We are off and running in Spring Training…

1. The biggest issue in Rangers camp is not whether they can recover from the World Series loss to the Cardinals. That’s secondary to a much bigger issue.

The Rangers have 11 players from their World Series roster who can become free agents within the next two. They are pitchers Colby Lewis, Scott Feldman, Mark Lowe and Mike Adams, catchers Yorvit Torrealba and Mike Napoli, infielders Michael Young and Ian Kinsler and outfielders David Murphy, Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton.

Contract issues. That seems to stand out more than anything as the Rangers get ready to open camp this week.

2. How much is dinner with Michael Young, Ian Kinsler and their wives go for these days? How about $10,000? That’s what one couple paid for in an auction. The proceeds went to www.carsonlesliefoundation.com.

3. Yu Darvish is expected to arrive in Arizona on Monday night. Members of the Japanese media have been waiting three days.

4. Craig Gentry arrived in camp on Sunday.

5. Ten-day forecast for Surprise: all sunshine, highs expected from 69-80 degrees. No rain in sight.

6. Julio Borbon turns 26 on Monday.

7. One Las Vegas line has the Rangers 8-1 to win the World Series. The Tigers are 4-1.

8. Headed to Surprise? Grand Avenue from the 101 Loop into Surprise is now construction-free. That makes it easier to stop at Humberto’s for the best burritos in the Valley.

9. Graffiti at the Sage and Sand: What’s the difference between outlaws and in-laws. Outlaws are wanted.

Sunday morning in Surprise. Both pitcher Koji Uehara and Ian Kinsler were at the complex…

Uehara said he wants to get his situation settled and know where he is playing this season. The Rangers continue to talk to other teams, particularly Oakland, but nothing appears imminent.

Kinsler said he and the Rangers have had one serious discussion this winter about his contract. He said there is nothing close to getting it done and is waiting to see if talks resume during Spring Training.

The Rangers have a $10 million option on him for next season. After that he can be a free agent.

More from both players this afternoon on the website.

Rangers sources said multiple clubs are talking to them about reliever Koji Uehara. The Athletics are one team but a source said, “other clubs involved too.”

At this point, club sources said they “don’t know” if they can conclude a deal for Uehara. A month ago club officials indicated there was a good chance Uehara could be traded. He turned down a trade to the Blue Jays earlier this off-season.

The Orioles have shown interest in Uehara, who is scheduled to make $4 million this year. The Rangers are looking for multiple prospects in return.

If they could unload Uehara’s salary, it could put them in a position to pursue left-handed free agent reliever Michael Gonzalez.

The Rangers have avoided arbitration with SS Elvis Andrus by signing him to a 3 year contract (pending a a physical)

More details to follow on the website.

So apparently “London” is a standard poodle who just won Best in Show at the AKC National Dog Show. Toby was not asked to participate in this nationally televised event.

But which pooch do you prefer? Toby or London. Feel free to vote in the comments section:

So apparently General Motors is spending something like $200 million to retool it’s Arlington factory and save the company about $40 million a year or something like that. General Motors is a company that was founded in the city of Flint, Michigan, but their flagship factory up there is long gone and now an empty wasteland.

That is apparently true for many American factories in the Rust Belt, although my Jeep Liberty was built in Toledo and that factory is still turning them out. Drove by it last year one Sunday night on the way from Cleveland to Detroit and also saw a sign for Tony Packos, a Hungarian neighborhood restaurant made famous by Klinger in MASH that apparently is still prospering.

Detroit is supposedly not doing good either although the American automobile industry is being revived and prospering again. General Motors is once again the world’s leader in automobile sales, no doubt a boon for their plant in Shanghai.

But if the Motor City is struggling, the Tigers are not. They just landed Prince Fielder for $214 million although that money was not generated by pistons, spark plugs and carburetors but mushrooms, sausage and onions.

The Tigers owner made his money in pizzas not Pontiacs, and apparently by selling your phone number to telemarketers. Read something somewhere that those telemarketers that drive you nuts all day and night actually buy those numbers from the pizza companies that take your order over the phone. Remember that at halftime on Sunday.

The Rangers owners made their money in the traditional Texas way. They drilled into the ground for it and that is another industry that has been revived. Back in the mid-80’s the oil boom went bust in Texas and so did Rangers owner Eddie Chiles. The Rangers had no money back then and the idea of signing the likes of Fielder, Yu Darvish or Joe Nathan would have seemed utterly ridiculous.

But now the money is flowing and players are lining up to get it. Everybody wants to play for the Rangers – whether they have an opening or not – which is not surprising considering they have won two straight American League pennants.

This is quite different than in December of 1992. The Rangers were getting ready to move into a new ballpark and the Bush-Rose ownership group had money to spend during a free agency period that was loaded with attractive starting pitching.

That may have been the most talented group of free agent pitchers to ever hit the market, a list that included Greg Maddux, David Cone, Dave Stewart, Doug Drabek, Jimmy Key and Greg Swindell. The Rangers were desperate for starting pitching – remember those days way back when – but couldn’t sign any of them. It wasn’t for lack of money, almost nobody wanted to play in Arlington.

“We finally have some money and we can’t give it away,” Rangers president Tom Schieffer lamented one morning while waiting for an elevator at the Louisville hotel hosting the Winter Meetings.

George Bush really wanted Drabek or Swindell, since both of them were from Texas. The Rangers didn’t get either one.

Still remember trying to get Swindell’s agent on the phone all winter. Couldn’t do it, wouldn’t return calls. Tried one last time at the end and his secretary put me through right away. The agent was very cordial and gracious and confirmed that yes, Swindell would love to play for the Rangers.

That was the headline in the Fort Worth newspaper the next morning. Later that day Swindell signed with the Astros. But it was nice of the agent to finally take the call.

Now they are really serious about wanting to play for the Rangers. Roy Oswalt wants to pitch here even though there are no openings in the rotation. But he and his agent did have lunch with the Rangers on Monday, he still doesn’t have a job and we’re still three weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting.

Maybe Oswalt will sign with the Cardinals but there are still plenty of others. Edwin Jackson and Yoenis Cespedes are among them. Cespedes is from Cuba and the next big thing. The Rangers were mentioned early but not lately, so it appears not likely. But there is always Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez, Ivan Rodriguez, Hideki Matsui and Miguel Tejada, not to mention Brandon Webb, Chris Young, Doug Davis and Rich Harden.

Used to be the Yankees were mentioned with every possible free agent. Now it’s the Ballpark in Arlington and not the Bronx that has become everybody’s favorite destination city.

Somebody was once misquoted as saying,”What’s good for General Motors is good for the country.”

That apparently applies to Arlington as well.

The Rangers have made a number of changes in their front office and scouting departments. Here is the lengthy list.
PROFESSIONAL SCOUTING

Promoted Greg Smith to Special Assistant, Major League Scout
Hired Chris Briones as Pro Scout

INTERNATIONAL SCOUTING

Promoted Jim Colborn to Senior Advisor, Pacific Rim Operations

AMATEUR SCOUTING

Promoted Mike Grouse to National Crosschecker
Hired Clarence Johns as National Crosschecker
Promoted Randy Taylor to Midwest Crosschecker
Named John Booher as Southeast Crosschecker
Hired Casey Harvie as West Coast Crosschecker
Named Jay Heafner as Area Scout in South Texas and Louisiana
Named Takeshi Sakurayama as Area Scout in Northeast (NY, NJ, MA, CT, RI, ME, VT)
Named Frankie Thon as Area Scout in South Florida and Puerto Rico
Hired Doug Banks as Area Scout in Four Corners (AZ, NM, CO, UT)
Named Steve Watson as Area Scout in Texas
Hired Jonathan George as Area Scout in Mid-Atlantic (MD, PA, DC, DE, VA, WV)
Hired Cliff Terracuso as Area Scout in North and Central Florida
Named Ryan Lakey as Video Scout

OTHER ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSACTIONS

Hired Don Kalkstein as Sports Psychology Consultant
Promoted Matt Klotsche to Manager, Baseball Operations
Named Joey Prebynski as Assistant Advance Scout
Named Paul Kruger as Assistant, Player Development and International Scouting
Hired Mitchell Webb as Video Coordinator and Research Analyst
Promoted Brian SanFilippo to Manager, Media Services
Hired Rob Morse as Manager, Publications and Media Relations