Fans arriving for the Texas Rangers last home game of the year, received schedules for next year. Seems appropriate for a team, that is once again, waiting for another season. No playoffs and no winning season. At least year, they were in the hunt for a playoff spot until the last week. There was no such excitement this year.
Lori Gunnels from Fort Worth, a devote fan of the Rangers, isn’t happy. If you were in charge, I asked, what would you do? “Fire John Hart,“ she said.
Pete Sharyock of Mansfield is a season ticket holder, and will buy season tickets again next year. “I think Hicks is too tight to do it. That's my opinion,” he said. “I think he puts more interest in his hockey team than he does for his baseball team.”
Texas certainly has the power, falling just 4-home runs short of the Major league record, but pitching is still a problem. The team era ranked 26th out of 30-teams, and once again, the playoffs are for those other teams.
Buck Showalter, the teams’ manager says, “You do dwell on it. I know I will, and its always a sense of sadness on a day like today. Its self inflicted though, its nobody else’s fault, nobody wants to hear about injuries, this and that, everybody has had injuries.”
In the third inning, Michael Young received a standing ovation as he was pulled from the game. That batting title is the first for the Rangers since Julio Franco won it in 1991.
“It means a lot,” he said. “This last month has been pretty hectic. I knew that winning the batting title would be very special to me at this point of the year. Its definitely special, it hasn't really hit me yet, but I know that its something I can carry with me for the rest of my life.”
Moments after Young got pulled, it was Mark Teixeira’s turn. He left the game, just 3-short of the Major League RBI leadership.
“I didn't change anything,” says Teixeira. “Its like I said earlier, its just getting better, ah, you know I've had three good years in the big leagues, and hopefully I'll have 20-more.”
The Kenny Rogers incident on June 29th proved to be most serious moment of the year, and it appeared to be an incident from which the entire team never recovered. Larry Rodriguez, the KDFW photographer attacked by Rogers, was finally back at work this week.
When the season ended, it was the Angels who we celebrating a 7-to-4 win, and a division title, while the Rangers watched.
Tom Hicks, the teams owner was asked if he still like what John Hart is doing as General Manager. “Yeah, I think, its not just John, its John's team, John, John Daniels, Dom Chiti, Buck, I think they're one of the best management teams in baseball, so we're lucky to have them.”
Last year, the Rangers were a team on the rise, this year they're a team in decline. What happens now in the off season will certain dictate what the Rangers are selling for 2006, how easy it will be for the fans to buy into next year.
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