Rangers' Hanser Alberto rips his pants while stealing the first base of his career

When a player imagines his first career stolen base attempt, he probably pictures a sizeable lead, but not so sizeable that he's in danger of being picked off. He probably imagines getting a good jump, the opposing catcher slow on the throw. Maybe he imagines a slide, or diving headfirst. He likely imagines reaching out an arm around the defender's ankles, the tips of his fingers making contact with the base, the umpire's bellowing "Safe!" ringing in his ears.

He probably does not imagine ripping a hole in his pants. But so it was for Rangers second baseman Hanser Alberto.

The rookie, who stole 83 bases in the Minors, didn't try to snag a base through his first five MLB games. But in the second inning of Thursday's game against the White Sox, Alberto took off for second, sliding in easily -- with a runner on third, there was no throw from Sox catcher Tyler Flowers. It would've been a picture-perfect first career swipe, except for the whole ripping-his-pants thing. It's a bit like meeting your significant other's parents for the first time with spinach in your teeth. Or ... doing anything for the first time with a hole in your pants.

No, you know what? It was a perfect first stolen base -- because if you rip your pants on the first one, how embarrassing can the rest be?