In recognition of the new World Champs, I want to recognize the team that has surprisingly become my second favorite team to pop-up on the baseball side of the Grid, the Texas Rangers. When I started doing the Grid, I thought the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, or Dodgers would emerge as the most memorable number of players from my youth. But the Rangers? That mediocre franchise that seemed to hover around the .500 mark in the best of times?
Let me give you a sampling of the Rangers rosters from a four year period, 1977 to 1980, which coincided with prime baseball card collecting years for myself. And mind you, this is not entire rosters--just a drop of my baseball card collection from Arlington, TX:
Gaylord Perry, Fergie Jenkins, Bert Byleven (all HOF's); Buddy Bell, Al Oliver, Charlie Hough, Rusty Staub, Toby Harrah, Bobby Bonds, Bert Campaneris, Jim Fregosi, Sparky Lyle, Oscar Gamble, Mickey Rivers, Danny Darwin, Mike Marshall, Doyle Alexander, Dock Ellis, Richie Zisk, Jon Matlack, Len Barker, Juan Beniquez, Jim Sundberg, Claudell Washington, Mike Hargrove, John Lowenstein.
Again, four years! If I had extended things out a bit, I could have included Jose Canseco, Rafael Palmeiro, A-Rod, Julio Franco, Ruben Sierra, Pudge Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, and of course, Nolan Ryan.
The Rangers over the years have truly been the youth hostel of franchises, bringing together an odd and colorful conglomeration of characters for brief amounts of time at their home. The most famous Ranger of all time is probably Nolan Ryan and he was on his fourth franchise and arrived at age 42. Very few of the notable Rangers started their career with Texas (Pudge, Juan Gonzalez, Sierra seem most prominent), but somehow they have brought in all sorts of talented individuals to do, up to this year, not much. But damn, do I love it when I see them on the grid!
