Nolan Ryan is cleaning out his office as we speak, and as of Friday he is no longer with the Texas Rangers. During his tenure the Rangers have done very well. He may have gotten some credit for moves that Jon Daniels made, and that may have hurt Daniels feelings. He also took some of the heat off of Daniels and his staff for things that may not have gone so well for the organization. And that is what Daniels is going to miss the most over the next few months plus.
If this off season goes anything like last off season did, Daniels will get toasted, and rightfully so. Last off season was very bad for the Rangers, and for Daniels as well. The Rangers didn’t make any big splashes, and they let go most of their star players, including the face of the franchise which Daniels traded away for some bubblegum and a pair of socks. (Okay, that last part was an exaggeration, but he got Lindbloom and another minor leaguer). Then there was the fight with Nolan that was made public and the fact that Ryan almost left then. People are not going to look kindly on Daniels if this thing goes south, and he doesn’t have the most popular sports figure arguably in Texas history to back him anymore.
Daniels is going to need to make a good move and make it fast if he wants Rangers nation, who, according to most people I have talked to, blame Daniels for Ryan leaving the organization, to forget that Ryan is gone. They say winning solves most problems, and that is true to an extent. Winning the off season would be a big step in securing his job going forward. I am not a Jon Daniels hater like a lot of people I know, but I also would not be near as sad about him leaving as I was about Nolan hanging it up. The official start of the off season is less than a week away, and If Daniels doesn’t make a splash before December, watch how much he gets ridiculed in the media. There is no more protection for our young GM, he is out there on an island now, and island without the Ryan lifeboat. It will be interesting to say the least to see how the next few weeks unfolds. I for one am pulling for Daniels to be successful, but I may be in the minority on that one.
