Texas Rangers

Pssst.

Moral victory—is there really such a thing and, if so, does it really matter?

Maybe I'm just old school, but when two teams play a game against each other, one wins and one loses. Yet, somehow in sports today, it is possible for both teams to win.

Reminds me of little league when everyone gets a trophy no matter what place the team finishes.

Except this isn't little league baseball. This is professional baseball, and there are no moral victories for any team that plans on playing in October.

If I had to pick one story that made me nauseous by the end of the 2008 season, it would be Josh Hamilton's journey from "hell" to the big leagues. 

So what?  He put down the crack pipe, found Jesus, and started playing a game again.

Did Tim Raines, or any of the other 12 coke heads, get standing ovations when they came back from the infamous 1985 Pittsburgh drug trials?

Tim Raines did lines of coke off of his glove while playing the outfield.  He slid into bases on his non-vial side to make sure it wouldn't break.

First, I just have to say how annoying it is the DVR stops at a certain time instead of going until the game is over. You'd think they could solve that problem.

As for the game—it was a beauty—especially since my wife is a Red Sox fan. When someone you love is a fan of a team you just beat, it makes winning that much better.

Kevin Millwood came out firing tonight, and it showed right until he left the game. He was consistently getting his fastball up to 93 mph, and he had some pretty wicked curveballs.

The Texas Rangers are 30-19, leading the Angels in the AL West by 5.5 games after play on Saturday. The Rangers’ quick start can be attributed to their potent offense, which ranks fifth in the Majors, scoring 5.44 runs per game.

Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, and Nelson Cruz have led the way for Texas, combining to hit .303 through the first two months of the season.

Josh Hamilton, however, hasn’t been quite as productive, posting a miserable .234 batting clip while battling through a groin injury.

Historically, the Texas Rangers have been one of the best clutch hitting teams in baseball. Michael Young has taken the lead in that department, especially in the All Star Game. For those that don’t remember Young has two game winning hits in the Summer Classic.

That’s all changed this year, much to my surprise.

Young is known as one of the best clutch hitters in baseball. Any baseball fan knows that.

Let's get one thing straight before we go any further.

Chris Davis can flat out hit.

He can mash with the best of them, which is why the Rangers have got to get him back on track.

At the moment, Davis is stuck in a ridiculous slump that begins and ends with confidence. His body language both going to the plate and heading back to the dugout screams of defeat, even before he steps in the box.

For whatever reason, this slump has gone to the kid's head. That is what needs to be fixed. If it was a mechanical issue, Rudy Jaramillo would have it fixed by now.

Joe Torre needs to reconsider his bullpen usage before he has no arms left in October.

Torre has the Dodgers (31-15) keeping a steady pace ahead of the surging San Diego Padres. Even with the aid of a 10-game winning streak, the Padres (23-22) have only crept within 7 ½ games of the Dodgers.

During the offseason, the Texas Rangers announced the club was moving All-Star shortstop Michael Young over to third base. The move was quickly criticized by experts, and a shocked Rangers clubhouse had to deal with a week of trade demands from the heart and soul of the team.

As Spring Training approached, the Rangers brought in future Hall of Famer Omar Vizquel to reassure an always-panicked fan base. The original plan had to be modified, as the idea of 20-year-old Elvis Andrus, who hadn't played above AA, starting at short for the Rangers was a little too much.