MLB

[BigRedLedbetter]

My tickets came with a free buffet.

Free food is the tits.

[Electromatic]

The same thing that always happens to the brewers.

Braves/Brewers/Pirates are having a contest to see who can suck the leastMOST and still make the playoffs.

The Braves could put on a Tom Emanski clinic on how not to hit. Frank Wren has shown exactly how not to create an offensive team in this era.


They are about to set the team record for strikeouts 4 years in a row.

Had to..........

I give it my full endorse MENT

[CopperTom]

I scored free tickets to Indians and White Sox. Chris Sale is pitching. My tickets came with a free buffet.

I met Dave Burba and Chad Ogea too.

And a walk off in extras. I'm going to stick around for fireworks too. Fun night.

[dsb1218]

Hope the man's personal matter is resolved soon, but man am I glad the Rangers will be replacing Ron Washington.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Hope the man's personal matter is resolved soon, but man am I glad the Rangers will be replacing Ron Washington.

Are you a Rangers fan? If so I thought I was the only one around here.

I 100% disagree with you. Wash will be missed. He did a tremendous job. Hopefully Mike Maddux gets the job if he wants it. I could see Daniels trying to make a splash with someone like Ozzie Guillen.

[numbers]

Bobby Valentine would be a great choice for them.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Bobby Valentine would be a great choice for them.

Haha been there tried that. Not so much. I'd like to give Mike Maddux a shot. Maybe see if Greg? (who is in our front office) wants to be the pitching coach.

[dsb1218]

This is a year old, but I 100% agree with Keith Law's take on Washington as an in-game stragecian.

[Iholdthepain]

As a Rangers fan for over 30 years, my baseball heart was severely broken in 2011...
I haven't been a fan of any professional sports team on the same level since then...
My Dallas teams are all making it very easy to not give a shit anymore!

F Nellie Cruz!
F Nefti Feliz!

They ruined me in 2011, and St. Louis should never have won that World Series

Loved Wash, Loved Johnny Oates, and even loved Bobby V.

JD is a great GM, too. I just wish he and Nolan could have played nice.

Oh well, we got (worse than) Bill Bucknered, and I doubt I'll ever be back as a dedicated fan after that... the worst sports moment I've ever seen... Game 6

[BigRedLedbetter]

This is a year old, but I 100% agree with Keith Law's take on Washington as an in-game stragecian.

Interesting. Time for a fun debate.


I disagree with a lot of that. I assume this was last year? Probably since Profar was not up much in 2012. The Rangers were 9th in the AL in OPS in 2013. We scored 3 runs or less 54 times. Beltre had one of his best years ever with essentially no protection (thanks Nelson Cruz) most of the time. Bunting to sacrifice with a rookie unless it's like Pujols or Trout or something is not a bad idea. I'm also an advocate of bunting but I'm more old school/by the book than I should be. Especially if you have a lineup that isn't setting the world on fire like the 2013 Rangers and especially when you have a ball club that struggles to score runs as much as we did last year. I will admit Wash is more by the book than I'd like but we got to the World Series because of great rosters? In 2011 we had a rotation that lacked an ace and arguably a #2. In 2010 we had the second lowest payroll in the AL and our highest paid pitcher that year (Feldman) didn't even make the postseason roster. So to say the Rangers made the World Series to spite Wash is doing him a disservice. Just my 2 cents.

As for Nathan how is he doing this year? He had one of his best seasons ever of his borderline hall of fame career last year. This year he has been terrible. Wash/Maddux obviously knew what they were doing with pitchers and Wash was very open about how he relies on Maddux for pitching stuff. Who is respected as one of the best pitching coaches in the league.

Mike Scioscia obviously did not need to go. I have a lot of respect for Keith Law and he has forgotten more about baseball than I will ever know but I struggle to find a manager who would have had as much success in Texas as Wash had the last 8 years. Wash's win total increased every year in his 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th year. I need to do the research and see how many managers have done that. I doubt it's a long list. I don't even hold this year against the coaching staff. Any team that loses their #2, #3, #4 and #5 for a significant amount of time as well as their first baseman, second baseman, catcher and a corner outfielder would struggle mightily. We have essentially been an AAAA team this year.

The only thing I really rip on Wash for is not putting Endy Chavez in for Cruz in the 9th in Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. I get the McNamara way of thinking where he wanted all of his guys on the field when they clinched but there is a reason Cruz is DHing a lot this year. He should have been doing so from about 2010 on. He went from being fast with solid range and a cannon to a lazy outfielder very quickly which drove me crazy when we had him. Also, I hope the new manager puts Leonys Martin in the leadoff spot and keeps him there. I think he will flourish there.

[BigRedLedbetter]

As a Rangers fan for over 30 years, my baseball heart was severely broken in 2011...
I haven't been a fan of any professional sports team on the same level since then...
My Dallas teams are all making it very easy to not give a shit anymore!

F Nellie Cruz!
F Nefti Feliz!

They ruined me in 2011, and St. Louis should never have won that World Series

Loved Wash, Loved Johnny Oates, and even loved Bobby V.

JD is a great GM, too. I just wish he and Nolan could have played nice.

Oh well, we got (worse than) Bill Bucknered, and I doubt I'll ever be back as a dedicated fan after that... the worst sports moment I've ever seen... Game 6

Nothing sports wise will ever break my heart like game 6 of the 2011 World Series ever again. It changed me as a sports fan. In some ways for the better. Yeah the 86 Red Sox have nothing on the 2011 Rangers. We were one strike away in two different innings.

I'm a huge Feliz fan. That kid was money for 2 years. He has thrown the ball pretty well this year. Trying to make him a starter was a terrible idea. That was all JD and Nolan....not Wash and Maddux.

As for Cruz he is where he belongs this year.....DHing and rarely near the outfield. Things ended on good terms with him and JD.....which is rare cuz JD is not making many friends. It would not shock me at all if we tried to resign Cruz.

[Bammer]

I don't have the stats in front of me but, basically, in baseball the win/loss column is very minimally influenced by the manager. In no other sport is the head coach less important.


By the way go M's. Fingers crossed for a Tigers meltdown this month.

[Bammer]

I finally did some research (no thanks to any of you!) and can say with confidence:

Hunter Pence owns a fannypack.

[Norah]

Oh well, we got (worse than) Bill Bucknered, and I doubt I'll ever be back as a dedicated fan after that... the worst sports moment I've ever seen... Game 6

Nelson Cruz is my least favorite baseball player because of this. He was out of position and then was too scared of a wall to make a series ending catch.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Oh well, we got (worse than) Bill Bucknered, and I doubt I'll ever be back as a dedicated fan after that... the worst sports moment I've ever seen... Game 6

Nelson Cruz is my least favorite baseball player because of this. He was out of position and then was too scared of a wall to make a series ending catch.

And see it didn't even effect your team. If a Red Sock did that? Christ!

[Norah]

Well, least favorite player not named Josh Beckett.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Beckett does seem like a tool

[Iholdthepain]

I don't have the stats in front of me but, basically, in baseball the win/loss column is very minimally influenced by the manager. In no other sport is the head coach less important.

This is why they're called managers, not head coaches. Wash was working with a major disadvantage, from the very beginning of the year, with all the injuries and other distractions... Way beyond what any other team had to deal with. I don't think he's leaving due to anything team related, health related, or drug related... at least that's what has been reported. It's all a big abrupt mystery for now.

BRLB: Neftali was great for 2 years as a closer, no doubt, but that will never take away what he DIDN'T get done in the World Series, and the BS injuries/starting flubs that followed. Thank goodness I'm not around the metroplex anymore... Outta sight, outta mind!

I'm now content with the 2 ALCS championships that Nolan, JD, and Wash brought to the Rangers as a final legacy. I also got the Mavs championship that year, the Stars in '99... and I was a rabid teenage fan with Jimmy, Barry, and the 'Boys back in the early/mid 90's.

I just don't have it in me to idolize these guys or obsess over these teams anymore. It's at least 90% disappointing, and not worth the stress. Baseball will remain my favorite sport, though, even though I've always sucked at playing it.

[BigRedLedbetter]

Makes sense. With the right hire though no reason the Rangers can't contend in like 2016. The farm is loaded.

Die hard Stars fan here. I went to game 5 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals for my HS graduation present.

[matt reeder]

As a Rangers fan for over 30 years, my baseball heart was severely broken in 2011...
I haven't been a fan of any professional sports team on the same level since then...
My Dallas teams are all making it very easy to not give a shit anymore!

F Nellie Cruz!
F Nefti Feliz!

They ruined me in 2011, and St. Louis should never have won that World Series

Loved Wash, Loved Johnny Oates, and even loved Bobby V.

JD is a great GM, too. I just wish he and Nolan could have played nice.

Oh well, we got (worse than) Bill Bucknered, and I doubt I'll ever be back as a dedicated fan after that... the worst sports moment I've ever seen... Game 6

As a Cardinals fan, Game 6 is for me the greatest moment in the entire history of my baseball and sports fandom. I'm sorry it had to be you guys. You were a great team, with good fans and a group of players that should have won a title. Too bad it wasn't against the Yankees or the Red Sox - that is the only thing that would have made that title sweeter for me.

The thing you have to remember about the 2011 Cardinals - that team was a team of destiny if there ever was one. They just were not going to lose once they made the playoffs.