Good morning, Rangers fans. Texas lost their second consecutive World Series Friday night, a day after one of the most exciting games in postseason history slipped through their fingers. Across the baseball world, if talk isn't about the miracle Cardinals, it's centered on the brutal hangover the Rangers franchise is experiencing today.
Ronald Blum of the AP sums it up brutally:
Losses like these create reputations. Debacles like this take decades to overcome — if ever.
Twice within a strike of winning their first World Series title, the Texas Rangers came up short both times.
"You study all year long, get straight A's and then you have to pass the one test to pass the course," Colby Lewis said. "We didn't pass each time."
In a year of unprecedented collapses, the Rangers saved the worst for last.
ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says despite their effort, the Rangers will end up joining a dubious club of playoff distinction:
The playoffs are such a grind these days, the Rangers deserve credit for surviving two rounds through two straight Octobers to advance to the World Series. Nevertheless, it's a given that some critics are going to label them as the baseball equivalent of the Buffalo Bills -- or the new Atlanta Braves.
To paraphrase Ron Washington, that's the way life go.
Closer to home, the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram's Randy Galloway puts the loss into the most common local perspective possible - the Cowboys:
The Gag Gang is coming home ringless.
Best chance ever, gone.
Hopefully not the best chance for evermore, gone. But this kind of blown opportunity scars a franchise, and in local lore takes the Rangers back to a long-ago place -- Tom Landry's Cowboys of the '60s.
Next Year's Champions, those clubs were called because of continuing postseason failure.
And while the gaping wounds are still fresh, MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan has words of encouragement for Rangers fans... about next year:
The Rangers also have to get over the disappointment of a second World Series defeat in as many seasons. But Daniels sees this team having no troubles doing that. He sees a team that will be ready to make another run when Spring Training rolls around.
"This club is unbelievably resilient, unbelievably mentally strong top to bottom, No. 1 through 25, and [manager Ron Washington], obviously that's where it comes from," Daniels said. "So no. People asked us this year in Spring Training, 'Is there going to be a World Series hangover?' Obviously, there wasn't."