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Fans show colorful spirit at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
[SIZE=-1]12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, October 10, 2010
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[SIZE=-1]By ERINN CONNOR and LEIGH MUNSIL / The Dallas Morning News
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ARLINGTON – An abandoned broom left in the seats behind center field said it all about the Texas Rangers' missed opportunity to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
With the Rangers up 2-0 in the American League Division Series, many fans had brought brooms in hopes of a third straight victory that would propel the Rangers into the league championship series.
The energy among fans was positive at the start of the day, with some showing up as early as 9 a.m. to tailgate in parking lots surrounding Rangers Ballpark. The cheers were deafening as the Rangers' lineup was announced. Thousands in the record crowd of 51,746 waved white rally towels.
Fans were kept on edge most of the game as the score remained close until the Rays broke loose with a series of late runs that gave them a 6-3 win.
With fans streaming past her toward the exits, Nereida Salinas of Fort Worth watched on a concourse television as Nelson Cruz hit a futile home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
"Sure, now you hit it," she said, shaking her head. "Earlier, this would've helped the game be less nerve-wracking."
The Rangers didn't give fans the comfort of commanding leads as they did in the series' first two games. Each potential strikeout had fans on their feet, hoping for the first home playoff win in franchise history.
Salinas said she's confident the Rangers will finish off the Rays in today's Game 4. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:07 p.m.
"They know they can take it, and I think they will," she said.
Kent Merker of Amarillo didn't agree with the Rangers' game strategy on Saturday.
"Obviously I came here to watch a Rangers win. I absolutely expected a sweep," Merker said. "I think they used their pitchers wrong most of the game."
Merker said he felt the Rangers still had a chance to win until the eighth inning, when the Rays scored two runs, giving them their first lead of the series.
While he doesn't have tickets for today's game, he said: "They better win, because they can't go back to Tampa. They need good pitching tomorrow."
As the game wound down, Brian McGinley, who said he had been confident the Rangers would sweep, headed straight for the ticket window to get seats for Game 4.
"I just have a good feeling about tomorrow," said McGinley, 49.
Getting creative
Fan spirit was higher than it has been all season, with red and blue painted faces and creative displays of the team's support signs, the claw and the antler.
Josh Kline and Jordan Hardin blew up pairs of blue surgical gloves, attached them to headbands and wore them over their Rangers caps. Random fans snapped pictures of them with cellphones and cameras.
After getting permission from Rangers staff, Hardin put his antler cap on the Nolan Ryan statue behind center field and took a photo with it.
"We really wanted to go above and beyond today," said Hardin, 31.
Die-hard fans showed up with grills and coolers early in the morning, tailgating until the gates opened.
Cody Clemons, 23, and Josh Marr, 26, started tailgating in a parking lot near the ballpark at 9:30 a.m. They were confident in a sweep and built their own brooms. They attached a plastic human hand from a Halloween store to one and a set of antlers to the other.
"We were right here opening day, right over there," Marr said, pointing to a nearby section of the parking lot. "This is the season they go all the way."
Tim and Carolyn Brewer of Flower Mound didn't even need a seat to enjoy the game. When the couple went to buy tickets, all that remained was standing room only, and that was good enough for them.
"Just to be a part of it all is enough," said Tim Brewer, who stood on the sidewalk behind center field. "Being here to see it all live was all we needed."
The Brewers said that if the Rangers advance, they hope they'll get to sit down and watch a game.
"We'll definitely try harder to get actual chairs," Tim Brewer said.
One of the best seats in the house went to former President George W. Bush , who was seated with Nolan Ryan and sportscaster Jim Nantz behind home plate.
Cheers for Rays
While the stadium was awash in red, white and blue, there were pockets of Rays fans throughout the stadium who grew louder as they watched the game swing in their favor.
Alan Upson sat near a bunch of Tampa fans, among them starting pitcher Matt Garza's father. Upson moved back behind the lower deck seats in the sixth inning to stand and watch some of the game on TV sets.
"Just needed a little breathing room," said Upson, 51. As Ian Kinsler hit a home run in the seventh inning, he smiled.
"I knew they were going to be OK," he said.
But Upson's positive thinking didn't last once the Rays quickly scored two runs in the next inning, and the Rays fans in his section got rowdier and Rangers fans got quieter.
Rangers fans stayed optimistic about today's game, hoping that this is the team to make franchise history.
Glenn Portman of Coppell summed up the loss in three words: "It's just baseball."
He added: "I'm disappointed we didn't sweep them, but I think tomorrow we'll have a good shot at them." econnor@dallasnews.com; lmunsil@dallasnews.com
Fans show colorful spirit at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
[SIZE=-1]12:00 AM CDT on Sunday, October 10, 2010
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=-1]By ERINN CONNOR and LEIGH MUNSIL / The Dallas Morning News
[/SIZE]
ARLINGTON – An abandoned broom left in the seats behind center field said it all about the Texas Rangers' missed opportunity to sweep the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
With the Rangers up 2-0 in the American League Division Series, many fans had brought brooms in hopes of a third straight victory that would propel the Rangers into the league championship series.
The energy among fans was positive at the start of the day, with some showing up as early as 9 a.m. to tailgate in parking lots surrounding Rangers Ballpark. The cheers were deafening as the Rangers' lineup was announced. Thousands in the record crowd of 51,746 waved white rally towels.
Fans were kept on edge most of the game as the score remained close until the Rays broke loose with a series of late runs that gave them a 6-3 win.
With fans streaming past her toward the exits, Nereida Salinas of Fort Worth watched on a concourse television as Nelson Cruz hit a futile home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.
"Sure, now you hit it," she said, shaking her head. "Earlier, this would've helped the game be less nerve-wracking."
The Rangers didn't give fans the comfort of commanding leads as they did in the series' first two games. Each potential strikeout had fans on their feet, hoping for the first home playoff win in franchise history.
Salinas said she's confident the Rangers will finish off the Rays in today's Game 4. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:07 p.m.
"They know they can take it, and I think they will," she said.
Kent Merker of Amarillo didn't agree with the Rangers' game strategy on Saturday.
"Obviously I came here to watch a Rangers win. I absolutely expected a sweep," Merker said. "I think they used their pitchers wrong most of the game."
Merker said he felt the Rangers still had a chance to win until the eighth inning, when the Rays scored two runs, giving them their first lead of the series.
While he doesn't have tickets for today's game, he said: "They better win, because they can't go back to Tampa. They need good pitching tomorrow."
As the game wound down, Brian McGinley, who said he had been confident the Rangers would sweep, headed straight for the ticket window to get seats for Game 4.
"I just have a good feeling about tomorrow," said McGinley, 49.
Getting creative
Fan spirit was higher than it has been all season, with red and blue painted faces and creative displays of the team's support signs, the claw and the antler.
Josh Kline and Jordan Hardin blew up pairs of blue surgical gloves, attached them to headbands and wore them over their Rangers caps. Random fans snapped pictures of them with cellphones and cameras.
After getting permission from Rangers staff, Hardin put his antler cap on the Nolan Ryan statue behind center field and took a photo with it.
"We really wanted to go above and beyond today," said Hardin, 31.
Die-hard fans showed up with grills and coolers early in the morning, tailgating until the gates opened.
Cody Clemons, 23, and Josh Marr, 26, started tailgating in a parking lot near the ballpark at 9:30 a.m. They were confident in a sweep and built their own brooms. They attached a plastic human hand from a Halloween store to one and a set of antlers to the other.
"We were right here opening day, right over there," Marr said, pointing to a nearby section of the parking lot. "This is the season they go all the way."
Tim and Carolyn Brewer of Flower Mound didn't even need a seat to enjoy the game. When the couple went to buy tickets, all that remained was standing room only, and that was good enough for them.
"Just to be a part of it all is enough," said Tim Brewer, who stood on the sidewalk behind center field. "Being here to see it all live was all we needed."
The Brewers said that if the Rangers advance, they hope they'll get to sit down and watch a game.
"We'll definitely try harder to get actual chairs," Tim Brewer said.
One of the best seats in the house went to former President George W. Bush , who was seated with Nolan Ryan and sportscaster Jim Nantz behind home plate.
Cheers for Rays
While the stadium was awash in red, white and blue, there were pockets of Rays fans throughout the stadium who grew louder as they watched the game swing in their favor.
Alan Upson sat near a bunch of Tampa fans, among them starting pitcher Matt Garza's father. Upson moved back behind the lower deck seats in the sixth inning to stand and watch some of the game on TV sets.
"Just needed a little breathing room," said Upson, 51. As Ian Kinsler hit a home run in the seventh inning, he smiled.
"I knew they were going to be OK," he said.
But Upson's positive thinking didn't last once the Rays quickly scored two runs in the next inning, and the Rays fans in his section got rowdier and Rangers fans got quieter.
Rangers fans stayed optimistic about today's game, hoping that this is the team to make franchise history.
Glenn Portman of Coppell summed up the loss in three words: "It's just baseball."
He added: "I'm disappointed we didn't sweep them, but I think tomorrow we'll have a good shot at them." econnor@dallasnews.com; lmunsil@dallasnews.com
