Caught the Rangers 11-2 win today in Maryvale at home of the Brewers. It was about 50-50 major leaguers and minor leaguers but I did see Gibson pitch three strong innings and the top of the line up was all potential starters and they were factor in a majority of the runs scored. Luke Ferrell got a couple of innings in relief and I have to admit my enthusiasm about this season certainly went up a notch or two, though my one game sample is definitely not a lot to hang your hat on. I talked to a couple of fellow Ranger fans who have been here longer and they were very positive about Kluber, Minor, Lynn, Lyles and Gibson as a starting rotation. Catching the Cubs tomorrow as my quickie weekend away only allows for two games. This is my third year coming out here and I have checked off six of the Arizona spring training stadiums and tomorrow will be the seventh, leaving three left for future visits.
If everyone can (a) stay healthy and (b) pitch to his potential, this could be the best rotation in the AL West (and maybe in the AL). If the offense can produce, the Rangers can compete.
Saw the Cubs and Diamondbacks today at Sloan Park in Mesa. There was a reason the tickets were so expensive, it is an incredible park. Unlike the Giants stadium which was equally expensive but frankly a dump, this place was really nice. It was also first sell out I have been to for spring training in my three years of coming out here, which is the norm for the Cubs and only the Cubs in Arizona. This quickie weekend has definitely got me ready for the season to start in just a couple of weeks.
^Agree, Viper. BTW, I haven't heard anything yet from the Rangers on ticket exchanges or refunds - sooner or later they'll have to address that issue.
From what I gather, right now the plan is to play the entire schedule by a combination of additional weeks at the end of the season and scheduled Double Hitters. Any slippage from the first of May start-up will probably mean game cancellations, but not necessarily returned money until the season is called off.
All depends on how this disease runs its course, it took over four months to run its course in China and we are just in month one. Hopefully it is a quicker run here because of the steps being taken but it could be mid summer before things go back to some sense of normalcy, if that is the case they would have to truncate the season, maybe 82 games (41 home and 41 away) and some hybrid playoff system. I would be more than pleasantly surprised if we see baseball before June and I suspect that July 4th will become opening day not just for MLB but for a resumption of MLS too. I think NBA and NHL likely lose the year much like the college winter and spring sports.
Not directly Rangers related but big American League related: Chris Sale to undergo Tommy John surgery So basically he loses two seasons (2020 and 2021). Boston is probably hoping that whatever he can do in 2021 will take care of the usual season of ramp-up following TJ surgery as he only is one year into a five-year deal.
^The danger in trading for a pitcher. A pitcher, more than any position player, is one injury away from being useless to the team. The ideal situation would be to develop your pitchers through your farm system, so you don't have to trade prospects for a veteran pitcher. I think back to the Atlanta Braves of the 90s - yeah, they got Maddux and Schmotlz, but the rest of their pitchers came up through their system. And when they were "one piece away" from winning, they had a whole pantry full of prospects and could afford to take the shot at a trade. Would be nice if the Rangers could figure out how to do this.
Possible 100 game season starting in July: Rumor: MLB Discussing Specifics of a 100-Game Season That Would Begin on July 1
Interesting post, FWHORN. As they stated, it's all tentative at the moment. If it's much later than a July start, it becomes very iffy. And a later start would truncate the schedule so much that we would have a difficult time getting enough balance in the schedule to allow the leagues to determine the playoff-caliber teams.
100 games would be the minimum. If fewer than that they should just come up with a World Series Tournament with slots determined by a drawing which is basically how the Euro's handle their Football (soccer) tournaments. This would feature home and home games/series and knock-out finals to determine the top four in each league which would then pick-up where the playoffs now begin. The issue is it would be unfair to be playing outside in the northeast and Minnesota after 15 November at the latest.
MLB realignment: League considers radical move for 2020 season Goofy but if it gets things going have at it.
^It does sound pretty radical and out of the ordinary - but I guess there's not much that is ordinary in our current situation. I'm with you, Viper - if it gets baseball underway, give it a shot. However, once they start this Plan B, there's no chance to return to Plan A if society returns to normal during the summer. It would be a highly unusual baseball season, but that beats having no baseball at all.
I guess when two different sides of knuckleheads collide the only people who suffer are the fans. This does not sound good: "NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Baseball rejected the players' offer for a 114-game regular season in the pandemic-delayed season with no additional salary cuts and told the union it did not plan to make a counterproposal, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Wednesday because no statements were authorized. Players made their proposal Sunday, up from an 82-game regular season in management’s offer last week. Opening day would be June 30 and the regular season would end Oct. 31, nearly five weeks after the Sept. 27 conclusion that MLB’s proposal stuck to from the season’s original schedule. MLB told the union it had no interest in extending the season into November, when it fears a second wave of the coronavirus could disrupt the postseason and jeopardize $787 million in broadcast revenue. MLB notified the union of the rejection in a letter sent by email Wednesday. While management has suggested it could play a short regular season of about 50 games with no more salary reductions, it has not formally proposed that concept. Teams and players hope to start the season in ballparks with no fans, and teams claim they would sustain huge losses if salaries are not cut more. The sides agreed to a deal March 26 in which players accepted prorated salaries in exchange for $170 million in advances and a guarantee that if the season is scrapped each player would get 2020 service time matching what the player accrued in 2019. That deal called for “good faith” negotiations over playing in empty stadiums or at neutral sites. The union has said no additional cuts are acceptable. MLB’s proposal on May 26 would lower 2020 salaries from about $4 billion to approximately $1.2 billion, establishing a sliding scale of reductions. Players at the $563,500 minimum would get about 47% of their original salary and those at the top — led by Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole at $36 million — would receive less than 23%. The union’s offer would have salaries total about $2.8 billion, leaving each player with about 70% of his original salary." I hope the Rangers can scrape together enough money to make the interest payments on Globe Life Park!
So the millionaires and the billionaires continue to argue while the clock continues to tick. Are they really willing to kill off the season?
It is looking like the players are greedier than the owners who are using a stealth attack to break the players union. I would guess that if the owners hold to the 50 games, the Players Union will announce that no MLB players will be involved. That will mean AAA and AA players would play (and probably destroy any hopes on making to the bigs) which still will beat the Korean League.
Not very impressed with new stadium, at least from outside. The Rangers’ new stadium is getting roasted
I don't follow anymore, so maybe this has been discussed, but what was wrong with the "old" new stadium?
The official reasons included that the heat effect on players was impacting the Rangers competitiveness over the course of long season and that same heat effect was keeping some free agents from coming to Arlington because they didn't want their stats effected by the beat down of constantly playing in 90 plus degree temps. They also argued the need for a retractable roof (which couldn't be added onto the old stadium) to increase attendance in June -August where attendance is kept lower because of the temps. Some of what they argued is in fact true, but that doesn't change the fact that the real reason was a money grab. They traded a Cathedral for a Super-Store.
Oh okay. So that's what got their asses kicked in those World Series? Lol I liked the old new stadium. Should have added a roof or built this one to look like that. As usual, they didn't ask me.
Me, too. I rated The Ballpark second place (to Camden Yards). They said that retrofitting a roof on The Ballpark was not possible; hence, the new retractable domed stadium. It doesn't look quite the way I expected - and it certainly doesn't look like the artist's rendering on the website.
Remember in "The Jerk" at the end? They were now rich, and he says they bait a new house and it's a just a larger version of the wooden shack he grew up in? That's what they should have done.
We moved to Fort Worth in 1974. What did I know? I was a little kid...I liked Arlington Stadium and was sad when they tore it down.
So did I. But it was a revamped minor league ballpark, and there was only so much they could do to bring it up to major league standards. But I do have one great memory of old Arlington Stadium. If you recall, in the main stands, the floors were steel planking. On Bat Night, they would give out bats to the fans on entering the stadium; in the late innings, if the Rangers got a rally going, fans would thump the bats on the steel planking - and it got very loud!
