The new DMN Rangers' newsletter is out, and it is chock full o' ugliness about management...
Some highlights:
As for Showalter's history, you certainly have to acknowledge there appear to be similarities between what's happening with the Rangers and what happened in other places. Still not 100 percent sure if its merely eerie coincidence or a serious clubhouse issue.
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While Diamond and Danks had all the buzz in spring training, Edison Volquez has been the name mentioned most often this year. I won't be surprised if he's in the majors before the end of the week. And I won't be surprised if he fails when he comes up initially, too. He has not dominated in his brief stint at Double-A.
We're all just casting about theories here, so who knows? My gut reaction is that the current administration desperately would like to have a couple of its own drafted players establish themselves instead of constantly hearing about how Doug Melvin drafted Hank Blalock and Kevin Mench in the same season, Mark Teixeira in 2001 and traded for both Michael Young and Francisco Cordero when they were mere prospects.
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Showalter, also, is willing to put in long hours. I'm just not sure that it's in the right directions. He has spread his influence so far and wide in the Rangers' organization that I'm not sure he's able to give the proper amount of attention to what should be his primary responsibility - the 25 guys in the clubhouse.
I will say this...it is comforting to see so many questions this week that appear to be expressing anger and frustration with management. Even Grant commented about the level of hostility from the readership this week...
It is reassuring to me to see that from the folks writing in, rather than "When is Jeff Zimmerman going to be back?"/"My son tried to get autographs before a game but couldn't get any, what do you suggest?" type questions...