Thursday newsletter time: Crowd gathers around one loaded Rangers golf cart
(Rangers Today/Jeff Wilson)
SURPRISE, Ariz. — Bruce Bochy said at the winter meetings that he might look as if he’s in pain when he walks, but he feels great after having knee replacement surgery a while back.
But he’s 67 and headed to the Hall of Fame after he retires for good, so the Rangers manager isn’t going to the back fields on foot this spring.
He was rolling through the Surprise Recreation Campus on Wednesday for the first spring workout in a golf cart, and he had some notable travel companions.
Like good brothers do, Mike and Greg Maddux alternated between riding shotgun and sitting in the back.
The autograph seekers pounced when Bochy parked the cart, and security intervened to let manager, pitching coach and spring training instructor do their jobs.
The journeys in the cart marked the only time Bochy sat down. He stood just off to the side of the action during pitchers’ bullpen sessions, alternating sides between groups. He talked to a lot of club personnel, as he’s still trying to get to know everyone.
Bochy, though, looked content being he is back in charge of a team for the first time since 2019. And he was hard to miss, whether in the star-studded golf cart or not.
The deGrom thing
John Moore and I hosted a Twitter Live chat Wednesday night, and the first question was about Jacob deGrom.
He was scratched from his Day 1 bullpen session, by executive decree from general manager Chris Young, after experiencing some tightness in his left side a few days ago after his last offseason bullpen before heading to Arizona.
All indications are deGrom is not injured. Springtime soreness is commonplace, and so is springtime caution.
Despite all the noise from New York, where fans seemed to delight in the deGrom news, this appears to be a minor issue that should be cleaned up soon. The Rangers don’t seem to be worried.
He is expected to meet with the media today, and this tightness will be the first question thrown his way.
ICYMI …
Spring training has started, and Day 1 went well aside from the wet fields and chilly temperatures and that whole deGrom thing. The pitchers were pleased because they didn’t have to do any fielding practice. That is coming, as are more stories at Rangers Today and more videos at the Rangers Today Baseball Podcast YouTube channel. To subscribe to the channel is free. To subscribe to Rangers Today is nearly free at 16 cents a day via a $60 annual subscription. Here’s our latest content, in case you missed it.
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When something looks fun but also could ruin everything. Enjoy.
Heckin Bamboozled 😂🐸 pic.twitter.com/ENQ8BuQPbz
— The Woof World (@TheWoofWorld) February 11, 2023
Jeff Wilson, jeff@rangerstoday.com
