Get Fuzzy Over the Knicks

You know you are going to see some variations on this one before too long. Enjoy it. I did the coloring on it... Johnny Out.

Thoughts of a Game

Here's my wife holding a "Go Rangers" sign.

This is what snow looks like in Texas. Did you know, it hasn't snowed in the DFW Metroplex this winter? In fact, we haven't even had an ice storm. Not bad.

And here is a way to learn how to pitch. I think the Rangers might have been practicing this way... which could explain a lot.

Home Plate

Waiting...

I don't know who the girl is below this text, but she kept popping up when I was doing a "holding a sign" search on Google's image search. So, I changed the sign she was holding. Why not? I could use some baseball. And since there is a whole bunch of stuff happening with politics right now, it is good to know that Obama supports the Texas Rangers. I am sure Hillary does too... she said she loves coming to Texas. She loves the food, the atmosphere, the people... and the last time she came here was 13 YEARS AGO. Sure does sound like she loves Texas. Once every 13 years. Uh Huh.

Anyway, I don't know if I have the time to put any other political person with a Ranger sign... you never know, though. All the same, Johnny Out.

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Ranger RED

From the NEWBERG Report:

Back in September, Kinsler and Young and Hank Blalock told reporters that they were lobbying the organization to bring red back as the team's primary uniform color, even though none of them were with the Rangers when they ditched red in favor of the current blue. Texas's three playoff seasons came during the six years (1994 through 1999) in which they were in red. The club has yet to finish higher than third in the AL West since the switch to blue.

Rangers Executive Vice President of Communications Jim Sundberg told reporters yesterday that the Rangers may consider a switch to red as soon as 2009. It's a discussion that is expected to involve new Team President Nolan Ryan.

It's time to bring the red back.

Above is Juan Gonzalez in the red uniform that was used in the '90s.

I read this in his posting this morning. I also read what was in Dallas Morning News. It would make sense that I read it there, I do deliver the Dallas Morning News. (I don't know why the spell check isn't working.) And here is what the 'News said:

Jim Sundberg, the Rangers' new executive vice president of communications, said the team might consider bringing back red as its predominant color. "As we continue to try to build our brand, we've got several lingering issues that will play out over this year," Sundberg said. "That's one of them."

Now, I am not sure how Jamey got his information, but he is a VERY good source of information, so I believe it to be credible. I managed to contact the Rangers front office on this issue this morning, and they provided me with the leading uniform that might debut in 2009.

Just click here: New Ranger Uniform for 2009

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Ian Kinsler: Up The Middle is Set!

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers have reached agreement with second baseman Ian Kinsler on a five-year, $22 million contract, officials confirmed Tuesday morning.

A formal announcement is scheduled for 2 p.m. MT on Tuesday afternoon. The contract also includes a club option for a sixth year at $10 million with a $500,000 buyout.

"Ian stands for what we believe in, both on and off the field," Texas general manager Jon Daniels said. "He's the right person and player for us to commit to right now as we build toward a championship."

Kinsler is beginning his third season with the Rangers. He hit .263 last year with 20 home runs and 61 RBIs. The deal keeps Kinsler from having to go through the arbitration process and buys out two years of free agency.

What this does is secure an "up the middle" defense for the Rangers, with Michael Young at shortstop and Ian at second. The Rangers will have one less thing to worry about over the next several seasons, with Young and Kinsler signed, the up the middle defense is set for a good long time. This also means that they can focus on getting better pitching (how many times have I said that?!). Still, championships are typically won with solid up the middle defense. And now the Rangers have that secure. If only we can get them to make solid signings like this with some quality arms... Johnny Out.

It's Official

It's official. Jason Kidd is a Dallas Maverick again. Owner Mark Cuban and an NBA spokesman said this morning the deal is completed and has been reviewed and made official by the league.

The trade, which involves Keith Van Horn coming out of semi-retirement, has been completed and approved by the league.

Kidd is expected to join his new team for practice this afternoon, and Devin Harris is already with the Nets, the newspaper reports.

In addition to Harris, DeSagana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager and Van Horn go to the Nets, with two first-round draft picks, $3 million in cash and a $1.6 million trade exception. Malik Allen and swingman Antoine Wright will go to the Mavericks.

Hopefully this will turn out good for the Mavs by snagging a trophy and some rings at post-season end. Interesting to see how this pans out... Johnny OUT.

Spring into Training

Ah... I can smell the Pine Tar now... BASEBALL! The Rangers have obtained Kevin Mench, signing him to a minor league contract with a big league invite. But before I really dig into baseball, I want to address something else for a moment.

JASON KIDD. He's a Maverick. And the Mavericks have given up their future for "The Kidd" who has but more than likely a couple of seasons left in him. Now, JK has probably more triple doubles than anyone else I can think of... but as the Mavericks already know, triple-d's don't win championships (Insert Obscene Joke Here). The Mavericks had JK at his debut into the NBA and the guy threw together more T.D.s in a season than anyone could have possibly imagined. Here's a look at the deal...

Dallas gives up Trenton Hassell, Keith Van Horn, (THE FUTURE) Devin Harris, DeSagana Diop and Maurice Ager. They also give up a first round pick in 2008 and in 2010. So, if this trade doesn't work out, they are not going to be able to recoup from a pick. Way to sacrifice, guys. And if you are wondering about Van Horn, here's the scoup on him: Van Horn is eligible to be signed and traded by the Mavericks because he never filed his retirement papers and because the Mavericks haven't renounced his rights. At least Van Horn is still on top of things. Without retirement, he wouldn't have been able to be traded. We all know he was just filler on this. Of course, the Mavs get Jason Kidd. They also grab Malik Allen in the deal.

I'm a bit upset by the deal. I wasn't happy about the first, but was a bit happy when it was blocked. I don't see this one being delayed or stopped. I don't mind getting Jason Kidd, but giving up the farm? Well, maybe I will be proven wrong by this, but the only way I would end up being happy about this is if the Mavs are playing at the end of May and into June. A first round goodbye is not acceptable. A Western Conference Finals exit isn't good for me, either. I need the NBA Finals... and four wins in that series, capeesh? Maybe I am asking too much... but I don't think so, and niether does the rest of the DFW Metroplex. It's now. Not later. It's now.

I won't be able to get to Spring Training again this year. Once we finish paying off all our bills, then it won't be a dream anymore for me. I've already got my wife to agree to season tickets once the bills are paid off... I don't think spring training will be too hard to lobby for once we're done with the "CHA-CHING". But, yeah, Kevin Mench, or as we call him around here: SHREK! Hopefully, he will find his way back into a Ranger's uniform this season.

Kameron Loe will not be a starter for the Rangers, at least not at the beginning of the season. It has been mentioned that he is up for a relief role, and that is it. No Starting for Loe. I think that is a shame, but then, they haven't listened to me much thus far, why start now, right? Anyway, I haven't heard if Ryan is going to work with the pitching coach, Mark Conner, as of yet, but as soon as I know if Conner will utilize that resource or not, I will be putting that info on here. You know I will. Anyway, I will get back to this later, Johnny Out.

Hale to the Chief

The Texas Rangers are going to announce today that Nolan Ryan is their President. What that means may not seem much, but last night I thought about what Nolan Ryan did for the career of Randy Johnson. In case you do not know, Ryan talked with Johnson while he was still with Seattle. After Johnson recieved those tips from Ryan, his career took off. Now, fast forward to now, and think what Ryan can do for a pitcher like Kameron Loe, who is also a tall pitcher in the realm of Johnson-ness. I think also that Ryan can bring quality pitchers to this team, as well as help develop other pitchers and get those over the hump.

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Rangers Ranking

I am not sure what any of you others out there might think on the subject of $CHA-CHING$ having anything to do with a championship calibre team, but I couldn't help but notice that the Rangers rank 21st out of 30 teams. Any even though that wasn't what really bothered me, this is what DID bother me:

Los Angeles Angels of Anahiem: Rank 5th with a spending of $109,251,333.

Seattle Mariners: Rank 7th with a spending of $106,516,833.

Oakland Athletics: Rank 16th with a spending of $79,938,369.

and then there is the Texas Rangers, who currently rank 21st with a spending of $68,818,675. And again, it is not so much of "how much the Rangers are spending..." as it is how much MORE the other guys are spending, and it is working for them. What I mean when I say this is that the Rangers are over $30 Million less than the Angels, who are fortunate enough to be going to the playoffs all the time, in comparison to the Rangers, who are not. I would like to see J.D. step up a little more and get the "BIG" player who rocks. Like a Bedard or a Santana. So far, we have a rotation that looks like this:

#1 Starter: Kevin Millwood

#2 Starter: Vicente Padilla

#3 Starter: Jason Jennings

#4 Starter: Robinson Tejeda/Brandon McCarthy

#5 Starter: Robinson Tejeda/Brandon McCarthy/Matt Harrison/Kameron Loe/Thomas Diamond/John Rheinecker

Closer: C. J. Wilson

Pitching is the key to any team and the season that they have. You can't always win a game 30 to whatever. The only two slots that are REALLY set is Millwood and Padilla. I do understand the concept of waiting for the talent to groom, but the way things feel like out here... we just groom the players for some other team. Anyway, just a couple of more weeks until Spring Training begins (Pitchers and Catchers). Johnny Out.

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New England vs. New York

I guess you can say that this is a "New" Super Bowl and that it would be England vs. York, all New! OK, I know, "YAWN"... So, I've been thinking of just how AWESOME it would be for the Giants to upset the Patriots in the 'Bowl. How can they do it? Well, coaches feel that if their team can win two fo the three sides of the game (Offense, Defense, Special Teams), they will win. Let's immediately give the Patriots the offense. That would mean that the Giants need to take out the defense and special teams to walk away "da champs". And honestly, I think the Giants have the better special teams anyway. So, the game is all centered around the Giants defense. Can they have the better squad out there on Sunday? Well, I don't think so. But what if they step up? Here's a fifth seeded team (third best record in the NFC), winning three on the road to get here to the Supe. They can definitely play. Realistically, the Patriots are going to win, and more than likely, win big: probably something in the range of 38-17. The Patriots have hadd plenty of time to prepare and the Giants expectations are probably as high as a worms belly. I guess the only pressure out there is on the Patriots, which mean that could give the Giants some momentum, since if they lose, well they were expected to lose. If they win, they become the upset team of the century. I mean, they beat the team who was undefeated at 18-0 in the Super Bowl! How cool is that? New York can not underperform. When you walk into the Super Bowl with an expectation to be blown out, the only way you can go is up, right?

And it all hinges on whether the Giants defense can step up and provide pressure, enough to cause a disruption of Brady and hold the Patriots to under 30 points. If the Giants can hold the Patriots under 25 points, the Giants should win, or at least the defense has done their part. The special teams for the Giants just simply need to provide good enough field position to give the Giants a fair chance to score, and that shouldn't be a problem. If special teams scores a TD straight out, then that would only be two touchdowns for the offense to crank out and two field goals to push the Giants to a score of 27 points. Is that possible? Yes. But the defense has to hold the Patriots under 25 points to work. And I really don't think that will happen... BUT I SURE HOPE IT DOES!!!

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