Hope Springs Eternal

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
Wash and coke.  Kinsler's on the DH to start the season.  Who the heck did they say is the opening day starter?  CJ Wilson is a starter, maybe?  Is the sale of your Texas Rangers even final?

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
Scooter Feldman is your opening day starter.  Good, for Scooter.  And here's why.  As backwards as the below may read here's why your Texas Rangers may have a chance (all the below pitchers' salary numbers and whether they're starters, relief pitchers or somewhere in between is taken from Yahoo! sports as of 4/1/10; also, this is not a complete list of Rangers' pitchers per Yahoo! sports):

Scooter Feldman SP, salary: about 435 thousand
Rich Harden SP, salary: 7 million
Frankie, "FrankieFran", Francisco RP, salarly: about 1.6 million
Matt Harrison SP, salary: about 405 thousand
Tommy, "Big Thunder", Hunter SP, salary: about 400 thousand
Colby, "Mr. Baseball", Lewis SP, salary: undisclosed
Neftali, "Nolan Jr.", Feliz RP, salary: 400 thousand
Dusty Nippert RP/SP, salary: about 400 thousand
Darren, Doomsday, O'Day RP, salary: about 400 thousand
Darren Oliver RP, salary:
CJ, Mayday, Wilson RP/SP, salary: about 1.8 million
Doug Mathis RP/SP, salary: about 400 thousand
Luis, "SuperNova", Mendoza SP, salary: about 400 thousand

They all, for the most part, have something to play for and prove.  Whether it's to themselves or GM's or who knows who.  For example, I haven't looked around the league to compare but, how many opening day starters do you think make less than half a million dollars?  They all should have something to prove.  They started to prove it last year, here's to hoping they continue to prove it this season and beyond.  I genuinely hope and think they will.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
The batting and defense, or lack thereof, might be what what holds them back from winning.  Or maybe the pitching that I'm so high on is not nearly as strong as I think it might be.  Maybe they don't rally around Wash like I think they might.    

But, anything is possible this time of year.  This year they win the division.  This year they win a post season series.  This year they have a 20 game winner.  This year they have a Cy Young winner.  This year they win the Pennant.  This year they win it all.  Maybe this is the year they find their way out of the wilderness of baseball futility.  162 games is a long haul.  Starting tomorrow, we'll see.

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Rangers Controversy! Smells Like Baseball Season

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
Ron Washington is a 57 year old major league manager and he did what!?!?  And he's saying that that is the only time he's ever done coke?  He played in the majors in the 1970's right?  OK, just checking.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
So Wash is human, he was out with his old buddies and thought, hey, why not.  Maybe the team will rally around their skipper because of this.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
So I wonder exactly how short of a leash Wash is going to be on after opening day.  How many games under .500 and/or how long under .500 do the Rangers have to be for Wash to be shown the door.  On the flip side, remember, winning cures all that ails you in sports.  Rangers win this season, then Wash's coke use is an interesting footnote to the season.

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MLB Was Involved in Running Your Texas Rangers

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
Your Texas Rangers were run so deeply into the ground that MLB had to be consulted before certain decisions could be made since July of 2009. Money was the key factor and, for example, stopped your Rangers from signing their number one draft pick last year because the would-be rookie wanted too much cash.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
Your Texas Rangers' major decisions had to go through MLB meaning Hicks couldn't make any more bad decisions.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
The depths of fiscal ineptitude achieved by your Texas Rangers while ran by Mr. Hicks is only now coming to light. I cannot wait until a tell-all is written that details blow by blow how the Rangers and Mr. Hicks reached such dire financial straits.

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The King is Dead. Long Live the King

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
The sale of your Texas Rangers to the Greenberg-Nolan Ryan group still has to be approved by 70% of the owners and Hicks' dozens of creditors. Why couldn't this sale have been finalized earlier? If the sale had happened months ago would the Rangers still have Marlon Byrd and Millwood on their roster?

Hicks will still have a minority interest in the team and be named "Chairman Emeritus".

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
The MLB owners and Hicks' 40+ creditors want this sale to happen.

Hicks will be named "Chairman Emeritus". "Chaiman Emeritus" is a nice way of saying to someone, "you've been with the company for a long time, were maybe once in charge but really weren't all that good at your job. Here's an office and a title. Oh, and don't worry about trying to use the phone in your office, it's not connected."

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
Get this, Hicks bought the team for about $250 million and this sale is going to be for more than $500 million. Pretty good profit for Hicks except for the fact numerous creditors reportedly hold, as of 5/19/09, $525 million in debt owed by Hicks' company.

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Poor Mark McSteroid

Re: Mark McGwire's admission of using performance enhancing drugs:
What?!?!?! He used steroids?!?!? I don't believe it! I DID NOT see this coming! (How do you get this thing to type in sarcastic font?)

As he pretty much said in his interview with Bob Costas on the MLB network, apparently Mark McGwire thinks it's not his fault because he played during the "steroid era." It's not his fault that those monsters held him down and forced those syringes into him time after time over the course of apparently a decade. It's also not his fault that he is the poster boy for the steroid era:

After steroid users, like McGwire and Bonds, transformed themselves from slender athletic players into mini-Hulks they deluded themselves into thinking that everyone would just believe they all just got stronger, developed better recovery time, worked out more often and longer, had better endurance and put on tons of body/muscle mass in their mid to late 30's because they just worked out a lot and ate right.

Mark McSteroid stated he didn't take steroids to hit homers. McSteriod took 'roids just to stay healthy and thereby stay on the field making plate appearances. If by staying healthy he just happened to hit more homers than he would have had he been injured then, accoding to Mark McSteroid, it was just his "natural ability" being allowed to shine through thanks, of course, to the 'roids. For example, can you really blame McSteroid or the 'roids he took for the season he stayed healthy and hit 70 homers to break Maris' record? Yeah, with logic like how could anyone blame poor McSteroid? At least that's how Mark apparently sees it.

I think Mark McSteroid really believes it wasn't his fault, like he insinuated in his interview with Costas: It was in all the gyms, everyone was doing it, it was the steroid era, he had to do it because he was injured all the time, it was the one-armed man, etc. Poor, poor delusional Mark McSteroid, in his own mind he never had a chance.

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Vlad To Meet You

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
Vladimir Guerrero only played 100 games last season for the Angels in his FOURTEENTH year in the league. He had 2 stints on the DL last year in his FOURTEENTH year in the league. Some think that his knees have had it. He's turning 35 here soon. Not old in real life but old in baseball life when you're a power hitting right fielder.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
Since 1997 Vlad has played at least 140 games each year with the only exception being last year. If he's only DH'ing then he'll have a  better chance at staying healthy since he won't have to run around in the field.

At least he won't be playing for the Angels and against the Rangers anymore.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
If he stays healthy this will be a great addition. That's a big "if" though. Once knees start to go they usually keep going until the player becomes a former player.

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At Leats Hicks Jr. Is Up Front About How He Feels About Liverpool Fans

Hicks Jr. sent a profane email to a critical Liverpool fan. That email went public. In the email Hicks Jr. wrote, "Blow me f*** face. Go to hell. I'm sick of you." Hicks Jr. resigned from the positions he held with the Liverpool soccer team that his father partly owns. 


Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
Too bad Hicks Sr. couldn't have sent a similar email to a Rangers fan that would have forced him to sell years ago. Hicks Sr. never sent such an email or said as much to Rangers fans. But, as Rangers fans, we always kinda knew what he thought of us.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
Maybe this is a little insight into how the Hicks view fans, whether they be Liverpool or Texas fans. Like father like son maybe? At least Hicks is in the process of selling controlling interest in the Rangers. Too bad for Liverpool fans Hicks has no such plans for their soccer team.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
Is the sale of the Rangers done yet? Please let it get done. Please.

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Snow Monkeys May Be Here to Stay

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
Chuck Greenberg's ownership group, which includes Nolan Ryan, only entered into an exclusive 30 day negotiating period. The sale is by no means anywhere close to being final. And Tom Hicks will likely still retain a stake in the team, albeit a minority/non-controlling interest, should the sale to Greenberg's group get done. Furthermore, the sale will likely take 2-3 months to get done meaning the front office is in limbo.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
Tom Hicks is one step closer to being out as controlling owner of your Texas Rangers. If the sale happens Nolan Ryan will be part of the ownership group.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
Because the sale negotiations are beginning so late and will take so long the team the Rangers have now, for the most part, will be the team next season. The Rangers will miss out on any big trades because of the flux the team is in. So much for 2010 then? Now fans can look forward to 2011?

In case you don't know, "snow monkeys" come from a bit on the Ticket by the Musers where the real and fake Nolan Ryan talks about his dealings with snow monkeys. Here's the real Nolan Ryan talking about snow monkeys. Here's the Musers' bit with the fake Nolan Ryan talking snow monkeys.

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The Cowboys Aren't Any Better Than the Rangers, At Least Not This Millennium

or alternate title, Cowboys vs. Rangers a/k/a Jerry Jones vs. Tom Hicks
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
The Rangers have never won a playoff series and have won only 1 playoff game and that was on the road. So it naturally follows that your Texas Rangers haven't appeared in a World Series and therefore have never won a World Series. The Cowboys won 3 championships in the 90's and have won 5 overall.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
The Rangers won a post season game the same year that the Cowboys last won a post season game.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
I guess I don't understand why so much is expected of the Cowboys as compared to the Rangers, especially given both teams' histories since 1996. Since 1996 what has Jerry Jones done that is so much better than Tom Hicks?
For example who has...
Over spent on players that don't pan out?
Jerry: LaFluer and Galloway and Roy Williams (WR) come to mind.
Hicks: ARod and Chan Ho Park come to mind.
or...
Not allow your head coach/manager to hire his own staff?
Jerry hired Garrett before he hired Wade.
Hicks hired Wash who had to inherit most of the existing staff.

Those are just a couple examples of Jerry and Hicks' similarities.

I know that the Cowboys have been to the playoffs since 1996 but keep in mind, it's a lot easier to make the NFL playoffs than it is the MLB playoffs. And again the Cowboys haven't won a playoff game since 1996. As a fan of both teams it's strange to me that my Rangers fandom is thought of as somwhat misguided or even downright weird. Yet everyone in the metroplex is a diehard Cowboys fan and that Cowboys devotion is seemingly never questioned as misplaced.

Why is so much more expected from the Cowboys as compared to your Texas Rangers, especially since 2000 for example? Would you expect from the Rangers anything close to what's expected from the Cowboys, which is to win a championship every year? For the most part, both franchises have been mediocre at best this millenium. Why haven't other Cowboys fans accepted or, at the very least, not be surprised by that mediocrity? I have.

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The Pile May Not Be Quite as Stinky as I Thought

Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud:
I still haven't seen anything that says that the deals have officially been done to get Rich Harden or Mike Lowell. So, until they actaully have a news conference I'm still considering the recent Millwood trade a move to just save some cash.

Plus, Harden has a well documented injury problem dating back to the 2005 season. Great another Adam Eaton-type pitcher.

Lowell is also coming off an injury that limited his playing time last season.

Glass Half Full / Silver Lining:
If healthy you have a decent to good pitcher in Harden and a former World Series MVP in Lowell. If they're healthy.

Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes:
Bottom line Harden and Lowell are not Rangers yet. Even if they are eventually Rangers the trade of Millwood and the possible aquisition of 2 recently injured players still stinks up the joint.

Of course if Harden is a 20 game winner next year and Lowell hits for power and average as a DH next year and both are healthy for the whole season and they are both Rangers next year I'll say, "great offseason moves," faster than Tom Hicks blows through 10 million dollars. It's just that there are an awful lot of "ands" in that previous sentence.

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