Sunday, August 27, 2006
Next year
The Rangers have just finished a 3-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics to avoid being swept. Despite being struck out 10+ times tonight the Rangers managed enough offense thanks to a 2-run homer by Matt Stairs.
It is really pointless for me to get optimistic. Even if the Athletics managed .500 ball the rest of the way, the Rangers would have to have a phenomenal September just to overtake that.
This is why Oakland is a second-half team and the Rangers are not.
Blame the heat, blame the pitching, blame the manager, the GM, the owner, the list goes on and on.
I know it is hot in the Ballpark (I know it is called Ameriquest Field but I will not call it that), and it can get to be a real scorcher. I don't know why there is not a roof over that thing.
But think of this. I never hear cold weather teams saying the cold is going to affect them as much as how it is going to affect the visitors.
For the Rangers, it is always how it affects them not the Rangers. My advice? Take advantage of the heat and use it for any edge you can get instead of whining about it. Nothing is going to change about that.
The pitching needs to upgrade. Make no mistake we do not need a Chan Ho Park mess again, but we need to open up the market and try to get some good pitchers here. The Rangers have 3 potentially good starting pitchers developing in the minors right now and they need some solid veteran leadership.
There is a website called firebuck.com that has started hoping for Buck Showalter to get the axe. I do not know if that would solve everything. I keep thinking if Ken Macca or Joe Torre or Jim Leyland were managing this roster would the Rangers be in contention? One thing might happen though is that the mood of the clubhouse would be different. The Rangers are pressing right now. You can just see it on Friday night when they were almost no-hit by Barry Zito.
A more upbeat clubhouse might have more patience at the plate instead of swinging the big sticks and maybe a different personality would bring that.
Let it be know everytime Showlater has been fired, the team won the World Series the next year. Coincidence? Of course it all comes down to talent, which leads me to Jon Daniels.
Jon Daniels, Rangers GM, is supposed to be a clone of Red Sox GM, both young and ready to make bold moves. The jury is still out with me if Daniels will pan out here. Heaven knows anything has to be better than The Jon Hart era.
But as the seaon goes some moves are just looking bad. The Alfonso Soriano-Brad Wilkerson deal stinks.
The Rangers gave up too easily on Chris Young, even though they receive Aki Otsuka in return.
Francisco Cordero has looked flawless since moving to Milwaukee and Carlos Lee has not really produce the power he is capable of, plus he is to slow in the outfield. Gary Matthews Jr. can get to balls quickly in left-center than Lee can.
If Lee bolts we gain nothing from the trade. I feel the Rangers need to suck up their pride and go back after Soriano and sign him to be our left fielder. It makes sense.
Now for Tom Hicks. Sell the team. If not, become a laisezz-faire owner. For those who did not take economics, than means hands-off. Do not give overblown contracts if you don't need to. We could have had A-rod for a whole lot less.
Also Mr. Hicks, increase the payroll. You know we cannot compete unless the payroll goes up. I have yet to see the financial flexibility that was promised when the A-Rod contract was traded away. Let's see it know.
But it all comes down to one thing as The Cowboys season starts and even though one month is left in the baseball season, see ya next year.
It is really pointless for me to get optimistic. Even if the Athletics managed .500 ball the rest of the way, the Rangers would have to have a phenomenal September just to overtake that.
This is why Oakland is a second-half team and the Rangers are not.
Blame the heat, blame the pitching, blame the manager, the GM, the owner, the list goes on and on.
I know it is hot in the Ballpark (I know it is called Ameriquest Field but I will not call it that), and it can get to be a real scorcher. I don't know why there is not a roof over that thing.
But think of this. I never hear cold weather teams saying the cold is going to affect them as much as how it is going to affect the visitors.
For the Rangers, it is always how it affects them not the Rangers. My advice? Take advantage of the heat and use it for any edge you can get instead of whining about it. Nothing is going to change about that.
The pitching needs to upgrade. Make no mistake we do not need a Chan Ho Park mess again, but we need to open up the market and try to get some good pitchers here. The Rangers have 3 potentially good starting pitchers developing in the minors right now and they need some solid veteran leadership.
There is a website called firebuck.com that has started hoping for Buck Showalter to get the axe. I do not know if that would solve everything. I keep thinking if Ken Macca or Joe Torre or Jim Leyland were managing this roster would the Rangers be in contention? One thing might happen though is that the mood of the clubhouse would be different. The Rangers are pressing right now. You can just see it on Friday night when they were almost no-hit by Barry Zito.
A more upbeat clubhouse might have more patience at the plate instead of swinging the big sticks and maybe a different personality would bring that.
Let it be know everytime Showlater has been fired, the team won the World Series the next year. Coincidence? Of course it all comes down to talent, which leads me to Jon Daniels.
Jon Daniels, Rangers GM, is supposed to be a clone of Red Sox GM, both young and ready to make bold moves. The jury is still out with me if Daniels will pan out here. Heaven knows anything has to be better than The Jon Hart era.
But as the seaon goes some moves are just looking bad. The Alfonso Soriano-Brad Wilkerson deal stinks.
The Rangers gave up too easily on Chris Young, even though they receive Aki Otsuka in return.
Francisco Cordero has looked flawless since moving to Milwaukee and Carlos Lee has not really produce the power he is capable of, plus he is to slow in the outfield. Gary Matthews Jr. can get to balls quickly in left-center than Lee can.
If Lee bolts we gain nothing from the trade. I feel the Rangers need to suck up their pride and go back after Soriano and sign him to be our left fielder. It makes sense.
Now for Tom Hicks. Sell the team. If not, become a laisezz-faire owner. For those who did not take economics, than means hands-off. Do not give overblown contracts if you don't need to. We could have had A-rod for a whole lot less.
Also Mr. Hicks, increase the payroll. You know we cannot compete unless the payroll goes up. I have yet to see the financial flexibility that was promised when the A-Rod contract was traded away. Let's see it know.
But it all comes down to one thing as The Cowboys season starts and even though one month is left in the baseball season, see ya next year.
# posted by ttheman @ 7:50 PM 
