Screw it, ALL IN!

Finally something to write about! I did not forget about you. I have received a few e-mails about my lack of blogging this week, but things got hairy there for a while and I haven't been able to get on here. This week has been tough for me. I have been struggling to find topics that I can write about. Not that I haven't had some eventful happenings; I have, but they are nothing that I can, or should, write about. No point going into that. Adding to this, work has been killer, so I have had zero time to write about anything. Well, as this Friday was rolling along, finding a topic for today was looking bleak. I was scrounging up quick hits to throw together for a Friday column that would almost assuredly be half-assed and forced, then the news came...Carlos Lee.

Let's get right down to it, the Rangers just went "all in" at the poker table. It seems that the Rangers are trading Francisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, and Laynce Nix to the Brew Crew for Carlos Lee and a minor league OF and another player (click here.) Now as of two days ago, I was against any move the Rangers might make. My rational was very simple. This is a mediocre team at best. They are not good and they are not bad, and are not going to be able to realistically compete in the playoffs. Simple as that. Now, my tune has changed. Carlos Lee should bring the bat that this team needs, and it hopefully allows for Texieria to get his swing going too. That would be the equivalent of adding two power hitters to the first Rangers team in my memory that couldn't hit a cookie tray if smacked them in the face. Their offense is that bad.

Typically, this team can't pitch, but this year they can't hit. Go figure. I've sat here for far almost 10 minutes looking for an appropriate metaphor for this and can't find a single one. It's that strange. The part about this deal that I like is that Texas gets a bona-fide power hitter and a great outfield prospect for three spare parts. I mean I hate to see Mench go, but the guy is streakier than Tom Cruise's movie career. Cordero's confidence is shot. And the only thing you lose by giving away Laynce Nix is his boy band name and the possibility of running into Lance Bass and Joey Fatone in the clubhouse. Good trade.

Its been a long time since the Rangers were buyers on the market, and its making me all tingly in my sports pants. With this "All in" mentality you know an arm is on the way. Daniels knows that this team needs one more pitcher to get this thing done. A number two or three starter would allow Kameron Loe to move to the set up position and provide more solidarity from the top to the bottom. Before I get too far along, I should say that this could end up being a 2-month rental on Lee, and we might not land an arm, but the prospects make it a good deal, and the effort shown by the front office gives us fans hope. The team hasn't been in the playoffs since 1999, and they have only had one good run at them since then, 2004. This is what this team needs. They need to believe that they can win. Hope could make these fans and the team find what it needs to win. I'll tell you what, its a great day in Rangerland and I am starting to believe in thins thing too. I am excited. Is Steve Perry singing in the background of anyone else's thoughts right now? Or is it just me?

(Side note: Me and my roommate were gonna go see Journey when they come to town tomorrow, but we found that Steve Perry left the band in 1997. For being such Journey dorks we can't seem to figure out how we missed this little tidbit of information. Regardless, this brought and end to our plans. I refuse to see a Steven Perry-less Journey. No street lights. No people. No nothing. Just disgraceful. Along those lines, Lynyrd Skynyrd is coming soon too, but I won't see them despite being a top 5 band for me. Why can't my favorite bands keep their lead singers? I guess that's more directed at Journey. Lynyrd Skynyrd gets a free pass on that. Let's move on...)

Trivia Champions!
Every Wednesday me and some of the boys go to Plucker's Wing Factory and throw back some brews while we compete in their team trivia game. Every week we lose. That is, until this week. Sporting the team name "Andrea Yates School of Life Guarding" we went into the final round tied with team "Lance Bass is not Bye, Bye, Bye, he's Gay, Gay, Gay." The last round was the "nerd" round. Armed with me and my buddy Pat's history backgrounds, we missed a total of one point. Victory. Streamers. Confetti. The celebration was madness. Ok, maybe I'm exaggerating, but we felt like champs, and we celebrated with a round of beers. And that's when the trouble started.

You know those VH1 Behind the Music shows where a band acheives its musical goal, and then inexplicably errupts all over itself at the height of its success? Well that's what happened to us. One minute we are riding high as the owner is handing our table the $75 gift card we had just won, next thing you know we ask for our tab which some how turns out to be $100. Crap. You mean we owe money? Now people are scrambling about tying to figure who ate food, who just had beer, and who had both. Then the issue of some people saying we needed to add additional tip to the 17% gratuity already added to our bill, while others say it's nonsense. Madness. Somehow we all end up yelling at each other for about ten minutes before we all just decided to split the twenty five dollars owed between all of us. Bringing everyone's total to a whopping $2.50 per person!

I swear for an argument over two dollars and fifty cents, we were one gun-toting friend away from having to reenact Blue's funeral scene from Old School. I guess some people just aren't meant for fame. On the bright side, if the Behind the Music analogy holds true we will be back in winning trivia form in a few weeks for one last hurrah before we disappear forever. Unfortunately, these things usually don't happen until someone in the group dies of AIDS. Bad news, Luke, you've been nominated. We will always remember you, buddy. Yates Lifeguarding forever!

Lance Bass is Gay: Anyone else as non-shocked as I am? The funniest part about this whole thing is that he said that he didn't tell anyone about his sexuality because he didn't want to hurt the image of the N'Sync. Lance, are you trying to tell me that you stayed in the closet because you didn't want your five-member boy band to look gay? Interesting strategy. Might have been wasting your time, tho.

Gems from RT: I just had this litte quote dropped in my lap from Ryan:

Major Blorts sighting...Carpenter-style black jean shorts...Ughhh!

Couldn't say it any better. Have a good weekend.