The Texas Rangers are the 2010 American leauge West Division Champs how awesome is that??? Sure you can say but the Angels did this, but that , but the bottom line is this was our Year and we won!!!!! The baseball season is so long though do you remember just how this season started???
We began the year with our Franchise being broke, a new owner on the way but we had to go through bankruptcy court first. We were a good up and coming young team , who could have used a little more pitching but didnt have the money to go get it. WE DIDNT HAVE ANY MONEY!!!! The Rangers were so financially strapped that Major leauge Baseball was the money behind the franchise. More on the Ownership situation in a minute.
We had a superstar or so he looked like in 2008 , coming off a terrible injury riddled season, where he had an addiction relapse and just an overall bad year.
Our Manager who had done a solid job since being here , even though you could question some (or alot) of his managerial decisions. Then it comes out that during the previous season he tested positive for Cocaine???!!! Not a player OUR MANAGER!!! who has ever heard of that??? After the admission the players and the front office suprisingly stood behind him.
So lets review we entered Opening Day 2010 with :
1. Ownership situation in Flux , Team in Bankruptcy
2. Can the guy we think is our superstar rebound and prove it??
3. Manager who tests positive for Cocaine.
4. Typical Sketchy Texas Rangers pitching staff.
The Rangers started off a little slow but quickly rebounded and began to play solid ball. Same goes for Josh Hamilton our Superstar , Josh started a little slow but then began to play a level of baseball , that has never been seen before in Texas Ranger Land. He was playing Gold Glove defense in the Outfield, Running the Bases like a freight train all the while heading to .360 batting average 30 home runs and 100 rbi's. Had the injury bug not hit Josh again in September he would have been headed for 40 or more home runs and 120-130 rbi's and an all but guaranteed MVP Award. As it stands now with Josh about to return he still looks like he will win the MVP in the American Leauge.
As far as Ron Washington , He has managed a team who has been in First Place the majority of the season and kept them there. Not only are people not talking about his cocaine admission , it looks like he is headed for a multi year contract extension with a hefty raise!!!! He also looks like one of the front runners for Manager of the Year who would have thought??
The ownership situation was settled in early August, Greenberg and Ryan who agreed in January! to buy the team won the team in bankruptcy court from Mark Cuban and Jim Craine(yea Mark Cuban!!) They were able to do this all the while maintaining a top quality team on the field and making move after move to improve there team, including trading for a bonafide ACE pitcher Cliff Lee , the first time in my almost 29 years that we have had a bonafide top 5 Ace starting pitcher on the Texas Rangers. Our New owners first statement "were gonna go after Cliff Lee" trying to lock him up long term here in Texas. I cant tell you how refeshing that is to hear after years of Tom Hicks money mismanagement and 2 years of being in a top 5 market and being BANKRUPT!!!!!
So our Superstar Emerged, Our Manager was good, We got new Owners who appear to have the team headed in the right direction Basball wise and buisness wise, and we have an Ace starting pitcher.
There may be a team out there who has faced more obstacles , or had the odds more stacked against them, but i dont know of one. Are the Rangers of team of destiny this year?? Honestly I dont know I hope so!!! But even if there not I will be there every step of the way untill this ride stops. Somebody out there has to write a book about this year or make a movie or both the story is absolutely incredible!!!!! One thing is for sure Playoff Baseball is back in Texas hopefully to stay for a long long time!!!!!!!
