ARLINGTON, Texas—Good afternoon and Happy 4th of July to all. It’s as you would expect here in the Lone Star State, with the sun blazing and the temp right at 100 degrees. The gentlemen down at the gate said we might get some rain tomorrow, though, so there’s that.

Pictured above is the Cowboys’ new stadium across the way from the Rangers’ ballpark, set to open this fall. Pretty impressive, eh? Really, the photo doesn’t do it justice just as far as how imposing it actually is. I believe I’d even pay the $15 they charge for a tour if I had time, but I think I’m going to be pretty busy tomorrow with All-Star stuff before it’s time to get down to business here.

Aside from the fireworks and all the usual holiday festivities today, Major League Baseball is spotlighting ALS research on the 70th anniversary of Lou Gehrig’s famous “luckiest man on the face of the earth speech.” Ceremonies will be held at each ballpark today to commemorate that speech and help raise awareness for ALS research. It’s another nice gesture by MLB on the heels of its annual Mother’s Day and Father’s Day events in conjunction with breast cancer and prostate cancer awareness, and this one is particularly important to me as my grandmother died of ALS.

Public service announcement over. Stay tuned for the lineups and any news that pops up…