"Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now."
My Boog Pages
Friday, October 1
The Ballad Of Chan Ho Park (Updated)
So the Texas Rangers managed to hang in there this year, staving off elimination until the final week of the season. Despite my comments on Dave White's blog a few weeks ago, they were not "strapped to the anchor and tossed overboard". In fact, they swept the A's, getting to within 2 games with 10 left to play Say thank you, Anaheim.
Unlike last year's team, which was filled with players nearing the end of their careers (Juan Gonzalez, Rafael Palmero), this year's version had hope, as talented young players like Mark Texiera and Hank Blalock (best 3rd base name in years) started coming in to their own. The biggest problem was started pitching. Kenny Rogers had a good year, as did Ryan Drese, but the other 15 guys who started a game either got hurt or got pummelled.
One of those was Chan Ho "out of the" Park. Owner Tom Hicks seems to have a man-crush on Park's agent, Scott Boras, leading to a deal worth $4.5 billion over 18 years (I exaggerate slightly). If that sounds familiar, it's because Boras also lifted Hicks' wallet in the A-Rod deal.
Park averaged about 33 starts a year with the Dodgers from 1997-2001, with an earned run average around 3.90. His first year with the Rangers he started 25 games with a 5.75 ERA. Last year: 7. He was on the shelf nearly all season with a back injury. This year he was hurt again, joined the team late, and had only a few starts before going on the disabled list. In addition to his physical problems, the pressure of playing up to his contract had clearly gotten to him.
After his back healed enough to start throwing again, he was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City for a rehab assignment. And even when he was back to full strength, the Rangers left him there. And a funny thing happened: he learned to enjoy playing again. He even said in an interview how much he like playing in OKC. When I read that, I figured his major league career was over.
I figured wrong. The Rangers recalled him in August, and in his first start he pitched well and got the when. When he left the game the fans gave him a standing ovation. For a guy with a fragile psyche, things couldn't have gone better.
This fairy tail is still a work in progress, however. In his last start Park gave up two seismic shots to Vladimir Guerrero in a loss to the Angels, prompting at least one of the writers at the Dallas Morning News to tear him a new one. But that happens to everyone from time to time; Park is a major-league pitcher again.
So you heard it here first: next year the Rangers will win the west. With a starting rotation of Kenny Rogers, Ryan Drese, Chan Ho Park, Ricardo Rincon, and me (well, it might as well be), they'll finally have the arms to back up their bats.
Manager Buck Showalter was in charge of both the Yankees and the Diamondbacks before they won their rings. If we can just get him to leave, the Rangers can start printing World Series tickets right now.
Update: Chan Ho Park pitched the Rangers' season finale in Seattle yesterday. He went seven innings without giving up a run, and the bullpen completed the shutout for a 3-0 win.
Also, I think I was a little rough in giving Dave White the business in the comments. While I'm not a Yankees fan, it's a rare achievement that a team is in the top 2 or 3 best in the league over ten years. The Yanks also have a number of players I respect, especially Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams. Sorry, Dave.
