As a newbie to the Ranger Report, I hope everyone will be patient as I share my thoughts and opinions. I am a lifelong Rangers fan, and actually saw my first game in 1972 when the Rangers moved here. One of my favorite games was going with my dad when I was about 10 years old seeing Brooks Robinson and the Orioles take on Frank Howard and the Rangers. Howard hit one out through the hole in center field in the 7th inning. The ball bounced all the way into the parking lot until it hit a windshield. At the old Arlington Stadium, there was literally a hole in center field seating. That homer tied the game up at 1-1, and it took 11 more innings to settle the game when Robinson laid down a squeeze bunt to get the run home and the Orioles took the game 2-1 in 18 innings. The other interesting thing that happened that night was that my dad who grew up in a small town in West Texas hated driving in the city and this was long before 360 was even a dream. Somehow, we meandered down Randall Mill road, tried to get across the Turnpike (Now known as I-30) and tried to find our way back to Hurst where my aunt lived.
It was nearly 1 a.m. when the game ended and I think we were lost for the better part of 2 hours before I managed to find a map in the car and help dad navigate us out of there.
That is a great memory and yes, I played baseball, it was my first love. Ironically, I tore up a shoulder playing football in high school, which ended any grandiose thoughts of playing ball. Shoulder surgeries have come a long way since then as we witness more and more players returning to the game even better than before they were hurt, after rehab. It does make me wonder why it seems so many players have injuries today and why it has hit all of the AL West so hard this year. Way back when, pitchers seemed a whole more durable. I wonder if it is the weight training that is so prevalent now? Could it be that pitchers just don’t throw as much? Is there too much emphasis on pitch counts? I even heard one theory speculating that a pitcher only has so many throws in him, and once used it is gone. I am not a scientist or a medical provider but I do have a problem with a strict pitch count because I think it plays with a pitchers head.
Pitchers have always been head cases, and by that I mean just not normal. The Rangers have had more than their fair share over the years. I point to Kevin Brown and Jim Kern as case study. Nolan Ryan speculated on pitching durability recently and I thought he had some good points especially about a sustained training and throwing program involving the legs. I tend to agree with Nolan, I think there are too many throwers who just have learned control, but not the discipline of using the legs and not just the arm. My theory is that pitching is like golf, the more you practice the more consistent your swing. When throwing a ball you need to do it the same way every time, so that only the hand nails, and fingers cause the ball to move. The power comes from the legs and God-given ability, I have never been one of those that believe you can train to throw a ball 95 mph. That is talent!
I would also bet that somewhere Billy Beane has a computer programmer trying his best to analyze all of this into a formula.
Have a great day my friends!
