For the past several years, TV announcer Josh Lewin has been the baseball voice to my summers, so it was only fitting that I still have chills replaying the final out of the Texas Ranges' 4-3 victory over Oakland on Saturday. I've watched it back about 10 times now.
"The AL West title flag will fly in Arlington, Texas! Ballgame!" Lewin profoundly exclaimed.
That was it.
The moment I had been looking forward to in my nine years of being a fan. The bright future that I knew was ahead when I kept reading up on the Rangers' rich farm system. The longing for a feeling that appeared so distant when Texas finished in last place just three years ago.
Nothing else really matters right now. The Texas Rangers are 2010 AL West division champions.
Unfortunately, I couldn't see the live video of the division-clinching moment. MLB.tv has a Saturday blackout policy for afternoon games on FOX. I still made the most of it, though.
Video was impossible to come by, but audio was not. With my MLB.tv access, I listened to Eric Nadel call the entire game. His call in the bottom of the ninth, when closer Neftali Feliz set the rookie record for saves with 38, was just as memorable as Josh's:
"He makes the catch. And the Rangers are champions of the American League West! The West division race is over!" Nadel said.
I was at work when we recorded the final out at about 6:15 p.m. Since it was a Saturday, the office was rather quiet. When Feliz retired the second out, I took my computer and carried it over to an isolated room in the office. Yes, this was going to be a big moment, and I knew it.
As big a moment as it was for me and every Rangers fan, it had to be the biggest for Michael Young. I'm happy for so many of the players, general manager Jon Daniels and co-owners Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg, but I'm the happiest for Young.
The veteran third baseman has played 1,496 games without a postseason appearance. Randy Winn of St. Louis is the only active player with more games played, and his streak figures to continue this year with the Cardinals missing the postseason. Young's streak is broken. And no one deserves it more.
Young is playing in his 10th full season in the major leagues, and they've all been in Texas. He's had six all-star appearances, five seasons with 200 hits and one AL batting title in 2005. He hit the game-winning triple for the American League in the All-Star game in 2006.
Young's been the face of the franchise for a few years now, and has helped mold the image of this team to a group of close-knit players who look like they're having fun playing the game. You can't say that about every team in the majors.
When I got home from work last night, I had a celebratory Blue Moon and calmly reflected on what this all meant.
All those summer nights I attended games with my brother Dave, and all the victories I've witnessed at the ballpark. The first route we took to a game from Plano to Arlington before the George Bush Turnpike opened and made it considerably easier: If I remember correctly, we took the Tollway to 635 to I-35 to Loop 12 to I-30.
The alternative rock mix CD Dave and I played in the car on the way to every game. The gatorade runs we made after at the gas station. The pictures we took at the games.
The memorable comebacks. Rod Barajas hitting the game-winning home run against the Yankees, and Dave calling the shot. Marlon Byrd hitting a walkoff grand slam against the Yankees. Texas coming back from a 7-0 deficit to beat the A's on Phil Nevin's home run.
My dad hooking the family up with amazing seats in the Nolan Ryan suite for a game against the Orioles. We lost that night, and Dave and I were so determined to catch a victory that we got up the next day and attended a day game. Of course, we won.
I witnessed all of those moments at the ballpark. And they all came racing back to my mind when I was drinking that beer.
Yes, it took a lot of time out of our schedules, but it was all worth it.
For the first time in my nine years of being a fan, I'm going to get to witness my favorite team playing in October. I don't think it gets any better than that.
Time to roll the credits like I was making a CD:
Special thanks to Dave for sharing those summer nights with me, starting back in 2002; to my mom for talking about the games and sharing my euphoric playoff fever; to my dad for sharing his past baseball stories and realizing that there's rarely a story about baseball that I don't find moderately interesting; to my college roommates Matt Wilson, Brett Siegel and Neil Spector for getting me into baseball as a freshman in the dorms at KU; to Wilson, Siegel and Spector and the spring training trip we took during our senior year for spring break in 2006; to Derek Johnson, Tad Davis, Stephen Slater and Kevin Weidlich for their hilarious Twitter talks with me on the Rangers; to Lindsey Kinkelaar for her overall love of Michael Young and representing in Angels territory; and to everyone else.
I continued the celebration today by ordering my AL West division champions T-shirt.
It's been a heck of a ride. And the amazing thing is the journey is just beginning.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Rays (not Yankees) would be postseason preference in round 1
With 16 games left in the season, the Texas Rangers' magic number is eight. No way it's hit me yet. It may not hit me until they clinch their first AL West crown since 1999.
As the regular season winds down, the unimaginable euphoria of winning the division becomes realistic. I've been dreaming of buying one of those shirts for years.
When October hits, the Rangers will face the AL East champion in the first round of the playoffs on the road. As of now, that's the New York Yankees, who hold a half-game lead over Tampa Bay.
I've read a few blogs online that suggested the Yankees would be a better draw for the Rangers in the first round.
I don't think so.
The Yankees own the best home record in baseball. They are very difficult to beat at home at 49-25. They have loads of playoff experience. They won their 27th World Series last season, and most of those guys are back this year.
Don't get me wrong: Knocking the Yankees out of the playoffs would instantly rise to the top of the best sports moments of my life. But I'm more confident facing Tampa Bay, even if the Rays have a deeper rotation. David Price, Matt Garza and James Shields are well-above average (and better than CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes), but they are not incredibly experienced.
Keep New York's lineup in mind as well. The Yankees have a considerably more potent lineup than Tampa Bay. Honestly, the Rays' lineup doesn't scare me against Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis. You simply cannot walk guys at Yankee Stadium, though. The lineup is way too talented. Against Tampa Bay, you may be able to work out of more jams.
Maybe it's a mind-set thing. Maybe it's just because it's the Yankees brand name.
I'm just delighted that we'll most likely be making a postseason appearance, the first ever in my nine years of being a fan. And whether it's New York or Tampa Bay, I can't wait to embrace the underdog role and see what our guys can do. Maybe we'll surprise some people. Now that would be one hell of a run.
As the regular season winds down, the unimaginable euphoria of winning the division becomes realistic. I've been dreaming of buying one of those shirts for years.
When October hits, the Rangers will face the AL East champion in the first round of the playoffs on the road. As of now, that's the New York Yankees, who hold a half-game lead over Tampa Bay.
I've read a few blogs online that suggested the Yankees would be a better draw for the Rangers in the first round.
I don't think so.
The Yankees own the best home record in baseball. They are very difficult to beat at home at 49-25. They have loads of playoff experience. They won their 27th World Series last season, and most of those guys are back this year.
Don't get me wrong: Knocking the Yankees out of the playoffs would instantly rise to the top of the best sports moments of my life. But I'm more confident facing Tampa Bay, even if the Rays have a deeper rotation. David Price, Matt Garza and James Shields are well-above average (and better than CC Sabathia, Andy Pettitte and Phil Hughes), but they are not incredibly experienced.
Keep New York's lineup in mind as well. The Yankees have a considerably more potent lineup than Tampa Bay. Honestly, the Rays' lineup doesn't scare me against Cliff Lee, C.J. Wilson and Colby Lewis. You simply cannot walk guys at Yankee Stadium, though. The lineup is way too talented. Against Tampa Bay, you may be able to work out of more jams.
Maybe it's a mind-set thing. Maybe it's just because it's the Yankees brand name.
I'm just delighted that we'll most likely be making a postseason appearance, the first ever in my nine years of being a fan. And whether it's New York or Tampa Bay, I can't wait to embrace the underdog role and see what our guys can do. Maybe we'll surprise some people. Now that would be one hell of a run.
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Random Rangers musings
It's been a while since I've updated the blog — my cousin's wedding in Florida, and the beginning of college football season has kept me busy lately — so I thought today would be a good time to update the blog with random Rangers thoughts.
• First, Texas owns a nine-game lead in the AL West. It's becoming more and more realistic that the Rangers are going to capture their first division crown since 1999. It's amazing to think about.
• The focus now turns to playoff placement. If Texas finishes with a better record than Minnesota, the likely AL Central winner, then the Rangers would draw the Rays in the first round, as opposed to the Yankees. That's probably a more favorable spot. We're 2.5 behind Minnesota with two more road contests this weekend against the Twins. Big games.
• The Rangers made two more moves recently, signing Mark Prior to a minor-league deal, and trading Joaquin Arias for Jeff Francoeur. I don't have a problem with either move. The Prior signing is a low-risk, high-reward type of deal. Prior reportedly won't be a starter anymore and most likely would come back in a reliever role. He's touching 92-93 mph again, and has 20 strikeouts in 10 innings in an independent league.
As for the Francoeur trade...Arias didn't seem to be in the club's future plans anymore. He made a few fielding errors in the series against Tampa Bay and that may have been the final straw. Crazy to think that Arias was a guy included in the Alex Rodriguez trade, along with Alfonso Soriano. We had our choice between Arias and a guy named Robinson Cano. Baseball has to be the most difficult sport to evaluate talent. Who would have known back then?
• The lineup is starting to look normal again with Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz off the disabled list. I'm thankful for that.
• Injuries still scare the heck out of me. Cliff Lee has looked mortal lately (27 earned runs in last five starts). He received a cortisone injection for back pain and might be pushed back a few days. I wouldn't take any risks. Furthermore, Josh Hamilton has been relegated to DH duties lately because of a sore right knee. Vlad Guerrero isn't 25 years old anymore, and Kinsler/Cruz have seemed fragile this year. I hope they all hold up.
• C.J. Wilson has been remarkable in the second half of the season. He's 7-0 with a 1.99 earned-run average since the All-Star break. The seven wins are the most of any pitcher during that time. I've heard some Cy Young whispers about C.J., but I don't agree with them, as much as I'd like to. Still too many walks (six in last two games, 77 for season). The 140 strikeouts are nice, but I think it's a bit of a reach right now.
That should wrap up my thoughts for now. With football starting up, it makes it register that the postseason is just around the corner. I'm hoping for the first time in my nine years of being a loyal Rangers fan, I'll get to witness what that's like.
• First, Texas owns a nine-game lead in the AL West. It's becoming more and more realistic that the Rangers are going to capture their first division crown since 1999. It's amazing to think about.
• The focus now turns to playoff placement. If Texas finishes with a better record than Minnesota, the likely AL Central winner, then the Rangers would draw the Rays in the first round, as opposed to the Yankees. That's probably a more favorable spot. We're 2.5 behind Minnesota with two more road contests this weekend against the Twins. Big games.
• The Rangers made two more moves recently, signing Mark Prior to a minor-league deal, and trading Joaquin Arias for Jeff Francoeur. I don't have a problem with either move. The Prior signing is a low-risk, high-reward type of deal. Prior reportedly won't be a starter anymore and most likely would come back in a reliever role. He's touching 92-93 mph again, and has 20 strikeouts in 10 innings in an independent league.
As for the Francoeur trade...Arias didn't seem to be in the club's future plans anymore. He made a few fielding errors in the series against Tampa Bay and that may have been the final straw. Crazy to think that Arias was a guy included in the Alex Rodriguez trade, along with Alfonso Soriano. We had our choice between Arias and a guy named Robinson Cano. Baseball has to be the most difficult sport to evaluate talent. Who would have known back then?
• The lineup is starting to look normal again with Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz off the disabled list. I'm thankful for that.
• Injuries still scare the heck out of me. Cliff Lee has looked mortal lately (27 earned runs in last five starts). He received a cortisone injection for back pain and might be pushed back a few days. I wouldn't take any risks. Furthermore, Josh Hamilton has been relegated to DH duties lately because of a sore right knee. Vlad Guerrero isn't 25 years old anymore, and Kinsler/Cruz have seemed fragile this year. I hope they all hold up.
• C.J. Wilson has been remarkable in the second half of the season. He's 7-0 with a 1.99 earned-run average since the All-Star break. The seven wins are the most of any pitcher during that time. I've heard some Cy Young whispers about C.J., but I don't agree with them, as much as I'd like to. Still too many walks (six in last two games, 77 for season). The 140 strikeouts are nice, but I think it's a bit of a reach right now.
That should wrap up my thoughts for now. With football starting up, it makes it register that the postseason is just around the corner. I'm hoping for the first time in my nine years of being a loyal Rangers fan, I'll get to witness what that's like.
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