Sell! Sell! Sell!

The Rangers lost again last night, and yet, so did the Angels and A’s in the pathetic AL West, so the Rangers remain ½ game back.

And the trade deadline comes closer.

I would not do a thing with this team in the name of winning in 2006.

I am sorry. I would not give up a single future asset for this team. They are the dictionary definition of average. They play hard, but their lineup is feeble. Their rotation is erratic. And, their bullpen is frustratingly average aside from their closer.

They are getting tossed around the diamond by a team that is missing its entire starting outfield, and New York may not even make the playoffs.

They just aren’t very good. Now, they also aren’t very bad. They are average. They are 81-81 waiting to happen. And unless you can get a huge run producing bat to stick behind Tex, there is no trade that can save this thing.

In 2006, the Rangers have played 101 games and are led in home runs by Brad Wilkerson with 15 measly knocks. That paces out to barely 24 home runs. 24!

We all spend time blaming the pitching staff, and although they are certainly not fabulous, let’s not forget that this 2006 Rangers lineup is about as feeble as any Rangers lineup we have seen since the Ballpark opened. The Rangers are currently 8th in the AL in Home Runs, and 7th in Runs scored. This while playing half of their games in the Ballpark in Arlington, the AL version of Coors Field.

The bottom line is that they are led by their 8th hitter in Home Runs, while the rest of their lineup consists of Michael Young, an underachieving Mark Teixeira, and a collection of 7th hole and 8th hole hitters.

Kind of makes you wonder why they traded Phil Nevin. I endorsed it since it meant more Jason Botts. But, he plays in Oklahoma now, and the Rangers do not consistently score runs.

They have no player in the top 30 in AL Home Runs, and no player higher than 19th in RBI’s.

We have finally found a Rangers team that can’t hit.

Even though ½ game out, this team needs to sell, not buy.

Fraley on Eaton’s debut …

With the Rangers anticipating a midseason shot in the arm, they took a kick in the groin with a 7-4 loss to the New York Yankees at Ameriquest Field.
Eaton, who missed the first 100 games because of a torn tendon in the right middle finger, had a dynamic opening. He held the Yankees hitless for 3 2/3 innings on only 49 pitches.

"And then the proverbial stuff hit the fan," Eaton said.
He threw 29 more pitches without getting another out. Eaton allowed the last five batters faced to reach base on two walks, a hit batter, a walk and an infield single. He gave up a 2-0 lead in that jarring stretch, and the Rangers never recovered.

This typified Eaton's career.

An American League scout at the game said Eaton can be very good, or very bad. He was both in the span of four innings.

Meanwhile, the controversial decisions of Tom Hicks continue: He extends Doug Armstrong for 3 more years! …I love Army, but this is a very generous move given the recent results on the ice…

Armstrong, 41, has worked for only one NHL organization in his career. He was hired by Bob Clarke and the Minnesota North Stars in 1990 as the director of team services and moved up to assistant GM in 1992. He was named to replace Bob Gainey as general manager of the Dallas Stars on Jan. 25, 2002.

Stars owner Tom Hicks said he likes Armstrong's ability to adapt to the NHL's salary cap.

"It's like building a giant jigsaw puzzle, and all of the pieces have to fit," Hicks said. "We want to win the Stanley Cup next year, but we want to contend for the next five years or 10 years, and that's going to require we have a general manager who can think outside the box, be flexible and be smart. I feel very comfortable we have the right man in Doug."

As the college season nears, The Horns are not sure who is the QB …

When Ohio State comes to Austin on Sept. 9 in Week 2 of the season, Smith will be the Buckeyes' clear choice at quarterback. It will be the Longhorns who may well be playing two quarterbacks – Colt McCoy and Jevan Snead – cringe-worthy material for fans who recall the divisive Chris Simms-Major Applewhite era.

"Whether we'll play two quarterbacks against Ohio State is an unanswerable question at this point," Texas coach Mack Brown said Tuesday at the Big 12 media days in Kansas City. "We'll probably have a decision made during the week, and it's one that could change during the game.

"But we will not worry about public perception at all. Our job is to win games. So because people got mad over two before, that will not affect us in any way.
"Everything we decide will be based on what we think we should do to win the game. Two quarterbacks opens you up to more questions. It opens you up to more criticism. But our job is to win the game."

The replacement for Vince Young is all anyone wanted to talk about with Brown on Tuesday. And Brown readily admits he wants to play just one quarterback. He just doesn't know when redshirt freshman McCoy or true freshman Snead will emerge as the clear favorite.

But even if one emerges as the go-to guy, Brown said he'll play the other to gain experience in case of injuries.

"At a place like Texas, losing your quarterback to injury doesn't give you the right
to lose the rest of the games," Brown said. "So depth is really, really important at our place. And we've got it at every other position except that one right now.

More good stuff from the Boys blog …this time on Julius Jones…

Being really white, I have only recently discovered ghost-riding. But, thanks to Youtube.com, here is a demonstration of stupid people and their cars. Ghost-riding appears to be the idea of starting your vehicle, and then getting out of the car as it drives on its own.