SPORTS Fielding Dreams

QUESTIONS, QUERIES, CONUNdrums, riddles. Step right up; it’s time for the Answer Man to settle your minds about the looming perplexities of Metrosports in the Nineties. What will the new decade bring? What needs to be done by, for, and to the Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers, Sidekicks, et al.? Glad you asked.

How good or bad wilt the Cowboys be in the next five years?

Had the JJs known they would have the worst record in the league last year, the Cowboys would not have chosen quarterback Steve Walsh in the ’89 supplemental draft, forfeiting what became the first pick in the ’90 regular draft. This could haunt the team for years, but don’t forget: Dallas might be drafting number one again in 1991. Then we’ll see how the JJs judge NFL talent. With the sheer number of picks they’ll have over the next three years, even average drafting will ensure a decent team by 1995. A Super Bowl appearance? Everything would have to fall in place: a couple of anonymous free agents must become stalwarts; the drafting will need to be flawless; and Troy Aikman’s early promise must develop into Pro Bowl savvy. Sure, it is possible. But don’t hold your breath.

Who will lead the Dallas Mavericks in the Nineties?

“We were a team built around Mark Aguirre,” says team vice president Rick Sund. “We were looking at ’88 through’ 91 as the years we would challenge and possibly break through. I’m still trying to get a handle on this team.”

So are we. The Mavs are the league’s second-oldest team (even the boyish Derek Harper is now twenty-eight), and Roy Tarpley, the only player who is both young and of proven all-NBA ability, has many known disabilities. Players in his shoes virtually always hit bottom before they climb back. It will go against precedent if he avoids a third strike in the league’s drug program and its automatic two-year suspension. Either way, chances are good he won’t remain a Maverick much longer. To answer the initial question, the Mavs’ savior is probably not yet in a Mavericks uniform.

Dallas has stockpiled three extra number one draft picks that will be used in ’90 and ’91, and still has two of its own. These five picks are the key to bringing home a championship before the turn of the century. To speed the process, look for the Mavericks to package a player and at least one of the picks for a rugged but quick inside player or a scoring guard. Don’t be surprised if one of the picks is Larry Johnson, the former Skyline prep and first casualty of SMU’s upgraded academic standards, who now stars for UNLV.

Will the honorable career of Rolando Blackman ever be Fully appreciated?

Probably not. Intelligent, quiet, and family-oriented, Blackman is too steadv for his own good. Considering that Utah, San Antonio, and Portland are so far ahead of the Mavs, Black man’s best years may be gone before he’ll be able to bask in the glow of a championship series.

What Eighties transaction, or lack of same, will haunt us in the Nineties?

Norm Hitzges, KLIF sports guru-“Not putting the trigger on Mark Aguirre sooner. They knew years ago he was not the player to lead this team. I cant understand why you fiddle for five years while Rome burns.”

Randy Galloway, Dallas Morning Sews columnist-“Passing on Karl Malone in the [1985] draft, for the simple reason that he’s the best forward in basketball. And with the Mavericks’ supporting cast, they could be beating the Lakers.”

Will SMU athletics ever again be an entity the city will rally around?

During a springtime chat with then-athletic director Doug Single, he indicated that the city’s only major college sports program is geared for full speed ahead.

Then he left, becoming president and CEO of Special Olympics International, but not before passing the baton to head football coach Forrest Gregg on April 16. The direction of the program has not changed, says now-AD Gregg, who expects the football team to be competing for a bowl bid when the current batch of freshmen are seniors.

Gregg mentioned a new emphasis on national recruiting, particularly in football, and the positive direction he feels John Shumate, head men’s basketball coach, is taking his team.

If Gregg’s plans are realized, look for major upgrades of SMU facilities, from Ownby Stadium to Moody Coliseum to the natatorium and tennis courts.

Are the Rangers’ pockets deep enough to compete in Nineties baseball?

Three million dollars is enough money to keep writers in beer and opinions for a hundred lifetimes. But that’s what no fewer than ten major leaguers will earn in a single year, as salaries make yet another leap skyward.

What to do? Pay. No one wins a World Series without a collection of potent offensive players, good starting pitching, and a stopper. The Rangers are quickly amassing the offensive player part, and little did they realize that one of the league’s best short relievers (Jeff Russell) was right under their noses. They prudently signed Russell and second baseman Julio Franco (both of whom crack the deuce-mil barrier starting in ’91).

The rub is with Rangers star outfielder Ruben Sierra. With too few years in the majors to qualify for free agency, he is currently signing one-year deals. He will soon be eligible to fly the coop for huge money, and the Rangers know it would be a monumental error to let him get away. Within two years look for Texas to offer him a three- to five-year contract that could be worth-gulp-$13 to $18 million. If the Rangers don’t, someone else will.

Will Bobby Valentine be the man at the helm when good things finally happen?

Some sportsperts feel that Bobby V is absolutely asbestos-unflreable-due to his long buddyship with GM Tom Grieve. Come on. Nobody, not even the Answer Man, is un-do-withoutable. But bet the farm, or at least several acres, on Bobby V. So he has detractors. Who doesn’t? The Rangers are just now collecting enough talent to be consistent winners. The problem is that the American League West has developed into baseball’s toughest division. But it is just possible that some pitching will blossom and the Rangers can break through once in ’92 or ’93 and win a division title. Then anything can happen.

Will the Cotton Bowl ever regain its position in the uppermost tier of New Year’s Day bowl games?

Glamour-wise, the Cotton Bowl has fallen like a rock dropped from the NCNB building. Much to his credit, Cotton Bowl executive director Jim Brock brought three Heisman Trophy winners to Dallas in the past six years, but the conference is not producing teams that either compete for, or draw, national championship contenders.

The fact that this question is even raised speaks volumes about the Southwest Conference’s downfall in the Eighties. Three national championships were decided in Fair Park in the Seventies, none in the Eighties, and the immediate future isn’t particularly bright. Arkansas and Houston lost their coaches, and the Texas big boys are making a habit of losing early season non-conference games.

Does pro soccer have a future in Dallas?

According to Dallas Sidekicks media relations director Brian Briscoe, there are more than 80,000 junior soccer players in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. Obviously, location is not the problem. If soccer is ever going to make it big in this country, it will do it in the Nineties. The USA soccer team has qualified for the 1990 World Cup and the United States is hosting the 1994 World Cup.

Indoor soccer is rugged, fast-paced, and exciting; one would think it a sure thing. But it’s not. The biggest problem has been the lack of a national television contract. Starting in 1990, though, ESPN began a limited schedule, and prospects are good for ’91 and beyond. That means credibility, money, and expansion. Dallas benefits by having a solid franchise and Tatu, a bona fide star.

Who will hold public office first: Nolan Ryan, Roger Staubach, or Tom Landry?

All three are successful, respected, and unblemished, which virtually disqualifies them from politics. Ryan has actually come closest to running (for Texas Agriculture Commissioner). Staubach and Landry have been rumored for senatorial and gubernatorial runs for years. One has to figure that all of Staubach’s concussions need to be put to good use eventually. This is a tough call, but look for Ryan to win first, Landry to stay on the sidelines, and “the Dodger” to go long.