Game Report: Giants 10, Rangers 3

San Francisco LHP Barry Zito shut the Rangers’ most right-handed hitting alignment down for seven innings Tuesday at Surprise, Ariz.. Rangers starting position players went all nine innings in the game.  Zito allowed six hits, including a three-run homer to CF Josh Hamilton. San Francisco shifted infielders to play DH Andruw Jones to pull balls and Jones twice hit right into the guts of the shift for ground ball outs. Jones was 0-for-4 for the game, 0-for-3 against Zito. (more…)

Possible Reason Why People Hate the Media:

Here is Billy Gillisipie, former Aggie Coach, and now former UK coach, too, trying the “I am on the phone” trick. I will bet whatever Billy Clyde’s buyout is that there is nobody on that phone. Great use of a prop, though. Of course, the results he gets are not what he had planned as Lexington TV man has watched his “how to be a Investigative Reporter” instructional DVD.

Funny and Sad. Thank Goodness for Youtube.

Rangers Outright Kason Gabbard, Release K.C. Herren

So, let’s stop arguing.

Gabbard cleared waivers and is off the roster, putting the Rangers at 39 filled spots on the 40-man roster. To recap, the Rangers will drop to 37 players with the placement of RHPs Joaquin Benoit and Eric Hurley on the 60-day DL. They will apparently put six non-roster players on the 40-man roster, so they will need to clear three spots. One will be created by taking 1B Joe Koshansky off the roster. So, you’ve got to two to go. I don’t think the Rangers are contemplating putting RHP Tommy Hunter on the 60-day DL as Jamey Newberg/MJH proposed. He is scheduled to pitch against Los Angeles tomorrow; if he does, Thursday would be the earliest date he could be assigned to the DL.

Also, the club optioned Travis Metcalf (aka “My Boy”) to Triple-A Oklahoma. And they released OF K.C. Herren, their second round pick from the 2004 draft.  In five pro seasons, Herren never advanced above Class A. He got his first shot at advanced Class A Bakersfield last year and hit .188  with a .295 on-base percentage and a .257 slugging average.

UPDATE: Before I get flogged again by MJH, I should note that the Rangers took Herren, a high school outfielder from Washington with the 51st pick in the 2004 draft and paid him $675,000. Houston, picking 13 spots later, scooped up Hunter Pence from UT-Arlington for a $575,000 bonus. Ouch. Double Ouch.

Evan is a Big Fat Idiot (and other 40-man roster observations)

Just kidding.  I love Evan like a brother.  But he did question my sanity and what’s the point of having the bully pulpit of a quasi-blog if I can’t put on my attack-dog suit every now and again and flash some teeth?

Evan wants to expose RHPs Luis Mendoza and Dustin Nippert and CF Greg Golson before 3B Travis Metcalf.

Here’s a truncated version of my retort:

1) Pitching, pitching, pitching. Don’t quit on a possible starter too soon or assume that you have enough bullpen depth; and

2) A former first-round, 23 year old plus defensive center fielder with ungodly physical tools and no plate discipline is ten times as valuable as a former 11th round 26 year old third baseman with a pretty good glove and no plate discipline.

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Stars: Not Disappointed in Drop in Season-Ticket Renewals

Last Friday ended the “grace period” for Stars season-ticket renewals that technically ended March 18. Team president Jeff Cogen said 63.8 percent of seat holders plopped down at least a 25 percent deposit (which also gained them $100-$250 in food and beverage credit plus other freebies ranging from extra free tickets to a tour of the locker room to flying on the team plane; the way things have gone lately, you could also kill off opponents’ power plays on the blue line if you’d like.) Last year’s renewal period resulted in 66.9 percent re-upping, meaning this year saw a drop of a little more than 3 percent.

Cogen said he’s not disappointed, given that the Stars have gone from Western Conference playoff finalists to spending the final weeks of the regular season fending off the LA Kings for 12th place without many of their key players sidelined. “We have a good core of fans that understand,” Cogen said. “This team is not in a death spiral.”

Cogen isn’t afraid to mention the injuries, which he notes is a no-no in “the hockey department.” He said the regular references to man-games lost isn’t as a clear of a barometer as what he calls “man-dollars.” This, he said, is what he tried to explain to a recent e-mailer who complained that the team was using injuries as an excuse.

“There’s a difference in losing the 25th man and losing the first,” he said. “There’s no way that you can replace a Brenden Morrow or a Brad Richards or a Sergei Zubov.”

In case you’re among that 36.2 percent of ticket holders who respectfully declined, be prepared to receive a follow-up call as the Stars seek to get you back in your seat. Or at least a seat. Feel free to deposit here why you didn’t re-up and what could change your mind.

Greg Ellis – again.

Full marks to Channel 8 for finding another Cowboy star who may say way too much about how he feels. Over the weekend, Greg Ellis visited with Ted Madden, and man, for a guy I like so much – he now truly makes me crazy.

According to this , Greg has been compensated to the tune of $25 million + since 2000. I would imagine if I could locate his salaries and bonuses back from the time he was drafted in 1998 (over Randy Moss) the total goes above $30 million.

This could just be me, and I am not normally one to belly-ache over an athlete being over-paid, but I think citing the “take care of my family” routine should be exempt the first time an athlete crosses the $10 million barrier. After your first $10 million, let’s all assume the kids can get school clothes and a warm meal.

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Oh, By The Way, Rangers Will Pass On Gary Sheffield

One homer shy of 500, the Sheff  was released yesterday by Detroit. One word response I got from the Rangers on him was: “Pass.”

Over  the last two seasons, both Sheffield, now 40, and Jones have seen their performances decline significantly. But Sheffield’s has leaked a little less than Jones’. Sheffield has hit .247 with a .787 OPS and 44 homers in 912 at-bats. Jones: .225 batting average, .666 OPS and 29 homers in 781 at-bats.

The thinking, I believe, is that Jones can still play at least adequate defense and he’s got more chance of recovery at age 31 (he turns 32 on April 23) than Sheffield does.

The Mystery Of Derrick Turnbow’s “Out” Date

The Rangers are operating under the assumption that the date to put RHP Derrick Turnbow on the active roster or allow him to explore free agency is today. Turnbow believes it is Thursday. Weird. Trying to get clarification on what’s what.

Turnbow said he’d be willing to go to the minors for a couple of weeks or perhaps a month to continue working on a tweak to his violent pitching motion, but only if there isn’t a major league deal out there for him.

Finalizing The Rangers Roster: The Madness Of MJH

Earlier today, my attorney pal, the Mighty MJH detailed the Rangers’ 40-man roster conundrum and how he’d clear roster spots for all the non-roster invitees who are expected to make the team. If the Rangers need to expose two players to waivers, he’s willing to put 3B Travis Metcalf and RHP Luis Mendoza out there. If the Rangers can’t slide RHP Tommy Hunter to the 60-day DL and he’s got to go with a third guy, it’s LHP Kason Gabbard.

Mike’s a brilliant baseball analyst, but I think in this situation he’s overlooking a very simple governing tenet to roster management: Don’t create holes in your system when you can avoid them.

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NFL Draft Junkie: Episode 2 – RB’s

Time for another examination of the NFL Draft. I realize that I will never be able to get to everything by April 25, so I want to take an email or two each week to let you know where I sit on various topics.

Just know this: I concentrate on the top 2 rounds. All I look at are about 70-80 players that the experts say are worthy of the first 2 rounds, then I take a crash course on them as thoroughly as possible. So if they are not thought of as 1-2 round talents, then I have significantly less time dedicated to them. I don’t see how anyone can know about all 250-300 players with any depth unless they are either A) doing this all year (like the Goose) or B) just stealing all of their opinions from some draft guide that sits next to them as they talk.

I am not a draft expert – I do not scout games – nor would I know exactly what NFL scouts would look for anyway. I watch. I eyeball. I watch the Senior Bowl, Combine, youtube, and many, many games I have recorded through the last college season to see who impresses me the most. That is my magic formula. I watch them.

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Finalizing The Rangers Roster: 40 -2 + 6 – 4 = 40

The time has come for Rangers GM Jon Daniels to make some tough roster decisions. With one variable, it appears that we now know who will be on the Rangers 25-man roster. The problem is that at least five of them — and possibly six — are not currently on the Rangers’ already full 40-man roster.

This is where the pressure really hits and the mistakes can be embarassing. A year ago, the Rangers lost RHP Armando Galarraga during this process as they attempted to get him through waivers in order to add Jason Jennings to the roster. That didn’t work out so well. Galarraga logged 178 innings for Detroit, posted a 3.73 ERA and finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Jennings — who had been penciled into the Rangers rotation, lasted just 27 innings and posted an 8.56 ERA.

Now, Daniels has to find a way to squeeze Kris Benson, Omar Vizquel, Elvis Andrus, Eddie Guardado and, once again, Jennings on to the 40-man roster. If the Rangers decide to keep Andruw Jones as an extra outfielder and right-handed bat, six will have to move.

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