The emergence.
There was a sports moment in 1989, when I was 20 and Troy Aikman was 22, that I'll never forget. It was a mid-November game between the 1-8 Dallas Cowboys against the 4-5 Phoenix Cardinals. A game that Dallas led much of the way before losing it late when Tom Tupa hit some Cardinals receiver on a 70- or 80-yard pass to pull out a narrow win. What I remember most about that game was how Aikman, who hadn't played in a month and half due to injury, stood tall in the pocket that day, as we'd soon learn that he always would, taking a beating but still throwing for an NFL rookie record 379 yards. It was another loss in what would be a one-win season for the Cowboys – and an 0-11 rookie campaign for Aikman – but it was a top 10 energizing game for me, because I'd seen the future developing right in front of my eyes, and knew there was something special coming together. Aikman fired strike after strike, and for the first time in years, I could hardly wait for the next game and the next season, and for the quarterback's career and franchise's better fortunes to start to unfold. I saw another 22-year-old tonight spark some of that same excitement. Derek Holland fired strike after strike as well – 29 out of 42, a solid 69 percent that was better even than the 21 of 40 that Aikman completed en route to his 379-yard day – and they were largely spectacular strikes. Low and outside fastballs at 92-96, filthy sliders tying veteran hitters up, an impressive tempo and a noticeable poise that disguised what had to be a swarm of big league debut jitters. A scoreless 2.1 innings without a walk, three singles, two strikeouts, and lots of helpless hitters. He's not going to be in middle relief for long. I'm not putting championship rings on Derek Holland's fingers yet, or commissioning a Hall of Fame bust, but what we saw tonight, in a game that he not only kept in check but nearly earned a win in due to our .988-OPS-ing third baseman's ninth-inning work, was pretty strong evidence that when this team does win, Holland is going to be an integral part of things. Just like the quarterback made clear in an otherwise unremarkable 1989 loss . =========================================================== To join the free Newberg Report mailing list so you can get e-mail deliveries of every edition of the newsletter, daily minor league game recaps, and frequent Newberg Report News Flashes, go to www.newbergreport.com and click the "Mailing List" link on the top menu bar. (c) Jamey Newberg http://www.newbergreport.com If you want to be removed from this list, please e-mail me at newbergreport@sbcglobal.net