PLEASE TELL ME THE RANGERS GAME IS BEING BROADCAST IN TEXAS

I saw a TV listings of the national Fox games and they did NOT list the A's/Rangers game today.

And it didn't list a local channel either.

If the Rangers win they will win their first Division Title since 1999.
PLEASE tell me that Rangers fans can... you know... watch their team win a championship.

You'd think that would be a big deal, even for Rangers fans.

A. L. West... you blew it

Back in late June, I pointed out that the history of the Texas Rangers contain one gigantic summer swoon after another as the team melts in the heat.

I said that I wasn't buying them until they make it through the summer.

And guess what?

They had a bad August.

With today's loss (and Cliff Lee's latest meltdown... he had better turn it on in October or else he is costing himself millions of dollars!) the Rangers finished August 13-15.

Guess who else had a lousy August?

THE ENTIRE AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST!!!

Oakland finished 13-15.

The Angels finished 11-16.

Seattle, a non factor, wrapped up the month with a win to improve to 13-14.

The entire division finished below .500 for August. The Rangers started the month with an 8 1/2 game lead, played sub .500 ball and finished the month with an 8 1/2 game lead.

Had the A's or the Angels played winning ball this month, there might be a pennant race in the West. There might be a little suspense.

Instead we are all but certain to have a Division Series in Texas which, by the looks of things, will mean they would get whipped by the Rays or the Yankees... unless of course Cliff Lee turns things around.

Either way, the Rangers gave you an opening... and the rest of the division just stared at their toes.

I don't have a horse in the A. L. West race. I want it to be competitive.

With the A's folding and the Angels trading away their closer, it doesn't seem like it will be.

Thanks... thanks a lot.

I wasn't wrong about the Rangers

Back on June 21, I wrote that I wasn't buying the Rangers.

I had seen this story before... the Rangers get off to an amazing start, everyone starts thinking they are for real. Then the summer kicks in and they wilt away.

In late June as the Rangers finished an 11 game winning streak (and won 14 out of 15) they opened up a 4 1/2 game lead over the Angels and looked for real.

Since then they've had a losing record (23-25) and in August they've lost 10 of 16 games and 8 of their last 11 games... just as they've ALWAYS done in August.

They've lost 4 straight (including a sweep by the Rays) and it's been nearly 2 weeks since they've won 2 in a row.

In other words my prediction was right.

Here's what I DIDN'T predict... the rest of the Division would be such garbage.

Actually the A's have been good. They've played 6 games over .500 since the Rangers winning streak.

Here's the problem... they were 6 games UNDER .500 then.

Meanwhile the Angels have collapsed to a 20-27 record since and the Mariners? Yikes... they are just 18-31 (and a fired manager) since.

It helps to win a Division when the rest of the teams have to have winning streaks to reach break even.

There's about 3 more weeks until Labor Day.

Can the Rangers blow a 7 game lead? Just ask the Mets if that is possible.

It's still hot in Texas, and I haven't been wrong yet.