Birthdays Galore!

Happy Birthdays to Mick Foley and Mike Modano. Thurman Munson born this day in 1947. I still think about him 30 years after his tragic passing. He was the one guy who as a young lad I rooted for heartily. He may have been grouchy and surly with the press. On the field Munson was a warrior and a leader. Probably why he was the first captain since Lou Gehrig in 1976.

After an interesting week for Vicente Padilla, he returned to the mound today in Boston. It should be noted that when you are placed on waivers in baseball it is a very common thing. It is also done unreported. This is to say that someone was hellbent on leaking the information tot he media. A way of putting a player in his place. No matter, Vicente took the mound, didn't go after anyone with inside stuff, and was just plain nasty! Hitting the black sides of the plate and mixing off-speed with the heat, lead Texas to a 6-3 win over the Dice K and the Red Sox.

With Josh Hamilton out indefinitely, Nelson Cruz has done admirably at the plate. A single short of the cycle, his homer helped propel Padilla and the Rangers to their first series sweep of the Red Sox in Boston since 1997. Michael Young led the game off with an opposite field blast. David Murphy had a 2-run hit as well.

Back to ten games over .500, the Rangers return to Arlington for their longest homestand of the year when the Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Astros come to visit. I will be content with a 6-5 or 7-4 homestand. I do know that with the Blue Jays you are talking about the strongest hitting team in baseball with a .280 team average. On the plus side we won't see Roy Halladay as he became baseball's first ten game winner with a victory today. Halladay is my guess for the only current athlete to have a shot at being baseball's next 300 game winner. At 141, it will take about eight more years of 20 win seasons. He can do it.

60,000 fans were treated to an outstanding concert at the new Cowboys Stadium. Despite issues with the acoustics and concessions running out of little things, the day was a success for the city of Arlington. It will only get better from here. I'm keeping an eye on October 12th for U2.

It could become a wet and wild week in North Texas. Shades of 2004 and 2007...

Time for a walk!

Over and out in Big D

Mr Will