Why I was away.

Well, it's been 11 days since I posted and I'm sure some of you are wondering if I fell off the face of the earth, or at least off the Rangers bandwagon. I suppose I owe you an explanation of my absence. I asked 2001 SGA bobblehead Pudge if I did and he shook his head yes so here goes.

On July 7th eleven police officers were gunned down in Dallas, Texas. Five of them died. A few days later a Missouri officer was ambushed and critically injured. Then an off-duty officer was forced to defend his family and home against a home invader. Yesterday four more officers were shot in Baton Rouge, Lousiana and two of them are dead. Frankly, those events have hit me hard. Very hard.

I try not to mention my profession to people I don't know well but, I am a law enforcement officer. I was stunned by the losses these past days and by the vitriol and hate displayed against police by our society. I knew things weren't good and I knew the President disliked us. For the President and others to figuratively stand on the graves of the fallen officers to scream their talking points was beyond angering. That's not up for debate. It was and is. You disagree, you do so elsewhere.

As I tried to shield my children from the news and watched other officers' children mourn for them, my motivation to write about the Rangers drained away. I needed some time to get my thoughts back together. That's where I've been. Thought you deserved to know and I appreciate you sticking around in spite of the lack of recent posts. I'm going to try to get back in the saddle and go back to talking about the Rangers and their cards. It's a manner of relaxation for me and a way to let the stress go a little. That and Pudge says I should get back to it.

Senators send-back.

So, the through the mail returns have been coming in recently. I had three waiting when I returned from FanFest last week. One of those was from former Senators hurler Matry Kutyna.

I sent Mr. Kutyna a single 1961 Topps card on January 13th and asked him to sign and return it. My first clue that something was not normal was the fact that my card arrived back home on the 23rd in a large manila envelope, not the small self addressed envelope I included with the request.

Not only did Marty sign and return my 1961 Topps card, he added a trove of goodies to the package and paid the return postage himself. Included in the envelope was this 8x10 summary of Kutyna's career, personalized and signed by Mr. Kutyna himself. Part of the account tells the story of how Marty caught a ball thrown out on opening day by President Kennedy in 1962. JFK signed the ball after Kutyna recovered it. An 8x10 photo of Kennedy signing the ball was included. Mr. Kutyna personalized and signed that photo as well. Next came a photo-copy of a 1961 newspaper article about Marty's efforts with the Senators that year, a print out of the Wikkipedia entry about Kutyna, a print out of his career stats, and an account of his first face-off with Ted Williams.

Three autographs and a great package of information and photos. Can't beat that. It was way more than I expected. Players will occasionally include a custom card or a small note. This was far beyond that. Thanks a lot Mr. Kutyna!

Off-Season Moves Begin.

Well, the Rangers 2015-2016 off-season is in full swing and things are happening. The Rangers made a qualifying offer to Yovani Gallardo, shown here on a 2015 pocket schedule along with Adrian Beltre. Gallardo has now officially turned down the offer. Texas will likely continue to negotiate with Gallardo but will also get a compensatory draft pick if he decides to sign elsewhere.

Contract negotiations aside, General Manager Jon Daniels mentioned early in the process that Texas would be looking more to trades than free agent signings to improve their roster this off-season.

That statement seemed to hold true with the trade of outfielder Leonys Martin and reliever Anthony Bass yesterday. Both went to Seattle in a deal that brings reliever Tom Wihelmsen, outfielder James Jones, and a player to be named later to Texas. Wilhelmsen is a veteran reliever whom the Rangers have seen frequently and occasionally pummelled. However, he had a decent 2015 campaign and generally is very reliable out of the pen. Jones is a young, late-blooming outfielder with limited Major League experience. He appears to have limited power but can run, has a strong arm, and can play center field. The player to be named later will probably not be announced until after the Rule Five draft.

I can't say I have any thoughts one way or the other about Anthony Bass being traded. He performed well for the most part as a long reliever out of the Texas bullpen. Bass just didn't make a big impact and I have few memorable moments that I can recall involving him. As for Leonys Martin, he leaves Texas as a little bit of a disappointment. The Rangers first big Cuban signing, Martin was supposed to quickly mature to the center fielder of the future. His defense kept moving in the right direction but his bat just couldn't seem to make the transition. In spite of occasional success, he never made the transition to facing Major League pitching. After spending time on the disabled list in 2015, he lost the center field job and got left off the Rangers post-season roster. They asked him to report to Surprise, Arizona to continue workouts in case they needed him. He never showed. One has to assume that played a role in making him available for trade.

On the surgery front, Josh Hamilton had a second surgery in his left knee in late October. This one was for "clean up" and he appears to be recovering well. Should be ready for Spring Training, barring any other injuries or mis-behaviour.

Made it! (Finally.)

Going into the final three games of the 2015 season the Rangers needed just one win or one Astros loss to clinch the American League West divisional title. They let the Angels slip away in a 2-1 in a squeaker on Friday night. On Saturday they reprised Game 6 of the 2011 World Series with the Halos standing in for the Cardinals. Eventually the stunned Rangers lost 11-10. Meanwhile, Houston decided they would rather have the division than a wild card slot and refused to lose. Suddenly Texas was looking at one game left in the season and the possibility of game 163 to determine the division/wild card spots.

Cole Hamels initially did little to soothe the fears of Rangers fans as he allowed two runs in the first inning yesterday to give the Angels a 2-0 lead. Cole calmed down though and that was it for Anaheim. Hamels cruised through the next eight innings without allowing any more runs. Meanwhile the Rangers offense picked up a run in the bottom of the first. That was it through four and a half. With the Rangers trailing 2-1, Adrian Beltre once again put the club on his shoulders and hammered a two-run shot in the fifth to give Texas a 3-2 lead. Meanwhile the Astros were refusing to die in Arizona. Angels starter Garrett Richards left the game after six with the score still at 3-2. In the bottom of the seventh it all fell apart for the Halos bullpen. Texas exploded for six runs as Anaheim ran five pitchers to the mound before finally stopping the bleeding. It was more than enough though. Final: Texas - 9, Anaheim - 2.

Shortly after the Rangers victory, word came in that the Astros fell to the Diamondbacks 5-3. That mattered only to Houston and the Yankees though. Texas already won the American League West and was headed for the American League Division Championship Series. Most of the players are different, but the celebration was very similar to the one pictured on the front of this 2010 ALDS program. Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton, Colby Lewis, Mitch Moreland, Derek Holland, and several of the coaches are still around from that 2010 team and they all have unfinished business in the post-season. The quest to finish that business starts Thursday in Toronto.

I admit it, this team has been a huge, and very pleasant, surprise. After the loss of Yu Darvish in Spring Training, I had them pegged at 81-81 on the season and a third place finish in the West. After the loss of Derek Holland for several months on Opening Day, I figured they would have to really work to meet my prediction. When they traded for Cole Hamels I expected the impact to be first felt only in 2016. Instead they never ever quit and are now back in the play-offs for the first time since a brief wild card appearance in 2012. That exceeds my expectations for the season by several lengths and it's all a joyride now. Do I expect them to get to the World Series? Honestly, not really. Would I be surprised if they do? Pleasantly. Whatever happens, I'm going to enjoy the ride as far as the guys can take it and then be grateful to this group of players and coaches for restoring post-season baseball to Arlington.

Sweep!

Made it out to the Rangers game yesterday. Got in line early enough to get the Adrian Beltre bobble head giveaway you see here. Also had time to stroll around the park and enjoy the atmosphere a bit before the game.

Sat in section 331 this time. I am getting to where I really enjoy the third deck along the baselines. Great view of the game and park, some shade, and a nice breeze most of the time.

Coming into the game yesterday the Rangers were leading the series with the Rays 2-0 and looking for the sweep. I have little confidence in Texas starter Yovanni Gallardo and my fears seemed to be borne out when the Rays struck first with a run in the first inning. It would have been more but Delino DeShields made a great diving catch in left center field to rob Asdrubal Cabrera of at least one, maybe two, RBI. Texas struck back in the bottom of the first with two runs on one hit. DeShields was in on the action again with a walk, stolen base, and run scored.

Gallardo gave up a lead-off triple to Desmond Jennings to start the second inning and Kevin Kiermaier knocked a double in the next at-bat to even the score. John Jaso came up next and singled to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. You can bet I was not saying pleasant things about Gallardo. Elvis Andrus led off the bottom of the second with a single but got knocked off at second on a Bobby Wilson fielder's choice to short. Recent call-up Ryan Strausborger rapped a two out single to move Wilson to second. That turned the lineup over and brought up DeShields again. He singled to bring in Wilson and tie things up. Shin-Soo Choo struck out to leave the knot intact.

Gallardo settled down in the third and allowed no more runs for the rest of his time in the ballgame. He was lifted in the sixth for Sam Freeman. Freeman, Keone Kela, Sam Dyson, and Shawn Tolleson kept the Rays off the board for the rest of the game. Dyson was helped by an outstanding play by Beltre in the eighth to get Jennings on a shot to third.

Beltre hammered a solo shot in the third to put the Rangers up for good. Ryan Strausborger added insurance with a solo homer of his own in the fourth. That ended the scoring. Final, 5-3 Texas. Sweep! Great game and a great day at the park. Always good to see the guys win, especially when they pick up a spot in the Wild Card standings.

Wow! Just, Wow!

So I was gone most of last Monday. Returned home just before midnight. As I was helping get sleeping kiddos out of the car Mrs. Spiff told me there was a box on the front porch. Hmm, I hadn't ordered anything. All the Christmas gifts arrived already. Mrs. Spiff told me the box didn't look like it had been shipped. I squinted in the dark. "Spiff" it said in black sharpie.

Kids in, I hauled the box in and examined it. It was heavy and was closed by the flaps being folded together. No indication on the outside who it was from.

Opened it up to find a note from Tom over at The Angels, In order. The note said Tom needed more room for his Angels stuff and thought I might like the contents of the box rather than him throwing them out. Boy did I ever!

Under the note was a stack of Rangers awesomeness. A pin, a wall banner from the Junior Rangers Club (Just like Spiff Jr's!), a media guide, assorted stadium handouts, two decks of Rangers playing cards, and 26 assorted magazines, programs, and Rangers yearbooks! I about fell over. What a great surprise!

I know I didn't have most of the contents of the box. This program from September 1-3, 2003 was one of many items I didn't have. There were even doubles of a couple of programs. You might think that is a bummer. Spiff Jr didn't. He thought Christmas came early when I handed the extras to him and told him they were his. The boy had to be pried away from reading them to take a shower and get to bed.

Tom's note said I shouldn't feel under any obligation to keep the contents of the box. I don't but I will. I haven't made it all the way through the box but I haven't found anything that will be getting tossed. Thanks a ton, Tom. There's no way to thank you enough so that will have to do for now.

2014 FanFest review.

Well, the past few days have been rather hectic between work and family obligations. Things finally slowed down a bit though so here I am.

As you may be able to tell from the ticket to this year's Rangers FanFest, I spent Saturday at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The trouble with being a long-distance fan is that you usually miss events like this one. This year we are closer to Arlington so I decided to take Spiff Jr and check out the happenings for the first time.

Acting on advice received from readers of the blog, we arrived early, almost an hour before the gates opened. Parking was free and the walk was short. The line to get in was already around two sides of the ballpark. While waiting we amused ourselves by observing the Rangers gear and occasionally outlandish outfits worn by some of the attendees. Rangers employees walked up and down the line handing out programs and cards for the lottery drawings for the bigger name autographs. To get the cards you had to be one of the first 5,000 in line. 250 numbers were drawn for each big name. Not too much better a chance than the real lottery. We also had to sign a waiver to get through the gates. That released the club from liability if we got hurt in one of the more interactive parts of the FanFest.

Once inside we walked through the concourse, discovered we were not winners for a Prince Fielder autograph, and checked the program to decide what to do next. Spiff Jr thought the autograph session for former Rangers Mark McLemore, Mike Jeffcoat, and Ellis Valentine looked promising. Down to the ballpark tunnel we went. Encountered Rangers Captain and got a photo of him and Spiff Jr. The line for the autographs wasn't too bad but McLemore was late and we only got signatures from Jeffcoat and Valentine.

Hit the Rangers Foundation fundraiser in the visiting clubhouse. Lots of game-used items but none really in our price range. I did pick up a 2012 media guide and a 2013 program for $1 each. Spiff Jr found a Josh Hamilton stadium giveaway figure in the box for $5. Fitted caps were $10 with the $39 sticker still on them. Not too bad. Cool to be able to look around the visitor clubhouse as well.

Back out in the tunnel we saw McLemore had arrived. Back in line. Got Mac, Jeffcoat, and Valentine this time through. Jumped right back to the end of the line because Kevin Mench and Cecil Espy were taking over. Spiff Jr really wanted Mench's autograph. Didn't have a long wait before he had it and Espy's as well.

Took a glance at the Rangers indoor batting cage and weight room. Walked up the home team tunnel to the Rangers dugout. Quite cool to walk into the sunlight and see the field from that perspective. Walked around on the field for a few minutes, photographed Spiff Jr sitting in the visiting dugout, and headed up to the concourse to try and snag a Derek Holland autograph.

The line for the Holland autograph would prove to be the only poor experience of the day. We saw Holland hobble his way to the front of the line on crutches but that was it. Apparently only the first 250 people in line got autographs. Nobody announced the end of the line though so we all continued to stand there and miss other parts of the event. Very poorly done by the Rangers.

Spiff Jr finally called an end to the waiting for Holland and we headed back down to the tunnel. Scored Donald Harris, Rich Billings, and Kevin Belcher autographs without much trouble.

Up to the Rangers Hall of Fame for a quick tour. Time for the catching clinic taught by Jim Sundberg and Ken Suarez in the HoF auditorium. It was very interesting and Spiff Jr claimed he learned several things about his chosen position. Sundberg and Suarez both signed after the clinic so we got their autos as well.

There was less than an hour left in the FanFest by the time we left the Rangers Hall of Fame. Spiff Jr thought maybe we could get a couple of more autographs so we headed back down to the ballpark tunnel. Managed to collect autos from Jose Guzman, Danny Darwin, and Tim Crabtree. That wrapped it up for us.

All in all it was a fun day and a good experience. Spiff Jr turned out to be quite the autograph hound before it was all over. I enjoyed seeing the back stage side of things and getting the retired players to sign. I think if we have the chance we will try and make the trip to next year's FanFest.

Fade to black.

It's all over for the 2013 season. Last night's loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in game 163 means Texas misses the playoffs for the first time since 2009. Time to close the book on the 2013 season and start looking forward to 2014. The cover of the 2013 Rangers Yearbook seems to be a fitting summation. Here's a few things that stick out to me about the season as the ballpark lights fade.

91 wins. That's the fifth most wins in a season in franchise history. It's an astronomical amount of wins considering the injury battles the team faced. It wasn't enough to win the division or even lock down a Wildcard spot. Going to have to aim higher so long as the A's are cooking.

Injuries. Matt Harrison lost his whole season. Alexi Ogando, Ian Kinsler, Lance Berkman, Jeff Baker, and Nick Tepesch all lost big chunks of the season to various ailments. That cost the Rangers several games. If healthy they might have kept pace with Oakland, they would have kept the Wildcard.

Suspension. Nelson Cruz played the fool with PED's and paid the piper with a 50 game suspension. Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who paid. The loss of his bat in the order handcuffed the offense going down the stretch.

Disappointment. Matt Garza was a bust. He's the second straight front-line pitcher Texas rented for the stretch run to fail. Ryan Dempster last year was worse but Garza was definitely not worth giving up Mike Olt. David Murphy was also a big let down. I like Murph but he just didn't hold up under the pounding of every day play.

Gone? Lance Berkman was a gamble. He really didn't pay off through the whole season but that was expected to a degree. He's likely to return to retirement. Matt Garza probably won't get the big offer from Texas he's looking for. Can't blame them since it's pretty obvious he can't pitch in the American League. Geovany Soto is more likely to return but could be snagged by another team needing a platoon/backup receiver. Nelson Cruz will be looking for the big money. His suspension should play a role but probably won't. Texas will make him an offer but isn't going to be able to match the market. David Murphy may not even receive a contract offer from the Rangers. If he does it will be with the stipulation that he is the fourth outfielder. That may or may not sit well with him. I can't see anyone picking him up as an every day player but he'll get a call or two from teams looking for a platoon player. A.J. Pierzynski was not my favorite off-season signing last winter. He won me over though, at least for the most part. I would like to see him back but am not expecting it. His age and budget considerations point to a signing with another team. Joe Nathan has done very well in Texas. Ron Washington wants him back and so do I. Joe finished enough games to trigger his option to void the Rangers one-year option. If he hadn't the team would definitely pick him up for next year. As it is, we are likely to find out if his talk of wanting to stay in Texas is for real or just talk.

Arrivals. Martin Perez is here to stay. Barring injury or a sudden failing look for him to be in the starting rotation in 2014. Leonys Martin seems to have staked out his claim in center field. He needs to keep developing and stay ahead of Craig Gentry but it's likely he'll be in center on opening day. Jurickson Profar is also going to have a shot at next year's roster. In what position is the puzzle.

Baseball town. The team continued to draw well. Very well. In fact, they outdrew every other team except the New York Yankees. (That includes out drawing the Angles, sorry Josh.) That's nice to see. I expect the fan support to continue in 2014.

All in all it was an interesting, and somewhat painful, 2013 season for the Texas Rangers. The off-season should be interesting as well. There are several areas the team needs to address. Time for the front-office to work their magic.

Took me out to the ballpark...

Sorry about no posts the past couple of days. I really don't have an excuse for Monday. Yesterday however, I was pretty busy. Mrs. Spiff and the kiddos will be gone this coming weekend visiting family. Due to that she suggested an early Father's Day observance.

That suggestion led to a game at the Ballpark in Arlington yesterday. That's the reason for my running out of time to post yesterday and for you getting a scan of the program from the game today.

Had a pretty good time. Got in early because we expected a large crowd, we were right. Official attendance was 45,200. Because we were early we got a pretty got parking spot. Unloaded kids and supplies and made the short trek to the park. Still love walking up on it.

Long lines but orderly and once the gates opened we moved right along. Got through the First Base Gate and counted noses. All present. Everybody had their Yu Darvish bobble head giveaway (thus the crowd). Seats were on the third base side. Nice walk around the concourse and then up two escalators. Up a large collection of steps to the seats. One row from the top of the stadium. I don't think I've ever sat that high but it was pretty nice. Shade from the roof and a nice breeze. We hardly broke a sweat in spite of the temps being in the upper 90's. The family even got an appearance on the video board just before the game started. All were impressed except Bug who wasn't real sure what to think.

Got everyone settled in and ready for baseball. Unfortunately Derk Holland couldn't solve the Indians and the offense couldn't solve Tribe starter Cory Kluber. A.J. Pierzynski did hit a solo shot in the 9th inning and David Murphy drove in Jurickson Profar with a double in the 8th but it was too little too late. Final: Cleveland - 5, Texas - 2.

Oakland won later to catch up again.

In spite of the loss it was an enjoyable day. As they say, a bad day at the ball park is better than a good day a lot of other places. Hadn't been to a game in too long so it was very nice to get out and hear the crowd and the crack of the bat.

Only one small question about the whole experience. No God Bless America in the seventh inning, or any other time for that matter. I could swear I heard it earlier this season during a radio broadcast. Anybody know what's up? Are the Rangers the only team that doesn't do this at every game any more?

Quick show-off post.

Very busy day today. Went from work to a meeting to church and now trying to get the kiddos to bed. Not much time to concoct a post.

Since I'm running behind today I decided to show off the latest addition to my Jon Matlack collection. I just picked this 1979 Baseball Guidebook up from Ebay. I had never seen this particular magazine cover of Matlack before so I jumped on it when it popped up. Gotta say that I like the picture.

Odd Moments: One-night stand.

Getting back to T.R. Sullivan's list of odd and bizarre moments in Rangers history. Since today's moment was so brief I don't have a card of the involved person. As such you will have to settle for the cover of the 1977 media guide.

In June of 1977 the Rangers fired manager Frank Lucchesi. The firing was in part due to an altercation that Lucchesi had with Len Randle in Spring Training. To replace Lucchesi Texas tabbed Eddie Stanky.

Stanky looked like a good grab. He had played eleven seasons in the majors between 1943 and 1953. Starting at the end of his playing career he had moved into managing. In 1952 and 1953 he had been a player/manager for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1954 and 1955 he was the manager for the Redbirds. In 1966 the White Sox had named Eddie as skipper. They kept him until 1968. During those two stints Stanky had posted a 466-435 record as manager.

Following his time at the helm of the Cardinals and ChiSox, Stankey became the head basketball coach at the University of South Alabama. He encountered success there as well. As Leo Durocher once observed, Eddie Stanky knew how to win.

A winner was what Texas needed. The team was in internal disarray but was still contending when Stankey took over. They were in third place in the American League West and just four games out. Stanky would face Gene Mauch and the second place Twins for his first game.

The Rangers were on the road in Minnesota on June 22nd. In the bottom of the first inning the Twins scored four runs to take a significant lead. Texas would score a lone run in the third but otherwise was shut out until the seventh. In the top of the seventh Texas put together a four run inning to take a one run lead. Minnesota would score a run in the bottom of the frame to even things up.

The tie would only last until the top of the eighth when the Rangers managed to keep the scoring train going as they posted five more runs. That would be enough to hold even with the Twins three run rally in the bottom of the ninth. Final score: 10-8 Texas.

A comeback win against a division opponent seemed to be a good start to Eddie Stanky's managing career with Texas. Here's where things got weird though. Following the game Stanky announced that he was resigning as the Rangers manager. Apparently he missed Alabama and collegiate basketball. He returned to the University of South Alabama and basketball success. After just one game Stanky was finished as the Rangers manager.

Unprepared for the resignation, Texas named coach Connie Ryan as interim manager. He would last six games before Billy Hunter took over and finished out the season as the team's fourth manager of 1977.

1,000!

This weekend is a very busy one for the Spiff household. As such I have scheduled today's post as well as the posts for the next few days. Hopefully I am only missing commenting on positive happenings for the Rangers.

For post #500 I posted a Jon Matlack card. For #1,000 I decided to go with Matlack again. This time he appears as a new Ranger on the cover of the third issue of the 1978 Sports Quarterly. Gotta love the headlines. "The Texas Menace" and "Pittsburgh Rises Again". Guess it's time for a repeat.

Post number one on this blog was a welcome post followed the same day by the Rangers rookies card from the 1972 Topps set. That was in January of 2008. A little over three and a half years later here we are at #1,000. It's been a fun time for the most part, even if there were moments of frustration with the Rangers and a lack of inspiration with the blog. Hope you have gotten a little enjoyment from it as well. A few of the highlights to this point:

• Comments and feedback from those who have taken the time to read the blog.
• Trades with new friends, fellow bloggers, and readers.
• Willie Lozado commenting on the blog and graciously granting me an interview.
• Joe Wardlow's comment on a post.
• Getting a free Strat-O-Matic game and being able to give away free games to readers.
• The stint at the top of Google search results for Texas Rangers Cards.
  

There are many more that I can't recall off the top of my head so the list is by no means complete. I have really enjoyed taking another look at my Rangers collection and appreciate all the comments and support from readers. If there is a post or series of posts that you have found particularly interesting or amusing I would love to hear about it. Thanks again for reading.

Making the big time?

One of the guys I often trade with is a Royals fan. A rabid Royals fan. Even now. Amazing. Even more amazing is his collection of Royals stadium giveaway bobbleheads.

After several years of admiring his impressive collection I broke down and bought my first SGA bobblehead - Jim Sundberg. Awesome from the moment I opened the box.

Mrs. Spiff is very observant and very tolerant of my Rangers addiction. She noticed that I was smitten with the bobblehead idea and decided to use our anniversary to help jump start my bobblehead collection. This Fergie Jenkins 2007 SGA bobblehead was the result. Great choice of a great former Rangers pitcher. Gotta say, he isn't Sunny but Jenkins is just downright great.

What I found equally interesting was Mrs. Spiff's account of purchasing Fergie's bobblehead. As she looked through the listings on Ebay she came across this one. Looking over the description she noticed that part of it was a write up on Jenkins' phenomenal 1974 season. It looked familiar. Surely not. Yes. At the end of the description was this: (Spiff, 2011). Just below that was this:

Reference:

Spiff. (2011). Texas Rangers Cards. Retrieved from blogspot.com: http://rangerscards.blogspot.com/2011/02/1974-topps-fergie-jenkins.html

Yes, the seller had quoted from this post. I appreciated that he had given me credit for the write-up. The question remains though, does this mean I've reached the big time? Does this qualify me as a cited source? Either way I got a real kick out of it.

No re-gifting here.

So I'm finally starting to get caught up at home and work from the holidays. Seems like being gone the week between Christmas and New Year's put me a little behind.

As I am finally putting away the gifts I was given by family it re-occurs to me how great they are. From what I have read and heard there seem to be a lot of folks out there who have very loving families who just don't understand the need to follow a particular team or player. Actually, I'm not sure mine does either but they are good sports about it all.

Mrs. Spiff in particular is good about the Rangers and sometimes even shares my enthusiasm. In fact, for Christmas she presented me with this 2010 World Series program. Very cool. I am looking forward to reading it - very carefully.

The rest of the family is great as well, both sides. My parents, in-laws, sister, and two of my three brothers gave me Rangers-themed gifts. One brother even gave Mrs. Spiff two Rangers t-shirts. No cards except from Mrs. Spiff but still cool all the away around. Makes me very grateful. Not just for the gifts but more importantly for the people behind them who are willing to take the time and thought to give what they know others will enjoy.

Hanging with Nolan.

Well, the day after Thanksgiving is when Mrs. Spiff unpacks the decorations and spruces up the house for Christmas. I haven't pulled out the Texas Rangers Santa hat yet but I did hang this Nolan Ryan ornament on the tree.

Got this ornament a couple of years ago as a gift from Mrs. Spiff. She picked it up on Ebay. Released by Hallmark under the name Keepsake Ornaments I think it came out in 1995. Along with the ornament came a card also featuring Nolan. The card was issued by Classic.

So, got your baseball Christmas decorations out yet?

The off-season is here.

Sorry about the lack of a post yesterday. I got busy and then decided to wait until after the game to post. After the game I was simply deflated and out of ideas. Guess that's what comes of breaking up the Pudge collection while watching the boys lose the World Series. Not that last night was a poor effort, they simply got out-pitched.

Ok, so the 2010 season is over and the San Francisco Giants are the World Champions. Texas reigns as the American League champs. In four days free agents will be able to talk to any team they want and the annual bidding frenzy will begin. With the season over I would like to look back once before closing the book.

This will sound strange, but I am thrilled with the results from this season for the Rangers. I would have liked to see a World Series title but never expected to see an A.L. Championship. From hoping for a competitor to praying for an ALDS win to screaming with joy at a trip to the World Series it was a great season. Thanks to all the players, coaches, and front-office personnel.

Josh Hamilton was awesome this year, even with his trip to the Disabled List. He was back to his 2008 form and maybe better. In spite of getting shut down in The Series he deserves the American League MVP.

Ron Washington didn't start the season off well with his personal problems. That past though, he took this team to previously unknown heights. Ron has handled his players and staff well. He should get a contract extension and should be a serious candidate for A.L. Manager of the Year. Awesome to think that, for the first time, in 2011 a Rangers manager will be calling the shots in the All-Star Game.

Neftali Feliz was lights out most of the year, including in the World Series. With a rookie record 40 saves he should be a contender for A.L. Rookie of the Year.

Meanwhile Michael Young, Elvis Andrus, Nelson Cruz, David Murphy, Ian Kinsler, C.J. Wilson, Colby Lewis, Darren O'Day, Darren Oliver, and many others rocked as well. This was a fun team to follow.

They should be fun to follow next season as well. The core players will be back. In fact, Vladimir Guerrero and Cliff Lee are the only major pistons in the engine to be free agents. Vlad should be back. He and the team have a mutual option and both have talked positively about exercising it. As for Lee, it would be great to have him back. The Evil Empire is going to come hard though and he may be lured away. If he goes he will be missed but it likely won't be a fatal injury. This team was going to clinch the A.L. West without Cliff. He was critical in the ALDS (2 wins), nice in the ALCS (1 win), and one of the guys in The Series (0 wins). Guess time till tell if he comes back and takes another shot with the Rangers.

So here we go into free agency. The off-season should be interesting. Time to start getting ready for the 2011 season.

Ok, there are my jumbled thoughts about 2010. Tomorrow I will get back to the regular posting schedule.

Gonna take a miracle.

Think they have any left?

Go Rangers! It's time.

They're in!

So the Rangers clinched the A.L. West on Saturday while I was out of town. Not only was I out of town but I was out of pocket entirely and didn't get the welcome news until this morning. Congratulations to the players and staff involved with the season. This has been about the best season I can remember. Thanks guys.

Most of the stories I have read mention that it's been a long post-season drought for Texas and their fans, eleven years to be exact. This is true. It feels like a lot longer to me though.

In 1999 I wasn't really following baseball. I hadn't come back to the sport yet following the 1994 strike. That meant that I had missed the A.L. West championships of 1996, '98, and '99. No memory at all. Like they never happened. This feels to me like the first time the team has ever made it to the post-season. I know that's not true but that's what I keep thinking.

Makes me think of Pop, my grandfather. He would be on cloud nine about now if he was still with us. Talking about the possible matchups and if the Rangers would be better off in Tampa Bay or New York. Fretting about Josh Hamilton's ribs. Predicting that if the cards fall right the guys might be able to make it through the first round this year. Hopefully they will.

Getting his name in the papers.

Got this picture in today. It is about 8x10 and is a glossy black and white. I picked it up on Ebay. Why, you might ask. Well, in addition to it being a picture of Jon Matlack there are a couple of other interesting points.

The picture has no description on the front but if you turn it over the situation changes. It came from the archives of the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper and is stamped as such. According to the label glued to the back, the photographer was Chuck Kirman. Mr. Kirman took the picture in the 1st inning of the June 2, 1980 game at "Sox Park" as the label puts it. Under the label is a strip of newspaper that contains the caption used in the paper the next day. "Rangers' Jon Matlack fires away. He retired the first ten Sox before Alan Bannister singled in the fourth. (Sun-Times Photo by Chuck Kirman)" On June 3, 1980 the picture was stamped again as it was placed in the Sun-Times library.

Since I had a specific date for the game that Jon is shown throwing in I decided to see how he did. According to Retrosheet the Rangers got one run across before Jon ever threw a pitch. He is working with a 1-0 lead here. Matlack then held the ChiSox scoreless until the bottom of the fifth when they pushed across a run. In the bottom of the sixth Jon came on with a 1-1 tie and got Harry Chappas to foul out to third baseman Buddy Bell. Then is started to rain. At 9:10 p.m. a rain delay was called. At 9:40 the umpires called the game.

Kind of bummed out that this picture wasn't from a win. I guess it wasn't from a loss either though so that works out I suppose. I like it because I have found way more pictures of Jon with the Mets than with the Rangers. Nice to see him with the "T" on his hat.

Checking the tree.

This Rangers Christmas tree ornament was issued by Topperscot in 2008. It's your average large glass ball with the design painted on.

I received this ornament last Christmas from my boss. He is not a baseball fan in any way and the local stores do not stock Rangers memorabilia. I really appreciated the effort he put into finding a decent looking Rangers ornament.

I had to laugh though when I opened it and he asked me to take a look at it and see if the elves were supposed to be specific Rangers' players.