Boston took a 10-run lead after one inning. Yep. But it wasn't nearly enough: It took Kevin Youkilis’ go-ahead homer in the eighth — over the Green Monster — to secure the win. David Ortiz had a pair of three-run homers. The teams combined for 36 runs, tying the AL record set on June 29, 1950, when the Red Sox beat the Philadelphia Athletics 22-14. There were a combined 37 hits. The 19 runs were the most scored by the Red Sox this season. The Rangers had 20 hits — just like they did on Monday.

Texas’ Marlon Byrd and Boston’s Dustin Pedroia had five hits each. Marlon Byrd! Ortiz had six RBI, Youkilis had five. And Rangers starter Scott Feldman allowed 12 runs ... and did not get the loss. Beautiful.

Much hilarity on the Sons of Sam Horn message board, as the Sox Faithful sweated out the final two innings. Some highlights:

"Epic squander. And they would have got nothing if not for Vazquez." — templeUsox

"Fucking squander squad. I can't wait to hear what Tito will say after this loss. Can't wait." — WaynehousieHOF

"Hey, shit for brains, instead of letting the hose rip some guy's mustang, pick the fucking thing up." — Norm Seibern

"Is this the Little League World Series?" — The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

"I blame this suckfest on Zink shaving his head before the game. He was doing exceptionally down in Pawtucket with a full head of hair...doesn't he understand anything about baseball, don't mess with what's working." — The_Powa_of_Seiji_Ozawa

It was also a game the Red Sox really needed; they're 3 games behind the Rays in the East. And all of this without Manny!

Youkilis' Three-Run HR Gives Red Sox Wild, 19-17 Win Over Rangers [NBCSports]

Busted Coverage turned up this video featuring a Rangers fan of [consults euphemism robot he lets sleep on his couch] considerable avoirdupois whose gut plunges a good foot or so below his waistline. That is the tehest of sexy. Incidentally, I'm sure that's the only time he's had something with only one X covering his upper body in some time.

It is, though, my sad duty to report the Rangers lost the July 10 game against the Angels during which this video was shot, so Mr. Blubberbuss won't have to follow through on his Speedo promise, therefore preventing Arlington, Texas from achieving the distinction of being the first all-blind town in America. A shame. They'd already designed the pamphlets and everything.

Make no mistake, the Times knows exactly what it's doing. It's only a matter of time before Bradley's famous temper spectacularly erupts, and the paper wants a front-row seat for all the excitement. Which is why they had to be a bit disappointed with the first effort; in which Bradley describes a game of dominoes with Eddie Guardado and Eric Hurley. What?

Ron Washington was standing over my shoulder talking trash like he always does and had everybody laughing hysterically when he asked me to come see him in his office for a minute. I dropped everything and headed to his office wondering: “What have I done now?”

Boooring. Although it's a testament to Bradley's body of work that he thinks he could be in trouble and not even know what he did. I respect that.

Despite the dull start, rest assured that I will be checking in with this blog daily.

Milton Bradley: 'What Have I Done Now?' [New York Times]

From Jason Whitlock's column in the Kansas City Star:

“Here’s a guy, with all the troubles he’s had, has shown that if you work at it, you can get your life back in order,” Lefevbre said on the telecast Wednesday, referring to Hamilton. “And that would be a pretty good role model for Milton Bradley, who clearly has no control over himself, because it’s the same thing year after year. This game, this country, really if you follow baseball, has really embraced Josh Hamilton. I think they’ve wanted to do the same with Milton Bradley, but Milton Bradley has refused to allow himself to be put in that position.”

It's the kind of tortured logic that could only come from Bradley: "How dare you call me an out-of-control hothead! I'll come up to the booth and KILL YOU for that!"

Bradley's next campaign: To rid the city of that wall-crawling menace, Spider-Man.

Bradley, Lefebvre Both Made Harmless Mistakes [The Kansas City Star]
Milton Bradley Would Like A Word If You've Got A Minute [Deadspin]

A Kansas City police officer was posted outside the TV booth after Bradley climbed four flights of stairs and reached the press level at Kauffman Stadium before being brought back to the clubhouse by Daniels. A visibly upset Bradley was fighting back tears in the clubhouse when speaking to teammates. “All I want to do is play baseball and make a better life for my kid,” Bradley said. “I’m strong, but I’m not that strong.”

Bradley was upset by comments made by Lefebvre during Texas' 11-5 win over the Royals. So what exactly was said? Lefebvre says he doesn't remember. “We were complimenting Josh Hamilton on how he’s turned his life around and taken responsibility for his mistakes,” said Lefebvre, who partners with analyst Frank White. “Frank and I were having a conversation on how it’s a shame that it doesn’t appear that Milton Bradley has done the same thing in his life."

Hard to believe that the same mild-mannered player who injured himself going after an umpire and has given us so many other fine wholesome baseball moments would charge a TV booth like that. But like Daniels said, I'm sure it was just to discuss the issue calmly. Pay no attention to the axe he brought along.

• In Case You Were Curious About The Game ... David Murphy had two homers, including a grand slam, to lead the Rangters over the Royals 11-5.

• Prognosis Negative. The test results are in, and it was determined that the Cardinals' Albert Pujols will miss at least three weeks due to a strained calf suffered on Tuesday. Bummer. Meanwhile, Rick Ankiel and Jason LaRue homered in the first to lead St. Louis over Cincinnati 10-0.

• Breaking Even. Jack Cust drove in three runs to lead the Athletics over the Yankees 8-4. Jason Giambi's 15th homer couldn't prevent New York from falling to .500 (33-33).

• Wizard Cat Defensive Player Of The Day. Michael Cuddyer, Minnesota Twins. The first two-time winner of this prestigious honor robbed the Indians in the sixth. Very impressive. Wizard Cat gives this catch: Four wands.

Contact Wizard Cat at Wizardcat@live.com

Moye is partners with former Expos and Cubs pitcher Scott Sanderson, who retired from the majors in 1996. UmpBump found this article, in which Sanderson explained how his faith has driven his career.

It wasn't until his freshman year at Vanderbilt that he trusted in Christ for salvation. When two of his senior teammates invited him to attend a Fellowship of Christian Athletes meeting, he jumped at the chance. "I'm the youngest of five children. I'm not impulsive," he said. "I don't react quickly to things I don't investigate. I did some investigative journalism and found out that the claims Jesus Christ made were correct. Shortly thereafter, I asked Christ to come into my life."

Because you can't just take someone's word for something, even if it's the Son of God. You have to check his file down at the Department of Records.

Also, do you really want a devout Christian agent to be renegotiating your Major League Baseball contract? Seems unwise to me. I would want the most devious, heartless, widow-swindling, puppy-kicking, Girl-Scout-cookie-stealing bastard I could find.

What Would Jesus Do? Switch Agents [UmpBump]
Former Big Leaguer Sanderson Now Models Christ As Player Agent [BP Sports]

Of course all of this didn't stop the Mariners' scoreless streak from reaching 22 innings in a 5-0 loss. Texas used five pitchers in the shutout, and Ramon Vazquez had four hits, including a run-scoring double. Seattle starter Felix Hernandez had hit both Gerald Laird and Ian Kinsler with pitches earlier in the game.

I'll tell you though, in my opinion Sexson deserves to get brushed back, and here's why. There's nothing lower than someone who taunts fans with the old ball-on-a-string trick.

• Another Webb Gem. It's nice for Diamondbacks fielders to get an extra day off once a week. Brandon Webb is becoming completely monotonous and predictable, now 8-0 after eight starts. His first complete game of the season was an 8-3 win over the Phillies. He hit one batter, Eric Bruntlett, who was not aware that Thursday was Charge the Mound Day, and simply walked to first base.

• It Just Doesn't Matter! It Just Doesn't Matter! Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Robinson Cano and Wilson Betemit all hit home runs as the Yankees beat the Indians 6-3. Yet the guys at Camp Mohawk still get all the women.

• Who Lives In A Pineapple Under The Sea? First the good news, Florida Marlins fans. You're still in first, one game ahead of the Phillies. Now the bad news ... a scorpion has just crawled into your pants! Also, you're done playing the Brewers for this year. Matt Treanor had a three-run homer as Florida beat Milwaukee 7-2, completing a three-game sweep. This now frees the Brewers to head home to play the Cardinals, where a Mr. Will Leitch is waiting in the parking lot reviewing the Miller Park alcohol policy.

• Nobody Makes Me Bleed My Own Blood! Boston's Josh Beckett beat Detroit's Justin ZooVerlander in a battle of aces, 5-1, as the former recorded the 1,000th strikeout of his career (huzzah!). Kevin Youkilis had a two-run homer in the fifth and Jason Varitek a two-run single in the second. By the way, when your ace is 1-6, that usually spells big trouble.

This week's tale comes from former Dallas Observer reporter John Gonzalez, who shares this run-in with former Texas Rangers outfielder Carl Everett.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--

I've never been able to forget what happened to Ryan Leaf when he screamed at that poor slob in San Diego way back when. The reporter tucked-tail and backed down, forever cementing his place among other ignominious, legendary SportsCenter videos.

That's what I was thinking about when Carl Everett squared off, put his fists up and asked if I wanted to box. And that's what I was thinking when I puffed out my chest, squared off and told him he didn't want any part of me. It probably wasn't the brightest idea I've ever had, but I couldn't shake the image of the shamed Chargers reporter, forever doomed to re-watch his impotence like some horrible, ink-stained Bill Buckner. I kept thinking: If you're going to piss yourself, wait until no one is watching.

At the time, Everett was an outfielder with the Texas Rangers, and I was a columnist for the Dallas Observer, a paper owned by Village Voice Media. This was in 2003. My job back then, as with most alt-weekly monkeys, was to merrily fling feces at my targets and maybe eat a banana if there was time. With Everett, though, I was actually trying to play it straight at first. Considering his volatile reputation, and the fact that he had about 65 pounds on me, I approached him gingerly and asked if he might have time to chat. Plus, considering we were at Spring Training in Arizona and most players were more worried about tee times than inquiring journos, I thought things would be fine.

Nope.

Almost immediately, Everett got pissed that I bothered him. In the clubhouse. During media hours.

He claimed to have never heard of my paper. Now, the Observer wasn't the Dallas Morning News, but it wasn't fucking Car Shopper, either. We had been covering the Rangers for years. Plus, we had hooker ads in the back of the paper, which clearly made us better than the Morning News. But Everett wouldn't let it go and made a point of asking the clubhouse attendants if they had ever heard of the paper. Of course, they said no — possibly because, oh I dunno, they were from Arizona and not Texas.

In an attempt to smooth things over, I asked him about Roy Jones Jr. moving up to heavyweight. Everett supposedly loved boxing. That turned out to be another misstep in a day full of them. There's no reaching out to someone that off his nut. So, with that, things went from uncomfortable and testy to flat out heated:

Carl Everett: You don't want to talk boxing. You wanna box me? (Turns to me, squares off, puts fists up by his head.)You don't wanna box me.

Me: (Getting pissed now.) No, you don't wanna box me...now can we talk or not?

CE: Go ahead, man. (Rolls his eyes.)

M: OK...are you ready for the center field duties?

CE: Am I ready for the center field duties? (Long pause...clearly irritated.) Yeah, man, I'm ready for the center field duties, that's my job.

M: Some people have talked about your weight. Is it an issue? Does that bother you?

CE: That's just y'all. That's the media. That's you guys. You don't know me.

M: Well, you don't know me, and you were lumping me with the other media and giving me a hard time about my paper.

CE: I don't like the media. I don't like them. I don't like the media.

M:OK...all right...(Searching...backpedaling.) Have you talked to [manager] Buck [Showalter] much? You know, what's it like playing for him?

CE:We haven't played any games for him yet.

M: (Getting more pissed.) OK, then how is he different from the other managers you've been around?

CE: How's he different? (Very sarcastic.) That's what you're gonna ask me?

M: Yeah.

CE:: Everything's OK.

M: OK...What about last year? Was that tough for you?

CE: Nope.

M: The losing wasn't tough?

CE:Nope.

M:(Had enough now.) Why are you being so standoffish?

CE:I'm not.

M:You're not?

CE:Nope. You're just mad because I don't kiss the media's ass. I won't kiss your ass.

M:That's fine because I don't kiss ballplayers' asses...Now, the losing didn't bother you?

CE:Nope...I play hard anyway...that was the first time I ever lost.

M:So then it must have been different at least, right?

CE:(Huffing again.) Man, I said I play hard anyway.

M:All right...do you think you can contend this year?

CE:Did you watch the games last year?

M:Well, I wasn't in Texas, but, yeah, I watched some games...

CE:(Cuts me off.) No, you didn't. You didn't watch any games last year, 'cause if you watched some games last year, you'd know that we were a tough ticket. We didn't lay down for anyone.

M:How can you say that? You guys were 31 games out [of first place in the division]...

CE:(Really mad now.) First you ask me some fucking ridiculous questions, and then you're gonna ask me why I answered the way I did...

M:(Also really mad now.) Yeah, that's what I'm supposed to do; that's my job.

CE: (Screaming now...people watching.) If you're gonna ask some fucking ridiculous questions, then I'm gonna give you some fucking ridiculous answers...I mean, that's just fucking ridiculous.

M:(Also screaming now.) Why, because you don't like the fucking question?

CE: No, because I don't like the fucking media. That's it. Get up on outta here. (Motions toward the door.)

M: So that's it, huh? You're not gonna talk to me anymore?

CE:Yeah, that's right. That's it. Get the hell outta here. Go on, get out.

M:Well, this was productive. So that's it...that's the end?

CE: That's what I said. (Does shooing motion toward the door. Tries to get me to leave. I don't. He walks to other end of clubhouse. I go to middle of clubhouse and lean against a table.)

CE:(Mocking me now; yelling across clubhouse.) Asking me, how do I like Buck? Asking me, can we contend? (Makes grand sweeping motion, stares at me.) That's some stupid fucking shit. That's some shit your editor told you to come down here and ask.

M: (I yell back across the clubhouse.) My editor didn't tell me to ask anything. Those are my questions...you must be really mad at something.

CE: (Walks back toward me.) That's right. I'm mad because I don't like the fucking media. Keep it up. Go head, keep it up. Keep talking back. I'm gonna have you escorted outta here. And you better get up off that fucking table. You're gonna learn to respect us. This is our house. You're gonna learn. Get up off that table. (I don't move.) I said get up off that table. (I still don't move.) You better get up.

John Blake, Rangers PR chief: (Nods at me.) John, please get up. (I stand up, but I don't leave.)

CE: That's right. This is our house. You're gonna learn.

The truly weird part was that, a few weeks later, back in Dallas, I was in the clubhouse when I walked by Everett's locker and he started a spontaneous conversation with me. It was completely cordial. At the time, I had long, shaggy hair, and eventually Everett offered to shave my head — just like his. I wasn't sure if that was his way of making amends, or if he didn't remember me. I'm still not sure.

In the end, I didn't let him cut my hair. Something about letting a guy who doesn't believe in dinosaurs take a razor to the back of my head felt like a bad idea. That's probably just me, though.

So, here goes:

1. Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim: We actually never like picking these guys, and not just because of their name. But they still seem to be the class of this division over here.
2. Oakland Athletics. We will always, always pick these guys one spot higher than they actually should be. Damn you, Michael Lewis!
3. Seattle Mariners: Put us in the camp that believes last year was an overperformance, rather than the start of something exciting, Bedard or no.
4. Texas Rangers: Hopefully they'll be able to overcome the loss of Sammy Sosa. We're not sure we have, not yet.

We would love to hear justifications as to how a team other than the Angels win this division. Tomorrow, the National League Central.

"My wife and daughter both love New York," said A-Rod. "Four days after I opted out (and was living in Miami), my daughter says, 'I really miss my bedroom and my toys in New York.' I wanted to shoot myself. I said to my wife, 'What the —- are we doing?' "

Hey, that's as good a reason as any! More A-Rod wisdom:

"I went for the contract when my true desire was to go play for the Mets," Rodriguez said of his decision to ink his $252 million deal with Texas eight years ago. As A-Rod looked back on the events of the past offseason, he seemed haunted by the idea that in breaking free of the Yankees he could have made another decision based strictly on money and wound up as unhappy as he was in Texas for three years. ... "So to make the right decision just feels really good," Rodriguez said, "versus being taken down a road where I'm like, 'Oh, my God, where am I? Oh, $400 million to play in some place I hate? Great, I'll blow my —- head off.'

You see, Alex Rodriguez just wants to be loved. And that is sure to happen in New York, the only place where you can hit .314 with 54 homers and still be burned in effigy.

Well, if this steroids thing gets too hot, maybe he can play in Toronto.

A-Rod Regrets Saying No To Mets, Doesn't Make Same Mistake With Yankees [New York Daily News]
A-Rod Hates Him Some Texas [Deuce Of Davenport]

It did fall short, of course, of the all-time professional record, when the Teatotallers beat the Gashouse Gorillas 55-54 in Baseball Bugs in 1946.

My favorite part, I think, is that the Orioles actually had a 3-0 lead at one point. Also, it was only the first game of a doubleheader ... the Rangers winning the nightcap 9-7. Brad Wilkerson, the only Ranger who played and did not have a hit in the two games, drove home the go-ahead run in Game 2 with a sacrifice fly in the eighth. The 39 runs established an AL record for most runs in a single day, in which the Rangers had 40 hits and 13 walks in 92 official at-bats. Ian Kinsler had 13 at-bats, and Texas rookie David Murphy had six hits. Another Rangers rookie, Travis Metcalf, had eight RBI. So can one game serve as a definitive indictment of the way an franchise is run, and be the cause for a wholesale overhaul? How can Peter Angelos, in the indecent scoreboard glare of a result 110 years in the making, not be totally panicking right now? Should the Orioles simply pack up and leave, and Camden Yards be plowed under and the earth salted as Rome did with Carthage? I'm thinking this is something that you just don't simply shake off, but I could be wrong.

• It's Hard To Pass Two Teams. Meanwhile, Albert Pujols did his own special thing with the number 30, homering for a career-best fifth consecutive game to become the first player in major league history to hit 30 homers in his first seven seasons. St. Louis beat the Marlins 6-4, keeping pace with first-place Chicago, three games back. The Cardinals are two games behind Milwaukee.

• We Never Thought He'd Sink To This. Derek Lowe went seven innings and Matt Kemp had a career-high four hits to lead the Dodgers over the injury-riddled-remains-of-what-formerly-were-the-Phillies, 15-3.

• Break Up The D-Rays. Hey, what gives? The Devil Rays beat the Red Sox for only the second time this season, B.J. Upton hitting a two-run homer off of Daisuke Matsuzaka as Tampa prevailed 2-1. New York, 8-2 winners over the Angels. are five games back in the East.

I can't say I'm well read on the mating ritual of the horsefly. But I did notice that the two little bugs aren't even watching the baseball game while screwing, giving horsefly sex exactly one thing in common with Peter Angelos' style of ownership.

We appreciated Lone Star Ball's stance on this: "Yay! Now let's call up Jason Botts."

Seriously, though, now that Sammy Sosa has his 600 homers — and still has his defenders, in Chicago and elsewhere — the question arises: Is he going to make the Hall of Fame? Obviously, his numbers say he should be in there ... but so do Mark McGwire's.

Surprisingly, almost everyone at ESPN thinks he should be in, which is odd, we think. The majority of "voters" say that because he's never tested positive for any steroids, they shouldn't be a factor in any decision making. Which doesn't make any sense, because McGwire never tested positive either, and no one's rushing to put him in the Hall. We're not saying Sosa shouldn't be in, or he should, but any decision you'd make on him, you'd have to apply the same to McGwire.

But really: Where's Jason Botts?

Sammy Hits 600, But Will He Go To The Hall? [UmpBump]
Standing Up For Sammy [100 Percent Injury Rate]
Sammy Hits 600 [Lone Star Ball]

In general, we remain confused how to respond to Sosa's quixotic comeback and "drive" for 600 homers. Mark McGwire retired, vanished, and we were all had to deal with what was left in his wake. Barry Bonds keeps hitting eff-you homers and confronts us, daring us to doubt him. But Sammy just plods along, quieter, meeker, happy to be playing the game but still probably pretty much an asshole. One of the three biggest names in the whole steroid mess, remaining out there, plugging away, about to hit a 600th homer than hardly anyone will notice. How Sosa continues to dance between the raindrops is beyond us.

Anyway, yeah: It would have been nice to see how Cubs fans would have treated him. Oh well.

And We Meet Again ... [The Cobra Brigade]
Lonely 600 [Uwe Blog]

Starting with A-Rod, our hero came to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, bases loaded, and the Yankees trailing. He triumphantly poked a fly ball into the centerfield bleachers, giving himself a second HR on the day, and the Yankees a walk-off victory. I forget what happened after that; either he was carried through the streets of New York by handsome firemen while everyone roared their love and approval, or people half-heartedly clapped while muttering under their breath, "Big deal, pretty boy, it's April."

And let's not forget Sammy Sosa, who brought himself back to life last night by hitting his first Major League homerun since 2005, helping the Rangers to an 8-4 pounding of the Red Sox. "I fought my way up and I'm here, and I'm doing it. I feel very happy, very pleased," Sosa said after the game. He has also magically regained his ability to speak English.

Yankees 10, Orioles 7 [ESPN]
Rangers 8, Red Sox 4 [ESPN]

All right, last one of the day until tomorrow ... we think this is actually the easiest division to pick, which is why, obviously, we're going to have it entirely wrong.

1. Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim. That pitching staff is a little crazy, and hey, look, it's Gary Matthews. Nice to have you here, man!
2. Texas Rangers. If the Rangers win the World Series this year, Showalter's officially hanging himself.
3. Oakland Athletics. We can see things taking a bad turn this year, though we still hope they enjoy all the ghost-riding.
4. Seattle Mariners. It's cute that they keep playing, it really is.

All right, take us home ... big day tomorrow, so play all night and rest up.

Well, we're less than a week away from the start of baseball — spring training is here! — so it's time to do the same thing in the baseball world. Every weekday until the start of the season, a different writer will preview his/her team. We asked a gaggle of writers, from the Web, from print, from books, to tell us, in as many or as little words as they need, Where Their Team Stands. This is not meant to be factual, or dispassionate, or even logical: We just asked them to riff on why they love their team so much, or what their team means to them, or whatever.

Today: The Texas Rangers. Your author is Adam J. Morris.

Adam J. Morris runs Lone Star Ball and once bought Jose Lima's wife's dress off eBay. His words are after the jump.

—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—-—--

People don't understand ... it's hard out here for a Ranger fan.

The 21st century has been a disaster for us. From 2000 through 2006 (and don't start nitpicking about how Y2K is really in the 20th century), the Rangers have finished last in their division four times and next-to-last three times, with an aggregate record of 535-599 and just one season with a record better than .500.

The Rangers, along with their division-mates, the Oakland A's, have been the poster children for Bud Selig when he says that payroll isn't everything, that small market teams can thrive and big market teams can suck. The yang to Oakland's pluckier, more successful yin, the Rangers play in a nice, shiny new ballpark, are located in the 5th largest media market in the nation and spent much of the 21st century with one of the top payrolls in baseball, with nary a playoff appearance this century to show for it. The Rangers have become a permanent Exhibit "A" (along with Paul Allen's Portland Trail Blazers, Isiah Thomas's New York Knicks and Dan Snyder's Washington Redskins) for the case that money doesn't buy championships.

And it isn't just the lack of success ... the Rangers have spent the decade as the buffoon of MLB, the team that keeps getting a pie in the face and atomic wedgies. The Rangers of the last several years are known as the team that overspent for Alex Rodriguez then paid the Yankees to take him off their hands, the team that gave Chan Ho Park one of the worst contracts in sports history, the team whose $100 million payroll bought them three straight last-place finishes, the team that had a reliever throw a chair into the stands in the middle of a pennant race one year and an All-Star starting pitcher assault a cameraman less than a year later, that traded for John Rocker and Carl Everett, that signed Ruben Rivera and Hideki Irabu, that made headlines in the steroid scandal because of Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro, Gary Matthews Jr. and Jerry Hairston Jr.

The Rangers have been a team that has constantly been in the public eye for all the wrong reasons. Not lovable losers like the Cubs, not anonymous mediocrities like the Pirates ... the Rangers have cut their own unique path of exceptionally public ignominy through the major leagues the past seven years.

And for Rangers fans, this is made all the more painful because of the team's checkered past ... years of wandering in the second division wilderness after the team's arrival in Arlington in 1972 before finally finishing first in the A.L. West in 1994, an accomplishment made meaningless by both the strike and the fact that the first place Texas Rangers had a record of 52-62 on the season, followed by a stretch of three division titles in four years from 1996 through 1999.

Even that stretch of very goodness, though, was sullied by the team's playoff performances, drawing the Yankees all three years, going 1-9 against New York in the three divisional series, and scoring a total of just two runs in the 1998 and 1999 divisional series combined. The experience of seeing the Rangers stomped in their only playoff appearances has scarred Rangers fans, to the point that some argue that it isn't even worth it for Texas to make the playoffs without a truly dominant team, because they'll just get swept in the first round anyway.

It is against this backdrop, this history, that the Rangers' 2007 season unfolds, with the Rangers trying to shake off the oppression of the John Hart/Buck Showalter era in Texas and the malaise that has been 21st century Rangers baseball. With second-year GM Jon Daniels and new manager Ron Washington, the Ranger organization seems optimistic that this will be the best Ranger season since 1999.

That isn't setting the bar too high, of course, given that Ranger fans still talk about the "miracle" 2004 season (when a team some thought would lose 100 games finished in third place, with 89 victories), and reminisce misty-eyed over the greatest Ranger moment of the decade, a September 23, 2004, home game when David Dellucci broke an 0 for 23 streak by doubling in the tying and winning runs off of Octavio Dotel, bringing the Rangers within two games of first place Oakland and keeping their playoff hopes on life support for a few more days.

But there seems to be reason for hope. Maybe I'm just overly optimistic, as I seem to be every March. Maybe getting rid of Buck Showalter this past offseason - a manager I never wanted here in the first place - has got me so giddy that I'm not thinking rationally.

But I really think that the Rangers can do something significant this year, can break their seven-year playoff drought and get back in the postseason. The rest of the division is unimpressive - Oakland lost their best pitcher and best hitter from 2006 (Barry Zito and Frank Thomas), while Anaheim did nothing to improve an unimposing offense and is having injury issues with their rotation. (We can ignore Seattle, of course).

For the first time in years, the Rangers appear to have put together a rotation that could be pretty damn good. Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla aren't sexy, but are reliable veterans who are going to give you solid performances. Brandon McCarthy is viewed as a potential ace, despite his up-and-down performance last year during his bullpen apprenticeship with the ChiSox, and Robinson Tejeda has terrific stuff that has generated very good numbers in his limited major league rotation stints.

The Ranger bullpen is young and deep, the strength of the team right now, coming off a season where the Rangers finished 6th in the majors in bullpen ERA and brought most of their relievers back. Newcomer Eric Gagne is the big name, of course, and the early reports out of Arizona indicate that, while he isn't the Gagne of old, he still looks like he should be good enough to be a top notch closer. But the Rangers' real bullpen strength is the gaggle of arms ahead of Gagne, guys like Akinori Otsuka and Wes Littleton and C.J. Wilson, guys that Ron Washington will be relying upon to shut down the opposition in the 7th and 8th innings. The troops ahead of Gagne are, for the most part, not household names, but the organization is counting on them to help turn games into six-inning affairs, and a repeat of last season's performance from the no-name guys would go a long way towards ensuring that the Rangers are playing in October.

The offense, for once, seems to be the biggest area of concern. The Rangers have a pretty good idea what they can expect from certain folks - greatness from Mark Teixeira, very goodness from Michael Young and Ian Kinsler, 120 games worth of decent production from Kenny Lofton, Frank Catalanotto, and Gerald Laird - while other areas are a complete mystery. If Hank Blalock and Brad Wilkerson hit the way they did in 2004, and Nelson Cruz's potential turns into performance, this could be a very, very good offense. If Blalock and Wilkerson perform like they did last year, and breaking balls continue to turn Cruz into Pedro Cerrano, then the offense is going to be a problem.

And of course, there is that Sammy guy out there, as well...you may have heard something about him this spring...

Looking on the positive side, if the Ranger offense does struggle, is short a bat come July and August and needs to make a deal, well, Jon Daniels has had balls of steel when it comes to pulling the trigger on huge trades, the most recent being parting with lefty John Danks, who was anointed the savoir of the pitching staff from the time he was drafted in 2003, in the deal to acquire Brandon McCarthy. On the negative side, those trades haven't always worked out ... the Alfonso Soriano trade (which I supported) backfired when Brad Wilkerson turned out to need shoulder surgery while Soriano posted the best year of his career, and the Adam Eaton/Chris Young trade (which I condemned) has been a disaster of Hindenburgian (or Hafnerian) proportions. Even the Carlos Lee trade, which garnered Daniels praise and worked out from a production standpoint, ended up being rendered moot by the Rangers' falling out of contention after Lee's arrival in Arlington.

Still, unlike his predecessor, Daniels has shown a willingness to be creative in making trades (such as dealing Ricardo Rodriguez to the Phillies for Vicente Padilla, to keep the Phillies from simply non-tendering Padilla and letting him become a free agent, and working a three-way deal with the Cubs and Oakland last season that netted the Rangers John Koronka and John Rheinecker), so you have to believe that, if the Rangers are in contention and need another piece, Daniels is going to find a way to get something done.

(This is where I am obligated to mention that Daniels is the youngest GM in baseball history. Apparently, you aren't allowed to write anything for any publication about the Rangers and/or Daniels without mentioning that fact).

Overall, I've got a good vibe about the Rangers this year. Yes, the rotation has question marks, but I like the answers to those questions a lot more than I have in years past ... I feel better about relying on Brandon McCarthy and Robinson Tejeda and Kam Loe to step up and perform than I have in the past about, say, Ryan Glynn and Aaron Myette and Mike Judd doing so. The Michael Young contract extension is going to hurt the Rangers in 2012 and 2013, as they've given him too much money for too many years, but in the short-term, this can only help the Rangers, restoring some credibility with the fans and the rest of the players by locking up long-term the guy considered by his teammates to be the leader of the team, and considered by the fans and ownership to be the face of the franchise, and eliminating a distraction that would otherwise be hanging over the team.

And there is the addition of Washington, a self-professed "player's manager," a guy who seems to be the exact opposite of the micro-managing, passive-aggressive Showalter, whose style had reportedly alienated much of the clubhouse. Washington, whose departure from the A's has been lamented by A's fans and players alike, has announced that he's turning the clubhouse over to the players, vowed to communicate clearly with his charges, and has injected an atmosphere of positivity into the team that has been lacking in recent years.

At the end of the day, I think this team is going to rise or fall based on the performance of four key players - Brandon McCarthy, Robinson Tejeda, Hank Blalock, and Brad Wilkerson. If those four players perform up to their capabilities, this is a division winning team. If they all flop, this is a sub-.500 team.

But it is March, and I'm feeling optimistic. Heck, even that Sooser guy that I've bitched about all spring is hammering the ball in Arizona. Plus, we've got the post-Showalter track record, with the last two teams he's left winning the World Series the following year.

I'm feeling so good, in fact, I'm going to go out on a limb and make a prediction...the Rangers go to the World Series in 2007.

And if I'm wrong? Well, I'm a Ranger fan...I'm used to disappointment...

Among the worthless — but muscular! — heap of relics from the 1998 Mark McGwire-Sammy Sosa home run chase? The priceless Slammin' Sammy: The Sammy Sosa Story, an animated "feature" about Sammy Sosa and "how a hero became a legend."

We found it apropos, considering Sosa is looking like he might make the Rangers' roster. They've got all kinds of fun clips right here, including the revelation that Sosa grew up speaking English before forgetting it, of course. That'll happen.

Say It Ain't Sosa [The Greatest Blog In The World]

ANYWAY. Wilson left a "message" for his pal Brandon on his page, and, uh, we think it might be a little, oh, racist. Scroll down on McCarthy's page to February 1. We're not reprinting the image here, but we'll say this: There could be space for Wilson on the USC football team.

Honestly, athletes: Stop using the Internets. It can only cause you pain.

C.J. Wilson [MySpace]
Brandon McCarthy [MySpace]
USC Full Of White Power Bills [Deadspin]

(UPDATE: Wilson has posted a response to this post on Lone Star Ball.

We don't understand what that "Taoist" business means, but that seems like a perfectly reasonable response to us.

"I'd love to have him hit fifth behind Mark Teixeira if he shows he can hit Major League pitching," manager Ron Washington said. "As we get into Spring Training, his performance will show what we can do with him.

We suspect the Rangers' AL West rivals would also like to see Sosa hitting fifth behind Mark Teixeira. By the way ... steroids are still illegal, right? Just checking; we wanted to make sure to have all the facts.

Rangers, Sosa Agree To Deal [Rangers.com]

According to the East Bay Express, Craig Bueno, the screamer who pissed off the Rangers so badly in the first place, is being smeared by the Rangers in the suit. The team is digging up dirt on him, like his supposed "explicit" pictures in his firehouse (he's a fireman), in order to, uh ... well, we're not really quite sure what it has to do with the lawsuit, actually.

Attorneys for the Rangers deny they are trying to smear Bueno, whom they have countersued. "We didn't go digging up dirt — these witnesses came to us," Rangers lawyer Joel Halverson told Alameda County Superior Court Judge Frank Roesch last week. ... The team also argues that Bueno is at least partially responsible for his wife's injuries because of his outrageous taunting of relief pitchers in the visiting bullpen, which ultimately led Francisco to toss the chair.

To be honest, we had forgotten about this whole incident, but we're definitely going to be keeping an eye on it now. It's just instructive to remember that if your wife is hit in the face with a chair thrown by a Major League Baseball player, you better make sure your closet is clear of skeletons. Or naked pictures, anyway.

Playing Hardball [East Bay Express]

OK, before we start: Seriously, this is just the worst sports day of the year. Do you realize we did a post below on bowling? Can we please get back to the games tomorrow? What? No afternoon games? Man!

Anyway, we're going to continue our thumb-twiddling by looking at the American League, or, as it's now known, The League For Real Men. You could make an argument that the best four teams, and perhaps eight of the best nine, are all in this league. But that's a silly argument; it's much more fun to argue about whether Joe Buck makes you want to cry more, or Tim McCarver. (We say McCarver. But we're a Cardinals fan. You know how it goes.)

So, it's tight all around in the AL. Much discussion has revolved around the possibility that the wild-card will come out of a division other than the AL East. We don't see this as a lock, by any stretch, but the White Sox do look more awesomer than anybody else, we think. The Red Sox's pitching seems likely to solidify by the end of the year, and as long as we don't have to hear him talk on television anymore, we plan on continuing to enjoy the Papelbon. In the West, Oakland has had every opportunity to show off what was supposed to be its best team in years; we are officially unimpressed, so we think the Rangers will pull it off. They will then lose in the playoffs, fire Buck Showalter and win the World Series next year. That leaves us with the wild-card: Detroit or the Yankees. Frankly, Yankees fans should be happy they're this close; it's looking ugly, old and hurt out there. This might be the last playoff chance for a while. We like the Tigers.

So, we apologize, Detroit fans: We stink at predicting and just doomed you. Give us your predictions in the comments, everybody, so you can look back and point come October.

By the way: Someday Ichiro is going to do something insane. Something about him makes us think there are inner demons we don't know about. If you're up for some dime-store psychiatry.

1. Oakland Athletics. We think this might be the best A's team since Billy Beane took over. And fortunately, there aren't enough fans around to piss off MIlton Bradley.
2. Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim. Doesn't it seem like Garrett Anderson should have been playing in the '80s? He seems like an '80s type of guy.
3. Texas Rangers. Brad Wilkerson is our hot fantasy pick. Fantasy baseball.
4. Seattle Mariners. Do you guys realize they signed Kevin Appier this offseason? That makes us extremely happy.

OK, your predictions, dissertations on VORP so you can apply for a job with Beane, whatever, in the comments, go to it.

The ladies say that Blalock "has a history for chasing after his trainers," which, considering his clean injury record, seems like an endeavor better saved for the end of his career.

They've also got some shots of Aaron Rowland rocking out with ... you guessed it ... Kyle Orton! Synergy makes us so happy.

Getting Personal [On The DL]
Blog Dishes Dirt On MLB Bad Boys [Boston Herald]

Both of today's stories are nice guy athlete stories, because it's a Monday and we can't get worked up to be too negative on Mondays. First up: A jovial tale of mirth with Rangers first baseman Mark Teixeira, coming to us from Dallas' Reid Wakefield.

I was at a Jackopierce concert with my wife and spotted Mark Teixeira (there with a date - and, yes, he bobbed his head and sang along all night). During the show, Tex got up and headed towards the lobby, so I followed him out. My brother and I are huge Rangers fans and actually had a bet last season about whether or not Teixeira would hit 40 homers (I thought he would). I cornered Tex and explained to him that my brother had no faith (the final tally was 43 jacks); he agreed to rub it in by calling my brother on my cell. I was expecting some friendly banter, but instead the conversation consisted of one line: "Hey Trey, this is Mark Teixeira...shove it up your ass!" Sweet.

For the record, we do not recommend following athletes when they leave a concert. That said, we don't recommend going to Jackpierce concerts either.

Athlete Run-Ins: Matt Leinart's Surprise [Deadspin]

(By the way, even though the Win A Book! part of this contest is over, we still encourage you to send us your athlete run-in stories at tips@deadspin.com. If it's good, we'll run it on the site and, hell, we'll probably find something cool for you lying around here.)

Daniels — who by all accounts is very sharp fellow — has a close relationship with Rangers blogger (and lawyer) The Newberg Report, where there will almost certainly be an interview later today. Meanwhile, you can check out an old Baseball Prospectus interview or just chew on this quote from yesterday's press conference: "I'm ecstatic about this. This is what I've aspired to be for a long time." The Dallas Morning News seems likely to have some fun with Daniels.

Daniels does not have the thinnest resume of a front-office operative in baseball history. Stanley Burrell had an equally meteoric rise with the Oakland Athletics, going from teenaged clubhouse attendant to "executive vice president" for eccentric owner Charles O. Finley in 1980.

Burrell quickly got out of baseball to pursue a career in music. He had a brief run of fame a few years later as MC Hammer. The list of less-experienced baseball higher-ups stops with Hammer.

Some Thoughts On The Regime Change [Lone Star Ball]
Jon Daniels Q&A [Baseball Prospectus]
Rangers Go Young At GM [Dallas Morning News]

If you subscribe to the Buck Showalter Theory Of Team Management, once the Rangers finally fire that guy, they're going to win the World Series. (It worked for the Yankees and Diamondbacks, after all.) We worry sometimes if the Rangers are going to fall into the Rockies trap of a confusing home run ball park with terrible pitching; eventually, everything gets all messed up that no one knows where to turn. We have fond memories of Days Of Ranger Past. Nolan Ryan pounding Robin Ventura. A skinny Sammy Sosa. So nice. So warm. The Rangers actually have one of the best blog networks in baseball, so we apologize in advance if you're one of the great ones that didn't make the final three.

3. The Ranger Rundown. First off, a blog with graphics. Who knew you could do that? Aren't there rules about that? Anyway, smart, funny and with a good eye for history (and cats).
2. Lone Star Ball. Updated several times a day — which is supposed to be our racket, dammit — with everything you might possibly want to know about the Rangers. (There's more than you thought.)
1. Baseball Time In Arlington. Meaty, weighty posts — we would almost call them "beefish" — and proof that even in blogs, everything's big in Texas.

(Tomorrow: Washington Nationals.)