Hamilton & Darvish updates, and trivia answers.

Two notes of interest to pass along tonight.

First, according to multiple reports, Josh Hamilton’s father-in-law, Michael Dean Chadwick, has decided not to serve as Hamilton’s accountability partner this season, due to “family considerations.”

Second, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News predicts that Texas and Yu Darvish will settle on a deal that pays between $10 million and $11 million per season, and that Darvish’s proposal of a five-year term would include a provision preventing Texas from offering him arbitration thereafter.  It’s become a fairly standard provision for veterans coming over from Japan, one that permits them to take free agency at the end of their initial contract rather than remain subject to club control until they’ve amassed six years of service.  Hideki Matsui and Koji Uehara negotiated that provision into their initial big league deals, and I’m sure there are other examples.

Texas would reportedly prefer to commit Darvish to a six-year deal.

One way or another, this will get done by 4:00 Wednesday afternoon.

Trivia answers from the weekend:

SATURDAY

Name the former Rangers big leaguer born in:

Afghanistan                          Jeff Bronkey                         Aruba                     Sidney Ponson

Curacao                                Andruw Jones                      Germany               Craig Lefferts

New Brunswick                    Matt Stairs                            Nicaragua             Vicente Padilla

Nova Scotia                          Rick Lisi                                Virgin Islands       Jerry Browne

Netherlands/Holland          Bert Blyleven, Rikkert Faneyte

Panama                                 Roberto Kelly, Carlos Lee, Einar Diaz, Ruben Rivera, Bruce Chen

Name the two father/son combinations who played in the big leagues with Texas:

Mike Bacsik and Mike Bacsik Jr.

Sandy Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr.

Name the two brothers and a second cousin (two coaches and a player) who were with Texas in the big leagues:

Jerry, Johnny, and Sam Narron

There is a first name that only four players in big league history have had.  All four played for Texas.

Esteban Loaiza, Esteban German, Esteban Yan, Esteban Beltre

Four current big league managers suited up as players for the Rangers – one with the big league club, two with minor league clubs, one in big league spring training only

Ned Yost, Ron Washington, Ron Roenicke, Mike Scioscia

SUNDAY

Four players have had three different stints with the Rangers (that is, they had time with other organizations in between each Texas stint).  Name them.

Darren Oliver, Kenny Rogers, Ruben Sierra, Bill Haselman

One coach has had four different stints with the Rangers.  Name him.

Jackie Moore

This former Ranger had 24 fingers and toes.

Antonio Alfonseca

Five former Rangers had last names ending in “___owell.”  Name them.

Oddibe McDowell, Roger McDowell, Jay Powell, Roy Howell, Jay Howell

There is one existing big league franchise that the Rangers have never made a trade with.  Name it.

Tampa Bay Rays

At least five former players who played in the big leagues with Texas now work for Scott Boras.  Name them.

Bob Brower, Scott Chiamparino, Calvin Murray, Kurt Stillwell, Don Carman

Two other Boras soldiers were minor leaguers with the Rangers.  Name them.

Spike Lundberg, Jim McNamara

He’s played in more than 1,000 big league games and stolen more than 300 bases and had two different stints in the Rangers’ farm system without ever reaching the big leagues in Texas.  Name him.

Scott Podsednik

Bill Madlock, Vic Harris, Juan Beniquez, Steve Barr, Craig Skok, and John Poloni: What does this list of players represent?

They were the players involved in the three trades Texas made involving Fergie Jenkins