Selig: Rangers “Are One Of The Great Success Stories”

One need look no further than the attendance numbers for Texas Rangers’ home games this year to understand the sort of meteoric rise of the team has seen in the past couple years in terms of popularity and relevance, but even MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, who’s been around for awhile, is taken aback by the transformation.

At his yearly meeting with the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday, Selig was asked specifically about the Rangers, and his response indicated that he was not only happy for the once-struggling organization, but surprised by their ascent as well.

 “Are you kidding?” Selig said, per the Dallas Morning News. “I’d have been under too many hot showers if I thought they’d be where they are today.”

Considering the recent success--both on the field and as a sellable product--it’s easy to forget that just two years ago, the team was going through bankruptcy and looking for a new ownership group. Now on the heels of two World Series appearances, Texas has already broken the team record for All-Stars, and they’re on pace to shatter all attendance records.

“I knew that things were in place there, but this is unprecedented,” Selig continued. “It’s remarkable. Not only have they built a great organization, they’re drawing well.

“People always told me baseball can’t draw in Texas. They are one of the great success stories.”