SB Nation User Blog: slc ranger

The LSB Organization

slc ranger — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 03:33:09 -0000

That's right LSBers. Not just the 25 man roster. Not even the 40 man roster. But the whole damn organization. You see, there are many here at LSB that make our baseball lives very enjoyable. So I thought I'd give it a whirl and see what happened. Besides, it's the off-season now, and there are going to be a lot of decisions that this team is going to have to make. Let's start with those who will be making those decisions. Shall we...

Owner : AJM - Did you expect anyone else?

Team President : benmor78 - Who the hell does this guy know to get this gig?

GM : oc - The young GM who rubs some fans the wrong way.

Asst. to the GM : Brett Perryman - Z used to play a much bigger role in the organization, but he's now onto other things.

Manager : t ball - He decides who plays by who tells the best "dad" jokes.

Pitching Coach : NoNameOnCard (Trip Somers) - Pretty obvious choice here.

Hitting Coach : SpurDynasty (David Brown) - Just go up there hacking, he doesn't give a shit about walks.

Bench Coach : Ed Coffin - The elder statesman who keeps t ball in line.

1st Base Coach : Jason Parks - I think he has his eye on the Halos Heaven job.

3rd Base Coach : Joey Matschulat - Would like a bigger role in the organization.

Bullpen Coach : MJH - most have forgotten he's still part of the staff.

Minor League Instructor : shroomer - No explanation needed.

The 25 man roster...

SP : DSheppard - Ace of the staff. Throws a wicked GIF.

SP : Brian Thomas - Just needs to stay healthy. Pulled an ass muscle earlier in the season.

SP : GhostofEricThompson - Some think this will be his last year. He's looking for a big FA contract.

SP : DJCahill - He thinks you should just shut the hell up.

SP : baseballismyboyfriend - Still young. Needs to work on the offspeed stuff.

RP : Rodney - Easily able to pitch/post everyday.

RP : boomer1 - See Rodney.

RP : lonestarJon - Every Post Jonny.

RP : Kinsler Homer - Power arm in the 'pen.

RP : RangerMad - The lefty.

RP : JBImaknee - The long man?

Closer : brett gardner - I think he has found his role on the team.

1B : tricer - Needs to work on his plate discipline.

2B : clark - Mentioned in a lot of trade rumors. Team looking to dump his salary.

3B : bigsteve - Just doesn't have the range to play SS anymore.

SS : philkid3 - Needs to step up offensively. Solid glove though.

C : NothinG - Strong arm. Weak bat.

RF : Dirk Diggler - What can I say. He has a Metallica avatar, he had to be on the team.

LF : rentz - Shitty arm, but a ton of speed. t ball isn't comfortable with him in CF yet.

CF : ghtd36 - Stop running into walls jackass. This team needs your bat in the lineup.

DH : RCCook - He carries a big bat.

Bench : Josey Wales - His body is rejecting the fact that he's an everyday player in The Show.

Bench : WyoRanger - Should be getting more playing time.

Bench : Chase Irwin - The 4th OFer.

Bench : FuturePants - Personal catcher for bbimbf. Not sure what she sees in him.

The rest of the 40...

rooster

williamos2

LiamP

Gdawg

cmkelly29

Requiem

cstorm15

Maximillion

lisa w

SteveP

chief

Goyogringo

knockoutking

Big Guns

tyd3311

Still need some work in OKC...

trza

PM productions

pblack

iorange555

tdi1985

Agreen07

blalock84

hinduplaya

WesTxAg06

laxtonto

egriffey

SarasotaRanger

Black Francis

This years FA's (posters missing in action)...

thedirkatron - Last seen punting.

FirebatM3 - He doesn't like you.

Athos - Thinks he can get more $ elsewhere.

Sharky - Anyone want to talk about offensive coordinators?

ab03 - Wants to play for a contender.

miles - Still needs much more schooling.

hurlerhurley - Off to the clinic.

It's impossible to do a list like this and not forget someone. So if I did, so what? This shit isn't suppose to be serious anyway. Just thought I'd have a little fun. Figured I'd steal the idea of a few others and expand on it a little. Besides, it's not like we have the playoffs to look forward to right now anyway. Little Boy oc better get this damn thing right in 2010. Finishing second isn't good enough anymore.

Today's College Football Thread

slc ranger — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 17:55:49 -0000

Well, with baseball season officially done it's time to turn my attention to my #2 sporting interest. Some big games out there today. Here are some of the notables.

Cal @ Min.

Tenn. @ Florida

USC @ UW

Tulsa @ OU

Neb. @ Va Tech

Utah @ Oregon

Mich. St. @ Notre Dame

Cin. @ Oregon St.

Florida St. @ BYU

Georgia @ Arkansas

Texas Tech @ Texas

I can guess what game many of you will be watching. I, of course, have a big interest in my Utes in Eugene.

Random Observations...

slc ranger — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 15:29:59 -0000

on my first trip to Arlington. This was also my first trip to Texas, with the exception of a flight connection in Houston. I was able to go to 4 games. Would have been 5 if not for the rainout. Rather than post pictures (because I have a shitty camera and most of them are just of my father and I) and talk about the games, I thought I would rather comment on some other things I noticed in no particular order:

I thought fire hydrants were red?

Any reason for the sideways stop lights?

Has anyone ever lost a small child down those big ass storm drians?

The Titan and Mr. Freeze = great coasters. The Texas Giant = pile of shit. I think I broke a rib on that herky-jerky old thing.

Where were all the hot Texas women? I saw a couple here and there. However for the most part I was very disappointed. Certainly didn't compare to California women in the summer.

Damn will they deep fry anything in the south (and yes I consider Texas the south). My dad had deep fried corn on the cob at one place we ate. Way to make even vegetables unhealthy Texas!

We were refered to as "y'all" 207 times.

Pretty crazy storm a week ago. The wind and thunder Wednesday night followed by all the rain the next morning. I thought I was going to be in for a long trip. Luckily the rest of the time the weather was alright. I assume those kinds of storms happen often there though.

The Arlington Trolley System is a joke. Damn thing was never on time and often an hour late.

The Holiday Inn just north of I-30 is very nice.

They sure are tearing up the roads out there right now. Made it a little difficult to get around at times.

Fuck the stadium lights on the first base side by home plate. That delay was worse than the rainout. At least during the rainout it was pretty cool to just stand there and watch the storm.

Drove through both Dallas and Fort Worth. Overall wasn't too impressed. However only spent about an hour in each city and we didn't know where we were going so I know we missed most of it.

The biggest thing though was the damn humidity. I really don't understand how you guys can live down there in the summer. There was overcast most of the time we were there, but it was still very humid. I've always been one to dismiss people when the talk about the Texas heat and their players struggling when the summer kicks in, but I'm not so sure I can do that now. It does have to be challenging to play in that humidity sometimes.

Overall it was a fun place to visit. The stadium was great. People were very nice. It was pretty cool to go to a few games with my dad again. Reminded me of when I was a kid and how I grew to love baseball so much in the first place. Don't think I could ever live in Texas though. The humidity is just too much for me.

Here I come...

slc ranger — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:34:16 -0000

So I'm officially making my first trip to Arlington here in June. I will be going to the June 9th and 10th games against the Blue Jays and the June 12th and 13th games against the Dodgers. I'm pretty damn pumped up. I've been a Rangers fan for over 15 years now and have always had to watch them on TV or as a visiting fan in the Colisseum before.

Here are my questions for you locals. I'm planning on going to Six Flags on the 11th and to the Hurricane Harbor during the day before one of the games. I've noticed they sell tickets for the kids price if you buy them on line at their site. I think around $30 for Six Flags and $20 for the water park. My question is are these two places worth checking out? Anyone know of any other deals (i.e. I can get cheap tickets for a park here in Utah at Costco) for those parks or any other places to visit? What other sites should I check out while I'm in town? Museums (I'm a history buff), hot spots, et al. I'm definitely going to be renting a car so I figure anything within an hour or so of Arlington is fair game.

I have an ex-coworker that should be hooking me up with tickets, but hasn't come through yet. I'm pretty sure she will, but just in case she doesn't, what is the best way to buy tickets there? Just at the gates before the games? My only fear is that if the Rangers keep playing as well as they have been that there will be fewer seats available. I don't expect those games to sell out, but I certainly don't want to be stuck in the nose bleed sections either. I know there have been a couple fan posts in the past that people suggest sections 230-236 (?) as good seats. Any other seating suggestions? Also, where is the best place to buy Rangers memorabilia? I think I'll need to stock up while I'm there.

So if any of you LSBers are going to be at those games and you see some 30 year old guy walking around with his U of U gear on next to a guy wearing a SF Giants hat, that would be me and my father. Damn I'm excited. Finally a trip to RBiA.

A Crowded Outfield

slc ranger — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 18:45:01 -0000

So with the news that Andruw Jones is going to accept the Rangers offer, the OF picture is obviously a little more curious. The Rangers now have Hamilton, Cruz, Byrd, Murphy, Jones, and Catalanotto in the mix to start the year and Boggs, Borbon, and Golson will be sitting at OKC waiting for their shot later this year or in 2010. Doing a little bit of math that means the Rangers could have 9 guys trying to find playing time in the OF somtime this year. We all have our preferences as to how we would like to see this play out. Here's my best guess:

Hamilton - Obviously the one guy there is no question about. If healthy he will start every day, the only question is where? Does he start in CF or move to a COF spot early in the year? Having guys like Byrd and Jones would not only allow him to move to RF/LF but also give him a day off against a tough LH pitcher. I still think he will start the year in CF. I would put him in RF and leave him there for a long time. Starting this year.

Cruz - He will probably be given one of the COF spots to start the year. He should be an everyday guy 'til he proves one way or another if he can produce in the bigs. He will have a short leash though. If not producing when starting for a couple months he could be gone. My guess is that he will start in RF if he does well he stays, if not then he will be gone with Hamilton moving to RF.

Byrd - The guy has earned a spot with his performance the last couple of years. The only problem is he doesn't really fit into the teams long-term plans. He can play all 3 OF spots pretty well and will probably platoon with Murphy as it stands right now. My guess though is that the Rangers are looking at moving him sometime soon.

Murphy - I'm not a big fan of David Murphy. I feel at best he should be a platoon player. I would also like it if the Rangers tried to move him in a deal for pitching. I don't think they are going to do that though. My guess is that he's the starting LFer against RH pitching.

Jones - This is a low risk move imo although many may not like it because he could take playing time away from guys that will be here past this year when it's likely he won't be. He's a huge ? right now. If he plays his way into the OF mix though he will have had to perform pretty well and I don't see that as a bad thing. My guess is that he takes the last spot on the roster at the expense of...

Catalanotto - Frank has been nothing but a class act since he basically stopped playing at all last year. He really is a guy without a spot or role on this team right now and I think he will eventually be cut loose. Hopefully he can catch on somewhere as a LH PH hitter off the bench, maybe with a NL team somewhere.

Boggs - I really like Brandon Boggs and think he could be a quality ML OFer. He should start everyday at OKC and depending on how well he does there he could force the Rangers hand into to dealing Byrd or Murphy. If Boggs can produce as well as either of them he is more valuable imo because he plays good defense and is under team control longer than Byrd. Also being a switch hitter he won't have the issues with LH pitching like Murphy does. He should be up in Sept., or sooner if there are injuries.

Borbon - He's coming fast. Hopefully he has a great year at OKC and will force his way into a Sept. call up, maybe sooner. When he does arrive he should be the starting CFer and will force Hamilton to a COF spot. I'm pretty excited about the idea of his defensive ability in CF.

Golson - Greg probably has the biggest uphill climb to make it into the OF mix this year. I think he will spend the entire season in OKC and if he performs well he very well could be a trade piece. If he struggles he could be in AAA for some time. I'm not really sold on him but a strong performance at OKC could obviously change my mind.

My guess is that to start the year the Rangers go with Byrd/Murphy in LF, Hamilton in CF, and Cruz in RF with Jones on the bench and spelling Hamilton from time to time and DHing against LH pitching. Discuss...

Poll

Do you like the addition of Andruw Jones to the Rangers OF mix?

Yes

83 votes

No

49 votes

132 votes | Poll has closed

OT : I hate ESPN...

slc ranger — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 04:03:27 -0000

And here is another reason why :

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/notebook?page=notebook/onthemark1110

Here comes the rant. This shit just pisses me off. This SEC homer, who of course is a grad of Georgia, has the nerve to say any team in the ACC or Big East has done more to deserve a shot in the BCS over Utah. Really? Last I checked the Utes were the original "BCS busters" in 2004 and they thumped PItt, and they would have done the same thing to any other team that year not named USC or Auburn. I'm not saying this years Utes are as good as the '04 team, I don't believe they are. However the MWC is a much better league this year than it was then and is far better than the Big East or ACC. I don't understand the lack of respect for my Utes. I don't think they should be in the NC game, but if they go undefeated why do they not belong in the BCS? The Utes could hang with almost anyone this year except perhaps Florida, Texas, Tech, and Oklahoma. They may not beat teams like Bama, USC, Penn St., OK St., etc. but they would have a shot, and they deserve that shot, I don't want to see them play another Pitt if they win their next 2 games.

There are good college football teams not in the BCS conferences. I know this may surprise some of these ESPN jackasses. Utah or TCU's defense would hold any team in the country under 20 points (except Florida, Texas, Tech, Oklahoma, and OK St.). Their defenses are that good. Why is it when they play a 13-10 game it's boring, but when a Big XII or SEC team plays a 13-10 game it's a "defensive slugfest". BYU and Boise St. would put up 40 + on most teams in country. However when they do it in their conferences it's just another "crazy WAC shootout" (even if the team isn't in the WAC anymore). However when teams in the Big XII put up 40 or 50 on each other it's a great offensive game.

Like them or not Utah and Boise St. belong in the BCS. Certainly more so than any Big East or ACC team. I think Boise St. is overrated, but they have been there before and won, and if they go undefeated then they deserve to go again. If teams in the MWC, WAC, C-USA, MAC, and Sunbelt don't deserve to go to a big bowl when they go undefeated then just seperate them from the 6 BCS conferences into their own college football subdivision.

I know many here won't care about this, but I figured I'd post it for myself to blow off some steam and for any other fans of the "mid-majors" out there. I know there are some Frog fans on this board as well. Someone needs to start to stick up for the little guy in college football and I wish someone in the media would do so as well. Damn, what I wouldn't give for a playoff system. 8 teams. Keep the Bowl system. the first 4 games can be called the Rose, Sugar, Fiesta, and Orange. Then play a Semi-Final and a Championship Game. I just don't see it happening though. These greedy BCS college presidents will never let it happen. They don't even like one of the "mid-majors" getting a little piece of the pie every other year or so.

ESPN treats college football like they do MLB. If you're not the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Cubs, etc. then you don't belong in the league and you get no respect. I hate them for it. End of rant.

BMac starting for OKC...

slc ranger — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:42:20 -0000

So the RedHawks are going to be here in Salt Lake the next four days and I plan on going to at least the first 3 games (I'll have to se how my daughter is holding up on Friday). With many of the Ranger kids already up I was thinking about who I was really looking forward to seeing. I just checked Shroom's site and low and behold he has BMac going tomorrow. Not bad.

This will be the first game(s), and probably last, I see in person this year. It will be nice to see JMJ, Tx2, and Duran, but I must admit I'm a little disappointed with the level of prospects right now at OKC that I will get to see. Ya know, compared to the other guys in the system with other teams. It's a good and bad thing of course. Guys like Davis, MaxRam, Boggs, Hurley, and Harrison are with the Rangers sooner than many of us expected, but I still selfishly would have liked to have been able to see some of them play in person before they hit the bigs. Oh well.

One thing a I can say is that I won't be doing in depth game fanposts with pics, etc. like some of the other peeps here at LSB have done. They are nice, but I just don't think I will have time to do so. Besides, I don't think I like you guys that much anyways.

Poll

How many homers will I see Nellie Cruz hit in the 4 game series here in Salt Lake?

1

12 votes

2

29 votes

3

15 votes

4

2 votes

5+ and then get called up

5 votes

5+ and then be dealt by the deadline

14 votes

77 votes | Poll has closed

Another Disappointing Start

slc ranger — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:45:17 -0000

Well another bad start to the season for the second straight year. This time it's 9-18. Ugh. While we have seen one Dallas area coach/manager already get canned today, many here would like Wash to suffer the same fate as Avery. Let me just say this though. No matter who takes over the team if Wash is fired, whether it's Howe, Walbeck, or someone else, they will still have the same team. To me a team is 95% players and 5% manager (if that). I don't want this fanpost to be about Wash though. We have had enough of those already.

Instead, I'm trying to see what positives can still come form this season. For me it all starts with developing the young players and getting some of them significant playing time this year to see what they have. This is what I would like the Rangers roster to look like come August 1st, after the trade deadline.

*Lineup*

1- Kinsler - 2B

2- MY - SS

3- Hamilton - CF

4- Bradley - RF (deal him if a team overwhelms you at the deadline though)

5- Blalock - 3B (deal him if a team overwhelms you at the deadline though)

6- Salty - CA

7- Davis - 1B (play everyday in AAA until July 31st)

8- MaxRam - DH (play everyday in AAA until July 31st, can also be the backup CA)

9- Murphy - LF

*Bench*

Duran (play everyday in AAA until July 31st)

Boggs (play everyday in AAA until July 31st)

Shelton (emergency catcher)

Vasquez, Laird, Byrd, and Cat should all be dealt for whatever we can get for them.

Broussard should be DFA'd by then.

*Rotation*

Millwood

Padilla (deal him if a team overwhelms you at the deadline though)

Gabbard (please stay healthy)

Hurley (pitch every 5th day in AAA until July 31st)

Mendoza/ Mathis/Harrison/Feldman/Pirate/Ponson (deal him if possible as well)

I don't think we see B-Mac this year. :(

*Pen*

BGL

Jack (deal him if he has good value)

Wright (deal him if he has good value)

Guardado (deal him)

Wes

Fx2

Rupe

Madrigal

Rheino

Nippert

German, Fuku, and Jennings should be DFA'd or dealt if possible.

Most of this teams young talent is still a little ways away. But some guys like Salty, Davis, MaxRam, Hurley, Duran, Boggs, Mathis, Harrison, Gabbard, Mendoza, etc. need to get a lot of playing time the last 2/3 months of the season. Plus if we are able to deal some guys we should get at least a couple young players back that we could take a look at as well. Let's face it, when the Rangers get crushed what do we all do? Go to the minor league sites to see what some of the kids did to try and lift our spirits. So what do you guys think? Would you be happy with that lineup come August 1st? Are there any other young players that may be able to contribute this year, for example if Mayberry tears up AAA do you bring him up? Thoughts?

5 Rangers...

slc ranger — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 04:46:36 -0000

I could do without right now. I have tried to stay positive with this team. After all I didn't expect then to finish with more than 75 wins or so. The last 4 games though have left me rather upset. There are many players that are underperforming right now, but here are the 5 guys that I would like to see gone as soon as possible.

1) Ben Broussard - I was not a fan of him coming here to begin with. He has shown some power and that he can hit RHP a little but his defense is pretty bad and I don't think he hits over .240 as a full-time player. I'm one of the few that still thinks Botts has a shot and this year should be that chance. Dump Broussard.

2) Marlon Byrd - Byrd is a great guy. I love his hustle, defense, and attitude. However I don't think he can hit like he did last year and whatever value he had at the beginning of the year is slowly fading away. Deal him to a team that needs a defensive 4th OFer.

3) Frank Catalanotto - The guy has no defensive value and on a team that is already loaded with left-handed hitters his offensive value is almost non-existent as well. I think Cat is on the way down. He has been a good hitter over his career but last year was the beginning of his decline. Hopefully he starts to hit well enough for some team to want to pick up his contract.

4) Jason Jennings - The guy has shown little control and his velocity is at 82-86 mph. That's just not going to work. I think he would lead the league in HR allowed if kept in the rotation all year. It's still early but he has shown me nothing so far and I wouldn't be hurt if he was DFA'd tomorrow.

5) Gerald Laird - I will say this about OMFT. He can bunt and has a very good arm. That's about it though. I'm not a fan of his other defensive abilities including handling the pitching staff, getting in front of balls in the dirt, and framing pitches. He does have some value and the Rangers should take advantage of that ASAP. Salty is tearing up AAA right now and this lineup needs another right-handed bat.

List the 5 Rangers that you would dispose of and why. And yes, you could include a coach, for example. Or perhaps a certain over-paid player who is defensively challenged if you wish. Vote in the Poll for the one that stands out the most to you.

Poll

Name the one Ranger you would like to see gone.

Laird

16 votes

Broussard

17 votes

Cat

24 votes

Byrd

9 votes

Jennings

17 votes

MY

5 votes

Wash

9 votes

Botts

4 votes

Dusty Tits

2 votes

103 votes | Poll has closed

OT: McCain a naughty boy?

slc ranger — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:39:48 -0000

This could spell the end to McCain. He is already viewed as not conservative enough by many on the right. The NY Times took a play right out of the republican/Rove playbook by waiting on this story. They release it now that McCain all but has the nomination sealed up. This could hand the Presidency to Obama/Clinton if more comes out and it turns out they had a romantic relationship. Wow. (Sorry AJM about the political diary, I know about your rule and if you want to pull this I understand)

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us/politics/21mccain.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogi n&adxnnlx=1203571055-W815bDcNyyYDHlL6OY8YcQ