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There's always a debate, whether it's in college recruiting or professional drafting: do you go for the best athlete available, or go for the best players at specific positions? I know "Stallion" has trumpeted the idea of taking great athletes, even if they all play the same position, saying that if they're that talented, you can find a place for them on the field. On the other hand, there are those out there who say you need to go get a linebacker, a tight end, a defensive end -- whatever the team needs at the moment.

With recruiting classes not being really gradable until a couple years down the road, as the players get bigger and stronger and acclimated to the system in which he'll play, I have to agree with Stallion on this one. Get great athletes, and figure out later where to play them.

Thoughts?

I think they should get the best athletes available, regardless of position. So many HS players play multiple positions -- an OL can play DL, a LB can play TE, an RB can play DB -- that the coaches need to grab as many great athletes as they can. They're going to need to learn, anyway, to be effective in college. So it wouldn't hurt to have them learn a new spot....

The great Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss used to recruit about 10 QB's a year. His theory was that much of the time the best athlete on the field in HS is the QB and he could teach them to play elsewhere. BTW-Ole Miss hasn't been really outstanding since Vaught retired many many moons ago.

The Texas Ranger’s selection of Mark Teixeira, a 3rd baseman, after they already had the best 3rd base prospect in all of baseball, Hank Blalock, is one of the few smart moves this franchise has made over the past few years.

I take talent over position any day.

I'll agree with the best athlete to a point. 5'10" 180 pound linemen will have trouble even if they do run a 4.4 in the 40.

If the Texas Rangers are your model heaven help us.

The Oakland As should be our model. We need to figure out how to do what they do in terms of college football.

<A HREF="http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~11680~1511473,00.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.oaklandtribune.com/Stories/0,1413,82~11680~1511473,00.html</A>

While the Rangers are hardly my model, I stand by my statement that the selection of Mark Teixeira was a wise move (i.e talent over positional need of pitching).

And why you may ridicule the Rangers, there is little doubt that their owner, Tom Hicks, is truly committed to winning and has at least a partial track record of success..think Stanley Cup.

The Rangers in typical fashion way overpaid for Tex. I think they gave him something like 9.5 million when the going rate was about 2-3 million for a guy in his spot. The Rangers are bad now and will be bad for many more years to come. They simply don't know what they are doing. Don't get me started on A-rod. Anything they do right is luck. The As have the 2nd lowest salary in MLB and are light-years ahead of the Rangers. The Rangers are a pathetic organization. To characterize them as anything else is to not see the obvious. They will sell off all of their current stars (except A-rod who has such an outrageously high salary that they can't move him) and call it rebuilding. They have been in this nutty cycle for over 30 years. I think we can safely call it a pattern by now.
If you want to be a Rangers fan that's okay with me but you have to see them for what they are--losers.

[This message has been edited by Nacho (edited 07-16-2003).]

Nacho,

You are totally missing the point.

Whatever they paid Teixeira is irrelevant.

Whether or not I am a fan of the Rangers, the Dodgers, or the WORLD CHAMPION ANGELS, who cares?

My point was selection of talent over position was, in my opinion, a wise move.

The selection of TEX was a no-brainer. Everybody, even the Rangers, knew he was to going to be a good player. The Rangers drafted a hs pitcher this year. Typical. HS pitchers are impossible to predict. I gave up on that sorry team a long time ago. Nothing personal against you but I can't stand the Rangers. They disgust me. Every time they play I have a new favorite team to root for.

[This message has been edited by Nacho (edited 07-16-2003).]

Nacho calm down and read his post

I know what he said. I wanted to rant about the Rangers for a while. I feel better now.

Well I'm glad you feel better

Nacho, you've got to read more books man. One every twenty years doesn't count.