ADSENSE Link Ads 200 x 90
ADSENSE 336 x 280
SadnessI've tried to get angry or upset. I've even tried to be disappointed. I simply can't bring myself to that.
I feel mainly disappointed for the 25 guys on that roster, the coaching staff and general management. I feel bad for guys like Eric Nadel, the Texas Rangers longtime radio play-by-play voice.
However, I believe that even guys like him are more proud than disappointed. I know the Texas Rangers are disappointed. Yet, they know that they won their second pennant and were within one strike (twice!) of the world championship, the World Series.
One strike.
It's as simple as that, yet it's not. In the World Series, there is the time to dissect every moment, every play and every decision and you can certainly do that to Ron Washington and those players until you are blue in the face.
Outfield positioning alone would waste about four hours of your life. Maybe the phantom out on Matt Holliday that could've swung game 3. Maybe the 4,000 runners left on base by the Cardinals in game 5. You could go on and on as to how this series might have been won or lost earlier.
At the base, the St. Louis Cardinals refused to let the Texas Rangers play their game. The game played for the first 172 games that won them 96 games, an ALDS and ALCS. The Rangers were completely taken out of their game.
Management
He would never admit it (probably) but Ron Washington attempted to out-Tony LaRussa Tony LaRussa. Frankly, I think Washington has gotten into the playoffs two straight years and both times he's attempted to outthink himself. He's, in fact, gone against his natural intuition of playing the game the right way, the only way they know how. He's been too quick yanking pitchers and not quick enough yanking others. He obsesses over righty-lefty match-ups on both sides of the ball. He spent the last seven game reacting to LaRussa despite already being two steps behind and the TLR was perpetually anticipating Wash's next move. Yes, Wash got the best of LaRussa a couple of times. But what cursed the Rangers' the most is not doing what they do. Washington did not manage the final seven like he did the first 162 or 172.
One More Inning
In two seasons since the Legend of Nolan Ryan first arrived in Arlington, the mantra for the pitchers has been "one more inning." That's all good as long as the pitching is good, but when you're rolling out Rich Harden, Brandon McCarthy, Kris Benson and Dave Bush (bless all their souls), it's not easy. In 2011, it got easy. Really easy. It was a huge disappointment if the starters didn't go at least six. Allowing three runs or less was the norm. They were pushed and fully expected to go out and pitch nine innings. Then the playoffs happened. "One more inning" went out the window. Here came "Man, Get Us 12 Outs."
I admit: This isn't the most rotten of strategies ... in game 7 of the World Series or ALCS. Fact is, the bullpen was completely gassed as the World Series wore on and all I could think about were the number of innings they pitched against Tampa Bay and Detroit. Not that they were not useful. Alexi Ogando was brilliant against Tampa. By St. Louis, those 169 regular season innings had caught up with him. It wasn't that he was necessarily tired (his velocity seemed consistent) but the control was kaput.
I refuse to believe that there were times in the ALDS and ALCS in which the starter could have gone "one more inning," just like they would have in the previous 162.
Baserunning
The Rangers, simply, were stymied on the basepaths. Not only were they not running, they weren't taking extra bases, hit-and-runs were off and goofballs like Ian Kinsler were getting caught napping. In the World Series, baserunners are precious. Yet, the Rangers play with a sort of reckless abandon: They force opponents to play to their speed and, most times, the opponent makes a mistake, whether it's throwing an errant ball on a pick-off move, sleeping on baserunners taking an extra bag or making an outfielder toss a perfect ball to homeplate or third. That strategy was nowhere to be found in the World Series. Part of that was health. Adrian Beltre, Josh Hamilton, Nellie Cruz and Mike Napoli -- although not always the swiftest of guys -- all had problems with their wheels. Often, they looked pained swinging the bat.
Throwing Strikes
This is what really kills me the most. Walks. Inconsistency. Hey, if David Freese hits a game-winning home run in the 11th inning, I can deal with that. Walks and hit batsmen I can not handle or understand. The Rangers walked in two runs in game 7. Something like 11 of the 41 walked batters scored in the World Series. The two hit batsmen also scored. Walks fucking suck. Nothing gets to me, to my baseball heart, like walks. It's probably what bothers me the most about this World Series. Really, it's kind of what has killed the Rangers two straight years.
I don't get it. The Rangers haven't been the most exacting of pitching rotations or bullpens this season. But they certainly were not the wildest. Most days you'd find them pounding the strike zone. Hitting their spots. That went away in these playoffs and I think it came from the top: Ron Washington. By the Detroit series, after Miggie Cabrera made his presence known, the Rangers started to pitch scared. Instead of going after hitters -- even some bad hitters -- they started nibbling to just intentionally walking guys.
Look at Nick Punto and Allen Craig. I don't want to take away anything from those guys and they certainly had their moments, but at the end of the day it's Nick Punto and Allen Craig. Yeah, they were able to do some things, but how many of those things came after going down in the count 0-2. By game 7, the Rangers were scared shitless of Craig. They wanted no part of Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, Freese and Lance Berkman. Ridiculous. There's no one else to pitch to. By then, the Rangers pitchers were trying to be careful instead of aggressive. They tensed up and it killed them.
****
I, frankly, left this post-season feeling proud. The Rangers may be the Buffalo Bills of Major League Baseball. Maybe. Of course, how many teams and fanbases and management groups would kill to have the Rangers' line-up and farm system? How many Pittsburgh Pirate or Seattle Mariner fans would kill to have the last two seasons of the Rangers?
Making the MLB playoffs is not like making the NHL or NBA playoffs. Getting into the tournament is an achievement unto itself. Winning a series is a boon.
Getting into two straight World Series is otherworldly. Trust me, there's not an Atlanta Braves fan that wouldn't take back the 1990s. I'm certainly not giving up the last two years of my Rangers life.
When do pitchers and catchers report?
0 Response to "Game over"
Posting Komentar