Friday Happy Hour at the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where Rangers-Angels takes precedent over Lakers-Mavericks every day of the week.
* My all-time favorite TV show is MASH. So on Thursday's off-day I went to Malibu Creek State Park and hiked 21/2 miles to the site where they pitched the original 4077th compound and filmed the outdoor scenes. It's been 26 years and there's not much left. The site has been turned over to nature. But if you ever watched the show regularly then you know it was a unique thrill to stand up on the chopper pad. That was one of a few goosebump moments BigFriar.
* Mariners manager John McLaren on Vicente Padilla, who pitched against his team on Tuesday: "I really don't remember Padilla throwing that hard. The scoreboard said 97 and I looked at my coaches and said, "Am I reading that right. I don't remember him throwing that hard."
* McLaren on the A.L. West: "Everybody is talking about us and the Angels but we don't take the other teams lightly. We fight each other hard. Forget about that stuff about rebuilding. We don't take anybody lightly."
* Ian Kinsler said a player he admires is White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera, who was traded by the Angels in the off-season. Said Kinsler, "He doesn't make very many mistakes, defensively, offensively or on the basepaths. He had seventy-something straight games last year where he got on base. That's impressive with the guys hitting behind him. That's something I admire, knowing the guys behind me. That's something I'd like to do or get close to doing."
* Angels manager Mike Scioscia on the Rangers: "The Rangers have enough of an offensive game to let you know if you're not making pitches. A guy like Michael Young, a guy like Josh Hamilton coming in, a young guy like Kinsler who's come a long way and is a very productive offensive player . . . they'll let you know if you're not making pitches."
* Thomas Diamond, just over a year removed from Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery, is scheduled to throw two innings in an extended Spring Training game on Saturday.
* Friday marks the 34th anniversary of Hank Aaron hitting his 714th home run, tying Babe Ruth for first place all-time.
* Just for the heck of it: Steve Hargan
* In the Rangers first 3 contests, Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, and Jason Jennings each lasted 5.0 innings or more. While it's a small sample, and despite the 1-2 start for Texas, the rotation's 2.65 ERA after 3 games is the lowest since a 2.49 mark in 1996. It is just the 11th time the team has had a sub-3.00 ERA over the first three contests in 37 seasons
* Josh Hamilton's two-run home run on Tuesday marked the 21st time in club history in which a Ranger hit a home run in the ninth inning to put his team ahead when they were trailing. The last time that happened was on April 9, 2005 by none other than Richard Hidalgo. It was also in Seattle. The guy who gave up the home run was Eddie Guardado, who is now with the Rangers.
* The other 20? Juan Gonzalez did it three times. Pete O'Brien, Ruben Sierra and Buddy Bell did it twice.
* Two consecutive quality starts by a Rangers pitcher in the first two games of the season? It's happened nine times in club history but just four times in the past 25 years: Ryan Drese and Kenny Rogers in 2005, Rogers and Chan Ho Park in 2004 and Ken Hill and Roger Pavlik in 1996. It happened three straight times in 1976-78.
* The Texas Rangers announced this week that all concession stands, suites and fine dining areas, including the Diamond Club, Cuervo Club and Rawlings All American Grill, inside Rangers Ballpark in Arlington will serve Nolan Ryan Guaranteed Tender Beef Products during the 2008 season.
* Larry King, the talk show host who is 74, was thrown out of a Little League game this week. He is coaching his son. Got to love someone who is 74 who has a son in Little League.
Doesn't hitting a go ahead home run imply that his team ahead? This is the second time I have read that someone has hit a go ahead home run to put his team ahead. It seems redundant.
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OK Cruz fans. Jamey Newberg and Foxsports.com are reporting Nelson Cruz has cleared waivers and is in OKC. Anyone want to predict between he and Mench who get here first?
My money is on Mench.
However, I believe it will likely take an unfortunate injury for one of them to get back.
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You are right AJ... I corrected it... What Hamilton did was hit a home run that took the Rangers from trailing to put them ahead.... Bad grammar on my part.... Not the first time....TR
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Sean,
I asked Mr. Rojas, and it is his opinion that if Botts doesn't performed he will be DFA'd by 5/31. Then Mench will called up, keeping him from free agency. I also share this opinion.
Getting Cruz outrighted to Oklahoma lets the Rangers keep him there indefinitely....TR, does outrighting Cruz to OKC restart his options?
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"Rebuilding" Scioscia, I don't think you heard anyone in Rangerland say they were rebuilding. Padilla looks like he is in shape and has lost weight. Maybe he is off the vino. Alcohol is extremely fattening for those of you who don't know. Since Daniels has done so good in acquiring good minor league prospects how about a demotion to player personnel director or director of scouting? If TR can say it is only a small sample about our starters how about this small sample of things? Royals undefeated, Hillman has that team up and running. Left hander Danks of the White Sox throws one hit ball over 6 and 2/3 innings. If Volquez hits then it is a tri-fecta. Prediction, Hillman is manager of the year, and Danks wins 15 games. Not sure about Volquez, but if Hamilton hits 30 homers and plays defense the way he did the other night then i am ok with that one. We haven't had a center fielder like him EVER. Sorry Mickey Rivers. Hey TR, you can use bad grammar all you want, as long as the grammar translates into a Ranger win. I like Hamilton, lets hope he can keep his personal life together. That seems to have been the problem all along. No one has doubted his baseball acumen. Again for his own benefit hopefully that higher power is really changed him. If it has then the Rangers better re-sign him before he leaves for free-agency. It is all about the pitching. If Millwood and Padilla stay healthy we have a chance to do something. 81/81 maybe.
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DVD anyone else remember. Go Hillman, Danks, Volquez. Is Diamond the best of Danks, Volquez and Diamond? I don't think so.
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D'god...your Hillman stuff is getting old. First of all he's under contract to the Royals. Second of all there's nothing wrong with Washington. No blunders so far this season. Though I will point out to you that 4 games is no basis to judge anyone Hillman or Washington.
I doubt any of us wish Danks or Volquez ill. We had our hopes on them for so long. Danks never really got his chance with the organization but Volquez did...and he didn't deliver. Maybe as Eleanor argued a week or so ago he was rushed. I tend to agree. You tend to rush youngsters when your starters suck as ours have for years. But there's no such thing as reversing trades...even if we wanted to...so let's move on to the current team. Talking about last night's game is more fruitful than crabbing about the past.
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I agree about last night's game, it would be a lot more fun to talk about that. But if we want to bring up past trades, how's that Eric Gagne for Gabbard, Murphy, and Andrus (I think) trade looking in the early returns this year???
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good see that gabbard had a good start for the rangers last night 2-2!
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Actually, it was Gagne for Gabbard, Murphy and Engel Beltre. But any way you slice it, that might be the shrewdest trade JD has ever made - he made it just in the nick of time, right before Gagne melted down and lost all value.
I'm going to avoid drinking the Gabbard kool-aid just yet, though - that was a great start, but he's still a fragile pitcher, and he still gave up 7 hits. It was those 3 double plays that really made his start what it was.
But the way the pitching has started off this year has been phenomonal. Hopefully Millwood will keep building on his brilliant start in Seattle tonight against Weaver - that's gonna be a tough game.
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I will debate that their is nothing wrong with Washington. He is going to be as good as his starting pitching. A coach is only as good as his players. But last year, Washington failed to prepare his team coming out of spring training. You are what you are a .434 winning percentage is what he is. That is about 70 wins if he lasts the whole season. I like Hamilton. Loved Murphy last year am glad to see him playing everyday. See what happens when you play your prospects. Murphy is a #1 pick so it ain't like he came out of the blue. He wasn't gonna get a chance in Boston. They probably should have moved him to first base. They probably wish they would have. That guy can hit. If Ham weren't around Murphy would be the story. He is going to be a player, said it when he was brought up. I wish they would trade Byrd and Catalanotto before they lose all value. Mench can do what Byrd does. This team is thick with left handed hitters. We need some right handed ones. I just like to crow about Danks, because i think he is going to be a stud. Thought and said it when he was traded. Was Mc Carthy a # 1 pick? Not sure on that one, but you don't trade #1 Left Handed pitching. IT IS A FREAKING COMMODITY. Right Handed starting pitchers are a dime a dozen. Loe can do what Mc Carthy does. I believe Gabbard can pitch. He is crafty and has a great mental approach. Millwood, Padilla and all the others should have to watch what he does. That guy can flat out pitch and is left handed. You don't go 6-1 without having something on the ball. He is a cool customer. On Daniels trades: So far he has traded Soriano, Young, Gonzales, Texiera, Danks, Cordero, Volquez, Gagne and Lofton and we have a ton of prospects and three guys on the major league roster. Most of the prospects are 19 or 20. So who knows what they will do. Beltre, Harrison, Saltalamacchia, and Andrus. Who knows if they will ever play in the major leagues? I know that the Boston deal is by far his best trade. The Atlanta one is up in the air. The others were just terrible. You won't convince me otherwise. I still maintain that the only thing Daniels has done is to trade for prospects it is safer and prolongs his career as he so believes. I got news for the uninformed, rumor has it the beef king is none too impressed with the boy genius. So the question is who is the next GM and the next manager? Write down this date. You heard it here first, believe it.
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D'god ...haven't you got your owners mixed up??? I mean Ray Kroc (mcDonald's founder) was the beef king but his team is centered in California. Last I heard Hicks made his money on leveraged buyouts, Dr. Pepper, Cadbury Chocolate, soccer in England and dog food in Argentina.
D'god do you hear voices often telling you things like Tom Hicks is going to fire Washington and Daniels or what? I mean he may but I don't presume to have any inside knowledge of that fact and I don't think you do either.
Why not talk about a heck of a game tonight. Exciting right down to the last pitch! Complete game by a starting staff that worries the heck out of most of us and continued good hitting by Hamilton and Murphy....someone might want to correct his name in the after the game story...David not Donnie. Now if we can just get some more people hitting...or is that Ron Washington's fault too?
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