The bandwagon.

I'm in the small camp that says, without hesitation, that "The Shield" is the best show on television. I feel totally invested in it even though I never watched an episode before this season.

That makes me, I suppose, the type of fan that, in sports, I hate: The
bandwagoner. I waited through four seasons, knowing the show was around but never giving it any of my time. Then, succumbing to the recognition that everyone who watches that show considers it TV's best kept secret, I decided to lock in each week for season five.

It's not at all how I am as a baseball fan. I'll admit to a little bandwagon
action with the Sidekicks in 1987 and the Stars in 1999. But not the Rangers. (Or the Cowboys or Mavericks, for that matter.) I've been there all along with them, and always will be.

Though not in my case, it's probably most challenging in the Metroplex to be a baseball loyalist, at least from the standpoint that, locally, the sport hasn't had as consistent a history of winning as football and basketball have had. But more than 2 million Rangers fans visit Ameriquest Field each year, and when it feels like a hair dryer at 9:15 p.m. in July, you know it's not because they're looking for a comfortable place outdoors to kick back.

I wrote this last August: "[A]s for the Rangers, those years of mediocrity
probably solidified a loyalty that Cubs fans made an art, and that Cowboy fans have never really shown, or understood. Those of you who were with this team before the Red Years know what I mean. It's easy to root for a perennial winner; there's more character, though, in standing behind Sisyphus and helping push."

I guess, in a way, so few people know about "The Shield" that I shouldn't
consider myself a bandwagon fan of the show. I'll still try to push it on you
like I've pushed Jellyfish and Michael Chabon and "Carnivale," but that's not
the same as campaigning for you to get into Coldplay or Stephen King or Oprah (none of which I'll ever do).

I do have a couple good friends whose minds I've tried over the years to open to the Great Game. It's tougher, I think, at least for my generation and the next, to make a baseball fan out of someone who's not, than it is to make a Rangers fan out of a local baseball fan. If you believe in baseball, there are days like September 23, 2004 in winning seasons that lock you in and reward you, and days like September 17, 2005 in other seasons that do, too.

There will be days like that in 2006, too.

As for last night's episode of "The Shield," it was a lot like those Yankee
series in October 1996, October 1998, and October 1999. Exhilarating.
Stressful. Upsetting. And unforgettable.

To borrow a phrase from Bob Sturm, it was an ice cream headache.

I'm irritated that I won't get to see a new episode of "The Shield" until
January. But it sort of fits, in a way: the show is stepping aside for six, and
maybe even seven, months of meaningful baseball games before coming back into my house. The bandwagon is on stilts until next winter. Old Reliable is back.

It certainly didn't have the same magnitude, but on its own scale yesterday's Rangers spring training game was as anticipated as last night's mid-season finale of "The Shield."

I won't suggest that Edinson Volquez's day or Juan Dominguez's day went as badly as Curtis Lemansky's, but in what was basically an audition for both righthanders, neither had the kind of effort that moved him closer to securing
the fifth spot in the Rangers rotation.

Volquez went two innings-plus (he faced three Brewers in the third without
retiring any of them), getting charged with five runs on five hits (including a
home run) and three walks. After Antonio Alfonseca finished the third,
Dominguez went the next 3.1 frames, permitting five runs on six hits (two
homers) and three walks. Neither registered a strikeout.

According to T.R. Sullivan of MLB.com, Dominguez is no longer in the race for
the fifth spot, while Volquez remains a candidate. (The local papers aren't as
definitive on Dominguez's status.) R.A. Dickey could be back in the mix.

Knowing what we know about Jon Daniels, it's probably safe to assume he's exceeded his cell phone minutes for March surveying the trade landscape for a possible fifth starter.

In case it's on your mind, Dominguez can be optioned. So can Volquez.

Righthanders Johnny Lujan and Scott Feldman pitched the final inning and
two-thirds without allowing a hit. Lujan is this year's Feldman, not in profile
but in terms of their anonymous emergence. Lujan's surge onto the map has been as quiet as Feldman's was in 2005; while their stuff couldn't be more different, Lujan has a chance to reach the big club in 2006 under certain circumstances, just as Feldman did last year.

Righthander Akinori Otsuka is expected to make his Rangers debut in today's game.

Righthander Adam Eaton will miss his Friday start because of the bruised elbow he sustained last time out, but his April 4 start against Boston shouldn't be in danger.

Lefthander C.J. Wilson had trouble getting his shoulder loose for a Tuesday minor league relief appearance in 50-degree weather, but he's apparently fine.

Progress for Laynce Nix, who played defensively in a minor league game on
Tuesday. None for Gary Matthews Jr., whose strained side muscle continues to keep him out of action. He tried taking batting practice on Tuesday but cut his session short when he felt a twinge in his side.

Alfonso Soriano willingly played left field for Washington yesterday. Had he
refused to do so, as he did on Monday, the Nationals evidently planned to place him on the disqualified list, without pay and without accrual of service time. The latter would prevent Soriano from earning free agency rights next winter.

An ESPN story noted that Soriano had to borrow a teammate's outfielder's glove for the game. He's just now asking his agent to get him one of his own.

Juan Gonzalez had agreed in principle to a minor league deal with Boston last
weekend but, after the Red Sox obtained outfielder Wily Mo Pena from Cincinnati, Gonzalez changed his mind, didn't show up to sign the contract, and instead signed a minor league deal with Oakland.

Kansas City assigned righthander David Elder and outfielder Chad Allen to AAA. The White Sox assigned righthander Agustin Montero to minor league camp, Pittsburgh did the same with righthander Matt Whiteside, and the Mets did so with righthander Jeremi Gonzalez (who might have lost out on a bullpen spot to lefthander Darren Oliver). Cincinnati designated righthander Jason Standridge
for assignment.

Milwaukee optioned righthander Dennis Sarfate to AAA.

Reigning Golden Baseball League MVP Desi Wilson signed with the independent league's Chico Outlaws.

Local attorney and baseball historian Talmage Boston is helping organize the
National Baseball Hall of Fame Golf Classic, which benefits the National
Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. Hall of Famers scheduled to participate in
the tournament, which will take place on May 5 at the Four Seasons Resort in Las Colinas, include Wade Boggs, Steve Carlton, Rollie Fingers, Fergie Jenkins, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Bill Mazeroski, Phil Niekro, Robin Roberts, Don Sutton, and Earl Weaver. Brooks Robinson and Ryne Sandberg may participate as
well.

Each participant will receive a custom-framed, autographed Hall of Fame jersey, a personal photo with all the attending Hall of Famers, and a bat autographed by the Hall of Famers.

The registration fee is tax-deductible.

Email me if you're interested in more information. I have a copy of the
tournament brochure and registration form that I can send you by email.

This week's installment of "Going Deep," with a focus on the rules pertaining to trades that involve players to be named later, is now posted on the Rangers official website, at http://www.rangers.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20060319&content_id=1356490&vkey=news_tex&fext=.jsp&c_id=tex .

The fifth installment of Michael Schlact's Spring Training Diary is now posted on Eleanor Czajka's "Minor Details" page.

We'll have a transcript up soon of our Wednesday chat session with Victor Rojas.

Carmelo Anthony. Carmela and Tony Soprano. Weird.

Check the message board for a special offer that the Rangers are extending the Newberg Report community for next weekend's arrival in town of the big league club and Saturday's Welcome Home Luncheon.

One of our own is going to star at the Luncheon. He's a kid who has his biggest fan in me -- feel free to jump on the bandwagon. I'm driving.