The Texas Rangers; Doing it the Old Fashioned Way

When the season started, all the talk centered around New York, Boston and Philadelphia.  The Yankees reload every year -money or not, and certainly had reason to believe that they would in contention.  With a legitimate ace in C.C. Sabathia, a rising star in Robinson Cano, the best closer ever in Mariano Rivera and the captain -one Derek Sanderson Jeter, the Yankees were primed to return to what they believed was their rightful place.  The Boston Red Sox came in with even higher expectations.  With Adrian Gonzalez, Kevin Youkilis, Big Pap David Ortiz and what many believed was the best top-to-bottom pitching staff in baseball, all of the prognosticators picked Terry "Tito" Francona to lead the Boston faithful to their 3rd title in 7 years.   Then there were the Philadelphia Phillies.  They already had Roy Halliday, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt, but then they went and got Cliff Lee.  Armed and Dangerous were the Philadelphia Phillies.

Let's review, shall we?  The Yankees?  Couldn't hit their way out of the divisional and lost to the over-matched Tigers 5 games (Game 5 IN YANKEE STADIUM, oh by the way).  The Red Sox?  Imploded in September and didn't even make the playoffs -hence goodbye Tito and Theo Epstein, the GM who now takes his efforts to Chicago and the Cubs.  And the Phillies?  Couldn't handle St. Louis and over-rated Tony LaRussa and also lost in 5 AT HOME.

It was amazing to me then as it is now, that no one really talked about the Texas Rangers.  After all, they led their division wire-to-wire just about and were the defending American League Champs.  Sure, the lost Cliff Lee, but in my mind he was never a difference making pitcher, just one that knew how to get hot at the right time.   Fast forward and long story short, they have been nothing short of dominating in the post-season, having handled the Rays in 4 and the Tigers in 6.  Their offense has been beastly and their starting pitching -while weak, has been helped immensely by a bullpen that's been the stingiest in the post-season.

To say that Ron Washington, the Texas manager is emotional is like saying Lady Gaga is a little eccentric.  Watch him from the dugout sometimes, he's cheering like a fan, waving baserunners in like he's on the field and celebrating like he's an owner.  But everyone has said it, they love playing for him.  And he's done everything right the last two years and the foundation is set up for a run during this decade that could rival the Yankee run of the late 90's and early 2000's.  Those Yankees didn't have a gallery of superstars, they had every day players like Paul O'Neill and Scott Brosius for instance, that didn't demand a lot and were clutch.  The result; 4 titles in a 5 year run and two other appearances in the Fall Classic during the first decade of the new millennium.

It's no coincidence that the Texas Rangers are the first team since -you guessed it, the New York Yankees, to repeat as American League Champion.  They have a fiery manager, young, aggressive talent, speed on the basepaths and power in their bats.  Nelson Cruz is RIDICULOUS and all of that spells -for me, one thing;  the 2011 World Series Champs will be the Texas Rangers.  Milwaukee, St. Louis, no disrespect intended, but it's just not your year.  The Texas Rangers, who've done it the old-fashioned way, will win it the same way.

Let the run of excellence in Arlington begin.  What a year for the state of Texas.  First the Mavericks, now the Rangers.