It was mid-February, early in spring camp, when Texas general manager Doug Melvin, his Rangers' bank account still smoking after the additions of Alex Rodriguez, Ken Caminiti and Andres Galarraga, cut right to the chase. They've done it right.
Some teams have a window of opportunity and some clubs' window is more open than others.
For those of you out there who are sick of the Yankees, can't stand the sight of their pinstripes and are nauseated by the thought of George Steinbrenner's club winning a fourth consecutive World Series title, we offer the American League West. And, specifically, the Oakland Athletics . There are two distinct steps toward building a championship ballclub. You gather enough pitching to win, you compile enough hitters to score runs, you hope some of them can play defense, and away you go. Once you become a winner, you measure yourself against the best there is.