http://sports.espn.go.com/broadband/video/videopage?videoId=3521157&categoryId=2521705

ESPN gives Rangers some attention on the national platform...so everyone that complains about the lack of that, please watch this and finally be happy.

Good day.

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I'm pumped like Everyday Eddie!

Hell Yes!

Wild Card Race

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Is that Kenny Rogers out there?

 x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

Only 5 out of the WC now......Discuss.

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We're 6 games out of the Wild Card.  This series has the potential to knock us out of the race entirely or keep us in the discussion.  Given how excited I am that we are playing meaningful games this late into the year, each series becomes that much more intriguing.  With that, I want to try this out for a few series and measure the overall sentiment of how Rangers fans believe we will perform in each series down the stretch.   With that, please vote in the poll and leave comments if you like.  The poll closes after the first pitch tonight.

Here are the matchups:

Mon 8/4 Padilla vs. Chamberlain

Tues 8/5  Harrison vs. Pettitte

Wed 8/6 Hunter vs. Ponson

Thur 8/7 Feldman vs. Mussina

Per SF Chronicle

According to major-league sources, the Giants were scouting Texas third baseman Hank Blalock, who went on the disabled list with a sore shoulder Tuesday. The Rangers contacted the Giants about Blalock, a 27-year-old with some (but not overwhelming) power. The Rangers covet Giants pitching, including Jonathan Sanchez.

 

Big-time strike out pitcher, only 25, isn't prone to the longball.  Sanchez certainly would classify as a young MLB ready pitcher who hasn't put it all together yet but has the talent to be really good, something apparently JD is looking for.  If JD had been able to pull this off I would have been extremely happy.  Unfortunately  since Blalock is now on the DL that's the end of that.  This is a sign though that JD has indeed been active in trade talks.

Here is a write-up of Sanchez if you aren't familiar with him.

From Peter Gammons

The Rangers are one of the only teams with catching depth in Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Gerald Laird, Taylor Teagarden and Max Ramirez, and nearly eight teams have been trying to deal for one. The Yankees are one of several clubs in on Laird, and Boston is in on Teagarden.

This is much more realistic than the Michael Young talk.

This is the most specific rumor I've seen relating to Boston's desire for not just a Rangers catcher, but Taylor Teagarden specifically.  Gammons is pretty reliable especially when it comes to the Red Sox since he has so many sources there so I believe his claim that the Sox want him.  Now the question becomes this:

Let me first say that I think Teagarden has the most value out of any of the Rangers' catchers and he is the one Rangers catcher I really don't want to trade.  Saying that, is Michael Bowden enough for Taylor Teagarden?  I honestly don't think he is.  I think the Rangers should hold out for Bowden + another arm (Hagadone)?  I would also ask about trading Guardado and Teagarden for Clay Buchholz however I do not believe he can be had, even for those two.  If so, that's a no-brainer though.  Thoughts? 

Also, if Teagarden is moved to Boston and Laird is traded as well to say Florida, would you want to keep Max and Salty as our permanent catchers or would you instead be in favor of moving one of those two in the offseason?

This deserves its own fanpost.

Per MLBTR

From Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger:

The Dodgers continue to look everywhere for a shortstop, and tons of names have come up in connection with their search. They don't seem likely to land the Pirates' Jack Wilson, but they're scouring other organizations for options, having touched base with Toronto about John McDonald, the Yankees about Alberto Gonzales, the Twins about Adam Everett and even the Rangers about Michael Young, though it's unclear whether or why Young would be available.

Young is new to the discussion.  The 31 year-old shortstop is hitting .298/.345/.421 in 469 plate appearances this year.  His five-year, $80MM extension was signed in March of '07 but doesn't kick in until next year.  Even if the Rangers would listen on Young, could the Dodgers take on such a contract?

Seems highly unlikely but the fact that there have been discussions about MY between JD and the Dodgers makes this conversation worth having...Yes you would be getting rid of that contract but at the same time you are losing a big-time clubhouse leader.  I have no idea what kind of return we could get for Michael Young.  I assume Kershaw and Billingsley are off-limits.  I imagine Andruw Jones would be coming back to Texas in the deal as the Dodgers wouldn't want to pick up MY's contract without letting go of AJ's.  I also would imagine that Andy LaRoche would be involved in a deal and he would become our potential 3B of the future with Elvis at SS.  The Dodgers don't have that great of a farm system, especially when it comes to pitching.  James McDonald is highly touted (Sickels gave him a B+ going into this year) and he has continued to do well this year  in his second season at AA (age 23, 3.04 ERA, 109 K in 112 IP) however he is prone to the home run ball so he doesn't seem to be an ideal fit for the Rangers.  Also, Scott Elbert is ranked as the Dodgers' 4th best prospect by BP.  He's been injured a lot though so durability might be a concern. 

Do you consider Young for Jones, LaRoche, and McDonald/Elbert?

Thoughts? Other potential packages?

Saw this on Drudge....

Link to Article

Also, here's a link to the radio feed

Here is a small excerpt from the article....Click the link for more.

FORMER NASA astronaut and moon-walker Dr Edgar Mitchell - a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission - has stunningly claimed aliens exist.

And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades.

Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.'

He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head.

Chillingly, he claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs and "had they been hostile", he warned "we would be been gone by now".

 

Do I believe there are other life forms in the universe?  Absolutely.  Do I think any have visited the Earth?  It's hard to believe that they have because to have the technology to get all the way to Earth, it would be almost inconceivable to think that they couldn't land their spaceship properly (but instead crashed).  Further, it seems far-fetched that they would not be adequately detected or documented by multiple civilians or the government would be able to cover it up for so long.