WHAT THE 2023 TEXAS RANGERS TAUGHT ME

There have been many articles, posts, tweets and discussions about what the Texas Rangers’ first World Series means to them. I am coming to the party quite late because it has taken a while for me to fully process all the emotions but rest assured those of you who know me especially those who grew up with me know how important baseball has always been in my life.

            I can’t tell you how many times friends would complain to me saying all you ever want to do is play baseball. Living the life of the kids in the movie The Sandlot would have been perfection to me.  I didn’t have many fond memories of my childhood and High School years but there was always baseball. It was my escape the one place where I could be judged on

nothing more than my ability.

            I was 6 years old living in Grand Prairie Texas less than 10 miles from Turnpike stadium when the Rangers moved from Washington DC to make Arlington their new home. I remember it well. Frank Howard was our best player and hit the first ever Ranger home run. His passing just 2 days before the Rangers claimed their first ever World Series title only heightened an already hyper-emotional month.

            Baseball was my life as a young boy and the Rangers were my team. I continued to play baseball throughout High School and even tried out for the squad at the University of Texas at Arlington, but unfortunately my dream of continuing to play baseball had to die for at least a while. It was a difficult loss and one that took time and yes, a fair amount of grieving. It was a death of sorts not a physical death but the death of a dream and of something that had played a huge role in my life to that point.

            Even though my playing days were now over there was still the Rangers, who acquired a pitcher named Nolan Ryan who awakened interest in a hapless team than generally finished in sub 500 records. I was in Arlington Stadium in the left field bleachers with my father a life-long die-hard Rangers fan even more than me, the day Nolan Ryan struck out Ricky Henderson for his 5000th career strikeout.

My father had also coached many baseball teams during my childhood and nourished and fostered my love of baseball. This was one of many Ranger games we shared together but it was the last one that we attended together as he passed in 2011 but not before he got to see his Rangers make it to their first World Series only to lose to Bruce Bochy and the SF Giants.

            After becoming a father, I remember taking my wife and brand-new baby to his first Rangers game in 1994 in the beautiful cathedral that was the Ballpark in Arlington.

That baby initially shared my love of baseball and the Rangers but as he grew developed different interests. During the ensuing years of raising my sons there were other trips to the ball park but as they grew older less and less. While I continued to follow and cheer for the Rangers at some point, I became disgruntled with management and the myriad of ridiculous decisions that seemed more about selling tickets than winning games and I kind of checked out on them. Especially after the heartbreak of the 2010-2011 years especially the 2011 series heartbreak.

            I was not only disgruntled with the Rangers but with the system and the many apparent injustices how a Yankee fan can reach out of the seats to catch a Derek Jeter ball in an ALCS game against the Orioles that was in play that clearly would have been caught by the outfielder and have it ruled a home run or see the Houston Oilers denied a winning touchdown in the AFC championship game due to a terrible call that benefited the much-hated Pittsburg Steelers. So much injustice and unfairness and the beneficiaries always seemed to be the more arrogant prideful and immoral.

            It was also frustrating how professional athletes became increasing immoral. So many drug problems, domestic violence, and criminal records counted among those the world was putting up to us as our sports heroes and the media continued their support for these people even more it seemed despite their apparent character issues. It was just so disheartening. Add to all of this the media and professional sports’ embrace of political correctness and it became much easier to just turn it off and walk away.

            It wasn’t until 2023 that I once again sought an opportunity to play baseball. Yes, at the age of 58 I STARTED PLAYING BASEBALL AGAIN not softball but BASEBALL!!.

I played on three different teams beginning in 2023 and I remember opening day the Rangers were on the road playing the NL champion Washington Nationals. When they won that game, I joked hey the Rangers are in first place enjoy it while you can. They had lost 94 game the previous year and 102 games in 2021 so my negativity was based somewhat in reality and recent history.  The Rangers went on to sweep the Nationals and then later take two of three from the defending World champion Astros that was 5-1 against 2022s World Series participants and I was like huh maybe there is something going on with this team, but we’ve seen good early starts many many times before so investing hope nope too early for that.

            The emotions of getting to play baseball again which I NEVER thought possible were hard to put into words and the Rangers having a good team this year made it even more fun to reclaim my love of baseball but could I dare hope they would do more than have a good season and fall short yet again? During the many ups and downs I was peripherally involved not daring to invest any hope or emotions and during their late season collapse and losses to Houston at home I all but checked out on them.

            Little did I know though that the low point of the season losing that last home game to Houston and a potential season ending injury to Adolis Garcia opened a roster spot for a minor league player named Evan Carter who turned 21 on the day he was called up to replace the injured Garcia. I had already checked out and really didn’t follow the Rangers until they squeaked their way into the playoffs by 1 win. Yes, they lost the division on the last day but if they hadn’t won 1 of the 4 games against Seattle, they would have missed the playoffs altogether.

            I decided I would watch the playoffs but I did not invest ANY hope that they would beat a Tampa Bay team who sported a much better record than the Rangers. From the very start I saw an aggressive style of play that captured my imagination and especially this kid Evan Carter who had just been called up from the minor leagues but was playing with the confidence and poise of a grizzled veteran. He very quickly became my favorite player on a star-studded team.

            As fun as the sweep against Tamp Bay was their next task was to take on the team with the best regular season record in the American League in the Baltimore Orioles. Surely, they are going to be outmatched this time…. Nope. Not only did they win but it was a series sweep. After that series a glimmer of hope started to develop but their next task was to face the defending World Champions. No way this team with all its problems will be able to defeat the Astros. Game 1 they started off with a very aggressive bloop double by Evan Carter that leads to a run scored and I’m loving their aggressiveness and when he made that catch against the left field wall that led to a double play when Altuve failed to touch 2nd base on his way back to first I’m like we don’t win this game without this kid.

            Seeing the Rangers come home 2-0 then drop three straight at home I’m like here we go it’s finally happened their season is over going back to Houston needing to win 2 games seemed like an impossible task, but when the Rangers won I knew I had to do something I had never done before. I went and purchased World Series tickets for game 2. I won’t say how much I paid but let’s just say way too much…

          Game 1 of the World Series was one of the all-time greats. Corey Seager’s home run in the bottom of the 9th with 1 out to tie the game ranks as one of the all-time great home runs in World Series history alongside Kirk Gibson’s home run and Carlton Fisk’s Home run over the Green Monster and yes Adolis Garcia’s 11th inning walk off homerun too!

            I was beyond excited to attend game 2 and while Montgomery pitched exceedingly well for 6 innings Bochy’s decision to bring him out for the 7th proved to be too much.

Again, I’m concerned we have to go on the road and have to win at least 1 game to get back to Arlington. I remember an interview with Evan Carter promising to show up in game 3 …. And they did. The rest as you know was history. I sat and watched game 5 saw Sborz spike his glove after recording the final out frankly stunned in disbelief. Did that really just happen? I didn’t yell scream or even celebrate I was just stunned.

            For much of my life I have had to put my dreams aside. 2020 up until now even were tough years. It’s so easy to get down let dreams die lose hope, kind of like being a Rangers fan for 52 of my 58 years. There was something magical and yes spiritual happening here. This team taught me many things perseverance, that you have to fight and go and take what you want but mostly they taught me about hope. Hope has been in such short supply especially since 2020 and the spiritual forces of darkness have done their best to kill hope. When I see all of the injustice, evil prospering, good suffering it’s hard not to lose all hope, then comes a team who teaches you that every once in a while, good wins.            

            When I see Evan Carter wearing his Jesus Won T-shirt, Leclerc falling to his knees with hands up raised, Garcia pointing towards heaven after hitting a home run or the humility of Corey Seager and Bruce Bochy, I see goodness and it makes my heart glad to see good win and renews hope in me that despite all the ugliness in this world good still can win but the system and this world is not going to give it to you or surrender easily which is why we must go and take it.

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