Poor Toby's Almanac...The Search for El Dorado

Great post TR... let the countdown to march begin.

But where's Mike Young's 200th hit on the best historical moments list? No disrespect to Mark Buerhle's accomplishment, but from our standpoint, that was something to forget.

TR, one of your best posts all year. Yes, hope springs eternal-that's ALL we of the Ranger nation can ever hope for, or so it seems.

One interesting blip from yesterday's Dallas Morning News. Several Ranger core players are lobbying for a return to Ranger Red. HOORAY!

I've been beating the drum for some new start, some new twist, which could finally connect the present team with the (FEW)successes of the past. I know Red in and of itself is not going to win any pennants, but still, it seems odd that up and out of the blue (pun intended) key players would make this a point of emphasis. As I've pointed out this season, the only Playoff teams the local team has ever had, wore Ranger Red. Don't know which front office Einstein (Hart, no doubt)came up with this notion to change back to blue. The only thing I'd like to see if the Rangers don't return to Ranger Red, is to include the Red and Blue cap the Rangers wore in their first two seasons. It looked very good, plus it was our first look.

Oh well, just my two cents.

As all Ranger fans already know (and have come to expect): "Wait till next year!"---that is our motto around here.

I do have one question: Will Victor Diaz, who showed some pop whenever the few times Ron actually played him, will he ever be in our plans?

Last parting shot for now: Why is everyone wanting to save room for Jason Botts? What on earth has he proven on the Major League level? He can't play the field-that's obvious. He hasn't made any adjustments that I have spotted. Sammy should have earned the spot-permanently-due to his production. People say "Sammy is the past-Botts is the future." Oh my. If we plan on contending SOMETIME in the near future, I'd put Sammy in clean-up and let him hit. I'd trust him more than Botts any day. I'm pulling for Jason Botts to "find it," but I'm highly skeptical to count on him like many bloggers wish to do. Can we count on Cruz? Nope. Botts? Unlikely. We have a number of holes offensively-I just hope Sammy can be resigned. And I certainly hope Rudy Jaramillo will be paid well to stay here. We most assuredly need him. With free-swingers Botts, Wilkerson, Salty, Blalock, etc...we need Rudy to reign them in and hit situationally. If Sammy, he of the 609 Homeruns can choke up with men on base and less than two outs, I think that 27-year old "rookie" Botts can do it also.

"Just wait till next year-we'll get 'em!" This is getting VERY OLD indeed.

I'm at a loss as to how any reasonable person could name Sammy Sosa the MVP of this team.

loves me some Eric Hurley :).

haha... Revo writes the column.

Have a great off season, TR. Relax and kick back and know the Texas Rangers come 2008 spring training will be more interesting.

Oh, btw... I'm hoping the crazy NL post season includes the Padres w/Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez.

Oh... I forgot to say. Was fixin to say that you should take Toby to the lake and y'all kick back and do some fishing.

Hate to disagree w/ you on the season's last day, TR, but, as good as Sammy was,

a)He weren't the MVP even if we had gone to the playoffs;

and

b) Since it was clear early on, that we weren't going to the playoffs, no player's time hurt us more than Sammy's. While I give him a personal A+, I vote Sammy the Ranger's LVP (L for "least") because he kept our 2006 question mark a question mark for 2008.

He was the pair of rose-colored glasses that kept us ignorant about our youth.

Congrats to him nonetheless, but woe is now us!

eightgleasons: You are a good poster here....BUT, Sammy least valuable player??? You must be jesting. Leader in RBI's, I think leader in HR's, and a good team guy, signed for cheap. LEAST VALUABLE PLAYER??? C'mon on.

We've all seen Botts--he AIN'T our future. A 27-yr.old rookie who can't hit major league pitching...doesn't fine-tune his swing to hit situationally, like a certain player on our team who has 609 Homeruns and chokes up with men on base and drives them in does....and you still think Sammy is Least Valuable Player? Take a deep breath, and cross your fingers that Botts might even make the 40-man roster. I think he's a dud, unfortunately. He hits Triple-A pitching alright. Great. So can 95% of other players. Sosa should be on this team next year as DH, and Botts will tear up Triple-A. The only way Botts should be starting for the Rangers next year is if we've already thrown in the towel, and are developing and evaluating future players on the Major League roster. Botts cannot play the field, which Sammy can. I like Botts, but please eightgleasons, give Sammy some due. What exactly has Botts done to deserve playing on a major league roster? Take Marlon Byrd. He made the most of his opportunity. Gary Matthews, Jr. did the same last year, as did DeRosa. Sammy proved himself this year. Botts, and frankly Cruz, have stunk up the place. Sammy as LEAST VALUABLE PLAYER? Can anyone name the last time a guy who led the team in RBI's and HR's, and was benched halfway through, and still hit over 20 HR's and drove in 92 is LEAST valuable? I can't either. Sammy didn't stall Botts' development. Oh, did I say development? Sorry. There was no development or adjustment. A couple of years shy of 30, I'd say, he needs to have his act together pretty quickly.

Good debate on the DH position is only the start. There must be tough discussions about several other positions as well. If we didn't see enough of Botts, Cruz, Murphy, Metcalf and other youngsters to make a decision on their future here, then shame on us for not doing so in a lost season. That wouldn't be Sammy's fault, it would be on RW, so blame him.

Ranger's mgt now gets to finalize the decisions on who is part of the future here, and who is going to be part of what I hope are multiple trades this off-season to get another starter and a bat with some pop.

I'll defend TR's pick for the team's MVP. I think TR's choice is a reflection of the growing fatigue with MY getting all the awards and nominations for the team/league. Sosa is the only other everyday player that could be considered a star, so give it to him. MAN, we need a couple more stars to go with the youngsters.

I also like the idea of looking at Japanese players, especially pitchers. The team payroll should allow us to get one, as long as he can give us 150+ innings. It doesn't cost us prospects, just cash.

We haven't had much luck outbidding the big boys, though.

Bingo,
I need to remain a responsible father of 7, and get sleep to teach. (My e-mail address is out-dated. We're 9 now.)

I don't have time to elucidate,...but TR, Evan Grant and Adam Morris (at Lone Star Ball) get paid to draw these beautiful comparisons that you and I need, in order to end up on the same page.

I usually need to say nothing on "Monday Morning Manager" because you've already said it. (And Rilke said, "If you can keep from writing, do.")

But you & I are on opposite ends on Sammy's value-- NOT in a vacuum, but for the Rangers in '07.

In a vacuum I gave him an A+.

I admitted I was wrong about his ability-- he was the BEST DH vs. LHP! (But that's 1 of only 25 roster spots being used for 1/4 of a player's value. That's over-specialization. At that rate- if players only played offense OR defense against righties OR lefties-- we could only competantly field a 6-man team. As good as Sammy was in that situation, (on offense vs. lefties) how can playing 25% of the game ever amount to MVP?)

... and I admitted I was wrong about his attitude-- he offered a corkless smile at ALL times, even when he saw how clearly we had been using him as an artificial attendance injection, until he would hit that elusive #600. We USED him, and NONETHELESS he turned it into an opportunity to prove he could still dominate LHP! (And he smiled through it all!)

Sammy was great!...just not for US, who needed to know if the very respectable turnaround by Botts after his first month could have lasted for a whole season.

But please, someone compare his last 2 months with his first month for us.

Michael Young was WORSE than Botts in HIS first month this year. So was Catalonotto. They both turned it around, as Botts did, but had more opportunities (more months)to prove it because they didn't have to wait for Sammy's #600 to do so. It's not Sammy's fault, it's management's, as was said above.

With all due respect to Sammmy, we failed to see Jason Hafner, I mean Adrian Botts, I mean Jason Botts.

Now we don't quite count on him, and yet we don't DARE trade him.

Briant77 says it well, and is right about $ over prospects, if we ARE going to join the FA dance. Fukudome of Japan looks right if we aren't going to count on our current 4.

But the harder decisions come regarding others. Do you "trade up" with the starters we've got (e.g. Millwood, Blalock, Davis, Kiker and Andrus for Willis and Cabrera, hoping Willis resurrects)? That's just an example. I don't have time to draw the necessary comparisons, but I appreceiate it when anyone does.

In the meantime, despite his misappropriation of DH time (if he directed Wash to play Sammy), Daniels is still my '07 MVP for the Gagne signing and the "New Farm" for Gagne/Teixeira/Mahay trading. It was a brilliant recovery from earlier trades.

(And even in that vein... Chris Young is looking weaker than Armando Gallaraga since the All-Star Break)

Cheers!

p.s. OUR model franchise just won their 14th of 15 to enter the playoffs against the Phillies! Congrats to the Rockies.

Even if Chris Young blows out his arm, drowns in the San Diego Bay with Norv Turner, you still have to look at Adrian Gonzalez. Wouldn't he fit in nicely right about now? This is what perturbs me about Rangers Management, no long term thinking. Since they reportedly knew all along that Texiera had Boras as an agent and Texiera was going to free-agency, then why do you deal Gonzalez the #1 pick overall in the draft? No matter what Daniels says, if Gonzalez stays healthy we are going to be watching a perennial, prototypical, all-star first baseman for the next 20 years. Boy would he look nice over at first. I see Catalanotto all of the time out here, he is a nice guy, but he is pretty small with no power. Not your prototypical first baseman. I would rather see Blalock at first, Metcalf at third and either Duran and or Teagarden up here. They are ready and should be on the prospect list. Murphy has to be given a full look, that Boston deal is looking mighty good. I don't know about Cruz and i sure don't know about Botts, the Rangers are going to re-sign Sosa, because he is a popular player. I think that is ridiculous, because he isn't the future here. He will not be here if and when we turn this thing around. The fact that we are depending on Millwood and Padilla as starters for next year scares the he double hockey sticks out of me. I would like to see Padilla dealt somewhere for a bag of Nicaraguan jumping beans. Daniels is good at that. We should cut or losses and pay for 1/2 of his contract to get someone to take him. Maybe they will give us an outfielder. Now Hicks is good at that!

It's over, thank God! Whan that april
with its surest sougta

the drought of march had perced to the wroughta

and bathed every vein in

swish liquer, in which engendred is the fleur

The venerable bede.

And the best of the best and most appropriate here, the Greatest of the great, Willie Shakespeare.

Beware, beware, the ides of March. Keep your friends close and your enemies even closer. Julius Caesar.

Hey bingo, are you sure your last name isn't Sosa? Bingo Sosa. Or better yet, is it Sammy Sinatra. The record shows i took the blows and did it my way... For what is a man, what has got, if not himself........ THE RECORD SHOWS, SOSA corked his bat and hit six hundred plus homers.***************

* The asterik is indicative of the fact that Sosa was in fact caught with a corked bat along with reasonable suspicion that he along with McGwire, Sheffield and Bonds used performance enhancing substances. While in fact what they did was not against baseball rules at the time, the society along with the Federal Government deemed it illegal and unethical. Things that our country used to care about and stand for. This is only included to put forth the information so future generations will know that the people in our time were cowards and refused to address the issues of their time. In other words so they will know the truth in 50 to 75 years when the rest of us are all dead and Bonds and Sosa, Sheffield and others are remembered and revered because of their stats because, no one confronted them.

Last but not least, How about them Cowboys 4-0 with a shuffle off to Buffalo. Super Bowl or bust baby!!