Michael Young

This is a position that the Texas Rangers are all too familiar with. It's a position they've been in through their first two postseason series, and they'll play the role one more time.

What is that role, you ask? It's being the underdog.

When the Rangers made it to the postseason, no one expected them to get past the Tampa Bay Rays let alone be the American League Champions. They weren't supposed to beat the Rays, and they sure weren't given a snowball's chance in hell against the defending champion New York Yankees.

The hit television show "Glee" has dominated Fox for the past year, but this October Cliff Lee, or "Clee," as one site likes to call him, looks to take over Fox. 

The 2010 baseball season will long be remembered as the year the Rangers made history.  I can only hope that one day someone will see the need to recreate it all on the movie screen.  During a season which will become almost mythical in Texas Rangers lore, two simple yet obscure clubhouse gestures were born.
 

Nearly 50 years of baseball. The last 39 of those years in Arlington. One of only three teams to have never been to the World Series. The Texas Rangers were not exactly a team with a rich tradition. However, when B.J. Upton popped out to left center to end the ninth inning, Texas fans finally had reason to celebrate.

The Texas Rangers are looking for their first playoff series win in franchise history, and last week, it looked like they would get it. The Rangers took games one and two in commanding fashion, giving up only one run. Starting pitchers Cliff Lee, and C.J. Wilson dominated both games, leading Rangers fans to think a sweep was in order. The sweep, however would not be so, leading 2-1 in the late innings of game 3, Ron Washington made some questionable decisions with the bullpen, and they could not finish the job, losing 6-2.

I don't claim to have watched every game this postseason, due to the unfortunate  condition of having things to do during the day. And yet, somehow, I've managed to see many, many blown calls. This is rather alarming, seeing as MLB lacks any process to review these mistakes. 

Now we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, not quite yet. With a two games to none advantage in the American League Division Series battle against the Tampa Bay Rays, the mood surrounding this Rangers ballclub is rather positive. After comprehensively beating the Rays in the first two games, on the road no less, this Texas ballclub is brimming with confidence.

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Statistics can prove anything, but more often than not, they mean nothing. I enjoy bits of trivia, not because I want to win a bet with my friends, but because they can shed light on trends and highlight new things. As a baseball fan and sports junkie, I love hearing something and saying, "Wow, I never knew that."

Keeping that in mind, here are a collection of stats, facts, and notes about your American League playoff teams, thanks to Elias Sports Bureau, SABR, press officers, and media reps. Enjoy the information overload.

With their thrilling 4-3 victory over the A's in Oakland on Saturday, the Texas Rangers have finally made their long-awaited return to baseball's promised land, earning their first postseason berth since 1999.