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Chat with Hate
UPDATE: Hate Chat is on hiatus in August while Jen covers the Olympics. Be sure and check out her blog, Jen and Charean's Excellent Adventure, for the latest from Beijing.
The Little Ball of Hate offers her unusual take on the Cowboys, Rangers, Mavericks, Stars and other North Texas teams from 1 to 1:30 each Tuesday. POST QUESTIONS AT ANY TIME.
Most Recently Answered Questions
Questions 41 - 50 of 221 (Page 5 of 23)Submitted by Mark from
Q: Jen, I don't get to watch every Ranger game, but when I do, I get to see a team in the hunt for a win until the 8th inning. It seems like it happens every time I see them play. Is Benoit worth keeping? I think not. What do you think?
Answered 07/01/08 13:16:28 by Jennifer Engel
A: Benoit is worth keeping. So is C.J. Wilson. But you are right. Their work needs to improve.Submitted by James Price from Dallas
Q: Do you think the Stars will try and sign any big free agents? Hosa maybe? Do they have the cap room? Also, do you think Barry Melrose will be a good fit in Tampa? By the way....You Rule!
Answered 07/01/08 13:15:59 by Jennifer Engel
A: I love you too. Really I do. And I love Barry Melrose. I think he'll be great in Tampa. As for the Stars, I think people want a big splash, a sign of a final piece that says the Stars are Cup-bound this year. I just do not see it coming in free agency. I see them waiting, seeing what they have and then possibly doing damage at the trade deadline.Submitted by Mike from
Q: Do you think Ron Washington is really the puppet people like Randy Galloway make him out to be? Based on what Randy writes, it sounds like Washington pretty much has no power and does what Jon Daniels' tells him to. Is that really the case?
Answered 07/01/08 13:14:34 by Jennifer Engel
A: Yes. No. Maybe. I hate to disagree with Mr. Randy. OK, not really. But I usually try to call him an hyperbolic idiot to his face. It is true that Wash does not have Buck power, or veto power, or really much power. But he is not just doing and saying what JD says. He speaks his mind and says when he disagrees with things which is not a true puppet. Of course, he is not throwing his weight around either.Submitted by Jordan from
Q: Previously it looked like Terry Glenn's days in Dallas were definitely numbered, but do you think momentum is now swinging back the other way? Are both sides starting to realize the best outcome for both is for Terry Glenn to remain in a Cowboy uniform?
Answered 07/01/08 13:12:12 by Jennifer Engel
A: Momentum? Or Panic? Probably both. By both. Owner Jones realizes he needs receiver depth and Terry Glenn realizes he wants to play. This will get done. Now for Terry and Jerry's sake, his knee needs to hold up.Submitted by Kevin from
Q: Is Hank Blalock ever going to be healthy enough to play again? He seems to have a setback every time he supposedly gets ready to come back. Either way, if you're the Rangers, why would you want to take playing time away from Chris Davis at first base to play Blalock, who has no future here regardless?
Answered 07/01/08 13:10:56 by Jennifer Engel
A: Blalock may not have played his last game as a Ranger but it is really close. Thank you but your time is up Mr. Blalock.Submitted by Grant from
Q: Is Gana Diop really the Mavericks top free agent priority this summer? Diop's a nice player and all, but do they really think his return is going to make some giant difference? He's a good defender, but he's a horrible offensive player and I would hate to see the Mavs spend their entire mid-level exception on Diop when that's the only free agent money they have to spend.
Answered 07/01/08 13:09:47 by Jennifer Engel
A: Who would you suggest they get instead? I see why Mavs fans have apprehension because, really, what we are seeing is a team that at its core looks a lot like the group that has been unable to get out of the first round and the key addition is a guy who never plays -- Rick Carlisle. But this is what they signed up for when they made the deal for Kidd, another go-for-it year with this group.Submitted by Landon from
Q: How encouraged are you about all these young kids coming up for the Rangers and acquitting themselves fairly well? It looks like the future is bright, at least among position players. They look pretty well set at most positions. Now can J.D. find or develop the pitching necessary to build a true contender?
Answered 07/01/08 13:08:08 by Jennifer Engel
A: JD has to be breathing a gigantic sigh of relief. He has talent, young talent, talent under control for a while. And if they add a little pitching to this who knows how good this team can be. On Friday, talking to Mike Young, who is not prone to hyperbole, he thinks they are very close to being really good.Submitted by John from
Q: What's the early word on how top draft picks, Felix Jones, Mike Jenkins and Martellus Bennett have looked during the OTA's and minicamps? How big of a role do you see Jones having in the offense and do you think Jenkins will see his share of time even if he's only the 4th corner?
Answered 07/01/08 13:06:29 by Jennifer Engel
A: Jones looks good. Bennett looks a little shaky. And Jenkins is far and away the big splash guy. They love what they see so far. And do not forget, he may be corner No. 3 when AHenry goes to safety when Roy Willy is benched. As to Felix in the offense, I think he'll be used much more than people think. Jason Garrett is giddy to start being creative with him.Submitted by Mark from
Q: If the Rangers finish the season at .500, is Ron Washington's job safe? It seemed like he was a dead man walking earlier this year, but does the progress the young guys have shown and the team's resiliency in fighting back from a horrible start give Wash a reprieve?
Answered 07/01/08 13:04:48 by Jennifer Engel
A: Maybe. His team certainly has rebounded nicely from that ugly beginning but Nolan Ryan still may want to get his own guy in here and I am not sure being .500 is anything to celebrate.Submitted by Jason from
Q: Are you getting the sense that Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson think that the Mavs biggest problem last year was Avery Johnson? I am worried that they think changing out coaches is going to solve a lot of their problems instead of trying to really upgrade the personnel. Avery had to go for sure, but the core of this team is no longer good enough to compete for a title without some serious upgrades.
Answered 07/01/08 13:03:54 by Jennifer Engel
A: Yes, they think that Avery was the biggest problem. No, they are not alone. See Jan Hubbard's Jason Kidd story where Kidd basically called Avery crazy. Only in a much nicer, more pc way. Was he the only problem? No. See Josh Howard. But he was part of the problem and they have a better chance without simply because more people will be on board.