Get ready for Rangers to fill up All-Star roster

[El Supremo]

Two straight trips to the World Series have turned the Texas Rangers into baseball's glamour gang.

Josh Hamilton is the most popular player in the game. Mike Napoli could run for mayor of Arlington. Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and Yu Darvish - household names by now.

Just a few years ago the Rangers were toiling in virtual obscurity, sweating out one loss after another in that stifling Texas heat while the Yankees and Red Sox soaked up all the All-Star votes.

Not anymore.

Take a look at the last American League balloting update and it's striking to see how much fans have fallen in love with the Rangers.

Hamilton was on pace to break the record for most votes received in one season. Napoli and Beltre were leading at their positions, while three other teammates were running second. Cruz was neck-and-neck with Toronto slugger Jose Bautista for the final starting outfield spot.

Even part-time first baseman Mitch Moreland had 282,000 more votes than Albert Pujols....

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ready-rangers-fill-star-roster-184208541--mlb.html

[El Supremo]

1. !!! >>

[JonLP24]

2. Rangers & Angels are the new Yankees & Red Sox

But it wasn’t merely a coincidence that Pujols ended up in California, nor was it a coincidence that Darvish ended up in Texas. The teams that have upgraded the AL West into elite status are relying on wisdom long held by the Yankees and Red Sox: You’ve got to pay to stock a roster with proven talent, and the best way to pay is from local television contracts.

In 2003, when Moreno purchased the Angels from The Walt Disney Co., the team ranked No. 26 out of 30 MLB teams in media revenue. How was it possible for a franchise steeped in America’s second-largest media market and owned by one of its biggest media companies to rank 26th out of 30? Moreno wondered, too.

So he worked out a 20-year TV deal with Fox Sports, worth $3 billion, allowing the Angels to spend about $100 million more per season on their payroll.

<snip>

Texas’ ability to compensate free agents also can be explained by a TV deal with Fox. Scheduled to begin in 2015, it’s worth $1.6 billion through 2035.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2012/04/01/2090726/tv-money-transforms-angels-rangers.html#storylink=cpy

[Auggie]

3. .

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Baseball fans who participate in All-Star balloting always say . . .

. . . vote early and vote often.