Prayers for Boston

The Cheap Seats want to send a thought and a prayer to all of the people affected by the cowardly bombing in Boston. Truly one of America's great cities, on a day meant as a world wide celebration, was attacked by those who believe America and Americans can be intimidated.

 Those people need to get a grip!!!!!

We predict that next year we will see the largest celebration of Patriot's day in the history of Boston! Bless all of those who lost loved ones and those who have been injured and thank God for the heroes on the scene.

Some say it is just sport. But ask yourself when it was you last heard the national anthem. It was at a sporting event. Sports can be trivial and it can begin the healing process. Last night at Yankee Stadium, the song "Sweet Caroline" was played between innings as a tribute to Boston. Yankee fans sang long and loud as they also passed on their best just as Red Sox fans had done during the 9/11 aftermath.

It was a class gesture by a class organization. And even in Yankee Stadium, as was the case around the country for a moment we are all Red Sox fans.

PLAY BALL! Let's Go Rangers!

"There are 108 beads on the Catholic Rosary and there are 108 stitches on a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance" - Annie Savoy

THE CHEAP SEATS ARE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and are proud to say that we are approaching 20,000 page views. Thanks to everyone who takes a few minutes to check us out and we hope to hear from you soon.

If it has not become evident, while we write about all sports, our hearts are with baseball and to be more specific,Texas Ranger Baseball. Sunday night the Rangers open the season against the Houston Astros, the newest member of the American League West.

Unlike the last few seasons, the Rangers will truly have a new look. Michael Young is a Phillie, Mike Napoli is in Boston, Colby Lewis and Netfali Feliz are still on the shelf and of course, the story of the off-season, Josh Hamilton and his reality tv like career, signed with the Angels.

"Baseball is only a pastime, a sport, an entertainment, a way of blowing off steam. But it is also the national game, with an appeal to Americans of every race, color, creed, sex or political opinion. It unites Americans in the common cause of rooting for the home team." - Jackie Robinson

The beauty of opening day is that last year is forgotten and there are high hopes in every major league city. It is a day to forget about the past and talk about the future. So after six months of finding new ways to insult Hamilton, with an exception here or there, old JDaddy will do his best to move on and look at three key areas for the Rangers in 2013.

Read More after the break

No Pressure: The Cowboys are not in the Super Bowl...... Again

It was January 28th, 1996. The weekend's top movie was "Mr. Holland's Opus." Gasoline was $1.12 per gallon and the Dallas Cowboys won their third Super Bowl in four years 27-17 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It would also be the last time we would see my team, America's Team, in the big game.

When the 49ers take the field against the Ravens Sunday, they will become the 12th NFC team to represent the conference since Dallas last appeared. The Washington Redskins are the only other NFC team not to make it to the final game since 1996. Think about that Cowboy fans......... Us and the 'Skins.

Eight winning seasons out of the last seventeen. There are many Cowboy fans, like me, who have taken a big swig of the Kool-Aid. I love'm. But the effects are wearing off and it is becoming very clear as the fog begins to lift. We have one of the best owners in the league. He purchased the team for $150 million and today the club is worth over $2 Billion. He has built one of the most beautiful stadiums ever constructed, increased the value of the Cowboy brand and has raised and given millions to charity. But as good as the owner is, we have the absolute worst General Manager in the NFL. And our dilemma is that, as we all know, the best owner and worst GM is the same guy. Jerry Jones.

2012 National League Batsmen of the Year

While it may seem a bit late to some, those who know the pains we at the Cheap Seats go through to check our figures will understand. With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report in just a few weeks, we are announcing the final tabulations for our 2012 Batsmen of the Year.

Along with this week’s Hall of Fame announcement, The B.O.T.Y. will be the award an athlete can look back on and say………What???????????  6 of our 20 finalists from last year (and here) are on our list again with a repeat winner in the AL.

 

For those who don’t remember, we take all batting statistics of the top 5 players in each category and assign a value. The top 10 players are then ranked against each other. The results are an unbiased selection of the most feared players at the plate for an entire season.

For the list of American League Batsmen of the Year, click here.

National League Batsman of the Year

 Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers - Batsman Score: 974.35

Many people think Braun slipped by on a technicality in avoiding a 50 game ban for a failed drug test. But, surely baseball couldn’t have made such a mistake! Braun finished third last year behind Fielder and Matt Kemp. With Fielder in the AL and Kemp injured much of the year, Braun finished with another solid season in 2012.

100 Runs

191 Hits

36 Doubles

41 Homers

112 RBI

63 Walks

.319 Avg.

.987 OPS

2012 American League Batsmen of the Year

While it may seem a bit late to some, those who know the pains we at the Cheap Seats go through to check our figures will understand. With pitchers and catchers scheduled to report in just a few weeks, we are announcing the final tabulations for our 2012 Batsmen of the Year.

Along with this week’s Hall of Fame announcement, The B.O.T.Y. will be the award an athlete can look back on and say………What???????????  6 of our 20 finalists from last year (and here) are on our list again with a repeat winner in the AL.

 

For those who don’t remember, we take all batting statistics of the top 5 players in each category and assign a value. The top 10 players are then ranked against each other. The results are an unbiased selection of the most feared players at the plate for an entire season.

Here are the National League Batsmen of the Year.

American League Batsman of the Year

 Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers - Batsman Score: 1012.05

Miggy repeats with a massive thrashing of the competition in 2012.

109 Runs

205 Hits

40 Doubles

44 Homers

139 RBI

66 Walks

.333 Average

.606 Slugging

.999 OPS

And the 2012 Winner Is...

It was no surprise.  I was already doing my victory lap heading into the final week, and apparently, I had my opponents so demoralized they didn't even try to mount a comeback.  A 10-6 final week landed me at 137-113-6 for the season, finishing 11 games ahead of Uncle J.

The 5-year-old finished strong at 8-8.  He finished 2 games under .500 for the season, a slight improvement over last year.  The experiment in random selection to pick NFL games has gone exactly as you would expect.  Through the 2 seasons we've done this, the kid has gone 245-251-16.  He is basically a 45 pound coin flip.

Thanks for following along this season.  Now we'll be forced to actually write something to keep this blog up-to-date.

Week 17 Results
CDog: 10-6
5-Year-Old: 8-8
JDaddy: 6-10
Uncle J: 5-11

Overall Results
CDog: 137-113-6
Uncle J: 126-124-6
5-Year-Old: 124-126-6
JDaddy: 118-132-6