Nolan Ryan: “I’m a Realist”

ARLINGTON - Nolan Ryan was waiting for his son, Reese, after the Rangers’ 2-0 loss to Los Angeles on Friday night. But slumped over a  podium outside the Rangers clubhouse, he looked like he could have been waiting to deliver a eulogy.

Ryan didn’t concede the season after the Rangers fifth straight loss, but he came pretty close.

Asked if he was delivering a eulogy on the 2009 season, he said: “Stranger things have happened, but I’m a realist. That’s a pretty good club across the way. It’s hard to punch holes in them.”

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Post-Game Show: 2009, In Memoriam

The season all but officially died tonight with the Rangers losing for the fifth straight time and being shutout for the fourth time in that stretch.

So, I’m sure you don’t want to relive any of the gory details. Let’s put this baby to rest. Write your epitaph on the season.

Here is mine:

2009
April 6-September 17
Here lies a magnificent year.
May it forever be remembered for the first five months and not the last week.

The Depot: Rangers-Angels Live Game Blog, News, Notes and Self-Improvement Stories

6:33: The home run pool is open until sundown or first pitch – whichever comes first. The Rangers are going to play without Michael Young again; his hamstring is still sore.

7:12: Manager Ron Washington says now that RHP Kevin Millwood will start either Monday or Tuesday at Oakland. Earlier this week, Washington indicated Millwood would start the series opener on Monday. Washington maintained Friday, however, that Millwood will start sometime during the Angels series. That said, if the Rangers lose two of three this weekend, what’s to keep them from deciding they are out of the race and that they want to start looking at young pitchers? It would almost certainly insure agent Scott Boras would file a grievance over the club withholding starts and denying Millwood a chance to make $12 million in 2010. But, if the club doesn’t want Millwod back or doesn’t want him back at $12 million, the options are to take him out of the rotation and take the chance it could win a grievance. Or, it could potentially try to negotiate a buyout of the contract. Suppose, the Rangers offered Millwood $6 of $7 million and then he signed a $4-5 million deal on the free agent market that might even include some incentives. He’d have a chance to make more than $12 million in 2010 and the Rangers would save money, too.

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One Cowboys Fan Regrets Regular-Season Opening of JerryWorld Will Overshadow Rangers-Angels

ARLINGTON – Here are the Rangers finally facing the Angels in the long awaited September series at Rangers Ballpark, and it’s a shame that they figure to be overwhelmed by the Cowboys’ regular-season opener in their new digs on Sunday night. So says a guy who attends a handful of Cowboys home games a year, depending on whom he can mooch tickets off.

“I think the Cowboys playing Sunday is going to take away everything,” said Angels centerfielder Torii Hunter of Prosper. “It’s going to drain the Texas Rangers’ drive.”

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Michael Young: “I’m Still Not Ready”

ARLINGTON - Hoping to return to the lineup for good for the opener of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Angels, 3B Michael Young took some swings off Kevin Millwood in a simulated game environment and then tried to do some sprints in the outfield Friday afternoon.

It didn’t take long for him to feel his left hamstring grab again. End of comeback attempt.

Young will try again Saturday, but manager Ron Washington suggested Sunday or Monday in Oakland might be more likely target dates.

“It’s just not ready,” Young said. “I’ll try again to get ready tomorrow. I think I’ve done everything for the right reasons over the last couple of days. I’m still not ready.”

Young suffered a significant left hamstring strain on Sept. 1 and the initial prognosis was a three-week recovery period. Young said he hoped to be ready for the Angels series, but offered no guarantees. After the Rangers were shut out in consecutive games Sunday and Monday, Young attempted to play on Tuesday, but the comeback lasted just one at-bat before he felt more stiffness.

Michael Young Remains Absent from Rangers Lineup, but Homer Pool Rolls on

Michael Young’s left hamstring is still sore so he’s going to miss tonight’s game against Los Angeles. Instead, the Rangers will go with:

2B Ian Kinsler, SS Elvis Andrus, LF David Murphy, DH Andruw Jones, CF Marlon Byrd, RF Nelson Cruz, 1B Chris Davis, C Ivan Rodriguez, 3B Esteban German and pitching for the Rangers … RHP Tommy Hunter.

Viral Video: Rangers-Angels “Showdown”

Showdown seemed a much more appropriate word for the Rangers-Angels series that begins tonight earlier this week when we shot some video. But, hey, a sweep this weekend and, well, at least it would restore interest to the final two weeks of the season. It would also put the Rangers in realistic position for a 90-win season. And who could argue about that.

Below, we’ve got third-time guest RHP Tommy Hunter, tonight’s Game 1 starter, discussing his season to date and dealing with some first-inning challenges.

And beyond the jump … Club President Nolan Ryan discusses the importance of the series. It sure seemed a lot more important when we filmed it on Tuesday night.

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Series Preview: Rangers vs. Angels

It’s about as simple as this: if the Rangers can’t manage a sweep this weekend, they’ll need a flat out miracle to sneak into the postseason. And if they manage any less than taking two of three, even a Met-like collapse from the Angels wouldn’t be enough. So to say this is the “biggest series of the year” is not only unnecessary at this point; it’s also an understatement.

The struggles have been well-documented — four straight losses while plating only one run against mediocre competition. It’s been so bad that Brett Tomko, who had all of one shutout in nearly 1800 career innings prior to Monday, was able to blank the Rangers while feeling the effects of nerve damage that will keep him out the rest of the year. Even for a team that’s struggled at the plate all year, it’s been surprisingly difficult to watch.

But the Angels have faltered of late as well. Before a comeback win last night in Boston, LAA had lost four of five, including a controversial 9-8 loss in Fenway on Wednesday that left the Angels steaming and several coaches possibly facing disciplinary actions. And while Thursday’s victory has slightly quelled concerns for the time being, there’s still plenting of complaining and questioning and strategizing going on, leaving the Angels faithful to ask one question.

What would Darin Erstad do?

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Game Plan Friday – Giants

Sometimes, a preview/game plan story can write itself.  I feel like these first few paragraphs are insanely obvious, but let’s do it anyway.  The facts are easy to see:

1) This is the opening of the new stadium.  And not just any stadium.  Many are suggesting by their actions (The Today Show is here!) that this is not merely another stadium opening.  This is the Death Star.  This is Jerry World.  This is $1.2 billion dollars of excess when there is not much excess in our economy.  This is “bigger in Texas”.  This is the Dallas Cowboys.

2) And, this is the New York Giants.  The bile and venom from both sides is never in short supply.  I cannot speak for past generations, but in the here and now, the current 45 men on each side of the field are enemies.  They don’t like eachother.  And they wish to do eachother harm and humiliation at every opportunity.  And imagine how much joy it would bring the Giants to ruin the party on Sunday night.

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Race Day: Looking at A.L. Playoff Races

About the AL West Race

Los Angeles: Angels manager Mike Scoiscia went with red-hot right-handed hitting 2B Howie Kendrick the last two games against right-handed Red Sox starters. In Thursday night’s series finale at Fenway, Kendrick homered off RHP Josh Beckett. In the ninth off LHP Billy Wagner, Kendrick singled in the winning run. He went 5-for-8 with three RBIs in the two games. In his last 13 games, mostly against lefties, Kendrick is 21-for-43 (.488).

Having taken a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, Scioscia stayed with set-up RHP Kevin Jepsen to open the ninth against right-handed hitting Jason Bay (struck him out), then turned to closer LHP Brian Fuentes to get his 42nd save in 49 chances.

The Angels are 3-9 this season against the Rangers, having lost all four previous series. On Wednesday, Rangers manager Ron Washington said the Angels will bring a different attitude, a killer instinct, this weekend. Not sure if that was part of the Angels’ aire in Boston. Before Thursday’s game, the umpiring crew acknowledged filing a complaint with MLB regarding the LAA staff’s behavior following Wednesday’s night emotional ninth-inning defeat.

The Angels will open the weekend series with LHP Scott Kazmir (8-8, 5.32). In three starts with the Angels, he has a 1.86 ERA in 19 innings, allowing 13 hits and six walks along with 14 strikeouts. Kazmir split two decisions against the Rangers this season while with Tampa Bay. In his only Ballpark appearance so far this season, he was pulled after 99 pitches through five innings though giving up only one run in a game the Rays trailed 2-1 and lost 3-1. Kazmir will be followed by RHPs Jered Weaver and John Lackey. DH Vladimir Guerrero – he of the .392 career Ballpark batting average and .707 Arlington slugging percentage – sat out Thursday night’s win with a bruised left rib cage after being hit by a pitch on Wednesday night.

The Rangers’ starter, rookie RHP Tommy Hunter (8-3, 3.23), comes off his first career complete game. That was the 7-2 opener of Sunday’s doubleheader against Seattle. The Rangers’ most recent victory. Way back when they were scoring runs. He has lost only one of his last eight starts. Hunter has never faced the Angels. After him, the Rangers will start RHP Scott Feldman and LHP Derek Holland (who shut out the Angels in August).

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UFC 103 – Dallas, Are You Ready?

Saturday Night is quickly approaching, and that means UFC 103 at the American Airlines Center is ready to go down.

I have been waiting a very long time to finally see my first UFC show in person, but I must tell you there are a few things that trouble me:

1) – The card appears to be rather weak. Now, as a UFC hardcore loyalist, I will readily admit that some of the strong cards turn out to be weak, and some of the weak cards turn out to be awesome. But, at first glance, I wish Columbus, Ohio, might have been given this one. I think a city that has never enjoyed your product before might need a headliner that gets the marginal fan interested if the goal is to fill a 20,000 seat arena at the prices that are listed. CroCop may be that guy, but do enough people know his work in the sports world? Which brings me to…

2) – Can the arena be filled? With the poor card, the economy, Texas-Texas Tech up against it, the somewhat minimal promotion locally, and the prices, will the arena fill? And if it does not, will the UFC vow to never return? I want to make sure the UFC is impressed and a regular traveller to these parts, but you never get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression. And 9/19 will say plenty about the DFW market to the UFC suits (Dana White).

3) – How bad will the competitions hurt? Texas vs Texas Tech is a real troublesome match-up, and on PPV, we have Floyd Mayweather vs Juan Manuel Marquez. And HBO has really been pushing that with the great 24/7 series, so much so that if this card wasn’t in Dallas – I would be torn.

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