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A nod to old Dallas wrestler Fritz Von Erich?
A psychological ploy by hitting coach Clint Hurdle?
Fallout from last year’s swine flu?
After seeing two more Texas Rangers smack extra-base hits last week and then make bizarre hand gestures — Ian Kinsler did a wide-arm double claw and Josh Hamilton did a hands-over-his-helmet “nanna nanna boo boo” motion — toward their dugout, I wanted answers.
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But everyone had the same question: What the heck?
Talked to several insiders including Jamey Newberg and Chuck Morgan and even Jon Daniels and Kinsler and they were all very “it’s an internal thing.”
Finally — on with Newy Scruggs last Friday on 105.3 The Fan — manager Ron Washington spilled the beans.
“It’s just a fun thing for those guys,” Washington said. “It’s about locking hands from a distance. If I can’t be there to touch you and congratulate you, I’ll do it from a distance.”
Makes sense. Sorta.
In other news, Josh Hamilton is as hot as any hitter has ever been in the history of the franchise. A 21-game hitting streak. And Sunday he mashed a 468-foot homer, second-longest at Rangers Ballpark behind only Jose Canseco’s 480-foot bomb in ’94.
Lotta things going right for this team. And a chance to validate them all starting Tuesday night in Anaheim.
Are you ready to believe in the Rangers yet?
