Many things.
Many, many things:
1. We have four new auction items for Newberg Report Night:
* Four tickets (Section 223: which is in the Lexus Club Level, just beneath the press box) and a reserved parking spot for Rangers-Yankees on Tuesday, Aug. 5, plus four Hello Win Column Fund T-shirts (XL) and four Rangers caps, courtesy of Cindy & Jeff Kuster
* Same package for Wednesday, Aug. 6
* Eight dozen cookies from the renowned Cookie Lady (two dozen each of her Snickerdoodles, Pineapple/Pecan with Caramel Icing, Oatmeal/Raisin, and Chocolate Chip, made famous by the Rangers players and broadcasters who have been her regular beneficiaries)
* An inning in the TV booth with Josh Lewin & Tom Grieve, courtesy of Josh
2. For the third straight year, I join 49 actually worthy recipients on the Dallas Observer's "Fab 50" list of the "Most Powerful People in Metroplex Sports." You can check the list out at http://www.dallasobserver.com/2008-07-10/news/the-fab-50/
3. I was surprised by half a dozen of you today to learn that Number 31 on the list, Voice of the Cowboys and So Many Other Things Brad Sham, did a segment about my son Max on ESPN Radio this morning. In the unlikely event that you care to listen, the audio file is attached. (Forward about 03:30 in for the part about Max.)
4. The latest episode of Fox Sports Network's "In My Own Words" series debuts Sunday night, this time featuring Chuck Morgan. The half-hour show will include rare footage of Chuck doing the P.A. in Yankee Stadium in 1979 and a bunch of other cool stuff about the life of one of the truly great people in this organization.
5. I was interviewed recently for a few segments that will air on Fox Sports Network's "Rangers Insider" program, the first of which will air on tomorrow morning's episode. I've heard that the show will air at either 11:30 a.m. or noon tomorrow, so it's a bit of a moving target. Not sure which portion of our interview will run tomorrow, but our focus for most of it was the young players who have arrived in the big leagues for Texas.
6. Speaking of those players, it occurred to me last night, watching Chris Davis hit a missile and Brandon Boggs throw a missile (as they've both done again tonight), and watching Max Ramirez absorb a massive collision at the plate (again) and inflict a massive collision on a seventh-inning Scot Shields pitch (just after a Davis double that was nearly more and a Boggs single) to tie a game that the Rangers had trailed 10-4 just 45 minutes earlier, after watching German Duran and Eric Hurley and Matt Harrison (and at times, Luis Mendoza, absolutely including tonight) make the contributions to this team that they've made this season, that those guys just don't know any better.
It's a difficult game and a grind to play it at the big league level, but we've got a whole lot of rookies, unfazed and energetic and consistent and skilled, who are proving, to their credit and to the credit of this organization's scouting effort and development effort, that they are ready.
The next few years are gonna rock, just as much as this summer has.
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Chris Davis as the Rangers' first baseman: six home runs, 12 RBI in 61 at-bats.
Every other Rangers' first baseman in 2008 (Chris Shelton, Frank Catalanotto, Ben Broussard, Jason Botts, Max Ramirez): six home runs, 27 RBI in 283 at-bats.
Davis, aside from the six home runs: three doubles and three singles.
Said Ron Washington after the game, when asked about Davis's job security in light of Hank Blalock's expected return in a week:
"Chris Davis is safe. Chris Davis is safe. Chris Davis is safe."
Some writers who were in the room for Washington's remarks are speculating that he was referring not to what will happen with the lineup a week from now, but rather the bigger picture. Make of it what you will.
Luis Mendoza in 22.2 innings coming into tonight's game: 10 strikeouts.
Mendoza in six outstanding innings tonight: eight strikeouts.
Ian Kinsler's 23-game hit streak ties Michael Young's -- not just as the Rangers' best in 2008, but the best in the major leagues this year.
Young, now sporting a 13-game streak of his own, has nine multi-hit games out of 12.
After a 3-for-4 night on June 30, I wrote: "Best Michael Young has looked at the plate all year? Maybe. When he's locked in, he drills lasers to right field, and when he starts drilling lasers to right field with a little consistency, you know he's about to go on a tear."
Young is 22 for 44 since then.
Texas will face John Danks -- who has five straight quality starts (2-0, 1.11) -- on Saturday night, hoping to get to five games over .500.
Can't wait.