Sunday Morning Open Thread: Five Questions

1. Take a stab at predicting how many runs Texas will score and allow in 2011; as a reference point, here are the totals from the last three years: 787 RS, 687 RA (90 wins, 2010); 784 RS, 740 RA (87 wins, 2009); 901 RS, 967 RA (79 wins, 2008).

2. Rank the Rangers' current starting rotation on the basis of how confident/optimistic you are on each pitcher, from most confident to least confident. When I say 'confident,' understand that I'm talking about your gut feeling on how they're going to perform, and how long you feel they're going to be able to hold onto their starting opportunity.

3. Batting order isn't really all that significant in the grand scheme of things, but this still bears asking: Are you cool with the Rangers deploying the man demigod who is very likely their second-best hitter (Nelson Cruz) down in the six-hole, below Michael Young? And does it make sense to bat Mike Napoli seventh against southpaws? Or have we finally reached the critical point where we should let minutia of this sort go and trust Ron Washington implicitly on matters like this?

4. Which moment(s) from the season's first couple of games has/have left the most indelible impression upon you? Ian Kinsler's back-to-back lead-off home runs? Adrian Beltre's grand slam? Elvis Andrus's sudden power surge? The infamous Julio Borbon error?

5. And speaking of the error, and the ensuing firestorm it created out of already smoldering kindling -- okay, you've either taken the position that this is completely overblown and that Borbon deserves more time to try to make this work, or you think he should be demoted to the minors. What is the answer, then? David Murphy in center field? Josh Hamilton in center field for an indefinite period of time, which the organization seems especially keen on avoiding? Craig Gentry? A trade that will prove quite costly due to the fact that the market isn't going to fully develop for several more months? I'm not trying to instigate; rather, I'm genuinely curious as to where public opinion truly lies, and what the contingent against Borbon would recommend as a solution.