Rangers the dark horse in playoffs

Are they panicked?
Or are they taking a wait-and-see approach as suggested in this space last week?
That’s what I’m wondering about Indianapolis Colts fans.
Three weeks into the National Football League season, we have no questions from readers about the favorite local team. That seems strange.
But even without the Colts coming up, there is plenty on the minds of sports fans this month.
They’re wondering about the road to the World Series, the value of certain football players and the pace of the Pacers.
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Who’s your dark horse in this year’s Major League Baseball playoffs?
—Nathan Miller,
Wanamaker

I’d put my money on the Texas Rangers.
“But they’re a division leader,” you say. “How can they be a dark horse?” you ask.
Well, if the playoffs started as I write this Sunday evening, the Rangers would have the ninth-best record of the 10 teams in. The horses don’t get much darker than that.
Texas has been one of the hottest teams in the last two months after sitting at 55-54 through July. It is 34-18 since then, scoring nearly five runs per game while posting an ERA of 3.70.
A resurgent Prince Fielder has 22 home runs and 91 RBIs after playing in just 42 games last year. He leads a balanced offense along with Mitch Moreland and Shin-Soo Choo.
Speaking of resurgent, Colby Lewis at age 36 has three more wins than any year in his career with 17. And Cole Hamels, who has seven postseason wins, is 6-1 since being acquired in a trade from the Phillies.
American League leaders Toronto and Kansas City are both 90-win teams, but they had better not overlook the team from Arlington.
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Who are the top two or three most overpaid NFL players in comparison to their production?
—Steve Garbacz,
Fort Wayne

I have a feeling Steve asked this because he had a good idea the quarterback for his favorite team would be one of the answers. (Note: To make this fun, I’m focusing on offensive skill positions.)
Steve roots for the Bears, and their quarterback, Jay Cutler, is one of several vastly-overpaid signal callers. He makes $20.5 million per year, leading a group of underachievers that includes Joe Flacco ($20.1 million), Colin Kaepernick ($19 million) and Alex Smith ($17 million).
For reference, Peyton Manning makes $17 million per year. Tom Brady takes home $9 million.
The most egregiously-overpaid running back is Jonathan Stewart of the Carolina Panthers. He makes $7.3 million per year, which ranks him as the seventh-highest paid running back ahead of guys like Jamaal Charles and Le’Veon Bell.
Stewart has run for more than 1,000 yards in a season just once since entering the league in 2008 and hasn’t played all 16 games since 2011.
At wide receiver, I give you Mike Wallace. He has ranked lower than 30th in both catches and yards in each of the last two seasons. And yet, he’s the seventh-highest paid receiver at $12 million per year, more than both Brandon Marshall and Antonio Brown.
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Will the Indiana Pacers’ attempt at playing small ball work? If Paul George is healthy, is playing as a “four” the right thing to do?
—Jan Simmons,
Portland

Is it going to work? Who knows?
Is it the right thing to do given their current roster construction? Absolutely.
Currently Indiana’s most accomplished big man is journeyman Jordan Hill, who averaged career highs of 12 points and 5.8 reports per game last season for the Los Angeles Lakers. So going small makes sense.
A lineup led by a healthy Paul George, who not so long ago was an MVP candidate, along with George Hill and newcomer Monta Ellis could be pretty scary. (I’m also interested to see what Glenn Robinson III can do in an up-tempo system in his second year in the league.)
The key, I believe, to making small ball succeed is that the Pacers stick with that game plan and force other teams to adjust to them, rather than vice versa. The team that asserts its will, instead of bending to that of the opposition, is generally the one that succeeds.
In the long run, I don’t think anyone in the Eastern Conference can touch a fully healthy (or even remotely healthy) Cleveland squad. But going small could make the Pacers an interesting team to watch.