Kerry Wood '98 > Yu Darvish '13 v. Astros

Total buzz kill not moving for more than 30 minutes all in the hope that Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish would finish off his perfect game against the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

Alas, Astros shortstop Marwin Gonzalez killed Darvish's perfect game bid by hitting a sharp line drive back up the middle with two outs in the ninth inning. It was a legit hit. BTW - As a rookie last season, Gonzalez batted .234.

Darvish: 8.2 ip., 1 hit, 0 r, 0 bb, 14 K, 111 pitches, 78 strikes

Bummer to see Darvish came so far to finish one batter away from perfection.

As dominant as Darvish was, he was not as impressive as Kerry Wood in 1998 when he toyed with the Astros. 

That Astros team had real professional hitters and not their current collection of inexpensive kids that partly comprise a team payroll of 33 dollars and 45 cents.

On May 6, 1998 Wood was making his fifth career start for the Chicago Cubs. Some have argued that it's the best game ever pitched.

He was facing an Astros lineup that featured Craig Biggio, Derek Bell, Jeff Bagwell, Jack Howell, Moises Alou and Brad Ausmus. All of those guys ranged from good to Hall of Fame.

Wood: 9 ip., 1 hit, 0 run, 0 bb, 20 K, 122 pitches, 84 strikes.

The only hit in the game came by Ricky Gutierrez leading off the top of the third inning - a shot in the hole between third and short.

Darvish's game was brilliant, and it was a reminder of just how good the kid from Grand Prairie was one overcast afternoon in Chicago.

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Nolan Ryan statement says nothing while saying a lot

Paging Robert Langdon. Paging Doctor Robert Langdon. We really could use you right about now. (that's a DaVinci Code reference)

For the first time since Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway broke the story that Texas Rangers CEO Nolan Ryan was seriously considering leaving the Texas Rangers, the man has spoken. Well, kind of.

Ryan released this statement today through the Rangers: 

“Over the last week, Ray Davis, Bob Simpson, and I have been in discussion and met in-person. The conversations have been productive, and we have discussed my role as CEO of the organization. We agreed these discussions will continue as we go forward.

"I am very proud of what the Rangers have accomplished over the last several years, and I believe our preparations for upcoming season are what is important." 

What does this say? Technically, nothing. It does, however, leave the door wide open to Nolan staying, and leaving.

Clearly the Rangers are in full crisis, red alert, oh-crap spin control mode after the poop hit the fan when it was announced that all baseball decisions were all going to go through GM Jon Daniels, and the business part was left to Rick George.

No one much cared about the business part anyway. People wanted to know if Ryan was going to have a final say about the team on the field.

The power structure left Nolan Ryan as the final say on nothing.

My first take on that announcement was that Nolan, 66, was tired of the day to day stuff and wanted to step back. Because no one other than Jerry Jones would be stupid enough to slap a Texas sports icon in the face like this. Turns out I was wrong - the Rangers were indeed that stupid, and Nolan wants to work.

Rangers ownership clearly was not aware of the backlash and criticism they were about to face when they outlined a power structure that did not include the one man who has brought more credibility to this franchise than any other, either as a player or an executive (sorry, Doug Melvin).

The reaction was - You don't do this to Nolan Ryan.
The other reaction was - We can find another Jon Daniels. There never will be another Nolan Ryan.

For fans of Nolan, this statement is encouraging because it's not a giant middle finger to the franchise and a declaration of departure. 
For fans of Nolan, this statement is not totally encouraging because it does not say he is going to remain with the team.

What the ownership has to do is figure out a way to save face while ensuring Ryan has say in baseball decisions.

The Rangers can't be expected to be quite as competitive in '13 as they were in previous seasons, so this is not the right time to alienate and run off the proudest face of this franchise.

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Video: Galloway & Big Mac debate Josh Hamilton's thoughts

 

 

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Ruh-roh: Report says Rangers OF Nelson Cruz tied to steroids guy

We have known for a while that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez tried a few steroid shots, or a few dozen. And we have also known for an even longer period of time that players are likely still able to get a little boost despite MLB's increased efforts to root out the bad guys. 

So it should be no surprise that a Miami clinic that focuses on anti-aging reportedly has a giant list of high-profile clients who also dabbled in something said clinic did on the side: provide PEDs and HGH.

According to the above report by the Miami New Times, among the many names obtained is Texas Rangers outfielder Nelson Cruz.

It was some place called Biogenesis, and some of the names include A-Rod, Melky Cabrera, Bartolo Colon, and a few others.

In case you are wondering, Cruz has hit 22 home runs in each of his last four seasons.

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I'm a sucker for the other Texas Rangers lefty

The U.S.S. Sucker is a lonely place, especially when it comes to the belief in a certain left handed Texas Rangers starting pitcher.

No, not Matt Harrison, whom the Rangers have given a long-term, $55 million deal. Good for him, and the club. He is a solid, innings eater and a reliable lefty.

As much as we should like Harrison the lefty on this staff whom I remain most intrigued by, and still believe in despite growing evidence he's never going to establish himself as a consistent winner, is Derek Holland.

It is the fact that he is left handed, only 26, and when he is right his delivery reminds me of a Tom Glavine - effortless, and without too much stress. He says he models himself after Andy Pettite.

Holland was a disappointing 12-7 with a 4.67 ERA in 29 games last season for the Rangers, including 27 starts. What is hard to determine is which pitcher he is.

"I agree with you," Holland told me last month in an interview. "My big thing is last year was a let down. I think I tried to do way too much all that once. I got sick and I lost all of that weight and I got hurt. ... When I came back after I got hurt I put so much pressure on myself and to try to fix everything at once. That hurt me more than anything. I did not handle it the way that I should have." 

In 2011, Holland finished 16-5 with a 3.95 ERA in 198 innings that included four shutouts. In Game 4 of the World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, he allowed two hits and no runs in 8 1/3 innings that the Rangers won, 4-0 to even the series at two games.

(let's not talk about Game 6 or 7).

Last season, all of that progress and promise ceased. He was not the same pitcher and the Rangers never knew which guy they were going to see. When he is right he can counted on to throw a lot of innings, locate the ball at the knees, and induce a high number of ground balls. When he is wrong, he walks too many guys and leaves too many hittable pitches in the middle of the plate.

We may get an idea of who is in 2013 as he is expected to play for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic thingy.

In this offseason, he said he has reached out to team president Nolan Ryan, pitching coach Mike Maddux, GM Jon Daniels in an effort to find out as much information as possible to improve. They are all saying the same thing.

"It's location. When I'm on, I'm never in the middle. When I'm off, I'm missing in the middle," Holland said. "That is what I'm trying to fix so when I'm not on that I work my way out. ... Last year was a big let down. I know everybody has them. This year is going to be a big year. I'm going to be that guy that everybody is counting on."

The reliable lefty on the Rangers right now is Matt Harrison.

I'm still betting that Holland can be the best left hander on this staff.

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Texas Tech at TCU tops best games of 2012 in FW/d

The one thing we can never get enough of is lists. A list of our favorite songs. The best Nicholas Sparks novels. The top 10 Rocky movies.

The end of the year brings the trite, mail-it-end look back at the year that was. Because The Big Mac Blog loves cliches as much as the next, here is a look at the best games of the year. I tried to spread the wealth ...

1. Texas Tech 56, TCU 53 (3 ot); Oct. 20, 2012.
Hands down the most entertaining game of the Big 12 season. 
In TCU's first year of the Big 12, the Frogs led Tech by five in the fourth quarter before the Red Raiders rallied to take a 10-point lead with 4:06 remaining.
TCU managed to tie the game with 18 seconds lef that set up one of the more entertaining series of overtimes you could watch.

2. Cowboys 27, Steelers 24 (ot); Dec. 16, 2012.
Tony Romo played one of the best games of his career as the Cowboys rallied to win a game they trailed by seven points in the fourth quarter.
Romo passed for 341 yards and two touchdowns, one to the busted-fingered Dez Bryant.
The Steelers weren't as good as advertised but this was a highly entertaining game and offered the Cowboys at their best. 

3. Texas Rangers 11, LA Angels 10, (10 innings); Aug. 1, 2012
The Angels led 7-1 after four innings. The Rangers scored four in the fifth, and runs in the eighth and the ninth to send the game into extra innings. The Angels scored three times in the top of the 10th, but the Rangers scored four runs in the bottom of the inning, the final two on an Elvis Andrus single.

4. Texas Rangers 10, Baltimore Orioles 3; May 9, 2012
Josh Hamilton hit four home runs. 

5. DeSoto 49, Southlake Carroll 45; Dec. 8, 2012.
In the 5A quarterfinals, DeSoto trailed by 18 points in the first half before taking the lead. Carroll QB Kenny Hill was stopped on consecutive running plays from the 1-yard line, the final as time expired.  

6. TCU 20, Texas 13; Nov. 22, 2012.
Easily the biggest win of the year for TCU as the Frogs won on Thanksgiving night in Austin. The Frogs forced four turnovers, including the game-clinching pick by Sam Carter with less than two minutes remaining.

7. Oklahoma 63, Texas 21; Oct. 13, 2012.
The game was boring as hell but there was so much comedy and amazement to watch Bob Stoops' Sooners put yet another nasty beatdown on Mack Brown's Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl. It truly was watching a train wreck.

8. Dallas Mavericks 101, San Antonio Spurs 100 (ot); Jan. 29, 2012
This was before the Mavericks completely crashed in the playoffs and was Jason Terry at his best. He hit a 15-foot game-tying shot to tie the game with 1 second remaining and send the game into OT. Terry finished with 34 points.

9. Dallas Stars 3, Vancouver Canucks 2 (ot); Feb. 26, 2012
Before the Stars fell apart to miss the playoffs yet again, they rallied for this impressive win against a good Canucks team. The Stars were down 2-1 with less than one minute remaining before Mike Ribeiro scored to tie the game. In overtime, Loui Eriksson scored the game winner.

10. Cowboys 24, NY Giants 17; Sept. 5, 2012
In the NFL season opener, the Cowboys defeated the defending Super Bowl champions in what would be arguably their most complete win of the season.
Romo threw for 307 yards with three touchdowns; Kevin Ogletree caught eight passes for 114 yards with two TDs; DeMarco Murray rushed for 131 yards.

 

 

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Is the newest Texas Ranger a real jerk?

The day after Christmas the Texas Rangers formally announced they signed veteran catcher A.J. Pierzynski to a one-year deal. Not exactly Zack Greinke, Justin Upton, or keeping Josh Hamilton.

Pierzynski has a good bat, and a perfectly awful reputation in baseball as a guy who simply can't control his mouth. Click on this link to read about A.J. trying to clear the air earlier this summer that he's the devil.

"Of course I'm tired of it. We're supposed to be talking about the Texas Rangers and we're' talking about (his reputation)," he said today on a conference call when I asked him if he was tired of it and how he acquired the rap. "You do get tired of answering questions about something you have no control over. I know I gave everyhting I have. Sometimes it doesn't work and people may get upset."

Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington has a little bit of a history with A.J. after he didn't select him to the All-Star game last season despite his good numbers. Pierzynski wasn't happy about it, but he insists it was no big deal.

"When Wash' and I had lunch a few days ago with (GM Jon Daniels) he came up and I made a joke of it. As far I was concerned it was over with when it happened," Pierzynski said. "People try to make a big deal of it. I know he was in a tough spot and it didn't work out for me. I know what he is all about. It's over and done with."

Pierzynski may have a big mouth, but there are two things that suggest he is not a total clubhouse cancer.
No. 1 - He was with the Twins from 1998 to 2003.
No. 2 - He was with the White Sox from 2005 to 2012.

Total and complete clubhouse cancer jerks do not stick with the same team for that long. Now, his one year with the Giants - 2004 when he drove in 77 runs, also suggests there is probabaly a little something to this. 

I was never for the Rangers keeping catcher Mike Napoli simply because he was never again going to approach the type of production he generated in 2011.

Pierzynski? It's a one-year deal so the risk is relatively low. He is coming off a season where he played 135 games and hit .278 with 27 home runs, 18 doubles and drove in 77 runs. That's one of the best years of his career. If he does that with the Rangers, or comes close, this is a great signing. 

"The only thing you need to know about me as a person is I want to win," Pierzynski said. "I'll do everything in my power to win. Whatever was said or written you can't change that. I wish it would go away. I've done everything I can to get it to go away but it doesn't seem like it's going away anytime soon."

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The Texas Rangers really never did want Josh Hamilton back

FORT WORTH, Texas - When the Texas Rangers 2012 holiday media luncheon at a hotel in dowtown Fort Worth began on Thursday afternoon, the questions for GM Jon Daniels and team president Nolan Ryan focused on where the team was in regards to free agent outfielder Josh Hamilton.

By the time the luncheon was done, roughly 70 minutes later, Josh Hamilton was a member of the Los Angeles Angels of Orange County. He agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal. Josh Hamilton may not work for NASA any time soon, but he was smart enough to sign this contract.

"I did want Josh back," Daniels said. "We hesitated in going long term. There is no sugar coating it. We lost some talented players from last year's club. We now have to go back and look at other options."

Although I don't blame either side in this move, selfishly I am bummed he left - he is a lot of fun to watch. 

An offseason the Rangers supposedly were going to win now has them finally dumping Michael Young, who apparently was the devil, losing out on Zack Greinke in a bidding war with the Los Angeles Dodgers of Los Angeles, whiffing on an attempted deal to land Arizona OF Justin Upton, and now seeing Hamilton leave as a free agent to a division rival.

The Rangers may have said they wanted Josh, but don't buy it. If the Rangers really wanted Josh back, as they said, they would have signed him.

What they wanted was Josh Hamilton on their own terms, which is their right. It was also Josh's right to say, "No thanks."

The fact he never gave the Rangers the chance to match the Angels' offer tells you that Josh really did not want to come back, either.

It's better for both to move on. The Rangers maximized their relationship with Josh, who in turn used his time in Texas to become a national baseball star. Josh should always be celebrated for what he did with the Rangers. There are no consecutive World Series appearances without his production.

The Rangers were tired of worrying about Josh, and the strain it created on the club.

As much as his talent and production were worth the worries, at some point you say, "We can find somebody else to hit home runs."

Josh was equally wise to bolt. He owed it to himself to maximize this opportunity. He can go somewhere else and get a fresh start, and perhaps not be a burden to his club in any way. And it's not as if he signed with the Marlins - the Angels are competitive and are going to be around it for years. The lineup with Hamilton, Mike Trout and Albert Pujols is stupid loaded.

What do the Rangers do now?

"I am sure Vegas may not like our chances right now," Daniels told me. "It's going to be the sum of the parts and I still like this team."

 

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This stinks, but Michael Young should go

Texas Rangers (third baseman?) Michael Young may be coming off the worst year of his career and he is 36, but he is not done. He likely will be a solid producer for three or four more years.

He won't be doing it for the Texas Rangers.

The Google Machine is all abuzz that the Rangers will finally deal Young, this time to the Philadelphia Phillies. This means Young will be dealt to a team in Japan.

All Young needs to do is waive his no-trade clause, and the Rangers will likely eat a decent portion of the $15 million he is due in 2013. As much as I like Michael Young and do feel his departure will create a much larger void in that clubhouse than expected, he should go.

Rangers manager Ron Washington may want him back, but the management does not. At some point, as much as MY and his family may want to stay, he should go. He can play for another team for a few seasons, return to FW/d when he retires and remain a fan favorite forever.

Rangers GM Jon Daniels may operate different than his mentor, GM John Hart, but they both agree to the philosophy that they want someone better than Michael Young.

The Texas Rangers have been trying to dump "the face of the franchise" ever since Tom Hicks hired the smartest man in baseball, John Hart, as his general manager in the offseason of 2002. Hart's successor, Jon Daniels, has also wanted to get rid of Michael Young for a long time.

When Hart was hired he made it clear he wanted a big bat and serious run production from his second baseman, which at the time was Young. Hart's emphasis was anchored around power pitching, and big bats.

But every time the Rangers thought they could find someone better all MY did was hit. Since then MY has been moved to shortstop, third base, first base, DH ... but he was also paid $80 mil over five years. When one signs for that type of a deal one is usually asked "deal with it".

Daniels has at least learned from the last time he tried to deal MY a few seasons ago and is not making any type of potential deal too public. At all. Daniels is going out of his way to say that teams are calling him about MY, not the other way around (wink-wink).

It doesn't matter who called who first. The Rangers want someone else in their infield, and in their lineup, whom they are convinced is an upgrade over MY.

Maybe they are right. 
MY should go to a team that wants him in their lineup and regards him as their upgrade.

 

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Video: Galloway & Big Mac try to be hopeful about the Texas Rangers

 

 

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