Friday Happy Hour at the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill

Twas 3 days after Christmas and Tom Hicks was in bed,
counting his millions deep in his head

Holidays over and a job yet to do

to build a team that didn't stink, eww

The American league west had become such a beast

twas almost a mirror image of the guys in the east

What can we do and how do we compete?

Poor JD has been charged the impossible feat

If only our market was as large as New York's

We wouldn't come off looking like dorks

But here in Texas it's hard to succeed

No glitz, no glamour, just tumbleweeds

I hope our fan base understands where I am

I would love their support of this ridiculous scam

He turned off the light and knew it was funny

the team ***** bad but we're making money

He rolled over to sleep and laid his head down

his thoughts changed quickly to BOZO the clown

Beltre ain't coming TR, so forget it. They have a better chance of getting a Cuban off that Island and in the majors than Beltre. Right or wrong as i said before you, your past follows you. Something Courtney doesn't understand. I find it kind of funny that the Rangers are having to spend money on lawyers to get one Dominican into the country when their are about an estimated 12 million illegal Mexican immigrants that are currently inside the United States. Can any of them play Baseball? Nevertheless ICE has this thing called Felon Alien, which they are really closely watching. Has to do with Homeland Security and 911 which is a joke. When Beltre confessed and was convicted he sealed his fate. He ain't coming, it is political. Everytime some type of terrorism occurs in the world, he gets pushed further back. Maybe in the past they could have slid him through not now though. So forget him, besides if he got here he would probably become our #1 overall pitching prospect and be dealt for some drug addicted hero. And for those of you who say i am jaded because of my profession here is another insight. Those Mexican Immigrants are taxing us. The US government is not taxing them. They are costing us every day. If you don't believe it then wait until an illegal alien hits your car without insurance. I have to deal with it everyday, have to have the language line interpret for me. Who pays for thay you the taxpayer. It is amazing that the United States is reportedly a nation of laws, yet we do nothing and don't enforce the current immigration laws. Say no to new immigration laws, write your congressman and tell them to enforce the existing ones.

DWIDRE,
enough already! Yes Hamilton has a past that will hang with him for the rest of his life. We get that. Let him battle that on his own, he doesn't need you to keep reminding everyone of the decisions he has already admitted to making. Let him play ball! As for the #1 pitching prospect thing get your facts straight....VOLQUEZ was NOT OUR #1 that belongs to a guy named ERIC HURLEY you might have heard of him if not you clearly have a lot of time on your hands go do some research. Every scout I've read thinks the Rangers clearly came out on top in this deal at worst it was a sell high for both teams that could prove to benefit them both. How is that a bad thing? I am happy to live in the greatest nation on Earth and I very much prefer to look at the positives of what our team has done to try to improve. If you don't want to be even remotely optomistic go be a DRAYS fan...heaven knows they need some and they don't trade their top pitchers they prefer to let them stay in the minors for years and years and then trade their young big bats for other teams stud pitching prospects. I think it's a good fit for you. Hope your new year as a DRAYS fan treats you well.

I know it's still early, but it will be very interesting to see the Rangers' opening day roster if a couple of moves/trades are not made between now and opening day.

Lonestar and I have made some points about the opportunity to trade guys like Cat at the ASB for more prospects. In order to do this we likely must play him close to full time - if he sits he will have little if any value. If we aren't going to play him to 'rebuild value', then why wouldn't we trade him for whatever we can get, even if we have to pay the majority of his salary for someone to take him. We'd end up basically doing the same thing if he sat on the bench, but then he'd be taking up a roster spot that we need.

It also seems that with the team's low payroll, we should be willing to pay for salaries of guys we trade in order to further increase their value and increase the haul we receive, but that's just me spending Hicks' money for him.

There are more decisions to make beyond the Cat man, though. The Rangers appear headed for a roster squeeze right now in several places.

If you figure the team starts the season with eight relievers then we've got to pare down from:

Benoit, Feldman, Francisco, Fukumori, Littleton, Loe, Murray, Rheinecker, Rupe, White, and Wilson - that's 11 by my count. That doesn't include anyone from the minors like Tejada, who I think should be given a shot at a role with the team. Someone who understands options better than I do will need to help me out on who can be sent down and who will have to be let go or traded.

With 13 pitchers and nine starters, we can keep 3 bench players. Four OFs are a given - does the team keep 5 to play OF and DH out of Bradley, Botts, Byrd, Cat, Cruz, Hamilton, Murphy (one starts at DH, so we've got one extra player out of this group). Then we have Vasquez as utility IF. That only leaves room for one 1B, so Shelton is left out IMO - there are not enough roster spots for a platoon at 1B.

This surplus of players tells me that JD should have some more opportunities to trade players for prospects (get what you can, JD) who are near ml-ready, but do not have to go on the active roster right away.

There will be a lot of bodies in Surprise this Spring, and a lot more moves to come in the Spring, if not sooner.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.

This country was founded by illegal immigrants. Fortunately they were from Europe and Manifest Destiny says they were right.

Dwiregod: I couldn't agree more, and I'll spring to your defense anytime-ON THIS ISSUE.

Being part Cherokee, I can proudly say that I am forever glad the Europeans came here and set up their institutions, Christianity, structure and society which have led the good ol' U.S. of A. to be the preeminent, good, caring society who is always there to help the starving in Africa, protect and save Arabs from fellow Islamic terrorists, come to aid at times of tsunamis in Indonesia, be the first to fly in aid when earthquakes wreak havoc and we are always the first to feed the hungry throughout the world, and be a shining light for democracy for the world for 200+ years. Not one country in the history of the world can match our goodness of heart and giving. No one. God above knows, how THANKFUL we should be for that, our very freedom, our way of life.

Our society is being challenged in ways not to be known by the Founding Fathers,and in a time now of quickly lessening resources, by many swamping our tax-funded public hospitals with childbirths of illegal folks who do not want to BECOME Americans, but instead to enjoy all the perks but not to know anything about the country, learn to speak a common language which unifies us, or assimiliate--but making Americans of ALL previous heritages have to adjust to them, NOT the other way around. This is not the way to build a country which will stand.

Dwiregod, I understand, and agree wholeheartedly. I attend a Roman Catholic Parish which is totally bi-lingual: Masses, the bulletin, informational signs, EVERYTHING. I've been to Quebec, with the French-English language and cultural split. IT IS NOT A PRESCRIPTION FOR LONG-TERM happiness or unanimity. . .Dwiregod, you are correct in what you say, I wish more people spoke out, voted, and we returned to the "MELTING POT", instead we are inching towards the BALKANS--which obviously ended up in a forever contentious group of competing pockets of cultures and languages. Not Good....Hopefully, we can return to a point where EVERYBODY wants to be an American--seems that's the way the Europeans of old who came here in the late 19th and early 20th Century did--to keep their traditions, culture and languages AT THEIR HOMES, but when it came to interacting with their fellow Americans, it was always in English, with Judeo-Christian values, and Western Culture which carried us through tumultuous times and brought about far better way of life than anywhere else on the globe. When you boil it down to the bare basics, all a country has are it's borders, language and culture. America has those--why not protect our borders, language and culture? It is worth protecting, isn't it not?

So, pantherparent, this part Cherokee, part Scot, part French and Catholic guy is most certainly glad we speak English and had the background of faith and Western Values which have made us great.

Hope your Christmas was great to all, and a very happy, healthy, and wonderful New Year for everyone, of all cultures and opinions. I hope the people who love that First Amendment can handle a little truth-telling and not want to ban opinions.

P.S....The Poem by keibarr was exquisite! Good job.

I can only hope the Rangers sneak up and surprise some teams; I don't see other way to compete in this division. A third place finish would be a blessing for this bunch. Like TR said not long back, this WILL be the most interesting, unknown, and unpredictable year since 1972. To me, that brings a degree of angst and consternation, but mixed with bright possiblities and hope. Should be an interesting season, to say the very least.

***Just for the heckuvit: Todd Zeile, George Wright, and Tom Paciorek.

Maybe i am misinformed, but i thought that most people of European Descent came through Ellis Island. Something along the lines of Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free. As a jack booted thug, i want these illegals gone. As a realist i know this isn't possible, most of you wouldn't have the stomach for it so here is the plan. Tell these illegals to go to the ICE office and register, they have 90 days to do it, if they don't they get deported. Once down there they get a criminal background check, get a drivers license or ID, then give them a freaking work visa. I have a Pakistani friend that has been here 13 years on a work Visa and he still hasn't gotten citizenship. This place is Country of Laws. You don't reward people for breaking the law. Those who openly violate the law should be extracated, deported. You can't compare what our ancestors did to what these illegals are doing. It just isn't fair to do that. The big difference is that our ancestors came here to become American Citizens, they wanted to be a part of America. These people if you ask them merely want to come and go as they please, make money and ship it back to Mexico. At this rate, we should just invade Mexico, and start putting an infrastructure in place. I just don't understand why these politicians can't get this right, other than these Democrats want a larger voting base. Why do i as a taxpayer, have to pay school taxes to hire bilingual teachers to teach citizens of another country? Why? No other country in the world does as we do. I have been to France and i believe we liberated that country. Still you must speak French. This immigration thing is going to get ugly before it gets completed. Our policy at the Federal Level is pretty much to do nothing. Something is going to have to be done. You can believe me or not, but these aliens are taxing us with all of their problems. I don't want to pay for it. Let the Feds pay for it, but we all know how they do that, higher taxes. All we are doing is subsidizing a businesses quest for cheap labor. The bottom line is our forefathers paid their own way, spoke the English language, assimilated to this culture a did things that were for the good of this country.

My ancestors had a thing such as pride. How does someone here in this country illegally, get a section 8 apartment, food stamps, welfare and other entitlements? Aren't those things supposed to be for American Citizens? Last year 75% of the babies that were born at JPS Hospital were born to illegal aliens. Now the children are citizens, the mothers and the fathers are not. The Hospital doesn't care because they are making money off of it. The mother and father don't pay, medicade pays for the birth. The hospital also gets to tax you and i for the county hospital. So they are making twice the amount of money, so no one cares. I care, change the freaking law which really isn't a law change. If your parent enters into this country illegally and you happen to be born here, then you are a citizen of Mexico period. It is called the fruit of the poisonous tree. The law was broken so you can't benefit from the original violation. A little insight and story. Does anyone here realize that at the border of Mexico and the US in Southern California, that pregnant Mexicans enter into the area between Mexico and the US, just as they are about to go into labor. The United States sends an ambulance in there to pick this person up who really isn't in either country, transports them to the county hospital in order to give birth. You guessed it the baby is an American citizen. This happens every freaking day, in California. How much money does that cost us? Texas is usually 5 years behind California, so the problems they are having out there are already here and are about to increase in number.

I believe that Manifest Destiny was something that the Federal Goverment came up with to despose of the Indians and to take us from Sea to Shining Sea. Something along the line of It is God's Will for us to have the whole continent. Kinda sounds like what the Muslims are saying now, it is Allah's will for us to takeover the whole world. I don't believe their were many Mexicans involved in this process. Probably a lot of Irish and Asians though who helped to build the rail road. I believe the Mexican Manifest Destiny would be something like this, it was ours before it was yours, and if we can't beat you in war, then we will just breed you out. Within the next 50 years, what language do you think will be the prevalent language in the United States? Not English, Spanish i dare say. We are slowly but surely becoming the minority. Something needs to be done. Get control of this before it gets control of US. In that instance i am all for Beltre rotting in his country. It is no one elses right to come to this country. Why don't these people build up their own country? What type of country exists that helps to export its own people to other countries and fails to educate its own people. Haven't they heard of the maquiladera programs?

Let me just say this: I love this land of many heritages...the Forefathers couldn't have known people would sneak in the dead of night, with trashbags of belongings and kids hanging from a pregant mom. This is simply not how to enter the country you have chosen to make your home. You must adapt, not the American citizens. You must learn the language of the country that accepted you, not vice versa. If it looks like this isn't what you want to do or how to live life, then maybe this isn't the country for you. **(These words were also spoken about a year ago by the leader of Australia, the Honorable John Howard, who spoke these words to Islamic clerics and hardliners in his country. I couldn't agree more. "YOU should adapt--not US."

Now, back to baseball. So, is it Byrd, Murphy and Bradley in the outfield? Is Botts REALLY going to try to DH? (Heaven forbid!) Is CJ ready to close, or is it up for grabs? Do we trade MY before his value goes down? Is Cruz going vamanos? Will Padilla and Millwood rebound? Will Gerald Laird make it through Spring Training as our catcher, or will he still be used for trade bait? Will Salty play first (as he should)? Exactly what must Gabbard and McCarthy have to prove this year, and will they be more durable and reliable? Who plays third IF Hank isn't able to throw?

Some questions I'd personally like answered. I know all the basketball magazines will have us rated near Tampa Bay, for the most futile franchise, but our hope rests on us sneaking up on some folks. It's been done before--1974, Bobby V's first year, and Buck's first year.

One thing I'd like to propose, is a trade for Scott Kazmir. If Hank is the price, alright. Kazmir is that worth it. This of course hinges on whether we make a serious offer, and we possibly could, for Johan Santana. (And yes, Dwiregod, Santana would come here if we had Guardado--his old teammate, and also if we ponied up the money, which we could, with our RIDICULOUSLY low payroll.)....What do you think TR of any chance we might have to land and to sign Santana, and will any attempts be made for Erik Bedard or Scott Kazmir?

Just wanted to get back on baseball and open up the discussion.

The only Santana that is coming here is Carlos, i got a Black Magic Woman, maybe she can cast a spell where we win the World Series. Viva La Mexico go where they let you go, do what you can for the land. they take em through customs, til time comes to bust em, then they send em back over the border til their needed again, viva la Mexico! And my all time favorite, it's no fun being an illegal alien, down at the office got to fill out the forms, a pink one, a red one. Don't trust anybody, because if they find out!!! If Hank is dealt, you can does the headline read Flipper leaves town. If you guys would ever get together boy could i tell you some stories, maybe.

p.s. Seeing the photo above of Will Clark, makes me heartsick for our Ranger Red. A couple months back, I thought I remembered some players like Ian, Michael, and some others, expressing a desire to return to the "Colors of our Glory Days" (despite how excruciatingly brief those Glory days were for our history)--still, they were far better than what we have now.......TR, anything new on the uniforms for the upcoming season, and/or anything new on returning to our Ranger Red?

The Texas Rangers, in the previous management and owners infinite wisdom, desired a whole new identity, look, and feel for the Rangers in 1994, with a brand new Ballpark in Arlington, a new start for this franchise with not exactly glowing results the previous 22 years (before 1994). George W./Tom Schieffer/Doug Melvin/Johnny Oates, now THOSE were the days! By the way, we actually "won" the Division that first year of The Ballpark, even at 10 games under .500 under Kevin Kennedy, due to the baseball strike. Even the strike couldn't keep Ranger Red from prevailing. TR, give us some hope that Ranger Red might again find its' way into the Rangers plans once again.

p.s.s. TR, you would know this where I wouldn't. Since the Rangers did end the season on top in 1994, do the Rangers get credit for "winning" the Division, or is there an asterisk by it....I've always wondered what happened to all those records with the Major League office.

Happy New Year to ALL Americans!

I thought this was a baseball blog.......I LOVE when dgod quotes bougus bs statistics that he pulls out of his butt whether if its on the stats of Kevin Mench or on the number of "illegal" babies born....if they're born here they're Americans

I hope Botts, Murphy, and Cruz all get legitimate playing time this year.

I think its called the WORLD SERIES....so happy New year ALL God's people.....and lets keep it on baseball we all hear enough politics this is our refuge....

DWI-DRE,
I like your 90-day plan. I used to teach Amnesty English, TOEFL and Citizenship at Northlake JC, and think enrollment in this sort of class should be included as the last of the great handouts.

Alan Keyes (a black man who has run for President, worked w/ RReagan, and has his own radio show) said it best (although my memory might misrepresent his numbers slightly):

"Slavery didn't break us as a people. The marriage rate remained over 75% throughout.

Post-slavery oppression didn't break us as a people. The marriage rate remained over 65%.

WELFARE and quotas have broken us as a people. For them we have traded away our self-respect. And now our marriage rate has plummeted below 40%!"

Nos necessitamos apprendir Espanol porque Los Hispanicos (and I) somos los unicos, los que estamos bienveniendo NINOS!

By having children, the Hispanics (and I) and Muslims will be the only people left in America. Not even my own Irish welcome them anymore! Malta is the only nation in Europe replacing itself (with its native sons).

-------BASEBALL----------------

Briant, as usual, you're right on. Eating the salaries of some of our vets (e.g. MY) can make them much more attractive as trade chips, and it's a good year to do so since the FA market is so lean. (...After we resurrect the value of all but MY and Benoit, of course. And "Jack Benny's" only 30 1/2 years old-- not even beyond hope of helping us in 2012).

And yes, Bingo, I think we can land Johan (29) or Sheets (30), and either might be advisable if he signed an extension.

Minnesota and Milwaukee want to trade their salary away and still compete this year (not simply rebuild as WE should for 1 or 2 years). So an offer of Millwood, Laird, MYoung (plus major pitching prospect) for (extended) Johan + (the rental of) Bartlett might at least get the conversation started w/ MN.

Or Blalock, Laird, and a decent pitching prospect might pry (an extended) Sheets away from Milwaukee.

Both Santana and Sheets are young enough to conceivably help us from 2011 - 2014, and that type of trade would help us trim our 40-man roster before time forces our hand where we don't want it to go.

Don't give up on Botts or Cruz!

Why would the Twins do that deal? They want young developing talent, not guys who are on the wrong side of 30. Even if the Rangers pick up a ton of their salaries, Millwood and Young are not the type of players Minnesota is looking for.

Blalock may get us in the door on Sheets, but the Brewers would probably want a good young pitcher like Harrison, Kiker or Poveda. This is troubling considering Sheets is not signed beyond '08 and hasn't thrown 200 innings since '04. Not healthy. Not worth the risk.

But hefe,

What are the chances of Harrison, Kiker or Poveda throwing 200 healthy innings as a major-league ACE?

I think if we could KEEP the TWO MOST LIKELY to do so, and trade one, for the sake of acquiring an ace-- provided we could extend Sheets' contract, as I said--that's a deal we have to make.

THAT is part of rebuilding: stockpiling youth to develop most and trade some.

I don't deny the risk, but there aren't many true aces out there.

Melvin has been quoted as intending to trade one of his (7) SP's for a power-hitting infielder (especially 3B, so Braun can move to OF), and is especially interested in Hank Blalock, and desperately needs a catcher who can throw (so Jason Kendall can be the back-up hitting-but-non-throwing catcher that he is.)

If the only remaining piece is one of our solid pitching prospects, we can afford to do it because it's pitching for pitching.

I'm on board with the JH trade because CF is essential, we have JH long-term, and he is not only projecting to be our best CF ever-- he may well already be our best current offensive AND defensive player. (Besides, he can also throw 95MPH, so if we're desperate for pitching...he-heeee)

But NO more trades of YOUNG PITCHERS for non-pitchers--

By rebuilding, I don't mean developing all 25 at once, but "stockpiling youth to develop most and trade some."

p.s.

We currently "have" 41 players on our 40-man roster, plus we're about to add "Every-day Eddie" Guardado. So we're about to take 2 off.

Is there anyone who could be bumped from the 40-man without being put on waivers?

I don't know how that works, but I know most (young) Minor-League players don't have to be put on the 40 to be protected as team "property," but some do.

For example, we didn't protect Nate Gold, so he was "exposed" to, but "survived" the Rule V (5) Draft, and remained a Ranger.

Is there anyone, such as David Murphy, as good as he is, who could be moved off the 40 without being put on waivers, or are we inevitably about to lose 2 players?(e.g. Bill White, Robinson Tejeda or Ben Broussard-- PLEASE NOT BOTTS OR CRUZ!)

Offensively Shelton and Broussard have essentially the same ability, but Shelton is much younger, has better career stats, is under our control longer, and is MUCH cheaper. Like Cat, both hit righties and NOT lefties (as Botts DOES).

So if we HAVE to choose now, I choose to keep Shelton. But if we CAN keep them both on the 40 (without losing Cruz, Botts or Tejeda), then I'm all for the 2 new 1st basemen duking it out during Spring Training, and keeping ONE on the 25-man roster, and THEN (AFTER spring Training, if we have to) exposing the other to the waiver wire, and playing him at AAA or AA if he survives waivers.

But if ALL 41 plus Guardado MUST remain on the 40-man roster, or be exposed to waivers, then it really is time to pull the trigger on a 3-for 1 or a 4-for-2-player trade.

Hey what is the problem with trading a young prospect pitcher? The Rangers won't let that hold them back. If the deal requires a pitching prospect, lets do it. Don't let that stand in the way of making another bad deal. I can't wait for a newspaper article from Revo, that says. RANGERS NEVER LEARN: PITCHING DEALT AGAIN. Maybe i am wrong but it is all about the pitching folks. Hey GLEASONS i know Botts is a switch hitter, but i don't think he can hit left or right handed pitching, just ask Bingo he will tell you. With the lineup we currently have it looks like thin ice for Botts and Cruz. I think those are the two who will get exposed, unless Cat is traded. Bradley is penciled in in right, Cat as DH and Murphy in left. I personally would rather see Cruz in right every day, but i won't see it. I guess they think how many games they gave him last year is enough and they think he can't play. Well no great loss, we just got rid of the Coco the closer we had for 2 draft picks. Who and where are those people?

If someone else wanted one of my players and was excited to get him, wouldn't that cause a reasonable person to take a step back and say hey maybe this guy can play? Or are we too blinded just to make a deal? It wouldn't surprise me if Blalock is dealt, since i can't figure why in blue blazes we signed Alfonzo a thirty something year old has been third baseman. Flipper leaves town how will Washington make it with out him. I thought he was Washingons boy. Blalock is overrated is too injury prone, rumor has it Minnesota wants him. Maybe with some proper batting tuteledge he can become an all-star.Rudy isn't getting through to this guy. He has performed under pressure in an All-Star game, so who knows what he could do in the playoffs. He won't have to worry about it in Texas for awhile. Predictions for next year: AL: Angels, Tigers, Boston and Indians. Whoever wins between Angels and Tigers will win the World Series. Noticably absent are YOUR TEXAS RANGERS, who probably will be more competitive and probably endup winning about what Washington thinks they will win about 85 wins. Wow i am so thrilled, happy and excited we are going to be over .500 maybe.

How many picks did Milwaukee get for Coco leaving? Was he a Type A Free Agent? So in essence we could have kept Coco for 2 more years and then got our just desserts? Here we go again, explain to me why we dealt Soriano in January because he was an impending free agent, only to acquire Carlos Lee at the All-Star break who was an impending free agent. So we dealt Soriano because he was going to walk and we wanted to get something for him, which we didn't. Then we turn around and trade for Lee, who we wanted to walk so we could get the draft picks. At the time of the trade at the all-star break both Lee and Soriano had similar numbers with Soriano having more speed. That is the type of **** that we have been doing for years around here and Daniels is getting good at it. Spin Doctoring. If you are going to deal Volquez and you want Santana, doesn't he have to go to Minnesota as some sort of package with Salt, Blalock, Volquez and who else? That is what is crazee. So say we are in the running for Santana. I want him to re-up with me before he is traded here. That is what N.Y., Boston, Ananheim or any other reputable organization would do.

And Courtney, when i say speed in relation to Soriano, i am referring to how fast he can run, not the type Hamilton would inject into his arm. Ha Ha. Is that what they mean as being a 5 tool player? So when they say Hamilton has speed, do the police need to be notified? Arm Strength???? Just joking. Have a freaking sense of humor. Do the Rangers really know what type of situation they have put themselves in with this? Will there be a Narcotics Anonymous Day at the park? Last year they had a couple of times you could bring your dog to the park. Could there be a bring your drug dealer with you. I bet those guys would be in the best seats. Ha Ha. Darn criminals they get everything. Ha Ha. No sympathy or empathy here for that guy.

The Soriano deal was horrible. Going back to the A-Rod for Sori deal we should have gotten more. Even still we should have chosen Robinson Cano over Juaquin Arias as the second player in the deal. The Nationals had no pitching what so ever to give us and it was pathetic the best outfielder we could return was BW.

The good part of the trade was it freed up 2B for Ian who should have been up in the majors a year earlier.

I;m fine with the CoCo trade for a legitimate middle of the order RBI HR guy in Lee. We were in contention that year until a 4 game sweep by the devil rays totally derailed us. We got Lee because we hoped to sign him long term but he got over paid by Houston. All of you seem to like Cruz and JD hoped like a lot of you still do that he would be a run producing outfielder so no problems with that trade at all.

Those 2 draft picks we got back I believed turned out to be Michael Main and Blake Bevean so I'm pretty happy with that trade especially since we're not in contention now and we have had a reliable closer in Aki and CJ.

And anytime you start long for the Astros management or ownership just rememeber it was McClain who dealt Willy Taveras, Jason Hirsh, and Taylor Buckholz (the equivalent of 2 of our DVD boys( for washed up never had a sub 4.5 ERA pitcher Jason Jennings.

Maybe they should have Megalomaniac day and Dgod could take himself.

Ok, I've read enough. First of all, stop with all the trading MY. He's one of our core players. Blalock is very essential this year and his future will here will depend on how well he performs, especially in the first half. Salty is a very good catcher, and even if we did end up trading him, the Twins would prob not be interested in him regarding any Santana deal. They already have an All-Star catcher and first baseman I beleive, so do your homework. The Hamilton deal is prob a steal for us, b/c even though Volquez did good last season, I was still not 100% sold on him. So what about JH's past, give him a chance. The guy who is giving him **** about his past and also dogs the Rangers every chance he gets need to grow up. You are not acting like a true fan with all your negativity and if the shoe was on the other foot, how would you feel about people bashing you b/c of past mistakes?

8G's,
What are the odds of Ben Sheets throwing 200 innings as a major league ace? Not good if you look at the past 3 years. Why not just wait a year and then sign the free agent Sheets? You can overpay for him then without having to give up Blalock or Kiker or anybody else. It's not as though Sheets and the 135 innings he's averaged over the past 3 years would be enough to push the Rangers past the Mariners and into contention with the Angels in '08 anyway, especially with a newly created, gaping hole at third base.

On the Coco trade, the man was given chances all year, but he just blew it. What we gave to the Brewers was our chump change, and we got in return a guy who didn't help us go to the playoffs and a guy who can't play beyon AAA. Whole deal was awash b/c Coco is now a Red. The Sori trade ****** as did the trade that brought in Eaton, but they were JD's first trades, since then he has done pretty good. We are still on track to compete in 2009, and we may give the Angels **** next season if we are healthy, but I still think we are a year away. Cruz should go, and if Botts struggles in spring training, him too, and by go, I mean see if they clear waivers. If no one else wants them, then hey, they'll still be here. In my opinion they are both like Mench, popular but unproductive. I still don't see why you guys want Mench back so bad. I understand that the Rangers can frustrate you, but give JD a chance. They have a plan, and so far, it seems like they have stuck with it. Rebuilt farm system, aquired a 1B and a CF, about to aquire a vet RP and prob a vet SP, and the farm is still intact. Volquez's departure just means guys like Mendoza and Hurly will get here quicker, but not before they start the year in AAA. If they trade Young and/or Blalock, they really are rebuilding like Balt and Florida and losing will continue. I beleive last year they decided to take a step back so they can take two steps forward, not blow it all up and start over. Clevland did it and look at them.

Hey i do get bashed everyday, by people that i call co-workers and citizens. And i take it like the man i am. I will continue to write the truth about the Rangers as long as i care to do so. So there. Bad deals justified by people, just because they want to escape. Does anyone here think that we are going to overcome our past by wishing and hoping things get better. It is going to have to hit rock bottom before we get a new owner and a new management team. I personally can't wait for it to happen. When it does then their will be no where to go but up. We aren't going to win the title next year. Angels, Tigers, Red Sox and probably Indians. What have we done to compete in 2009? What have we built. I would like the deal for Hamilton if we hadn't given up pitching to get him and he wasn't an 8 time rehabber. It is about the pitching folks. Now in my profession, and maybe i am jaded. But the only thing you can depend on an addict to do is to get high and take the easy way out. Those are the facts.
Whether you agree or not. The prisons in America are full of people just like him who are weak and cannot deal with the pressure of the real world. This isn't this guys second chance. 8-2 is 6 more than 2. Do your homework! Hopefully he stays clean for his own personal benefit. The statistics are against them. I don't see too many people that have beaten that addiction. But you guys no more than me. So why didn't we do our homework on Delmon Young.

My first major assumption is that Bradley is completely healthy at the start of the season (a big stretch).

Against right handed starters:

LF Catalanotto

SS Young

CF Hamilton

RF Bradley

3B Blalock

1B Brossard

DH Botts

2B Kinsler

C Saltalamacchia

This gives us a heavy left-handed line-up with late game flexibility (3 switch-hitters).

Against left handed starters:

2B Kinsler

SS Young

RF Bradley

CF Hamilton

LF Byrd

3B Blalock

DH Botts

1B Saltalamacchia

C Laird

While this lineup lacks power, it gives us a disciplined front five, not to mention MY's 200 hits. It makes up for the lack of power by driving up the pitch counts, forcing the opposition to their bullpen earlier than they would like. Hank still needs to prove that he’s a middle of the order guy against LHP. Did you notice that this lineup gives Wash three CFs? This is our best defensive lineup.

Injuries can, and usually do, play a part of any season. Murphy and Bryd give us flexibility and some insurance against Bradley and Hamilton visiting the DL. I still like Cruz and Botts. However, their window of opportunity is rapidly closing. I hope we don’t experience the Hafner and Gonzales situation again.

The Bradley signing and Hamilton trade has transformed a mediocre OF, at best, into an above average OF, with excellent flexibility. JD now has a surplus of workable outfielders. With Hamilton, Bradley, Bryd, Catalanotto, Murphy, Cruz and Botts we simply have too many for five possible slots. I do not believe the Rangers can afford a platoon at 1B. That extra slot needs to be used to protect either Botts or Cruz. They have no options left and are still too talented to just let go for nothing (read Coco). I feel a trade coming during ST involving one of our surplus outfielders (can you believe I’m saying that?). My guess, if we are building for the future, is that Cat is a trade candidate. Coupled with another player, we might be able to get a good prospect back. Murphy is a perfect 4th outfielder. He can play all three positions and can give a club a needed lift with his style of play. However, I’m wary of over exposing Murphy at this point in his career.

JD is trying to grow a talented rotation from within. It’s clear he believes he’s got that talent farther down in the system. While our top three is not competitive now, he’s not going to risk the future for a few years of down-side glory. Between now and ST, JD will sign or trade for a veteran SP to give the rotation more depth this year and to avoid pushing prospects (Hurley, Mendoza & Harrison) too soon. My guess is Jennings. Colon’s medical situation makes him too risky. We need a veteran in the #5 SP slot to give us insurance against another Millwood/Padilla disaster. McCarthy and Gabbard must make their move this year. Hurley, if he progresses in AAA, arrives sometime in the second half. Harrison is another SP getting close. More are coming (Castillo, Font, Diamond, Poveda, Main, Beavan, Kiker, Hunter, Ramirez, etc).

A few weeks back, I submitted a very negative post. I couldn't see where we were going. I was impatient and frustrated. I was wrong. I regret that posting today. JD and his team were obviously working a Plan B for CF. If Josh stays healthy and clean, this trade will resemble the now famous Frank Robinson for Milt Pappas deal in 1966. It launched a decade long run for the Orioles. Robinson is now in the HOF.

There is HOPE in Ranger land.

Len (San Antonio)

Okay, hefe,
You're right. Nevermind Sheets or Santana for that matter, unless trading would be our only way to get in on the new contract bidding.

But let's not lose another roster spot for Colon either.

And Jennings only if we trade some vets first, so he doesn't knock any of our prospects off thee 40-man roster.

I'm troubled by the state of the 40 also. I bet we don't make it to spring training with one or more of the following: Robinson Tejeda, Nelson Cruz, Jaon Botts or Bill White.

I'd have zero problem with signing Santana if the Twins fail to trade him, but I don't think we have the ammo to match an offer that would include Jacoby Ellsbury or Phil Hughes.

Hey courtney, i do read your posts, however i don't have any fantasies about power, wealth and omnipotence. Ha Ha. I only made 90K last year, far far away from wealth. I also arrested about 48 people who soon bonded out. Of course i haven't been in rehab 8 times so i don't expect you to like me. Just give me a chance Courtney. Please......Ha Ha. I hear meagalomania can be brought about by Stimulant abuse though. Maybe you can offer your services to the Rangers since you seem to be some sort of left wing therapist. How many people get help at your clinic get help if they don't have insurance? Give those people a chance to pay it out. The Rangers are a team of second chances. Give JD a chance, give Hamilton a chance, give them a chance. How about giving a rookie pitcher a chance? All we are saying is give peace a chance? The guy that wrote those lines, what happened to him? He was shot in the back that is what. How about giving me a chance to sit in the Cuervo club for less than a C note? How about give me a chance at a World Series Title. No chance, No chance, No chance. Santana ain't coming here so forget it.

Dwidregod..I don't agree with some of what you say about the Rangers, but I am with you all the way on the immigration issues. I also agree about Santana. There are really only 2 places I see him going, NY or Boston and maybe an outside chance for LA. As for giving the kid pitchers a chance, didn't we do that with last years wonderkids Tejada and Loe?
Bingo, I would trade the farm for Kasmir, but I don't think Tampa will trade him, unless they feel he will bolt as a free agent. ( those of you who trash JD for the Young, Sori or Coco trades, don't even talk to a Met fan about Kasmir for the wrong Zambrano)

That being said JD seems to have learned from his mistakes. His moves since last season have been much better, We may be better than last year, but there is still a long way to go. Botts and Cruz will be gone soon. I just think that management doesn't have faith that they will ever develop. Other gms may and we should try to get something before we dfa them and loose them for nothing.

kitagod, I'm all for at least inquiring about what it would take for Kasmir or Erik Bedard. We might not have enough to trade them, but we need to at least ask.

I may be the only one on this blog who feels we best not give up on Robinson Tejeda. I see nothing that Mr. Botts or Mr. Cruz have shown to warrant being retained. Tejeda, 2-hit the World Champion Red Sox last year on a 30+ degree night in Arlington last year. He HAS shown signs of getting it, even though he regressed midway through last season. I'd hate to get rid of a pitcher who can 2-hit the Red Sox...whereas Cruz and Botts seem rudderless. Cruz came back after a stint in the minors, and hit 2 homeruns on his first night back against the lowly Royals, but really now, what has Botts ever shown? IF we could package Bill White, Blalock, Cruz and Botts to someone needing offense in exchange for a stud pitcher, I'd do it.

Personally, I still think Cruz, playing everyday in rightfield, could learn and be very, very serviceable. But, it won't happen unfortunately. The former jewel of the Brewer farm system, and a main reason we too, Carlos Lee, seems all but gone. Let's AT LEAST trade him, not designate him for assignment. It would a pleasant relief to get rid of extra baggage, that is, players who not only can't hit, but players who can definitely not field a position. On the other hand, I'd really not cut ties with Robinson Tejeda. I think he can do it based on the GOOD STUFF he exhibited early last season. Where are the Fergie Jenkins-type pitching legends who could corral this guy, teach him rhythm, teach him to bend, but not break, and most importantly, to throw strikes. With Tejeda's stuff, I feel we made a huge mistake last year and just casting him off with yesterday's garbage. Woe is JD if he lets Tejeda go.....from viewing his stuff last year early, this guy CAN be a force--but it would take a Fergie, maybe Orel Hershiser-type to get his thinking straight.

Bring on Bedard, Kasmir, and anyone else who can be a stud, in return for Botts, Wilkerson, Blalock, Cruz and/or Bill White.

Last comment. Kameron Loe is a terrific middle reliever/long reliever and spot starter. Please Washington and JD, don't even consider him to start again, he's MUCH too valuable in the pen. This is a fact. Loe wears down as a starter once he gets through the lineup the 2nd and 3rd time.

That's all for now---Happy New Year to all!

Ok dwi guy, I'm not gonna argue with you. Obviously you are right, that once an addict always an addict. Just remeber that one day if a loved one goes through it. I'm not gonna lie, I don't approve of Hicks, but at least JD is trying. You remind me of way too many typical Ranger fans who blast this team without even giving them the slightest chance, and you know it all. We'll see about your "knowledge" at the end of the season and again in '09. If you're right, I'm man enough to admit it, are you?.....As far as Tejada is conserned, I say dump him. Too many other pitchers have surpassed him, unless he becomes a releiver, which could be good, but I dunno his option status. Say waht you want about Hamilton b/c I know opinions vary, but trading MY is DUMB, and thinking so is also and I don't care what you think or say. Would you treade Jeter? I doubt it.

Mr.Acly,
"I don't care what you think or say" isn't exactly encouraging rational discussion.

My Dad likes to satirize your position by saying, "My mind's made up. Don't confuse me with the facts."

Isn't the whole point to HELP US think more clearly, and therefore to care?

I'd be happy to compare Young and Jeter with you. But unless you care, what's the point?

Comparing a trade of Michael Young with a trade of Derek Jeter is slightly rediculous, in my veiw.

First of all, Jeter is, has been, and always will be, a better all-around player than Young. With all due respect to the job Mike does, he's a 2nd baseman slotted into the shortstop positon. That alone makes moving/trading Young much more of a possiblity.

Second, we have a young, promising shortstop (Elvis Andrus) that should be in the majors within 3 years.

Third, his power numbers have all but dissapeared, making him little more than a singles hitter without the blinding speed to make up for it.

That's why a lot of Ranger fans are considering trading Young. True, he's still a key player on this offense - it's always nice to have 200 practically garunteed hits every year, and he's still drving in just as many runs as always - but at this point, he's not completely inexpendable.

This doesn't mean I'm in favor of trading him anytime soon - I'd rather wait until Andrus is actually knocking on the door to even consider uprooting Young - but the fact is, in 2 or 3 years, trading Michael will be a real possibilty.

Ahh, but Lonestar,

Who in 2 or 3 years (when the Rangers finally really DO NEED what MY, aged 35, can no longer deliver)--Who in their right mind-- would THEN trade for a guy who is still owed 12-14 million per year for another 4 or 5 years?

By the way-- after another year,is it?-- MY's partial no-trade clause turns into a full no-trade clause.

Believe me, I'm not suggesting this because I don't like the guy. My child has recognized Number "One Zero" since he was 3! I love 'im!

But for our sake and his-- as soon as we knew his re-signing did not secure the re-signing of Mark Teixeira-- as soon as we knew that we had done our best to win within THAT window of opportunity, and failed-- RIGHT THEN we were right to begin rebuilding.

And we did. Trading Lofton, Tex and Gagne improved our system 300 %.

Now we are rebuilding.

It's neither fair to MY nor smart for the Rangers to keep him while his value is still high (yet irrelevant), and let that value fall to the point of his being a(zillion-dollar) Utility Infielder when, in 2011, our contending Rangers finally really DO need him to be the Michael Young of 2005.

This year is our only window of opportunity with him, and even as is, we're going to have to eat about 21 million of his contract to get what he's truly worth.

Now, let's see...

Where might we come up with 21 million...?

Eightgleasons,

I have no problem discussing On Base Percentages and Slugging Percentages as topics. They are statistics and all baseball fans love statistics. However adding two such statistics together does not yield a new statistic. So lets look at (as you say) the all important slugging statistics of Young and Jeter.

In 1999 Jeter reached his peak (using your wording of Young’s condition) based on slugging percentage (0.552) and on base percentage (0.438). After 1999 both statistics dropped each year for three consecutive years. He has played eight years after 1999 and never hit that well again.

In fact during the time Young has been in the AL (2001-2007) Jeter’s average slugging percentage was 0.458 and Young has averaged 0.443. A common test for significance between two averages is the Student’s t-test. Using the hypothesis that there is no difference in the averages, the t-test calculation confirms there is no significant difference at either the 95% or 99% confidence level.

On Base Percentage over the same time period (2001-2007) shows Jeter to have a significantly higher average than Young using the same hypothesis, confidence levels and t-test equations as above. Jeter averaged 0.384 and Young 0.344.

However your concerns in this difference of opinion are that Young gets too many singles in amassing his 200 hits per year ; he is no slugger and besides he peaked “three or four” years ago. So we need to take a closer look at what makes up OBP.

OBP is the sum of hits, walks, and hit by pitcher divided by the sum of at bats, walks, hit by pitcher and sacrifice flies. Again for the years 2001-2007: Young had 300 walks, Jeter had 420. Young had 34 sac flies, Jeter only 16. Young was hit by a pitch a total of 14 times. Jeter was hit 81 times. Young had 4315 at bats and Jeter had 4299. It isn’t necessary to use a statistical calculation for differences for these numbers the results are obvious. For the non-hitting statistics of walks and HBP Jeter is the “winner”. For the hitting statistic sac flies Young is the man. The difference in at bats is not significant. Young had 1305 hits and Jeter 1348. The t-test for average hits over the seven year period showed the difference was not significant.

So Jeter’s superior numbers in OBP are really due to the fact he gets hit more often and walks more often than Young. If you insist on the OPS comparison since OPS is the sum of Slugging Percentage and OBP then the differences between Young and Jeter in OPS are due to the same factors HBP and walks.

I am not trying to convince anyone that Young is a better player than Jeter. Also I know that walks and HBP are the equivalent as singles as far as offensive contribution is concerned. However your rap on Young is that too many of his hits are singles and Jeter has a better OPS. Right, but the difference in OPS is due to offensive contributions that are the equivalent of singles not extra base hits.

The other part of this difference of opinion is that Young can’t make a contribution to the Rangers when they become competitive since he peaked three or four years ago. Well as discussed above Jeter peaked (had a career year) nine years ago. So what?

One other point of difference is you say modern shortstops are expected to have high slugging and on base percentages. That is more of a wish than a reality.

If you sort the 2007 statistics available on MLB.com for American League SS by slugging percentage and then compare the numbers to the same statistics for outfielders there are two starting shortstops that had a higher slugging percentage than Frank Catalanotto’s 0.444. Frank was 41st in rank as an outfielder.

If the sorting in MLB.com for SS is by OBP the top two are Jeter and Young. Jeter ties Manny Ramirez (15th among outfielders). Young ties Kenny Lofton and Hideki Matsui (26th among outfielders).

The primary expectation of the shortstop, second baseman, catcher and center fielder is good defense and getting on base as often as possible. Slugging is the primary expectation of the corner positions.

There is a chart at the Baseball Almanac that shows the number of homeruns hit by defensive position in the ML over the period of 1876-2007. Here are the values.

Pitcher – 3623

Catcher – 22973

First base – 37222

Second base – 15874

Third base – 26665

Shortstop – 14462

Left Field – 33719

Center Field – 27006

Right Field – 34506

Designated Hitter – 9296

Pinch Hitter – 4961

These numbers seem to substantiate that the power is from the corner positions. And that seems to be true in 2007 as well. Go to MLB.com sort the entire AL players by slugging percentage and look for middle infielders. Carlos Guillen of the Tigers (among starters) is the highest ranking SS and well below him is second baseman Robinson Cano of the Yankees.

Just so everyone knows its Scott Kazmir not KaSmir...your spelling abilities give away your baseball acumen,or lack there of..........

Forget about landing Kazmir or Bedard unless you want to give up some for real pieces. You guys are pissed at JD for trading Volquez for Hamilton, both legitimate talents. You also all blast Cruz and Botts as being washed up.

Why the **** then, Bingo, would you possibly think we could pry Kazmir or Bedard away for our "scraps" Cruz, Botts, and Bill FREAKING WHITE!!! are you kidding!!! We picked him up of waivers but were going to trade him for the best lefthander under 26 years old!?! You would screem if this deal was made for Volquez let alone a talent like Kazmir.

I also loved how you wanted to include Wilkerson in the deal considering he is a free agent and is not under our control and is coming off of surgery so he has no value what so ever.

Get real people! Come up with some real trades if you want to talk trades, not just pies in the sky.

Any deal made for a Santana, Bedard, or Kazmir has to at least equal the haul the A's got for Haren as all four of those guys are better than Haren who is a **** good pitcher.

Hurley, Harrison, Teagarden/Salty, and Davis/Duran for Kazmir or Bedard that's those are the caliber of young near major league ready players they would want. Definitely not the Cruz or Botts players who are talented but have all but exhausted their prospect status.

You can't trade MY. I would like to see Cat and Laird traded. We need to go all young and just gear up for 2009 and hope to make a run like the Rockies or Diamondbacks that's got to be our model.

RWolff,
"Do you see what I see (what I see)...?

You said that it was in On-base% that Jeter had MY beat,

but you dismissed the fact that, while Jeter's Slugging % has bounced

from

2005 .450 to

2006 .483 to

2007 .452

MY's Slugging % has simply dropped from

2005 .513 to

2006 .459 to

2007 .418 !

What will it be in 2011 when we're REALLY in need of 21st century numbers from our shortstop, not the numbers of an 1876-1976 shortstop (at a 2011 superstar price).

Things have changed.

Ccourtney even says,

"a) We need to go all young"

Oddly he also says

b) "and just gear up for 2009."

But unless he's planning on going young THIS year only to trade away that youth NEXT year, we can't BOTH go all young this year AND expect to gear up much by next year.

Most of our best prospects are at AA and A-Ball-- 2 or 3 years away from starting in the Majors, 3-5 years from reaching anything near their potential.

See our Organizational Depth Chart at:

http://scottlucas.com/site/org.htm

If we develop MOST of our youth, and trade SOME, we can (shorten the length but) speed up the arrival of that window of opportunity.

But still, 2010-2011 is really the soonest we SHOULD expect to contend, if we're really going to maintain the patience it takes to rebuild.

Given that scenario, ccourtney, and given your view that, "We need to go all young," why can't we trade Michael Young? His name is not magically keeping him young, and this is the ONE YEAR when we can receive genuine 2010 value in return, and the ONE YEAR we have some control over the possibility of doing so.

Sorry, that's
http://rangers.scottlucas.com/site/org.htm

To Mr. or Mrs. Courtney: This is a public forum. I can make any recommendations I want to, regardless if you seem to like the idea or not.

Somebody out there would take a flier on young, seemingly talented bats, who for whatever reason, have a high ceiling, but which haven't made it with the Rangers. If I propose a trade with say Baltimore for Erik Bedard for example, why not "unload" unproven, but good potential bats like Cruz, (I'll even put Botts in this category to placate you Courtney), and a proven Blalock--seems the Orioles are needing a younger bat or two, what with trading Miguel Tejeda away...so, you see Courtney, I can make a recommendation for JD to explore even if you don't approve. I've used logic considering what the Orioles might need, and what we could dump as chump change to some team which hasn't had a clue in many, many years, since the Earl Weaver days. Hey, do you want to ban my opinions? And yes, BOTTS CAN'T HIT, okay, I've said it.

Plus, I spelled Scott Kazmir correctly, just for the record. If occasionally a typo rears it's ugly head, well EXCUUUUUSE me.

p.s.s. to Courtney: I'd include Wilkerson and Botts in any trade, at any time. If you believe these guys can "bring it", I suggest you consult your own counseling service.

I realize Wilkerson is in his Free Agent mode, but hey, me wanting to include him in any trade is a rhetorical wish I've had, (as most bloggers know) who have been on here longer than you have been.

Happy New Year to All---

I think if you look at the exact comments one uses you might see the frustration of lifetime Ranger fans.

"Why the **** then, Bingo, would you possibly think we could pry Kazmir or Bedard away for our "scraps" Cruz, Botts, and Bill FREAKING WHITE!!! are you kidding!!!"

Ummm, did we not take Cruz in a trade that involved a pretty good Major league baseball player? See we have history, (yes I said it again)of aquiring other teams scrap (See B Wilkerson) so therefore we could only hope other teams would make mistakes like we HAVE.

I think i'll go have some pie in the sky! Happy New year gang!

you still dont get it bingo.....trading for Kazmir or Bedard requires the cream of the crop.....I think Botts and Cruz both have a chance to be solid major leaguers but neither, especially Botts has been given a solid opportunity

you can propose any trade you want but just be realistic.....if you wanted Chris Capuano or a pitcher like that then you might be able to include Botts of Cruz....not for someone like Kazmir or Bedard that is going to take at least 3 of our top minor leaguers

did you see what the Diamondbacks had to give up to get Dan Haren?? The #7 ranked prospect in all of baseball plus prospects 2,3, and 7 in their own organization

any trade proposal we would make for kazmir or bedard would have to START there

We did take Cruz in a trade, but that was 2 years ago, Cruz is now 27 and with no options left, no longer a young prospect, the Rays or Orioles want only young prospects of major league players

I still don't get your inclusion of Brad Wilkerson....we have NO control over him unless we resigned your favorite player haha

You would also need a much better pitcher in that deal than Bill White....a reliever who performed well for us but middle relievers that we revived off the scrap heap do not good trade bait make

you can make whatever trade proposals you want, I'm just saying lets be realistic

Yes, lets trade Young and rush Duran and Anders up and risk damamging their development. Seems real smart, especially when there is no one out there as far as SS we can pick up. Enlighten me if there is all you whom think you seem to know. As far as those trade scenarios, yes, they will work on a video game. To get Bedaed, you give up some of your best, not guys out of options who have yet to prove themselves. Why do you think TR always shoots those awful propsals down? Fun to think of, but not realistic. And for the guy who quoted me saying I don't care, you can show me the stats all day, I've already seen them, but please show me the invauluble things like leadership and coming through in the clutch. Not everyone can do it. Young is a leader. Unless he starts saying he wants out, why even bother when we haven't blown the thing up and aren't even considering it? JD pretty much said they were taking a step back, not starting over. They risk having a ton of empty seats if they trade MY, HB, and even Salty, whom is under our conrol for a while and is a part of our retooling.

I have another 2 cents to throw in. I love MY but if the right deal came along, I would move him. What worries me about him is where does he go when Andrus is ready? Move back to second? I don't think so, unless we want to move Kinsler. Third base? Thats a possibility. Then we have promising young players to trade. So that sets up a trade Blalock now scenario, letting Metcalf have third. But what if Metcalf plays real well and blocks an MY move, do we move the promising Andrus? How complicated it gets. Thats why I would see what the market would bring for MY and take a deal that makes sense. I actually see Young as our dh as his contract ages, cause to be honest, in 2 years we won't be able to trade him. Then again I would be happy with a good hitting dh like Young, will have nothing to do but get on base, score runs and work on his strength to develop more power.
Now for Kasmir and Bedard, they are legitimate proven aces, but on teams that are as bad as Texas. That being said, I would trade Hurley, Harrison, Cruz or Botts and say Whittleman or Teagarden for either of them in an instant. Rather they were aces on my bad team than someone elses.

A last comment, to Courtney: Of course you, me, and everyone else is not an expert on trades. We can quote other blogs, past statistics, etc..but the fact remains NO ONE believed the mighty Alex would sign with the lowly Texas Rangers, and he DID. Of course alot of money was thrown his way by the drunken sailor. I'm glad we got him and that he performed like a pro that he is.

My point is, you nor I can predict "exactly" what it would take to get a Bedard, Kazmir or Santana. Thankfully, that pressure is on JD. Like Keibarr we received Cruz in a deal that no one expected that Milwaukee would budge on, until JD insisted: "Deal for Carlos Lee MUST include Nelson Cruz or there is no deal." No one of us can tell exactly what anyone will take, demand, etc....SO, the opinions I expressed about an Erik Bedard (spelling is correct I presume?), would need to include some bats which are proven (Blalock, in a good year), and some bats with potential yet to be scraped (Cruz, Botts, etc). Therefore, I'm proposing to you that since Miguel Tejeda was traded, they just might be looking for some more bats.

This isn't idle speculation, but actually I've read enough and have enough acumen as you to make this assertion.

Of course, everyone wants to fleece everybody else. That's normal. We probably fleeced Boston trading Gagne and receiving so many good players. So, all in all, I appreciate the constructive criticism, I'm man enough to admit I misspelled Kazmir once, and I look forward to all the proposed trades from everyone else, to see what's on the Rangers fan's minds.

I hope that anyone who enters an opinion is not put down too harshly for airing their opinion. All of us wishful-thinkers out here would love to get Santana and other pitchers who can perform. When the cupboard is bare on the Major League level like it is here, us fans can either wear "rose-colored glasses" and not admit the situation is dire, or we can just observe what's taken place ever since we traded Alex. (Honestly, ever since we traded Juan Gonzalez, we haven't been the same team at all. I love Doug Melvin, but this was not a good move, and has proven so--regardless how many players we received. He was our heart and soul of the Yankee-Ranger wars of the late 90's.)

I only hope we can build up to this point again--though I believe it would take alot to re-hire Sandy Johnson, who built it all.

Happy New Year to all!

TR: can you or someone please tell me two things I mentioned earlier: 1)What happened to our 1994 statistics when we finished on top in the division--in the strike year. Do we get credit or not for finishing in first? and 2)Has anymore scuttlebut been heard about a return to Ranger Red, since Ian and Michael and others seemed to push management for it? Let's go Ranger Red!!!!

Hey courtney, stop trying to control people. Most people on this site are of the adult persuasion. So save it for your patients that have to listen to liberal, it's not your fault that you do drugs. Its a disease. Everyone is entitled to their own personal opinions. Whether you like them are not. Type A all the way, just an opinion. Most of us have been on here for awhile. You are new to this, so try to work your way through this as a descent human being. Pretend Bingo is a drug addicted Center Fielder who plays for your favorite team and show him some love, no one is nicer than Bingo. B I N G O and Bingo was his name o. Hey Bingo, i know this is going to come as a shocker to some here, but my wife is 25% Cherokee Indian from California. Her ancestors were here before Columbus discovered the West Indies. So i am married to a minority yall!

Bingo,

I don't remember exactly, but think our execs applied for us to MLB to return to Ranger red, but were past this year's deadline for major uniform changes. So look for it AND some semblance of our rebuilt Rangers in 2009.

Cheers, and happy new year!

Eight (9)

That's a good point about Young's contract - but if we do trade him now, who plays short for us in the meantime? Andrus isn't ready, and we don't really have any other options over there within the organization. We'd have to get a mediocre stopgap SS included in any deal for Young - but the way players are overvalued these days that might significantly subtract from the amount of real talent we'd be accquiring for him. That's why I'm more inclined to wait and see if a deal will come along in 2008 or 9 (when Andrus might be ready) that we might be able to get him to waive his no-trade clause for. After all, once Andrus is indeed ready and we decide to commit to him at short, I doubt Michael is going to want to stick around and learn a new position if he doesn't have to.

eightgleasons

In 1999 Jeter reached his peak (using your wording of Young’s condition) based on slugging percentage (0.552) and on base percentage (0.438). After 1999 both statistics dropped each year for three consecutive years. He has played eight years after 1999 and never hit that well again.

Why are you so sure Young won't do the same and be effective for the Rangers just as Jeter is for the Yankees?

Your idea that modern shortstops have better slugging averages than shortstops of the past isn't a given and the 2007 statistics in the AL show that with the exception of two middle infielders, SS and secondbasemen rank low in slugging compared to the corner positions.

Kinsler can play short stop and Duran can play second base. Teagarden can catch and Young can catch a train to California. Hey, when the Rangers decide to dump his salary, none of us here will be able to stand in their way. I know a lot of you guys take this blog seriously, but i doubt that JD or anyone else other than maybe some marketing people actually read this stuff. Hicks if you are reading this then listen very carefully.... SELL THE FREAKING TEAM. GET OUT WHILE YOU CAN!