One wish granted, nine to go
A few days ago, a friend made the comment that I seem to look forward to this time of year (spring training beginning) even more than the Christmas holiday. Ha ha. She's probably not too far off.
In light of that, I was fully prepared to post a Spring Training wishlist this weekend. But the Rangers granted one wish before I even made the wish, although I had made the wish known in a previous post. So, I decided to go ahead and post my Spring Training wishlist tonight.
1) Rangers will sign Ian Kinsler to a long-term contract. (This is the one they've already granted. Ian Kinsler was officially signed to a five-year $22 million contract with an option for a sixth year. This announcement totally made my day!)
2) Jason Botts needs to come out swinging and wielding a glove that proves that he belongs on a big league roster. The Rangers' big league roster.
3) Another team will decide to gamble on Vicente Padilla and take him off our hands.
4) C.J. Wilson will retain his role as closer throughout spring training.
5) Josh Hamilton is a fixture in daily game reports and is a fan favorite by Opening Day.
6) Kevin Millwood, Kason Gabbard, Jason Jennings and Brandon McCarthy provide sparkling promise as the Rangers' frontline. (I'm not sure at this point who the fifth starter may be. I know Mark Conner says A.J. Murray is a contender, but I'd really like to see him have at least a few more months in Oklahoma.)
7) Sammy Sosa finds a job somewhere. Anywhere. I just feel like he deserves to be on someone's roster.
8) Kameron Loe (since he can't be a starter) is a strong contributor in the bullpen and fans begin to view him as a weapon instead of a liability.
9) Jon Daniels is able to stir up some kind of deal for another arm.
10) The Rangers decide to change their Opening Day from April 8 to April 6 to accomodate their favorite fan from the north. Ha ha. I know this is the longest shot of them all. I will be in the metroplex the entire weekend prior to Opening Day. My plane departs from Dallas for a return to Iowa about 24 hours before Rangers Ballpark opens for batting practice. I can't tell you how much this saddens me!
I agree, this Kinsler deal is great news. It shows the Rangers are committing to their youth - and for a second baseman of Ian Kinsler's caliber, this is a pretty cheap deal - just look at what the Yankees gave Robinson Cano this offseason.
Not too sure I agree with you on Vicente Padilla though: he actually seems to have come to Suprise with a new attitude this year - I've actually developed a certain margin of respect for him again. But then again, it's one thing to say something, and another to do it - but if Vicente has his head right, he can be an asset to this team. So I really hope his is going to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. Besides, even if we did find a team that wanted him, it would just cause more question marks for the rotation - and while we may have a surplus of young arms, none of them are really ready to go full-time in the majors just yet. So for now, I'm content to see us hang on to Vinny - maybe if he has a good first half, he'll have some value at the trade deadline. Besides, by then, Eric Hurley should be ready for the bigs.
The guy I have lost all respect for recently is Gerald Laird. His motormouth this spring is all but intolerable - the way he performed last year, he should consider himself lucky he even has a chance to win his job back from Salty - instead, he's whining about how underrapreciated he is, and how he shouldn't even have to win the starting job. I don't know what world Gerald lives in, but in mine, catchers who hit .224 don't play full time. And all this after we gave him a $600,000 raise this offseason, too.
But the Kinsler contract is great news - it's certainly a huge turnaround from a week or so ago, when negotiations where "at an impass". I'm wondering if perhaps Nolan Ryan had something to do witht his - I know he just took over, but I wouldn't be suprised if one of the first things he did was look at this situation, and tell Jon Daniels to pay Ian.
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Love your postings. It is great to hear from fans in far away places. You better believe it is great to have Ian on board for many years to come. I do believe that this franchise is on the right track to a winning tradition. Please try to meet up with us (The Snake Pit) while you are in DFW area in April. You can meet Angel and have dinner with fellow Ranger fans. The family and Snake Pit members would love to meet you.
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Lonestar - I couldn't agree more about Gerald. I was his biggest cheerleader going into the offseason. I thought he had a lot to offer, defensively, and seemed like a likeable guy. But the things i've read out of his mouth lately have me re-thinking my cheers for him. I understand he's frustrated (I would be too), but I don't think airing his grievances in the media is going to help his situation at all.
Craig - I would love to meet up with the Snake Pit gang. We'll have to work that out. I'll e-mail you once I figure out what my schedule in Texas is going to look like. I have a wedding on Saturday, but I'm pretty open otherwise.
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My wish for your team this spring training is that Edgardo Alfonzo blows everyone away and makes it onto the major league roster. Girl can dream right?
http://churchofthefonz.blogspot.com/
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I am a big fan of your blog, even though I have never commented on it. Signing Kinsler made my day. He is my youngest daughter's favorite (along with CJ). I love your wish list...one of my fellow teachers and I had quite a great time reading it. We didn't agree on everything, so we each made our own. Mine did include Mench staying in Arlington. I have always been a big Mench fan and even named my dog Shrek after him. I look forward to reading you blog again this year.
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