Odd Moments: Final Installment.

Final post for TR Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Odd Moments in Rangers history. Here are the final five:

#46 The Longest Save - On September 3, 2002 starter Aaron Myette took the hill against the Orioles. He managed to get himself tossed after just two pitches. In came Todd Van Popple who eventually wound up with the win and then Joaquin Benoit. Benoit pitched seven innings to get the save. That set a Major League record for the longest save. A ninth inning triple broke up the combined no-hitter.

#47 Honoring the Sabbath - Edwin Correa, shown here on card number 4 of the 1986 Donruss Rookies set, showed up for his second Spring Training in 1987. He was there as a starting pitcher. When he arrived he told the team he would not pitch from sundown on Fridays to sundown on Saturdays. Apparently this was based in his beliefs as a Seventh Day Adventist. That made things interesting for the 15 starts he did make that year. Injuries intervened though and it never became a factor long-term.

#48 Ducking Snow - Manager Johnny Oates pulled the Rangers off the field during the Brewers 1998 home opener because fans were pelting the players with snowballs. Order was finally restored with the threat of a forfeit and the game resumed when the bombardment stopped.

#49 Mickey Sings - The quality of National Anthem performances at Ranger games in Arlington has always varied, from Van Cliburn on down. Perhaps nobody has botched the words as badly as former Monkees singer Mickey Dolenz did in 1987.

#50 One Ball, One Save - Texas was on top of Houston 9-6 in the ninth on June 14, 2002 when Randy Flores came in to pitch. Coming in he had a runner on first with two outs. Flores threw one pitch. It was a ball. Catcher Ivan Rodriguez picked Richard Hidalgo off first to end the game. Flores got the save with one pitch that wasn't even in the strike zone.

Well, that finishes up the list of the Top 50 Odd Moments in Rangers history. Hope you at least got a chuckle or two out of them.

Odd Moments: #41-#45.

 Time for the next group installment from T.R. Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Odd Moments in Rangers history.

#41 The reign of the Tahitian warlord - Doug Rader's entire two plus years as manager were strange. He clashed with umpires, opposing players, media, fans, and his own players. He also crashed his car into the same tree every day in Spring Training.

#42 Hondo's Nestle Quik commercial - T.R. says you can find Frank Howard's Nestle Quik commercial on YouTube. If you can let me know. I spent almost an hour looking for it before I gave up.

#43 The wrong guy - During a game against the Orioles in 1992 the Rangers were looking for revenge because Glenn Davis had spiked Ivan Rodriguez the night before. In came reliever Danilo Leon, shown here on card 387 of the 1993 Donruss set, in the sixth inning to settle the score. He got the wrong guy though and hit Cal Ripken Jr. rather than Glenn Davis. Not like they looked different, wore different numbers, and had their names on their uniforms!

#44 R.A. Dickey - There are some who would claim Dickey is just one long bizarre moment. What Sullivan is referring to here though is the Rangers using their number one pick in 1996 to take a pitcher without an ulna collateral ligament.

#45 Hart's winter - The Ranger's first Winter Meetings under General Manager John Hart resulted in trades for Carl Everett and John Rocker. Those two guys qualify as strange to be sure.

Odd Moments: #36-#40.

Ok, so I was looking at T.R. Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Strange and Bizarre Moments in Rangers History and realized I have been working my way through this list for a little over two years. Way too long. Going to step up the pace and do group posts unless something really strange pops up.

#36 The Kennedy Explosion - T.R. does not give an exact date for this incident but Kevin Kennedy managed for Texas in 1993 and 1994. After the team blew a 5-1 lead and lost to the Twins 7-5 Kennedy launched a profanity laced tirade in the visiting clubhouse that echoed through the Metrodome. The highlight of the outburst was when he smashed a mirror with a hot baked potato.

#37 Ryan Tossed - August 6, 1992. Nolan Ryan was pitching a great game against the A's when he hit Willie Wilson in the top of the eighth. The two exchanged words earlier in the game. Home plate Umpire Richie Garcia ejected Ryan and the crowd went nuts. The game was delayed by 30 minutes due to debris being thrown on the field.

#38 Tarp Slide - If you've been following the Rangers for the past few years you probably remember the rain delay at Shea Stadium in 2008. Several Rangers including Milton Bradley, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, and Ian Kinsler ran out of the clubhouse and used the infield rain tarp as a slip and slide.

#39 One Man Boycott - Juan Gonzalez, reigning American League MVP, boycotted the 1999 All-Star Game after failing to be elected to a starting spot in the outfield.

#40 Oscar Acosta - I don't remember this guy at all. He was fired as pitching coach after only a couple of months in 2002. He told a newspaper he had nobody on the Rangers coaching staff to talk baseball with. That was the final straw.

Some unusual stuff there for sure. About the only thing it has to do with the 2001 Upper Deck Game Jersey card at the top of the post is that Ivan Rodriguez witnessed several of the incidents. Just didn't have a more appropriate game-used or autographed card to go along with the post.

Odd Moments: Witt arrives.

In 1986 Bobby Witt was a highly touted prospect in the Rangers farm system. Texas took Witt, shown here on a signed 1986 Topps card, in the first round of the 1985 draft. By the beginning of the 1986 season the powers that be felt the 21-year-old was ready for the big time.

On April 10, 1986 Witt arrived in Arlington with his Major League debut. Bobby lasted just 3.1 innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. He allowed 5 earned runs on five hits, six walks, and one wild pitch. He still managed to slide by with a no-decision.

The April 10th start might have been chalked up to nerves. Witt got a second chance a week later against the Brewers in Milwaukee. That's where things got crazy.

On April 17, 1986 Bobby Witt took the mound for the second time in a Major League game. He was probably glad to have the first start behind him and ready to lower his huge ERA. He would go five innings while giving up just two runs. That might be considered a normal bounce-back game for a rookie but the numbers were amazing. Witt launched four wild pitches, walked 8, and struck out 10. He didn't allow a hit. Amazingly he didn't hit anyone. That was probably the Brewers' main concern though and likely led to several of the whiffs. How bizarre is that stat line?

Odd Moments: Fingers.

Ugly game last night. At least for the Rangers. The Red Sox seemed to enjoy scoring 17 runs. The A's probably also enjoyed moving to within a half a game of Texas. About the only bright spot for the Rangers was David Murphy's eighth inning of scoreless relief.

Probably a good day to take a break from the current team. Got a three part installment in the 50 Top Odd Moments in Rangers history. On to T.R. Sullivan's selections.

Number 32. Injured fingers - Charlie Hough started the 1986 season on the disabled list due to a broken pinkie finger. Charlie was saying goodbye to a friend at a bar near the end of Spring Training. The finger fractured during the final handshake. Oddibe McDowell, shown here on card number 23 of the 1986 Fleer League Leaders set, missed several games after he sliced open a finger at the 1987 Welcome Home Luncheon. Kevin Brown did the same reaching into his shaving kit for a razor.

Number 33. Sticky fingers - The Rangers hosted the All-Star game in 1995. The Arlington Police Department was on top of the scalping issues. Unfortunately one of the suspected scalpers cuffed by the PD was Rangers pitcher Ed Vosberg who was trying to resell tickets for a relative.

Number 34. Getting the thumb - for two long years Chuck Greenburg did the heavy lifting to put together a group to buy the Rangers from Tom Hicks. He finally got it done and saved the team from bankruptcy in mid-season 2010. Seven months later during Spring Training 2011 he resigned and sold out his share of the ownership group. The departure was unforeseen and unexplained.

Odd Moments: Conflicts.

Loss to the Cubs last night. To the Cubs. Sigh. Guess that's what happens when all semblance of control deserts your starting pitcher. Time to get back to the Top Fifty Odd Moments in Rangers History list. Got several installments today.

Number 28. WWF pitch selection - May 24, 2005 in Kansas City. Rod Barajas, shown here on card 329 of the 2005 MLB Showdown set, was the starting catcher. Ryan Drese took the hill for Texas. The result was a 4-3 Rangers win but not before a tense moment in the dugout. Chanelling Ray Chalk and Lefty Williams, Barajas and Drese mixed it up in the dugout over pitch selection. At one point the pair was rolling on the floor and had to be separated by teammates and manager Buck Showalter. Buck declined to comment on the incident after the game. Barajas shook Drese's hand when the latter gave way to a reliever.

Number 29. Preparing for the worst - For a short period after the Rangers left Arlington Stadium for the final time it was empty and vacant. Scheduled to be torn down, the park was the source of alarm when gunfire was heard from inside. Apparently an employee gave the FBI permission to use the stadium as a training ground for anti-terrorist drills. Good idea. Even better would have been to tell someone about the pending training.

Number 30. Bopping practice - Not wanting to mix it up only with teammates Rangers catcher Gerald Laird got into a fight with Angels infielder Adam Kennedy during batting practice in 2005. Tom Hicks and Arte Moreno were chatting nearby and were not thrilled with the altercation.

Number 31. Zip it - Not everyone liked Howard Cosell. A Rangers batboy made several disparaging remarks about the announcer during a broadcast. Unfortunately the on-field microphones picked it up. The next time the Rangers were on national television the batboy appeared with a piece of tape over his mouth.

Ok, quick update on the card giveaway. The Red Sox are spoken for and a package is being assembled. Nothing else has been claimed. Help me out and put in your order. Promise no doubles in the lot. I would rather ship than toss these cards.

Odd Moments: Eye for trouble.

Looks like the guys are on track for a win in Houston tonight barring an Astros rally. Since the game is still in progress though I don't want to jinx it by commenting. Instead we'll take a look at one of the Top 50 Strange Moments in Rangers history.

Coming in at number 27 we have Ned Yost, shown here on card 221 of the 1985 Donruss set. The December, 1983 Yost for Sundberg trade was one of the worst trades in Rangers history. This incident helps explain in part why.

In his lone season with Texas Yost appeared in just 80 games. Part of the reason for his low number of appearances was due to being on the disabled list.

Yost had been having trouble hitting and throwing out runners. Many people might have attributed that to the fact that he had been a back-up catcher for his entire Major League career to that point and was trying to transition to a full-time role at 29 years of age. Also, the comparisons with Jim Sundberg could not have been favorable in the minds of most observers. Manager Doug Rader wasn't buying. Something had to be wrong and it couldn't be his opinion of Yost and Sundberg.

Off to the disabled list went Ned. Why? "Excessive eyelid tension." The unique diagnosis was also described as "heavy eyelid tension." I thought that was what happened when you didn't get enough sleep. I never realized how serious it can be. It is though. At the time Doug Rader remarked that, "We're going to treat it just like knee surgery." Now that's bizarre.

Odd Moments: Mangers and Sportswriters.

Extremely busy day today. Going to have to leave you with this pre-scheduled installment from T.R. Sullivan's list of the Top 50 Bizarre Moments in Rangers history. Today we see two involving managers and one a sportswriter.

Number 24. Help for Oates - T.R. doesn't give a date for this incident but he does recall that it happened at the Ballpark in Arlington. An irate Johnny Oates left the dugout to argue a call with third base umpire Jim McKean. The argument was barely started when a young man hopped out of the stands to join the confrontation. Apparently he agreed with Oates. That didn't make any difference to the security guards though, he was still hauled off.

Number 25. Valentine suspended - September of 1986. Another confrontation between a manager and umpire. This time the players were Bobby Valentine, shown here on card number 1 of the 1991 Mother's Cookies set, and Larry Burnett. Valentine went way beyond being tossed however, he ended up suspended for four games. That was because he moved from arguing the call to accusing umpire Burnett of having bet on the game. Surely Bobby V. would never say such a thing.

Number 26. Do Ya Wanna Dance? - One of the reoccurring post-game concerts for the Rangers in the 1980's were the Beach Boys. Lots of fun and even some dancing. One particular night Star-Telegram writer Jim Reeves danced on the ledge in front of the press box, all the way down to owner Eddie Chiles' box. Not sure if that occurred during Little Deuce Coupe or California Girls.

Odd Moments: Group discount.

Making up some ground in T.R. Sullivan's top 50 Bizarre moments list. With one exception the next few moments really don't deal with any specific player. As such, I am posting this queen of diamonds card from the Academy Sports Outdoors deck that was a stadium giveaway a couple of years ago. Ok, on to the entries.

Number 18. The rain delay - On August 12, 1990 the Rangers were supposed to play the White Sox at Comiskey Park. First pitch was scheduled to go at 1:30 in the afternoon. Problem was, it was raining at that time. Rain delay. Eight hours later the White Sox finally called off the game because it was still raining. So much for not wanting to make the game up in Texas. League rules no longer allow clubs to wait that long before calling a game due to weather.

Number 19. Heading for Tampa Bay - On August 26, 1988 the Rangers issued a press release stating that the team had been sold and was relocating to Tampa, Florida. Apparently the deal would have gone through had not Edward Gaylord stepped in and exercised an option to buy the team. Of course, his purchase was not approved by the league and eventually future President George W. Bush ended up as part of the new ownership in 1989. (See number 13 on the Top 50 Decisions list) The team stayed put.

Number 20. With Juan Gonzalez sitting out the game due to a wrist injury, catcher Gregg Zaun was pressed into service in right field during the 1999 Hall of Fame Game. Zaun proceeded to call his own shot by pointing to the right field seats before hitting a home run. Babe Ruth must have smiled.

Number 21. Ameriquest Field. The big bell in left field was pretty strange. Even stranger when it abruptly disappeared during Ameriquest's bankruptcy. Repossessed?

Number 22. The paratrooper. The idea was to have U.S. Army Rangers land on the field prior to the 2010 home opener. Unfortunately one of them ended up hanging from a flagpole at the ballpark. Oops!

Number 23. Las Vegas Night. Larry Schmittou was the Rangers marketing VP in the 1980's and had several crazy promotions. One of them involved a drawing that sent a lucky fan to Las Vegas. Straight from Arlington Stadium. Not sure if they got to stay until the end of the game or had to leave midway through.

Odd Moments: Fired manager working.

Today's odd moment actually took place over three days in July of 1982. Don Zimmer, looking dour here on card 195 of the 1982 Donruss set, was the Rangers manager at the start of the 1982 season. On July 26th owner Eddie Chiles notified Zimmer that he was fired.

Firing a manager is not all that unusual. Where the story starts to take a turn is when Chiles asked Zimmer to stay on until he could name a replacement. Apparently Chiles was having trouble deciding if he should name Darrell Johnson or Fred Koenig to replace Zimmer. Both were coaches with the team. Johnson got the job. Reportedly he got the nod because Koenig had recently gotten an accidental black eye and Chiles didn't think that would look good on TV.

Don managed three more games before the official announcement of his firing on the 28th. During that time rumors began to surface about Zimmer's firing. Chiles denied them. Following the team's loss to the Brewers on the 28th Chiles and Zimmer met with the media. With Zimmer sitting next to him, Chiles announced the firing. He then said that, "Don didn't do anything wrong. He's my friend, and I hope I'm his friend." Zimmer spent the time looking at the ceiling. When asked if he understood why he had been fired Zimmer replied, "No. Hell no. He (Chiles) says he understands, but I don't."

Apparently Zimmer wasn't the only person who didn't understand. Newly minted manager Darrell Johnson immediately told the media that he planned no wholesale changes to the team. Speaking to reporters Johnson said, "I never saw a thing that Zimmy did that I thought was wrong. I have no magic wand to wave."

Maybe Eddie Chiles knew why he fired Zimmer but it was apparent that nobody at the field level knew why. Two things are certain though. One is that Darrell Johnson had no magic wand, he would lead the team to a 26-40 record for the rest of the season. The second thing is that the situation was most unusual from start to finish.

Odd Moments: Catatonic state.

The Rangers picked up pitcher Roger Moret from the Braves in the Jeff Burroughs trade in December of 1976. Rogelio turned in a decent 1977 season as you can see from the numbers on his 1977 Strat-O-Matic card.

On April 12, 1978 Moret was scheduled to start a home game against the Detroit Tigers. Before the game he was spotted standing in front of his locker holding a shower shoe. He was not moving and did not respond to his teammates. After some initial joking, the other players decided there was a problem and reported the situation to the Rangers medical staff.

Roger remained unresponsive as he was evaluated. After 90 minutes he was finally loaded up and taken to a psychiatric hospital. He was not released until the end of the month. In spite of a couple of comeback attempts, the episode was effectively the end of Rogelio's career.

Odd Moments: Williams v. Allen.

Up to number 15 on T.R. Sullivan's Top 50 Bizarre Moments in Rangers history. For today's post we have to go back to Washington. In 1970 Ted Williams was in his second season as the Senators manager. He was also not very popular among his players.

On August 2, 1970 the Senators were playing the A's in Oakland in the first game of a doubleheader. By the third inning the Senators led the game 3-1. To start off the third the A's pulled their starting pitcher. In response Williams began to revamp his lineup.

By the time Bernie Allen, the starting second baseman, was due up with two outs one batting substitution had already taken place. Williams proceeded to send Tim Cullen to the plate to bat for Allen. Cullen then flied out to end the half inning.

I'm not sure if it was being pinch hit for so early in the game or if it was the result but Bernie Allen didn't like being pinch-hit for. Apparently he lost it and it took six other people to restrain him from going after Williams in the dugout.

Take a look at Allen's 1971 Strat-O-Matic card. The card shows his 1970 stats. Seems like a stretch for a .234 hitter to get riled at Teddy Ballgame for lifting him. Of course Williams sent in Tim Cullen who batted .214 on the season. Cullen was also the player that Williams called one of the dumbest hitters he had ever seen. That leads to what was probably the real reason for the blowup.

Ted Williams and his players never got along well. Williams didn't have much patience with his position players and he hated pitchers on principle. That doesn't endear a manager to his men. Bernie Allen was one of the players representatives and personally didn't care for Williams. Probably the mixture of Williams attitude, Allen's attitude, and the perceived slight became explosive as under the pressure of another losing season.

Odd Moments: Inside back-to-back.

Number 14 on T.R. Sullivan's list of the top 50 Bizarre Moments in Rangers history involved one of the best teams Texas has ever fielded. The 1977 Rangers were quick, had some power, and had a little pitching. They put it all together to notch 94 wins - third best in team history.

On August 27th they were in New York playing against the Yankees. By the top of the seventh inning Texas had a 4-2 lead. Ken Clay was on the mound in relief for the home team as Claudell Washington led off with a ground out to second base. Designated hitter Willie Horton then singled. Sandy Alomar ran for Horton. Dave May singled. Runners on first and second as Toby Harrah came to the plate.

Harrah, shown here on a signed 1987 Donruss card, launched a ball deep to right field. Not deep enough to leave the park but deep enough to evade Lou Piniella. As Sweet Lou scrambled for the ball, Alomar and May scored. Toby kept running and came in as well. Inside the park home run! Three runs at that.

Up next was Bump Wills. Wills sent a ball deep into center field. Once again it wasn't deep enough to leave the park. Once again it got past the Yankee fielder - this time Mickey Rivers. Wills had speed, lots of it. Rivers had a weak arm. Not a good combination for Ken Clay and the Yankees. A second inside the park home run! Back-to-back jacks with a twist - neither ever left the field of play.

That was it for Clay as he was pulled immediately after Wills' homer. It was also it for the Evil Empire that day as the final score went down 8-2. Half of the Rangers runs had come on inside the park home runs.

Odd Moments: Using your (opponent's) head.

We've all been told to use our heads. It's something parents often admonish their offspring to do. How about using someone else' head? That can happen as well.

May 26, 1993. Cleveland, Ohio. In the bottom of the fourth the Rangers were leading the Indians 3-1. Up came Carlos Martinez to lead off the fourth. Long fly ball to right. Jose Canseco, shown here on card 365 of the 1993 Upper Deck set, tracked it down. Instead of a long out though, the ball hit the top of Canseco's head and bounced into the stands. Solo home run. That gave the Indians an extra out and they managed to score two more runs. Final score: Cleveland - 7, Texas - 6.

That extra run that Canseco gave the Tribe ended up being the difference but that wasn't the only odd thing. First, Jose wasn't charged with an error. Also, he didn't leave the game. Not that being hit on the head was likely to injure Canseco but one might have thought that a ball coming in that high and hard would leave a mark.

Lastly, Carlos Martinez wasn't exactly a home run threat - he hit five all season. Hopefully he sent Canseco a thank-you note for the 20% of his home run total that Jose was responsible for.

Odd Moments: Hough loses a no-no.

The 1986 Rangers ended up second in the American League West with 87 wins. They show up 12th on T.R. Sullivan's list of Top 50 Odd Moments in franchise history.

On June 16, 1986 the Rangers were scheduled to play a night game in Anaheim against the then California Angels. Charlie Hough, shown here on card number 342 of the 1986 Donruss set, was on the hill for Texas.

In the first inning Hough set the tone for the night as he retired Gary Pettis, Wally Joyner, and Doug DeCinces in order. For the next seven innings the Angels remained baffled by Charlie's knuckleball. Going into the bottom of the ninth inning the score stood at 1-0 in the Rangers favor. More impressive was the fact that the Angels had no hits. Three more outs and Charlie Hough would have a no-hitter!

Starting off the inning, Rupert Jones pinch-hit for Bob Boone only to be called out on strikes. Two outs left. Jack Howell then came to the plate for Gary Pettis and reached on an error by left-fielder George Wright. Ironically Wright had replaced Gary Ward for defensive reasons heading into the bottom of the inning. The error placed Howell at third with Wally Joyner coming to the plate. Joyner singled to ruin the no-hitter and the shutout. Ballgame tied 1-1. With Joyner on first and DeCinces at the plate, catcher Orlando Mercado couldn't handle one of Hough's pitches for the first time that night. Joyner to second. DeCinces then struck out. One more out and the game would go into extras. Hough intentionally walked the still dangerous Reggie Jackson to bring George Hendrick to the plate. The count moved to 3-2. The last pitch was strike three but Mercado again couldn't find the handle. As the runners advanced, Mercado looked to throw home but nobody was at the plate. Charlie Hough had forgotten to cover home!

Final score: 2-1 Angels.
Final line for Charlie: 8.2 IP, 8 K's, 0 Earned Runs, and the loss.

Odd Moments: Final forfeit.

The expansion Senators never encountered much success in the eleven years they were in Washington. After Bob Short bought the team under a mountain of debt they also experienced financial problems. The end result was that Short obtained permission to move the team to Texas following the 1971 season. The few fans the Senators had left were not impressed.

September 30, 1971 was the Senators' final game. They were slated to host the New York Yankees. 14,460 fans showed up and paid the admission to get into the last Major League Baseball game in RFK Stadium. There were rumors though that the security guards left early and several thousand more fans simply walked in for free. One estimate placed the total attendance at 25,000.

Most of the Senators players received applause when they appeared. Frank Howard, shown here on card 23 of the 1985 Topps Circle K set, got a thunderous ovation when he strode to the plate. Many fans were obviously upset by the imminent departure of the team. Signs began appearing around the stadium ridiculing Bob Short. As soon as security removed a sign another would appear. One of the ones that received the most acclaim was one that read simply, "Short stinks."

By the bottom of the sixth inning the Yankees were leading 5-1. Suddenly the Senators came alive and plated four runs to tie things up. The lead-off hit in the inning was Frank Howard's 26th home run of the season. That bomb seemed to lift the spirits of the crowd and even got to Howard himself. As he ran the bases he tipped his helmet to the fans for the first and only time. As he approached the dugout he tossed his cap into the stands.

In the eighth Washington put two more runs on the board to take a 7-5 lead. That held through two outs in the top of the ninth. By this point the crowd had turned ugly again and was calling for Bob Short's blood - literally. One sportswriter of the time compared it to a lynch mob in full swing. Already fans had rushed the field and been cleared off.

With two outs in the top of the eighth the crowd rushed the field again. Swarms of young people snatched tufts of grass and anything else they could get their hands on. One young man even made off with first base. Those remaining in the stands expressed their approval. The scene was total pandemonium.

With the crowd going wild, no security in sight, and only three bases remaining the game was called as a forfeit. Official score: 9-0 in favor of New York. Perhaps it was a fitting epilogue for a team that had struggled fruitlessly for much of eleven seasons.

Odd Moments: Randle v. Lucchesi.

Lenny Randle is shown here on card number 8-RAN of the 1986 TCMA All Time Rangers set. He shouldn't be. Because of what is one of the ugliest incidents in Rangers history Len Randle cannot ever be considered in any list of top Rangers players.

Randle had made his Major League debut in 1971 for the Washington Senators. He made the move to Texas with the team and appeared for them in every season up through 1976. Prior to 1976 he had been used mainly as a platoon or utility player. In 1976 he grabbed the starting second baseman's job. Unfortunately he had not produced as well as Texas expected him to.

Frank Lucchesi had been appointed as the Rangers manager in 1975 following the firing of Billy Martin. By the Spring of 1977 the 50-year old manager was ready to lead the team back into contention.

During Spring Training in 1977 young rookie phenom Bump Wills arrived at camp amid much acclaim. Like with Elvis Andrus at shortstop a couple of years ago, the management decided that second base was Wills' position to lose. That didn't sit well with Randle and he threatened to walk out of camp. Lucchesi was not amused and made some pretty harsh comments concerning "punks saying play me or trade me..." The remarks showed up in the papers.

On March 28, 1977 the Rangers were in Orlando, Florida for a Spring Training game against the Twins. The Rangers were taking batting practice about an hour before the game. Frank Lucchesi was on the field talking to his players and coaches. He hadn't been there long and was still not in uniform. Randle approached him and said he needed to talk to him.

The two stepped to the side. A few words were exchanged. Suddenly Randle punched Lucchesi in the face, knocking him to the ground. As Frank fell, Len landed several more punches. As players rushed to Lucchesi's aid, Randle jogged out to center field and started to run wind sprints. Outfielder Ken Henderson started after him with the intent of returning the punches for Lucchesi. Other players stopped Henderson.

Frank Lucchesi was transported to the hospital. Randle had broken his cheekbone and bruised a kidney. He needed surgery to repair the facial injuries and would be in the hospital for a week.

The Rangers immediately suspended Randle without pay for 30 days and fined him $10,000. The police got involved and criminal charges were filed. Before the 30 day suspension was up the Rangers shipped Randle to the Mets. He later pled no contest to the battery charges in criminal court and paid a $1,000 fine.

In late June the Rangers fired Frank Lucchesi. He claimed the firing was in part due to the incident with Randle. A lawsuit followed. The matter was settled out of court with Randle reportedly paying about $25,000 in damages to Lucchesi.

In sum total the incident cost the Rangers a decent manager and a public relations headache. It also cost them a versatile player and possibly a chance at the post-season. It cost Lenny Randle around $36,000 plus his lost wages. More importantly it cost him his good name. A high price to pay for an angry outburst.

Odd Moments: Good guy Dave?

Number nine on T.R. Sullivan's Fifty Bizarre moments involves Dave Stewart. In January of 1985 Stewart, shown here on card 343 of the 1985 Donruss set, was a yet to be determined quality for the Rangers.

He was however well regarded among his teammates and the organization. As such he was selected to received the Harold McKinney Good Guy Award at the club's 1985 Winter Banquet on January 27th. Along with the rest of the team, Stewart was invited to the Banquet.

Here is where things started to go wrong for Dave. According to the Los Angeles Times he was arrested on January 25th in downtown L.A. "on suspicion of participating in an act of lewd conduct in a public place..." Apparently LAPD officers had observed Stewart soliciting a prostitute by the name of "Lucille". The pair were arrested as they sat in Stewart's car in an alley.

To add insult to injury (and spice to the tabloids) it was revealed after the arrest that "Lucille" was actually a man by the name of Elson Tyler. Stewart claimed that he had no idea he had picked up a transvestite until after the arrest. A LAPD commander commenting on the story stated that the police believed him on that score. It didn't help and the incident got serious media exposure.

The Rangers gave Dave the opportunity to skip the Winter Banquet. He didn't though and showed up to receive his Good Guy Award. Newly minted GM Tom Grieve and team owner Eddie Chiles were among those in attendance as were the rest of the team and almost 1,000 fans. The presentation of the award was greeted with silence. Stewart then apologized directly to Mr. Chiles, his teammates, then to the fans. According to the L.A. Times Stewart was brief in his remarks and commented that, "All I can say is good guys make mistakes, too." As he sat down those in attendance applauded. I am guessing that Tom Grieve then sighed a huge sigh of relief.

All in all the whole situation was an awkward one for both Stewart and the team. It was also truly strange that a man arrested for solicitation was awarded a good guy award just two days later at a public event.

Odd Moments: On camera(men).

Number eight on T.R. Sullivan's Fifty Bizarre Moments is truly bizarre.

On June 29, 2005 Kenny Rogers, shown here on card number 107T of the 1989 Score set, was nearing the end of his third stint with the Rangers. As he walked out onto the field in Arlington for pre-game warmups he spotted two cameramen filming him. Unprovoked, Rogers confronted the two men.

Kenny shoved a Fox Sports Net Southwest cameraman and told him, "I told you to get those cameras out of my face." He then grabbed a camera from a local television station's cameraman, threw it on the ground, and kicked it. Kenny then went after two other cameramen. Rod Barajas stepped in though and got Rogers off the field. As he left Rogers was saying that he would break all the cameras.

What made the incident so odd was that neither cameraman who was assaulted had even spoken to Rogers. In fact, Kenny had stopped speaking to the media following a previous story in the local news that he was having trouble getting a contract extension from the Rangers and might be considering retirement if the extension wasn't granted.

Stories like that are annoying and the media can be a real circus but Rogers apparently had some deeper issues. ESPN quoted Texas General Manager John Hart as saying, "Kenny is having anger issues right now, I don't know what's going on inside. We're responding to something that's very unusual." Unusual is right. Rogers had just missed a start after breaking a finger during an angry outburst and now he had gone after two members of the media. Something was definitely wrong.

The Rangers sent Kenny home and contacted the Commissioner's Office. A suspension and fine were levied. The cameramen filed charges with the Arlington Police and Rogers ended up with two misdemeanor charges and anger management classes. He also had to deal with a civil suit from one of the cameramen.

At the end of the 2005 season Texas did not resign Rogers. He didn't retire either as he signed with the Detroit Tigers and pitched for three more years before retiring. Too bad that one of the last memories Rangers fans have of him is this incident.

Odd Moments: One-night stand.

Getting back to T.R. Sullivan's list of odd and bizarre moments in Rangers history. Since today's moment was so brief I don't have a card of the involved person. As such you will have to settle for the cover of the 1977 media guide.

In June of 1977 the Rangers fired manager Frank Lucchesi. The firing was in part due to an altercation that Lucchesi had with Len Randle in Spring Training. To replace Lucchesi Texas tabbed Eddie Stanky.

Stanky looked like a good grab. He had played eleven seasons in the majors between 1943 and 1953. Starting at the end of his playing career he had moved into managing. In 1952 and 1953 he had been a player/manager for the St. Louis Cardinals. In 1954 and 1955 he was the manager for the Redbirds. In 1966 the White Sox had named Eddie as skipper. They kept him until 1968. During those two stints Stanky had posted a 466-435 record as manager.

Following his time at the helm of the Cardinals and ChiSox, Stankey became the head basketball coach at the University of South Alabama. He encountered success there as well. As Leo Durocher once observed, Eddie Stanky knew how to win.

A winner was what Texas needed. The team was in internal disarray but was still contending when Stankey took over. They were in third place in the American League West and just four games out. Stanky would face Gene Mauch and the second place Twins for his first game.

The Rangers were on the road in Minnesota on June 22nd. In the bottom of the first inning the Twins scored four runs to take a significant lead. Texas would score a lone run in the third but otherwise was shut out until the seventh. In the top of the seventh Texas put together a four run inning to take a one run lead. Minnesota would score a run in the bottom of the frame to even things up.

The tie would only last until the top of the eighth when the Rangers managed to keep the scoring train going as they posted five more runs. That would be enough to hold even with the Twins three run rally in the bottom of the ninth. Final score: 10-8 Texas.

A comeback win against a division opponent seemed to be a good start to Eddie Stanky's managing career with Texas. Here's where things got weird though. Following the game Stanky announced that he was resigning as the Rangers manager. Apparently he missed Alabama and collegiate basketball. He returned to the University of South Alabama and basketball success. After just one game Stanky was finished as the Rangers manager.

Unprepared for the resignation, Texas named coach Connie Ryan as interim manager. He would last six games before Billy Hunter took over and finished out the season as the team's fourth manager of 1977.