How It All Started
Honestly? Didn’t see this comin’ at the start of the year. Spring trainin’ was… fine. Usual stuff, pitchers figuring stuff out, guys swinging bats too early. We lost Vlad Guerrero? Big bat gone. People were scratchin’ their heads, thinkin’ we were maybe just okay. But something felt different watchin’ them practice. Energy was up. Cliff Lee gettin’ traded here mid-season? Holy moly. That was the first big “whoa” moment.
Grinding Through the Summer
Remember sweating buckets sittin’ at the old Ballpark in July? Offense was BOOMIN’. Nelson Cruz would smack one outta nowhere, and Josh Hamilton? Man was seeing beach balls at the plate. Pure magic. But it wasn’t all smooth. We’d win a bunch, then drop a few stupid ones. That pitching rotation though? Lee, Wilson, Lewis, Hunter… felt like we could count on ‘em most nights. Bullpen? Had me chewin’ my nails sometimes. Frank Francisco mostly held it down, but man, some outings were rough. Had this feelin’ we were building somethin’, game by game. Took the division clean. People started payin’ attention.
The Playoff Rollercoaster
Okay, heart attack central time. First round? Tampa Bay Rays. Cliff Lee Game 1. Unreal. Dude painted the corners like Picasso. Swept ‘em! Then, the big one: Yankees. Bronx Bombers. Everyone figured we were done. Remember Game 4? Down, then Bengie Molina launches one? Whole place exploded. Pure noise. Series goes 6, and Neftali Feliz strikes out A-Rod lookin’. Couldn’t believe my eyes. AL Champs! Texas hadn’t seen that… ever? Euphoria. Pure joy. Hugging strangers, hoarse from yellin’.
The Big Dance: World Series
World Series! Against the Giants. San Fran buzzsaw. We fought, man. Nelson Cruz got robbed of a homer early – still think that changed things. We just couldn’t solve their pitchers. Lincecum, Cain, Bumgarner… young guns throwing fire. Vlad couldn’t get hot, pitching leaked a bit. Lost it in 5. Hurt. Saw it end right there on the field. Sad, obviously. But ya know what? Standing there clappin’ anyway. That run? Unforgettable. First time ever for the Rangers on that stage. Showed everyone what Texas baseball could be. Felt like buildin’ something huge. Kept the faith all summer, rode that wave right to the end. What a ride.
