deal I'm okay with. Which reminds me, I remember the National's "ace" was a pitcher by the name of John Patterson (I think). And I seem to remember signing him to a minor league deal. What happened to him?
Texas released him back in May because the state of his right arm was such that he wasn't going to pitch in 2008.
If you were to create an all-time pitching staff of guys with control problems, who belongs on it?
Turnbow? Mark Wholers? Mitch Williams?
Could Rick Ankiel also go on that list?
And who was the guy who had the infamous meltdown before Ankiel?
Steve Dalkowski?