July 5 - The Thursday Lineup Card: It's All About Jason Botts
Batting Averages since May 14th:
AL MVP Justin Morneau: .289
NL MVP Ryan Howard: .288
Sammy Sosa: .230
Brad Wilkerson: .241
Frank Catalanotto: .270
and …Jason Botts: .400
According to the Newberg Report's Scott Lucas: "nice of Jason Botts to let us occupy space on his planet."
This is the week that was: LHP Kasey Kiker continued to mow down MWL hitters pitching 12 innings giving up 7 hits 1 BB and striking out 11. Kiker stands 5' 10" if he were 8 inches taller he'd be as tall as Jason Botts.
Meanwhile in Bakersfield, Chris Davis who, like Jason Botts, visited the Newberg Report Booth at the 2007 Winter Fan Fest extended his hitting streak to 24 games, going 12 for 26 in 7 games. 
Frisco outfielders Brandon Boggs and John Mayberry Jr. had the same line last week: 7 hits in 17 AB’s. But they both live in the shadow of Jason Botts who lead the Frisco Roughriders to the Texas League Championship in 2004 and was named to the 2004 Texas League Post Season All-Star Team.
The man himself, Oklahoma Redhawk Jason Botts, went 11 for 24 last week, with 4 doubles 5 home runs and currently owns a 17 game hitting streak..let us now pause for a moment of awed silence.
This is the week that will be: Saturday night at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City is Jason Botts Growth Chart night - that's all you really need to know.
This week's non-sequitor:
Important information about Jason Botts.
* The PCL All-Star game is taking place on Wednesday July 11th without Jason Botts, so it's not really worth discussing.
* His favorite group is AFI - described by Rolling Stone magazine as pop punk with a touch of goth which I suppose means they sound like the Ramones and Marilyn Manson singing tunes by the Monkees.
* Jason’s OBP of .430 ranks 4th in all of professional baseball (major and minor league) trailing only Barry Bonds (.517) AL MVP candidate Maglio Ordonez (.444) and Todd Helton(.442)
* His favorite cookies are Snickerdoodles
* Jason Botts stopped by to visit his friend Ian Kinsler on a Redhawks off day 2 weeks ago - that night Ian hit 2 home runs - coincidence - I think not.
* As a kid, Jason Botts was a San Francisco Giants fan, his favorite player was 
former Ranger Will Clark.
* The 33 doubles hit by Jason Botts are tied with Chase Utley for the 3rd highest total in all of professional baseball behind (fellow minor leaguer) Delwyn Young’s 35 and that Ordonez guy, again, with 34.
* Jason’s grandfather, Carl Rosene, has been a San Francisco Giants season ticket holder since the team moved to the coast in 1958. Last season when Botts had an AB in the last game of the Rangers/Giants series, the Giants put a message on their Jumbotron noting that he was the long-time fan’s grandson.
* He recently changed his walk-up music from Darth Vader’s Theme to a song by former Mouseketeer Justin Timberlake….okay, maybe Jason really didn’t need to do that.
* Jason Botts loves to face Kirk Sarloos. He hit his first major league HR into the second deck of the Home Run porch at the Ballpark in the second inning of a game vs. the A's on May 26, 2006. It was the Sunday Night ESPN nationally televised game. All of Jason's friends and family saw the HR, his mother Judy 
was at the game. Her cell phone didn't stop ringing for 3 more innings.
* Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News named his AAA farm report “The Jason Botts Watch” because Evan knows he’s just renting space on Jason’s planet.
* According to the Oracle of Baseball on Baseball Reference.com (it is a baseball version of the “6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon”) the chain of players from Babe Ruth to Jason Botts: Babe Ruth played on 1930 Yankees with Lefty Gomez who played on the 1939 Yankees with Joe Gordon who played on the 1949 Indians with Minnie Minoso who played on the 1976 White Sox with Brian Downing who played on the 1991 Rangers Kenny Rogers who played on the 2005 Rangers with Jason Botts.
I admit that I’m never impartial about Jason Botts.
I envy and respect his talent, I admire his persistence and positive attitude during 
his very long journey to the big leagues. I wasn’t lucky enough to get married and have children, but I was very fortunate to meet Judy Botts’ son and I’m glad she shared him with me and with all the baseball fans who know about him, or will get to know him during what I know will be a successful career.
Go Bottsie! When is the next trip to I-Hop? -- Marla Hooch
That was good. You have turned me into the world's biggest Jason Botts fan.
Okay ... the world's 2nd biggest Jason Botts fan.
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I was a big Botts fan before, but I think you added to my admiration of him. He's not only a great player, he's a great person too.
I want a Jason Botts growth chart. Why do I have to live eight hours from OKC? Grr.
If Jamey Newberg's prediction comes true, I will be there to cheer on Botts in his first series with the big club this season in Kansas City. Yay!!
http://diamondgirl.mlblogs.com
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Jason Botts is currently the best thing in the Rangers cupboard, and it was sort of a bittersweet travesty that he got snubbed in the spring for Sosa. I love Sosa, and I was happy to see him hit #600 with us, his first team, but it's time for Botts to get his shot. I think he's the next Jim Thome or Ryan Howard, and he's going to be the muscle behind this team for years to come.
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It wasn't just Sammy. They signed Cat too. I loved Frank in his first stint here and there should be much better days ahead of him, but since they consider Botts a DH first and a leftfielder second I thought it was a major slap in the face that they signed 2 guys that you could look at the in same way. Both those guys, much like Jason, can play the outfield but are much more suited to DH. And Botts still almost made the team. He was one of the very last cuts coming out of spring training. Thank god he's got a better attitude about it than I do because I think he's gotten royaly hosed so far. I just hope they give him a shot for the last two months so he can try to win an everyday spot in the lineup next season. It would be foolish of the organization not to.
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I wouldn't say that Jason is the next Jim Thome or Ryan Howard - but I will say that I know he can hit .228 (like Brad Wilkerson), drive in 42 runs, play a little 1B or LF - and probably have more than 22 walks and less than 59 K's for a whole lot less than $4,350,000.00
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