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The article is complete with references to "fan bloggers" who hate the shoutouts by Grieve:

Grieve recalls giving a speech to a group of 200 Rotarians. At the end of his speech, he opened the floor to questions. The first one was a zinger.

"Do you really think we care what you eat during the game?" the man barked.

Apparently we can thank John Wetteland for starting this. And Kinsler likes snickerdoodles.

The Rangers and their wave-fighting is getting global press. The Guardian, a well-known newspaper from the UK, has an article about the wave, with quotes from Chuck Morgan (it refers to him as the club's announcer).

Guardian Article

What I found really interesting, though, was the name -- the "Mexican Wave". From the article:

"But behind the humour lies a serious push from some fans to eliminate Mexican waves, so named because they came to prominence during the 1986 football World Cup there."

Has anyone else ever heard this called the "Mexican Wave"?

Link to ESPN Story

"Pitcher Neftali Feliz was hit in the left shin by a line drive off the bat of Craig Gentry during his throwing session Sunday. A preliminary X-ray (a fluoroscope) showed no break in the shin."

So here's my question -- doesn't this demonstrate that Feliz should be the closer, since he'll have less chance of getting hit by line drives the less innings he pitches?

And you're thinking "of course not, you idiot, they should use him where he has the most value." OK, then why do so many people think Hamilton shouldn't be in center field? Isn't that the same logic? If Hamilton has more value in center, play him there. There are walls in the corner outfield positions also.

Let the flames begin....

Taking the record holder for most saves by a rookie (40) out of the closer's role has been viewed by some observers as an unnecessary and risky move. It's neither.

In fact, it's an obvious move and Texas would be negligent not to try it.

Verducci is one of the more enlightened baseball writers out there.

Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/tom_verducci/03/01/rangers-feliz/index.html#ixzz1FMnjDT50

Heavy with Rangers stats and Jon Daniels quotes: ESPN Article

Here is the premise: "We looked at the World Series participants in the past 10 years, and the effect on the pitching staffs the following seasons to those 20 teams. Fourteen of the 20 -- 70 percent -- had an ERA increase the next season. Eight of the 20 -- 40 percent -- had an increase of least a half run, which is substantial."

As far as I am concerned, this is the money quote: "We've talked to other teams that have been through it,'' Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said.

Good info, and I think it shows just how well prepared the Rangers front office is when it comes to sustaining success.

Link to CNNSI

Of course, he loses all credibility then by picking Amaro as the 2nd best Executive in the NL...

Page 2 says Levine is #8 on his list of prospective GM candidates, and Preller is #23. He then names John Hart as #26, with this quote:

putting together two of the best front-office staffs in baseball, first in Cleveland and then in Texas

Sorry, but I just think that is revisionist history on Hart...

Here's what you need to do:

1. You need to correctly predict the day the Rangers clinch the AL West.
2. Predict the score of the Rangers game on that day (tricky part is that if they clinch, do they clinch because of their own win, not somebody else's loss)
3. In the event of multiple correct answers, we will use this tiebreaker: Predict who will hit the Rangers first home run on that day and in what inning. Right player is first tiebreaker, right player and right inning is second tie-breaker. Yes, you can predict no homers.
4. In the event multiple winners, I'll draw a winner out of a hat.
5. No whining.
6. No entries accepted as of 12:01 a.m. Monday (Sept. 20) morning.

Send email with your prediction to: dmnevangrant@gmail.com

Link Here

 

So I went to the game last night, and sat up on the club level instead of my usual RF seats. About the third inning, I noticed a change at the ballpark.

Part of the problem with the Josh Hamilton HR that was ruled a double back on May 19 was that the 2nd wall -- about four or five feet behind the main wall -- was painted dark green, the same color as the front wall. The umpire said something to the effect that he "saw the ball hit green, so it didn't go out."

However, the 2nd wall is now painted black. I went back through some highlights on texasrangers.com, and it appears that between May 20 and June 5, the Rangers went and painted the top of the 2nd wall black everywhere that it could be seen from the field. I am guessing that took place during the road trip from 5/24 to 6/3.

I took some pictures with my cell phone, but they aren't really clear enough... go to texasrangers.com and look at Hamilton HR highlights on May 19 and June 5 and you'll see the difference.

Kudos to the team for making a change to prevent this from happening in the future. And please note that I am taking full credit for it. ;-) see My Comment on the subject. (Note that something is broken and I can't link to that specific post, just the discussion. Trust me, I suggested they paint it differently about halfway down that thread.)

CNNSI \ Sheehan:

"In the AL West, the Rangers' schedule was designed by, I don't know, Jim Sundberg or someone. They get a silly nine games against the Pirates and Astros, and they miss the Cardinals. The rest of the division combined plays nine against the Cards and three against the other two. That is a huge swing in a division that may see all four teams separated by less than eight games. The interleague schedule is going to give the Rangers an edge that they really shouldn't have in a well-designed league."

Hadn't really considered this -- and I'm bummed because I was really hoping the Cardinals would come to town this year -- but Sheehan is right, this could add three or four games to the Rangers margin in the AL West this year. Not that I think the M's will be within 8 games of the Rangers by the end of July, of course.

Since we're about to go through another round of "Vote for the Rangers!" in preparation for the All-Star game, I thought I would take a look at what chances the Rangers have of being All-Stars. My initial feeling was that the Rangers had almost no chance at having any All-Star starters. It doesn't help when two of the players on the ballot for your team are now in the minors (Davis and Teagarden). But, then I looked a little closer. All percentages are completely wild guesses on my part, no actual mathematics were harmed in the making of this fanpost.

Voted In As Starters:

Guerrero - 75% -- Does he really deserve this high of a percentage? Well, have you looked at the options on the ballot? One guy has already been DFA'd (Burrell), Nick Johnson is out with surgery, Ortiz and Griffey Jr should have retired two years ago (and fans of both teams know it), and that leaves guys like Andruw Jones and Travis Hafner to complete with Vlad. You can never be sure with fan voting, but this is probably the Rangers best chance at a starter. Vote for Vlad!

Hamilton - 50% -- Was voted in last year despite a horrid first half of the season. I have to think that was carryover from the 2008 Home Run Derby. He could be voted in again due to the lack of quality options -- and remember, this is a popularity contest.

Cruz - 20% -- I don't think he has enough national name recognition, and missing two weeks won't help. But I also looked at the outfield options, and there is only one slam dunk (Ichiro). The Yankees roll out Granderson\Gardner\Swisher on the ballot, and the Red Sox roll out Cameron\Ellsbury\Drew. I think the intelligent fan probably votes for Shin-Soo Choo and Cruz, but I don't know that Cruz makes the top three when all is said and done.

Kinsler - 5% -- Can he beat out Pedroia and Cano? Uh, no. He does usually get himself into the top three, so we can't say there is no chance... but there is no chance.

Selected As Reserves:

Here is where it gets a little more interesting. I can see one lock, and a couple of maybes:

Andrus - 95% -- The first of 18 consecutive All-Star game selections. Seriously. The fact is, Jeter will win every vote until he retires. But Andrus is the obvious choice to back him up, and it really isn't close. I expect Elvis to place 2nd in the voting and be selected by the players in their voting.

Cruz - 50% -- See above. The only thing that might keep him out as a reserve is the need to put one player per team on the squad. I think KC's rep is probably Podsednik, and Cleveland's is probably Choo, and the numbers might work against the Boomstick.

Kinsler - 20% -- See above. Roberts is on the 60-day DL, and Hill hasn't been good this year, so Kinsler has a shot at a backup 2B job. Zobrist is on the ballot as a 2B, and he is probably Kinsler's main competition for one of the last slots on the team. The guess here is that Kinsler loses out due to the missed month.

Young - 10% -- A-Rod is the presumed starter. Longoria deserves the backup spot over Young. Does Young make it as a third 3B? He could get in, but I'm thinking his streak stops here.

Pitchers:

While the Rangers likely won't have more than two pitchers selected, you might be able to make a case for three:

Wilson - 67% -- If he keeps up the current pace, I think he's a slam dunk selection.

Feliz -- 50% -- Should continue to be among the league leaders in saves. Might split the vote with Neftali Perez, though.

Lewis -- 25% -- I think he will continue to be underrated nationally, and unless he's leading the league in strikeouts or other pitchers have crashed and burned, he won't have too good of a chance.

Keep in mind that Girardi has seen Feliz and Wilson (the rain shortened game in NY during which Wilson got squeezed), but will not have seen Lewis in person before the ASG.

I haven't seen this brought up anywhere, but two snippets from this weekend:

1. From EG on the DMN site: Before Sunday's game, the team acknowledged that although there is nothing structurally wrong with catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia, he's not ready to return from the disabled list. Partly, it's because of stiffness, but general manager Jon Daniels also allowed that "a couple" of throws back to the mound have been inconsistent. That's about as close as a team official will ever come to saying a player may be dealing with the yips.

2. From the AP story on Sunday's game: (in the Game Notes at the bottom): Texas C Jarrod Saltalamacchia is still having occasional trouble throwing back to the pitcher during his rehab assignment for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Saltalamacchia, on the 15-day DL with an upper back strain, experienced the same throwing problem in his two games for the Rangers at the start of the season.

So...  at what point do we consider the possibility that Salty ain't ever coming back? How many catchers with the "yips" straighten themselves out? For some reason lately I see "Salty" and I read "Sasser"...

LinkyLinky

The only reason this matters to any Rangers fan is that 1. The Rangers won't waste millions on Kendall, and 2. SI says the Royals have cut John Buck, who I think will end up as the Rangers backup catcher this year.

Of course, if I was a Royals fan I'd be all over firedaytonmoore.com. Amazingly, I can't link to that site because it doesn't actually exist. Which amazes me.

That's right -- a national news outlet making a big deal out of Texas' pitchers. In related news, a pig flew across my backyard an hour ago.

USA Today

My favorite part:

Feliz says his greatest thrill was striking out Boston Red Sox DH David Ortiz, one of his heroes. Yet, when he called to tell his parents, his mother had a request: Strike out New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez, too.

"So when I did that," Feliz says, "I told my mom, 'There you go. There's your present. Don't ask me to strike anyone else out, OK?' "

Measured against anyone's Spring Training expectations -- the 2009 season has already been successful. And yet the last two games have been a perfect microcosm of this season.

There is talent on this team. This team has heart. This team has a couple of veteran leaders (Millwood, Young) who set a good example. This team has young pitching. These guys all own gloves, and know how to use them. But they are just not quite there yet.

And yet I can't stop watching. I made my seven year old son turn off the TV yesterday in the fourth inning. He looked at me and asked "but Dad... what if the Rangers score 11 runs?" My reply: "Not tonight, son." By the time the rally started in the bottom of the fifth, he was in bed. At 11-10, I almost woke him up -- I was sure the comeback would get two more runs. I almost woke him up anyway yelling when Davis hit the near home run to center. At 18-10 I needed a walk around the neighborhood. At 3:30 this morning I finally fell asleep.

So can we now stick a fork in them? Are they done?

____________

I have this suspicion the rest of the season will go just like the last two games. The Rangers will get hot and run off a modest win streak. They will go 5-2 against the Angels. On the morning of Sunday, October 4, we find the Rangers, Angels and Red Sox all tied at 92-69.

Boston plays Cleveland three hours before the Texas\Seattle and LAAAAAAAAofAAAA\Oakland games. The Sox win 13-12.

The Rangers send out Millwood. He goes eight innings, one run, 146 pitches. In the ninth, the Rangers are holding a 2-1 lead. The bullpen is spent from two straight weeks of must win games. Frankie has saved the last three in a row. The only guy out there who can lift his arm above his head is CJ - despite having pitched five of the last six nights. Ron brings him in.

CJ strikes out Ichiro in a 12 pitch battle. One out. Jack Wilson strikes out on a nasty slider down and in... but the ball tips off Teagarden's glove and back to the backstop. Wilson is safe at first. Mike Sweeney comes up next, and grounds the first pitch to third. Young goes to his right, and just as he reaches for the ball it clips the front corner of the base, pops up and hits Young in the forehead, and bounces away. Men on second and third.

Junior Griffey, in his last ever game, swings through two fastballs. The third one, at 96 mph on the inside corner, shatters his bat. But he gets just enough of it to loop it over first base. Davis leaps... 2 inches short. Ballgame.

Moments later, In Oakland, Vlad Guerrero swings at a pitch six inches above his head and hits the game winning three run homer.

The DMN blog goes wild. Blame is divided between CJ for being CJ and Ron Washington for being Ron Washington. A certain LSB poster blames JD. A newborn baby dents the bottom of the screen in the nearby football stadium.

And we begin counting the days until the 2010 Championship season starts.

According to Andro \ F W S T:

Linky thingy

Verified by Sullivan, who says Rangers are scouring waiver wire.

Other Linky

 

Also says Kinsler is batting sixth in the lineup today, Borbon leading off.

Wonder how Richardson gets on the 40... have not seen answer to that yet. Wish Miracle Max was ready to go.

 

words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words words

Some introductory information first:

1. I believe the hardest part of JD's job right now is balancing the present and the future.

2. I believe the Rangers would have won the 96 World Series if they had a halfway decent closer.

3. I believe the Rangers thought they would win the 97 Series after signing Wetteland. Yeah, not so much.

4. I believe when you have a chance, you should take it... but not mortgage the future. And I can't reconcile those two things.

So, you're JD. It's 11:55 PM on July 31. The Rangers are exactly what they are today... 1/2 game ahead of the Angels. The offense is still struggling, the pitching and defense are carrying the team.

The Cardinals GM calls. He makes you the "Reverse Teixiera" offer. He'll send you Albert Pujols in exchange for your top prospects: Justin Smoak, Neftali Feliz, Max Ramirez, Martin Perez and Michael Main.

Do you pull the trigger?

Pujols is signed through 2010 with a club option for 2011. According to COTS: 2009: $16M, 2010:$16M, 2011:$16M club option ($5M buyout).

I think I close my eyes and pull the trigger. And you?

I have a few more of these that I'll post every few days if you like this... if not, they will never see the light of day.

Poll

Do you trade five top prospects for Pujols?

33%

Yes. Go for it.

46 votes

66%

No. Build for the future.

93 votes

139 votes | Poll has closed

DMN Blog

 

The Rangers plan to send him to extended spring training in Surprise, Ariz., to get his arm stretched out so that he can become a starter for Triple-A Oklahoma City. Rupe has been a starter before, and returning to a starting role has been his goal.

I like this... I don't think we've heard the last of Mr Rupe in a Rangers uniform.

And I need like seven more words. And that was only six.

CNNSI.com lead story -- exclusive:

In 2003, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, four sources have independently told Sports Illustrated.

Rodriguez's name appears on a list of 104 players who tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs in Major League Baseball's '03 survey testing, SI's sources say. As part of a joint agreement with the MLB Players Association, the testing was conducted to determine if it was necessary to impose mandatory random drug testing across the major leagues in 2004.