Michael's first helps team back to first.

So the Rangers are finally back in sole possession of first place in the American League West. Not only that but I got to hear the game today thanks to it being a day game on the west coast.

Colby Lewis took the mound against the A's in Oakland following the loss there last night. Texas really needed to win this one to break up the developing losing streak. Lewis needed a good showing since he had gotten roughed up in his last couple of starts.

Well, maybe it was being close to home but Colby found his groove. Even though he didn't have his best stuff he managed to hold Oakland to just two runs through eight innings.

Of course those two runs would be enough to sink him if the offense hadn't come through. They did though and in a big way. Michael Young, seen here on card number 21 of the 2004 SPx set, hammered his first home run of the season. The two run shot put Texas up 3-1. Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli both launched in the fifth inning to set the lead at 7-2. In the eighth and ninth innings the guys managed to add four more runs. Final score: 11-2 Texas.

Nice way to play against a division opponent. No errors, good pitching, and hot bats.

See back for complete listing...

I was looking through one of my Rangers card books today and came across this 1992 card of Ivan Rodriguez. I can't remember where I got the card from other than it had to have been a few years ago when I was big into collecting Pudge.

Looking at the front of the card it appears to be just another early nineties unlicensed card. The border is blue with gold stripes. "Superstars" appears in gold lettering in the upper left of the picture. What really caught my eye was the back of the card.

When flipped over, the card shows copyrighted to Superstars in 1992. It is numbered 92-26. Nothing too odd there. The strange thing is that there are no stats and no write-up. No predictions or blurbs about how great Ivan was going to be. Not even a comic. What is on the back is a list. Titled "1991 Card Checklist" the list gives the card numbers for the major sets in 1991. For several sets there are no numbers, just a dash. Apparently that indicates that either the set did not have a card of Rodriguez included or the maker of this card was unaware of it.

I must say that I found the list of cards to be rather interesting. A small and apparently unlicensed set that includes a checklist of cards put out by the major card companies. Unusual to say the least.

Non-random Ranger auto.

It's been a long two days at work. That's why I didn't post yesterday. Between seven in the morning and ten thirty at night I was home for all of about 45 minutes. Today wasn't as rough but it was long.

Missed both yesterday's and today's games. Mrs. Spiff tells me that former Ranger Frankie Francisco finished off Texas today in their loss to Toronto.

Since I didn't get to listen to the game and since I have little time to post I will leave you with this 2004 Bowman Heritage card that Frank signed for me in 2009 when he was still with Texas.

1974 Topps - Len Randle.

Ugly game tonight. Not really a contest after Matt Harrison cratered in the first inning. Don't really feel like writing about the 10-3 shellacking the Jays meted out so it's back to 1974.

Len Randle, seen here on card number 446 of the 1974 Topps set, was in his fourth Major League season in 1974. It would be his first full one. After splitting time in 1971 and '72, and only playing in ten games for Texas in 1973, he was finally on the roster for the entire season.

Len spent most of his time at third base in 1974 but also put in significant time at second base and in the outfield. He was actually a better second baseman than third baseman. As a matter of fact, Len had spent most of his time in the minors as a middle infielder. Pressure from the established Dave Nelson at second and Toby Harrah at short pushed him to third.

While facing challenges in the field, Lenny sparkled at the plate. He posted a .302 batting average in 573 plate appearances - good enough for second highest in the starting nine. His 26 stolen bases did lead the team. Randle also worked 29 walks in addition to his 157 hits for an on-base percentage of .338. He scored 65 runs for the team and bumped in 49. Lenny didn't have much power but he did knock 17 doubles and four triples during the season.

All in all Len Randle had a pretty decent season for the Rangers in 1974. He took advantage of his first full year in the Majors and impressed at least a few folks since he received some MVP consideration. Not too bad since the American League MVP was teammate Jeff Burroughs who cast a pretty long shadow. After the breakthrough season Randle just needed to keep up the good work to establish himself as a regular for Texas in 1975.

Decisions: The rebuilding program.

T.R. Sullivan is referring to the most recent rebuilding program and the most successful one to date. The architect was General Manager Jon Daniels. I don't have a card of Daniels though so you'll have to settle for this 1987 Fleer sticker card.

Daniels was the youngest GM ever when he was hired by owner Tom Hicks in 2005. J.D. immediately set off controversy by trading Alfonso Soriano to the Washington Nationals. That was just a taste of things to come.

Daniels strategy was to restock the farm system, let young talent develop, lock that talent in early, and to not trade the future away on a gamble for today. There were a lot of folks who grumbled. Following the trade of John Danks for Brandon McCarthy there were calls for Daniels' head.

Fortunately, Tom Hicks ignored the tumult and allowed the development of the team to run its course. Things really started to click with the trades of Mark "Money Man" Teixeira to Atlanta and Eric Gagne to Boston. With those two trades Daniels landed a large part of the core of the current Rangers team - the defending American League Champions.

Decisions: The Ballpark.

The Rangers got a new ballpark in 1994. Up until that time they had been playing in Arlington Stadium.

Arlington Stadium was a former minor league park that still felt and looked like one. For the first few years there was even an area that families could throw down a blanket and picnic during the games. By the early 1990's the stadium was really showing its age. The attempts to bring it up to major league standards hadn't worked. Something needed to be done. There were even a few dark rumors that the team might leave Arlington due to the stadium.

The Ballpark in Arlington was the result. The park was designed as a throwback park, along the lines of Camden Yards but with a Texas flair. Just before the start of the 1994 season the club held an open house. After Arlington Stadium the Ballpark was a whole new world. I can still remember walking through it with my Grandfather. From the relief carvings on the facade to the Texas stars in the ironwork I couldn't get enough. Surrounded by open spaces the park fits seems to be a baseball mecca - set aside for a special use.

While the finished product was pretty impressive there were some hiccups along the way. Disputes over the design of the park included a debate over building a dome. Fortunately that wasn't done and the open-air design prevailed.

Along with increased seating revenues the Ballpark in Arlington also helped the Rangers land their first All-Star game in 1995. Building the park was definitely the right move and worked out well. If you haven't been to a game there you really ought to give it a try.

Decisions: Signing Ryan.

Number two on T.R. Sullivan's list of the top 50 decisions in the history of the Texas Rangers is the signing of Nolan Ryan.

On December 7, 1988 the Rangers signed Nolan Ryan as a free agent acquisition. That was over 22 years ago. The impact still remains. Ryan pitched more games for the Angels and Astros than he did for the Rangers but his five seasons in a Rangers uniform transformed the team.

At the time of the Ryan signing the Rangers were stuck in the doldrums. The competitive teams of the 1970's were long gone and the teams of the 1980's had been largely unimpressive. There had been a few players who caught national attention but overall the players were known mostly to die-hard fans.

Nolan changed all that. Suddenly there was a national spotlight on Arlington Stadium. Ryan put fans in the seats, money in the franchise, and the team on the map. Young fans who had been, or were in danger of being, lured away by the Cowboys suddenly sat up and took notice. The Ryan Express was moving and you had better get on board or you might miss something.

Nolan opened his time in Texas in 1989 by ringing up Rickey Henderson in August for strikeout number 5,000. In 1990 he would toss his sixth no-hitter and pick up his 300th career win. In 1991 he would get his seventh no-hitter. Those types of performances were historic. It seemed that the entire state held it's breath every time Ryan took the mound. Tickets to games he was pitching sold much better than other games.

Ryan retired in 1993 following a late season injury. In 1994 he was honored with a statue in the new ballpark. In 1996 the Rangers retired Nolan's number. He was also in the inaugural class of the Rangers Hall of Fame in 2003. In 1999 he became the first (and so far only) Hall-of-Famer to wear a Rangers cap on his plaque. In 2008 he was hired as the team president. In 2010 he became a part owner in the team.

Of course Ryan has impacted the team in the short time he has been in management and ownership. Even aside from that though, his signing impacted the team in a huge way. Nolan served as an ambassador for the Rangers and helped grow the fan base. The result was more funds to sign and retain other high profile players. The Rangers never reached the post-season with Ryan on the mound but a case can be made that his pitching helped put them there in 1996.