This is the routine. The Texas Rangers have finished atop the American League West three of the past five years, and appear poised to win the division again in 1999. If they hold true to form, they will face the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs and then spend the winter trying to figure out what it’s going to take to reach the next level.
It happened that way in 1996. It happened that way in 1998. It could happen that way again if the Rangers don’t succeed in beefing up the starting rotation at midseason.
The Rangers are an exciting team. They swing for the fences and they score a lot of runs. They also win a lot of games, and have one of the best records in the American League to prove it.
They’ll certainly reach the postseason, barring a major second-half collapse, but their prospects for getting to the World Series are only as good as the nucleus of their starting rotation.
The pitching staff is built around 1998 standouts Rick Helling and Aaron Sele, who combined to win 39 games last year, but no one seriously expected that best-case scenario to play itself out again this season … and it hasn’t. The two have combined for 13 victories (which isn’t so bad) and gotten some help from veteran Mike Morgan (7-5), but the lack of a veteran pitching ace could again turn out to be a major weakness in the postseason.
General manager Doug Melvin is looking for help and he isn’t afraid to make a big deal. He pulled off the trade last year that sent lefthander Darren Oliver and third base prospect Fernando Tatis to the Cardinals for veteran pitcher Todd Stottlemyre and shortstop Royce Clayton. He also tried to engineer a deal over the winter to acquire five-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Who will it be in July?
Maybe no one. The Rangers would love to talk the Phillies into trading them Curt Schilling. They also could make a play for someone like Blue Jays ace David Wells. They could come up empty, since the teams with premier pitchers to deal are all going to ask for top outfield prospect Ruben Mateo. Then they will be right back where they were in October of last year — looking down the barrel at a superior pitching staff in the first round of the playoffs.
It’s already shaping up as another postseason rematch with the Yankees.
The Cleveland Indians have the best record in the league, so they’ll draw the wild card. That leaves the Yankees and Rangers. If the Yankees end up with the best record in the league, they can’t play the wild card team — since it always comes from the AL East. Yankees and Rangers either way.
So, last week’s four-game series between the Rangers and the Yankees was a likely preview of one of the Division Series. The Yankees won the first two. The Rangers won the last two. It was inconclusive, but it probably will be different when the stakes are higher in October.
Clemens vs. Helling. Cone vs. Sele. Several possible choices vs. Morgan. Clear advantage Yankees.
The Rangers have upgraded their offensive lineup with the acquisition of first baseman Rafael Palmeiro — who has been the club’s most productive hitter. They have caught lightning in a bottle with the outstanding performance of reliever Jeff Zimmerman (7-0). But they’ll need to do more to get past the first playoff tier.
Some high-level jobs may depend on it.
New owner Tom Hicks made it clear before the start of the season that he expects the defending division champions to take another step in the right direction this year. That has led to speculation that manager Johnny Oates could be in danger if he doesn’t lead the team at least as far as the American League Championship Series.
If that’s true, then Hicks hasn’t been paying attention the past few years. Oates has been one of the winningest managers in baseball since he made his major league debut with the Orioles in 1991. In his four seasons with the Rangers, he has presided over the franchise’s first two division titles and likely will make it three very soon.
Hicks is understandably impatient to reach the World Series. He has, after all, owned the team for months. But the Rangers have put together a very stable and successful organization, something he would be foolish to disrupt in the absence of a significant reversal of fortune.
The offensive lineup is among the best in baseball, with two-time MVP Juan Gonzalez anchoring a batting order that already includes five players who have reached double figures in home runs. The club can get through the division race on the strength of that explosive offensive attack, but will be hard-pressed to get through the Division Series without some outside pitching help.
Don’t be surprised if the Rangers are connected to virtually every available starting pitcher when midseason trade speculation gets hot and heavy. Wells, with his outstanding career record against the Yankees, would seem to be a perfect choice, but Royals ace Kevin Appier may be a more likely possibility.
One thing is certain, none of them will come cheap, if at all. For the Rangers to make a significant pitching acquisition, they will have to be willing to let go of some significant young talent. They did that last year — and have lived to regret letting go of Tatis — so they figure to be reluctant to do it two years in a row.
They may have to be content to try and pound their way through the playoffs again, but history — their history — says that it won’t be easy.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Texas Rangers outfielder Tom Goodwin, the American League leader in steals, was injured running the bases and placed on the 15-day disabled list for the first time in his career on Saturday.
Goodwin was racing from first to third in a 7-2 loss at Los Angeles on Friday when he suffered a small tear in his left hip flexor muscle. An MRI Saturday showed fluid around the area and the slight tear, which is not considered significant but is expected to sideline him for at least a week.
To fill the roster spot, the Rangers called up highly touted outfielder Ruben Mateo from Triple-A Oklahoma. He was to be in uniform for Saturday night’s game against the Dodgers.
Goodwin, 30, has stolen 27 bases this season, five shy of the New York Mets’ Roger Cedeno for the major-league lead. He has collected 240 steals in his career, all but nine of those coming in the last five years.
Often used as the Rangers’ leadoff hitter, Goodwin is batting just .240 this season with one homer, 12 RBI and 40 runs scored in 55 games. Coming into this year, he was a career .277 hitter.
Goodwin spent four unproductive seasons with the Dodgers before being dealt in 1994 to Kansas City, where he played three-plus years and became known as one of the league’s top base stealers. He was traded to the Rangers in the middle of the 1997 campaign for third baseman Dean Palmer.
Mateo, 21, has been one of the top players in the Pacific Coast League this year. He leads the league with 81 hits and 50 runs scored, ranks fourth with a .340 average, second with 58 RBI and tied for fourth with 17 home runs. Used as a center fielder and designated hitter, Mateo was batting .434 (23-for-53) during a current 13-game hitting streak for Oklahoma.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1994, Mateo was among the last players cut by Texas during spring training. The Dominican Republic native batted .283 with four homers and 11 RBI in 24 exhibition games.

In what could be a precursor to several uniform changes, including bright-colored alternative game jerseys, the Rangers may start wearing a white mesh hat with the team’s star-in-a-circle alternative logo during batting practice.
Los Angeles, long known for Dodger Blue, wore similar white mesh hats during the teams’ series earlier in the week.
Major League Baseball has tried to get teams to wear alternative hats as a marketing tool to sell more merchandise. During spring training, then-Rangers president Tom Schieffer declined to have the team wear a red mesh hat with a different logo during games. The Rangers were the only team not to wear such a hat. New team president Jim Lites said on Thursday that the team could undergo several changes to the basic uniform over the next several years.
“We’re one of the last teams to have one hat, one white uniform and one road uniform,” Lites said. “We’re looking at coming up with some other looks without going overboard. It’s something I support. I don’t want to stray into looking like a softball team, but I think there are some things we can do.”
One possibility is a blue alternative jersey that MLB’s licensing department has sent the Rangers to examine.

LOS ANGELES (TICKER) — Mike Morgan has ended his record 17th career stint on the disabled list and will start tonight against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Texas Rangers activated the 39-year-old righthander from the 15-day DL tonight and made room for him on the roster by optioning pitcher Danny Kolb to Oklahoma of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.
Morgan was disabled Wednesday, retroactive to May 24, with an inflammation of the right shin. He is 6-4 with a 6.26 ERA in 12 games and shares the club lead in wins with Aaron Sele.
Morgan was scratched from his last start May 29 after experiencing swelling and pain in his right shin. A bone scan produced no abnormal results but an MRI showed inflammation and swelling in the soft tissue of his lower right leg.
Playing with his 11th team, Morgan signed a minor league contract with the Rangers in the offseason. Ken Brett, Tommy Davis and Bob L. Miller are the only others to play for as many as 10 different teams.
Morgan is 127-174 with three saves in 455 career games, including 390 starts. He started his career with the Oakland Athletics on June 11, 1978, a week after graduating high school.
He played for Oakland from 1978-79, the New York Yankees in 1982, Toronto in 1983, Seattle from 1985-87, Baltimore in 1988, Los Angeles from 1989-91, the Cubs from 1992-95 and again in 1998, St. Louis in 1995-96, Cincinnati in 1996-97 and Minnesota last season.
Kolb, a righthander, pitched Friday at Arizona, allowing two runs in 2/3 inning.

Rafael Palmeiro has been selected as the Texas Rangers Player of the Month for May, it was announced this evening.
The selection is made by the writers and broadcasters who cover the team on a regular basis.
Palmeiro batted .404, the highest average ever for a Ranger in May, with 9 homers and 26 rbi in 27 games. For the month, he ranked second among American League players in batting average, slugging (.737), and on-base percentage (.487) and tied for second in hits (40).
Palmeiro will receive his award at one of the Dr Pepper Texas Rangers Monthly Luncheons later this summer.

BALTIMORE (TICKER) — After a two-game rehabilitation assignment at Triple A Oklahoma, Texas Rangers shortstop Royce Clayton is expected to be activated before tonight’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Clayton was placed on the disabled list on May 1 after an MRI revealed a torn muscle in the back of his right shoulder.
Clayton was hitting .150 with two extra-base hits and just one RBI in 60-at-bats before he was placed on the disabled list. In two games at Oklahoma, Clayton went 1-for-7 with three walks and one RBI.
The Rangers plan to option shortstop Kelly Dransfeldt to Oklahoma to make room for Clayton. Dransfeldt hit .189 with one homer and five RBI in 16 games for Texas.
The Rangers signed Clayton to a four-year, $18 million contract in the offseason. Texas obtained Clayton with righthander Todd Stottlemyre from St. Louis last July 31 for lefthander Darren Oliver and third baseman Fernando Tatis.
Clayton, 28, began his major league career with San Francisco in 1991 before being traded to the Cardinals after the 1995 season. He became the heir apparent to future Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, who retired after the 1996 campaign.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) — Esteban Loaiza’s spot in the Texas Rangers’ rotation lasted one turn.
The righthander is out indefinitely with a broken fifth metacarpal bone in his pitching hand, which he caught in a car door following Saturday night’s 8-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
Loaiza made his first start of the season Tuesday after 10 relief appearances and gave up five runs and nine hits over five innings while not figuring in an 11-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox. He has no record and a 7.52 ERA this year.
In his first full season with the Rangers, Loaiza was acquired last May from Pittsburgh for promising second baseman Warren Morris and pitcher Todd Van Poppel. But he has yet to establish himself in the American League, winning three times in 15 starts.
Loaiza allowed at least one run in nine of his first 10 games this year and gave up a total of five runs and nine hits over four innings in his final two relief appearances.
The 27-year-old was 6-5 with a 4.52 ERA in 21 games for Pittsburgh in 1998 before going 3-6 with a 5.90 ERA in 14 starts for the Rangers.
Loaiza is 27-28 in 107 games since signing with the Pirates eight years ago as an undrafted free agent. He went 11-11 with a 4.13 ERA in 1997, topping Pittsburgh in innings (196 1/3) and tying for the team lead in wins.
The Rangers entered play today with the fourth-worst ERA in the AL at 5.38 and were then pounded by the Orioles, 16-5.
Texas replaced Loaiza on the roster by calling up pitcher Ryan Glynn from Oklahoma of the Pacific Coast League. Glynn pitched the ninth inning today and allowed three runs and four hits, serving up a three-run homer to Charles Johnson.

Jim Lites, who has served as President of the Dallas Stars since June, 1993, will take on additional responsibilities as President of the Texas Rangers, it was announced today by Tom Hicks, Chairman of the Board and Owner of both franchises.
Hicks made the announcement as part of his plan for a new organization structure for the Southwest Sports Group, the overall company which incorporates the Rangers, Stars, Mesquite Rodeo, KXTX-TV-Channel 39, and Southwest Sports Productions.
Hicks also announced that Southwest Sports Chief Operating Officer Mike Cramer will be responsible for the management of all business operations for the group’s companies. In addition, Rangers Executive Vice President-Business Operations John McMichael has been promoted to Executive Vice President-Finance and Operations for the Southwest Sports Group.
“After carefully examining all the components of the Southwest Sports Group, this new structure will allow us to effectively operate and continue to build all of the companies within the group,” commented Hicks, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Southwest Sports Group.
Lites will not only oversee all sales, marketing, and ticket sales aspects for both franchises but will also join Hicks in working closely with the General Managers of both teams, the Rangers’ Doug Melvin and the Stars’ Bob Gainey, in baseball and hockey matters.
Lites, 46, has played a major role in the growing success of the Dallas Stars over the last six years while overseeing all aspects of the organization. Prior to joining the Stars, he was Executive Vice President of the Detroit Red Wings for 11 years, and his 17 consecutive years on the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors ranks as one of the league’s longest tenures. Lites also served as Chief Operating Officer of Olympia Arenas in Detroit and was involved in business operations for the Detroit Tigers during the early years of Michael Ilitch’s ownership of that club.
“Jim Lites is one of the top executives in professional sports today,” said Hicks. “He has done an outstanding job in building the Dallas Stars franchise, and he will be a great asset to the Texas Rangers as well.”
Cramer, as Chief Operating Officer of the Southwest Sports Group, will be responsible for all business matters involving the Rangers and Stars as well as the overseeing of the Mesquite Rodeo, Stars Centers, all broadcasting entities, and new sports and media ventures.
Cramer, 46, has been COO of the Southwest Sports Group since that entity was formed in June, 1998. He previously served as Executive Vice President of International Home Foods, Inc. (NYSE: IHF) and in similar capacities with several other entities in the past ten years. Cramer remains as a member of the Board of Directors of IHF.
“With this new organization structure, Southwest Sports strengthens its ability to operate effectively and competitively in our sports, entertainment, and media companies,” said Cramer.
In his new position with Southwest Sports, McMichael will serve as Chief Financial Officer and will also oversee all ballpark and arena operations for SSG’s companies. He will also assist Hicks in Major League Baseball ownership matters.
McMichael, 43, has been with the Rangers since February, 1984, serving first as controller before becoming Vice President of Business Operations in December, 1989. He added the title of team Treasurer in January, 1992 and became Executive Vice President in February, 1996.
“John McMichael brings a strong business and baseball background to the Southwest Sports Group,” stated Hicks. “That expertise will be very beneficial to all of the companies.”
Hicks purchased the Dallas Stars in December, 1995 and the Texas Rangers in June, 1998.
The new organization structure for the Southwest Sports Group will be effective immediately.

BOSTON (TICKER) — An injury to Royce Clayton is more serious than expected and will sideline the Texas Rangers shortstop from four to six weeks.
An MRI performed Monday revealed a torn muscle in the back of his right shoulder. Clayton was placed on the 15-day disabled list Saturday with what was first diagnosed as a strained muscle behind his shoulder.
Clayton strained the latissimus dorsi muscle behind his right shoulder on April 7 and missed four games. He returned on April 13 but suffered a torn muscle making a throw in the first inning of Friday’s 7-5 win over the Cleveland Indians.
Clayton did not accompany the team for a road trip that begins tonight against the Red Sox. He will undergo daily rehab in Texas and should begin a throwing program in two to three weeks.
The Rangers, who acquired Clayton just before the trade deadline last season, signed him to a four-year, $18 million contract in the offseason. In 19 games this season, Clayton is struggling with a .150 batting average, two extra-base hits and just one RBI in 60 at-bats.
Texas obtained Clayton with righthander Todd Stottlemyre from St. Louis on July 31 for lefthander Darren Oliver and third baseman Fernando Tatis.
Clayton, 28, began his major league career with San Francisco in 1991 before being traded to the Cardinals after the 1995 season. He became the heir apparent to future Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith, who retired after the 1996 campaign.
To replace Clayton, the Rangers recalled infielder Kelly Dransfeldt from Triple-A Oklahoma. Dransfeldt has three hits in 10 at-bats for the Rangers.

From Joe: I have two press releases about this. The first one was mailed directly from the Texas Rangers, and the second is an AP News Wire story..

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Texas Rangers President Tom Schieffer announced today that he has decided to step down from that position to concentrate on several areas in a role as consultant to the team.
Schieffer’s primary responsibilities will be working to put together a development plan for the real estate around The Ballpark in Arlington. He will also be involved in the formation of a future plan for the Rangers’ spring training situation, the enhancement of the club’s player development facilities in Latin America, and will continue to coordinate activities surrounding the Hall of Fame induction of Nolan Ryan in July.
The move is expected to be effective in the next few weeks. In his new role, Schieffer will be working from the Morris and Schieffer law offices, which are located in the office building at The Ballpark in Arlington.
“In helping to build the Texas Rangers franchise and The Ballpark in Arlington, I have come to understand that what I like to do in life is build things,” commented Schieffer.
“Over the past few months, I have begun to think about the possibility of building other things, either a company or quite literally more buildings.
“In February I shared those thoughts with Tom Hicks. I told him that I would like to think about stepping back from the day to day operations of the baseball team. I also told him that I would be happy to stay involved in some way with the development of the real estate around the ballpark.
“Over the last couple of months, we have talked about how that can be accomplished. Last week we agreed on a plan.”
Schieffer, 51, is in his eleventh season with the Rangers. An original investor in the ownership group headed by George W. Bush and Rusty Rose that bought the team in April, 1989, he was named as the Partner-In-Charge of Ballpark Development on July 26, 1990 and was appointed as team President on January 31, 1991. Schieffer became a General Partner in the franchise with Bush’s election as Governor of Texas in November, 1994.
When Thomas O. Hicks purchased the Rangers in June, 1998, he asked Schieffer to stay on as President.
“Tom has accomplished a lot of firsts with this ballclub, so I have mixed emotions about his personal desire to depart from the day-to-day operations,” stated Hicks, the Rangers Chairman of the Board and Owner. “Under his leadership, he has taken the Texas Rangers to a new level of excellence and achievement.
“There is a lot of unfinished business concerning the development of the land around The Ballpark, improving our spring training facilities, and the club’s facilities in the Dominican Republic and throughout Latin America. Tom will be a great asset in completing these projects and has graciously agreed to focus his energies on these areas.”
Schieffer was instrumental in the design and construction of The Ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers and the City of Arlington announced plans for the building of The Ballpark in October, 1990. Built on time and on budget, The Ballpark in Arlington opened in April, 1994 and is regarded as one of the finest facilities in professional sports.
During his tenure as President, the longest in franchise history, the Rangers have drawn more than two million fans seven times in eight seasons, hosted the 1995 All-Star Game, and advanced to post-season for the first time in franchise history, with American League Western Division titles in 1996 and 1998. He has overseen the franchise grow from less than 50 fulltime employees to a company with nearly 200 employees.
“Baseball has been a source of inspiration and pride for me,” explained Schieffer. “I am proud of the organization that we have built here in Texas. It has the kind of values that both employees and fans can be proud of. It has been a great ten years.”
No announcement was made about a possible successor. Hicks said Rangers Executive Vice President-General Manager Doug Melvin will be reporting directly to ownership, just as he had under the previous ownership group.
“In the transition period, we will continue to discuss ways to merge the synergies of two great organizations: the Texas Rangers and the Dallas Stars,” said Hicks. “It is the next step in the future of these winning teams.”

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ARLINGTON, Texas (Ticker)– Tom Schieffer will announce Thursday that he is stepping down as president of the Texas Rangers, club spokesman John Blake said.
Schieffer, 51, who has held the post since January 1991, will remain as a consultant for the club to help develop real estate around The Ballpark in Arlington, the Rangers’ home field, Blake said.
A Fort Worth oil and gas lawyer who served three terms in the Texas House of Representatives, Schieffer has spent 11 years with the Rangers. He was an original investor in the ownership group headed by Gov. George W. Bush and Rusty Rose that bought the team in 1989.
When Schieffer became club president, he declined to promise a pennant-winner every year, but said, “I think we can guarantee that the nachos are fresh, that the restrooms are clean and that the beer is cold.”
After Bush was elected governor in November 1994, Schieffer succeeded him as the team’s general partner.
Schieffer went on to spearhead the team’s drive for a new stadium, The Ballpark in Arlington, which opened in 1994 to rave reviews for its old-fashioned appearance.
The club, which moved from Washington, D.C., to Texas for the 1972 season, suffered through many mediocre seasons before finally reaching the playoffs in 1996 and again last year. But in both years, the Rangers lost postseason series to the New York Yankees.
Critics have noted that attendance at the stadium in suburban Arlington – more than 32,000 fans per game this year – has trailed that of other retro-looking stadiums in downtown settings, including those in Baltimore, Cleveland and Denver.
The difference means less revenue for the club, which signed All Star catcher Ivan Rodriguez to a $42 million contract in 1997, spent $63 million more last offseason to sign first baseman Rafael Palmeiro and shortstop Royce Clayton, and is now trying to re-sign outfielder Juan Gonzalez. In the offseason, the team failed in efforts to sign star pitchers Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson.
Still, Schieffer said recently, building the stadium gave the Rangers an advantage over other teams, which were trying to catch up to Texas.
Now the Rangers are trying to develop the land around The Ballpark to create more of a downtown ambiance. Schieffer said recently he hopes that in 10 to 15 years, the area around the stadium will resemble a downtown the size of Fort Worth.
Schieffer said the team lost $3.5 million last season despite drawing 2.9 million fans because of a $62 million payroll.
Despite raising ticket prices, the Rangers could finish this season $14.6 million in the red for new owner Tom Hicks, Schieffer said.