I have been asked by the kind folks at AllSportsTalk.net to write a short preview regarding your Texas Rangers' upcoming season that they will post on their website. But don't wait for my preview, check out their website. I will have my Texas Rangers preview over to them by this weekend. I will post a link to my preview on AllSportsTalk.net when it's up on their site. Stay tuned!
Read more...Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Josh Hamilton's interview with local CBS affiliate reporter Gina Miller was hard to listen to and just cements the fact that it was time for him to get the heck out of town. To paraphrase one of the many barbs from Hamilton, he said that any fans that booed him or might boo him in the future "don't get it." He also had the complete lack of humility and outrageous audacity to wink at the camera and say that Rangers' fans got spoiled the last few years, implying that it was all him and we will all be sorry to see him gone. All this after he stated that the Metroplex is not a "baseball town." Implying it's more of a football town. But that's too simple. That's like saying LA is a Lakers/basketball town. Hamilton may think local DFW baseball fans don't get certain baseball related things. And that only a seasoned professional baseball player like him or fans from baseball towns get the intricacies of trying to throw, hit and catch a baseball for a living. Well, in my humble opinion, there are a few things that Hamilton hasn't, doesn't and will never get.
Here's what Hamilton doesn't get:
1) Football may be supreme in DFW but that doesn't mean that local baseball fans can't recognize when a player is mailing it in.
2) DFW baseball fans get upset when a player jogs after a ball that he just dropped on a routine pop up in the biggest game of the year.
3) Local baseball fans can recognize (and read stat sheets) when a player that's capable of batting well over .320 bats .223, .177 and .259 three out of the last four months down the stretch last season.
4) DFW baseball fans can wonder outloud after the All-Star break last year why Wash didn't move him down the batting order when he was batting so poorly (was that because Hamilton's weak psyche couldn't take being moved down the batting order?).
5) Maybe the Rangers will be better off with a player that averages around .300 each month of the regular season instead of one that disappears for months at a time and always has something going on. (Remember his greatest, self-indulgent quote from last year: "Guys, it's me. It's Josh. It's going to be something weird." Besides being rid of a player who refers to himself in the third person, maybe DFW fans were tired of Hamilton's rather large set of baggage, especially coupled with him not being able to hit a watermelon at the plate.
6) And maybe Hamilton hasn't been to too many Cowboys games here since Romo took over but I seem to recall that the knowledgeable DFW football fans have tossed more that a few boo-birds Romo's way too.
7) Here's some news for Hamilton, the Rangers drew the 3rd most fans last year in MLB in spite of him essentially taking 3 months off. And yes he did contribute to the increase in the Rangers' popularity in DFW but unlike the way he makes it sound, he didn't do it by himself.
8) Maybe a departing "star" that, a) took way more money than anyone around here thought he would be offered and b) took said offer without hearing a counter-offer from the Rangers and c) is going to have to play a few times against his old team at their park shouldn't, d) turn around and verbally kick its fans (that stuck with him through some great highs and some really low lows-remember Sherlocks?) in the privates.
9) And yes, the Anaheim area of Los Angeles, California, West Coast of America might be more of a basketball town.
10) If Hamilton bats for the Angels like he did for the Rangers down the stretch last year and/or for 3 months of the regular season I think he'll hear something other than cheers from the West Coast, LA of Anaheim, LakersLand, California baseball-savant fans.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Pitchers and catchers reported last week. Full squad reported this week. Let's see how Pierzynski and Berkman do. Let's see if Moreland can become a full timer at 1B and if Gentry will step up in CF and at the plate.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: After all this drama with Hamilton and him not being a part of the Rangers going forward, I cannot help but think of and paraphrase one of my favorite movie quotes from one of my favorite movies, Hoosiers, "my team is on the field." I just hope that's what Nolan, JD, Wash and all the players think and believe going into Spring Training and the season.
"the worst off-season in the history of off-seasons...""?!?!? Tap the breaks there Evan Grant and all you guys that are buying into this stuff. How soon we forget how bad it was not so long ago. Is Grant saying this is worse than over-paying for A-Rod and handcuffing the Rangers for years? Or what about signing Chan Ho Park as your ace and again overpaying. Or signing Rafael Palmeiro or Andres Galarraga or [insert name of aging position player], year in and year out. As it stands here's the batting order:
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Really couldn't bring myself to sit down and think about the season and that last game until now.
8 stinking pitches is what Josh saw in what may have been (I think likely was) his last game as a Ranger.
You are not going to win many ballgames getting only one run across the plate.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: There's next year to look forward to I guess.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Some questions about the past season, the offseason and next season:
Why didn't Wash move Kins out of the lead off spot when it was apparent to everyone he wasn't cutting it?
Why didn't Wash move Josh out of the 3 hole when he starting batting about .200 after the All Star break?
They did bring up Olt and Profar but, they hardly got any action, so what was the point of having them join the big club then?
If the Rangers don't sign Josh, do they go out and get a player with some power?
Or do they make do with what they got: Gentry in center, Murph in left, Nellie in right?
Who is the Rangers first baseman? Or is it going to be a platoon thing again next year between Young, Napoli(if they resign him) and Moreland?
Where was Robbie Ross down the stretch, did they forget they had him in the bullpen?
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: But, they still got into the weird wildcard win-or-go-home-playoff game and NO ONE is expecting them to win it.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: But, they still got into the weird wildcard win-or-go-home-playoff game and NO ONE is expecting them to win it.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Wow. That was hard to watch.
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: After leading the division since April 9 they're about to lose the division to the hottest team in baseball, the A's. April 9 to Oct. 2 your Rangers were alone in first place. And now they're on the verge of becoming a wildcard team in a win or go home playoff game. Now don't you really wish the Rangers hadn't blown that save in the first game of the double header against the Angels this past Sunday?
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: They're in the playoffs no matter what. 3 straight years. Not too shabby. You just don't want to back your way into the playoffs is all.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Everyone chill out regarding firing Wash. If you had a lead off batter that gets picked off seemingly every day and bats .250-ish, a slugging center fielder who took July off, a right fielder that hasn't been good offensively all year, a catcher who missed most of the summer, and your pitching "ace" out for the year, you'd be happy to just be in the playoffs and think that the manager did a pretty good job of managing an awful set of circumstances wouldn't you? Unless I'm missing something, Wash cannot run the bases, hit or pitch for them.
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Mike Adams gave up homers like he was pitching during the home run derby during the All Star break. Rangers gave up 11 hits and 7 runs to the often offensively challenged A's.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: The offense got off to quick start. Koji continues to look strong to very strong. And Joe MF Nathan continues to get it done.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: The A's essentially have to run the table to win the division.
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: You're not going to win too many games putting up only 2 runs (both scored in the bottom of the first). And then after being spotted a 2 run lead, Scooter Feldman proceeded to come out and have trouble finding the strike zone.
And why can the Rangers not run the bases ?
Why can Ogando only go 2 innings?
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Offense did have 7 hits, just left a lot of runners in scoring position. Were you really expecting to win this one when you heard Yu had a stiff neck and Scooter was starting?
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: Seriously, the base running thing is mesmerizing. How can pros get picked off/caught in no-mans-land/thrown out by a mile when stealing so often?
4 games up and 2 more at home against the A's. 3 more versus the A's next week in Oakland. 8 more games total. It's an adventure.
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Kins cannot seem to help getting picked off on the base pads.
Josh is having vision problems apparently, needless to say that's not good for someone in his profession much less someone who's going to be a free agent at the end of the season.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Beltre is awesome. Yu is throwing wicked stuff and is hardly walking anyone. And the Rangers just won 2 out of 3 versus the Halos.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: The Rangers have 7 games left against the second place A's. Still a boatload of baseball to be played.
Glass Half Empty / Afternoon Cloud: Yeah, the blown save sucked last night.
Glass Half Full / Silver Lining: Keep in mind Joe Nathan had a record number of consecutive saves going before last night. And he should NOT have been booed by the hometown fans last night when he left the field. He should have received a very much deserved standing ovation.
Thoughts / Observations / Sidenotes: *The above is a bad paraphrasing from the Blues Brothers. After most of the season completed, the Rangers are up 3 games on the A's in the division with 19 games to go. Get ready, it should be a fun ride.
Josh is playing tonight. AB (Adrian Beltre) DH'd last night. Yes, Joe Nathan blew the save last night. As a good friend said, that's good timing, now he's due to string together another 30+ save streak just in time for the home-stretch and the playoffs.
Seattle has been pretty darn good since the All-Star break, so no one should be taking this series against them for granted.
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