Painful and hilarious? Yes. Auspicious and foreboding? Perhaps.

The organization seemed to rebound well enough, waiting only two years before finishing above .500 under fiery new manager Billy Martin. However, the improvement was not consistent, and Martin, who would later become George Steinbrenner's personal whipping boy, found himself out of a job in the middle of 1975.

As the mediocre seasons toiled on, the 1980s finally looked like the decade the Rangers would come around. With Don Zimmer at the helm and a load of youthful arms and veteran bats at the ready, the Rangers seemed poised to finally crack the playoffs. The players, however, had a different idea, and a strike squashed and semblance of consistency the Rangers needed to pool its talents.

The '80s soon transitioned into the '90s, with a dearth of postseason appearances accumulating. As 1993 rolled around, even the Rangers' lone claim to fame was eclipsed, as Dolphin Stadium became the hottest baseball field in Major League Baseball.
Fortunately for Texas, the '90s were not a total waste (well, aside from that great Sammy Sosa trade), and in 1996, 35 years after the organization arose, the Rangers pushed through their glass ceiling and into the playoffs, where they were promptly trounced 3-1 by the Yankees.

Finally, things were looking up for Texas: Pudge, Juan-Gone, and Rusty Greer led the powder-keg offense, Johnny Oates proved to be capable enough under the Dallas heat, and a new stadium seemed to host only winners. But just as a semblance of traction arose, the Yankees were there at every turn to put the Rangers back in their place with ALDS sweeps in both 1998 and 1999.

Unfortunately, incompetent Rangers management did not realize that there's some truth to the notion that pitching wins management. Aaron Sele, Chan Ho Park, and Rick Helling may cut it as No. 4 or 5 starters, but aces, they are not. Soon, the Rangers found themselves back in the cellar of the AL West, looking up at the 116-win Mariners and the 2002 powerhouse Angels.

(On a side note, does anything need to even be said about Alex Rodriguez? MVP, sure, but calling A-Rod a winner would be like calling a T. Rex cuddly.)