No one thought the Rangers would end the 2010 season where they did. In fact most baseball analysts picked the Rangers to finish third in their division a division that only has 4 teams. What the Rangers did this season was simply amazing. They overcame such huge obstacles that just making the playoffs was a major accomplishment.
At the beginning of the season manager Ron Washington admitted to the Rangers front office that he used cocaine once during the 2009 season. He apologized to the front office and to the team and went through treatment. The front office and the team supported and stood behind Ron Washington when any other team would have fired him or had no respect for him. Speaking of firing a manager when the Rangers hired Ron Washington back in 2007 the other candidates for the job went on to manage other teams and ended up being fired by those teams this year. Only Ron Washington retained his job. After Ron Washington announced to his team about his one weak moment from 2009 it seemed to draw the team closer together as tight net unit. Again if this was any other team Ron Washington would have been fired and the team would be in shambles.
Also at the beginning of the season there was promise that Rangers president Nolan Ryan and business partner Chuck Greenburg were going to buy the team from owner Tom Hicks. Tom Hicks bought the Rangers back in 1998 and basically ran the team in the ground. He spent 252 million dollars over 10 years on one player Alex Rodriquez who was traded three years later. Tom Hicks had ran up a huge debt with creditors that put the sale of the Rangers to Nolan and Chuck in jeopardy. To help speed up the sale process Nolan Ryan filed a lawsuit against the Rangers and then the Rangers filed for bankruptcy. The sale of the Rangers eventually ended up at a auction in bankruptcy court between two groups, Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenburg's group and the Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's group. All had hoped that Nolan's group would win but everyone worried that Cuban's money would be too much. Most fans worried that if Cuban's group won that he would turn the team into a circus. Only signing superstars who only care about money and not winning. After a 15 hour auction marathon Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenburg won the auction and the Rangers. During the whole sale process which lasted much longer than excepted I think any other team would have let the off the field stuff play into the on field play. The Rangers never did let it get into their heads, they kept their focus on the field.
During the season three of the Rangers star players Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Nelson Cruz missed time due to injuries. The Rangers were able to fill those spots with the right players and the Rangers never missed a step. With other teams the replacements may not have work out and fell out of the playoff race. The Rangers had the right guys at the right time. The Rangers left spring training with Taylor Teagraden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia as their catchers. Later in the year Saltalamacchia was traded and Teagraden was sent to the minors. The Rangers brought in Matt Treanor and Bengie Molina as their catchers and they both helped the Rangers in big ways. The Rangers went with Rich Harden and Scott Feldman as numbers 1 and 2 in the starting pitching staff. Both never reached the expectations the Rangers had for them. Tommy Hunter stepped up big for the Rangers knocking out Scott Feldman of the starting pitching rotation and into the bullpen. But when the Rangers made the trade for Cliff Lee on July 9th a trade that no one thought the Rangers could make. Everyone thought the Yankees were going to get Cliff Lee. When Cliff Lee joined the Rangers Rich Harden was cut from the team. The tweaks the Rangers made to the team worked only brought the team closer. The tweaks helped the Rangers get to were there are.
The Rangers win their division and make the playoffs and face the Tampa Bay Rays in the first round. Everyone thought the Rays were going to knock out the Rangers. The Rangers win the first two games surprising everyone. When the Rangers dropped the next two games everyone thought the Rays were going to knock out the Rangers in game 5. The Rangers won game 5 and won their first playoff series ever. The Rangers were set to face the New York Yankees In the American League Championship series (ALCS). The Yankees were the defending world champs. The Yankees payroll was over 200 million while the Rangers payroll was only 55 million. The Yankees have knocked out the Rangers the last three times they faced them in the first round playoffs in 1996, 1998 and 1999. The odds were stacked against the Rangers. But the Rangers overcame the odds and beat the Yankees. 4 games to 2. If it weren't for the small hiccup in the 8th inning of game 1 of the ALCS the Rangers would have swept the Yankees. The Rangers won the American League pennant for the first time in their history. The Rangers were set to play in the World Series for the first time. Yes, the Rangers ended up losing the World Series to the San Francisco Giants 4 games to 1 but the Rangers fans have no reason to hang their heads. The Rangers have overcome the odds all season long and to get to where they ended up was absolutely amazing.
Heartbroken, yes. Bummed, yes. Am I disappointed? NO!!! We won the American League west division. We won our first playoff series by winning the division series. We won the American League Championship Series by beating the Yankees to become the American League champions and to get into our first ever World Series. I am very proud to be a RANGERS fan. GO RANGERS!!!
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Connections Between The Texas Rangers And The San Francisco Giants
As we get ready for game 1 of the World Series I thought I would share some connections between the Texas Rangers and the San Francisco Giants.
Back in 1976 there was a minor league team called the Lafayette Drillers that played in Louisiana and who were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. At the end of the 76 season the Lafayette team was bought by Roy Clark (Yes the He-Ha Roy Clark) and his business partner Bill Rollings and moved the team to Tulsa which became the Tulsa Drillers and at the start of the 1977 season up til to the end of the 2002 season the Drillers were affiliated with the Texas Rangers. Flash forward to the end of the of the 2002 season. The Rangers owner at the time Tom Hicks in connection with Mandalaly Entertainment bought the Shreveport Swamp Dragons which were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants and moved the team to Frisco Texas and became the Frisco RoughRiders. The Rangers then changed affiliations from the Drillers to the RoughRiders. So twice in the Rangers history they have taken minor league teams from the San Francisco Giants.
In 1997 Major League Baseball introduced interleague play. Which means the the American League teams would play a handful of games against National League teams during the season and not just in the World Series. The very first interleague game in MLB history was played on June 12, 1997 at the Rangers Ballpark In Arlington and it was the Texas Rangers against the San Francisco Giants. Darren Oliver was the Rangers starting pitcher in the game and now Darren Oliver is a relief pitcher for the Rangers. By the way the Rangers lost the game 4 to 3.
The San Francisco Giants' pitching coach Dave Righetti was drafted by the Rangers back in 1977. He pitched one year in the minor leagues for the Rangers at double A Tulsa Drillers before being traded to the Yankees in 1978. Also on the Giants coaching staff is Roberto Kelly who was a Texas Ranger back in 1998 and 1999. A fan favorite for the San Francisco Giants Will Clark hit his first major league home run in his first major league at bat against Nolan Ryan on April 8th 1986. Will Clark would later come to play for the Rangers from 1994 to 1998.
One of the Rangers catchers Bengie Molina spent 3 years as a catcher with the San Francisco Giants before being traded to the Rangers on July 1of this year. Because Molina started the season as a San Francisco Giant he is going to get a World Series championship ring no matter what team wins. He is the second player in MLB history to play in a Series against a team for whom he also had played in the same season. Lonnie Smith did the same thing with the Kansas City Royals back in 1985.
I'm sure that there are many many more little connections between the Rangers and the Giants but I will leave that up to you to find.
I have to say that Friday October 22, 2010 is starting to sink in. On that day the Rangers beat the Yankees to become the American League Champions for the first time in their history. I have waited so long for this day to come, to see my Rangers in the World Series. Also on that night I knew what happened but because of all the excitement in never sunk in and I could not believe it. I believe it now.
Back in 1976 there was a minor league team called the Lafayette Drillers that played in Louisiana and who were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants. At the end of the 76 season the Lafayette team was bought by Roy Clark (Yes the He-Ha Roy Clark) and his business partner Bill Rollings and moved the team to Tulsa which became the Tulsa Drillers and at the start of the 1977 season up til to the end of the 2002 season the Drillers were affiliated with the Texas Rangers. Flash forward to the end of the of the 2002 season. The Rangers owner at the time Tom Hicks in connection with Mandalaly Entertainment bought the Shreveport Swamp Dragons which were affiliated with the San Francisco Giants and moved the team to Frisco Texas and became the Frisco RoughRiders. The Rangers then changed affiliations from the Drillers to the RoughRiders. So twice in the Rangers history they have taken minor league teams from the San Francisco Giants.
In 1997 Major League Baseball introduced interleague play. Which means the the American League teams would play a handful of games against National League teams during the season and not just in the World Series. The very first interleague game in MLB history was played on June 12, 1997 at the Rangers Ballpark In Arlington and it was the Texas Rangers against the San Francisco Giants. Darren Oliver was the Rangers starting pitcher in the game and now Darren Oliver is a relief pitcher for the Rangers. By the way the Rangers lost the game 4 to 3.
The San Francisco Giants' pitching coach Dave Righetti was drafted by the Rangers back in 1977. He pitched one year in the minor leagues for the Rangers at double A Tulsa Drillers before being traded to the Yankees in 1978. Also on the Giants coaching staff is Roberto Kelly who was a Texas Ranger back in 1998 and 1999. A fan favorite for the San Francisco Giants Will Clark hit his first major league home run in his first major league at bat against Nolan Ryan on April 8th 1986. Will Clark would later come to play for the Rangers from 1994 to 1998.
One of the Rangers catchers Bengie Molina spent 3 years as a catcher with the San Francisco Giants before being traded to the Rangers on July 1of this year. Because Molina started the season as a San Francisco Giant he is going to get a World Series championship ring no matter what team wins. He is the second player in MLB history to play in a Series against a team for whom he also had played in the same season. Lonnie Smith did the same thing with the Kansas City Royals back in 1985.
I'm sure that there are many many more little connections between the Rangers and the Giants but I will leave that up to you to find.
I have to say that Friday October 22, 2010 is starting to sink in. On that day the Rangers beat the Yankees to become the American League Champions for the first time in their history. I have waited so long for this day to come, to see my Rangers in the World Series. Also on that night I knew what happened but because of all the excitement in never sunk in and I could not believe it. I believe it now.
Monday, October 18, 2010
MoreThan One Team.
I'm kind of an unusual baseball fan. Most fans have one team that they follow or root for. I have four. I am a die hard Texas Rangers fan but I also am a fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs and the Colorado Rockies. I have been asked why so many teams, well I thought I would try and explain and break down why those four teams.
The Texas Rangers.
I grew up a Rangers fan I think it was in my DNA to be a die hard fan. It all started when my dad took me to my first baseball game to see the Tulsa Drillers. He told me that the Drillers were the double A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and since then I have been obsessed with the Rangers. When I say obsessed I really mean it. I have a baseball card box that can hold up to 5,000 cards and it is full of nothing but Rangers cards, and yes I still want more. I also have at least one Rangers team set from each year that I have been a fan and again I still want more. During a game if they ask a trivia question I normally know the answer and if I don't know I reference my Texas Rangers history book that I have put together. The description of die hard fan doesn't even come close. I think if you were to cut me I would bleed blue.
The St Louis Cardinals.
So with my love and obsession with the Rangers how can their be room for another team?
Well, if the Rangers aren't playing the Cardinals normally are. I grew up listening to Cardinals games on the radio. I can still hear the amazing legendary voices of Jack Buck and Mike Shannon calling a game. Cardinals games weren't really shown on TV in my area unless they were the game of the week. I really think what drew me to the Cardinals was Ozzie Smith. The greatest shortstop ever to play the game. Even though Ozzie may be retired he still is one of my all time favorite players. Current Cardinals all star Albert Pujols ranks really high on that list also. I love the Cardinals and root for them every year but the Rangers take priority.
The Chicago Cubs.
Now here is the big question. How can I be a Cardinals fan and be a Cubs fan when those two teams are rivals? To answer that again I go back to my childhood. Cubs games were shown on TV where I grew up. At the time the team still played a lot of day games. So I could watch the Cubs in the day and Rangers at night or if the Rangers had an off day then it was the Cardinals on the radio. Are you seeing a pattern here. I had to get my baseball fix somehow. I remember listening to Harry Carey and Steve Stone announce the Cubs games on WGN. I remember watching Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston and Andre Dawson when I was a kid. On Sundays I remember coming home from church and watching This Week In Baseball and then watching the Cubs game until it was time for the Rangers. I like the Cubs but the Rangers take priority.
The Colorado Rockies.
So why the Rockies? Well, for one reason and one reason only. The Drillers. The Rangers changed their double A affiliation in 2003 after 26 years with the Drillers to the Frisco RoughRiders and the Colorado Rockies took over the affiliation with the Drillers. It took some getting used to and I didn't like it at first. But slowly I began to come around. At least the Drillers were still in Tulsa. Most of the Rockies on the team this year are former Drillers. The one that stands out is Troy Tulowitzki who played with the Drillers in 2006. I wouldn't say that I am a big fan of the Rockies but I do pull for them and always check and see how they are doing.
As a side note I also like some minor league baseball teams. The Tulsa Drillers, Oklahoma City Redhawks, (Which may change since they are no longer with the Rangers.) the Round Rock Express and the Frisco RoughRiders.
So there you go, the four teams I am obsessed with, love, like and peak in on. And some minor league teams thrown in there for good measure. What team or teams do you like? If the Rangers isn't one of them then don't bother answering the question. Just kidding. All comments are welcome.
The Texas Rangers.
I grew up a Rangers fan I think it was in my DNA to be a die hard fan. It all started when my dad took me to my first baseball game to see the Tulsa Drillers. He told me that the Drillers were the double A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and since then I have been obsessed with the Rangers. When I say obsessed I really mean it. I have a baseball card box that can hold up to 5,000 cards and it is full of nothing but Rangers cards, and yes I still want more. I also have at least one Rangers team set from each year that I have been a fan and again I still want more. During a game if they ask a trivia question I normally know the answer and if I don't know I reference my Texas Rangers history book that I have put together. The description of die hard fan doesn't even come close. I think if you were to cut me I would bleed blue.
The St Louis Cardinals.
So with my love and obsession with the Rangers how can their be room for another team?
Well, if the Rangers aren't playing the Cardinals normally are. I grew up listening to Cardinals games on the radio. I can still hear the amazing legendary voices of Jack Buck and Mike Shannon calling a game. Cardinals games weren't really shown on TV in my area unless they were the game of the week. I really think what drew me to the Cardinals was Ozzie Smith. The greatest shortstop ever to play the game. Even though Ozzie may be retired he still is one of my all time favorite players. Current Cardinals all star Albert Pujols ranks really high on that list also. I love the Cardinals and root for them every year but the Rangers take priority.
The Chicago Cubs.
Now here is the big question. How can I be a Cardinals fan and be a Cubs fan when those two teams are rivals? To answer that again I go back to my childhood. Cubs games were shown on TV where I grew up. At the time the team still played a lot of day games. So I could watch the Cubs in the day and Rangers at night or if the Rangers had an off day then it was the Cardinals on the radio. Are you seeing a pattern here. I had to get my baseball fix somehow. I remember listening to Harry Carey and Steve Stone announce the Cubs games on WGN. I remember watching Mark Grace, Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston and Andre Dawson when I was a kid. On Sundays I remember coming home from church and watching This Week In Baseball and then watching the Cubs game until it was time for the Rangers. I like the Cubs but the Rangers take priority.
The Colorado Rockies.
So why the Rockies? Well, for one reason and one reason only. The Drillers. The Rangers changed their double A affiliation in 2003 after 26 years with the Drillers to the Frisco RoughRiders and the Colorado Rockies took over the affiliation with the Drillers. It took some getting used to and I didn't like it at first. But slowly I began to come around. At least the Drillers were still in Tulsa. Most of the Rockies on the team this year are former Drillers. The one that stands out is Troy Tulowitzki who played with the Drillers in 2006. I wouldn't say that I am a big fan of the Rockies but I do pull for them and always check and see how they are doing.
As a side note I also like some minor league baseball teams. The Tulsa Drillers, Oklahoma City Redhawks, (Which may change since they are no longer with the Rangers.) the Round Rock Express and the Frisco RoughRiders.
So there you go, the four teams I am obsessed with, love, like and peak in on. And some minor league teams thrown in there for good measure. What team or teams do you like? If the Rangers isn't one of them then don't bother answering the question. Just kidding. All comments are welcome.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
More Than Just A Game (Part 2)
As I said before baseball is more than just a game. Baseball is about the memories that come from going to a game, watching a game on TV, hearing a game on the radio or just a simple game of catch. When I see or hear anything about old Drillers Stadium in Tulsa the first thing that pops in my mind is the sights, sounds and smells of the game. Yes, I said smells. The sight of the field when I would first walk into the seating area would render me breathless every time. The sight of the players warming up and getting ready for the game. The sight of watching a player hustle down the first base line during the game. The sound of the ball popping in the gloves and the sound of the crack of the bat and ever the sound of the crowd. The smell of the hot dogs, hamburgers and all other kinds of food. The smell of the grass after it has been prepared for the game. All these things rush through my head when I think about Drillers Stadium. I'm sure I'm not the only baseball fan that has that happen to them when thinking about a certain stadium. I will never forget when I went to my first Major League game. My sister and my mom surprised me and my nephew with tickets to go see the Texas Rangers play in Kansas City against the Royals. I knew that major league stadiums were much bigger than minor league stadiums. But I so amazed just how big Kauffman Stadium is. The stadium can seat 39,000 people and seeing how old Drillers Stadium could hold about 10,000 you can just imagine how amazed I was. I had seen the Rangers play before. It was when the Rangers played the Tulsa Drillers in exhibition games back when they were still affiliated with each other. I will never forget just how big Jose Canseco was in person. And I will never forget the monster home run he hit during one of the exhibition games one year. There was a Homeland store (Wallgreens now) that sat across the street from the old Drillers Stadium. Canseco's home run landed on the roof about middle ways on the building. If you have ever driven past the old Drillers Stadium in Tulsa on 15th and Yale you know just how for that was. Maybe one day I will get to see the Rangers play in their stadium in Texas at the Ballpark In Arlington.
So why am I a big Texas Rangers fan? Well when I was little and had been to a few Tulsa Drillers games my dad told me that the Drillers were affiliated with the Texas Rangers and I guess that sealed it. I loved the Drillers and if they were affiliated with the Rangers then I love the Rangers too. But that love for the Rangers soon grew into a die hard obsession for the Rangers. I was sad when in 2003 the Rangers moved their affiliation from the Drillers to another minor league double A team. There was this connection with they players where you could see them live and in person one year in Tulsa and the very next season you could see them reach the heights of the major leagues with the Rangers. I don't know, I just grew up a Rangers fan. It is in my DNA. I am such a huge fan of the Rangers that I remember Nolan Ryan's last season before retiring. I was able to pick up the end of a Rangers game on the radio when they played the Seattle Mariners in Seattle on September 22, 1993. Nolan Ryan was pitching and during the game he tore a ligament in his throwing elbow. Still with his arm injured he continued to pitch until he could no longer stand the pain. His last pitch was recorded at 98 MPH despite the torn ligament! With only a couple weeks left in the season this would be the last time Nolan Ryan would pitch. What I remember most was at the end of the game during the Rangers post game show they talked to Nolan about his injury and about his career then played a small tribute to him. I cried. I knew the end was coming at the end of the season but this was too soon. Nolan was scheduled to pitch at least one more time but his injury wouldn't allow that to happen. So there I was at the age of fifteen crying like I had just lost a loved one. But really I had just lost my hero. When something about your team makes you cry then you know that you are a die hard fan.
In baseball I have learned that heroes come and go. Players of my father's generation like Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams all have left behind a legacy of greatness. Sadly for my generation the same cannot be said. All star sluggers such as Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez and others all were destined to leave the same legacy of greatness, that is until we all found out that they all used steroids. Their legacy will be tarnished in the eyes of the fans forever. Not all of my generation's stars used steroids. All stars like Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr, Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt and Will Clark are the true stars of my generation. Someday fans will look back on them the same way we do with Mantle, Mays and DiMaggio. As I said before, in baseball heroes come and go. The Ozzie Smiths and the Mike Schmidts have all retired but a new fresh crop of stars are rising up to take their place. Stars like Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Troy Tulowizki, and Prince Fielder all have very bright futures ahead of them.
In the years ahead I look forward to sharing all my memories of baseball with my kids. I look forward to telling them about all the stars that have come and gone maybe even tell them I seen a legend or two. I can't wait to take them to baseball games or watch a game on TV with them. I especially am looking forward to playing a simple game of catch with them. Although I may not be as brave as my mom by not using a glove. I always told her that she was tougher than leather because of that. I know that this may sound lame but baseball means so much to me. Not because of the teams or the players but because of the memories of family and friends. As I said baseball is more than just a game.
So why am I a big Texas Rangers fan? Well when I was little and had been to a few Tulsa Drillers games my dad told me that the Drillers were affiliated with the Texas Rangers and I guess that sealed it. I loved the Drillers and if they were affiliated with the Rangers then I love the Rangers too. But that love for the Rangers soon grew into a die hard obsession for the Rangers. I was sad when in 2003 the Rangers moved their affiliation from the Drillers to another minor league double A team. There was this connection with they players where you could see them live and in person one year in Tulsa and the very next season you could see them reach the heights of the major leagues with the Rangers. I don't know, I just grew up a Rangers fan. It is in my DNA. I am such a huge fan of the Rangers that I remember Nolan Ryan's last season before retiring. I was able to pick up the end of a Rangers game on the radio when they played the Seattle Mariners in Seattle on September 22, 1993. Nolan Ryan was pitching and during the game he tore a ligament in his throwing elbow. Still with his arm injured he continued to pitch until he could no longer stand the pain. His last pitch was recorded at 98 MPH despite the torn ligament! With only a couple weeks left in the season this would be the last time Nolan Ryan would pitch. What I remember most was at the end of the game during the Rangers post game show they talked to Nolan about his injury and about his career then played a small tribute to him. I cried. I knew the end was coming at the end of the season but this was too soon. Nolan was scheduled to pitch at least one more time but his injury wouldn't allow that to happen. So there I was at the age of fifteen crying like I had just lost a loved one. But really I had just lost my hero. When something about your team makes you cry then you know that you are a die hard fan.
In baseball I have learned that heroes come and go. Players of my father's generation like Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Joe DiMaggio and Ted Williams all have left behind a legacy of greatness. Sadly for my generation the same cannot be said. All star sluggers such as Jose Canseco, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Juan Gonzalez and others all were destined to leave the same legacy of greatness, that is until we all found out that they all used steroids. Their legacy will be tarnished in the eyes of the fans forever. Not all of my generation's stars used steroids. All stars like Ozzie Smith, Cal Ripken Jr, Tony Gwynn, Bo Jackson, Ken Griffey Jr, Wade Boggs, Mike Schmidt and Will Clark are the true stars of my generation. Someday fans will look back on them the same way we do with Mantle, Mays and DiMaggio. As I said before, in baseball heroes come and go. The Ozzie Smiths and the Mike Schmidts have all retired but a new fresh crop of stars are rising up to take their place. Stars like Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, Troy Tulowizki, and Prince Fielder all have very bright futures ahead of them.
In the years ahead I look forward to sharing all my memories of baseball with my kids. I look forward to telling them about all the stars that have come and gone maybe even tell them I seen a legend or two. I can't wait to take them to baseball games or watch a game on TV with them. I especially am looking forward to playing a simple game of catch with them. Although I may not be as brave as my mom by not using a glove. I always told her that she was tougher than leather because of that. I know that this may sound lame but baseball means so much to me. Not because of the teams or the players but because of the memories of family and friends. As I said baseball is more than just a game.
More Than Just A Game.
This time of year as the baseball season draws to a close I always get very nostalgic about baseball. The playoffs and the World Series
always brings with it memories of past seasons or memorable games. I remember watching my first World Series back in 1988 when the Los Angels Dodgers beat the Oakland A's. I remember watching the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's. What stands out during that World Series is I remember being excited to watch game 3. During the opening of the telecast on ABC as the announcers were talking about the game I remember the screen going black for a few seconds and one announcer saying they had just had an earthquake. From that moment on the ABC sports announcers stopped preparing to announce game 3 of the World Series and started reporting a tragedy, the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. During the 1990 World Series as the Cincinnati Reds were on their way to a 4 game sweep of the Oakland A's I remember listening to one of the games on the radio with my dad one night when he took me to work with him.
My memories aren't just about the World Series. My dad and I started going to Tulsa Drillers games back in 1988. I've been hooked ever since. We would go to at least 2 to 3 games each year for about 10 years. And if we would leave a game early we would always listen to the rest of the game on the radio during the ride home. Together with my mom we have seen many all stars come through Tulsa. Stars like Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers, Juan Gonzalez, Sammy Sosa, Dean Palmer, Ivan Rodriguez, Rusty Greer and many others. I will never forget one Drillers game back in 1989 when a young Juan Gonzalez was standing out on the concourse of Drillers stadium before the game. My dad had just bought me a 1989 Drillers team set. I quickly fished through the cards to find his and walked nervously up Gonzalez and asked for his autograph which he kindly gave me. I still have that card to this day and each time I see it I remember that experience. Back then the Tulsa Drillers were the double A affiliate of the Texas Rangers which is what began my die hard love for the Rangers. My dad and I could go see a Drillers game one year and see a player like Ivan Rodriguez play and then the next year see him on TV playing with the Rangers.
I also remember my dad and I collecting baseball cards. As a twelve year old boy who liked baseball I had some cards. But in 1990 I remember my dad and I going every other Saturday to the mall in Bartlesville and going to Weebee's Baseball Cards. One trip that year changed the way he and I collected cards forever. They were doing a contest giveaway of a unopened box of 1990 Upper Deck baseball cards. Which we entered. If you have ever gone into a store such as Walmart or whatever and seen their box of cards where the packs are sold individual that whole box unopened is what was up for grabs. One week later we got the call that we had won. We sat for a couple of hours opening 36 packs of cards. From then on my dad would buy other packs of the 1990 Upper Deck cards on his way home from work. We eventually had enough Upper Deck cards to put together at least 4 sets. Here is the crazy part. A complete set of 1990 Upper Deck baseball cards has 800 cards numbered from 1 to 800. Four sets of an 800 card set is a lot of baseball cards. We did the same with the other baseball card brands such as Topps, Donruss, Score and Fleer. And each set contained at least 700 cards and we had at least 3 sets of each. We did this for about 3 years. Again that is a lot of baseball cards.
As I mentioned before my dad, my mom and I made lots of memories at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. I am proud to say that my wife Brandy and I also made some good memories there as well. We seen Troy Tulowitzki play for the Drillers one year before going to the World Series with the Colorado Rockies. My wife and I also had nicknames for some of the players that we liked. For example there was Joe Koshansky who was given the name "Taco Joe" because he hit a home run and won everyone in the stadium a free taco. Then there was Joe Gaetti who was the son of former major league star Gary Gaetti. Joe was given the name "Taco Joe #2" because he had done the same thing as Koshansky. Then there was Juan Morillo who we could never remember his last name so we called him "Don Juan". We seen other future Colorado Rockies stars such as Ubaldo Jimenez and Ian Stewart. I will also never forget what we call the "Cold Game" It was opening night at Drillers stadium on one April evening. The Drillers were set to play a double header because the night before had to be canceled due to cold weather. We came to the game unprepared (my fault) for the cold that was to come later that night. As the sun started going down so did the temp. The temperature started to dip into the 30's and a very cold north wind was blowing in our faces. We ended up leaving before the end of game one.
One memory that also stands out being a die hard Texas Rangers fan and a huge Nolan Ryan fan was the time I realized I was just given a baseball with Nolan Ryan's autograph on it. I had a family member who went to a Houston Astros game and got Nolan Ryan to sign a baseball when he still pitched for them. Knowing that I was a big Nolan Ryan fan they sent me the baseball. I was called into the dinning room by my parents who handed me the ball and said it was signed but didn't say by who. I stood there holding the ball in my hands thinking I had seen this signature before. Like a bolt of lightening I ran to my room and compared the signature on the ball with a fake one that was on a poster of Nolan Ryan that was cut out of a newspaper. I then realized I was holding a Nolan Ryan autographed baseball in my hands! With such excitement I ran back to the dinning room to proclaim who the autograph was from, of course my parents all ready knew.
Then there was what I call my "Sandlot" moment. You have to see the movie to understand. At a Drillers game in either 1989 or 1990 my dad bought me a baseball that was signed by the entire 1989 Drillers baseball team including Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa for about 8 bucks. Knowing that those two players were going to be big stars one day we put the ball in a case and put it on a self. At the time I had started going down to a local school's field and playing baseball often time just by myself. One day I ran out of baseballs and just before I left the house to go down to the field I grabbed the 89 Drillers team signed baseball thinking I would be easy with it as to not to ruin it. Well eventually the signatures all were smeared and I ended up losing the baseball in the woods that was near the field. Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa went on to be huge stars in baseball and there was no telling how much that ball would have been worth.
People always ask me why I love baseball so much. I guess my answer would be that baseball is more than just a game. Baseball is a time capsule. I was not born yet when the likes of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays graced the diamond but their memories and their legacy still lives on. Baseball takes all the memories of the players from yesterday and today and it takes all the memories of every game either watched on TV, heard on the radio or attended in person and seals them up for you to look upon and remember and to share them with future generations. Baseball is about kids and their fathers. Watch the movie Field Of Dreams to see what I mean. My dad and I may have had a rocky relationship later in life but I will never forget all those games we went to or all the cards we collected. I will never forget each and every time that we played catch. That is why I love baseball. It is more than just a game.
always brings with it memories of past seasons or memorable games. I remember watching my first World Series back in 1988 when the Los Angels Dodgers beat the Oakland A's. I remember watching the 1989 World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland A's. What stands out during that World Series is I remember being excited to watch game 3. During the opening of the telecast on ABC as the announcers were talking about the game I remember the screen going black for a few seconds and one announcer saying they had just had an earthquake. From that moment on the ABC sports announcers stopped preparing to announce game 3 of the World Series and started reporting a tragedy, the 1989 San Francisco earthquake. During the 1990 World Series as the Cincinnati Reds were on their way to a 4 game sweep of the Oakland A's I remember listening to one of the games on the radio with my dad one night when he took me to work with him.
My memories aren't just about the World Series. My dad and I started going to Tulsa Drillers games back in 1988. I've been hooked ever since. We would go to at least 2 to 3 games each year for about 10 years. And if we would leave a game early we would always listen to the rest of the game on the radio during the ride home. Together with my mom we have seen many all stars come through Tulsa. Stars like Kevin Brown, Kenny Rogers, Juan Gonzalez, Sammy Sosa, Dean Palmer, Ivan Rodriguez, Rusty Greer and many others. I will never forget one Drillers game back in 1989 when a young Juan Gonzalez was standing out on the concourse of Drillers stadium before the game. My dad had just bought me a 1989 Drillers team set. I quickly fished through the cards to find his and walked nervously up Gonzalez and asked for his autograph which he kindly gave me. I still have that card to this day and each time I see it I remember that experience. Back then the Tulsa Drillers were the double A affiliate of the Texas Rangers which is what began my die hard love for the Rangers. My dad and I could go see a Drillers game one year and see a player like Ivan Rodriguez play and then the next year see him on TV playing with the Rangers.
I also remember my dad and I collecting baseball cards. As a twelve year old boy who liked baseball I had some cards. But in 1990 I remember my dad and I going every other Saturday to the mall in Bartlesville and going to Weebee's Baseball Cards. One trip that year changed the way he and I collected cards forever. They were doing a contest giveaway of a unopened box of 1990 Upper Deck baseball cards. Which we entered. If you have ever gone into a store such as Walmart or whatever and seen their box of cards where the packs are sold individual that whole box unopened is what was up for grabs. One week later we got the call that we had won. We sat for a couple of hours opening 36 packs of cards. From then on my dad would buy other packs of the 1990 Upper Deck cards on his way home from work. We eventually had enough Upper Deck cards to put together at least 4 sets. Here is the crazy part. A complete set of 1990 Upper Deck baseball cards has 800 cards numbered from 1 to 800. Four sets of an 800 card set is a lot of baseball cards. We did the same with the other baseball card brands such as Topps, Donruss, Score and Fleer. And each set contained at least 700 cards and we had at least 3 sets of each. We did this for about 3 years. Again that is a lot of baseball cards.
As I mentioned before my dad, my mom and I made lots of memories at Drillers Stadium in Tulsa. I am proud to say that my wife Brandy and I also made some good memories there as well. We seen Troy Tulowitzki play for the Drillers one year before going to the World Series with the Colorado Rockies. My wife and I also had nicknames for some of the players that we liked. For example there was Joe Koshansky who was given the name "Taco Joe" because he hit a home run and won everyone in the stadium a free taco. Then there was Joe Gaetti who was the son of former major league star Gary Gaetti. Joe was given the name "Taco Joe #2" because he had done the same thing as Koshansky. Then there was Juan Morillo who we could never remember his last name so we called him "Don Juan". We seen other future Colorado Rockies stars such as Ubaldo Jimenez and Ian Stewart. I will also never forget what we call the "Cold Game" It was opening night at Drillers stadium on one April evening. The Drillers were set to play a double header because the night before had to be canceled due to cold weather. We came to the game unprepared (my fault) for the cold that was to come later that night. As the sun started going down so did the temp. The temperature started to dip into the 30's and a very cold north wind was blowing in our faces. We ended up leaving before the end of game one.
One memory that also stands out being a die hard Texas Rangers fan and a huge Nolan Ryan fan was the time I realized I was just given a baseball with Nolan Ryan's autograph on it. I had a family member who went to a Houston Astros game and got Nolan Ryan to sign a baseball when he still pitched for them. Knowing that I was a big Nolan Ryan fan they sent me the baseball. I was called into the dinning room by my parents who handed me the ball and said it was signed but didn't say by who. I stood there holding the ball in my hands thinking I had seen this signature before. Like a bolt of lightening I ran to my room and compared the signature on the ball with a fake one that was on a poster of Nolan Ryan that was cut out of a newspaper. I then realized I was holding a Nolan Ryan autographed baseball in my hands! With such excitement I ran back to the dinning room to proclaim who the autograph was from, of course my parents all ready knew.
Then there was what I call my "Sandlot" moment. You have to see the movie to understand. At a Drillers game in either 1989 or 1990 my dad bought me a baseball that was signed by the entire 1989 Drillers baseball team including Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa for about 8 bucks. Knowing that those two players were going to be big stars one day we put the ball in a case and put it on a self. At the time I had started going down to a local school's field and playing baseball often time just by myself. One day I ran out of baseballs and just before I left the house to go down to the field I grabbed the 89 Drillers team signed baseball thinking I would be easy with it as to not to ruin it. Well eventually the signatures all were smeared and I ended up losing the baseball in the woods that was near the field. Juan Gonzalez and Sammy Sosa went on to be huge stars in baseball and there was no telling how much that ball would have been worth.
People always ask me why I love baseball so much. I guess my answer would be that baseball is more than just a game. Baseball is a time capsule. I was not born yet when the likes of Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays graced the diamond but their memories and their legacy still lives on. Baseball takes all the memories of the players from yesterday and today and it takes all the memories of every game either watched on TV, heard on the radio or attended in person and seals them up for you to look upon and remember and to share them with future generations. Baseball is about kids and their fathers. Watch the movie Field Of Dreams to see what I mean. My dad and I may have had a rocky relationship later in life but I will never forget all those games we went to or all the cards we collected. I will never forget each and every time that we played catch. That is why I love baseball. It is more than just a game.
Welcome To Thoughts From The Diamond
In this blog I will be sharing my thoughts on America's past time, baseball. I will share thoughts on the goings on in Major League Baseball and Minor League Baseball. I will also from time to time share thoughts and make comments on my passion for my favorite team the Texas Rangers. So I hope you enjoy reading this blog and I hope that by reading this it will bring back some baseball memories for you.
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