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.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
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.
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.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
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."
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."
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
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:
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:
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
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.
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.
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