Newberry: Rangers' backup plans worked
In almost any walk of life, one of the most important things is Plan B.
The best-laid plans don't always work out perfectly. Sometimes you miss a turn and an alternate route is preferable to turning around.
When the Dallas Cowboys didn't call on draft day, we had to find another job. When my wife didn't land a rich movie star, I became a good Plan B.
Plan A may be better, but it's not often realistic.
The Texas Rangers on the surface had to have pitching ace Cliff Lee last winter. He pitched them past the Divisional round of the playoffs for the first time in their history. He helped them beat the hated Yankees.
There were no other aces available.
Plan A was obvious and all eyes were on Captain Cliff last winter. But Texas' money wasn't enough and he went to the Phillies. At least it wasn't to the Yankees.
My fear, drawn from many years of inept Texas management, was that Carl Pavano would be on the next plane to Arlington. Kind of like when Cy Young winners Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens didn't work out, the Rangers settled for Chan Ho Park.
That's Chan Ho as in Oh-No he's not pitching again tonight, is he?
But in the winter of 2010, Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels had a real Plan B. They saw the pitching market beyond Lee wasn't worth marrying, at least on those terms.
They had also watched Michael Young play third base. And unlike most of their fans who wouldn't know the difference between Young and Brooks Robinson, the Rangers had also seen Adrian Beltre play third.
So Beltre as one of the top free agents available, although far from a bargain, was brought in to help the offense and the defense. Check and check.
Beltre should have been Plan A for somebody (yeah, that's you Anaheim). He is by any standard the best defender at the hot corner once again and he blasted his 30th home run on Sunday. He's also got 101 RBIs and a .293 average.
So much for the fact that he couldn't hit except in contact years! Sure, he was injured again, but the Rangers wisely kept Young and had enough depth to overcome it.
The new Plan A for the starting rotation was Neftali Feliz. The Rangers' young closer gave it a shot in spring training, but just doesn't have enough, sometimes any, reliable pitches.
So Plan B, or maybe C, was Alexi Ogando moving to the rotation. That looks like pure genius now.
Ogando went 13-8 with a 3.54 ERA and made 29 starts.
C.J. Wilson filled the role of ace, even if he's not quite Cliff Lee or Justin Verlander. But with guys like Ogando and Matt Harrison stepping up, the Rangers didn't have to have the richest ace pitcher as their depth paid off for them.
Panic was not part of the equation when Lee left for Philly. And it wasn't an option when Michael Young asked for a trade.
Ron Washington may not always come across as having the sense of urgency that fans in a football state want to see. But his famous "that's how baseball go" plays well in a clubhouse and keeps the panic button away.
It's the kind of confidence that allowed them to jump at the chance to bring in Mike Napoli for a reliever with closing experience.
Somehow, some way the Rangers would find a Plan B in the eighth inning. That help arrived in July.
Signing Lee might have been easier, but Ryan and Daniels won this AL West title with a perfectly executed Plan B.
The best-laid plans don't always work out perfectly. Sometimes you miss a turn and an alternate route is preferable to turning around.
When the Dallas Cowboys didn't call on draft day, we had to find another job. When my wife didn't land a rich movie star, I became a good Plan B.
Plan A may be better, but it's not often realistic.
The Texas Rangers on the surface had to have pitching ace Cliff Lee last winter. He pitched them past the Divisional round of the playoffs for the first time in their history. He helped them beat the hated Yankees.
There were no other aces available.
Plan A was obvious and all eyes were on Captain Cliff last winter. But Texas' money wasn't enough and he went to the Phillies. At least it wasn't to the Yankees.
My fear, drawn from many years of inept Texas management, was that Carl Pavano would be on the next plane to Arlington. Kind of like when Cy Young winners Randy Johnson and Roger Clemens didn't work out, the Rangers settled for Chan Ho Park.
That's Chan Ho as in Oh-No he's not pitching again tonight, is he?
But in the winter of 2010, Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels had a real Plan B. They saw the pitching market beyond Lee wasn't worth marrying, at least on those terms.
They had also watched Michael Young play third base. And unlike most of their fans who wouldn't know the difference between Young and Brooks Robinson, the Rangers had also seen Adrian Beltre play third.
So Beltre as one of the top free agents available, although far from a bargain, was brought in to help the offense and the defense. Check and check.
Beltre should have been Plan A for somebody (yeah, that's you Anaheim). He is by any standard the best defender at the hot corner once again and he blasted his 30th home run on Sunday. He's also got 101 RBIs and a .293 average.
So much for the fact that he couldn't hit except in contact years! Sure, he was injured again, but the Rangers wisely kept Young and had enough depth to overcome it.
The new Plan A for the starting rotation was Neftali Feliz. The Rangers' young closer gave it a shot in spring training, but just doesn't have enough, sometimes any, reliable pitches.
So Plan B, or maybe C, was Alexi Ogando moving to the rotation. That looks like pure genius now.
Ogando went 13-8 with a 3.54 ERA and made 29 starts.
C.J. Wilson filled the role of ace, even if he's not quite Cliff Lee or Justin Verlander. But with guys like Ogando and Matt Harrison stepping up, the Rangers didn't have to have the richest ace pitcher as their depth paid off for them.
Panic was not part of the equation when Lee left for Philly. And it wasn't an option when Michael Young asked for a trade.
Ron Washington may not always come across as having the sense of urgency that fans in a football state want to see. But his famous "that's how baseball go" plays well in a clubhouse and keeps the panic button away.
It's the kind of confidence that allowed them to jump at the chance to bring in Mike Napoli for a reliever with closing experience.
Somehow, some way the Rangers would find a Plan B in the eighth inning. That help arrived in July.
Signing Lee might have been easier, but Ryan and Daniels won this AL West title with a perfectly executed Plan B.
http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2011/sep/26/rangers-plan-a-b-c-worked/
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