Featuring the likes of Neftali Feliz, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Nelson Cruz, and Josh Hamilton, the Texas Rangers will play 13 home games and 17 away games during the 2012 Cactus League Spring Training.

Surprise Stadium
Public domain

Note: All game times for Central Standard Time. Schedule is tentative. (SS) represents split squad game. All games are part of Cactus League Spring Training and home games are played at Surprise Stadium, the Spring Training home of the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals.

Texas Rangers 2012 Spring Training Schedule

Sunday, Mar. 4: vs. Kansas City Royals, 1:05 p.m.

Monday, 5: at Kansas City Royals, 2:05 p.m.

Tuesday, 6: at Arizona Diamondbacks, 2:10 p.m.

Wednesday, 7: at San Diego Padres (SS), 2:05 p.m.

Thursday, 8: vs. Chicago White Sox, 2:05 p.m.

Friday, 9: vs. Los Angeles Dodgers, 2:05 p.m.

Saturday, 10: at Chicago White Sox (SS), 2:05 p.m.

Sunday, 11: vs. Cleveland Indians (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Monday, 12: at Seattle Mariners, 3:05 p.m.

Tuesday, 13: at Cleveland Indians, 3:05 p.m.

Wednesday, 14: vs. Colorado Rockies (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Thursday, 15: vs. Oakland Athletics, 3:05 p.m.

Friday, 16: at Los Angeles Dodgers, 3:05 p.m.

Saturday, 17: vs. Arizona Diamondbacks (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Saturday, 17: at Chicago Cubs in Las Vegas, NV (SS), TBD

Sunday, 18: at Milwaukee Brewers (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Sunday, 18: at Chicago Cubs in Las Vegas, NV (SS), TBD

Monday, 19: vs. Milwaukee Brewers, 3:05 p.m.

Tuesday, 20: at Chicago Cubs (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Thursday, 22: vs. Chicago Cubs (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Thursday, 22: at Cincinnati Reds (SS), 9:05 p.m.

Friday, 23: at San Francisco Giants, 9:05 p.m.

Saturday, 24: vs. Los Angeles Angels, 3:05 p.m.

Sunday, 25: at Los Angeles Angels, 3:05 p.m.

Monday, 26: vs. Cincinnati Reds, 8:05 p.m.

Tuesday, 27: vs. San Diego Padres (SS), 3:05 p.m.

Wednesday, 28: at Kansas City Royals, 8:05 p.m.

Thursday, 29: vs. San Francisco Giants, 8:05 p.m.

Friday, 30: at Colorado Rockies, 9:10 p.m.

Saturday, 31: at Cleveland Indians, 9:05 p.m.

Sunday, Apr. 1: vs. San Diego Padres, 3:05 p.m.

Sources:

Texas Rangers Spring Training Tentative Schedule, texasrangers.com

Texas Rangers Spring Training Ballpark, texasrangers.com

More from this contributor:

San Francisco Giants 2012 Spring Training Schedule

New Orleans Hornets 2011-12 Regular Season TV Schedule

San Antonio Spurs 2011-12 Regular Season TV Schedule

Philadelphia 76ers 2011-12 Regular Season TV Schedule

Oklahoma City Thunder 2011-12 Regular Season TV Schedule

Follow this contributor on Twitter @_austinchang.

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Read More: yu darvish, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago Cubs

According to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Texas Rangers may have beat out the Toronto Blue Jays and Chicago Cubs for Japan’s top free agent, Yu Darvish:

The Cubs have reportedly placed a bid on the 25-year-old righty, but the latest reports suggest the two biggest bids were from the Rangers and Blue Jays.

Olney also suggests the Blue Jays may have not won the bidding because they pushed hard for now-Cincinnati Reds pitcher Matt Latos recently. Had the Jays won the bid, they would have presumably withdrawn from the Latos trade talks sooner.

The MLB and the Nippon Ham Fighters are expected to announce the winning club Monday night.

For more updates on Chicago sports, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Cubs, head over to Bleed Cubbie Blue. Also, check out MLB Daily Dish for Cubs rumors and transactions.

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The Texas Rangers have not had an ace pitcher for many of their seasons in Arlington, but they now have another former ace that is employed by the club. Just a few weeks ago it seemed that Mike Maddux might be joining his brother Greg in Chicago as the manager for the Cubs, but now it will be the other way around.

Greg Maddux had worked as an assistant to Jim Hendry for the past two seasons in Chicago, but now he will have a similar role with the Rangers. Maddux was a four time Cy Young award winner and compiled a 355-227 record during 22 major league seasons with the Cubs, Braves, Dodgers and Padres. In Texas, Maddux will work with pitchers during major and minor league spring training and will travel to work with minor league pitchers during the season. Maddux won 18 Gold Glove awards during his big league career and that will be one of the specific areas he will be involved with when working with Rangers’ pitchers, along with the mental side of pitching.

Mike Maddux has become one of the best pitching coaches in baseball and now he will have the benefit of working with his brother on a regular basis. It will not only be nice that they get to work closely for the first time in their respective careers, but Mike will also have the luxury of having his own brother work with young pitchers in the Rangers’ organization. Many of those young arms Mike does not get to see until they are in the big leagues.

The Rangers now have Greg Maddux, Mike Maddux and Nolan Ryan that can work with young pitchers at different times and in different capacities. The Rangers are loaded with young, talented pitchers at the big league and minor league levels. Pitchers like Derek Holland(notes), Matt Harrison(notes), Alexi Ogando(notes) and Neftali Feliz(notes) will greatly benefit to having a mind like Greg Maddux around to help them with many of the small aspects of pitching that turned Greg into one of the best pitchers of his generation. He will also be a great tool in working with minor league pitchers such as Martin Perez(notes) and Tanner Scheppers(notes) who have yet to get over the hump and become ready for big league action.

Greg and Mike may not see each other on a regular basis during the regular season as Greg will be traveling to minor league clubs and returning home to Las Vegas, but the brothers will still be involved with each other more often than they have been in years. As a Rangers’ fan it is nice to see Greg traveling to Texas to work with Mike instead of the other way around.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

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Gotta run!.

Published: Nov. 29, 2011 at 7:38 PM

Comment Below!.

ARLINGTON, Texas — Greg Maddux is leaving the Chicago Cubs to join the Texas Rangers, reuniting him with his brother Mike.

The Rangers said Tuesday that Greg Maddux will become a special assistant to the general manager, the same role he held with the Cubs the last two seasons.

Gotta run!.

When Mike Maddux was interviewing for the head managerial job at the Chicago Cubs, one of the things he spoke of was keeping his younger brother Greg Maddux in a prime position as well. It made plenty of sense because Greg pitched for the Cubs at the start and end of his career. Retaining a hometown hero, especially to secure the services of a manager you were seeking, is a win-win.

However, things did not go as planned and the Cubs chose to move in another direction, stating that it seemed like Mike would be focusing more of his attention on his kids in Texas instead of on rebuilding the Cubs. That means the man who made Texas one of the best pitching staffs in baseball would return for another season in Arlington.

On Nov. 29, another announcement was made as Greg Maddux accepted a position in the Texas front-office staff as well. Mike wanted his brother in Chicago and ended up getting him in Texas instead. Once again, it is a win-win for both the Maddux brothers as well as the Texas Rangers organization.

Throughout the ’90s, and part of the last decade as well, Greg Maddux was one of the most dominating pitchers in major league baseball. The Texas native retired with 355 wins in his career, a lifetime 3.16 ERA and 3,371 strikeouts. He was an eight-time all-star, four-time Cy Young winner in the NL and 18-time Gold Glove winner. He won the World Series in 1995 and had his number retired by both the Cubs and the Atlanta Braves.

Now, Greg takes the next step in his career as the special assistant to general manager Jon Daniels. Daniels said that Maddux will help his brother with the development of the pitching staff in the Rangers’ organization. He served the same role in Chicago where he worked as a Spring Training instructor and scout. While Mike Maddux will work as the major league pitching coach, Greg will work with the young players the Rangers hope to add to their big league roster.

It was easily a win-win situation.

Author Shawn S. Lealos has been a Texas Rangers fan his entire life, watching the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate play for over 30 years. While Texas has moved their Triple-A team, Shawn still remains a loyal Rangers fan and dreams of the year they finally win the big one.

Source: MLB.COM

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The Texas Rangers have been fairly lucky this offseason when it comes to holding onto some of their prized possessions. However, their luck may be starting to change as the Houston Astros announced the firing of general manager Ed Wade and team president Tal Smith. The Rangers were able to hold onto Mike Maddux as their pitching coach, even though he was one of the top candidates for the Red Sox and Cubs managerial positions and at one time seemed destined to be the next manager of the Chicago Cubs. They have also been lucky to hold onto assistant general manager Thad Levine and senior director of player personnel A.J. Preller during an offseason filled with general manager positions.

The Rangers have become known as one of the best organizations in baseball over recent years and specifically when it comes to their front office and specifically player development. Jon Daniels has been at the front of everything that has taken place, but no organization could enjoy this much success based on the work of one man. For years now, Thad Levine and A.J. Preller have been expected to make the jump to the general manager’s chair and it has been very surprising this offseason that neither of them have even been interviewed to this point. That may be changing with the Astros position now available and Astros CEO George Postolos stating that their next general manager must have “a strong commitment to player development.”

Not only are the Astros under new ownership and will have a new general manager, but they will also be heading to the American League West in 2013. Not only would Levine or Preller have a solid background in player development, but they would also have been successful in the very same division that the Astros are heading into. It would seem that Levine would be a logical fit in Houston, but with the desire to invest in player development, it would not be out of the question for them to consider Preller for the position. Should Levine take the job in Houston, it would seem like Preller would be the most likely candidate to move into the assistant general manager’s position for the Rangers.

While it would be tough for the Rangers to lose Levine or Preller, the Rangers have built depth throughout their organization on all fronts and they are as prepared as any team to lose someone as talented as Levine or Preller. The Rangers also cannot expect to hang onto all of these great minds forever. Even if they do not lose anyone this year, it will come sometime down the line.

John Bowman is a lifelong baseball and Texas Rangers fan that loves to ponder the deeper aspects of the game. Some of his first baseball memories involve Arlington Stadium nachos, Charlie Hough’s knuckeball, dirt on Pete Incaviglia’s uniform and the voices of Mark Holtz and Eric Nadel as he fell asleep. Follow him on Twitter @TexasWinColumn.

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Texas Rangers fans have another reason to look forward to opening day next year.

On the undercard, Nolan Ryan vs. Robin Ventura II: The Rematch.

Well, sort of.

Ryan is the Rangers’ president and a part owner, and Ventura is the new manager of the Chicago White Sox. Ventura’s debut will come in Arlington, site of one of the most infamous scenes in baseball history.

Ventura was a peppy youngster, and Ryan a grizzled veteran on his way to retirement, when one of Ryan’s famed heaters plunked Ventura in 1993. He took off toward the mound for revenge and wound up in a headlock, getting pummeled. Pictures of the scene are in sports bars across the country, and the video clip still draws loud ovations at Rangers Ballpark.

“You know, I’m truly surprised by that,” Ryan said Sunday, happy to discuss something other than weather forecasts that postponed Game 2 of the AL championship series. “I’m surprised that this thing has had the life that it’s had.”

The Hall of Famer added that he thinks Ventura’s hiring — a surprise to many — was a good move.

“I’m really happy for Robin, that he’s getting that opportunity,” Ryan said. “It should be with the White Sox. I think he’s the type of person that you want to see in that position, because I think he’s good for baseball, and he knows the game.”

What are your opinions.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

There is the quick update of the day.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Alex Rios has never let the jeers get to him. He just hasn’t found a way to quiet them.

Rios was showered by boos when he entered in the first inning after White Sox right fielder Carlos Quentin injured his left shoulder making a diving catch. Rios hit a go-ahead in the eighth Saturday night as Chicago beat the Texas Rangers 3-2 to end a three-game skid.

Brent Lillibridge came in to pinch-run after Paul Konerko’s one-out single in the eighth. Rios hit a full-count pitch from Koji Uehara (1-3) down the left-field line for the deciding run.

Rios overcame a tough start. In the bottom of the first, he came up with runners at the corners and struck out. He had just two hits in his last 27 at-bats before the big hit and had become one of the main targets of frustrated White Sox fans.

“I’ve never lost my confidence. It’s something that athletes can’t do. It will bring you down,” Rios said. “I’m just trying my best and I’m not going to quit. Even if I’m at my lowest point, I’m not going to quit. I’m ready to battle.”

Quentin tumbled to make the catch on Craig Gentry’s shallow flyball, but came up favoring his shoulder and was immediately removed from the game. X-rays came back negative and he will be examined further on Sunday.

“It’s not broken. That’s what I was worried about,” White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. “Carlos is a big kid. When you put all the weight in just one spot, you’re going to be sore for a little while.”

The White Sox overcame two homers by Ian Kinsler to even the series with the AL West-leading Rangers and keep pace with the Detroit Tigers, who remain five games ahead of Chicago in the Central.

Kinsler drove the second pitch of the game down the left-field line, waiting to see if it stayed fair before he trotted around the bases. It was his sixth leadoff homer of the season and 19th of his career.

He homered again in the third on a 1-2 pitch after fouling off six pitches. He has three multihomer games on the year, 10 overall.

Kinsler finished with three hits to break out of a prolonged slump. He came into the game hitting .189 (18 for 95) over his last 22 games.

The two solo shots were all that White Sox starter John Danks gave up. He pitched seven strong innings, scattering seven hits. He struck out five and didn’t issue any walks.

“(Kinsler) and I are close, played a lot together in the minor leagues,” said Danks, a native Texan who came up in the Rangers’ farm system. “We keep in touch, I’ll have to talk to him tonight, for sure.”

Danks gave up a one-out double to Nelson Cruz in the fourth, but Cruz was caught attempting to steal third to end the threat.

Danks threw 81 of his 107 pitches for strikes. After starting the year 0-8, he’s rebounded to post a 5-1 mark over his last 10 starts with a 2.32 ERA despite the no-decision.

“It was one of the rare games you feel like you get stronger as the game goes on,” he said. “It was fun, you know? You’re facing one of the best teams in all of baseball, (catcher Tyler Flowers) and I were on the same page, it was fun.”

Rangers starter Alexi Ogando matched Danks with two runs allowed over seven innings. The righty surrendered six hits and struck out five, walking one.

Ogando tossed a shutout against the White Sox on May 23 in Texas and hadn’t allowed a run against them in 11 career innings until Alexei Ramirez’s two-out single in the first.

Juan Pierre followed suit with a two-out single in the second to put the White Sox up 2-1. Even with the loss, the Rangers have won seven of nine games on their current road trip and 10 of 13 overall.

“He took us where we needed to go.” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “It came down to who was going to get the two-out hit. They got one, we didn’t.”

Jesse Crain (8-3) put two runners on in the eighth but got Cruz to fly out to right field to end the threat.

Sergio Santos worked the ninth for his 26th save in 30 chances.

NOTES: Washington was reluctant to give SS Elvis Andrus the day off Saturday. “All these guys have been grinding. They all need a day off and I can’t give it to them,” Washington said. “So I decided today was a good day to do Elvis.” Andrus ended up pinch-hitting in the ninth and striking out. … Texas sends LHP Derek Holland (11-4, 4.23 ERA) to the mound for the series finale on Sunday. Holland is 5-0 with a 2.63 ERA in his last eight starts and is tied for the AL lead with four shutouts. Gavin Floyd (10-10, 4.66) will throw for the White Sox. Floyd struck out seven of the first nine batters he faced in his last start, but then allowed five runs over the next 2 2-3 innings in a no-decision.

What are your opinions.

Read More: Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels

This past week has not been kind to the Los Angeles Angels (67-59), who sit six games back of the Texas Rangers (73-53) in the AL West. The Rangers increased their lead in the division over the past seven days with six wins in seven contests, including three of four games against the Angels. The Angels, meanwhile, lost five of their seven games.

The Angels, however, have snapped a five-game losing streak and are currently riding a two-game winning streak. This weekend, they play two games against the Baltimore Orioles (47-75), who have lost six of their last eight and three straight overall. The Rangers take on the Chicago White Sox (61-63), who are riding a three-game losing streak of their own.

In tonight’s game against the Orioles, the Angels will put Joel Piniero (5-6) on the mound against Tommy Hunter (2-2). The series will conclude on Sunday when new pitcher Jerome Williams (0-0), who was recently called up from Triple-A Salt Lake, will start against Baltimore’s Brian Matusz (1-5).

The Angels will need to build on their two-game winning streak against the Orioles this weekend in order to keep up with the Rangers. The Angels, however, will get a shot to really make up some ground in the AL West when the two teams meet up again for a three-day series beginning next Friday. Let’s hope that the Angels are riding an even bigger winning streak by the time that the Angels-Rangers series rolls around. 

What are your opinions.