Tweets from World Series Game 3

bobanddan Bob Sturm
My pathetic effort at team spirit: http://yfrog.com/m94rtcj
13 hours ago Favorite Reply Delete

mark1k mark1k
by bobanddan
@bobanddan check out my Rangers jack o lantern. http://m.plixi.com/p/53967880
13 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
good time to replay the segment from spring when we marveled that they gave Colby a rotation spot in his deal. @tc1310 can you find it?
14 hours ago

jpfrasier Jason Frasier
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan 1st team from the state of Texas to win a world series game. Astros were swept in '05.
14 hours ago

JDtheDJ2004 James Baker
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Snack Time!!!!
14 hours ago

drovvningman D F
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan and the Game 5 ticket holders scream YES!!!!
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Back in this!
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Gas this punk and let's go have a snack.
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Do not walk lead off man.
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
3 more outs. Easy, right?
14 hours ago

cwag13 Chuck Wagstaff
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan @tweetgrubes This Fall on Fox: 'The Great Debate' starring Ozzie Guillen vs. Michael Irvin
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@injuryexpert and yet one of the better options out here. 140g with sub 2 era in Texas. He is good at his job IMO.
14 hours ago

TheGreatRG Jake Dobbs
by bobanddan
@bobanddan 9th + 1 dead chicken
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Love ODay. He is worthy of trust, Wash.
14 hours ago

NickinDallas Nick Brown
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Fingernails gone, working on bone.
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Hold me. I'm so scared baby.
14 hours ago

tedprice Ted Price
by bobanddan
Oh no. Not the 8th inning. Anything but the 8th inning!!! #Rangers
14 hours ago

Rrreeeeeddd Michelle Martinez
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan "Fort Worth!" .... silence .... ("what do I know about Fort Worth"?) go to default: "Great part of the country!"
14 hours ago

jace_2476 Jason Davis
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan I'm playing space people in my head during all that ownership babble.
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Hey! the Stockyards! Don't forget the Mustangs of Las Colinas! And Cavendar's Boot City!
14 hours ago

jeffarr07 Jeff Farr
by bobanddan
@bobanddan they get Tony Bennett and we get Martha Plimpton?!?!
14 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
That stinking Cody Ross. Conn blanking Smythe.
14 hours ago

knoxbeing Michael Hutchinson
by bobanddan
@bobanddan fan behind the plate has the best George Bush costume ever!
15 hours ago

TexBlueMoon J.M.
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Next inning: the cast of Family Guy
15 hours ago

DeLaNate Nathan McLain
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Gary Pettis needs to hold onto Vlad's belt loop until it's okay for him to run!
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@Granbury_Rob_M: Traveling!!” >> Mike Young lifted his pivot foot. Ref! Blow the whistle!
15 hours ago

SoonerJDP Jim Piel
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Think Dan knows the Rangers are up yet?
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Wow. THE cast of Raising Hope! Fox is so Fox.
15 hours ago

natedouglas34 Nate Douglas
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Aggressnife
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@TheGreatRG: can Sanchez pitch a couple of more games please” >> scheduled for Game 7.
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Boooooooom!!!!
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@dylan2872: fact of the night, you have more followers than Dirk @swish41” >> that won't last long. He just signed up and has awesome hair.
15 hours ago

Joelsherman1 Joel Sherman
by bobanddan
In 39 previous playoff games, Molina had drawn 2 unintentional walks in total or as many as he had in 2 PAs tonite #Giants, #Rangers
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@whipstache it was in international waters. They couldn't prosecute.
15 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Eat em up like Colbyashi. Yum yum yum yum.
15 hours ago

tywalkerticket Ty Walker
by bobanddan
There's alot of funny people...Tim McCarver isn't one of them.
16 hours ago

idiotbox_justin Justin M
by bobanddan
@bobanddan uh-oh. Gordo broke his twitter silence. Hope he doesn't jinx us yet again.
16 hours ago

harrisonmford Harrison Ford
by bobanddan
@bobanddan I got 99 problems, but Mitch ain't one!
16 hours ago

mrana85 Mithun Rana
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Mitchapalooza!
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
There is our #9 hitter. Welcome to AL park, Yo.
16 hours ago

ShaneSeabolt Shane Seabolt
by bobanddan
@bobanddan If all Rangers had at bats like Moreland, oposing pitchers would never make it out of the 3rd (started this b4 homer).
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Mitch did it. Yes!
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@texagjosh: for real scenic shots of Dallas, they should run clips from Robocop”
16 hours ago

jblasterii joe laster
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Molina fit right in. Bet they could put the fear of god into a Golden Corral manager
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Oh good. Don't forget the stereotypical bump shot with the steer!
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
These Giants look like they could knock out a buffet.
16 hours ago

Evan_P_Grant Evan Grant
by bobanddan
Does not look like ball will be carrying to left tonight. Vladimir Guerrero crushed a ball that died just in front of the left field wall.
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Hold me now.
16 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
oh yeah: http://mlb.mlb.com/tex/fan_forum/pumpkin_stencils.jsp
17 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@ericspray: I have had "drop the claws, drop the antlers" in my head since wed... Excellent work.”>> thank you. Now claw me.
18 hours ago

MLB MLB
by bobanddan
#SFGiants lineup Torres CF, F. Sanchez 2B, Huff 1B, Posey C, Burrell LF, Ross RF, Uribe 3B, Sandoval DH, Renteria SS. J. Sanchez SP.
20 hours ago

Ken_Rosenthal Ken Rosenthal
by bobanddan
#Rangers lineup: Andrus, Young, Hamilton, Guerrero, Cruz, Kinsler, Francoeur, Molina, Moreland. #SFGiants #MLB
20 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
11/25/05 time capsule - Norm vs the Hammer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPFy07g96WM good stuff...
20 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@Flyguyify:I just want to let you know that your Claw and Antlers song is being played amongst the masses in the ballpark parking lot.”YES!
21 hours ago

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@YoureAThief: he's not a frontrunner, he just really likes Arlington *and* San Francisco… http://imgur.com/B24aa.jpg >> infuriating!

Tweets from World Series Game 2

bobanddan Bob Sturm
"OK, I'm fine now: My team's in the World Series. Just time to hold serve." - Jamey Newberg. Well done, sir.
29 Oct Favorite Reply Delete

ontheRangers Brandon Wilson
by bobanddan
Who needed to take a sports walk around the neighborhood after that bad loss tonight, raise your hand? @bobanddan
29 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@BWalker_TX I was thinking this same thing as I am reading the "yankee years" right now.
28 Oct

KweenB78 KweenB
by bobanddan
Look what I did! HAHAHAHA!!!!! http://yfrog.com/ndx4nfj
28 Oct

P1Day1 Jarid
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Rangers 8th inning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdhftriXIrk
28 Oct

TicketRadio 1310 TheTicket Radio
by bobanddan
Hey @bobanddan. I need something to make me smile. I just found this: http://is.gd/gpUBS #stillfunny
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Diamond talk. Get it on.
28 Oct

bat44 Richard Bates
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan the Dunham and Miller World Series jinks strikes again I hope Gordo had the Grapes of Wrath for the 8th
28 Oct

M_Copeland Michael Copeland
by bobanddan
@bobanddan maybe the only way to rectify '06 is to go down 0-2 before sweeping to win the series
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Diamondspank starts at 10:40 or 10:45
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
My beard is natural.
28 Oct

Gravypan Brandon
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Belfour could drink 20 bottles of cough medicine, give 20 goals to Elias-Arnott-Sykora line, and it still wouldn't rival this.
28 Oct

BraenFoH Matthew Smith
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Things were okay until an episode of Walker Texas Ranger broke out.
28 Oct

mww12776 MIchael Weaver
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Norms double play is this teams parade route.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
That 8th inning rivals any of the silliest moments in DFW sports history. McGrady could dunk on Bradley 100 times and not get to that.
28 Oct

ShAbts Shawn Abts
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan This gives new meaning to "wheels off"
28 Oct

Ticket1310P1 Ticket P1
by bobanddan
like @bobanddan said earlier on the ticket...Every loss feels like you will never win again, every win feels like you can't lose.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Malcolm Gladwell could tell us whether Holland just choked or panicked. I'm not sure http://www.gladwell.com/2000/2000_08_21_a_choking.html
28 Oct

thesmokeysden Smokey
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan do we have Rick Ankiel 2.0? I can't take this.
28 Oct

Matt_JustMatt Matthew Herrington
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan ball 4. Ball 8. Ball 12. Holland with the Ricky Vaughan impersonation
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Watching Holland in a big spot = Watching Dampier at the Free Throw line in a tie game in final minute.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
RT @shawn_slocum So how does Sports Sturm rule on Justin Beeber wearing a Rangers jacket and Giants hat? >>> Take a Wild Guess!
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
RT @TexBlueMoon Haven't felt this "sports low" since USA v. Algeria in injury time...>>> IF ONLY!
28 Oct

kehaml10 Keith Hamilton
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan We don't give up. We aren't the Yankees. Watch the Animal House speech.
28 Oct

luckyjak Jeff Klump
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan "Don't stop believing" http://www.metacafe.com/watch/sy-959746544/journey_dont_stop_believin_official_music_video/
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Feeling a little numb. Not going to lie to you. I could use a rather large dose of believe right now. Fight for that inch.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I am positioned right now where Norm is offering commentary in my left ear and Tim McCarver in my right ear. I can't hear myself think.
28 Oct

dylan2872 Dylan Horner
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan your lucky shirt has its work cut out for it #willstinkforwins
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Hmm. This might be a difficult nut to crack.
28 Oct

lonestarball Adam J. Morris
by bobanddan
The decision to sit Vlad just saved the Rangers a run right there.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@BoiseFanInDFW: 6yr old daughter wonders what your logo pic is. guesses "lego guy" cuz hands”. Lego Star Wars character named "Jedi Bob"
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Treanor, Moreland, Wilson. Murderer's row? #reversejinxanyone?
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Command? I fell CJ may haz it.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@gordonkeith focus. You need to do your part tonight. Don't screw this up.
28 Oct

ChadThorpe Chad Thorpe
by bobanddan
@bobanddan proof... Cain looks like a mix between Will Ferrell and John C. Riley from Stepbrothers... http://twitpic.com/31pllc
28 Oct

ptc7467 Tory Johnson
by bobanddan
@bobanddan why is the bad guy from the incredibles pitching in the World Series
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Let's go Rangers. Clap clap clap clap clap.
28 Oct

tweetsean sean walker
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan matt cain, dumb face candidate, class of 2010.
28 Oct

ShaneSeabolt Shane Seabolt
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan candles? check. Chicken, check. Pact signed in my own blood? Check.
28 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Lucky shirt? Check. Headache? Check. Totem? Check. Claw and antler? Check. Get it on.

Tweets From World Series Game 1

tweetgrubes Michael Gruber
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan I have faith, but you might want to break out your smelly shirt tomorrow. Can't leave anything to chance!
27 Oct Favorite Undo Retweet Reply

edwinmarquez Edwin Marquez
by bobanddan
@bobanddan @gordonkeith this will help ease the pain... http://yfrog.com/ndjl4pj
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Let's look on the bright side. For those of us going to Game 5, the Rangers will not clinch on Sunday. Who is with me? Hello? Is this on?
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@Pokelahoma @theoldgreywolf that was a low blow.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@TomTupa @gordonkeith oh my
27 Oct

howzball Mike
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan we've had a bad few days against Giants this week.
27 Oct

edwinmarquez Edwin Marquez
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan why don't we go to Mamsy pamsy land and find you some courage you jackwagon !!!!!!!!!
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
And I guess that's why yellow makes me sad...
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@Pokelahoma I loved him on the Musers, but his sermon when Randy Moss faked mooning the crowd was as pretentious as it gets.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I feel Joe Buck is just shaking with anticipation to use a Romo joke. Don't let me down, you condescending so and so.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Aggresivesniff
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@gordonkeith absolutely right! How dare you!
27 Oct

Juice___ Justin Williams
by bobanddan
Drop the Claw, Drop the Antlers. OH OH, Drop the Antlers. @bobanddan #rangers
from Denton, TX
27 Oct

chadlmiles Chad Miles
by bobanddan
@bobanddan we need Ben Affleck to dust off his paddle to strike some fear into Tim Lincecum. http://plixi.com/p/53291713
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@dallas_stacy @gordonkeith he knows he is always on the site of Dallas sports disasters. Miami, anyone?
27 Oct

TBehmer214 Tim Behmer
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Feels like Dwyane Wade hit that homerun with Michael Strahan and Baron Davis on base.
27 Oct

KIYAY1 Justin Caillier
by bobanddan
@bobanddan New rule: No more Norm double plays for Dallas teams
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This is on Gordo. 2000 Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 all over again. What is he doing there?
27 Oct

send2michael Michael Lopez
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan On the bright side, Cliff hasn't raised his premium any more tonight.
27 Oct

timmytyper Tim Rogers
by bobanddan
Giants look like they washed their uniforms with one new pair of pink underwear.
27 Oct

b_woff Brad Wofford
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Would be really nice if we could pitch to Teixeira right about now.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This Torres Sanchez garbage is already annoying me.
27 Oct

brianbwatkins Brian Watkins
by bobanddan
@bobanddan in about two hours Dan is going to be really worried about Lee's pitch count.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@kyle_chester: think Michael Young could have gotten to that ball?” >> Not falling for your Juan Uribe hard count.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Very high pitch count. 75 for 4 innings. Going to need some help tonight.
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Chad Ogea. Wellllllllllllll!!!!!
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
That 3rd could have been way worse. 2-2.
27 Oct

Evan_P_Grant Evan Grant
by bobanddan
I think Lincecum has extensions tonight. Hair even longer.
27 Oct

lonestarball Adam J. Morris
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan The only game Joe Buck has called involving the Rangers was an exhibition game when he was doing the Cards' play by play.
27 Oct

cjconner1 Chris Conner
by bobanddan
Is this the most starters in a #worldseries that were signed during the same calendar year as the series? @bobanddan @TC1310 #ridiculous
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Just curious: Has Joe Buck ever seen the Rangers in person before?
27 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Good luck, Rangers. We're all counting on you.
27 Oct

tweetgrubes Michael Gruber
by bobanddan
Rangers World Series Songs are now posted at www.mp3twit.com/user.tweetgrubes ...scroll to the bottom and enjoy! (@bobanddan)
27 Oct

Tweets from ALCS Game 6

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@jthig32: You really want Vladi in the field? That's incredibly dicey.” >> not really, but I don't want a weak order either. Tough choices.
23 Oct Favorite Reply Delete

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@metroplexre: what do the rangers do with Vladimir in the nl city?”>> Me? I want him scaring NL pitchers. Double down on Vladdy.
23 Oct

NewbergReport Jamey Newberg
by bobanddan
Convinced by reader in the last hour to resend this report from a mth ago: http://www.newbergreport.com/article.asp?articleid=2048 #rangers
23 Oct

Tobolowsky Stephen Tobolowsky
by bobanddan
I just want to say that the Rangers win last night was great baseball down the line - great pitching - timely offense - hardly any mistakes
23 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Why choose? No Hicks? No expectations? Wash chased by players with Gatorade? Molina? Boomstick? Vlad bust out? JHam? All of above y mas
23 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Coolest thing about ALCS? Not sure: Nobody can say easy road - 2 AL East teams, only used Lee for 1 game vs NY, ARod last out? Teix 0-14?
23 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@GoDJ: 'Lance, earmuffs.' http://plixi.com/p/52406858 >> awesome picture!
23 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@jdaanderson: do you track the Cowboys personnel groupings manually or is there a site that you use?" >> I do it by hand. Since 2008.
23 Oct

send2michael Michael Lopez
by bobanddan
@bobanddan In the immortal words of Deion, "Haha! Oh, what a day!"
23 Oct

Lancelot_H Lance Holbert
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan check this out from back page http://yfrog.com/j1pyyzj
23 Oct

DCFanaticRadio DCFanatic
by bobanddan
DCFanatic's Blog: Penalties: Sturm compares Parcells years vs Wade years... dcfanaticsblog.blogspot.com/2010/10/penalt…
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This is fun: http://www.nypost.com/archives/covers/;jsessionid=852F8F2F48B7B6963A8A047F7B47010C
23 Oct

cwag13 Chuck Wagstaff
by bobanddan
@junior_miller @bobanddan Think these guys are hungover this morning? http://twitpic.com/3041ka
23 Oct

injuryexpert Will Carroll
by bobanddan
Newberg has been silent since before gametime. Spontaneous combustion? Ginger ale overload?
23 Oct

loboexpat John Montoya
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Lupica on walking Vlad 3 straight times: "You poke the bear enough. The bear eats you. http://bit.ly/bbc2C4 Classic.
23 Oct

chaddfarmer Chad Farmer
by bobanddan
@bobanddan did you see the best shirt of the series? http://twitpic.com/2zzozy
22 Oct

ontheRangers Brandon Wilson
by bobanddan
Cruz told Vlad before his double, "Do let them do that to you, you know" #rangers
22 Oct

bbobo Bob Bobo
by bobanddan
@bobanddan whoever came up with the "Its Time" slogan should get a raise...
22 Oct

KeithPipes Keith Pipes
by bobanddan
@bobanddan I keep looking for security to tackle a deranged Tom Hick trying to rush the stage and take the ALCS trophy.
22 Oct

pringle757 pringle757
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan dan will cheer in about 2 hrs!!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
The Rangers Win the Pennant! The Rangers Win the Pennant! The Rangers Win the Pennant!
22 Oct

BobbyBennett Bobby Bennett
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan looks like those "kids" are all grown up A-Rod.
22 Oct

bradc2755 Brad C
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Al Pacino FTW
22 Oct

texagjosh Josh
by bobanddan
Steinbrenner just fired everyone from his grave @bobanddan
22 Oct

grngoat Avery Murphy
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Check your totem.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@saxbrack: @bobanddan Did you catch Mark Fistric in the crowd?”. I did. Nice seats!
22 Oct

mrmcqueeney MattM
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Wow. Darthvader must be ticked.
22 Oct

nitramssirc Criss Martin
by bobanddan
@bobanddan I just flipped my car and lit it on fire. That's what you're suppose to do right. This is all so new!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
How awesome is this???
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Need Teixeira cam. Quick!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Bean him?
22 Oct

junior_miller Craig Miller
by bobanddan
Just checked weather.com. Looks like a hard freeze in hell tonight.
22 Oct

mattalexg Alex Guthrie
by bobanddan
@bobanddan A-Rod would be 3rd out in a 1-2-3 9th... Too much to ask? #rangers #alcs #poeticjustice
22 Oct

TexBlueMoon J.M.
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Poor Fireman Ed!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Not trying to jinx anything, but if you would have told me: 4 wins with 0 saves required...
22 Oct

tecnocrat Mike Capehart
by bobanddan
@bobanddan We need live feeds of bars in New York. The look on their faces shall be priceless.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@amerball no. He is antagonizing Yankee fans.
22 Oct

texchris22 chris holden
by bobanddan
@bobanddan there time is done its over. Now go out there and take it
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Finish them!!!!! No mercy!!! Put them to the sword!!!
22 Oct

dylan2872 Dylan Horner
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan the inches we need are EVERYWHERE!
22 Oct

buccophan Jackson Phan
by bobanddan
@bobanddan "Sweep the leg Johnny!" - Ron Washington
22 Oct

NickinDallas Nick Brown
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan The socks on that life-size cutout of hicks are comin off tonight. Only boxers left!
22 Oct

Bhines5783 Bruce hines
by bobanddan
@bobanddan taco bell commercial jinx is alive and well
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@taylor_strong he is making Yankees fans hate him. He is with us.
22 Oct

Greg_A_Bedard Greg A. Bedard
by bobanddan
Finish them! They must be killed, mutilated, burned and then buried. Believe me, I know.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Omg!!! Boom baby! Claw Claw Claw Claw Claw!!!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@Marcusward17: @soopergeenyus good thing we sacraficed that live chicken” Claw!!!
22 Oct

shane_76 Shane
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan I say if swisher is on first, moreland is holding runner and gets to that double. 3-6-1 DP.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Rangers leadoff in 4 of 5 innings. Time to cash in.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
If Swisher is HBP, then do they score 2 on Posada double? Was that a favor?
22 Oct

KeithOlbermann Keith Olbermann
by bobanddan
So what was your 1st hint, Brian Gorman, that the ball DIDN'T hit Swisher? When he winced in pain or when the ball changed direction?
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Your home plate umpire tonight: Bennett Salvatore!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Headache is not subsiding.
22 Oct

lonestarball Adam J. Morris
by bobanddan
According to the Brooks Baseball pitch tracker, Colbyashi so far has had more pitches in the strike zone called balls than called strikes.
22 Oct

toddarcher Todd Archer
by bobanddan
Ex-Cowboys quarterback Quincy Carter arrested again: http://bit.ly/dbJzpd
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@ontheRangers I am not seeing the same zone vs Yank batters at all.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@lonestarball do something about this ump, dude.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Moreland has more than a clue at the plate. This strike zone is garbage btw.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Lesnar and Velasquez looks good for tomorrow night, Colby. Let's get this one.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Cmon Vlad ol buddy, don't let me down.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@jmazzola5: ok, you just got clawed!! http://plixi.com/p/52261000 >>>Yes!
22 Oct

CowtownTXBill Bill Holcomb
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan http://yfrog.com/jpmc3lj
22 Oct

TC1310 TC Fleming
by bobanddan
BaD Radio Podcast http://bit.ly/c9OCUn Cliff Lee's free agency destination, fan on the field, the Mad Men Finale and screenless with Jub
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@sbass1310: Bob is suffering from 'claw-me-dia'".>>> Seize the Day, Rangers.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I am confident and scared at the same time. I think it is a 51/49 split.
22 Oct

sbndallas SBNation Dallas
by bobanddan
Dallas Stars Financial Woes Continue, Need Revenue Advance From NHL http://sbn.to/bi2goE
22 Oct

backstop10 Jim Sundberg
by bobanddan
Just inside of 2 hours before game time. We need the crowd to be loud tonight. LOUD
22 Oct

DallasStars Dallas Stars
by bobanddan
New Sturm Blog: Stars 5-on-5 Play Encouraging - http://bit.ly/b31img
22 Oct

MrGHH Garrett Horvath
by bobanddan
@bobanddan weather prediction for the game- a little thunder and lightning from THE BOOMSTICK! Pow! Pow!
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
And water is wet.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
35 North to Denton - very bad.
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Claw me
22 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Claw Me!
22 Oct

Tweets from ALCS Game 5

bobanddan Bob Sturm
In 1995, The Yankees spent $58m on payroll. In 2010, so did Texas!
20 Oct

mdunlap1 Mike Dunlap
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Anyone thinking the Rangers are doomed should have seen Yankee Stadium on the walk out today. So quiet. They know they're done.
20 Oct

mhrobrien Mike O'Brien
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan playoffs aren't for the faint of heart. They aren't meant to be cruised through. They're meant o beat you senseless.
20 Oct

BrTadlock Brian Tadlock
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan what about 2000 Stars?
20 Oct

TheAdam9 Adam McCloskey
by bobanddan
@bobanddan you forgot 1996, 1998, and 1999 Rangers.
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Don't let the 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 Mavs and the 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Cowboys ruin it for everyone! BELIEVE!
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
OK, enough with your sad, worried, destined-for-defeat faces! Don't the boys deserve a little believe out of you? Friday! BELIEVE!
20 Oct

jcrasnick Jerry Crasnick
by bobanddan
CC Sabathia is on his way to twirling a crafty 14-hitter
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Ellis with a hit to load em up, booby.
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Seriously. Go get him. 5-1 is no time to give up on a playoff game.
20 Oct

matchst1ck Bradley Windle
by bobanddan
@bobanddan rally rally rally rally... Let's go Rangers! Clap Clap... Clap Clap Clap!
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I am sure it is my mood for these events, but Ron Darling seems extra annoying today.
20 Oct

FertileFishMan The Tyler Haygood
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan No one said it would be easy
20 Oct

SamTime5 SamTime
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan that looked almost as bad as the last play of the cowboys game.....almost.
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Good grief.
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Let's not nibble today. Make them hit their way on base.
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
On couch. Let's do this.
20 Oct

danawhite Dana White
by bobanddan
Happy B day @SnoopDogg
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
please check out - www.sudanfootrace.com - to help a worthy cause on Saturday, 10/23 in Lewisville. Thank you.
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Jeff Francouer or Harry Ellis? http://yfrog.com/69dj4rj
20 Oct

cuatrostacy Will Stacy
by bobanddan
"Hans... Bubie... I'm your white night" -Harry Ellis http://j.mp/cMVZtc @bobanddan
20 Oct

dallasportsmind Dallas Sports
by bobanddan
@bobanddan i was at the game 5 sections away from the douchers last night, they exited after the 7th inning...
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I can't stop looking at it - http://30fps.mocksession.com/YANKEEDOUCHE.gif
20 Oct
»

TBehmer214 Tim Behmer
by bobanddan
@bobanddan @sportsguy33 The A-Rod reaction to the Molina HR flying over his head. Just beautiful. http://twitpic.com/2za2op

Tweets from ALCS Game 4

Found on gordonkeith.com - P1 interviews his wife about Rangers win. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJWLukgUg3U
20 Oct

TicketRadio 1310 TheTicket Radio
by bobanddan
Hey @bobanddan we all know that you're a closet wrestling fan. Remember Macho Man Randy Savage? Here he is today: http://is.gd/g99Mc
20 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Unreal. 3 shots at a pennant. Get some sleep.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@chrisjancic Rudy jinx? Please. He had 15 years and had 1 playoff game win. That ship sailed a week ago.
19 Oct

lonestarball Adam J. Morris
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Galloway says the Rangers would have put 14 on the board tonight if they'd kept Rudy.
19 Oct

JeremyPRoberts Dr. Jeremy Roberts
by bobanddan
@bobanddan '91 NBA Finals: Lakers edge Bulls by 2 pts in game 1, then Bulls blow them out in games 2-5. http://bit.ly/dfHf65
19 Oct

NickinDallas Nick Brown
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Ya think somewhere in the clubhouse there's a life-size cutout of hicks in nothing but boxers and socks?
19 Oct

pwip Why r u following me
by bobanddan
Now witness the firepower of this fully ARMED and OPERATIONAL battle station! #rangers @bobanddan
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
By the way, I was asking Yankee Stadium about MVP (Cano vs Hambone). Not you guys.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Man, what will do without Rudy?
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Claw Claw Claw Claw Claw
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This is totally following the 1991 NBA Finals template. Look it up, Yo.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Who is your MVP?
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
There is some HBP karma for you Yankees.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Holy Moley! Throw a strike!
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@CrazyAggieIngo: http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l25/agband/YANKEE1.gif >> where amazing happened.
19 Oct

Ken_Daley Ken Daley
by bobanddan
Let us just recall what Winston Wolf told Vincent and Jules regarding the final six outs of October baseball.
19 Oct

mparrent mparrent
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan that reminds me of when I worked at Lone Star Park, lady placing bet with me thought the same horses ran every race
19 Oct

jsr4 Justin Rabas
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan at least she didn't ask if he was a Chilean miner.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
My beautiful wife just asked if this Rangers pitcher is the same one from last night.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Sorry Vlad. I am just a bit stressed about all of this. Won't happen again.
19 Oct

TBehmer214 Tim Behmer
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Hi Vlad. Nice of you to join us here in October.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
So, scratch the Boone Logan idea.
19 Oct

cbsdollarbill Bill Jones
by bobanddan
will they delay the start of tomorrow afternoon's game if this one isn't over by then?
19 Oct

WarrenLoegering Warren
by bobanddan
@bobanddan love seeing the girardi call to bullpen taco bell commercial after he just screwed it up
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Holland did great. Now let's learn from Burnett and leave feeling good. On to Ogando?
19 Oct

ebbynezer Chris Ebbesen
by bobanddan
The internetters work extremely fast, #rangers vs #yankees. Cc: @bobanddan http://post.ly/15jST
from Dallas, TX
19 Oct

guywith1eye Ed H
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan That was all set up by Cruz's hustle on the fly out. If he wasn't on 2nd, they don't walk Murphy.
19 Oct

ptc7467 Tory Johnson
by bobanddan
@bobanddan no kids, daddy is ok, now go back to bed
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Claw!!!!
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@FuturePants you tweet what you want...
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@jcalbert: Dan will be cheering the Teixiera hammy in about 3 hours”
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@RobGsrh 0-14. Fielders choice brah.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
If you are new here, I have trouble being fair to Teixeira. I regret his injury because watching him fail is enjoyable.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Gee, hate to lose a 0-14 hitter from your lineup.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Trusting in Derek Holland feels as safe as trusting in MartyB
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@CardsRamsRice: Ernie Johnson just said there was "wood flying all over the place".”. I marked it.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Cmon Josh. Make them pay! bartman 2!
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@dirtyp1mike: - Was Tommy Hunter crying on the bench?” >> I think he was cutting onions.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
If they get out of this jam, they are in great shape. Hunter was not fooling anyone tonight. Some very solid contact.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
And Vlad starts an at bat 0-2.
19 Oct

marnold2000 Mark Arnold
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan hunter reminds me a lot of lee[/sarcasm]
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
No shutdown inning for you, AJ!
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@IrishP1: @J_M_McK Cam wore a RedWings Gordie Howe #9 jersey, sir. Show some respect. Mr. Griswold wore the Blackhawks jersey, #99.” my bad
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@J_M_McK: does Murph look like Cam from Ferris Bueller to you? Throw a Blackhawks sweater on that dude” >> absolutely. Sloan's Dad Line 1
19 Oct

caddiesense2010 Caddie Sense
by bobanddan
@bobanddan ......here you go, Bob.......http://yfrog.com/74k0xtj
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
So what about those of us who used ink on our scorecard?
19 Oct

lonestarball Adam J. Morris
by bobanddan
What's the point of having an umpire down the foul line if that ump can't get a call as simple as that correct?
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Remember: there are people in this world who think replay shouldn't exist.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Failed Smile.
19 Oct

jonmorosi Jon Morosi
by bobanddan
And here I thought #MLB had instant replay, to use in precisely this sort of situation. #Yankees #Rangers
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Unreal. He hit his glove! Pauly D hit his glove!
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@BoiseFanInDFW he is trying to make Yankee fans mad.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Vladdy being Vladdy. Why is he still hitting 4th?
19 Oct

robert_a_davis robert davis
by bobanddan
@bobanddan thoughts on Santa siting behind home plate?
19 Oct

ounze Michael G.o Rangers!
by bobanddan
Here is the hardline at game 3 @bobanddan @tweetgrubes http://twitpic.com/2z46o0
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
What is AJ Burnett's career record on 17 days rest?
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@Westyrangerfan his feet never move an inch. I dont understand that.
19 Oct

Evan_P_Grant Evan Grant
by bobanddan
Rangers stick with lineup vs. righties, which goes: Andrus, Young, Hamilton, Guerrero, Cruz, Kinsler, Murphy, Molina, Moreland.
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
On Cliff Lee.... http://joeposnanski.si.com/2010/10/19/natural-lee/
19 Oct
»

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Corby and Danny http://twitpic.com/2yw2iv
19 Oct

Tweets from ALCS Game 3

How much money did Cliff Lee make just last night? Ever seen a $25m start? Now you have.
19 Oct

Rbrentl88 Brent littlefield
by bobanddan
@bobanddan When Chuck Norris goes to bed at night, he puts on his Cliff Lee pajamas!
19 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@TexasRepublic one of our dear sweet listeners. @tweetGrubes may know more specifics
19 Oct

STATS_MLB STATS LLC
by bobanddan
Cliff Lee joined Bob Gibson as the only pitchers in MLB postseason history to post 3 straight games with 10+ strikeouts. #MLB
18 Oct

echojuan J. Martinez
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Merry Cliffmas, Bud! #Rangers #CliffLee
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Teixeira used Twisted Sister's I wanna Rock as walk up music. Love his unintentional comedy.
18 Oct

lonestarball Adam J. Morris
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan 14 for 75. .187.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
What are the Yankees hitting off Texas SPs thru 3 games?
18 Oct

borismlb Boris Mizrahi
by bobanddan
la pregunta del millon de dolares: quien lanza manana por los Yankees?
18 Oct

andywdufrane Andy Waters
by bobanddan
Touchdown #Rangers ! #Cowboys could use that right @bobanddan ? 7-0.
18 Oct

spharticus Spharticus
by bobanddan
“@TicketP1: @bobanddan Looks like the Yankees just drove off a Cliff. #toosoon?” <-------- guhgree #funny
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I am pretty sure it would anger the gods to suggest how close this series is to 3-0. So I won't.
18 Oct

junior_miller Craig Miller
by bobanddan
I could never have imagined this back in May when our top two starters (Feldman and Hardin) were sucking. Never.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Get Cliff out and get Nefti in to Yankee Stadium to get acclimated.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Headache lifting.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@sportsguy33: You can almost feel this walkoff 3-run HR by A-Rod coming, can't you?” >> double down! You can win you money back, Bill!
18 Oct

darley Brian Darley
by bobanddan
Jibby & @theoldgreywolf with Cliffy! @theunticket @tweetgrubes @bobanddan http://twitpic.com/2yw2iv
18 Oct

andrewancy Andrew Ancy
by bobanddan
Cliff Lee just broke Cliff Lee's old Ranger record that broke Cliff Lee's old Ranger record for strikeouts in a postseason game @bobanddan
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Amazed how fresh Cliff always looks late in the game.
18 Oct

joetxrealtor Joe Hallon
by bobanddan
Ho-Ho-Ho!
18 Oct

bryana91 Bryan Allison
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan would feel better if we had Kenny powers warming up in pen
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@ptc7467: please tell me you got that 40 covered.” >> Add Molina to the "celebs I can beat in the 40" invite list.
18 Oct

Juice___ Justin Williams
by bobanddan
Dan McDowell, Keens and all, would have beaten that throw. @bobanddan
from Denton, TX
18 Oct

b_woff Brad Wofford
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Nick Swisher manicured sideburns in HD...nauseating. I feel very confident that he's met J-Woww.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Attaboy, Clifton!
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I have a headache.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Cliff up for 130 or 140?
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I was fooled. Dang it.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@EricTCU: Texiera memories for me? Hating him even though he's wearing the right uniform."
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@ptc7467: if not for tex, none of this is possible”>> yes. His biggest impact on the franchise was leaving. How perfect.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
My memories of Teixeira as a Ranger? Slightly more noteworthy than Tank Johnson, less than Jason Terry. I won't tell grand kids about him.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@texagjosh: I nominate the Cliff Lee Rosin-stained replica hat as the next Ranger pro shop item” >> This needs to happen.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@JonRafpor: Estoy nervioso. Abrázame, @tweetgrubes” Yo tambien, TweetGrubes! Abrazame!
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@ChrisRayRocha: que tiempo es hace?” >> El tiempo es ahora!
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@ChrisRayRocha: @bobanddan que tiempo es hace?”
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@davidchaiken sure. He would sort everything out. Just like 2008.
18 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Es Tiempo
18 Oct
»

aandro Anthony Andro
by bobanddan
Rangers lineup Andrus, Young, Hamilton, Guerrero, Cruz, Kinsler, Francoeur, Molina, Moreland
18 Oct

Tweets from ALCS Game 2

Cannot wait to unleash the machine-gun in the Bronx.
16 Oct

borismlb Boris Mizrahi
by bobanddan
Primera victoria de los Rangers en postemporada luego de 7 derrotas
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Awesometown
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@RodieJack yes!
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This NFL loyalist admits: October baseball is really awesome when it involves a team you give a rip about.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Strikes. Throw strikes, DO
16 Oct

bibidahlluv Bibi Dahl
by bobanddan
Get it gangsta. At least u can hide ur piece. RT @bobanddan after 3 stops at the ballpark, there are no more claw shirts unless you are 3XL
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@engeljen I Defer to John Blake!
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
1 loss for me today: after 3 stops at the ballpark, there are no more claw shirts unless you are 3XL
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@engeljen or it is just a side session on his scheduled day to throw. Right?
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Ok smarties. I know voting is done. I am talking about our debates of Josh v Miggy v Cano. I vote when I am ready.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This series is not hurting the Cano's camp in their efforts to convince that he could be MVP-worthy.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Gotta find 12 more outs now. Cmon Han Ol Buddy, don't let me down!
16 Oct

tweetgrubes Michael Gruber
by bobanddan@
@texdood @bobanddan Good point!
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Eat em up like Colbyashi!!!
16 Oct

NewbergReport Jamey Newberg
by bobanddan
Cantu need not see the field again this series.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@Juice___ no idea. Must be something like that.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@MikeBacsik who enjoys 4 hour baseball? Besides people in prison it seems unnecessary.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I hope this is not some sick Lucy and Charlie Brown episode. Don't you dare.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Murphy again. Claw me!
16 Oct

b_woff Brad Wofford
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Baylor Bear CLAW -- droppin' it on 'em.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Nellie gets it done in right as he makes it look difficult.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@bibidahlluv: \\\\\ ///// <=== #Antlers”
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Antler me!
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Happy to be here. This place is rocking.
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Win
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Testing tweet by text because ballpark makes phone go dark
16 Oct
»

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Start
16 Oct

Tweets from ALCS Game 1

“@BuddhaMichael: doesn't Michael Young have to sacrifice his body on that hit? That was Dorn from Major League-esque.” >> gagree
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I find Wash's lack of regard for O'Day's quality to be very curious. With a shortage of arms in the pen, shouldn't you emphasize good ones?
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
More @tweetgrubes and Josh: http://yfrog.com/jnqxxyj
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
The 8th inning... http://keitholbermann.mlblogs.com/archives/2010/10/victims_help_vampires_prevail.html
16 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Fistric on Franzen: Dirty? Cmon - no way. More of that, Fisty! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0X5D86RQ3VU&feature=player_embedded#!
16 Oct

TC1310 TC Fleming
by bobanddan
BaD Radio Weekly Podcast http://bit.ly/b1rfQz Rangers, Bob Knight and the BBC Liverpool simulcast @bobanddan
15 Oct

JimBoardman Jim Boardman
by bobanddan
Dear Mr Hicks: Transfer trading under H&G. Total gross spend? £172.08m. Total net spend? £27.18m. http://bit.ly/aq2hGJ #LFC #epicswindle
16 Oct

grantboone Grant Boone
by bobanddan
Without question, worst ALCS loss in #Rangers history.
15 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Consolation prize: picture of Josh, CC, and Grubes when we all were still happy. http://yfrog.com/50zt7zj
15 Oct

wildbillthe3rd BillyBryant
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan why does this loss make me even more disgusted with Wade?
15 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Consider a sports walk and cowboy up for another 4 hour kick in the shorts tomorrow. Go Rangers.
15 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
At least it has been a four hour game.
15 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Aggressniff doesn't always work.
15 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Hold me.
15 Oct

birq birq
by bobanddan
@bobanddan Little Grubes left his seat. He must've talked his dad into taking him to the whiffle ball park.
15 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I got a feeling....
15 Oct

cheesehodo Andy Hodo
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan Grubes looks like one of those old ladies trying to see over the dashboard in their old Cadillac
15 Oct

jasonhathaway Jason Allen Hathaway
by bobanddan
@bobanddan How am I supposed to take this ALCS game seriously with Grubes sitting behind home plate?
15 Oct
»

jeffpowell27 Jeffrey Powell
by bobanddan
Nolan! Release the snow monkey's!!!! @junior_miller @bobanddan @gordonkeith #fb

Tweets from ALDS Game 5

bobanddan Bob Sturm
So it wasn't a third level dream? The Rangers are in the ALCS? I have my totem right here. It is my iPhone.
13 Oct Favorite Reply Delete

jamessharman James Sharman
by bobanddan
Hicks and Gillett defeated, and right to appeal denied! Goodbye and good riddance! Will know later if NESV or Peter Lim have bought club!
13 Oct

OliverKayTimes Oliver Kay
by bobanddan
Tom Hicks has been REFUSED the right to appeal #LFC court decision. Tail between legs. Lovely to see
13 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@JoeGeorgeSports try to follow along. It was a Rangers tweet.
12 Oct

GovernorPerry Rick Perry
by bobanddan
Way to go Rangers!! What should we wager Giuliani for the series??!!
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Does Rick Perry really think Guliani is still running NYC? If so, is he drunk?
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Emily in black.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Isn't this surreal? Congrats to you hardcore 162 game loyalists. I am not as worthy as you all. Soak it in and enjoy the moment.
12 Oct

jrp1078 Jeremy
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan too early to retire the number 33?
12 Oct

zroo92 Zach Clements
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan I'll give Lee my own personal tiny giraffe if he will sign here
12 Oct

KaceWrangler Kace Phillips
by bobanddan
There have been 7 MLB pitching performances of 10Ks and 0BBs in history. Cliff Lee has the last 4. @bobanddan @junior_miller @TimCowlishaw
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
My wife wants me to turn on ch 8 to watch the miner rescue. Cmon girl.
12 Oct

cwag13 Chuck Wagstaff
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan The name's Joe. Cotton-eyed Joe.
12 Oct

BBTiA Joey Matches
by bobanddan
"AND THERE IS YOUR DAGGER!"
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Claw!!!
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
I keep rolling with this amazing specimen of a pitcher who has blessed us with his presence in 2010.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
OK. This is what you got him 4. Top of their order vs our machine gun. Ho Ho Ho.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
@
@jonathanrjames I say yes!
12 Oct

FrogJAM Ashley Menzies
by bobanddan
@bobanddan defend the antlers.
from North Dallas, Dallas
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Are you kidding me???
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
“@PattonD: Hicks begrudgingly deserves some credit for this” >> Then you do it. He gets no credit from me or the banks.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
How great is it not to have to see Hicks sitting next to Nolan? Sorry the Cooler had to leave.
12 Oct

TonyJar34 Tony Jaremko
by bobanddan
@bobanddan http://yfrog.com/afextidj
12 Oct

heygerardo gerardo jesus vargas
by bobanddan@
@bobanddan @theoldgreywolf remember 0-2 on cruz price thought he had strike three to end the inning. that's gonna be huge.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Remember when dumb base running was going to catch up to them in the playoffs? Forget that part.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Run!!!!!!
12 Oct

LookoutLanding Jeff Sullivan
by bobanddan
By getting into scoring position, Bengie Molina has assured that he can score on a homer
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
This CF cam is more a LF-CF cam. No strike zone perspective.
12 Oct

tywalkerticket Ty Walker
by bobanddan
Dan Johnson's walkup music is 'Safety Dance'?
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Wow they do not hit for average. Point is obvious and yet still shocking.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Despite the 6-4-3, I nominate Francouer as my spare most likely to do something tonight.
12 Oct

bobanddan Bob Sturm
Antlers
12 Oct

Bacsik on Chris Davis

Is Chris Davis this Bad?

I was stunned the other night when Chris Davis got a standing ovation from the Rangers crowd. He was batting .354 in triple-A, but where it matters he was batting .188 in 48 at bats with no homers and a .264 on base percentage. Yet, the fans at the ballpark craved for more Chris Davis? The positive side of this is the Rangers fans. Not many places in America would a liability to a team get a standing ovation upon his return to the team unless he had just overcome a major injury or a disease. What the fans did was nice, but this was the worst thing for the fragile confidence of Chris Davis.

Just to put into perspective how bad Chris Davis has been are his stats compared to the worst hitters in baseball, pitchers. Pitchers this year are batting .131 with an OBP of .162. So Davis would be an awesome hitting pitcher with a .186 batting average and a .266 OBP (before the Detroit series). Unfortunately 1st base is where Chris Davis has to be compared and this is scary bad because on average 1st basemen are batting .271 with a .356 OBP. Davis is closer to hitting like Cliff Lee rather than Derek Lee, and Derek Lee is having a bad year.

Back to the standing ovation and why it was bad. Chris Davis can’t handle the pressure of the big leagues. Plain and simple, you can’t bat consistently over .300 in the minors and sub .200 in the bigs. There is a difference from Triple-A to the Majors but not .150 BA point difference. Davis needs to feel nobody cares because he cares way too much. Example: When you look at a player at the free throw line in basketball in the closing seconds of the game and they show a close-up of his face, can’t you see it in his eyes whether he wants to shoot the free throws or not? It’s the only time in basketball you can’t pass up the shot and in baseball you can’t pass your bat to someone who wants the challenge of beating a major league pitcher. Its not that a player doesn’t want to win, it’s just the fear of failure that gets in the way of success. Davis’ problem isn’t talent or he would hit in the low .200’s in the minors. It’s his head and when he doesn’t get the job done it hurts him to the point of giving up. Not giving up and quitting the game but giving up in the sense of mentally believing you can’t do it or just hoping you do it, rather than feeling the pitcher got lucky and I’m getting that S.O.B. the next at bat. When you cheer Davis for no reason, he now not only lets down himself and his teammates but the 20+ thousand people at the game. Then he starts thinking about his friends and family watching, because being from Longview most of these people are watching all his games.

How do I know? Who are you Bacsik? Unfortunately I went through these same pains in 2003 and those demons in your head that make everything bigger than they are. You think about how you are letting down so many people. You start looking at other guys and hoping to find somebody as bad or worse than you to make you feel you’re not the only person who sucks this bad. I remember subconsciously being happy I got sent down in 2003. Don’t get me wrong, Davis wants to be in the Major Leagues, but he doesn’t want the pressure that comes with it.

Truly the best thing that could have happened to Chris was to get traded to Seattle in the Cliff Lee trade. He needs to get away from home and Longview is close enough to feel like home. The Rangers are in a pennant race and this doesn’t help Chris either. Think about last year and when Davis looked like he was turning the corner; it was after the Rangers had fallen out of a serious playoff race. His BA went up 20 points from Sept.24 to the end of the season, .218 to .238. This will sound a little harsh but he needs to stop caring so much about his friends, family, teammates, and fans. You play for yourself.

Think of the movie ‘”Up in the Air” with George Clooney. He tells his audience at a conference to leave that backpack behind with all that baggage. It’s too much for one person to carry. Davis has way too much luggage at the plate to be successful and the Rangers will likely have to carry him all the way to the playoffs. Also, I recently heard Davis say “I don’t care if I go 0-4 as long as we win the game.” It sounds good on the surface but Davis is telling me he is in “give-up mode” on himself. I will praise him for his great defense. He doesn’t take his at bats to the field. I just hope Chris Davis realizes his career is on the line the next two and a half months. The Rangers making the playoffs does not make him a great player.

Every organization in baseball knows Chris has the talent and more time in minors at this point won’t help. He has proven he is a great Triple-A player. Now every team is starting to believe he can’t handle the Major Leagues. I hope he turns it around. All indications are that he is a great person on and off the field and nobody wants to see him be more successful than the Rangers fans. His next at bat at home I just ask you lightly clap.

Mike Bacsik: On the Cliff Lee Trade

It’s Time!, with Cliff Lee

First, I want to give a big thanks to Bob for allowing me to use his blog to post my thoughts. Now onto Cliff Lee and the playoff run.

Thank God the Rangers traded for Cliff Lee, because in DFW it slowed down “The Decision” LeBron brought upon the sports nation. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing on Twitter and hearing on The Ticket Friday afternoon when the Rangers had STOLEN away Cliff Lee from the New York Yankees. I wanted details. The first trade I saw involved Justin Smoak, Derek Holland and 2 prospects. Honestly, I didn’t like that deal. It was way too much to give up for a 3 month “rent an ace.” About 15 minutes later I turn on MLB Network to see that Holland wasn’t in the deal and Blake Beavan was the main pitching prospect leaving.
With that one swap of players I went from not liking the deal to liking it, but I didn’t LOVE the deal. Smoak WILL BE an all-star 1st baseman. Peter Gammons said he is the next Chipper Jones at the plate. That is high praise and if he reaches that potential then this trade could be looked at differently in a few years. Holland will be a 10 to 15 game winner the next 10 years of his career. I’m glad Texas was able to keep Lefty and let him become part of the future rotation.

Cliff Lee is one of the 5 best pitchers in the game, (Halladay, Lincecum, CC, Jimenez) and I can’t recall the Rangers having one of those since Fergie Jenkins in 1974. (25-12, 2.82 ERA, 29 CGs!) With Texas in 1st place this trade was a kill shot to the LA Angels. Yet the Angels won’t die easy. In fact if LA is within 5 games two weeks from now, I expect them to make a trade for an Adam Dunn or Prince Fielder. I still don’t believe that will be enough to catch Texas.

When you have an ace it takes the pressure off a lot of people on your team. First, the other starters won’t be forced to
pitch into the 7th or 8th inning if they are getting tired. Because every fifth day Lee should give the Rangers an average of 8 innings. Secondly, giving the bullpen a day off (and this bullpen needs some rest) is huge in August and September. Third, less middle relief is a good thing. The Rangers can pitch O’Day or Ogando in the 6th in a tie game or just down a run instead of Nippert or Harrison, in the games Lee isn’t starting. Side Note: I can remember my former pitching coach, Carl Willis, telling me a story about Brad Radke. Radke was quoted as saying “a quality start is when Carl Willis doesn’t have to pitch.”

For the hitters, they need to believe if they do their job the team will win. Players know how important pitching is, but they look at pitchers similar to how football players look at kickers and punters. Obviously Cliff Lee doesn’t make the lineup better but he can hide weaknesses in the lineup if you’re winning games 2-1 or 3-2. Yes, I’m calling out the 1st base and Catcher positions.

This is a “now trade” because it’s hard for me to see Cliff Lee being a Ranger in 2011. From the Texas standpoint this trade will have a final grade at the end of the season. My grade will be this:

C: Rangers don’t make the playoffs (Took a good risk.)
B: Make the playoffs but lose in round 1, the Rangers might have made it without the trade.
A: Win a playoff series (this is where Cliff would take a team that couldn’t get there without him.)
A+: Make it to the World Series…..Winning it is way above an A+

The Rangers have a tough second half of the season, 12 with the Angels, 7 against Boston, and 5 against the Yanks. Not to mention the Twins and Rays. But when the Rangers get to the playoffs they have an ace that can lead a team with no playoff experience (except Vlad) to an early 1-0 series lead. It will be up to Lewis, Wilson, and Hunter, I assume, to get the ball back to Lee to close out a short series. At least that’s the plan on paper. Winning a seven game series usually takes more than 1 pitcher.

Now if the Rangers can sign Cliff Lee in the off-season then this trade is an A no matter what happens. But the starting bid will be 5 for $100 million. That probably won’t get him because it will be a low offer considering what lefty starters (Santana, Zito, and CC) have received recently. Does Texas want him bad enough to offer a 5 year deal worth $125 mill? It’s not my money, and we have no clue today whose money it will be, but if you want an ace you have to pay. The Yankees still might outbid, but $25 million a year is more than enough to make it a hard decision to leave Texas. I’m not looking forward to the day that Lee signs somewhere else, but for now CLIFF LEE IS A RANGER!

SB Nation - July 8 - Clint Hurdle

Sometimes it is nice to sit down with a member of the local sports landscape and pick his brain a bit about why things are the way they are. Thankfully, with the radio show every day, this is an opportunity I am afforded frequently.

Wednesday, Clint Hurdle stopped by for 20 fascinating minutes where we were able to pick his brain and try to understand how he sees baseball and hitting and the Rangers. I have re-listened to it a few times to try to absorb all of the nuggets from a very impressive baseball mind.

Hurdle’s biggest challenge seems to be following the legendary Rudy Jaramillo as Rangers hitting coach. For many years, Rudy fashioned the Rangers offense in his image, and had a large percentage of the area eating out of his hand when it came to the way that he did his business.

So, was it difficult to follow Jaramillo for Hurdle and how did he break the ice with his players this winter?

“I guess I didn’t give that much thought on who I was following. Rudy had a great program in place, and it wasn’t like I had to come in here – hammer and nail – and try to build an ark.”

“I think there is a lot dependent on the approach on the person coming in. I am a big believer that the presentation can make or break your message. The way you approach people. One of the things I tried to do is establish a relationship first over the phone. Immediately, I called the guys - everyone I could call. I hoped to get 5 to 10 minutes. The shortest conversation I had was 27 minutes one went to about 50 minutes. Once it started going, it went. And everybody across the board, they were honest. Very black and white. I wanted to ask, Who are you? What kind of hitter are you? What kind of hitter do you think you can become? How do we bridge that gap? We threw it all out there, and then came in over the winter and spent a lot of “hands on” time with the guys. And then watched a ton of videotape from preceding seasons, especially last season. You know you hit a bunch of homers, but you strike out over here. Your on-base percentage is this. Your runs scored was this, your doubles was here.”

That led us to his approach with Ian Kinsler thus far. Kinsler had a very interesting and odd 2009. On one hand, we marveled at a 2nd baseman having a 30/30 season. And on the other hand, many of us were disgusted at times with the wasted at bats where it appeared he was obsessed with trying to hit homers and the question of whether or not those 30/30 numbers were serving to make the offense better or just to give Ian an impressive stat sheet?

Here is what Hurdle told us about dealing with Ian:

“First, you develop a relationship. You ask him some questions. Talked about the ‘09 season and the ‘08 seasons. What kind of hitter do you think you are? What kind of hitter do you want to be? Why did we have the ground ball/fly ball ratio? Did it involve trying to get too many balls in the air and to run the ball out of the park? You need honest input. I got it back. He is a special player who plays with an edge that is very unique. And one of the conversations we have already had this season is that you cannot play with that edge if you are running out fly balls all of the time. “

“The way he has gone about his business this year has been unselfish. You know one of the things I challenged each of the players this year is that “you are going to have to give up something personally for the betterment of the team and to make the group stronger”. For Ian that might be driving the ball out of the ballpark. He is still going to do that – he isn’t even 100% now with his ankle - but look at his pitch selection and the number of pitches per at bat. We talked about this season being a 40 double/100 runs scored season. And he may even get to 100 runs despite missing 5 weeks.”

Whether it is Ian or any player Hurdle deals with, I find it interesting that players have two masters in baseball. They must listen to their coaches and managers, but inside they are listening to that voice in their head that knows how they get paid when it is time to do a contract. 30/30 seasons are very easy to point to in a negotiation and that equates to money. Moving a runner over doesn’t always show up when it is time to account for a personal contribution from a player.

Also, when performance suffers and criticism is heard, sometimes certain players go into a bit of a shell. So, we went on to find out from Hurdle about how to deal with those sorts of mixed messages:

“Sometimes there are disconnects…because there are misconceptions. and we as human beings – especially males – we have this great way of dealing with things when we mess up. Hey, (we will say when things are not going well) I have done such a good things of screwing things up, I am going to get out of this myself. Everyone else leave me alone. I am going to isolate. I am going to figure it out. Don’t want any help. Don’t need any help. And (when that happens) we just talk about trust and awareness - Accountability and responsibility. There was as much conversation about human life and getting along. Being unselfish. And about “the chain being as strong as its weakest link” and some of these clichés that a lot of these kids have never even heard. “

After managing in a similar spot for much of this decade, Hurdle thought he recognized some of the issues going on here when it came to hitting:

“I’m coming from an environment that had some similarities as far as we developed our own talent, while building an offense. The Blake Street Bombers (Colorado Rockies)? We had a team where we could send 4 or 5 guys to an all-star game at the drop of a hat, and they would go and get their hats and shirts and go to the all-star game and then we would finish in 3rd or 4th place.

“HooYah.” Hurdle said with some level of sarcasm. Sending guys to the all-star game is not what this game is about to Hurdle. He went on to explain that this is what happens in a lot of places, including in Arlington, and how to try to get a title.

“To win championships you have to pitch and play defense. There is no other way to get it done. And find an offense that can score in different ways and beat #1s and #2s in other team’s rotations and beat a closer now and then. You can manufacture as well as slug. You can get a walk and string out innings by seeing pitches. That’s the offense we needed to build to go along with what the steps they took forward last year off the mound and on the defensive side of the ball.”

There in one paragraph, Hurdle strung together what always bothered me about the Rudy Jaramillo approach that I have seen over the last decade. People would show me the wondrous way that everyone had career years while playing in Arlington, but nobody could explain why the team still failed offensively.

“Bob, they lead the American League in Runs scored! How can you say the offense is to blame!” And my response would always be that the Rangers did not seem to know how to score runs when they needed them most – against the best pitchers in the business, they were more likely to strike-out 12 times, rather than put 6 runs on the board. In other words, it has always been my premise that Rudy knows hitting, but he didn’t understand the art of offense at the level the Rangers needed.

Hurdle said it above. You must be able to slug. But you also must be able to manufacture. Slugging looks very nice on a stat sheet, but total runs scored seldom equates to the most wins. There is much more to offense. When do you score them? When you need them? Or just putting the finishing touches on ringing up 14 runs against someone’s #5 starter?

Next, we went on to Josh Hamilton, and how it is that Josh has somehow returned to his 2008 form after a 2009 where he looked rather lost most of the time.

“You know one of the toughest questions I have come across being a hitting coach and a manager is that a lot of players when they get here just don’t know who they are. He is a classic case for me of a young man who didn’t know who he was. What kind of hitter are you? And he told me. I asked what kind of hitter do you think you can become? And he told me. So, then I asked How are we going to get from Point A to Point B? What is the definition of a coach? Well in the 1800s it was a transport system to take someone from Point A to Point B that couldn’t get there on their own. And that made sense to him. I told him I have had some experience with some dynamic skill sets that may have had some sort of a glitch here or there and something that wasn’t working consistently. “

“Because the big thing for Josh has been consistency – and lack of it. So how can I help him get to a consistent hitting position? Because his skill set is so unique that if I can help him get to that consistent spot, it will just take over and play. And the toe-tap was not the answer for me. I watched it through spring training and on tape. After 50 games, we just sat down and had a heart to heart. I told him the hottest I have seen you is 3-4 days, and I have seen you inconsistent for up to 7 straight. For us to be good and to have a good offense, we need you consistent in the middle of our offense making things happen.”

“At the end of the day, the toe tap, it wasn’t like he was married to it. But, ballplayers sometimes would rather be in a bad relationship than no relationship. And this is something he had grown up with and had some success with. And combine it with dynamic the Home Run Derby, and the presence that had on him…”

How about coaching Vladimir Guerrero?

“Easiest guy I have ever worked with in my career. We have worked probably since spring training started one session where we did video work for 10 minutes. But the misconception about him is this: He very rarely burns at bats. Less than anyone on our club and I would bet anyone in baseball. The back of his baseball card has those numbers for a reason. Regardless of what you see, to have that violent hack and that number of strikeouts – that doesn’t make sense. The ability to drive in those runners with that hack doesn’t make sense. One thing we talk about in hitting is with runners in scoring position, you need to focus on the big part of the field. You want to “gap-to-gap” them because there is more room for production. You talk about a “No Pull” concept. And you can count the times that Vlad has pulled the ball to 3rd base with runners on base on one hand this year and he has had so many opportunities. He is the best guy I have ever seen.”

I could have talked for 2 more hours with Hurdle, but he had to get back to his work. But, I left the conversation wondering how underrated that move was this winter, for the Rangers to get a new voice in to work with the bats.

Email of the Day

Letters! Oh, We get Letters!

Here is one from Curt:

Bob,

Just listened to another Rangers segment where you mentioned that Hicks has been the biggest obstacle this franchise has faced for the past several years (don't disagree). You also patted yourself on the back for being on top of this from the get-go, seeming to imply that not too long ago BAD Radio was the lone voice crying in the wilderness when it came to Tom Hicks. I know I've heard Dan mention this in the past, as well.

This may be true, but what I remember as the BAD Radio stance was that Jon Daniels was a lousy GM. I'm sure you railed against Hicks also, but I don't recall you ever comparing him unfavorably to a fern. What I remember most is how both you and Dan dismissed the Ranger farm system, saying that Daniels should not get credit for something that had not produced results at the major league level. Now that the system is starting to bear fruit and Jon Daniels is seen as one of the better GMs in the game, it seems like you're ignoring that previous stance and focusing instead on the Hicks one. I guess I'm not the most devoted listener, so maybe the amount of air time dedicated to Hicks' ineptitude vs Jon Daniels' was 10 to 1 and I happened to listen at the wrong time. But for someone like me, it seems incredibly disengenuous to position yourselves as being first on the scene in uncovering the true cause of the Rangers' failings, when at the time it appeared to run a distant second to an opinion you've swept under the rug.

Please tell me I'm wrong. I want to believe in my heroes.

Curt in the Hinterlands

Thanks, Curt for your email.

I am a bit confused here on your direction. It appears you are comparing 2 different opinions about the same team and allowing one to influence how you feel about the other (which is a fair thing to do).

First things first: Our Tom Hicks view has not changed in a long, long time. Especially not since the "owner has to stop writing checks" interview with Dale Hansen.

How that relates to Jon Daniels is anyone's guess, but in October of 2008, I wrote This very controversial essay which has likely been the least well-received thing I have ever written.

The premise was that at the time (easy to say now) the Rangers were continuing in disarray with several consecutive bad moves in a row (it seemed) and another bottom finish. The fruits of the Teixeira trade had not been realized and the question was "what if the GM had not made any moves at all?"

Surely, an unrealistic question, but at the time - with the Danks trade, the Adrian Gonzalez/Chris Young trade, and a few other moves that had not exactly worked well, a conversation that was tailor-made for blogs or segments.

Obviously, the Braves trade changed everything in the career of Daniels. It is likely that this will be his signature move of his career - the one that will always have him employed. Like Donnie Nelson "finding Dirk" or Tom Grieve trading Sammy Sosa, we all know that GMs often get linked to a signature move - no matter how fair it really is.

So, to answer your question: Has my opinion on Daniels adjusted since writing that column? Absolutely. I now have far more information that says he knows what he is doing than I had in October of 2008. As for Hicks, I also have more information. The kind that only confirms that my worst fears of the man were correct back in 2005.

May 2010 - Starting Rotation Profile

This is my monthly look at each of the Rangers starting pitchers through simple statistics.

Now that we have 2 months of data to sort through, we start to see the sample sizes grow to about 60 innings or so for each of the starters. We can stop saying "its early" as they have about 10 starts a piece, and start looking at what each of them are going to be in 2010.

5,432 pitches have been tossed my Rangers' starters through May 31. Now, we need to look at how well they have been doing with them.

Just so we are all up to speed with the different stats, IPS is Innings Per Start and PPS is Pitches Per Start. Everything else will be metrics that I am sure you are familiar with.

Before you start, we need to establish league averages for the stats so you understand what consitutes "league average". So, here you go - These are the American League Averages through the end of May:

ERA - AL Average is 4.21 (4.16 in April)
AVG - AL Average is .258 (.256)
OBP - AL Average is .329 (.330)
SLG - AL Average is .407 (.408)
K/9 - AL Average is 6.78 (6.85)
BB/9 - AL Average is 3.44 (3.59)
HR/9 - AL Average is 0.96 (0.97)
WHIP - AL Average is 1.37 (1.37)

Rotation Splits

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
Thru April	23	13	140.2	6.11	101.2	3.71	.230/.320/.312	7.03	4.16	0.83	1.30
Thru May	50	24	286.1	5.72	108.6	4.46	.247/.331/.385	6.91	3.92	1.01	1.39

Table Tutorial

As you can see, from pretty much every angle, the numbers are getting worse in May. Fewer innings per start, more pitches to get there. Batting average up, Slugging is way up, and strikeouts are down. Is this a normal valley in the season or was April too good to be true for many of the pitchers?

Also, the Rangers went from 13 for 23 (56%) for Quality Starts in April, to 11 for 27 (41%) in May. This trend takes them 2nd from bottom in AL Quality Starts. Yikes.

To compare to last year's rotation, Check out the Final 2009 Rotation Profile

===============

Scott Feldman

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
April	5	3	26	5.2	96.8	4.50	.279/.345/.404	4.84	3.80	0.69	1.53
May	5	0	31	6.2	109.4	6.97	.326/.367/.511	5.22	2.32	1.16	1.67
Total	10	3	57	5.2	103.1	5.84	.305/.357/.464	5.05	3.00	0.95	1.61

Table Tutorial

Feldman keeps puttering along at well below 2009 rates. In 2009, he had 1 month of over a 4.33 ERA. This year, he is 2 for 2. The league hit .245 off Feldman last year, this year they are over .300. He shows occasional flashes, but overall, Scott Feldman is not helping the doubt in your head go away if you questioned the "realness" of 18 of 31 Quality Starts and 17 wins. Feldman is, quite frankly, reminding most of what we thought he was before 2009. A guy.

HRs: (6) Adam Lind, Vernon Wells, Ryan Sweeney, Mike Aviles, Jose Bautista, Billy Butler


====================
Rich Harden Splits

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
April	5	2	23.2	4.7	94.8	4.56	.250/.430/.417	8.36	8.74	1.52	1.86
May	5	1	25.1	5.0	99.2	5.68	.260/.328/.413	9.23	3.91	1.06	1.50
Total	10	3	49.0	4.9	97.0	5.14	.255/.378/.415	8.81	6.24	1.28	1.67

Table Tutorial

In April, I called his month a disaster. I suppose May was better in some regards (after all, he wasn't walking a batter an inning!), but there is clearly nothing here to write home about. 3 for 10 in Quality Starts from a supposed #1? Please. His May ERA was actually worse than his April. His ability to go deep in games appears relatively non-existent (aside from his glorious night in Oakland), and we shall see where this goes. But, so far, I think most people want their money back on this purchase.

HRs: (7) Alex Gonzalez, Shin-Soo Choo, Mark Teixeira, Carlos Quentin, David DeJesus, Lyle Overbay, Travis Snider

===================
Matt Harrison Splits

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
April	4	2	23	5.75	101	5.48	.253/.314/.367	5.86	3.13	1.95	1.39
May	2	1	11	5.5	111	5.14	.283/.355/.358	3.85	4.50	0.64	1.57
Total	6	3	37	5.66	104.3	5.35	.264/.331/.419	5.10	3.64	1.45	1.46

Table Tutorial

What happens when a pitcher has a higher walk rate in a month than a strikeout rate? He basically gets dropped from the rotation. However, things change and he is back for now with Holland going down. My tune on Matt Harrison remains the same. In a starting rotation, he is a decent #6 or #7, but there just isn't the consistent ability to get guys out. Too many base-runners, too many Home Runs, and too little ability to pitch out of a jam with a nice strikeout.

HR: (7) Shin-Soo Choo, JD Drew, Mike Lowell, Darnell McDonald, Brandon Inge, Billy Butler

==================
Colby Lewis Splits

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
April	5	2	32.2	6.5	109.4	2.76	.195/.286/.297	10.5	3.58	0.55	1.10
May	5	4	30.2	6.1	108.0	4.11	.214/.318/.357	6.16	4.40	0.88	1.27
Total	10	6	63.1	6.3	113.0	3.41	.204/.302/.326	8.38	3.97	0.71	1.18

Table Tutorial

Tough to complain when a pitcher converts 4 of his 5 starts into Quality starts, and for his entire 63+ innings, the league is hitting .204 off him. His strikeouts returned to their expected rates in May and the slugging against took a pretty large jump. But, Colby Lewis, at worst, is this team's clear #2 starter. At best, he is their best. Take your choice as we head to June.

HRs:(5) Jeremy Hermida, Austin Jackson, Eric Patterson, Eric Chavez, Jose Bautista

==================
CJ Wilson Splits

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
April	4	4	25.2	6.4	104.7	1.75	.223/.318/.255	7.36	3.50	0.00	1.20
May	6	3	39.0	6.5	105.8	4.62	.221/.302/.324	6.00	3.23	0.92	1.17
Total	10	7	64.2	6.4	105.3	3.48	.222/.309/.297	6.54	3.34	0.55	1.19

Table Tutorial

I think WHIP tells you almost all you need to know about how well a pitcher is doing. Lewis and Wilson have sub 1.20 WHIPs, while Feldman and Harden are over 1.60 (league average is 1.37). If you don't allow baserunners, you seldom get in trouble. Your HRs allowed are always solo shots, and the skies are not cloudy all day. Good news: Wilson is 7 for 10 QS, which leads the team. Bad News: his last 3 starts in May were not quality at all. We will be keep a close eye on his next few to see if the real CJ will please stand up.

HR: (4) Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera, Alfonso Soriano, Orlando Hudson

======================================
Derek Holland Splits

Month	GS	QS	IP	IPS	PPS	ERA	AVG/OBP/SLG	K/9	BB/9	HR/9	WHIP
May	4	2	18.1	4.6	86.5	4.19	.247/.301/.481	7.45	2.79	1.86	1.29
Total	4	2	18.1	4.6	86.5	4.19	.247/.301/.481	7.45	2.79	1.86	1.29

Table Tutorial

Small sample size for the Dutch Oven, but we still see some very nice things like his K'rate and his WHIP. But, this we know about Derek. When the opponents hit the ball, they hit it real hard. His opponent's slugging percentage of .481 is way over the league average. In 2009, his opponent's slugging was at .511, so this is not a new trend. They don't always hit Holland, but when they do, it is either over the wall or off the wall. This is a bad trend that needs to change - I believe it suggests that the opponents sit on a particular pitch, and if they guess right, it is not difficult for them to do severe damage.

HR: Mike Napoli, Torii Hunter, Alfonso Soriano, Starlin Castro

Checking the Batting Order

After sitting through a silly weekend of Rangers offensive baseball, I hatched this idea in my head that I had to do some serious research this morning regarding how the Rangers are generating and not generating their offense. It is too easy to say they aren't hitting or aren't getting key hits.

We also have our suspicions on who is getting it done and who is not, but if one thing is becoming clear, it is that the bottom 3rd of the lineup is resembling a weak NL 7-8-9. That says something.

If we are to wonder aloud where the Rangers took a wrong turn, it would seem that it starts with allowing 1B, CF, and C to be such question marks. But, because of lack of money (Marlon Byrd) and perhaps too much optimism, the Rangers were ready to roll with Chris Davis, Julio Borbon, Saltalamacchia, Taylor Teagarden, and if needed, Justin Smoak. These homegrown studs will be ready to advance just like Elvis Andrus, right?

Not yet, anyway. Not even close.

First, let's look at Batting Average. This is done by position in the batting order. Later, we will define who is most responsible for which spot, but for now, just now that the #8 hitter of the Rangers means the cumulative total of anyone in that spot versus the major leagues:

BATTING AVERAGE

Spot	Tex Rank	AL Leader
1st	.259 (9th)	.342 (Sea)
2nd	.314 (1st)	.314 (Tex)
3rd	.257 (10th)	.340 (KC)
4th	.327 (3rd)	.358 (Det)
5th	.308 (2nd)	.359 (NY)
6th	.257 (6th)	.323 (Balt)
7th	.179 (14th)	.292 (Ana)
8th	.211 (10th)	.294 (NY)
9th	.279 (1st)	.279 (Tex)

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The major issues here appear to be 1st, 3rd, 7th, and 8th. What is interesting is that lead-off has been great since Elvis moved there, which might mean that 9th is now the issue. 3rd has just not been right as everyone has waited for Josh Hamilton to get going. But, 7th and 8th? Horrid, and no help in sight unless Smoak figures it out. He did have a 4 hit week, but 4-17 is not going to get us too excited.

Now, on to OBP:

ON BASE PERCENTAGE

Spot	Tex Rank	AL Leader
1st	.330 (8th)	.393 (Sea)
2nd	.373 (3rd)	.397 (Oak)
3rd	.321 (13th)	.409 (Min)
4th	.357 (6th)	.453 (Min)
5th	.390 (2nd)	.401 (NY)
6th	.324 (6th)	.377 (NY)
7th	.244 (14th)	.397 (NY)
8th	.309 (6th)	.372 (NY)
9th	.330 (3rd)	.346 (Oak)

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OBP observations include 3rd is not great again. This is an interesting way of calculating numbers because Hamilton's OBP of .335 is right about the AL Average. But, compared to #3 hitters, the 3rd position (primarily Hamilton and Kinsler) in Texas has been 2nd to last. Hamilton's 2008 OBP of .371 seems a long ways away. And of course, a .244 OBP from the 7th hole is so bad it is silly.

Also, have any Yankees' envy when looking at the chart? #1 for the 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th spot in their lineup? Amazing. And those #3 and #4 hitters in Minnesota seem pretty salty, too.

Now, let's check the boomsticks:

SLUGGING PERCENTAGE

Spot	Tex Rank	AL Leader
1st	.289 (13th)	.441 (Det)
2nd	.461 (4th)	.491 (Balt)
3rd	.455 (5th)	.490 (TB)
4th	.541 (5th)	.684 (Det)
5th	.557 (2nd)	.601 (NY)
6th	.465 (5th)	.552 (Balt)
7th	.250 (14th)	.630 (Tor)
8th	.247 (14th)	.524 (Tor)
9th	.335 (6th)	.441 (Tor)

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I cannot imagine you can have a great American League offense if you have 3 slots in your batting order that are slugging below .300. That just seems impossible.

Now, I listed the 3 charts above in one easy box. Now, you can see each slot by ranking.

RANKS AVG-OBP-SLUG

Spot	Tex Rank	AL Leader
1st	9th-8th-13th	Sea-Sea-Det
2nd	1st-3rd-4th	Tex-Oak-Bal
3rd	10th-13th-5th	KC-Min-TB
4th	3rd-6th-5th	Det-Min-Det
5th	2nd-2nd-2nd	NY-NY-NY
6th	6th-6th-5th	Bal-NY-Bal
7th	14th-14th-14th	Ana-NY-Tor
8th	10th-6th-14th	NY-NY-Tor
9th	1st-3rd-6th	Tex-Oak-Tor

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Perhaps the story that keeps this team from being a complete disaster is that Vladimir Guerrero was found for almost no money, and is not only having a nice year, but also actually holding his own with the American League's finest clean-up hitters.

Now, to define who is responsible for which spot, I tried to break it down by AB for each batting slot so you can see who we are talking about when we give credit or place blame:

AB LEADERS

Spot	Leader	Others
1st	Andrus 148	Borbon 36
2nd	Young 203	None
3rd	Hamilton 143	Kinsler 47
4th	Guerrero 191	None
5th	Cruz 66	Kinsler 56, Ham 43
6th	Murphy 61	Davis 48, Cruz 33
7th	Smoak 81	Treanor 33, Arias 24
8th	Treanor 57	Blanco 27, Arias 25
9th	Borbon 102	Andrus 31

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Conclusion: Michael Young, Andrus, Guerrero, Cruz, and Kinsler have been just what we expected, or in Vlad's case - better. Hamilton has been decent. But all of those hopeful spots below have been failed bits. With very few solutions to these problems apparent, and with Nelson Cruz headed back to the DL, we might be finding out that it may not be time, yet.