Nary any Narron available for Texas Rangers next year
by Nick Nance, managing editor

    Jerry Narron was fired as manager of the Texas Rangers last week after the team’s third straight last-place finish in the AL West.

   Narron became the fifth manager fired since Sunday, the last day of the regular season.

   The New York Mets fired Bobby Valentine while the Cubs, Devil Rays and Tigers all dismissed their leaders in the past two weeks.

   Texas began this year with high hopes. However, these hopes were short lived.

   As a team, Texas struggled although its All-Star shortstop, Alex Rodriguez, led the majors hitting .300, led in homers with 57 and led in RBIs at 142. The Rangers struggled despite having an opening-day payroll of $105 million.

   In an interview with the Associated Press, Narron said, “I’m a baseball guy. I believe in bottom-line accountability. I’ve never made any excuses, and I don’t plan to now. You go back to the win-loss record, and it’s not what we all hoped.”

   Part of the problem for the Rangers this year was injuries. The Rangers had 17 players spend a team-record 1,429 days on the disabled list, including closer Jeff Zimmerman, two-time AL MVP Juan Gonzalez, 10-time All Star Catcher Ivan Rodriguez and expected No. 1 starter Chan Ho Park.

   Other records the Rangers set are the ones not to be proud of. Narron was forced to use 51 different players, including a club-record 27pitchers.

   “This season has certainly been very frustrating and painful for all of us,” Rangers General Manager Tom Hart said. “Injuries played a major factor, but a number of areas need to change and improve.”

   Possible replacements include bench coach Terry Francona, pitching coach Orel Hershiser and Buddy Bell. Another candidate who might be considered is Charlie Manuel, who worked for Hart with the Indians. Also, four other managers looking for work might be considered.

   Narron came to Texas as a third-base coach in 1995 and became manager when Oates resigned.

   His departure cuts one of the final front office ties to the Texas teams that won division titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999. Those remain the only post-season appearances in franchise history.

   The Rangers’ disappointment hit deep at the end of the season. Texas lost 13 of its last 16 games, including a closing 1-9 road trip against Oakland, Anaheim and Seattle. The Rangers finished 31 games behind the AL West champion Athletics with a dismal 72 wins and 90 losses.

   There were a few positive things this year for the Rangers: Ruben Rivera didn’t steal a bat from A-Rod. The public saw, again, you can take the Rocker out of Atlanta but you can’t take the Rocker out of Rocker. And, finally, Viagra does help you hit homeruns.