Instead of being all doom and gloom, I’ve decided that I (and probably many other Rangers fans) need to change my attitude.

1.  The Rangers are going to the playoffs for the THIRD YEAR IN A ROW.

2.  The Rangers finished the 2012 season with 93 wins, tied for the 3rd best record in the AL.

3.  They are facing the Baltimore Orioles in the Wild Card game.  This year, the Rangers have gone 5-2 against the O’s and have outscored them 56-24.

4.  Yu Darvish will be taking the mound for the Rangers.  If you have been paying any attention, you know that Darvish has been one of our best starters this year.  An overall ERA of 3.90, a winning percentage of .640 and those 221 strike outs should excite you.

5.  The O’s, on the other hand, will be sending out either Steve Johnson or Joe Saunders.  The Rangers have had a lot of success against Joe Saunders.  He also has a career ERA of 6.48 against the Rangers and a 9.38 ERA in Arlington.  The Rangers have only seen Steve Johnson once in a relief appearance.  The rookie Johnson has gone 4-0 in 2012 with a 2.11 ERA with only 4 starts.  (And the 90210 fan in me will collective just refer to them as Steve Sanders because yeah…)

6.  The boys will be coming home to Arlington for the game on Friday.  Hi, home field advantage.

Friday, Oct. 5, 2012. 7:30pm CT.  It’s on.