Don’t look now but Super Bowl week in Miami is about forty eight hours away from kicking off. The Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will be invading the beaches, bars and night clubs of Miami. Let me rephrase that, the FANS of the teams will be invading. Players and coaches will be locked in their rooms for the most part. It’s nothing new for Miami. They like this kind of party and are quite accustomed to Super Bowl madness coming to town. So, with this great Super Bowl match up eight days away, why do I have Texas Rangers baseball on my mind?

As a life long Houston Astros fan, I’ve been waiting a long time for my team to win a World Series. Yes, the Astros got to the World Series in 2005 only to be swept by the Chicago White Sox. Oy Vey, the pain only my enemies should know. Still kills me to this day. But I’m a die hard Astros fan and will cheer for my team every year until god willing, we make it back to the World Series. Notice, I said we make it back.  I am a part of that team. I live and die with them every game so I can say we.

Then of course you have the Texas Rangers baseball club. This organization has been playing baseball in Texas since 1970. Through years of trials and tribulations, the Rangers have been to the playoffs a total of three times in their history. THREE TIMES!! All occurred during the 1990′s and each playoff series ended quickly losing to the powerful New York Yankees in 1996,1998, 1999. The Rangers won a grand total of one playoff game out of nine. They did nothing before and have done nothing since. Talk about patience. Rangers fans have been waiting and waiting and waiting for any kind of postseason to come their way. What do they have? Nada, bagel, zero…nothing to show for it.

Last season, in spite of Tom Hicks not having a clue how to own a team, Jon Daniels and Nolan Ryan pieced together some talent Texas had acquired and for the most part, groomed from within. To Daniels credit, though he was severely hamstrung with little money to spend, he didn’t give away the farm. The farm system that is. The top rated farm system in all of baseball. In 2009, the Texas Rangers had everyone excited about their quick start and hung out in first place for quite some time early in the season. However, the powerhouse Angels eventually found their groove to catch the Rangers and win the division. Oh well, just another year of not making the playoffs for Rangers fans. Same old story, same old ending.

This Rangers club is extremely promising and the mixture of youth, power, pitching and speed have them primed for a run. Pitching and defense always have and always will be the determining factors in getting to the post season. Don’t get me wrong, hitting the crap out of the baseball doesn’t hurt. Texas has a terrific blend of talent currently at the major league level and even more in a stacked minor league system. Yes, the Rangers are loaded.

I’m a big fan of speed. It’s one thing besides height you can’t teach. You either have it or you don’t. We all fell in love with Elvis Andrus, the Rangers stud rookie SS from last year. He’s the real deal. Batting ninth for the most part and occasionally hitting second, Andrus proved he’s no slouch at the plate and was a demon on the base paths with 33 steals. Geez, what concept…a young shortstop with an incredible glove and range, great speed, and a good stick. Then, Texas made another swift move bringing up a gazelle in rookie OF Julio Borbon. He joined the squad and didn’t disappoint. Borbon played 46 games, hit .312, stole 19 bases, and was a welcome addition to the lineup. Borbon hit leadoff at times with a .376 on base percentage. Though others differ from me, I want Borbon in CF and leading off every day. Speed, youth, talent, and table setters for the big bats that follow.

With Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, and newly acquired Ranger killer Vlad Guerrero, the Rangers have plenty of power to knock in that speed. Don’t forget about Justin Smoak. If Chris Davis starts slumping, Smoak will be up quickly. Wait till you see the ropes this guy can hit! How do you not get excited about what’s in store for this team.

What about pitching? Can you say depth? Can you say many arms available? Yes, yes, and yes. Can you say ever won a playoff game or a division title? Your not going to get any yes answers. Let’s gloat for a minute. So called veterans starters, Scott Feldman, Rich Harden, & Colby Lewis join youngsters Tommy Hunter, Derek Holland, Matt Harrison and flame thrower Neftali Feliz to give the Rangers some serious depth at starting pitching. The pieces to the puzzle are starting to fit into place for the Texas Rangers. Everything looks great except for one thing. OWNERSHIP!!!

Wait, I forgot to mention the most important reason for excitement about the Texas Rangers the week before the Super Bowl. NEW OWNERSHIP! Tom Hicks is the hell out of the front office for the most part and completely out of the decision making process. Though it is not a done deal as of this bloggage, new Owner Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan look to be very, very close to getting things finalized with MLB and the Texas Rangers. Dot a few I’s and cross a few T’s and Greenberg, Ryan and Daniels can focus on the one things that’s escaped the fans and this organization for many years. A playoff series win.

I know we’ve seen nothing yet. But, I got a feeling about this one and I think you do as well. Once new ownership gets approved, this ship is sailing in the right direction for the first time in forever. The nice part about it is, this ownership actually has a clue and gives a crap. Gives a crap about what happens on the field and what happens in the stands. Gives a crap about winning a division and getting to the postseason and winning a playoff series. Love it already and it’s not a done deal yet. The countdown has begun folks. Pitchers and catchers report in less than a month. I’m going to tell you now, this will be a Rangers season you’ll remember for a long time.