Really Rangers? Really?

I don't really like to vent on this blog, but this is one thing that I am having a hard time understanding. The Texas Rangers are making what has to be one of the most pigheaded moves in the history of sports. I understand that the upper leadership of this team is probably just trying to make what they believe is the best team that money can buy, but that is not who the Rangers are or ever have been. You are not the NY Yankees, with their billions of dollars of salary and the financial situation to handle it. You reached the world series with one of the smallest payrolls in baseball (not counting Rodriguez) and now you think that you can pick up a bunch of high priced free agents that probably won't live up to their contracts. Michael Young is THE leader of your team. He has been pushed around, and under appreciated since he started playing here ten years ago. It is understandable that you want to go back to the World Series and win, but you don't start that campaign by disrespecting the most tenured player in your clubhouse. Sure, Beltre will probably do fine on the field, but Young contributed much more than just his time on the field. It was gracious of Young to accept the "super-utility" role with at bats at the DH position just because he wanted to stay with the franchise, but why sign Napoli who is probably (unless Moreland totally collapses in spring training) going to see most of the at bats in the DH position. This is very typical of the Rangers if you look at their history. You can almost count on them to take the most recognizable, respected, hard working player on the team (a la Sundberg and Pudge) and cut them loose because they think they can gain something by dropping their contract or picking up some other position players in the deal. If you look at the Rangers' history it is riddled with pitfalls after they make this kind of move. They gut the team from the inside out, and this time the fall will be monstrous because they actually have something to lose.

I will always be a Rangers fan, but it is times like these that make you want to stop liking the team. To me, this is very similar to J Jones taking over the cowboys and firing Tom Landry. Not quite the same, but it feels the same to the fans. I hope that they find a way to reconcile this feud that ends amicably for Young and the Rangers. Maybe they can get some much needed starting pitching out of the coming trade, or maybe he'll get to spring training and show them the mistake they were about to make. Either way something needs to happen fast, and personally I think it needs to involve a lot of apologies on the part of the Rangers' ownership/management team no matter what the outcome.

Off to North Carolina

Well, this is the beginning of what should be a good but stressful time for the next week or so. I am heading off tomorrow, Tuesday, to Pope AFB in North Carolina to work in the mission planning cell for a large exercise for mobility aircraft. It will be interesting because I have never done this kind of thing before but it will be very stressful with 12 hour days and no flying. I am debating on whether or not to take my bike. I don't think that I will, but it would be really nice to have it out there to get some rides in while the weather is nice. I am going to try to at least get some nice runs in while I am there and maybe even a couple of swims.