They Say, “COME AND TAKE IT!”

And that’s just what the Texas Rangers are trying to do, take the Division away from the Houston Astros, or at least the rivalry of the Silver Boot, that the two teams play for since the turn of this century!

Its an imaginary rivalry, or at least that is what the teams used to say back in the early 2000’s, when this first started with interleague play, and the Rangers would go down I-45, to take on the Houston Astros, and play three games down there, then turn around, and play three games in Arlington.

The premise of this, was to create a rivalry that would pit fans against each other, and that one team was better than the other. However, the players weren’t buying into it. Mainly because one team was in the National League, the Senior League as they thought of themselves, over the American League, or the Junior squad!

It came across that way, when they decided to create something that would put two teams in the same state that didn’t play each other for the last 28 years of the last part of the 20^th Century, when the Rangers moved to Arlington from Washington, D.C. as the Senators, it was a dream of having an all Texas World Series! But that’s not a rivalry!

Now, the two teams are in the same league, and the same division, and they battle each other numerous times throughout the season, and the “Boot” might have some meaning to it, but then again, the two teams, and the players that are on it, just seem to think that it’s a waste of time. They much rather just play the game, not worry about some prize at the end of the season, and concentrate on winning the division, then the playoffs, then the World Series.

Both teams have been to the “Dance” twice, with the Astros being the first one to go in 2005 from the State of Texas, only to lose to the Chicago White Sox, then the Rangers represented the Lone Star Republic in 2010 and 2011, only to come up empty on both of their attempts, once by the San Francisco Giants, the other by the St. Louis Cardinals, but wait—the Astros returned in 2017 to beat the L.A, Dodgers to win the FIRST WORLD SERIES FOR THE STATE OF TEXAS, and bring the Commissioner’s Trophy to Houston!

However, it still, this series, the Silver Boot Series, that has the attention of the sports writers, and the talking heads, and when you think about it, some fans, not all, Its interesting that there are some fans that will boast about their team and how they are the better one, and that their stars are better, that their fan base is better, their stadium is better, some how that sounds like a rivalry , but remember, no one calls it that outside of the media types!

The Texas Rangers for their part, have done what they are suppose to do, by winning the first two games of the second half of the season, that means after the All Star Break, where they start fresh, and they have done just that, taking the first two of four games from the Astros. The first one was by a shut out of 5-0 the second was a come from behind, walk off single, winning run—and sending 

32, 000 plus fans, either screaming for joy or throwing their hats onto the ground in anger, since the crowds in the stadium in Arlington, known as Globe Life Park, is pretty much 50/50 on who you’re rooting for.

Lots of Orange to represent the Astros, and Red-White & Blue representing the Rangers! Giy

So how would you rate this rivalry—is it like the Yankees and the Red Sox—the Giants the Dodgers, is like the North Side vs, the South Side of Chicago, or is it just what it is—two teams in the same state with a fan base that loves their team, and if you put them on the same field at the same time—there is the chest beating and the ring showing, to tell the other team, they made it to the promise land and have a Championship! Lets face it, Houston, outside of Hockey, you have two teams that have won championships! The Rockets and the Astros, your Oilers, and now your Texans haven’t been to a Super Bowl, and one day they might!

But the N.Texas area, in which , Arlington, is a big part of, has won the Super Bowl FIVE TIMES! Have ONE Stanley Cup, and ONE NBA Championship, but does not have the Holy Grail of Championships, the World Series!

So for that, Houston has the edge, but the SILVER BOOT, that’s another story—the Rangers have won it more times, but to ask players, it means that they get to keep this trophy in their office for a year until someone wins it again or gives it to the other team!

What the players truly want…. A RING! That says—“WORLD CHAMPIONS!” then they will be happy, and then, maybe if the Rangers happen to win one—there might be a true Rivalry!

Just a thought!