In case you’ve been missing the recent drama surrounding the former Rangers’ and current Tigers’ second baseman Ian Kinsler, here it is in a nutshell:
“I hope they go 0–162,” Kinsler told ESPN The Magazine’s Robert Sanchez recently in a story published this week. “I got friends, and I love my friends, but I hope they lose their ass.”
Rangers manager Ron Washington said Kinsler’s comments wouldn’t impact the team and that he was always someone who “spoke his mind.”
“We won’t go 0-162,” he said. “Guaranteed.” . . .
In the story, Kinsler vents about his frustrations with the Rangers, citing issues with the team and general manager Jon Daniels. His disdain for Daniels is clear, as he calls him a “sleazeball” and blames Daniels’ ego for pushing Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan out the door.
Kinsler responded by complaining that “the story was written for drama and taken a little out of context.”
Shortly thereafter, Sanchez produced an audio recording of the interview, which seemed to indicate that there was no misinterpretation.
And in what may only be described as an amazing coincidence, Vladimir Putin cryptically tells ESPN The Magazine in an upcoming edition that he’s got friends in Ukraine but “I hope they go 0–162.”