Of Apocalypse Now, Philosophy 101 and the Cold War

So former Commissioner Peter Ueberroth was once asked if Eddie Chiles, waffling back and forth, was really interested in selling the Rangers. Ueberroth said no, not today.

“That’s the truth today,” Ueberroth said. “Be ready to write a new truth tomorrow.”

The Ueberroth rule of journalism is most evident in Spring Training. Write the best story you can today and be ready to write a new one tomorrow. Call it Apocalypse Now even. However…

Apocalypse Now here in the desert may be Much Ado About Nothing by tomorrow. Which means:

Josh Hamilton’s bruised shoulder is fine. He is starting to crush the ball again.

Derek Holland is back on the mound and was sharp in three innings against the split-squad Dodgers. He’s back in the rotation hunt.

So what Apocalypse Now awaits us down the stretch for the final three weeks in the desert?

Catching of course. Jarrod Saltalamacchia is the Captain Willard of Apocalypse Now. He is every scene.

Anybody concerned that the top three starters – Scott Feldman, Rich Harden and Colby Lewis – have combined to allow 16 runs on 18 hits and seven walks in 15 1/3 innings?

Is that Apocalypse Now or does that fall under the category of: It’s still early, there is plenty of time.

Who knows…by the time we’re ready to leave the White Tank Mountains behind, there will be some who could be pining for Tanner Scheppers to replace Harden as the Opening Day starter. Scheppers has had a nice three weeks so far and what’s Spring Training without one tasty feeding frenzy on the flavor of the month.

Scheppers is just that and remember the Rangers have never blanched at the prospect of putting a pitching prospect on the fast track. There have never been speed limits on I-35 or the George Bush Freeway between Frisco, Oklahoma City and Arlington, and any accidents along the way are usually cleared out in time to keep the traffic flowing at a high rate of speed.

Wonder what the speed limits are between Round Rock and Arlington.

Anyway Scheppers has replaced Neftali Feliz as the Soup du Jour, at least for now. But Feliz pitches against the Cubs on Tuesday and four good innings could propel him right back in the thick of the feeding frenzy.

Anybody remember this scene from Bull Durham: the pre-game promotion where they throw the money out of the helicopter and all the Little Leaguers go scrambling madly across the field seizing their treasure?

Maybe Dustin Nippert should pitch Opening Day. Nobody has pitched better than him here in the desert, but he still seems ticketed as the long reliever.

After all, there is a difference between competition and destiny. Kind of like the old debate of Free Will vs. Determinism back in Dr. Fitzgerald’s Philosophy 101 at the University of San Francisco.

What that means is despite all the competition going on here in the camp – and it does have the feel of a mad scramble – maybe the Rangers had all this figured out before camp and are just waiting for the pieces to fall into place as pre-ordained.

Khalil Greene was not pre-ordained, God bless him. What he is going through is not to be taken lightly – who among us does not deal with that daily to some degree – but his absence did seem to throw the Rangers for a loop.

When Ian Kinsler goes down with an ankle sprain, you are reminded that the Rangers do need a utility infielder. Just like they need a backup closer behind Frank Francisco, which is why Chris Ray is so important to this team. And David Murphy, even if Josh Hamilton proved to be Much Ado About Nothing for the moment.

There is a method in this madness, even if it sometimes seems like it’s coming too fast and the Rangers are in a hurry to make up for 38 years of lost time. But Derek Holland did pitch well Sunday.

Read a terrific book this spring called a Fiery Peace in a Cold War, written by Pulitzer Prize winner Neil Sheehan. Tells the story in layman’s terms of the Cold War and America’s race to build ICBM’s before the Russians do.

It’s the story of triumph and setback, brilliant men and institutional bureaucracy, phenomenal teamwork and senseless internal bickering. Apocalypse Now back then was Sputnik flying over our heads, Yuri Gagarin and the Russians setting up missiles in Cuba just 90 miles away from Key West.

If you grew up in that time, you remember how terrifying the Soviet Union was and how they were supposedly greatly superior to us in military weaponry. Read the book and you’ll see that wasn’t quite the case. The great Soviets weren’t who they really were and it was only a matter of time before the whole thing collapsed.

Yuri Gagarin, meet Neil Armstrong. Game, set, match. Ballgame over Cousin John.

But that was truth as written back then. Now new truths are being written daily.

That’s the Cold War and that is Spring Training where Apocalypse Now is a daily thing.

Ah, I love the sound of metal cleats crackling against concrete in the morning…