The year 1977 was Corbett’s banner year. We won 94 games that year, the most in our history and un-matched until the 90’s. Two of our opening day players are associated with the team today. Tom Grieve and Jim Sundberg. More amazingly we did it after arguably the most bizarre week in club history as we had four different managers, one (Eddie Stanky) for just one game. We were actually featured in a Tonight Show with Johnny Carson monologue. That made me proud and embarrassed at the same time.

Brad Corbett brought winning baseball to Texas
(Photo credit: Boston Globe)

Having his hand in everything, Corbett played a role in a four team eleven player trade the following year.  The trade netted us Al Oliver and Jon Matlack. We won 87 games but finished only five back of the Royals. We had Jon Miller in the radio booth and listening to games was a blast. My favorite Ranger moment (still) was opening day that year when Richie Zisk homered off Goose Gossage as we defeated the hated Yankees. They weren’t even called walk-offs yet.  We finished five games out again in 1979 and Corbett was done. While he was partially responsible for a lot of free agents and quite a few trades, on paper only one huge mistake happened that year, trading away Dave Righetti.  But oh yeah, Corbett hired Eric Nadel to join Miller in the booth and he’s still here.

It was all too much for Corbett. He was a homer. He hated to lose. He sold the team to oil man Eddie Chiles and we waited and waited to be competitive again.

We know now, meddlesome owners make bad GM’s (Same goes for football Jerry). But as a fan ready to leave my high school years and take on the world, Bradford Gary Corbett, from the Bronx, gave us a taste of big city baseball we wouldn’t see for another thirty years.  Thanks Brad.

Our catchers this season, Torrealba, Napoli, Martinez and yes Brandon Snyder caught one game, were middle to bottom in every defensive category. Conventional wisdom at the start of the year was that we weren’t counting on a lot of offense form these guys, but they would be an asset behind the plate. Especially handling our pitching staff. By the end of the season, our ERA was soaring and it appeared bases were being stolen with wild abandon. Two side notes. One, Napoli gets a pass because of injury and the games he did play being mostly at first base and DH. The second, Geovany Soto actually helped the Ranger numbers (not much) down the stretch.

On the farm Tomas Tellis is coming off Tommy John surgery and worked as a DH in 2012. Third round selection Pat Cantwell from this year’s draft got off to a good start in Spokane. Let’s face it, they are each a ways off.

There isn’t a lot out there on the free agent market. Even before the injury, Napoli regressed this season. He’s available but will be looking for money based on his 2011 numbers. I see the name Kelly Shopach a lot, but he is a backup at best. A.J. Pierzynski is out there but he reportedly is a polarizing force in the clubhouse. Not good.

On the trade front the name J.P. Arencibia comes up. He’s a former first round pick of the Blue Jays who hasn’t lived up to expectations with the bat, but has been strong behind the plate. To me, go big or go home. Let’s talk Carlos Santana from Cleveland. Or Ryan Doumit from Minnesota.

There’s a grittiness that is missing at that position for us. Napoli provided that in 2011. In a sport that has become so specialized, the catcher position has become one of brains and not brawn. In all of the stats I went through, there is no way to note the X-Factor we are looking for. Back in the 90’s there were some team leaders whose pep talks provided sparks at a crucial time. Who could have stepped up in 2012? There was no way it was coming from that position. Catcher is a natural place for that to start.

When you see a Buster Posey or Matt Wieters, they are in the Pudge and Sunny mold. There’s nobody out there like that now. They don’t come along very often. But we’d take another Mike Stanley, John Russell , Rich Billings or Geno Petralli. Or two.

Photo courtesy of caller.com