Fourth of July Happy Hour at the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where John Hancock, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Ben Franklin would have felt right at home.
* Ian Kinsler is second in the league in hitting and said, "Yeah, I can see myself leading the league. I can see myself as any kind of champion. Why not? Somebody has got to do it."
* Kinsler leads the league in runs scored, 14 more than anybody else, and said, "That's probably most important to me. Batting average is great and RBI are great, every stat is great but the one thing I want to do well is touch home plate."
* Kinsler is 6-for-6 stealing third base. Otis Nixon was 13-for-13 stealing third when he stole 50 bases for the Rangers in 1995. Rangers record for most steals of third all-time is Cecil Espy with 17. Kinsler has nine.
* Reds outfielder Adam Dunn has given up maple bats saying: "Maple is good, but whenever you have a hairline [break] and can't even see it and hit the ball good, and you know you hit it good, your bat explodes. And it's a soft liner to second base and the pitcher is ducking. ... I don't want one of my bats sticking somebody in the head."
* Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston on outfielder Alex Rios: "This kid, he can do everything. He can run, he can throw, hit with power. If you shake his hand, he'll break your hand."
* Rangers pitcher Luis Mendoza has allowed 22 runs in 142/3 innings as a starter. But only 11 of them have been earned.
* The Rangers are 0-for-7 this season in the third game of a series when they have a chance to sweep.
* Major League Baseball has placed 42 replicas of the Statue of Liberty, each decorated with a different baseball theme, throughout New York City as part of the celebration of All-Star Summer. Each team has one statue representing them. The Rangers statue is outside Mickey Mantle's restaurant on Central Park South.
* Reliever Frank Francisco has 34 strikeouts in his last 22 games and 26 innings while Josh Rupe has a 0.79 ERA in his last eight outings and a 2.37 ERA in his last 16 outings.
* Major League Baseball has placed 42 replicas of the Statue of Liberty, each decorated with a different baseball theme, throughout New York City as part of the celebration of All-Star Summer. Each team has one statue representing them. The Rangers statue is outside Mickey Mantle's restaurant on Central Park South.
* Just for the heck of it: Bobby Jones.
* The Rangers had Francisco Cruceta in the Minor Leagues but never called him up. So the Rangers have never had a player who was born on the Fourth of July. If they did, he would share the same birthday as George Steinbrenner.
* Tigers pitcher George Mullins was born on the Fourth of July. Also threw a no-hitter on that day. Had three hits too. That was in 1912 against the St. Louis Browns.
* Pitcher Mickey Welch is the only Hall of Famer born on the Fourth of July. Also pitched two complete games in a doubleheader on his birthday. That was in 1881 for the Troy Haymakers against the Buffalo Bisons.
* The Cubs drew 10,000 to the West Side Grounds on the Fourth of July in 1900. About one thousand of them celebrated the nation's birthday by shooting pistols in the air.
* Both Nolan Ryan and Phil Niekro recorded their 3,000th career strikeout on Independence Day.
* Warner "Mad Dog" Madrigal has a 162.00 ERA but at least he retired a batter. Wilson Alvarez remains the only pitcher to have ever pitched for the Rangers and not retire a single batter. He gave up three hits, including two home runs, and two walks in his one start for them against the Blue Jays on July 24, 1989. He was traded to the White Sox four days later.
* In case you are wondering, Jose Canseco's 27.00 ERA is only tied for the fourth highest in club history. Elizardo Ramirez is now third with a 30.38 ERA.
I love Kinsler, but he is a butcher at second base. I seem to remember the Rangers saying they wanted defense from their second baseman? Anyone else remember that one. Well the "organization"didn't have the guts to move Soriano to the outfield, but how about centerfield or left field for Kinsler? That kid can hit, has decent arm and is pretty fast. So move him for the betterment of the team. Young can go back to second or Duran can play his natural position. Call up Elvis. Will his theme song be Elvis's theme? That would be great to hear, and when Elvis hits one out, Elvis has left the building. Thank you, thank you very much......
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I believe it would be huge mistake to deal Bradley. I know what i have said in the past but at this point, lets try to have some continuity from one year to the next. Bradley can DH for me as long as he wants. I know it is early on Davis, but he has done nothing to disprove that he can't handle first and he has looked the best over there this year. At this point, the only people i would be looking to deal would be Cat, Blalock and maybe Salty, but only if we can get value for them. I think Blalock is going to have to come back go on a tear before we can get anything for him. Now i would move Kinsler to CF and Young to third or second base. Harrison could shore up this rotation if he can come in and pitch as good as Hurley. So how about this lineup for later this year and into the 2009 season?
1) CF Kinsler
2) LF Murphy
3) 2B Young
4) RF Hamilton
5) DH Bradley
6) 3B Blalock
7) C Laird
8) 1B Davis
9) SS Andrus
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I left out that i believe that Bradley is one of the team leaders if not the team leader on this team. It would be like cutting out the heart of the team. How about an extension for a 29 to 30 year old player?
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Towards the end of his life, Picasso claimed that some of his paintings had been "jokes" to see if the art world could spot real art, although I don't think he ever specified which of his works he was referring to. Do you dabble in oils, d'god? We know that the Rangers management reads your posts avidly, so as to figure out what to do next, but I'd hate it if they moved Kinsler to the outfield only for you to admit that you didn't really mean it. The date is July 4th (happy Independance Day, by the way, even though it's already the 5th here....), not April 1st, so I guess you're being serious. Kinsler is an outstanding second baseman, d'god, and to move him would be to have the rest of baseball thinking that the Texas sun was even stronger than they realised. Yes he makes far too many errors. But at least half of them seem to be lack of concentration, not lack of ability. Wouldn't he make just as many such errors in the OF? And I see that you are back to demanding the call-up of Andrus, who has made even more errors than Kinsler..... (Yes , I realise that it has been pointed out that a high error rate is common in young minor league infielders). Last month it was Arias, not Andrus, and Young at 3B, not 2B. We await your next Pronouncement from the Mountain with baited breath. On clay tablets, perhaps?
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D'god...in case you don't realize it...Anthony just said you were full of bull dukey...oh...and I agree. Your today posts were ridiculous. Anthony hope you enjoy July 5th out there... and put another shrimp on the barbee for me!
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Just had a thought, totally unrelated to the above. All 30 organisations are now trying to sign their draft picks. Many of them are high school kids who are wondering whether to go to college instead. After all, most of them will never make it to the majors, and would regret not finishing their education. Is it possible (and if not, why not) for them to do both? A major league club would negotiate a retainer to be paid to the draftee while he is at college, perhaps requiring him to go to baseball summer school. We could even end up with farm colleges! I guess this would mean a major rethink for the MBL, but even Bud Selig isn't that fossilised in his thinking. Or is he......?
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Your proposed scenario, Anthony, would not just require a major rethink for Selig and MLB, but the NCAA. A payer being paid while participating in college athletics would constitute a major violation of their rules. Ask Bob Stoops and the OU football team. Ask the UCS athletic department...............oh, that's right. They can do whatever they want without consequence.
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You're right, hefe. Hadn't thought of that. But I still think it's a good idea...
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It's not a bad idea. Unfortuanately, the NCAA is not very progressive in their thinking.
Of course I meant USC ie Tim Floyd and Pete Carroll.
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