Rangers World Series Bound

The Texas Rangers are no longer strangers of the MLB - After defeating the reigning World Champion New York Yankees in 6-games, the Texas Rangers are going to the World Series for the first time in franchise history. Throughout the teams 40+ year existence which saw a name and location change in 1972 from the team formerly known as the Washington Senators, the franchise has never made it to the Fall Classic, let alone won a single Postseason series prior to this year. All that talk can finally be put to rest as Josh Hamilton and company put together a 6-1 beating in Game 6 of the ALCS to defeat the evil empire of the baseball world. Not to mention in the most appropriate way possible, striking out former Ranger Alex Rodriguez for the final out of the ball game. Not only did Texas dethrone the Yankees as the American League Champions, but they've also assured us that a new champion will be crowned this year which is always a positive.

Hamilton received MVP honors while hitting .350 (7-for-20) with a double and 4 home runs, scoring 6 runs, totaling 7 RBI's, and drawing 8 walks, 5 of which were intentional, setting an ALCS record. Hamilton's four homers were also good enough to tie an LCS record. Keep in mind, he did all this while playing with banged up ribs. Imagine what type of numbers the 2010 batting champ would've put up if fully healthy. Not only does Hamilton's statistics deserve its own headlines, but so does his story of battling his demons that almost everyone is familiar with by now, which included drug and alcohol abuse. One of the cooler things we seen this Postseason, was the substituted champagne shower Hamilton's teammates gave him after defeating the Tampa Bay Rays in the ALDS.

Instead of the usual beer and champagne that players drench themselves with when advancing to the Playoffs and beyond, the Rangers clubhouse treated Hamilton to a Ginger Ale bath, dousing him with bottles of the sweet substance, before the real party began. Also included in the abnormal yet touching celebration was left-handed pitcher C.J. Wilson, who doesn't drink due to his straight edge beliefs and drug-free lifestyle. Cliff Lee continued to show his brilliance and prove yet again that he's an entirely different life-form when it comes to Postseason pitching, but much credit goes to Colby Lewis, who won two games in the series including the clinching Game 6. And to think a year ago, Lewis was on the brink of calling it quits in terms of the Major Leagues as he found a home in the Japanese Central League, starring as a pitcher for the Hiroshima Carp and leading the league in strikeouts in back-to-back seasons.

While recent stories regarding the Texas Rangers can be talked about for days, including the decision part owner and team president Nolan Ryan decided to make when standing behind his manager Ron Washington despite the cocaine issue that was brought up earlier in the season, or the team that filed for bankruptcy just several months ago and was fought over in a courthouse, the real story lies on the baseball diamond where one of the games most deserving teams will try to win their first ever World Series title. Whether they face the San Francisco Giants or the Philadelphia Phillies is yet to be determined, but it won't matter to the Texas Rangers who are looking to fulfill their dreams and put an exclamation point on the 2010 season that has been somewhat of a Cinderella story for the folks of Arlington.