Bucket List Stadium Tour Hits Ballpark No. 10 in Anaheim

Anaheim, Calif. - I take great joy in keeping track of how many Major League Baseball stadiums I've visited. It's a sports bucket list sort of deal. This past Labor Day, I had the opportunity to visit Anaheim with my brother Dave to follow the Rangers as they took on the Angels.

The stadium was crazy nice. The first night (9/5), the Rangers beat the Angels, 2-1, behind eight masterfully spun innings by southpaw Derek Holland. After a woeful start to the 2014 season, Texas has completely turned its season around and at the time was in the thick of the wild card and AL West race. It made our trip that much more enjoyable. There's nothing quite like meaningful baseball in September.

Joey Gallo Goes All Roy Hobbs in Debut, Rangers Fans Lose Their Minds

I'm not entirely sure what I'm about to type, but I'm 100% sure I just had an out-of-body baseball experience.

In his big league debut, Rangers third baseman Joey Gallo announced his presence with a scintillating 3-for-4, 4 RBI performance that included a single, double, walk and most memorably a towering home run that shot out of a freaking cannon into the second deck:

What Do We Make of Texas Rangers in 2015?

Baseball is a really weird game. The Texas Rangers, seemingly an afterthought in 2015, have come out of nowhere to win six straight games. Don't look now, but the Rangers boast an MLB-best 16-10 road record. However, they're only 6-13 at home. Remember when I said baseball's weird?

Add that up and you have a 22-23 squad whose stock is steadily rising in the AL West. What are we to make of this hot mess?

The question many Rangers fans are hesitant to ask because we didn't feel we'd be able to ask it is ... Can the Rangers actually contend this year?

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: