Cowboys Solidify Defense With 2012 Draft

Morris Claiborne, the
Cowboys' #1 overall
draft pick this weekend 

The Dallas Cowboys disappointed fans with their lackadaisical finish to the 2011 season and changes were imminent for America's Team.  Their secondary was the most at fault, as they allowed the most 4th quarter lapses in the league last season and seemed lost at times.  The team found the fast-approaching NFL Draft as a great opportunity to improve upon their poor status.  The Cowboys made a statement early in the draft, as they traded their 1st and 2nd round picks to St. Louis for the #6 overall pick.  The Cowboys picked up former LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne to solidify the cornerback position. Claiborne was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award last season, as the nation's best defensive player, and was a member of two All-SEC teams during his time at LSU.  His 95 career tackles and 11 interceptions should make him the #1 option to replace Terence Newman at the cornerback position.  Claiborne was a great pick-up for Rob Ryan's defense during Thursday's 1st round, but there were still areas to improve upon.

The Cowboys had traded their 2nd round pick to draft Claiborne, so Jerry Jones and co. waited for their next move in the 3rd round.  With the 81st pick, the Cowboys went defensive, selecting defensive end Tyrone Crawford from Boise State with their lone draft pick on Friday. Crawford was the first of three Canadians selected in the year's draft and was an All-MWC player in 2011.  He had 76 career tackles, 27 for a loss, and 13.5 sacks during his college career.  Like Claiborne, he is expected to improve the sloppy defense and earn a starting position with the team.

The Cowboys entered today with five draft picks in four rounds, but turned their mindset to the offensive side of the ball.  Three of the team's draft picks, Wake Forest offensive linebacker Kyle Wilber (113th pick), Virginia Tech wide receiver Danny Coale (152nd), and Oklahoma tight end James Hanna (186th pick), were offensive players drafted by the team this afternoon.  The other two picks, Eastern Washington safety Matt Johnson (135th) and Montana inside linebacker Caleb McSurdy, remained consistent with the team's initial mindset heading into the year's draft.  Coale joins the Cowboys' roster as another talented receiver and will play alongside Pro Bowler Miles Austin and the talented Dez Bryant.  Hanna does not bring much, as he did not play well at Oklahoma, and was a surprise pick.  McSurdy and Johnson, on the other hand, will be given opportunities to earn spots on the roster.  Knowing NFL draft history, many of today's stars were unproven stars, either as an undrafted free agent or low draft selection.  These two players have the potential to make the team, as the Cowboys look to improve their disastrous defense.

Overall, the Dallas Cowboys faired well during the 2012 NFL Draft this weekend.  Even though they were not in the running to draft a player like Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, they stole a well-qualified cornerback at the beginning of the draft, and drafted to address their weaknesses.  The draft certainly improved the Cowboys, and brought them the talent to bring home another championship.

Spurs & Astros Win In Dramatic Fashion; Being A Diehard Fan

There's something about being a diehard sports fan that allowed me to experience such an amazing night with two of my favorite teams. Two exciting games caught my eye tonight, and I was rewarded with a lot of excitement.  The first game featured the Houston Astros and Miami Marlins in the second game of the weekend series.  The teams were coming off an exciting 11 inning thriller on Friday and were set to continue the series as soon as the night began.  The game began with a great first inning by the Astros, who scored the first run of the game and pressured Carlos Zambrano with a bases loaded situation.

Although the Astros had taken the early lead, the Marlins were not ready to let the game get out of hand.  They responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, and used dominant pitching to shut down the Astros' momentum.  Zambrano found his stride after a tough 1st inning and settled down with the stout defense of his fielders.  He escaped two difficult situations in the first three innings and finished the night with six innings of work.  Miami's relief pitchers took over for Zambrano and continued handling Houston, retiring 13 of 14 batters heading into the game's final inning.  Miami's first year closer Heath Bell was in charge of finishing off the young and feisty Houston team.  The three-time All Star had years of experience with the Padres, but was looking for his first save with the Marlins after blowing Sunday's game against the Reds.  Tonight would not be much different, as he allowed four runs and four hits in the inning and blew his second save opportunity in six days.  The Astros used late-game heroics and Marlins errors to steal the game, even the series, end a three-game losing streak, and get back to .500 on the season.  The teams return to Marlins Park tomorrow afternoon for the decisive game of the three-game series.

In the other game, the San Antonio Spurs hosted the Phoenix Suns in a potential playoff match-up at the AT&T Center.  Both the Spurs and Suns were among the league's best since the All Star Break and were fighting for separate playoff spots, so tonight's game was important for both sides.  The Spurs were coming off a crazy week and needed to take care of business tonight against the Suns.  San Antonio did exactly that, beginning the game on a 23-5 run and leading by double-digits after each quarter.  Tim Duncan set the tone early with his 19 points and 11 rebounds, and all thirteen Spurs contributed points in the 105-91 victory.  The Spurs are playing championship-caliber basketball at the right time of year, with only eight regular season games remaining before the playoffs, and are expected to compete for another championship come June.

Astros Regroup After Disastrous Opening Night To Win Series

Astros' fans are celebrating after their Opening Series victory
this weekend against the Colorado Rockies.

What a great start to the 2012 season for the Houston Astros, who faired well against the Rockies throughout Opening Weekend and began the season with an overcapacity crowd at Minute Maid Park on Friday.  The Astros kicked off Friday's game with a bang, as they took an early 1-0 lead off Carlos Lee's single in the 1st inning.  The Astros were pitching and hitting well until they found trouble in the 3rd inning.  Wandy Rodriguez allowed three runs, four hits, and an error to give the Rockies a 3-1 lead.  Houston responded with back-to-back home runs by Carlos Lee and Brian Bogusevic to tie up the score in the 4th, but errors continued to be an issue.  Houston finished with four errors on the night and Colorado escaped with a 5-3 victory in Houston on Opening Night.

Opening Night was not a success for the Astros, but the following two nights would be.  Saturday night also began in Houston's favor as Jordan Schafer hit a 1st inning home run, but this would be a different type of night for Astros' fans.  They worked the Rockies' pitching staff and prevented another collapse.  Houston finished with seven runs on ten hits and forced Jamie Moyer, the Rockies' 49-year old starting pitcher, out of the game after five innings.  The great performance allowed Houston to win their first game of the young 2012 season.

The Opening Weekend was 2/3 of the way complete as the series' decisive game was played this afternoon.  The game featured a pitching battle between starters Bud Norris and Juan Nicasio.  Hits and runs were hard to come by as each team recorded only two hits through the first three innings.  The 4th inning would slightly change the course of the game as both teams scored their first runs of the game.  The Rockies struck first with a 2-run home run by Wilin Rosario, but the Astros responded with a Carlos Lee RBI double that scored Altuve.  The Rockies were in control until their starting pitcher was relieved in the 8th inning.  A throwing error and a 2-out double gave Houston the lead for good, and ultimately a 3-2 victory this afternoon.  With the victory, the Astros won their first opening series since 2006, and are over .500 for the first time since July 29, 2009.  The Astros continue their six-game homestand against Atlanta tomorrow at Minute Maid.

Houston Astros' 2012 Season Preview

Manager: Brad Mills (Entering third season as the Astros' manager: 132-192 record)

2011 in Review

Record: 56-106

Division Finish (6th in NL Central)

League Finish (16th in National League)

Playoffs: None

Major Offseason News

November 17th: Drayton McLane sells Astros to Houston Businessman Jim Crane, who agrees to move franchise to American League West beginning in 2013.

November 27th: Crane fires GM Ed Wade and President Tal Smith

December 7th: Crane hires former Cardinals VP Jeff Luhnow as the General Manager

March 20th: Astros trade Jason Bourgeois and Humberto Quintero to Kansas City for Kevin Chapman

Questions & Answers

Coming off the worst season in franchise history, how will the Astros respond in 2012?

The Astros will be a very similar to last year's team when they finished with a 56-106 record, the worst in franchise history.  The Astros truly do not have a lot of talent because they've been dumping All Stars the last couple of seasons at the trading deadline to clear CAP room.  But can Houston really be as bad as last year?  I find it hard to believe that the team will be as bad as last year because their youngsters have another year under their belt.  Even with J.D. Martinez, Bud Norris, and Brian Bogusevic approaching as team leaders this season, expect the Astros to finish as a cellar team once again. 

How will the franchise's 50 year anniversary and final season in the National League affect the team's play in 2012?

Isn't it ironic that the Astros are celebrating their 50 year anniversary as they prepare for a move to the American League next season?  Over the offseason, Commissioner Bud Selig recognized the many transformations throughout college athletics and wanted baseball to be a part of it.  As part of the franchise's sell to Houston Businessman Jim Crane, Selig required the franchise to move to the American League beginning in 2013.  The National League is all the Astros have ever known, and although the Astros have no chance at making the playoffs this season, the team's fans will create the needed energy to make this a memorable season.  The 2012 season concludes a chapter in the franchise's history, but begins another as well.  

Will the Astros be active around July's trade deadline like they have the past few seasons?

One should expect the Astros to once again be active around July' trade deadline as they have the past two seasons.  Wandy Rodriguez should once again be expected to be in trade talks throughout the season as the Astros continue to clear CAP room heading into the American League next season.  If the Astros were to trade Rodriguez, they would most likely receive more young talent and cheaper contracts.  That, and an extra sixteen million dollars a season from Carlos Lee's expiring contract, could make Houston an offseason player heading into their inaugural season in the American League.

Will the new ownership and general manager benefit the lousy state of the franchise?

It is not a surprise that they experienced the worst season in franchise history last season. The Astros haven't produced a quality team in four years and it's going to be a couple of years for this franchise to escape the hell hole that they put themselves in. Over the offseason, they received new ownership when Houston businessman Jim Crane bought the team from Drayton McLane. Crane quickly made some management moves in the following weeks, which should convice Astros' fans that he will certainly improve the franchise's status. It may take a number of years for Crane to restore the Astros, but he will get done.

Kentucky Hangs On For 8th National Championship

There was no question throughout the season that the Kentucky Wildcats were the nation's best team, so they knew they had to finish business against the Kansas Jayhawks tonight in New Orleans.  The game gained alot of attention because it featured college basketball's two winningest programs and the tournament's top two defensive teams.  The head coaches were also familiar to the Final Four stage, as the two coaches, Kentucky's (then Memphis') John Calipari and Kansas' Bill Self, faced off for the 2008 National Championship in San Antonio.  Self's Jayhawks ultimately hung on in the overtime thriller, but each have outstanding accomplishments throughout their head coaching careers.  Calipari has taken three schools (Massachusetts, Memphis, and Kentucky) to four Final Fours and two National Championship games, and Kansas' Bill Self has taken Kansas to two Final Fours and National Championship games in the past four years.  Everything was set up to be a classic National Championship game.

As expected, the game remained close throughout the opening moments as Kansas took the early lead and hung with the nation's best team.  They began to struggle and eventually lost control, as Kentucky began to dominate with rebounds, steals and blocks.  They expanded their lead to double-digits as Kansas went scoreless for an entire four minutes and shot 3/13 to finish out the first half.  As the Jayhawks struggled to find their groove, they found themselves in familiar territory down fourteen at halftime.  The Jayhawks had put themselves in deep holes throughout the tournament and had come back every time.  Could they do it again, this time facing their largest halftime deficit of the tournament?

After 66 1/2 tournament games, the Wildcats had the game in hand and looked to be headed to an eighth National Championship in school history.  Nothing in the first half said different until the Jayhawks made a late run in the second half.  Kansas finally took Kentucky out of its game with a 13-3 run, pressuring the ball-handler and causing turnovers, to get within five with a minute to go in the game.  Kansas erased a fifteen point deficit, but it would not be their night.  Kentucky converted on five late free throws as they pulled out the victory.  With the help of stars Doron Lamb and Anthony Davis, Kentucky escaped with their eighth National Championship, and Coach Calipari finally won the big one.  Davis recorded six points and sixteen rebounds in the win and became the fourth freshman to win the Men's Final Four Most Outstanding Player.  Lamb added twenty-two points and was the game's leading scorer.  Without them, Kentucky fans might not be celebrating an eighth National Championship tonight.

Chaparrals Hang On Against Pacers "Old School Style"; Spurs 7 W's In A Row

In 1976, the future of four ABA franchises would change forever.  The San Antonio Spurs, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, and New York (now New Jersey) Nets merged into the NBA for the 1976-1977 season.  This year, the NBA celebrates the history of the ABA with ABA Remembrance Nights throughout the season.  The final installment of the NBA's remembrance of the ABA occurred tonight at the AT&T Center between the Dallas Chaparrals (San Antonio Spurs) and Indiana Pacers.  The Chaps controlled the game from the get-go, behind great teamwork, 3-point shooting, run and gun offense, and attack of the basket.  Because the Chaps were unselfish tonight, they made the extra pass to open players and converted on high percentage shots throughout the first half.  The Chaps used an amazing 39 point second quarter, where they shot the lights out and went on a 15-1 run, to build a 22 point lead, and ultimately led 64-48 by halftime.

The Indiana Pacers were no where to be seen in the first half, but made a statement in the second half.  The Pacers began to take advantage of the sloppy Chap defense and made numerous runs throughout the second half.  Even with these runs, the Chaparrals hung on for a 112-103 victory in the Alamo City tonight.  The Chaps' Big 3 finished with a combined 59 points and stepped up in the final moments to close out the Pacers.  Tim Duncan finished with yet another double-double (23 points, 11 rebounds) and finished as the game's leading scorer.  With the win, the Spurs ("Chaps") have won seven in a row, but face a tough April schedule that includes 16 games in 26 days to close out the regular season.