Matt Treanor

I've mentioned before, much to the consternation of my brethren (and sisteren) from Minnesota, that I have adopted the Texas Rangers as a fill-in for my beloved Twins.  Why?  One, in north Texas, Minnesota games are hard to come by.  When the Rangers play the Twins, I'm guaranteed to finally catch a couple of Twins games and then you'll find me on the couch in my knickers singing, "We're gonna win Twins, we're gonna score!"  I might hope that the Twins don't decimate Rangers ace CJ Wilson as badly as they would CC Sabathia, but win they must!  Number two, Drew Pearson never played for the Rangers.  From stem to stern, the Texas Rangers are a hard team not to like.

Last night I tuned into the Rangers/Marlins game (in Miami) which I think three or four dozen Floridans saw live.  After eking a run out of Florida in the first, all remained quiet for a while.  Come the sixth, Ranger starter CJ Wilson started getting a bit errant to the tune of two runs and was yanked.  It remained 2-1 Marlins until the top of the 9th.

With two out and Josh Hamilton on third and speedy Julio Borbon on first, Ranger Manager Ron Washington (ex-Twin, btw) decides to pinch hit for the pitcher (good call) with Matt Treanor. 

Hmm...Matt Treanor.  Not as bad as Charlie Brown, mind you, but Joe Mauer he's not.  The catchers that started the year for the Rangers got sent down to triple-A for some, shall we say, honing, so to fill out the battery, Texas acquired Max Ramirez (batting a Mendoza-esque .218) and Matt Treanor. 

You've not heard of Treanor (pronounced "trainer")?  He's married to Misty May Treanor, one half of the beach volleyball duo of Treanor and Walsh that has dominated that sport at the last two Olympics.  Gold twice.  Here we have a professional baseball player who is known as "the husband of Misty May Treanor."  Ah.

Let's round out the picture.  He's batting .224, a vanilla wafer higher than Ramirez.  He's having a career season in that he's hit five (5) homeruns, more homers than he'd hit in any other season.  Okay, but the guy on third, Josh Hamilton, he has 15.  Behind the plate, he's fundamentally sound, but he'll not likely see a Gold Glove upon his mantle.

Shall we scatter a bit of lemon juice on this papercut?  He'd broken into the Big League with Florida.  Whenever you play against your old friends, you want to show them that they never should have gotten rid of you.  Ron Washington started Ramirez.

Oh, yeah, Misty May was in the stadium to watch yesterday's game, too.  So were other family and friends.  They all got to watch Ramirez play eight adequate innings behind the plate and whiff three-of-three times to the plate.  Ol' Matty warmed the pine.

So with the Marlins closer on the mound and the game all but in the bag for the Fish, out walks an ice-cold Matt Treanor to the batter's box.  It was almost like the end of "Rudy," but at the end of the movie, Rudy didn't decide the game.  Quiet, shy Matt Treanor did.

I wish I could figure out how to upload the video.  Please take a moment and go to the following link and listen to Texas Rangers announcers, Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve, celebrate an amazing first-pitch hit by Mr. Treanor.  (Once there, you'll have to click on the video to get it to play.)  Turn up the volume.  They were as stunned (as you'll hear) by the hit as I was.

No, it wasn't the World Series.  And he'll get no trophy or extra money for what he did.  But it's the stuff that little kids' dreams are made of...even when they're full grown.

The link:  Are you kidding?!  Go to the site and click the video.  It's a minute and a half of delicious play-by-play.

By the way, the Rangers held on in the ninth to win 3-2.  Well done, Mr. Treanor!

(the pic is of a pleased as punch, Ron Washington, high-fiving the jubilant Treanor who caught the ninth)