Tearing it Up
A TALE OF TWO RICKYS ... Sure, durable staff ace Rick Helling got punished in Fenway on Saturday, giving up seven earned runs in just 2.2 IP, but leading up to that, Little Ricky had won seven of nine decisions and has re-established himself as a viable fantasy SP in any type of league. Meanwhile, OF Ricky Ledee has seen plenty of playing time due to the myriad of injuries and trades, as the Rangers decide what to do with the former Yankee prospect in 2002. Though his .262/2/21 numbers aren't particularly exciting, he has hit around .320 since the All-Star break and could be worth a flyer in AL-only leagues.

Slumping
GETTING HAMMERED ... Speaking of pitchers getting punished, Rob Bell returned home to NYC for the first time as a major leaguer last week and gave up eight earned runs in just two innings. Bell threw five gopher balls in his brief stint, and his ERA leapt to a Darren Oliver-esque 7.00. Oliver himself took one of the Boston losses (6 ER in 4 IP), further depleting any trade value the Rangers were hoping he might have. Neither of these two should be on anyone's fantasy roster, even in AL-only leagues, though Bell will at least be in the Texas rotation come 2002. Oliver will be getting shelled for some other team.

At the Plate
WORTH A LOOK? ... Like Ledee, rookie Craig Monroe is seeing fairly regular time in the OF. Recently in this space, Monroe was compared to spare OF Bo Porter; in reality, the 24-year-old is showing more, with two homers, a stolen base and excellent defensive play at both OF corners over his first six games ... You know it's a down year when the biggest celebration of the past week was Rafael Palmeiro's 1,000th career walk, putting him in one of those artificial 400 HR/1,000 RBI/400 2B/1,000 BB "clubs." At least none of the newspapers resorted to the obvious cheesy "Walker, Texas Ranger" headlines.

Probable Starters Aug. 6, Bell @ BOS (Nomo) Aug. 7, Myette vs. DET (Pettyjohn) Aug. 8, Helling vs. DET (Weaver) Aug. 9, Davis vs. DET (Sparks) Aug. 10, Oliver vs. CLE (Burba)

From the Rubber
MARK IT DOWN ... There have been some hopeful signs from the pitching staff; for instance, Mark Petkovsek has turned in a couple of excellent outings, and may be increasing his own trade value. If Anaheim sneaks into the Wild Card chase, expect the ex-Angel to return for the stretch run. Aaron Myette, who will join Bell in the 2002 Texas rotation, finally earned his first major league win by holding the Yankees to two hits in 5.1 IP. But the cold, hard fantasy recap: the only Ranger pitchers worth owning now are Helling, Doug Davis, Jeff Zimmerman, and in AL-only-leagues, Mike Venafro.

On the Mend
RUSTIER ... According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Greer could miss the rest of the season, as the team explores the possibility of surgery on the pinched nerve in his left leg. Greer will see a neurosurgeon in the Los Angeles area some time in the next week to determine if such surgery would be beneficial and if it is indeed necessary. Greer has been on the DL for more than seven weeks with what was once thought to be a pulled hamstring. Whispers around the Texas organization suggest the fan favorite may be reduced to a part-time OF, backup 1B and occasional DH in 2002.