Audio By Carbonatix
Let’s make this simple, shall we? Sat down with Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington yesterday here in Surprise and asked him what I thought were some pertinent questions.
Allow me to paraphrase, in the spirit of keeping this short and sweet in the wake of last night’s 3.5-hour, come-from-ahead 11-10 exhibition against the Colorado Rockies.
Q: Neftali Feliz, starter or closer?
A: Starter.
Q: OK, if Feliz starts then who closes?
A: Don’t know, but I don’t think we have a reliable closer on our roster other than him.
Q: Will Michael Young be a Ranger on Opening Day?
A: Yes.
Q: Is he going to be a decent first baseman if need be?
A: Of course.
Q: Who’s your center fielder?
A: Julio Borbon.
Q: Aren’t you a better team with David Murphy in the lineup?
A: Where?
Q: Left field?
A: That puts Josh Hamilton in center, where he’ll play like a wild man and run into a wall and get hurt. Can’t have that.
Q: But isn’t Josh a wild man in left, on the bases and everywhere in between?
A: Decent point. But there’s lots less ground to cover in left.
Q: Are you prepared to predict a Rangers’ return to the World Series this season?
A: We’ll be ready to play April 1. Other than that — (wait for it) — you never know how baseball gonna go.
