Or should I say the Arlington Ameriquest Rangers? Anyway, if you haven't heard, there should be a naming rights agreement in place soon. So no more Ballpark in Arlington. Or maybe it will be Ameriquest Park in Arlington. Heck, let's just change the team name back to the Senators, so the Expos can't get it.

Alright enough of that. On to the players.

That solid rock that used to play shortstop is no longer with the team, having defected to the place where ballplayers are happy and free (except for the remainder of that $250 mil). So Michael Young appears to be volunteer to fill in. Many around here think this will be a short stay for Soriano, but the Rangers could do worse especially if he can become better defensively. Nothing worse than seeing a bad pitching team, with bad defense. At least they can hit.

And they should hit again. Palmeiro (a personal favorite/fellow Bulldog), A-Rod, and Gonzo are gone. But Brad Fullmer, Soriano, and Brian Jordan aren't bad replacements. Add the young guys: Blalock, Young, Texeira, Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix, and Ramon Nivar. There could be some moments of excitement from this group as they grow together. Dellucci, Herbert Perry, and Eric Young will provide good bench depth.

So what about the pitching? Well, let's not go there. If 2 starters have 5 wins each by the end of May, it will be a miracle.

Let's keep this rolling. I know there are several DFW folks on the boards, any Rangers fans? Anyone tolerate them? Anyone still going to games this year? I know that I'll be getting tickets for the weekend series that the Cardinals are in town, but haven't decided on any others yet. I'd love to see Raffy and the O's come back, A-Rod and the Yanks, Gonzo and the Royals, Oakland's awesome pitching staff, Houston's awesome pitching staff, and even Vlad and the Halos.


(14 down now... so who starts the Devil Rays thread?)

g_vf killed that one

The Texas Rangers open the month of May by sweeping a doubleheader from the over-rated Boston Red Sox (although the second game got scary there at the end). Their record goes to 15-8, just one-half game short of the best record in the AL.

I ask you this: just who could possibly have foreseen this happening? Coming off a last place season, they not only lost the best player in the game, but they also lost a possible Hall of Famer / Viagra spokesmodel to boot.

Who could possibly have known they'd be this good? Gloat Gloat Gloat Gloat Gloat

[ May 01, 2004, 09:47 PM: Message edited by: Charlie in the Trees ]

It's a tad early for gloat gloat gloat gloat gloating. wink Ask last year's Royals.

Very true JIP. It's no secret that once Cowboys training camp begins each year (and sometimes even before), the Rangers begin to plummet in the standings. This year should be no different (unfortunately).

It's kind of a running joke in the Dallas area that the Rangers get no coverage on the local TV sports reports due to their standings and the spotlight on the Cowboys once camp begins.

It's a little premature for both gloating and doomsaying at this point. Right now, as long as the Rangers keep winning, they'll stay on top of the AL West. They are going to focus on winning each game (we hope). I think it appropriate, at this point, to just enjoy the games as they happen and continue to hope, and be thankful we're not the Boston Red Sox. As Delores Kearns Goodwin tells her children, "The only reason the Red Sox win today, is because it will be more painful when they lose tomorrow." In all their years of ineffectiveness, at least the Rangers have never brought that level of heartache to the Metroplex.

The key to this team is that no one is expecting them to win. If they are in the race in June/July, now they have a little more payroll to see if they want to fill a couple of needs with free-agents-to-be or role players. But it is premature to think anything at this point. A good April with a young team leaves a lot of hope for the future. Plus, with the contracts already signed for Hank Blalock and Michael Young, the potential of Laynce Nix and Mark Teixeira, and the belief that some decent pitching prospects are coming quickly (Joaquin Benoit and R.A. Dickey may already be here), this could be a Rangers team in or near the race for the next 4-5 years.

My partner and I happened to be at the doubleheader last night, or at least the last third of the first game and all of the second. There were a LOT of Red Sox fans in attendance, at least in our sections. Here's to hoping that will change over the next year or two, and the closet Rangers fans will actually start coming out!

[ May 02, 2004, 11:15 AM: Message edited by: MSUBulldog ]

16-9 after sweeping a team that the baseball cognosecenti already had pencilled in to the World Series.
Best record in the Major Leagues after 25 games.

I'm not saying that the Rangers are a lock for the playoffs. I'm not even saying that they're a lock for a winning record. But ... they're looking damn good for a team that, before the season started, ESPN ranked 30th out of 30 teams (behind even the Devil Rays, the Tigers, the Mets, and the Expos). Clearly, they're much better than that. And it's not premature to render that judgment.

And aren't Michael Young and Hank Blalock just about the cutest left-side of an infield anywhere?

They're certainly better than teams like the Devil Rays, Tigers and Mets, but I think they're playing a bit above their heads right now. They deserve credit for what they've accomplished thus far, and I think they'll hang around the top of the division for a few weeks more, but they just do not have enough pitching to sustain them through the summer months. I'd look for them to do a bit of a June Swoon and finish the season just below .500. That in and of itself should be encouranging for this team.

Sounds a lot like CITT's last "gloat gloat gloat" ... circa April 2003, about how swift and low in casualties the Iraq war was? (I'll sponge-bathe whoever finds that post.)

I'm not going to morph a baseball thread into a discussion of the relative successes of the Iraqi campaign, I'll just note that ...

The Billy Beane Oakland A's have an established pattern of performing better in the second half than the first half. No reason for you to get all pissy-panicky over the fact that, right now, they're looking up at Ranger butt in the standings.

(And what nice butts those Rangers have, I must say.)

Right you are, the A's are a second-half team. And I'm not at all pissy-panicky about their current standing, I'm just amused how a stretch of 25 games can be overvalued cuz it's at the start of the season. Expect Oakland to improve when Beane horse-trades, and Texas to suffer from humidity and Showalterism.

"Relative successes" in Iraq? Similar to those 6 wins the Expos have? (Perhaps MLB will show mercy on Frank Robinson and bring a Baathist general in to manage. In his old uniform.)

It is nice to see the Rangers doing well after trading A-Rod. Would that not be sweet for them to make the playoffs and face the Yankees?

Regarding A-Rod...no hard feelings here. He was well liked but we knew for a long time that we could sustain his salary and get other players good enough to pursue a title.

The guys we have now are good solid players and I love to watch them. Hungry hard workers all. And talk about hunky, Delucci, Blalock, Perry, Young, Fullmer...WOW.. :cool:

On VC now, so I went to the SAT double header, Sunday's game and will go again tomorrow. They are a lot of fun to watch and I'm excited about this year.

Yeah, yeah, they may fade later this year. The A's are very good and I worry about them...not to mention the Yankees... :mad: But we have this time now and the players know what success feels like, so if things slide a bit, they will work hard to get back on top.

Go Rangers!

Almost the wildest inning in baseball history! Detroit scores 8 in the top of the 5th, but Texas responds with 10 of their own. The two teams' 18 runs is one short of the major league record for runs in any inning. In April 1977 Cleveland (13) and Boston (6) combined for 19 in the eighth inning.

I watched the game on TV, and couldn't believe my eyes. It would have been something to be at the Ballpark (not that Ameriquest Field thing) and actually be a part of it. The fans looked like they were having a blast, and it was a GREAT crowd (over 45,000 just shy of opening day).

This team might not make the playoffs, but you have to give them credit for at least filling the seats in The Ballpark for a team other than the Yankees.

No argument from me, hummer....I've never been a big fan of Showalter as a manager but this Rangers squad is definitely loaded with hunks! -- even a few of their pitchers are drool-worthy.

While watching the Rangers game on FSN the other night play-by-play announcer Josh Lewin said that Showalter has PROMISED that the team will wear their sleeveless vest uniforms this summer WITHOUT the undershirts, allowing Fullmer, Blalock, Delluci and Mench (among others) to show off their impressive biceps! ....Lewin even said that several of these young studs were "excited" and "looking forward" to showing off their impressive guns (along with a few their assorted tattoos) for the fans.

I did find it hilarious, though, when the Texas announcers jokingly said the team wanted to have a Kevin Mench bobblehead night but if they made the dolls to proper scale there is no way his HUGE head would fit inside the box.

[ May 09, 2004, 01:47 PM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

Are you saying my new crush has got a big head that can't fit into a small box?

...Where can I get one? I'd definitely like to see how his head bobbles when I tap it... wink

[ May 10, 2004, 08:50 AM: Message edited by: Niner_Fan ]

I'm surprised nobody has commented on the nasty incident involving Rangers' relief pitcher Frank Francisco in Oakland last night. Francisco is facing charges for throwing a chair into the stands, breaking the nose of a female fan. Apparently the woman's husband had been verbally taunting another pitcher (Doug Brocail) and things escalated from there. It is worth noting that the fan had not thrown any object at the Rangers, although even if he had, that would still not justify Francisco's extreme reaction.

This is reminiscent of the incident in the AL championship series last year in Boston, when Karim Garcia and Jeff Nelson were charged with assaulting a Red Sox fan. The last I heard, the trial for these (former) Yankees will take place next month.

I don't know what the stadium security staff were doing while this scene was developing, but obviously better policing is needed to control unruly fans (and players). I've often heard that Oakland Raiders fans are among the rowdiest in sports, but I guess some of them attend A's games as well.

A's fans are redneck ass****s. It's dangerous to go to games over there because the crowd gets so drunk and unruly. They've been known to throw cell phones at the heads of visiting players and pour beers on them from the stands. One of the most miserable stadiums for baseball.

I'm sure the Rangers were provoked to no end by some ass**** A's fans. Trust me, I know how obnoxious they are. At the same time, remember that most baseball players are 20-somethings that just don't know how to deal with verbal attacks like that.

However, there's no excuse for the Ranger's pitcher to throw a chair at the fans. Absolutely no excuse.

A's fans are redneck ass****s?
I've been going to A's games since my early youth when Catfish and Reggie were on the team. Are some A's fans ass****s? Of course. ass****-dom is not confined to any one team. And all too often security does nothing.
Are A's fans as a group redneck ass****s? Please. Compare to Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia (where their own players get death threats), New York. Not even close.
Actually the WORST behavior I've seen at A's games is from San Francisco Giants fans. They are almost without exception blind drunk, express a wish for someone to get hurt, and scream "faggot faggot faggot" continually.
As to what happened Monday. People who were actually THERE all agree. The fan in question was heckling but just with stuff like "you're losers", "you're gonna lose", "go home loser" etc. Probably irritating but hardly exceptional. Both A's officials and Oakland police agree: the fan was not using racial language, not using obscenity, not talking about the players' wives or mothers, etc. First one player invited him to come down and fight and he said "no way loser" or something like that. He was then called a motherf**king faggot by the player (numerous witnesses heard this), who then threw a chair and broke a woman's nose while several players tried to climb into the stands.
Yeah, A's fans are redneck ass****s, right?

Why talk when we can look? Sometimes a picture's worth a thousand words!

Gary Gwilliam's one of the top personal injury lawyers in the country. Looks like Texas is going to be helping California out of our financial mess!

Yes they are Ms. de Blazer. Reports are that the fan, Craig Bueno, was continually harassing Brocail about how FAT he was and how his weight was going to lose the game. That's more personal than saying "You're gonna lose!" Anyone who has experienced the horror of fat jokes directed at them can sympathize.

A's and Raiders fans have a well-known history for their rowdy drunken behavior. The A's fans are continually trying to raise shit. Last April an A's fan threw a cell phone at the head of Rangers outfielder Carl Everett, which is extremely dangerous.

Also last year an A's fan was arrested for setting off an M-100 cherry bomb firecracker that he threw at and injured an 8-year old child.

Also last year an A's fan was arrested for biting the pinky finger of an Oakland police officer that was trying to break up a fight.

That's real civil behavior alright!

There are no similar reports for Giant's fans at Pac Bell Park (or SBC). And why would Giant's fans attending an A's game shout "faggot, faggot, faggot"? Sorry, but Giants fans just don't shout those words. Duh!

I do think that Frank Francisco should have the books thrown at him and either pay a hefty fine or serve some time for assault. But at the same time, I can easily get a feel for how the A's fan provoked the players to this climax. I've seen A's fans do it so many times.

Here is a link to an eyewitness account.

http://www.sportsbarinfo.com/smf/index.php?topic=38.0

I know this person and have no reason to think his account is not substantially correct.
Yes, the guy was on the pitcher, but saying "you're a loser" is NOT over the line.
As far as behavior of Giants fans, I'm not talking about at Pac Bell (I've never been there), I am talking about at the Oakland Coliseum. Giants fans turn out especially for interleague, not just when A's play Giants but also when they play Dodgers. Understandable and I have no problem with that. Sometimes they just show up because the Giants are on the road. That's fine too. But I have witnessed the behavior I described. Over and over and over. For years. If it was just once I'd say that person is an ass****, and I still am not saying all SF Giants fans are jerks. But the ones who liquor up and come to games in Oakland sure as hell are.

Francisco has been suspended for the remainder of the season.

[ September 18, 2004, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: George_vikingfan ]

So he's appealing the suspension. The way MLB operates, that could happen eons from now. The appeal should be heard within 2 days of the request.

No doubt he'll begin serving his suspension when the Rangers are mathematically eliminated.

They may not be mathmatically elimated if they keep beating the A's this week. Starting to get interesting!

They will be eligible for the postseason if the Rangers make it. They should not be, at least not Francisco.

I think I'd like him to be suspended for some of the postseason as well. And they just might make it -- the Rangers finished off a sweep of the A's, and are only 2 games back and tied with Anaheim in the AL West. The A's go to Anaheim while the Rangers have Seattle at home.