Dallas (well, Arlington) Texas

Saturday's drive was probably one of the worst. For starters, it was either McDonalds coffee or gas station coffee! Then, I-40 through Arkansas was loaded with tractor trailers and other drivers not familiar with the concept of "keep right, pass left".

It would be a 7 hour drive from Memphis to Arlington, TX. I'd say the highlight of the Arkansas stretch was seeing a place near Little Rock where I could buy a home for $50 G's - of course, it was a double-wide! Maybe I could park it on W. 51st Street.

The Texas stretch was just as dull, but I did get to see a smashed washing machine in the middle of the interstate!

I arrived at the Candlewood Suites in Arlington around 4:15 pm. It's a mile or two from Rangers Ballpark in Arlington and the new Cowboys Stadium. I have another nice room, complete with a kitchenette - perfect for the overnight visitor!

I wasn't in the room for long though - enough time to drop off the bags, change into a shirt that's more "breathable", and pack my camera bag.

The temperature at the ballpark was still in the mid 90's by 6 pm (it would later drop to a chilly 86 after the game). Opened in 1994, this is one of the "old" stadiums in the current batch.

Walking around I notice it lacked some of the history that other parks had. The Rangers started out as the Washington Senators 2.0 (the 1961 version) and moved to Texas in 1972, so there wasn't a whole lot of time to "create" a history.

There were two statues out on Vandergriff Plaza: Tom Vandergriff, a Texas senator who was largely responsible for bringing the Senators to Arlington.

The other was of some guy named Nolan Ryan.

He was an ok pitcher in his day. Ryan played for 27 years, holds the record for most career strikeouts (5714), and has thrown more no-hitters than anyone in history (7). Legend has it the when Bobby Valentine was managing the Rangers and wanted to remove Ryan from a game, Nolan showed him up on the mound and kind of told Bobby V where to go. Valentine returned to the dugout, Ryan stayed in the game. Since then, Bobby V would send his pitching coach out to make a change.

There was a Rangers Hall of Fame there, but it was closed to the public for a private event (I'd learn why a little later). To illustrate how bland of a history the Rangers have, their Suite Level has rooms named after Hall of Famers from all around baseball. Most teams name the suites after their own greatest players.

Dinner was a BBQ sandwich and a St. Arnold Fancy Lawnmower ale brewed in Houston. Both were tasty.

I'd have to say the Texas fans were the nicest I've met so far. Of course it could be because they were just happy to be sitting in Row 1!

The couples on each side of me were really friendly and offered suggestions for my next stop on the trip, Austin, TX.

The start of tonight's game was delayed by 30 minutes for the induction of former player, GM, and current Rangers TV announcer, Tom Grieve into the Rangers Hall of Fame. Now I understand why I couldn't get in to see the exhibit. They brought out a bunch of former Rangers greats, including Nolan Ryan who got a standing ovation from the crowd. When it was over, Grieve took a victory lap in a convertible right past me.

As for the game, the Angels won 6-2. Ervin Santana pitched a solid game for the Angels, allowing 2 solo home runs in 8 innings, while striking out 9. His counterpart Scott Feldman wasn't as lucky, giving up 3 runs in five plus innings. After the two Rangers home runs (by Michael Young and Nelson Cruz), fireworks were shot off in centerfield for the crowd of 48,096.

But the highlight of the night was having seen Bengie Molina catch for the Rangers, making it the third straight game I've seen a Molina play in. For the uninformed there are three Molina brothers playing in the majors right now (Bengie on the Rangers, Yadier on the Cardinals, and Jose on the Blue Jays). I bet not many people get to complete that trifecta!

I'd say the lowlight was the Rangers version of the "Sausage Race".....Dots???

Surely Texas could do better than this! Maybe the Bush brothers bumbling around the field?

Following the game there was a free concert by Stoney Larue, some Country music singer I never heard of - though he sang the National Anthem & clearly some folk knew him. Since it was almost 11, I kept walking knowing I'll hear better music down in Austin on Sunday!