Series Preview: Texas Rangers @ Houston Astros - Texas Finale

The Rangers won the Silver Boot in 2010 like they have every year since 2006. Like the Stanley Cup in hockey, it is tradition for each member of the winning team to receive a day to do as they see fit with the glorious trophy of Texas baseball superiority. Here now is a chronicle of what some of the people responsible for winning the Silver Boot did with their Silver Boot Day:

• Ron Washington took the Silver Boot catfishing.
• Jon Daniels took the Silver Boot back to Queens so the local New York area could experience the fruits of winning for once.
• Nolan Ryan let the Silver Boot hang out with his other boots, an honor even for the Silver Boot.
• Jackie Moore sipped lemonade in his backyard cradling the Silver Boot while he watched his grandkids play on the tire swing by the creek.
• Dave Anderson left went for a smooth afternoon drive with the Silver Boot, but just as dusk hit, he got pulled over for going through a stop sign.
• Elvis Andrus took the Silver Boot to a circus so that it could ride the elephants but then got jealous of the Silver Boot and asked it to leave.
• Michael Young took the Silver Boot to be cast into a mold so he could make the Silver Boot into a an actual wearable pair of boots. He got them in tan, however, because silver is kind of showy.
• David Murphy took the Silver Boot to the Alamo because that was the most Texas thing he could think of on that day.
• Nelson Cruz declined the Silver Boot saying that he didn't need some fancy magic boot to get laid.
• Joaquin Arias ended up having the Silver Boot for two days because no one wanted to call him and ask that he return it until finally Jeff Francoeur took care of it.
• Ryan Garko's calls to inquire about when his day with the Silver Boot will be still have not been returned.
• Vladimir Guerrero didn't know why the Rangers were giving him a boot trophy so he just stuck the Silver Boot in his closet until they called him the next day about returning the Silver Boot. He regrets not taking the Silver Boot to a water park now.
• C.J. Wilson took the Silver Boot to a lunch date with the producers of LOST and that's why LOST ended that way.
• Rich Harden got lost in his image reflecting in the Silver Boot so intensely that his collar bone shattered.
• Colby Lewis returned to Japan with the Silver Boot to reflect on his long journey back to the Major Leagues. No one batted an eye at the guy walking around with a silver boot.
• Tommy Hunter, Ian Kinsler, Mitch Moreland, and Craig Gentry bargained to give up their individual days with the Silver Boot to jointly present Cliff Lee with a week with the Silver Boot in Arkansas if he stayed in Texas. Cliff Lee just said, "It's cool guys. I just stopped off at Circle E Western shop on the way up here."
• Josh Hamilton asked for a night with the Silver Boot instead.
• If you're wondering, the only people to drop the Silver Boot during their day with the Silver Boot were Chuck Greenberg, Josh Lewin, and John Rhadigan.

I've had the same Gmail account since May 2004 in which I've archived every email I've received, and in the time, Jason Bourgeois has been mentioned in 40 emails. Now, I'd say 35 of those were from Jamey Newberg or Scott Lucas, but still, 40 times is a lot of emails in seven years about a former Rangers draft pick. For example, Mike Lamb shows up in only 32 emails and he actually played for the Rangers.

But that's not even the weirdest thing about Jason Bourgeois. No, the weirdest thing about Jason Bourgeois is that he's basically become the Astros third best player this season. Jason Bourgeois, who was a member of the Rangers prospect landscape back in a time when seemingly anyone was welcome, has gone from second round pick in the 2000 draft to prospect to Marcus Lemon 1.0 to completely off the radar to salvaged in Milwaukee by Doug Melvin because that's what Doug Melvin does with guys he drafted when he was with the Rangers to picked up by the Astros to starting to performing better than most people on a team. 

There was once top Rangers prospects lists in the early 2000s with Jason Bourgeois and Colby Lewis on them and then those two people busted magnificently only to now, in 2011, have a collective WAR better than the likes of Billy Bulter, Shin-Soo Choo, and Ryan Howard. Baseball is kind of amazing.

Houston Astros (28-51, 6th Place NL Central)

Rangers 2011 Record vs. Houston: 2-1 (All at The Ballpark)

Houston's Recent Results: 0-3 Swept by the Tampa Bay Rays

Houston's Home Record: 13-28

Minute Maid Park Park Factors (LHB/RHB): HR: 107/117 - wOBA: 102/100

SB Nation Astros Blog: The Crawfish Boxes

Questions to Answer:

• Who is your favorite former Astros not named Nolan Ryan? Mine is definitely Sid Bream.
• Who is your pick to lead the Rangers hits in this series? (I'll say Andres Blanco.)
• Over/Under: 1.5 home runs off the Chic-fil-A foul pole, train tracks, or centerfield flag pole at Minute Maid Park in this series?
• Will we see a return of the Minute Maid laser pointer?
• What would you do with a day with the Silver Boot? I'd go to the Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo and eat a 72 ounce steak out of it.