Wednesday was dark day in the metroplex.

And it wasn't because the Mavs had lost to the Suns in Game 4 the night before.  No, the real reason for the cloud descending on the DFW area can be attributed to Jon Daniels' cell phone conversations with Cubs' GM Jim Hendry.  The end result was a deal that sent Rangers' DH Phil Nevin to the Cubs for utilityman Jerry Hairston, Jr.

What will the Rangers do without Nevin?

They're going to miss the following statistics that Nevin accrued as the Rangers' cleanup hitter:

.204 BA

.280 OBP

.382 SLG

.662 OPS (on-base plus slugging)

12 HRs in 275 ABs

While some might claim that these are lackluster numbers, these people are being too simplistic and number driven.  Only a true genius like Rangers manager Buck Showalter had the keen eye to realize that Nevin could be a great cleanup hitter in spite of his below-average stats.  Buck saw veteran leadership, and so he put Nevin in the most important run-production spot in the lineup.  Nevin's cold stares towards the mound sent shivers down the spines of opposing pitchers. 

Even though Nevin made an out in 72 percent of his plate appearances, the opposition was so worn down from his mere presence that the next Ranger batters could tee off the opposing pitchers. 

Now, with Nevin gone, Hank Blalock's going to have to fill his void by batting cleanup, while young Jason Botts gets to hit from the 8th spot.  Apparently, Botts doesn't have the veteran savvy to scare pitchers in the same way as Nevin.

The Rangers built a 4-game lead in the AL West with Nevin on the club.  Can they survive in his absence?