By Rick Grantham
When you hear the word rangers, the first thing that comes to your mind is the people responsible for keeping everyone safe back in the days. The rangers have played a significant role in the history of Texas. Stephen Austin formed the rangers in 1823. It temporarily ended after the Civil War. However, it lived again shortly after the reconstruction era. From 1935, they became part of the Texas Department of Public safety.
Another famous Texas Rangers is the major league baseball team in Arlington, Texas. The team became a part of the American League in 1961. They were formally known as the as the Washington Senators. The team is different from the original Washington Senators who moved to Minnesota. They are an expansion team since the first Washington team just changed their name to Minnesota Twins and not their stat. They became the Rangers after they transferred at Arlington in 1972.
Replacing the first Washington team was a challenge. The team had difficulty because of mismanagement. The owners experienced financial losses in their first few years of inception. Bob Short bought the team from James Lemon who also became the general manager of the team. Short hired a Hall of Famer in the person of Ted Williams.
Williams managed to make improvements in the performance of the team. However, business got in the way. Financial problems led to the trading of valuable players to other teams. Because of this, the winning season that Williams tried to managed eventually stopped. After the approval of the American League, the team moved to Texas. Leaving Washington was not easy though. Fans were furious about the decision.
When they moved to Texas, the team officially became the Rangers. It took a while before they have fully adjusted to their new home. Billy Martin managed the team. In 1974, he received the Manager of the year award after leading the team to second place, behind the Oakland Athletics who won the World Series that year.
The league recognized several players of the Texas Rangers that year too. Their first baseman Mike Hargrove won the Rookie of the year award. Jeff Burroughs won the Most Valuable Player award as well. In addition, Hall of Famer, Ferguson Jenkins received the Comeback Player of the Year.
However, this did not last. The ensuing year was nowhere near their 1974 season. This led to the firing of Martin.
The team will not have a winning season until 1977 to 1979. After that, they went to winning hiatus again. They would only experience their next winning season in 1986. However, it was in the late nineties that they would experience the prime of their team. It was not enough to give them the stature they want though.
The Rangers are one of the least successful teams in the American League. Their highest achievement would be their three West Division titles in 1996, 1998, and 1999. They have not won an American League pennant. Consequently, they have never appeared in the World Series as well.
Rick Grantham is an expert on sports equipment, specially on Texas Rangers Merchandise for more information on Major League Baseball Logo Merchandise, visit BooYah Village.
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