Old Schoooool Brotha

Today I finally got around to reading the Texas Monthly article about the Rangers.  Well actually it was about Ron, Josh, C.J., and Nolan, but still it was an article about the Rangers.  It just made me so happy to love baseball and even more importantly, to love Texas baseball.  I remember getting so excited about visiting the family in Tyler because that usually meant a trip to Six Flags and a Rangers game.  Yep, I had the Pudge poster in my room and everything.  Most dedicated moment?  Going to a game with a cast on my broken nose.  Sure I had my hat pulled down as far as it would go, but dammit I got the see a stadium boo A-Rod as soon as he stepped up to the plate.  So in case you're wondering if I'm one of the "bandwagon fans," think again.  I hated the Yankees before anyone told me that was what true Texas fans did.

This past Fall at SMU, I was on the boulevard before a home football game and after some guy introduced himself to me he said, "Wait, aren't you that crazy Rangers fan?"  Of course I owned up to it and the thought that someone had actually described me in that way made me overjoyed.  Yeah, I'm a little crazy, but baseball and the Rangers are totally worth it.

 So why do I love them?  How can you not?  Unlike many teams in the MLB they're a brotherhood.  Yeah, Michael Young was in a bad spot with Daniels at the beginning of the season, but you couldn't find one player that didn't support Young, no matter what was going to happen.  The guys play for the game and for passion, which is unfortunately why we constantly have guys on the DL. For those guys, it means pushing a little bit harder and sacrificing a little bit more for the W.  They laugh, and they make up those claw and antler signs we've all come to know and love.  They remind me so much of our Eunice boys who are (obviously) not playing for money, but for the game and the glory of winning.  And that spirit showed when Feliz threw that last strike against the Yankees in Game 6 last season.  In that dog pile, it wasn't about contracts, negotiations, or money.  It wasn't about landing a new contract or impressing the sponsors.  It was about the game of baseball and the passion it takes to make it to the top with your best friends (literally) backing you up. 

And in case you're wondering about the title of the blog, that's what Dylan likes to call Wash, and I think it exemplifies the attitude of the team.  They're boys who've been through every walk of life: Drugs, alcohol, poverty, immigration, high-class, backwoods, you name it, one of our boys has probably done it or been there.  But baseball is that one uniting element, that one thing that keeps those guys together. 

So America, you can take football if you want it, but I'll stick with baseball and the Rangers, even if it means another heartbreak.