Tragedy Strikes the Texas Rangers

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When the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics took the field on Thursday night, the last thought that would ever cross any of their minds is how things would play out and the events which would change one player, one family, and the Rangers' family forever.

After a foul ball down the left field line, Rangers' left fielder Josh Hamilton grabbed it and did what just about every baseball player has been known to do. He tossed it into the stands.

What happened next is something no one ever would have predicted.

A fan, reaching out for the ball, lost his balance and fell head first between the left field seats and the out of town scoreboard.

According to reports, Shannon Stone, a firefighter from the Brownwood Fire Department, was coherent and spoke to paramedics and authorities who rushed to his aid. His concern wasn't for his own well being but for his young son who was with him at the game.

The Rangers and A's returned their focus to the game as Texas poured on the offense and young left hander Derek Holland had arguably his best performance of the season.

But the story went from an impressive Rangers win to the tragic death of Stone who reportedly went into cardiac arrest on the way to a trauma 1 center in Fort Worth, Texas. He was pronounced dead at 8:26pm central time.

A father brings his young son to a baseball game, his son's first game according to a lot of reports I've seen, and it will be the last game this young child will ever be able to attend with his father.

Your thoughts and prayers go out to the Stone family as well as to the Brownwood Fire Department who lost one of their own on Thursday night.

But then you think about Josh Hamilton who was "distraught" according to Nolan Ryan when he made an official statement to the media after the game last night.

What is going to happen to Hamilton from here on out. When he grabs a foul ball, will he think about where or even if he tosses it to the fans? Will this tragedy be in the back of his mind when he goes up to bat or even when he heads out to his spot in left field?

There are no answers to any of the questions anyone wants to throw out there. There's no reason to ask the "what if" questions because they aren't going to do any good to anyone right now. What happened on Thursday night was a tragedy and by no means is anyone at fault.

I feel for the family who lost a husband, a son, a brother, a friend. I feel for those who were around Shannon Stone when his fall occurred and I feel for those who had to hold his young son back while he was screaming for his father.

The Rangers handled things correctly last night. They made an official statement and they closed the clubhouse to the media so the only statement made was the one that came from Nolan Ryan himself.

There's no telling the mind frame of the players when they begin to arrive at the ballpark on Friday afternoon to get ready for the second of a four game set against the A's.

The clubhouse will undoubtedly be a little more quiet and a little more somber than usual. Players won't have the same smiles they might have had every time they came to the park. It's going to feel different and there isn't one player, regardless of whether it's Texas or it's Oakland, who will be able to look at left field without the same visual replaying in their minds like a VCR that won't stop rewinding.

Parents will hold their children that much tighter and parents arriving to the ballpark on Friday night will keep an even closer eye on their children, themselves, and their surroundings.

This isn't supposed to happen. Not at a baseball game. Not at a place that brings families together and allows a father to bring his son to his very first baseball game.

Unfortunately it did happen and it's a tragedy that will remembered for a long time to come.

Texas Rangers: Is the Signing Bonus Too High For Nomar Mozara?

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Over the weekend, the Texas Rangers, along with the rest of baseball, had their chance to sign some of the best Latin America talent money could buy.

So, Nolan Ryan and company decided they were going to spend almost $9 million on two different players and both no older than 16 years of age.

Ronald Guzman, a 6-foot-4 195 pound outfielder, was signed for $3.5 million but the one thing that has some people scratching their head is the part of his scouting report that says "below average arm and speed." I know $3.5 million isn't much at all in the grand scheme of things as far as baseball is concerned, but for a guy listed as "below average" it seems a little steep.

While some are curious about the signing of Guzman, there are even more who are talking about another 16-year old outfielder.

At 6-foot-5 and 185 pounds, 16-year old Nomar Mozara received a signing bonus of more than $5 million topping the Oakland Athletics who signed Michael Ynoa for $4.25 million back in 2008.

His scouting report, however, is much different from that of Guzman's. He's being called one of the best Latin American hitters since Wily Mo Pena and...Miguel Cabrera? That's high praise for a 16-year old who's yet to prove anything in the states.

You might remember Cabrera being signed by the Florida Marlins for $1.8 million back in 1999.

Shan Shariff, one half of 'New School' on 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas, Texas called Mozara's signing "irresponsible" and is of the opinion that the Rangers should not be giving a 16-year old kid $5 million.

While I understand Shariff's opinion I will respectfully disagree with his assessment for one simple reason. Had the Rangers not signed this young athlete, who has a ton of potential, there would have been another team who snatched him up for almost the same cost.

Why is that a bad thing? Because Mozara, because the Rangers have this kind of luck, or lack thereof, would have become a huge star and the media in Dallas and Fort Worth would be calling Texas' front office "irresponsible" for not signing him in the first place.

How could they have missed out on a prospect being called the next "Miguel Cabrera?"

It's easy to knock the Rangers for signing a teenager for what he might be able to do instead of holding your opinion until he either makes it or he washes out.

I'm in favor of this team and it's front office doing exactly what they did. I believe they do their due diligence on the players they sign. If this were a group led by former owner Tom Hicks then I'd probably be questioning the decision as well.

But with Nolan Ryan leading the charge, I know he has a group of scouts and advisers who know the kind of players this franchise needs going forward.

Heck, there were those who blasted the Tampa Bay Rays for signing one Josh Hamilton out of high school. Say what you want about his past, he became the star the Rays had envisioned from the moment they signed him.

So before we pass judgement on the signing of Mozara or Guzman, let's wait and see how these two players shape out before we call anyone "irresponsible."

It's better than having to eat those words later.

The Texas Rangers Are Better With Michael Young Than Without

The Michael Young drama was something that a lot of fans and media alike were talking about leading up to spring training. The longtime Texas Ranger wanted out and he made his trade demands know both privately and publicly.

But then Young did something a lot of people didn't expect him to do. He shut his mouth, worked out with the team, and didn't say any more about it after it all unfolded in the days leading up to the entire team reporting.

He even held a closed door meeting with his teammates to answer any questions they had about his demands, his feelings, and what concerns they may have had.

Why? Because it's the kind of teammate he's always been. He's the guy who, when Mark Teixeira turned down the Rangers' contract extension for the New York Yankee pinstripes, took the contract extension the Rangers offered him because he wanted to remain with the club.

The Texas Rangers and the Season of Expectations

The defending American League Champion Texas Rangers come in to the 2011 season with a new set of expectations that have never before been put before them. They’ve never been expected to do much else than at least be in the AL West race up until the All-Star break.

After that, they were expected to fall apart. Most of the time, they did just that.

Cliff Lee: Texas Rangers Ready to Offer Five Years?

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We knew the Cliff Lee sweepstakes were going to heat up as soon as the Winter Meetings got underway, mostly because Lee made it clear he wasn't going to listen to offers until the aforementioned meetings began.

Well, according to the New York Post, the Texas Rangers could be tipping their hand a little bit early. George King III writes that the Rangers could be willing to offer a five-year contract that would pay Lee $23 million annually which would make the contract worth roughly $115 million or more depending on if there are any performance based incentives included.

There's no doubt that the New York Yankees will respond but the fact that the Rangers have laid their cards on the table, assuming this deal is legit, will force the Yankees to go higher than $120 million to keep the left-hander interested.

I'm curious to hear Ranger fans respond to this deal and if they believe this to be the kind of deal they expected the team to put in front of the guy they landed just before the trade deadline this past season. Are they putting too much on the line for one guy and could they miss out on other free agents if they end up waiting for Lee's answer, or do they have a backup plan already in place?

Those questions may not be answered until next week when Lee is expected to officially begin looking at the offers on the table. Though, there's no guarantee that he'll make a decision by the end of the Winter Meetings but I would imagine that teams would like the answer sooner rather than later in order to make corresponding moves.

The Rangers have done the right thing here in my opinion. Though there's always a chance that they could be bluffing just to see if the Yankees buy into it, turn around, and put together an offer that let's the Rangers know just how far Brian Cashman and the Steinbrenner's are prepared to go.

We do know that the Yankees re-signed Sergio Mitre earlier today. It's not a huge move, but it's one to keep their bullpen strong.

The drama continues to unfold between them and long time short stop Derek Jeter. There are rumors that the Yankees were willing to give him three years while Jeter wanted five or six. I don't blame the Yankees for balking at that.

Ranger fans are hoping to see Cliff Lee back in Rangers blue and white and not dawning the Yankee pinstripes when he finally does make the decision.

However, don't expect Nolan Ryan to get into a bidding war with the Bronx Bombers. He knows full well they can put more money on the table than his team can. Ryan is hoping for leverage and the fact that he's close to his family in Arkansas by staying in Arlington.

Ryan also knows that it's not a tough sell by saying the Rangers are close to winning a championship as they knocked off the defending champion Yankees to get to the World Series, though they would eventually lose to the San Francisco Giants in five games.

This is an intriguing development in this story. One that will only get better next week as the winter meetings get underway.