Schadenfreude (noun): pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others (German: literally "harmjoy").
You may have forgotten about the Texas Rangers now that they've faded over the horizon. I'm not even sure how many games they are ahead of the Angels right now, but I imagine it's about 10. It's cute that Mark Gubicza considers that a "playoff race," but make no mistake, the Rangers will win the AL West by default.
However, the enthusiasm over their first post-season appearance since the last ice age is diminished by the fear of another playoff bust (1-9 in post-season games since 1961) . After a fast start, they're struggling to surpass even their modest 87-win finish last season, and this in spite of playing the weakest schedule in the American League. Today, for instance, they played just their 50th game against a team currently over .500, and they lost it 7-2. Here is a litany of the Rangers' other woes:
The Labor Day weekend might as well have placed an exclamation point on all of the above points. The Rangers went 0-4 while being outscored 29-14, including a three-game sweep in Minnesota. Down one run in Sunday's game, they loaded the bases with two outs in the 9th inning, but Michael Young was called out for making contact with his own third-base coach. Brutal.
Still, the Rangers are the best that the baseball cesspool known as the AL West has to offer. Their "success" hasn't exactly come at the expense of the Angels, as I think we all recognize that the 2010 Angels are in no way deserving of post-season competition. But there's always room for envy--after all, the 2006 Cardinals proved that making the playoffs is more important than actually being good.
So where do you stand? Considering that a pinheaded robber baron named Tom Hicks has exploited the Rangers franchise as a closed financial ledger for hiding the debts of his other failing businesses for over a decade, we all have a question to ask of ourselves: Do I take pleasure in the misfortune of others?
0 recs | 23 comments
F the Rangers.
I would root for the Yankees or Red Sox over them.
Chzburger Jones - September 7, 2010
Maybe the Yankees
Red Sox not so much.
deejayelleseven - September 7, 2010 via mobile
Not me.
Fred Fredrix - September 7, 2010
I could never bring myself to root for the sux or skanks.
Ever. Let the rangers have their moment, because they’re toast once the playoffs start.
halofolife - September 7, 2010
-1
Downing Rules - September 7, 2010
Fuck Texas
The worst fans in the AL WEST
I have had trolls from Seattle … they are like schooteachers, they present a stat and demand that it be accepted as ABC
I have had trolls from Oakland … they are like thug hippies, they lecture you about equality in a threatening tone
I have had trolls from Texas … they just leave puddles of drool wherever they go. Awful dumbshits.
The worst thing you can say about Angels fans is that we are so good looking that it becomes a distraction at the game when the chicks are vying for the attention we focus on our team.
Rev Halofan - September 7, 2010
I want the Rangers fans' hopes and confidence held high until the playoffs
when the Twins crush their little egos into pieces. And I hope it is decided on a bad umpire call to make it a hundred times worse for them such that they never recover from the trauma.
44FAN - September 7, 2010
so you are assuming they make it to the ALCS?
NY and TB can’t play one another in the ALDS, so Texas will have to play one of them. if they play the Twins it will only be in the CS.
personally I’m pulling for a TB/Minny ALCS, with the best team winning (probably TB, Brian Fuentes notwithstanding).
2pintsofbooze - September 7, 2010
My point is that I'm rooting against the Rangers no matter what.
They will probably lose to the Yankees in the ALDS anyways.
Chzburger Jones - September 7, 2010
Butt ZOMG dey haz Cliff Lee now ya'll
deejayelleseven - September 7, 2010 via mobile
Not really
He is missing his next start because of back problems.
George Kaplan - September 7, 2010
I hope they get swept in the ALDS
Having the most lopsided defeat come from a Cliff Lee start. But I also hope Vlad mashes, I like seeing Vlad do well. Another thing about those points… They won’t have home field advantage. Having losing records on the road against playoff teams is another reason to be happy about they’re chances for failure. Sorry if I echo your point. Schadenfreude, yes :)
AlohaHalofan - September 7, 2010 via mobile
I guess I don't understand the Texas hate
They aren’t going anywhere. The Skanks and The Sux are the teams worth hating.
hk47 - September 7, 2010
I have to live with a few of these people
Fuck ‘em. Last week, I was driving through downtown Houston and some asshole who’s been cheering for the Rangers passionately all his life (everyone on their bandwagon has been-just ask ’em) sees the Angels sticker on the back of my ride and decides to get behind me and follow me all over downtown with his middle finger upraised between the pair of Ranger caps on the dash of his truck.
Then there was the pseudo-intellectual jackoff who I run into a few times a year at my local dive who walked up to me a couple of weeks ago and proudly proclaimed “I told you PECOTA was dead-on!” My response – “Blind squirrel, meet nut. Oh, and if you see a wood chipper on the way home, please feel free to jump in.”
When you have to live with these walking hard-ons, and mind you, Houston is 250 miles South of the D/FW Metrosexualplex, you’d understand the hate.
HoustonHaloFan - September 7, 2010
Whatever
Who really cares about Texas? I get no joy from seeing Texas suck when we have been (perhaps) the worst team in baseball the past two months.
Brody - September 7, 2010
Eff the entire state of Texas
I’ve only briefly been there while passing through and have no desire to return under any circumstance. There’s only a handful of people I’ve met from the state that weren’t walking stereotypes. In fact, the coolest Texan I’ve ever met was in Germany and I don’t know how he lives in his home state. Suddenly, Ranger fans are creaming themselves like they’re the greatest franchise ever…yet if we had Kendry Morales all year, we’d be right there with ’em atop this weaksauce division.
I hate the Red Sox more because they are a plague of ingorant bandwagoners upon the entire country. I despise the Yankees for their endless cash reserves and get annoyed by their fans, but at least most of them know baseball. The Rangers are a division rival trying to take our throne – screw them. I can’t wait to see Nolan Ryan and GWB crying in each other’s arms while Laura looks on stoically as the Yankees or Rays pound the Rangers into oblivion. Screw the Rangers, screw the Cowboys, screw country music, screw Ryan and W, Mark Cuban’s cool and I guess screw the Astros too…what do they even do down there anyway?
Mess with Texas all day, everyday.
Commander_Nate - September 7, 2010
Why is it so windy in Oklahoma?
Because Texas sucks. Or blows. Take your pick.
red floyd - September 7, 2010
this makes me feel worse about this season
if the angels played a tiny bit better, they would be cruising to another division title.
Halos in DE - September 7, 2010
I'm Rooting for anyone who takes out NY (and/or BOS if they were in it)
If Texas could beat NY, I would have no problem jumping on with the TX bandwagoneers.
Sadly, Suboptimal makes it obvious that the Rangers suck.
If they don’t even show up, then I do hope they suffer a massive beating.
But that will only leave 1 team with a shot at beating NY, sad.
I don’t care if its MIN or TB, I hope one of them can knock NY out of it.
The only time I would ever ever ever root for NY is in playoffs against BOS.
And even then it sickens me.
Halo Hurricane - September 7, 2010
+1
Halos2011champs - September 7, 2010 via mobile
don’t worry
SD is gonna go to the WS and win against NY in Game 7 in the bottom of the 10th with a walkoff GS by David Eckstein.
phoenix15 - September 7, 2010
Haha.
RexTookMyStash - September 8, 2010
Awesome. I want Eck to get his second WS MVP
red floyd - September 8, 2010
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