Finally! Something To Write About

Since the end of the World Series there’s been nothing “hot stove” about this Rangers off-season, it’s been the “big snore” off-season. Sorry, but I just can’t get excited about coaching changes – as I wrote on the Monday Morning Manager – a pitching coach is only as good as the pitchers he’s given to work with. It will be interesting to see if Mike Maddux is a miracle worker or if coaching one of the worst pitching staffs in baseball will simply tarnish his reputation. As a Ranger fan I’m sad to see both Rick Adair and John Wetteland leave the organization – I wish them well in the Pacific Northwest (in spite of the Mariners, Seattle is one of my favorite cities).

I didn’t read about the Gerald Laird trade until this morning. My immediate thought is: there’s a fine line between trading to build for the future and dumping salary for younger cheaper minor league players. I can’t comment on Moscoso’s potential. I am simply reminded that all of Jon Daniel’s off season trades for pitching, so far, have been unmitigated disasters – let’s hope this one turns that around.

Other Matters:

Penny wise, pound foolish: It seems that Rangers ownership has become enamored of the Tampa Bay economic model – the difference is that Tampa Bay drafted and traded for talent players who succeeded not the Drew Myer and Brandon McCarthy types. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t subscribe to the Galloway/Colinshaw theory of throwing money at free agents. However, there is a difference between spending wisely and turning into a miserly Calvin Griffith/Ebenezer Scrooge type organization. It looks like Mr. Hicks is tending towards the latter, which is not good news if fans hope to see players like Josh Hamilton on this team past their arbitration eligible years. We’ll see….

Where is Lee Iacocca when you need him? I grew up just south of Detroit – the joke in my hometown was when Detroit sneezes Toledo catches cold. I am appalled at the arrogance of both the executives and UAW approach to the auto industry’s plight, and frankly I have little sympathy for either. I’m just glad that the auto executives took Scott Simon’s advice on how they should approach Congress the second time they went to Washington to ask for a handout.

Circle Me Bert: It is encouraging to know that baseball fans are so passionate about their Hall of Fame – judging from the responses TR Sullivan received on his excellent HOF blog entry on Postcards From Elysian fields – he’d better be careful walking the streets of Minneapolis this season

Finally: from Frank Deford on the fans of the World Series champions: “If Red Sox fans are a nation and Cubs fans a support group, then Phillies fans are a pandemic”

See you Wednesday at the Newberg Report Book Release Party at Sherlock’s in Arlington – Marla Hooch

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