Microcosm. And how the 2009 season will end.

Measured against anyone's Spring Training expectations -- the 2009 season has already been successful. And yet the last two games have been a perfect microcosm of this season.

There is talent on this team. This team has heart. This team has a couple of veteran leaders (Millwood, Young) who set a good example. This team has young pitching. These guys all own gloves, and know how to use them. But they are just not quite there yet.

And yet I can't stop watching. I made my seven year old son turn off the TV yesterday in the fourth inning. He looked at me and asked "but Dad... what if the Rangers score 11 runs?" My reply: "Not tonight, son." By the time the rally started in the bottom of the fifth, he was in bed. At 11-10, I almost woke him up -- I was sure the comeback would get two more runs. I almost woke him up anyway yelling when Davis hit the near home run to center. At 18-10 I needed a walk around the neighborhood. At 3:30 this morning I finally fell asleep.

So can we now stick a fork in them? Are they done?

____________

I have this suspicion the rest of the season will go just like the last two games. The Rangers will get hot and run off a modest win streak. They will go 5-2 against the Angels. On the morning of Sunday, October 4, we find the Rangers, Angels and Red Sox all tied at 92-69.

Boston plays Cleveland three hours before the Texas\Seattle and LAAAAAAAAofAAAA\Oakland games. The Sox win 13-12.

The Rangers send out Millwood. He goes eight innings, one run, 146 pitches. In the ninth, the Rangers are holding a 2-1 lead. The bullpen is spent from two straight weeks of must win games. Frankie has saved the last three in a row. The only guy out there who can lift his arm above his head is CJ - despite having pitched five of the last six nights. Ron brings him in.

CJ strikes out Ichiro in a 12 pitch battle. One out. Jack Wilson strikes out on a nasty slider down and in... but the ball tips off Teagarden's glove and back to the backstop. Wilson is safe at first. Mike Sweeney comes up next, and grounds the first pitch to third. Young goes to his right, and just as he reaches for the ball it clips the front corner of the base, pops up and hits Young in the forehead, and bounces away. Men on second and third.

Junior Griffey, in his last ever game, swings through two fastballs. The third one, at 96 mph on the inside corner, shatters his bat. But he gets just enough of it to loop it over first base. Davis leaps... 2 inches short. Ballgame.

Moments later, In Oakland, Vlad Guerrero swings at a pitch six inches above his head and hits the game winning three run homer.

The DMN blog goes wild. Blame is divided between CJ for being CJ and Ron Washington for being Ron Washington. A certain LSB poster blames JD. A newborn baby dents the bottom of the screen in the nearby football stadium.

And we begin counting the days until the 2010 Championship season starts.