Okay, according to former players with hurt feelings, the Texas Rangers don’t play in a baseball town and are led by a sleazeball.
Got it?
Last year, Josh Hamilton. This year, Ian Kinsler.
In the wake of their former second baseman’s scathing comments in a magazine interview, the Rangers appropriately responded with a resounding shrug. And that included Daniels, the lightning-rod GM who drew the wrath of fans for seemingly winning a tug-of-war with Nolan Ryan and has now been labeled a “sleazeball” by Kinsler.
“That’s just not accurate,” Daniels told reporters at spring training in Arizona about Kinsler’s portrayal of the supposed political skirmish with Big Tex. “I’m not going to get into any more than that, other than that it’s simply not accurate.”
While also refusing to engage a 3rd-grade name-calling snit with Kinsler, the man who traded him for Prince Fielder did get a chuckle – and perhaps some motivation – out of the former player’s desire to see his old team go 0-162.
Sports Connection
Connecting you to your favorite North Texas sports teams as well as sports news around the globe.
“I hope our players are pissed about that. I do,” Daniels said. “I think we’ll find out what we’re made of, and how we go about our business and handle our business. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished here.”
Truth is, the Rangers are above this sort of crap. And if nothing else, they have become immune to it. We’ll all forget Kinsler’s pop-ups and his popping off by about Fielder’s third homer in Arlington.
Daniels isn’t a sleazeball, but rather one of the most aggressive, successful GMs in baseball. Dallas-Fort Worth is a baseball town, and a football town. And Kinsler is a Detroit Tiger.
And, for the time being, the Rangers’ Public Enemy No. 1.
Tweeted Hamilton earlier today ...
Not any fun being in the Texas doghouse, is it @IKinsler3? — Josh Hamilton (@thejoshhamilton) March 4, 2014
A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He currently writes a sports/guy stuff blog at DFWSportatorium.com and lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.
