Friday Free Mailbag - The World Series Edition

The Rangers quest to finish the mission starts tonight in Arlington.

This doesn’t happen often in the DFW sports world, so we refuse to let anything distract us. Since the post-season began, we have given you a postgame summary of each and every playoff game for the Texas Rangers run here at #Sturmstack.

That is twelve different gamers that have been written without neglecting our Cowboys duty, as well. Admittedly, it may have cost us a little Dallas Stars and college football love, but we are running as fast as we can in October.

The good news is that we have made it all the way to the World Series. The bad news is that this week – with the Cowboys now off their bye week, I will not be sleeping much. That’s OK. We can get there. In 10 days, there is a decent chance that the Texas Rangers will be champions of the baseball world if they can just beat this last opponent.

So all eyes are on Arlington, Texas, tonight. It is a World Series in our city and this time, we even have a team playing in it.

Soak it up.

And, to all, soak up this Free Friday Mailbag. Of course, we would love for you to jump in for all of the content, too, so if you are considering being a subscriber, I want you to know that this is a great time to get in. The amount of content I have put out there in October is a pace I absolutely cannot continue much longer – this is the 31st piece I have written and it is only the morning of October 27. But, I do promise, even in normal months with a normal amount of content – 14 or 15 pieces – I will give you the best that I can, always and forever.

Anyway, because you didn’t ask for it, here are 3,000 words to answer your questions this week and most are about the World Series.

The official position of #Sturmstack for the World Series: Go Rangers.

From RC: I know nothing about the D-backs. How do the Rangers stack up? I have a feeling like the ALCS was the harder series, but I am worried I’m also wrong. What are your thoughts on the matchup

The Rangers stack up well and should be favored to win. The reason is that if you were to “re-draft” the two teams, the Rangers have maybe five of the best seven offensive players. That is pretty substantial and is reflected in the team’s stats.

The series may hinge, however, on the ability of Jordan Montgomery and Nathan Eovaldi to continue their form, because they both have been consistently strong and I am not sure they can maintain that indefinitely. Obviously, Arizona feels pretty strong about Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly to stand up in those first two games and if they can do it, Texas will feel some pressure again. This series feels like the Rangers will want to handle things in innings 1-6 because they may not be able to win the final portion of innings 7-9. Conversely, Arizona might be trying like heck to get to the 7th and feel like if they can get there tied, they will be in a great position to manufacture that winning run against a Rangers bullpen on fumes.

So, the advantage for the Rangers is all about Corey Seager and Adolis Garcia, but if the Diamondbacks can quiet them like they handled the Phillies biggest guns, this could be a long and stressful series.

From Jay Beerley: How do you think the playoff run for the Rangers has affected what they perceive as their needs for heading into the offseason? Win or lose I think the fans at least evaluate this thing differently

For sure. Well, the bullpen is always a year-to-year proposition. That is just how relievers work in most cases. So, yes, they need to do better and fortify those late inning situations with dependable arms to handle things. But, otherwise, the Rangers probably would like to get a deal with Montgomery if they can (I would really love that with no telling if Jacob DeGrom will pitch at all in 2024), but otherwise, they have to love where their roster is right now. Especially with their favorite kids on the rise; Evan Carter here and Wyatt Langford close.

Its a good question for sure, but they have done most of their heavy lifting.

From Eric Smith: Which of the local teams (Dallas) has most captured your heart since moving 20+ years ago and now you find yourself cheering them on? Stars? Cowboys? The little Rangers?

This is a great question and I suppose it is a bit complicated. If you know me, you know that I am one who believes your team is your team. It is your team through thick and thin, sickness and health, good times and bad.

So, with that in mind, I was born in Wisconsin and was indoctrinated on the Packers, Brewers, and Bucks. The Packers have never wavered and I still feel ways about them that is simply an involuntary programming that I don’t think could be stopped if I tried.

The Bucks and Brewers and I grew apart and I have had several revivals with the Bucks over my life, so I won’t tell you I have never wavered, but the Bucks and I have been tight my whole life. The Brewers were an era thing with Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, and Cecil Cooper. When they all retired, I guess I didn’t feel the same way about all of their replacements. I submit the true root of that is just not loving baseball as much as I got older and busier, but even that has come back around a bit in the last few seasons.

Now, to your question, what of these teams have generated true feelings of fandom? I suppose everyone but the Cowboys. I just think I treat the Cowboys like an academic study that has been a passion and an occupation, but not a generator of internal joy. On the other hand, with the Rangers, Stars, and Mavericks, I have been caught up in the drama of chasing a title, so perhaps the only thing that has kept me from Cowboys love is the lack of a true title run. The way the city loses its mind at times like this of a World Series is a true contagion. So, maybe the Cowboys just need a real run to a Super Bowl and I would get caught up in it. Who knows? I guess I would like to see it to see.

The other element that is at work is the personal relationships with people on each of these teams. Sometimes it is players, sometimes it is a coach, sometimes it is scouts or other officials, and sometimes it is just seeing you guys happy. So, those attachments of being friends with Tyler Seguin or Jason Witten are actually more powerful than the lifelong cheering. I don’t know a single Green Bay Packer personally, but the number of friendships in the Cowboys organization over 25 years are everywhere. So, that has absolutely affected me, too.

From Pato Aldape: Who do you have more faith on, Kidd as a HC or McCarthy as a HC, and who is on a hotter seat?

They are both on hot seats with the public, but it sure seems like Mark Cuban is really committed to the Nico Harrison/Jason Kidd plan, which admittedly does appeal in some very unique ways compared to Rick Carlisle/Donnie Nelson and such before it.

On the other hand, Mike McCarthy may actually be coaching his team better in building a culture and a hardness to their team that Jason Garrett could not, but he seems to be on much thinner ice right now, because he is working for the Jones family and they know they waited too long on moving from Garrett. I can definitely see that unless the Cowboys get to the NFC Championship Game, I would list Dan Quinn as the favorite to be the coach of the team in training camp of 2024 rather than discussing a contract extension with McCarthy.

From Patrick W.: How far do the Rangers go in trying to re-sign Monty? Should CY chase Josh Hader? Do we try to bring Garver back or keep that spot for someone like Langford or Foscue?

I bet they will be aggressive for Montgomery. As far as Hader, I would need to see what these next two weeks look like because for me, Jose LeClerc has earned the closer spot in 2024 for now. Again, the World Series will inform that decision a bit. I just think I would spend my resources elsewhere and take my chances. Garver is a great luxury, but I am about ready to trust my farm system more and keep going that way.

From Michael Hicks: Thanks Bob. I think I speak for few but facing the DBacks was what I DIDN’T want to have happen. Can you a) tell us what “scares” you most about them and b) talk me off the ledge of picking them in 7.

What scares me most about Arizona is that they have great depth and balance. They have 25 guys who keep coming at you and they won’t back off. They are scrappy, fast, defensively sound, and will push you. They are well managed and feeling full of world-beating after taking out the Dodgers and Phillies. I like the Rangers chances, but do not underestimate this final and most difficult step to the quest. It can be a doozy.

From Tim O'Brien: Hi Bob, sorry but I am here for the Cowboys, and about the Cowboys I shall ask. What do you think the ceiling is now for this team? I think many would have felt it was "Super Bowl or Bust" before the Cardinals game and "Lucky to Make the Playoffs" after the SF embarrassment. Now they have somewhat righted the ship and gotten healthier with the bye. Do you think they can still win it all?

Sure, I do. They are one of the best three or four teams in the NFC, so that puts them in a remarkable position. If they can beat Philadelphia once or twice, they might even have the chance to poach a division title. It is all in front of them. They have plenty to do, but just keep winning and worrying about yourself. It is October and teams cannot control the rest of the league. Take care of your challenge and hope for your health. The rest is out of your control. But, does Dallas still have a chance of being a top offense and a top defense? Yes. And that is what you need.

From Andrew Bloom: Appreciated this week's deep dive on the Cowboys' run game. The takeaway seems clear that the personnel on the line is a problem. Is there anything McCarthy and co. can do to help them out in terms of scheme? (Other than maybe calling more passes.) In your review, were there certain kinds of runs that worked better than others, or that might help mask some of the line's deficiencies?

Yes, the coaching can assist. The easiest way in simple terms of explanation is to begin to cross things up. There are two ways to design offenses and one is to use force and to basically run when they know you are running (McCarthy and most coaches prefer this) and the other is to use tactics to cross defenses up. In those cases, you run when they expect a pass. You pass when they expect a run. You can do this with down and distance and with personnel groupings. For instance, you put on many receivers, but run. Or, you put on many tight ends to block and then you pass. This is all amongst what the Cowboys need to be thinking.

They want to be the bulldozers and can be stubborn in that pursuit, sometimes. They have tried and are clearly not good enough right now to basically declare a run and then go right at you. That worked for Norv Turner, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and the 1992 Cowboys. It does not work for the 2023 Cowboys. So now, you need to cross teams up and use tactics to gain advantages. Motion, misdirection, and tendencies all apply. They know this, but sometimes you have to swallow a little pride and just do it.

From Stephen Fleischer-Ihn: Hey Bob! I was wondering if there’s some sort of playoff baseball advantage for a team like the Rangers who lack reliever depth, where they can essentially shrink their pitching rotations? I was only wondering because I’ve heard there’s a similar depth phenomenon for playoff basketball, and it could be an interesting resourcing strategy for teams to consider throughout the long slog of the baseball season. Thanks as always!

Absolutely! Yes, you don’t need five starters and seven bullpen arms. You need three starters you trust and three relievers you trust. Everyone else is ready to grab a mop in a blowout and to piece together a Game 4 “bullpen game” where you use your 4th, 5th, and 6th starters to try to piece one together.

But, yes, it is a shorter bench – just like basketball – and it is a small-sample size that determines these series. Your best players have to be your best players, but you don’t need as many of them. This is why some baseball people are upset about how it does not always produce the most clear results. The larger the playoff field, the more flukes will happen. But, we knew that the moment we started to grow the playoff formats many decades ago.

From Bill Victor: Not really a question but a comment. You know who really has a problem with bat flips and showing up opponents? It is not the Randy Galloways and white boomer men of the world. It is the other players. Randy Galloway didn't plunk Garcia. Gerry Fraley didn't punch Jose Bautista. White boomer dads didn't break up the Fun Bunch.

First off, it definitely IS older males who grew up in a different era. But, it is also the baseball culture. You are half right. It isn’t just newspaper writers or even white America that gets upset when a player admires a home-run. Baseball culture is as old-school as it gets and they can’t wait to plunk someone who appears to be showboating. But, they get it from somewhere. And I am not here to log a racial study, but the less diversity in a sport, the more it generally fights the newer forms of expression. I’m not here to litigate it, but you would be crazy not to notice it a small bit.

From Josh Peterson: Defenses having so much success has obviously been a big story through the first couple months of the NFL season. 1. Do you expect that level of success to happen all season long? 2. What could that mean for Dallas?

Great questions. First, I do expect it to remain down. Offenses rarely get better as a season goes on. Health seldom gets better and that takes special play-makers away and more starts from backup QBs.

As for Dallas, I think it applies, but one of the main reasons given is the 2-high defenses and we know Dallas is the highest in the league in single-high coverages. Therefore, the entire league is doing one thing and finding it is leading to historic droughts from offenses, yet Dallas is going in the other direction altogether. Of course, it is working, too. So, we all wonder what it could mean.

I know that wasn’t the best answer, but I need to study this more.

From Brendon: Can we talk about how our o-line is struggling, yet Conor Williams as well as McGovern are both starting and playing well? Is that on coaching? Front office? Nothing is worse than seeing "cast offs" on a middle of the road contract starting successfully when the cowboys "take care of their own" . Thanks Bob, peace and love.

Williams is interesting, because he has been much better when Miami decided he was a center – something Dallas never really thought. He was drafted as a left tackle out of Texas and a left guard every snap in Dallas. They made him a center, but I am not sure that the style Dallas plays would have married it the same way as the Mike McDaniel/Shanahan offense. Also, I don’t know if I agree McGovern is playing really well. He is sort of the same guy he has always been. Decent in pass blocking, poor in run blocking. Not really the kind of guy you would want to marry to a long-term deal. He is a bit like Tyler Biadasz. Not bad, but probably not good enough. I was never terribly head over heels when he couldn’t beat out Conner Williams.

I think you only pay the guys that you think are better than most guys you could just draft and replace. McGovern and Williams were not special players, in my opinion. Dalton Schultz is also in that group. You have to be careful with chasing one bad decision with another one because you want to confirm your draft priors.

Now, if you want to talk Amari Cooper, I am all ears!

From David Wolf: Where do you like to sit when you buy tickets to the Rangers game? First base, third, behind home plate, or outfield? Now that it's indoors, it opens up a lot more sections that I would otherwise avoid in the heat of the summer.

Yeah, obviously, I always like to sit where you can feel the speed and power of the sport. But, I grew up in the outfield and upper deck, so it is fair to say that baseball is a game you can enjoy from many spots. In general, the only sports I really have a preferences on is football and hockey where I always like high and in the end zones where you can enjoy the plays developing. Don’t get me wrong, I won’t refuse first row on the side, but I do like to watch the plays from the QB or goalie’s perspective.

Baseball? Inside is great and the only policy I had at the old Ballpark was far from left field and third base where the sun would slowly kill us all.

God bless the concept of indoor baseball in Texas!

Rangers in 6.