It has no doubt been a tough year for the Texas Rangers, and that’s an understatement almost as big as the state of Texas itself. The Rangers have experience one fluke accident after another and to make matters worse, the Oakland Athletics and Los Angeles Angels (of Anaheim, or whatever the heck they want to be called now) are dominating the American League West, and the rest of baseball for that matter.
About a month prior to the season, things were looking great for Texas. We had what appeared to be an All-Star cast and the hopes of a World Series were sky high. In fact, that’s one of the things most talked about in the clubhouse.
That is, until the bad luck got worse. Pitcher Derek Holland had a freak accident after tripping over his dog and falling down the stairs and forced to miss almost all of the entire 2014 season. That was just one of many, many injuries to the team.
General Manager Jon Daniels spent a fortune on a long-term contract for Prince Fielder, and after a handful of games, he’s out for the season. There were high hopes for Jurikson Profar, and now, he’s gone.
It’s not just the injuries either. The team has had a total face lift, and as of now, not a good one. Fan favorites like David Murphy, Ian Kinsler and others are gone. Heck, even the legendary Nolan Ryan cut ties with the team.
It’s times like now that really test our loyalty, and our fandom. We must remain strong, stay the course and remain with the team through thick and thin, wins and losses, injuries and health.
I don’t know how many times I’ve run into people I know at a Texas Rangers game. You would think the 90 miles or so between Tyler and Arlington would be enough of a buffer zone to where that doesn’t happen much but it does, even though there are thousands of fans at the loudest ballpark cheering on their beloved Rangers.
The Fox Sports Southwest Fan Express bus came through Tyler for the second time this baseball season Saturday and it’s scheduled to come back in late August.