I did this once last season, and I enjoyed it so I'm doing it again. It indulges two of my passions -- Texas Rangers and my music. I have opened itunes and set it to shuffle. I will list the players on the current 25 in numerical order and hit "next" on my player. The song that comes up will be matched with that player...and I'll try to find a lyric or parallel between the two. Sometimes, I admit, that will be difficult, so bear with me.
#1 Elvis Andrus - "Answering Machine" by Matt Nathanson --- "I wonder if you're still defending...And I wonder if you're still defending." Andrus' defense has been the bright spot of his young career so far.
#2 Taylor Teagarden - "Love Song for No One" by John Mayer --- Ha ha. My favorite Mayer song. "I'm tired of being alone/So hurry up and get here/I'm so tired of being alone/So hurry up and get here oh yeah." So many waited for Taylor to "hurry up and get" to Arlington, but now he's only playing every few days.
#5 Ian Kinlser - "Into the Ocean" by Blue October --- "Now waking to the sun, I calculate what I had done, Like jumping from the bow, yeah, Just to prove I knew how, yeah." I think Kins is beginning to show us everything he is capable of.
#7 David Murphy - "Blown Like the Wind" by Serena Ryder --- "Oh, I'm not broken, you can't fix me." David's had a rough start to the season, but there's nothing wrong with him. "Patience, patience."
#9 Hank Blalock - "Afterall" by Jonathan Clay --- "Its not my place/To mess with faith/You cant control what isn't in your hands." Much of Hank's struggles in his career have been with his health. There probably wasn't much he could do to prevent that.
#10 Michael Young - "Tell Her About It" by Billy Joel --- "Listen boy I'm sure that you think/You got it all under control/You don't want somebody telling you/The way to stay in someone's soul." I think this can relate to the off-season drama about Young moving to 3B. No one needs to tell Young how to be a good teammate or a professional. He's got that.
#11 Greg Golson - "Collide" by Howie Day --- "Even the best fall down sometime/Even the stars refuse to shine/Out of the back you fall in time." Golson just came up a few days ago, and it's tough to tell how long he'll stay, but someday he'll get his chance to shine.
#13 Omar Vizquel - "Show Me the Way to Your Heart" by Sara Evans --- "You've gotta take my hand/And lead me to where you are/You know I'll follow." He's currently serving as a leader for Elvis Andrus and other young players. And he's more than embraced that role.
#17 Nelson Cruz - "Love Dies" by Matt White Band --- "I carry me through home/Through the battlefield of love I go/Gonna make it through the part of me that says 'don't you run when times get bad'" Nelson is out to prove this year that he can be a major league contributor.
#18 Eddie Guaradado - "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard --- Ha ha ha. I'm sorry. I just can't find anything here. But it's still funny.
#19 Chris Davis - "My Life" by Billy Joel --- "I don't need you to worry for me cause I'm alright/I don't want you to tell me it's time to come home/I don't care what you say anymore, this is my life/Go ahead with your own life, and leave me alone." Davis will make it through his offensive struggles just fine.
#20 Brandon McCarthy - "Dry County Girl" by Rascal Flatts --- Maybe there's someone out there who thinks Brandon is "a tall drink of water." In fact, I hear there are a few. Ha ha. "It's widely known that I have my flaws/while she's the Joan of Arkansas." Poor McCarthy will be compared to John Danks for as long as he's in this organization.
#21 Jarrod Saltalamacchia - "Not Myself" by John Mayer --- "Suppose I said I am on my best behavior/There are times I lose my worried mind/Would you want me when I'm not myself/Wait it out while I am someone else." Salty is having a really great season right now, which has quieted those begging to trade him in the off-season.
#22 Marlon Byrd - "Cryin'" by Aerosmith --- "There was a time/When I was so broken hearted/Love wasn't much of a friend of mine/The tables have turned, yeah/Cause me and them ways have parted." There was a time when the Rangers' outfield wasn't quite so deep. Now it's overflowing, and Marlon Byrd (who some still think is expendable) is a big part of that.
#25 Andruw Jones - "Songs About" by Rob Blackledge --- "Tell me what I gotta do/Tell me what I've gotta say/Cause you know if you don't/I'm gonna find out anyway." I didn't want to like Andruw Jones at the beginning of the season. I still don't, but he's making that very difficult.
#28 Jason Jennings - "Vegas" by Sara Bareilles --- "It's never your fault you can't start your/Own winning streak/But I'd hate to lose you to the fortune you seek." Jennings started out strong but then fell away a bit. I think he'll be ok in the long run though.
#33 Kevin Millwood - "Suspended" by Matt Nathanson --- "Time slips to nothin' and I'm better than I've ever been/I'm suspended." This pretty much sums up his season so far.
#36 C.J. Wilson - ""Heartbreaker" by Matt Wertz --- "And the subtle tease you start to sling/Like "I don't care about the songs you sing"/And now I can't take this any more/But I've never seen your type before." I don't think I need to say anymore.
#37 Kris Benson - "You Give Me Something" by James Morrison - "'Cause you give me something/That makes me scared, alright/This could be nothing/But I'm willing to give it a try/Please give me something." Enough said.
#39 Scott Feldman - "Half As Much" by Kyle Riabko --- "Well, the sun – it would be shining/Cause the rain would do the crying/There'd be nothing to worry your precious mind." I love Feldman as a starter.
#44 Vicente Padilla - "That For You" by Matt Wertz --- "I'm not made of gold/Thought I told you so/With your hopes so high." Padilla isn't flawless though many were ready to call him the ace during the off-season. I think he can still be effective (as he has shown), but we need to be careful not to put him on a pedestal.
#45 Derek Holland - "Holding Out for a Hero" by Bonnie Tyler --- Too funny! Many believe Holland will be the hero of the pitching staff someday, if they don't already think so already. "I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night/He's gotta be strong/And he's gotta be fast/And he's gotta be fresh from the fight."
#50 Frank Francisco - "Not Falling Apart" by Maroon 5 --- Another ironic one. Frank was overworked this past week, but he's certainly not crumbling. "I heard you say you needed me now/What’s the problem I can’t see/You destroyed me, I won’t fall apart again/I’m not falling apart."
#54 Matt Harrison - "Whisper" by Ernie Halter --- "How do i try and explain everthing/Nothing I
said seems to fit." It's hard to explain Harrison's start after such a bright debut season.
#56 Darren O'Day - "It's Not that Easy" by Erin McCarley --- "I wish I could be that diamond you've waited for/Yeah, I do believe when you say you won't take what isn't yours." I think Darren is trying to give everything to this team. It's tough to tell so far if he's here for the long-term, but we'll take what we can get while he's giving it.
Original Story:
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