Rangers pics

My dad and his friend, Ken, recently scored some prime seats at a Ranger game. Ken is a photographer, and he took some great photos.

Here’s a link to his Picasa gallery. It was Jackie Robinson night, so everyone was wearing No. 42, which is a little confusing. He got some good ones of Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Marlon Byrd and Josh Hamilton… I think.

There are also a couple of Nolan Ryan, who was sitting only a few rows away. (I mentioned they were great seats, right?) He looked kind of grumpy, so they must have been taken before the Rangers exploded for 19 runs in the win over the Orioles.

Wish they could have found some of that offense this weekend. They’re on the verge of getting swept by the Royals. Kansas City looks better than it has in the past, but still. It’s the Royals.

Dodging a bullet

Michael Young has agreed to move to third base despite winning a Gold Glove at shortstop last season. Thankfully, Nolan Ryan stepped in and spun this to Young in a way that made him accept the change. I would have hated to see him go, and the Rangers would have regretted being so pushy.

I see this acceptance by Young as proof that he’s a class act. I really don’t think Young wanted to leave, but in the end he decided that his teammates matter more to him than where he plays.

Young was quoted as saying he had 24 teammates to consider above himself. This team-first attitude is exactly the kind of veteran leadership the team would have lost had he stuck to his guns. He knows the team has a lot of talent at all levels, but I think he rightly thought he deserved some special treatment.

As far as general manager Jon Daniels is concerned, “I don’t have anything to say,” Young said.

On an unrelated note: I am loving the Tulsa World Sports RSS feed. Those are (mostly) my headlines! What good PR for myself, lol

Michael Young is allowed to be a diva.

Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young recently demanded a trade because the organization told him he needed to move to third base this season to accommodate a hot prospect at Double-A. He was unwilling to do so, and I do not blame him one bit.

This guy is no T.O., A-Rod or any other money-hungry, headline-grabbing athlete. He makes a lot of money, sure, but he’s the type of player who you don’t really mind that he makes so much. He does the right things, he plays with heart, he’s a leader and role model.

Good for him for demanding a trade. The organization’s management has been a joke for years. Typical of them to alienate the face of the franchise for a 20-year-old named Elvis Andrus who has never played above Double-A and made 32 errors last season.

Where was Nolan Ryan in all this? The situation smacks of Jon Daniels, who has bungled many aspects of the club, especially busted trades.

Young has already been shuffled around the infield once. He was bumped off second base in 2003 when All-Star Yankee Alfonso Soriano was acquired in the Alex Rodriguez trade. Young hadn’t made much of a name for himself yet, and Soriano was a name player with major league experience.

But for a star player coming off a Gold Glove campaign to be shoved aside for an unproven prospect is absurd. At the very least, let Young and Andrus battle it out in spring training. I don’t care how good the kid is, he needs to pay his dues. I know the Rangers are all about youth at the moment, but they need to hang onto their best veterans to guide the younger players.

Michael Young is 32 years old. He has made the All-Star team five times and was named MVP last year. He rarely gets hurt and plays practically every game. Most compelling of all, he won a Gold Glove at shortstop in 2008.

But that’s not good enough, apparently. I don’t blame him a bit for feeling slighted. He has experienced just one winning season in the majors, and if his organization isn’t going to respect him, he needs to find one that will.