As expected, this thing is a blowout. Not even close.
Think about it: The New Yankees entered the American League Championship Series with 41 AL pennants; the Texas Rangers 0. The Bronx Bombers play in Yankee Stadium; the Rangers in a ballpark once controlled by broke-ass bum Tom Hicks. The Yankees are in the chase for 28 (as in World Series titles); the Ranger are pursuing the run for 1.
The Yankees' payroll is $207 million; the Rangers' $55 million. It is believed to the biggest financial discrepancy in a baseball playoff series match-up.
Add it all up and - ta-da! - the Rangers lead the ALCS 3-1. And it's not even that close.
The Rangers have out-scored the Yankees the last two nights by a whopping 18-3. For the series they have a 19-run advantage and if not for an historic bullpen collapse in Game 1 this might have been an unceremonious sweep.
The gravity of the moment struck me the other day when I strolled through center field out in Yankee Stadium and a sacred place called Monument Park.
Out in the park are plaques commemorating baseball legends like Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Yogi Berra, Reggie Jackson, Mickey Mantle, etc ...
At Rangers Ballpark there's a statue of Nolan Ryan ... and a Wiffle ball park.
Made me ponder, what all-time Rangers could squeeze into Monument Park? Nolan Ryan for sure. Pudge Rodriguez? Almost certainly. Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez, maybe. But probably not.
Right?
Amazing what Texas' lil' franchise is accomplishing against the biggest of the big boys.
