If I were . . .

Gm of any team in any sport, these would be my beginning principles.

1.  Coach and Systematic Approach

Hand pick a coach with whom you share the same overall systematic approach to the game.  So that both you and the coach have the ability to step back and follow the same certain principles set down before intense personnel decisions have to be made.  Someone smart and confident, and has enough patience to allow a systematic approach of the game to work.  When hiring this coach and agreeing to the system, you are saying “no player will be above the team, no player will be above the system.”

This is the most important decision a team can make, and the beginning principles would need to be both overall and narrow.  For instance in the overall issues you would decide:  Do we run a west coast or run driven offense;  do we value big or speedy lineman;  do we rely on power or contact hitters; do we play inside out or movement offense.  Then you move to more narrow issues like what kind of character do you ask your scouts to zero in on, what kind of drills and offseason workouts to enhance precision, are left handed players miles and away better than right handed players at certain positions, etc.

This can go on forever and should.  There should be a well thought out system in place that gives you an advantage over all other teams who wing it.

2.  Playoff Mentality

This one is sort of weird, because you would think that it is really obvious.  But a lot of teams go through the season with simply a hope to get into the playoffs and then MAYBE move forward.  It is not in the organization’s way of thinking that making it to the playoffs is the beginning of the real season – not the end of it.  You have put your heart into the offseason, practices and regular season games to get to this starting point.  The playoffs is where it all begins.

That means there is no sense of accomplishment.  No loss of focus, because the goal of the season still remains empty.  But something does happen at the end of the regular season.  The real season starts and your team ought to be able to smell it and be hungry for it.  This can be influenced by environment, but also you have to make sure you draft, sign and trade for hungry players.

There is also a second aspect to the playoff mentality.  The One Game At A Time mentalaty  A mentally strong team knows what game they are playing and what they want from the game.  They know games aren’t won on paper, in the media or in Vegas (except for in the NBA).  They don’t come out and play last week’s game or next week’s game.  They, as a team, exist to demolish this weeks opponent.  They get up for the game they are playing in.

Obviously the Dallas Cowboys are the worst offender of this rule.

 3.  Freshness

Having a long term system that is known and followed by the team can have the unwanted side effect of stagnating creativity.  With this I might give the illustration of Devon Harris.  He was in a Maverick’s uniform for a while.  But the people chosen to lead the organization had a specific role they tried to push him in.  Not that that is bad, but when you see talent and know that it is there yet not coming out in all the ways you thought it could, you should then readjust your own glasses and try different things with him.

This quality in an organization is all about not getting caught standing flat footed.  Just because you have certain long term principles you follow does not mean there is no room for creativity and experimentation.  John Danks goes to the White Sox and picks up a cutter which really helps him in his second year.  Someone had to be convinced a cutter would really help him, convince him and then have him add this to his arsenal.

Freshness is about eyeing the players, the team and yourself and then moving beyond the trenches you have dug for yourself that are not working or not working as well as possible.  You should always keep a team on their toes, it has a way of making the opposing team the one always chasing you. 

4.  Irrelevant – Relevant Media

Never allow the media to effect, or should I say infect, your decisions.  If something is not working right you should have a firm grasp of why it is not working.   The media is not there to think, it is there to feed an unhealthy appetite of newspaper columns, blogs, talk radio and television.  The media is DUMB.  It does not think more than one step ahead – if that.  Consider it irrelevant when it comes to anything involving personnel decisions.

I think the Texas Rangers may actually make a number of their decisions based on how they think the media will react.  It’s as if whenever they make a decision the media is in the room looking at them.  Which is why oftentimes they look like a chicken with its head cut off.  The media is there for interacting with your fan base, that part of the media is relevant.  The media that thinks it can and should think for you is not.

5.  Crisp Short Window Transactions

These are situations that shoot up for a short time every now and again while not always looking the same.  Sometimes you’ll have a Milton Bradely on the free agent market not getting any interest, sometimes Eric Gagne, sometimes there will be a team willing to trade you Travis Hafner for Einar Diaz, sometimes Manny Rameriz will be on the market being short shrifted with a two year offer, sometimes a team will be willing to trade you Kevin Garnett for a bunch of cheetos and Al Jefferson.

When these spontaneous short windowed situations occur, you must have the vision and capacity to capitalize.  Teams can rise and fall with how these situations turn out.

6.  Winning at The Edges

Pretty simple, just find those small areas were you can gain an honest advantage against your opponent.  Whether in certain drills, certain odd usage of the rule book.  Whether it be in the locker room, on the field or in the front office, search high and low for that HONEST edge and take it.

New Year’s Joke

So have you heard the Joke of this new year?  You know the one about the Giants being on a roll and ready to beat those disintegrating Cowboys.  Ya, stop me if you heard this one last year just before game 9 on the NFL schedule.  Oh the Giants have a better feel defensively now!  Oh how they put pressure on the quarterback!  Oh how Eli has just looked outstanding!  That a boy, let’s give Eli a butt pat (you know their so hard on him in New York, always comparing him to Peyton, you know that’s just not fair).

I know the Cowboys didn’t look great ending the regular season.  And I know Terrell Owens is a “game time” decision.  But everyone who thinks the Giants have a rat behind’s chance of winning, I gaurantee have been smoking something more than the nice cigars they received for Christmas.  The Cowboys are better, have been better and will be better than those rotten Giants.  Did they play a good game against New England? Sure.  Did they beat a team in Tampa Bay who could only manage 9 wins in an extremely weak division?  Sure.  Then again they won 10 games in a very tough division.  Good team?  Yes.  Better than Cowboys?  Uhhh, No.

More

Hopefully I’ll write more than I have been lately.  The Mavericks are floating along, the Stars have been rejuvenated offensively, the Rangers have made good moves but still lack the finishing touches.  And the Cowboys will win this weekend.  Maybe there’s just nothing more to say.

Recent 12-22-07

Recently things have gotten out of hand.  But this is the year of out of hand, because now we know all of sports is rigged.  From Floyd Landis to Bill Belichick to Marion Jones to Shawn Merriman to Tim Donaghy to David Stern to Roger Clemens to Rodney Harrison to Barry Bonds and Bud Selig.  And remember nobody has or can yet be caught with a drug test for HGH.  We’ve let these bozo’s take control – we keep coming to the games and they juice up to make millions off of us.  But oh well, here is some of the semi-recent events that have taken place and I haven’t blogged about yet.

1.  The Mitchell Report

2.  20 FSU players suspended for academic cheating scandal.

3.  Vick gets 23 months in prison.

4.  Bobby Petrino skips town not 1 year in to a five year deal with Atlanta.

5.  John Smoltz and Curt Schilling speak out demanding that Roger speak out if he is innocent, I don’t think they think he is.  But does it matter what I think that they think or we think that they think if he thinks he isn’t.

6.  The Grimsley affidavit is unsealed revealing the biggest suprise of all – Grimsley suspected Jose Canseco of steriod use.  Hmmm, thanks Grims.

7.  Jessica shows up to the Cowboy game in a pink, Romo jersey.  Romo is shot down into mortality (earning 3 points in my fantasy league and costing me a shot at the championship title).  T.O. comes out saying Mickey was right women make you weak in the knees Tony don’t let Jessica near you for the next 2 months.

8.  Brian Westbrook, against my beloved Cowboys, has a chance to score a touchdown at the end of the game, but instead kneels down at the 1 yard line (again an action that led to me not advancing in my fantasy league playoffs).

9.  Important to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area – the Mavs and the Stars, while not doing great, are still in their respective division leads or at least within a game.

10.  Can it be that for the second year in a row the Texas Longhorn’s have the best player in college basketball – DJ Augustin.

Okay consider it blogged.  Oh and Merry Christmas! 

 

 

 

 

What To Say?

The Cowboys play in a tough division, but seem to be the cream of the crop in the NFC.  Their next three games against Philly, New York and Washington will go a long way in deciding if we:  A.  Win our division.  B.  Win the Conference.

There’s something to be said for a Texas Fireballer with a cocky attitude.  Spring Texas native, Josh Beckett, has the stuff and the mean streak to deliver in the clutch.  He was picked second overall in the 1999 draft by the Florida Marlins.  One of the reasons the Tampa Bay Devil Rays didn’t pick him first was his brashness on and off the field.  Even though Blake Beaven was picked about 15 spots lower, there is a lot that seems similiar between these two players.  I think there is more than a good chance that Blake will become the best pitcher to be drafted and developed by the Rangers.

The hockey season has started. 

Now that the Ranger’s have a young stable of reasonable talent at the big leagues and in the minors the question arises should we trade 3 quality young players for let’s say Johann Santana?  My list of Ranger Colts that shouldn’t be traded for a high salary guy include:  Ian Kinsler, Eric Hurley, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Chris Davis and I might add C.J. Wilson.  If it’s something like Volquez, Duran and Andrus, I’d have to consider it very hard and then pull the trigger.  Then offer Santana the gobs of money you saved by trading Tiexiera while your payroll wasn’t big to begin with.  Tough decisions, but at least we have young talent now.

Oh and by the way Jarrod Saltalamacchia is a catcher, not a firstbaseman.  Which I guess makes it all the worse when Wakamatsu leaves town before he can work with Jarrod on his catching this winter.

Eddie Belfour was the man, period. Actually two or three or four periods……actually six 

Even though Boston’s the better team I thought Colorado would at least give them a run for their money

Some things are ironic.  Al Gore getting a Nobel Peace Prize for his environmental work is one of them.  One of the main reasons Al Gore lost the 2000 election was because of the votes that the Green Party’s Ralph Nader took away from Al Gore.  That’s right a lot of environmentalists didn’t see Gore as a great environmentalist.  I guess Nobel is smarter than they were.

Should the Mavs trade for Kobe?  No doubt they are more likely to win a championship with him even if it was a staight up swap for him and Dirk.  But I take the moral high ground on this one, the injury history, and the drama queen history and say someone else – take him.  Please, someone else – not us . . . not us.

Mike Modano needs 3 points to become The All-Time American Points Leader in NHL History.

Oh and by the way did you know hockey season has already started?