I’m Just Sitting Here Watching The Wheels Go Round And Round

The Rangers’ offseason is intellectually frustrating.

Granted, one could easily argue that each move made by Jon Daniels has been the smart one, the star power that’s been ostracized from Arlington publicly outweighs the perception of a good savings. Of the players Daniels did sign (Joakim Soria @ 2/$8M, A.J. Pierzynski @ 1/$7.5M, Jason Frasor @ 1/$1.5M, and lastly Lance Berkman @ 1/$11M), the financial obligation has been minimal, and the allotted years, short. That is cost-effective business, and that’s good. What it isn’t is sexy, and it won’t satiate the media pundits, or the fans who were hoping for more.

According to a recent article by some writer who I can’t think of right now, the Rangers’ roster is currently making a total of $107 million, with the $10 million owed to former Face Of The Franchise — Michael Young — taking the cumulative payroll to a not so even $117 million.

It could boil down to how much I write about them, but this year in particular I’ve grown exhausted by the cyclical, unchanging process of the offseason. I’ve been digging deeper and deeper down my own dark sports reality, filled with front office conspiracies and under-the-table handshakes from every angle. The truth is, most all things I imagined to be on the precipice of happening, just simply didn’t happen. And that’s all it is. Zack Greinke was the pinnacle target, Justin Upton was supposedly a lock to be traded here, and if not them, someone else who possessed the means to create a magnificent shift within the fabric of the Texas Rangers. Nothing materialized, and it appears nothing will materialize, and that’s frustrating.

It reminds me of a John Lennon song I’ve grown fixated with over the last several days titled Watching The Wheels. I think my interpretation of the lyrics are a bit misconstrued when I’m of a particularly specific mind state (that I won’t get into right now in fear of alienating part of the audience), but one line stands out:

People say I’m lazy, dreaming my life away 

Well they give me all kinds of advice, designed to enlighten me

Ostensibly, it’s not profound. It’s actually rather simplistic in nature. But if you listen, like really listen, you’ll notice the way he enunciates the middle of “designed” makes it sound like the “they” whom he speaks of are correct, and that maybe he’s been wrong all along. It connotes a certain level of arrogance from Lennon, yet he has the humility to admit he doesn’t have all the answers. Something about that concept is fascinating to me, perhaps because I, myself, don’t possess the intestinal fortitude to disclose the same.

This can apply to life as a whole, but for the context of this article it’s relatable to my convictions with the Rangers, as well. I’ve said a great many things — which even predated the offseason — that I thought would be smart, or right, and the fact is that mostly none of them have come true. Namely Zack Greinke and Justin Upton.

Either way, it’s hard to get excited about minor acquisitions to aged veterans when I was misled to think bigger, and bolder. It’s like expecting a surprise gift for Christmas and coming out with only everything I asked for. Yeah, it’s cool, you know. We’ll be a good team in 2013 and everything. But I wanted more.

I suppose it’s just an exercise in being appreciative, and humble, and patient for what is to come. I just hate to wait.