Is this the worst Texas Rangers team you’ve ever seen?

Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

That’s what multiple someones have said to me in the past couple weeks.  On Twitter.  In the office.  Everywhere.  It’s an epidemic. But, let’s not get crazy…of course it’s not!  Don’t be ridiculous!  Well, not unless you began your Texas Rangers watching career in 2010.  And I’m not saying that in a bad way.  Our favorite team’s recent success has brought a slew of new fans; that means our fan base is bigger than ever!  How awesome is that?  Texas Rangers hats for everyone!

But, that also means that you might think that being 5 games under .500 is rock bottom.  Not to fear young Rangers fans, there’s plenty of room to get worse!  Oh wait…that didn’t come out the way I meant it to…

In all seriousness, we’ve been pretty spoiled the last few years.  In the 2010-2013 seasons, your Texas Rangers were 370-279.  Did I mention that included two World Series trips?

So if the pandemonium of 2010 was your first taste of Rangers baseball, then, I can definitely see why you’re freaking out.  But as your sherpa through this mountain side of Texas Rangers history, let me assure you, there have been worse days. Where do I begin?

Well, here are my two favorite points to make on this subject:

1.  The year I started to really realize what was going on with the Rangers was 1985.  Of course, I watched from birth, which was 5 years prior; but at that point all I knew was that the game was on every night (my mom’s a Rangers freak too – RIGHT ON, MOM!) and that I got dinner somewhere around the same time.

That team finished the 1985 season at 62-99.  That’s .385 ball.  .385!  Of course I didn’t care, I was chillin with the dinner mom and pops made and watching baseball. Happy as a clam.

My point?  Stick with it!  Do it for the kids.  It’ll make every Rangers victory of their future adulthood that much sweeter.

2.  The first time your Texas Rangers ever made the playoffs (1996), I knew they were dead in the water before the series even started.  Ahhh…the good ol days.  The Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer days.  Unfortunately, they were also the Roger Pavlik, Bobby Witt, and Kevin Gross days.

That ALDS was played against the juggernaut Yankees (grrr…still bitter…but I’m working on it), who went on to win the World Series.

My point?  Those playoffs were so exciting!  Even though we all knew our Rangers didn’t stand a chance.  We just didn’t have the pitching.  Not even close.  But it was still every Rangers fan’s dream come true.

While I do love our World Series or bust mentality these days (who doesn’t love confidence in the home team?), I think we’ve also lost a little perspective on just how hard it is to get there.  It seems like an easy endeavor when two of the last four seasons have been World Series seasons.

But let’s not forget that in the 38 year before that, there had been no World Series appearances at all.  THIRTY EIGHT YEARS.  And that is why 2010 was so dang sweet.

So like I said, do it for the kids!  I don’t have any and I sure as heck hope your kids don’t have to wait 30 years like I did; but hang in there.  The Rangers are not that bad, believe it or not.  They’re not that good either, but they’re not that bad.

Need a positive thought?  Here you go:

Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

This guy and his bat will be here before you know it.  Lots of good prospects in the farm system (and young guys on the roster already) plus a front office that wants to win, means we’ll be okay.

I wrote this to calm you down about the future of this team.  Also…it’s an off day.  I wasn’t sure what else to do with myself.

75 games down, 87 to go.

Your Texas Rangers are 35-40.  And that’s okay.  Kind of.