The Dog Days of Summer Are Here

I generally try to post my thoughts on a subject of two a couple of times a week. However, in the summer time, posting a couple of times a week might be pushing it. Basically, the Rangers are the only game in town currently playing and I'm a fringe baseball fan at best. So, keep checking back and I'll try to have something up here a couple times a week...even if it isn't sports related. Now, about the Rangers...

It's been a while since the Rangers were really worthy of any kind of discussion unless it is about their future. The Rangers have been compelling one season (2004) since 1999...and even then they missed the playoffs. The Rangers, in my mind, are to baseball what the New Orleans Saints are to football. Both have had minimal success, you pretty much can expect them to miss the playoffs year in and year out and, more than likely, neither one will win the championship in their respective sport. However, the Rangers are the only baseball team I've ever really followed, even when I didn't live in the Dallas area) so I count myself as a fan of theirs. This year though, something interesting is happening out at the Ballpark in Arlington.

This Rangers team is actually pretty decent. Through the first 23 games, the Rangers were 7-16. However, since then, Rangers have arguably been one of the best teams in the American league. They now have a record of 26-26 and are only 4 games back of the division leading Angels. The most interesting story of the season, so far, is the impact that newly acquired Josh Hamilton is having on the team.

Hamilton is showing why he was the 1st overall pick in the 1999 draft (by Tampa Bay). He already has 12 home runs, 53 RBIs and has a batting average of .333. If the season ended right now, Hamilton would be in serious contention for the AL MVP, that's how good he's been. But the most interesting thing about Hamilton his how he came to even play of the Rangers. Hamilton arrived in Texas via an off season trade with the Cincinnati Reds for pitcher Edinson Volquez. Volquez was part was part of the threesome of minor league pitching prospects, which were untouchable a few years ago, known as DVD (John Danks, Edinson Volquez and Thomas Diamond). Currently, no player of DVD are on the Rangers roster (Danks and Volquez have been traded; Diamond flamed out and never produced).

Anyway, the interesting thing to me about the Hamilton-Volquez trade is that it was a great trade for BOTH teams. The Rangers got an outstanding talent in Josh Hamilton and the Reds got Volquez who currently has 76 strike outs and a 1.31 ERA. I don't remember when the last time the Rangers had a pitcher with an ERA below 2, much less 1.31. If the season ended right now, Volquez would be in serious contention for the NL Cy Young. So my question is, when is the last time a Cy Young winner was traded for an MVP? I know it's way too early to be talking about either of those but with the way Hamilton and Volquez are playing, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that both guys earn those respective honors.

I've watched several more Ranger games, to this point in the season, than I have in past several seasons and I really am enjoying them. I hope they can keep it up and keep the metroplex interested. If so, then the Dog Days of summer might not be so dogged. But it's early and the Rangers are still the Rangers so I have cautious optimism about their early success.