Lone Star Ball: FanPosts

OT: McCain is going to win

Sharky — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:32:06 -0000

I dont even know if OT is allowed here anymore, but I'm going old school!

Anyways, yeah, title.

McCain takes 5 point lead in reuters poll:

http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKN1948672420080820

The money race..liberal media has told is it's a massive advantage for Obama. Oops, looks like they were doing what they do best, lie:

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/08/19/the-2008-money-race-stil-closer-than-you-think.aspx

Next we have real clear politics electoral map with no toss up states, which for the first time shows McCain +10

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/maps/obama_vs_mccain/?map=10

Now lets touch on the polls most of which would give Obama a 2 to 6 point lead..lets just say I do not trust them. Due to Obama being black and the supposed public tendency to support a black candidate when polled but not in actuality because of fear of being perceived as racist, and the usual liberal bias in the polls run by the liberal media. Combine these two and at any given time I feel McCain is sitting with several points in hand not reflected in polls.

Then we get to the factor of it all comes down to a few swing states, Ohio, Florida, Pennslyvania, Virginia, Colorado, and Michigan. I feel that due to Hillary Clinton running very well in these states, McCain has an edge there.

Finally I feel like Obama is not very bright, therefore his campaign, probably run by a bunch of affirmative action unqualified minorities, has made mistep after mistep, compared to a savvy McCain campaign, and I feel confident that will continue. Latest case in point, Obamas veep frontrunners. As I understand it, Joe Biden and Katherine Sebelius. All I can say to that is..wtf? Joe Biden, no, really?

Help me! I need a Texas Rangers pet calendar!

PsychoBeef7 — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 01:36:50 -0000

Im a desperate young woman and I really need a Texas Rangers pet calendar!

Does anybody know where I can get one?

Thank you my fellow Rangers fans!

hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi h ih ih ihi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi i love you do you love me? forever hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi hi

Clinton Game Report

pblack — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 20:18:58 -0000

I was at the Clinton game last night and saw Smoak's debut as well as 6 innings from Beaven. I left after 6 innings (I had 2 kids with me) but I saw 3 of Smoak's at bats. His first 2 at bats were lefty against a pretty solid starter for Peoria. He saw 7 pitches in his first at bat and drew a walk. In his second at bat he was a loud out to center and in his third at bat, hitting right, he rolled out meekly on the first pitch he saw. Defensively he didn't have to do much so I can't comment on that.

Beavan was good but if I didn't know who he was I wouldn't have been blown away. He was certainly not overpowering and his fastball stayed between 88-91. He touched 92 occasionally and the stadium gun had him at 97 once on a high fastball, but I'm not sure I trust that reading. He pitched well but was not the an oh and ah type of performance. I would publish some pics but I don't know how to do it, so if someone will tell me how to get them from my pics onto this then I will do it.

Eighth Best Ranger Tie-Breaker: Rogers vs. Hough

philkid3 — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:59:47 -0000

The last round of the Best Ranger Ever vote was pretty close. Six different players (Bell, Hough, Rogers, Sundberg, Jenkins and Sierra) were within three votes of eachother. In the end, Kenny Rogers and Charlie Hough ended up tying eachother.

So I ask you, Lone Star Ball: with the Texas Rangers, who was the better pitcher?

Here's our list so far:

Ivan Rodriguez 1991-2002

Juan Gonzalez 1989-99, 2002-03

Nolan Ryan 1989-93

Rafael Palmeiro 1989-93, 1999-03

Alex Rodriguez 2001-03

Rusty Greer 1994-2002

Michael Young 2000-08

Poll

Who was the better pitcher as a Texas Ranger?

OT: Last Red Sox @ Yankee Stadium Series...Im going!!

booyahcaveman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:13:45 -0000

Gotta love my dad!! My dad and I are going to the whole series next week. Our seats arent great but we are going more the experience. Ive been to Wrigley, Fenway and now Yankee Stadium. Is anyone else going? Anyone have any advice on what to do pay particular attention to? Also, my dad and I are staying in northern New Jersey. We will be taking the train into the stadium. I will DEFINITELY have a lot of pictures when I get back. Any advice/input would be awesome!! IM PUMPED!!!

Info on Wilfredo Boscan

Baseball Handyman — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:47:20 -0000

It's been difficult finding info on Boscan other than his great numbers. Does anybody have any additional insight or info?

Impress Your Buds - Wilfredo Boscan, SP, TEX

Through the MLB draft and by raiding the IFA market, the Texas Rangers now find themselves flush with talented young pitchers. Often forgotten among the talk of 95 mile per hour fastballs and hammer curves is Wilfredo Boscan, an 18 year old IFA from the Dominican Republic who is currently undefeated in class A short season ball. With a 7-0 record and solid peripherals, he's looking like the next in a long line of talented Ranger pitching prospects.

let's take a look at Boscan's numbers;

Age 17 - 1.75 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, .210 BAA with a 61/13 K/BB in 56 2/3 IP @ DSL
Age 18 - 2.96 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .258 BAA with a 54/8 K/BB in 51 2/3 @ A- (SS)

Obviously, a 5.5/1 K/BB ratio at such a young age is impressive. Mix in a 54% GB rate and you have the makings of a pitcher saber-heads will clamor over. Boscan's only drawback is his 51 hits allowed in 51 2/3 IP, but this can be attributed to a rather high .338 BABIP and the possibility that he's just a young pitcher filling up the zone a little too much. With his current peripherals, further adjustment to the United States, and the addition of some meat to his 6'2" 160 lb. frame, Boscan could take off.

Monday's post game thoughts

Steal Home — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:41:11 -0000

Typical 2008 Ranger game

1-Scott Feldman has good outing until he struggles in his last inning

2-A reliever comes in and blows the lead

3-Bad umpiring call costs the Rangers 1 run and gives the opponent the lead

4-Wright comes in, and a an error on an easy play costs the Rangers 4 runs

5-Another horrible call gives the opponent an out

6-Mr. Unclutch (Chris Davis) fails to get a hit in two key occasions, one being in the 9th

7-The Rangers ALMOST come back.

If the Rangers dont sign Sabathia or at least a Lowe type, then they better get someone who can shutdown the 7th or 8th inning because we now lead the AL in blown saves and our save percentage is 57%.

AND why did we put in fransisco, hes now blown 3 straight save oppurtunities

Bradley

Black Francis — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:46:59 -0000

Okay, so it wasn't that long ago that it seemed like people either wanted the Rangers to trade him at the deadline or bring him back for next year.

With the numbers he's put up, he's due for a payday. If you were part of the front office would you give it to him? The guy has missed a lot of time.

Personally, I really dig the guy. I love his approach at the plate and the attitude he brings to the team. Not only that, he also seems to enjoy playing here and if what you read in the press is any indication, he's well-liked by his teammates. But the missed time does bother me. And while he's the kind of guy who is always going be good when healthy, he's probably not going to duplicate his 2008 numbers even if he could avoid injuries. It seems to me that this was his career year and he'll likely drop off to some degree next year.

It would depend on the money/years obviously, and I don't see him giving the Rangers a discount big enough for me to bring him back if I had anything to do with the decision. When the team needed him the most, he was down with injuries. Now I don't blame the guy for the Rangers falling out of the Wild Card race...I never thought they had the pitching to pass who was in front of them. I did however think Bradley would come back and the Rangers would be able to stick around and stay close enough to make it a little more interesting. That doesn't look like it will happen.

Anyway, what do you guys think? Will Bradley play for Texas next year or not? Would you be pissed if not or would you just accept it? I don't think any Rangers fan would be happy to see him go, but if I'm wrong speak up.

BA's MLB tools survey

zywica — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:35:02 -0000

Rangers ranked in the AL:

BEST POWER
1. Josh Hamilton, Rangers

BEST HIT-AND-RUN ARTIST
2. Michael Young, Rangers

MOST EXCITING PLAYER
1. Josh Hamilton, Rangers

And that's it, not one Ranger among the top three at a position defensively.

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/majors/best-tools/2008/266676.html

ARodo was the best hitter, Halladay best pitcher. In the NL Pujols was the best hitter, Webb was the best pitcher, Han Ram was most exciting.

2008 Draft Signings

oneman6tools — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:04:27 -0000

I know that Jamey's got the 2008 draft page, but it hasn't been updated yet, so does anyone know where I can find the guys who signed or didn't sign from this draft?

I was curious about:

Clark Murphy 5th Rd

Harold Martinez 19th Rd

William Thompson 7th Rd

Michael Bianucci 8th Rd

Kevin Castner 10th Rd

Corey Young 12th Rd

Justin Gutsie 14th Rd

Justin Miller 16th Rd

Thank you in advance!

Kinsler to the DL, possibly out for the season

lisa w — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 22:52:30 -0000

Didn't see this posted anywhere yet - but per Evan Grant, Kinsler will be going on the DL and could possibly be out the rest of the season. Per the previous blog entry, Arias will replace him.

Just when you think it can't get any worse on the injury front.... it does. I'm almost glad all the wild card speculation had pretty much died down, because the way the remains of the season are going, the entire lineup will be on the DL except for Michael Young, who will continue to play despite two broken feet, arthiritis, and indigestion.

Minors 8-18: Special "The Smoak Has Landed" Edition

thedirkatron — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:37:12 -0000

According to Richard Durrett over at the DMN blog it's semi-official that we're gonna get to see (or, for most of us, read about) our newest sexy 1b prospect play and hit 5th tonight:

Marcus Jacobs, the Clinton LumberKings beat writer for The Clinton Herald, just called and said the plan right now is for Justin Smoak to bat fifth tonight in his professional debut with the Class A club.

The team hasn't decided if Smoak will DH tonight or play first. Just passing it along.

So we've got that going for us, which is nice.

Here's the full schedule according to that Shroomy Guys' Web Page/Site:

SPO-8:30- Boscan
CLN-7:00- Beavan
BAK-9:00- Phillips
FRS-7:00- Holland
OKC-12- Mendoza
AZRL-pm- Miggy?

As of right now the OKC game is still listed as delayed due to rain, so who knows if it's gonna happen or not.

C-Wun, Boscan and Dutch, plus the debut of the Smoaker of Bitches?

It's gonna be a cool night of minor league action, y'all.

gossamer's rangers weekend 08

gossamer — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:03:54 -0000

since i live in tulsa, i can't go to rangers games very often. about once a year for the past 3 years now.

this year i say them play against kazmir and the rays. padilla was supposed to pitch, but i "got to" see nippert instead. whatever.

was happy when i heard bradley's name announced in the lineup. then was disappointed when he wasn't in there. whatever. not like they were gonna win with nippert pitching anyway.

kam loe was awesome. his k/bb ratio was really bad, but the last 2 innings he seemed to get better.

as i posted previously, i went to the frisco game the day before. damn that's a nice park. know exactly where to stand to get a couple foul balls next time i got there. teddy section is a great deal.

next sunday i see the drillers play the same naturals. guess i gotta root for the home team.

pics from the rangers and rough riders

just like i said in the rider thread, the camera ain't great. this is what i got off the metcalf homer

via img.photobucket.com

Very OT: Fantasy Football

Suicide Prince — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:55:34 -0000

I know that I have seen a couple of posts about this recently. Anyone getting a league together with a live draft? Two people interested if anyone is setting one up or is still waiting to fill one up.

I am currently in a baseball league with LSB'ers and like the fact that everyone seems to stay interested in the league for the entire season.

Prince

a a a a a a a a a a a

Sheehan on Hamilton and the MVP / Carroll comment

zywica — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 17:08:14 -0000

Doesn't think that he's a prime contender, and I tend to agree. Kinsler looks like a pretty good candidate via this method, though:

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=7960

On Sunday afternoon in Oakland, Carlos Quentin roped his MLB-leading 34th home run to help the White Sox to a 13-1 win over the A’s. Because he leads the league in homers, is high on the RBI list, plays for a division leader, and has something of a narrative attached to his name, Quentin is a popular choice for the AL MVP award. In a season in which no AL player has stood above all the rest, but many are having good seasons, Quentin’s case seems as valid as anyone’s. You could say much the same, only better, about Josh Hamilton, who despite a sluggish second half has the kind of stats and story the BBWAA loves.

Let’s run at this from a different angle, though, one that focuses more on performance than anything else. Here are the reasonable candidates for the award, and their stat lines through Sunday :
                 PA   AVG  OBP  SLG  VORP  Rk*  WARP1  Rk*
Milton Bradley  399  .317 .442 .584  47.3   4     5.3
Jermaine Dye    488  .300 .355 .572  38.0  15     5.6   9
Josh Hamilton   545  .304 .369 .549  47.2   5     4.9
Ian Kinsler     583  .319 .375 .517  56.1   1     6.4   1
Joe Mauer       465  .321 .414 .451  39.9  13     6.3   2
Carlos Quentin  514  .292 .395 .582  47.0   8     5.5
Alex Rodriguez  450  .313 .402 .598  54.8   2     5.8   6
Grady Sizemore  561  .266 .380 .514  51.5   3     5.5  10
Kevin Youkilis  485  .320 .388 .577  47.1   7     5.8   7
*among position players, for those in top ten in WARP

                         IP    ERA  VORP  Rk*  WARP1  Rk*
Cliff Lee             170.2   2.43  59.4   1    8.6    1
Roy Halladay          191.0   2.64  56.4   2    7.7    2
Francisco Rodriguez    51.1   2.81  13.8  60    5.1
*among pitchers, for those in top ten in WARP

EDIT: and this note from Will Carroll's column:

Maybe Nolan Ryan should be the Rangers' new pitching coach. Brandon McCarthy has thrown 13 scoreless innings since talking with Ryan about his mechanics, and will be back in the Texas rotation next week.

Hambone drops bomb on group of fans... allegedly

SarasotaRanger — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:45:14 -0000

Not sure how much I believe this, because I heard on the radio today that this happened at the Boston airport, but the Boston Herald is reporting that Hamilton, in a hurry to get out of Boston to make it home for the birth of his child, refused to sign an autograph for a group of fans outside the team hotel and, when asked a second time by a female member of the group, turned around and barked in her face that he had to pack. The team was reportedly nearby, and the Rangers' "media man" Court Berry-Tripp made a few damage control statements.

We're getting one 5-minutes-of-fame fan's take on what happened, so we don't really know what was said or the context it was said in. That being said, as good of a guy as Josh appears to us to be, I can understand if he was razzled at that moment about the implosion of the season, the lack of options to make it home, and possibly the edginess that comes with being a recovering addict. If it happened, I just hate that it did in front of a 12-year old kid.

Eighth Best Ranger Ever Community Project

philkid3 — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:09:13 -0000

Congratulations to Michael Young on being named the sixth greatest Texas Rangers player ever with 31% of the Lone Star Ball vote.

Our list so far:

Ivan Rodriguez 1991-2002

Juan Gonzalez 1989-99, 2002-03

Nolan Ryan 1989-93

Rafael Palmeiro 1989-93, 1999-03

Alex Rodriguez 2001-03

Rusty Greer 1994-2002

Michael Young 2000-08

Now it's time to decide who the eighth greatest Ranger player ever is. I would suggest judge it the same way you would evaluate MLB players over a career, but consider their careers were only as long as the years and games they played with the Texas Rangers. Consider not just best seasons, but total contribution, and perhaps a bit of profile.

If there's anyone not on the ballot who you think should be considered as the ninth best Ranger, please let me know in the comments.

Write-In Votes

If there's someone not on the list who you want to vote for, please vote "OTHER," then write your vote down in a reply. If you label that reply as "Write In" it will be much easier for me to find. Thanks!

Who is Mitch Moreland?

psugator — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:05:07 -0000

Is this guy the real deal or is he just an old guy (23) raking in A-ball? I've never heard of him until now....Tell me more please. Is he really Chris Davis reincarnated? Why haven't the Rangers promoted him? Is he the kind of guy -- ala Mat Gamel et al -- who doesn't have a position? Is he part of the Rangers' future? Your help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Need some info about batting practice ...

cmfuld — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 03:10:21 -0000

Taking my 3 year old to his first Ranger game on Wednesday. I have been 1-2 games a year for the last several years, but I have never been to batting practice. My son's favorite player is Josh Hamilton, and I thought it would be neat for us to see batting practice.

I don't believe that the Rangers take BP every game, but does anybody know what games that they do take BP. If they do take it, what time does it start? To what degree are players available for autographs before the game?

Also, I want to get my son a Josh Hamilton t-shirt during the game. Where is the best place to get souvenir. Is it the store out in Center field.

Are there any other suggestions on what I should do with my son during/before the game?

Thanks,

Davis @ 3rd and Blalock @ 1st

The Ahmad — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 01:07:50 -0000

As the title states Chris Davis will be moving to 3rd base and Hank Blalock upon his return will become the Rangers 1st basemen for the rest of the year (if he stays healthy) and perhaps next year.

HUGE news there. I have mixed feelings about this move but I also think that in the long term this could work. Davis could go to 3rd and Blalock can have his option picked up for next year and hopefully can stay healthy and be the Rangers everyday 1st basemen next year. Then in 2010 Smoak can come up and become our everyday 1st basemen and Davis will be across at 3rd with Kinsler at 2nd and Young or Andrus (I think they trade him for pitching) at SS.