Houston Astros

The Texas Rangers Will Host the Entire City of West, Texas in July

Free baseball tickets aren't going to rebuild the town of West, Texas or bring back the 15 people who were killed when a fertilizer plant exploded there on April 17. But it's certainly a nice gesture on the part of the Texas Rangers, who announced today that they've invited basically the entire city ... More >>

All-Star Ballpark Food From Around the Country

Searching for photos of amazing ballpark food is like a self-inflicted wound. At the end of it all, I'm overwhelmed with the pain I've caused myself. Thanks to everyone's inclination to take pictures of food they eat, here's an ode to great ballpark food. (With one caveat: no hotdogs. That's a whole ... More >>

Gloria's is Expanding to Houston. MILF Alert?

The first bit of news here is that Gloria's is expanding its Salvadorian food empire yet again. The restaurant's website confirms they are scheduled to open their first place in Houston this spring, which would make 14 altogether, including one in Austin. The second bit of news is that, according ... 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 >>

Cruz-ing to Another World Series: Rangers-Tigers ALCS Game 5 Preview and Open Thread

Photos by Sam MertenNelson Cruz giving me a free ticket to the gun show last year.As the trade deadline approached in July 2006, it seemed inevitable that Jon Daniels would make a bold move to bolster a mediocre offense in his first season as general manager. He targeted the best hitter on the mar ... More >>

Turns Out, Jim Crane May Own an AL West Team After All ... the Houston Astros. Wha?

​The Houston Astros are this close to being sold, as Drayton McLane is set to sell the franchise to Jim Crane for $660 million, pending league approval. (And, yes, that's the same Jim Crane who tried to buy the Texas Rangers out of bankruptcy last year.) The deal's expected to be done in a matter ... More >>

Rangers Partying Like it's, well, June 2010

​Your Rangers have done what good, potentially great teams do: Beat shitty opponents. When the Rangers begin their series in Anaheim against the second-place Angels Tuesday night, it will be their first opponent with a winning record in a month. Amazing. Since playing the Brav ... More >>

Rangers: Nolan Ryan Taken to Hospital Sunday For "Discomfort"; He'll Undergo Tests Today

Photo by Sam Merten​Nolan Ryan has been hospitalized for chest pains in the past: In 2000, he underwent emergency double-bypass surgery, then returned to the hospital in October of that year following another scare. This, say the Texas Rangers in a statement just sent to media, is what may have la ... More >>

Nolan Ryan Hospitalized in Houston with Heart Problems. Yikes.

​From the Rangers: Nolan Ryan was hospitalized in Houston after experiencing discomfort early Sunday morning at his home in Georgetown, Texas. Mr. Ryan will undergo tests on Monday for what is believed to be a recurrence of the heart condition which he has previously experienced. Mr. Ryan is ... More >>

Whitt's End: 7.1.11

​Whether you've reached the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Rangers return from Houston today to start a series in Arlington against the lowly Florida Marlins. Did anyone go to the airport to see the Silver Boot as Nolan Ryan triumphantly raised it? ... More >>

Did Josh Hamilton Have Alligator Arms? Yes. Will He Be in the Lineup Again Tonight? YES!

​After Tuesday night's 7-3 victory over the hapless Houston Astros, we can fit the Rangers for another Silver Boot. Texas got homers from Josh Hamilton, Mitch Moreland and Ian Kinsler and C.J. Wilson cruised against baseball's worst team. A favorable ump call helped the Rangers in ... More >>

Texas Rangers and Josh Hamilton Are Fighting the Summer Blues

​Alexi Ogando has suddenly produced three consecutive outings of five innings or less. Fourth outfielder David Murphy just went 1 of 9 to drop his average to .233. And the Rangers have lost 12 of their last 19 -- including 3-3 on a homestand against the Astros and Mets -- in clinging to&n ... More >>

Just When You Think He's Alright, Neftali Feliz Blows One to the ... Lastros

'Twasn't as good last night​Was gonna construct a list of the Rangers' worst losses this season, then I realized after last night's 5-3 self-Heimlich to the Houston Astros ... there is no No. 2.Two-run lead in the 9th. All-Star closer Neftali Feliz on the mound. At home. Against the wo ... More >>

Mitch Moreland Closes the Case at Rangers' 1st Base

​First place, thanks to 1st base. With his 11th-inning homer to beat the looming storm last night in Arlington, Mitch Moreland not only provided a walk-off win over the Houston Astros but also further cemented our confidence that he's the Rangers' 1st baseman of the present, and the futu ... More >>

The Top 10 Lamest "Rivalries" in Sports

​As I watched Mitch Moreland's gargantuan, 472-foot homer sail into the soon-to-be stormy June night, I was reminded that the Rangers-Astros' fight should be stopped on account of inhumane bludgeonry. Moreland's blast -- tied for third-longest in baseball this season -- capped an 8-3 Texas c ... More >>

And Then ... There Was Baseball. Rangers, Your Move.

Yorvit Torrealba and the Rangers should get healthy against baseball's worst Astros ​When we last left our Rangers they and pitcher Derek Holland were clubbed around in New York by the Yankees. Not, no last Wednesday. Way back on April 16.It was hours after the Rangers' 5-2 loss in the ... More >>

All Right, All Right, All Right: McConaughey To Throw Out First Pitch at Rangers Game Friday

​Your Texas Rangers play the New York Yankees on Friday night, first pitch at 7:05 p.m. Got tickets? It'd be a lot cooler if you did.Because, see, the Rangers just sent word that Matthew McConaughey will toss out the ceremonial first pitch, right before he heads to Houston to pick up Aerosmith tic ... More >>

Can the Texas Rangers Win National League-Style Baseball?

Hey, maybe Nolan Ryan can give the Rangers' pitchers some hints. ​Baseball has its problems: A reluctance to use instant replay. Arrogant umpires and their customized strike zones. An All-Star exhibition game that actually affects the World Series champion. But of all our national past ... More >>

Ryan Summons Back to the Ballpark the Man Who Ran Stadium Operations Way Back When

Jay Miller​I've never seen a game at the Dell Diamond, home of the Round Rock Express, but friends who have rank it among the finest experiences in minor-league ball -- the very definition of fan-friendly. (I'm curious, though -- what was "Pajama Collection Night" on July 11, exactly?) So, then, n ... More >>

Texas Rangers Auction Showdown: Mark Cuban vs. Nolan Ryan

Chuck Greenberg: Chief Stalking Horse​In advance of tomorrow's bankruptcy auction in Judge Michael Lynn's Fort Worth court room, initial bids must be in by 8 tonight. Up for sale: The Texas Rangers. Prospective buyers: Chuck Greenberg/Nolan Ryan and Mark Cuban. While Dallas businessman J ... More >>

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

Rangers Win Again on Field, Stumble Again in Court

​Tweak it. Or trash it. That's the charge from the bankruptcy judge in the Texas Rangers' proposed sale from Tom Hicks to Chuck Greenberg. When the judge decries that the Rangers have to modify their current plan - but not add more money to the deal - it seems like a win for the creditors, ri ... More >>

Texas Rangers: Stick To It? Or Go For It?

​After years and a decade of wandering aimlessly from youth movement to patch-it-together-retread program to losing season, the Texas Rangers in 2007 gave general manager Jon Daniels a contract extension and a mission: Rebuild the farm system. Build a major-league winner. Three summers later ... More >>

Josh Hamilton Partying Like It's ... 2008

​Back in March at Texas Rangers spring training out in Surprise, Arizona I asked team president Nolan Ryan his expectations this season for Josh Hamilton. Is the real Josh the player who had 54 RBI by June 1 in 2008 or the player who hit only 10 homers between numerous injuries in 2009? "Some ... More >>

Greenberg Expects Some Creditors to React "In a Noisy Fashion" To Rangers' Bankruptcy

Photos by Sam MertenLeft to right: Chuck Greenberg, Tom Hicks and Nolan Ryan​Shortly after the Texas Rangers announced the team's plans to resolve its ownership situation in federal bankruptcy court, Tom Hicks said he and his lawyers agreed "about a month ago" that this was the best way to han ... More >>

How Hicks is Trying to Foul Up Rangers' Sale and Why MLB Won't Let Him

​Yesterday, Tom Hicks all but told reporters gathered in Boston that the pending sale of the Texas Rangers to Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan's Rangers Baseball Express is dead. But why, the very week Greenberg had hoped to have the deal done, did Hicks choose to say it now? That's the $570-million ... 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 >>

Would-Be Owner Chuck Greenberg has the Money and Moxie to Lead the Texas Rangers Back to Relevancy and into the Playoffs

'Roid Rage: Mark McGwire - Yawn - Apologizes to Baseball

​I guess the question at this point is, do you give a crap? About baseball players and their steroid use? During the 1998 Major League Baseball season I went to Houston a couple times as a reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to cover the magical home-run chase between the St. ... More >>

Rangers, Hicks Continue to Speed Date Would-Be Buyers. This Week: Dennis Gilbert.

Dennis Gilbert​Last month, the Startlegram outed former Barry Bonds and Jose Canseco agent Dennis Gilbert as a would-be buyer of Your Texas Rangers, which the Beverly Hills-based Gilbert wouldn't confirm at the time. That made sense: He's still in pro ball (he reviews contracts for the Chicago Whi ... More >>

Would-Be Owners of Your Texas Rangers Have Been Parading Through Arlington This Week

​Reuters was right: Last week, the news service reported that the three parties interested in taking the Texas Rangers off Tom Hicks's hands would be in Arlington this week to meet and greet with team bigwigs. And, so far, so good: According to Official Statements from the LeMaster Group, which ha ... More >>

Whitt's End: 10.2.09

​Whether you're at the end of your rope or merely the end of your week, welcome to Whitt's End: *Former Carter High School star Michael Crabtree may not be a bad guy, but he's following some horrible advice. Friend of a friend of Crabtree tells me that he and the 49ers remain $10 million ... More >>

What's Next, Kevin Millwood on Waivers?

​Buddy of mine took his 9-year-old to the Rangers game Monday night in Arlington. Kid, not surprisingly, wanted some ice cream. In one of those cool, plastic Rangers helmet cups. One problem: "They didn't have any Rangers helmet cups," my buddy tells me. "They had run out. They told us they o ... More >>

Houston Cries For Pudge, Claims Its Music History Beats Dallas'

​Our ears were burning, so we went ahead and checked out what our counterparts at the Observer's sister paper in Houston, the Press, was up to on its music blog lately. And, sure enough, it's all Dallas all the time down in H-Town these days.(OK, not really, but two posts over the span of a week? ... More >>

BREAKING NEWS: Pudge a Ranger, Again!

​Wow. The greatest all-time Texas Ranger is coming home. Despite Kevin Richardson's two-hit debut in last night's win, the Texas Rangers are this close to trading for catcher Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez. The deal, according to a team source I just got off the phone with, would send two "mid-level" ... More >>

The Top 10 All-Time Texas Rangers in the History of Ever

Very cool moment last night: The greatest player in Texas Rangers history - now a Houston Astro - smacks a 5th-inning homer and receives a standing ovation. Stay classy, Arlington. On a day when Toby Harrah and Ruben Sierra were elected into the Rangers' Hall of Fame, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez rem ... More >>

Pitch Perfect

The Grand Prairie AirHogs are willing to do whatever it takes to make you a fan. And that includes win.

The Texas Strangers

Texas Rangers Making Contingency Plans In Case This Uptick is a Mirage

Can Nolan Ryan Save the Texas Rangers? Again?

The Ryan Express is Back in Arlington

Last Places or Famous Faces?

Happy on the Hell-Top

Rocket Landing

Out Here

Marchel Ivery

Night & Day

April 22-28, 1999

Perfect game

When Reid Ryan wanted Round Rock voters to build a stadium for his minor-league baseball team, he turned to the one pitchman no good Texan could refuse -- his dad, Nolan

A bush league of their own

Long before the Texas Rangers, major-league baseball was played in Dallas by a minor-league team called the Dallas Eagles

Proud papa

A first album is born, among other things

The last hurrah

The strike is over, but pain lingers