Shame on the Rangers
Johnny Oates doesn't deserve to be scapegoated this way. If a bit of that $267 million had been spent on pitching instead of fielders with now questionable skills and huge egos, the Rangers wouldn't be in this mess. Kudos to the Mariners for dumping Payrod, and boos to the Rangers for handing their manager a no-win situation.

Baseball is all about pitching
Sad is what my thoughts are. Baseball is all about pitching. I liked the A-Rod deal, glad to see him in Texas, but Oates is not to blame. No pitching is to blame. That is why people like me who live 30 minutes from the Ball Park in Arlington are Yankees fans. I know that what is happening with the Yankees now will soon be better because of their pitching.

Hicks didn't deliver in offseason
The wrong guy quit. Tom Hicks should have fired himself for doing nothing in the offseason about an obvious shortage of arms. Maybe the new manager will have a better ERA than 6.65.

No appreciation for Oates
Johnny Oates is a class act in every respect. I don't know if it was Doug Melvin's decisions on the A-Rod deal and the lack of pitching, but Oates has always conducted himself with dignity and class.

Can't win with just offense
You can't blame the manager if your team has the best offensive strike in MLB but you lose because your consistently outscored.

Learn from our mistakes
It's pretty obvious Oates is paying the price for his owner's ignorance, and this should come as a surprise to no one. The Ranger's weakness last year was pitching, not hitting. So what do they do? Add offense, and at a price that may prevent them from signing any free agent pitchers in the near future. You can't take a crappy pitching staff and somehow "manage" them into a good stuff, but that's apparently what Hicks expected of Oates. The "all offense, no pitching" philosophy doesn't work; we tried it here in Seattle.

Oates left at the right time
Oates was between a rock and a hard place. Texas has a putrid pitching staff and all the coaching in the world will not change that. Although it is hard to throw in the towel when you are a competitor, it was the only way to minimize the blame thrown at him for a situation he did not create.

Heart is all that matters
What a shame! I guess the Rangers learned the hard lesson us Mariners fans finally figured out. It's not the price tag, it's the heart. I feel bad for Johnny Oates, a great manager who was basically downsized because the owner thought that dollars bought championships. When it comes down to it, ballplayers win and not cash.

Bring back Nolan!
It's too bad that the Rangers and Johnny Oates couldn't put things together this season. But after the monumental meltdown last season and the poor start this year, it's clear a change needed to be made. Maybe we could get Nolan Ryan to be a player/manager. I'm sure he can still outpitch anyone on the roster.

Look at Mariners of '96
This terrible Texas team is not Johnny Oates's fault. Pitching is the word that comes to mind when you think about terrible teams. No pitching = No Wins = No Championship. Texas should have taken a hint and looked at the Mariners of 1996 when they had all the offense in the world but no pitching. Good luck Texas with your battle for last place in the West division!

Hats off to Oates
After his decision to resign from the Rangers, Johnny Oates now has my nomination for AL Manager of the Year. This decision has been the smartest move in the American League managerial pool this season. By signing Alex Rodriguez to an over-inflated 10-year contract, Tom Hicks has resigned himself to a ten-year losing streak. Oates has seen the dismal future of the Rangers and has moved on before the ERA hits the fan. Good move, Johnny, and you have my vote.

A lesson to be learned
I think Tom Hicks is to blame for signing such a big deal with just one player. Without pitching you have only a half team. Texas is hurting with no pitching. Maybe Oates will realize what a big mistake he made and try to trade A-ROD. OH WAIT...nevermind, nobody will want to take such a big contract over. Well I guess they are screwed for the next decade or so until Alex's contract is up. Well at least we can now learn from his mistake. Moral of the story is...Don't put all of your marbles in one jar!

I wish for Joe Torre
I believe that there is very little team chemistry between the players on this year's roster and a change may be in order. Some managers are better in the clubhouse and I believe that is what the Rangers need right now. I have no doubt that Oates is a great on-field manager but his time had come and gone. Maybe the Yankees will get stupid and let Joe Torre go, and we can snag the ultimate players' manager.

Spend dollars on better arms
How can Johnny Oates be blamed for Texas' struggles? Right now the Rangers pitching staff is the worst in baseball with 192 runs against. That is 20 runs more than the best offense in baseball (Colorado). How can Oates be expected to win with a pitching staff that was last in the A.L. in ERA last year and added no new arms?

Oates: Scapegoat of the Year award
I feel bad for him, because not one thing was his fault. All of the blame should be put on the person who forked out the money on A-Rod. Even though he may be good, the stats this year do not seem to match the money that he makes. I figured with all the money he is making because of his abilities, he should have better stats. There are others out there that are better at this point than he is, and making far much less than he is. The owner should have focused on the pitching staff since last year's was not so great. So, Oates was unfortunate in being this year's scapegoat.

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