My home of the Texas Rangers

I was forced to go to the game by myself last night because I just couldn't find anyone to go with me and I had to go. I've decided it is actually good to go to a game by yourself every once in awhile.

I was able to really enjoy the game and just observe everything that was going on. There were a few things that really stood out to me and reminded me why I love this game so much.

It started with Omar Vizquel before the game even started.

As he was coming off the field after warming up, he stopped at the top of the stairs to the dugout and signed a few autographs. He didn't have to, and it would be completely understandable if he didn't, but he realizes that the fans support him, and he wanted to show them some appreciation.

There were two other things that happened before the game even started that showed how much fun baseball is supposed to be.

After the national anthem, one guy went through the line doing different handshakes and joking around. This is the type of fun we need to keep having if we are going to stay successful.

The other pregame ritual that I found amusing occured in the outfield.

As Marlon Byrd came out to center field he took off his hat and bowed to the bullpen and they in turn bowed to him. Again the type of fun I love to see.

Omar Vizquel donated another great moment to the evening when he got his first hit. The hit tied him for the most hits by a Venezuelan. The fans in turn rewarded him with a well earned standing ovation.

This is Omar's first year in Texas, but I know I have been extremely happy to have him around. He is a class act and the type of player that every other player should emulate.

He has willingly taken a backseat to the rookie, and has contributed in every way possible. I was shocked to see that he has a slugging percentage over .400, and yet he hasn't hit a single home run. Just one example of the contribution he has made.

The other beautiful events of the night involved a former Ranger that will always be a Ranger in my eyes.

Ivan Rodriguez is now a member of the Houston Astros who are in town to play the Rangers. In the bottom of the first inning he came onto the field just like any other night to perform his catching duties. But this night was special.

When his name was announced the crowd proceeded to give him a standing ovation. He served us so well for so many years, and in many people's eyes, was wronged by the organization, but that didn't matter to the fans. It was a beautiful sight.

An even more beautiful sight took place later in the game.

In between half innings later in the game they played a video tribute to Pudge Rodriguez as he was playing in a record setting game. Pudge has now played in more games than any other catcher in history, passing Carlton Fisk.

The video tribute finished just as the pitcher was done warming up. What followed nearly brought me to tears. The entire crowd gave him another loud standing ovation. It lasted for a good minute or so.

I must say I have been a huge Pudge fan since his very first game, which I watched on TV which is why it was so cool to me. But it would have been moving to anyone that understood his contribution not only to the Rangers, but Major League Baseball.

Nolan Ryan referred to him as the most talented catcher he ever pitched to, and that was very early in Pudge's career.

He does not have the cannon he had when he first came in the league, but he sure can call a game and manage a pitching staff as evidenced by leading the Marlins and the Tigers to the World Series, winning it with the Marlins.

His longevity and contributions to the league are things that must be admired, and the Rangers' fans certainly did that.

It was simply a beautiful moment in an all around beautiful game.

Due to spending time with my family this weekend, which I highly recommend, I had to watch all of these games on my DVR, but it was worth it. As long as we don't have to go to Detroit in the playoffs, I think we have a real shot of making some noise this fall.

Friday night was quite simply a fabulous game. It was one of those games that no matter which team you were rooting for, you have to admit it was a great game.

Holland pitched a great game until he left his last pitch up in the zone. It is always a good reminder for a rookie to get one blasted on him every once in awhile. I would have liked to have seen him get a chance to battle back, but it all worked out.

No thanks to CJ Wilson.

He had been pitching better again recently, but I just was not impressed with his stuff this weekend. Just because he had a decent string as the closer early last season, they seem to think he is still going to be that good, but he isn't.

Luckily, Nelson Cruz saved the day in the tenth. It is great to see him really finding himself as a player this year. A lot of us didn't know what to think after a few years of uncertainty, but he has really come into his own this year as his three home runs over the weekend showed.

Saturday was just a good old fashioned win without anything overly exciting. Cruz hitting two homers, and Blalock going back to back with Cruz was quite fun, but despite that two run scare in the seventh, the outcome wasn't really in doubt.

I will give Wilson his due as he pitched much better in this game and didn't blow the save again.

Sunday was the type of pitching performance that we are becoming accustomed too. The fact that it came from an unlikely source isn't even that big of a shock anymore.

Brandon McCarthy was on fire this afternoon. After having his longest outing as a Ranger not too long ago, he went the distance and didn't allow a run despite allowing nine hits. This was the first complete game shutout of his career.

This is the type of resiliency that has been instilled in this pitching staff. We all expect them to give up hits, and even some runs, just don't let that turn into five or six runs.

The only thing McCarthy didn't do was get a hit, the only Ranger without one today. I think we can look past that though as he did his part on the hill, and the offense took care of the rest.

Josh Hamilton had a monster day at the plate, and reaffirmed how we need to lock him up sooner than later. I would like to think he feels at home with this team and will want to stay.

It also struck me again this weekend how solid Chris Davis has been defensively. We all know he hasn't been hitting as well as we would all like, but you can't overlook his defensive contribution.

It seems like every game he is doing the splits three or four times to make a play happen. I can't help but wonder how many innings may have gotten ugly if he doesn't make that stretch or dig a bad throw.

Elvis Andrus's defensive contributions have been well documented and the overall team defense has improved drastically, but I don't think Davis is getting the credit he deserves. Not just for making the tough plays, but giving that extra effort to get an out when the play is close at first.

This was exactly the type of weekend we needed going into inviting the Yankees to town. This should be a fun series and one that is very telling of what kind of team we have.

There is no reason we can't sweep them too and really make a statement of how good we are. I'm glad this series is at home as that should help our younger guys stay relaxed and ready to play.

I knew I shouldn't have said anything after such a great weekend. Every time I say something, the Rangers immediately start losing. Tonight makes it two in a row.

Don't get me wrong, I am not giving up on the season or anything, but I should have knocked on some wood or something.

It is really frustrating when we lose because of one bad inning, but that is the way the game ends up sometimes. The fifth inning killed us tonight.

It is hard to know what happened to Harrison tonight, because he has pitched so well recently. Even when he has gotten into a little trouble, he has battled back and closed out the inning.

That is the frustration that is baseball though. Sometimes no matter what you do the other team does just enough to win. All it takes is one bad inning and you lose, or win as the case may be.

At least our offense finally popped its head back out. While the eighth inning could have been much bigger for us, at this point I will settle for three runs after getting no hit for the first few innings.

It was another great game for Andrus too, which is always nice. Rookies have a tendency to drift into slumps, but he has remained very steady to this point.

It was fun to see him get the triple play that he didn't seem to realize had really happened. It was even more fun to see him get that stand up triple. Can you say rookie of the year?

If you want a little silver lining from this game, it was Joel Zumaya's second game in a row pitching so we may not have to deal with him tomorrow. I can't imagine they would want to put extra strain on his arm coming off of an injury.

I recently read an article written by a Yankee fan about how recently the Yankees have been in the habit of buying talent instead of developing. The article went into a long description of how the system has changed from the 90's compared to now.

It described how in the 90's, when the Yankees were very successful, they developed players such as Derek Jeter, Mariano Rivera, and Jorge Posada, and then accented them with players such as Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius.

In recent years, the philosophy has changed. They simply sign the players that will require the highest contracts.

Notice I did not say the best players.

Some of these signings appeared to make a lot of sense as with C.C. Sabathia and Mark Teixeira, but even the ones that appeared to be locks have not always proven so.

The best and most obvious example of this shift in philosophy was the trade for Alex Rodriguez. While personally I was grateful for the trade because he could no longer drain on my team, it has not been so great for the Yankees.

The point is that whatever system the Yankees are using now is not working very well. However, one team that is having tremendous success this season seems to be using the Yankees' old system.

The Texas Rangers.

While we are still relatively early in the season, their success cannot be overlooked, and their method for achieving that success may look a little familiar.

After the HUGE mistake of wasting so much money on A-Rod the organization has been hesitant about spending huge amounts of money on free agents. While they have still made some mistakes in that area, they have mostly seen the error of their ways.

Instead of throwing money away, the organization has shifted its method to improving the farm system. I believe it was baseball America that recently ranked the Rangers' farm system as number one so I guess it is working.

If you look at the Rangers' active roster, approximately half of the players spent time in the Rangers' farm system. That includes the entire starting infield.

While some of these players were originally drafted by other teams, they all played for the Rangers' minor league teams before getting the call-up.

Those players include Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler, Chris Davis, Michael Young, Scott Feldman, and Taylor Teagarden. I can't even imagine the Rangers without Young and Kinsler.

Perhaps the best example of the shift in method occurred during this off-season. It is widely known that the Rangers asked Michael Young to shift to third so that Elvis Andrus could be brought up from AA to play shortstop.

Personally, I was not happy about it because of all that Young means to the organization, and he had just won a gold glove at shortstop so why make him change?

But it is not my team.

The change was made and it has proven to be a great move, though I doubt anyone could have expected it to work as good as it has.

Young has been a rock at third after last year when it was just a mess. Andrus has been as good as advertised on defense, and his offense has even been adequate. The entire infield in meshing well and team defense has been right at the top of the league.

Even with all the success I can't help but wonder if we wouldn't be even better with John Danks and Edinson Volquez still around. As much as I love Josh Hamilton, it is hard to ignore how successful Volquez has been since the trade.

The other piece of this successful plan is signing veterans that can fill roles where needed, and we have learned well how to do that.

Sammy Sosa and Milton Bradley were both good signings to help the team get through the growth years, but they have moved on.

This year's signings have proved to be the best yet.

Andruw Jones has been a tremendous asset when it comes to getting on base whenever he gets the chance.

I also can't help but think he has given the outfielders some fielding tips. He has certainly lost a step over the years, but you don't win all those gold gloves without knowing how to play defense.

The other huge signing that I think is widely overlooked is the signing of Omar Vizquel. Many people saw it as merely an insurance policy if Andrus didn't pan out, but it was much more than that.

Just like Jones, Vizquel has his share of gold gloves and can only be helping the defense get stronger. It is nice to know that if the infielders need a day off we have a reliable player to send in there. His leadership and veteran leadership also cannot be overlooked.

I am not ready to say the Rangers are going to win the next couple World Series, or even win it this year, but it is comforting to see the youth movement being effective for our team.

Let's just hope it keeps going.

Brandon McCarthy took another huge step towards establishing himself as a productive starter for the Rangers. Despite losing 4-0, he pitched solidly and did not give up a big inning.

All four runs that he gave up came as single runs in different innings. He may have lost by a lot more had he not buckled down each time and worked himself out of a jam. That alone is a huge sign of what McCarthy has to offer.

The second good sign was throwing two consecutive seven inning starts, both times throwing 110+ pitches. He is really starting to build up some durability.

It is a shame that the offense decided not to show up last night. Give Dontrelle Willis some credit too. His stuff was pretty nasty, and showed why the Tigers wanted him in the first place. He pitched like the Rangers' pitchers have recently.

We just couldn't key in on his pitches so we weren't hitting him very hard. The few times we did hit him hard they were right at people. That is the way it goes sometimes, but it is a shame we wasted a solid performance by McCarthy.

All I can say is it is about freaking time!

As any true Rangers' fan knows it has rarely been easy to stand up for our team and get any respect. It has been almost a decade since we were in the playoffs, and we haven't even really been close recently.

My how times have changed.

I really think you can credit that to one area of play: the pitching. To be even more specific, the starting pitching has been stellar. I don't know that we have EVER had this many quality outings from our starting pitchers in a row. I also think the majority of the credit can be given to one man.

Nolan Ryan

I must first admit that Nolan Ryan has been my favorite baseball player for as long as I can remember. My bias aside, his shift in attitude for the pitching staff is the direct cause of their improvement.

He is teaching them, including the veterans, how to be a tough, professional athlete that earns his check, and goes out every outing and gives his best. He was a tough pitcher when he played, and that attitude is now being transferred to the staff.

I honestly think his hiring was the best move the Rangers have made in the last decade and should have been done much sooner.

It is important to give Mike Maddux some credit, because he has definitely had a good impact on the staff. The whole organization has had a hand in their success. The coaches have showed their confidence in the pitchers, and the pitchers have responded with quality outings.

It is huge that the pitchers have started to forget about their pitch counts and what inning it is and just gone out and thrown their best stuff.

Most pitchers in the majors these days don't expect to pitch past the sixth inning on most nights, and rarely, if ever, much over 100 pitches. But our pitchers are staying in the game for as long as they are pitching effectively, and that has been a huge upside for this entire team.

As for this glorious weekend, what a better way to spend it than to watch your team sweep their division rivals and expand their lead in the division. The Angels, who constantly get the face time on ESPN and all the credit from the analysts, are now 4.5 games back, and the Rangers are 9 games over .500.

Friday night was a little scary at the end, but we held on to win, and that is ultimately what matters. It can be easy for a team to just let it all fall apart when the other team starts to score a bunch, but in the end they buckled down and closed it out.

I was lucky enough to go to the game on Saturday afternoon thanks to the rain delay. I didn't think I would make it because the Marine Corps has a way of telling me when I get off work and it is not usually by 3:10. However the glorious rain delayed the game just enough for me to make it.

Being in that beautiful ballpark reaffirmed to me that it is one of the best places to watch a game in the country, but alas, I digress. It was a great game to watch, once we got going.

John Lackey's bonehead play in the first was just ridiculous, but I guess he was a little bitter that his hometown team kicked his trash the last time he faced us.

It was just a well played game without any truly eventful moments, but you are bound to have some like that when you win seven in a row.

Today's game was yet another pitching gem that we have become used to in recent weeks. Feldman has certainly earned his spot in the rotation, and it is so nice to have confidence in our rotation.

Hamilton's catch deep in the gap was also simply amazing. I'm sure the front office is doing everything they can to lock him up for years to come, and I am hoping that their success this season will aid in that effort.

He is a huge part of not only how well the team is playing, but how good the chemistry is with this whole team. I also have tremendous respect for him as a person and everything he has been through. Here's hoping he is around for years to come.

The whole team is really gelling in a way that leads me to believe they truly have a shot this year, and not just a fan's hope.

Forgive me if I am exuding a little too much joy, but I have been a diehard Rangers fan since I was five, and this is the first time I have been able to be proud of it. All the other teams I am a fan of have had their moment in the sun, but the team that I REALLY care about has never really been great, even when they won the division.

There is no way to know what will happen in the remaining three quarters of the season, but if nothing else we are going to make some waves, and force some people to pay attention.

In some ways it is good that we are flying under the radar a little, because we can just keep winning all the way to the end.

I honestly can't remember the last time I was this happy as a Rangers' fan. What an amazing season it has been to this point, and what is even more amazing is how well we are pitching!

Matt Harrison threw his third consecutive great game, including two complete games. His stuff has been electric, and batters just aren't hitting it. What's even more impressive is how calm he has been under pressure.

The rest of the starters have been no less effective recently, with McCarthy throwing the one out game yesterday, and Padilla throwing two straight one hit games.

Who would have ever guessed Texas' pitching would be this good?

And if you want to talk about clutch hitting, this is the team to talk about right now. All of the credit in the world goes to Blalock and Davis for getting the game winning hits in the last two games, but huge respect also goes out to Michael Young and David Murphy for getting on base to get the needed runs.

It is so great to see some guys that have struggled a little, Davis and Murphy, get clutch hits late in the game. This whole team is coming together so well. When was the last time we had two walk-offs in a row?

These last two games have been so much fun to watch. I love a good pitching duel, especially when my team wins in the end.

I also need to give huge props to Washington for the job he s doing managing this team. He has so many players that are playing well right now, and he is doing a spectacular job of getting everybody their at-bats, and keeping the team successful.

He has been in the enviable position of having all of his starters throw great games recently. If anyone on this team is frustrated right now, it would have to be the bullpen, because they aren't getting much work these days.

At the same time we should all be grateful that we haven't needed Frankie to close out the games since he is hurt right now.

Our defense has also been stellar with Elvis Andrus displaying exactly why he jumped over AAA and displaced a reigning gold glover.

We have all the reasons in the world to be hopeful about our team success this year. I'm not ready to say we will win the World Series, but there is no reason to think we couldn't.

Anything can happen!

I am so excited about the Angels coming to town tomorrow and getting to go to the game myself. Let's hope the Red Sox win tonight and we go into the weekend up 2.5 games on the Angels and end the weekend up 5.5 games.

DON'T MESS WITH TEXAS!

This is the best way to enjoy a late spring evening: relaxing at home alone, and enjoying a beautiful baseball game. This is my favorite type of game to watch.

Especially when it pushes us a game and half ahead of Seattle.

Let's start with the obvious. Matt Harrison through a beautiful complete game shutout against a team he faced just last week. Normally with such a short turnaround I would give the edge to the batters, but he wasn't having it.

His pitches had life and were right on the money. There were really only one or two scares throughout the whole game because he was so dominant. He was literally sawing the White Sox batters down. It was truly magnificent.

This is exactly the type of effort we need from our young pitchers if we are to be successful. Kinsler's error late in the game was a shame, but it didn't do any harm, so it can be overlooked.

Offensively, I actually loved this game too. The Rangers weren't really killing the ball, they were just taking what they could get. A couple of stolen bases, a wild pitch, a sac bunt for a run, these are the kinds of things you have to do to win sometimes, and past teams haven't been capable of doing them.

I know most people prefer the long ball, but this was so much better for me. It was a grind it out win taking a run here, and a run there. Harrison's outing had to help keep the team's spirits up and keep battling, and that is just what they did.

It is games like this that make me think this team is for real. They really seem to be having fun out there. Much like the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs right now that look like they are having a party out there every night.

As I look back over recent years the teams that are the most successful are playing clean, defensive baseball with a solid pitching staff, and that intangible IT. For me, the IT factor is whether or not you are having fun. It is obviously more fun to win, but you can win, and not be having fun.

It is also uncanny how well Harrison and Teagarden work together. Salty has done a great job, and nobody is questioning that, but I know what it is like to play with someone you just click with. Even though my brother and I rarely see each other, if we get together to play sports we instantly click and know what the other person is thinking.

That seems to be the case with Harrison and Teagarden, and we all saw the result tonight.

As a nice reward for Harrison Eddie Guardado gifted him a face full of shaving cream just as he was going to be interviewed on TV. It was a prime example of the fun this team is having, and a beautiful ending to a beautiful night.

With the exception of the first week of the season, this is the first time the Rangers have been in first place in the American League West since the middle of 2006. That is a really long time to wait, and seeing as how we all know they didn't make the playoffs that year, it has been even longer since the Rangers have legitimately had a chance of making the playoffs.

This team may just buck that trend.

The difference this year has been obvious: the starting pitching. They have gone out there and consistently through 6-7 innings of low scoring baseball. What that does is give the team a chance.

Last nights game was the first win of the season when the Rangers scored less than four runs, and that shows me this team is starting to come into its own. It is rare that this team will score less than four runs, but it is nice to know that when they do, we can still win.

Kevin Millwood has been playing like someone that needs to get enough innings to hang around, and that is fine with me. I don't care where your motivation comes from as long as it is there and we win games.

The only starting pitcher with a losing record is Vicente Padilla, but his last start was just plain sick, and would have been a win on most nights. It was the first time ever a Rangers pitcher through a one-hitter through eight and ended up with a no-decision.

The best part of the pitching effort is that the young guys are putting in quality innings too. Much the way the Rays had so much support from their young guys last year, the Rangers are getting it this year.

Along those same lines, Elvis Andrus has proved to be a gamble that has paid off this far. His defense has been stellar, and won at least one game. His offense has also been adequate which is a nice bonus. There has been a time or two where his rookie status has come out, but for the most part, he has played beautifully.

Hank Blalock's resurgence has also been a pleasant surprise. He is by no means hitting the cover off the ball, but he is contributing where he can.

One thing that is somewhat surprising is that Ian Kinsler is leading the team in RBI's and runs. While it is not surprising he is playing so well, it is not common that your leadoff guy leads the team in both categories.

While it would be nice to see some more production from the top of the order, it is very nice to see that the bottom of the order is getting on and scoring runs.

Andruw Jones has been the surprise veteran that the Rangers seem to find every year. He is following in the shoes of Sammy Sosa and Milton Bradley, and is another testament to the abilities of Rudy Jaramillo. It will be a very sad day when he leaves for his chance as a manager.

I have always been a fan of Andruw since he was a rookie, and it has been great to see him do so well. Part of me wishes he could play more to take advantage of his output, but at the same time I wonder if his numbers are a direct result of his playing time. Either way it has been a pleasant surprise.

Finally, we have a top of the line closer. This is something we have been lacking in recent years, but Frankie has been worth the wait. He is pounding the strike zone, and keeping the ball down. It is nice to feel confident when we have a lead after eight these days.

While there is still a ton of baseball to be played, we have enough of a sampling to know that the Rangers are legitimate players this year. Anything can happen with injuries and slumps, but there is reason to have hope, and that is something I have been waiting for for a long time.

The Rangers got to within one game of .500 behind a solid pitching effort from Brandon McCarthy. McCarthy went six innings allowing three runs on six hits. What may be the best part of his effort is that he felt he really wasn't throwing well, and yet he had a solid outing and got the win, which is what really matters in the end.

More importantly, four members of the bullpen combined to keep the win intact. Closing out the win was Frank Francisco who has showed that Ron Washington made the right decision by picking him as the closer.

Francisco made his sixth appearance of the season, and his second of more than an inning. So far he has thrown seven innings, allowing no runs, and only three hits with one walk and seven strikeouts. While he only has two saves due to lack of opportunities, he is putting up exactly the kind of stats you want from your closer.

Rangers' fans have waited a long time to see Frankie back pitching like this, and it has been well worth the wait.

While the offense was not nearly as impressive, being outhit 8-9, they got the hits when it counted with Kinsler and Cruz both connecting on two-run homeruns. After pounding on Cliff Lee in the first week of the season, it was good to see them win a close game against a premier pitcher like Halladay.

It is somewhat disconcerting to me that we had to rely on the long ball to win again.

They are averaging two homeruns a game, and that is exactly what it took to win this game. I'm happy we won, but I would like to see our offense have more balanced games where they generate runs instead of just waiting for homeruns.

A two game winning streak is definitely a start, but there is still plenty of business to take care of in the coming week. Who knows, if we win a couple of games we may just end April above .500 for the first time in years, and that would be a great start to the season.

Michael Young has never been known as a home-run hitter, but being a clutch hitter has always been one of his best skills. Even most casual fans remember that twice he has had the game winning RBI in the all-star game. While most of the country will not care about Young's latest heroics, it was a huge lift for the Rangers at the end of a tough home stand.

On Friday night the Rangers struggled to find any offense, not scoring a run until the eighth inning. It was not incredibly shocking to see Gil Meche have a solid outing, but it was surprising to see the Royals offense put 12 runs on the board.

I was able to attend the game on Saturday, and I first must first say that The Ballpark in Arlington is still one of the best places to watch a game in the country. While the game itself did not end as desired, it was still a quality effort.

If anyone had told me Millwood would throw a five hit two run complete game and barely break 100 pitches, I would say the game was in the bag. Unfortunately, the offense decided not to show up striking out ten times and putting a goose egg on the board.

The first five innings on Sunday appeared to be another letdown with the Rangers scoring three runs before getting only one single in 18 at bats, and allowing 5 runs. The one thing I will say about this team is that they are NEVER totally out of the game.

Andruw Jones, who has continued the tradition of struggling players finding a rebirth in Arlington, started off the eighth with a fortunate double to left and Hank Blalock followed that up by reaching first on an error. With runners on the corners Nelson Cruz dribbled a ball to second allowing Jones to score and Blalock to go to second setting the stage for one of the more interesting plays of the game.

After David Murphy continued his struggles by popping out, Ron Washington confidently sent in a struggling Chris Davis to pinch hit for Taylor Teagarden. The move paid off as Davis smashed a groundball up the middle that got knocked down but not cleanly.

Dave Anderson, the third base coach, then made the second coaching gamble of the game by sending Blalock home. A weak throw to the far side of home allowed Blalock to score tying the game at five and putting Young in position for some more late game heroics.

Young then started off the ninth by driving the second pitch he saw over the wall to win the game. Young's comment after the game shows exactly why it is essential to have him on this team:

"A home run was the last thing on my mind," Young said. "I was facing a guy with great stuff so I was just thinking contact and getting on base. We'll take the win any way we can."

This game was a prime example of how that attitude will win us more games than hitting home runs. The at bats by Cruz and Davis, both power hitters, showed how effective simply putting the ball in play can be. In the case of this game, it resulted directly in tying the game, and ultimately in winning it.

On a day when all of Major League Baseball was paying tribute to Jackie Robinson, Ian Kinsler appeared to be channeling the essence of the man who broke the color barrier. This was what you call a career game for Kinsler, amongst other Rangers.

Kinsler tied Rangers' records going 6-6 with five runs scored and hitting for the cycle, the first right handed Ranger to do so. Not only was Kinsler's bat on parade he also stole a base to add to his Robinson-like night.

It was so special to see a performance like this on a night when Robinson was getting the honor he deserves. Having everyone on the field garnering the retired #42 was a moving tribute to one of the great heroes in American history.

It is the tributes like this that make baseball truly America's sport. No other league respects their history as much as baseball, and in a year when we lose the most historic stadium in American sports, it was moving to see such a tribute.

Kinsler was by no means the only Ranger to have a good hitting night. Nelson Cruz came within a couple of feet of hitting two grand slams, but had to settle for six RBI's. Marlon Byrd also had five hits and three RBI's to round out the big hitters for the night.

I was hoping near the end they would have brought in David Murphy so that maybe he could take some of that momentum and get his first hit of the year.

With all of the offensive fireworks, it would be easy to overlook the quality pitching that was present. Kris Benson looked like he was going to have a rough outing after throwing 50+ pitches in the first two innings, but that would not be the case. He settled down and ended up going six innings throwing 111 total pitches. It has to be relaxing for Benson to finally get a win under his belt and show that he can battle through adversity.

It was also refreshing to see Willie Eyre come in and throw two scoreless innings after being called up the same day. That is the type of performance we need from our bullpen.

This was exactly the type of game we needed after losing five in a row, but I can't help but think that if we have to score double digit runs to keep winning games it is going to be a really long season.

I don't have the time for an extensive recap, but I continue to be frustrated with the Rangers. Why is it that I, an everyday guy can see what the problems with the team are, but the people in charge can't. The pitchers can't keep the ball down so they get hammered, and the offense just tries to hit home runs everytime.

It is sad to me that our bullpen, which only a couple of years ago was one of our strengths, is just sucking it up. I still don't understand why Wilson is the first one that comes in every night. He had a decent game last night, but he is going to get worn out. I don't know the answer, but I'm also not in charge.

The offense all needs to stop swinging for the fences. I don't think they hit a groundball last night until the fifth or sixth inning. A prime example was the end of the game when Blalock and Hamilton both hit balls to the track when all we needed was another run scoring single. Everyone loves the excitement of the long ball, but I like winning more. That goes for individual games as well as championships. Call me crazy but I would rather hit a single and win the game than try and hit a home run and have it caught at the track.

I do have to give David Murphy credit for his catch at the wall. It was an awesome catch that looked even cooler in slow motion from the side. Now if his hitting would just catch up.

I also must give some love to Jackie Robinson on his day. He is one of the most important people in American history. I wish I had been alive to see him play. More on this tommorrow.

I must first give my sincerest apologies to all Rangers' fans for not watching the games over the weekend. I watched the first three and they won, I didn't watch the next three, and they lost. I will try and do better in the future.

Having not seen any of the games it is hard for me to analyze what went wrong, but there are certain stats that are standing out to me after week one.

With the exception of Chris Davis, the offense is about where I would expect it to be. Davis's struggles are definitely unfortunate, but luckily he has plenty of backup until he gets cruising.

The two biggest positive surprises of the season on the offensive side are Hank Blalock and Elvis Andrus. We all knew Hank could hit with the best of them when he is clicking, but he hasn't clicked in a few years now. It is nice to see him healthy and pounding the ball again.

I doubt that anyone expected for Andrus to hit so well. He has long been hailed as a defensive genius, but his offense has been a pleasant surprise. He is hovering around .300 and has six runs, which leads the team. He only has two rbi's but that is not his job. His job is to get on base and let the top of the order that follows him get their hits to bring him in. Congrats to the rookie on a great first week, and hears hoping it is only early signs of what we can expect for years to come.

Our starting pitching has been solid, but our relief pitching has been somewhat suspect. I have not been a huge Kevin Millwood fan since he came to Texas, but I can't argue that he is having a great start to the season. He is looking like the pitcher that led the league in ERA while he was with Cleveland. Good for him.

In terms of relief pitching, I was interested to notice that CJ Wilson had four appearances this week compared to only two for any other reliever. It really makes me wonder why since he has struggled thus far. In just over three innings of work, he has allowed 7 runs. I realize only 4 of those are earned, but that is still an ERA over 10. Maybe he just needed a little rest, but I remember last year when he struggled so much, and can't help but think he just really isn't that great. Either way someone else needs some more chances.

I am satisifed with how the season has started, because at least we are winning at home, something we haven't done recently. I will be in Arlington this weekend, and two weeks at the end of the month, and I am looking forward to catching a game or two.

In closing, I have to give a moment to Harry Kalas, the voice of the Phillies. It is sad to see these hallmark announcers move on. He just had one of those voices you would recognize anywhere.

I also just saw on Sports Center that Mark Fidrych was found dead today. The former rookie of the year for the Tigers had a short career but was well known in his time.

I realize it is only three games into the season, but I will take it for now. Only the Florida Marlins are also 3-0. It is easy to say that it doesn't mean anything at this point, but it is huge for getting off on the right foot and gaining some early momentum.

This game was not nearly as clean as the first two games in terms of pitching, but we got the win, and ultimately that is what matters. I don't claim to be a professional, but our pitching problems come back to one thing as far as I can tell: leaving the ball up.

Almost every single one of the homeruns in todays game was on a pitch up in the zone, or even up out of the zone. Our pitchers have to learn that that is a no-no. With that jetstream out to center, which was in full force today, you can't leave those pitches up.

At the end of the day you ultimately have to say we won and that is what matters. It was really good to see some of the role players get in and contribute. If we can have that throughout the year we are in for a trip. One of the biggest downfalls of many teams is how much they drop off when their non-everyday players are in. At least sa far, that has not been a problem for the Rangers.

Rather than going through each player I've decided it makes more sense to simply write about them as groups. So here you go.

Pitchers: C+

I have to be honest that I missed most of Brandon McCarthy's effort due to my mother-in-law being in town, but it looked like he did okay. He obviously got his pitch count up high early which is a shame, but at least he got it up there and didn't get pulled after 80 pitches. Despite the undesirable situations he found himself in, he minimized the damage and came out with the win.

Feldman had a rough outing and may just need some time to adjust to a bullpen role, but he should be fine. Guardado and Rupe did exactly what they needed to do and got through their innings with minimal damage.

Offense:A+

Anytime you can chase the starter after what is only one inning on the stat sheet, you are doing something right, and this was without some of the regulars. Pavano is no slouch either. The walks were up which is good, but so were the strikeouts. I would venture to guess that we were a little overconfident at times, and some of their stuff was pretty nasty as well.

Chris Davis is really struggling at this point, and three more K's won't help anything, but he is just trying to hard. He needs to sit back, relax, and have some fun. He doesn't need to come in and hit a homerun every game. We have plenty of offense, he just needs to take his share, and he will once he settles down.

Defense: A

No errors is much nicer than the three yesterday. I don't recall any exceptional plays, but sometimes that is because you properly positioned yourself and make what could have been a tough play look easy.

The first season starting sweep since 1996 is complete and I am thrilled to death about it. I say keep wearing the red until it does you wrong, but don't let it get too far away, lady luck will smile on it again.

It is widely known now that The Anaheim Angels suffered a tragic loss last night after their loss to the Athletics. The timeline of events is easily found on mlb.com as well as numerous other websites. In short, Nick was traveling in a car that was struck by a drunk driver in a van that ran a red light. Two other people were pronounced dead at the scene, and Nick was pronounced dead shortly after reaching the hospital.

It is truly tragic that such a good young man should lose his life because of the mistakes of others. How sad that once he finally reaches the Major Leagues, his life should be ended so suddenly.

It is at times like this that it is important to pause and take note that life can draw to a close at anytime. No matter who you are, how rich and famous you are, or how great everything is going, you can lose it all in an instant.

I will never understand why anyone would risk killing other people and drive drunk. I really hope they lock him up forever. I was glad to see Donald Trump take such a stand on his show The Celebrity Apprentice this last week regarding this same issue. He fired someone because he found out they had a DUI. He told her that he had no tolerance for those people and then fired her.

There is no difference between someone taking a gun and shooting someone else and someone who gets drunk and then chooses to drive and kills someone, or in this case three people.

What a tragic loss for everyone, and especially this poor young man's family. God bless them with the strength to pull through.

If there was anybody who doubted whether or not Nelson Cruz belonged with the Rangers this year, he is quickly trying to change their mind. Cruz followed up a strong Opening Day with an even stronger day two. He hammered two homeruns as well as making a great play in the outfield.

In what is hopefully indicative of what to expect from Rangers pitchers this year, Vicente Padilla had a strong first outing of the year going 5 2/3 innings allowing three runs on four hits with 5 strikeouts. What may be a more important stat is that he threw 109 pitches to follow on Millwood's 113 pitch effort on Monday.

I can't help but think that those totals are a direct result of Nolan Ryan's pitching philosophy. I have long thought that pitchers were becoming way too soft in the Major Leagues, and I am glad to see them get pushed a little more. Every pitcher is going to get lit up at some point, and it is essential for them to learn how to come right back and go out batters.

Let's take a look at the players

Pitchers: B

Vicente Padilla: B, He obviously threw one pitch too many giving up that home run right before he was pulled, but overall it was a great effort. There were times his stuff was just nasty. I am actually okay with him hitting the batter because it means he is coming after batters and that is just part of the deal.

Jason Jennings: B, He got the hold, whatever kind of ridiculous stat that is, which in essence means he didn't do any damage.

Eddie Guardado: A, He showed in a very short stint exactly why you want him on your team. All his stat line showed was zeroes, but that is a good thing for a reliever.

C.J. Wilson: C+, He started out letting his pitches sail again which did not give me any confidence, but he did come back and get two K's. There is no excuse for the throwing error.

Frank Francisco: A, His stuff has been just downright wicked in two appearances. This is the Frankie that we have been waiting for after all the injuries.

Position Players: B+

Ian Kinsler: B, The double machine turned out another one, but two strikeouts are not exactly what you want from your leadoff guy. He did have a nice grab in the field though.

Michael Young: B-, Throwing errors are just unforgiveable to me. Chris Davis should have made a better effort to catch it, but there is still no excuse.

Josh Hamilton: B, Just another good effort from a consistent player. We need to lock him up long-term.

Hank Blalock: C+, Going 0-fer is not exactly the best way to follow up a good first game, but he will bounce back.

Nelson Cruz: A+, Two homeruns and the defensive play of the game. We can only hope he is finally coming into his own after all the hype we have heard for years. My favorite part of his second home run, into the club level, was when he spit out a sunflower seed as he was coming out of the box. That is the relaxed attitude he needs to have. I also loved the stolen base.

David Murphy: B, He did get a walk and every base runner helps, but I want more from him. It will not be easy for him and Byrd going in and out all the time, but they have been amazing role players in the past and they will continue to do so this year.

Chris Davis: B-, He did get his first hit, and a walk, but I just can't forgive him for the lack of effort on Young's throwing error. It was Young's fault, but there could have been more effort.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: B+, I am going to have to cut and paste his name all year, but that's okay with me if he keeps playing well. He continues to do a good job blocking balls in the dirt, and as expected, his bat has done well. He left the game early for some unknown reason, but he should be fine.

Taylor Teagarden: B, It's hard to say much about a guy thrown in at the end, but the home state hero from the University of Texas did no harm, and that is good enough for me from a catcher thrown in at the end.

Elvis Andrus: B+, Most people will probably talk about his first Major League home run, but what is more important to me was his infield single. It has been a long time since we have had someone with legitimate speed. It is not unreasonable to think that within a year or two that the whole batting order will shift down to put him at the top. He could put up 20 homeruns and 40-50 stolen bases once he really settles in. As mentioned before though, the throwing error is unacceptable.

The Rangers sported red hats for the second game in a row, and had their first season opening win streak in nine years. It is no coincidence that the last win streak, in 2000 was also the last time the Rangers wore red. The last time the Rangers won more than two in a row to start the season was 1996, which you may remember was the year the Rangers won their first division title, also in red.

I would first like to thank mother nature for raining on Boston so that that games was postponed and I could have the rare opportunity of watching the Rangers on tv. It was a great game to watch, and an even better start to the season. We still have a long way to go, but it gave me hope of what could happen if all the pieces fall into place. One of our biggest problem in recent years was not winning any games in April and May so this was a good start.

Player Grades

Pitchers: A-

Kevin Millwood: A-, He pitched a solid outing allowing only one run, which came on his wild pitch. He got groundballs when he needed them for double plays, and handcuffed a lot of batters. He did put a lot of balls in the dirt, like the aforementioned wild pitch, but his pitches were working so you can't complain too much. A good start of the season without any major problems.

C.J. Wilson: B+, He pitched a solid eighth without too much trouble. He did leave the ball up quite a few times which can be scary in Arlington. It looked like he wasn't finishing his pitches and that was causing his pitches to sail. He did what needed to be done though, and didn't give up any runs.

Frank Francisco: A, This is exactly what you need from a closer. Come in and get three in a row. We all know he can have command problems at times, and a couple did get away from him a little bit, but he came right back at it and painted some corners. All he has to do is throw hard strikes and we will be fine, and he did that this afternoon.

Position players: A

Ian Kinsler: A, He came out swinging and went 3-5 with two strong doubles. Just the kind of bat you need at the top of the order. He is not your traditional leadoff hitter but he did what you need done, and got on base.

Michael Young: A, The model of consistency was at it again going 2-4 with a walk. He will never be a flashy player, but he gets the job done. He also made a couple of fantastic plays on the infield charging some slow rollers. It is such a blessing to have a sure-handed player at third. I really hope he plays his whole career here.

Josh Hamilton: B, Josh did get two hits which can't be ignored, but it looked like he was pressing a little. I am sure he was just looking to get off to a good start, and it is understandable that he was trying so hard. I am sure he will settle in and make it happen.

Nelson Cruz: B, A good start in the cleanup spot, though I don't think he really fits there. It is important for young players to get going early and buildup some confidence which is exactly what this did. The wnd was playing games out there, and it showed with him more than once, but he made the catches, and that is what matters.

Hank Blalock: A-, This is the Hank Blalock that we need this season. He looked comfortable at the plate, and that home run looked really nice. It shouldn't be long before he moves up into that four spot benefiting both him and Josh Hamilton.

Marlon Byrd: B+, What we need from Byrd is for him to keep rallies going, and play solid defense. He did just that today. He is not going to be a batting champion, but if he can play his role in both the offense and the defense he will be fine.

Chris Davis: B-, He really struggled at the plate as the only one going 0-fer. It looked like he was pressing which is to be expected from such a young player. He had such a great end to last year that we can only hope he settles in and gets back to where he left off.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia: A, If this was a sign of what to expect this season, it will be a great year. He had a great offensive night driving in a third of Texas's runs, and providing balance at the bottom of the order. More importantly, he was solid behind the plate. Millwood put a lot of balls in the dirt, and he stopped almost all of them. The one that got away and let the run score was really outside anyone's range.

Elvis Andrus: A, If only every rookie started off this good. He drilled a double in his first at bat and played solid defense, which is what we really need. For his first game above AA, he looked incredibly comfortable.

Our team is quite young, but they played extremely mature this afternoon. Andrus may be a rookie, but he has an entire team of young(er) players to mentor him and teach him what the game is about. I loved seeing the team after the game jumping around, giving high fives, and having fun. That is what we need to really turn the corner this year. We need them to have fun and just go out and play. If they can just relax and have fun we will win a lot of games this year.

Don't let my predicition below upset you. I have all the faith in the world that we can win the division, but it will take a very healthy team, and a lot of contributions from our young players. It is not impossible, but I am trying to stay realistic.

As any Rangers fan can tell you, it is never easy being a fan of a team that consistently finishes in third and fourth place. Opening Day is the one day where all of the years of frustration are forgotten and you really can just enjoy it.

While I am not particularly thrilled about what happened, or didn't happen, in the offseason, there is reason for some optimism.

Just like every other year, we will be an offensive powerhouse. It was a bummer losing Mark Texeira last year, but we all knew it was coming, and he is off to lose with the Yankees now. For the first time in years, we have a really young team. The pitching staff is not exactly full of spring chickens, but our entire offense is on the young side.

Michael Young is the veteran on the offensive side of things, and that is a great asset to our team. I am thrilled to death that he showed his value and made the switch to third. If the rest of the team will only join his team first attitude we will go a long way.

The big question that is there every year is how our pitching will do, and that will remain a question for most of the season. To be totally honest, I have very little faith in the top of our rotation, and I don't know what to think about the bottom. If our young pitchers can show up and win some games, we have a chance. If they don't, it will be another long season.

All in all, I am very excited about this year, and look forward to getting up to as many games as possible.