Rangers Sales Approved by MLB Owners!

It's official according to online stories on mlb.com. To wit:

By Barry M. Bloom / MLB.com

08/12/10 12:50 PM ET

MINNEAPOLIS -- The sale of the Texas Rangers gained unanimous approval from Major League Baseball owners at their joint meeting on Thursday, ending a year of financial instability for the franchise.

The team was purchased from Tom Hicks last Wednesday for $593 million during a spirited, 17-hour bankruptcy court auction in Fort Worth, Texas.

The new Texas ownership group is called Rangers Baseball Express, with attorney Chuck Greenberg serving as managing general partner and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan remaining as club president. Ray Davis, a Dallas billionaire, and Fort Worth businessman Bob Simpson are the co-lead investors.

"I am very pleased that Chuck, Nolan and their impressive ownership group have been approved as the new leadership of the Texas Rangers franchise," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement issued by MLB. "Chuck and Nolan have demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the Rangers. Their passion for Major League Baseball as a whole and particularly the future of baseball in Texas is exemplary.

"In addition, I want to thank the Rangers' fans for their patience throughout this difficult process. I am confident that Chuck, Nolan and the entire ownership group will serve as dedicated stewards of this club by building a long-term, stable franchise which values its standing in the Dallas-Fort Worth communities. I am glad that the Rangers' great season on the field will get the attention it deserves during the pennant race."

The meeting began at 8:35 a.m. CT and Greenberg was asked to sit outside the more>

The "Unthinkable" Happens to Nick Adenhart

The saddest, most heart-breaking event we can ever witness, is the abrupt and accidental end of a life full of promise.

Nick Adenhart, 22, one of MLB's hotter prospects making his way up the rotation ladder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, died last night in a traffic accident. Wrong place, wrong time, car accident where another dirver is alleged to have run a red light and attempted to flee on foot.

He had pitched 6 innings of shutout baseball vs. the Oakland A's, showing the confidence others said he lacked, commanding hitters' respect and limiting them to 7 scattered hits. No runs, 5 k's. A 22 year old prospect showing tremendous poise and inching that much closer to cementing his place amongst the day-to-day starters for the Angels.

He was making the best of an opportunity.

Having "flown through the minors" according to former GM and Xm Radio host, Jim Duquette, Adenhart was growing, fighting through the many setbacks baseball offers up to its youth, and winning the battle. Last night was proof positive. A shame he didn't get the win, but the same batters he disabled through six innings surged vs his relievers and ultimately won the game.
He was labeled as a "great kid," a smart player with a great head for the game," and a "mature personality."

As a dad of a young pitcher, I feel the pain of this loss directly. I know the hours spent, the support and love offered in assisting a boy in navigating the world of baseball. I experience each day, the agony, nerves and sheer pleasure of seeing my son ply his trade in hopes of realizing his goals. As with all my kids, I want him to have a fair shot, I want him to be safe, I want the world to welcome him and share in his glories. I want people to say the things about my son Avery, that they said about Nick.

If all this ended suddenly, I know life would go on, but it would change forever.

Such is the situation in LA, amongst Nick's teammates, in Hagerstown for his mom and dad Janet and Jim, for his friends and for those of us who love this great game. We'll try to put it in perspective, but it doesn't make sense on many levels, and it never will. The sadness can be overwhelming.

If you have a kiddo in the game, hug him (or her) today and share your pride with others.

Appreciate the moments you do have together, and think of Nick Adenhart's family, friends, fans and teammates. They're in a world of hurt today because someone they helped succeed, who gave back in effort energy and spirit, is now gone. For what Ray Ratto today called "no good reason."

Pain Free Performance w/ the Complete Athlete

Every once in a blue moon somebody rises above all the new trends, techniques and gizmos routinely introduced to improve the great game.

And, when they do, baseball people take note from the sandlots up into MLB. Slowly of course, because baseball is a game steeped in tradition -- passed from father to son -- and it doesn't take kindly to newbies messing with the the status quo.

A little background here.

Injuries to pitchers and now position players are approaching epidemic numbers. In fact in the last five of a ten-year study, surgeries climbed to 6X the levels of the 1st five years for high school players. Colleges went up 3X, Pros 2X. So clearly, the patterns of overuse, poor and wrong conditioning, and coaching the wrong mechanics are failing our youth players.

Some would argue that numbers have gone up because more people are pushing surgery as an option. And others have blamed the singular approach to sports common today as more and more players become 1-sport specialists early on. Add up both of those factors, and it still doesn't equate to the horrendous number of orthopedic episodes occurring daily. And the study only tracked players who went in for surgery, not those that quit playing or switched sports.

Enter the Complete Athlete
Brainchild of 3-time softball All American Jenifer Wells, and 16-yr D1 Assistant and Head Coach Donnie Watson, this emerging company is tackling the issues in a four-pronged approach to pain free performance. And it's doing it with the blessing of the nation's best sports surgeon.

About a year ago, according to Donnie, he received a call from Dr. James Andrews (yes, that Dr Andrews) in response to a letter he'd written asking just how to educate coaches, trainers and players on methods to break the cycle of injury/repair/injury so may athletes were enduring in ever-shortened careers.

"I kept seeing my trainer taking my players through football lifting drills to develop pretty muscles with no bearing in baseball. says Watson, "And I kept seeing a cycle of short rest, poor mechanics, and lousy nutrition making pitchers weaker and weaker until season-ending injuries culled them from the rosters."

So Watson and Andrews met in Birmingham, and crafted a plan to bring thousands of coaches and trainers "to the table" so the message could be heard. The change was afoot, although no small challenge given the sport's tendency to "push back" when new systems (especially medical or science-driven ones) were being introduced.

Through nearly a year of grassroots effort in Birmingham, Gulfbreeze FL (where Andrews has a 2nd institute) and Dallas/Fort Worth, Watson and Wells are making headway.

Two new affiliations, with baseball academy TPA in Euless, Texas, and with the upcoming PrimeTimePlayer (Deion Sanders is a partner) facility in Frisco, Texas are launching a series of teaching symposiums, pitcher-prep programs, motion analyses (they have a mobile M/A lab), nutritional assessments and mental/emotional analyses through summer projected to teach upwards of 150 players (and parents) through the systems with the end goal of making them all self-sufficient. TPA's Stix Baseball program is even making Complete Athlete's patented Dynamic Warmup® mandatory for their summer teams.

They'll also continue to grow the ranks of certified faculty-level and coaching-level instructors to grow the program.

"We know, there's only so much of us to go around," says Wells. "But it was never about us, we're facilitating change in softball and baseball by duplicating ourselves over and over again."

Add to the mix the interest and demand for their service that parents are fostering. Shouldn't be surprising that the people helping Johnny and Suzy play in select leagues, player showcases and booster-driven school programs are very interested in their sons and daughters remaining healthy in their pursuit of the dream. And they're a vocal lot, sharing information, symposium materials and upcoming dates with the coaches.

"They have a bigger responsibility to their kids than anyone else, and they're pushing to be heard." adds Watson.

There is no question this company has all the potential to grow, and become a leader in baseball and softball (the girls are getting hurt just as often or more) development. The combination of science, passion, personality, and business-sense pretty much guarantees they'll succeed. Add to that the skins Donnie and Jenifer have in their respective sports as players, coaches, recruiters and teachers and the barriers should fall sooner than later.

The only question is will the sport listen and learn from years of mistakes. And then take action.

For more information on the Complete Athlete, go to www.complete-athlete.com, or email Donnie Watson at donnie@complete-athlete.com

Watch this space for more as their "season" continues...