The stars at night are big and bright...

It’s Wednesday and that means it is time for the sports beat. It’s baseball season and though I know there are many of you out there who are all roll up in this NBA free agency business…I could really care less. The NBA season doesn’t start again for months and it is baseball season right now. So yeah, baseball. Speaking of baseball, the All Star break is coming up and that means All Star game selections are out. Guess who hit the All Star Game lottery – the Texas Rangers. Rangers’ outfielder Josh Hamilton and designated hitter Vladimir Guerrero have been named starters for the 81st All-Star Game in Anaheim. These power hitters at the heart of the Rangers line-up were voted in during the fan voting. n addition to Hamilton and Guerrero, Rangers closer Neftali Feliz, shortstop Elvis Andrus and second baseman Ian Kinsler were also named to the American League roster, bringing Texas' total to five players selected to play at Angel Stadium on July 13. The Rangers also had five players in the 2004 All-Star Game in Houston. Andrus was elected by the players while Kinsler is replacing Boston's Dustin Pedroia, who is on the disabled list. It will be the first All-Star Game for both Andrus and Feliz.

But, why stop at five? The American League is in danger of having its seven-game All-Star winning streak come to an end. It's hard to believe it can compete with the National League without Rangers infielder Michael Young on the team. Young, one of five players in the running for this year's American League Final Vote, has been to six straight All-Star Games for the Rangers, and the American League has won all six. Young's contributions have been significant. He is the only player in All-Star Game history to twice record a game-winning RBI in his team's final at-bat. He was the Most Valuable Player in the 2006 All-Star Game when he hit a game-winning two-run triple in the top of the ninth inning to give the American League a 3-2 victory in Pittsburgh. He also drove home the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the 15th inning at Yankee Stadium to give the Americans a 4-3 victory in 2008. Young is competing against Yankees outfielder Nick Swisher, Red Sox infielder Kevin Youkilis, White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko and Twins outfielder Delmon Young to receive the last spot on the American League roster. Swisher has jumped out to an early lead, but voting continues until 3 p.m. CT Thursday online at MLB.com and at the Ballpark in Arlington. The Rangers have launched an "I Like Mike" campaign in which fans will be automatically eligible for a 50 percent discount in all ticket categories up to $30 for a selected Rangers home game in August or September. Full information on the discount can to be found at texasrangers.com/allstar. The Rangers are also offering an All-Star sweepstakes prize of a suite for 20 for a Rangers game in 2010. Fans will be automatically registered for the sweepstakes each of the first 25 times they vote for Young in the All-Star Game Sprint Final Vote. There is no limit to the number of times that fans may vote in this election. However, fans will be registered to win for the sweepstakes just the first 25 times they vote for Young. All rules for the sweepstakes can also be found on on texasrangers.com/allstar. In addition, fans can vote on their mobile phones. Mobile voting is exclusive to Sprint, Nextel and Boost subscribers. From their mobile phones, fans can text A5 to 1122 to cast votes for Young. Standard rate and messaging fees apply. So “Vote Young” for the ASG American League Final Vote. Do it!

The Rangers have lost four out of five and five out of seven, but still are 3.5 games up on Anaheim, who have gotten beat up on by the ChiSox and the Kansas City Royals over the same time period. Even first-place teams can lay an egg every now and then. The one the Texas Rangers laid Monday night against the lowly Cleveland Indians stunk on many levels. Cleveland, which came into the game 16 games under .500 and 15-27 on the road, thumped the Rangers 9-3. Texas has dropped five of its last seven games, and is off to a 1-3 start on its longest homestand of the season. They have to hope they don't have anymore games like Monday, when they were thoroughly dominated by an Indians team against whom the Rangers had won 10 of their last 12 meetings. The list of failing parts Monday was long, but distinguished, though I won’t go into them here. Needless to say, it wasn’t good. The biggest issue that I (and my brother) noticed and commented on was pitching. There is a majority opinion held among the Rangers' hierarchy that strongly suggests Rich Harden, even when healthy, has not pitched nearly as well as the club hoped for this season. That may be true but another truth is becoming self-evident. Harden may not be a No. 1 starter but he certainly has to be better than what the Rangers are currently getting from their fifth starters. Omar Beltre lasted just three innings on Monday night, giving up four runs. At least when Harden tanks a start, it takes him five or six innings. I still support the idea of Omar Beltre, but perhaps we need to rethink his being in the majors for now. Harden is currently on the disabled list with lower back pain, but will start pitching again and a possible rehab assignment this week.

If you follow sports reporter Jennifer Floyd Engel over at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram then you will understand what I am about to say. Her article on Monday, July 5, 2010, dealt with the importance of keeping your prospects as opposed to trading your prospects for good players now. She, being a women, made it a decision between two teams (like Team Edward or Team Jacob Twilight fans) consisting of Team Trade versus Team Triple A. If you don’t understand how the teams correlate to the decision about what to do with your prospects, then just stop reading right now. Just to throw it out there, I am Team Triple A. I think you need to give up prospects for trades, sure, but you don’t need to sell the farm as Jennifer suggests. By the way, did I mention I really don’t like Jennifer Engel? Well, I don’t.

Other Important Rangers Notes (thanks to T.R. Sullivan at texasrangers.com)
Rangers rookie reliever Alexi Ogando is just one inning away from breaking the club mark of most scoreless innings of relief to begin a Major League career. He has 11 scoreless innings. Jeff Zimmerman had 11 2/3 scoreless innings in 1999. ... Ian Kinsler has walked in seven consecutive games, the longest streak of his career and the longest by a Ranger since Josh Hamilton's seven-game streak in 2008. ... Michael Young is one of just six players in the Majors this season to start every game for his team. ... First baseman Justin Smoak is hitless in his last 23 at-bats and has seen his average drop 23 points in his last 12 games.