Subject: Hank Blalock

• Pick Your Pleasure (or Poison)

  October 6, 2006

• The Hunt for Dead October

  September 25, 2006

• Stinko de Mayo

  May 2, 2007

• Actually, Yes, These Are Your Father’s Rangers

  May 24, 2007

• Ask the Rangers (Anything, Seriously)

  February 26, 2008

• Play Ball! Notes from Texas Rangers Spring Training, Thus Far.

  February 27, 2008

• Now That Basketball Season's Almost Over, Guess It's Time For Baseball. Joy.

  March 31, 2008

• Memorial Day Weekend Leftovers

  May 27, 2008

• Smoak ‘Em If You Got ‘Em

  June 6, 2008

• Mark Teixeira: Grade the Trade.

  June 17, 2008

• Your Rangers Officially Don’t Suck

  July 1, 2008

• Past the Halfway Mark, the Rangers Look Like Contenders and Pretenders

  July 3, 2008

• The Texas Strangers

  July 16, 2008

• Sure, the Rangers Are Fun and All. But There's Still Some Fixin' To Do.

  July 30, 2008

• 10 Steps to Fixing Your Texas Rangers

  October 2, 2008

• He Knows the Score

  Herbert Perry plays only until the next big-contract kid comes along

  September 19, 2002

• A Christmas List for Jon Daniels

  Here in The Sportatorium, every now and then we like to talk baseball. I mean hard-core, balls-and-strikes baseball. By "every now and then" I mean this morning. And by "we", of course, I mean seamhead colleague Sam Merten. Sam, the floor is yours: For those of you distracted by Sean Avery's antics, the format change at Live 105.3 FM and the drama at Valley Ranch, Rangers' GM Jon Daniels and his colleagues spent most of last week in Las Vegas for baseball's Winter Meetings. Daniels has be

  December 18, 2008

• Whitt's End: 4.3.09

  Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Seems Highland Park-ex and potential No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick Matthew Stafford isn't comfortable talking with teams - specifically a psychologist for the San Francisco 49ers - about his parents' divorce. It's wrong for 49ers coach Mike Singletary to go public with the tale, telling a radio station "if you're going to look at drafting a guy in the first round, and you're going to pay him mi

  April 3, 2009

• Texas Rangers Opening Day: Pre-Game Observations

    Your new third baseman, taking Opening Day BPFirst pitch in T-minus two hours ... *When I stepped on the field at 9 a.m. it was 39 degrees. Factoring in the northern howl of about 30 mph and it felt, ya know, about 0. *You know it's a different, bigger day when you get on the press elevator and are greeted by secret service and their bomb-sniffing dogs. Wearing a black coat with my hands in pockets, I'm betting I looked terribly guilty. Of something. *Ballparks always look sparklin

  April 6, 2009

• 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, turning singles into outs. *The new starting catcher (Jarrod Saltalamacchia) drives in three runs, including a homer. *The designated hitter who can never stay healthy (Hank Blalock) is fit long

  April 6, 2009

• Best Locker-Room Conversation

  September 25, 2003

• Best Sign for the Rangers' Future

  September 25, 2003

• 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.

  April 9, 2009

• Status Woe

  Insane Rangers again take similar path to identical destination

  October 2, 2008

• Plan See

  With blueprints A and B trashed, the Rangers have stumbled onto a visually stimulating development

  July 17, 2008

• Can Nolan Ryan Save the Texas Rangers? Again?

  March 13, 2008

• One Bone Down, Hank Blalock Hopes to Help the Rangers Get Back Up

  March 6, 2008

• Mavericks Don't Need Jason Kidd

  No joke, the Mavericks should pass on a major trade and allow this nucleus one more shot

  February 7, 2008

• Rangers Redux

  Desperate for an assist from Dallas, the Rangers implement yet another rebuilding plan

  June 28, 2007

• Boy Blunder

  Is baseball's youngest general manager man enough to rebuild the Rangers?

  July 12, 2007

• Play It Again, Sammy

  Can the Rangers' oldest rookie leave his diva days behind and deliver?

  March 29, 2007

• Washington Monument

  New Rangers manager injects hope and, yep, even optimism in Arlington

  February 8, 2007

• The Curse of Sucking

  Is this the year the Texas Rangers finally...? Nah.

  March 30, 2006

• What, Them Worry?

  The Rangers seem happy. It must be a plot.

  March 31, 2005

• Best Sports Columnist

  Gerry Fraley, The Dallas Morning News

  October 14, 2004

• Now Boarding

  Hop on the bandwagon

  May 20, 2004

• Rained Out

  No refunds, Rangers fans, even though the dark clouds of the A-Rod trade threaten the entire season

  March 18, 2004

• Young's Town

  Texas' popular new shortstop is the man of the moment

  March 11, 2004

• Summer Reruns

  Before we talk football--go, fight, win!--one last look at the boring sports

  July 31, 2003

• The Buck Starts Here

  New Texas Rangers manager Buck Showalter makes the team much better. Problem is, he can’t hit leadoff, play center field or pitch.

  March 6, 2003

• Did Mike Jacobs Save Ron Washington's Job?

  Because the Kansas City Royals couldn't catch the ball, the Texas Rangers hung on to their manager. For now. After a 3-0 start that feels like months ago, the Rangers are 5-7. Not good, especially considering nine of those 12 have been at home and half against the lowly Orioles and Royals. But as they tonight begin a seven-game road trip against the Toronto Blue Jays and the best pitcher in baseball (Roy Halladay), they have some momentum, and their manager. Barely. Rangers' management

  April 21, 2009

• Hank Blalock Saves Frankie Francisco's Ass/Texas Rangers' Season

  Bacon saved. Barely.The Rangers tip-toed perilously close to a lost season last night. Instead, they wound up jumping all over a won game. I know we're only two days into July, but coughing up a 7-1 lead and losing to the AL West division leaders last night might have been a kick to the crotch the Rangers never recovered from. It came thiiiiiiiis close to happening. Closer Frankie Francisco - maybe it's time for C.J. Wilson to get the role? - walked two Angels and surrendered a

  July 2, 2009

• Rangers Win Again; Chris Davis Finally Loses

  Who will we see in Arlington next: Him or Justin Smoak?Let's play three strikes with your Texas Rangers. Your first-place Texas Rangers. Yes, I am surprised. And impressed. Steeeriiiike One - Chris Davis demoted. Davis is a good guy with a great glove, but the Rangers could afford to be patient with him no longer. You can swallow a .200-hitting Gold Glove catcher, but not a first baseman. When the Rangers headed for Anaheim last night for a fun three-game series with the Angels,

  July 6, 2009

• The Texas Strangers No More

  Chicks dig the long ball. We all love the fireworks. But nobody is connected to home runs like your Texas Rangers. I know they have 20 sacrifice bunts, 78 stolen bases and a committment to try and manufacture runs this season, but in the end - same as it ever was - seems the Rangers' offense is predicated on one big swing. Or, as was the case in last night's 6-3 win over the Red Sox, lots of them. On the heels of snapping a four-game losing streak thanks to Ian Kinsler's bookend h

  July 21, 2009

• Whitt's End: 8.14.09

  ​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Lots of you asking for a breakdown of the latest Arbitron PPM radio ratings for July. Not worth a separate item these days because - yawn - The Ticket's dynasty just rolls on. Dunham & Miller and The Hardline have the equivalent of four-touchdown leads in morning and afternoon drive. The battle for No. 2, however, just got interesting. While The Ticket (No. 1 in the market) still dominates

  August 14, 2009

• Pudge Over Potential

  ​I realize Pudge Rodriguez was brought here with the understanding he'd be a backup. But less than a week into his second coming, scuh-roo that! If starting Pudge throughout the three-game series against the Yankees that starts tonight in New York hurts Taylor Teagarden's wittle feewings or momentarily thrwarts the return and/or development of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, so be it. Pudge has hit, called good games, is the best catcher on the team and, therefore, he should be playing. Why?

  August 25, 2009

• 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 leadoff man. Nelson Cruz made an error and Hank Blalock made a high throw and - considering they got only eight hits and scored only eight runs in three games at the Metrodome - the tiny margin fo

  August 31, 2009

• Texas Rangers: The Hits Keep a Comin'

  Neftali Feliz likes him. So should you.​I have no idea who or what Omega El Fuerte is. But if it's good enough for Texas Rangers' fireballin' phenom Neftali Feliz, it's good enough for me. When the ridiculous rookie enters a game over the weekend in a crucial series against the Seattle Mariners, he'll be serenaded by cheers from frenzied fans and by the pulsating sounds of Omega - a hot Latin artist from his Dominican Republic - courtesy of Rangers' in-game entertainmant guru

  September 10, 2009

• The Rangers May Be Out But They Are Not Down--Not Come Next April

  October 8, 2009