Recently there have been a few different columns written about the possibility of realignment. There has even been mention of the possibility of a “floating realignment,” which would have teams constantly changing divisions year after year. There have been suggestions about getting rid of the Wild Card and expanding to 4 divisions in the AL and NL. Bud Selig discussed this issue yesterday, in a report written by the AP http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5013511,  “I’ve always believed in realignment and we have done a lot in the last
18 years, but we really have not discussed that subject,” he said. “It’s
a subject that has been on my mind for a long time, but is there
anything to report? No. There have been some stories but that is way
ahead of where we are.”Realignment is just one of many issues being looked at by a committee that Bud Selig has put together.

There are various opinions on the execution of realignment. The “floating realignment” is probably a bit to complicated to ever be a viable option, but there is a way of making it work without actually getting rid of the Wild Card. The Wild Card has become a great addition to baseball since being implemented in 1995. It keeps teams in contention that may have be eliminated early within the division.

However, let’s not overlook the great rivalries that exist within the divisions. Where would baseball be without the Yankees competing against the Red Sox, and the Cubs battling it out with the Cardinals? Heated rivalries are what make this game so great.

 Here is my realignment proposal

American League West: Seattle Mariners, LA Angels, Oakland Athletics, Colorado Rockies
American League Central: Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers
American League East: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays

National League West: San Diego Padres, LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks
National League Central: Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, Cleveland Indians, Milwaukee Brewers
National League East: Washington Nationals, Baltimore Orioles, Florida Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves, Pittsburgh Pirates

This realignment would allow MLB to have instate rivalries with the Mets and Yankees playing in the same division and also group some of the larger market clubs together. It also gets some of the smaller markets in a grouping together that will expand parity in the league. It puts the Rangers into the central (where they belong) and creates some great in-state rivalries. Colorado Rockies have a stadium that would be great for the American League, with the DH.

Probably will never happen but a fan can always dream….

A little more than 2 weeks away from Opening Day. Time to put behind the mistake that Ron Washington made last July, and start focusing on the upcoming season. There is no question that the Ron Washington saga is far from being over. He will get a brutal greeting early in the season when the team travels to New York to face the “Evil Empire.” He will also probably get a fair share of choice words from the hometown fans. However, there is a way to make this problem go away and it’s quite simple.

Win!

That’s all Ron Washington and the Texas Rangers need to focus on. Win and all your problems will seem to go away. The Rangers are going to score runs, but can they pitch even better than what they did in 2009? So far in the spring Rich Harden and Colby Lewis have struggled but the team doesn’t seem to be all that concerned about either of them. The biggest question going into the 2010 season is who will be in the Rangers starting rotation. That question got a little easier when Tommy Hunter was sidelined with a strained oblique muscle in his left ribcage that will keep him out of action for 2 weeks, and making it highly unlikely that he will be ready to start the season in the rotation. Hunter was a clear lock for the number 4 spot in the rotation. Now he’s out and who will jump in?

Meet your 3 candidates: C.J. Wilson, Matt Harrison, and Derek Holland

Derek Holland had flashes of being brilliant in his rookie campaign. In the midst of trade rumors surrounding Arlington for the likes of Roy Halladay, there were many fans who were very clear in their message, “Don’t trade Holland!” In fact, the night before the deadline the Holland was on the mound with scouts from the Blue Jays on hand to watch him throw, and BOY DID HE THROW! Holland had his best start of the season and there was a lot of heated debate among Rangers fans on if they would trade Holland, Smoak, and others for Roy Halladay. (I’ll admit that I was one that thought that the Rangers should do what it took to get Halladay) In the end it was irrelevant because Halladay decided that he did not want to pitch in Arlington. Nolan Ryan confirmed this when I asked him this question early this winter. Holland came into the spring in 2010 as the favorite to win the 5th starting spot. His early minor injury changed things and Holland became the guy fighting to keep up with the likes of Matt Harrison, C.J. Wilson, and even Brandon McCarthy. Derek Holland pitched brilliantly in his last start and is currently set to throw again today in relief of Colby Lewis.

Matt Harrison is another candidate who had flashes of success last season until he had an injury that virtually took him out for most of the 2009 season. Harrison came into the spring as an unlikely candidate to fill the 5th spot, but he came into spring with a competitive mindset. Harrison said that his goal is to win the CY Young award this season and early indications are that he means it. Harrison is learning to be smarter with his pitches and is starting to miss more and more bats. Arguably, he has been the best pitcher so far this spring.

Then there is C.J. Wilson… Wilson may be the most interesting of them all because if Wilson moves into the rotation then an obvious hole opens up in the bullpen. Guys like Chris Ray, Darren Oliver, and Feliz become critical guys to step up. Wilson worked the off-season with the rotation on his mind. He knew that if he did not win a spot in spring then more than likely he was not going to be starting at all during the season. Wilson has pitched great early on in spring with 8 strikeouts over 9 innings. His next couple of starts will show a lot on if he is ready to be a starting pitcher or not. Wilson will have to prove he can pitch more than just a few innings at a time.

3 candidates left with 2 open spots. The early favorites are Harrison and Wilson but one bad outing can easily change everything. 

Stunning news broke early in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 17th. News that brought many fans and players a wide range of emotions. There will be many different opinions on this subject. Some fans will be wanting to wash their hands free of their manager, Ron Washington. While many others will stand beside him just as they did with Josh Hamilton. There are quite a bit of people inside the media (and also fans) that will probably try and compare the past of Josh Hamilton with what happened to Ron Washington. There will be many loyal supporters of Ron Washington and the Texas Rangers that will flee. Some will question the support that the Rangers front office have given to their manager, while wanting more severe punishment. There will also be those fans that will be merciful and will continue to passionately support their beloved Texas Rangers.

What we do know is that Ron Washington made a mistake and will be having to come face to face with arguably the single most difficult thing that he has personally had to go through. Washington faced a difficult time when Katrina stormed into Louisiana, but this is a personal dark cloud that will be following him around for the near future and quite possibly his whole career. Ron Washington has been around the game for a long time, and you will meet very few people that love the game of baseball as much as he does. Ron Washington is well liked and respected throughout the game. Ron Washington enjoys the simple fundamental aspects of the game and is almost giddy when he walks onto the field each day.

These are things that will no longer come first to mind when fans hear the name “Ron Washington.” There is now a dark cloud that will shadow over him. When he walks on to opposing teams fields he will more than likely be greeted by a heavy reminder of one of the mistakes he will forever want to have back.

Ron Washington held an emotional team meeting and then press conference where he told players and fans about his drug usage. There have been reports from various media outlets that players have stood in support behind their manager. Nolan Ryan has also discussed his initial reaction of frustration and disappointment of the situation, but that the Texas Rangers are a family and will support their manager. About a month ago I got to speak with Ron Washington about the teams chemistry and how they seem to be a very close knit group. Ron discussed that he is happy that fans are noticing this and that they are truly a team in every which way.

No one knows how Ron Washington will handle this situation, and a lot of questions will be answered over time. However, it appears that Ron Washington will not be facing this battle alone and he will have a team of players and a front office that will stand beside him in support.