Galloway with a weird column this morning, that is sort of all over the map, touching a little on the Cowboys, a little on the Rangers, a little on the Stars...
The Rangers stuff, though, is pretty interesting...
Buck's current clubhouse problem centers on the perception (which is true) he's more management than manager.
If you talk to Buck, you hear Hart. If you talk to Hart ...
Forget it. I refuse to talk to Hart.
If you talk to Hicks ...
Actually, we also aren't speaking.
Let me backtrack on Hicks.
There was an e-mail response from Tom about my in-print demand that he sell the Rangers, like right now:
"Galloway, you don't get a vote."
A good counterpunch from Mr. Hicks.
Not a bad guy, really, but he needs to get out of the business of professional sports.
My one-hour, one-on-one with Kenny Rogers:
It happened after Wednesday's game at the Ballpark.
There will be no details because Rogers requested an off-the-record session.
But the mere fact Kenny is still speaking to me, after about six weeks of slam- dunking him all over news paper and radio, says something interesting.
Rogers wanted to tell his side of the story. I heard him out and conceded some points, while disagreeing with others.
I've been one of those who couldn't care less if Kenny was talking to the media.
But if he had been talking, I've now got to admit he probably wouldn't be in this mess.
The No. 1 most-asked question locally (at least to me):
Has Buck lost his clubhouse?
My answer:
Yes.
And for all of the above reasons.
But the important question is this:
Have the players quit on Buck?
My answer:
No.
As one player put it Wednesday night:
"We don't play for the manager. We weren't playing for the manager last season when things went well. We aren't playing for him now when there's all this disappointment.
"We play for ourselves, and we play for the fans. If we quit, then we are quitting on ourselves and quitting on our fans. That will not happen with this team."
I think Galloway's distinction (and the anonymous player's distinction) is an important one that needs to be made...
Certain elements have chosen to take the criticism of management by the Rangers players, and the rumblings that Buck has "lost" the clubhouse, as proof that the team has quit, that the players have given up.
If true, that's a pretty damning thing, one which the players should rightly be ripped for.
Galloway's point -- one that I pretty much agree with, for what it is worth -- is that, regardless of whether the players like Buck, hate Buck, trust him, think he's a snake, they haven't quit.