Baseball Do... - Texas Rangers Podcast from the Fan's Perspective

Tension with Oak-town We discuss the current series with Oakland and specifically get into the events of yesterday's Rangers' loss in which Matt Garza blew a fuse and Jurickson Profar almost got his head taken off by Oakland closer Grant Balfour.  Garza took to Twitter last night and made some silly comments that he has since apologized for, but it begs the question - do professional athletes like Garza understand that when they tweet, the WHOLE WORLD is watching? Fun at the Ballpark Rangers reliever Cory Burns was subject to abuse last month from Scott and some fellow Rangers fans that unfortunately followed his ill-advised lead.  Comment below with any funny or unique experiences you have had at the Ballpark this season. What do they know? As the trade deadline passes every year, you can find thousands, consequently millions, of opinions detailing the winners and the losers of the swapping season.  We take a look at a couple of these which conflict each other and discuss why you should discount these grades/rankings...at least for the time being. Lastly... Thanks in advance for listening (which means you must listen now)!  Follow us on Twitter (@BaseballDo), Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/baseballdo) and comment below with your thoughts on our sexy voices.

Jasen got the opportunity to join Todd Kaufman, Dustin Dietz and Jeff Johnson for a "Scooping the Texas Rangers" podcast last night at The Melting Pot in Arlington. From Todd's site: With just over 24 hours to go before the MLB trade deadline expires, and after an improbable walk-off win over the Los Angeles Angels, the Texas Rangers have some decisions to make on which way they go and just how they go about improving this team. If they decide to do that at all. For two hours, Jeff Johnson, Dustin Dietz, Jasen Southward and yours truly talk about the biggest topics in baseball. One of those was the steroids controversy surrounding New York Yankees’ slugger Alex Rodriguez and if Major League Baseball is serious about banning him for life. Not only that but we talk about why one of us really doesn’t care that players are on steroids and neither do a lot of fans, especially if that player is on their favorite team. Aside from that, there are a lot of questions surrounding the trade deadline so we cover the rumors of trading closer Joe Nathan as well as which players could be available to the Texas Rangers before the July 31 deadline comes to a close. If there isn’t an “impact bat” out there, who are the players that could be had that will at least improve this offense down the stretch? This front office couldn’t possibly stand pat — could they? All that and much more on an extended addition of our Texas Rangers podcast. Give it a listen and be sure to comment below with your thoughts.

Scott & Jasen have been on a two month hiatus, keeping them from much involvement on the site or in terms of podcasting...so where have they been?  Truth be told...life just happens. After catching up, the guys take a quick look at the State of the Rangers as of today (July 13th, 2013) and discuss what they expect to see in the second half.  They also provide their biggest surprises and disappointments from the first half of the season. With the trade deadline looming less than three weeks away, they guys discuss potential trade targets (Garza, Gallardo, Stanton, etc.) and touch on the price tags associated with some of these big names.

It's the podcast you have all been waiting for...ok, maybe not, but give it a listen and hold Jasen and I accountable for our picks when they are all dead wrong at season's end.I don't want to spoil it, but you'll never believe who we pick to win the 2013 World Series."Hello JD, it's Jasen with BaseballDo.com, will you marry me?"Special thanks to all on Twitter who submitted questions.  Listen for the "marry one, kill one, naked spoon one" question regarding Wash, Nolan and JD and then let us know below how you would answer that question.If you want to play along with your prediction, post them in the comments section below:We picked:Divisional ChampsWildcard winnersLeague ChampsWorld Series ChampMVPsCy Young Award winnersRookies of the YearManagers of the YearGood luck, and don't be intimidated by the fact that we are professionals.

Evan Grant from the Dallas Morning News and SportsDayDFW.com joins us to talk about all of the important things in life, including but not limited to: Yu Darvish Sabermetrics vs. Traditional Stats Twitter Ron Washington's job security Black Bean Chicken Chili We throw in a brief segment of "Dear Baseball Do..." to finalize what may be the greatest podcast episode ever...like of all times. Special thanks to Evan Grant (@evan_p_grant) for joining us on the podcast and to @baseballotts, @MoNkeyJeNN71, @theKenAngel, @jjakin, @Tx_Baseball_Fan, @BCasey55 and @c_golden07 for the "Dear Baseball Do..." questions/statements/inquiries.

Josh Hamilton is gone, but not forgotten, as his words once again merit response from the Baseball Do guys and infuriate much of Ranger Nation.  Scott and Jasen discuss Josh's comments on DFW as a "baseball town" and his attempt to play Rangers fans that will be present to boo, cheer or stand in silence at the Rangers first home game (against the Angels) on April 5th, 2013.  Nolan thinks the Rangers can still be contenders without Josh, do you? We experience a technical breakdown, but determined afterwards that editing it out was too exhausting and beyond our technical know-how...so enjoy that! Do you love have another man's fingers in your mouth?  If not, you'll wanna hear Jasen horrifying story of a recent visit to the dentist's office.  Got one that top's it?  Share in the comments section below. We wrap up by breaking down a recent article from ESPN.com's Buster Olney related to strength of schedules for 2013 in the American League.  The rankings is interesting and is yet another way of looking at the decisions that will be made as the Rangers approach the 2013 trade deadline.

Is there a position that you feel better about on this Rangers squad right now than 3rd base?  Adrian Beltre has become a fan favorite, a leader and a fixture at the position for the Rangers (and the American League All-Star team) over the last two years and will man the position for the Rangers through 2015 (possibly 2016).  It just so happens that the Rangers have a pretty salty young prospect in Mike Olt at the position as well, so what's his future? To break up the baseball talk, we decided to talk about the exciting topic of alcohol.  We discuss preferences, current favorites, drunken states, friends and most importantly - responsibility. To wrap up, we go back to the "Dear Baseball Do..." question bag and Jasen provides his 3 keys to success for the Rangers in 2013. The 2nd Annual Baseball Do Field Trip will be here before you know it.  What are you waiting on?

Are the Rangers better or worse at the catcher position than they were in 2012?  How do A.J. Pierzynski and Geovany Soto stack up when compared to their peers in the American League? Jasen and I break down the catcher position for the Rangers in the first of their preseason position-by-position review. We also rank their top 5 current TV shows.  Spoiler alert - Breaking Bad makes the cut, but is it in the top spot? Last, but not least, we introduce our newest segment - "Dear Baseball Do..." in which we field questions from our Twitter friends.  If you want to have your question on a future podcast, hit us up on Twitter (@baseballdo) or Facebook (facebook.com/baseballdo) with your questions.  They don't have to be Rangers related, or even baseball related for that matter.  Jasen and I are both experts in pretty much everything with the one exception of Jasen's lack of knowledge in the area of the adult film industry. Do you agree with our take on the catchers?  Got a great TV show that we missed or wanna share your top 5?  What do you think of the new intro and outro? Leave us your comments below.

Scott and Jasen dig into a couple of questions the Rangers face heading into Spring Training - first base and center field. Will Gentry and Martin platoon or can someone emerge as the full-time center fielder? Is Mitch the answer at first base?  Can he stay healthy and gain the trust of Wash to become a full-time player? Weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below! The 2nd Annual Baseball Do Field Trip is right around the corner as well.  We discuss details of this year's Field Trip as well as come highlights from last year.

Scott & Jasen discuss: The death of Big Tex Rangers new hitting coach Aggies evacuated How much of a team's success really falls on the manager? Did Ken Griffey Jr. do steroids? Listen and comment!

It's that awkward time between the regular season's disappointing end and the off-season rumors heating up.  Hope you dig it, because this is Baseball Do in it's truest form - baseball, Rangers, random topics and inappropriate stuff... Check it out and leave us a comment below to let us know what you think. Coming up next week: Jasen's horrifying hypothetical Halloween talk Bucket list - Sporting events Jasen's home life If we have time...Rangers 2013 outfield

The Rangers are playoff bound!  Are we excited or what?  The regular season didn't quite shape up like we had hoped, but nonetheless, the post-season brings new hope! Ok, was that a little too "rah-rah"? How about this: The Rangers are limping into the post-season with a one-game, all-or-nothing match-up against the Orioles tonight at the Ballpark.  While on paper, we should kill the Orioles tonight, we are hesitant to be too cocky based on the lifeless and uninspiring performance of the team over the last two weeks. We discuss the collapse and what we expect to see from the Rangers during the post-season with a comparable level of lifelessness and lack of inspiration. Who needs to step up for this team to have a chance? If the Rangers get past Baltimore, do they stand a chance from there?

Michael Young's performance is not up to par...and with more venues to express opinion than ever before, the fans aren't holding back. Is this hate or just tough love?  Does Michael deserve better given his track record in a Rangers uniform?  Is there really someone else to direct the angst at?  The Baseball Do Semi-Professional Podcast team takes a closer look. Before the season started, the Baseball Do Executive Team sat down and made five bold predictions for the 2012 season.  That same Executive Team checks in on those insanely accurate predictions. Now, the Baseball Do Marketing team would like for you to: Listen to this podcast (download via iTunes or hit the play button below) Read this article by our boy Dustin Dietz for a closer look at the numbers behind Young's performance. Hit us up with a tweet or a twat...follow @baseballdo, @TMurrayHowell &  @DustinDietz18 on Twitter for the ride of your lives...or just to talk about the Rangers.

The trade deadline is fast approaching...Scott & Jasen discuss some recent developments, the Rangers next move and the slump of Hambone. The Angels landed the first blow yesterday in dealing for Zack Greinke to add to an already salty starting rotation, but did they mortgage too much  of there future for a rental player? Will the Rangers answer with a deal of there own?  Josh Johnson or James Shields? Do the Rangers need to add some offensive help?  Could we see a big bat that could eventually serve as the replacement of Josh Hamilton - someone like Carlos Gonzalez or Justin Upton?  Or, are we simply looking for depth form the likes of Alfonso Soriano or Jeff Francouer? Speaking of Hamilton, he is currently in the midst of the biggest slump in his career and he's starting to hear the boo-birds at Rangers Ballpark. What does this mean long-term? Can Hambone turn it around this year when we need him the most - September & October?

Scott attempts to trade Jasen to an Oakland Athletics blog and podcast, which leads to discussion about the trade deadline and what we think the Rangers should do. What are the top 2 needs for the current Rangers squad? Who are some of the trade targets? Who would the Rangers have to give up in return?  Profar?  Olt?  Perez? Unfortunately, the Philly pictured here has not been put on the trading block. We'll have part 2 of the Trade Deadline podcast up next Saturday, as the rumors continue to heat up through the week leading up to the deadline at 4pm on July 31st. Be sure to check out our Trade Target Profiles on Justin Upton and Cole Hamels...we'll have more of these coming through the deadline as well. Stay tuned for details on a game watching party at Mixed Up Burgers!