Sports: Serious about the Series

Oct. 27—The World Series this year has a distinctively western feel, with the Texas Rangers face to face with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

To get here, the Rangers had to meet the Houston team in a seven game showdown, prevailing in the end in true Gary Cooper fashion. Now, looking at the prognostications about the Series, most favor Texas in about seven. I don't know if our hearts are ready for another seventh game with everything on the line, but there's s chance we'll get it.

Of course, if you look back on this season, nobody could have predicted all of the twists and turns Texas and Arizona have endured to make it to the Fall Classic.

Now we've got the Rangers trying to prove they always get what they aim for, against the Diamondbacks, a sidewinder all coiled and ready to srtike.

Since I don't have any better sense, I've been on social media reading what folks are saying about the 2023 Classic and one asked "Does anyone outside of Texas or Arizona care about this series?

It's as if, if the Yankees or Dodgers, or media darlings like the Red Sox aren't playing, the Series is boring.

Back before opening day, one baseball preview ruffled a few feathers with some choice comments about the Rangers.

"There's literally nothing about the team that's special. Their colors are boring. Their mascot is boring. Their history is boring. Their team is boring. Their city is boring. The most exciting player they ever had they got from the Astros."

I assume he means Nolan Ryan.

Instead of playing to the standards set the past two years in Arlington when they lost 102 and 94 games respectively, well below the break-even point of 81, they came our to the gate like Secretriat at the Belmont. Then, just when it looked like they were going to lead the AL west wire to wire they treated us to the patented Texas Rangers summer slump. They lost 16 of 20. They fell out of first place, then lost the Division to the Astros on the final day of the regular season.

Then the playoffs came and somebody hit the switch. The Rangers were roaring again.

Finally, in the American League Championship series we got the season in a microcosm. They won the first two, lost the next three and went to the final game needing a win against Houston.

But this time the Rangers bats took all of the worry out of that deciding match by scoring early and often.

That brings us to the World Series.

I guarantee the Rangers' fans around Texas don't care if the snooty folks in the Big Apple aren't interested. They've waited more than a half century for a World Series title and they'll be glued to their big screens to see it happen.