Andruw Jones: March 20th Not Necessarily a “Deadline”

After taking 10 at-bats in two games Friday, OF Andruw Jones said he’s not terribly concerned about the March 20th “opt-out” clause in his minor league contract, which would allow him to take free agency if he’s not placed on the 40-man roster.

Jones said he wasn’t aware that such a clause had been placed in his contract by agent Scott Boras. While he didn’t commit to anything, he did indicate he might be willing to extend the “deadline” if the Rangers are still unsure about his status.

“If they say ‘We want to see another week of you,’ it could be pushed back,” Jones said. “I’m really not thinking about it that much. Right now, I just am trying to get my timing down. That’s the most important thing. As you go forward, you need to feel good about yourself. I’m not saying I’ve got everything back yet, but, mentally, I feel like my aggressiveness is back.”

In the two games Friday, Jones was 5-for-9 with a home run (off Jamey Wright) and a walk. Manager Ron Washington said he thought Jones made significant progress with his timing over the course of the day. Jones will likely get one or two at-bats Saturday in relief of OF Josh Hamilton. It will be important for him to repeat his approach after all those muscles have had a night of rest.

Brandon McCarthy Throws Serves Up Sharp Sliders and We’re Not Talking About Those Cute Little Mini-Burgers

SURPRISE, Ariz. – A year ago, Rangers starter Brandon McCarthy arrived at spring training determined to make his curve ball the big breaker that helped Boston’s Josh Beckett dominate the 2007 World Series.

He arrived at spring training last month determined to make the curve a thing of the past.

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Game Report: Royals 8, Rangers 7

Kansas City tied up the City of Surprise best-of-nine championship at two games apiece with a thrilling — okay, that maybe exaggerating a bit — walk-off win Friday afternoon. SS Mario Lisson singled threw a drawn-in infield off RHP Andrew Laughter with one out to drive home the winning run. The loss ended the Rangers three-game winning streak.

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Lone Star Park: “We’re Racing”

Just heard from Lone Star Park spokesman Dan Leary, who forwarded along a statement from the race track  about the company’s Chapter 11 filing on Thursday. The Mighty MJH opined yesterday on how the bankruptcy filing could impact the racing season.

According to the statement, it won’t. Lone Star is apparently not part of the bankruptcy filing. Tickets will go on sale Monday for the spring season, which opens April 9.  The text of the statement, which should be attributed to LSP  President Drew Schubeck, follows:

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Andruw Jones’ Long Day

The Rangers are trying to give Andruw Jones a crash course in recovering his timing. That’s why he took five at-bats in the morning “B” game against Kansas City and why he was scheduled to play the full nine innings in the afternoon. Jones, as you may recall from yesterday, struck out 10 times in his first 14 at-bats this spring. He’s coming off two terrible seasons. And he’s here on a minor league contract that includes an “out” on March 20. So, time is of the essence.

What follows is a brief rundown of his marathon to this point:

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Rangers Have Many Ways to Purchase Tickets Starting Tomorrow

This release, straight from Arlington, just hit my computer screen. Seems Rangers single-game ticket sales commence tomorrow and if you’ve been so enthralled by this blog that you have to go scarf up some tickets, well, we’re going to tell you how to get them. Basically, you can get them anywhere.  But you’ve got to jump to find the particulars.

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Brandon McCarthy Update

Brandon McCarthy threw three pretty solid innings in a “B” game this morning. He did allow a pair of home runs, but he showed a much more refined slider and better command of his fastball. And, most importantly, he made it through all three innings without a health issue. McCarthy threw 59 pitches in his three innings of work, which surprised me a bit (I thought it would be lower) and he had two innings of more than 20 pitches. That’s got to come down, but this, after all, was more about health than about results.

Game Chat: Marc Stein on the Mavs, Jason Kidd, and Why Donnie Nelson Deserves a Break

The greatness that is Marc Stein — NBA columnist for ESPN.com, former Mavs beat writer, English soccer fan — chats with Zac and me about all things Mavs-y. If you have a half hour to kill and are interested in things like whether Raymond Felton would have helped Dallas get better on the defensive perimeter, click and listen.

Friday Morning News: Grant Cousins are Clowns; Rangers Will Not Resemble Them This Season

This just in: The Rangers will not wear the two-tone red-and-blue batting helmets that are so ugly they were panned by everybody from ESPN’s Uni Watch to Mr. Blackwell (well, maybe I made up the Mr. Blackwell part). The team has decided instead to wear the blue helmets with its traditional unis and alternate blue tops. And the red helmets in the 16 games they wear red tops. Thank goodness for small miracles.

Said DH and fashion maven Hank Blalock: “I never saw the two-tone helmets in person, but from what I saw on the internet, they would have made us look like a clown. Put that on your blog.”

As for lesser news: LHP C.J. Wilson has more range of motion in his sore left index finger, but the Rangers still don’t have a reading on yesterday’s X-ray. Wilson took a grounder off the finger and left the game after it swelled up. The club doesn’t think there is a major fracture in the finger, but team physician Dr. Keith Meister, who arrives in Surprise tomorrow, will give him a full exam to try and rule out any hairline breaks. … LHP Kason Gabbard is going to pitch in a game for the first time this spring in the “B” game that begins in only 20 minutes. Good seats are still available. He will follow RHP Brandon McCarthy. … In the “A” game at 1:05, my Key West cousins will get a treat: OF Ben Harrison, the pride of the Conch Republic, will get a start. The only starters in the lineup are 1B Chris Davis, C Jarrod Saltalamacchia and SS Elvis Andrus. … Most important thing about the game against the Royals is that both RHP Brendon Donnelly and RHP Josh Rupe, candidates in that crowded bullpen battle, will pitch.

WSJ on New Cowboys Stadium: Timing Not Awesome

An alert Cornerer points us to this story in Wall Street Journal about how the economy is affecting three huge arena projects.

In a case of monumentally bad timing, this year three of the biggest names in pro sports — the Yankees, New York Mets and Dallas Cowboys — are opening three of the most expensive stadiums ever built, filled with premium-priced seats and luxury amenities. At a combined cost of more than $3.5 billion, the stadiums were conceived and financed in a vastly different environment, a time when corporations and municipalities were flush with cash. Now they’re opening just as corporate America is going through a massive belt-tightening — and trying to avoid the appearance of extravagance at all costs. … With just weeks before their new $1.1 billion stadium opens, the Cowboys still have 2,000 premium seats and about 50 of their 300 luxury suites left to sell.

Those numbers actually don’t sound too bad to me, though. Only 50 suites to go?

Rangers Position Previews: The Catchers

Jarrod Saltalmacchia, at the ripe old age of 23 and with about a year and a half of MLB experience under his belt, is the crusty veteran in a threesome that is considered by many experts to be the finest collection of young catchers on any single roster in baseball. But each of these guys — Saltalmacchia, Carrollton native Taylor Teagarden and Venezuelan Maximiliano Ramirez — has shortcomings that could prevent them from becoming the everyday catcher on a great team.

With respect to these three players, the challenge for the Rangers will be to do everything they can to maximize the market value of all three in hopes that one of them can be dealt for a top-flight young pitcher.

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My “To Watch” List for Today

1. Brandon McCarthy’s performance in the “B” game against Kansas City this morning. The starting rotation is essentially set with Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Matt Harrison, Scott Feldman and McCarthy. The only thing that could force a change is an injury and McCarthy has, to date, been the most fragile of the bunch. McCarthy said yesterday that his bit of shoulder stiffness was nothing out of the ordinary, just the typical stuff that gets worked out over the course of a spring. But given his history – he’s pitched just 121 innings for the Rangers the last two seasons – the club felt it being overly cautious was the better way to go.

2. Andruw Jones 10 or so at-bats. He’ll lead off each of the seven innings of the “B” game and then play nine innings in the “A” game. I incorrectly reported his “out” date yesterday – it’s actually March 20, not March 15 – but that’s still just two weeks away. Jones can afford to grope for his swing for another day or two, but he’s got to start showing some degree of “getting it” again quickly. If not, the Rangers will make the decision about his “out” day for him.

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