To be a fan of the Texas Rangers is to live in your own peculiar sports hell.

It's not just that the people in charge have made some horrible decisions over the years. It's not just that they've made some bad trades or fired some good people. It's not that the Rangers have had some really bad owners and general managers. Hey, every franchise has had its bad moments.

The thing that separates the Rangers from pretty much every other MLB franchise is that they keep making bad decisions. Year after year. Generation after generation.

Even the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins have had their day in the sun. The Rangers never really have had one. That is, unless you count the time owner Brad Corbett mistakenly traded one of his best players, Oscar Gamble.

Corbett was a charming, aggressive owner. He fancied himself a George Steinbrenner. Problem is, he didn't have Steinbrenner's money or his judgment. So, he got confused on the waiver-wire rules and ended up being forced to trade Gamble.

In the 37-year history of the Texas Rangers, that mistake might not even rank in the top 10. Yes, it has been that bad.

There was a general manager named Eddie Robinson, who once traded for an aging outfielder named Lee Mazzilli. To get Lee Mazzilli, he traded away the organization's best two young pitchers — Walt Terrell and Ron Darling. Robinson wanted Mazzilli to play left field. Mazzilli called left field "an idiot's position." Mazzilli played 58 games for Texas before Robinson was forced to unload him. Meanwhile, Darling and Terrell combined to win 247 major league games, none of them for the Rangers.

The Rangers have fired some managers over the years. Whitey Herzog once was fired by the Rangers. He went on to establish himself as one of the most respected baseball people ever. Herzog could have worked for almost any franchise. Except the Rangers.

Billy Martin once managed the Rangers. So did Eddie Stanky — for one game. Yes, he managed one game and then hit the ground running. Smart man, that Eddie Stanky.

In 37 years, the Rangers have won just one playoff game. That was their very first one — on Oct. 1, 1996. That was the beginning of a nice run. Under general manager Doug Melvin and manager Johnny Oates, the Rangers made the playoff three times in four years.

Those were the great years.

There were other memorable moments, such as when 18-year-old David Clyde went from Houston's Westchester High School to the big leagues in 1973. Or when the Rangers lured Nolan Ryan away from the Houston Astros. The Rangers did make some memories.

Maybe the most amazing part of this story is how the fans kept attending games. They turned out in an old junky place named Arlington Stadium and in a palace called Ameriquest Field (now known as Rangers Ballpark in Arlington).

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Anyway, when Tom Hicks bought the club and decided he could do better than Oates and Melvin, the salad days were over. In the long, distinguished history of bad owners, Hicks might be at the top of the class.

The Rangers have had just one winning season since Hicks bought the club. He hired a general manager named John Hart. Bad move. He hired a manager named Buck Showalter. Worse move. Hicks bid $252 million for Alex Rodriguez when no one else was bidding more than $100 million. (Wouldn't you like to play poker with Hicks?)

Agent Scott Boras convinced Hicks that Chan Ho Park would be a nice addition to the Rangers. He convinced him that $65 million over five years would be a good price. Hicks got himself a 22-game winner for that $65 million. Unfortunately, those 22 victories were spread over four years.

When Hicks realized he couldn't buy a pennant, he tore down the franchise and started over.

The Rangers now have a bright young general manager in Jon Daniels and a farm system loaded with prospects. For the first time since the Rangers had Pudge Rodriguez and Juan Gonzalez in the pipeline, there is plenty of optimism that the bad times are over.

The Rangers have a great offensive player in Josh Hamilton and a rock-solid clubhouse guy in Michael Young. They have a 20-year-old shortstop named Elvis Andrus. They have got a healthy Kevin Millwood and Vicente Padilla at the front of the rotation.

Texas might not be able to hang with the Angels in the AL West, but if Millwood and Padilla keep taking the mound, if right-hander Brandon McCarthy finally fulfills his promise, the team might be respectable again.

The Rangers have had one winning season since Hicks fired Oates and Melvin. Maybe Hicks has learned his lesson.

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