Throw it back? Do the wave? What are the "rules" here?

So a couple of weeks ago, the Rangers were playing the ChiSox at home.  It was the top of the 7th inning and the Rangers had a commanding 10-4 lead, when Adam Dunn hit a home run into the left field seats.  BOOOOOOOO!  (We at 162+ strongly disapprove of opposing homers)

Well, a guy caught it and gave the HR ball to his kid...who happens to be a really cute kid in all Rangers gear -  the blue jersey, the blue hat, everything.  The kid even had a glove!  So why am I giving you the Eric Nadel description of this kid's outfit?  To illustrate how into this game the little guy was, obviously!  And how heartbreaking it must have been when his big "sister" yanks the ball from him to throw it back onto the field!  (I'd like to mention that 162+ is using the term "sister"  loosely, because this chick was about 20 years older than the kid, so we're not completely sold)

Sister?  COME ON!

Here's the live action in case you're interested:

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=26745955

Needless to say, when the Fox Sports Southwest cameras pan back to the kid after the throw back, he is utterly dejected.  I mean...the look on his face would have made Cruella Deville want to hug him.  Of course everyone's favorite in-stands reporter, Jim Knox saved the day and got the kid a ball!

And by "favorite", we mean "unnecessary"

Anyway, this incident raised some questions about whether we should be "throwing it back" and some other unwritten rules of the game.  So here we are.  (I know, I know, you were wondering when I was going to get to the point).

Throw back home run balls?  Two answers:  1.  I'm totally okay with anyone throwing a ball back if they want to.  (that also means, if you don't want to, keep the damn thing)  2.  Adult rules don't apply to kids!  And kids should never be pressured into playing by the adult rules (that we made up - so back off "sister"!)  

I read somewhere, after this whole "sister" incident, that "throwing it back" was a Cubs tradition and "we" shouldn't be subscribing to it.  Terrible argument.  I mean, if you don't want to throw it back, don't.  But don't NOT throw it back because it's "Cubs tradition".  That's crap.  Yes, throwing back opposing home run balls started at Wrigley Field in the 70s-80s.  But, singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" started as New York Polo Grounds 7th-inning stretch entertainment in the 30s.  It's sung in every park now.  Everything starts somewhere.  And I'm perfectly happy to throw a ball back myself on an opposing home run.  But I really couldn't care less if you don't.

What about The Wave?  Can we do the wave?  One answer:  NO.  (also see:  NEVER)  

Be the guy in red.  ALWAYS.

Why do people do the wave?  Why?  I don't actually have an answer for you here.  That was more rhetorical than anything.  I think people may just be trying to entertain themselves.  But, I have a newsflash for you Walter Cronkite:  THERE'S A LIVE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME GOING ON!  That should be entertainment enough.

You think you're too cool for school?  Well...you aren't.

So, back to the original point:  The Wave.  Just DON'T do it.  Ever.

And just one more thing I'll touch on here regarding the ballpark rules:  

Can we BOO former players when they visit our ballpark?  This is a more complicated answer.  Technically you can boo whoever you want.  But, when does it makes sense?

I think there was some confusion when the Reverend Josh Hamilton returned at the beginning of the season.  Some people were saying we can't boo Hamilton because he played lights out for us for five seasons.  That's true.  The guy is really good at baseball.  And I don't think anyone can argue what he accomplished in Texas.  He won an MVP for goodness sake.  On the opposite end of that spectrum was the "Silence for Josh" movement; basically this was the sect of fans so disgusted with Hamilton that they wanted to pretend he didn't exist during his first at bat back at RBiA.  

They read newspapers while Josh hit.
And that was the last time the Dallas Morning News sold so many print copies in one day.

So, what's the official 162+ ruling?  Well, first let's clarify that nobody wanted to boo Hamilton because of his five year performance in Texas.  Although, I will bring up the fact that things began to sour during September/October of the 2012 season when Hamilton basically gave up and played like he didn't care.  Who can forget this:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4626749677018&l=8568004820164098620

Obviously, the Great Meltdown of 2012 wasn't all his fault, but his performance during that period really didn't help.  Fast forward to the off-season when he said:

"Texas, especially Dallas, has always been a football town.  The good with the bad is they're supportive, but they also got a little spoiled at the same time, pretty quickly.  You can understand a really true, true baseball town.  There's true baseball fans in Texas but it's not a true baseball town".

Now, I realize that some were highly offended by this remark.  But, I tend to agree.  Not in the sense that there are no true baseball fans here, because there are tons and even Hamilton acknowledged that.  But, definitely in the sense that football is the Metroplex's sports priority.  It always will be.  Texas=Football.  And I love the Dallas Cowboys, so that's okay by me.  I have, though, always been more of a seam head than anything.  So I tend to notice when I walk into a sports bar and the Rangers are NOT on...during the season.  And football insider shows are on.  And that's happened many, many times.  Over many different years.  At many different bars.   

The part about Hamilton's statement that irked me though...was that he signed with the LA Angels of Anaheim (or wherever the hell it is they play).  LA?  You want to play in  a "baseball town" and you go to LA?  LA wouldn't give a shit about baseball if Tom Hanks was the commissioner, Kim Kardashian threw out every first pitch., Justin Bieber sang every national anthem....and Tom Cruise blessed the game through his magical Church of Scientology powers.  (I think you see what I'm getting at here).

...use your witchcraft to get the fire off me!!

Anyway, all of this on top of his repeated bad mouthing of the organization got the crowd primed to boo.  And I was ready too.

But, generally, I have nothing against former players that come back.  They have to try really hard to make me want to boo.  Mission accomplished, Hamilton.

We won't even get into the opening day post-game press conference when he compared himself to Jesus right now.  Mostly because the Angels won't be back in town until the end of July and that's a long time to wait to boo.  But, in case you forgot what he said, it went something like this:  "Where was Jesus got-after the most?  His hometown.  Baseball-wise, this is my hometown."  

Well, that's all for now.  

Late West Coast start again tonight.  Holland on the hill.  24-14.  

38 down, 124 to go.

Six months plus one day in the making...

The last time I was in Rangers Ballpark in Arlington was October 5, 2012.  It looked like this:

Wild card playoff game vs. the Baltimore Orioles

Yu Darvish was on the mound and the crowd was energized.  I had my Ranger red shirt on, the Rangers baseball cap, hell...I was even wearing Texas Rangers eye-black sticker things.  Unfortunately, things did not go as planned and by 11 o'clock that night I was counting down the days until Opening Day.

Six months and one day later I was back baby!  April 6th, yesterday, my first game at the ballpark of the newly minted 2013 season.  There is just something very exciting about a young baseball season; so many possibilities and if your team is even remotely good, chances are that your expectations are through the roof.  Not to mention that I was going through massive withdrawal.  I was seriously watching the World Baseball Classic with the same fervor as the 2010 World Series.  Kidding.  Obviously, I was not.  But, I was into it.  I've never cared about David Wright so much in my life.

Back to the subject at hand:  the absolute awesomeness of opening weekend at RBiA.  Even driving up was awesome:

Not my truck.  In fact, I think my Civic could fit in this guy's truck.

If you can get around the chaos of trying to remember which lanes are turn lanes (so you can get into the parking lot to the left easier) and the dumb drivers (obviously everyone but us), then you can really get hyped up in this spot:

Move Mini Cooper, you're killing the vibe.

Even getting to our seats was fun; the Rangers "Legends" banners, a new club-type area, and new food offerings (Homeplate Butcher Block is home of the Beltre Buster, RBiA's latest heart attack on a plate) are always good to see.

Why isn't that table in my house?

Now normally, I live in the 320 sections.  There are only a few bad seats in this park, like right in that triangle area near the right field fair pole (you can't see crap) or the seats just above the green scoreboard in left field (it's hotter than hell right there...NO shade whatsoever).  The 320 sections are a great value; about $25 a seat and a nice view.  325 is right behind home plate.  But, on this day, we chose to sit a better seat.  Section 40 was awesome:

We caught the tail end of BP.

The only down side to this seat was that if a ball was hit down the line near the wall, we couldn't see if it was fair or foul, same for anything hit in the air in that corner.  We couldn't see if the outfielder made the catch or not.  But overall, very nice.  I also had a nice view of one of the best parts of the opening weekend experience:

BUNTING!!  

Although the actual game left much to be desired (what the hell is wrong with Harrison right now?), the overall ballpark experience was glorious, as always.  We got to participate in the usual ballpark traditions that go something like this:

4th Inning:  "The Stars at night, are big and bright, clap, clap, clap, clap, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS" - you're singing now, aren't you?

6th Inning:  DOT RACE!  (Although, the dots never race anymore...)

No wagering, please.

And of course the 7th inning stretch:

"Take me out to the ballgame, take me out with the crowd...

...root, root, root for the RANGERS..."

And the Cotton-Eyed Joe (!) a RBiA favorite.

Did I mention that there are additional ways to enhance the overall experience:

Now THAT is a beer cup.  Nice "1972" too.

I can sum up the overall feeling of yesterday's crowd with this guy's shirt:

That's dedication; I mean, the dude had a shirt MADE!

I'm looking forward to my next visit to our park, which, by the way, is a top 10 ballpark in the country.  Check it out, I didn't even make that up.  Hopefully, we get a better result next time.

And if you would like my own personal best list (of the parks I've visited), here it is:

1.  Camden Yards - have some Boog's BBQ

2.  Rangers Ballpark in Arlington

3.  Old Busch Stadium*

4.  Old Yankee Stadium - saw a Sox game there, Mussina vs. Beckett, and it kicked ass

5.  Wrigley Field**

* The atmosphere in the park and even in the neighborhood around the park was incredible.  EVERYONE had their Cardinals red on and EVERYONE was going to the game.  

** Here's your takeaway:  If you want to be a bleacher bum, remember that is all you will be that night.  If you have bleacher tix, you literally have no access to any other part of the ballpark.

And that's all she wrote.  Literally.  I'm out.  

Okay, not yet.  

Last note:  Get excited for Weaver and YUUUUU at the ballpark tonight!  7:05PM on ESPN (our 3rd nationally televised game of the young season)!

3W, 2L; 157 to go.

1 game. Long season...

So...I had a post all ready to go about different odds and ends that I ALWAYS tend to forget once I sit down to write these things, but the events of tonight, shall we say, amended the conversation? I've been saying since opening night (an entire 3 nights ago haha)...1 game, long season...but clearly we could have dedicated TWO posts to the history that almost took place earlier tonight.


However, in the spirit of my new philosophy I'll try and write the post I originally intended. Haha. Well, the quandary the Rangers were facing (or maybe it was just us?) regarding their opening day starter this year got me thinking about the presence of an "Ace" pitcher for this Rangers team not just this year, but in the not too distant past. When baseball fans think "Ace" in this day and age we immediately invoke names like: Justin Verlander, Felix Hernandez, Roy Halladay, Clayton Kershaw, Tim Lincecum, R.A. Dickey???? (whom the Rangers drafted grrr haha)* and so on and so on...

*

I'm guessing you know what I mean. I'm talking about that guy you can send out to the mound on any given night (especially in a must win and/or elimination game in the playoffs) and you know what you're getting. You're confident he'll get the job done. It won't always be pretty, but more often than not you're going to win. They just have that extra gear/will to win.


October 12, 2010 at Tropicana Field comes to mind...






These are your no-brainer opening day starters. If we arbitrarily choose the year 2000 and examine the Rangers' opening day starters (not necessarily their "Ace") here's what you'll find:


2013 Harrison

2012 Lewis

2011 Wilson

2010 Feldman

2009 Millwood

2008 Millwood

2007 Millwood

2006 Millwood

2005 Drese

2004 Rogers

2003 Valdez

2002 Park

2001 Helling

2000 Rogers


Not all that impressive, huh? There's plenty to snicker at here. Scott Feldman? Really? I'll go you one better and tell you that game 2 that year was started by Rich Harden. What a 1-2 punch, I tell ya. This was the year we went to the World Series too, people! So by no means are you bound by these opening day starters. If anything it illustrates my point about the Rangers. Ryan Drese? Ismael Valdez? Chan Ho freakin' Park? You're killing me here, but lets move on.


Rick Helling was a great contributor (occasionally) to the mid-to-late 90s Ranger teams. Kenny Rogers was as well, even beyond the 90s. Kenny Rogers is a bit of a conundrum for me though. Different rapid fire images come to mind when I think of him. He owns one of  the greatest moments in Rangers history...





He then leaves for the Yankees for a couple of seasons and wins a ring, but never even makes a postseason roster if I'm not mistaken. He comes BACK to the Rangers in 2000 and does this in 2005...






He left again in 2006 (not surprisingly after the above incident) for Detroit, had some success, pitched in the World Series, blah blah blah...


Kevin Millwood was a solid, workhorse, innings guy for the Rangers as I've previously described. Lets be honest though. Baseball fans remember Kevin Millwood for being that one Braves starter NOT named Greg Maddux, John Smoltz or Tom Glavine. His 2005 AL ERA champion campaign was all the Rangers needed to see to feel they had finally found their "Ace". This wasn't the case either as I've also previously described. There's also another guy in there I haven't mentioned. C.J. something? Anyway...



Now if we weren't arbitrarily starting with the year 2000 you'd find a couple of  real no-names like these...

Haha. In all seriousness, though, when I think about Opening Day(s) an actual 'no name' that I remember really fondly is Ken Hill. Reason being he was the Opening Day starter/psuedo Ace for your 1996 Rangers. He dueled with Roger Clemens that day and won. I remember because I skipped school to be there in person (haha). He didn't have overpowering numbers that year, but I expected a Rangers win (even if not statistically for him) when he was on the mound. That team actually started the year 6-0 by sweeping the Red Sox and our eventual ALDS foe/World Series Champion Yankees (7-0 before losing to the White Sox). Man, was 1996 a magic year for the Rangers organization and until recent history I had it ranked as my favorite/best Rangers team of all time. Expect an entire post dedicated to that team when I'm bored one of these nights. Haha...




 




I suppose my point is that it's impossible to say we don't need an "Ace" or that we've gotten along just fine without one. That was the entire reason we ran out and got Cliff Lee after all. I'll even admit if we had 'that guy' we may have won one or both World Series we played in (even though we had 'that guy' in 2010 with Lee, he laid an egg in both his WS starts). 



Either way I feel like there is an "Ace" or someone with "Ace"-like stuff somewhere in the mix here. After one start (which doesn't tell you much), for what it's worth, I don't feel that guy is Matt Harrison. No disrespect to Matty. I promise you he's here somewhere. He just has to rise to the occasion when it counts...

I could actually write a similar post about our closer situation over the years, but I won't. You get the point. The Rangers have never been known for their pitching.




Finally, a nugget I forgot to add to my Rangers/Astros post. If tonight had gone as we all hoped, it would have eclipsed perhaps what is my favorite Rangers/Astros moment. A catch you have to see (if you haven't already) to believe. Maybe even the greatest catch I've EVER seen. A shot for shot recreation doesn't even do it justice. That's about all GMJ contributed to us. Haha...

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13118995&topic_id=&c_id=mlb&tcid=vpp_copy_13118995&v=3


Not the best post, I know. That game kind of took the wind out of my sails. Notice my code of silence on its events. I can't even bring myself to say it AFTER that fact! Learn that lesson, folks. Oh well. Rubber game tomorrow and I'll be there in person (for which I'm ALWAYS potentially a jinx, another post waiting to happen).


In conclusion, aren't yall glad baseball is back? Now I'm thinking I found a new rally cry to make myself feel better (even after a dominant shut-out win? Really? haha)...



 1 game...




Long season...

The Bandwagon Fan and The Elusive Opening Day Ticket

Can I just say before I officially begin this post that I have been torn on this particular subject for a few years now...

Side A:  Why the hell do I have to enter a drawing for the "opportunity" to buy Opening Day tickets when 70% of these clowns have NO idea who Charlie Hough is?*

Side B:  It really is great to see so many fans at the park...tailgating even!  I never thought I'd see the day; so glad everyone is finally catching on!

*Don't give me the "I know Pudge/Gonzo/Nolan Ryan" crap.  It's damn near impossible to have lived in the DFW Metroplex during the last 15 - 25 years and not know them.  Even bringing up this argument almost automatically disqualifies you from the discussion.  Fans, not to be mistaken for people that happen to live in DFW, FANS know random players like Charlie Hough and Oddibe McDowell.

OK...let's begin.

Official attendance at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington was 3,460,280 for the 2012 season.  It was 2,244,616 for the 1993 season.  Two side notes on the 1993 season:  1.  The Rangers finished 10 games over .500 that year; 2nd in the West.  2.  That was the final season at Arlington Stadium.

I picked 1993 just to demonstrate that even buoyed by Arlington Stadium's swan song AND a decent team to watch, attendance was still 1.2 MILLION off the 2012 pace.  And for anyone that would like to make the requisite "The population of DFW has grown X amount since 1993" argument, I present this to you:

The attendance during the 2009 season at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington was 2,156,016.

That's right.  Even lower than that last year in Arlington Stadium.  And just one year before the Rangers began their historic franchise turnaround.

I provided all of these numbers just to prove that this bandwagon has been jumped...about a million times.  Not that you needed all of that to prove the obvious, I'm just very thorough.  (Thank you BaseballReference.com)

So what's the problem?  Why doesn't "Side B" work?

I'll tell you why.  Because almost 100% of those new million or so "fans" exist because they like a winner, not the Rangers, and not even baseball.  So now we've got people (I'm throwing Leo in here too) asking us questions like "So, what happens if we win?", "How many games do we have to win to go to the World Series?" and my personal favorite, "Is there a Rangers game tonight/this Friday (maybe we should go)?".

It's a 162 game season, there is almost always a game "tonight"...and Friday?  Really?  Come on.

And it's those same people asking "Are we in the playoffs?" that we fans are fighting for tickets.  Opening Day tickets.  Playoff tickets.  "Premier Game" tickets.  (I hate the "premier game", btw)  And then some jackass like Cliff Lee wants to make a snide comment about wanting to play for a team whose fans don't need the scoreboard to know when to clap.

I don't need the scoreboard, jerk!  But, I also wasn't going to pay $400 to sit in the 300 section either.  That price tag is courtesy of Joe Bandwagon who thinks Mike Napoli is the best catcher of all time.

Now I'm not saying you have to know every draft pick since 1972 or even remember Benji Gil to get a ticket.  I'm just saying that there should be some preferential treatment for those of us that can answer a few questions...like a baseball fan Wonderlic to be taken before purchasing tickets:

1. Who made the final out of Kenny Rogers' perfect game?
2. What's the best trade in Texas Rangers history?
3. Explain the infield fly rule.

Ok, maybe question three is too harsh.  But, you see where I'm going with this.

Ah well, maybe this is wishful thinking.  I guess I'll just enjoy the atmosphere the Rangers' winning ways have created.  Check it out:

2010 ALDS...a sea of Ranger Red.  Glorious.

A Rangers win > Game Tickets.

12 days.

Welcome...Let's Get The Party Started...

Welcome to 162+ folks.  

If you love baseball and especially Texas Rangers baseball, then this is the place for you.  As of now, we have 16 days until the Rangers open at Minute Maid Park in Houston, which is giving me the urge to give you a list of reasons why Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is better than that mall of a ballpark.  But, that would take all day.  All I can say is, if a ballpark with air conditioning doesn't annoy the hell out of you, then you may be reading the wrong blog.

I digress...

16 days until Kins, Elvis, AB, YU, and the boys get the MLB party started for 2013.  Needless to say, this has been quite the underwhelming off-season for the Rangers.  We lost quite a few big pieces that we didn't replace and have a couple of key guys starting the season on the DL (Lewis and Feliz), not to mention the "is Nolan Ryan leaving the organization?" distraction.  Looks like the team's success for 2013 may hinge on the performance of the kids...we can only hope they're ready.

Here's a picture of our happy place to get you in the mood:

There will be much more to talk about this season....

The Angels transformation into the Yankees...whether or not we'll BOO Josh Hamilton...who the hell our 5th starter is...why Profar should be in AAA...Yu bobbleheads...

ahhh...the possibilities....

Stay tuned.