World Series Game 3

Home Sweet Home! Finally, the Rangers are pitching, hitting, running, and fielding like they have been most of the year. Colby Lewis was outstanding on the hill. The three run homer by Mitch Moreland with two out was fantastic, as was Josh's solo shot. And Neftali Feliz three out save was the icing on the cake.
One peeve through all this jubilation. Joe Buck insists on calling the Rangers shortstop Elvis "Ahn-Drus" even when the Rangers announce him as Elvis "An-druze". To some it's a small thing, but it demonstrates a lack of professionalism.

World Series Games 1 and 2

If you need a definition of ugly, all you have to do is look at the first two games of the 2010 World Series if you are a Rangers fan. In Game 1, Cliff Lee allows seven runs. In Game 2, the bull pen can't find the strike zone and walks in a couple of runs. But it takes four wins and it is coming to Texas.
It's ironic I suppose that I am taking these losses better than those in the LCS. I am satisfied already with having clinched the American League pennant. Do the Rangers feel the same way? If so, we are in for a short series.

A Tribute to Those Who Didn't Make It

...to the World Series as Senators and/or Rangers. The heroes of my youth.
Frank Howard, Ken McMullen, Mike Epstein, Paul Casanova, Camilo Pascual, Phil Ortega.
Casey Cox, Ron Hansen, Ed Stroud, Joe Coleman, Bob Humphreys, Del Unser, Sid Hudson.
Jim Sundberg, Bill Fahey, Ned Yost, Mike Hargrove, Pat Putnam, Pete O'Brien.
Toby Harrah, Buddy Bell, Steve Buechele, Dean Palmer, Bump Wills, Jim Fregosi.
Richie Zisk, Al Oliver, Jeff Burroughs, Roy Smalley, Wayne Tolleson, Oscar Gamble.
Bernie Allen, Hank Allen, Brant Alyea, Juan Beniquez, Dirty Kurt Bevacqua, Ed Brinkman.
Doug Camili, Rico Carty, Pepe Tovar, Mike Cubbage, Tim Cullen, Jack Daugherty, John Ellis.
Rusty Greer, Dave Hostetler, Oddibe McDowell, Lenny Randle, Billy Sample, Larry Parrish.
Gino Petralli, Mike Stanley, Bob Saverine, Rusty Staub, Bobby Thompson.
Mike Bacsik, Cap Peterson, Frank Tanana, Bert Blyleven, Gaylord Perry, Ferguson Jenkins.
David Clyde, Jim Umbarger, Jim Gideon, Steve Foucalt, Danny Darwin, Bill Gogolewski.
Denny Higgins, Jon Matlack, Jim Kern, Kenny Rogers, Kevin Brown, Doc Medich, Doc Ellis.
Mitch Williams, Bobby Witt.
And to three men who labored to give us hope in the bad times:
Tom Vandegriff, Dick Riesenhoover, and Mark Holtz. RIP

HELLO WORLD SERIES!

The Texas Rangers defeated the New York Yankees tonight to clinch the American League pennant and advance to the World Series. There are so many things I want to write about but I will wait until Saturday to do so. At this point in time I just want to savor the moment.

Game 5

It wasn't pretty in the Bronx last night. The Rangers lost 7-2. C. J. Wilson didn't have his stuff. Neither did C. C. Sabathia but what he did have was a good imitation of it. In my gut, I did not expect Texas to win yesterday. If the Yankees had any pride, they were going to go down fighting, if for no other reason than to prevent Texas from clinching on their field. But can that carry them for two more games?

Game 4 ALCS

There is nothing sweeter in baseball than your baseball team playing in a quiet Yankee Stadium. Texas Rangers fans have been treated to this wonder for two nights in a row. Is it to much to ask for thirds?
Game 4 did not start out well. Tommy Hunter looked shaky from the start. When Cano hit that fan-aided home run I got a sinking feeling, not helped by Berkman's screamer that was just foul. But this team doesn't give up. With the bases loaded in the fourth and one out, in came Derek Holland. A hot grounder hit to the hole between short and third is flagged by Elvis Andrus. A run scores but he threw out the runner trying to advance to third. The inning ended and out came the Rangers bats. A three run homer by Bengie Molina gives Texas the lead and there was no looking back. Homers by Hamilton (2) and Cruz were icing on the cake.
Game 5 is at 3 today. Do you think work productivity in the Dallas-Fort Worth area might see a mild decrease around that time?
It is funny how expectations change. A week ago it was enough to get to the ALCS. Saturday one home win was enough. Monday it was winning one game at Yankee Stadium. Tuesday it was taking two out of three. Not to be greedy but now it would be awesome to finish it on Wednesday.

Something to Share

Some may think this sacrilegious but it's cute if seen in the right light.

Our CLIFF LEE, who art in Texas, hallowed by thy name.
Thy win will come, it will be done, in Texas as it was in Tampa.
Give us this Friday, our weekly win.
Give us strikes and homeruns, but do not let others homerun against us.
Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us to the World Series...for thine is the MVP, the best of the League, and the glory of the team that God loves, now and forever. Amen.

From Texas Fishing Forum via KLUV radio

Game 3

The season just keeps getting better and better. The Rangers won tonight, 8-0. This was a game the Rangers had to have. Cliff Lee was pitching and when your ace is on the mound you don't want to waste his effort. What kind of effort? How about eight shutout innings, allowing only two hits, one walk, and thirteen strikeouts? We are witnessing a phenomenon. This has been one of the great postseason pitching efforts ever. Hopefully we will see a couple more.
I had a good feeling about this game when Josh Hamilton hit a two-run homer in the top of the first. If you stake Lee to any type of lead before he even throws a pitch he becomes that much more effective. And the Yankees looked helpless in their at bats. The shame is, from their point of view, Andy Pettite threw a great game as well. He missed on one pitch, the ome to Hamilton and that was the difference. Baseball is like that.
There has been talk that with Lee being a free agent at the end of the season he is bound for New York. In fact some act as if it is a done deal. I don't think so, yet. Lee strikes me as being someone who makes up his own mind. He appears very comfortable here and he is close to his Arkansas roots. Not every great pitcher enjoys his stay in New York, just ask Kenny Rogers and Randy Johnson.

Game 2 ALCS: Goodbye Monkey, Hello Win Column

The Rangers defeated the Yankees by a score of 7-2 and in so doing removed two monkeys from their backs. It ended the Yankee postseason winning streak against them at ten, and it was their first home playoff win ever. As Ernie Johnson put it, it was 49 years in coming. And it was sweet! Especially after the Friday Night Debacle.
Pitching. Colby Lewis struck out 11. The bullpen did its job. Oliver, Rapada, Ogando, and Feliz did what they were supposed to.
Fielding. No errors. No silly mistakes.
Hitting. David Murphy hit a home run and a double. Bengie had a double. Josh Hamilton walked four times, two of those intentional, and had two stolen bases. Elvis Andrus ran wild on the basepaths and a double steal led to a run. Being over-aggressive hurt on Friday but the Rangers did not let up.
So the series is tied one game apiece. Cal Ripken said it is now a five game series and the Rangers have Cliff Lee for two of those games. The Yankee starting pitching has been shaky, both Sabathia and Hughes were hit hard. The Yankee bullpen has been solid so the strategy is get out in front early for Texas. Bring on Monday night!

I HATE the New York Yankees

6-5. Enough said.

Game 5

The Rangers did it. They finally got the monkey off their back. No more " the only team in the Major Leagues never to win a playoff series." Now we get the Yankees starting Friday night. But for now, the worst weekend ever has segued into the best Tuesday night ever. If Ron Washington is not the manager of the year they should not even bother giving out the award. This Ranger team is so different from those teams of the past. We all knew something was up when Bengie Molina stole a base. They realized that aggressive base running was the key. Nellie Cruz steals third base, the throw is wild and he scores. On two occasions, Elvis Andrus and the speedy Vlad Guerrero scored from second on infield grounders.
Those three runs were more than enough for Cliff Lee, who did what Cliff Lee does, shut down the opposition with eleven strikeouts and a first strike percentage of around 75 percent. Phenomenal.
I know the ALCS is forty nine hours away but allow me the time to savor this after 49 years of frustration.

Politics and the Media

That's a nice and vague title, don't you think?
As we approach the 2010 midterm elections we once again are treated to the specter of news as entertainment. The cable news networks have thrown objectivity and impartiality under the bus in the quest for ratings. FOX sounds like 24 advertisement for the Tea Party. MSNBC consists of a number of shills who think the President isn't Progressive enough, and CNN is the in the later stages of Alzheimers. It becomes increasingly difficult to see if they are operating from the same palnet.
It didn't used to be like this. For a brief instant the news media prided itself on its objectivity to the point that Walter Cronkite could be the most trusted man in America. But that trust was fleeting. President Nixon talked about the "silent majority" of Americans who supported the war in Vietnam ignored by the media. By the 1980s, conservatives were talking about a Liberal Media Agenda which gave rise to Rush Limbaugh. The 1980s gave rise to this joke about print media:
"How would the major newspapers report the end of the world?"
The Washington Post headline would be: "World to End White House Sources Say"
The New York Times would run: "World Ends. Reagan to Blame"
The Wall Street Journal: "World Ends. Markets to Close Early"
and
USA Today: "We're All Dead! Absolute Final Boxscores page 6G"
In England at the same time the television show Yes Prime Minister recycled this classically British version. The episode "A Conflict of Interest" humorously lampoons the various political stances of Britain's newspapers through their readers
Hacker: Don't tell me about the press. I know exactly who reads the papers: the Daily Mirror is read by people who think they run the country; The Guardian is read by people who think they ought to run the country; The Times is read by people who actually do run the country; the Daily Mail is read by the wives of the people who run the country; the Financial Times is read by people who own the country; The Morning Star is read by people who think the country ought to be run by another country; and The Daily Telegraph is read by people who think it is.
Sir Humphrey: Prime Minister, what about the people who read The Sun?
Bernard: Sun readers don't care who runs the country, as long as she's got big tits.

Worst Sports Weekend Ever (No, but darn close!)

Reason number one as to why I do not bet on sporting events: I go with my heart.
For me, this weekend just passed in the sports world was a bad one. Alabama lost. Sewanee lost. Baylor lost. Ohio State won. Notre Dame won. The Cowboys lost (at least that was to Vince Young and Tennessee). At least SMU won and Maryland did not play. Then there was baseball.
Things were looking up Saturday afternoon. The Rangers were up two games to none with Saturday and Sunday's games in Arlington. Michael Young and Ian Kinsler were hitting again in the game 2 victory Thursday and it looked as if Tampa Bay could not buy a clue. In game three it was neck and neck until about the sixth inning and then the Rangers bullpen imploded. Today the Rangers were behind but had the bases loaded and Vladimir Guerrero at the plate. They got nothing. Our hope resides in the left arm of Cliff Lee Tuesday night.

Rangers-Rays Game 1

Eleven years in the making, the Texas Rangers began their playoff run today. Everything seemed to go right. Cliff Lee did what Cliff Lee does. He had some first inning trouble and then shut down the Tampa Bay lineup. Ten strikeouts, less than 110pitches. I had a feeling things were going to be okay when Josh Hamilton got a hit in his first at bat. And Nellie Cruz launched a moonshot over the center field wall on a 3-0 pitch was good as well. But the wonderful thing was where the real hitting came from: Jeff Francoeur and Bengie Molina. They combined for four of the Ranger hits, including Molina's home run to left field. And they were the bottom of the order. One down, ten to go.
Texas fans are due for a little success. The Rangers are the only team in Major League Baseball never to win a playoff series, a dubious honor. Rangers fans heartbreak goes back nearly forty years. My own goes back a little further. Being born in Washington D.C., I knew them as the Senators, so I have suffered with the Senators/Rangers all my life.
THE TIME IS NOW.

The Use of History for Political Ends

Noted historian Jill Lepore has recently published The Whites of Their Eyes: The Tea Party and the Battle over American History (Princeton University Press 2010). Her ostensible intent is to demonstrate the danger of crafting past events to fit present goals.
This book is disappointing on so many levels because it could have been so much better. I pass over the errors in fact checking to get to the heart of the matter. The Whites of Their Eyes is little more than a Progressive screed against perceived enemies. This is disappointing. It could have, should have been a great historiographical essay on changing values extracted from the War of Independence. Instead Lepore presents the reader with a selective caricature of the Tea Party movement.
Her misrepresentations are legion. Here are a few: Yes, Rand Paul, the Republican Senate candidate from Kentucky, has a problem with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Unfortunately, Lepore does not explain what the problem is. If one is at least paying lip service to the idea of objectivity or fairness, should you not say something more than he objects to this law? Not if you are writing a political text.
As for the idea of discerning the original intent of the Founders, Lepore "Borks" this idea literally and figuratively. She states it as a goal of the Tea Party and associates it with Judge Bork. For her this is enough said in its defense. She does, in a vacuum, provide several good counters to this theory but never really states what "Original Intent" is. In discussing the Lincoln-Douglas Debates, she does not catch the fact that in regard to slavery Lincoln referred to the Declaration of Independence while Douglas referred to the Constitution. Their different appeals is crucial to understanding both sides of this issue. Understanding both sides of an issue is something Ms. Lepore seems unwilling to do. That is well and good for a political work but not a work of history. She decries selective history while being guilty of the same offense.
The use of history for political ends is an ongoing problem. Unfortunately, Ms. Lepore only adds to the mess. Margaret Macmillan's Dangerous Games is a much better resource.