Bullet Points

Another Sunday, another night I can't figure out what to write, so here are few random bullet points.

• A couple of weeks ago I speculated that Matt Treanor might be the Kevin Elster (1996) type player on this Rangers team. Today, I’m thinking probably not. However, I have found a couple of other comparisons to that magical team.

• Josh Hamilton=Dean Palmer, think about it – Dean could strike out with the best of them, and he was a very streaky hitter – but when he was good – he was really good. I’ve thought that Josh was somewhere in between his 2008 season and 2009 – they were both too extreme – don’t get me wrong – that’s a compliment to Josh, and I actually think he’s a better all around player than Dean, but he will be prone to the streakiness, and I can live with that.

• Darren Oliver=…wait a minute Darren Oliver was on that 1996 team. By the way do you remember that no starting pitcher on that team won more than 16 games? But the rotation was very reliable and balanced the four main starters all won at least 14 games: Ken Hill (16), Roger Pavlik (15) Bobby Witt (16) and Darren Oliver (14).

Let’s see: lost 3 in Toronto, swept 4 games from the Angels and Orioles, then lost 2 out 3 to the Cubs – that’s a .500 team (oh, and by the way lost ground to Oakland who are now just 2 games in back of the Rangers). I still can’t put a label on this Rangers team other than inconsistent.

Draft day is only a couple of weeks away one of my favorite days of the baseball calendar. However, I can’t help but be a little hesitant about how the ownership mess is going to affect the Rangers choices. MLB still controlling the purse strings – are the Rangers going to have to add a phrase to their usual mantra on draft day: “The best player available…that we can afford to sign”. Make no mistake about it- Bud Selig believes that team should stick with the “slot” bonus system that MLB recommends (and most teams do not follow). He wasn’t afraid to use the Rangers as an example of his financial prudence last season with Matthew Purke, and with 2 early picks this year, things could get ugly, really ugly on draft day.

Of course the Rangers haven’t had much luck with their first round draft picks for the last 5 years: I’ve already mentioned the Purke fiasco, John Mayberry (2005) is in the minor leagues with the Phillies, Kasey Kiker (2006) is in his second full season at AA Frisco, appears to be taking a big step backward with 5.73 ERA (and is currently on the DL) and then there’s Justin Smoak hitting .165 – but hey, he takes a lot of walks, which is what you want your first baseman to do. By the way Chris Davis at OKC hitting .327 with 22 RBI. The bright spot in this gloomy group: Blake Beavan – 2.88 ERA, 9 BB, 37 K’s and has lasted 8 innings in his last 2 games he started.

Speaking of the ownership situation: I’ve read that the creditors would like to push the Rangers into bankruptcy – but here’s my question. The primary creditor is Monarch – who bought “bad date” for less than HSG actually owed. Is a bankruptcy judge going to look at that and say – hey fella’s you knew you were buying bad debt, if you can’t collect it, that’s not the court’s problem? Just wondering.

I know I should be happy the Rangers are in the thick of things in the AL West, but I still get the impression that this is a team with no clear sense of direction, from the owner’s office right on down to the dugout. I keep waiting for something or someone to grab control of the wheel and star steering this organization forward.

“Worry gives small things a big shadow” – a Swedish Proverb

-- Marla Hooch
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