There's a lot of excitement these days about the Rangers pouring from the lips of general manager Jon Daniels and team president Nolan Ryan. Whether they're trying hard to convince fans to return to the Ballpark in Arlington after they stayed away in droves last season, or just genuinely excited about the new season....well, that remains to be seen.

Despite all the talk about the fresh young talent, kids like new shortstop Elvis Andrus, Chris Davis, and David Murphy, the Rangers will only go as far as their veteran pitchers will take them.

Specifically, starters Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla, each in contract years.

I'm always amused when I hear or read analysis that we should expect the best from players, when they're in the last year of their current contract. Shouldn't players always want to perform, both out of their own sense of pride and wanting to, you know....win?

In any case, it's all on the line this year for Millwood and Padilla. While each has shown flashes of their former selves, they've been far too inconsistent to warrant any sort of optimism surrounding the Rangers rotation.

And honestly, when was the last time there was any optimism about the rotation in Arlington?

The two young guns of the future, Neftali Feliz and Derek Holland are probably a few months away from arriving in Arlington, at the earliest. In the meantime, the Rangers must make due with what they have. If we're still seeing our share of 10-8 and 9-7 games by June, that means Millwood and Padilla aren't getting the job done. It wouldn't surprise anyone.

Without question, it takes more than two pitchers to bring about a winning season. But Millwood and Padilla set the tone and the attitude at the top of the rotation. If they struggle, it just puts more pressure on the rest of the staff. That leaves much less room for error.

So don't believe the Rangers' hype just yet. Wait till we see what Millwood and Padilla have in store for us this season.

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