Josh Hamilton made it personal for Rangers fans by choosing Angels

The idea of Josh Hamilton's time in Texas being over didn't seem so difficult to digest when I thought about it a few months ago.

Ever since that lackadaisical dropped fly ball in the final game of the regular season, I stared into a future of Rangers baseball that didn't involve one of the best all-around players in franchise history. If it was time to part ways, and Hamilton wanted to pick another team in free agency, I was prepared to fondly reflect on the memories and bid him farewell and good luck in the future.

That didn't exactly happen. Unfortunately, he made it personal.

At this year's winter meetings, we learned ... absolutely nothing

Here's what almost happened for the Texas Rangers at the week-long baseball winter meetings in Nashville, Tenn:

• They almost traded for Arizona's Justin Upton.
• They almost signed free-agent pitcher Zack Greinke.
• They almost traded Michael Young to the Phillies.
• They almost signed Josh Hamilton and almost watched Seattle pry him away (not sure how that works).

Hot Stove season begins: 5 burning Rangers moves I'd make

I watched in envy as the San Francisco Giants captured their second World Series in the last three years with a convincing sweep of the Detroit Tigers a few weeks ago. Even though that moment officially ended the baseball season, another season is in the process of getting ready for action: The hot stove season.

Much of the Rangers success from 2010-present has been due to brilliant offseason moves by general manager Jon Daniels around this time of year. JD seems to thrive in the hot stove spotlight. We've seen it pay off in recent years: signing Yu Darvish and Joe Nathan last offseason; Adrian Beltre before 2011; Vladimir Guerrero and Colby Lewis before 2010.

Following a wild-card flame-out after an otherwise solid 93-69 regular season, it seems like JD will be shuffling the deck quite a bit this postseason with many Rangers players hitting free agency.

Rangers' season ends in catastrophic fashion: What's next?

When I woke up Saturday morning, I couldn't help but stare at the ceiling and ask the baseball Gods a few questions, just to be sure I had everything straight.

Did the Rangers lose to the Orioles in a one-game Wild Card playoff with Yu Darvish on the hill at home against Joe Saunders? Did Texas also squander a four-game lead in the American League West with six games left? Could the Rangers bats only muster one run against Saunders (don't mean to pick on the guy, but come on...)?

Unfortunately, yes, yes and well ... yes.

Texas Rangers' worst nightmare comes true in regular-season finale

I remember a time not too long ago when scoring runs wasn't as difficult as sprinting the opposite way up an escalator in less than 10 seconds (but seriously, if you can do that, mad props). I also remember a time when opposing hitters didn't tee off with frozen ropes and towering blasts on a regular basis.

I remember a time when the Texas Rangers looked like a World Series contender.

That time was two weeks ago, but it feels like two years ago.

We've been spoiled (kind of) as Rangers fans

I've read quite a few online comments from fans lately that the Texas Rangers are far from a great baseball team. The offense is inconsistent. The starting pitching is not elite. The bullpen picks inopportune times to blow up.

These are Rangers fans saying this stuff, too. OK, so perhaps Texas doesn't always have the appearance of a World Series contender.

For the last three years, these fans have been spoiled by a pretty doggone solid baseball team.

Rangers starting to have the feel of playoff-ready force

Adrian Beltre's towering two-run home run that lifted me out my seat in my Kansas City apartment around the midnight hour propelled the Rangers to a mammoth 3-1 victory over the Angels on Thursday in Anaheim.

It was a clean, convincing victory that extended Texas' lead in the AL West to four games over Oakland and 8.5 games ahead of I-still-don't-know-how-they're-not-better Anaheim.

Can Rangers make another World Series run without No. 1 starter?

This Texas Rangers team, at least on paper, doesn't always pass the eye test as a World Series contender.

The reason: If the postseason started today, Texas would likely have a playoff rotation that consisted of Matt Harrison, Yu Darvish, Ryan Dempster and Derek Holland.

Harrison owns a stellar 3.04 ERA this season and is 15-7, but has not experienced playoff success. Darvish, despite 172 strikeouts with more than a month left in the regular season, still has major control issues (80 walks, 4.51 ERA, 1.42 WHIP). Giving free passes in the postseason is akin to inviting death himself to your dinner table. Dempster, despite a sterling 2.99 ERA, has been blitzed twice for eight runs since switching to the American League. Holland's ERA remains a shade under 5.00.

Live Observations from Rangers 5-3 win in K.C.

Kansas City, Mo. - I remember attending a Rangers-Royals game at Kauffman Stadium in 2005 as a junior at the University of Kansas. Back in those days, I was probably one of the only fans at the K sporting Rangers gear.

Funny how times have changed.

This past Friday (8/3/12), it felt like Arlington North during a 5-3 Rangers victory over the Royals at the K. I suppose consecutive American League pennants will naturally grow a fan base's numbers, but I felt like holding up a sign that read, "I still have a Hank Blalock shirt-jersey."

Reaction to Rangers moves at the trade deadline

The Rangers acquired Ryan Dempster just in the nick of time on Tuesday.

At 2:58 p.m., two minutes before the trade deadline passed, Texas struck a deal to obtain the 35-year-old veteran for minor league prospects Christian Villanueva and Kyle Hendricks.

On the final day of the hot stove talks, there was a frenzy of Rangers activity that took place. Let's go over those major items with my thoughts to follow:

Mavs overhaul roster heading into 2012-2013: pros and cons

I wanted to interrupt my regularly scheduled sequence of Rangers blogs to analyze the surreal and bizarrely orchestrated offseason by the Dallas Mavericks.

The plan was to lure Deron Williams back to his hometown to pair with Dirk Nowitzki, who's entering the twilight of his career and has two guaranteed years left on his contract. After all, Dallas let Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, both in their prime, walk after the championship season of two years ago for this very moment. The plan failed, as Williams stayed with the now-Brooklyn Nets, which made another big splash by reeling in Joe Johnson.

Making matters even more interesting was Jason Terry signing with Boston, and Jason Kidd darting for New York. The Mavs were torn up in front of our eyes, and it hurt.

Lasting Memories Made at Kansas City's All-Star Fanfest

Kansas City, Mo. - With tickets for Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game at Kauffman Stadium (20 minutes from my current apartment) being $300-$400 a pop, I figured it would be wise to take part in the midsummer classic another way.

Fanfest at the Kansas City Convention Center ended up being the perfect solution.

The All-Star Fanfest - essentially a massive baseball museum/theme park that set up in downtown Kansas City's Convention Center - made me feel like a 10-year-old kid again on Christmas (err, Hanukkah, sorry) morning.

Bullet-point reactions on 2012 MLB All-Star selections

I thought it would be a nice opportunity for some bullet-point observations from the Gametime in Arlington blog, after the release of the MLB All-Star rosters Sunday afternoon:

• Here's what my ballot looked like.
• Here's who's actually starting for the American League.
• Here's who's actually starting for the NL. 

Gametime in Arlington's 2012 MLB All-Star starter predictions

Every year, I love looking ahead to the Midsummer Classic and predicting the starters for MLB's All-Star Game. Managers will reveal the rosters tomorrow afternoon, but here's my take on who should start at Kauffman Stadium, one of the more underrated parks in America after the renovation in 2009.

Grading the Rangers at the All-Star break: Pitchers edition

Earlier this week, I analyzed members of the Texas Rangers batting lineup in the first installment of a two-part series of handing out grades to the primary players. Today, it's time to break down the Rangers' pitchers.

The rotation looks nothing like it did in April. Neftali Feliz, Derek Holland and Colby Lewis are shelved on the disabled list, while the team added Roy Oswalt in the middle of the season to try to salvage some of the injuries.

Here's how I would hand out grades to the Texas pitchers:

Grading the Rangers at the All-Star break: Hitters edition

With a little less than two weeks until the All-Star break, the Texas Rangers hold a 4.5-game lead in the division and sport a 46-29 record.

So far, so good for the first half of the MLB season.

I'm starting a two-part series today that will provide grades for many of the main players on the roster. Today's part of the series will focus on the hitting, while a future blog topic will hand out grades to the pitchers. Let's get it started:

Is It Too Early To Become Concerned with Rangers?

No team in the American League currently has more victories than the 33-24 Texas Rangers.

The Rangers hold a four-game lead over Anaheim in the AL West.

On the surface, all would seem well in Ranger land. It doesn't really feel that way, though.

What the Rangers signing Roy Oswalt means: Darvish must be ace

I could get into a bit of analysis on the last few seasons Roy Oswalt pitched, and predict how that will translate into the 34-year-old making his 2012 debut in a few weeks wearing a Texas Rangers uniform, but it's more simple than that.

To me, the Rangers signing Oswalt this week told me one thing: It's Yu Darvish's time to take the reigns as the ace of this team.

Sunday night win over Angels completes memorable trip

Arlington, Texas - Apparently, the only way seven of my closest family members and friends would be able to sit together at Sunday night's Rangers-Angels game on ESPN was to sit high up in the stands. The game was sold out with an announced attendance of 46,669.

We just didn't know how far up in the stands we'd be until my dad showed his ticket to the usher for assistance.

"Alllll the way up to the top of the stairs," she said in a nice tone.

Four-ever: Josh Hamilton makes history with 4 HRs

I had every intention of Tuesday, May 8, being a normal night.

After I left work, I changed clothes, exercised for an hour, came home, showered, cooked some tilapia, and sat down to watch the Rangers take on the Orioles on mlb.tv streamed through AppleTV. Nothing too crazy going on here in Kansas City.

Turns out, it was one of the craziest baseball nights I have ever witnessed.

Rangers continue torrid pace in April

So much for that difficult schedule the Rangers were supposed to run into early in the season.

In the last nine games against elite American League teams (Detroit, Boston, New York), the Rangers are 7-2. Texas played six of those games on the road.

The Rangers now sit at 15-4 (tied for best start to a season in franchise history), far and away the best record in the AL. No other team has more than 11 victories right now.

This team is very, very good.

5 Rangers opening week observations

Many baseball prognosticators did not choose the Texas Rangers to make a third straight World Series appearance this season.

They saw what Anaheim did by adding Albert Pujols; they loved what Detroit shelled out for Prince Fielder; the Yankees are the Yankees; the Rays have arguably the best starting pitching in the majors; the Red Sox have a potent lineup.

Yet, after 11 games to start the 2012 season, it's the Rangers who flaunt the best record in the AL at 9-2.

The time is now: Time for Opening Day

The opening round of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday and Friday signifies complete sports-watching mayhem and gets the adrenaline pumping pretty quickly. Similarly, the first Sunday of the NFL season riles everyone up with excitement after a seven-month football layoff.

For the past few years, however, my preference is Major League Baseball's Opening Day. No other sports opening day can match the excitement I experience when the first pitch is thrown to jump start another baseball season.

5 bullet-point rumblings before Opening Day 2012

Seattle - In seven days, baseball fans can finally stop paying attention to meaningless games featuring players with jersey numbers in between 60 and 90.

Spring is in full swing, and spring training is almost over.

I'm in rival AL West territory at the moment, typing this blog from my hotel room at the Red Lion in Seattle. SocialTech 2012, a social media/marketing conference, brought me to Washington this weekend. First time to visit the Emerald City. It rained every day I was here, to no one's surprise, but I was impressed with the abundance of fresh/quality food I tasted on this trip (more on that later).

For now, here are five bullet-point rumblings as we prepare for Opening Day 2012:

Top 5 Rangers storylines I anticipate for 2012

Sometimes, the heartbreak of coming within one strike (twice) of winning the World Series overshadows the incredible run the Texas Rangers have put together the past two seasons.

The Rangers - a team that before 2010 had never won a postseason series - enter Spring Training as the two-time defending American League champions. They return every key player, minus starting pitcher C.J. Wilson, to a team that went 96-66 last season, the best regular season in franchise history. In 2010, Texas went 90-72 before making a World Series run.

Yu-Phoria: Darvish Dazzles in Debut

It's funny to think how much anticipation surrounded a rather meaningless spring training baseball game on Wednesday.

Such was the case for the first MLB appearance of Yu Darvish, whom the Rangers signed over the offseason for six years and $60 million (on top of a $51.7 million negotiating fee).



Survey said? So far, so good.

My list of the top 10 local Dallas rock songs

When I think about my favorite part of the summer, attending baseball games at Rangers Ballpark tops my list. Not far behind, though, is supporting local Dallas rock music.

I've had the pleasure of attending a ton of shows over the years. I'll always enjoy the memories of a summer night filled with the sounds of non-commercial rock music in the friendly confines of places such as Curtain Club, House of Blues and Club Clearview, to name a few.

Since I live in Kansas City, it's difficult to keep up with the local Dallas music scene as much as I'd like. However, in my 10 or so years of hearing bands with Dallas ties, these are my 10 favorite songs:

Happy Super Bowl Sunday

Happy Super Bowl Sunday from the Gametime in Arlington blog. Super Bowl XLVI is set to take place in a little less than five hours between the Giants and Patriots.

My prediction: Giants 27, Patriots 24.

Sad story: Josh Hamilton suffers second relapse (A reaction)

When "Josh Hamilton" became a trending topic on Twitter a few days ago, my mind started wandering. Did he and the Texas Rangers work out a new contract before Spring Training, per his preference? Did he get hurt in a freak accident and tear an ACL or something?

Unfortunately, it was worse.

Hamilton suffered his second relapse with alcohol in the past three years when he went out to Sherlock's in Dallas on Monday, Jan. 30.

Prince Fielder out of the picture in Texas - and that's a good thing

OK, fine, I'll admit it: I went to bed numerous nights in the past week dreaming of a Texas Rangers 2012 opening day lineup with super slugger Prince Fielder in the middle of it. With Fielder's presence, the Rangers would have boasted one of the best lineups of all-time.

As it turns out, Fielder won't be joining the two-time defending American League champions, instead opting to sign with the Detroit Tigers. Prince Fielder won't ever wear a Rangers uniform. And, the way I see it, that's a good thing.

What should Rangers do about Prince Fielder?

Now that Yu Darvish will be officially part of the payroll for the next six years, the attention of the Texas Rangers and their offseason plans turns to the possibility of signing free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.

Is it possible? Sure. Probable? Likely not.

Yu Darvish officially signs with Texas: What will rotation look like?

The final tally is in: $111.7 million.

That's how much the Texas Rangers spent ($51.7 million negotiating fee, $60 million contract over six years) on 25-year-old Japanese star pitcher Yu Darvish. The Rangers made it official on Wednesday, inking Darvish a mere 30 minutes before the 4 p.m. deadline. It was widely assumed that Texas and Darvish would reach an agreement.

As Yu Darvish wait continues, three-pointers rain from Denver

Yu Darvish and the Texas Rangers have until 4 p.m. tomorrow to reach an agreement on a contract. It's widely assumed the Japanese star pitcher and the Rangers will work out a deal, meaning that Darvish would pitch for Texas (likely as a No. 2 or 3 starter) in 2012.

If for some reason Darvish and Texas do not reach an agreement, he would return to Japan and the Rangers would be returned the $51.7 million they invested in the winning negotiation fee.

There's a bit of a pause in the Rangers' camp for right now until the Darvish news becomes official. It's after then that Texas can decide whether free agent first baseman Prince Fielder is a realistic option. Ditto for Roy Oswalt.