Baseball, Politics and Pain (the connection)

Baseball season is coming up very soon and if the past few weeks of Spring training is any indication, the Texas Rangers are in position to lose a lot of games. Besides playing badly, their suddenly piss-poor pitching staff looks to be a weak spot on this team. But what really has my pessimism roaring is the injury bug. They had already lost Derek Holland for 2-3 months, as well as Matt Harrison (coming off of major back surgery) and Colby Lewis (trying to come back after getting injured during last season). In addition, Neftali Perez is nowhere near ready to return to any meaningful playtime and last season's set-up man, Tanner Scheppers is being moved to the rotation, leaving a huge void that needs to be filled.

You may consider that the additions of Shin-Soo Choo and Prince Fielder will help this team. Had the Rangers been able to have Choo for last season, the team would have easily won the AL West. As for Fielder, his numbers were down considerably last season and it's possible that the trade of Ian Kinsler for Prince is but a wash. Personally, I believe that Fielder will have a great season attacking the short right field porch at the Ballpark in Arlington (Oops, I mean Globe Life Ballpark, or whatever they named it).

Now comes word that Jurickson Profar may miss up to 2-3 months with a shoulder injury.

Bad luck does seem to follow these local teams a lot. Between the Cowboys, Rangers and Mavericks, it seems that lady luck is definitely not on her side. For those of us who have been consistently watching these teams for the past 20 years, this should come as no surprise. I really just hope that by the time the Rangers get their players healthy again, that there is still time on the schedule to make a legitimate run. But right now, I do not feel too optimistic.

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I can't tell if Nancy Pelosi is truly delusional, or of she is simply saying what she needs to say to keep her party together. Being that she is a life-long politician, I have to give her the benefit of the doubt. As for Harry Reid, well that man is just bat-shit crazy.

It may seem deadly obvious, but it really is time for French Jews to get the hell out of France. If this story doesn't show them what the future holds, nothing will. And while we're at it, keep praying for the Jews in the Ukraine. Nothing spells gloom and doom for Jews than a Russian civil war. As was in the past, the Jews will be scapegoated first. I hope it isn't too late for British Jews, as well. I have said this prophecy before and it still scares the crap out of me - but I fear the day the Queen will be forced out to the courtyard at Buckingham Palace to be executed by the Muslim majority. They have invited the beast to dine without realizing they are on the menu. I just hope it doesn't happen in my lifetime (or my children). But you have to know that this is the goal of Islam 4 UK, the illegal Muslim group headed by Anjem Choudary. Choudhary is perhaps the most vile and extreme supporter for terrorism in Great Britain. Sadly, England has long since lost her will to survive and Choudary easily fills the void left behind.

Great Britain was once under the power of the Church of England. But two world wars sapped whatever life force the Island once had. Losing that connection to faith, Great Britain simply surrendered that void to Islam and Islam is taking full advantage. Sadly, most European countries have been following in England's path. To be honest, who can blame them? Watching their young soldiers die young in not one, but two great wars was just too much to bear. So better than dying, Europe gave up the fight and basically decided to let the United States fight to protect them. Yes, England and France (and many other European countries) field armies. However, their existence is pitifully weak without America's intervention. And just as sadly, President Obama is committed to weaken the American armed forces as well. But that's a tale for another day.

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There are so many scandals and problems created by the Obama administration that much of it gets dismissed by a cynical populace. Obama's approval is still far higher than it should be, given the bald-faced lies the President has uttered. Include the fact that Mitt Romney was proven correct regarding Russia, one would have to admit that without a sycophant media making sure that Obama is held blameless for anything that occurs during his administration, Obama's approval rating would be somewhere around 25% at best. No doubt the Republicans are partially to blame for this. The problem the GOP has had is picking the right fight to fight. ObamaCare alone should have brought this (or any other President) down. If not thrown out of office, certainly brought up on charges of impeachment. President Bush, and even President Clinton would not have survived the outrageous lies and misdirections perpetrated by the current administration.

Of course, ObamaCare is just the tip of the iceberg. Fast and Furious, IRS targeting, NSA surveillance and extreme cronyism in regard to the $800 million stimulus all individually fall into the "major scandal" category. Of course, for sheer chutzpa, the lies told by Obama, Hillary Clinton and Susan Rice (to just mention the top culprits), are off the charts in regard to the terror attack in Benghazi. Keep in mind, no one died because of Watergate. And even if Benghazi were inevitable, the cover up and lies surrounding the scandal made a tragic situation criminal, as well. There was no reason for Obama, Clinton or Rice to have said anything other than the truth. But to lie about the event when by that tie the real story had been discovered is simply arrogance on the administration's part. It simply showed the American people that the Obama administration holds her citizens in contempt and unworthy of the truth. Seriously, the arrogance of these people easily rival that of LBJ and his contempt for Blacks.

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Today has been a particularly bad day health-wise. The pain from my herniated disk has continued to get worse - to the point that there is no longer a position I can lay down where there is no discomfort. Lifting myself up from a sitting position (like getting out of bed) has gotten progressively more painful. In fact, there have been a few times where I needed help from my son just to stand. I'm only able to walk with a cane to hold me up. I find I can stand in one place for up to 10 minutes, as long as I use a small stool or step under my foot. Driving had been most difficult because of the pain of getting in and out of the car. But now, in addition to that, using the accelerator and brake are becoming equally painful.

So I made an appointment with a neurosurgeon to discuss my options. I really do not want more surgery. But continuing to feel this way is becoming more untenable. So, I guess you should wish me luck as my appointment is in 9 days. Plus, I will get another epidural injection around then, also.

The Born-Again Rangers

Way back in April 2008, I wrote a post about the tortured history of the Texas Rangers baseball club. At that time, the team was at 7-16 and looking like they were done before the season really got under way. I announced their death that day and while the season proved me right (they finished 79-83 and , although officially in second place in the AL West, a full 21 games out in the division standings.

But while I called them "dead" that day, they were, in fact, about to be born again.

That previous summer, prior to the All-Star break, Texas made three trades that completely reversed the franchise' horrible history. On July 31, 2007, the Rangers stunned their fan base when they traded their star first baseman, Mark Texeira, to the Atlanta Braves, for catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia and four minor leaguers. Later that same day, they traded pitcher Eric Gagne (who had an all-star past and seemed on the verge of a comeback) for David Murphy, the Red Sox top draft pick a couple of years earlier, and a minor leaguer.

But the third trade happened the summer of 2008 and it put the Rangers in place to be reborn. On June 20th of that year, the team sent one of their best young arms, Ednison Volquez, to the Cincinnati Reds for Josh Hamilton.

Most pundits, following all of these moves, felt Texas was still 2-3 years away from winning. After all, the players they gave up - Texiera, Gagne and Volquez - were already performing at the major league level (and in Texiera's case, starring at that level). Team General Manager Jon Daniels, the youngest GM in the league, we looked upon as being way over his head.

But Daniels has proven them all wrong, hasn't he? Much like what Jimmy Johnson did to Mike Lynn, when the Cowboys dealt Herschel Walker to the Vikings back in 1989, this trade was not about what veterans the Rangers were getting. It was about the future.

Now, with the ability to use hindsight, we see that these trades not only boosted the big league roster (Murphy and Hamilton), but because of these acquisitions, the Ranger farm system ranked among the top 2-3 in all of baseball. And this year, it has finally come to the surface.

You see, the minor leaguers that were included in the deals included shortstop Elvis Andrus, pitchers Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison and Beau Jones, and outfielder Angel Beltre.

This year, Andrus is an all-star, and perhaps the best young shortstop in the game, Feliz is among the best closers in baseball - as well as the leading candidate to win Rookie-of-the-Year, Harrison is a solid long reliever/spot starter, and Jones and Beltre are tearing up the minor leagues (Beltre was just voted minor league player of the year in the organization).

But perhaps the biggest contributions this season have come from Hamilton and Murphy. Murphy has been primarily used as the teams fourth outfielder for the past couple of years. Solid, but not spectacular. But because of injuries to Nelson Cruz and Hamilton, he has proven himself invaluable and likely to displace started Julio Borbon as a starting outfielder (when Hamilton comes back). Since Hamilton went out with a ribcage injury a couple of weeks ago, Murphy has hit over .400, with towering home runs and multi-RBI games (he had four more RBI tonight).

But the MVP of this team is Josh Hamilton. What Hamilton has been able to accomplish has not been seen in these parts before. After starting off slowly for the first month an a half, Ham-bone has been nothing short of remarkable. Since May 20th, he has hit over .400 (his current batting average is whopping .362), and has displayed tremendous power and outfield range. In addition, he plays with the intensity and desire of a true champion.

The play that epitomizes Josh Hamilton that comes to mind was when he scored from second on an infield single (he has done that twice now). In the same game, he homered, doubled twice and made two outstanding, highlight reel catches in the outfield.

Suddenly, the future has arrived in Arlington. With the new ownership of Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan, the emergence of guys like C.J. Wilson, Nellie Cruz and Ian Kinsler, as well as the stability of Cliff Lee, Michael Young and Vlad Guerrero, this Rangers team is vastly different that I've ever seen before.

No more are the 10-9 shootouts common in Texas. Today, you are more likely to see a 2-1 game here. In the past, a win required Juan Gonzalez or Rafael Palmeiro to hit enough home runs to survive suspect pitching. But these days are no more. And the games are even more exciting than ever. Who know "small ball" could be so much fun? Of course, there is still a lot of power in the lineup. But there is also a lot of speed.

But more importantly, there is good pitching. And a GM who isn't afraid of making deals.

I don't know if this is the year the Rangers finally have playoff success. But I do know that for perhaps the first time in the team's 38 years, the future looks bright and sunny.