Congratulations to the San Francisco Giants and their fans. The Giants played superb baseball in the World Series, outscoring the Texas Rangers 29-12. Their starting pitchers were dominant; their relief pitchers were effective; their defense was spectacular; and their hitting was timely. If I were a Giants fan, I would be pleased and proud. I love small ball. My Rangers are moving in the direction of small ball, but they regress to bashing from time to time. Nelson Cruz and Ian Kinsler try to hit a home run on every pitch, regardless of the situation. I have no idea why manager Ron Washington tolerates such indiscipline. It is infuriating. Another problem with the Rangers is that they have no leader. Michael Young and Josh Hamilton lack the personality to be a team leader. Neither is fiery and neither has the ability to rise to the occasion like Reggie Jackson or Derek Jeter. (Yes, I just named two New York Yankees; so sue me.)
The Rangers were 8-8 in the postseason: 3-2 against the Tampa Bay Rays, 4-2 against the Yankees, and 1-4 against the Giants. As I have written in this blog several times, the Rangers had only one good month this season: June. That month (21-6) got the Rangers into the postseason for the first time in 11 years. The postseason began well with series victories over the Rays and Yankees, but ended poorly with a five-game loss to the Giants. If the Rangers spent as much money as the Yankees (or even anywhere close), I'd be optimistic about next year; but there's a good chance that the Rangers won't reach the World Series again for a decade or two. When you reach the Series, you must win it.
In case you're wondering, I expect Cliff Lee to sign with the Yankees. He pitched well in the World Series this year, but not as well as Tim Lincecum. The Yankees could find themselves playing the Giants in next year's World Series.
Addendum: Counting postseason play, the Rangers were 98-80 this year. Subtract June's 21-6 record and you get 77-74. Mediocre.
Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D. 