it broke up the shutout, and that is worth something

I’ve just never liked that. It’s beyond silly and makes the team look stupid, in my opinion. And I don’t think that it has to be done after every single homer they hit. It could be a judgment call.

Anyway that wasn’t the main point of the post.

See Jamey’s email from today or yesterday and that Milt really didn’t have that big an impact on the Rangers’ OBP.

This is a mindset thing. Personally, I think it’s between Wash and Rudy. Wash keeps preaching patience while Rudy’s style is going after pitches. Plus, we got some new young guys that want to produce which probably leads to trying to do too much.

I wouldn’t do it, because we have a patient, disciplined hitter in Smoak waiting in the wings. He won’t be a savior. but he could provide a MB type in the middle of the order.

Plate discipline is key. If you swing and miss at a ball on the first pitch, you are always digging yourself out of a hole. Strike one is the most important pitch for a pitcher, and every game we help the pitcher get so many strike ones. It makes their pitcher seem so much better than they are. Plate discipline and pitch recognition is to hitting as having command within the strikezone is for pitching.

…those two guys appear to be the biggest offenders of getting up there and just hacking away. It’s almost embarrassing watching Hank get up there and try to pull everything. The other pitchers know what he’s going to do, so they throw everything away (and usually out of the zone), and there’s Hank trying to pull everything into the RF stands. Byrd, who had a very good OBP last year, now has a .020 split between BA and OBP. It drives me crazy watching him flail away on 2-0 when the pitcher just walked the hitter before him. I know “the room” loves Byrd, and he is hitting for a decent avg and a versatile defender. but it is maddening watching his approach at the plate right now.

Why do people keep saying bring up Boggs, when he can’t hit AAA pitching?

as much as i hate to admit it, hughes pitched a good game. maybe they should have done more with what they were given but he pitched in the zone for the most part

No doubt about that. But the key to beating a good pitcher is to make his ass work. Last year they did it. The Yankees and Red Sox do it every fucking game. Take pitchers’ pitches even if they’re strikes, don’t swing at pitches out of the zone, shorten up and foul a bunch off if the guy is having a good game and it winds up being 0-2 or 1-2 or whatever. If the players they have can’t or won’t do this, or if the hitting coach will not try to get them to, replace these people because you’re not going to win with them.

Today’s game is just an example. One of many. There are way too many guys on this team who can be easy outs if they don’t get their perfect pitch to hit.

at pitches in the zone but that doesn’t mean they were good pitches to swing at.

…is comforting.

It’s not really a big deal. What is a big deal to me is whether or not they win or lose, which was what this discussion was really supposed to be about.

Like I said in the original post, I do like just about everything you and your people do. And clearly most others do too because you’ve been at it a real, real long time.

…thanks for coming by to share this stuff with us. It is greatly appreciated.

Thanks as always.

…should go off after any and every Ranger HR regardless of score and inning, mainly for reasons already stated (little kids at their first Ranger game, etc…)

But also, In case anyone missed it, Cleveland was behind 10-0 in their home park today. They were still down 10-2 entering the bottom of the 8th and still down 10-4 entering the bottom of the 9th. They scored 7 in the 9th and won.

It’s a little different from shooting off fireworks for a meaningless TD or 3-pointer with a minute left in the game when the Cowboys or Mavericks trail by 30 and defeat is 100% certainty. There’s no clock in baseball so as long as you’ve got 1 out left, there’s still a chance of winning. It may be exceedingly miniscule, like the situation today, but it’s still a chance and there’s still some glimmer of hope. So go ahead and celebrate it.

do you remember if you gave Luis Alicea the full Natural/Fireworks teatment after he crossed the plate safely when he hit his inside-the-park HR?

I can’t remember any other ranger player hitting an inside the park HR at The Ballpark?

you are one of the best (if not the best) rangers offseason (re)acquisition of the last few years!

Chuck,

When a Ranger hits a homerun, do you press a button to shoot off the fireworks?

Or, do you or one of your minions have to send a quick message to the fireworks shooting dudes that are behind centerfield?

How long does it take to ‘reload’ the fireworks? If we hit home runs on back-to-back pitches, is there a chance the second guy doesn’t get his in time?

Thanks for all you do for the Rangers and for keeping us entertained.

Thanks for all you do…including the enlighting responses you consistently provide us fans on the various forums. You’re great at what you do and I’ve appreciated your efforts for many years now.