Rangers' Lone All-Star Reminds Us Of Team's Gloomy Past

The Rangers haven’t been this poorly represented at an All-Star Game since we were all cringing at the annoying chorus of a No. 1 song by a new star named Rihanna.

Yeah, it’s been a minute since 2007’s “Um-buh-rella … ella … ella … ella …”

Prince Fielder will be the Rangers’ lone star in next week’s midsummer classic in Cincinnati. Hard to make a strong case for any other Rangers, honestly. Feels weird with only representative, because over the last eight years we’ve grown spoiled.

Texas sent four players to the game in ’08, five in ’10 and a whopping eight in ’12. But as a kid I remember lots of years when Toby Harrah or Buddy Bell or Jim Kern or Charlie Hough were the only Rangers’ All-Stars. In all the Rangers have had the minimum representative only 16 times in 44 years, including a seven-year dry patch from ’82 from ’88 when players such as Rick Honeycutt, Larry Parrish and Jeff Russell were the lone beacons of hope.

The last Rangers’ team to send only one had a rookie manager named Ron Washington. Mark Teixeira played 1st base, Sammy Sosa was the DH and starting pitcher Vicente Padilla often handed the ball to set-up man C.J. Wilson.

Those Rangers went 77-85, despite the play of their lone All-Star – shortstop Michael Young.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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