Well, I bought my first Rangers tickets of the season over the weekend! I’ll be in Arlington watching the boys on April 10th and 11th…silly college schedule kept me from the opener again.

I was able to go to Opening Day 2005, and it was a day I will never forget. I remember getting goosebumps after the flyover during the National Anthem. We ended up losing to the Angels 3-2, but I got to see some pretty cool stuff anyway. Vlad, the man with no strike zone, hit a homer and continued his dominance over the Rangers, and Tex hit himself a homer too. What an unforgettable day!

The Rangers have had some pretty unforgettable moments since I have been a fan. Granted we haven’t had a championship of any kind during that time, but we have still been able to see some exciting things. Some of the ones that stick out in my mind are:

Recordbreakers! Can you believe the Orioles led this game in the third inning 3-0? Needless to say, they stopped scoring and we went nuts. Six home runs. Two of them grand slams. How about that for run support?

This was fun. In his first at-bat of his first All-Star game, Hank Blalock hit a home run off of Eric Gagne to put the AL on top. This was a proud moment for Hank and a proud moment for Ranger fans.

Another great All-Star moment. With the AL down 2-1 in the 9th inning, Mr. Clutch himself hit a two-run triple to lead the AL to victory. Of course, all of this happened while he had two strikes on him. I might be crazy, but I’d rather see Michael down 1-2 than up 3-0 in the count. He just seems to thrive in those situations.

Sammy Sosa has done his famous little "home run hop" 609 times, and we got to see him do historic #600 in a Rangers uniform. History!

All I can say is "WOW!" This catch will be at the top of highlight reels forever. Joe Morgan even said it was the best catch he’d ever seen.

I couldn’t find pictures of the last two I wanted to remember, so I’ll just talk about them. The moment that stands out in my mind the most is the game against Oakland in 2004 in which David Dellucci hit a double past Jermaine Dye for a 9th inning 5-4 come from behind win. I remember leaving the room because I was so nervous, but I came back in right in time to see the ball skip by Dye. That game was so crucial for us that year because it put us within two games of first place. Hopes of a playoff berth were dashed in the coming days, though, as we lost key games to Seattle and Anaheim. What happened at our last game that year might be my favorite moment of all. After the last out was punched and we started saying goodbye to the 2004 season, all of the players and coaches proceeded to walk around the ballpark and shake the hands of the fans. They said it was their way of saying "thanks" to all of us, but it was definitely our way of saying "thanks" to them too. The excitement, joy, and hope that season brought us Ranger fans is something that I hope to see again this year.

Here’s to another unforgettable season!

GOOD NEWS!!!

Ian Kinsler will be a Ranger until at least 2012! He signed a five-year, $22 million contract yesterday, and with all of the turnaround involved in baseball, it is nice to know that our middle infield is set for a while. One of my favorite quotes from T.R. Sullivan’s article is this–

          "I’m not worried about the money," Kinsler said. "I’ll play the game regardless if I make $5 or $1 trillion. Money doesn’t bring respect. The way you play the game regardless brings respect. When I finish my career, my legacy won’t be how much money I make but how I played the game on the field."

Aaaaamen.

I’m so happy to see some team loyalty from Kinsler. Yes, he probably could have waited a year and made some even bigger bucks, but he chose to do what was best for his family. I think this shows alot about his character, and it also tells us he has faith in the Rangers. I think we found a winner in Ian Kinsler, and I am so happy for him and his family.

GO RANGERS!

As we speak (or type or read), practice is underway at the complex in Surprise. It’s a great day to be a baseball fan!

A few things…

1.   Kevin Mench is coming back. I think I’ve been through all the emotions regarding this news. First I was excited, then I was confused and a little angry. Now, I am somewhere in the middle. When I think of Mench, I remember a guy who is fun-loving and goofy and full of laughter. I remember his crazy streak of consecutive games (7) with home runs. I remember his odd toe injury that was caused by him wearing shoes that were too small for his feet. Instinctively, I was excited that this crazy guy was coming back. Then, I began thinking about it more and became really confused. Why would we sign another outfielder, especially one who has struggled mightily in the past couple of years? Being a Botts fan, I became nervous because I want him to get the full opportunity to show us what he’s got. Mench puts a twist in that opportunity. That nervousness has worn off a bit now, because I realize a little competition is not a bad thing in spring training. Competiton causes some to rise up and some to falter under the pressure. I don’t know about you, but I want a guy on my team who is able to withstand pressure and competition rather than a guy who lets it get to him and buckles as a result. So whoever it is who rises up from this competition…whether it is Wilson or Guardado, Saltalamacchia or Laird, Botts or Cruz or Mench…I want the one who takes the situation they’re in and uses it to make themselves better. So I say bring on Kevin Mench. He might not have the most stellar numbers, but he’s got the biggest head in all of MLB. How can you resist that?

2.    I am SO interested to see how our starting pitchers bounce back from last season, especially Padilla and Millwood. Both of them had horrible, horrible seasons and didn’t even look like themselves. I was so annoyed with Padilla and his bad attitude that I didn’t even want him to come back. After reading this article, it sounds like Padilla is trying to get it back together. I can’t wait to see how his work pays off. Regarding Millwood, I think he will do great this year. He may not go back to his ERA-winning form, but he will be bound and determined to not let last year happen again. He is a professional, and I trust that he is going to give it everything he has in 2008. I predict we will see a completely different Millwood than we have ever seen before.

3.    This is off topic, but is anyone else out there annoyed when you go to a game and the Rangers fans seem outnumbered by fans of the opposing team??? Don’t get me wrong, I love the Red Sox, but I would never cheer for them over the Rangers at our own ballpark! This might be a lost cause, but lets try even harder to cheer loud for our team when those big market teams come to town. Lets get real, most of those fans are bandwagon anyway!

41 DAYS!!!

TWO DAYS, PEOPLE!!!

Spring training is so close, I can smell it! I love football and I love my Cowboys, but I love the day after the Pro Bowl when gears can officially switch over to baseball. So, in honor of spring training, I wanted to put together a list of my favorite current Rangers players and some that I have high hopes for. But before I do that…I have a confession…

Confession #1: Baseball players are pretty dang good lookin’. Yes, I love the game. Yes, there is nothing sweeter than a walk-off home run, a double play to end a close game, or a crucial strikeout. But…good lookin’ baseball boys don’t hurt! I’ll admit one thing that got me even more interested in the game of baseball was one certain player…Laynce. Nix.  I was instantly a fan when he got a hit in his first major league game in 2003. I loved the way he patrolled centerfield…no holding back, always going after every ball, even if it meant he needed to slam into the outfield fence to catch one. When he did just that and hurt his shoulder, he was never the same. It killed me to see all of that talent and potential on the bench. Now, he is in the Brewers minor league system, hoping to compete for a spot on the big league team this year. He is still one of my favorite players because he made me more interested in the game and had a role in developing my love for it. I hope he can put together a good spring training and have a productive 2008.

Now that I got that out of the way, here are my favorite current Rangers.

MICHAEL YOUNG

How can you not be a fan??? The one word that comes to mind when I think of Michael is consistent. Consistent leader, consistent hitter, consistent figure in the community. For the past five seasons, he has had at least 200 hits and batted .300. You just don’t worry about this guy. When he started out slow last year, there was no concern because we knew he would come around. And he did. He is also very involved in the community and the Wipe Out Kid’s Cancer organization. Here’s to another 200 hit season!

C.J. WILSON

I have to admit, I was not a fan of his in the beginning. I finally started to appreciate him last year, especially when he transitioned to the closer’s role. He completely thrived there, and it was fun seeing him attack the 9th inning. I hope he wins the job again in 2008. I love watching him pitch, but it was his off-the-field success that really made me a fan. C.J. spent alot of time this off-season dedicated to organizing a Guitar Hero tournament to benefit the young cancer patients at Cook Children’s. Being in college studying to be able to work with these children someday, I really appreciate his effort to bring happiness to them.

HANK BLALOCK

I’m really pulling for Hank this year. He will be returning to third base for the first time since May 16th, and it will be a crucial year for him to show people that he can be the Hank that he once was. I know he can do it, and I think he will. I predict a monster year for him and those Homies out in left field!

JOSH HAMILTON

I haven’t even seen him play in a Ranger’s uniform, but I am already a fan. If you haven’t read this story by Evan Grant yet, go read it now. I am a ****** for good stories, and this one is good. Josh has been through some low valleys in his life, and he has survived through them with the help of his faith and family. I hope we can stand by and support him as he continues his career as a Ranger.

JASON BOTTS

I have been a fan of Jason’s for quite some time now. I followed him some while he was working his way up the minors, and I remember checking those websites to see how many home runs he hit that day. Just by looking at him, you can tell he is a power hitter. This year, it is now or never for him. He must hit at the big league level. Jason just had a great season in the Mexican Pacific League, and now he needs to keep that momentum going for the 2008 season. I have a feeling this will be his year to break out and silence those who say he’ll never be able to hit at this level.

There you have it…my favorite current Rangers. I’m also looking forward to getting to know our new players and those promising young prospects we now have in our minor league system.

Get excited everyone…48 more hours!

Welcome!

Well, I finally jumped on the blogger bandwagon. I wanted to create a space where I could jot down all of my thoughts, rants, blabs, and beliefs…all about baseball! But before all of that gets started, here’s a little bit about me.

I. AM. OBSESSED. There, I said it. I am notoriously known by my friends and family as the girl who is a little too attached to the best sport in the world…BASEBALL. My obsession, fascination, love, whatever you want to call it, started when I began attending my brothers’ little league games when I was about 12. I hung out at the park all the time…watched my brothers at the minor league field, drooled over the older boys at the major league field (SUCH a big deal when you were old enough to play under the lights, right?!), and a couple years later began working in the infamous concession stand. I believe I need to give the grease, candy, free cokes after games-filled concession stand credit for my love of the game. Let me explain. Once upon a time, I went with my mom up to the ballpark to help her work her shift in the stand. I gave out candy, topped burgers with veggies, fried french fries, refilled cokes, and held my breath when I tried to make correct change without a calculator at the register. Once others found out I did this, I began getting calls from people begging me to take over their dreaded shifts in the stand. And…they paid. So, I found myself up at the Little League almost everyday working in that hot, greasy concession stand. I worked in there with moms and dads and other kids my age and baseball was always the topic of conversation. I watched the games out of the concession stand window and really started to understand the game. It was now official…I loved baseball.

Around that time, the Texas Rangers had managed to complete a blockbuster deal with Alex Rodriguez. I’m not even going to go into the specifics of this deal because we all know them and we all want to hurl at the thought of them, so I’ll just skip that. Needless to say, the news was everywhere. Now, I was a baseball fan, but I hadn’t really gotten into professional baseball yet. We weren’t much of a pro baseball family. We were (and are) all about the Cowboys. So, this news of A-Rod started to get out and I was intrigued. I started watching the Rangers consistently and was hooked. I looked forward to every game, even though we stunk.

Fast forward to now, and we still stink. Lets get real, we’ve only had one winning season since that 95-win AL West Championship season. But when pitchers and catchers report to camp every February, I still find myself believing "this is our year." I always watch, I always cheer, I always pull for the boys in blue. For me, it’s not so much about the wins and the championships and the awards. It’s about the game.