Friday Happy Hour at the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill

Welcome to the Elysian Fields Bar & Grill, where Wes Turner, a true man of integrity, is always welcome.

* ESPN analyst Rob Neyer said Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp deserved to be in the American League Gold Glove outfield instead of Torii Hunter.

* Rangers manager Ron Washington: "I do believe if we can fill a few holes we can knock off some of these teams in front of us. I'm not saying we can go all the way to the top but we can be better."

* The Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in moving Nomar Garciaparra, a right-handed hitter who played both first and third from him. He could be a fit for the Rangers who could use a right-handed bat and a club official admitted, "That's not a bad idea."

* Cleveland Indians general manager Mark Shapiro: "As time evolves, I sense growing reluctance by teams to trade prospects. So we might see a revisionist approach, with Major Leaguers-for-Major Leaguers trades being talked a lot."

* The Orioles hired Dave Jauss as their bench coach earlier this week. That's another job that former Rangers manger Jerry Narron turned down.

* Curt Schilling gets a $1 million bonus if he gets a Cy Young vote. Any vote. Not the award. Just a vote.

* A news report that Jose Guillen is among the players who allegedly bought HGH from a Florida pharmacy may be of some interest to the Rangers. He is a free agent and Washington knows him from their time together in Oakland. He could provide the big bat they are looking for in the middle of their lineup but the latest developments won't add to possible Rangers interest.

* Former Rangers managers Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin are among the latest group of managers/umpires who will be voted on by the Veterans Committee for induction into the Hall of Fame.

* Herzog's not going to get in on the strength of his work in Texas but Martin's time in Arlington has to be considered. He was Manager of the Year in 1974 when the Rangers finished 84-76 after losing a club record 105 games the year before.

* Just for the heck of it: Cecil Espy.

* American League Rookie of the Year is announced on Monday. The Rangers haven't had a Rookie of the Year since 1974. Every other American League club except Tampa Bay has had at least one since then. Oakland has had six.

* Only five Rangers have received at least one first place vote in A.L. rookie voting since Hargrove: Bump Wills (4, 1977), Pat Putnam (3, 1979), Rusty Greer (3, 1994), Mark Teixeira (1, 2003) and Oddibe McDowell (1, 1985).

* Hargrove hit .323 for the Rangers in 1974 but didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Highest batting average by a Rangers rookie who did qualify for the batting title? Wills hit .287 in 1977.

* Most home runs by a Rangers rookie? Pete Incaviglia hit 30 in 1986. Yes, that ended up being his career high.

* Actor Kevin Costner: "I was born in the '50s, and that was baseball. I was putting nails in bats when they were broken, and electric tape to make it all work. 'No chips on windows,' and you learn how to place it, because you're playing in the street and you can't hit Old Man Smith's car."

* Yes, Elton John is a baseball fan. In fact, he is an Atlanta Braves fan. Said John about baseball" "In a way, it's very poetic. I watched it and I fell in love with the game, and I learned how it worked, and I loved it and the Braves became my team. I watch baseball whenever I am on the road, whether it's the Braves or whether it's someone else. For me, it's a huge relaxation and, like cricket, one of the most poetic things you can do is watch a game of baseball."

* Fernando Valenzuela turned 47 on Nov. 1 so you have to cut him some slack when you look at his 8.10 ERA with Mexicali in the Mexican Winter League. He is teammates with Rangers outfielder Brandon Boggs, who was born in 1983. That's two years after Valenzuela won his Cy Young Award with the Dodgers.

* You remember Jack Morris throwing a shutout for the Minnesota Twins in Game 7 of the 1991 World Series? That's the last time an American League pitcher threw a complete-game shutout in the World Series.

* Wait a minute, that's also the last time an American League pitcher threw a complete game in the World Series. There have been seven since 1991 by National League pitchers.