We're here. (Wade Phillips pun intended.) We braved the snow and cold weather in Dallas to travel to warm and beautiful Surprise, Arizona for Rangers spring training coverage 2010. Interestingly, I posted "Surprise!" as a Facebook status update and comments ranged from "Are you pregnant?!?" to "Are you getting married?!?!" No and no.
To the point: the Rangers are excited about 2010. "Duh!" you must be saying. True, every coach/manager is excited about his/her team heading into a new season. But as Rangers manager Ron Washington told me, "Here we are February 24th, 2010 (It was actually the 23rd when we talked.) and we're talking about pitching."
"You like that," I asked.
"It's a good thing," he smiled.
We'll get deeper into the Rangers pitching situation this week.
Keep your eye on the catching situation. Mark McLemore said it's the number one thing he's looking at in spring training as Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Taylor Teagarden are the Rangers primary options. Because of Saltalamacchia's injury issues with the Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and his tenuous recovery, which required him to essentially shut everything down for a month, he's a little heavier than he'd like to be. When I chatted with him on Tuesday, he had just gotten through with a killer conditioning workout. He's looking to shave a few pounds. (Maybe we can share diet/workout tips... how many other reporters are game for that?!)
Washington told me the most important thing he's looking for in a catcher is how he works with his pitchers. There's a true art to a catcher earning a pitcher's trust and calling a game. Finding that is Washington's priority.
That's it for Day 1. Photographer Bill Ellis, producer Chris Bullock, my new favorite ex-MLB player Mark McLemore and I left Dallas around 7 a.m. It's 11:15 p.m. Dallas time and we're deliriously tired.
Expect much more coherent blogging later this week. What stories regarding this Rangers team intrigue you?
-- Gina Miller