Will Josh Hamilton get booed in his first meeting against Rangers since leaving?

by Gerry Fraley

He had previously said (to fans' distress) that Dallas "has always been a football town."

Louis DeLuca

Angels' outfielder Josh Hamilton is pictured with teammate Mike Trout during a press conference at the Los Angeles Angels training camp in Tempe, AZ on Thursday, February 14, 2013.

Josh Hamilton is listed on the Los Angeles Angels’ travel squad for the game at the Rangers on Thursday at 8:05 p.m. (FSSW, KESN-FM, 103.3.) It will be Hamilton’s first meeting of the spring against his former team.

Non-roster right-hander Derek Lowe, making his third appearance in seven days, is scheduled to pitch for the Rangers.

Should Josh Hamilton be booed by Texas Rangers fans when the new Los Angeles Angels star returns to Texas for a game? A former Ranger doesn't think so.

“I don’t know, man,” Michael Young told Fox Sports.com's Jon Paul Morosi. “I was following what happened maybe a week ago. I wouldn’t be shocked if they booed him, but I hope they give him the positive recognition he deserves."

Young, like Hamilton, left the Rangers this off-season, though by trade and not free-agent signing.

Hamilton created a stir when he told Dallas' CBS station, "It’s one of those things where Texas, especially Dallas, has always been a football town. So the good with the bad is they’re supportive, but they also got a little spoiled (winks at the camera), at the same time, pretty quickly. You can understand like a really true, true baseball town -- and there are true baseball fans in Texas – but it’s not a true baseball town.”