PopTop
06-05-2004, 10:51 AM
Seguin (pronounced Suh-geen) is about 25 miles south of my home, little wide spot in Interstate 10 ... This article is pretty sad for a couple of reasons ... First, it's not really well-written or thought out ... There are six Texas colleges in the College World Series tourney that started a couple of days ago ... To dismiss college sports as being over in this state is unbelievably naive or plain old ignorant ... Hard to imagine that the person who carries the title of sports editor at any paper, big or small, would simply gloss over over forget about collegiate baseball in the Lone Star State ... Also, I purposely pasted it in here just as it's written, and I counted twice that he spelled "surprise" without the first "r" ... You can blame the first misspelling in an article on being a typo, but the second time someone spells the word the same way, you've got to think that's coming from the writer's noggin and not his fingers.
Another sad part of the story is you might get this impression that this sports writer/editor and all of his readers haven't really heard of or discussed either the Rangers or Astros before ... Sportswriting and writers in the San Antonio area have certainly incurred my wrath before, but here's a clear case of a paper and a writer basically not thinking of anything exists outside of the Spurs :hmm:
Rangers and Astros provide hope
Jason Orts / Seguin Gazette-Enterprise (http://web.seguingazette.com/report.lasso?wcd=6874)
Published June 04, 2004
The scene in Texas for organized sports is fairly dead right now. High schools and colleges state-wide are out for the summer, and the San Antonio Spurs, which I’m still convinced were 0.4 seconds away from the being in the NBA Finals, are sitting at home as well.
So for the remainder of the long, hot summer, all we Texans have to hold onto are the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, and if they keep going the way they are, that may not be nearly as bad as it may sound.
And while these two teams are in nearly the same spots right now, they have come from totally different directions.
The Astros were expected to compete for the National League Central title with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
But it’s the Cincinnati Reds who have the division’s top spot for now, thanks in large part to the resurgence of Ken Griffey Jr., who if he can stay healthy, has shown he is still one of the best hitters and players in the game.
Anyway, back to the Astros. It’s kind of funny how things worked out for them this off season. They signed Andy Pettite as a free-agent from the Yankees. They then signed Roger Clemens, who had planned to retire after last season.
Clemens was kind of an afterthought, coming really as a package deal because of his close friendship with Pettite and the fact that he lives in Houston.
But Clemens has shown he’s still got it at age 41, speeding out to an 8-0 record, the best mark in baseball, and his 2.27 ERA and 81 strikeouts are both second in the National League. Not bad for a man who was supposed to be doing more than watching this season.
Pettite, whose 4-1 record and ERA in the mid-3s are nothing to shake a stick at, is on the disabled list for the second time this season. While his injury is not expected to force him to miss more than a couple of starts, it is still a reason for concern.
But for years, the Astros have been known for their bats, especially since moving into hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park.
With Jeff Bagwell, Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and Richard Hidalgo, the Astros usually score plenty of runs. Especially with how hot Berkman has been lately, as he hit .387 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs in May, earning National League Player of the Month honors.
So, no it’s not a huge suprise the Astros are where they are in the standings, given the talent and experience on their roster, but the same can’t be said for their neighbors about three hours to the north, the Texas Rangers.
If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the season the Rangers would even still be mathematically alive for the playoffs on Memorial Day, I’d have told you to go and seek professional help.
But here we are, June 4, and Texas is just two games back of Anaheim for the top spot in the American League West.
So let me get this straight. The Rangers trade away their best player, Alex Rodriguez, who just happened to win the league MVP award last season, in the off season.
Not only did the Rangers lose Rodriguez, but also Juan Gonzalez and Raphael Palmeiro, and the team gets better? What’s up with that?
Here’s the deal. The Rangers, who have been dreadful the last few seasons, finally got rid of that monstrosity of a contract Rodriguez had, get an All-Star player in return in Alfonso Soriano, who leads the All-Star voting this season, and their younger players, now presented with an opportunity to shine, have done just that.
Hank Blalock was already an All-Star last season at third base and he has continued to play at that level. Michael Young moved over from second base to shortstop, allowing Soriano to play second base, and leads the team in batting average (.338) hits (76), runs scored (36) and is tied for the lead with Blalock for first in RBIs (34).
Add that to the fact that the Ranger pitchers are finally learning how to get people out, and you’ve got yourself a pretty good ball club.
It’s not as if these pitchers are exactly household names. I mean, come on, Ryan Drese? R.A. Dickey? Kenny Rogers? Okay, so Rogers is a pretty big name, but this list reads more like a marquee for a country music concert than a starting pitching rotation.
These guys aren’t blowing anyone away, but they’re giving the Rangers what they need — quality starts, which in this day and age means allowing three or fewer runs over six or more innings of work.
If the Rangers ever get rid of Chan Ho Park’s outlandish contract, they’ll be even better.
They signed Park to a $55 millions over five years and in his first two-plus seasons with the team, he’s spent about as much time on the field as I have. And when he’s been on the field, he’s been terrible.
The Texas bullpen has also done a decent job this year, paced at the back end of it by Francisco Cordero, who is 1-0 with 18 saves in as many chances, slamming the door on opponents when the Rangers lead after eight innings.
Am I saying all of this is going to last? No. Not necessarily. But with the young talent the Rangers have, a lot of which has come out of their farm system, this team figures to only get better over the next few years.
And if they continue to suprise me this season by being in contention at the All-Star break or even in September, then I’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Hey, stranger things have happened. Just ask the Spurs.
Another sad part of the story is you might get this impression that this sports writer/editor and all of his readers haven't really heard of or discussed either the Rangers or Astros before ... Sportswriting and writers in the San Antonio area have certainly incurred my wrath before, but here's a clear case of a paper and a writer basically not thinking of anything exists outside of the Spurs :hmm:
Rangers and Astros provide hope
Jason Orts / Seguin Gazette-Enterprise (http://web.seguingazette.com/report.lasso?wcd=6874)
Published June 04, 2004
The scene in Texas for organized sports is fairly dead right now. High schools and colleges state-wide are out for the summer, and the San Antonio Spurs, which I’m still convinced were 0.4 seconds away from the being in the NBA Finals, are sitting at home as well.
So for the remainder of the long, hot summer, all we Texans have to hold onto are the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, and if they keep going the way they are, that may not be nearly as bad as it may sound.
And while these two teams are in nearly the same spots right now, they have come from totally different directions.
The Astros were expected to compete for the National League Central title with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals.
But it’s the Cincinnati Reds who have the division’s top spot for now, thanks in large part to the resurgence of Ken Griffey Jr., who if he can stay healthy, has shown he is still one of the best hitters and players in the game.
Anyway, back to the Astros. It’s kind of funny how things worked out for them this off season. They signed Andy Pettite as a free-agent from the Yankees. They then signed Roger Clemens, who had planned to retire after last season.
Clemens was kind of an afterthought, coming really as a package deal because of his close friendship with Pettite and the fact that he lives in Houston.
But Clemens has shown he’s still got it at age 41, speeding out to an 8-0 record, the best mark in baseball, and his 2.27 ERA and 81 strikeouts are both second in the National League. Not bad for a man who was supposed to be doing more than watching this season.
Pettite, whose 4-1 record and ERA in the mid-3s are nothing to shake a stick at, is on the disabled list for the second time this season. While his injury is not expected to force him to miss more than a couple of starts, it is still a reason for concern.
But for years, the Astros have been known for their bats, especially since moving into hitter-friendly Minute Maid Park.
With Jeff Bagwell, Jeff Kent, Craig Biggio, Lance Berkman and Richard Hidalgo, the Astros usually score plenty of runs. Especially with how hot Berkman has been lately, as he hit .387 with nine home runs and 24 RBIs in May, earning National League Player of the Month honors.
So, no it’s not a huge suprise the Astros are where they are in the standings, given the talent and experience on their roster, but the same can’t be said for their neighbors about three hours to the north, the Texas Rangers.
If you would’ve told me at the beginning of the season the Rangers would even still be mathematically alive for the playoffs on Memorial Day, I’d have told you to go and seek professional help.
But here we are, June 4, and Texas is just two games back of Anaheim for the top spot in the American League West.
So let me get this straight. The Rangers trade away their best player, Alex Rodriguez, who just happened to win the league MVP award last season, in the off season.
Not only did the Rangers lose Rodriguez, but also Juan Gonzalez and Raphael Palmeiro, and the team gets better? What’s up with that?
Here’s the deal. The Rangers, who have been dreadful the last few seasons, finally got rid of that monstrosity of a contract Rodriguez had, get an All-Star player in return in Alfonso Soriano, who leads the All-Star voting this season, and their younger players, now presented with an opportunity to shine, have done just that.
Hank Blalock was already an All-Star last season at third base and he has continued to play at that level. Michael Young moved over from second base to shortstop, allowing Soriano to play second base, and leads the team in batting average (.338) hits (76), runs scored (36) and is tied for the lead with Blalock for first in RBIs (34).
Add that to the fact that the Ranger pitchers are finally learning how to get people out, and you’ve got yourself a pretty good ball club.
It’s not as if these pitchers are exactly household names. I mean, come on, Ryan Drese? R.A. Dickey? Kenny Rogers? Okay, so Rogers is a pretty big name, but this list reads more like a marquee for a country music concert than a starting pitching rotation.
These guys aren’t blowing anyone away, but they’re giving the Rangers what they need — quality starts, which in this day and age means allowing three or fewer runs over six or more innings of work.
If the Rangers ever get rid of Chan Ho Park’s outlandish contract, they’ll be even better.
They signed Park to a $55 millions over five years and in his first two-plus seasons with the team, he’s spent about as much time on the field as I have. And when he’s been on the field, he’s been terrible.
The Texas bullpen has also done a decent job this year, paced at the back end of it by Francisco Cordero, who is 1-0 with 18 saves in as many chances, slamming the door on opponents when the Rangers lead after eight innings.
Am I saying all of this is going to last? No. Not necessarily. But with the young talent the Rangers have, a lot of which has come out of their farm system, this team figures to only get better over the next few years.
And if they continue to suprise me this season by being in contention at the All-Star break or even in September, then I’ll just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Hey, stranger things have happened. Just ask the Spurs.