Wednesday (that feels like Monday) morning things

by Adam J. Morris on Feb 21, 2007 10:09 AM CST in News

The big story today is a big headline with no details...the Rangers have made a contract offer to Michael Young. Nobody is talking, and there are no details, but an offer is on the table, and we'll know soon enough where this is going.

Bottom line on this is, for Young to sign an extension, the Rangers are going to have to offer him too much money for too long a period of time. The real question is going to be, is Young going to be mildly overpaid for a couple of years on the end of his deal, or is he going to be Rusty Greer or Jeff Bagwell -- a fan favorite whose contract becomes an expensive albatross.

Jan Hubbard has a feature piece on Kam Loe's struggles last season, both on and off the field. Early last season, Loe lost a close friend in a car accident, flew home to be a pallbearer at the funeral, and then caught a red-eye back to pitch the next day in Kansas City.

It was soon thereafter, according to Hubbard, that Loe started having arm problems. Mark Conner says that Loe didn't fess up to the injury at first, which he believes set Loe back in terms of his recovery, and resulted in 2006 being largely a lost year.

Evan Grant discusses Jason Botts, and his reaction to the latest impediment to a full-time job -- Sammy Sosa.

There are some quotes in there indicating that Botts has improved on defense, but he's still a below-average outfielder, and his bat is going to have to carry him.

Jim Reeves has a column up that I discussed last night, on Brandon McCarthy.

The Chicago Sun-Times also has a McCarthy article up, with Chris DeLuca, the author of the piece, and McCarthy both seemingly baffled as to why the ChiSox gave McCarthy up.

Definitely an article to check out, as McCarthy expounds on what a more positive atmosphere it has been in Texas since he joined the Rangers, compared to Chicago.

Dave Sessions has some notes from spring training, including some thoughts on how Jon Daniels balances new fatherhood with being a g.m.

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Wednesday ?

Morning things.... :)

"When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, don't stick your elbow out the window, or it'll turn into a fossil."

by Ed Coffin on Feb 21, 2007 10:38 AM CST reply actions

Fixed

thanks

by Adam J. Morris on Feb 21, 2007 10:46 AM CST up reply actions

Hmmm

Seems like in years past the details of this contract would have been leaked by now.....

www.mavsmoneyball.com

by Wes Cox on Feb 21, 2007 11:08 AM CST reply actions

Yeah good point

...when some of the front office/coaching staff seemed as interested in making players look bad as retaining them. That would be a welcome change, and definitely something you hope for with Daniels and Washington, two seemingly decent guys, and Hicks not speaking out in the media as much.

by Brett Perryman on Feb 21, 2007 11:32 AM CST up reply actions

I don't like this

...if it's going to be a "Ranger for Life" deal. They're going to get burned. I'd much rather see them let Young walk and go hard after Teixeira.

by debaser on Feb 21, 2007 12:28 PM CST reply actions

OK

If you don't think Teix will go free agency no matter what.

"When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, don't stick your elbow out the window, or it'll turn into a fossil."

by Ed Coffin on Feb 21, 2007 12:49 PM CST up reply actions

If you're going to go hard after...

...Teixeira and let Young walk, you better be prepared for at least a 7 year, $140 million offer. Without Young, Tex becomes even MORE necessary for the Rangers, and he and Boras have all of the leverage.

The Rangers are going about this in the right way. Lock up Young now, show enough improvement in 2007 to make Tex want to stay past 2008, and then try to lock up Tex next off season. If we look like a winner a year from now, I think Tex is enough of a "stand-up" kind of guy to stick around for slightly less than the market will bear for him.

"Hello, win column..."

by rangersfan34 on Feb 21, 2007 1:00 PM CST up reply actions

Young/Tex

I like Young, but I think it's going to end up as a choice between him and Teixeira, and I'd rather have Teixeira even if they overpay for him.

by debaser on Feb 21, 2007 2:29 PM CST up reply actions

I don't think the team is viewing it that way,

especially since they already have an offer on the table for Young. But the nearly universal opinion amongst fans and the front office would probably be the same as yours if they could only sign one of them.

"Hello, win column..."

by rangersfan34 on Feb 21, 2007 2:45 PM CST up reply actions

I don't believe

Tex resigns without FA first. The Rangers know that and have chosen to target the player most likely to retain.

Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi Tech Tech VPI Go Hokies!

by jackbnimble on Feb 21, 2007 8:22 PM CST up reply actions

4 a.m. feedings

The guy that wrote that doesn't seem to know about breast pumps. I found it was a very good thing to handle some feedings by bottle with pumped milk late at night and let mom rest. A tired woman that just went through childbirth is a very, very dangerously bad thing.

by t ball on Feb 21, 2007 3:16 PM CST reply actions

Botts

"It's been a difficult uphill battle just to get to this point. I've accepted that is how it's going to always be. If I'm ever the guy, I don't know if I'll be able to handle it."

I guess that could mean a few different things:
He's distraught at all of the challenges, and feels like he's not going to get there.
He isn't sure if he can get there.
He just hasn't had the opportunity, so he doesn't know what it is going to be like.

Either way, it seems to have a negative connotation to me.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Feb 21, 2007 7:21 PM CST reply actions

Sarcasm?

Picture him saying the last line with a smile, or even a little smirk. I think it was sarcasm. And not even in a smart-ass way.

No negative connotation there.

by Oracle Galvez on Feb 22, 2007 9:45 AM CST up reply actions

That was my thought, as well

by Adam J. Morris on Feb 22, 2007 1:58 PM CST up reply actions

Fair enough

I just had a very mixed reaction when I read it at first. I could understand the sarcasm behind it, but it didn't translate well in words like that without any journalistic enhancement. I guess it should be reasonably obvious because most athletes are not that downtrodden.

Troy I.

by tdi1985 on Feb 23, 2007 12:50 AM CST up reply actions