The Rangers are America's Darlings!! .... But what if the storylines were reversed?

Nolan Ryan is president and part-owner of the Rangers, and the coverage from ESPN and the like  goes something like this:

"Ryan is a true American hero, one of the greatest pitchers of all time and struck a blow for old people when he punched out young whippersnapper Robin Ventura after an unproviked attack ..."


If Ryan had finished his career with the Yankees and was now Yanks president, that coverage would go something like this:


"Ryan, one of the most overrated pitchers in baseball history, has to live with the fact that his final no-hitters are tainted because they were achieved against glorified minor-league lineups. He was considered as a thug at the end of his career, and is most known for intentionally throwing at young, innocent Robin Ventura -- blatantly attemping to injure the budding star and end his career -- then sucker-punching the smaller Ventura when he approached Ryan in an attempt to calmly discuss the incident. Ventura was never the same again. Ryan pitched well into his 40s ... so you know what that means, folks -- PEDs. For those reasons, his Hall of Fame voting totals annually come in at an amemic 20 percent or so ..."

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Coverage of Josh Hamilton with the Rangers:

"Hamilton is one of baseball's great feel-good stories, overcoming drugs and a multitude of personal problems to turn his life around become one of the game's greatest players. He is truly a role model for troubled youth."


If Josh Hamilton was a member of the Yankees, coverage from ESPN and the like would go something like this:

"Once again, the Yankees have no shame is signing whatever drug-abuser comes around who can help them win a game. From Steve Howe, to Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden and now Josh Hamilton, the Yankees are have proven themselves the home to the worst possible role models for our children. And while Hamilton claims to be clean now, there's little doubt that Alex Rodriguez is showing him the finer points of PEDs ..."


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Coverage of the Rangers' bankruptcy:

"It was inspiring the way community businessmen, including heroic Nolan Ryan, saved baseball for the good people of Arlington and the state of Texas."


If the Yankees had gone bankrupt, coverage from ESPN and the like would go something like this:

"HA HA HA HAHAHAHA!! BANKRUPT!!! AAAHHH-HA-HA HA!!!!!"