Cowboys' Injuries Mounting

Jason Witten (left) and other Dallas starters hope to be ready to go by next Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans. (AP Photo/Sharon Ellman)


The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the Dallas Cowboys (1-2).

With multiple veterans banged up and missing practice this week, an extra few days of rest is just what the doctor ordered for a Cowboys team trying to get back on track.

Tight end Jason Witten, wide receiver Dez Bryant and left guard Kyle Kosier have all missed practice this week. Witten and Kosier are both dealing with sprained right knee's, while Bryant is dealing with a rib injury. Both Kosier and Witten were injured in last week's 27-13 win over the Houston Texans, while Bryant's injury occurred in the week one loss to the Chicago Bears.

Hamilton Returning To Lineup Soon

The Rangers' slugger is expected back Friday night, with some added protection, as Texas tries to close out the season strong. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

For the past 24 games the Texas Rangers have managed to survive, clinching their first division title in 11 years, without one of the best players in baseball. That will likely come to an end Friday night as center fielder Josh Hamilton plans to make his return to the Rangers' lineup with three games remaining before the playoffs.

Hamilton, who leads the Majors with a .361 batting average to go along with 31 homers and 97 RBI in 130 games this season, hasn't played since Sept. 4 due to a pair of broken ribs he sustained crashing into the center field wall against the Minnesota Twins. Rangers' manager Ron Washington believes the time off may have been a blessing in disguise and looks forward to going into the playoffs with the American League Most Valuable Player candidate.

"We will have a fresh Josh. ... He may come back and look like he never missed a beat," Washington said. "Just his presence back in the lineup will make a huge difference."

As shown in the above picture, Hamilton will have to wear an armor-like protectant over his broken ribs for the rest of the season.

Playoff Rotation Set, Wilson Struggles Against M's

The first three starters for the American League Divisional Series (A.L.D.S.) have been decided and one of the three, C.J. Wilson (above), struggled mightily Monday night against the Mariners. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Monday night in Arlington, the Texas Rangers (87-69) unveiled the 2010 American League West Divisional Champions banner.

That was about the only thing worth cheering about for the nearly 30,000 fans, including myself, that made their way to the Ballpark in Arlington on a beautiful night for baseball. The temperature at game time was about 70 degrees, which made fans comfortable as they watched the lowly Seattle Mariners (60-96) jump out to a quick, 6-1 lead.

Winless No More - Cowboys Rock Texans 27-13

Dallas avoids going into the bye week 0-3 with a dominant victory over Houston. Roy Williams (above) led the charge offensively, scoring two touchdowns in his best game (statistically) as a Cowboy. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

In a hostile environment, staring at a demoralizing 0-3 record going into the bye week, the Dallas Cowboys (1-2) responded with their best performance of the young season. The Cowboys showcased a dominant, ball-hawking defense along with a potent offense, both on the ground and in the air, during the course of a 27-13 dismantling of the previously undefeated Houston Texans (2-1).

"Our team came out and showed the way we can play," Cowboys' coach Wade Phillips said. "The little things that were missing for a couple of games, I thought we came through with. We played solid all the way around, made a lot of big plays in the game."

Big plays were the name of the game for a team that had next to none coming into Sunday's meeting with the Texans.

Playoff Bound

A turbulent regular season, both on and off the field, culminates with the Rangers first trip to the playoffs in 11 years. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The Texas Rangers (86-68) are officially the American League West Division Champions.

While the Rangers have held at least a seven game lead for the majority of the second half of the season, it hasn't been a smooth ride to this outcome.

Texas has dealt with everything from an epic battle for ownership of the team during the majority of the regular season, to key pieces of the offensive in-and-out of the lineup. Even the projected ace of the pitching staff coming into the season, Scott Feldman, was demoted to long relief in an all-around up and down season. None of that mattered Saturday afternoon, however, as an alcohol soaked Rangers team basked in the success of a division championship - 11 long years in the making.

"It's a proud day in Texas," said Josh Hamilton, an MVP candidate who has missed the last three weeks due to a pair of broken ribs. "It's been a long time."