What are the first place Rangers doing in bankruptcy court? Didn't this team draw 120,000 fans this weekend?
What's one of the best farm systems in baseball doing in bankruptcy?
The answer is simple.
The Rangers need to get out of Tom Hicks' ownership. They need to move on and bankruptcy is the only way out.
So don't panic. This is a controlled bankruptcy and it will allow the Rangers to deal with past creditors.
This is really the beginning of new day or the beginning of the Greenberg-Ryan regime.
Let me be fair.
Hicks was not a bad owner. He did try to buy a pennant in 2002 and failed miserably. However, he is not the only owner who tried to do that.
Also, Hicks has been negatively impacted by the banking crisis because so much of his business empire was built on leverage.
So we wish Mr Hicks well but it's time to move on! We hope that he can sell the Stars too and let that team get back on its feet!
Here is the bottom line: The bankruptcy announcement should not impact the on field performance. However, it will allow the Ranges to make a big move at the end of July!
The Rangers need to make a decision at first base (Davis vs Smoak) and there are too many young catchers on the roster (Saltalamacchia, Teaberg & Ramirez).
And every team in a pennant race could use another pitcher! Can you say Roy Oswalt of the Astros?
How about sending the Astros a young first baseman and catcher for Oswalt? And a little cash too!
Believe it or not, bankruptcy is a good thing for the Rangers!
It will actually move this team from the past to the future.....and this team has a good future with all of those young arms and players!
The Rangers need a new owner and to continue the plan that Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels put in place a couple of years ago.
P.S. This is Nolan Ryan's letter to the fans:
"As you may be aware, the completion of this sale has unfortunately been delayed due to resistance by a group of creditors.
I am happy to share with you that Texas Rangers Baseball Partners, the Club's current owner, and Rangers Baseball Express have a plan to finally get this sale done.
With the support of Major League Baseball, we've chosen to implement the sale through a voluntary, "pre-packaged," court-supervised process under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.
This is the best way to complete the sale and smoothly transition to new ownership, which we expect will occur by mid-summer."
