I Hate Tom Hicks

On a quick-hit side note, I would like to mention that my DISDAIN for Tom Hicks has been doubled by the Red Sox World Series win.

Two years ago the Rangers had the opportunity to add Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell in a trade with the Marlins. The cost would have been Hank Blaylock and a minor league pitcher. But because the team's owner is a complete moron who has no intention of ever putting the money he so undeservedly makes off the team back into said team, the deal fizzled. The Rangers allowed the Red Sox to get involved and of course The Sox, a team that knows how to get things done, swooped in with a better offer and closed the deal.

Josh Beckett is THE premier post season pitcher in Major League Baseball. He is dominating on the mound. He will win the Cy Young this season and won all 4 of his playoff starts. Josh is a truly amazing pitcher who is still young and developing.

In exchange the Rangers would have given up Blaylock, who is completely and totally a product of the steroid era, and a minor league pitcher who has since had Tommy John's surgery and may never make it to the Majors. That's it. An overpaid, underperforming third baseball who has strangely been unable to hit since MLB started testing for steroids and a completely unproven minor league arm.

"The catch", as it was described, was that part of the deal was taking on the contract of "aging" third basemen Mike Lowell. Lowell has been a solid, quality, major league player for 15 years. He defends the position as well or better than anyone in the league, he hits for contact and for power, and he is an amazing leader in the clubhouse. Oh and did I mention he just won the freaking World Series MVP. This is "a catch"? Seriously? An all star position player does not constitute a "catch". A "catch" is something like "Ya you can have this Cy Young caliber pitcher but you have to take on this three legged dog that we gave a contract to as a favor to his agent. He makes 10 mil a year but he does provide comic relief in the clubhouse." And truth be told, if that was what it took to get Josh Beckett, you do it and you don't even think twice. Instead of the three legged dog, you get an EXCELLENT player AND you get to get rid of one of the most overrated players in baseball! That's a Win-Win-WIN situation.

But in true Ranger fashion, the team sat around, twiddling their thumbs and posturing about how they really want to make the team better but not at the cost of their future and blah blah blah. And so as the Rangers finish up yet another last place finish in which Blaylock spent 5 months on the DL while the Red Sox are winning their second championship in 4 years led by the two players the Rangers couldn't make a trade for. Just another AWFUL move to add to the list of screwups that has plagued the Tom Hicks era in Texas. Kudos to the Red Sox for making a GREAT move and may you continue to throw egg in the face of Hicks as long as he owns the Rangers.

(On a side note, I am seriously considering launching a website called www.TomHicksistheAntiChrist.com. Check back later for further details.)