Josh Hamilton Is Confident The Hits Will Come

ARLINGTON _ There was time late Sunday afternoon for one last bat flip from Josh Hamilton. This one, though, was prompted by admiration instead of frustration.

It came while he stood in the on deck circle as Michael Young’s home run kept gaining altitude and sailed over the fence in left-center to complete a late three-run Rangers comeback to beat Kansas City 6-5.

“I was kind of lost because I’ve never been on deck for a walk-off home run,” Hamilton said. “I’m standing there looking at it, and everybody’s jumping out of the dugout.”

The productive ending for the team contrasted another fruitless day at the plate for him – three swinging strikeouts and a foul out that led to an earlier bat flip. But he said he’s still upbeat and confident things will turn around: “I’m working hard at getting things straightened out.”

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Game 1: Mavericks 105, Spurs 97 (1-0)

It has been a while. You know, since you felt that undeniable feeling of accomplishing a small mission in the post-season. The feeling of the Mavericks putting an opponent to the sword on their home floor. In an arena filled with their fans, in their city, and seemingly with their good fortune.

And while the local basketball squad – that has been left for dead by many of its fans – is a long, long way from redemption, every journey begins with a step, and that step was taken last night in an impressive and somewhat stunning 105-97 win in San Antonio against the Spurs.

Do you remember June 3, 2006? I do. I remember it well. It seems like it was not that long ago on one hand, the night the Mavericks earned their ticket to the 2006 NBA Finals with a victory over the Suns in Phoenix. And, it is the last time the Mavericks won a playoff game outside of the American Airlines Center.  When you pull out a calendar, you see it has been a long time since we rock and rolled. Mavs 102, Suns 93

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Live From Frisco

FRISCO — I’ll try to keep you up to date with what’s going on out here at beautiful Dr Pepper Ballpark today with a mini Depot.

RHP Guillermo “Willie” Moscoso gets his first start for the RoughRiders after a couple of outstanding bullpen appearances. I’m very interested to see what he’s got.

The Human Ball of Fire also known as Marcus Lemon is hitting sixth as the DH and 2B Jose Vallejo is back in the lineup after a night off, hitting in the two hole behind CF Craig Gentry. Chad Tracy gets his first start in the outfield and will hit cleanup behind 1B Justin Smoak who is hitting a very respectable .273 / .405 / .424 through his first week of Texas League play after getting only 56 at-bats as a professional last summer.

Feel free to ask questions as we go along and I’ll do my best to interact as the afternoon advances. I’ll be away from the computer in the fourth, joining Scott Garner for the broadcast on Channel 21.

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2009 NFL DRAFT: Prospects Have DFW Ties

I think stating that Texas is proud of their football might be an understatement. Many people think of the high school ranks when talking about Texas football, but let’s not forget about strong representation the Lone Star State has each year on the last weekend in April: the NFL Draft.

The NFL Draft has always included an impressive number of Texans, whether homegrown or prospects who attended a Texas college, school, or university. The 2009 NFL Draft is no different with close to 40 players who have ties to the state of Texas and a legitimate chance to be playing professionally next season as rookies in the National Football League.

While the Cowboys might not have a first round pick, Dallas will still be well-represented in the early first round as three of my top four prospects in this draft come from the DFW area (QB Matthew Stafford, WR Michael Crabtree, OT Jason Smith). Below I list the top 20 prospects from the state of Texas for the 2009 NFL Draft and give my prediction to where they might land come draft day. Note the players hometown is in parenthesis.

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The Depot: Live Game Blog, Notes, News And TV Talk (4/19 Vs. Royals)

If, like me, you missed J. Buffett in Frisco last night to watch/attend Rangers, then here is the set list. Not terribly upset now that I missed the show. Would have liked to see “Coast of Carolina,” but the rest of the non-standards didn’t blow me over.

Gotta go get into pre-production for big Rangers Live! debut coming up at 1:30 CDT. But a couple of quick points about today’s lineup”

• Ron Washington said Chris Davis’ off day is just an off day and that it won’t extend into next week. So Davis gets today and tomorrow (an off day for the whole team), then faces Roy Halladay on Tuesday. Not necessarily the best recipe for breaking a slump.

• Josh Hamilton IS playing today, though I thought he might get a day off. Hamilton is hitless the last two games with four strikeouts in seven at-bats. He has junked the swing changes he made for spring training and gone back to the “toe-tap” starting mechanism. But the problem isn’t just mechanical. Hamilton is swinging at almost every first pitch that comes his way. He’s jumping at them. That’s a mental adjustment he’ll have to make. In Rudy Jaramillo’s world, it’s most important to get the foot down early, but to hold the swing back as long as possible. Hamilton appears to be getting his foot down late and the rest of his body is rushing to keep up with it.

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Spend A Lazy Sunday By The (Homer) Pool

First, the self-pimping announcement. I make my debut on what’s bound to be a stellar TV career on the Rangers pre- and post-game shows on FOX Sports Southwest. The show begins at 1:30 with the delightful Dana Larson hosting and the ebullient Emily Jones as the studio anchor. Jolly John Rhadigan, providing interviews, rounds out the crew. I am currently scared beyond my wildest dreams.

And now to the homer pool: Remember to be eligible for the free stuff you have to give me the first Ranger to homer, the inning and men on base. Count is first tie breaker. Distance is second.

Your Rangers lineup vs. Royals RHP Kyle Davies: 2B Ian Kinsler, 3B Michael Young (only Ranger with a homer vs. Davies), CF Josh Hamilton, DH Andruw Jones, 1B Hank Blalock, RF Nelson Cruz, LF David Murphy, C Taylor Teagarden, SS Elvis Andrus and pitching for the Rangers … RHP Vicente Padilla.

Remember: There is diving allowed at our pool!

Sunday Reader: The Boys From Sprayberry

Hornets Nest: Sprayberry High School in suburban Atlanta was the training ground for Rangers Marlon Byrd and Kris Benson.

ARLINGTON - They’re back together again after so many years, the willowy white kid who never seemed to say more than two words and the burly black kid with the non-stop mouth.

They’re playing on the same baseball team for the first time since they wore the black and gold of the Sprayberry High Yellow Jackets in Marietta, Ga.

“Sparkleberry,” Kris Benson said. “That’s what we called it.”

Benson, 34, and Marlon Byrd, 31, even have adjoining lockers in the Rangers’ clubhouse. Coincidence, they say.

Coincidence, also, that each enjoyed a major milestone last Wednesday night in the 19-6 rout of Baltimore: Benson’s first big-league win after last pitching in the majors in 2006, Byrd equaling a career high with five hits.

Benson, the No. 1 overall draft pick in 1996 out of Clemson by the Pirates, agreed to a minor-league deal in February and earned a spot in the Rangers’ starting rotation in March, proving to them that he was all the way back from 2007 rotator-cuff surgery. Byrd continues a career whose crisis point came much earlier, after his sophomore season at Georgia Tech when a freak leg infection had doctors talking amputation.

What a long and wild ride for the kids from Sparkleberry.

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Praise For Dr Pepper Ballpark

Baseball America released a ranking of the top-10 minor league ballparks in the United States “as picked by people in and around baseball,” and Dr Pepper Ballpark ranked fifth. Among Texas League ballyards, it topped the list.

It’s a beautiful day for baseball and if you’re in the North Dallas / Plano / Allen / McKinney / Denton area, you’re just a short drive away from this farm league palace, so get yourselves out to the yard to catch the Riders take on the Arkansas Travelers (first pitch at 4:05 pm).

If you can’t make it, make sure to watch the Riders on Channel 21 (btw, I’ll be joining Scott Garner for the broadcast in the 4th inning).

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Road To Arlington: Rangers Minor League Report (4/19)

Marcus Lemon in Surprise

Seriously. Somebody turn a hose on this guy before he burns down Dr Pepper Ballpark.

He’s so hot that they’re going to have him lay down under some grates to cook hamburgers this afternoon.

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Zeroing In: Zack Greinke Shuts Out Rangers, 2-0

Ian Kinsler and the Rangers rarely made it past first base against Zack Greinke. (Photo: R.P. Washburne)

• D-tails – Boxscore: Royals 2, Rangers 0; Post-Game Show comment thread; The Depot Live Game Blog.

• Derek Holland promoted; Holland’s big day; Holland Q&A.

ARLINGTON - On another night, in a pennant race perhaps, this was the kind of game that would have evoked poetry. Two pitchers matched one another pitch for brilliant pitch from start to finish.

For the Rangers, toiling through another April gone awry, it was just another wasted Saturday night. It ended with struggling 1B Chris Davis watching a called third strike that completed a 2-0 loss to Kansas City.

The loss was the Rangers seventh in the last eight games, but at least this one couldn’t be blamed on poor pitching, sloppy play or mental mistakes. It was a masterful pitching exhibition between Kansas City’s Zack Greinke and RHP Kevin Millwood, who each pitched complete games.

“Tonight, we faced a pretty good pitcher,” manager Ron Washington said. “We had a couple of opportunities to score against him and we didn’t. But you think with our lineup, in our park, you hold somebody to two runs and you’ve got a pretty good chance to win.”

Normally, that would be the case.

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