Senators Saturday - Danny O'Connell, 1962.

Danny O'Connell, shown here on card 411 of the 1962 Topps set, was in the middle of the Senators' struggles at third base in 1962. After a comeback season in 1961 he split his time in 1962 as a backup for third baseman Bob Johnson and second baseman Chuck Cottier.

Most of Danny's defensive time was at third base. He put in 319 innings there in 41 games. He committed five errors at the hot corner for a .961 fielding percentage - nine points higher than the league average. At second he would see action for 167 innings over 22 games and commit five errors there as well. His .946 fielding percentage was well below the league average .980.

O'Connell made 268 plate appearances on the other side of the game. He managed to bump his batting average up to .263 but his on-base percentage dropped 34 points to .327. Danny also slowed down as he stole just five bases. Perhaps more ominously than anything else was the fact that his doubles dropped to seven. That was less than a quarter of the number he had hit the year before with a little over twice as many at-bats.

Danny's dropping on-base percentage and doubles production seemed to be signs that the end was near for his playing career. It turns out it was. After 26 games at Double A in 1963 Danny and the Senators parted ways. That would be the end of the line for his pro career.

Decisions: Cliff Lee.

The trade for Cliff Lee in 2010 is number 15 on T.R. Sullivan's list of the fifty decisions that have shaped the Rangers history.

On July 9, 2010 the Rangers obtained the services of Cliff Lee and Mark Lowe from the Mariners. In return Texas sent Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, and Matthew Lawson to Seattle. The trade occurred just in time for Lee to represent Texas in the All-Star game as shown on card US-305 from the 2010 Topps Update Series.

Sullivan enters Lee on the list with the simple words: "The trade that put the Rangers in the World Series for the first time." I think it's not as clear cut as that.

When the trade happened the Rangers were already in first place in the American League West and looked to win the division. Excepting any mental boost Lee did not affect the race at all. His ERA after the trade approached 4.00 as he battled back problems and posted a losing 4-6 record.

The American League Division Series is where the trade appeared to pay off for the Rangers. Lee was masterful as he beat the Devil Rays twice, both in Tampa. On the strength of Lee's two wins the Rangers won their first ever postseason series. That broke the glass ceiling for the franchise as they moved on to the American League Championship Series.

Lee made just one start in the ALCS and won it 8-0 as the Rangers pounded the Yankees in game three in New York to take the series lead. Derek Holland picked up a win as well and Colby Lewis stole Lee's thunder as he won two. Texas downed the Yankees 4-2 to advance to their first ever World Series.

In the 2010 World Series Lee made two starts. He lost both as his ERA soared to near seven. Texas lost the Series 4-1 to the Giants.

So, did Cliff Lee put the Rangers in the World Series? The answer appears to be yes and no. Lee was a non factor down the stretch in the regular season. He was vital in the ALDS, a nice piece in the ALCS, and a real downer in the World Series. The trade was probably worthwhile on the strength of Cliff's ALDS performance alone but the team still had to get through the Evil Empire in the ALCS to get to the World Series. Perhaps T.R. Sullivan should have said that the Cliff Lee trade was the trade that put the Rangers in their first-ever American League Championship Series.

Best Seasons: Kevin Brown - 1992.

Number 13 on T.R. Sullivan's Fifty Best seasons in Rangers history is Kevin Brown's 1992 performance. I got this 1992 Upper Deck card of Brown signed back before he was really well known as a head case.

Issues or not, Brown wasn't a bad pitcher before he landed with the Yankees in 2004. 1992 wasn't the best season of his career but it was the best he had with Texas.

In 1992 Kevin made 35 starts and pitched 11 complete games. He led the league with 265.2 innings pitched and 21 wins. He also turned in a 3.32 ERA and a 1.272 WHIP on the season. Additionally he struck out 173 batters while walking only 76.

Those numbers made Kevin both the workhorse and ace of the Rangers pitching staff. They also garnered him some Cy Young consideration and a start in the All-Star Game. I believe that makes him the only Rangers pitcher to ever start an All-Star game.

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.

1975 Topps - Bill Hands.

The Rangers grabbed Bill Hands off waivers from the Twins on September 9, 1974. As such he had just a couple of appearances with the 1974 team. For all intents and purposes 1975 was his first year with the team. It is perhaps fitting then that Topps heavily airbrushed card number 412 of the 1975 Topps set in order to get Bill into Texas threads.

Bill had a rough season in 1975. On June 9th he pulled a calf muscle and was out of action until the 27th. In August his back started acting up and forced him out of action for the remainder of the season. Perhaps the expression of Bill's face isn't hostility but pain.

Due to the two stints on the Disabled List, Hands had just 18 appearances with the Rangers in 1975. All 18 were starts and he ended the season with a 6-7 record. In 109.2 innings pitched Bill posted a 4.02 ERA and a 1.331 WHIP. His strikeout to walk ratio was pretty good as he struck out 67 batters while walking 28. Aside from the strikeout to walk ratio the numbers seem to reflect his difficult year.

It is often thought that when a player ends up on waivers he has been struggling. This was true of Bill Hands. In 1974 his ERA had gone over 4.00 for the first time since 1966. His WHIP had also risen for three straight years. With Texas in 1975 he managed to lower the ERA but the WHIP continued to climb.

The consistently rising WHIP coupled with the injuries that cost him almost half the season sounded the final bell for the 35-year-old Hands. In Feburary of 1976 the Rangers traded him to the New York Mets for George Stone. Neither player would ever see Major League action again.

Minor League Monday - Tim MacNeil, 1989 ProCards.

Tim MacNeil, shown here on card number 1024 of the 1989 ProCards set, was the Rangers 13th selection in the 1988 draft. He started his pro career the same year with the Butte Copper Kings in Rookie ball.

In 1988 MacNeil appeared in 24 games, all in relief. He posted a 3.00 ERA and a 1.667 WHIP. Those weren't very good numbers for a right-hander in Rookie ball. That's probably part of the reason that Tim split the 1989 season between the Rookie ball GCL Rangers and the Single A Gastonia Rangers. I'm not sure which team came first in the season but neither stint was particularly pretty. Since today's card shows him with Gastonia we'll take a look at those numbers.

MacNeil tossed 43.2 innings in 22 games with Gastonia. All but one of his appearances was in relief. Unfortunately for Tim his ERA climbed to 5.98 and his WHIP to 1.786. He also continued to battle wildness as he let loose with nine wild pitches and hit three opposing batsmen. Predictably he walked more batters than he struck out (38 walks/32 strikeouts).

Needless to say, 1989 was not a solid season for Tim MacNeil. He was still struggling to get his control and couldn't seem to keep runs from crossing the plate. Neither of these problems is good for a pitcher. That is doubly so for a right-handed pitcher at a low level of play.

Senators Saturday - Bob Johnson, 1962.

Bob Johnson's 1962 Topps card, number 519, identifies him as a shortstop with the Washington Senators. While Bob was with the Senators in 1962 he didn't play just short.

Johnson was actually the closest thing the Senators had to a starting third baseman in 1962. He played 612.2 innings there in 72 games. He also played 416.2 innings at shortstop in 50 games. Those were his two main defensive positions but he also played seven innings in one game in left field. All told Bob committed 22 errors in total on the season - 13 of those were at third. There was a reason for that, Topps was right. Johnson wasn't a third baseman. 1962 would mark the highest number of games and innings he would play at third in his career. It was one of only three times in an eleven year career that he broke the 100 inning mark at the position.

Johnson made 504 trips to the plate in 1962 - over twice the number of the previous season. He managed to compile a .288 batting average (second only to Chuck Hinton on the team) and a .334 on-base percentage. He also knocked a career-high 12 home runs and 20 doubles. Two triples also jumped into the mix. Unfortunately Bob also struck out a career-high 50 times while walking just 32 times - also a career high.

By the end of 1962 the Senators had a problem. Bob Johnson was obviously struggling with the transition from shortstop to third base. Leaving him at short was not an option with Ken Hamlin and Ed Brinkman already doing battle for the position. That made Bob expendable. On December 5, 1962 Washington sent him and Pete Burnside to Baltimore in exchange for Marv Breeding, Art Quirk, and Barry Shetrone.