Raised in the Dallas, TX area, I have been a Rangers fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up attending Arlington Stadium and idolizing players like Pete O’Brien, Pete Incaviglia, and Steve Buechele. The Rangers lined up competitive teams during those years, but they always failed to make the postseason. Texas Rangers: The Authorized History by Eric Nadel documents the team’s history beginning with their transition from the Washington Senators to the Texas Rangers in 1972.

Eric Nadel is on his way to Cooperstown as he has been the radio voice of the Rangers since 1979. He has shown great dedication to his craft, even becoming fluent in Spanish during the 1990s when the Rangers’ lineup it was dominated by Latino players. .

In 2006, Nadel signed a “lifetime contract” with Texas. Under the terms of the deal, you will remain a member of your radio broadcast team until you decide to retire. He’s one of the few broadcasters to announce Major League Baseball games for more than 30 years, and he’s the only one to call them all for a single organization.

The Authorized History covers the Rangers first division championship in detail. While I think Nadel goes too far in defining the 1996 season as a “prelude to a championship,” there is a lot of information and good stories. To me, a “prelude to a championship” should herald something bigger than an AL West title.

Things began to change in 1994 when the Texas team moved to the ballpark in Arlington. The team was in first place when the season ended due to the player strike. The club missed the playoffs the following year, but subsequently won the American League West in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

Given that the Texas Rangers are out of the Alex Rodriguez / Chan Ho Park / Tom Hicks era, the book should probably be updated. The 2010 Texas Rangers seem to have the best team in franchise history, and a lot has happened since the book was first published in 1997.