Table of Contents
Foreword Jon Daniels ix
Introduction xi
1 Salute Tom Vandergriff Whenever Possible 1
2 Bringing Nolan Ryan (the Player) to Arlington 4
3 Bringing Nolan Ryan (the Executive) Back to Arlington 8
4 Michael Young: The Face of the Franchise 12
5 Remember the 2011 Series Run, Not How It Came Undone 17
6 Sit Down, A-Rod: Closing Game 6 of the 2010 ALCS 20
7 Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez: Teen to Texas Legend 23
8 Shot of J.D. Helps Rangers Rise in Relevance 26
9 Winning Games 4 and 5 of the 2011 World Series 31
10 Simp-Lee Sensational: Winning Game 5 of the 2010 ALDS 34
11 Rangers Shift Into Cruz Control in 2011 ALCS 38
12 Rangers Win 2011 ALDS in "Year of the Napoli" 43
13 Rangers Win First World Series Game in Arlington 47
14 Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS: The Call, the Chaos, the Errors, and the Bat Flip 50
15 Rougned Odor and the Shot Heard Around the Baseball Universe 53
16 2011 Rangers Complete Best Regular Season in History 57
17 Acquisition of Lee Lifts Rangers to the World Series 61
18 Ron Washington: The Winningest Manager in Rangers History 63
19 Johnny Oates: No Ranger Will Ever Wear No. 26 Again 68
20 Bannister Leads Worst-to-First Bounce Back in His Rookie Managerial Season 71
21 Adrian Beltre: Worth Every Penny of Big-Money Contract 74
22 The Sad Saga of the Rapid Rise and Fall of David Clyde 76
23 Globe Life Park: Home of the Heat Index 79
24 Josh Hamilton: The Good, the Bad, and the "Baseball Town" Thing 84
25 Surviving the Near-Disastrous Slide of 1996 92
26 Jim Sundberg: Reluctant Ranger to Lone Star Legend 95
27 No Ranger Crushed a Baseball Quite Like Juan Gonzalez 99
28 Rangers Trade Teixeira to Atlanta for Prime Prospects 103
29 2016 Rangers Starting Pitching Disappears at Worst Possible Time 105
30 The 1974 Season: The First Signs of a Pulse 108
31 The Short Union of Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg 111
32 Ryan Fans Rickey, Records Strikeout No. 5,000 at Home 114
33 Home Sweet Home: Winning a Playoff Game in Arlington 116
34 Charlie Hough: Best Bargain in Franchise History 118
35 Fergie Jenkins: Triumph and Overcoming Tragedy 122
36 Ian Kinsler Love or Loathe Him, You Had to Respect Him 125
37 1977: One of the Best and Most Bizarre Seasons 131
38 Rogers Throws First Perfect Game in Rangers History 134
39 Ruben Sierra: Carrying the Weight of a Country with Class 139
40 Mark Holtz: Gone but Certainly Not Forgotten 141
41 The Radio Voice of the Rangers: Eric Nadel 144
42 Rusty Greer Played the Game with a Marine's Mentality 150
43 Tom Grieve: The Player, the Executive, the Commentator 153
44 Rangers Blast Yanks in 1996 ALDS Opener in Bronx 157
45 Heartbreak in the Bronx: Game 2 of the 1996 ALDS 160
46 First Home Playoffs Produce More Agony in Arlington 162
47 George W. Bush: Leading the Rangers, Texas, and the USA 165
48 Mike Hargrove: Worth the Wait 169
49 Will Clark: "The Sheriff" Brings Law and Order to Rangers 171
50 Buddy Bell: Pure Class at the Hot Corner 173
51 Jim Bibby Throws First No-Hitter in Rangers History 175
52 Nolan Ryan Teaches Robin Ventura a Lesson 178
53 The First Rangers All-Star: Toby Harrah 182
54 Jeff Burroughs: The First MVP in Arlington 185
55 Wetteland Finishes Career Strong in Texas 188
56 The Wild and Wonderful Bobby Witt 190
57 Gaylord Perry: A Few Tricks Up His Sleeve 192
58 Chuck Morgan: The Public Address Voice of the Rangers 194
59 The Sweet-Swinging Al Oliver 198
60 Respect the Work of the Beat Writers… Like Jim Reeves 203
61 The Rangers' Lone Star State Supremacy 206
62 Eddie Chiles: A Mad and Memorable Majority Owner 208
63 Arlington Stadium: A Slice of Hell in the Metroplex 213
64 The Bobby Valentine Years in Texas 217
65 Read and Subscribe to the Newberg Report 223
66 Trade for Burkett Bolsters First Playoff Run 226
67 The Very Expensive Alex Rodriguez Experiment 229
68 The Bitter Collapse of 2012 Just Short of the Finish Line 234
69 Julio Franco: A Unique Stance and the 1991 Batting Title 236
70 Jim Kern: The Great Emu… and a Bit of a "Coo Coo" 239
71 The Unforgettable Brad Corbett Ownership Years 243
72 The Highs and Lows of the Tom Hicks Ownership Years 247
73 The 2004 Fighting Showalters: A Sliver of Hope 250
73 Blown Lead against Brewers Costs 1981 Rangers Shot 252
75 Early Rangers Promotions: Milking It for Every Fan 254
76 The Brew and the Brawl: One Unforgettable 1974 Night 257
77 The Memorable Mick "the Quick" Rivers 263
78 Bert Blyleven's Brief but Rather Brilliant Tenure in Texas 267
79 Roger Moret and the Most Bizarre Clubhouse Scene 270
80 The Claw and Antler Craze of 2010 274
81 Jose Canseco: Big Name, Big Gaffes along the Way 278
82 2010-11 and 2016 Rangers Choose Celebratory Beverages Wisely 282
83 Mitch Williams: The Wild Ride Began with the Rangers 287
84 Rangers, Hamilton March to Triumphant June Tune in 2010 289
85 The Most Unlikely Cycle of Them All: Bengie Molina 292
86 The '94 Rangers Finish First, 10 Games Under 500 297
87 Bullpen Fracas in Oakland Costs Rangers Dearly 299
88 If You Can't Beat Guerrero, Sign Him 302
89 Rangers Have a History of All-Star Success 304
90 Rafael Palmeiro: The Face of the Rangers' "Steroids Era" 308
91 Most Unfortunate Trade Sends Sosa, Alvarez to Chicago 311
92 Rangers Deal Arms for "Mazzilli the Malcontent" 313
93 The Fort Worth Strangers: Not Real, but Not Forgotten 318
94 Lenny vs. Lucchesi: The Rangers' Worst Confrontation 322
95 Pigskins Made Pitching Coach Tom House Memorable 324
96 Watch the Movies with Rangers Cameos 328
97 Read the Book Seasons in Hell by Mike Shropshire 333
98 Oddibe McDowell Completes the Rangers' First Cycle 335
99 Scoring the Most Runs in a Game in More Than a Century 337
100 The Chan Ho Park Debacle 341
Works Cited 345
About the Author 353
