Friday Happy Hour at the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill
Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill: where Carl Yastrzemski's 69th birthday is a national holiday.
* Yes, today is the anniversary of Nolan Ryan's 5000th strikeout (1989) and the 30-run game against the Orioles. Also the anniversary of Chicken Wolf hitting a game-winning home run because a stray dog attacked outfielder Abner Powell. That was in 1886 in
* Kenny Rogers on Rangers Ballpark in
* Remember this when Chris Davis switches positions: Rangers third basemen combined have the fourth lowest range factor and the second lowest fielding percentage in the American League. This on a team that is supposed to be made up of ground ball pitchers who don't strikeout many hitters.
* The Rangers have used eight different players at third base this year including Gerald Laird and Adam Melhuse.
* You know that only six players from the Rangers Opening Day roster have not been on the disabled list: Michael Young, Frank Catalanotto, Ramon Vazquez, Josh Hamilton, Josh Rupe and Jamey Wright.
* The Rangers are 23-13 in one-run games this year. The only other team at least 10-games over .500 are the Milwaukee Brewers. They are 24-11.
* Just for the heck of it: Wayne Tolleson.
* Yastrzemski's .305 batting average against the Rangers/Senators was his highest against any franchise. Yet he only hit .255 at Arlington Stadium. He hit .345 at RFK.
* Tigers manager Jim Leyland on the Rookie of the Year Award: " [Armando] Galarraga's a legitimate candidate. Should he be considered? Yeah. But he won't make it. [Evan] Longoria probably will get it, especially if they win."
* Alexander Cartwright on his way to the gold fields of
* If you go on Ebay right now you can find a Texas Rangers door knocker for $59.99.
* In case you're watching the Olympics and wondering, Jim Thorpe had a career .252 batting average in 698 at-bats. He scored 91 runs, hit seven home runs, drove in 82 RBI and stole 29 bases. He played six years: 1913 to 1919 for the Giants, Reds and Dodgers. He was an outfielder. One of the players that Baseball-Reference.Com compares him to is Jason Ellison.
* Thorpe also drove in the winning run in the only double no-hitter in baseball history. That was in 1917 between Fred Toney of the Reds and James "Hippo" Vaughn of the Cubs.
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I had planned to do some homework to find out what percentage of the opening day roster had spent time on the DL this season - thanks for saving me the effort, TR. It would appear that those responsible for the conditioning programs for the team should not get too comfortable...
It looks to be a VERY interesting off-season. Do we make trades/sign FA pitchers to try to legitimately compete for the playoffs in 2009? Do we make trades like Salty for Michael Bowden? Do we resign MB to DH? Do we break the bank making an offer for CC? Which prospects get packaged for pitching?
As for me, I remain a rebuilder and one of the cinco on this blog. It is my sincere hope that we do not trade players like Arias, Beltre or Holland for veteran pitching in the short-sighted hope of winning a bit more in 2009. I support continuing to add talent (through compensation picks) by letting MB walk after he rejects a one-year offer to DH full-time (that's all we should offer). I support trading Laird or Salty for a Michael Bowden type. I support moving Catalanotto (or cut him if there are no offers) to free up valuable roster space. Bye Hank (sniff...). I support continuing to allow our young pitching to develop, and not trading guys like Holland or Hurley. I do not mind if it means we have to wait until 2010 to legitimately compete. The waiting is the price this franchise must pay for past sins in order to position itself to be a long-term competitive franchise. And that is what we all want - to be in the mix for the division year in and year out (though I know we all have different ideas of how to get there).
Young, high-ceiling, controllable players are the new power base in the league. I sincerely hope that we do not trade it away to try to rush things and get to the playoffs in 2009, just to be fodder like we have been in the past. The days of shortcuts should be over now. Let's don't go back there....
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Correction: Keep Andrus, move Arias. My bad.
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Keep Andrus, and Arias and trade Mike Young. He can't play short stop and has lost a lot of range. He also is older and makes too much money. Get rid of him if we can get a dependable starting pitcher, try Anaheim or LA who will move him to second or third base. This is something the Rangers are good at dumping salary. Is it really gonna hurt us if we get rid of this guy who appears to be on the downside or peaked, not gonna get those 200 hits this year. He would be a great third baseman however he doesn't have the home run power for the position. Remind me what exactly has Blalock done to deserve unseating of Davis at first who has played well both defensively and offensively????? If the Rangers go 8 -26 over these last 34 games, then they will finish with a 71-91 record and a .439 winning percentage. Now for all those haters here that is the record i predicted as i said you are what you are. The only thing that i have changed and said is that i have grown to like Washington and don't believe he has lost this team yet. But if they finish 8-26 which is possible with this starting staff then does he get the axe and accused of "having lost the team"? Any biters? If Wash and Dan are fired who replaces them? I still like Hargrove as my lead candidate. Does he know any pitching coaches? I don't want Wash fired he has adapted, however i would look for it if they finish 8-26.
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Funny how you call others "haters" but are looking for the club you supposedly like to finish 8-26 just so your pre season prediction will be correct.
If the things you say about Michael Young are true (poor range, bad contract and not enough power to play 3rd) then why would the Angels, Dodgers or anybody else give a dependable starter for him? You are absolutely GM material all the way.
Briant77, I like Salty but I'd trade him for Bowden or Masterson yesterday. Those are the types of deals that need to be exlpored. Boston has a surplus of young major league ready pitching and a need for a young catcher. Hopefully that will be a match. You're right on with your takes there. I bet they make a competative offer to CC, but get rebuffed and end up exploring a trade of young talent for a legit top of the rotation guy.
Would you give up Holland in a package for Matt Cain? I think every team they talk to for those types of pitchers is going to be offered Hurley or Hunter but want Feliz or Holland.
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Oh, and one more thing for the sake of comparing eras. If Jason Ellison had put up his current numbers in the 19-teens he'd have been what Thorp was. An average major leaguer. Thorp's career OPS+ was 99, a tick under average of 100. Compare that with the career OPS of Ellison (68) and Michael Young (103).
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"Mike Young ....has lost a lot of range". Damning if it were true, but it ain't. As of this moment he has the fourth best range factor for SS with at least 100 games in the major leagues in 2008. "appears to be on the downside" Really? His RF so far this year is is second highest since his move to short stop, and he's on track to record his lowest error total. This is despite playing with broken ring fingers on both hands.
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Yes indeed, briant77, an interesting off-season indeed to look forward to! I too would rather wait an extra year rather than trade top prospects, but if you wanna get, you gotta give. JD has made it clear that he didn't want to give up Volquez to get Hamilton, but the Reds wouldn't budge. So who's untouchable? If you only offer Cat, Blalock and second tier position player prospects you can't expect much in return. I nominate Andrus, Holland and Feliz as untouchable. Unless the price is right.......(Two Melbourne/Dallas return tickets, acommodation for next season in a top hotel, and a seat next to Nolan Ryan for each home game. Then they can have all three :-) )
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Ain't it always the way? Just when it looked as though Kam Loe would have to give way to someone else on the active roster he throws a relief gem.
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Do you people watch the games? I like Michael Young, he is my 8 year old son's favorite player. What i am saying is if he isn't positioned right he doesn't get to the ball. It is admirable that he volunteered to move to SS, but hey, he was compensated handsomely for that move. Who has better range him or Andrus? I personally would move Young back to second base and move Kinsler to third or the outfield. I call Kinsler "Butch" for butcher. Who is a better defensive second baseman Kinsler or Young? Pitching and Defense are what win championships. Not that we would know that around here. Much like Jeter should be playing third or outfield in New York, Young won't have to move until Andrus is ready. But hey that is going to hurt the team. All i am saying is Young didn't get to balls prior to his injury, that a short stop should get to. Your short stop should be the best athlete on your team? Is Young really that player?????? No.
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If the Rangers have a door knocker for sell it must be a cellar door knocker. Who is that knocking on my cellar door, quoth the Rangers Evermore....Does anyone on here really think that if it weren't for the creation of another division that we would have ever smelled the playoffs. That is why it is so important for us to now go to the NL West. That is what did it for us previously and could do it again for us now. IF we were in the NL West we would be competing for a division title. Be sure to start seeing a push for that real soon. AL West is too strong for us and the Angels know how to play the game along with their willingness to pay for it.....
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So, does your abandonment of the subject mean you're unable to articluate why a team would give a dependable starting pitcher for Young or that you were just talking out of your "donkey" as usual?
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