Category Archives: Texas Rangers

SF GIANTS! 2010 WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS! YEE HAW!

Posted on November 1, 2010 | Leave a comment

THE SF GIANTS ARE FOR REAL ……. THE TORTURE’S OVER!

SF Giants 2010 World Series Champions!

I had to play this great song one more time!  It’s much more appropriate to hear it as the World Series Champions!   The SF Giants won the 2010 World Series in 5 games, in grand fashion tonight,  beating the Texas Rangers 3-1, behind the outstanding pitching of  Tim Lincecum .   Here’s some possible headlines I considered:

  • Thank you Giants
  • Thanks for the ride!
  • Believe!
  • Torture to Rapture!
  • Diamonds in the Rough!
  • Beginning of a Dynasty?
  • Say Hey!
  • I left my heart in San Francisco!
  • The Texas who?
  • The eyes of  Texas are upon us!
  • Oh it’s good to be back home again!

Six months ago I booked a 2 week vacation that begins tomorrow!  Can you believe this?  I mean who in their right mind would have thought the Giants could possibly be playing in the World Series in November?   I’ve been on pins and needles all week thinking the Series would go to 7 games, putting it into Wednesday and Thursday of this week, at which time I’d be on the road and in the air enroute to Panama!  But the Giants had other plans, (to accommodate me I’m sure), and decided to call an end to this ordeal in Arlington, TX, and come home tomorrow as World Series Champions!   The only problem is that the parade is going to be Wednesday 11AM in San Francisco, for those of you who’ll be lucky enough to attend.  Unfortunately I won’t be one of them.    So hats off to the SF Giants who’ve played their hearts out all season, and have been rewarded mightily with the Championship Trophy!   The details of this final game are outlined in related articles below so I won’t get into the nitty gritty but I do want to mention that Edgar Renteria who was mentioned in an earlier blog, and is considering retiring after this season, (say it isn’t so Edgar!) was named MVP of the Series. 

A note to the Giants:  Whew what a ride and I enjoyed every minute of it.  But would you mind next year  maybe averaging more than 3 runs per game?  I’m getting too old for this stuff! 🙂

 

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Mad Bum & Posey……New Kids on the Block Game 4.

Posted on November 1, 2010 | 4 comments

DISCLAIMER:  Today’s blog is absolutely 100% pro- Giants so I want you non-Giants fans to know it’s nothing personal, just something  I have to do!   Things’ll get back to normal soon…..

I wish I’d written this song.  I’m so emotional this morning I probably shouldn’t even be blogging, but couldn’t help myself.  Here are some interesting facts related to last night’s SF Giants 4-0 Win over the Texas Rangers.

  1. Texas is the first team since the 1966 Dodgers to be shut out twice in the same World Series.
  2. Bumgarner is the youngest (21) rookie to make a scoreless start of six innings or more in World Series history.
  3. Texas is the first team since the 1966 Dodgers to be shut out twice in the same World Series :))
  4. Bumgarner is just the second lefty ever to strike out Vlad Guerrero three times in a game, joining Al Leiter in 1998.

Madison Bumgarner

Whew, quite an order filled by Madison Bumgarner, this 21 year old rookie pitcher from Hickory, North Carolina, and his sidekick catcher,  another rookie, Buster Posey, age 23,  from  Leesburg, Georgia.   I mean, where do they get these guys?  I read an article this morning about last night’s DH, Aubrey Huff, you know, the rally thong guy?   Aubrey grew up  with his widowed mom, in a trailer park in Ft Worth, Texas.   Few have done as much with their lives with such humble beginnings as Aubrey has.  He relayed this story that says it all.  ”  I told my mom one day I wanted to be a professional baseball player.  I was probably 8 or 9 years old.  She bought me a batting cage on a Winn-Dixie salary.  I wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for her making that decision.”   I can envision this young kid setting that big batting cage up out in the drive-way in that

Huff & Bumgarner

mobile home park having the time of  his life hitting those balls day after day and happy as a clam doing it. Who

Buster Posey

knows where he’d be now if he didn’t have a mom who cared enough to want to make his dreams come true?   Being a mom who’s raised three really great boys who didn’t  always have the easiest of times growing up, this story is really emotional for me.   I’m sure every one of these Giants has a story to tell and I’d love to hear them all!   And the same goes for each of the Texas Rangers.  You’ve probably already heard the really inspiring  story about Josh Hamilton, who crawled back from the depths of drug addiction to become one of  the best baseball players in the country and has written a book about his life.   You’re probably wondering what all of this has to do with last night’s game.   I love baseball and to me most lessons in life can easily be applied to baseball.   I think last night’s game exemplifies the best in baseball, not because the Giants won, but because they won with the youngsters in the spotlight, the kids who are setting examples for the other kids.  Where do they get these guys?   They’re right in front of us, in our own homes and in our hometowns.  Usually it’s just a lot of hard work, and sometimes it’s just pure luck, but more often than not,  the kids just need a break .   The following poem was reprinted from The Baseball Almanac and says it quite simply and much better than I can:

The Reason for Rainbows
A Song to Baseballby J. Patrick Lewis
Published: Baseball Almanac
There was an Old Man of Late Summer
Met a Winter Boy out of the blue,
And he whisked him away
From the city one day
Just to show him what country boys do.He taught him three whys of a rooster,
And he showed him two hows of a hen.
Then he’d try to bewitch him
With curveballs he’d pitch him
Again and again and again.He taught him the reason for rainbows,
And he showed him why lightning was king,
Then he fingered the last ball—
A wicked hop fastball—
He threw to the plate on a string.Oh, the Old Summer Man and the Young Winter Lad
Spent the light of each day—every moment they had—
In the wind and the rain, or the late summer sun,
Where he taught him to pitch and he taught him to run
In the wind and rain and the late summer sun.But when that Old Man of Late Summer
Met the Winter Boy out of the blue,
He said to him, “Son,
You can pitch, you can run,
But to hit here is what you must do:Just pretend that the stick on your shoulder
Is as wide as a bald eagle’s wing.
You’re a bird on a wire
And your hands are on fire—
But you’re never too eager to swing.Stand as still as a rabbit in danger,
Watch the pitch with the eyes of a cat.
What will fly past the mound—
Unforgettable sound—
Is the ball as it cracks off the bat.”Oh, the Old Summer Man and the Young Winter Lad
Spent the light of each day—every moment they had—
In the wind and the rain, or the late summer sun,
Where he taught him to pitch and he taught him to run
In the wind and rain and the late summer sun.
The Reason for Rainbows by J. Patrick Lewis

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BACK IN THE SADDLE ……… RANGERS WIN GAME 3.

Posted on October 31, 2010 | Leave a comment

Texas Rangers' Mitch Moreland

I predicted once the Texas Rangers landed at home on their range  they’d be in a comfort zone that would settle them down into playing what they’re totally capable of …… championship baseball.  And so they did.   It wasn’t a spectacular game, actually I found it rather non plus, but Texas got the job done and that’s what they set out to do.  Giants appeared to show up to see what a real Texas stadium looked like and decided to stay for awhile.   Maybe today’s game will have a little more action and excitement.   Probably the most exciting part of the game for me was the Texas Ranger fans.  They showed up to support their Rangers and they did just that, especially after  Mitch Moreland slammed a 3 run homer off of Jonathon Sanchez in the 2nd.  The Rangers never gave up the lead and beat the SF Giants 4-2.   I watched the game again this morning and, all things considered, Jonathan Sanchez didn’t pitch a bad game and Colby Lewis didn’t pitch a great game, good enough to win, but not great.   Interestingly, Sanchez is scheduled to pitch the 7th game if necessary and it has all the local pundits in hysteria.  No more Sanchez, no way, can’t happen, he’s lost his stuff, 10 lashes, etc.  But the edge in this game was the home run by Moreland.  Without it, the score’s 2-2.  Buster Posey stood by that Sanchez pitch  in a postgame interview and said he called the pitch, it was the right pitch to call considering Moreland’s history, but against all odds and logic  Moreland nailed it, and that was the deciding factor in the game.   It happens.   The Texas Rangers needed to win this game and they won it.   I love watching post game commentary and interviews and in almost all of them last night, credit for the win was given to, who else?   The fans!    Don’t underestimate the value of home field advantage.   It’s chicken soup for the soul of the players and they know it.   Texas had a much

Arlington Park

better at home record this past season than the Giants, who also have a great and vocal fan base, but the Rangers also have a stadium capacity of  almost 10,000 more than the Giants.  Okay, okay, sure the players have something to do with this, but I’m just saying, the fans are the backbone of baseball.  That’s where the money comes from folks!  And it’s not just the fans that love their teams, the teams love them right back and show their appreciation by …… winning!  Just like the Texas Rangers did back home on the range and back in the saddle.  Home sweet home!

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TEXAS CAIN-SAW MASSACRE ~ GAME 2.

Posted on October 29, 2010 | 6 comments

Geez, I know, it’s a really bad title, but it is almost Halloween.  I thought about “Giants Smoke Rangers“, but with all the San Francisco pot stories and ballot measures promoting the stuff right now, I didn’t like that one either, so here it is ~ SF Giants 9, Texas Rangers -0-.    First, let me say, this was a really close game.  Close until the 8th inning and then the bottom fell out of the saddle for the  Texas Rangers.  Up until that time it was a knuckle-grinder and anything could have happened with just one pitch and one hit.  As Aubrey Huff said after the game, the score was really  technically 2-0, and I agree.   It was a wild and crazy 8th inning.  Every game in the post season the

Matt Cain

Giants have managed to come up with a different hero, so there’s not one really spectacular player that stands out about this team.  It’s been like that all year.  This time it was  Matt Cain, record breaking, torture-ending, masterful Matt Cain.  And it was also Edgar Renteria.   Edgar Renteria?  Who’s Edgar Reneria.   See what I mean?  No one’s ever heard of the guy, just like you’ve never heard of   Cody Ross or Juan Uribe or Tim Lincecum.   (Well, maybe Lincecum since he’s a two time Cy Young Award Winner!)   I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this game because, to tell you the truth, in spite of my euphoria for the Giants, I felt bad for the Texas Rangers.  I felt especially bad for Derek Holland,  the young pitcher they brought  in in the 8th Inning, who allowed 3 runs and 3 walks before they finally took him out.  I ‘m still

Edgar Renteria

pondering why Manager Ron Washington left him in so long.  Bochy would have had him out after the first run.  The fact is they’re a much better team than what they showed last night and everyone knows it.  We’ve all been there with really bad games you just want to forget and get past and move on to the next.   But as the Rangers’ Josh Hamilton explained after the game, “Obviously they (Giants)  have the momentum right now, but it sort of felt that way even before the first game started”.   Next game will be at the Texas Rangers table with fan support behind them and I’m thinking it’s gonna be one of those low scoring, close games again.  That’s what the SF Giants are used to.   And besides, Halloween’will be here and gone soon and things can get back to normal.

(Note about Matt Cain.   After last night’s game, Andrew Baggarly, who’s a beat writer with the SJ Mercury News, said he asked Matt why he hadn’t tipped his cap to the crowd and their wild standing ovation for him, and Matt said “Can’t do it with a runner on base.  Just didn’t seem right.”   He had just issued a one out walk and there was still work to be done.  And that’s why he’s so admired and respected by his teammates and the  Giants fans.    Matt Cain, a real team player with a lot of integrity.  Does your heart good doesn’t it?  Just another example of a real class act!  GFBB)

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“TEXAS CAN’T HOLD EM” ~ Game 1. Rangers and Pundits Lose!

Posted on October 28, 2010 | Leave a comment

Whodathunk it?  I had almost as much fun watching the sports pundits after the game than watching the game itself.  Well, almost.   The Giants had no chance, nada, zilch, zero, of beating Cliff Lee in game one of this World Series.  None!  I mean, after all, Cliff Lee had never lost a playoff game.  Won 10, Loss  0!  Whew, who wants to go up against those odds?   I almost believed it myself.  So after the game, when the pundits came slithering out from under the rocks, it was just a lot of fun to listen to their enlightened jibberish.   I believe it’s called “eating crow”?   As Joe buck said in his post-game commentary, “Don’t listen to us folks.  We don’t know anything!”  

The thing that puzzles me about the  Giants getting absolutely no respect before the game, and still now, even after the  game, is the  way they made it to the World Series in the first place.    This is a team of self-proclaimed misfits and oddballs, picked up from the trash heaps of other teams, a couple of rookies, and one helluva pitching staff.    In August, this team was 6 1/2 games behind in the NL West, but they scratched and clawed and fought off not only the San Diego Padres, but also a very good Colorado Rockies team to prevail.  They willed their way to the NL West Championship.    They were the underdog as they advanced to the NLDS against Atlanta, under the leadership of  Bobby Cox, destined to extend his career a few more games.   But, once again,  against the odds, the Giants won the National League Division Series against Atlanta!

So now the pundits had a ball!   I mean now the Giants had to face the Philadelphia Phillies, defending National League Champions, two years in a row, and World Series Champions only a year ago!   Their ace, Roy Halladay, as good as it gets, pitched a “no hitter” against the Cincinnati Reds,  enroute to the NLDS this year, and the Reds were no pansies.  To solidify the belief, earlier in the year Halladay had thrown a perfect game!   And it wasn’t just Halladay, they also had to face Roy Oswalt, a fastball pitcher who the Phillies acquired from Houston specifically for this reason, to dominate in the playoffs.   Again, Phillies fans lost a lot of money through their bookies over this series.   Giants beat the Philadelphia Phillies and won the National League Pennant in 6.

So what’s it going to take?  Headlines all over the country projected the Texas Rangers to win the World Series.  Everywhere except in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Even the Los Angeles papers ….. (whoops forget it, that’s Dodger country, doesn’t count!  i.e., LA Times article today by “Bill Shaikin ~ San Francisco takes advantage of a less-than-sharp effort by the highly regarded left-hander on a night when Tim Lincecum is not exactly crisp.”)  Cracks me up, but you know what?  He’s right!   And that’s baseball folks!  And you know what else?   The SF Giants may NOT win the World Series.  But if they do, it will be because they WILLED it, and not because of anything the Rangers and pundits have to say.    Baseball, don’t you just love it?

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Texas Rangers ALCS Champions! No Tea Party here folks!

Posted on October 23, 2010 | Leave a comment
Texas Rangers (baseball)

Image via Wikipedia

Josh Hamilton was named MVP of the American League Championship Series as his Texas Rangers whooped the New York Yankees into submission yesterday and grabbed the AL Pennant for the first time in their long history.  When he was asked about the award you couldn’t help but be impressed.  Here’s what he had to say: 

“I love my teammates. I love them so much. Any of these guys could have gotten this award. I’m happy to have them. At the same time ,  I don’t want to talk about myself, I want to talk about them!  WE are the reason we’re here. The chemistry on the team is something like I’ve never known anywhere.  All the guys love each other and we support each other.”

Texas Rangers on winning the ALCS

Manager Ron Washington said basically the same thing, acknowledging this was the best group of players he’s ever worked with.   The Texas Rangers chemistry among each other seems to be contagious.   Most would agree that the players on any team have to get along with each other, maybe not “like” each other but for sure they have to get along.  Sometimes that promotes a winning team and sometimes not, but for sure these guys seem to really and truly “like” each other.  This  is evident in all the clubhouse interviews, on the field rapport, and articles written throughout this year.   I don’t know very much about the Texas Rangers, but I have to be honest here,  you can’t help but like these guys,  each and every one of them!  

Josh Hamilton, MVP

I decided not to write about all the great plays and statistics from this series.  They were impressive and you can read all about them in the “Related Articles” below.   But if you read my earlier blog about the Yankees and their tea party mentality, you gotta love these guys.   This is the first time in their history they’ve won a Pennant and it does my heart good to see a bunch of guys whooping and hollering and jumping around like they really, really appreciate being here.  Whatta series and what an accomplishment!   Great win for the Texas Rangers.  They deserve it!

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Best Players in Past 58 Years ……. A Mathematical Study!

Posted on August 12, 2010 | 6 comments

I came upon an interesting study a few months ago.  It was written by Don Davis, Mathematics Professor at Lehigh University, Bethleham, PA.   There’s a lot of criteria used in determining different aspects of this study, but for the most part the players names are all recognizable and only a few to make the list are surprises.   The following table lists the top five All Star Teams, using 4 pitchers per team.    It also lists the overall rating percentage by player.   Take a look:

Pos’n First team Second team Third team Fourth team Fifth team
P1 Roger Clemens, 266.2 Tom Seaver, 166.9 Bob Gibson, 129.2 Jim Palmer, 106.4 Johan Santana, 85.4
P2 Greg Maddux, 203.9 Warren Spahn, 160.5 Robin Roberts, 128.3 Gaylord Perry, 96.1 Tom Glavine, 84.8
P3 Randy Johnson, 202.4 Bob Feller, 143.7 Sandy Koufax, 126.0 Phil Niekro, 96.1 Curt Schilling, 80.7
P4 Pedro Martinez, 185.7 Steve Carlton, 140.7 Juan Marichal, 109.5 Fergie Jenkins, 91.7 Bob Lemon, 79.9
C Johnny Bench, 115.5 Yogi Berra, 97.2 Mike Piazza, 82.2 Ivan Rodriguez, 77.7 Gary Carter, 75.5
1B Albert Pujols, 145.4 Jeff Bagwell, 103.2 Eddie Murray, 95.2 Willie McCovey, 92.1 Harmon Killebrew, 86.4
2B Joe Morgan, 140.3 Rod Carew, 94.5 Ryne Sandberg, 92.4 Jackie Robinson, 82.4 Roberto Alomar, 81.1
3B Mike Schmidt, 173.2 George Brett, 119.2 Eddie Mathews, 111.7 Wade Boggs, 108.0 Brooks Robinson, 88.4
SS Alex Rodriguez, 145.4 Cal Ripken, 113.6 Robin Yount, 93.0 Ernie Banks, 90.7 Derek Jeter, 81.6
OF1 Barry Bonds, 270.7 Stan Musial, 205.2 Frank Robinson, 145.3 Ken Griffey, 114.2 Tony Gwynn, 100.3
OF2 Willie Mays, 226.8 Mickey Mantle, 198.3 Rickey Henderson, 141.5 Al Kaline, 110.1 Pete Rose, 99.7
OF3 Ted Williams, 213.4 Hank Aaron, 195.6 Carl Yazstremski, 127.5 Reggie Jackson, 108.9 Roberto Clemente, 99.3
DH Frank Thomas, 115.0 Edgar Martinez, 64.4 Paul Molitor, 62.4 David Ortiz, 43.4  

Are you kidding me?  Can you even begin to imagine a game with all of these guys on the same team?  What was particularly interesting to me is  that mathematically Roger Clemens is the highest rated pitcher and Barry Bonds is the highest rated batter.   These  ratings are through the 2009 season,  and personalities and private lives are not taken into account.   This is just  using good old fashioned baseball statistics.  

I found the study intriguing and spent a lot of time viewing the criteria used in coming up with the lists.  Rather than go into all the particulars here, you can view the study yourself @ Lehigh University   http://www.lehigh.edu/~dmd1/baseball.html  

 This information is being used with the permission of Professor Davis.

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