Monday, March 31, 2008

No such thing as a good loss?

The Rangers outhit the Mariners in the 2008 season opener, but it wasn't quite enough. I know I'm probably accused of always finding the bright side of losses, but there really were a lot of good things going on in this game...

- Kevin Millwood looked really good. The only two runs he surrendered were unearned. Without that error, he might have been good for another inning.

- Michael Young seems to have less weight on his shoulders than he did at the start of last season. At least emotionally. Although, physically, it looks like he's bulked up a bit. His arms, at least, look bigger. And he showed off his power in his first at bat with a HR. Three-hit night for the All-Star.

- Poor Ian Kinsler. I respect him for getting out on the field through his illness, but maybe he should have rested instead. Hope he feels better soon.

- I got my first look at Josh Hamilton. I like what I see. He's going to be really fun to watch this year.

- The oft-hated Gerald Laird threw out two would-be base stealers tonight. That's what I love about that guy.

Overall, I can't complain about tonight's game. Even if it was a loss, it's still baseball.

KISS: Michael Young. He's well on his way to another 200 hit season with three tonight, including an RBI. His oppo taco was the perfect way to start his season right.

MISS: Kaz Fukumori. He only faced five batters, but let three runs come in on two hits and two walks.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

New season, new blog site

The 2008 Rangers season begins in roughly 24 hours. Perfect time for a new blog, right? Well, MLBlogs didn't leave me much of a choice. The weekend before Opening Day, they made a bunch of changes, and I tried, but I couldn't figure them out or learn to like them. So...since I'm familiar with Blogspot, here I am.

New beginnings are exciting, full of potential and hope. As they said on "Fever Pitch," a new season is "a clean slate." While this doesn't reassure some Rangers fans (who have already written this team off before the first pitch has even begun its journey to the catcher), it still makes me smile. Perhaps that's because I'm new to Ranger fandom and thus not yet jaded. Or perhaps I just prefer to believe in this team. There are some very good pieces in this year's roster, and, depending on how they're utilized, this could be a very fun season to watch. Either way, let's play ball!

Here are my pre-season predictions...

AL East - Red Sox
AL Central - Tigers
AL West - Angels
AL Wild Card - Mariners
NL East - Mets
NL Central - Cubs
NL West - Dodgers
NL Wild Card - Padres
AL Pennant - Red Sox
NL Pennant - Cubs
WS Champs - Cubs

By the way, my sports editor (a huge Cubs fan) is convinced I'm trying to kill him with those predictions. Ha ha.

And now, my Rangers-related predictions...

Wins - 82
Most runs scored in a game - 17 (we won't get to 30 again...ha ha)
HR leader - Josh Hamilton
RBI leader - Marlon Byrd
Stolen base leader - Ian Kinsler
Pitcher with most wins - Vicente Padilla (I have a feeling/hope he'll redeem himself in a big way)
Saves for C.J. Wilson - 28
All-Star representative - Ian Kinsler
Biggest surprise - Jason Botts (it's no secret I'm biased on this, but if he gets a fair shot, I think he wil surpass many fans' low expectations for him)
September call-up with the most impact - Eric Hurley