Texas Rangers to honor 40th anniversary all-time team and Hall of Fame inductee Eric Nadel on Saturday night
Pre-Game Ceremony to Highlight Weekend Series with Detroit
Arlington, TX— The Texas Rangers will honor their 40th Anniversary All-Time Team and induct broadcaster Eric Nadel as the 15th member of the club’s Hall of Fame in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, August 11.
The ceremony will highlight the Rangers’ brief three-game homestand with the Detroit Tigers, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 10, 11, and 12.
Limited ticket availability remains for the weekend series. There are scattered singles, obstructed view, and standing room tickets available for Friday and Saturday night and approximately 2,400 reserved tickets remaining for Sunday afternoon.
Saturday’s on-field ceremony will begin at 6:40 p.m. The first pitch of the Rangers-Tigers game has been moved to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday due to the pre-game ceremony.
The 40th Anniversary All-Time Team was selected in conjunction with the celebration of the Texas Rangers 40th Anniversary in 2012 and consists of the two players each at catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, and designated hitter; six outfielders; four starting pitchers; and three relief pitchers. The team was chosen by on-line fan balloting conducted between May 1 and 31, 2012 with nearly 65,000 votes being cast. Fans were asked to vote for one player at each position except outfield (3) and starting and relief pitchers (2 each).
The returning members and current Rangers on the 40th Anniversary All-Time team will be introduced on-field tomorrow night. The All-Time Team is listed below in order of number of votes received; years with the Rangers are in parentheses):
C—Ivan Rodriguez (1991-2002; 2009), Jim Sundberg (1974-83; 1988-89)
1B—Rafael Palmeiro (1989-93; 1999-2003), Will Clark (1994-98)
2B—Ian Kinsler (2006-12), Michael Young (2000-12)
3B—Buddy Bell (1979-85; 1989), Steve Buechele (1985-91; 1995)
SS—Michael Young (2000-12), Elvis Andrus (2009-12)
OF—Josh Hamilton (2008-12), Rusty Greer (1994-2002), Juan Gonzalez (1989-99; 2002-03)
Ruben Sierra (1986-92; 2000-01; 2003), Nelson Cruz (2006-12), Jeff Burroughs (1972-76)
DH—Juan Gonzalez (1989-99; 2002-03), Rafael Palmeiro (1989-93; 1999-2003)
SP—Nolan Ryan (1989-93), Kenny Rogers (1989-95; 2000-02; 2004-05), Ferguson Jenkins (1974-75; 1978-81),
Charlie Hough (1980-90)
RP—John Wetteland (1997-2000), Neftali Feliz (2009-12), Jeff Russell (1985-92; 1995-96)
Saturday’s ceremony will conclude with the induction of Eric Nadel into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame. Nadel was selected for the Rangers’ highest honor for his contributions to the franchise in a “non-playing capacity”, joining Johnny Oates (2003), Tom Vandergriff (2004), Mark Holtz (2005), and Tom Grieve (2010) as Hall of Famers in that category.
Nadel is in his 18th year as the lead voice on the Texas Rangers radio broadcasts, his second season on 103.3 ESPN and the Rangers ESPN Radio Network. It marks his 34th year broadcasting Rangers baseball, the longest tenure of any announcer in the history of the franchise and the second longest continuous current stint with one team in the American League to Kansas City’s Denny Matthews (44th year in 2012).
A finalist for both the 2011 and 2012 Ford C. Frick Awards, Nadel joined the Rangers in 1979 and called games on television and radio in his first three seasons. Beginning in 1982, he began a 13-year run with Mark Holtz as the radio team on WBAP while returning to the television booth for one year in 1984. Nadel became the team's lead radio voice on KRLD Radio when Holtz moved to television in 1995. Among his most memorable calls are Nolan Ryan's 5,000th career strikeout on August 22, 1989, the Rangers' major league record 30-run outburst on August 22, 2007, and the final outs of Game 6 of the 2010 and 2011 American League Championship Series which sent the franchise to its first two World Series .
A seven-time recipient (1999, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011) of the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award, and two-time winner of the Associated Press award for best play-by-play in Texas. Nadel is a graduate of Brown University, where he called football and hockey on the college radio station. He had minor league hockey play-by-play stints in Muskegon, MI, Oklahoma City, Dallas and Fort Worth, and was also the radio voice of the Dallas Diamonds of the Women's Professional Basketball League. A 1991 inductee in the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, Nadel is a long-time resident of Dallas.
Beginning with the 2009 inductions, a selection committee meets to consider individuals for the Hall of Fame based on their playing contributions in every odd year. In even years, individuals in a non-playing capacity are considered for induction.
TEXAS RANGERS BASEBALL HALL OF FAME MEMBERS (Year Inducted in parentheses)
Charlie Hough (2003) Mark Holtz (2005)
Johnny Oates (2003) John Wetteland (2005)
Nolan Ryan (2003) Rusty Greer (2007)
Jim Sundberg (2003) Toby Harrah (2009)
Buddy Bell (2004) Ruben Sierra (2009)
Ferguson Jenkins (2004) Tom Grieve (2010)
Tom Vandergriff (2004) Kenny Rogers (2011)
On Friday night, the first 40,000 fans entering Rangers ballpark will receive a 40th Anniversary All-Time Team poster created by the renowned sports artist V. Wells. On Saturday, the Rangers and Tigers will wear uniforms from the 1976 season with the Texas players sporting the powder blue road jerseys and pants from that year. The first 30,000 fans entering the park receive a free powder blue Rangers t-shirt sponsored by Smile Generation. Sunday is Coca-Cola Tetco Ian Kinsler Bobblehead Day for the first 10,000 fans, 13 and under.
Complete highlights for the Detroit series:
Friday, August 10 vs. Detroit Tigers-7:05 p.m. – TXA 21-HD
· Verizon Wireless Fireworks Friday with $10 cash parking. Postgame fireworks will feature Billboard’s Top songs over the last 40 years
· 40th Anniversary Team poster for first 40,000 fans
· Game ball delivery by Rangers Hall of Famer Charlie Hough
Saturday, August 11 vs. Detroit Tigers Sox-First pitch at 7:30 p.m. –FSSW
· Both teams will wear 1976 uniforms as part of the Turn-Back-the Clock Game in honor of the Rangers 40th Anniversary Celebration
· The first 30,000 fans will receive a Rangers powder blue t-shirt similar to the Rangers 1976 road jersey sponsored by Smile Generation
· Texas Rangers 40th Anniversary Team Autograph Session for fans, 5:00-5:45 p.m. (limited availability on first come, first served basis)
· The Texas Rangers will honor the 40th Anniversary Team as voted by Rangers fans during a pre-game ceremony
· Long-time Rangers radio broadcaster Eric Nadel will be inducted into the Texas Rangers Baseball Hall of Fame
· Game ball delivery by Rangers Hall of Famer Ivan Rodriguez
Sunday, August 12 vs. Detroit Tigers Sox-2:05 p.m. –FSSW
· 2012 Richard Greene Scholars will be recognized during an on-field ceremony with former Arlington Mayor Richard Greene
· The first 10,000 fans 13, and under will receive a Coca-Cola Tetco Ian Kinsler bobblehead
· MLB PLAY Presentation
· Blue Bell $1 Ice Cream Sunday for youngsters, 13 and under
· Game ball delivery by Rangers Hall of Famer Toby Harrah