A Call To Apathy

It is Thursday night. The last scoring update I saw showed the Rangers beating the Devil Rays by a tally of 4-2. And it was the ninth inning.

Ho-hum.

Why can I not get more interested?

At this time last season I was living in a place (that some know as "the phonebooth") that did not have "premium" TV (my choice) and I was forced to listen to the games on the radio - except for those two nights a week (roughly) on which the games were broadcast on a channel that I could pick up with my rabbit ears.

And last year's team sucked. This year's? Not so bad.

So what is my problem?

I should have been stoked after Texas took 3 of 4 on the road in Detroit. Maybe years of let downs have saddened my soul. Perhaps I have become jaded beyond repair. But I don't think so.

The Rangers were the most active of the AL West teams before the traditional July 31 trading deadline. And it wasn't even close. Added to the major league roster were the likes of Carlos Lee, Nelson Cruz, Kip Wells, and Matt Stairs. Other than Lee, none are barnbusters but, hey... who did the Angels add? What about the A's? Or even the Mariners?

But the thing about this team is that, no matter who is on the roster, they have been amazingly (even unworldly) average. They do just enough to stay in the race and they also fail just enough to lurk on the fringes of being considered dangerous. On any given night they can pound out 18 hits and 11 runs, opposing starter be damned. Then they can flail against a guy who has no business dominating a lineup populated by (now) five former All-Stars and a guy who is third in the AL in batting average.

What gives?

I, for one, do not buy into the theory that Buck Showalter rides the players too hard and they end up giving up on him after a few seasons. He is not to blame for this. Chemistry is not to blame for this. The Texas heat is not to blame for this. I don't even think the new air condiotioners in the home dugout are to blame for this.

Me? I place the blame squarely on one thing: Apathy.

Apathy is contagious, and it has been spreading in this area since 1999 (with the exception of 2004). In typical "chicken and egg" fashion, it is impossible to place the blame on any one aspect. Fans? Media? Players? Front office? Where did it start?

When you do not expect much, that is exactly what you get.

I'm just sorry that it has made me turn a deaf ear to the sounds of the great game and that it has kept me from posting on this site more frequently.

BUT - with all that said - I will be at the game this Sunday night with a large group of friends enjoying the benefits of a suite. And if, on that night, Texas completes a sweep of the hated A's? Allow me to redact all of the above.

After all, isn't that what being a fan is all about?