Wednesday: 2

The title for today is simple: it relates to two topics that are obvious, but worth discussing nonetheless.

As I predicted in one of my first articles for HWC, talk about Ron Washington leaving is heating up, thanks to the early struggles of the Rangers. I know fellow HWC writer Jonathan Page isn’t a big fan of Washington, and he’s not alone. But I’m a big supporter of the guy, especially considering his positive attitude. Another thing I like about Wash, though it has nothing to do with the Rangers’ success, is that he rarely makes up any sort of excuses for his team’s failures. Back when Buck Showalter was the skipper, we’d hear a lot of ‘oh, he threw the ball pretty well, but the defense didn’t really help,’ or, ‘We’d of won if this happened or that didn’t happen.’ But Washington usually just gets straight to the point: that his team was outplayed. Of course, a lot of people, including myself, get aggravated by some of the moves Washington makes during games, but I think overall he does a solid job, and as I’ve said before, his positive energy is his greatest attribute. Also, don’t you think he has something to do with this team’s never say die approach? I know the Rangers are struggling, but most of my worries have to do with the pitching and some of the hitting, not Ron Washington (speaking of pitching, it doesn’t really seem like Mike Maddux has had a huge effect so far). All in all, Washington can be blamed somewhat for these early struggles, but to go back to the old line: it’s the players who are on the field making the plays, not the manager. That is to say, their failures should not make Washington the scapegoat, at least right now.

Secondly, my thoughts on Derek Holland, who joined the club last Saturday (Jonathan Page already explored the subject, so I’ll keep this brief). Most people were talking about Holland maybe being a September call up, and a long shot for perhaps July or August (if the Rangers were really doing bad). But we’re not even through with April, and already he’s been called up. Perhaps the biggest surprise we’ll get all year. Since I was never really a big Josh Rupe fan, it was nice to see him be the one replaced by Holland. However, that does not mean I approve of the decision completely. I know the Rangers want to slowly ease Holland into the majors, but since they want him to be starter, why not keep him in the minors where he can work in the role he’ll likely be playing for the foreseeable future? On the other hand, the kid has terrific stuff, and he could help the Rangers’ bullpen quite a bit actually. Like Elvis Andrus, I think the Rangers believe Holland is mature enough (he’s certainly been modest about his success) to survive and soon succeed in the Major Leagues. Overall, this seemed like a decision from a desperate front office, which is odd, because despite these early struggles, it doesn’t quite seem time to panic yet.

NOTE: The Rangers beat Halladay 5-4. I knew this was possible! Could be the most important win of the year so far (the Rangers actually have had the most success against Halladay in his career).