Jason Botts, he of 38 at bats in the 2008 season (and only 282 for his career), has been DFA'd (Designated for Assignment). 

And understandably, he wants the Rangers to trade (good luck) or give him his outright release.

Botts, 28, grew up in the Rangers farm system, all of nine years.  He should want to get out of the Rangers organization, he deserves to start anew with a different franchise.

Question is, does anyone want to give him a chance?

As big as this guy is (6'5", 250 lbs) his bat has never developed the thud that alot of people expected.  He is a switch hitter with a long-swing, who is slow-footed.  Oh and he's also considered a defensive liability. 

As bad as that sounds, we had another guy like that at one time, his name was Travis Hafner (aka Pronk)....heard of him?

For JD's sake, oh brother, if Botts turns into Pronk II then expect the natives to come down I-30 carrying torches looking to burn the stadium down.

For Botts sake, I like the shot he took at the Rangers when learning of his demotion.  You can't really argue with what he said because, well, it's true.

Godspeed Jason Carl Botts.

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Se-ren-i-ty: noun - a disposition free from stress or emotion

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Ahhh, the Serenity Prayer, a prayer said and heard almost as much as the Lord's Prayer.  The Serenity Prayer is most commonly heard from church parishioners and those practicing or in search of recovery at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.

I am recommending that all Ranger fans learn the four verses above.  Not to make you a better person, but to make it through the rest of the season, or 139 more games.

Our farm teams are no doubt punishing all who are in front of them, however, our Big League boys are being micturated upon nightly.

I know it stinks that our team is not doing well, actually, they are terrible right now. 

The most frustruating part is that they did not build on the hot finish they had last year. 

Entering into the season I felt we could atleast build on that and hover around .500, a great feat given what Wash and staff had to work with on the 25-man roster. 

I'm going to the game on the 30th, against the Royals.  I am debating on making and taking signs, perhaps even going as the ol' "papersack headed fan."

No way I'd do that, a) my wife wouldn't let me and b) my wife wouldn't let me and c) you guessed it, my wife wouldn't let me.

I feel sorry for Wash.  185 or so games into his career and he's already got to deal with a website calling for his head.  As I've mentioned before, he's a great baseball man and he's been looking for this oppurtunity since the day he became a big league coach so it's human nature to feel for the guy. 

But, baseball is a business and business is all about "What have you done for me lately?"

I'm a fan of the Rangers, I take abuse from my friends on a daily basis claiming I'm a Ranger apologist.  So be it, however, if the boys ever become the franchise they are working to become the tides will turn, I will be the one showering abuse their way. 

It's hard being a Ranger fan, but someone's gotta do it, right?

The great Evan Grant was kind enough to answer a question in his most recent mailbag.

FADE TO QUESTION.....

Q: Do you think Ron Washington is better suited to manage a team that is young or a team heavy with veterans?

Ryan Appleton, Denton

GRANT: As I write this, Washington has managed 182 games for the Rangers, and I'm not sure his style and strengths have fully emerged. My best guess is that he's best suited to manage a mixed club where veterans police the clubhouse and rookies follow. Then, as those rookies mature, they've learned from the veterans and police the club in the same manner as those guys who came before him.

It would be real simple if you could just put everybody into the "rookie" or "veteran" classification and know they are going to follow a pretty standard set of behavioral rules. They don't. To manage a team, regardless of basic age makeup, you've got to handle 25 personalities. Some guys respond to tough love, some respond to flattery, some respond to simply being left alone to do their job and others are so super-sensitive, they may get offended if the manager shows tough love even if it's to another player.

I think if the team were playing fundamentally better baseball there wouldn't be much need to dissect what kind of club Washington would be best suited to manage. But the players have made the kinds of mistakes early on that are just simply unacceptable. Only they can fix that, regardless of what approach Washington takes. These are elite level baseball players playing at a substandard level.

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....FADE BACK TO REALITY

For the record, I (Ryan) like Wash, I think he is a GREAT baseball guy, a guy every organization would love to have on their staff. 

I think Wash has either, A) lost this team, or B) is in over his head.  With this said, the players are not helping him either. 

Yes he's the manager, but he doesn't get to play for them (I know that's a cliched response to this argument, but one with substance). 

A couple of veterans on this team need to have a closed door meeting and light everyone up, that's how it works. 

After having to deal with Buck Showalter's rigid style the players wanted a "Player's Manager," they got it, and well, now they're playing like the Bad News Bears minus Kelly Leak.

Now, I do not expect them to win the Division, but I do expect them to improve and build towards the future. 

I expect them to play good, fundamental baseball, physical errors happen but you MUST keep mental mishaps to a minimum.  These mental errors we see the Rangers making are inexcusable.  With mental mistakes, you have to get on your players.  Washington style does not suit this.  Seems as though Wash is afraid he won't get invited to the next Hank Blalock Keg-Party.

Time for the pros between the lines to Cowboy up (draft on Saturday, sorry) and play with some heart, but more importantly, some brains.

Anyone more terrified of Vicente Padilla than I am?

This guy looks like he's just waiting for you to cross him, then out comes the shiv he has stashed away in one of his leggings.  I don't think he'd stick it in between your ribs or anything, but he would no doubt pull it on you. 

Last night Padilla dominated the Blue Jays.  He was brilliant.  This guy has some serious stuff when he's healthy and feeling it.  Last night, and so far this year, he has had both.

He was 93-97 with his heavy two seamer and he appeared to be going to his "eefus" like curveball more and more.  Did I see a few that were in the upper 60's range ???

While facing Frank Thomas in the fourth inning Padilla was behind in the count two and one.  Obvious fastball count, I knew it, Big Hurt knew it, everyone knew it.  Padilla offered the fastball only to disintegrate Big Hurt's bat.  I know Frank isn't what he once was, but I thought that pitch alone showed exactly what kind of stuff the Blue Jays were up against last night.

David Murphy, told you buddy, you'll be alright, you left 11 men on base the night before, you were ticked off and promptly went three for four, atta boy Rusty, I mean David.

CJ Wilson is going to end up being featured soon on Big League Hair.  He has some sweet hair no doubt.  By going 5 for 5 thus far in save oppurtunities he's living up to his end of the bargain.  The only problem is my wife thinks he's cute, so, he's going to have to work a little harder to become a bonafied HairGod.  But, he's on his way if he isn't already there.

Go Rangers!

Ryan A

If I were lucky enough to have a panic button, a closed fist would currently be hovering two inches above it.......sweat dripping from my nose, the light of the room hitting my pale skin, my blue eyes bugging out....if I see one more stupid error by anyone, mainly the middle infield I'm going to pound that thing and go into a hysteria never seen before.

Note to Ben Broussard, take the skillet out of your glove.  Either that, or look the ball in all the way, too many balls are kicking off the heal of your glove.....

David Murphy....struggling a bit, can't be a stud all year....keep the faith Rusty, err, I mean David.

Michael Young, you want to play on a contender, yet you hit around .200 every April which contributes mightily to the holes we find ourselves in year after year after year after year after....

Ian Kinsler, are we going to have to move you to the outfield????

Finally, Wash, Coach Washington, I like you and you are undoubtedly a good baseball person, I am starting to worry that you are either better off managing a veteran-heavy team or a career assistant coach.  You are a player friendly coach, that's fine, there are tons...but, this team is young, maybe you and Art need to do the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLMl0CLIDLg

I am worried not bc we're going to miss the playoffs, never thought we would be included.  I only worry because we are digressing as a team, we are not improving, we are getting worse.  No bueno for a rebuilding franchise.

Wake up boys, with the rising price of gasoline and crumbling value of the dollar yall are going to be hardpressed to find some people to fill seats if you keep this up. 

Go Rangers !!

Ryan A

Josh Hamilton - turned on a Brian Wolfe fastball, hit it 1100 feet. Next AB, almost deposits one down the other line. That shows alot. His swing is really fun to watch.  However, he got a haircut, he went from totally shiek, to totally geek in under 24 hrs.  Keep hitting 1100 foot homeruns and Big League Hair will forgive you.  He didn't want to be a HairGod, he supposed it to be blasphemous no doubt.

Defense - what the heck is going on? Wash loves defense, being the worst fielding team in both errors (tied with Seattle) and fielding percentage has got to be killing him.  The infield has to be in the lower half as far as range is concerned, if you dont have good range, you better suck up EVERY ball hit to you, we're not doing that, MUST improve.

Gerald Laird has been rushing his throws until the last SB Attempt last night, think it was Lyle Overbay, apparently I am faster than Lyle Overbay.  Look for Laird to have corrected the problem and continue to throw runners out at a 40% clip.

That Nippert kid looked much better last night, wait, ALOT better. He was humpin' it in there 93 on average and would bow up and blow some 96 mph heat. Maybe....nevermind. I hope he can continue to improve on that.

And finally, lil' ol' tabby-Cat. I'm still looking for people to put in some money to help offset any hit the Rangers would take if they cut him. Someone on an earlier post put in 10 bucks, after reading all the neg posts on Cat I know there are more. I'm willing to take a 2nd mortgage out on my home to sweeten the deal a little. Who else is in? I don't even care who they bring up, they could sign Billy Crystal for all I care, he really is painful to watch.

Go Rangers!

Ryan A

I was first introduced to the term "Big League Hair" at age 12 while attending a baseball camp.  It was put on by Skip Johnson who is now the pitching coach at UT.  Skip's version of the term is basically that if you use hair product while wearing a hat, then you've got "Big League Hair" and subsequently you became a "HairGod".

Throughout life my brother and I have come up w/ a more defined version of Big League Hair.  HairGods don't have to be baseball players, they can be actors, fictional characters, musicians, carpenters etc.... 

I will start out giving the most basic rule in having "Big League Hair".....wings. 

You have wings if you put your hat on and the hair over your ears either flips up or completely covers your ear, ala Liza Minelli in Arthur.

If you'll look at the picture above it is everyone's baseball buddy Nuke Laloosh.  Nuke has some medium sized wings.  What puts him over the top are the sideburns buried under those wings.  Definitely helping his cause is the fact that in this picture he was shaking Crash off cause he wanted to "announce his presence with authority."  Only a HairGod would dare to shake Crash off.  For these reasons, Nuke is our inaugural member of the Big League Hair club.

I am a married 32 year old man, my wife and I are expecting our first born in a couple months.  I love my wife immensely.

But I think I love Josh Hamilton more.

Everyone has heard of his story.  I personally have been following since he first got into trouble through Google News searches.  Trying to keep up with the latest debauchery that he continuously found himself in.  I don't know if it was because I cared, or simply my TMZ-loving side coming out.  But, enough about that, everyone's heard it ad-nauseum.

Let's talk about him as a player, what should really count since the season has finally started.

First of all, he's a 6'4", 240 pound CENTERFIELDER who can run like a deer.  Check out his over the shoulder catch robbing Brad "Thank God You Don't Play For Texas Anymore" Wilkerson.

Don't forget in high school the kid was being looked at as a Pitcher by many ML teams, he could consistently bring mid-90's heat, from the leftside.  SO, with this said, he has a rocket for an arm.  I can't wait til some schmo' tries to score from second on a crisp single hit back up the box. 

I've mentioned that he can run like a deer.  He legged out an infield hit in Game 2 vs. Seattle and I look for him to steal some bags, perhaps in the 10-15 range.

And, finally, at the plate....He looks so confident and smooth at the dish.  He has a great timing mechanism within his swing (ala Rafael Palmeiro) that just looks beautiful.  He spits on pitches that he doesn't want to hit, even when he checks his swing it's impressive.  Plain and simple, Josh Hamilton looks like he was born to hit in the bigs. 

Thank God it's for my favorite team.

Ryan

P.S.  JD, this coup of Josh Hamilton will make up for past transgressions, keep it up kid.

I gotta be honest, I love David Murphy.

The lefthanded Murphy went 2 for 4 in the game against two of the game's top pitchers in Erik Bedard and JJ Putz (who has one of the best names in the game).

I know Byrd had a good year last year, but I just don't see him sniffing his 2007 numbers.  History has a tendency of repeating itself and after a good 2003 campaign in Philly, Byrd fell off the map until last year. 

I like Byrd, he's a gamer, a hustler.  He's a good guy for the kids to look up to, but don't we have Michael Young to do that already?  Do we really need a "battler" on the 25 man to merely serve as a big brother type?

I'm willing to give Byrd a month.  But if his timing remains as horrible as it was last night, he may not even break the "Mendoza-line" for April.