Why do People like Baseball

1. Anticlimax
The article below details the idea of waiting for something big to happen. As this article by  Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated explains, Atlanta was a team that was winning the entire season. St. Louis wasn't even in the mix until the last few weeks when all of a sudden they started winning as Atlanta started falling. On the VERY LAST day of the season Atlanta lost when they needed to win and BOOM, Cardinals in the playoffs. A totally exciting ending to what was a predictable ending. Posnanski states,  "I never argue with people who say that baseball is boring, because baseball is boring. And then, suddenly, it isn’t. And that’s what makes it great."


New thought, I don't blame the Rangers for their World Series loss, I now blame Atlanta!!
Baseball Anticlimax-My favorite baseball article I've read


2. Stats
To me this is what makes baseball fun. The tight pants on the men are fun to look at, watching balls hit out of the park and the fireworks after give you a sense of pride in your team, seeing a play made in the last out of the game to win is miraculous at time (unless you are Feliz in Game 6 of the World Series in 2011,) but what would baseball be without Stats? How would we know what good is?  Sure baseball is about putting a team together that hopefully come October can win it all, but in order to keep track on who is best don't we have to pay attention to stats. Doesn't ERA matter because the team with the pitchers that have the lowest ERA?Statistically aren't they going to have a better chance? Same with any stat.  This brings me to point 2.


3. Arguments
If there is something to argue about a baseball fan can do it. Is ______ better than ________. Were the Cardinals really better than the Rangers in 2011 (no, but they got lucky). Does ________ really deserve to be MVP. Oh and the infamous OBP,now that just about won Oakland the AL pennant in 2002,and then it didn't. This list could go on forever, and it does. Why do fans do this? I think Joe Posnanski from Sports Illustrated says it well:


I think that, in many ways, baseball arguments come down to context. I hear all the time about how baseball fans are “stat people” and “anti-stat people,” but I don’t think that dividing line exists. I’ve never met a big baseball fan who didn’t care about baseball stats. Ever. I’m not even sure how you can BE a big baseball fan without caring about stats. If someone asked, “How many hits did Pedroia have today?” what baseball fan would answer, “Oh, I don’t know, I didn’t count those”? 
Baseball Fans Like to Argue


*Note this says FAN not watcher. I have taken many a friend to the ballpark that had no idea what keeping score meant, was more interested in getting a tan, and wanted to know if we could leave in the 8th inning.
No that person doesn't get to go with me anymore. I've also taken a friend that didn't understand why when 
a player hit a ball up in the air, the crowd would say, "Down, down down, down." I had to explain, "We 
don't want the other team to catch the ball." I would NOT call those friends FANS. They DO NOT care 
how many hits Pedroia or any other player got that day, but a FAN, they will know.


I like baseball for all these reasons and more. The other day I turned on a random game from last season with a friend. It was a game against Oakland where we won in the bottom of the 9th. I turned it on and just listened. I'm so content to just relax, sit around, and watch the game. The anticipation of the pitch, and the hope of the ball being put in play makes my heart flutter just for a second. I realized in that moment baseball needs to be back on TV as soon as possible. It's time and Spring Training has begun...

The news this week is that there is none out there. This is the week Spring Training begins. Finally!

Random Spring Training Facts I found this week 

How many boxes of each of these do the Texas Rangers send to Arizona for Spring Training? (Roughly 6 weeks) 

Boxes of Sunflower Seeds: 30 

Tubs of Gum: 60 

 Number of Dozen baseballs: 1,800 (21,600 individual baseballs!)

The only article of interest includes the quote:
 "Perhaps the biggest issue facing the Rangers will be to figure out on which fingers their World Series rings will go."
This taken from ESPN who thinks the Rangers are the best team going into the next five years when you look at the franchise overall. 
Rangers best Franchise over next five years




On a personal note I have now purchased MLB.TV so every spring training game and then every season game after will be available to me at the click of a button. So excited!


Have a fabulous week baseball fans!

Arbitration Deals

The big news this week if there was really much news at all was the three players headed into arbitration hearings. Arbitration is basically a big word for increased salary. The team offers an amount, the players's agent offers another and they come to an agreement. If they can't reach an agreement they actually go to court to settle; something that hasn't happened for the Texas Rangers since 2000.

At the beginning of the week Elvis Andrus, Mike Napoli, and Nelson Cruz were all looking to go to arbitration with the Rangers towards the end of the week, but luckily agreements were made, and everyone is happy.

Andrus signed for 3 years $14.5 million. I think a great deal, being that we continue to have a great glove with a bat that's definitely going more than it did at first. This will keep us from having to negotiate salary again with him until his free agency in 2015. My personal opinion is that at that time it will be a take it or leave it for me. If he continues to play as he does today he'll be able to go anywhere and get a sizable contract. The Rangers sit in a good spot, where we have the best shortstop prospect in Juckerson Profar and he would be in the waiting. We'll see what happens and how all that plays out over the next three years. I'm excited about Profar though!

Nelson Cruz then signed a 2 year $16 million deal. I like Cruz, although I'd like to see a healthy Cruz. They say he has lost a lot of weight over the off season, and is healthier than he has been. He says he's ready to play a full season and doesn't expect to have the leg injury problems he's had over the past couple years. His signing will also take him to free agency in 2014. My quick thoughts on that is that I hope they are able to trade for outfield at the time. Hamilton will be a free agent next year and Cruz the next. Outfield depth in our minor leagues is weak. I read an article noting who the free agents coming up over the next two years and nobody comes close Hamilton, and only a few come close to Cruz.

The last is Mike Napoli's 1 year $9.4 million. I'm curious to see if he has a year like last year. Looks like the projections say he will. I'm skeptical. 

On Hamilton

We acquired Josh Hamilton in 2008 from Cincinnati. He was originally a number 1 over all draft pick in 1999, and became a drug addict after an injury in the minor leagues. We took a chance on him after he became sober, and what a great chance that turned out to be. The Rangers are all about chances right.

He has a great arm playing center field, a great bat, and he plays the game hard. He was even the AL MVP in 2010. He's fun to watch, and the fans love him. However, he's injury prone. In his four years, he's only played enough games to count as a full season once. He's running into walls, sliding into bases, doing whatever to hurt something quite often. Definitely frustrating since he's a big part of our team.

His contract has however run out, and we have been trying to make a long term offer with him before Spring Training starts to avoid him becoming a free agent next year. If he becomes a free agent he would be one of the biggest free agents on the market if not the biggest for 2012. The two have been trying to come to a deal for about a month now, so what's the problem.

There are several things that go into play when thinking about making a deal with Hamilton. First Hamilton has stated that he owes it to the players union to get the money he deserves for his talent. He believes that if he settles for what the Rangers are willing to pay him, then it will give way to giving proven players what they deserve in the game. He is asking for a contract in the range of about 6 years $120 million dollars. I believe....the Rangers are crazy to do that.

First for as good as he is, he has never been injury free for a sustained period of time. Some believe this is due to the addiction problems earlier in his career, and his body is slightly broken down as a result. He also plays the game hard. Exciting to watch, but he not when he gets injured and is out for months at a time. The addiction is a concern as he gets older. He is hitting 31 this year, so he is at his peak or later by now. If you look at the link below it shows his projections over the next couple of years. I think that 2010 (the year he was MVP) was a fluke year, and what he did in 2011, which is still good, is more of the player he is. I also think he will be a player that can contribute to any club for about three years, and after that his numbers will slowly decline. Therefore, in my opinion, the Rangers are crazy to give him 6 years. Is he worth the money...maybe, but definitely not the years.

Why 2012 should be Hamilton's last with the Rangers by Adam Morris

Out last night, Hamilton relapsed on Alcohol at Sherlock's on Monday. This may or may not be a one time incident, but it certainly says a lot about his character, and certainly hurts his chances at the money he thinks he deserves. Can one say, that if he was willing to take a chance and relapse that one night, that at any point in years to come it couldn't happen again, for a longer period, and even affect his playing? He was actually suspended from MLB in 2003 for his addiction problems. The Rangers are dealing with the unknown right now.

What do the Rangers do? Try to get a contract done with an essential part of this team sometime over the next month, or let him go into free agency and see what happens? In my opinion I'd give him a 3 year extension at about 45 million. If he were smart he'd go with a team that believes in him, even if it's for less than what he wants.

Feel free to weigh in.

Popular Question

Copied from T.R. Sullivan's Inbox


How many modern Major League teams made it to the World Series three years in a row? Have any lost in their first two appearances and won it all the third time?
-- Paul J., Garland, Texas


The Yankees, after acquiring Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, first went to the World Series in 1921 and 1922. They lost both times to the New York Giants. They went back in 1923 and beat the Giants for their first World Series title. They have won 26 more since then.

My Precursor

I grew up in the famous baseball city of St. Louis. While my whole family continues to be Cardinal fans (Yes I'm still mad about last last year), I picked up Rangers baseball as a hobby 10 years ago. I slowly learned more and more over the years, and I now rarely miss a game, and read most news articles daily. Therefore with encouragement here I am doing this blog. I figure it's a good way to combine my baseball passion with my English profession, in the hopes that someone might take interest.

I am not a National league fan, and I will admit my knowledge of the National league is lagging. You will see me weigh in on everything American League, including past and present topics, stats, minor league prospects, and current projections for players. I know there are a WIDE array of stats to look at, but I am a fan of WAR (Wins Above Replacement), and rely heavily on it when looking at players. It's not the most valid stat, but it can help project a players' worth when looking at the overall picture. I say this simply because someones opinions can be skewed with this stat, but I always welcome the feedback. The article below is the simplest article I could find to explain it. I can explain it better if you are that interested.
WAR defined

With that said, there are 19 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, 30 days until the first spring training game begins, and 63 days until Opening Day. I look forward to Rooting, Cheering, and Singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" everyday until the Rangers receive their 2012 World Series Championship!