I Almost Gave Up Dr. Pepper

True story. I received an e-mail last week from Dr. Pepper, my soda of choice for over 30 years. I should own stock in Dr. Pepper, so I can at least get some of the money I spend on it back in the form of dividends.

Anyway, I started to read the e-mail and thought they had made a grievous error, one that was so great I came very close to swearing off the beverage for the rest of my born days.

Over the past few years, I’ve learned about the new art of behavioral marketing. Part of that is the idea that a company would be able to send an e-mail with an offer. The companies feel they have a good shot at getting you to bite on this offer because, in the course of tracking your on-line habits, they’ve determined you just might be interested in their offer. It is with this in mind that I started reading this e-mail.

Of course, I did a little more skimming than true reading. This is why I almost gave up Dr. Pepper:

The folks at Dr. Pepper were offering me a chance to win a free cook-out. In California. Are you with me so far? Well, I just glanced over the name and was suddenly seized with a flash of anger at the said Dr. Pepper company. OK, I get that they already know I like Dr. Pepper (I’ve been to their website many a time). And I get that they already know I’m a baseball fan, as they’ve certainly gathered I’ve been to MLB web sites. In fact, a couple of years ago I purchased Rangers tickets via a Dr. Pepper promotion. So I get it.

Frieri

Knowing all this, then, why oh why would Dr. Pepper think I’d be even remotely interested in winning a cook-out in California for me and my friends with a member of the hated Los Angeles Angels? 

I was beside myself. This is where behavioral marketing doesn’t work, I yell to no one in particular. Then I re-read the e-mail. Turns out I didn’t read it carefully enough. Dr. Pepper wasn’t offering me a chance to win a California cook-out with new Angels closer Ernesto Frieri.

Fieri

No, they were offering me a chance to win a California cook-out with celebrity chef Guy Fieri.

I didn’t give up Dr. Pepper. I also ate my words.

And Now The Game: Rangers won last night against the Padres 2-1. Both teams scored their runs in the first inning and it held. Rangers offense looked terrible against Jason Marquis. You may now add Marquis to the list of geriatrics who are able to make the Rangers look foolish, joining Kevin Millwood and Bartolo Colon. I still fear the Yankees will trade for all of them just in time for the playoffs.

Even the Rangers two runs were as cheap as they come, scoring on a dribbler up the middle by David Murphy that just managed to elude both the shortstop and the 2nd baseman. Texas had only two well-hit balls all night: a second inning double by Leonys Martin, who probably is heading back to Round Rock today, and an 8th inning single by Ian Kinsler.

Rangers pitching was adequate, but wiggled out of a lot of jams to earn the win.

The most interesting part of the night was a bizarre 8th inning incident in which Rangers TV Play-by-Play announcer Dave Barnett all of a sudden spouted about 15 seconds of gibberish before recovering and taking the game the rest of the way. Barnett will probably be in the news today. I just pray it wasn’t a warning sign of a stroke. It may have sounded funny on the air, but it really isn’t a laughing matter.

Josh Hamilton is back in the line-up tonight, but so is 0-6 Scott Feldman. Don’t think I’m staying up late for this one. But I will have a Dr. Pepper this evening.