Report: “Signs Point To Nolan Ryan Remaining With The Rangers”

I’ve written at length the last few days about the purported Nolan Ryan vs. Jon Daniels steel-cage death-match, with the general assumption among local and national reporters that yes, there is friction between Ryan and the organization, and yes, he is likely to leave the club.

Then today, Evan Grant wrote a brief report saying Nolan Ryan met last night with co-chairman, Bob Simpson, and that today Ryan traveled back to Surprise to catch the Rangers’ spring training game against the Athletics. Then Grant cryptically tweeted this:

One thing that mildly stuck out to me in Grant’s article was:

According to sources close to Ryan, he initially intended to let the new role develop over time, perhaps the length of the 2013 season, before making any determinations about whether it felt vital enough to him. But, as the news of the promotions became public and Ryan chose not to speak immediately about the matter, speculation arose he was contemplating an immediate departure from the organization.

Uhm, duh?

With regard to the last part, if Ryan isn’t saying anything, does Evan Grant expect the fan base or national media not to assume the worst? Because that’s the way it always works. Assuming the worst is innate; people like to prepare themselves for bad news and get doubly happy when they receive the good; it’s essentially an a priori human feeling. That is why it’s so imperative that we, as truth-seekers, can hear what is to be the course of action from the source himself. All it takes for Nolan Ryan to clear the air is a simple email to the media outlet of his preference, or a phone call, or a conference call, or a press conference — it doesn’t matter which medium he chooses. He just needs to choose something.

Until then, you cannot expect an exponentially growing fan base such as the Rangers have — from those who followed the team when they were in the pits of Major League Baseball all the way down to those who began tuning in when they made the World Series in 2010 — not to think the worst.

At this point, I couldn’t care less if Nolan Ryan stays or if he goes. The Rangers will field a competitive, sustainable, upper-echelon asset regardless.