The question seems fairly obvious, though the answer isn’t yet clear. But only now has someone asked the Rangers Mailbag the $64,000 question.

“I’m tired of living and dying with each game,” Stuart from Kerrville wrote. “Will the Rangers get to the playoffs this year?”

Naturally, the players say yes, though it won’t be easy to overtake  Boston or Los Angeles. Many national columnists and TV types believe the Rangers will fade away.

The Rangers have faced several potentially catastrophic moments this season but have ultimately bounced back each time. That resiliency — and seven more games against the Angels — suggests the Rangers will stay in the hunt well into September, making it difficult to forecast how they will fare in the race.

Q: Out of all the teams competing for a postseason berth in the American League East and West,  who has the most favorable schedule?

Tommy, Buffalo

WILSON: A quick, unscientific analysis of the top five teams in the AL shows that Boston, the wild-card leader, has the most friendly remaining schedule. More than half of the Red Sox’s remaining games are at Fenway Park, and they have only 12 remaining games against teams that were above .500 as of Wednesday night.

The toughest? Clearly, it’s Tampa Bay, which plays its next 17 games against Detroit, New York and Boston.

The Rangers? They have the fewest remaining home games but the second-fewest against .500 teams.

Q: With the Rangers’ bank account looking similar to mine, will they be able to make any serious offer to sign Josh Hamilton?

Joe, Weatherford

WILSON: Hamilton ’s extension is up to Hamilton, who was quick to turn down the Rangers’ offer that would have paid him less than $4 million a season. The season hasn’t gone as he was expecting, and now he will have to show the Rangers that he is worthy of a lucrative, long-term extension. 

That’s much of the reason why the Rangers and Hamilton, who is arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season, have put negotiations on hold. The Rangers don’t have the financial flexibility right now, either, but should once the ownership situation is resolved.

Q: I keep hearing about how good the Rangers’ farm system is, and without a doubt it has been great. But with Elvis Andrus, Derek Holland, Tommy Hunter, Julio Borbon and Neftali Feliz in the majors now, is the farm system still all that great? The only names I hear about any more are Justin Smoak and Martin Perez.

Tim, Slidell

WILSON: The Rangers’ system should still be envied, though much of the talent is now at the lower levels. The Rangers are pitching-heavy, which isn’t a bad thing. Perhaps one of the most positive things to happen this season occurred in the last week, when Michael Main pitched in Arizona for the first time after having his season wrecked by a mysterious illness.

Q: It seems that in the past month that the starters’ radar gun numbers have gone down 2 to 4 mph. At the beginning of the season, guys like Holland were hitting 97-98 mph, and now it seems he tops out at 94. Will getting a day or two of extra rest between starts help with this?

David, Abilene

WILSON: A few factors — including fatigue — could contribute to less velocity throughout the rotation, but in Holland’s case the No. 1 contributing factor is his development as a pitcher. He would rather trade 2 mph for the ability to consistently locate his fastball. It’s difficult to argue with the trade off the past month.

Q: It looks like Kevin Millwood is gassed and could use some extra rest.  Will he get it right away, or will he have to wait for the off days in September?

Patrick, Haltom City

WILSON: The off days will be welcomed by all the pitchers. The opponents he has faced recently have as much to do with him looking gassed as the 161 innings he has logged. Three teams make starting pitchers worker harder than any others, and three of his last four starts have been against them — the Angels, Red Sox and Yankees. The other was against the Twins, who are third in the AL in hitting.

Q: Is Borbon that bad of a fielder that even with his speed he’s being used as a designated hitter? It seems to me that, when he’s in the lineup, it would be wise to give someone a break or put Nelson Cruz at DH, especially with his ankle tender.

Jacob, Van Alstyne

WILSON: Right now, the defense-minded Rangers believe their other four outfielders are better than Borbon. He can cover some ground in the outfield and has that part of the game under control. But he and outfield coach Gary Pettis are working on his throwing habits. Borbon said he has a tendency to not stay on top of the ball, and the Rangers want to see him throwing over the top and creating more backspin on his throws.

Q: Peter Gammons intimated in one of his ESPN columns that the scraggily nature of the outfield grass at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington is due to the fact that Tom Hicks can’t afford the water it would take to keep it in good shape. Are Rangers finances really in that bad shape?

Carl, Bedford

WILSON: Gammons won the Spink Award in 2004 and was honored at the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in 2005. His credentials speak for themselves.

It’s also well-known that the Rangers are for sale and have made cutbacks, including layoffs, this year. They were also handcuffed by finances at the trade deadline and the deadline to sign draft picks.

Now, what does two plus two equal? A tough spot for the Rangers’ grounds crew.

Q: Fans often hear that the heat causes Rangers pitchers and the team to wilt. It seems to me that the heat should actually be to our advantage. Visiting teams who come in here are not used to the heat, whereas Rangers players should be well-acclimated. Your take? Have you discussed this with any trainers and/or sports medicine experts? Lynvol, Granbury

WILSON: The heat can be an advantage if a visitor is out of shape or a little under the weather. But baseball players, for the most part, are in tremendous shape and can withstand the heat or take the proper measures to brace for it.

The Rangers try to guard against the cumulative effect of playing so many games in hot weather. Day games are rare after June 1, and the Rangers will skip batting practice some days. A lot of August road games is helping this season.

But outfielder Marlon Byrd and TCU football coach Gary Patterson are of the mind-set that the heat should play to the Rangers’ and Horned Frogs’ advantage. Players can condition themselves to handle it and not wear down so easily when temperatures soar.

Q: Now that we have a couple of seasons to compare, how are power numbers comparing between the current generation of hitters and the steroid generation?

Garbeau, Dallas

WILSON: Tough call there, because the dates of a steroid era haven’t been defined. So, for the sake of this question, take look at 2001 and 2002, and 2007 and 2008.

There were 5,458 homers across the majors in 2001 and 8,813 doubles. In ’02, the homers dipped to 5,059 with 8,700 doubles. 

In 2007, homers dipped only minimally to 4,957, and 4,878 were hit last year. Doubles, though, soared to 9,197 in ’07 and 9,014 in ’08.

So, did a reduction in the use of performance-enhancing drugs turn homers into doubles? Could be. Are pitchers better and hitters worse? Could be. Are there fewer pure power hitters in the game today? Could be.

Give this one a few more years to become more defined.

Q: I often wonder what the players talk about on the bases.  I see a runner on first having a chat with the first baseman and wonder what they’re saying. In this age of bean balls and player fights, it’s interesting to see two guys juts sort of visiting with each other.  Making dinner plans, comparing stats, what?

Ron, Lubbock

WILSON: The best the Mailbag could gather, the conversations fall into two categories: mindless chit-chat about how a player or team is currently doing, and catching up with former teammates from the minors or big leagues over the years.

Q: What’s the best autograph in your collection?

Chip, Houston

WILSON: It is considered an unethical practice for members of the media to collect autographs, and all of my autographs come from spending each spring break from fourth grade on at spring training in Arizona.

The most unique might be a baseball card autographed by Joey Belle before he started going by Albert. I tried to get a ball from the 1984 Olympics signed by as many team members as possible, and Mark McGwire and Will Clark took time to sign it.