And the Hot Stove begins. The Rangers unrestricted Free agents are:
And if Cliff Lee wants 10 dump trucks full, you give it to him.
Yes, it was a great season, but I am so not in a mood to be that way. The way we went out sucked. I’ll be happy and retrospective later, but for right now, I am not writing about it. I will later, though.
I will add this. A few minutes after the game was over, I got this email from a Giants fan. Now I know it’s not typical of most fans, but even at my anti-Cowboys worst, I don’t do things like this:
from Carmine {carminemb82@hotmail.com}
sender-time Sent at 10:05 PM (GMT-04:00).
to “joe@rangerfans.com”
date Mon, Nov 1, 2010 at 10:05 PM
subject Texas Rangers
At what point will Josh Hamilton and Ron Washington abandon their families and snort enough blow to explode their hearts? I’m guessing by 8am Thursday morning. Giants!!!!!!!!
Sent from my iPhone
A special thanks to my wife for putting up with me this season. I love you Lynn, thanks for indulging me this season.
Oh, one more thing.. roughly 14 weeks till Spring Training opens.
This comes from Chuck Greenberg. It was sent to Jamey Newberg and posted on his site, but I thought it was so good, I wanted to copy it here. It also will suffice for what I would write for Game 4. Had the party at our house, and it was a lot of fun. Friends over, watched the game. Sure, the game was disappointing, but we had a blast. Turns out I went to the far better game choice (Game 3) than going tonight, which was also a possibility there for a minute.
Chuck’s Message begins here:
This season has transcended expectations and transformed the psyche and hearts of legions of Rangers fans across Texas and throughout our country and beyond. At the core of the remarkable journey we have shared together is a ballclub and a community who collectively have consigned the conventional wisdom of the past to the dust bins of history, busting myths and charting a new course previously thought to be unattainable.
Can’t pitch successfully in Rangers Ballpark. Wrong.
Can’t compete successfully late in the season because the heat will break you down. Wrong.
Fans will lose interest when training camp opens. Wrong.
Fans won’t come to Rangers Ballpark after the All Star break because its too hot. Wrong.
Rangers can’t win a playoff series. Wrong.
Rangers can’t win a playoff game at home. Wrong.
Rangers can’t beat the Yankees in the playoffs. Wrong.
Rangers can’t get to the World Series. Wrong.
Rangers can’t captivate the hearts and emotions of fans new and old deep into the fall. Wrong.
And on and on and on….
I can’t even begin to count the memorable moments we have shared this year thanks to a very special group of players with hearts and smiles as big as Texas, who always pull together, stand up for one another, and who have changed the sports landscape here in the Metroplex forever.
But here is a simple reality. Monday will be the last game played in Rangers Ballpark this year. We all owe it to ourselves, our players and each other, to celebrate with passion, enthusiasm and indefatigable belief from lineup cards to the final out, loud and proud.
The defining team of my young life was the 1979, “We are Family” Pittsburgh Pirates. I have often remarked how much this Rangers club reminds me of that team, with a confident but friendly swagger and an abundance of character and personality.
Now these two teams have something else in common. Both fell behind 3-1 in the World Series. Kent Tekulve, the great closer from the ’79 Pirates, texted me after tonight’s game to pass along this story. Before Game 5, Willie Stargell told his teammates:
“We are playing in front of the whole world. We may not win this thing, but before we go, let’s show the world how the Pirates really play baseball”.
The Pirates, playing against a team whose colors were black and orange, won Game 5. Then they returned to Baltimore and won Game 6. Then they won Game 7.
I know our players will show everyone how the Rangers play baseball tomorrow. As fans, let’s do the same. We have one final opportunity this season to show the world what we have accomplished together and the passion we all hold for our players and our shared dreams.
The World Series is going back to San Francisco. And then there will be one final piece of conventional wisdom to prove wrong….
Believe.
Chuck
Man, this was such a cool game/day, that I don’t even know where to start with it. There’s just so much to write about, so I guess I’ll just start at the beginning. Once I was done being daddy (had to watch the baby for awhile), I got my gear together, and took off. Since I was hitting a tailgate, I stopped by Kroger to pick up some beer, and some dogs and whatnot. When I was done, I took a picture of the World Series Tickets in my car at the Kroger parking lot, and headed off to Arlington. I left Garland at 1:52PM, and headed out I30 to Arlington.
But that first picture of the tickets there. Man, I NEVER thought I’d be going to a World Series game. Much less one with the Texas Rangers in it. It’s one of those surreal moments. I suppose if I was going to a World Series game in some other town besides Arlington it might seem more “real”, know what I mean? I mean, I’ve been going to games at this ballpark since 1995, and at the height of going, I went to about 25-30 games a season for a few years there. I know the route from around where I live (near Lake Ray Hubbard at Garland/Rockwall border) to Arlington. So when I headed out there again yesterday, it felt on the drive like any other game. Even my walk from my parking spot to where the tailgate party was seemed like any other game. But that’s about where it stopped. I went and hit up my friend Mike Gonterwitz’s tailgate, and noticed as I got closer to his tailgate area that the mood was different. The banners, the fan speak, the language, there wasn’t one single thing I saw or heard I can point to which made it that “Aha!” moment, it was the collective group of everything I saw and heard that made it different. The fans felt different than the other playoff tailgate game I went to. It was fun, from talking baseball with people I didn’t know, to watching fans run through the parking lot with flags screaming “Go Rangers” to predictions of sweeping San Fran, to the wheel of sausage, it was just a blast, man! Didn’t hear as much of that with the tailgating, the various tailgaters didn’t interact with each other. Kind of surprised by that, but it was a lot of fun anyway. Don’t get me wrong, there was a lot of fun going on out there, but it seemed like a ton of separate little groups of people, it wasn’t nearly as communal as I thought it might be. Headed into the game around 5PM, as the pre-game started at 5:30. Definitely wanted to see that.
I have to say again that the concourses when there’s crowds as big as this are awful. I had to walk 3/4 of the way around the stadium, and there were about 3-4 places where it bottlenecked so badly, you were just stopped. Couldn’t move anywhere. It was worse than LBJ during rush hour. It is NOT helped by all the extra booths in the concourse where people try (hahaha) to stop. They really need to put LESS of that stuff in there. If you were claustrophobic, I could seriously see you having a panic attack. It was pretty bad. One cool moment was that I got to say hi to Dave Winfield, who was out in the Fox booth in center field. Saw some other fans acting goofy inside the stadium – it was awesome. Had a blast with the atmosphere.
Once I got to my seats it was great! I mean, the World Series. You hear those stories about when you’re a little kid walking through the concourse, and having one of those “seeing the field for the first time and being amazed” feelings. Well, at 45 last night, I had one of those again. I’ve seen a ton of games in this park. I know what it looks like very well. Yet when I walked into the park last night I had the oft told tale of seeing the green of the field moment. It was a blast just being there. I’m sure plenty of others had the same feeling, too!
They did the traditional opening ceremonies, including the introductions of the players, which if I’m not mistaken was the fourth time this happened this season (opening day, and first home game of the three rounds of the playoffs). I’ve seen all four in person. That stuff never gets old, along with the ritual booing of the other team. Of course, being a Philly fan, I had to get in a slightly louder one for Pat Burrell, who continues to be old Philly Pat, which means strikeouts all over the place. Rather large boos for Cody Ross, of all people.
Anyway, once the game got started it had a nice pace. Some games take far too long, and some just fly by. This one felt right. Perhaps it had something to do with me not scoring the game for the first time in ages, but it had a flow that felt good. Not too fast, not too slow, had a “sweet molasses” feel to it. That might sound stupid, but it’s how I felt. Really enjoyed that part of it.
Pitching wise, Colby Lewis started, and carried on his post season track record. His pitching line was pretty darned good, and was exactly what the Rangers needed in this Game 3. No way could we go down 0-3 and expect to win this thing. Colby went 7.2 innings, gave up five hits and two earned runs. Walked two and punched out six. His line was better than the two runs – as for the longest time, the Giants had no runs – they didn’t score at all until the 7th, and for awhile just two or three hits. Colby was awesome. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I was wrong about him. His return was not a desperation move like I thought it was at the time we signed him. This was a steal of a pickup. Japan fixed him, that’s for sure. Anyway, the two runs he gave up were both on solo home runs. One to Cody Ross in the seventh, and the other to Andres Torres in the 8th. Both were solo’s, so it didn’t hurt too much, but it did seem that Lewis was running out of gas just a little in the 8th. Darren O’Day came out to the big chant that gets done to his name, “Oh-DAY-Oh-Day-Oday. Oooo DAY o DAY!” Was a lot of fun despite the mood right around me of “Uh-oh. It’s the bullpen, look out!” After O’Day got his final out of the 8th, it was turned over to Neftali Feliz who was just lights out. 1-2-3, no problem. 13 pitches, two strikeouts. If there was any worry about Feliz not appearing in a situation so far in the World Series, this performance showed there was no concern. He just closed it, game over!
Offensively, our four runs all came on home runs, too. The big shot was in the second when Mitch Moreland got the hit of the series so far. A three run home run to right, scoring Cruz & Molina. He worked the count before that, looked like a guy either who had been there a million times, or it wasn’t a World Series game. Josh Hamilton added a no doubter later on, but Moreland’s was by far the moment of the series so far.
When the game ended, nobody really wanted to leave it seemed. It wasn’t quite a series clincher atmosphere, or what I imagine it would have been like to win the World Series totally at home, but man was IT FUN! This is where it got communal, with everyone high fiving each other, smiling about the game, just being “one fan”. It was a cool moment. Once we finally got started going out, we noticed that the Fox broadcast booth was behind our section. They were JUST coming on the air, and of course fans started hooting and hollering. My friend I was with (Jeff) and I just kind of mingled our way in there, as it was a fun moment. The fans there were really shouting LOUDLY “Let’s go Rangers!” over and over again. At one point Ozzie Guillen turned around with a look on his face like “What the hell?” He turned back around again, and during the time they were on the air, he turned around and blew the crowd kisses a few times. It was funny, because several people started shouting Ozzie’s name, which prompted me to say “What is this, a Black Sabbath concert?” It was a blast, and I was showing my hat, doing the claw, and when the crowd was chanting Ozzie’s name, I did the Molloy (look it up, it’s an old Jewish custom). Anyway it was right around this time that my daughter at home was watching the post game stuff with Lynn, and Samantha saw me on TV. She apparently got SO excited that she dropped her ice cream all over her shirt, and started bouncing off the walls. Lynn broke out the camera at home, and of course, I’m captured doing the Molloy thing (also is close to the Longhorns “Hook ’em Horns” salute), not the claw or my hat or something. Check it out:
When I finally got out of the stadium, there was more goofiness. People with signs, everyone screaming, yelling, it was a seriously intense post game feel. More high fives, and whatnot. I took a stroll past my tailgate area, but none of them had left yet, so I headed back to the car to go home.
Even then it didn’t stop – I had about 3 or 4 people ask me as I walked by what I thought of the game, what I thought of the series. When I finally did make it to my car, there were about half a dozen people who had camped out in the exit lanes of the parking lot high fiving everyone who was driving by. When I got past them, there were people lining the streets urging the cars to honk their horns.
This was probably the single most fun Texas Rangers game I’ve ever been to, and I’ve been to a lot of them. Finally fulfilled a kid’s dream of going to a World Series game.
I have Chris Wilson of Fleishman-Hillard and Donna McLallen of Chevrolet (I think she’s with Chevy) for hooking me up with all of this. I’ve been doing a promotion for them by driving around a 2011 Chevy Cruze car that has antlers on it and the Antler Yourself website on the side. They hooked me up with the tickets to the game last night, and I wouldn’t have been there without them. I’m thankful to both of them for helping to fulfill this kid’s dream.
I think a good summary of this game would be this song, which should be totally familiar to Ranger fans.
Is it me, or does this picture of Neftali Feliz from World Series Game 3 last night make him look like Pedro Martinez? That looks like old school Pedro with the mullet and the look upwards at the end of the game…
Game 3 recap coming today. Was just too euphoric to stop and write last night. Was just enjoying the heck out of it.
Man, I so did not want to write about this game. I really did not. The way it ended was just a complete steaming pile of stink. Not the kind of face you want to show on the biggest stage like that. The game was quite good up until the bottom of the 8th, and there were so many “man, if it only went ‘this way’ it would have been different” moments. Like Kinslers ball of the top of the center field wall for starters. But the 8th was just so horrendous, it erased any good feelings about the game. I’m just going with my notes for this one. Man, that was awful. I don’t have a problem with the series – it’s still winnable, unless of course we go down 3-0 on Saturday. :(
Pretty funny!
Well, that was disappointing. The big huge pitching matchup between Cliff Lee & Tim Lincecum didn’t materialize, at least not long term, anyway. Through four it was a good pitching duel, not one of those stellar “both guys going after a no hitter” kind. Through four, it was a respectable 2-2 score. But neither was “on”. Cliff Lee wasn’t getting behind guys, and Lincecum was mostly hittable.
One of the more cool early moments was a double that split the outfielders by CLIFF LEE. Cliff Lee wields the boomstick (well, OK, maybe not THAT powerful), and I got a major laugh out of the entire dugout trying to get him to do the claw once he got to second. Doesn’t appear that he ACTUALLY did it, but it was some funny video.
That was pretty much the end of the good times for Lee. He struggled with command, which was unusual, and when we got to the bottom of the fifth, the wheels fell off. Big time. The Giants put a big old ugly six spot on the scoreboard, which was accentuated by a three run home run by Juan Uribe. Technically O’Day gave that up, but it did score all the inherited runners Cliff Lee left out there. Lee’s final line was 4.2 IP, 104 P, 8H, 1B, 7K, 7R, 6ER. Not a good line at all. He labored big time – for him to throw over 100 pitches and not get out of the fifth inning is highly unusual.
An awful lot of the Giants offense was doubles. They had 14 hits in all, and seven of them were doubles. The first two were early on in the game and both hit in Vlad Guerrero’s position in right. I don’t think those balls hit his way were impacted by it being him vs Cruz out there. That’s not the same case later on – he botched a few plays. One of them was called a double, and should have been an error. The Rangers had four doubles of their own, but it was overshadowed by SF’s doubles, including a few of them that came back to back.
Four errors by Texas. Ugh. That was just ugly. Six errors in all in the game, one of the more sloppy World Series games I’ve seen. If it wasn’t my team in the World Series, I probably would have bailed out on the game as it wore on. We did make some noise late, but the momentum I think we gained by scoring two in the sixth to make it 8-4 at the time was wipe out when Kinsler got an infield single, but had another bonehead running play, turning towards second and being trapped – was tagged out. That was the game for me right there.
We did make some noise late, scoring three in the top of the ninth to make it just a four run final score, but we were pretty much outhit. Something I don’t think ANYONE expected. Even Giants fans.
Hoping for far better things out of Game 2. I’ll be there. I just don’t really want to come home down 0-2. That would be bad. I think most everyone would be happy with 1-1, because as happened in the Yankees series, I don’t think any expected us to sweep out there to start the series, so coming home 1-1 is pretty decent.
Here’s my list of in game notes (which became less frequent once we started playing more awful):
I just saw this posted tonight, so if you see this right after I post it, you might still have time to catch these. If you didn’t see their Josh Hamilton special a few months back, it’s worth seeing. These times are EASTERN TIME.
Tune in at 6pm for Josh Hamilton: Resurrecting the Dream followed by Path to the Pennant AL: A look back at how the 2010 AL World Series bound Rangers advanced to the Fall Classic at 7pmET then, MLB Tonight: World Series Preview breaking down the World Series matchups, previewing the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers lineups, rotations and benches.
