C.J. Wilson

C.J. Wilson Appears to Have a Very Bad Sense of Humor

Rangers to Host Town Hall Meeting Tonight. Just Don't Ask About Mark Mulder. Whatever You Do.

Lunchtime Dot Race, Anyone?

C.J. Wilson Has An Ax to Grind

You Could Use Some Baseball? Yeah, So Could You.

Ranger Danger

You Could Use Some ... Baseball?

Has there ever been a better team player in the history of Metroplex sports?Approximately 5,000 fans braved freezing temperatures and decades of losing at Saturday's Rangers Fan Fest in Arlington. I was one of them. The highlights: *General manager Jon Daniels says he's recently tal ... More >>

Rangers Spring Training Grades

TexasRangers.com The kid's catching on pretty fastOnly 19 days until the Texas Rangers open the 2009 regular season at home against the Cleveland Indians. In other words, time for some mid-spring training grades. So far, so good I'd have to say. No major injuries. Josh Hamilton is pound ... More >>

Strangers 9, Indians 1

1-0!Seriously, who are these guys decked out in red? *The starting pitcher (Kevin Millwood) throws six shutout innings, the first Ranger to do so since Charlie Hough in 1989. *The 20-year-old shortstop (Elvis Andrus) gets a hit in his first at-bat and ranges on the first-base side of second, ... More >>

After a Dynamic Season Opener, Rangers Fans are Seeing Red

The Rangers' debut was shockingly accessorized by pitching, defense and, don't look now, relevance.

Some Random, Frustrated Thoughts on Your Texas Rangers

Yeah, he had some help. But he blew it.​*Catching and throwing the ball has rarely been a problem this season, but yesterday's 5-3 loss was hideously reminiscent of years gone by. First off, I blame C.J. Wilson. The worst thing you can do when protecting a 1-run lead is walk the l ... More >>

Day "Off": My Top 10 Observations

​10. Decided to take a day off today. At least from 105.3 The Fan. I'm working on a cover story for next week's Dallas Observer, plus I've contracted some ornery strand of the common cold that has me so congested that diced jalapenos taste like nothing but texture.  Seeing that I spent ... More >>

Welcome to the Day After March 31

​*Ron Washington's first and only experience with cocaine came at age 57? Of course I believe him. Why wouldn't I? *Okay, I admit it. I secretly, desperately wish I wrote for the Dallas Morning News and talked for 1310 AM The Ticket and admit that my jealously bleeds through into my sub- ... More >>

Everything Old is New Again in Arlington, On the Brink of a New Rangers Season

Patrick MichelsMichael Young takes a few cuts before Friday night's exhibition.​For the first time since fall, the smell of hot dogs on the grills overtook the Ballpark in Arlington Friday afternoon, as the stadium came rumbled back to life for an evening exhibition against the Royals -- ... More >>

Okay Cliff Lee, Show Us Your Stuff

​The Texas Rangers have a five-game lead in the American League West. Tonight they begin a four-game series with the second-place Anaheim Angels in Arlington. (And over the next 11 days they'll face the Angels seven times. How the West was won, anyone?) In other words, time for new pitching a ... More >>

Fat Lady May Be Warming Up, But Rangers Haven't Won The West ... Yet

​I'll say it, Texas Rangers' fever is at an all-time high. Sunday night's 6-4 win improved Tommy Hunter to 8-0, allowed the Rangers to win three of four from the Anaheim Angels and pushed their lead to seven games with 63 remaining. More than 160,000 fans went to Arlington Thursday-Sunday. Wi ... More >>

The Texas Rangers Thrive while Owner Tom Hicks' Sports Empire Crumbles.

​I'll say it, Texas Rangers' fever is at an all-time high. Sunday night's 6-4 win improved Tommy Hunter to 8-0, allowed the Rangers to win three of four from the Anaheim Angels and pushed their lead to seven games with 63 remaining. More than 160,000 fans went to Arlington Thursday-Sunday. Wi ... More >>

Whitt's End: 8.27.10

Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *By no means am I an alarmist, but we need to see something positive from the Cowboys' first-team offense Saturday night in Houston. One long drive that ends in a touchdown. That's all. Give me that ... More >>

Game 1 of the Texas Rangers Playoffs I'm Handing the Ball To ...

​Nope, not our Lord and Southpaw Savior Cliff Lee. C.J. Wilson. Why? Because at this point I trust him more. Because at this point he's the best pitcher on the staff. No? Amazing for a pitcher who a couple years ago drew our ire when he disgustingly flipped the ball to manager Ron Washin ... More >>

Rangers-Rays: Game 2 Preview

​We waited 5,100 days in between Texas Rangers' playoff wins. Might we suddenly get two within 24 hours?   As dominant as Cliff Lee was in the Rangers' 5-1 Game 1 victory on Wednesday, I like the matchup of C.J. Wilson over Tampa's James Shields even more in Game 2 today at 1:37. You ... More >>

Rangers-Yankees: You Ready For History?!

​We're about two hours from Pitch 1 of Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. I'm at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington where Nolan Ryan is talking to the national media, Josh Hamilton is taking batting practice and the glorious sun i ... More >>

2010 ALCS - Rangers-Yankees: Game 5 Preview

Can it end right here? Right now? Abso-friggin'-lutely!​Pssst, I'm not supposed to talk about this. Like a no-no in the 7th inning, baseball's unwritten etiquette says you're not supposed to whisper a word about celebratory plans. Especially when you're on the enemy's fabled field. But ... More >>

2010 World Series - Rangers vs. Giants: Game 2 Preview

Given my druthers, I'd rather get blown out than lose a heart-breaker. We could digest and regurgitate and over-analyze the Texas Rangers' 11-7 World Series Game 1 loss to the San Francisco Giants here Wednesday night, or we could simply say that - for the first time in his ... More >>

Werth It? Doing the Rangers' Math as Fat Contracts Swirl Around MLB Winter Meetings.

Photos by Sam MertenDamn. If Jayson Werth commands a seven-year, $126 million deal, how much is this guy worth?​Prior to the beginning of baseball's winter meetings yesterday at Walt Disney World Resort, a flurry of activity resulted in big-name players dealt and fat contracts inked. Predictab ... More >>

Texas Rangers' Pitching Staff: No. 3 in the AL West

​I fully admit it, at the end of last season I was calling for C.J. Wilson to pitch Game 1 of the American League Division Series. Considering the way he'd pitched all year and the way Cliff Lee had struggled at times it made sense. Turns out both pretty pitched damn skippy in the playof ... More >>

It's Never Too Early For Spring Training Knee-Jerk Reactions

Photo by Sam MertenIan Kinsler could be gearing up for a career year.​You hear it every year around this time: Spring training stats are meaningless. And, sure, while that can be true for guys like Doug Deeds -- the 29-year-old career minor leaguer who's hitting .357 with two homers and four RBI f ... More >>

Rockies 11, Rangers 10: My Top 10 Observer-ations

​10. Crowd last night was around 8,000, just a couple days after a record 12,000 for Rangers-Giants. As opposed to the Royals-A's on Tuesday, when I swear there weren't 1,000 people here. Nothing like a World Series to crowd the bandwagon. 9. I've said it before and I'll say it again: N ... More >>

A Rangers Repeat? History Suggests Odds Are Long.

One Hit Wonders

If the Texas Rangers Pitch Like This They'll Go 162-0

Alexi Ogando: Another quality start. Another win. Ho-hum.​I don't trust Mark Lowe. Mason Tobin doesn't yet belong on a Major League mound. And Julio Borbon makes me a little nervous in center field.But that's it, the extent of my minuscule Texas Rangers concerns through five games. 5-0, ... More >>

Which Of Your Texas Rangers Has The Coolest Intro Music?

​Last week, the Morning News' Rangers beat writer/columnist Evan Grant shared the music being used at the start of this baseball season by most of your Texas Rangers players -- either at-bat music or welcome-to-the-mound stuff, naturally.The best news that wasn't? Grant reported that catcher Mike ... More >>

Even Ron Washington is Making the Right Calls During Rangers' 9-1 Start

​The Rangers are 9-1, their best start in franchise history. They've outscored their opponents a ridiculous 60-26. They've beaten the aces of Boston (Jon Lester), Seattle (Felix Hernandez) and now Detroit (Justin Verlander). They're hitting homers, getting immaculate starting pitching and winn ... More >>

My Top 21 Texas Rangers in the History of Ever

​C.J. Wilson was superb in last night's much-needed win over Seattle. Pedro Strop is gone. Mark Lowe is back (uh-oh). Tommy Hunter and Nefali Feliz are getting close. And dazzling Cuban defector Leonys Martin is fast-tracking our way.In the middle of a very transitory Rangers season I was ... More >>

The Rangers Aren't Winning, and Now C.J. Wilson is ... Whining?

​Hello, win column! third place.The Rangers started 9-1. But since Josh Hamilton broke his arm on that daring/dumb dash for home plate in Detroit on April 12, they're 9-17.That equals 18-18. That equals -- for the first time since April 30, 2010 -- third place in the AL West behind the Angels ... More >>

C.J. Wilson and Supermodel Chanel Iman Will Get Your Rangers Panties in a Twist

​Meant to get to this two days ago, when Texas Rangers Executive Vice President of Communications John Blake sent out the announcement, but it's not too late to make it to NorthPark Center by 1 p.m. That's when C.J. Wilson and Chanel Iman (well, hello) are scheduled to stop by Victoria's Secret to ... More >>

BYOHotDog. BYONachos. BYOCooler to the Rangers Game, Beetches!

Ranger pitcher C.J. Wilson.​Yay! You're going to a Rangers game! Boo. It's a million dumbgrees outside. Whatever. You're a true fan. So, suck it up. Clearly, they need you out there right about now. If you're going to a game at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, you immediately know a few things: ... More >>

Triumph Over Tragedy: Rangers Roll Into All-Star Break

​Thursday: The lowest point in the history of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Sunday: The high point of Texas' baseball season. Was sitting at a blackjack table in Las Vegas when I looked up and saw Nolan Ryan in front of a microphone on TV. As the closed caption scrolled "Josh is very di ... More >>

Time For Y'all to Admit It: C.J. Wilson is a Bona Fide Ace

​No doubt Kenny Rogers is the Rangers' best all-time left-handed pitcher. But is C.J. Wilson already No. 2? He further helped his cause Tuesday night in Tampa, somehow resisting his stupid, "instinctive" urge to bare-hand comebackers long enough to shut out the Rays in a complete-game, 8-0 v ... More >>

Moneyball My Ass. The Oakland A's are Flat-Out Embarrassing.

​The much-anticipated movie Moneyball opens in theaters next week. Perhaps the Oakland A's should insert Brad Pitt into their give-a-shit lineup, because he can't be any worse than what they're currently trotting out there. Didn't see a lot of Texas 8, Oakland 1 Sunday because I was fixated ... More >>

Counting Down the Many Highlights of This Rangers Season Before First Pitch of the ALDS

Doesn't seem like that long ago we were just here: trying to work and watch a Rangers post-season game. Today's extended dance remix of the 2011 major league season starts at 4:07 this afternoon at the Ballpark in Arlington, with Texas, for the first time ever, facing Rays rookie Matt Moore, who has ... More >>

Verlander, Smerlander: ALCS Preview and Rangers-Tigers Game 1 Open Thread

Photo by Sam MertenThe Tigers have this year's AL Cy Young, but the Rangers are so deep, there wasn't room for Alexi Ogando (3-0 versus Detroit this year) in the rotation.​[Editor's note: At the request of a few regulars, we're going with a rare weekend-night open thread to celebrate the Range ... More >>

Memo to Ron Washington: It's the, Um, Postseason, Just In Case You Forgot

Photos by Sam MertenPerhaps more than any of his players, Ron Washington needs to break out of his postseason slump.​After the Texas Rangers fired Buck Showalter following the 2006 season, general manager Jon Daniels interviewed five candidates. Of course, there was Ron Washington, a longtime ... More >>

The World Series Drinking Game

Let's hope the Rally Squirrel is trapped under there somewhere​The Rangers have been a drink-worthy team ever since their inception. For 35 years, they've induced summers of binge-drinking to drown out varying degrees of sorrow. The last two seasons, on the other hand, have made us raise our g ... More >>

Refusing to Let Championship Dreams Wash Away: Texas Rangers-St. Louis Cardinals World Series Game 2 Preview and Open Thread

Texas Rangers​Sometimes the worst managerial moves are the ones that weren't made, but the focus tends to be on the ones that were. The vast majority of media and fans across the country agree that Tony La Russa out-managed Ron Washington in Game 1 of the World Series last night, which is har ... More >>

Stealing the Mojo: Rangers-Cardinals World Series Game 3 Preview and Open Thread

Texas RangersIan Kinsler completes the best defensive play I've seen in my 25 years watching the Fall Classic -- a diving stop by Elvis Andrus and flip to Kinsler with his glove to end the fifth inning of Game 2. Just spectacular athleticism displayed by Andrus.​If you've read my piece about S ... More >>

Leaving on a High Note: Rangers-Cardinals World Series Game 5 Preview and Open Thread

Texas RangersSouthpaw Derek Holland exits last night's masterpiece in style -- something C.J. Wilson and the Texas Rangers hope to emulate tonight.​I expected Derek Holland to finally realize his potential as a top-of-the-rotation arm in the American League Championship Series. That, of course ... More >>

Guts, Not Gaffes Give Texas an Opportunity for the Kill Shot: Rangers-St. Louis Cardinals World Series Game 6 Preview and Open Thread

Texas RangersMike Napoli celebrates his game-winning double in the eighth inning of Game 5.​The intellect of one of the best managers and greatest players in baseball history short-circuited at the worst possible times for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the World Series, but Monday night ... More >>

After Club Signs Nathan, Moves Neffy to Rotation, Rangers Offer Wilson Arbitration

​My bad. Been meaning to get back in here and post something, anything, of note, and there's been plenty in recent days. And as Josh's Broken Groin notes, it's been way too long. So then, to today's Breaking, or Broken, Rangers News: The club has offered salary arbitration for next season to C.J. ... More >>

Exploring Texas Rangers' Options as Wheelin' and Dealin' Begins at Hilton Anatole

Photo by Sam MertenThe scene yesterday afternoon in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole.​Likely bracing for the departure of free-agent hurler C.J. Wilson, the Texas Rangers have already inked former Minnesota Twins closer Joe Nathan to a two-year, $14.5 million contract and announced Neftali Feli ... More >>

Hell of a Day to Be a Texas Rangers Fan as Angels Snap up Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson

​What you see at right is the artwork currently decorating the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim's website: side-by-side pics of Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson, both of whom are now Angels. The now-former Cardinal's deal is for 10 years and worth between $250 and $260 million, and is said to include a ... More >>

Are Yu Kidding Me? The Texas Rangers Are About to Open the Bank Vault For Darvish.

​In winning the well-publicized bidding for Yu Darvish shortly after 10 Monday night, the Texas Rangers have positioned themselves to sign the famous Japanese hurler to one of the riskiest contracts in baseball history. And unless the 25-year-old right-hander immediately establishes himself among ... More >>