Royal Delivery.

Long time friend, reader, and Royals fan extraordinaire Mark sent me a small group of Rangers inserts from recent sets. Among the cards he sent my way was this 2015 Topps Highlight card of Nolan Ryan. The card recalls Nolan's amazing seventh no-hitter in 1991.

Along with Ryan, Mark also sent along 14 other Rangers inserts. Most of them filled holes in my collection. A few (Prince Fielder) brought back some bad memories but most of them were like this Nolan, they brought to mind why I enjoy the Rangers, most of the time at least.

Thanks a ton Mark. Have a few Royals set aside for you and hope to be able to send a stack your way soon. It won't be as good as the one you sent me but you should enjoy it anyway.

This catches me up on the cards that arrived while I was recently away from the blog. Now I just need to get back to regular posting. The motivation for that is spotty but I will be trying to make the time to get things rolling again here at Texas Rangers Cards.

Returns.

Well, once again it's been a long while since I wrote. Lots going on in life recently and that's interfered with my blog. One of those things was more computer issues. In all the confusion and transferring of data I lost most of the images of cards I have scanned in over the years for the blog. The last time this happened (a few months ago) I took the time to re-scan the lost images. This time I will not. The result may be that you occasionally see cards posted in the future that you have already seen. I apologize in advance for that. I'll be making every effort to avoid that happening but I am on the verge of shuttering Texas Rangers Cards for good so I really can't afford the time to re-scan the lost cards images.

While I was away the mail kept arriving. A few folks remembered me and sent some Rangers for my collection. I will post those packages in the coming days. Also, a few long awaited autograph requests returned as well.

One of the returns was from Charlie Hough. Mr. Hough signed this 1983 Topps card featuring him and Buddy Bell as well as signing a 1984 Topps card of his. I sent both cards out on March 3, 2016 and they arrived back home on Sepember 26th. Also coming home were signed cards from former Ranger Dickie Noles (sent October 28, 2015, returned November 1, 2016) and former Senator Ken Hamlin (sent January 13, 2016, returned September 30, 2016). Many thanks to all three of these gentlemen for taking of their time to sign and return cards for a fan.

Last night the Cubs broke their curse and won the World Series for the first time since 1908. While I was pulling for the Indians to take the crown I have to admit, not too many teams get three chances to close out a championship and still fail to get it done. Congratulations to the Cubbies for the long-awaited ring. Condolences to the Tribe and their fans. I know the pain of seeing your team lose a close one like that.

Rangers top Mariners.

Last night the Rangers kicked off a three game series against the Seattle Mariners. From this point on, 24 of the remaining 30 games in the season are against other American League West teams. If somebody is going to try to make a move to knock Texas out of first place, it's now or never.

The Mariners had to go through Yu Darvish, shown here on card 125 of the 2013 Topps Heritage set, last night to beat the Rangers. They weren't able to do it. In 6.2 innings Darvish struck out nine while allowing three earned runs. To be fair, two of those runs crossed home after Yu was relieved by an ineffective Jake Diekman with two outs in the seventh inning.

Keone Kela took over from Diekman to end the seventh with no further damage. Kela also handled the eighth without incident. Sam Dyson came on in the ninth and notched his 30th save of the season.

While all that was going on, the offense was not silent. The Rangers scoring charge was led by Carlos Beltran, whom I do not have a Rangers card of. Carlos went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, double, and two RBI. Ian Desmond and Adrian Beltre also chimed in with doubles while Nomar Mazara contributed a triple. All told, the Rangers put six runs on the board. Enough for a 6-3 victory.

Always good to down a division foe. Nice effort by Darvish to tamp down the potent Seattle offense. Also a very good night for Beltran to break out of career-worst slump. I was beginning to wonder if he had fallen off the age cliff. Diekman is not really a concern with his troubles, after all it was his third outing in a row. He probably just needs a day or two off to be back to the Jake Diekman Rangers fans are used to.

1980 Topps - Eric Soderholm.

By the time Eric Soderholm appeared on card #441 of the 1980 Topps set, he was no longer wearing a Rangers uniform. Texas picked up the veteran third baseman from the White Sox on June 15, 1979 in exchange for Ed Farmer and Gary Holle.

Soderholm played in 63 games for the Rangers. Texas picked him up to help fill in for ailing third baseman Buddy Bell as Bell struggled through his injury-plagued season. All told Eric would appear in 37 games at third base, 14 games as the designated hitter, and two games at first base for the Rangers. He was serviceable but below the league average at both third and first.

In his 166 plate appearances Soderholm walked 12 times and struck out nine times en route to a .272 batting average and a .325 on-base percentage. He scored 15 runs and knocked in 19 RBI. He also hit six doubles and four home runs.

On November 14, 1979 the Rangers traded Eric to the Yankees for Amos Lewis and Ricky Burdette. Neither one of those players would ever make it to the Majors. Soderholm would play through the end of the 1980 season as a backup with the Yankees and see some some action in the American League Championship Series as New York fell to the Royals. Eric would miss the entire 1981 season before the Yanks released him on October 13, 1981.

Back on the Road Again.

Well, recently my family's trusty minivan finally gave up the ghost as the transmission failed. With the 13 year old van at a little over 180,000 miles, it was time for a replacement rather than a repair. It took some looking around, comparing, and shopping but we now have a new (to us) van and are back on the road.

The Rangers are also back on the road, kicking off another road trip last night in Tampa. Texas sent Cole Hamels to the mound while the Rays countered with Matt Andriese. Hamels put on an outstanding performance, chasing a no-hitter through five innings before losing it in the sixth. He had to settle for three hits in 7.1 innings while striking out ten and allowing just one run. A gem. Unfortunately, I have no Rangers cards of Cole Hamels, otherwise he would have been the card of the day today.

Tony Barnette relieved Hamels in the seventh but had problems and lasted just a third of an inning while allowing one run. Jake Diekman finished the game off, keeping Tampa Bay off the board for an inning and a third.

While all that was going on the offense was not silent. Well, at least after the fourth inning they weren't. With the score at 0-0 heading into the fifth, the Rangers were looking for a little offense to back Hamels on the mound. Mitch Moreland led off the inning with a solo home run to break the tie. Ian Desmond followed up with a single that scored Elvis Andrus from first to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.

In the sixth inning the wheels really came off for the Rays pitching. Adrian Beltre, shown here on card 446 of the 2015 Topps Heritage set, hammered a long ball to lead off the inning. The Rangers reset the table for Nomar Mazara and he shot a single to right field to score Jonathan Lucroy. Jurickson Profar ended the scoring by walking with the bases loaded to force in Moreland. All told the Rangers sent nine men to the plate during the inning.

Adrian Beltre capped off the scoring for Texas for the night when he led off the seventh inning with another home run. It was his second of the night and the third inning in a row the Rangers led off with a home run. Final score: Texas - 6, Tampa Bay - 2.

The Rangers got some good stuff going last night. Hamels was dominant and it was nice to see the bullpen get a bit of a break. Also very good to see the offense show up and back Hamels. If the team can keep the bats going they should be able to have a pretty good trip.

Senators Saturday - Bernie Allen, 1967.

Have a brother getting married today so I am busy with that and you will have to settle for a pre-scheduled post. Of course, it's been a bit since the last Senators Saturday so maybe it's worked out for the best.

Be-freckled Bernie Allen appears on 1967 Topps card 118 in his Minnesota Twins pinstripes. He had played in the Twins organization since they signed him as an amateur in 1961. On December 3, 1966 the Twins sent Allen and pitcher Camilo Pascual to Washington in exchange for reliever Ron Kline.

Bernie jumped right into a competition with Bob Saverine for the starting second baseman's job. The two ended up platooning for most of the season but by the end of the year Allen appeared to have the upper hand.

Allen appeared in 87 games for the Senators in 1967. 75 of those appearances were at second base, the only position he played during the season. Over the course of 601.1 innings at second Bernie committed just four errors. That gave him a .990 fielding percentage, well above the league average .979 and completely blowing out Saverine's .957 fielding percentage.

Bernie made 279 trips to the plate for Washington. True to the Senator's luck with new players, his batting average dropped to .193 with his on-base percentage only getting up to .244. Indicative of the Senator's below-average offense, Allen scored just 13 runs and only picked up 18 RBI. He had a little power - five doubles, one triple, and three home runs; but also struck out more times than he walked (43/18).

1967 had been a mixed bag for Bernie Allen. His defense was outstanding but his bat appeared to have evaporated. With Washington being enamored of slick fielders and Bob Saverine struggling at the plate as well, Allen looked to have a pretty decent shot at second base in 1968. If he could get the lumber working again he might be able to nail down a starting gig for several years.

Beltre bombs A's.

The A's struck first last night as Danny Valencia hammered a two-run homer off Martin Perez in the first inning. Texas scored one in the bottom of the first on a solo shot by Ian Desmond but ended up trailing for most of the game. Indeed, the A's appeared to be firmly in the driver's seat for most of the contest.

Oakland scored three more runs off Perez in the top of the third to run his total to five runs given up over the six innings he pitched. Due to an errant throw by Elvis Andrus in the first, only three of those runs were earned.

Matt Bush came in to start the seventh inning with the Rangers down 5-4. Another fielding miscue, this one by Delino DeShields, allowed the A's to pick up an unearned insurance run. In the bottom of the inning, with the score 6-4 Oakland, Adrian Beltre squeezed in a solo homer down the right field foul line. Texas was unable to add any runs to that through the rest of the seventh and in the eighth inning. Fortunately, Matt Bush matched that and held the A's scoreless as well through the top of the eight. Jake Diekman blanked Oakland in the top of the ninth.

With one out in the bottom of the ninth Nomar Mazara blooped a broken bat single to right field. Ryan Rua came in to run for Maz. Oakland closer Ryan Madson got Desmond to strike out for the second out. That brought up Beltre, shown here on card 444 of the 2013 Topps Heritage set, with two in the mud. Beltre blasted the first pitch he saw over the center field fence for a two-run walk-off home run. Final: 7-6 Texas. It was the first Rangers walk-off in at least a month.

Awesome to see the team hang in there and battle back. Nice job by the bullpen to keep the game close and give the offense a chance to win it. Always great to see Beltre blast two homers in a game. The guys need to cut down on the defensive errors though. Beltre was right when he said in his post-game interview that the defense has been letting the pitchers down and making them work harder. Some better defense might help the pitching staff put things back together that much quicker.

A Sample from the autograph box.

With the Rangers continuing their free-fall, Shin-Soo Choo returning to the Disabled List, and Prince Fielder out for the season (if not forever) with another herniated disc in his neck, there just isn't much positive to dwell on for Rangers fans right now. I am really hoping the guys can right the ship and get things back on track before they cough up the division lead to the surging Astros. Guess we just have to wait and see.

Since I don't have a lot to say about the current club I decided to get a random Rangers autograph to post again this week. Strangely, Billy Sample appears for the second time in two days. This time he shows up on a signed 1981 Topps card that I picked up as part of a lot of Rangers autographs on Ebay. Sample is a very good signer and I prefer to get autographs from the player when possible so I didn't buy the lot for Billy's autograph. Can't remember who was included that is a harder autograph. Hope you enjoy Sample and his powder blue uniform today and maybe soon I will have some Rangers wins to write about.

1980 Topps - Billy Sample.

After the first couple of innings last night I thought I was going to have a win to talk about. However, since the pitching staff managed to blow the game it's a good time to continue with the 1980 team.

Outfielder Billy Sample appears today on card 458 of the 1980 Topps set. Sample was coming off a pretty impressive rookie season in 1979 and the Rangers were hoping to see it continue in 1980. Unfortunately Billy started off the season with an 0-for-10 slump and didn't get his batting average above .200 until late July.

All told in 1980, Sample appeared in 99 games and made 234 trips to the plate. He managed to get his batting average up to .260 by season's end. He walked 18 times while striking out 15 times to move his on-base percentage to .335. Sample scored 29 runs while knocking in just 19 RBI. He did get ten doubles and four home runs but no triples.

Billy's bat probably helped move him into the fourth outfielder role. As the relief outfielder Sample played 257.1 innings in right field over 40 games; 140.2 innings in center field over 19 games; and 71 innings in left field over 16 games. He was flawless in right and left field and committed just two errors in center.

1980 was a let down season for Billy Sample. The Rangers still had high hopes for their young outfielder but he needed to show that 1980 was simply a sophomore slump. If he could get his bat going in 1981, Sample's defense would make help make him an attractive full-time option in the Texas outfield.

1980 Topps - Dave Roberts.

Well, not much positive to say about the Rangers last three games. Hopefully the guys can shrug off the double thumpings at the hands of the Twins and Red Sox. Since there's not much to say there, I decided today would be a good time to take another look back at a past player.

Up today we have Dave Roberts appearing on card 93 of the 1980 Topps set. Roberts came to Texas from San Diego in the trade that also netted the Rangers Oscar Gamble. Dave remained with the club longer than Gamble and actually got a card showing him in a Rangers uniform.

As you might assume from the position notation on the front of Roberts' card, he served as a utility player for the Rangers in 1980. Throughout the course of the season he appeared in 37 games at third base. He played 264.1 innings there and committed five errors. That gave him a .930 fielding percentage as compared the the league average .951. Dave's second most frequent position played was shortstop, where he played 107.2 innings over 33 games. He muffed three plays there for a .951 fielding percentage. The league average totaled to .963. As noted on the front of Roberts' card, he also played catcher. Over the course of the 22 games he appeared in as a backstop Dave played 145.2 innings behind the plate. He committed three errors to give him a .973 fielding percentage, once again below the league average of .986. While ten base runners stole on him Roberts did catch eight would-be thieves. That gave him a 44% caught stealing rate - well over the league average 35%. If those three positions weren't enough, Dave also played right field for 25 innings over five games, eight innings at first base in four games, and eight innings at second base in four games. Those appearances were without a miscue. Additionally, Roberts served as the designated hitter in three games.

In the 101 games he appeared in, Dave made 251 trips to the plate and struck out 38 times while working 13 walks. He posted a .238 batting average and a .280 on-base percentage while scoring 27 runs and knocking in 30 RBI. Roberts had some power in his bat - he hit four doubles and ten home runs but managed no triples.

In spite of his less than stellar offensive skills, Dave Roberts was an asset to the Rangers in 1980. A true utility player, he provided coverage at six different positions and filled in at DH as well. That's really a jack of all trades and something that's rarely seen anymore.

Latest Autograph Return.

Well, thanks to a bullpen meltdown last night, the Rangers were unable to take advantage of an early lead and fell to the Yankees.

In order to counteract the bad vibes from the loss last night I will leave you with this signed 1990 Topps Jamie Moyer. I sent this card, and a 1989 Topps card, to Mr. Moyer on January 23rd of this year. He graciously signed and returned both. They arrived home on June 23rd. Both filled holes in team sets I am trying to get signed. Many thanks to Jamie Moyer for taking the time to sign for a fan.

Rainy Day Comeback.

I have to admit, I didn't stay up and listen to the end of the Rangers game last night as they played in New York.

I did listen to the beginning of the game, where Ian Desmond hit a first inning home run to give the Rangers an early lead. I listened as Chi-Chi Gonzalez took the hill for his season debut. He coughed up the lead in the second inning, allowing two Yankee runs. Chi-Chi ended up having a rough night, lasting just five innings and surrendering five runs. Luke Jackson came in in relief but also gave up a run in an inning and a third. Finally, Tony Barnette stopped the bleeding and worked and inning and two thirds of scoreless ball.

Meanwhile, Yanks hurler Ivan Nova wasn't exactly having a cakewalk. Desmond struck again in the third inning with a fielder's choice that scored Robinson Chirinos. In the top of the fourth Shin-Soo Choo singled in Prince Fielder and Elvis Andrus. Rougned Odor ended the scoring I heard with a solo shot home run in the eighth to bring the score to 6-5 in favor of the Yankees.

In the top of the ninth New York reliever Arnoldis Chapman walked Chirinos. Then the umpires delayed the game for rain. The delay lasted a little over three and a half hours. I didn't last that long and hit the sack before play resumed. When it did Kirby Yates came in to pitch for the Yanks. He was wild, hitting Desmond and Nomar Mazara to load the bases for Adrian Beltre. Beltre, seen here on card 81 of the 2012 Topps Archives set, laced a single to left field. The hit score Jurickson Profar (who was running for Chirinos) and Desmond. That gave the Rangers a 7-6 lead but they weren't done yet. Fielder got hit by a pitch to re-load the bases. Up came Andrus. He singled to right field to score Mazara and Beltre.

In came Sam Dyson for the bottom of the ninth and he shut the Yankees out for the final innings. Final score: 9-6 Texas.

Too bad Gonzalez had such a rough outing. It would be nice to see him step up and fill a hole in the rotation. On the other hand, the comeback was nice too. For the most part the bullpen held the line again and allowed the bats to pull the team back into the game. Coming out after a lengthy rain delay and putting up a four spot is also very impressive. A delay of that length when a team is losing can cause a loss of focus or a resignation to the defeat. Great feeling knowing these guys never give up.

Choo keeps the train rolling.

Once again, Derek Holland didn't last long enough to get a decision last night against Baltimore. Dutch went just 4.1 innings and allowed three runs before being yanked. That performance was enough to leave the Rangers behind 3-1 going into the bottom of the fourth. Fortunately Shawn Tolleson, Tony Barnette, and Sam Dyson kept the Birds off the board for the rest of the game.

In the bottom of the fourth Texas rallied. Prince Fielder scored on a Bobby Wilson sacrifice fly to bring the score to 3-2 O's. That brought up Shin-Soo Choo, shown here on card TEX-13 of the 2014 Topps Texas Rangers team set. Choo shot a single to right that scored Elvis Andrus and Mitch Moreland. That put Texas up 4-3 and that was the final score.

This game was a makeup from a rain out in April so it counted as a series of its own. The Rangers win gives them ten straight series wins.

On the upside, the bullpen has been unbelievable recently. After some struggles early, the relief core has been lights out and is directly responsible for several of the wins on the recent road trip as well as last night. Also good to see the offense working. Seems a different guy comes through every day and that's key. Depth and versatility is what is keeping this team rolling. Very exciting to see their come from behind ability.

Of course there is always a shadow. In this instance it's Derek Holland. Dutch needs to get whatever it is wrong figured out and fixed. The wheels have really come off the wagon for him this year. Fortunately for the team, the rest of the rotation has picked things up. That won't make much difference for Holland when the front office patience runs out. Judging by how fast he's been pulled his past two appearances, he's now on a very short leash. That likely puts him on a short list as well and he could be looking at the bullpen or being designated for assignment if he can't pull things together.

Sweep!

The Rangers finished up a ten game road trip last night in St Louis by putting up a second come-back win in a row against the Cardinals.

Texas started Martin Perez while the Cards sent Mike Leake to the hill. The Rangers struck first with a run in the first inning but the Redbirds came back with a run in the second and one in the third to take the lead. A Mitch Moreland home run in the fourth tied the game up and a Nomar Mazara long ball in the 6th gave Texas a 3-2 lead.

Unfortunately, Perez stumbled in the bottom of the sixth and allowed a run before leaving the game with the bases loaded. Tony Barnette finished the inning but not before a second Perez base-runner crossed home. That left the Rangers down 4-3 with three innings left to play.

After coming up empty in the seventh, Texas managed to load the bases after Moreland hustled into an overturned out call at second. If Mitch hadn't been really moving, the inning would have been over. That brought up pinch-hitter Jurickson Profar, shown here on card FN-5 of the 2014 Topps The Future is Now subset. This year seems to be Profar's future and he continued the trend by lining a single into center. The hit scored Rougned Odor and Moreland. That gave the Rangers a 5-4 lead.

In came Matt Bush and Sam Dyson to keep the Cards bats quiet in the eighth and ninth respectively. The Texas victory resulted in the first at home series sweep for St Louis since 1983 and gave Texas an 8-2 record for their road trip. It also pushed the Rangers to 20 games over .500 and gives them a 8.5 game lead over second place Seattle.

The run by the Rangers so far this season has been unbelievable. Before the club broke training camp, I thought this team had a chance for something big. Now I am starting to get real excited. Probably more so than for any Rangers squad since 2011. Barring something unforeseen occurring, the rest of this season is going to be an exciting ride for the Rangers and their fans.

Back!

Well, the computer issues are not yet fully resolved but I now have a borrowed computer and most of the scans I lost have been replaced. (Big thanks to Jim From Downington for the scans of Senators cards he sent my way to help out in a time of need.) Hopefully I am back to regular, or at least semi-regular posting.

Yesterday would have been my first post back but I got a call from my brother. He's in the area on military leave and thought a Rangers game sounded good. Since last night was $11 tickets to welcome Yu Darvish back, we thought so too. Got the family loaded up and met my brother and his family at The Ballpark to see the boys welcome in the Houston Astros.

The stadium giveaway of the night was a Rangers cap with a Hawaiian print brim. Spiff Jr, being partial to his mother's home state, was impressed. Unfortunately, the giveaway was limited to those fans 14 years of age and older. At 11 years old Spiff Jr fell under the cutoff. Undaunted, he took his last $5 and went in search of an Astros fan whom might want to part with their cap for snack money. Hitting up anyone with 'Stros colors, he met with some initial rejection but persisted until he found a gentleman who said he did not want his cap but would not sell it. He would only give it to Spiff Jr free of charge. An extremely nice gesture and one that really put a smile on a young Texas fan's face.

As things turned out, Rangers fans had much to smile about last night. Rougned Odor was the star of the game but I don't have any cards left of him that I haven't already posted. Since Jurickson Profar, shown here on card TEX-11 of the 2014 Topps Texas Rangers set, made the first noise I will post one of his cards instead. The Astros got a runner to second in the top of the first but weren't able to get any runs scored. Profar led off the game for Texas with a triple. Ian Desmond singled to score him. Nomar Mazara singled. Adrian Beltre struck out then Desmond scored on a wild pitch. Odor singled and Prince Fielder (batting sixth) singled as well to score Mazara and pick up a RBI. Just like that, the Rangers had a three run lead.

Colby Lewis held off Houston until the top of the third when his own error set up a three-run homer by Jose Altuve to tie things up. Rougned Odor led off the Rangers third with a solo home run to again give the Rangers the lead. Houston scratched out a run in the top of the fourth to re-tie it. The teams traded runs in the seventh to keep the game tied. Headed into the ninth I was beginning to think maybe extra innings. Sam Dyson disposed of the 'Stros quietly in the top of the ninth. Desmond struck out to start off the Rangers half of the inning but then Mazara singled to get things going. Mazara got erased on a ground ball from Beltre but then Odor saved the day by doubling off the left field wall to score Beltre and end the game on a walk-off.

All in all, it was a great day at The Ballpark. A Rangers win and some great family time. Also saw some folks from church and they ended up moving mid-game to join our group. As we arrived at home we got the good news that the Mariners had lost, moving Texas up to a four game lead. Nice cap to the day.

Senators Saturday - Jim King, 1966.

Got a wedding to attend today so your going to get a pre-scheduled Senators Saturday post featuring Jim King on card 369 of the 1966 Topps set.

1966 was King's sixth season with the Senators. Jim needed a better season than he got in 1965 to hold on to his position as the club's starting right fielder.

While still technically the starting right fielder for Washington, King was being challenged for playing time. He played in just 85 games in the field in 1966, all in right field. Over the course of the 670.2 innings he played on defense, Jim committed just two errors. That gave him a .987 fielding percentage, significantly higher than the league average .979. True to form, King's range was higher than average as well.

Jim made 350 trips to the plate over 117 games. He put up a .248 batting average and a .330 on-base percentage. The average was a nice increase over the previous season but the on-base percentage fell seven points. King scored 41 runs and accounted for 30 RBI. He walked 38 times and struck out 41 times. While he did suffer a power decline, there was still some pop in Jim's bat. He knocked 14 doubles, two triples and ten home runs over the course of the season.

1966 had been a mixed bag for Jim King. He maintained his great defense and gained some back with his bat. Of course, he also lost some power on the offensive side of the game and that was troubling. There were still challengers knocking at the right field door and it was looking like Jim's remaining time in Washington might be limited.

Wallach comeback.

A while back I sent out several Tim Wallach cards to Stack22, the owner and writer of the Tim Wallach blog. In case you are unfamiliar with this blog, it is the chronicling of Stack's attempt to collect every Tim Wallach card. Not one of each, every one ever printed. All of them. The man is crazy but he's my kind of crazy. In an effort to help out, I sent him the few Wallach cards I had sitting around.

Much to my surprise, an envelope arrived in my mail box on May 7th from Stack22. Inside was an assortment of Rangers inserts, including this 2015 Topps Archetypes card of Nolan Ryan. All told there were six cards in the envelope, only one of which I already had.

I don't remember how many Tim Wallach cards I sent Stack22 but it wasn't enough to justify the return he sent my way. Many thanks for the generous return Stack, I'll keep any eye out for any additional Wallach cards and send them your way. As for the rest of you, if you haven't gotten your Tim Wallach cards sent out to Stack then check out his blog and get those cards in the mail.

Rougie Rumbles.

Well, Spiff Jr and Grandpa made it out to Saturday's game. They watched Bobby Wilson hit his second grand slam of the season, Shawn Tolleson blow the save, and Drew Stubbs hit a walk-off homer to end the game with a Rangers victory over the Blue Jays. Oh, and they also picked up the Rougned Odor giveaway bobbleheads. Not a bad night at the ballpark.

Yesterday Odor, shown here on card 213 of the 2014 Topps Chrome set, was again a featured name. This time it wasn't due to a stadium giveaway. The Rangers jumped ahead of the Jays for the final time in the game as Texas scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to set the score at 7-6. That's what it would be at the end of the game.

In the top of the eighth Jose "Bat Flippin" Bautista came up to bat for the final time against the Rangers during the regular season. To that point there had been no retaliation against Bautista for his theatrics during the playoffs last year. This time Matt Bush hit him.

Little aside here. I don't agree with the man-child Bryce Harper that baseball is old and boring without displays like he enjoys putting on. I also hold no hard feelings against a player who can beat the Rangers, just because they win. What sticks in my craw about Jose Bautista is the little act he put on during the playoffs. The bat flip and stare down were over the top and unnecessary. If, after his MLB service time, he didn't know that he needs to learn. That brings up a second point: if you're going to show people up, don't cry when they settle your hash. Harper routinely whines about retaliation and Bautista did so after the game last night, calling the Rangers cowardly for waiting until his last at bat. Really? The games (except one) between the teams have been close. This game was as well but this was the last chance to send a well-deserved message to Jose. He would have been well-advised to receive the message and move on.

Of course, Bautista is of the breed of prima-donnas who don't receive messages and move on. When Justin Smoak hit into a double play Jose performed a now illegal takeout slide on Rougned Odor. Baurista, being the entitled entity that he is, came up and barked at Odor. Roughie shoved Jose and then punched him right in the face. If you haven't seen it, it is probably the most solid punch I have ever seen a player land on the diamond. Buatista's helmet and sunglasses went flying and he went down before being grabbed by Adrian Beltre. The benches cleared and Odor gave some of the same treatment to Josh Donaldson when he tried to get involved.

I'm sure there's some fines and maybe other punishments coming. The immediate result though was an automatic double-play and the ejections of Odor, Bautista, Donaldson, and Rangers bench coach Steve Buechele. Prince Fielder led off the bottom of the eight and was hit by a pitch from Jesse Chavez. That resulted in Chavez and the Jays bench coach being tossed from the game. Their manager was gone before the Bautista/Odor dust-up. After that things settled down for the remainder of the game.

In a way I enjoy on-field brawls as much as the next guy. In another way I hate to see them. I think they detract from the game, just like bat flipping and show-boating do. However, a team has to stand up for itself or things will just get worse. Bautista needed a lesson and hopefully he got one. He strikes me as a slow learner though and I wouldn't be surprised to see another team follow Rougie's example and let him know he's out of line at some point.

Senators Saturday - Dave Stenhouse, 1965.

By the time Dave Stenhouse appeared on card 304 of the 1965 Topps set, his Major League career was over. After injuries derailed his 1963 season, his 1964 campaign was not the bounce-back season it needed to be. The front office was not impressed.

The Senators sent Stenhouse to the minors to begin 1965. He spent the season bouncing between the double A York White Roses and the triple A Hawaii Islanders. Dave actually had a decent season with York and turned in a 1.50 ERA in two starts with Hawaii. That didn't earn him a return to the Bigs but did ensure he would start the 1966 season at triple A.

Stenhouse appeared in 36 games for the Islanders in 1966, only seven were starts. Apparently the Senators thought they needed some relief help and decided to try Dave in a reliever role. The role didn't seem to matter as Stenhouse struggled to a 5.28 ERA and 1.635 WHIP over 104 innings pitched. As you might suspect, he did not get the call back to Washington.

1967 was another season in Hawaii for Dave, but he would only appear in eight games for the Islanders. All of Stenhouse's appearances were in relief and he tossed just 16 innings. He ended the season with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.312 WHIP.

I don't know if the Senators released Dave Stenhouse early in the 1967 season, if he decided it was time to go, or if he suffered another injury. Whatever the reason, his abbreviated 1967 season marked the end of Dave Stenhouse's pro career.

Senators Saturday - Ron Kline, 1965.

Well, Spiff Jr's Little League season winds on today. Since I have work and a ballgame to attend to, you'll have to settle for a pre-scheduled Senators Saturday.

Today Washington reliever Ron Kline appears on card 56 of the 1965 Topps set. 1965 was Kline's third season with the Senators and he had won himself a spot in the bullpen with his consistent performance in 1964.

Ron appeared in a team-leading 74 games for the Senators in 1965 and pitched a total of 99.1 innings. He struck out 52 opposing batters while walking 32. His ERA and WHIP edged up from the previous season to 2.63 and 1.289 respectively. While those numbers were slightly higher than in 1964, Kline still led the bullpen in ERA. Solidifying his role as the Washington closer and go-to guy, Ron notched a league-leading 29 saves and ended the year with a 7-6 record.

While Ron Kline's numbers slipped a little in 1965, the year was a success overall. Kline was the ace of the Senators bullpen and was good enough to received attention from outside the city. He was even given a few MVP votes. Clearly Ron had a spot in the pen for the foreseeable future, as long as he could continue to come in and shut down the opposing batters.