SB Nation User Blog: SarasotaRanger

Hambone drops bomb on group of fans... allegedly

SarasotaRanger — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:36:12 -0000

Not sure how much I believe this, because I heard on the radio today that this happened at the Boston airport, but the Boston Herald is reporting that Hamilton, in a hurry to get out of Boston to make it home for the birth of his child, refused to sign an autograph for a group of fans outside the team hotel and, when asked a second time by a female member of the group, turned around and barked in her face that he had to pack. The team was reportedly nearby, and the Rangers' "media man" Court Berry-Tripp made a few damage control statements.

We're getting one 5-minutes-of-fame fan's take on what happened, so we don't really know what was said or the context it was said in. That being said, as good of a guy as Josh appears to us to be, I can understand if he was razzled at that moment about the implosion of the season, the lack of options to make it home, and possibly the edginess that comes with being a recovering addict. If it happened, I just hate that it did in front of a 12-year old kid.

Man-Ram talks 'dead'

SarasotaRanger — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 17:52:13 -0000

Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the deal to send Ramirez to Florida has fallen by the wayside this afternoon, meaning lots more fun comments from Ramirez should be forthcoming.

Per Rosenthal:

The Pirates' return for Bay, sources say, was the apparent holdup in the deal. The Pirates are seeking an "appropriate return for an All-Star caliber left fielder" — and one who is affordable at $5.75 million this season and $7.5 million in 2009.

To trade Bay, who turns 30 on Sept. 20, the Pirates presumably would need to exceed the offer they received from the Braves last week — Class AAA outfielder Brandon Jones, Class AAA shortstop Brent Lillibridge and two pitchers in the low minors.

Two prominent Marlins prospects who have been mentioned — Class AA right-hander Ryan Tucker and Class A outfielder Michael Stanton — will not be traded, multiple sources said.

I wonder if the Marlins might get on the phone and try to upgrade their catching position at the last minute. Who knows.

Completely OT: At least Josh and TAG don't do this

SarasotaRanger — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:46:40 -0000

Completely OT: At least Josh and TAG don't do this

ROFL. The Yankees even had to address it.

JD listening to offers for Padilla

SarasotaRanger — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 22:30:43 -0000

Apparently teams have contacted JD about acquiring Padilla ... including the Mets, Yankees, and Brewers. JD is looking for "quality young pitching". Really... that's a stunner.

If JD is receiving offers, what do you all think he should settle for? Yankees: Horne or Ohlendorf plus a midlevel IF prospect... maybe more. Mets: target Deolis Guerra and stand by your guns. Demand it. Minaya is a desperate SOB. Brew crew: Manny Parra or Matt LaPorta. LaPorta hits for average and is a beasticon of the Chris Davis type. Pie in the sky, but the Brewers are rarely this much in the mix, so they may decide now is the time to go for it.

Hank Steinbrenner

SarasotaRanger — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:59:23 -0000

Hank Steinbrenner decided enough is enough and publicly blasted his team for its recent sluggish offensive performance (although this was mild compared to his normal rants). It must chap his ass that a relatively unknown guy like Scott Feldman shut down his trillion dollar lineup and our no name, low money young guys are making plays. With the Red Sox and Rays coming up, I guess he's just trying to jump start his team.

Tonight's game is the kind of game the Rangers would often lose and lose big, but the team's confidence is on the rise and I think they'll play well tonight. This will be a tremendous test for Mendoza in the Rangers' last game in the house of pain.

What would be a successful season?

SarasotaRanger — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 13:27:56 -0000

As we approach the midpoint of the season, this team, at last, appears to be headed in the right direction. The offense is booming. Kins is a budding star. We have a catching problem... as in a very good problem. Young guys are contributing. E-Hurl and Feldman have pleasantly surprised so far. Pads has looked good (let's remember he's only 30... as Evan notes and I agree, we might need him if it all comes together in 2009). Hambone should get a major Dallas street named after him already. Milton hasn't blown up.... yet... and seems to be getting along in a gelling clubhouse. As Butters and Ed pointed out today, Chris Davis appears to be on his way up. (Peace out, rattie.) The Electrician has appeared to have risen from that slump since the Oakland series. Everyday has been workmanlike (even if he's not a piece of the future, he's keeping the 8th inning from being a total disaster). Sans the bullpen, I feel pretty good about this team.

With all that in mind... my question is: what would it take for this season to be considered a success? 80-82 wins? Finish ahead of Oakland? I think 82 wins would be a great accomplishment, considering the youth movement taking place before our eyes and the revolving door through parts of our rotation. What do you think?

Padilla an all-star?

SarasotaRanger — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 04:03:06 -0000

Wow. We have a 10-game winner before the all-star break. Sportsline.com raised the question of Vicente Padilla as a possible all-star selection. Looking at his stats, I think it'll be tough for him to get a selection. Even though Pads is second in the AL with 10 wins, he has the 15th best ERA with a 3.74, and has barely cracked the top 20 in strikeouts. Those kind of numbers make his selection iffy. Moreover, since the pitchers are selected by the players, I doubt Pads has won over his peers with his prior antics. Nonetheless, it would be nice to see Texas have a pitcher in the all-star game and I hope he can win against Philly on Friday to help his cause.

Yankees sign Ponson

SarasotaRanger — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 01:18:57 -0000

Here's the link:

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3451459

I'm not particularly surprised. With Wang, Hughes, Kennedy on the DL and Rasner sucking, I guess they don't have much choice but to give him a try. Ponson typically requires a few weeks/months before imploding, during which time the Yankees can trade for a better starter or hope one of their injured starters makes it back before the implosion. We'll see.....

PICK A CHAMPIONSHIP

SarasotaRanger — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:04:36 -0000

This is sort of off-topic, but it's fun to think about. I often ask other sports fans to pick the top 4 championships they could witness if they had the choice. Yes, this is a Rangers blog and that should invariably be the first one, but I thought it would be interesting to see what other bloggers had to say about other sports. I'll go ahead:

1. Texas Rangers world series championship

2. University of Tennessee men's basketball tourney title

3. University of Tennessee football championship

4. Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl title

Rangers in Distinguished Company

SarasotaRanger — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:10:50 -0000

So... here we sit 67 games into the season and our club has a winning record. Most of us would've taken that back in spring training. However, what's even more noteworthy is that Texas is one of only 4 clubs in major league baseball with a road record of .500 or better. They join LAA, St. Louis, and Philadelphia as the only other early season road warriors. Yeah, they're 17-17, and it's early, so perhaps this is premature to point out. However, around this time last year, our guys had a road record of 9-23. It takes guts to win on the road and hopefully this is a sign of good things to come.