This is Your Father's Texas Rangers

You know how people always say, this is not your father’s this or this is not your father’s that. For instance, someone will say, “this is not your father’s Chicago Bulls.” This saying is supposed to mean, that this team is nothing like the team your father rooted for in the past. For instance the team of today may be more athletic, play a different brand or style of the respective sport, or just have a different personality. Maybe, it’s just not an old-school team. The Chicago Bulls are very young, no longer have Michael Jordon, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Ron Harper, Toni Kukoc or anyone who plays like any of these guys. These Bulls are differently a different kind of team than the Bulls of the early to mid ‘90’s.

Now having said that, I would like to say, and I think I will be the first person in the history of the world to use that phrase in a different way. “This is your father’s Texas Rangers.” And I’m not kidding here. This is the same team that the Rangers fielded when I was 10 years old. 11 years old. 12 years old. Same team. Different names, same team I tell ya. The kind of team that will break your heart in every way possible throughout the season. But before I get into that, let’s examine the similarities of the players on the field. This year’s team, like the team’s of the early 90’s is constructed on power, a powerful infield leads the charge. Who would you rather have at first base, a young Mark Texieria or a young Rafael Palmeiro. A lot of people will hop right up and say Texiera just because Palmeiro is on the downswing of his career, but you must remember he hit just under 600 home runs in his career. Julio Franco or Alfonso Soriano at second? Both can hit and both will hit pitches that are not in the strike zone. Hank Blalock or Dean Palmer? At this point in Blalock’s career, the two are the same exact player. This was before Palmer got badly injured. He never recovered from that injury or a lot more people would be talking about the great Dean Palmer. One little difference in the infield is that of the catcher’s and shortstops, but even those positions are incredibly similar. Michael Young plays SS today, hits third, has some pop, is the most clutch player on the Rangers, is the best hitter on the Rangers, and the guy you want hitting when the game is on the line. Ivan Rodriguez played catcher for the Rangers in the early 90’s, hit third, had some pop, was the most clutch player on the Rangers, was the best hitter on the Rangers, and was the guy you wanted hitting when the game was on the line. Rod Barajas, the Rangers current catcher and Gino Petralli, the Rangers former shortstop both hit ninth and both went yard about ten times a year. In right field, the former Rangers had a young Juan Gonzales, a little before he reached his prime. Today, the Rangers have Richard Hidalgo in right field, a little after his prime. But they way they hit is almost the same. The rest of the outfield produced a little back in the day and it produces a little today. Let’s look at the starting pitchers: a young Ryan Drese or a young Kevin Brown. An old Kenny Rogers or an old Nolan Ryan. A young leftie rookie Chris Young or a young leftie rookie Kenny Rogers. Both bullpens were pretty bad with decent but not great closers. Fracisco Cordero or Bill Russell. Both were great when they were on, but sometimes the would go into a funk and blow a lot of saves in a row.

If history is repeating itself, this Rangers team will blow five run leads at will, will never be out of a games, no lead will ever be safe for either team. There will be games were the lead changes hands three, four, five straight half-innings at the end of ballgames. They will get hot and win ten in a row. Then they will turn it around and lose the next eight. Some days they will hit the ball, but so will the other team. Some days they will pitch well, but so will the other team. The two will come together very seldomly. They will blow at least three games where they were leading by seven and they will come back and win at least three games where they were down by seven. Every close game, and there will be a ton of close and one-run games, will give you the feeling that you are getting punched in the stomach as the relievers keep coming, but none are better than the one’s they are replacing. It will be a cycle of excitement and anger. And every fan will know that this team can win it all if the pitching gets better, but every fan will also know the pitching will not get better. There will be trades made in July. Feeble attempts that band-aid problems and really fix nothing.

Baseball has been back for a week and the Rangers have already played in 6 (out of 8) one run games, Cordero has blown 3 saves, the Rangers have blown a 5 run lead then came back and won the game, blown a 6-3 run lead in the eight and lost in extra innings, played two extra inning games, have played four 7-6 games and two 3-2 games, played a game where the lead changed in four straight half-innings, and are hoping that Chan Ho Park can pitch well tonight to bring the Rangers to 4-5.

This will be a tough, gut-wrenching baseball season for me. I will follow and root for the Rangers all year, but it will hurt and it will hurt really hard all year.

Pray for me!!