The Texas Rangers returned to the World Series for the second year in a row, a very tough task to replicate in the competitive MLB. It is also a hard thing to do thanks to the world of baseball injuries. Texas was not without injuries but withstood them to make it to the World Series regardless. Here is a look at the Top 5 injuries for the Texas Rangers in 2011.

1. Josh Hamilton (Sport’s Hernia)

Josh Hamilton’s injury was the worst on the team, happening at the end of the season and affecting his postseason play. For the second year in a row, he came into the postseason injured, this time with an undiagnosed sport’s hernia. He didn’t miss playing but he wasn’t able to hit with power and precision he was used to. Hamilton said it hurt to pivot so he was not the weapon Texas was used to in the World Series.

2. Nelson Cruz (Strained Hamstring)

Nelson Cruz also broke down at the end of the year. He missed almost the entire final month of the season with a strained hamstring. Cruz had been dealing with leg problems all season and this was just the culmination of the buildup. However, he bounced back and tied the postseason all-time record for home runs, so hopefully the injury bug is behind him.

3. Neftali Feliz (Right Shoulder Inflammation)

Closer Neftali Feliz blamed this trip to the IR on the fact that Texas had him play as a starter in spring and he lamented the decision. He missed some time and then returned struggling and almost lost his closer’s job. That is worrisome because he is the new fifth starter in the rotation in 2012 and he can’t let this breakdown happen again.

4. Josh Hamilton (Shoulder Fracture)

In one of the dumbest plays of the season, Texas was leading big and Josh Hamilton tried to steal home. The play call was bad but what was worse was Hamilton sliding into home plate, into a collision, and onto the IR for over a month. It was a dumb move on his part and could have killed the Rangers early in the season.

5. Nelson Cruz (Strained Quad)

What made Hamilton’s injury worse was that Nelson Cruz joined him on the IR and the Rangers’ outfield was depleted of stars at the same time. Cruz’s injury was a bad one and caused him to miss significant time throughout the season. As soon as he was over one leg injury, another part of the leg would go out. It was a never ending cycle.

Source: MLB.COM

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

I normally try to think about baseball and specifically my Texas Rangers in a logical and well thought out manner. I like to consider as many facts and possibilities as possible and not just say random things. However, over the past few days I have not been thinking that way. Over the past few days I have been a bit greedy and selfish and not allowed myself to put as much thought into things as I like or should.

Over the past few days I have determined that I want the Rangers to do something ridiculous and like the Rangers of old. I want them to not follow textbook, modern baseball logic. You see, I want them to go get Prince Fielder(notes). I want starting pitching and probably bullpen help more, but I still want Fielder. I don’t want Albert Pujols(notes) and it really has nothing to do with the Cardinals taking home a World Series Championship that should have ended up in Texas or the fact that there is no way Pujols does not re-sign in St. Louis. I don’t want Yoenis Cespedes or any other non-pitcher. I want Fielder and I want all 275lbs of him.

I really do not know why I have come to that conclusion either. The only thing I can think of is one thing…”Home Run Porch.”

When Rangers’ Ballpark in Arlington was built, Home Run Porch was designed for Rafael Palmeiro or at least that is the legend, however I think the truth is that it was designed for Fielder. Josh Hamilton(notes) has taken attack on it many times and Mitch Moreland(notes) hit some moon shots into it in 2011, but just think about Fielder coming to the plate four times a night with that thing sitting out in front of him. Just think about it.

Now think about the lineup, Ian Kinsler(notes), Michael Young(notes) (back where he belongs in the two hole), Hamilton, Fielder, Adrian Beltre(notes), Nelson Cruz(notes) (man this is getting fun), Mike Napoli(notes), Elvis Andrus(notes) and now you can input the centerfielder of your choice. My choice would be Craig Gentry(notes), but who knows what is going on at this point. At this point I am still in the middle of a dream anyway.

You see, I am the guy who has constantly said that Fielder will get way more money than he deserves and that he is destined to be in the American League as a designated hitter. I am the guy that was in a car for two hours heading to Game 2 of the ALCS explaining why Fielder’s weight was the main reason I did not want the Rangers to even think about trying to get him. I am also the guy that says the Rangers do not really have any major needs this offseason other than pitching, but then it happened.

I saw “Home Run Porch” and heard The Natural theme song in my head.

I want the Rangers to make good decisions and I think they will do that. Every decision that they made in the 2011 offseason was scrutinized and every one of them looked brilliant by the end of the season. I have confidence in them doing the same in 2012 and going forward. These are not the Rangers of old that were just a bunch of sluggers, but this is a well-designed organization from the top to the bottom and I trust them to make good baseball decisions.

Fielder would not add any type of defensive upgrade at first for the Rangers, but it would be fun. This whole idea is crazy and wacky, but you know what? It is a reality. As much as I say the Rangers will watch their spending with free agents like Josh Hamilton and Mike Napoli around the corner, it is still possible that they spend a ton of money this offseason. It is not extremely likely, but it is completely possible and it sounds like a bunch of fun. Fielder seems like the type of player that would fit in perfect with this team and honestly that is much more important than it can seem at times. I can’t help it, but “Home Run Porch” sounds like a lot of fun.

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.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Before Game 3 of the World Series on October 23, center fielder Josh Hamilton from the Texas Rangers announced that he believed he was suffering from a sports hernia. However, he also said he would not let it interfere with his playing in this World Series and he would get through to the end.

Josh Hamilton
Wikimedia Commons

Ending the regular season with what was believed to be a groin strain, it has become increasingly worse and in the postseason and, although tests have not yet confirmed it, Hamilton believes it is a sports hernia. This diagnosis is nothing new to Hamilton who missed a month during the 2009 season after a surgery to deal with a sports hernia. A recent report from The Sports Exchange says he will more than likely be facing surgery once again after the World Series is over.

But what exactly is a sports hernia, how does it occur and how is it treated.

A Sports Hernia

Typically a hernia occurs when an internal organ creates a bulge through a weak area in the muscle and includes conditions such as inguinal hernias in the groin area and hiatal hernias which occur when an opening in the diaphragm allows the stomach to move into the chest. Sports hernias differ in that they are caused by a weakening in the abdominal wall and when they are overexerted, a muscle tear occurs in the groin. They are commonly misdiagnosed as a muscle strain or groin injury.

How Does it Happen

In this area, your oblique muscles attach at the pubis region in the groin. These muscles contract and pull the pubis upward. Your adductor muscles are also attached at the pubis and these muscles pull the pubis down. If both muscles are contracted at the same time, your body enters a game of tug-of-war. In many athletes, strength training is focused on the lower body and not the trunk, so inevitably the adductor muscles win the fight and tear the oblique muscles. Sports hernias are common in football, hockey, tennis and soccer players however any repeated twisted and turning motion can cause a sport hernia.

Treatment

Sports hernias usually require surgical treatment to repair the tears and reinforce the abdominal wall. Surgery can be an open surgery or performed with a laparoscopic procedure. In the laparoscopic procedure, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, small incisions are made and there is a shorter recovery period and normal activities, including sports, can usually be resumed within six weeks.

Deborah Braconnier is a former athlete and 20 year medical professional. She has personal experience with a variety of different sports injuries and has had both knee and spinal surgery. Working now as a freelance writer, she brings her love for both sports and the medical field together in her writing.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.