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 By Sarah Powers Before I get started, I just wanted to say that I’m beyond honored to join the SDI team. I will do my best to deliver the quality that is expected from this group and write with intelligence and clarity. Now, to the good stuff... Add Comment  image found at gurlinterrupted.com By Mike Luna There’s been a lot of negativity hovering over the Ranger fanbase since the 2012 season came to an end. Michael Young, Josh Hamilton, and Mike Napoli have all found new homes in recent weeks, and the front office seems to have missed out on most (if not all) of their offseason targets. Then, of course, there are those real world tragedies that cannot (and should not) be ignored.  image found at dailynews.com By Peter Ellwood It doesn’t matter who you ask, they’ll tell you the Rangers off-season has not gone according to plan. The subtractions (Hamilton, Napoli, Adams, Uehara, Feldman) certainly outweigh the additions of Soria and Pierzynski. There are still holes in the Texas roster, questions left to be answered. But it’s December 21st, and people are acting like it’s the end of the world.  image found at dallasnews.com By Jeff Johnson Throughout the history of this great game there have been giants, legends, heroes, and even goats. Baseball has always rooted itself deep in the American culture and is often a microcosm of our nation’s plight. From stories about Babe Ruth famously calling his shot against the Cubs in the 1932 World Series to tales of Josh Gibson and his dominance in the Negro League to hearing our fathers tell of the first time they saw “Mick” play in person, this game is as much about the stories and legends as the game itself. Do you remember where you were when Mark McGwire hit his 62nd homerun? What about when Nolan Ryan threw his record 7th no-hitter? Maybe you can recall where you were when Steve Bartman or Jeffrey Maier got a little more involved in the game than they had wanted. For Rangers fans one of those moments occurred on a summer night in New York during the All-Star game as Josh Hamilton took the national spotlight and had his own “Ruthian” moment and became our hero.  image found at stamfordadvocate.com By Bob Bland “There was a relationship over time.” - Jon Daniels, after Josh Hamilton signed with the Los Angeles Angels “There's no relationship there.” - Michael Young, after being traded to the Philadelphia Phillies Ranger fans love their team’s front office, and rightfully so. Jon Daniels, Nolan Ryan and their entire staff have done excellent work building a championship contender for a franchise that had spent most of the previous four decades as one of the least competitive in pro sports.  image found at blogs.dallasobserver.com By Robert Pike If patience were easy, it wouldn’t be a virtue. We live in a society where there is emphasis on the now. The present. Today. The term “social media” annoys me; it means “Twitter.” We live in the Twitter world now, where we gather and watch every rumor every day while reporters race to produce content for us to furiously click at.  image found at halcrow.com By James Holland Yes I am currently standing on the ledge. But I’m not about to jump off. Instead I am here with a megaphone trying to reason with the thousands of disillusioned Rangers fans who are trying to make sense of the deals that have taken place in the past few days. I’m speaking of the fans who become attracted to “names” rather than doing research into the players available.  Image found at milb.com By Patrick Despain Joey Gallo was selected by the Texas Rangers with the 39th pick (the Rangers second selection in the draft, a compensatory pick due to the loss of C.J. Wilson to free agency) in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. Gallo shortly thereafter began his career with the Rangers in the Arizona League, where he hit an all-time league record 18 home runs. Gallo played 43 games in Arizona, posting a .293/.435/.733 slash line before being promoted to short-season Spokane, where he mashed another four home runs in 16 games.  The writers from shutdowninning.com have collaborated to provide a complete recap of the 2012 Texas Rangers season. From Spring Training to the Wild Card Playoff game, the early season highs to the late season lows, every important moment is highlighted in this one-of-a-kind production. As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." This nearly 20,000 word e-book is available for purchase now here. A Shutdown Ending can be read in HTML, PDF, Kindle, Apple iPad//iBooks, Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo, and most e-reading apps including Stanza, Aldiko, Adobe Digital editions, and more! For the low price of $3.99, this completely original, never before seen piece of work is available now. You can purchase it for yourself, or there is an option to give it as a gift (the ideal e-stocking stuffer) (Currently, the creation of a Smashwords account is required for the purchase of the book, but that is a free and easy 2-step process.) Thank you to all of our SDI readers for your support. We hope you greatly enjoy this book for yourselves, or as the perfect Christmas gift for your Rangers-loving loved ones!  Image provided by @RangersFanMatt By Eddie Middlebrook The Holy Grail for Jon Daniels and Co. each and every offseason and/or trade deadline is acquiring an ace. Every year the Rangers are “reported” to always be on the cusp of acquiring a big-time pitcher: Lee, Sabathia and now Greinke. In many cases, they are the bridesmaid, but never the bride. Greinke was quoted on Tuesday as saying “At one point I favored Texas...but at the end that changed." | 
ArchivesMay 2013  ShutDownInning.com is in no way affiliated with the Texas Rangers, Major League Baseball, Rangers Baseball Express or any business related to the Texas Rangers or Major League Baseball.
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