Let's not kid ourselves,

What the Angels did yesterday should scare the hell out of the Rangers, (the A's, still shopping Gio), and the rest of the American League.

But remember, last year before the season started everyone thought the Red Sox and Phillies were locks to appear in the 2011 World Serious.

Well, neither club won the pennant, the Cardinals won it all, and the Red Sox did not even make the playoffs.  


That is why you play the games, as they say.

I am drinking Yellow Label

Anyway.

That is why the Rangers lost.  Because I put a bottle of Yellow Label in the fridge Weds night.  The wife came home the same night, late, "There is," she said, "A bottle of Veuve in the fridge."  So, really, it is her fault.  I said, "No, there is not.  You did not see that."

S'funny, all the crazy superstitions re sports.  I must say, you ne'er see so many people praying outside of church as at a World Serious game.  I changed everything up after game six (what is it about game sixes?) and it still did not matter a whit.  I listened to music on the way home, (my Freakbeat cds that I am sharing with my musically inclined friends.  Would you like one? Tell me.  I am making them for Dylan, Chris Mc, my exquisite Da, Nick C, Jared, and who knows, maybe you) put my ring back on, had a lucky found toy in my bag, took the bridge instead of crossing the street (or, was it the other way around, whate'er), anything I could do to change what I knew was inevitable.

But I am drinking Yellow Label, anyway.  Are you kidding me? Back to back pennants? Hell, even the Giants and Cards did not do that.

Was it a dramatic, fun World Serious? Yes.  Was it a great, yeah, I know it went seven games, World Serious? No.  I know, I know, my team lost.  But, there were too many errors and too many bone-headed decisions (by both managers) and not enough good starting pitching to call the 2011 World Serious a classic.  Oh, I know, the Cards comeback in game six will live forever in history (much to my chagrin), but this was not an all-time classic, as far as I am concerned.  It was a good World Serious, much better than last year's (obv.  Oh, shit, that was my club, too.)

But, hey, I do not follow the Indians.  Or the Mariners.  Or the Cubs.

A dude on BBTiA pointed out something v valuable:  The Brooklyn Dodgers sucked forever, finally got good and it took like four or five World Serious before they got it done.  Or, he went on, consider the second best team in recent history, the Maddux/Glavine/Smoltz Braves.  They lost in '91 and '92, did not make it in '93, were shut oot, like everybody in '94, before finally winning it in '95.  And then the Yankees ruled the world.  (They do not rule the AL anymore.  The Rangers do.)

Think about that for a second.  The Rangers are the class of the American League.  A league that has the Yankees and the Red Sox.  And, that because of stupid Bud Selig's fiat, did not have home field advantage in the World Serious at least once in the past two years.  The Giants won their division last year, and won one more game than the Rangers, okay.  The Cardinals were Wild Card winners on the last day of the season and had fewer wins than the Rangers.  Bud is gone after this season.  He has been one of the absolute, prob worst Commissioners ever.  Please please please abolish this rule, the All-Star game winner getting home field, please.  (And do not do this 10 team playoff idea.)  You have the idiotic inter-league play, already, (get rid of that, too) so, let the Club with the best record have home field.

It is all about Yu Darvish now in Ranger world.  Who is Yu Darvish? Darvish is gonna change baseball one way or the other, no matter what club he ends up with, but that club is gonna be the Rangers.  Everyone in baseball (incl the Yankees and Red Sox) know that the Rangers are going to do every single thing to make Darvish ours.

Unlike other great Japanese pitchers, Darvish is profoundly young.  And unlike Dice-K, the Dodgers guy, and all the others, Darvish is obscenely great.  He has disgustingly good command of four or five pitches and has his own frickin pitch, to boot, that is all his own.

This is what Darvish looks like:

He is tall, looks Western, and is about to blow MLB up, Ranger or not.  But, I believe that the Rangers are mighty prepared to let CJ Wilson go (boy, did he hurt his FA case in this last post-season) and bring this guy to Texas.  (And, I am not the only one.)

Jon Daniels, the Rangers' GM, still does not have that shiny 30 flag trophy, but no one, no one in his job is more prepared or savvy, to get that thing done.

The Rangers are gonna be like the Braves of the nineties (and beyond), I believe.  They are going to win a number of pennants, suffer heartbreak in the World Serious, and win one or two before all is said and done.

And, jeez, I have not even mentioned Martin Perez or Jurickson Profar yet.

I will save that for another time.

Congrats, Cards.

But the mo-fo Texas Rangers are not going anywhere.  We are for real, finally.

It is a rather slim volume,

More like the size of the Kermit Lynch newsletter, that tells the tale of the Texas Rangers Post-Season History.  And yet, another chapter was writ last night.

Man, you have got to shave that thing. No, wait, keep it.

Joey from BBTiA favors Cliff Lee's game three performance against the Yankees last year in the ALCS.  Others have mentioned Colby Lewis' outing against the same Yankee club in the pennant-clinching game six.  I immediately thought about Lee's start against the Rays last year in the ALDS game five. And there is Colby Lewis' game three World Serious win last year to consider, too, who, before last night was the only Ranger starter ever (slim volume, indeed) to garner a win in the the Fall Classic.


But considering everything that happened Saturday night, Pujols three home runs, all of them monster shots, over twelve-hundred feet in total; a shellshocked, weary bullpen; and the fact that Derek Holland had not performed up to expectations in the Post-Season, at all; Holland's performance last night, to this viewer, was the best.

Essentially, the twenty-five year old boy from Ohio was told last night, "There is no bullpen tonight, except for Feliz.  The team that scored sixteen runs on us the night before, you are going to have to neutralize them, and you are going to have to give us seven innings, at least.  And that guy, Albert, who crushed us last night, I want you to pitch him inside, and challenge him.  You are going to pitch to Pujols.  Do not walk him unless I tell you to.  And, by the way, Derek, if you have not noticed, this is the World Serious, and the entire Texas Rangers' season is on the line.  Now go get 'em."

And he got 'em.  Eight and one third IP, two hits, seven Ks, and two walks.  Only three balls were hit out of the infield the entire time Holland was on the mound.  Those were Berkman's double and a single, and a lazy fly ball by Molina.

Ranger fans knew after this season that Holland could do this.  He tied the Rays' James Shields for the most CG Shutouts, four, in the American League this year.  (Lee, with the Phillies now, led the Majors, with six.)  But he struggled with his command, could not get his fastball (94-96 mph) over for strikes, walked batters, and generally, kind of stunk throughout the playoffs.  And, of course, most serious baseball fans and all Giants and Rangers fans remember Holland's embarrassing performance last year, in relief, against the Giants in game two of the World Serious, in which, Holland, absolutely could not throw a strike, walking three straight batters before being yanked, and helping turn a one run Ranger deficit in the eighth inning in to a nine nil loss.

Honestly, yesterday, before the game, I thought this series was over for the Rangers.  I still have my doubts.  But, natch, I feel much better today.

There is, of course, much displeasure today in the St Louis media and clubhouse re Kapel's strike zone last night.  Kapel was the first base Umpire Saturday, who botched Napoli's tag on Holliday, which would have completed the double play and changed the complexion of that inning (the Cardinals scored four times) and, perhaps, the game, had he got it right.  Kapel is from St Louis and lives there, so, the Conspiracy Theorists were in full force.  I thought Kapel called a fair game last night, and he did call the Kinsler steal in game two exactly right, on a call that often times Umpires get wrong.  Basically, he knows he messed up in game three, admitted it, and it is time to move on.  He was not pitching when Pujols and Molina combined for ten RBIs Saturday night.

Still, seeing Holliday scream from the dugout last night, "That was not a strike!", and the two other Cardinals who got up in Kapel's grille on called third strikes, does not endear me to this ballclub.  Plus, Pujols, himself, taunted the Baseball Gods Saturday evening by saying, "That's the way baseball go" after his historic night.  "That's the way the baseball go" is a Ron Washington "Wash-ism", if you will, something Wash says all the time, and Pujols had better watch it, because you do not want to piss off the Baseball Gods.  (This also after Pujols' costly error in the ninth inning of game two contributed to the Cardinals' shocking loss and Pujols refused to talk to the media after the game.)  Then there were Berkman's idiotic comments in the past off-season, explaining why, he, a free agent, a Texan, and former long-time Astro, chose to go to St Louis over the Rangers, who were interested in signing him, saying, essentially, that since the Rangers could not sign Lee, that they were a one-trick pony, and that spending so much money on Adrian Beltre was a colossal blunder, still chaps my hide.  Berkman has apologized for his comments.  I am sure he popped off, stupidly, and feels bad about it now, but it still upsets me because it exposes the same old crappy National League bias, and reflects the still too prevalent "It's too hot/The Rangers suck/Fill-in the-blank" meme.  (And, yes, I know, I know, there is no better way to blast this meme to smitherenes than to see Berkman called out looking for the final out of this series.)

Unlike the previously vanquished Tigers and Rays, I am not feeling much love for Tony LaRussa's Cardinals, as you might have noticed.  I have met LaRussa before, a number of times, as a shopper in the stores I work at, and he is a real jerk.  I also read an SI excerpt from that book, I cannot remember the name of it, about the Cubs and the Cards, which pretty much outlined, "Tony's Rules For Plunking Batters."  Look, I get it, LaRussa is a win at all costs, Durocher kind of Manager, but having seen younger Managers, like Washington and Maddon in Tampa, to tell you the truth, I am oh so tired of that type of baseball.  You can win without being a jerk.  And LaRussa and Mike Scioscia should be clinking drinks in Maui right about now, reliving past glories.  Do not get me wrong about one thing, though.  LaRussa and Scioscia are excellent Managers (TLR much better than Scioscia, who seems to have lost the plot lately) but they are both assholes.  It is possible, I am not totally sure, now that the Rangers have tasted success, that I would be happier with a loser nice-guy Joe Maddon than a winning TLR as the Manager of the club I support.

And speaking of nice guy Managers, Ron Washington has been taking a beating again, lately.  That is what happens when you bump in to the hottest, best rotation in baseball in the World Serious, i.e. last year against the Giants.  It is the same old tired-ass story.  Wash is a "players-Manager" and cannot do the stratagery (sic, on purpose) necessary to Win the Whole Damn Thing.  What a bunch of poop.  It was supposed to be obvious to any one watching this World Serious that Wash would get hoodwinked by the genius, LaRussa, and that although Wash was great at pumping up his players, Wash would fail at the ticky-tack, crucial decisions that win World Titles.

Well, let us go back and watch the film, yes? Ogando v Craig twice? Both the right call, both times fantastic pitches, both times Craig fucking pulled it out.  Credit to Craig.  (Craig is 0-7 in his last at-bats since his first inning, game three home run.)  The pinch-hitting choices Wash made in game one are fine to me (and Bruce Jenkins, although, then he used his column to bitch about the DH again, sigh, ... ) and starting Moreland last night, despite knowing that Mitch cannot hit a lick right now, was a v smart move.  Moreland made a couple of key defensive plays on dig-outs thrown to him, and Young and Napoli had not played well at first base the previous two games.

What Bruce Jenkins pointed out in his most recent Three Dot Lounge column, and what I, myself, have pointed out before in this very blog, that, somehow, all these typewriter jockeys do not seem to get is that this is not Strat-o-Matic, or APBA.  These are human beings (extremely egotistical, high paid human beings) that Managers like Wash have to deal with, every day, for nine months a year, living with these superstars.  They are not cards you can shuffle around on a whim, or bits of computer data that understand what it is like to have a drug addiction or go through a brutal divorce.

I will close, describing, what I know will be my favorite Ranger moments ever, no matter what happens tonight (and I will finally make an idiotic prediction in just a moment), and that is Players-Manager, Ron Washington, slapping caps and cheeks and having an (absolutely essential) "Come to Jesus" moment with Derek "Dutch" Holland before the game last night.  And then Wash's long (stalling- and Kapel came out and Wash did not give a tinker's damn) conversation with Holland at the mound in the ninth, Feliz coming in.  The ovation Holland got from those fans in football crazed, now Ranger obsessed Texas is something I will never forget.  (And Dutch's interview right after the game was super special, too.)  That is what Ron Washington brings to the Rangers.  Ron Washington helped make the Rangers the best baserunning ballclub in the Majors.  (Hullo, win in game two.)  It was Ron Washington who helped make the Rangers in to one of the defensive clubs in baseball.  (Hullo, wins in games two and four.)  And it was Ron Washington who gave Derek Holland the "Come to Jesus" he so sorely needed.  Ron Washington.  When Eric Chavez, of the A's, won his second Gold Glove, he gave it to Ron Washington, for all the hard work Wash poured in to making Chavez a better player.  When Jason Giambi, with the Yankees, at the time, pulled in to Oakland, right after Hurricane Katrina had destroyed Wash's NOLA home, Giambi handed Wash a check for $25,000.  I will take that Players-Manager over genius LaRussa/Scioscia every day of the week (and twice on Sundays.)

The last time the Rangers lost two games in a row was that dreadful series at home against the Red Sox.  The Rangers won the first one and then got obliterated in the next three.  I remember my Giants fans friends, since a couple of these games were on national teevee, really giving me the business after the series.  The Rangers were next to play the Angels in a v crucial series, and there was much hand-wringing in Ranger nation that perhaps the record super-hot Dallas weather had drained our starters of life and that the Rangers would, naturally, "wilt in the heat, again."  What a load of shit! This was the last great moment for the Red Sox, their 3-1 series win against the AL West division leaders, on the road, before their own monumental Red Sox-ian September collapse in the v tranquil New England weather.  (If the Rangers win the World Serious, they might, might finally put all that, "It's too hot," shit to rest.)  Here they are:  13-2 Red Sox and 6-0 Red Sox.

Every team the Rangers have come up against, as I have talked to my friends, has said the same thing:  "Well, they are really hot right now."  And they have been right.  The Rays played pretty well in September and got helped by a complete Red Sox meltdown.  The Tigers have played some excellent baseball, lately, as well, completely shutting down the AL Central by Labor Day.  And the Cardinals have played well, too.  Though, they were also helped by a major Braves collapse.

None of my baseball friends ever remark that the Rangers went thirty-five and fifteen over their last fifty games.  Or, that the Rangers are currently nine and five in the post-season.  That adds up to forty-four and twenty, lately.  Yeah, that is hot.

My prediction is:  The last time the Rangers got worked this bad was the 9-0 defeat by the Tampa Rays in game one of the ALDS.  After that, the Rangers ripped off five victories in a row, including a series clincher.  I think the Rangers will wrap this up in St Louis on Weds night.

All my love,
Ardent.

Remember/The fifth/Of November

Nah, I am kidding.  (Though, I am becoming more and more sympathetic to Mr Fawkes' views on government by the day, despite the whole Catholic thing-y.)

No, I am saying that, You should remember a short series is not always the best measurement of two ballclubs that have already played, say, one hundred and seventy-five games.

Honestly, I think the Rangers, overall, were a better ballclub than the light-hitting, insanely great starting pitching SF Giants last year.  And look what happened, the Giants smoked, waxed, destroyed, whatever you want to say, the Rangers last year.

That is why I am a little bit scared.

"What? I'm left holding the bag? For crying out loud, they're going to put me on the rack!"

Once again, I believe the Rangers, overall, are better than the Cardinals, but that do not mean poop.  And you got to play the games.

The TradMedia is madly in love with St Louis and is picking LaRussa's bunch.  The Bill James/Baseball Prospectus crowd is more than narrowly picking the Rangers.

I am going to say it will be a tough series, but one the Rangers should win.  That is not a prediction.  I am like the aforementioned, James.  I cannot make predictions (in any sport) worth anything.

So, I am not about to start today.

The AL Championship defense started here.  In Surprise, AZ.

Let us play some baseball and see who comes out on top.  I am so looking forward to it.

Go Rangers, dang it.

Rangers win the pennant (again!)

"What, we get another crack at this World Serious thing-y?"

Who would have thunk it? Once again I was in baseball limbo, furiously hitting refresh on my iPod touch (thanks, Steve Jobs, RIP, bruvver) at work.  Down one nil, then two nil, then up three two, then, after a mad rush of customers, and refilling the beer cooler, up nine runs to two.  Wha? Did that really happen?

And then I started to get really nervous, because, now I could taste it, back-to-back American League pennants.  That kind of stuff just does not happen to the Rangers.  I thought immediately of Alex Gibney's fantastic 30 For 30, Catching Hell doc about scapegoats and the Bartman incident, and how the truly bizarre, weird, crushing stuff always happens in Game Six.

The wife thought I was insane to be worried.  And to be honest, I did not really feel comfortable until Cruz hit his sixth home run of the series.  We were home by this point and I watched it unfold on the teevee from the bottom of the fifth until the confetti and I Like Texas ("love to drink that Shiner-Bock beer") by Pat Green showed up.

(And, what a wife? She drove a v nervous [basically I am insane, and unbearable re the Rangers] boie home from work, having procured a fab Chow pizza for me for dinner, "They scored nine runs in the third, what are you worried about?" Everything, love, everything.)

I love the Tigers, and I am so glad the Rangers will not have to go back to Comerica until next year.  Or see Miguel Cabrera until Spring 2012.  Or Justin Verlander.  Jim Leyland is a true class act, and a first ballot Hall of Fame manager, who was eloquent and graceful in defeat, a real gentleman.

And the series, though not going the full seven, was just a great series, much better than the Rangers pennant clinching series against the Yankees in 2010.  Extra innings twice, a postponement, rain delays, balls bouncing off of bases, smoking hot bullpens mowing batters down, twenty home runs (thirteen by the losing club, six by Cruz), starting pitching on both clubs looking for answers (after a v pitching dominant regular season this year), a walk-off Grand Slam, and on and on.

And how about this bad-ass NOLA resident doing the Funky Chicken?

I am still in pleasant, ludicrous shock, and I love it.

Mwah, ...