Blue Jays 'unknown enemy' for Texas Rangers Fans

In Toronto, fans are lining up to join the Blue Jays bandwagon. 

In Texas, where their opponent Rangers play, fans are ready to burn that bandwagon down.

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But how do Rangers fans feel going into the American League Division Series against the Toronto Blue Jays? Metro Morning host, Matt Galloway asked Kris Gross, Morning Show Host on KCLE Radio, Sports Talk 1460 in Cleburne, Tex., a city just south of where the Rangers play in Arlington.

"Rangers fans are a little nervous," said Gross this morning and for good reason too he believes. Taking a look at the Jays lineup, Gross thinks there hasn't been a better one in baseball in 30 years.

"I think Rangers fans realize the Blue Jays are probably the best team in the American League ... but if they could make this run, why not steal one from the Jays here?"

Up and down year for the Rangers

This is general manager Jeff Bannister's first regular season as a manager of the Texas Rangers. And although he's brought the team into the post-season, it hasn't exactly been a smooth ride.

The team kicked off the season this year in hit-and-miss fashion. Gross said the team looked shaky all the way up to the trade deadline, when things really turned around for them.

"This is a Rangers team that no one expected to even be in the playoffs, but they had an incredible September."

So the fans look at this team not knowing if they're an April Rangers, when they went 7-14, or a September Rangers, when they went 18-10.

One area the Rangers have been consistent in, however, is games against Blue Jays pitching ace David Price, Gross said. The Rangers have beaten him three times in the post-season, all when Price was with the Tigers.

But at the same time - Gross said he's still David Price.

"Price has been maybe the best pitcher of the second half of the season post-trade deadline, post all-star break," Gross said, "I think that means today goes to the Jays."

Three Rangers to watch

Despite that prediction, Gross said there are three key Rangers that Blue Jay fans should keep an eye on in this series.

• Prince Fielder, who Gross said has been hitting well.
• Adrian Beltre, a solid hitter who was on World Series teams in 2010 and 2011.
• And pitcher Cole Hamels, the ace of the Rangers pitching staff.

Bandwagon could help Jays

Gross is familiar with the Blue Jays' bandwagon, because the Rangers experienced their wave of fair weather fans leading up to their playoff runs in 2010 and 2011, when they played in, but lost, the World Series.

Gross said many of the bandwagon fans that came around five years ago have since lost interest. But the Rangers —now in their 55th season — definitely have their core of dedicated baseball fans.

'The Thing' versus 'The Parrot'

In addition to pitching, hitting and crowd noise, the two teams are well-matched on player celebrations.

In Texas, the team has a victory tradition players call The Thing. To perform The Thing, the player points two fingers toward the dugout, and players in the dugout point two fingers back. Occasionally and inexplicably one arm goes over the player's head. The tradition went unnamed until one of the players dubbed it The Thing.

In Toronto, Walking the Parrot is Edwin Encarnacion's home run celebration. He rounds the bases with this arm held steadily parallel to his shoulders, as if a parrot was perched on it. Fans call it "walking the parrot."