Ponder this question: How does a team that had both Whitey Herzog and Billy Martin as it's manager still lose over 100 games and finish with the worst record in baseball? Answer: Bad personnel, poor ownership, games played in over 90 degree heat all are all contributing factors to a team that finished dead last in runs scored and runs allowed. When you put those to stats together you get a lot of "L's". In their second season after moving from D.C. the lowly Senators morphed into being the lowly Rangers. Rookie manager Whitey Herzog didn't even last out the season. He was fired after just 138 games. During Spring Training Herzog, who helped build the '69 & '73 Mets, looked at the talent that he had and said, "If Rich Billings is the starting catcher again, we’re in deep trouble.’ When that evaluation was passed along to Billings, he simply nodded and said, ‘Whitey, obviously, has seen me play.” It's one thing for a manager, in this case a supreme talent evaluator to make that comment, its another thing for a player to agree with it. Before the season was over Whitey was replaced with recently fired Tiger manager Billy Martin, who's fiery and abrasive style of managing was either going to cure or kill the men in uniform. The team went 9-14 down the stretch, but Martin figured out what was needed to cure this team the following season.
The team was awful, but they had a unique cast of characters. So unique, a book was written about them called: "A Season in Hell" by Mike Shropshire, who was a reporter who covered the team from 1973-1975. Shropshire watched them over a 3 year period go from doormats to instant contenders to crash and burn fatality. Covering a team that had both Herzog and Martin at the helm couldn't help but be fun. I've sprinkled many quotes and thoughts from Shropshire's book in my write-ups. I hope to add more quotes after I interview him on my radio show tomorrow.
Whitey was a great quote machine. I promise to sprinkle a lot of them in here as I write a synopsis on each player. On Whitey's first day he told Shropshire about his pitching staff: "They didn't tell me that Mike Paul and Rich Hand were shitballers, or that Pete Broberg was as big c-nt". When asked to assess his pitcher's control Whitey opined, "It's like they're afraid they might get the clap or something if they throw strikes."
When asked to describe his team's defensive ability Whitey confided, "these guys are really substandard, but with our pitching, it really doesn't matter".
In total I create 27 new cards to finish off this set.
The "Beeg Boy" was pried away from the Braves in the off-season in exchange for Jim Panther. After giving him is physical the team doctor said, "I've seen better knees on a camel". Whitey said, "When Rico runs from home to first, you could time him with a sundial". This was not a good sign when those are the best things you can say about your team's key off-season acquisition. Herzog speculated that Carty was "practicing voodoo or something". Whatever he was practicing it wasn't translating to success on the ball field. In 86 games Carty, who had won the NL batting title just 3 years prior, hit just .232 with only 4 homers in 314 AB's. The Rangers were lucky enough to sell his contract to the Cubs on August 13.
Johnson, the 1970 AL Batting champ, was another "big bat" that the Rangers acquired during the off-season. Johnson walked tall and carried a big stick, unfortunately his pace of movement was that of a snail, which included going after fly balls and legging out grounders. Once again, you get what you pay for and when the currency that you use is Vince Colbert and Rich Hinton, you're not going to get back UN-damaged merchandise. In Johnson's case it wasn't his skill or his body that was damaged, it was his attitude. When asked in an interview what he thought about playing for Texas he gruffly responded, "Work is work. It don't matter where". Whitey's assessment of Johnson, "A guy like that can poison a ball club...but ho do you poison this club?" Johnson hit .287 for the Rangers in '73, but only had 8 homers. He hit a punchless .291 the following season and was dealt in September to the Yankees. He lasted 1 season in New York and then another in Detroit before spending a season in Mexico.
When asked on day 1 of Spring Training if there were any surprises Whitey told Shropshire, "Yeah, I was surprised to see that Bill Madlock is black. Mostly, blacks don't go by Bill, you know....They call themselves Willie." Just an off the cuff comment that during 1973 would be viewed as funny and irreverent. Taken in today's hyper partisan spectrum, some might have called Whitey a racist. He wasn't a racist. Just a good manager with a bad team. Madlock was a great ballplayer. who at 22 needed a drop more seasoning before he would be ready to hit the big time. In AAA Spokane he dominated with a .338 average and 22 homers. When he was called up to the big club he was even better hitting .351 in 21 games. How in the heck the Rangers traded him that October, even for future HOF'er Fergie Jenkins, is beyond comprehension. Mad-dog would go on to win 4 batting titles in his 15 year career. He posted a lifetime .305 average with over 2,000 hits. Based on his peak years 1974-1983 he's a HOF'er in my book.
Sudakis was a career utility player who hit .255 with 15 homers for Texas in just 235 AB's. He played the corner infield and outfield positions and could fill in as the 3rd catcher. One would think the Rangers might have held on to a guy like that, but instead the cash strapped team sold his contract to the Yankees in the off-season. After one season in the Bronx he moved split the next season between the Angels and Indians and hit a combined .154. Thinking he still had something in the tank he went to spring training with the Royals, who were now managed by Whitey, but didn't make the club. He accepted an assignment to AAA-Omaha where he hit .284 with 14 homers in 275 AB's, but never got a call to the big club.
Texas acquired Hudson on February 1, 1973 in a trade with St. Louis. After realizing that his ability to get outs on the major league level was fleeting at best, he decided to develop a knuckleball, known to those in baseball as the patron saint for dying pitchers. Having a lefty knuckleballer on your staff can be a huge asset, unless yours had a 4-2, 4.62 record like Hudson had. Still he had a winning record on a 105 loss team, which only 2 others out of 20 could make that claim. The highlight of his season was his stint on the DL for 6 weeks. He didn't have an elbow problem, nor a bad shoulder...he had a finger injury, not from game play but from a self inflicted gunshot wound that occurred while cleaning his firearm. Why in the heck was he cleaning a loaded gun? Anything's possible with a 23 year old lefty knuckleballer, right?
Drafted #1 overall in June, the 18 year old southpaw was rushed to the majors by owner Bob Short looking to cash in on some gate receipts. Short viewed Clyde as "a gift from G-d" who was "Photogenic, Mature, Articulate. A natural for the media. He's like an fu-king Eagle Scout". Clyde's debut would be on June 27th in front of a capacity crowd of 35,698. After walking the first 2 batters he struck out the next 3 and gave up just 2 runs on a homer in 5 innings of work to get the win. That would be his only win for almost a month. Only 6 of his 18 starts were on the road, because Short wanted to maximize his gate receipts. In just his first 2 games Clyde paid off his $150k bonus. Clyde was billed as "the next Sandy Koufax" and was even given #32, but fate and arm trouble would not allow that to happen. By the time he was 24 he was out of baseball. Luckily for him his contract bonus also stipulated a free college education. Some people say his arrival saved the franchise from going bankrupt. Way too much pressure on the shoulders of an 18 year old phenom.
Castle's full major league resume added up to 4 games played where he went 4-13 with 2 RBI's for a .308 average. For what it's worth he can tell his kids he was a lifetime .300 hitter in the big leagues. Not many people can say that, now can they? Castle hit a robust .325 in AAA-Spokane, which facilitated the September call up. He went back to AAA to start the '74 season and never returned as his numbers dropped propitiously. After a season in AAA-Syracuse (NYY) he batted under .200 and was dropped down to AA never to be heard from again.
When you need pitching as badly as Texas needed it you'll take a shot on just about anyone. On July 16th the Rangers shipped Jim Kremmel off to STL for Don Durham, who was ingeniously nicknamed "Bull". In 15 games "Bull" was taken by the horns by the American league, which his 0-4, 7.59 record certainly attests to. Texas saw enough and outrighted him to Spokane for the '74 season. After going 7-4, 6.50 Durham was done.
Whitey's assessment of Stanhouse was, "He has a great arm, but he doesn't know how to pitch". His 1-7, 4.76 record proves that statement to be 100% accurate. Stanhouse struck out 42, but walked 44 in 70 innings of work. Neither stat is very good. After 18 putrid games the following season he wound up being traded to the Expos where he finally began to figure it out. By the time he got to Baltimore, "Stan the Man Unusual" became Earl Weaver's closer and re-branded as "Full Pack", because his outings made the Earl of Baltimore so nervous he had to chain smoke his way through them.
Jackie Brown gutted his way through a sore arm and was able to finish the season with a respectable 5-5, 3.92 record in 25 appearances. His arm recovered sufficiently for him to log 216 innings the following season and post a 13-12 record. Brown would play 3 more seasons split between Texas, Cleveland and Montreal. The Rangers signed him to a minor league contract in 1978 and sent him to AAA-Tucson where he went 12-10, 5.10 for his final season in uniform. In total he spent 17 seasons in uniform with 7 being on the major league level.
"Big Jim" Bibby arrived in Texas on June 6th in exchange for Mike Nagy and John Wockenfuss and was definitely the live arm that the Rangers needed. At 6'5" tall Bibby surely earned the moniker "Big Jim". Rumor has it that his teammates who showered with him gave him that name for other reasons. Young people and devout religious people might be reading this review, so I'll leave the rest to your respective imaginations. Bibby posted a 9-12, 3.76 record for the Rangers. If he got any sort of run support and defense he just might have won 15 games. Then again if he was on a team that could provide him with those two ingredients, like the Cardinals, he would have still be buried in the minor leagues. The Rangers' lack of talent allowed Bibby to work out all the kinks in his game on the major league level. The on field highlight of the Rangers season occurred on July 30th, 1973 when Bibby no hit the defending and future World Champion Oakland A's. Bibby did walk 6, but he fanned 13 including superstar Reggie Jackson in the 9th. Owner Bob Short gave him a $5,000 bonus for the feat.
Fregosi was happier than Kurt Russell to "Escape From New York". The embattled former All-Star came to New York as a 6x All-Star and left the city hated more than Abe Beame. Besides performing poorly, Fregosi had to cope with the fact that the guy he was traded for, Nolan Ryan, became a mega-star. Fregosi spent more time with his head in the bottle and chasing broads than he did chasing grounders. Needless to say arriving in Texas was his Springtime in Paris. In 45 games with the Rangers he hit .268. That earned him the respect of his teammates and management and a 4 year stint where he rebuilt his resume as a solid vet platoon player. Fregosi made a huge defensive play late in the game to help protect Jim Bibby's no-hitter on July 30th.
Kremmel appeared in just 4 games for the Rangers in '73 and was on the active roster from July 4th through July 11th. The rest of his time was spent in AAA-Spokane (5-2, 3.25) until he was traded to STL. The Cardinals didn't need his services, but the Cubs figured it was worth a shot to sign him. His 8-6, 3.336 record in AAA-Wichita earned him a promotion to Wrigley where he lost 2 games and had an ERA north of 6.00. That translated to a return trip to the minors. Things didn't get better in AAA, so another demotion sent him back to Texas...not the Rangers, but Midland Texas (AA) where his 1-7 record got him a ticket back home to Belleville, IL.
"Bones" Merritt was light years removed from his 20 win season in Cincy just 3 short years ago. Like so many of his 1973 Texas teammates his best years and best health were long behind him. "Bones" blew out his arm on a pitch to Willie McCovey during his magical 1970 season. In his last full season in the biggs he went 5-13, 4.05 in 160 innings split between the rotation, the pen and the trainers room. After 2 more attempted comebacks in successive seasons he was forced to hang up his spikes.
The Rangers certainly led the league in "Jim's" with 6 and not much else that's for sure. Shellenback, who was a mainstay during the franchise's years in Washington became a staple in Spokane-AAA once the team moved to Texas. His value was at an all-time low when he made just 2 appearances for this pitching starved team. If you look at his numbers for the next 4 seasons you'd find it amazing that he hung around the game, albeit in the minors, for as long as he did. After 2 seasons in Hawaii...hey if you're going to be in the minors how bad can it be to be in Hawaii? He got a 5 game audition with the Twins then a one way ticket to AA-Orlando...then home.
Spencer found out that he was traded to the Rangers by Mike Shropshire and not his own manager Bobby Winkles. After hearing from the reporter he went into the manager's office to confirm what had happened. After he did that he decided to put a positive spin on it and reflect back tohis days in the Texas league. What he didn't realize was that his Texas League team in El Paso was a bit more talented than his new Ranger mates. With Yaz backing out of the All-Star game in KC Spencer was asked to represent the AL and just missed hitting a homer. In 102 games with the Rangers Spencer hit .267 and played gold glove caliber 1st base. He spent 2 more productive seasons in Texas before moving the Southside of Chicago for two years. His next stop earned him a championship ring up in the Bronx where he spent 3 1/2 seasons. He followed his old skipper Billy Martin to Oakland for 2 seasons (1981-1982) before hanging it up after 15 big league seasons.
Suarez did the lion share of the catching for the Rangers in 1973 with Billings spending the entire year on the interstate. Suarez hit .248 with 1 homer and 27 RBI's. At the end of the season he was shipped back to Cleveland, where he played 3 seasons, but never played another major league game. Suarez was a decent defensive catcher and an even better guy. When his catching rival, Billings, was not awarded a hit on a bullet he hit by Brooks Robinson Suarez called up to the press box to tell the official scorer that he needed to change it from an error to a hit. How many guys would do something like that for a guy who they were competing with for playing time?
Whitey considered the newly acquired Lloyd Allen to be a "Live arm, but Lloyd hasn't yet learned how to work the hitters with varied pitch selection and changing speeds. But even if he could, it wouldn't do much good because when he throws the ball he has absolutely no idea where it's going.
After Paul Splittorff broke Toby Harrah's left wrist with a purpose pitch the Rangers were forced to bring Mackanin up from AAA Spokane. Mackanin has the best glove in our whole organization...He's over-matched at the plate in Spokane right now, so he might as well be over-matched here", so said Whitey. Mack made back-to-back defensive gems on a Ted Kubiak slow bouncer and a Bill North sharp grounder to keep Jim Bibby's July 30th no-no intact.
Henninger was drafted way back in 1968 by the Senators. He spent 6 seasons in AAA. The Rangers called him up in 1973 and gave him a chance to start a few games. In 6 games (2 starts) Henniger was a perfect 1-0, 2.74, 23IP, but was never in the team's plans for 1974 where he spent the entire season in Spokane-AAA. After moving over to OKC-AAA (CLE) in '75 his career bottomed out and he was released. Still to this day he gets fan mail from Rangers fans and signs postcard pictures of himself back to the fans.
"Stelly" was hitting just .111 (1 for 9) when he was sent to the Angels as part of the Mike Epstein / Jim Spencer deal. He spent the better part of his baseball life as a coach with Twins. Sadly he passed away last month (Nov 6, 2017) due to pancreatic cancer. He was both beloved and respected.
Waits' entire Texas career consisted of 1 inning in 1 game where he gave up 1 hit, 1 walk and 1 earned run. After spending all of 1974 in the minors he was a "throw in" in the Gaylord Perry deal with Cleveland. Texas' loss was Cleveland's gain. For 7 straight seasons he was a fixture in the Indians rotation winning as many as 16 games in 1979. His final 3 seasons (1983-85) were spent in Milwaukee.
After 11 seasons as an All-Star pitcher with the Indians and Red Sox Siebert wound up in baseball's scrap heap, the Texas Rangers, after starting the season with Boston. Manager Whitey Herzog respected the 36 year old Siebert's professionalism and reliability. Siebert started 20 games and finished the season with a very respectable 7-11, 3.99 record. The Cardinals saw something in Siebert and rescued him from Texas. After one season in STL he split the '75 season with the Padres and A's. In 12 big league seasons Siebert compiled a 140-114, 3.21 record. 9 times he posted double digit wins.
Known to his teammates as "Steve Stunning", Dunning's 1973 highlight (er, low-light) was giving up a leadoff home run in 3 consecutive starts. He started the season with the lowly Indians and a month into it was sent to Texas for Dick Bosman. Dunning finished the season with a 2-6, 5.34 record for the Rangers filling the role of spot starter and ling reliever. When you're that bad for a bad ball club you're destined to spend all but 2 innings of the following season in AAA-Spokane where he was marginally better. After posting a stellar season in Denver-AAA during the '75 season and early on in the '76 season he was given a shot to play for the Expos (2-6, 4.14) and then the Angels. The following season he got 6 more major league games with an Oakland team that had lost all its stars and began to resemble the '73 Rangers. He capped his career off with a full season and all expense paid vacation in Hawaii.
During the first half of the season Steve Foucault was the most reliable arm coming out of the league's most unreliable pen, which Whitey referred to as "the arson squad". As luck would have it Foucault would miss 6+ weeks of the season with a broken collarbone sustained when he ran into 3rd base coach Jackie Moore, who was shagging flies during BP. In his first season in the biggs he was 2-4, 3.88 with 8 saves. He put together a fine 6 year career with a 35-36, 3.21, 52sv record. All of his 277 appearances were in relief. In 1974 he pitched 144+ innings out of the pen and had fabulous numbers (8-9, 2.24, 12sv). After his career was over he returned to Arlington Texas and served as a police officer for a number of years before returning to baseball as a well respected pitching coach in the Independent Leagues.
After many years of service in the Mets organization as a coach, advisor and executive Whitey thought that he would get the Mets managerial job after Gil Hodges' untimely passing due to a heart attack in 1972. Instead, the loathsome M.Donald Grant made the popular headline choice and offered the job to Yogi. Grant wanted Herzog out of the picture so bad he forbid Whitey from even attending Gil's funeral. Itching to manage, Whitey took the Rangers job after Teddy Ballgame quit. Thinking he was there to develop talent over an elongated period of time Whitey tried to build a culture of respect and hard work. He brought his dry sense of humor to the job and set out on his task. Unfortunately for him the Tigers fired Billy Martin and the Rangers owner, Bob Short, desperately wanted to hire Billy. Whitey was the victim. He handled a crappy situation with a ton of class. He spent the next season as a 3rd base coach in Anaheim before getting the Royals job. White was a huge success in both KC and STL and is in the HOF. Nobody remembers Bob Short.
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