Tuesday a.m. things

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 26, 2006 9:46 AM CDT in News

Pretty bleah game last night. Another disappointing outing from Edinson Volquez. He's starting to remind me a little of Aaron Myette...a guy who I'd watch pitch and think, he's got great stuff, a live fastball, good movement...why can't he get more guys out?

Mark Teixeira says he's disappointed in the way the season has gone, in an article by T.R. Sullivan that will probably add fuel to the "trade Teixeira now" fire. A highlight:

"I'd love to win here, no doubt about it," Teixeira said. "There's connection between me and the community, the fans and my teammates. The problem is, I don't want to get used to losing. It makes me jealous of players like Derek Jeter, who is there every year with a chance to win the World Series from Day 1."

The Rangers had that feeling in the late 1990s, when they won three division titles over a four-year period, but that is long gone. An unsettled feeling has replaced it, and Teixeira feels it as much as anybody when he talks about the possibility of the Rangers winning while he is here.

"It definitely could happen here," Teixeira said. "But when you talk about the future, you want to put yourself in the best place to win. A last-place finish and three third-place finishes doesn't leave you with a good feeling. I just don't want four years to turn into 15 years.

"It's not despair, but if you asked me about it two years ago, I would have said we have four years to build a championship team. Now it's down to two years, and a lot of question marks still remain about where this team is going."

That's similar to the sentiments that Michael Young expressed recently...I'm thinking neither of these guys is going to be looking to sign contract extensions this offseason...

Kat O'Brien has a piece on Mark DeRosa's career season and pending free agency, and talks about how the Rangers would like to bring him back in a utility role. We have this quote from DeRosa, on his opportunity this offseason:

"You get a chance to go to free agency maybe once," DeRosa said. "You want to take advantage of it. I love it here, but I loved Atlanta, too. I want to win. I want to play every day. I'm not going to settle. I really want stability, too -- I'm tired of renting. I always dreamed of this opportunity presenting itself. I've waited so long it's like it's not even real."

Jean-Jacques Taylor appears to have moved into a columnist role, and is advocating moneywhipping Daisuke Matsuzaka this offseason.

The departing Gerry Fraley has a new "Just Venting" column up, which, as usual, features potshots at the Rangers, Alex Rodriguez, and Ranger players (in this case, Carlos Lee and Adam Eaton) who don't perform until the pressure is off.

I'm not a big fan of either Lee or Eaton, but Fraley's implication -- that those two couldn't handle the pressure of a pennant race -- seems misguided.

Tim Cowlishaw is doing a chat session at 2:15 today, and you can send him questions ahead of time by clicking here, and can join the chat here.

Evan Grant reports that the Rangers want Joaquin Arias to put on some pounds, and that Carlos Lee wasn't bothered by being booed on Sunday.

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Comments

Very Glad

To see Taylor moving into a columnist role. I've thought for a long time that he is the most talented writer on the DMN sports staff.

Michael Young for President 2008. Mark Teixeira for Secretary of Defense. Hank Blalock for Secretary of Badassery.

by ghtd36 on Sep 26, 2006 9:55 AM CDT 0 recs

jjtaylor

heard him on norm last week, and he talked a little about being a columnist, said he will be focusing on the 4 major sports, and big time college football.
which is good, i got tired of articles about off the wall sports stuff, like womens soccer....or some highschool in louisianna

Pimps be damned, it's harder out here for a Rangers fan!

by rentz on Sep 26, 2006 10:05 AM CDT up 0 recs

Derosa

Wow. Good for him. I'll root for him wherever he ends up.

You might think I'm crazy. I agree with you.

by trza on Sep 26, 2006 10:06 AM CDT 0 recs

Does it worry any of you..

that the overwhelming sentiment of the team seems to be "We want to win, but it's not gonna happen here"?

Snakes!

by chief on Sep 26, 2006 10:28 AM CDT 0 recs

I agree with them.

Hicks has an opportunity this offseason to add some quality pieces to the team and make them a legitimate contender. Will he open his wallet? We'll have to see. Will he allow JD to replace Buck? Again, we'll have to see.

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 10:50 AM CDT up 0 recs

How about......

replacing Daniels with someone who knows what he is doing? I am no Showalter fan, but Daniels has done as much, if not more, to screw this season up as Buck.

by doolindalton on Sep 26, 2006 11:45 AM CDT up 0 recs

This season

Daniels is trying to fix a mess that took a long time to build. He needs more than a year before we run him out of town don't ya think?

by Chris Martin on Sep 26, 2006 12:46 PM CDT up 0 recs

Exactly...

the reason to get rid of him now. Grab some pitching and rebuild for 2008.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 11:41 AM CDT up 0 recs

Teixeira

His bad start is the #1 reason on the list why the Rangers didn't run away with this division in the first half. Someone needs to tell him that a .275/9/49 first half isn't going to be helping many other teams get over the hump either.

by JBImaknee on Sep 26, 2006 11:36 AM CDT 0 recs

I don't know about #1 reason,

but it was right up there. He acts like he's having a career year and everyone around him sucks. If we didn't have that hole in the middle of our struggling lineup in the first half of the season, a lot of things could have changed.

by austintxhorn on Sep 26, 2006 11:39 AM CDT up 0 recs

Yep...and

then says it's not his fault.

"At the same time, everybody in here feels the players we have are championship players. I don't fault my teammates or myself for not trying. Everybody wants to win. It just didn't happen. The team that we're playing tonight could say the same thing."

And then there's this:

"One thing is I think we have learned what it takes to win," Teixeira said. "We've tried a lot of different combinations the last four years, and none of them have been good enough to beat the better teams in the league.

Oh really, you've learned how to win? That's BS and he knows it. The last thing this team knows how to do is win.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 11:43 AM CDT up 0 recs

Lots of things contributed to this team's ...

... poor showing, but I don't see how Tex's first half performance was THE reason Texas didn't win the division this season. There were plenty of other first half disappointments that probably contributed as much or more than Tex's. For example, Buck insisted on playing Barajas the VAST majority of the time in the first half even though Rod stunk it up the first two months of the season. Coco decided to go on a save-blowing tear that cost the Rangers a number of wins. Wilky played the entire first half with an injured shoulder. Buck played the sucktitude that was Phil Nevin in 46 first half games before he was traded for the even suckier Jerry Hairston, Jr. Kinsler spent some time on the DL, forcing Jiminez into the lineup on a regular basis. Kam Loe pitched abysmally bad and Karonka went south with his performance. Buck consistently let mediocre and poor hitter bat in late game situations when better hitters were available. The list is endless. With all of the things that went wrong in the first half, it's frankly amazing that our core players, with the help of DeRo and GMJ, were able to keep us in the race at all.

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 2:04 PM CDT up 0 recs

Other things went wrong

But Teixeira's production nullified our advantage on offense, which is the one thing that should have benn a given going into the year.

My argument isn't "If Teixeira had hit, we'd be in first right now," but it does go to show that Teixeira is living in lala land. A good team player would say "Look, we've had disappointments this year, my own performance included, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play on a winning team. I am confident and hopeful that that experience will be here in Texas, but you never know.

I find it amazing that people who complained about ARod's big mouth excuse Teixeira, when at least ARod had earned the right to comment about other people's play by playing better than everyone else on the team.

by JBImaknee on Sep 26, 2006 6:16 PM CDT up 0 recs

Uh ...

A good team player would say "Look, we've had disappointments this year, my own performance included, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to play on a winning team. I am confident and hopeful that that experience will be here in Texas, but you never know.

That's pretty much what he said. Where are you getting the notion that Tex doesn't accept his share of the blame? If you read the article, he talks about why his first half wasn't up to par.

And I hope you aren't lumping me in with the crowd that didn't care for ARod's comments when he left the Rangers. We never should have traded him and doing so cost us a division title in 2004. And again, Tex specifically said he didn't fault his teammates. You should probably base your arguments on what Tex actually said.

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 6:43 PM CDT up 0 recs

Taking blame

I didn't read anything in Teixeira's comments suggesting that he is taking part of the blame. He complains that he didn't hit as many home runs as he wanted to in the first half. "Obviously I wish the first half had been better as far as home runs, but I'm still learning about myself, and the first half was a good learning experience," doesn't sound like taking blame. But in articles like that, it is difficult to know what questions he's answering and what the global context is. So it is very difficult for either of us to base our arguments on what Tex actually said.

Whatever though - it doesn't matter much anyway. He obviously isn't happy with the situation - which isn't that bad, he shouldn't be happy with a 3rd place finish. But I don't like the mindset of "Jeter wins every year, I deserve that too" and the "we have two years left to build a championship team" And it isn't only in this article, he's been saying things like this for a long time.

But I don't like Teixeira and others do and that is fine. He's a very good player and I'd rather see him hit for my team than another. But I don't see him as a savior of this team that people do/have, I don't see him as a future hall of famer, and three years from now, I don't see him as a Ranger. Whatever, I won't lose sleep over it.

by JBImaknee on Sep 26, 2006 7:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

Taylor's column

I'm all for going after Matsuzaka, but this quote, and the attitude it represents bothers me:

"Sign Matsuzaka, and the Rangers, who haven't been to the playoffs since 1999, will be the talk of baseball. Sign him, and the Rangers will have October baseball."

The first sentence is correct, and one reason to go after him. The second sentence is ridiculous. No player guarantees October baseball, and I hope he doesn't think that this team is one pitcher away from the playoffs. Matsuzaka might be a very good pitcher, and is worth a risk, but he is not Cy Young reincarnate and it is unrealistic to think the guy is going to come over here and automatically win 18 games.

by t ball on Sep 26, 2006 11:48 AM CDT 0 recs

Agreed...

but if you added DM AND Lilly, then you might be a little closer. Even then, there will still be some huge holes in the offense to fill.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 11:53 AM CDT up 0 recs

a start

Yep, I say go for it with Matsuzaka, keep Padilla, and add a big, big bat for LF and/or DH

by t ball on Sep 26, 2006 1:23 PM CDT up 0 recs

I don't

want Padilla. I would take Millwood, DM, and Lilly as the 1st three guys with Danks probably in the 5th slot and Volquez, Rheinecker, Tejada, etc... battling it out for the 4th spot. I would try and get Manny from the Red Sox to fill the LF spot and then look at trading Blalock / Tex for pitchers/prospects, etc... That, might be a team on the rise.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 1:30 PM CDT up 0 recs

Why not Padilla?

I really really want the Rangers to get Manny too, but he's 34 years old with knee problems and what, two years left on his contract? If we do get him, it doesn't need to be another rebuilding year. We'd need to make the most of it while he was here and get to the postseason. Another year of trying to figure out who will be starting in the rotation is not what we need. We have a solid guy in Padilla, so I don't see (other than PR issues) why we shouldn't try to bring him back.

Snakes!

by chief on Sep 26, 2006 1:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

Padilla

has talent for sure, but he is too inconsistent. He's also a headcase and might cause problems in the clubhouse. We don't need him beaning people in critical games. I think we can find an adequate pitcher on one of those listed or through a trade. I also think he's going to be too expensive to try and keep.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 1:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

Because it would be so easy

to add the three good starters we'd need if we ran off Padilla. After all, we can count on such luminaries as Koronka, Loe, Eaton, Rheinecker, etc. Hell, maybe we can bring back Dickey.

Baseball wives are leeches. ... They're just hookers on retainer. -- Rangerchick

by DJCahill on Sep 26, 2006 1:48 PM CDT up 0 recs

Why is everyone...

saying "if we RUN OFF" Padilla? It's not like we are running him off. He's a free agent. It's not like we have an option on his contract. What makes you think that he even wants to stay here? What makes you think that we can sign him to a reasonable contract without the Yanks or Mets offering him more?

I don't look at it as running him off. I look at it as unlikely that we will sign him.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 2:14 PM CDT up 0 recs

That's different

I understood your previous post that DJCahill responded to as you not wanting to even try to re-sign him. That would be running him off. Trying and getting outbid is a totally different situation.

by Chris Martin on Sep 26, 2006 2:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

Yeah...

I wasn't clear on that. Sorry.

I think a combination of him being inconsistent and unpredictable (bean balls) added to the fact that he may not want to stay and cost too much, is what led to my statement of "I don't want Padilla". I could be wrong.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 2:35 PM CDT up 0 recs

Did you not want Kenny Rogers...

back, either? I don't think Lilly's a better pitcher than Padilla, and Padilla's won here. I don't know why people around here want to run off pitchers.

by benmor78 on Sep 26, 2006 1:39 PM CDT up 0 recs

I would have loved...

to keep Kenny, but that wasn't happening on either end. I didn't say that Lilly was a better pitcher than Padilla, but he might be more consistent.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 1:42 PM CDT up 0 recs

Lilly

Padilla's not only been better than Lilly this year, it's not even close for their careers. Not including this season, Padilla's career ERA+ is 106. Lilly's is 97.

Inconsistent or no, Padilla is the better player, and that's all that should matter.

by RCCook on Sep 26, 2006 2:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

Arias needs to put on weight?

Hit up Lee for some of his.

Fire Buck, DFA everyone, burn down the stadium.

by WyoRanger on Sep 26, 2006 12:15 PM CDT 0 recs

Arias

Give me two weeks with him. I'm an expert at putting on weight. :)

by RCCook on Sep 26, 2006 2:38 PM CDT up 0 recs

send him

to the IHOP winter league...

by t ball on Sep 26, 2006 2:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

IHOP

IHOP, Cici's Pizza, the weekend buffet at Clay Pit, pretty much any Chinese buffet in the DFW area. Let Arias spend two weeks eating his way through those, and he won't have that weight issue anymore...

by RCCook on Sep 26, 2006 3:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

Mark Connor's comment on Volquez

Maybe there is still hope.

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/baseball/mlb/texas_rangers/15611587.htm

"Connor is aware some pitchers have problems upon reaching the big leagues. As he said Monday night, he had one of the best in Roy Halladay when Connor was the Toronto Blue Jays' pitching coach. Halladay had a 10.64 ERA in 19 games, 13 starts, in 2000. He won the American League Cy Young Award in 2003, had a 2.41 ERA in 2005 and is 16-5 with a 3.19 ERA this year."

by doolindalton on Sep 26, 2006 12:20 PM CDT 0 recs

Agreed

It is way too early to give up on Volquez, we have done that too many times in the past. I say bring him back next year as a long relievr or leave him in AAA to continue to improve. No need for panic.

by pblack on Sep 26, 2006 1:56 PM CDT up 0 recs

Tex.....

I'm not going to advocate trading anyone unless the value in return is higher. That said....Tex is really starting to annoy me with that talk. MY too.

I'm not sure what purpose it serves. It doesn't endear them to fans. It doesn't endear them to management. It seems like they are just ducking their share of the blame. Maybe those comments are where the leadership comments from Hicks came from. I'm not defending Hicks here....just think aloud (in email form).

Everyone wants to win. When you talk about wanting a situation like Jeter it's not much of a step for a fan to say..."he wants to be a Yankee. He wants to leave." Tex isn't stupid. He knows that having Boras as an agent lends people to perceive him as looking for a big deal in a big market. If he doesn't know that then he should.

He could be the face of this franchise. He and MY should be saying they feel like they didn't do enough. They should say that they could do more. They don't say that though. They push blame elsewhere. They say I want to go somewhere where I can play for a winner. Well....HEY TEX....help make US a winner.

What am I saying? Hell I don't know....I just know shit like that is making me wish the off-season would just get here because I'm tired of all the whining.

by bdavison94 on Sep 26, 2006 3:05 PM CDT 0 recs

I don't read their comments that negatively.

It appears to me that they are saying they wouldn't mind staying if Texas became a winning franchise. Athletes that have heart and desire want to win championships whether they are playing professional ball or church league. If their current owner isn't willing to do everything he can to help this club win, why should they agree to a career of not playing in October? If they were all about the money and nothing else, then winning wouldn't be a factor for them.

I don't think anybody can rationally question the efforts made by either MY or Tex. I can't think of any players that play the game harder. Hicks set this team back in 2004 when he traded ARod and then closed the purse strings before 2005. And if I was one of the supposed "core" players, I'd be pretty upset about it as well.

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 3:25 PM CDT up 0 recs

I think...

the dangerous thing is that mindset. If you believe that the management / leadership isn't going to do what it takes to win, it's hard to change that mindset to that of a winner. John Scheurholz talks about this same thing in his book "Built to Win". The Braves were huge losers and he had to come in and change the mindset of the players. Those players that were resistant to change were released or traded.

I think that management has to hold a meeting and present a plan for success to the players and ask who is on board. Those that aren't, can ask to be traded. Right now, I think you have to look at trading those players who are at their peak of value, if they are aren't going to buy-in to the system.

I would rather watch an infield of Botts, Kinsler, Arias and DeRosa if they will hustle and buy-in to the system...over whiners anyday. Put a team together of kids that believe they can beat anyone...that hustle and play hard everyday...and management that believes in that system, and you'll build a winner.

THAT...is why I think you have to blow this team up.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 3:41 PM CDT up 0 recs

And what system is it that Tex and MY ...

... aren't buying into? Are you saying they don't play hard and play to win? Are you saying that Tex and MY don't hustle? If management provides the tools, this team will win with its core in place.

The idea that a GM or owner or hypnotist or anyone else can simply come in and tell a bunch of mediocre players that they will win and a mediorcre team will miraculously be transformed into a winning team is silly.

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 4:17 PM CDT up 0 recs

The current perception...

is that they are whining about Buck and that they do not want to stay here if things remain the same...is it not?

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 5:21 PM CDT up 0 recs

What they've said ...

... is that they don't want to commit long-term to a team that isn't winning. It has been reported that they both (along with several others) have issues with Buck, but neither has said that if Buck stays they are gone.

Are you suggesting that the current Ranger "program" that they should be "buying into" is, for better or worse, Buck is the manager here and things will be run Buck's way? If it is, then I don't see either one of those guys staying here for their careers, because Buck's way has resulted in this team finishing no better than 3rd in the league's only 4-team division. Buck's way seems to be getting us nowhere fast, wouldn't you agree?

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 5:37 PM CDT up 0 recs

I have.....

I have zero problem with them saying they won't sign here long term if Buck is the manager. I have a big problem with them taking that to the press like this. Why would a free agent give us a fair look right now with your two best players saying things like that.

If a player feels that way then he should tell JD and Hicks and then it should be worked out internally from there.

by bdavison94 on Sep 26, 2006 5:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Sure ...

... that's obviously worked well in the past. Everybody that's bumped heads with Buck is now gone.

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 5:47 PM CDT up 0 recs

As always...

I just want them to pick a path and stick to it. Keep Buck...and go young, or fire Buck and try and spend to win. My opinion is...though...that we will not be able to fix this current team so that they have a shot at a WS, which is why I am advocating rebuilding.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 6:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

What is so unfixable about this team?

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 6:44 PM CDT up 0 recs

What is so infixable?

In my opinion, it's the losing attitude. Which is why I am for blowing it up. Look, I love Tex, Young and Blalock as much as you guys do. I'm a fan, and I love to see them perform. BUT, I want to see the team win a World Series more than anything.

I think that the attitude here will be hard to get rid of...without starting over. With a Marlins-type turnover, you can start from scratch and breed a new mindset...and a new attitude. You can even keep Buck and let him do it (as long as he's ok with playing a bunch of kids), I think he'd be great at it. It's like getting a dog from the pound. Adult dogs are hard to break of habits and attitudes. You can teach them tricks, but sometimes you're better off getting a puppy and starting from scratch.

BRAWLFEST 2006! F the Angels!

by ortonius on Sep 26, 2006 7:40 PM CDT up 0 recs

Fixing a losing attitude

Isn't that what Buck was supposedly doing in 2003 and 2004?

by Adam J. Morris on Sep 26, 2006 8:07 PM CDT up 0 recs

Good grief

Where have you been for the last four years? Obviously not paying attention to the Rangers. I linked an article from September 2003 yesterday that proposed all of the fallacies taht you are. Something tells me that Jesse Sanchez would be smart enough not to write that same article today, if given the chance.

by zywica on Sep 26, 2006 8:26 PM CDT up 0 recs

Athos....

"It appears to me that they are saying they wouldn't mind staying if Texas became a winning franchise"

That's part of my point. They are just as responsible for making this a winning franchise as Hicks, JD, and Buck. They are they two best players on this team. They shouldn't be wondering aloud about their future in another uniform. They should be asking themselves "What do I need to do to help?" I don't know what that might be but I do know that there is something they can do. There always is....AND I know selling management down the river ISN'T helping. I have yet to see a quote from Tex taking responsibility for some of his own play. Maybe I missed it.

Now.....so what are Tex and MY asking for Management to do? Let's see their plan. They ask for pitching. Well JD went and got 3 guys in the off-season that were legit starters. You can argue the cost of each but they were legit. JD traded young guys for young pitchers in the hopes that one or two would pay off. They complained because of the cost....namely Looch. They asked for help leading up to the break. I present the Lee trade as evidence.

What more does management need to do? Does Hicks need to set the payroll to top 2-3 levels? Ain't gonna happen. Lots of things have to go right to win unless you're buying a pennant (yanks, red sox) and even then it's not guaranteed (red sox). I guess they think management should be perfect....when they themselves have proven to be far from it.

by bdavison94 on Sep 26, 2006 5:32 PM CDT up 0 recs

What else are they supposed to do?

They play hard every day they step on the field. They produce when they get the opportunity (remembering, of course, that nobody is going to get that clutch hit even 40% of the time). They don't get to go sign players. They don't get to set lineups. They don't get to make personnel decisions. All of that is beyond their control. It rests in the hands of Hicks, JD, and Buck. There is NOTHING that any player can do to change any of that.

I don't fault JD's attempts to improve this team and I doubt MY and Tex do either. But Hicks' plan seems to be to spend as little as possible and bring in guys that have had pretty good years in the past on a gamble that they will produce again. It worked with Padilla and didn't with Eaton. The sole exception is Millwood, who has earned his money this season. As it stands, this team can be competitive and with a few extra pieces they can be dangerous. And if they get rid of Buck and the atmosphere loosens up a bit, I'll bet the players they have now would win more than they have this season.

Do you really think the team management sent out to start the season (the team that included Nevin as its clean-up hitter) was a championship caliber team?

by Athos on Sep 26, 2006 5:46 PM CDT up 0 recs

"If you can't beat'em, join'em"

That is my initial interpretation of those comments. That is why I like to see the Yankees fail in post season, because Giambi, Damon, Sheffield, Clemens and to some extent Johnson and A-Rod elected to join'em. Maybe Damon not as much since he won a ring in Boston.

The difference with Jeter is he CREATED, with the help of O'Neill, Martinez, Bernie, Brosius, et.al, the situation, he didn't join'em. While I didn't like the Yankees of the late '90s winning all the time, I did respect what they were able to do.

My wish is that Tex and MY would want to create the same situation in Texas that Jeter and company created in NY. They are trying extremely hard adn need some additional help. The playing fields are not equal, but I'm not sure that Tex is made of the same cloth as Jeter. Some people are just winners, and Jeter is one of those people. His presence in KC or Pittsburgh could do a lot for those teams...not World Series, but greatly improve their performance.

by T Coleman on Sep 26, 2006 6:59 PM CDT up 0 recs