Friday Happy Hour at the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill

Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar and Grill, where today we celebrate the 100th anniversary of statehood for Oklahoma.

* The Rangers have inquired about Orioles left-hander Erik Bedard. They are hardly the only ones. The Orioles would rather sign him to a contract extension that will keep him from becoming a free agent after the 2009 season. If they can't do that by the Winter Meetings in December, they could try to trade him.

* Hall of Famers born in Oklahoma: Johnny Bench, Mickey Mantle, Willie Stargell, and Lloyd and Paul Waner. Prominent Rangers born there include Mickey Tettleton, George Wright, Monty Fariss and Jamey Wright.

* Oklahoma City has been the Rangers Triple A team since 1983. Prior to that, the Rangers had been all over the map: Sacramento, Spokane, Tucson, Denver, Wichita. Even Charleston (W.V.) of the International League.

* The scouts say that shortstop Elvis Andrus is good enough defensively to play in the Major Leagues right now. They also say he is an extremely smart baserunner. The big question is supposed to be his bat. He is hitting .353 with a .411 on-base percentage in the Arizona Fall League.

* The Rangers acquired Andrus from the Braves in the Mark Teixeira trade. Matt Harrison came over in the same trade. He is 5-0 with a 2.00 ERA in seven starts in Arizona.

* Rangers Minor Leaguers Ian Gac and Chad Tracy are tied for the Hawaiian Winter League lead with seven home run each.

* Strange who you see pitching in the Winter League. Hideo Nomo, now 39 years old, is pitching in Venezuela.

* Henry Kissinger: "Baseball is the most intellectual game because most of the action takes place in your head."

* Actor Clark Gable used to sit in his dressing room between takes listening to baseball games on the radio. He invited everybody to join him, from co-stars to the extras.

* Derek Jeter appears to be in trouble in New York, according to the Daily News. Seems the state's tax people want to know why he lists Tampa as his permanent home even though he seems to spend all his time in New York City.

* Just for the heck of it: Mike Jeffcoat.

* The Rangers are interested in Aaron Rowand but Torii Hunter is their No. 1 target. Said Rowand: "If the right thing comes along, and it's the Phillies, that's great. I'd like to go back and if the right thing comes along, I'm there. I'm not waiting for anyone else to sign. It's what's right for my family. I'm not thinking about what the rest of the guys are doing. It has nothing to do with that."

* The Rangers have had a pitcher win 10 games in a season 52 times in the past 20 years. Of those 52, 34 came from a pitcher originally drafted or signed by the Rangers. Kenny Rogers has nine of those while Kevin Brown, Rick Helling and Bobby Witt are next with four each. Roger Pavlik and Darren Oliver won at least ten games three times since 1988, Jose Guzman twice and Doug Davis, Paul Kilgus, Danny Patterson, Chris Young and Colby Lewis once.

* Only five American League teams have had fewer ten-game winners in the past 20 years than the Rangers. Tampa Bay of course. The others are the Twins (50), Orioles (48), Tigers (44) and Royals (37).

* General Abner Doubleday did not invent baseball. That myth has been thoroughly refuted. But he did hold the first patent on the cable car system that still runs in San Francisco.

* You probably saw the Alex Rodriguez has his own website. That's where he released the statement that he was talking with the New York Yankees again. That's also where you can buy one of the bases from the game in which he hit his 400th home run. Rodriguez signed the base and now it's going for $2,500.

* A baseball signed by Rodriguez is going for $1,250. It was game used. A ball signed by both Rodriguez and Cal Ripken Jr. is going for $550. Didn't realize Ripken's autograph could devalue a baseball by almost $700.