Results tagged ‘ sports by the numbers ’
Texas Rangers: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports
It was late at night on October 12, 2010 when Cliff Lee got B.J. Upton to pop out. And in that instant the Rangers had claimed a postseason series for the first time in franchise history.
It was a long time coming. Surely when General Elwood Richard Quesada bought the franchise and it played its first game on April 10, 1961, he wouldn’t have expected it would take the club half a century to claim a postseason series win, but it did.
Maybe the franchise’s first game back in 1961 should have been seen as a prelude of things to come. In that game the White Sox beat the Senators 4-3. Or maybe another prelude came out west after the club moved to Arlington. It was April 15, 1972, and the Rangers lost their first game. The California Angels beat them 1-0.
For years the Rangers have been unable to quite put it together. Sometimes, especially in the ‘70s, the pitching shined, but the offense struggled. Or more often it’s been the other way around.
The Rangers haven’t had much postseason success (or appearances), but the club definitely doesn’t lack when it comes to great players, amazing stories, and incredible games.
Some true stars have spent time in Arlington: Fergie Jenkins, Bert Blyleven, Nolan Ryan, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton … and the list just gets longer.
Every one of these guys is prominent in this book. But there are many more who Ranger fans may have forgotten: Dave Hostetler, Odie Davis, Steve Dreyer, Matt Whiteside, Hal King. They all have done their part to help etch out a little bit of Ranger history.
Sometimes it’s the moments: no-hitters, perfect games, triple plays, forfeited games, mammoth home runs, cycles, and even fights. The Texas Rangers have seen them all, and they are all found in this book.
Now the Rangers are winning, and that makes us Ranger fans ecstatic, but we also know that it’s about more than just wins and losses. It’s about the players and people who have woven the fabric of baseball in the heart of Texas. It’s about getting to the park early and staying late. It’s about cheering on the Rangers and having conversations with your buddies that start with, “Remember when …”
Product Description
The Texas Rangers may not always win, but they’re usually really exciting. Now you can read about them in the completely original Sports by the Numbers series. The Rangers have managed four playoff appearances heading into 2011, and became the A.L. champs in 2010. In all, the club has finished over .500 just 18 times. But it’s more than made up for any lack of success in the win column with great players, amazing moments, crazy characters, tremendous plays, and wild games.
Kenny Rogers had quite a night in July 1994. And how excited were we on October 1, 1996, thanks to John Burkett? Nolan Ryan’s first bid at win number 300 failed, but late-inning heroics saved the day. Oddibe McDowell and Bengie Molina have something in common. Michael Young has racked up a few hits in Arlington, and Mickey Rivers did as well.
All these stories and so much more can be found in a unique format that provides 250 numbers, with each telling a story about Ranger history: facts, anomalies, records, coincidences, and enthralling lore and trivia from the legends, stars, and even the forgotten players.
This book isn’t just for the diehard Rangers fan. It’s for every fan who enjoys watching the Rangers and wants to learn more about their favorite team.
Texas Rangers (Sports by the Numbers)
From the Back of the Book
Think back to a time when you walked through the gates with your dad at the old Arlington Stadium to watch Geno Petralli, Buddy Bell, and Pete O’Brien on a scorching Saturday afternoon.
Or to a time when you made your way to the new Ballpark with your son when he was excited and wearing his glove with dreams of catching a foul ball at his first big-league game. Did you keep score while Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Cliff Lee, and the rest of the squad won once again and came closer to that elusive playoff series victory?
Picture your favorite players through the years: Jeff Burroughs, Oddibe McDowell, Toby Harrah, Ruben Sierra, Julio Franco, Ivan Rodriguez, Juan Gonzalez, Rusty Greer, Nolan Ryan, Bobby Witt, Charlie Hough, Gaylord Perry.
All of them are found in this book.
And with each story you’ll be able to wipe away the cobwebs of your memory or learn amazing Ranger facts that you didn’t know before. You’ll relive those trips to the ballpark and remember exactly why in your heart the Texas Rangers are the greatest baseball team in the world.
About the Author
Zac Robinson is a teacher, coach and baseball fan. He is also passionate about Mixed Martial Arts and has written books on both subjects, to include the following titles:
- Mixed Martial Arts: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers)
- Mixed Martial Arts IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom (Volume I)
- Ranger Up Presents Mixed Martial Arts IQ: The Ultimate Test of True Fandom (Volume II)
- From the Fields to the Garden: The Life of Stitch Duran
- San Francisco Giants: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Sports by the Numbers)
Texas Rangers: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Volume 1)
San Francisco Giants: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports
On May 1, 1883, a newly formed National League baseball team known as the New York Gothams played its first game on a field located at 110th street and Sixth Avenue in New York, a field where previously polo matches had been held—and with that game, the Polo Grounds and the franchise soon to be known as the Giants came into existence.
There were several different ballparks used in those first years, four of which were known by the iconic name Polo Grounds. It was at the third Polo Grounds where the franchise claimed its first World Series title in 1905, but it was the fourth Polo Grounds where Willie Mays made “The Catch” in 1954.
There is a lot of history in the Giants franchise.
The New York Giants were the first National League team to win a modern World Series—and they won five total. Since moving to San Francisco in 1958, the Giants have been to the postseason nine times, won four pennants, and, of course, the 2010 World Series.
Ask any fan to name “great” baseball franchises and you will surely hear the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees, but none of those teams have won as many regular season games as the Giants franchise.
In fact, the Giants have the most regular season wins of any team in the history of organized sports—period.
Now that makes for a very impressive franchise history.
It only gets better.
The Giants franchise gets to “drop” names with the best of them. You might hear about the Yankees having a player at every position in the Hall of Fame, but no team has as many Hall of Famers as the Giants—none.
Orlando Cepeda, Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Willie McCovey, Mel Ott, Bill Terry, Monte Ward, Carl Hubbell, Juan Marichal, Christy Mathewson, and John McGraw, these are but a few of the iconic figures who stand out among baseball’s elite, and who call the Giants their “Home Team.”
Every Hall of Famer from Giants history is in this book—as is every award winner, the greatest performances in franchise history, the postseason triumphs, the fan favorite players who never became stars, all the glory, the passion, and emotion that the greatest moments in franchise history evoke are all here in this Sports by the Numbers title.
San Francisco Giants: An Interactive Guide to the World of Sports (Volume 1)
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