May 31 - The Thursday Lineup Card: Baseball Tickets or Movie Tickets?

I live on a rather tight budget. During the summer I usually don’t go to the movies, don’t go out to lunch or dinner with my friends in order to save a few dollars for baseball tickets.  Yes, I’ve worked on the Newberg Report for nine years, but I don’t get any “perks” from the Rangers or their minor league teams, I pay for all my own tickets and parking.

However, I’ve been re-thinking my summer budget. I will still go to all the minor league games I planned on seeing.  But when I think about going to the Ballpark in Arlington,  paying to park way out on Stadium Drive, sit up in the 300’s, then buy only a soft drink and pretzel - that’s  $30.00 for one game.  I’m growing reluctant to spend that on an organization – not just the team on the field– that is in such disarray it’s embarrassing to this long time fan. If ownership and management would commit to a true re-building plan and stick with it I’d have no problem going to the Ballpark.   And yes, a plan like that can work -if the owner was willing and this is critical: patient enough (something I doubt Tom Hicks will ever even try).  The 1990’s Indians were a much more successful contemporary of the 1990’s Rangers playoff teams, they too fell on hard times after the 1999 season.  But the difference is Cleveland ownership and management committed to re-building with younger players – suffered through some miserable seasons and empty seats at Jacobs Field.  Anybody checked the AL Central standings and lately?   

I don’t know how many more  - if any -  Ranger games I’ll see in person the rest of this season.  Spending more time listening Eric and Victor is not necessarily a bad thing and probably the only saving grace for what looks to be a dreadful summer of baseball in Arlington.

This is the week that was: For the second week in a row a Lumberkings player earned an award from the Midwest League: LHP Kasey Kiker, in the league for only 2 weeks, was named Pitcher of the Week with 10 IP, 0 ER, 5 BB’s and 17 K’s.  Frisco IF German Duran is the Texas League Player of the Week – he batted .428 in his last 7 games with 2 HR’s.  Other notables:  Jason Botts continues his May hot streak batting .360 last week  while Frisco OF Anthony Webster has quietly put together some nice May numbers including hitting.314 in his last 10 games – and, of course -  Bakersfield catcher Taylor Teagarden’s BA continues to rise – he’s now hitting .343

This is the week that will be: The Class A Lumberkings travel to the Quad Cities (St. Louis) for 2 games and then to Kane County (A’s).  What to watch out for:  The Clinton starting rotation of Ballard, Coffman, Kiker, Poveda and Phillips have an ERA of 2.14 for the month of May with 133 1/3 IP – 33 BB’s and 128 K’s.    Those numbers remind me of another Class A league rotation that had so much promise -  how many of you remember the 2001 Port Charlotte Rangers that featured Jovanny Cedeno, Colby Lewis, Nick Regilio and Ryan Dittfurth? 

In the Advanced A California League the Bakersfield Blaze start the week playing the San Jose Giants and then come back to historic Sam Lynn Park for  three games with Stockton (A’s). What to watch out for:  it’s Weenie Wednesday on June 6th!  I’m not making that up – check their promotions schedule - it’s Bakersfield’s version of the Dollar Hot Dog night.  Baseball wise – there’s Teagarden and  IF Chris Davis who has hit .286 in his last 10 games and, um, did I already mention the dollar hot dog night promotion?

Frisco continues their road trip to Wichita (Kansas City) and Tulsa (Rockies) before returning home to face the San Antonio Missions (San Diego).  What to watch out for:  well, there’s always Eric Hurley – who struggled  at Wichita this week in his re-match with Luke Hochevar. Hurley pitched 5 innings, giving up 7 ER – including a grand slam HR.  OF Ben Harrison came off the DL to re-join the Riders this week. Since returning from the big leagues 3B Travis Metcalf has hit .303

The Oklahoma Rehab RedHawks open their 13 game homestand against Salt Lake (Angels), Coloardo Springs (Rockies) and Round Rock (Hosuton) with lineups that will feature Brad Wilkerson, Jerry Hairston, Ron Mahay, and  Jamey Wright.  The Redhawks ever changing starting rotation loses John Koronka and Mike Wood to the majors and replaces them with Mark Redman and John Rheinecker. What to watch out for: Me – I’ll be up there on Sunday – wondering who Jason Botts has to bribe to get a call up to the majors.  Here's a very biased opinion - no worries about Botts - he'll be part of yet another trade Jon Daniels will wind up regretting.

This week’s non-sequitor:  During Spring Training this year Sony pictures and MLB Productions were promoting the re-release of “The Natural” by going to various Spring Training sites with some of the "Wonderboy" bats used in the movie and asking players about the film.   Speaking of  “The Natural” – I recently read that Robert Redford is going to play Branch Rickey in a movie about Jackie Robinson scheduled for release next year.

Which is a long, long way to get around to my list of favorite Robert Redford movies – other than “The Natural” – with quotes, and most importantly, a picture.

In no particular order:

All The President’s Men:
(responding to fellow reporter Carl Bernstein played by Dustin Hoffman)“You're both paranoid. She's afraid of John Mitchell, and you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.“

The Electric Horseman:
“What have I got to be worked up about? I've only got a stole horse; everybody except the Coast Guard is after me; I've got nothin' but miles of open country to cross; and now I'm carrying a crazy woman around wearin' shoes from Bloomingbirds who thinks she's seen a rattlesnake round up.”

The Hot Rock:
“Afghanistan banana stand"

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid:
“Think ya used enough dynamite there, Butch?”

The Sting: 
Redford as Johnny Hooker: "He's not as tough as he thinks".
Paul Newman as Henry Gondorff: "Neither are we".

“Pick me out a winner Bobby” –- Marla Hooch