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When he's not hitting home runs in the playoffs ... Chances are, you are a fan of the Dallas Cowboys. No matter who, where or when they play, how well they do or bad they lose, you have a perpetual optimism and the world begins and ends with that damn blue star.
Unfortunately, you are a dope. You are being duped by an Arkansas wildcatter, his Cheesehead quarterback, a Princeton alum and 50 years of fraud, entitlement and ego.
If the Texas Rangers do nothing for you, nothing well.
The Rangers clinched their second straight ALCS appearance beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4-3 in game 4 today.
For the record, I predicted the Rangers would win in four. They did it in an odd way, but they did it nonetheless. Here's my five points:
Coaching
Jonah Keri opines -- pre-game 4 -- about the Rangers being the better team and Joe Maddon getting outcoached by Ron Washington. It's mostly about personnel. Putting guys in the line-up based on the pitcher's (Colby Lewis) splits against lefties and righties instead of playing the better person. However, Washington's only as good of a manager as the talent around him.
Matt Moore
"Or, he goes out, goes seven scoreless and Maddon is a genius."
Very happy we won't see Moore for another seven months.
Control
The Rays walked 14 times in 36 innings. They stole one base.
Home
For the second straight year, home-field between Rays and Rangers did not matter.
****
Dallas-Fort Worth has been lucky. Not just the last year or the last 15 years.
For 50 years, we've had an insane amount of playoffs, championships, big players, big plays and big games. We've had our heart broken and we've been on top too many times for one fanbase.
Adrian Beltre's three-homer series-clinching game 4 is up there with any of that. Dirk's 50-point game against the Suns or any of his game in the 2011 Finals. Troy Aikman in the 1993 Super Bowl. Joe Nieuwendyk in that Stanley Cup season. Cliff Lee a year ago.
Take your pick. Beltre's may not be on top, the best singular performance in the post-season, but he's in the talks.
It was a clinching game. His three RBI were the difference between the ALCS and game 5. It was history. It wasn't on the biggest stage like the NBA Finals or Super Bowl, but, then again, others have ruled like Nowitzki did on the court or Aikman did in Pasadena.
Three home runs in a post-season game is rare company, accompanied with Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson.
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Lost in the clinch and Beltre's (Bel-TREY ...) dingers is Matt Harrison. Maybe Harrison isn't the greatest and maybe this team's really missing Cliff Lee.
The top of the Rangers' rotation isn't as strong as a year ago, but the bottom half is about 100 times stronger. I love Tommy Hunter and I wish him well. But he doesn't do what Harrison did yesterday.
Nine strikeouts in five innings allowing two runs, one on a play at the plate. It was dominant. As dominant as Harrison will get. He assaulted the strike zone every inning, located beautifully and threw all of his pitches for strikes.
Plus, if I can add, he looks skinnier. I've watched him all year and he's lost weight since last season. But he looks even skinnier yesterday than he's looked all year. That makes him look better on the mound, the release seems easier and he never looked flustered or frustrated.
Rangers starters in series: 23 IP - 21 hits - 15 runs - 8 BBs - 23 Ks.
The best of the bunch were the game 3 and 4 starters, Colby Lewis and Harrison.
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I think game 4's use of the bullpen will define it from now on. Alexi Ogando has to be an eighth-inning guy sharing with Mike Adams, who I think is a borderline seventh-inning guy.
Darren Oliver and Michael Gonzalez are the lefty specialists. Koji Uehara and Scott Feldman are the clean-up guys.
Adams needs to straighten his shit out. If he does, watch out.
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Our thoughts on Darren O'Day's beard?
Rangers are 2-12 in post-season in red uniforms.
Discuss.
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