The Rangers are a hot topic right now.  They are running away with the American League West. There newest pitcher, Cliff Lee pitched into the 9th inning last night to win his first game- and is showing the other pitchers in the Rangers rotation just how it is done. The team is just fantastic right now- at least on the field.

Off the field is another matter entirely.  The sale of the team which was expected to be finalized back in January has hit more than a few snags, and not the arbitrator has called for a new auction to be held for the sale of the team and open bids will be accepted.  That means that current President Nolan Ryan may not be the next owner of the team.  The auction is open to previous bidders who had already received permission from Major League Baseball to review the financial records of the the clubs.  They have also extended that permission to Mark Cuban, the outspoken owner of the Dallas Mavericks of the NBA.  Cuban has sought permission to buy the Cubs last year, but was rejected.  Opening the door to him now shows the desperation of MLB.

There are still problems though.  The auction will take place August 4th, with bids due the day before. That doesn’t give Cuban much time to review the financials and get his own money lined up.  I am not sure if that means he can work with other already bidding to buy the team, but he did ask if he could bring in other parties to support his bid.

But the other issue is what is best for the franchise, and without a doubt it is to do whatever is necessary to keep Nolan Ryan involved. Ryan has said that if he is not the new owner, he will have to reexamine his role with the team.  Depending on the new owner, the team may lost the best face of the franchise in years, as well as the best voice for making the on-field operations work from the top of the organization to the bottom.

The judge in the case has reassured the team that they will not have to make compromises to stop their team’s success this season- in fact this Barry Schlacter piece details a reassuring conversation the judge had with manager Ron Washington when Washington came to court to testify.

The team should make the playoffs.  The team on the field is solid- and the front office is free to make the necessary moves.   Where the team will sit off the field once September and October rolls around is another story.