Maybe you're not a Texas Rangers fan, but you can't deny the fact that the AL West this year will be one of the most compelling story lines to watch. The Rangers, Oakland A's and L.A. Angel's all have a legitimate shot at a Wild Card spot, if not divisional crown. Sorry Mariners fans, but you're going to need more than Robinson Cano to give you a real chance. Maybe you could sign Russell Wilso… oh wait, the Rangers already did. Sorry.

FiveThirtyEight.com, an analytics site, has the Rangers with the best chance to win their division, but not by much. They project the Rangers to win 87.2 games, the A's 86.9 and the Angels 84.9. As you can see, the margin between these teams is razor thin.

And Houston? Doc Holliday said it best, "Why [Astros]… I forgot you was there. You may go now." I think that about sums it up.

This year the Rangers come into the season with quite a few new faces, some lingering injuries, pitching questions and the burden of proof that trading Ian Kinsler was the right move. With such a tough division, Ron Washington has his hands full this year.

The addition of Prince Fielder's big bat will no doubt help with the Rangers' offense, but there are still major questions in the pitching rotation. With a number of potential starters rehabbing injuries, Texas is left with a starting line up of pitchers no one could have projected. The best we can hope for is that they hold on, don't get smashed (allowing 14 runs in the home opener, for example) until we can get everyone healthy.

The injury bug has effected the Rangers in years past and we're seeing it already this year. Not only do we need our pitchers to get healthy, young star Jurickson Profar is out for another 10 to 12 weeks with a torn muscle in his shoulder. Profar is the reason we let Ian Kinsler walk and now he's hurt. We can only hope that the Rangers are able to get these players healthy and back in the line-up if they are to have any chance at keeping up with the Angels or the A's. But maybe if we can get the injuries out of the way early, we'll be healthy for a October run? One can only hope.

My projection: this year is going to be a race to 90 wins. Whoever can get there first will take the division. GO RANGERS!

In 2005, the NBA passed a rule raising the minimum age requirement to enter the draft from 18 to 19. In doing so, forced athletes to spend at least one year in college before "going pro." This rule was put in place after players like Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Dwight Howard and even Lebron James went straight from high school to the NBA skipping college all together. The worry was that more players, not quite of the same caliber as the aforementioned players, would skip college only to not make it in the NBA when they might have had a better chance after developing more in college. But unless you've been living under a rock, you already know all of this.

Has the one and done rule actually helped though? New NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, doesn't think so. He's advocating for the age requirement to be raised to 20, replicating what college football has in place. At an All-Star Weekend press conference, Silver said, "It is my belief that if players have an opportunity to mature as players and as people for longer amount of time before they come into the league, it will lead to a better league." I think what Silver points out here is key: let them mature as a player and a person. Far too many players come into the league unprepared to face the fame and glamor that comes with it. 

But not everyone agrees, current and former players alike. Magic Johnson said on ESPN that he believes that if a kid can go serve his country in the Army at 18 then he has the right to earn a living in the NBA at 18 too. And there are other players who disagree as well. During the 2012 NBA lock-out, this was one of the issues that the league had to consent on before the lock-out would end. I think it's safe to say that not all players are on board with this idea.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's not still the best thing for the NBA. I'd argue that there are a lot of biased opinions in NBA locker rooms when it comes to the one and done rule. 

Do I think that every player who comes out of college after one year needed to stay for another? No, of course not. There are always going to be those players who are ready after high school. That's why the LeBron James' of the world were drafted #1 out of high school. But for every LeBron there are 20 Kwame Brown's. And who knows what Kwame would have done after a few years of development in college.

That's the thing, it's all one big speculation. But if it's up to me, I'd rather err on the side of caution when it comes to the quality of competition in the NBA. Plus, it can only be good for college basketball. The way I see it is there is a much greater good that could come out of the age limit being raised than bad. 

In fact, look at what it's done to college basketball. These highly touted recruits come in to a program with their minds made up. One and done. They know that they just need one good year and they've solidified their draft status. No longer do you get athletes playing for their school, for a championship or for just the love of the game, but for the hope of money next year. This one and done rule has introduced an age of inconsistency in college basketball that is unprecedented. Because teams can't hold on to their good players it becomes increasingly hard to establish a core. If they have any success all, their starters instantly bolt to the pros (i.e. Kentucky). Bob Knight has gone so far as to say that the NBA has "raped" college basketball on ESPN's Mike and Mike show. Harsh words, but somehow I find it hard to truly disagree with him.

This is a no brainer for me. Let the kids mature for two years before trying to compete against grown men. It's good for the NBA and it's good for college basketball. And maybe after two years of college these kids might actually go back at some point and finish their degree! 

Go to college, develop as a player and a person, then go pro.

Not only was Doug one of the greatest talents we've ever seen, but he did things the right way too. He played the game with equal parts intensity and integrity. Yet most people won't appreciate what Doug has accomplished in his four years at Creighton because he didn't play for a major college program or win an NCAA championship. 

But the 3-time All-American and likely player of the year doesn't need the recognition. His stats speak for themselves. McDermott ranks as the fifth highest scorer of all time in college basketball. Only one other player in the last decade ranks in the top 25 of that list (Tyler Hansbrough at 13). Doug passed various legends on the all time scoring list such as Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird and Elvin Hayes. In his four years at Creighton he averaged 22 points per game, with an average FG percentage of 55 and a 3-point percent average of 45.7! Those are some amazing, incredible, gaudy numbers! 

To top that off, McDermott has scored at least 800 points each of the last three seasons. Why is that important you ask? Oh just because no one has done that since Wayman Tisdale in 1985 at Oklahoma. "Big deal," you might scoff. Yes, it is a big deal! Other people who have done that include some of the legends I mentioned before: Larry Bird, Oscar Robertson and Pete Maravich.

It's not just about the amount of points scored though. It's also the quality of opponents and strength of schedule. Creighton didn't go out and schedule weak sister competition, but played top notch competition. McDermott wasn't just beating up on D2 schools, but in 2013-14, a season in which Doug had a career high 26.7 PPG, Creighton had the 10th best RPI in the nation!

Are you starting to understand now why I believe he's the best college basketball player we've seen in 20 years?

In an era where most kids jet for the NBA after their first year, Doug took a different route. He enjoyed his time in college and even though he never won a championship, he still said in his press conference after his final game, "I hope more kids do what I do." 

Doug, almost single handedly, took his Creighton Bluejays to the NCAA tournament 3 straight years. Each year winning at least one game. 

McBuckets is a solidified college basketball legend. He set an example on how you play the game not only hard, but fair. In his final game against Baylor, in the waning moments of the game when they were down big with absolutely no hope of coming back, McDermott displayed his class and character one final time. When his teammate shoved Baylor's Corey Jefferson to the ground out of frustration, who was the first to rush over to help him up? None other than McBuckets himself. He didn't have to, but that's just who Doug McDermott is. If you googled "class act," Doug's picture would pop up.

Doug will most likely be selected in the first round of the upcoming NBA draft and no matter what his NBA career looks like, he will always live on as a college basketball legend.

So long Doug, thanks for the memories and example!