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Comment Review: Come Monday, It Will Be Alright

Couple of things you should know:

This is Buffett week, so get ready for many, many plays on song titles and lyrics in postings throughout the week. I’m sorry. I simply can’t help myself. At the end of this post, I’ll add my dream set list for the Saturday show at Frisco’s Pizza Hut Park. Yo, Pizza Hut Park folks, can you get this to Jimmy?

Second, there was a lot of vitriol spilled after yesterday’s loss. I understand that a sweep can be frustrating. And I certainly can understand that a blown four-run lead in the eighth inning can add to that frustration, but let’s just take a minute and catch our breath and think all this through.

• During C.J. Wilson’s collapse, Mike E. took a moment to ask if the Rangers would sign Chad Gaudin. He’s not the first. I’ve asked twice. There was no interest. San Diego was on the verge of signing him anyway over the weekend. And if the beard in this photo is real, there is no way I could talk to the guy with a straight face.

• Many questions about why Eddie Guardado wasn’t used. Why anybody other than Warner Madrigal wasn’t used. Honest answer: Baffling to me, too. In the quick post-game interview most of the questions revolved around Wilson’s collapse. Asking about the bullpen usage will be on the top of my list today. At the top of my list is why Scott Feldman didn’t get the call. Also, wondering if getting Frank Francisco up was ever a consideration as the inning started to unravel. Would you have brought Francisco in even if the game ended up tied by the time you got him in it? Realize conventional baseball wisdom is to hold closer back on the road until you have a lead, but what’s more important: Having him still available or not falling behind there?

• In the Post-Game Show: Lot of comments about C.J. Wilson being a “head case.”  He’s not a head case. He’s not a psycho. I do think he does lack focus sometimes, not necessarily when the game is on the line, but maybe in terms of mental preparation for various roles. He’s constantly re-inventing himself. I think, if Wilson wants it, the ability to reinvent himself once and for all as a dominant left-handed reliever is available to him. All he’s got to do is spend some time with Eddie Guardado. Guardado has nowhere near the stuff that Wilson does, but he understands his strengths and weaknesses, he prepares the same way every day and he keeps things simple. Frank Francisco fell under the sway of Guardado last year and it’s seemed to work out pretty well for a guy who had otherwise been drifting the last couple of years. You talk to folks around the club and the one thing you do get about Wilson that is somewhat disconcerting is that he doesn’t listen to many people. It’s time for him to start really listening.

• As for the “Fire Wash,” “Release C.J.” talk: Understand the frustration, but think it’s really, really a knee-jerk reaction. Virtually every move Washington has made with his lineup has paid dividends in the first week of the season. He’s got a bullpen that was this club’s perceived weakness going into the season and you can only play the cards you are dealt. Releasing C.J. Wilson would be akin to putting Doug Davis on waivers all those years ago: You’d be giving away a serviceable left-handed pitcher.

• While some folks wondered what the significance of the Twitter reference was, e-shadow accused of me of cyber-stalking Wilson. Listen, the only person I cyber-stalk is Molly Erdman. But I will say this: If you are a pro athlete and you choose to use public domains like blogs, Twitter accounts, facebook or myspace pages, you should consider what you write the same thing as being quoted in an interview. It’s all part of the public record at that point. It’s why I think athletes should limit their blogging, twittering or facebooking to their own on-the-field performance. Fans want to know about that stuff. The rest of it, you are just leaving it open for interpretation. There are some commentors who thought the reference to Twitter worthless; there are some who believe that the Twittering shows lack of baseball focus. Like I said, when you put your own words out there, it’s all left open for interpretation.

• Let’s review: The Rangers are 3-3. The season is just beginning it’s second week. No reason to fire, release or trade anybody just yet. But, don’t be surprised if Willie Eyre is in the bullpen, with Warner Madrigal sent back to the minors before the week is out. Had Eyre been healthy at the end of spring, that might have been the direction in which the Rangers turned anyway.

Hey, Jimmy: Let's Hang At Pizza Hut Park This Week

Now, for the important stuff. The set list:

1. Migration; 2. On the Road Again (cover); 3. Who’s The Blonde Stranger; 4. Cowboy In The Jungle; 5. Blue Guitar; 6.  Trip Around The Sun (duet with Martina McBride); 7. Southern Cross (cover); 8. Bama Breeze; 9. Pirate Looks At 40; 10. Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On. INTERMISSION. 11. School Boy Heart; 12. Havana Day Dreamin’; 13. Son of A Son of A Sailor; 14. Come Monday; 15. One Particular Harbour; 16. Coconut Telegraph; 17. Pascagoula Run; 18. Saxophones; 19. Fins; 20. Boat Drinks; 21. Margaritaville.

First encore: Tin Cup Chalice; Second encore: In The Shelter (Remix)

Couple of things: I’ve left out some of the standards such as Volcano, Cheeseburger In Paradise and Why Don’t We Get Drunk. I’ve heard them enough. Also, I’ve probably done a terrible job of arranging, but I just think the tempo moves from up beat to slower before intermission and then pumps up the energy in the second half of the show. And the two encores: My opinion for two really special, rarely-played songs that show off the singer/songwriter he is.