Spring Training 2015 Preview: What Needs to Happen for Rangers to Contend

I'm looking at spring training previews as I do around this time of year, and can't help but notice a disheartening similarity in the analysis of these articles: A whole lotta prognosticators like the Rangers to finish last in the AL West in 2015.

Damn, man, 2010 seemed like it was so long ago.

My natural inclination is to argue with these predictions, being the Rangers zealot I am. Ah, that's the beauty of spring training, when hope springs eternal. Clean slate. A few things have to happen, though, for the Rangers to climb out of the cellar of 67-95, the worst record in the AL and third-worst in all of baseball, and back into contention:

July 2014 MLB Trade Deadline Reaction: Tigers, A's Go All-In

All was quiet in Rangers land on Thursday as one of the most exciting days in MLB was heating up. To my surprise, Alex Rios and Neal Cotts are still donning Texas uniforms after the trade deadline.

Around the league, however, there was a frenzy of activity that moved big names to contenders who pushed all their chips to the center. My reaction on the top 3 deadline trades:

1. Three-team trade with David Price: Detroit, Tampa Bay, Seattle

• Tigers get: David Price
• Mariners get: Austin Jackson
• Rays get: Drew Smyly, Nick Franklin, prospect Willy Adames

PODCAST: What is Wrong With Texas Rangers in 2014? Well, Everything

I warned you guys about this on March 26. Sadly, that blog post - "Could 2014 be a catastrophe for the Texas Rangers" - has come to fruition a little more than three months later at the All-Star break.

The Rangers are in last place at 38-57. They are decimated by injuries. They are the only team in MLB to not arrive at the 40-win plateau by the All-Star break. It's bad. Not 0-162 bad like Ian Kinsler wanted, but let's just say the former Rangers second baseman is probably making all sorts of told-ya-so jokes in Detroit right now.

I hopped on the podcast mic with my former Plano West alum Sam Mood (@forever_dallas) to discuss what went wrong this season, who's to blame, trade possibilities at the deadline and the future of the club. Give it a listen below:

PODCAST: How Good Will Mavs Be After Adding Chandler Parsons?

The Dallas Mavericks just got a whole lot better by signing away one of Houston's best players, undoubtedly adding to the burgeoning intrastate rivalry between the two franchises.

Chandler Parsons (three years, $46 million) will join a Dallas squad that pushed the eventual champion San Antonio Spurs to seven games last season. He's still just 25 years old and will enter his fourth season. Not much to dislike here.

Parsons will join a starting lineup that includes Raymond Felton, Monta Ellis, Dirk Nowitzki and returning maverick hero Tyson Chandler. That's a strong first unit for coach Rick Carlisle.

I recently discussed how the move will impact the team on a podcast with my high school classmate Sam Mood (@forever_dallas). Check it out by listening below:

How Early Can We Consider It a Lost Season for Rangers?

Most of the Gametime in Arlington archives paint my favorite baseball team, the Texas Rangers, in a rather positive light. This blog entry sure as hell ain't one of them.

I'm about to fall off the proverbial baseball ledge due to the extraordinary number of patients checking into the Rangers infirmary. It's out of control. A bad horror movie. Someone stop the bleeding. Any help - Dexter Morgan? ... Yeah, that's the thing. There is no help. This team's descent into a quicksand of irrelevancy is picking up major steam.

See You Sunday Afternoon: Mavs Force Game 7 in Hectic Series

If "blood pressure monitor" shows up a few times in my Google search history, it's because I may require one before the end of this insane Mavs-Spurs series in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.

Here's how the series has gone, leading up to the deciding Game 7 on Sunday: Spurs by 5, Mavs by 21, Mavs by 1, Spurs by 4, Spurs by 6, Mavs by 2. Sure, the Mavs won Game 2 by a lot, but that game wasn't on mainstream TV. The rest of these games have all been televised. And they've all been heart-pounding.

The 8 seed Mavs are not supposed to be playing with the 1 seed Spurs. San Antonio had lost only five games since the All-Star break. Dallas, still led by a former NBA champion in Dirk Nowitzki, is relishing the role of underdog. And it's a beautiful thing to see.