I have been a Rangers’ fan for a long time now, and have cringed every year when they added more bats, but never seemed to make an effort to go out and get the top flight pitchers.

That has changed this season.

The Rangers recently added Cliff Lee, who many consider one of the top pitchers in Major League Baseball. They did so in spite of the fact that they are currently going through bankruptcy proceedings, and will soon be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

The performance of the pitching staff to date and the addition of Lee had fans buzzing with excitement over the weekend at the Ballpark in Arlington.

“Pitching has always been their weakest link,” said fan Matt Easley, prior to Sunday night’s ballgame against the Angels. “They’ve always had sluggers but their pitching has been weak. They’ve got a strong bullpen this year.”

“The pitching has been the key,” said Brian Pursche, who was at the Ballpark with his son, Clay, continuing the family tradition that began with Pursche’s father taking him to games when he was a child.

“They’ve been able to get those shutdown innings from the guys in the pen,” he said.

“Then when they went out and got Lee, fans like me started believing that they are really trying to make a run this year.”

Friends Micheal Lummus and Patricia Reed were at the game together, decked out in matching Rangers’ red T-shirts.

“I think they’re going all the way this year,” Reed said. “I know they are.

“I just think they’re ready. The fans are ready, the team’s ready, I think they can do it.”

Tim Martin was at his second game in three nights, still pumped about an exciting Rangers’ win on Friday night.

“It was an incredible game,” he said. “Friday night it was just an electric atmosphere, you can feel the difference. It was so good that I came back again two days later.

“They’re so competitive, they’ve got good pitching, they’re just a total team this year.

“In the past it’s been mostly just hitting, putting up a lot of runs so the pitchers could have a chance to win. This year they’re winning the close games.”

Don Lanham and his Boston Terrier, Ditto, were at the Ballpark for “Take your dog to the Ballpark” night.

Lanham has been a baseball coach for the Australian national team for 20 years, and was commissioner of baseball in the country before recently returning to his hometown of Dallas.

“People would always ask me ‘Why?’ when I told them I was a Rangers’ fan,” he said. “I told them that someday I would look pretty smart.”

He’s happy with how they’ve done so far, but is reserved about the possibilities of a championship from his coach’s perspective.

“I still think they need one more pitcher,” Lanham said. “The bullpen has always been their nemesis, but they’ve done a great job this year.

“I really like how they’re playing this year.

“They’re playing small ball, they’re playing big ball. They have really been good.

“The pitching’s good, and the defense is good. I think they’re driving the other teams nuts with the how good the defense is. I think they've been getting a little bit frustrated.”

As a long suffering Rangers’ fan myself, it’s awesome to think that this year they may actually be in the hunt for something we’ve never seen before, the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

Sounds nice, doesn’t it?