Rangers

Green Mean · October 3, 2015

Very winnable game tonight. Tolleson had no business being out there 4th straight night and I said that when Banny made that decision. Texas had their chances but couldn't capitalize. They have to take it tomorrow and jump on Santiago.

Mean Green Matt · October 4, 2015

Hopefully the Rangers can mentally rebound from whatever happened in the ninth inning yesterday.

Green Mean · October 4, 2015

Hopefully the Rangers can mentally rebound from whatever happened in the ninth inning yesterday.

Not off to a great start

Green Mean · October 4, 2015

#Ace

Quoner · October 5, 2015

Peguero on the postseason roster or nah?

FirefightnRick · October 5, 2015

Took care of business today. Seemed like Hamels kicked in another gear today.

On another note...Bud Kennedy tweeted that the conference championship t shirts that had the Dallas skyline on them was a mistake and that he was told all future orders have been canceled by the club.

Rick

Green Mean · October 5, 2015

Peguero on the postseason roster or nah?

Wandy Rodriguez. Never can have too much pitching.

Quoner · October 5, 2015

Took care of business today. Seemed like Hamels kicked in another gear today.
On another note...Bud Kennedy tweeted that the conference championship t shirts that had the Dallas skyline on them was a mistake and that he was told all future orders have been canceled by the club.

Rick

Delaying the inevitable?

Green Mean · October 5, 2015

If the Rangers ever moved to downtown and I could take the rail to games I'd probably buy season tickets without question and I think many people would that live in Collin County.

ColoradoEagle · October 5, 2015

If they moved out of Arlington, I'd like to see them in Fort Worth. Honestly, though, they should stay in Arlington.

TheFranchise · October 5, 2015

Man, so much to say about yesterday and this season as a whole . . .

Looking back at what I was feeling as a Ranger fan the day of Darvish's injury, then fast-forwarding to the end of an abysmal April and into what was became an eight game deficit on July 21 only to watch this team prove its resiliency . . . it's unreal. To see this blue collar (albeit goofy as all get-out -- which I like) group of dudes go out there and put together what I believe in my 30 years of fandom is indescribable.

Look, we've not had MANY good seasons in 44 years of baseball. (I'm not counting the Washington years *not Ron, but the Nation's Capital*, why should I?) But there have been some good ones. That '94 team, despite actually being UNDER .500 was poised to break the team's all-time playoff drought before the strike. The '96 team eventually did that of course, and for the longest time set the bar for what I expected to see from later Ranger teams.

To be honest, '98 and '99 are a blur to me, not because I didn't enjoy watching the teams, but simply because their lack of any ability at all in their ensuing playoff runs completely erased anything I could really remember from those regular seasons.

The 2011 season was pretty dang special. I think that became, in my opinion, the best Rangers regular season at the time. I say this just because; as the year rolled on it felt like the team was really just one more season away from something special. But by the time September hit, I was suddenly watching the standings and the out of town scoreboard as I realized this team had a shot at finally playing October ball again. Once we clinched, I was just happy to be there. Everything after that was gravy!

Following that, I EXPECTED 2012. I just KNEW we'd be back. So, when we finally steamrolled into the playoffs for the first time as something other than the #3 seed in the AL, I was ready. Again not to discount ANYTHING that group of guys did, but the bar had been set in '11.

Enter these guys, the 2015 Texas Rangers. We had a new manager that, like many others, I liked overall but really wanted to see what he could do. He was saying all the right stuff and was quickly becoming the type of guy I, MYSELF would run out onto the field for. (Trust me, nobody would pay to watch that, lest they're in the mood for high comedy) But with all the injuries dealt to the team at the beginning of the season, by April it seemed the writing was on the wall. We'd lost our #1 and #2 starters and responded to that with an awful 7-14 April record. But then some funny things happened.

For one, Prince stayed healthy. Granted, 2014 was really an anomaly if you think about it. The dude had been sturdy leading up to it with IIRC the longest consecutive games streak going on at the time. But having missed all that time, you didn't know if he'd be back to the "Old" Prince at the plate. Boy howdy, was he. He was the lone bright spot throughout April.

The Rangers put together a FANTASTIC month of May, going 19-11 while the Astros came back down to earth. And while it doesn't sound like much, we'd trimmed the deficit of 7 games behind the AL West leaders down to 5. (Two games, remember that)

In June, we kept pace and played a game above .500

Then came July. While it wasn't as bad as April, it was still ugly. We saw the deficit rise to 9 and of course the now-infamous 21-5 beatdown at the hands of the Yankees. But on the last day of the month, at the non-waiver trade deadline, we landed our dude -- Cole Hamels.

An 18-10 August, followed by an 18-10 September set the stage for an awesome October. Meanwhile an 11-16 September for Houston nearly ended it for them. Derek Holland came back as well and was pitching for his life, and he played like it!

Then, after nearly shooting their own season in the foot on Friday and Saturday, the Rangers put together one of the greatest regular season games I've watched in a long time yesterday. Hamels was the ace. Sure, Houston lost, too. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't keeping a close eye on that one. But gather those together and we won the AL West Division by two games. Those two games we gained back in May helped put us in the position we are now.

Because of that comeback and because of the overall expectations leading up to this season (which were more about "survival" for me after the Darvish and Holland injuries), this team threw together what I believe was the greatest and gutsiest Rangers Regular Season I've ever witnessed. It was phenomenal. Bring on the Jays, now. I like our chances. And as I told a co-worker this morning, I'm giddy that we're even having this kind of discussion.

See you guys Thursday!

Oh, and for the record, I hope the Astros go into Yankee-town and embarrass them in their own ballpark. I'd love an all-Texas ALCS and a Rangers-Cubs World Series.

Matt from A700 · October 6, 2015

If they moved out of Arlington, I'd like to see them in Fort Worth. Honestly, though, they should stay in Arlington.

I would love to see in a few years the Rangers build a state-of-the-art 60,000-seat retractable roof "Ranger Stadium" in downtown Dallas. I think it'd really add to the atmosphere of the team and would attract more people to the games.

Anywho, what a heartbreak on Saturday, but what a performance on Sunday and at least more people were there to crack open the champagne.

ColoradoEagle · October 6, 2015

I would love to see in a few years the Rangers build a state-of-the-art 60,000-seat retractable roof "Ranger Stadium" in downtown Dallas. I think it'd really add to the atmosphere of the team and would attract more people to the games.

I've always felt like the Fort Worth area supported the Rangers more than the Dallas area does, especially in the down years. It'd be interesting to see what the season ticket split looks like. Either way, the Rangers will make the decision that makes the most sense from all angles, and I really think they should go down in stadium size, not up.

Green Mean · October 6, 2015

I would love to see in a few years the Rangers build a state-of-the-art 60,000-seat retractable roof "Ranger Stadium" in downtown Dallas. I think it'd really add to the atmosphere of the team and would attract more people to the games.

Anywho, what a heartbreak on Saturday, but what a performance on Sunday and at least more people were there to crack open the champagne.

60K? The park now has 50K and you can make the argument even that's a bit too big but I wouldn't build anything past 50 at the most. A downtown stadium is my wish as well where we can see the city buildings when the roof is open.

I've always felt like the Fort Worth area supported the Rangers more than the Dallas area does, especially in the down years. It'd be interesting to see what the season ticket split looks like. Either way, the Rangers will make the decision that makes the most sense from all angles, and I really think they should go down in stadium size, not up.

Being in Arlington I think both cities/areas have supported them. I think a downtown stadium in Dallas would be ideal where fans can take the rail to game and back. Plus majority of the population is on that side in addition to the corporate avenues you can take advantage of in Dallas all the way up north to Plano etc. Once the gas prices increased and traffic became awful most of the North Dallas and above stopped going to games and I think a move would bring them back. I'd also make sure the stadium is in a location in downtown where the TRE goes straight there so you can keep the FW crowd interested. You offer the deal that for anyone that buys any type of ticket plans, they'll also include free train passes for all the gamedays as an added perk. We know in the near future Arlington won't have any type of viable mass transportation going to the games which I think hurts attendance for the Rangers.

I think this would help with attendance during years the teams are struggling as well because they won't be as far, the stadium will have a roof, and they'll have access to getting there through the rail if they so wish. I believe the lease runs out on the park in about 10 years so there's still a little bit of time left but I imagine ownership will begin to start conversations within the next 5 years to get something done because as much as I love the park and how beautiful it is I think they'll want a build a new one with a roof somewhere.

Matt from A700 · October 6, 2015

I'm dreaming big. I just want our new stadium to be a crown jewel. And not named Globe Life Park.

UNTFan23 · October 6, 2015

The only thing about building a new stadium in downtown Dallas is where would you put it? There is no significant empty space around downtown (the spot where Reunion Area was isn't close to being big enough).

Edited October 6, 2015 by UNTFan23

Matt from A700 · October 6, 2015

I wouldn't mind downtown Fort Worth then. Something with a skyline backdrop instead of Arlington, a city of nearly 400,000 people but whose tallest structure is a roller coaster, rising above several subdivisions and shopping centers. Boring.

Anywho, as the ALDS arrives, I really hate that we're facing the Blue Jays. We have historically struggled at the Rogers Centre and that's without it being to capacity. We could either be completely overwhelmed or win this series with our postseason experience. I think if we steal a game in Canada, this series is our's.

FirefightnRick · October 7, 2015

The Ranger's Ballpark in Arlington that is financed by Globe Life is perfect...to me. It's a beautiful park...great seats..easy in and out parking. There's absolutely no reason for Texas to move.

Rick

mattmartin817 · October 7, 2015

The Ranger's Ballpark in Arlington that is financed by Globe Life is perfect...to me. It's a beautiful park...great seats..easy in and out parking. There's absolutely no reason for Texas to move.

Rick

Agreed, it's one of the best ballparks in the league. That said, I wouldn't mind a stadium with a roof. I kind of hate baseball played indoors, but going to games from mid July to pretty much this point on the calendar is just brutal.

CMJ · October 7, 2015

Tearing down stadiums that aren't even that old just seems pointless. I'm kinda stunned they're gonna get rid of it so quick.

ChristopherRyanWilkes · October 7, 2015

I live in Fort Worth and don't mind the drive from there. But when I lived in Dallas it was a huge pain in the ass to get there. Traffic after work, parking, etc. I love going to ball parks in towns that have public transit to the game, bars in close proximity, and everything else a ball park should have. The ball park itself isn't bad, it's just the location and lack of public transit/development around it. You are especially precluding all the folks who live up in the north suburbs from going to games with any regularity.

Quoner · October 8, 2015

Canadian shots fired.

Cerebus · October 8, 2015

I would love an Astros-Rangers ALCS, but I don't see either team getting past this round. Hope I'm wrong.

Matt from A700 · October 8, 2015

Come on guys, how often does the team with the best record actually win the World Series? Baseball is such an unpredictable game. Last year two Wild Cards faced off in the World Series. The Rangers upset the Yankees on their way to the 2010 World Series. I wouldn't be surprised if we do see a Lone Star ALCS showdown. That would be epic.