Rangers 6, Tigers 9 - I mean 19

Last night started off great. The Rangers got up 5-0 and all seemed well, until our starting pitcher couldn't get out of the SECOND inning, and we went on to give up 19 runs. At least, that's what I heard. I stopped watching in the early part of the sixth inning - before they gave up all ELEVEN runs. This team makes my baseball head hurt.

I've been to a couple of Rangers games this year already, but I think that's gonna be all for me. It's a much shorter and much more rewarding drive to Frisco to see the RoughRiders play. Elvis Andrus is awesome to watch. Monday night, I saw him and Adam Fox turn at least four double-plays. The only downside to the RoughRiders is the nagging knowledge in the back of my mind that all these guys will end up playing for a big league team that isn't the Rangers.

Each year, we're told wait until the next year. And when next year comes, it's "wait til next year" all over again. Frankly, I'm sick of waiting. It's not that I expect the Rangers to win the World Series, make an ALCS or even win the division. I just want them to be semi-competitive.

I don't consider myself a fair-weather fan. I supported the Mavericks going to games when they were winning 11 and 13 games in consecutive years. The payoff for that suffering has been eight consecutive 50-win seasons and a trip to the NBA Finals. While my expectations for the Mavs have risen a great deal since those days in the 1990s, I can at least still appreciate that they are competing in the Western Conference.

The Rangers, they don't compete. They are the cure whatever ails other American League teams. Detroit was looking terrible. Enter the Texas Rangers. 19 runs later, Detroit didn't look so bad.

In the last 8 seasons, Texas has finished above .500 only once.

Am I a bad fan for being so sick of this team? I'd like to think it's reasonable to ask that this team not be a laughing stock every year.