Rangerfans.com

Man, after Game 1, I came home, and deleted all episodes of Baseball Tonight, all of MLBN’s MLB Tonight, didn’t read a single recap. Heck, I didn’t even look at the pictures I took! That game annoyed me so much, I listened to just the new Afters album on the drive home, and when I got home, it was “Plants vs. Zombies” time.
BTW, the new Afters album is quite good. If you don’t know them, they’re a band that originated in Mesquite, TX, and is a Christian pop band. Check ’em out. A link to their most recent album (Light Up the Sky) is here. I recommend tracks 1, 3, & 8.
Anyway, the only thing I did last night was write a short marker piece for my site here. And I didn’t think about it too much at all until Game 2 was starting. It extended into the beginning of the game, actually, although I started feeling a little better once we started scoring. :)
I took the same kinds of notes I did in the ALDS when I posted a ton of stuff on Twitter, although this time I just jotted the notes down, I didn’t flood Twitter. Here’s my notes from watching the game. It’ll be quite nice to go to New York for Game 3 with Cliff Lee on the mound and being 1-1 instead of 0-2. A LOT better.

• Really bummed out about lad night, still.
• Going to try just putting my Twitter notes in a note list instead of flooding Twitter today.
• I skipped every post game wrap-up last night, and in the paper, and online, and pregame today.
• Can we get Craig Sager off TV? What is that mess?
• Come on Colby! Let’s do this!
• Jeter’s up! Boooooooooooooooooooo!
• Jeter K’s! Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!
• Way to go Colby – 9 pitch 1-2-3!
• Elvis steals second, but it’s called a wild pitch advance.
• ….and then he steals third. w00t!
• Guerrero’s pine tar batting helmet really glistens in HD during day games.
• Elvis’ legs got us the first run in the first, although Hughes struck out the side
• We lucked out on the Cano flyout. Looked like a home run. Thanks Cruz.
• After 1.5 innings, Lewis and Hughes have the same number of pitches. 28. Except
• Lewis had 6 outs, and Hughes has 3.
• Upper tank off the facing up there – David Murphy! We’re up 2-0!
• TBS gets some crap for their coverage, but Fox Sports Southwest could learn a thing or two about camera angles.
• Three straight hits (Moreland, Andrus, Young) lead to our third run.
• SHIT! Int walk to Hamilton to get to Guerrero works. This is the same feeling as last night. Really hope the inability to step on the Yankees’ throat wont cost us the game again!
• 55 for Hughes through 2.
• Looks like the yankees stole first again on another ghost hit by pitch.
• After 2.5 innings, it’s Hughes 55, Lewis 53. Still 3-0, though.
• Go Murphy! Two RBI so far, and six total bases in two at bats.
• More claws! Two pitches, two doubles… Murphy & Molina
• It’s 5-0 Rangers again. Anyone else scared?
• Yankees plate one after we almost got out of a man on third nobody out situation. Berkman base running gifted us the third out.
• Third walk in three at bats for Josh. Helps OBP a lot.
• Colby Lewis seems to be putting more in the dirt than usual.
• Colby now has 82 after five. Not obscenely big, but he’s throwing more per inning now.
• That’s two home runs Cruz did not get cuz the ball hit the tip part of the wall, and didn’t go out. Probably missed by a foot total on both!
• Claws and Antlers in the same play – triple to right for Kinsler! That got Hughes out. Joba in.
• Hughes gave up seven of the ten hits he gave up on two strike counts.
• Very ugly strikeout by Bengie Molina in the fifth. Harnessed his inner Juan Gonzalez there.
• Moreland plates run number 7 when you thought we’d strand Kinsler at third!
• Moreland again – sno cones a foul reaching into the Rangers dugout.
• Wow. Cano’s home run almost cleared the cement walkways in the upper deck. That was seriously a big deal shot. Wow.
• Hunter is up in the top of the sixth. That’s odd.
• Lewis is out with two outs in bottom of sixth. Two men on. That uh-oh feeling from lad night is back.
• Rapada replaces Lewis and ks pinch hitter Marcus Thames, although it took 9 pitches.
• Ogando is in. Should have been last night.
• Yankees suck chant going again. Needs to last more than like 30 seconds, Ranger fans!
• Uh-oh. Andrus dropped a ball that you could say he was trying to hot dog an over the shoulder catch on. Hope that’s not the opening door for the Yankees.
• Ogando labored in the seventh, throwing 25 pitches. But he gassed Cano on the final pitch to strike him out.
• Last night oliver led off the 8th by walking Swisher & Teixeira. Starts off 8th today by walking Swisher again. Then he k’ed Posada. Much better.
• Oliver is out after two outs. No runs. Much better.
• Couple of nice defensive plays in the top of the 8th by Kinsler and Young to help out Oliver & O’Day.
• Feliz in for the 9th. That mike Maddox.had to come out isn’t good.
• We win! Nice running catch by Cruz to make the last out. Finally. A home playoff win. The 1961 Washington Senators breathe a sigh of relief.
• Now feel good about Game 3 with Cliff Lee as s the starter. Not nearly as depressing that would have been if we were down 0-2.

Due to my policy of the last several years, I don’t write about losses to the Yankees.
Except to say this. I had a lot of fun at the game anyway. Was nice to have a woman sitting next to me who was a single seat buyer, so we had someone to chat to. She was nice, and gave me a rally towel for my kid.
But that 8th. What the F…..
When I got home, I deleted all episodes of Baseball Tonight and MLB Tonight that my TiVo had recorded, I don’t want to read any accounts of the game. That game pissed me off so much, I don’t want to read anyone’s thoughts about it.
WHERE THE HELL WAS FELIZ & OGANDO IN THAT 8TH? WHAT THE HELL?

Wow. I started this site in December 1998, and 12 full seasons and a handful of playoff games later, I finally got to write this..
The Rangers have won their playoff series and have advanced to the ALCS.
I mean WOW. It almost seems so surreal. I’m actually at a loss for words right now. Although I wasn’t during the game. I burned it up on Twitter a bunch. I’ll be posting my game summary in the form of my twitter updates below. But a few bullet points to mention.
Twice we scored runs with a runner on second with a ball that did not leave the infield. That was pretty darned cool. That we got enough runs to win the game that way? Even more amazing.
Cliff Lee. Saw a funny tweet during the game about giving him the entire amount of money from the new Fox Sports Southwest contract. :) I mean wow. I think most Ranger fans are ready for Greenberg/Ryan to give him a blank check to stay. He had some nice curveballs working tonight.
Hamilton looks like the 2009 version of himself at the moment. Looks weak and lost at the plate. Not good.
We now have a record for most strikeouts in a division series by team, and an AL record for a single pitcher. Wheeee!
Carlos Pena looked bad too. Strikeouts all over the place. You’d think he was Brad Wilkerson or something.
My hometown Phillies and my adopted team the Rangers are in the final four. Uh-oh. I’m getting dangerously close to not knowing what to do with myself in the World Series. :)
Below is my tweet list. There’s some cool stuff in there. I’ll be out at the park on Friday for Game 1. Hope to see you out there, too!

• Ok, here we go. Game 5. Twitter ready. iPad scoring software ready. Go #Rangers
• MLBN: Ripken, Leiter, and Larkin all picking #Rays to win. The host picked the #Rangers though.
• RT @aandro: In-game guy @ The Trop is awful. 30-year-old men don’t need to flip cap backwards, act like teenagers. >> Did you say Tony Romo?
• Good that Elvis wasn’t greedy rounding first. #Rangers
• RT @VictorRojas29: Catwalk overkill…please stop. #txrangers v. #rays
• Andrus scores on a 3-1 groundout that never leaves the infield. Run Run #Rangers
• Nice catch to get the foul out by Moreland. Nice job not falling on his face, too. #Rangers #ShutdownInningInFirst
• Price had 18 pitches in this 1st inning, as opposed to 24 in Game 1. #Rangers
• Kinsler got a single, but Frenchy grounded into a DP. Oh well. #Rangers
• Easy 1-2-3 for Cliff Lee in the second. That’s why we got him. Give this man a blank check! #Rangers
• Three k’s the first time through the lineup for Price. #RaysStillLosing. #Rangers
• Bengie Molina breaks out the Antlers! #Rangers – His first stolen base since 2006!
• David Price has 51 pitches through 3 innings. #WorkThoseCounts #Rangers
• Infield hit by Bartlett gets two on against Lee in third. Weak hits like that annoy me. #Rangers
• Hamilton totally airmails a throw to the plate, allowing the runner to get to second. Bad idea there, Josh. #Rangers
• Nice fielding by the #Rangers to tag out the runner heading to the plate, but also to keep the runner at second. #HeWasTagged
• #Rays tie the game in the third on a few singles. Could have been a heck of a lot worse. #NoThanksToHamilton #Rangers
• Man that double by Cruz went to the only place it couldn’t have gone out. His watching the ball cost him a triple, though. #Rangers
• And there’s the payback. Cruz steals third, Shoppach airmails it into left, we score second run. #Rangers #AntlersAllOverThePlace
• The pitches by Price after the airmailed throw to third look a lot less controlled. Here comes Price’s emotions. #Rangers #PourItOn
• Watching Jeff Franceour at the plate.. He looks like ol Dumpmaster D himself, Mark DeRosa. #Rangers
• Nice curveball by Cliff Lee to strike out Carlos Pena again on a called strike three. #Rangers
• “@DFishDesign: Nice curveball by Cliff Lee to strike out Carlos Pena again on a called strike three. #Rangers”. Ditto for Upton.
• There’s the strikeouts for Lee. Struck out the side in the fourth. Looking good. #Rangers
• Nice atbat for Elvis after coming back from an 0-2 count. #Rangers
• Impressive at bat by Jason Bartlett against Lee in the fifth. #Rangers
• 5 out of last 6 outs by Lee being k’s sets the record for K’s by a staff in the division series. #Rangers #MoveOverPadres
• That’s a home run by Hamilton in our park. Darnit. #Rangers
• Is it just me, or did Guerrero seem to be swinging harder than usual at this at bat? #Rangers
• #Rangers get another run on a grounder that didn’t leave the infield scoring a guy from second. #AntlersAllOverThePlace
• Unless Price’s foot was off the back of bag, it looked like Kinsler was out on the play that scored Guerrero. Rays didn’t argue. #Rangers
• RT @Evan_P_Grant: Lee just set AL Division Series record with 17 strikeouts in the series. Mussina, Randy Johnson each had 16.
• Carlos Pena is striking out so much, you’d think Brad Wilkerson was wearing his uniform. #Rangers #GoCliffLee
• Very quick 7 pitch 1-2-3 inning by Grant Balfour in the 7th to shut down the #Rangers – much better than Price.
• Is anyone watching the 2003 MLB Season Summary show on MLBN right now? #RatingsOfZero
• My 5yr old daughter colored a bunch of #Rangers Captain pages for me to have when I watched the game tonight. I love my kids!
• RT @aandro: Someone may need to start Kelly Shoppach’s car for him tonight if the #Rays lose.
• We’re through seven innings, up 3-1. Cliff Lee struck out a million. CJ & O’Day up in pen, one’s got to be coming in next inning. #Rangers
• Longoria needs to stop worrying about who has his hat, and start worrying about catching the ball. #Rangers #Thanks
• The second inning ending double play for the #Rangers this game – Grrrrrrrr.
• Jason Bartlett if finally out, after going 3-3 with a double up to this point. #Rangers
• Ten strikeouts by Cliff Lee through 7.2 innings! #Rangers
• And Cliff Lee follows up the 10th strikeout with a 1-2-3 10 pitch bottom of the 8th. #Rangers #WhoIsClosingGame
• HUGE FREAKIN INSURANCE runs there with a two run home run by Capt Uppercut! #Rangers #ICanSmellItNow
• RT d_a_cameron: Really happy for @NewbergReport.
• We win. Wow. Just freaking wow. Thank you to Jack Zduriencik. #Rangers
• The #Phillies and #Rangers are both in the final four in MLB. My head inches closer to disappearance in a baseball black hole.
• RT BattingStanceG: Tonight, even Justin Smoak’s family & friends are thinking Rangers were brilliant for ditching him. #MLB #CliffLee

Oh man, that was annoying. I think you can chalk this game up to one big thing.
Evan Longoria woke up. He went 3-4 with two runs scored and two RBI’s. Was the most potent offensive guy on the Rays Sunday afternoon. Two doubles and a home run. His power stroke was going, for sure. While he didn’t account for all the runs, he was part of a bunch of them.
It’s weird that through the four games played so far, the visitors played like the home team should play. You’re expected to win at home, and in both cases, the home team played like they were the timid team visiting the other park. An odd feeling. Hopefully that carries over to Game 5.
Not going to say a bunch about this one as its almost 1AM, and I’m tired, don’t feel like writing a bunch now. We looked flat. While I don’t think Cliff Lee will give us that in Game 5, I didn’t want to burn him twice in the second round, as he won’t get used to the max potential in Round 2, assuming we go deep in that.
Nelson Cruz did have a home run that my 5 year old daughter liked watching. :)
One good offset to this. The Cowboys lost, so they’re 1-3. Cowboys in last place is ALWAYS good, no matter what else is going on.

Yeah, I know they’re not called the Devil Rays any more. But it bugged me we didn’t beat them, so I’m calling them the Devil Rays. :) Oh, and you can view the photo gallery of mine from this game here.
This was the third Rangers playoff game I had attended. I was at the Oct 2, 1998 game and the Oct 9, 1999 games as well. Unfortunately, my playoff streak is now 0-3. We lost this game. I had picked the Rangers to win the series in 5 before any games were played, but I think a lot of people (myself included) smelled a sweep coming back home. The stage was set on Saturday for that. But before I get into the game, I wanted to say something else.
A big thanks to Mike Gonterwitz (sp?) for inviting me to his pre-game tailgate. I spent about three and a half hours out there. I was a bit worried at first, because I really didn’t know anyone else other than him. However, I brought some dogs, buns, and some Shiner Bock, and I fit in pretty well. There was a minor panic when the propane ran out, and it was discovered that the spare was left at the house (!), but a friend showed up about 15-20 minutes later with a charcoal ‘que in his truck, so the party was back on again. That dude cooked up some badass fajita steaks, and other sausages and whatnot. I had a great time – a few hours spent outside the game eating meat and drinking beer? Hell yeah, you’re gonna have a good time. :) So thanks Mike – I seriously had a great time. Thanks for the invite, hope to do it again sometime.

Once I got in, it was bloody packed. I mean so packed that the area behind the lower home run porch was packed like LBJ during rush hour. You literally stopped out there. Was by far and a way the worst people traffic jam I’d EVER seen in the 16 years the park’s been open. No contest. Was really awful. Eventually made it to my seat, had a decent vantage point, and settled in to watch the game.
The Rangers had their usual pre-game goodies. Charlie Pride sang the National Anthem, but for me, the best moment was Johnny Oates’ grandson throwing out the first pitch. Long time readers here know my affinity for Johnny Oates (links here and here if you don’t). But I got a kick out of seeing the kid out there (was just 8 as I recall). He was escorted by Rusty Greer & Mark McLemore. Liked that. Nice nod to the Rangers’ past glory there.
Once the game got started, it was OK through the first few. There were no runs scored until the bottom of the third, but Colby Lewis looked a little wobbly. It’s one of those things that won’t exactly turn up in the box score. His overall line isn’t that bad, really. Five innings pitched, two hits, no walks. However, he walked five guys – which is more than he’s walked in any game in 2010. That part wasn’t good. But he didn’t break. Still, this is the playoffs, and had it been a mid season game, he would have stayed out there, I’m sure. But you need to win THIS GAME NOW in October, so I understood him coming out. What I did NOT understand was Darren O’Day being taken out later on in the game after just one out. Lewis was immediately followed by Derek Holland (0.2IP), Alexi Ogando (0.1IP, BS), and then Darren Oliver (who was technically tagged with the loss). Compared to the three bullpen guys who came before him, O’Day was sparkling, yet he was taken out immediately. To me, that was the mistake of the game there. They brought in Feliz to get four outs. I would have left O’Day in to finish the inning he was in, as Feliz was meh. While Feliz didn’t get credited with the blown save or the loss, he probably deserved it. Our pen was not good. It just seemed out of whack, given the way it usually performs.
We had a little life at the end when Nelson Cruz jacked a solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to make it 6-3, but by that point the damage was done.
The offense we did have was limited to just three solo runs (3rd, 7th, 9th). The 9th I already mentioned. The other two were on a small ball manufactured run in the third, and the other was another solo home run, that one by “Capt. Uppercut” himself, Ian Kinsler. But really, there was no sustained attack. Six hits overall. No Ranger had more than one hit. To be honest, I expected that with Matt Garza. I was more worried about our performance against Garza than I was against David Price, tell you the truth.
Finally, it doesn’t help when there’s guys on either side of you who are totally non chatty to people they don’t know. *AND* to make matters worse, sigh and groan at every single ball thrown. If it wasn’t a strike, the dude on my right was complaining. That got old after a couple of innings. Come on dude, even Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, & Cy Young threw 100% strikes. Give it a rest, doofus.
Leaving the park, I was bummed at the loss for sure, but as much as Ranger pride might have wanted the sweep, I doubt many people truly expected it to happen. No problem, though.. There’s Sunday’s game.
P.S. The place looked good in all red!