12/12/12: D-FW sports chat with columnist Kevin Sherrington

I'm here at this unseasonable hour of 10:30. Thanks for coming early. Let's go.

The Rangers as it stands now do not look good for their winter dealings. They went from holding the winter meetings hostage because they held the keys to all the major deals being contemplated, to a team that now looks dangerously close to losing out on all the key players. The reports are that Hamilton is close to a deal with the Phillies. If he signs for three years and $80 million, it represents a major failure on the part of the Rangers. No matter what else you might think of Hamilton, to get a player of his stature for three years and $80 million is a bargain. I find it hard to believe Jon Daniels would let him get away for that. As for Dickey, I think they need to add another piece to the front of the rotation, and he could be that. He has a reasonable contract. What he'd cost you is a couple of prospects, starting with Mike Olt. The Mets reportedly would want Leonys Martin, as well. If the Rangers lose Hamilton, they couldn't go into the season with a platoon of Gentry and Martin in center. They'd need more offense, and Michael Bourn could be that option in center field. There'd be no place for Martin, who's too expensive to sit on the bench. They can still salvage this winter, but they've got to get going. It's not going to be the haul they hoped for, though.

No, they were in on Greinke all along, but I don't think he ever wanted to come here, really. I think the Rangers got used for leverage, just as NBA free agents use Mark Cuban for leverage. They get the price they want from the club they want to play for, because other clubs know the Rangers and Mavs have money and will spend it. The thinking that free agent pitchers don't want to pitch in the Ballpark hasn't waned any, despite the success of the club. If you had a choice of pitching in the Ballpark, a hitter's park that's a boiler in summer, or Dodger Stadium, where the temperatures are always pleasant, and it's a pitcher's park, what would you do? The Dodgers are going to have more resources than the Rangers. I thought it was a no-brainer for Greinke all along.

If Hamilton really gets away to the Phillies, the Rangers have to go all in on Bourn in center and Dickey for the rotation. I think they can get those deals done.

It's a very interesting proposition. On one hand, he seems a natural for the job. He played for Tech, coached under Leach and probably wouldn't run away first chance he got, like Tuberville did. On the other hand, is he really ready? He's just 33. If I'm Kirby Hocutt, I'd feel a lot more comfortable if Kingsbury had coached a little longer and proved he could win with quarterbacks other than Case Keenum and Johnny Manziel. And if I'm Kingsbury, I might like to have a little more fun running that offense with Manziel and see what else is out there in the next couple of years. He's the hottest assistant in college football, probably.

Absolutely, positively not. There's no way they could have imagined this. Of course, they were a lot more optimistic than most of us. What this season did was make it easier in the future. The Aggies will be able to recruit well off this season, and Manziel, should he remain healthy, will be around for three more years. That's enough time to get a trend going.

I'd rather have Bourn. Ellsbury has trouble staying healthy, and his home run numbers that one MVP-like season appear to have been a career year. He looks more like a guy who will hit 10 to 15 a year. Bourn is just as good defensively, he steals a lot of bases and he stays in the lineup. Plus, he doesn't cost you any players to acquire.

Apparently we're tapping the brakes on the Hamilton-Phillies story at this point. But they remain players for him, as do the Rangers.

I have to tell you, I don't pay a lot of attention to recruiting. Every time we do a story four years later on a recruiting class, it rarely works out as everyone thought. Sometimes it's not even close. The Aggies won 10 games this year and, other than the offensive linemen Mike Sherman got, I don't think there were a lot of blue-chips on that team. Texas, on the other hand, perennially finishes in the Top 10, and it hasn't done Mack Brown any good the last three years. Having said all that, I would expect A&M recruiting to pick up considerably. Kevin Sumlin will just have to prove he can coach 'em up.

If he's not, then it must have been a better year in sports news than I thought.