A full crowd at Globe Life Field? Even if that’s what the Rangers want, there probably won’t be many - The Dallas Morning News

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Last summer, Greg Abbott helped the Rangers open their bright shiny ballpark by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

Tuesday, the governor threw the Rangers a bone.

Lifting the state-mandated mask order and ending restrictions on capacity means the Rangers can plan on packing as many fans into Globe Life Field as their consciences will allow.

Seems appropriate here for a “buyer beware” admonition, but, given the Rangers’ prospects this season, that’s probably unnecessary.

Barring objections from MLB officials or the union, you can expect the Rangers to go all in to fill every seat available in an attempt to wring as much revenue out of the new joint as possible. They’re already down one year of its earning potential, and they’re not getting that back. In case you haven’t been paying attention, Ray Davis and his pals didn’t get into the baseball business out of sentimentality.

So if you think the Rangers will err on the side of caution in bringing back fans, I don’t think you’re reading the tea leaves correctly.

Neil Leibman, the Rangers’ chief operating officer, issued a statement indicating they were “encouraged” by the governor’s announcement. Which, as was noted in the first paragraph of the official press release, was delivered at Montelongo’s Mexican Restaurant in Lubbock.

Nothing like product placement in the middle of a pandemic.

Anyway, because of uncertainties regarding mask mandates and good common sense, the Rangers had yet to announce a single-game ticket policy for this season, though on the broadcast of Wednesday’s 6-2 loss to the Angels, they advertised 20-game plans. Performances such as Wednesday’s probably won’t do much for sales.

On a purely baseball note, Rougie Odor handled two chances flawlessly at third, collected a single and managed not to get his foot caught in the anchor chain around his neck.

If you ask me, Abbott could have done Rangers fans a bigger favor if he’d demanded that the state’s junior MLB affiliate actually fielded a genuine big league roster, but the Rangers were appreciative. Ecstatic, you could even say.

Like pretty much everyone, baseball lost a lot of money last year. The Cubs’ owner called it “biblical.” But as union bosses will tell you, owners famously don’t let anyone peruse their ledger sheets, so it’s hard to say how much they’re bleeding. Because the Atlanta Braves are publicly traded, their books are public record every quarter, providing us an idea of the true damages.

According to an analysis by fangraphs.com, the Braves probably lost around $65 million once you factor in revenues and reduced costs. A bad year, without question, but hardly biblical. The Angels have spent more than that on Albert Pujols’ dotage.

Spotrac ranked the Rangers’ $64.2 million payroll last year just slightly ahead of the Braves’ $63.6 million. The Rangers’ TV revenues also weren’t as sweet as the Braves’, meaning their bottom line was probably a little uglier.

Then again, Globe Life Field hosted the playoffs and World Series, not to mention the rodeo, which was cool. Remember, it’s not only a ballpark. It’s an events center. It’s not just about baseball anymore, which, come to think of it, is probably for the best, seeing how baseball is going in Arizona.

Hans Crouse threw a high fastball to Shohei Ohtani that may have caught up with the Perseverance. In 20 years announcing Angels games, the man said, he’d seen maybe one other ball hit over the 40-foot-tall batter’s eye in center field. I couldn’t believe Delino DeShields even turned around. I couldn’t believe Crouse didn’t curl up in a fetal position. Geezus. What a bomb.

Granted, it’s hard to say how much different the Rangers’ ticket sales would go if Abbott had made Tuesday’s announcement effective at the end of the month instead of next Wednesday. Either way, the Rangers would have had a month to ramp up sales in time for the opener. I’d have preferred to wait, not only because that’s what the science says, but for practical safety reasons.

Let’s say the Rangers require fans to wear masks, as is their right under terms of the governor’s declaration. Who’s enforcing that rule in a big crowd after the locals have a few beers under their belts? Some retiree working part-time? Yeah, right.

Even if the Rangers don’t require fans to wear masks, some will and some won’t. I’ve witnessed firsthand how this works. My brother-in-law has removed himself from so many establishments on account of other people’s mask violations, I’m not sure he can shop in his hometown again. He doesn’t go quietly, either. Fortunately, he’s a big guy.

Andy Ibanez tripled to the right center gap Wednesday. All he’s ever done in the minors is hit, which Chris Woodward acknowledges, yet he’s never gotten a shot. Even now, with third base up for grabs and no flags on the horizon, Brock Holt and Charlie Culberson are in camp. Meanwhile, Andy, who turns 28 next month, waits. I’m going to make him my personal project.

Maybe the Rangers study fan feedback over the next month and take a cautious approach to opening up. Maybe they’ll ease into it. Make it 50% capacity for a month or two, then ramp up. But it’s not my money, as the lovely wife reminds me.

Bob Windham, commissioner of the Southwest Preparatory Conference, doesn’t agree with the timing of Abbott’s announcement. Told my Dallas Morning News colleagues it was a “political” decision.

“We’re health-oriented,” he said.

Of course, Bob already has their parents’ money. The Rangers want their money and everyone else’s, too. And they’re going to get it, one way or another.

Once again, Woody waves the white flag, not just once but twice. He says he doesn’t like this new spring training rule allowing managers to stop innings in mid-rout, but who’s he kidding? He needs to pray they make it permanent.

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A full crowd at Globe Life Field? Even if that’s what the Rangers want, there probably won’t be many - The Dallas Morning News
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