Way to go Rangers!

[kepdawg]

The Rangers aren't in last place! :clap:

[crzyjournalist03]

and most likely won't finish there this year either...Oakland is going to just plain awful.

[Bull19]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Oakland is going to just plain awful.

:rolleyes: only a rangers fan would make a statement like that only one game into the season.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Bull19
:rolleyes: only a rangers fan would make a statement like that only one game into the season.

har har :rolleyes:....


No, I've been saying it for months...just take a look at their roster...they're going to be very, very bad.

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by Bull19
:rolleyes: only a rangers fan would make a statement like that only one game into the season.


Are you talking about kepdawg or crzy?


:confused:

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
Are you talking about kepdawg or crzy?


:confused:

he's talking about me...he likes to harass me on baseball threads because I correctly predicted that the Rangers would have a better record than his Astros last year, leaving him bitter, and then I told him that the Astros wouldn't sniff the playoffs this year with their pitching staff.

It pains Astros fans to realize that they're no better than the Rangers right now, with far less talent in the minors coming up.

[NastySlot]

once worked with a guy that use to rag on me for following the rangers.....you know he once told me something and 20 years later I now believe him......the Rangers are the most Snake Bit team in pro sports........still hoping they make some noise this season.......he also told me the Mavs wouldn't ever win a championship......that they would never have a clue on how to draft....with picks like Uwe Blab....he use throw that in my face....along with Kiki Vandewage.

[sahen]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03

It pains Astros fans to realize that they're no better than the Rangers right now, with far less talent in the minors coming up.

man, one year w/ a better record and Ranger fans are now expecting to be better in years to come...the Astros historically (last 20 years or so) have had a couple down years followed by a string of very good years normally resulting in playoff appearances or at least being in the playoff race come september....the Rangers on the other hand have a history of having a good year here and there but being god awful most of the time...hopefully the Rangers decide to have a good year here sometime soon cause it does appear the Astros will be down for a year, maybe 2 but with the adminstrations of both teams you can almost guarantee the Astros will be back to battling for a playoff spot sometime soon while the Rangers will fade again if they can find a way to have a decent year to begin with....

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by sahen
man, one year w/ a better record and Ranger fans are now expecting to be better in years to come...the Astros historically (last 20 years or so) have had a couple down years followed by a string of very good years normally resulting in playoff appearances or at least being in the playoff race come september....the Rangers on the other hand have a history of having a good year here and there but being god awful most of the time...hopefully the Rangers decide to have a good year here sometime soon cause it does appear the Astros will be down for a year, maybe 2 but with the adminstrations of both teams you can almost guarantee the Astros will be back to battling for a playoff spot sometime soon while the Rangers will fade again if they can find a way to have a decent year to begin with....


Astros...Rangers....

What does it matter? Detroit is going to coast to the WS win.
Everyone else will be just playing out the season.:thinking: :D

[Bull19]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
har har :rolleyes:....


No, I've been saying it for months...just take a look at their roster...they're going to be very, very bad.

:rolleyes: i guess this means the red sox are gunna be very,very, very bad as well. since the a's were up on the sox going into the top of the ninth this morning, and even had a fantastic chance to tie it back up in the tenth, but was cut short by a baserunning error.

im not saying your gunna be wrong about them coming in last, but i wouldn't say they suck just quite yet baseing your opinion by looking at just who is on the roster and maybe some of it by watching their first game.

their is PLENTY of baseball left to played this year.

[BobcatBenny]

Never Forget!
http://www.theonion.com/content/files/images/onion_imagearticle124.article.jpg

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by sahen
man, one year w/ a better record and Ranger fans are now expecting to be better in years to come...the Astros historically (last 20 years or so) have had a couple down years followed by a string of very good years normally resulting in playoff appearances or at least being in the playoff race come september....the Rangers on the other hand have a history of having a good year here and there but being god awful most of the time...hopefully the Rangers decide to have a good year here sometime soon cause it does appear the Astros will be down for a year, maybe 2 but with the adminstrations of both teams you can almost guarantee the Astros will be back to battling for a playoff spot sometime soon while the Rangers will fade again if they can find a way to have a decent year to begin with....

History can be construed in many different ways. If you go back 20 years ago, the Yankees were a laughingstock of the league. That's not always a good indicator of the past.

According the the people who know things, and I consider Baseball America to be a pretty reliable source, the Astros group of prospects is the worst in all of professional baseball right now, with the Rangers sitting in 4th overall. That's a pretty strong indicator to me that the experts expect Texas to be better than Houston over the next 3-5 years barring major free agency signings (which can never be predicted).

[SintonFan_inAustin]

:) Rangers lineup looks better than i thought, now the pitching is where i worried the Rangers be out of the race after 3 weeks. But as long as the Rangers beat the Astros in Texas Series

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by SintonFan_inAustin
:) Rangers lineup looks better than i thought, now the pitching is where i worried the Rangers be out of the race after 3 weeks. But as long as the Rangers beat the Astros in Texas Series

Jennings really looks like he's back to pre-Astros form. Mendoza could be a nice addition, but youth is always a question mark. The bullpen should be strong once again, and there's no possible way that the rotation will stink as bad as it did for the first half of last year again...I mean, they were record-setting bad for the first half last year. So I figure it will HAVE to improve considering it had been something like forty years since a team's rotation had been that bad.

I think the Rangers will finish right around .500 this year.

[sahen]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
History can be construed in many different ways. If you go back 20 years ago, the Yankees were a laughingstock of the league. That's not always a good indicator of the past.

According the the people who know things, and I consider Baseball America to be a pretty reliable source, the Astros group of prospects is the worst in all of professional baseball right now, with the Rangers sitting in 4th overall. That's a pretty strong indicator to me that the experts expect Texas to be better than Houston over the next 3-5 years barring major free agency signings (which can never be predicted).

i am not arguing that the Rangers dont have better talent than the Astros in the minor leagues, all i was saying is if we let history be our judge (and it is normally right) the Rangers will find a way to screw it up after they have a big year or even before they have a big year and the Astros will be back...why did the Yankees come back from being the laughingstock? casue they are the Yankees...why do the Rangers continue to fall down and be the laughing stock? cause they are the Rangers....its just how things have gone throughout time, now if the Rangers got a manager worth a darn then maybe he will change their perception and not screw things up, i sure do hope so cause i like the Rangers and would love to see them do well...its always great to have ur number 2 team doing well when your number 1 (obviously astros for me) is struggling....

[sahen]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
Astros...Rangers....

What does it matter? Detroit is going to coast to the WS win.
Everyone else will be just playing out the season.:thinking: :D

im going to see the Astros/Tigers play here on friday (spring training half price tickets!)...sitting in the outfield for the first time, hope i get a homerun ball...

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by sahen
i am not arguing that the Rangers dont have better talent than the Astros in the minor leagues, all i was saying is if we let history be our judge (and it is normally right) the Rangers will find a way to screw it up after they have a big year or even before they have a big year and the Astros will be back...why did the Yankees come back from being the laughingstock? casue they are the Yankees...why do the Rangers continue to fall down and be the laughing stock? cause they are the Rangers....its just how things have gone throughout time, now if the Rangers got a manager worth a darn then maybe he will change their perception and not screw things up, i sure do hope so cause i like the Rangers and would love to see them do well...its always great to have ur number 2 team doing well when your number 1 (obviously astros for me) is struggling....

Isn't the current Astros regime arguably more prone to screw things up than the Rangers over the last three years or so?

The Rangers have a regime in place that's sworn to their current plan. Ron Washington is not a guy who's going to screw up the team, and Jon Daniels has been doing one heck of a job lately.

[Necks_Fan]

I just think the Astros are going to do well with the MUCH improved lineup. Pitching will probably be about the same---bad. But with Pence missing a significant amount of time last year and upgrades at just about every position offensively, look for them to be much more potent in scoring. I think they will vie for a playoff spot. who knows if they get it but I feel like they might go 83-79 with the Rangers just under .500.


Now I have nothing against the Rangers (I am an astros Fan), but that's just how I see things thus far.

[sahen]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Isn't the current Astros regime arguably more prone to screw things up than the Rangers over the last three years or so?

The Rangers have a regime in place that's sworn to their current plan. Ron Washington is not a guy who's going to screw up the team, and Jon Daniels has been doing one heck of a job lately.

the Astros regime took them to the world series and back to back to NLCS appearances...world series was 3 seasons ago, they finished 1.5 games back (so well in playoff contention) 2 seasons ago and had a bad year last year....they finally got old so we will see what happens but in Drayton's time w/ the Astros he has 6 playoff appearances (4 central titles and 2 wildcards) including 2 NLCS appearances and a world series appearance...Drayton has also been w/ the Astros since '94, so in 14 years he goes to the playoffs almost half the time...a better look at the regime of Drayton might be to look at the finishes over that 14 year period to see if they were in contention for the playoff come sept., in order they are:

2#,2,2,1*,1*,1*,4,1*, 2,2,2*,2*,2,4
#=strike shortened season
*=playoffs

i think we r ok w/ Drayton's regime....

contrasted w/ Hick's regime his finishes are:
1*,1*,4,4,4,4,3,3,3,4

all i can say is...ouch, at least the 'stros have something to play for almost every year come sept....

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by sahen
the Astros regime took them to the world series and back to back to NLCS appearances...world series was 3 seasons ago, they finished 1.5 games back (so well in playoff contention) 2 seasons ago and had a bad year last year....they finally got old so we will see what happens but in Drayton's time w/ the Astros he has 6 playoff appearances (4 central titles and 2 wildcards) including 2 NLCS appearances and a world series appearance...Drayton has also been w/ the Astros since '94, so in 14 years he goes to the playoffs almost half the time...a better look at the regime of Drayton might be to look at the finishes over that 14 year period to see if they were in contention for the playoff come sept., in order they are:

2#,2,2,1*,1*,1*,4,1*, 2,2,2*,2*,2,4
#=strike shortened season
*=playoffs

i think we r ok w/ Drayton's regime....

contrasted w/ Hick's regime his finishes are:
1*,1*,4,4,4,4,3,3,3,4

all i can say is...ouch, at least the 'stros have something to play for almost every year come sept....


From a fan's perspective though, I've heard a heck of a lot of Astros fans bemoaning the fact that they let X player go or traded Y player and ran the farm system bare. On the Rangers side, what you're hearing right now is how excited they are that X prospect is progressing or that we haven't traded away Y.

I'll be the first to admit that the Astros have had a heck of a run over the last fifteen years, but it just seems to me that the tides for both teams started turning at the end of the 2006 season, and the Rangers' outlook is getting better and better by the day, while the Astros are left to wonder what they're going to have three years from now.

[Adidas410s]

The A's won't be as bad as you think. The moneyball is starting to roll for Billy and the boys in Oakland again...

[sahen]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
From a fan's perspective though, I've heard a heck of a lot of Astros fans bemoaning the fact that they let X player go or traded Y player and ran the farm system bare. On the Rangers side, what you're hearing right now is how excited they are that X prospect is progressing or that we haven't traded away Y.

I'll be the first to admit that the Astros have had a heck of a run over the last fifteen years, but it just seems to me that the tides for both teams started turning at the end of the 2006 season, and the Rangers' outlook is getting better and better by the day, while the Astros are left to wonder what they're going to have three years from now.

astros fans complain because finishing 4th is unacceptable to them and they have a lot tied into the team...just because the fans complain doesnt mean they are right, some people will complain no matter what...also for Astros fans the whole crappy pitching episode we seem to be enivitably facing this season is new, in all of the Astros history they have always had great pitching and horrible hitting, we will see what happens this year one thing working in the Astros favor for the season (not postseason) is that relaly the whole Central doesnt have pitching so maybe the Astros can still do something....

the Rangers fans are excited before almost every season it seems and then they are normally disheartened by about july...the tide may be turning but i doubt it, if anything i would hope that the Rangers are finally figuring it out and the Astros just need a year or 2 to reload...maybe both teams will be alive come sept in years to come....

[Silverback 04]

Originally posted by Bull19
:rolleyes: only a rangers fan would make a statement like that only one game into the season.


OK, I'm a huge Rangers fan and have been for years, but correct me if I'm wrong but I don't think the season starts for another week. The Rangers are currently 15-10 in spring ball with about 4 games to play. Only the Red Sox and A's are playing real ball in Japan.

[Bull19]

Originally posted by Silverback 04
Only the Red Sox and A's are playing real ball in Japan.

yes which signifies the start of the season. their games count, which clearly means the season has started. get on www.mlb.com and look it up. counts towards the playoffs. it doesnt get much clearer than that. other teams might not have played REAL games yet, but the 08' mlb season HAS officialy started

[kepdawg]

So much for not being in last place! :(

[NastySlot]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
From a fan's perspective though, I've heard a heck of a lot of Astros fans bemoaning the fact that they let X player go or traded Y player and ran the farm system bare. On the Rangers side, what you're hearing right now is how excited they are that X prospect is progressing or that we haven't traded away Y.

I'll be the first to admit that the Astros have had a heck of a run over the last fifteen years, but it just seems to me that the tides for both teams started turning at the end of the 2006 season, and the Rangers' outlook is getting better and better by the day, while the Astros are left to wonder what they're going to have three years from now.


hey I like the rangers have followed them almost all my life...but the tides are changing...how about the rangers doing something on the field first.............I think every year looks promising at the start.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by kepdawg
So much for not being in last place! :(

They're still tied for first though!!!

[kepdawg]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
They're still tied for first though!!!

I think a winning percentage of higher than 0 is better than a winning percentage of 0.

[Texasfootball2]

Here's is the Rangers opening day starting lineup.


Player Career BA
2b I. Kinsler .274
ss M. Young .302
cf J. Hamilton .292
rf M. Bradley .273
3b H. Blalock .273
lf M. Byrd .273 *(.307 last year as first time starter)
1b B. Broussard .267
C G. Laird .246 or J. Saltalamacchia


DH possibilities

J. Saltamamacchia
F. Catalanotto .294
J. Botts
N. Cruz or M. Bradley depending on which one is in RF.

Starting Pitchers
#1 K. Millwood
#2 V. Padilla
#3 J. Jennings
#4 K. Gabbard
#5 L. Mendoza or K. Loe

Offense has the potential to be very versital. Decent mix of power and speed. Should be able to manufacture some runs instead of waiting on the long ball, even though they will have decent power throughout the lineup.

Pitching: Always an achillies heel with the Rangers. The only chance the Rangers have of staying in the race until at least Aug. is for Millwood to stay healthy and pitch like he did when he won the AL ERA champion the year before he became a Ranger. Jennings and Gabbard both also have to stay healthy and give them 20+ quality starts each. "IF" and I mean "IF", Padilla and/or Mendoza or Loe can come up with career years and the combination of CJ Wilson and E. Guardado can save winable games 80% or more of the time, maybe us Ranger fans and it's obvious I'm a huge optimisitic Ranger fan, will have some exciting games to watch in late Aug. and early Sept.

Winning the West is probably their only way into the playoffs because the wild card team will probably come from the Central or East. The Angels will start the year with an unhealty pitching staff and a slightly disgruntled Vladimir Grerrero, so if the Rangers can get off the a hot start and build some momentum who knows, afterall the Rockies and Diamondbacks both started last year with much dimmer outlooks than the Rangers.

Pick at it all you want, and I know some of you will. There are a lot of "IF'S" in my analisis, but stranger things have happened.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Texasfootball2
Here's is the Rangers opening day starting lineup.


Player Career BA
2b I. Kinsler .274
ss M. Young .302
cf J. Hamilton .292
rf M. Bradley .273
3b H. Blalock .273
lf M. Byrd .273 *(.307 last year as first time starter)
1b B. Broussard .267
C G. Laird .246 or J. Saltalamacchia


DH possibilities

J. Saltamamacchia
F. Catalanotto .294
J. Botts
N. Cruz or M. Bradley depending on which one is in RF.

Starting Pitchers
#1 K. Millwood
#2 V. Padilla
#3 J. Jennings
#4 K. Gabbard
#5 L. Mendoza or K. Loe

Offense has the potential to be very versital. Decent mix of power and speed. Should be able to manufacture some runs instead of waiting on the long ball, even though they will have decent power throughout the lineup.

Pitching: Always an achillies heel with the Rangers. The only chance the Rangers have of staying in the race until at least Aug. is for Millwood to stay healthy and pitch like he did when he won the AL ERA champion the year before he became a Ranger. Jennings and Gabbard both also have to stay healthy and give them 20+ quality starts each. "IF" and I mean "IF", Padilla and/or Mendoza or Loe can come up with career years and the combination of CJ Wilson and E. Guardado can save winable games 80% or more of the time, maybe us Ranger fans and it's obvious I'm a huge optimisitic Ranger fan, will have some exciting games to watch in late Aug. and early Sept.

Winning the West is probably their only way into the playoffs because the wild card team will probably come from the Central or East. The Angels will start the year with an unhealty pitching staff and a slightly disgruntled Vladimir Grerrero, so if the Rangers can get off the a hot start and build some momentum who knows, afterall the Rockies and Diamondbacks both started last year with much dimmer outlooks than the Rangers.

Pick at it all you want, and I know some of you will. There are a lot of "IF'S" in my analisis, but stranger things have happened.

good analysis...just a couple of updates:

Nelson Cruz has been told he will not be with the Rangers. They will DFA him later this week, meaning he'll either be traded or placed on waivers with the intent of sending him to the minors.

Saltalamacchia is almost a definite to start the year at AAA. Adam Melhuse will most likely be the backup catcher.

Luis Mendoza has won a spot in the rotation. Loe will either pitch out of the bullpen or pitch in the minors.

[Texasfootball2]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
good analysis...just a couple of updates:

Nelson Cruz has been told he will not be with the Rangers. They will DFA him later this week, meaning he'll either be traded or placed on waivers with the intent of sending him to the minors.

Saltalamacchia is almost a definite to start the year at AAA. Adam Melhuse will most likely be the backup catcher.

Luis Mendoza has won a spot in the rotation. Loe will either pitch out of the bullpen or pitch in the minors.

Thanks for the update. This probably means that Catalanatto will probably start the year as the DH. Cat is a steady player and gives them even more flexibility will their batting order. Cat can hit almost anywhere in the lineup.

I think it will be interesting to see what they do with Botts. Great talent with a tremendous upside, but has yet to figure out major league pitching yet.

One guy to keep your eye on in my opinion is David Murphy, utility outfielder. 6'4" 205 lefty who has a career avg. of .323 and a slugging pct. of .528 ( Micheal Young has a career .448 slug pct. just for comparison). Take into consideration that he has only played in 66 career games.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Texasfootball2
Thanks for the update. This probably means that Catalanatto will probably start the year as the DH. Cat is a steady player and gives them even more flexibility will their batting order. Cat can hit almost anywhere in the lineup.

I think it will be interesting to see what they do with Botts. Great talent with a tremendous upside, but has yet to figure out major league pitching yet.

One guy to keep your eye on in my opinion is David Murphy, utility outfielder. 6'4" 205 lefty who has a career avg. of .323 and a slugging pct. of .528 ( Micheal Young has a career .448 slug pct. just for comparison). Take into consideration that he has only played in 66 career games.

Botts HAS made the team and will be the primary DH against lefthanders and will give Ben Broussard breaks at 1B. The goal right now is to have a platoon of Cat/Botts at DH once Bradley moves back to right, and have Botts get some ABs at first as well.

Murphy is going to see a lot of playing time this year. While technically he's the fourth outfielder, he's going to get around 100 starts this year as none of the current outfielders have been everyday players throughout their careers.

[Texasfootball2]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Botts HAS made the team and will be the primary DH against lefthanders and will give Ben Broussard breaks at 1B. The goal right now is to have a platoon of Cat/Botts at DH once Bradley moves back to right, and have Botts get some ABs at first as well.

Murphy is going to see a lot of playing time this year. While technically he's the fourth outfielder, he's going to get around 100 starts this year as none of the current outfielders have been everyday players throughout their careers.

I think you and I should attend a Ranger game this year. Sounds like we could have a good conversation regarding the Rangers, *along with the fun that comes with ballpark beverages.

[crzyjournalist03]

and another update:

according to the DMN, Saltalamacchia has officially been demoted to AAA, as has Kameron Loe.

[Sweetwater Red]

I really want to attend a game when Detroit comes to town....now
that they're good again.:thinking: :D

How much did the Rangers pay for A-Rod again?;)


http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?&brand=null&videoId=3312348&n8pe6c=2

[crzyjournalist03]

Looks like you'll be waiting until August 18th at the earliest to see Detroit.

[Texasfootball2]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
Looks like you'll be waiting until August 18th at the earliest to see Detroit.

Hopefully the Rangers will still be in the race. If not there will be some good seats available:thumbsup:

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by Texasfootball2
Hopefully the Rangers will still be in the race. If not there will be some good seats available:thumbsup:

Any where behind the left field fence would be fine with me.

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
Any where behind the left field fence would be fine with me.

left field huh?

Then you should seriously consider the All-you-can-eat seats!!!

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
left field huh?

Then you should seriously consider the All-you-can-eat seats!!!

:confused:


I've never attended a MLB game.

[crzyjournalist03]

http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/tex/ticketing/allyoucaneat.jsp

Second deck of left field...all you can eat seats...basically, as long as you eat more than one thing and have a drink, you're saving money.

[Silverback 04]

Originally posted by Bull19
yes which signifies the start of the season. their games count, which clearly means the season has started. get on www.mlb.com and look it up. counts towards the playoffs. it doesnt get much clearer than that. other teams might not have played REAL games yet, but the 08' mlb season HAS officialy started


I don't have to look it up as I understand that those games, just like all regular season games count toward the playoffs. My point was that the Rangers had not started their regular season as was stated earlier in the thread, so they are not 1-0.

[sahen]

Originally posted by crzyjournalist03
http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/tex/ticketing/allyoucaneat.jsp

Second deck of left field...all you can eat seats...basically, as long as you eat more than one thing and have a drink, you're saving money.

this is an awesome idea, wish the astros would do this...and only 34 bucks?? great deal!

[Sweetwater Red]

Originally posted by sahen
this is an awesome idea, wish the astros would do this...and only 34 bucks?? great deal!

I printed it out. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays. I'll look at
the Tiger's schedule when I have time.


On a side note I just looked at the box score of the Tigers vs.
Pirates game. Detroit alllowed five runs in the bottom of the first.
Bonderman must be pitching.:(

[crzyjournalist03]

Originally posted by Sweetwater Red
I printed it out. It runs from Thursdays to Sundays. I'll look at
the Tiger's schedule when I have time.


On a side note I just looked at the box score of the Tigers vs.
Pirates game. Detroit alllowed five runs in the bottom of the first.
Bonderman must be pitching.:(

well, crap....I thought it was from Mondays-Thursdays...the Tigers are only in on Monday-Wednesday both series this year...so looks like you'll just have to take seats somewhere else.