Monday morning Rangers things
by Adam J. Morris on Nov 2, 2009 9:48 AM CST
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PrintThere's not really anything out there Rangers-related this morning, so I want to talk instead about my thoughts after watching last night's game, and a certain former Ranger.
I believe I've mentioned that one of the reasons I wanted the Yankees to beat the Angels -- aside from the primary fact that I don't like the Angels and don't want to see them (or any divisional rival) in the World Series -- is that I still like Alex Rodriguez, and I would like to see him at some point win a ring.
I am aware that this makes me a distinct minority among Rangers fans...for whatever reason, him requesting a trade to one of two teams (both of whom were set at shortstop) has been cast as him "forcing" his way out of Texas, and he's been painted as the bad guy, while Buck Showalter, John Hart, and Tom Hicks -- all of whom wanted Rodriguez out of Texas just as much, if not more, than he wanted out -- are portrayed as the innocent victims of his malfeasance.
And of course, his "24 kids" comment -- an inartful way of pointing out that Tom Hicks had decided to quit trying to play with the big boys and was opting to slash payroll and give up on trying to compete for a while -- was twisted into Rodriguez supposedly trashing his teammates by those looking for any excuse to rip him.
The bottom line is that the Rangers had one of the 5-10 greatest players ever to play major league baseball in their organization for three years, and in those three years, he was the best player in the American League, and he earned every penny of the exorbinant contract he received. He was scapegoated, both nationally and locally, for bad decisions by the front office, by their opting to waste tens of millions on the likes of Chan Ho Park and Juan Gonzalez and Rusty Greer, and by Saint Melvin's complete ineptitude when it came to building a farm system (one of those things that, for whatever reason, fans and the MSM alike choose to gloss over in the beatification of Doug Melvin).
And Rangers fans seemed to revel in what was perceived as his failures in the playoffs, hopping all over the label of "The Cooler" (because, of course, the Rangers went on to have such a litany of success once they got rid of him), even though, if you look at his numbers, he performed well in the playoffs.
And this, of course, isn't limited just to Rangers fans...mainstream baseball journalists can't stand him, even professional baffoons like Peter King who dabble in baseball view him as all that's wrong with baseball, and this whole attitude reached a pinnacle with Selena Roberts' hatchet job this spring, that got headlines despite being a flop in terms of sales.
This October, with everyone watching and waiting for him to fail, Alex Rodriguez has carried the Yankees. And yes, the series isn't over, and Rodriguez could go hitless the final three games, make a couple of errors, and get the goat horns once again. But at this point, he's been the hero of the postseason, and he may have once and for all shaken the rap that he's shared with Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Barry Bonds, other greatest of the great players who were pilloried for not stepping up their game in the playoffs.
And I, for one, am glad. Here's hoping that, from here on out, the story about Alex Rodriguez isn't about him as a polarizing figure among the fans and media, about his supposed inability to come through in the clutch, but instead, is about people recognizing him as a transcendent talent who we are all lucky to be able to watch.
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Great post.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
I agree......
I had season tickets the whole time ARod was here. I thought he was the MVP all 3 years…..what did he average? 52 HR’s, 132 RBI, .300+ avg, missed one game in 3 years?
I never understood all the vitriol aimed at him…….I was glad we got to see him for 3 years.
I remember trying to send an email through some indirect route to tell Hicks I would quit
being a Rangers fan if he traded ARod.
I still dislike ARod, though. The “24 kids” comment got me going down the anti-ARod path. If he had said something like, “I could see a great core coming up that I expect will be pushing us very soon but Hicks/Hart just couldn’t make the money work and traded me”, (whether or not it was sincere) I would’ve had a hard time being upset with ARod.
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
See...
I agree with you on A-Rod. He’s a great player, and was easily the best player in the league while with the Rangers. I don’t hate him for wanting out of Arlington.
However as long as he plays with the Yanks I don’t want to see him get a ring. I don’t want to see the Yanks ever win the WS. Although it doesn’t really matter because with their payroll we all knew eventually sometime it was going to happen again anyway.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
not specifically about the Rangers, but
here is a link to BA’s 09 Draft Best Tools
http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/draft/news/2009/269095.html
Maybe they didn't see enough of his curveball to rate it, but judging by AFL performance and
Pitch F/X, it appears to be wicked as well.
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
pretty exciting.
does he have a decent changeup? with such a dominant fastball I guess it’ll play either way, right?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Nov 2, 2009 10:50 AM CST up reply actions
I don't know. They say he has a changeup, but I haven't seen it register in Pitch F/X.
What he clearly needs to work on is not pitching up in the zone.
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
Goldstein has repeatedly
stated that Scheppers had the best two pitch combo in the draft outside of Strasburg as well…and a cleaner arm action.
from TR
The Rangers refuse to rule out the possibility of Milton Bradley coming back to Texas
|Space for Rent|
Good...
And to answer TR’s questions:
1) Hell Yes
2) I Don’t Know
3) None
4) No, it’s football season to people out there now.
5) I hate seeing all players get rings, until the Rangers get theirs.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
Damn
I really wanted them to sign Blash.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
by Kinslerhomer on Nov 2, 2009 10:07 AM CST up reply actions
Whatever...
Is that meant as “lucky enough” to see him kiss himself in a mirror and take 30 second self-indulgent awkward pauses during times when he could sincerely connect with his audience?
If so, you’re right. Count me in.
+1
A-Rod is plastic, phony, insincere and totally devoid of personality. Yeah, he has talent, but brings absolutely nothing else to the table. Like a damned robot.
Sounds like Mike Young
LoneStarBall....You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.
by LSBUser on Nov 2, 2009 12:07 PM CST up reply actions
Sure....
A-Rod is a great player, no question. But I don’t like him, I don’t like watching him play and will never root for him. I think a lot of people feel the same way. It really doesn’t make any difference in the greater scheme of things, it is just personal preference.
I don't really like him that much, either.
I would love to have him on my team, though. How cool he is is pretty much irrelevant, I want my team to win baseball games.
Yeah..
When he played for the Rangers, I did pull for him to succeed because the team would succeed, but that was pretty much rooting for the jersey rather than the actual player. Not like rooting for guys like Bell, Sundberg, Pudge and currently Andrus. Without that home team benefit, I have nothing for distain for A-Rod.
i just hate him because
of him slapping at gloves and yelling at players trying to catch pop-ups. You expect that from a douchebag, and that’s what he seems like to me.
Greatest Inventions Ever? 1. TiVO, 2. Boobs, 3. Baseball
And yet if Jeter does that...
…he’s a gamer who finds ways to help his team win.
by Adam J. Morris on Nov 2, 2009 10:11 AM CST up reply actions
What?
No he wouldnt be. He would still be the same douchebag. Doing stuff like that got old in HS yet alone at the highest level in the world.
A-Rod is an elite player. Possibly the best player of his generation (him and pujols would duke it out IMO) and you are right about how sometimes he has gotten a “raw deal”. Rodriguez does bring some of it on himself.
"More than likely JW never played sports above the youth level. It amazes me that he seems to have no concept on the common reactions of an adult athlete or their normal interactions between each other." - laxonto
by Michael Cave on Nov 2, 2009 10:16 AM CST up reply actions
Bullshit.
But nice strawman.
Also, A-Rod cheated at baseball. He used steroids. He’s a cheater, and should be treated with the derision and disdain that all cheaters deserve.
Ok, fine
then drag the names of Andy Pettite and all the others through at the same time. Arod is far from the only cheater.
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I wholeheartedly agree.
But Pettite and many of the others aren’t being discussed in the same breath as Mays, Aaron, Ruth, et al. Sickening.
And they never did anything wrong? Surrrrre.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
by Kinslerhomer on Nov 2, 2009 10:45 AM CST up reply actions
So true
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
by Kinslerhomer on Nov 2, 2009 12:40 PM CST up reply actions
Yes, because everyone absolutely loved Arod until this spring...
I’m not sure that the steroid story this spring had much, if any, impact on Arod’s public approval.
Every era of baseball
has had serious flaws, get over the mythology.
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That Mays, Ruth, Aaron wouldn't/didn't cheat.
If I recall correctly, Aaron admitted to taking amphetamines. Think being awake and having a superhuman ability to focus doesn’t positively affect your ability to play baseball? Nobody is a saint in this sport.
That any era of baseball didn't have serious flaws.
I dunno, I was able to figure that out from T Ball’s post the first time I read it.
Right, philkid3
I just wanted t-ball to explain what those flaws were and, for extra credit, to demonstrate that those flaws involved rampant cheating.
Pick your time period
Players have been scuffing and spitting on the ball, corking bats, banning blacks from playing, taking amphetamines, steroids, etc. etc. etc. since the game was invented. To not think that many players were cheating in any given era is just naive.
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Don't forget body shots off bar sluts.
It’ll probably never catch on because it seemed to hurt the player that indulged.
Actually, the yeling at players thing. . .
As I understand it, it’s not against MLB rules, correct? So I want every player on the Rangers to do it until they make it against the rules. The point is to win, whether or not some curmudgeon finds it classy or whatever.
Steroids are illegal, regardless of MLB rules
You want PEDs in professional sports? Fine. Legalize them as part of a larger legalization of drugs and pay real homage to the harm principle. The problem is that an entire generation of cheaters effectively reaped massive financial rewards to the detriment of those athletes who chose to play by the rules.
No, I don't want them in professional sports.
I just don’t feel like demonizing the users.
Not sure how that had anything to do with my post, though.
No, steroids are legal
with a Doctor’s prescription. Legally they are similar to Tylenol 3s.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
Yeah
Because tricking a rookie who is dumb enough to let a pop up fall by him is such a dirty play. I hate all those douchebags who pull of the hidden ball trick too. When they trick someone and get that extra out. UGHH!!!! What a horrible team player.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I think in retrospect
Tom Hicks was pushing Alex out the door almost harder than Alex was leaving.
I think in retrospect, its very clear that the Rangers finances could not possibly support that contract, even for the best player in the game. The fact that Hicks dropped payroll from 100 to around 50 million so quick says a lot about Hicks insanely bad business practices. Its not like media revenues dropped precipitously. Even Gate attendance didn’t drop enough to justify a 50 million drop in payroll.
Hicks just absolutely screwed the pooch, and bid more than he was able to pay on ARod.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
by DJCahill on Nov 2, 2009 10:10 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
This is my problem as well
I knew when Hicks signed A-Rod it wasn’t going to turn out well. My guess was that Hicks wasn’t going to spend enough money to get some decent pitching for the Rangers, Rangers would lose and Hicks would throw up his hands and say “what more can I do? I bought the best player in baseball (and went way over other’s bids for him)” and Hicks would quit spending. Then MLB screws over the Rangers by refusing the Manny trade. Finish it up with the Rangers having to pay the Yankees to take the best player in baseball and I’m pretty pissed.
Should I hold all this against A-Rod? Probably not. Do I? Yup.
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
I actually assumed
Hicks was a good enough business man to look at historical revenues, adjust for his new cable contract which I believe was already signed when he signed ARod, and made sure the team could handle the note.
I guess I gave him too much benefit of the doubt.
"I don't condone steroids or any other type of growth hormones or anything else, but I could care less, and, for the most part, I don't think the fans give a (bleep). The people that care about it are the people that probably don't like baseball," - Jim Leyland
Respect the A-Rod.
It’s INCREDIBLE watching these Yankee fans praising him now. It makes me sick, thinking about how he was their goat for everything.
The play
that to me illustrates everything douchy about A-Rod was in the ALCS against the Red Sox when he either bunted or hit a slow roller somewhre in the infield and as he ran by first he reached up and ripped the ball out of the pitcher’s glove who was covering 1st. After doing that, he tried to throw his hands out with a who me type attitude. You would get beat up for that in little league and he’s doing it in the ALCS. I hate that tool.
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
Hello Win Column!!!
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Nov 2, 2009 10:27 AM CST reply actions
x
and this whole attitude reached a pinnacle with Selena Roberts’ hatchet job this spring, that got headlines despite being a flop in terms of sales.
So the whole “admitting that he used performance-enhancing drugs” thing doesn’t register?
What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit?
So did Pettite
and he’s not being treated the same way. I hate double standards.
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I, personally, respect Pettitte less now.
Obviously, I can’t shape public opinion, but my thought is that every player that used PEDs is tarnished. If Michael Young admitted to using steroids, he’d probably get a pass in the media since he’s a stand-up guy, but he would be tarnished in my mind.
What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit?
At least Pettite sincerely apologized and was candid about the details of his PED use.
But, yeah, Pettite is a cheater, and should be treated as such.
how do you know Pettite was candid about everything
he gets the image of that. Arod apologized, but gets the image that he’s hiding something. No, Pettite is no better than Arod or any other steroid user.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Pettitte just came up with a better excuse/explanation
“I only did them to come back from an injury to help my team.”
If A-Rod had a better story people might not have cared about his either. Something like “there was this car on top of a child, and to lift the car up to rescue the kid, I decided I should do a quick cycle of steroids.”
It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. You count on it, rely on it to buffer the passage of time, to keep the memory of sunshine and high skies alive, and then just when the days are all twilight, when you need it most, it stops.
if somebody had the balls
to give that excuse, I would pardon them of all wrong-doing and immediately place them in the HOF.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
Were the same designer PEDs and training regimens available to all players?
That’s a rhetorical question. No, they were not.
And that's makes it cheating?
That’s ludicrous. Some players have the money to hire personal trainers to make sure they’re in the best shape possible. Some do not. is THAT cheating?
going farther than that
Actually, I would say that EVERY major league player has the money to hire a personal trainer. Most don’t because they have trainers available through the team.
Look
The Grossman study did a pretty good job of calculating a player’s NPV of using steroids. The extra salary a player receives that is associated with his use of steroids is an “ill-gotten gain” under principles of equity and unjust enrichment. To whom precisely those benefits should be disgorged is a complicated question.
And why wouldn't they be?
Did he spend over $15 million per year on steroids? Did he spend even $500,000 a year on steroids? So far there’s been no pattern among steroid users. Good hitters, bad hitters. Good pitchers, bad pitchers, Stars. Scrubs. Black, white, latin. No Japanese so far, but who knows. designer PEDs are not so expensive that a guy making the Major League minimum couldn’t afford them. And nearly every professional athlete has their own designer training regimen now.
Pettitte's name never comes up anymore
unless he’s pitching. A-rod’s name comes up a lot. There’s no double standard, there’s just a double “care factor.”
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Nov 2, 2009 10:53 AM CST up reply actions
No, there is definitely a double standard
both players did steroids, both are treated very differently in the press. The media has singled out some guys, mainly the top bats, as the big villains, Bonds, McGwire, and Arod.
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I don't know
Rocket had his name, image, family, etc. drug through the mud pretty badly – maybe it’s that Pettitte has never brought it upon himself by acting like a total douchebag, and has been pretty respectful through it all? Admitted using, and apologized, instead of lying to everybody about it and hiding it?
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Nov 2, 2009 11:01 AM CST up reply actions
Clemens doesn't refute my point
that the media has singled out a few guys as the worst villains, mostly top hitters.
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The media is singling out
the guys who are mentioned in a discussion of the greatest players of all time. The media doesn’t care about Ken Caminiti, because no one else cares about Ken Caminiti.
Clemens brought it on himself
when he chose to sue his former trainer for telling the truth about him.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
McGwire
committed perjury. Probably. That’s why I personally hold him to different standards, along with Sosa, Raffy, and co.
I think what it comes down to is that Bonds had a bad relationship with the media, and A-Rod got that huge contract. I’m not saying it’s justified one way or another, but there you go. It’s simple: Bonds is a dick, A-Rod has more money than anyone else.
That's why they call them business sox
Right, and that is what bothers me
because it says “if I don’t like a player, than he’s a dirty cheat, but if he’s a nice guy, like Pettite, than I’ll applaud him for his ‘honesty’”. Ridiculous. They are either all guilty or not guilty. Pettite only admitted it after his name was leaked, he didn’t have a moment of conscience and purity that drove him to do it.
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I thought
McGwire said that he wasn’t going to discuss what has happened in the past… so he actually avoided perjury.
Johnny Damon
That 9th inning was pretty unusual, but fun to watch even though I have no love for the Yankees — partly because that’s the kind of disruption I can see Andrus and Borbon causing over the next few years.
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It was a really savvy move by a guy who, before the 9th inning...
…was in the lead for “Goat if the Yankees Blow It.”
What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit?
i have to admit
i harbor more hate for the yankees than a rational person should, but i still like A-rod.
I used to really hate the Yankees
in 2001 I was in the process of breaking things when it looked like they were going to win. I was bitter about the 1999 and particularly the 1996 Rangers and found it easier to blame the Yankees than Johnny Oates’s coaching in the playoffs and the one-dimensional offense.
But this team now: old veterans from that dynasty who are legitimate Hall of Famers (Jeter, Rivera) and solid career major leaguers (Posada and Pettitte), and a collection of really good players who are simply better than the players on other teams. I see nothing about them to hate, other than Teixeira’s face.
Yeah, their spending is annoying. But that goes for every other team who had a legitimate shot of winning this year.
Go Rice Owls!
So, are you just sayin', or
trying to convince everyone how messed up they are for not seeing your logic in this matter, or giving the rationale for your minority opinion?
I can agree with just about everything you’ve said, except I don’t recall Hicks/Hart being considered innocent victims considering the backlash when they coined the phrase “financial flexibility”.
Bottom line for me: He quit on the Rangers and the Rangers are the team I root for. So, I have no desire to see him do well elsewhere. I might have been persuaded to root for him if he had gone someplace other than Boston or New York. In sports, team loyalties matter to me, because I still view the sports world like a sandlot. I, of course, know there is a business, and I have been in dead-end career situations like ARod was in Texas and I have walked away as well. I simply have a different attitude, irrational though it may be, about teams when it comes to sports.
Just sayin’
Pro baseball has always been a dream, so this is pretty freakin’ cool out here. -- Tim Steggall, undrafted Rangers minor leaguer.
I 100% agree with this post
It has always baffled me why people hate ARod. It is as if he’s cursed – everything he touched from 2001 to 2008 rotted and died. The Rangers were morons for signing him, the Rangers were morons for trading him. The Yankees were morons for trading for him. The Yankees were morons for resigning him. All while he put up one of the greatest offensive decades EVER.
ARod was demonized for all of the jealously and rage by sportswriters and fans at athletes who make lots of money. The Rangers and Yankees were demonized for giving it to him, even though he has been worth almost every penny.
Yeah, ARod is too slick for his own good. His answers too polished, he just tries too hard off the field. But it doesn’t change that he’s a great player. Greater than all but a few players in the league right now. Instead of being resentful, we should enjoy watching him.
Go Rice Owls!
I can see your point, and I can't disagree with it all
but as mentioned by others, there’s simply too much there to hate: kissing himself the mirror, steroids, being the highest paid player, leaving his wife for Madonna, getting everything he wanted, and finally playing for the hated Yankees.
It’s pretty hard for me to pull for any Yankee. Matsui is one of the guys that I like. Posada and Rivera, Jeter, I respect them, but don’t really like them. I used to hate Nick Swisher, then found out why he was growing his hair out, really liked him, and he became a Yankee so now I’m not sure how I feel about him. But Teixeira, A-Rod, Brett Gardner, it’s very easy for me to hate those guys, especially as they put on the pinstripes.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
I forgot the most important part
and it’s not really A-rod’s fault but I associate him with it – the amount of money we PAID the Yankees to take him off our hands, which crippled our owner and his desire to spend on this team.
"Hang-Dai, Wu...Hang-Fu$&ing-Dai"
by Walter Sobchak on Nov 2, 2009 11:00 AM CST up reply actions
Murray Chass on Steve Phillips
wow, how about raising those standards, Murray?
I hadn’t seen Phillips in a long time, and I stopped to say hello. I also took advantage of the moment to tell him something I had believed for a long time. I told him I thought he was the best baseball analyst on television.
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ARod & Tex both take a ton
of crap from Ranger fans but both played their asses off when they were here.
I’m rooting against them because I don’t want to see the Yankees win another championship.
Tex & ARod as the core part of the Yankee line-up also shows everybody what could have been in Texas and it makes me throw up more than a little bit in my mouth.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Fuck Tex
I’d take Elvis alone over him and then throw in Neftali and Salty.
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
by Kinslerhomer on Nov 2, 2009 11:03 AM CST up reply actions
And we're home wearing shorts, talking
shit about an 87 win season not knowing what we have next season but hoping the stupid sonofabitch GM can replenish the roster on a shoestring budget while Tex, ARod and the Yanks are about to bring home a title.
"Dying ain't hard. It's living that's hard."
"Ranger players, especially veterans, weren’t surprised that Daniels couldn’t find a deal"
Get over it...
Andrus, Feliz, Salty, Harrison, and Jones are greater than 1+ year of Teix.
Just admit you’re wrong and move on you stubborn old asshole.
"The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance."-Socrates
And there it is!
God, man, your blind irrational hatred for Jon Daniels is really reaching silly levels.
What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze? Do they dream of mauling zebras, or Halle Berry in her Catwoman suit?
No it doesn't
because you’re assuming that we could have competed with the Yankees for them in the free agent market. So, that could have never been in Texas.
Also, it assumes that we could have brought in Sabathia and Burnett, which we could not have.
That's why they call them business sox
Spot on post
Mr. Morris.
by poster formerly known as ncrangerman on Nov 2, 2009 11:00 AM CST reply actions
I. Hate. the Yankees.
This offseason is going about as bad as it possibly could for those who root against the Angels and Yankees. I guess it’s not quite a disaster for you, Adam, but for the admitted Yankee-loathers on this board, this has been pretty awful. I hate the Yankees; I hate that A-Rod plays for them; I hate the whole Tex thing. Judging by how I react to other similar sports scenarios, I would bet that if he had gone to another team, I would have come around on him now. But he didn’t, he went to the most loathsome team of all.
Specifically, I hate the Yankees because they are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Conspiracy theorists point to umpires favoring them, but that’s not what I’m talking about. The Yankees are known as the marquee franchise and get all the publicity that comes with it, especially from the insanely large New York media. While all local media tends to support the local teams, the volume that the Yankees receive surpasses that of the Giants or Jets (who play in a more popular league) or the Mets. It has come to the point now where players who are angling for the Hall of Fame know that they have a better chance if they are playing for the Yankees. So they get a (small) competitive advantage because of that.
They just spent a ludicrous amount of money on free agents this offseason and have in the past. Their huge spending advantages show up in many areas. Who else could reasonably give out the contracts the Yankees did to CC, Burnett, and Tex? It’s not just that they can sign the best players when gearing up for a championship run. It’s that the negative effects of giving out such long term contracts don’t bother them as much because they are in a different league. You can see it also in the bonuses they give out to draft picks. Or how they can take on so much money in trades. Their ability to take such huge ‘losses’ without blinking means that they have name-recognition for most of their players, can maintain this level of stars, which leads to them always being ‘interesting’ enough to attract publicity/viewers/ticket sales. Which leads to them generating more money, which starts the cycle back over.
They make more money than other team in MLB. Others have pointed out that this is due to smart, progressive business moves by their front office. I am not opposed to rewarding smart businesses and don’t disagree that teams that do more to increase their revenues should be allowed so spend more. But there has to be a limit. According to Cot’s, the Yankees are spending $206.8 million this year, which is about $40 million over the luxury tax threshold (last year it was $26.9 million). So, really, their budget for their MLB team is going to be close to $250 million. The second highest payroll was $140 million by the Mets. The Yankees already have $166 million in contracts for next year. Plus, from my understanding, they were able to avoid dispersing some of the luxury tax money because they get to use the money they spent on a stadium as a substitute.
To clarify, it does not bother me that the Yankees spend the most money. It bothers me that they are spending in a different league. Team salaries are variable from year to year and can be a part of a more long-term plan (Phillies and hopefully Rangers in the future), so I realize that there is some gray area in general with team salary numbers. This gray area does not apply to the Yankees. There are so few consequences for them because of what they spend. The stars they sign then perpetuate the attention, leading them getting more cash flow. They are bad for baseball. They may be good for baseball’s bottom line, but they are awful for competitive balance.
Finally, spare me the “if the Yankees have such an advantage, why haven’t they won a World Series since 2000” argument. Most everyone on this board understands that after making the playoffs, winning the World Series involves a lot of chance with the ‘best’ team often not winning. Last year was the first year they missed the playoffs since 1994. They have won at least 94 games every year since 2000 except for last year, passing 100 wins 4 times. They’ve made it to 4 World Series and 1 ALCS. That’s right, for half of this decade, they AT LEAST made the ALCS. For any other franchise, that would be a signature decade.
So, no, I will not be rooting for the Yankees and A-Rod.
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Nov 2, 2009 11:03 AM CST reply actions 8 recs
This is the greatest thing ever written in the history of Lone Star Ball.
It's baseball. You don't always get what you want, and you don't always want what you get. --Ed Coffin
I see your point, but have a slightly different take on it.
I don’t hate A-Rod, and I like a handful of players on the Yankees (like Mariano). I get tired of the media explosion over everything the Yankees do, so I really have a hard time rooting for them (unless they’re playing Oakland, Seattle, or LA). I especially get tired of hearing yokel fans talk about how great Derek Jeter is and how awful A-Rod is, so I hope for Derek Jeter to strikeout or end every at-bat in a double play, and hope A-Rod does extremely well, but the Yankees lose the series to the Phils.
Your comments are spot on...
I reject your reality and substitute my own.
by GhostofSteveFoucault on Nov 2, 2009 12:22 PM CST up reply actions
That's fine and all,
but the other owners, if they have a problem with this, then need to change the system. No other team has the right to whine about it if they are not willing to push for change in the next CBA. This is the system they set up.
G G G E-flat_______ F F F D__________....
by t ball on Nov 2, 2009 2:07 PM CST up reply actions 1 recs
This is the comment that should be rec'd.....
not the jealous stuff from Ghettobear04.
Wash is an idiot!!
....
I thought I just did?
If Brad Pitt is playing Beane who do you want playing you?
JD: Eddie Guardado.
by GhettoBear04 on Nov 2, 2009 6:28 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
I hope Arod
steps into the batters box and catches fire.
Literally. That smarmy cocksucker.
Teixiera too, he’s a mouthbreathing palsied retard who happens to swing a good bat.
Fuck the Yankees, fuck New York, and triplefuck all their fans.
by Flynnyrd on Nov 2, 2009 11:05 AM CST reply actions 4 recs
Mouthbreather
I love it. Tex is a textbook case of a mouthbreather. He probably leads the league in inhaled flys
"calmer than you are dude" Walter (Big Lebowski)
Hello Win Column!!!
by Arlington Stadium Legend on Nov 2, 2009 11:09 AM CST up reply actions
Passionate fans hate players that don't want to play for their team.
That’s what fans do. See Green Bay: Brett Favre or Texas Rangers: Mark Teixeira.
ARod was great statistically for the Rangers but it didn’t make us better. Not his fault but it’s a fact.
We bought a savior, expectations increased, but team output was the same. Then frustrated fans vent.
Surely you see and understand that. Rationality has nothing to do with being a fan.
by 3hacks on Nov 2, 2009 11:06 AM CST via mobile reply actions
For me
I understand the hatred for Tex and agree with it. I understand the hate for A-Rod, but I just can’t agree with it. He is the greatest player of our generation and one of the best of all time yet he’s been crapped on for years. The part that gets me the most is what I hope to never hear again, the A-Rod falls apart in the playoffs theory. That’s the biggest reason I’m rooting for him now. I hate seeing stupid arguments like that be brought up each year.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
I think alot of the hate came when Arod
brought in the first 250M dollar deal. People like to blame Arod for that, but who in their right mind would not have signed that contract?
Arod is probably the most criticized player in sports, partly because he plays for the Yankees and gets to deal with the NY media, he tends to enjoy having celebrity girlfriends, and he’s the highest paid player in baseball history. I, personally, think Arod is one of the greatest players of all-time. I think we, as this generation, get the opportunity to enjoy 2 of the best RH hitters in baseball history in Arod and Pujols.
How much do we think Pujols will get in 2 years when he hits Free Agency or St. Louis resigns him for? If it’s anywhere near Arod’s deal, will he be looked at differently? Most likely not, but that is the world Arod lives in, and I don’t pity him.
A baseball game is simply a nervous breakdown divided into nine innings.
I like ARod
because I appreciate greatness. I also don’t mind the Yankees winning because it means the Red Sox won’t — I hate them and their douchebag bandwagon fans.
Oh, and I personally don’t care one bit about PEDs.
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
True dat
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
by Kinslerhomer on Nov 2, 2009 11:09 AM CST up reply actions
x
@Evan_P_Grant #texasrangers begin hitting coach finalist interviews today. The two things I most want the candidates to address. http://bit.ly/sbpVo
"I was going to say, 'You’re gay for Elvis.' But then I realized that I, too, am gay for Elvis." ~Adam J. Morris.
why can't you have the same respect for Brett Favre?
Favorite bumper sticker of all time, seen on a VW bus:
"Gas, Grass, or Ass. Nobody rides for free"
by tricer on Nov 2, 2009 11:17 AM CST reply actions 1 recs
I used to like ARod
but the PED stuff came out, and he basically threw the Rangers under the bus when he said he only did them while he was a Ranger. That’s just a great big pile of crap.
that got on my nerves as well
it’s almost as if he intended that comment to be something like, “I never did steroids while playing for a real baseball team, only when I was stuck in that baseball Siberia. You can’t blame me for doing them down there, can you?”
Favorite bumper sticker of all time, seen on a VW bus:
"Gas, Grass, or Ass. Nobody rides for free"
Not one bitch tits remark?
Disappointing….
"He will not coddle them. Nolan Ryan doesn’t coddle." - Jeff Passan
by Dirk Diggler on Nov 2, 2009 12:52 PM CST up reply actions
Or...
I need a good excuse for why I took steroids and since there is only evidence of me taking them in Texas, that’s all I’ll admit too. If there was evidence of him doing it in Seattle rather than Texas, then he would have said he only took steroids in Seattle. If there was evidence of him taking steroids in his first season with NY, then he would have said he took them only in that first season with NY. He wasn’t throwing the Rangers under the bus, just trying to save as much face as he could.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
if that was the case
why didn’t he just say that he only did them during a certain time frame? why did he even need to invoke the Rangers at all?
Favorite bumper sticker of all time, seen on a VW bus:
"Gas, Grass, or Ass. Nobody rides for free"
because a time frame would let us know what team he played for.....
at the time, so what’s the difference??
Wash is an idiot!!
lol, really
Is there any difference between the two statements?
A-Rod: “I only took steroids from 2001-2003”
Reporter: “So just when you were with the Rangers”
A-Rod: “Yes”
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
and admitting you only took them the year you got caught
equates to a big pile of crap and throws the organization under the bus. It’s not a sincere apology for taking them and it doesn’t really save face because nobody is going to believe that anyway.
That's what almost everyone does when caught with steroids
The difference is that for most players, people just let it go whether they believe it or not. Andy Pettitte is a good example. People either took him at his word or just let it go. Where is all the public outrage at him for cheating the game or for his BS excuse of only taking steroids to come back from an injury and never touching the stuff otherwise.
By 2028, Mark Teixeira will be in the HOF.
"I am one of the biggest Texas Ranger fans out there but I'm also one of the smartest. Deal with it."
-The Outlaw
This is a case of AJM's contrarian urge.
I do see your point though. I remember one quote from Arod where a journalist asked him why people hate him so much and he said something like ’it’s because of the money.’ I thought that summed it up pretty well. On one issue i will slightly disagree though, and that’s that it’s hard now to see where he fits with the greats of all time. Him and Bonds are among the greats, certainly, but because of steroids it’s really impossible to know how great. How many years did Arod REALLY use PEDs? 5,7,10? That’s what pisses me off about the PED issue, it steals some of the purity of emotion away from things like Arod finally getting a ring.
One for four
With a double, two walks, and one strikeout. That’s A-Rod’s record against Roger Clemens in 2003, the year that A-Rod supposedly took Steroids (or admittedly took steroids). Since Roger also admitted to using steroids that season, I think that you’d have to say that you really can’t discount those 4 at bats. I guess we could go through every at bat he had during every season he was “boosted” and see which at bats were against pitcher who were similarly boosted. Or, we can simply realize that a percentage of the pitchers he faced, and the hitters he is compared to also used PED’s and simply ignore the issue. Allow baseball to worry about its legality or illegality after the fact.
The reason I'm not a fan
Is because of the whole tipping pitches accusations… If they’re true, that’s pretty fucked up.
Peter King
The reason why PK doesn’t like A-Rod is because he is a Red Sox homer. He gives Big Papi a free pass.
And yet...
…he calls Derek Jeter the greatest baseball player of this generation.
by Adam J. Morris on Nov 2, 2009 3:05 PM CST up reply actions
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