Yesterday, I kicked things off with the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and I thought it was only fitting to follow-up today with the Texas Rangers. If only the Rangers had followed-up, they might not be kicking themselves right now.
In the MLB there are three kinds of teams; relevant teams, irrelevant teams, and prison teams. The Rangers are one of those anxious prison teams. I’m just imagining Josh Hamiliton reaching ever so close to the shaggy-old dog holding the glorious golden key ring, but the dog won’t seem to budge an inch in his direction. It seems the Rangers have done everything right to unleash themselves from their figurative prison, but when they get to the front gate, they become thunderstruck by the gate’s magnificence and beauty. They gaze into the glory beyond the gate where Giants and Cardinals cheer, roar, and celebrate nationally in laughter and amusement at the expense of the true “Lone No-Star” Ranger stuck back slamming on the gate.
Oh, to be a Rangers fan right now. The heartbreak and disappointment of the game simply at its finest. I believed. I watched, as Ron Washington celebrated, danced, and skipped like a feverish kid getting a Turbo-Man doll on Christmas morning every time a run crossed the plate. As you proved then again, you were the elite team in the AL, which everyone took lightly, again. Ousting and thwarting off your worthy and superior AL opponents time after time. Proving all the critics wrong along the way, that good and timely hitting can actually prevail over superior playoff pitchers.
But when the Ranger comes to the national stage, yet again, he loses his capable ability of defeating a team he and the rest of the world knows he is capable of beating. Some may say the Rangers didn’t have all the pieces to the puzzle, well neither did the Cardinals. The Cardinals just put the puzzle together faster than the Rangers did. I’m sure if the AL won the all-star game, like they did the seven years before the two years the Rangers lost in the World Series, it would have made a difference. Maybe C.J. Wilson would have actually pitched more than 6 innings had that been the case. It didn’t take a W.S. ring and 10 years for him to join the Angels though, just a W.S. loss and 5 years, and a variety of bonus incentives to lead the Angels to where he didn’t get the Rangers last year.
Where does this leave Rangers fans though? A long way away from the “third time is a charm” stage. Losing the W.S. is a bad enough burn, but now you burn the whole bridge down taking their potential CY Young piece away from the puzzle. If they want to have a shot at making their third consecutive series run, the Rangers will have to dabble in free agency because the post season knows timely hitting and relentless play can only outlast October pitching for so long. If I was a Rangers fan, I’d much rather have my heart broken a lot earlier this year as opposed to the last two years. A third time might cause a real Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Look at it this way Rangers fans, at least you’re not Mariners fans.
No comments:
Post a Comment