Free Weekend Mailbag - Feb 24: Your Q's/My A's

Let's roll out another look around our sports world with plenty of topics to consider.

We call this our weekly free mailbag. We want to continue to offer some content that is available for everyone without any sort of paid subscription.

But, for those of you who have paid subs and haven’t caught up on the content, there are many thousands of new words for you since last weekend. I always talk about slowing down in the offseason and then I never actually do it. Oh well.

Here was the menu from another busy week at SturmStack:

• Monday - I wrote a full story about how close the Dallas Stars are to being true cup contenders and what they might consider as the trade deadline arrives.

• Wednesday - It was time to dive back into our series about the Dallas Cowboys offseason with a look at a full shopping list for this spring.

• Friday - I reviewed the Mavericks win over the Phoenix Suns with some broader thoughts on the Mavs roster and where the season is heading.

• All Week - Draft Profiles continue to drop at random times where I can fit them in. We are almost done with the offensive linemen I wanted to start with, but we are pushing out about 5-6 new players a week and will get to our mandated 60 or so by draft week. Here is the current crop and you can catch up at your leisure.

Two other items before we get to your best ten questions of the week:

The first is I would like to formally welcome my longtime friend and colleague, Jamey Newberg to this Substack world and am quite proud to see this happen.

Jamey was the first guy I called when the Athletic asked me to fill out a Dallas Staff back in January of 2018. I think he is awesome and passionate about baseball writing in a way that resonates. He lives this stuff and we have always related well to that sort of thing. Due to things going off the rails a bit at the Athletic, 60% of our staff from that original staff is now here when you add him to my buddy and editor Sean Shapiro with his excellent hockey destination Shap Shots. Maybe we will bundle it someday and call it the Athletic 2 or something. I am sure they would love that.

In the meantime, sign up for Jamey’s sub as he takes us through his first spring training on his own. Where he doesn’t have to hope that his overlords let him write about whatever the heck he feels like writing. He is great.

The other item up here at the top is that this week, at America’s favorite radio station, Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket (96.7 FM), we are having our annual festival known as Ticketstock. I assume most of you know this as Ticket P1’s, but am also delighted to have some people worldwide reading this newsletter. Anyway, our guest of honor last night was the legend, Mike Modano.

We talked to him for about an hour straight on the air and if you missed it, I will attempt to post the audio here soon. He was fantastic, as he always is.

His hockey talents should never be forgotten and he will probably always be the most identifiable superstar Dallas Stars hockey has ever known. But, you know what? Sometimes it is great to remind our own brains and the younger folks in our audience just how amazing he was.

So, in an effort to remind and educate, here is a worthy four-minute refresher:

Thanks to NHL.com for that awesome look back.

And now, to those who have not pulled the trigger to join the Sturmstack sub family, here is your weekly pitch:

And with that, we put one hour on the clock and roll through the ten questions selected from you for this week’s batch:

From Chris Noyes: If Wyatt Langford is as good as we all think he is, and if there are no injuries, how will the Rangers get enough playing time for their four outfielders? In the World Series we had Evan Carter in Left, Leodys Tavares in Center, Adolis Garcia in Right. Leodys is a good player, but may not have the ceiling of Carter or Langford, so maybe you move Carter to CF and out Langford in LF. Should the Rangers consider trading Tavares to fill another need, such as a solid starting pitcher or a top end reliever?

Let’s start here. I think that the possibilities exist soon that you will have to make some sort of adjustment here, but right out of the gate I love the idea of having Langford ease in as the full-time DH if he proves ready. All indications are that he will be, but the major league adjustments are real for sure.

Four players played 20 games or more at DH in 2023: Mitch Garver had 57, Robbie Grossman 40, Ezeqiel Duran 22, and Brad Miller 20. Now, there are certainly impactful moments from that spot and all of them have proven they can hit a bit, but the idea of replacing that group with a large amount of what all accounts suggest is a flat-out elite hitter should be fun. What Langford did at Florida was comically awesome and his 200 plate appearances in the minors last summer did nothing to slow the hype train at all. He looks fantastic and adding that bat to the lineup is more than a little exciting. Especially knowing that Josh Jung and Evan Carter are still growing into what they will become. What an exciting young roster in so many ways.

From Mark P: Since Lian Bischel is hiding in Europe, do the Stars have to pull the trigger on a Tanev or Walker deal? Will Dellandrea and a 2nd get it done?

Do the Stars need to pull the trigger on one more defenseman? Yes. Chris Tanev makes too much sense for me.

I just think that everything about Tanev, including the fact that this might just be a rental makes me think that is the fit. Sean Walker is a little less of a fit and I am not convinced he won’t get something done with Philadelphia before the deadline, anyway. It sounds like they want to extend him and not trade him. But, stylistically, Tanev is a defensive stalwart who could slot right in on the right side.

What would that cost Jim Nill? I would think if you can get it done for Dellandrea and a second, you do it. But, when you have a very specific need and the market is sort of bare, you probably are being asked for more. Calgary can sit tight and see if anyone can beat your best offer. I am sure this roadtrip is not helping the Stars anxiety about whether they have enough. I love their team, but I would get a deal done on this one. Easy for me to say, but I am not too worried about draft picks on a roster this young.

From David Anderson: How does the $30 million cap boost change the leverage Dak has over the front office (if at all)? How does this change your offseason strategy to shape the Cowboys roster?

Well, the NFL salary cap going up $30 million helps the Cowboys quite a bit because they can honestly handle his cap charge and not do anything for now. But, of course, when the cap goes up, so do salaries, so when you do another extension with any QB in demand – and we must remind everyone that his demand is still very high even if his fanbase is less than convinced – the top end prices will surely go over $60 million for QBs this spring.

And yes, Dak would have the power to get that. I am curious if the Cowboys do that dance. As you know, there is really no other option available unless you want to take a 12-win team that is close out of the competitive market altogether and start over. I know people are frustrated, but that might be lunacy, too. I think my vote is that this allows you to be a bit less urgent in thinking something has to be done right now. But, yes, waiting on a QB only makes QB’s richer.

From David Wolf: Dak plays like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders in the playoffs. Do you think it's possible that becoming a dad will help change his mindset to not be wound so tight about his on-field performance during a playoff run? Surely becoming a dad improved your golf game 😉

Haha. Well, I guess that all depends on the triumph of the uncluttered mind. Dak and the Cowboys will have a reputation of folders in the playoffs until they do something different. I also folded this week on the 18th green as a I just needed a two-putt to break 80 for the first time in a few years and, of course, three-putted. Being wound tight is not something I will ridicule others for.

Seriously, Dak being a father surely cannot be a negative, but I also am not sure correlating it to January success is a line I can fully draw.

From Michael Snapp: What are the chances of a SturmStack subscriber meet-up? Or even better, a SturmStack subscriber meet-up that doubles as a fundraiser for Drop Your Pants? Synergy, Bob.

This is an idea I have not considered. Perhaps we can try this sometime soon if there are enough who would be interested.

Soon, I plan on releasing some plans to subscribers and especially our founding members about some meet-ups online and my hypothetical ideas of watching old games in some sort of digital hangout. Stay tuned. Maybe it is also your dream to rewatch the entire 1977 Dallas Cowboys season from Week 1 to the Super Bowl, too!

From Dave: Why does Dak Prescott deserve to be the highest paid player in the NFL when he’s only won 2 wildcard round playoff games in 8 years? Should the market reset really be based on him?

It isn’t based on him. It is based on the QB market. Here is how it works: If you have a QB who other teams think is better than theirs, then he has created demand that is best proven as an unrestricted free agent. Now, starting QBs in this tier almost never hit free agency because their teams know this to be true. In a 32 team league, if a top 10 QB hits unrestricted free agency, the market gets reset fast.

Here is where we often disagree: I say that Dak is absolutely, positively, and without question currently a Top 10 QB in this league. I believe the league agrees with me. So, if he were to play out his 2024 contract and hit the market in the spring of 2025, we might get to find this out because the Cowboys are unable to tag him. He will be 31 years old and I assume would probably be able to get a minimum of 5/$250m on that market. And maybe it is actually 5/$300m by then. So, this isn’t about Dak and it surely isn’t about the Cowboys playoff record with him. This could be Kirk Cousins if he was 5-years younger, this could be Lamar Jackson (also just a few playoff wins), this could be any number of non Patrick Mahomes guys who come along and are just very good and not great.

The market dictates this and if you don’t have a QB1, you don’t have a chance, usually. It is the sport and you would really see this if the franchise tag disappeared some day. That is what keeps QB1’s under $100m a season for a while.

Again, if the Cowboys and the league stops thinking Dak Prescott is to be valued as a Tier 2 QB, then let him get to free agency to prove it. You will see a line of a half-dozen teams bidding on him.

From Trent Thomas: Can you discuss how Luka’s bitching impacts the MAVS? I guess it doesn’t, based on them making the finals just 2 years ago, but man this is why I hate soccer and my dad refuses to watch Mavs games anymore. Yes, we’re old school and miss out on greatness I’m sure, but holy cow it’s hard to watch. Counterpoint: Messi rarely complains and I’ll watch all his games. I guess I don’t understand why someone doesn’t takes Luka aside and tell him it doesn’t matter how much he complains. Did another NBA superstar bitch this much? The answer is no… never.

Well, first, allow me to say that I find his attitude troubling most of the time.

I would love him to fix it and not lose his cool so much and have written about this for sure.

But, I am not sure that it is close to suggesting it holds the team back and I think that this season we have seen that it matters less and less. He now has enough pieces around him, including a veteran star like Kyrie Irving who seems to never lose his head on the floor (perhaps loses his head off the floor, though!) that may have regulated him. Look, I enjoy Messi’s disposition much more, but Luka does not complain significantly more than Tim Duncan or LeBron James used to act. There are levels of stars who think they can get the refs to see the world their way and it probably turns fans off, but does it hold the team back? No. I think the 35-point triple doubles cancel that out by about ten-fold.

As far as pulling someone aside, that is old school. I think that is a suggest solution with Luka and Micah Parsons that perhaps is not applicable to current professional sports. Organizations tiptoe around these guys mostly and forcing a superstar in 2024 to comply is generally seen as off-limits except in the rarest of occasions. I am not saying I like it that way, but it is the way it is.

From Greg Tepper: Bob! Mazel mazel, good things. I've been thinking a lot about this: is Josh Sborz the most unlikely player to record the final out of a World Series ever?

He has to be in the mix, Tepper! Great to hear from you, sir.

I love the Josh Sborz fun fact that he has only one career save on his ledger which was May 6, 2021 in a Rangers win in Minnesota. The idea that he would get his first and only post-season save in a win at Arizona on a Wednesday night in November is just awesome stuff. What a great accomplishment and the type of trivia that makes me remember that night all over again.

In fact, let me get this video out of my phone for the full POV of the Sborz save from November 1, 2023:

Did I just tear up a bit? It must be these allergies!

From Drew: Jordan Montgomery wants to be here. The Rangers desperately need Montgomery. I know there’s some uncertainty regarding TV future but it isn’t like there won’t be a market for Rangers games. With so many creative contracts happening in MLB right now, why can’t they find a way to make this work?

They can. Both sides are being stubborn. I also have heard Chris Young say that they like their team enough times to feel like that is a negotiation. The idea that they can’t find some creative way to find a deal is hard to believe. In fact, I already plugged Jamey Newberg’s site, but let me link his solution to this problem right here and you can see for yourself.

As usual, nothing is easy with Scott Boras, but I will not give up my belief that he will be back until he is actually gone. Then I promise I will give it up.

From Russ Schneider: What is your go to snack while on the golf course? Do you pack your own stuff or stop at the concession stand?

I generally take my own stuff and try to keep it to a protein bar or these Tosi Superbites I have been eating. But, I have had a religious experience twice on the golf course involving Uncrustables which are amazing game changers. Once I was invited to play at Trinity Forest and they had them in a cooler at the 15th tee or so and it was amazing on a hot day to enjoy a cold uncrustable when your energy is dipping. Then, I found them again at the halfway house at Pebble Beach. Holy cow, that was amazing.

But, I will also concede that it is too easy to get fat on Uncrustables, so I need to stick with the protein bars as a general rule. And then if we are really needing some boost, the good folks at Las Colinas Country Club offer those little peanut butter To-Go cups and you can dip your granola bar into those.

I am trying to walk my rounds right now, so I have to make sure I am losing pounds and not gaining them by chasing my peanut butter and jelly lifestyle.