D

Pick A Pack Of Pepper Pitchers: Week 1 Winner

Week 1 winner: Stephen R. with a measley four points, but his predicted ERA of 3.00 edged Landon, who obviously doesn’t know the Rangers are a pitching-first organization. He picked a 5.00 ERA for the week. Truth is, though, you are all winners when you drink Dr Pepper! Shameless shilling there. Stephen earned his points by correctly picking Matt Harrison to lead the team with innings pitched (nine). He received the double-bonus for nailing that Brandon McCarty would be lead the team in strikeouts, a lead he shared with Harrison (seven), and for predicting that Vicente Padilla would lead the team in hits allowed (10). You can only get the bonus point for the correct number in a category if you first correctly identify the leader or co-leader.

Anyway, you can visit the Dr Pepper facebook fan page . And we’ll have round two of the contest up tomorrow in plenty of time to get your entries in.

Viral Video: Texas Rangers CF Josh Hamilton

A few minutes with Rangers center fielder Josh Hamilton, who stopped by to discuss his swing and the team’s upswing. For a limited time, we still have video in the vault of Nolan Ryan discussing my eating habits and the reasons for the improved performance of the Rangers pitching staff.

Rangers Turn Triple Play; Charity Event Photos

For those so inclined, here are some photos from the Rangers’ Triple Play charity event Sunday night at the Hilton Anatole. According to sources, a good time was had by all and much money was raised for charity. And, of course, the rookies were made to sing for their dinner.

Marlon Byrd stares down his wife, Andrea, in "Battle of the Sexes." Just like the Angels didn‚t intimidate the Rangers, the husbands did not intimidate the wives. As always, the women were right more often than the men. The wives won.

(more…)

The Winner & Leader In Training: 10 Good Minutes With Elvis Andrus

Magical. I’m beginning to think that the guy on the right is actually the lost son of the guy on the left. The energy he brings to the field every day. The fun. The electric smile. The sense that he’s just going to win. Somehow. Just because that’s what he does.

Make the jump to spend a few minutes visiting with the Rangers’ Human Highlight Reel, bottle of energy and leader in training.

(more…)

LAX Fans Are Invited To A “Flinging Four” Watching Party On Saturday In Addison

Virginia heads to New England as the No. 1 seed after defeating Johns Hopkins in its regional final. (Photo: collegelax.us)

The local BRIDGE Lacrosse organization, dedicated to involving inner-city kids in lacrosse, is holding a “May Madness” watching party on Saturday at the BlackFinn American Saloon located at 4440 Belt Line in Addison for the NCAA Division I men’s semifinals (Duke-Syracuse and Cornell-Virginia) being played at Foxboro … Foxborough … where the Patriots play. Included will be a drawing for a trip for two to next year’s semifinals in Baltimore (airfare, hotel and tickets).

The opener is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and the second at 1:30 p.m. Advance tickets are $15 for adults, $5 for children under 18. At the door, it’ll be $20 and $10. Appetizers and drinks will be 50 percent off. And from noon to 2, complimentary beer and wine.

Syracuse is the defending national champion and is 14-2, facing Duke (15-3). Virginia (15-2) is the top-ranked team in the country, taking on Cornell (12-3).

Tickets can be ordered online at this site.

Caption Contest: What Rangers Do On Off Nights

"Yeah, but it looks good on you, Elvis." (Photo: Brad Newton)

They dress the rookies up as the cast of Anchorman (Chris Davis playing the Ron Burgundy role and Derek Holland no doubt as Brick) and they make them sing “Afternoon Delight.” This was all part of the annual “Triple Play” charity function last night at the Hilton Anatole and, as usual, it was a big hit. I’ve been three of the last four years – did not make it last night due to near narcoleptic conditions – and every time it’s been creative and funny and the players are in good spirits. And in the past, that’s been with a bad team. Can only imagine what atmosphere was like last night.

OK, so, offer up your best caption here and win a prize. I don’t know what’s in the prize vault, but we’ll find something. For the record, from left to right, you’ve got Chris Davis, Matt Harrison, Elvis Andrus, Taylor Teagarden and Derek Holland.

MGM: Win Streaks, Game 7′s, & Kid Cudi

That is what a baseball town must be like. There are times when you visit other cities and you notice that some of them actually treat the entire summer like the playoffs would be treated here. Take Boston or Chicago or New York, and in those cities, it often appears that the other sports are just existing to keep people amused until the baseball team plays again. Every inning is dissected. Every managerial decision is debated. Having grown up in Packerland, and then having lived in this Cowboys city for 11 baseball seasons, I often look with great curiosity at those types.

I don’t mind their kind, I just don’t totally understand it.

Here, baseball gets us to Labor Day when another football season engages us.

I would imagine many of you understand that there are generally two types of Rangers fans I have witnessed. Type-1) Those who are hardcore diehards who never leave the tv during the summer (or the Newberg Report, Inside Corner, or Lonestarball) and often grow more quiet by the week as the summer continues, because once again the object of their affection has let them down. or Type-2) Those who enjoy baseball with the same feelings that they enjoy grilling out; It happens every summer, and then the rest of the year, we do something else. If the Rangers do well, they roll with them, but if they are 10 back on June 1, they only watch when there is nothing else to do.

(more…)

Winning Combination: Rangers Improved Pitching, Defense On Display Throughout 6-0 Homestand

Pitching. Defense.

After years of digging the long ball, the Rangers are finding that pitching and defense are two good things that go great together. They’ve become one and the same. The only thing that can pry them apart is a conjunction.

The Rangers spent an entire homestand demonstrating their two new loves and the result was perfection. Sunday’s 3-0 win over Los Angeles, highlighted by sharp starting pitching and a third straight day of a web-gem worthy, game-saving defensive play, completed the homestand sweep. Winning all six games against AL West opponents extended the club’s winning streak to seven games and its lead over the now-hated Angels to 4.5 games. No wonder 37,146 people were on their feet at the end of Sunday’s game: It’s only the eighth season in the Rangers’ 38-year run in Texas in which they’ve had a lead that big.

(more…)

If A Team Wins 7 In A Row & Nobody Hears About It…

does it make a sound?

This morning’s headlines on ESPN.com’s baseball page:

• Rays prevail after error forces pitcher to hit
• Halladay owns ChiSox for MLB-best 8th win
• Yankees earn third straight walk-off victory
• Lackey to start Monday vs. M’s | Angels fall
• Carpenter’s return set | Brewers beat Cards
• Ortiz to play vs. Jays | BoSox clipped in 9th
• Pudge hits 300th HR vs. Cubs | Zambrano rusty
• D-backs’ ex-pitching coach rips manager hiring
• Kershaw no-hitter ends in 8th; Dodgers win
• Olney: How the Diamondbacks break bread

And on Fox.com’s baseball front page, here are your headlines:

• Designated pitcher? Error forces Rays P to hit
• MLB playoff games on FOX to have earlier start
• Damon gives Yanks third straight walk-off win
• Dodgers’ Kershaw flirts with no-no, still gets W
• After two-pitch debut, Lackey may go Monday
• Halladay grabs league-best 8th win as Jays roll
• Zambrano feeling fine after rough rehab outing
• Rays put Burrell on 15-day DL with neck strain
• Mets place injured Delgado on DL, call up Pagan
• Carpenter may return to Cards early next week

Road To Arlington: Rangers Minor League Report (5/18)

Bakersfield's Michael Main in Surprise

Last fall during instructional league play, whispers drifted out of the desert that he was zooming to the top of the Rangers prospect chart, dealing major league quality stuff, and possibly about to become one of those rare high school pitchers who is both physically and mentally ready to go all the way in less than four years. With all of that baggage, there’s no other way to put it than to say that his 2009 campaign has been one of the biggest gut punches of the year.

But it’s a process and for these young players, it’s al about learning, adjusting and getting better. Learning to fight through adversity is also part of the process and it appears he’s doing all of that. It still ain’t pretty, but 2007 first rounder Michael Main has made enormous improvement in May after a disastrous April.

(more…)