Recently in 1999 Game Recaps Category
We started this game with a 5 run first inning (similar to the game against the Yankees with Roger Clemens). It was enough to hold on for the win - we didn't need any more, but we did get one more later on in the game in the 7th inning.
Aaron Sele pitched well, but spectacurly. He lasted into the 7th inning, giving up four runs. Was OK, but he is improving - it seems that our entire staff is coming around. Which is nice. With the kids coming up doing a great job, it's nice to see our established pitching getting it together. I'd love to put some distance between us and the rest of the division as we approach the 50th game of the season.
Kinda tired - not going to write much about this one. :)
Well, the game was sounding good for awhile, even with Clemens on the mound. We were only down 1-0, and then it started feeling like the 98 playoffs all over again. Only this time, Chad Curtis beat us. Sele wasn't all that bad, really, but we couldn't score anything against the Yankees again. Remember that game on a Sunday afternoon last season when we won something like 15-6 against the Yankees? I'd rather have saved a few of those runs for the playoffs last year. I hope it's not like that against the Yankees again this year!
Jeff Zimmerman is starting to look more and more like someone we want to have on the club.
Again, since it wasn't on the radio, I can't comment at all. Was nice to see them win in extra innings, instead of losing. :)
On another note, Joe Torre was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I'm no Yankees fan, but man, that sucks.
Well, I didn't get to listen to this entire game, as I forgot it was on in the evening. I can say this. I hope this kind of pitching holds up. Wow! With the exception of the bottom of the 9th, it was really great. No runs given up at all by anyone until the bottom of the 9th. Less hits than innings pitched is always good, and Loaiza looked sharp. Hope it keeps up.
The bottom of the 9th is one of those things that drive a manager nuts. It drove me nuts and I was just listening on my radio! Still, the pitching was a real plus, and that's something to feel good about. I particularly liked Mike Morgan. Hope he works out.
Well, I can't really offer any commentary on this, as the game wasn't on the radio or the TV. I tried listening over the Internet to the station that the Devil Rays broadcast on, but they weren't broadcasting, either. :(
However, the Line Score showed something ugly. Three errors. That's not good.And Burkett gave up three runs in two innings (although one of them was unearned). That's an ERA of around 10. Also not good. On the plus side, we turned a triple play, which is way cool. Now I really wish it was on TV. :)
Well, this one got started a bit better than the first two. The Rangers got their first home run of the pre-season (Scott Sheldon), and Gonzalez got into the RBI parade. Perennial Ranger killer Jose Offerman started everything off with a two run home run off of Mark Clark. Other than that, Clark seemed fairly sharp. I thought we were headed to another win, but the long ball kills the Rangers again in their second extra inning game of the first three of the pre-season.
The Rangers bunched things up again with 4 runs in one inning. That's always fun to see from a fan standpoint, but I would prefer the Rangers do thing a bit more even than this. Jonathan Johnson looked pretty good today, probably the best pitching I can recall.
From the radio announcement of the horrible throw by Mateo/Pena, I would love to see a video of that. Mateo bounced a throw (three bounces) to the infield, and Pena hit the umpire who was 10 feet away from home plate. That was the last play of the game.
More bad news off the field, though - Raffy & Mike Simms. :(
So far things aren't going all that well. Hopefully things will pick up soon.
I was hoping that a return to home turf for the first home opening game would bring the Rangers better fortunes than they had yesterday. Wrong. What a blowout! Today's game is kind of bittersweet for me, because I consider myself a fan of two other teams besides the Rangers. These teams being the Phillies & the Pirates (because I grew up in Philadelphia, and my wife in Pittsburgh). Anyway, I thought the game was going to go well after the first inning when Sele just mowed 'em down. The second inning was horrible, and the game didn't get any better from then. Sele gave up 6 runs, on the way to an eventual 15-6 loss by the Rangers. Blech.
Overall there isn't much to talk about here except that I did listen to the game on a portable radio operated by batteries (it seems more "pure" that way - probably a stupid thought, but hey). Some of the positives for today were that Mike Morgan was the only one of 6 Ranger pitchers not to give up a run. The Rangers also did not give up a run the whole game either (makes two in a row). Those were good, but not much else was. Plus there was the bad news on Mike Simms (partial tear of left Achillies Tendon - out 4 weeks) and Raffy (discomfort in right knee - back to Texas for MRI) today. :(
It was really great to hear the Rangers on the radio again. It was obvious that this was a minor league park. You could hear the people chanting for the players over the announcer's mikes. This was a split squad game for the Reds, so I'm not sure if we got a good test, but hell, this is the first pre-season game. It tends to be not the best baseball anyway. Still, it was great hearing the guys again.
The Rangers seemed to be very agressive on the basepaths today, but they got thrown out a lot, too. Again, being the first day, I'm not putting a whole lot of pressure on them - was nice, though. Juan Gonzalez & Todd Zeile weren't with the team today, they were back in Port Charlotte getting in some extra excercise.
My wife did something really cool for me today for the game. She came up to where I work and brought me some lunch which consisted of freshly cooked hot dogs w/mustard & sauerkraut, a bag of peanuts, and specially made Texas Ranger cookies (sugar cookies with red M&M's in them), along with one of the empty mugs you can buy beer in at the Ballpark. That made the game even cooler! I took a picture of the lunch for posterity's sake. :)
