Sam Arkwright Diary
October 4th, 2022
My morning started off in Arlington, Texas for a look at the new Rangers ballpark, and a chance to see the Yankees’ Aaron Judge set the A.L. Home Run record. I saw him tie the record in Toronto. I hoped to see him break it in Texas.
I arrived late last night from Chicago, but still had plenty of time to meet owner Ray Davis for lunch. He invited me to a BBQ joint called
225, just a 5-minute drive from the park. I didn’t know until I saw the hours posted outside the restaurant (open only Friday-through-Sunday) that Davis had booked the place for just the two of us on a Tuesday afternoon.
We sat down in a booth, and giant trays of food were promptly served in front of us, one after another. I discretely started recording the conversation with the old man before my hands were covered in brisket and barbecue sauce.
Quote:
[Begin Transcription, 11:37am Central, October 4, 2022]
Davis: Try the elote. It’s good.
Arkwright: Which one’s that?
Davis: The corn, son. Mexican corn. And that stuff that’s on top of it. That’s chopped brisket and Cheetos.
Arkwright: Dang, that’s hot.
Davis: Too hot for you?
Arkwright: No, just right.
Davis: If you like that, try these Cherry Bombs.
Arkwright: Cherry Bombs?
Davis: Habaneros. Stuffed with brisket, wrapped with bacon. Good, huh?
Arkwright: Real good.
Davis: You won’t find anything like this anywhere else in the world. This here is what Texas is all about, right here in this room. We take the best of everything, and roll it all up into one. You catch my drift?
Arkwright: I think I get the metaphor. You embrace different cultural aspects, Mexican, American, and Texan, and make something better collectively than they would be individually. Just add Cheetos.
Davis: Yeah. Same goes for Baseball. You look at us owners. I worked in the energy industry. You got lawyers. You got finance guys. You got old money. You got new money. You got a little bit of everything.
Arkwright: I’m picking up what you’re putting down.
Davis: Good. So you want to own a team? Be one of us?
Arkwright: Not sure yet. Looking into it.
Davis: Now don’t be shy, son. People are talking about you buying the team in California…
Arkwright: Really? Who’s saying that?
Davis: Everyone. Word travels fast. It’s all over the papers.
Arkwright: The papers? Oh... the Angels... yeah. Nothing official right now. No formal offer yet. Just putting out feelers.
Davis: But you know you’ll have to be approved by us — the other owners — if you want a team, right?
Arkwright: Right.
Davis: So, tell me, what makes you special? Why should you be one of the 30 people lucky enough to call themselves a Major League owner?
Arkwright: I don’t think that’s for me to say. I can tell you I’m not going to fit the mold. I like to call the shots in whatever I do. That’s why I never took Sol public. I like to get input from very smart people, but I don’t like to be told what to do. Especially by people who are ill-informed or have an ulterior motive. But that describes pretty much every owner in major league sports. That doesn’t make me special or unique, does it?
Davis: No, it does not. But it does show that you’re honest. And blunt. That’s getting harder and harder to find these days in these parts.
Arkwright: Trouble in paradise?
Davis: You don’t get to this position in life by doing everything right. Sometimes you’ve got to get a little dirty. Throw in a bunch of guys who have that mentality and give them a trophy to fight for, and it’s every man for himself. I’m in a den of thieves.
Arkwright: I’m sure there are a few owners who are fighting the good fight. From what I can see, there are some good guys out there.
Davis: But that’s where the politics come into play. You’ll get the small market owners forming their own alliance to get shared revenue from the luxury tax teams. You’ll get the big market owners partnering up to push for a higher tax threshold so they can spend more money for a title. And then there’s everyone else caught in the middle.
Arkwright: Is that you?
Davis: I suppose so. We’re not swimming in money from a big TV deal like L.A. or New York. But we can afford to pay a couple of stars, unlike Oakland and Tampa. So about you? Where do you think you fall?
Arkwright: Like I said, I don’t fit the mold.
[End Transcription]
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We enjoyed the rest of our food. It was some of the best barbecue I’ve ever had. Boulder City has some pretty solid BBQ at the Fox Smokehouse, but nothing like this.
We shared a ride over to Globe Life Field. I thought it was interesting that the Rangers built a new stadium only two years ago after playing just a block away at the Ballpark in Arlington for barely 25 years. Ray explained to me that the oppressive heat during the summer made for a miserable experience for players and fans, and they needed a retractable roof. They determined it would be easier — and less expensive — to build a new $1 billion stadium than to just add a roof to their old ballpark. Probably something they should’ve thought of back in 1994. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
That was precisely what I was thinking as we watched Aaron Judge stride to the plate to lead off the first inning for the visiting team. The Yankees could’ve locked Judge up to an extension before the season and kept him in pinstripes for life. But they went on the cheap, lowballed him, and let him play out his contract. #99 has been making them pay ever since. The $210 million extension they offered before the season could easily be $300 million for whatever team is willing to back up the Brinks truck and pay Judge his worth.
Of course, I was probably the one of the 38,832 in the stadium thinking about Judge’s next contract. Everyone else in the ballpark was thinking about Judge’s next home run, which would set the American League record.
We didn’t have to wait long.
It came on a high fly ball to left field in the top of the first inning off of Rangers starting pitcher Jesus Tinoco. Though most everyone in the stadium was rooting for the Rangers, we were all Aaron Judge at that moment. #62. The A.L. home run record now belongs to Aaron James Judge. After Judge came out for a curtain call, Ray Davis gave me a knowing wink, understanding I had to fly off to Houston to catch the Astros-Phillies game, that had just gotten underway at Minute Maid Park.
I was grateful for the opportunity to witness history, and Judge did me a favor by wasting no time and hitting his historic homer in the first inning. It gave me plenty of time to get back to my jet and make the hour-long flight from Dallas to Houston.
By the time I got to Minute Maid Park, the game was already in the 5th inning. Team owner Jim Crane was waiting in the owner’s box. He waved me in and I hit record.
Quote:
[Start Transcription, 7:27pm Central]
Crane: Game’s pretty much over. Better late than never I guess.
Arkwright: Sorry, got held up getting over.
Crane: Traffic?
Arkwright: Judge.
Crane: Legal problems?
Arkwright: Something like that. What’s the score?
Crane: 6-0 us. Not much of a game.
Arkwright: Kind of surprising. The Phillies seemed like they finally got things going. Three-game win streak. Four wins in their last five games. Getting hot at just the right time.
Crane: Sounds like you follow the game pretty closely. I used to play, you know.
Arkwright: Didn’t know that. How high?
Crane: College. Central Missouri State. All-American.
Arkwright: What position?
Crane: Pitcher. 21-8. 2.42 ERA.
Arkwright: Your parents must’ve been very proud.
(silence)
Arkwright: Big at bat here. Two aboard…
Crane: Come on, let’s go Vasquez! We got this guy from the Red Sox a couple months ago.
Arkwright: Christian Vasquez. 2.2 WAR with Boston this year before you got him for two prospects…
Crane: War?
Arkwright: Wins Above Replacement. It calculates the total contributions by a player to a team relative to…
Crane: Don’t get me started on that data analytics bull crap. I had enough of that when I was in the shipping business. When I played it was just baseball. See ball. Hit ball. Beautiful thing.
(Cheering)
Arkwright: Looks like Vasquez was listening. Nice hit.
Crane: 7-0. Stick a fork in these Phillies. They’re deader than disco.
Arkwright: Well, you’re not seeing their everyday lineup. They cliched a playoff spot last night, so they’re resting up for the Wild Card.
Crane: Looks like a team of scrubs to me. Won’t make it out of the first round.
Arkwright: There’s another run. Mauricio Dobon RBI single. 8-0 Astros.
Crane: So you see a lot of baseball on this ballpark tour you’re doing?
Arkwright: Almost 30 games.
Crane: How do we compare?
Arkwright: How does your team compare to the other teams I’ve seen so far? Hard to tell based on one inning, but it looks like Justin Verlander is on his game so far.
Crane: 5 innings. No hits. One walk. Ten strikeouts. I’d say that’s pretty darn good.
Arkwright: Pretty darn good, indeed. But this is the regular season…
Crane: Verlander will be just fine in the playoffs. He’s a thoroughbred. He’s going to carry us to another title. Just you watch.
Arkwright: He’s been good in the postseason, I’ll give you that.
Crane: But?
Arkwright: But… he hasn’t been so sharp in the World Series. When it matters most. 0-2 with a 5.73 ERA in two starts in 2019.
Crane: That was a fluke. He’s normally fantastic in October.
Arkwright: Verlander was 0-1 in two World Series starts in 2017.
Crane: Well, traditionally, Justin has been a rock in the playoffs. That’s a small sample size. Four starts is nothing.
Arkwright: 0-3 in three World Series starts with the Tigers. 18 runs in 15 innings. In analytics, we call that a statistical trend.
Crane: Like I said, I'm not into that analytics stuff. How about we just watch the game.
[End Transcription]
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The conversation was pretty sparse after that. I suppose I should’ve let sleeping dogs lie. But I just couldn’t let it go. I gave myself a pat on the back for not bringing up the sign stealing and trash cans.
As for Verlander, he got the hook after the fifth inning despite carrying a no-hitter. The bullpen took it all the way to the 9th before finally surrendering a hit. Still, the Astros managed a 10-0 win to improve to 105-56 on the year.
Only one more game and one more stadium remains on my ballpark tour. New York City, here I come.
Pictured: Aaron Judge, Globe Life Field, Minute Maid Park