"C'mon You Guys Play Ball"

Next week, MLB will be in full swing. It’s a great time of year. Every team, except for the Nationals, is full of optimism. The beginning of the baseball season sparks life into every fan. How will the team do? What about the rookies and second year players? The free agents? Will they stay healthy? Hope is prevalent on Opening Day.

I’ve been thinking about memorable Ranger seasons. Two come to mind. The 1996 Rangers, the first team to go to the post-season, began the year 7-0. Will Clark, Kevin Elster, Rusty Greer, Pudge, Juan Gonzalez, Ken Hill, Roger Pavlik, Darren Oliver. The late, great Johnny Oates as manager. This was a good team – lacking a closer – which won Game 1 in the playoffs, thanks to the commanding performance of the professional bowler John Burkett, and then lost the next three to the dreaded Yankees. I still remember the gem Darren Oliver threw in Game 3, which ended in a 2-1 loss. Even with the disappointment in the post-season, which saw Mike Henneman blow saves, the 1996 Rangers remain my favorite bunch.

The other memorable Ranger team for me was the 1989 group. This was Nolan Ryan’s first year, as well as W’s first as owner, I believe. The team began 10-1. Finished the first month 17-6. (I remember this from the win-loss calendar I kept that year in my room, faithfully marking the team’s record after each game.) This was going to be the year. Ryan was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. The team was on fire. So much so, that after the initial start, Y95’s morning show created a Ranger song, which will forever be in my memory:

Verse 1:
The Rangers are ready
It’s George instead of Eddie
And Tom and Bobby have a team that’s hot.

Nolan Ryan’s quite a lad
He makes the hitters mad
Three up, thee down, we go to bat and we’re really glad

Chorus:
We’re talking baseball
Bring on the boys of summer
Talking baseball
Let’s have some hits and runners
And when we see a homer clear the wall
We’ll know the boys have come to play some ball
Ranger baseball, c’mon you guys play ball.

Verse 2:
There’s Inky and Sierra
Don’t forget Toby Harrah
Along with Rafael and Buddy Bell

There’s Scooter and the Bue
Bobby Witt and Franco too
Charlie Hough’s on the hill and Cecil’s in centerfield.

Chorus:
We’re talking baseball
Bring on the boys of summer
Talking baseball
Let’s have some hits and runners
And when we see a homer clear the wall
We’ll know the boys have come to play some ball
Ranger baseball, c’mon you guys play ball.

Why that has stuck in my head all these years I’ll never know. But at the beginning of every season, it is on continuous loop in the recesses of my brain. This 1989 team which began 17-6, ended the season 83-79, well out of the playoffs. But still, a memorable season.

So will the 2010 team be a memorable one? Will they win the division? Will they start fast or slow? Will Ron Washington make it through the season? I’ll blog about all of that tomorrow.

I Must Be Doing Something Right

There are moments in my life as a father when I realize, “Maybe I’m doing a pretty good job.” Like when Grant began his love for Star Wars and his dislike for the Yankees. Another one of those moments came last night. Every year during March Madness, I help our kids fill out a bracket. This began when Grant was less than 1 year old. I would set two cheerios in front of him for each team, and whichever one he grabbed first would be his selection for that game. Thus began our yearly family bracketology.

So last night, we filled out brackets. For Claire, she loved picking teams that shared names with some of her friends; hence, Xavier, Murray St., Morgan St., and Siena go pretty far in her bracket this year. Tessa decided to pick the ones that sounded cutest. Even so, they’ll probably do better than me with their picks. But what really affirmed my fatherhood is what Grant did for his picks. We initially went through the bracket together. But right before bed, he decided to redo his picks, so he wanted to take a blank bracket to bed last night with him. So I printed it off, he grabbed a pen and went to his room. About an hour later, he called us in his room – he had thoughtfully and completely filled out his bracket, including the final score of the championship game! Success. I must be doing something right.

I'm Voting For Kay

In tomorrow’s Gubernatorial Election, I will cast my vote for Kay Bailey Hutchison. Over the coming years, Hutchison is the best person to lead the Texas Government to face such issues as education, immigration, and the budget. Additionally, I will support Hutchison because of the record Perry has amassed over the last 10 years as Governor. We have never had a Governor serve as long as he has (10 years), and now he wants four more. What exactly has Perry accomplished?

1. Perry overstepped his authority and mandated the HPV vaccine for 12 year old girls. Why? Because he received money from the pharmaceutical company that produces the vaccine and because he believes that he should have more power as Governor than the Texas Constitution gives him. Without consent of the legislature and with limited testing of the vaccine, Perry decided he knew better than parents and elected members of the Legislature in issuing his proclamation. Thankfully, the Legislature acted to stop his abuse of power.

2. He tried to pressure the Comptroller to certify a budget that wasn’t manageable and threatened to overstep the Constitution again by stripping the Comptroller’s power away from her. Again, while he campaigns as a small government guy, he has acted differently as Governor.

3. He said that Texas could secede from the Union. That kind of irresponsible comment should not be tolerated from an elected official who is the figurehead of the state.

4. He believes in using eminent domain to take land away from private landowners to build a roadway no one wants.

5. He received 39% of the vote in 2006, showing how few people actually supported the job he is doing as Governor. While the Republican nominee is likely to win in November, 39% should give Republicans pause.

The Texas Government has traditionally been a friendly government that steers clear of party ideology. Since Perry became Governor, partisanship in Austin has increased. While I think Perry will win the nomination tomorrow, I believe Hutchison would make the better leader for Texas. Unfortunately, the Governor who wants more control and power has somehow been able to convince others that he is for small government. He has run a successful campaign, but I feel that once 2011 is here, Perry will revert back to his controlling style. Meanwhile, I believe the last office Hutchison will seek is Texas Governor. She has no ambitions for higher office, which means she will be more interested in meeting the needs of Texans rather than trying to impress a national committee. So, I'm voting for Kay.