I have been a diehard Rangers fan pretty much since the rebirth of the Senators here in 1972. I grew up a Yankee fan from the days of Mantle and Maris and Berra and maintained that loyalty up through the the 90s when the Rangers lost three times to the Bronx Bombers, the best teams money could buy, in the first round of the playoffs. Through all those years of never experiencing meaningful games in September, I kept the faith, naively believing each year that if just one or two players would come through, we could contend.
The joy and subsequent heartbreak of those pennant winners seemed like a reward for all those years of frustration. And the tease continued for a few more years until the last vestiges of the World Series teams faded away to reveal a team and a farm system bereft of talent. The trade of Joey Gallo was my proverbial broken camel’s back, and I was reduced to beginning each year with no hope of winning. It didn’t even bother me when I could no longer watch games nightly in the summer rerun season. The loyalty I had displayed throughout my adult life had been eroded to a nub.
The off-season acquisitions last year helped ease the pain--at least the team wouldn’t be as much of an embarrassment as those “Season on the Brink” teams of the 70s. The continued spending this offseason further buoyed my hopes.
The most frustrating part of this year has been never getting to watch the Rangers on TV. Hopefully that situation will be rectified sometime before I die and while the team is still competitive. And Bob, hopefully your former employer will repent of its slap in the face of North Texas sports fans and get some beat writers for the Rangers.
It’s a slow path but at least the tv battle has light at the end of the tunnel now. The only way I’ve been able to watch is “borrow” logins and search out the sometimes fuzzy streams from sketchy websites
More impressive to me than Hamilton bc Hamilton was boom or bust. He struck out a lot whereas Seager is more consistent. It's rare you seem with a bad AB and most nights he hits at most one weak ball. Many of his outs are very loud outs. Dude is absolutely locked in to where I'm expecting an extra based hit every other AB.
Braves fan here (long story - born here in Ga, lived in Ft. Worth during the Staubach years) and love catching a Rangers when I can. It would be awesome to see them again in the WS against Acuna and Co.
I’m grateful you’re back covering (mainly) metroplex sports. I’ve moved home to Lubbock but this helps keep me connected to a community that I love and miss.
Well-put, Bob. Regardless of stats or games played we have the second best offensive player in the League and when the playoffs start he'll ascend to the top. That alone is a reason to be excited.
Day by day this team has me starting to believe anything is possible. Would it take a fluke of some other team taking down Baltimore and Houston? Maybe. Would we need an underdog to win the NL pennant again? Possibly. But this absolutely feels legit now, after the masterful trade deadline moves and Boch’s “time to get to work” message.
Funny thing is that they have massively underperformed their win expectations this year so far lol. All those bullpen meltdowns in the first two months of the season definitely contributed to that.
Yep. If they were at their expected win totals they'd trail only Atlanta.
I think that's a good sign bc the BP issues that plagued them from April-July no longer exist. Sborz / Chapman / Smith are a solid trio and they have enough other "good enough" arms that BP should at least be serviceable.
It’s still preseason man, this is the worst part of the year to write about lol. I can’t deal with the stupid Dak interception discourse and other non-stories any more.
Ranger fan living in Houston, you nailed the reaction/comments from astros fans this year. I have texts from buddies that say "wait till altuve and alvarez are back...".
Excellent! Hoping for more Rangers coverage this season
I have been a diehard Rangers fan pretty much since the rebirth of the Senators here in 1972. I grew up a Yankee fan from the days of Mantle and Maris and Berra and maintained that loyalty up through the the 90s when the Rangers lost three times to the Bronx Bombers, the best teams money could buy, in the first round of the playoffs. Through all those years of never experiencing meaningful games in September, I kept the faith, naively believing each year that if just one or two players would come through, we could contend.
The joy and subsequent heartbreak of those pennant winners seemed like a reward for all those years of frustration. And the tease continued for a few more years until the last vestiges of the World Series teams faded away to reveal a team and a farm system bereft of talent. The trade of Joey Gallo was my proverbial broken camel’s back, and I was reduced to beginning each year with no hope of winning. It didn’t even bother me when I could no longer watch games nightly in the summer rerun season. The loyalty I had displayed throughout my adult life had been eroded to a nub.
The off-season acquisitions last year helped ease the pain--at least the team wouldn’t be as much of an embarrassment as those “Season on the Brink” teams of the 70s. The continued spending this offseason further buoyed my hopes.
The most frustrating part of this year has been never getting to watch the Rangers on TV. Hopefully that situation will be rectified sometime before I die and while the team is still competitive. And Bob, hopefully your former employer will repent of its slap in the face of North Texas sports fans and get some beat writers for the Rangers.
It’s a slow path but at least the tv battle has light at the end of the tunnel now. The only way I’ve been able to watch is “borrow” logins and search out the sometimes fuzzy streams from sketchy websites
Ham-bone was the last time someone made hitting look this easy. Corey Seager is having a very special season. It's so fun to watch!
More impressive to me than Hamilton bc Hamilton was boom or bust. He struck out a lot whereas Seager is more consistent. It's rare you seem with a bad AB and most nights he hits at most one weak ball. Many of his outs are very loud outs. Dude is absolutely locked in to where I'm expecting an extra based hit every other AB.
Braves fan here (long story - born here in Ga, lived in Ft. Worth during the Staubach years) and love catching a Rangers when I can. It would be awesome to see them again in the WS against Acuna and Co.
So glad to have you back Bob. Your coverage of Dallas sports is unparalleled. I look forward to every article. Thanks!
I’m grateful you’re back covering (mainly) metroplex sports. I’ve moved home to Lubbock but this helps keep me connected to a community that I love and miss.
Not Being a Rangers fan ( i'm a Bob fan), can someone quickly explain the TV rights issue?
Well-put, Bob. Regardless of stats or games played we have the second best offensive player in the League and when the playoffs start he'll ascend to the top. That alone is a reason to be excited.
Day by day this team has me starting to believe anything is possible. Would it take a fluke of some other team taking down Baltimore and Houston? Maybe. Would we need an underdog to win the NL pennant again? Possibly. But this absolutely feels legit now, after the masterful trade deadline moves and Boch’s “time to get to work” message.
Funny thing is that they have massively underperformed their win expectations this year so far lol. All those bullpen meltdowns in the first two months of the season definitely contributed to that.
Yep. If they were at their expected win totals they'd trail only Atlanta.
I think that's a good sign bc the BP issues that plagued them from April-July no longer exist. Sborz / Chapman / Smith are a solid trio and they have enough other "good enough" arms that BP should at least be serviceable.
Bob: A fine, clear, well written story of some interest to me; but as primarily a Cowboys fan, more football please!
I promise you will not lack from Cowboys content over the next several months. There is time for both.
Thanks, Bob!
It’s still preseason man, this is the worst part of the year to write about lol. I can’t deal with the stupid Dak interception discourse and other non-stories any more.
Ranger fan living in Houston, you nailed the reaction/comments from astros fans this year. I have texts from buddies that say "wait till altuve and alvarez are back...".