Would you want to be Jon Daniels? No, I’m not talking about being a multi-millionaire before 30 – you can go into investment banking if that’s all you care about. I’m talking about being the general manager of the Texas Rangers.
When Daniels was hired before the 2006 season, only a few years fresh from his Cornell graduation, he was charged with turning around one of the sorriest franchises in all of professional sports. To call the Rangers organization an abject failure would be like saying Tom Brady has a decent arm. Sure, the Rangers have made it to the playoffs a couple of times, but how many other organizations in the Big Four sports have gone longer, from inception to present day, without making it to a championship series?
Zero. Zilch. Nada. The Rangers take the cake.
In order to more fully understand the plight of the current Rangers squad, let’s take a look at the beginning. In 1961, three major events rocked the sporting world: Roger Maris knocked off the Babe's record (asterisk and all), Gary Player became the first non-American golfer to don the Green Jacket, and baseball returned to Washington, D.C. after Minneapolis stole the original incarnation of the Senators. While the new Senators enjoyed a couple years of fame and fortune – who can forget Ted Williams looking completely alien in a non-Boston uniform? – the magic was not meant to last. Washington only managed one plus-.500 season during the decade, and in 1972 the Senators packed up for the Lone Star State. However, unlike the Seattle Sonics’ current situation, the move was not necessitated by stubborn, stonewalling politicians. Instead, the Senators’ owners were either extraordinarily naïve – original owner Pete Quesada didn’t understand why he had to pay the players – or shoddy businessmen – Bob Short bought the team with borrowed money, and was shortchanged on many subsequent trades in order to stay afloat.
As the Senators prepared to bid adieu to their fans one last time, an amicable parting was not in store for the organization and its soon-to-be-former home. In RFK Stadium’s finale, the Senators entered the ninth with a 7-5 advantage over the New York Yankees, looking to end their Washington years on a high note. But even though no more Yankees would cross the plate, the Senators’ lead would not hold: In one of the worst sports riots predating 1979’s infamous Disco Demolition Night, thousands of irate Washington fans rushed the field, capped with an overweight teenager lumbering off with first base.
Article comments
1 - Sam weaver
During Ranger history, they have had a poor brain trust. There never seems to be a game plan towards building. Instead of manager, someone like Buck Showalter should have been in charge of rebuilding the entire organization. That especially includes the farm system. Maybe Nolan Ryan can get things rolling. Hopefully, he will have the actual authority to hire people that will make a difference. No manager can overcome the enormous problems of the Rangers. The summer heat and high humidity have never bothered the St.Louis Cardinals. The Atlanta Braves constantly reinvent through their minor league system and smart trades. The Yankees have a lot of money and great baseball minds throughout their system. Owner Tom Hicks needs someone to show him how and who to spend his money on.
2 - Gary Benz
Casey: Certainly the Indians exceed the Rangers in terms of futility. No World Series championships since 1948. As near as I can tell, the problem with Texas at least right now, starts with an owner who spent all his money on one player (A-Rod). Though he's been gone for a few years, the drag of that contract on the rest of the organization still lingers. The rubric for running a successful franchise is well known and really isn't all that difficult to follow, yet the temptation to try and shortcut it is almost too overwhelming for most teams. Texas is one of the many seeking a quicker path, not one of the few that can actually demonstrate institutional discipline.
3 - Matthew T. Sussman
"Certainly the Indians exceed the Rangers in terms of futility. No World Series championships since 1948."
Casey's stat involves the longest any "Big Four" franchise has existed without even reaching the championship game. I fact-checked this as best I could and it seems to be right.