The most perplexing puzzle in the Texas Rangers’ spring training camp took on a second part in the second week of the season. After the Rangers’ two principal owners (Part I) stripped Nolan Ryan of one of his two titles, why did Ryan (Part II) opt to remain with the Rangers as their chief executive officer?
None of the principals (Ryan, Ray Davis, Bob Simpson) is talking except for making meaningless statements) so it leaves lots of room for speculation and theories.
The most intriguing theory I have heard involves the other Texas major league team, the Houston Astros. Ryan, this theory goes, would stay with the Rangers until his son, Reid, could put together a group to buy the Astros, then move to the Astros, for whom he pitched for nine years (1980-88).
An immediate problem with that idea: Jim Crane became the Astros’ owner only 17 months ago after a lengthy, unsuccessful effort to buy the Rangers and the Chicago Cubs. Why would he want to sell the Astros so soon?
The way the theorist sees it, Crane is already disenchanted with the Astros, who were the worst team in the majors last year and are headed there again this season.
Crane paid $610 million for the team, and he hasn’t made any large investments and doesn’t appear ready to. The team payroll was $60.65 million, 28th in the majors, at the start of Crane’s first season and virtually the same, $61 million, also 28th, at the close. The Astros began this season at $24.3 million, the lowest season-opening payroll in the majors since 2008.
The thinking behind the theory was Crane would not have the patience to endure the losing while his baseball people tried to build a competitive team. Reid Ryan, however, apparently isn’t prepared to replace him in Houston.
“We’re not actively looking to buy a team,” Reid said in a telephone interview Wednesday. “To buy a team, it would be awesome if our family had a chance to do that. But it’s not close to being a reality. I think the Astros have a plan. They’re in it for the long haul. I don’t see any opportunity to do something. Are we doing anything to put together a deal? No.”
The oldest of three Ryan children, 41-year-old Reid operates two minor league teams in Texas with his brother Reese, Class AAA Round Rock (Rangers’ farm team) and Class AA Corpus Christi (Astros).
The brothers were also involved in staging two exhibition games the last weekend of spring training in San Antonio. The two games between Texas and San Diego, the first baseball games played in the Alamodome, drew a total of 75,000 fans.
The turnout sparked speculation that the area could be attractive for the relocation of an established team, which could be another possibility for Ryan or the Ryans.
“That got everyone excited about the potential of bringing baseball to the Austin-San Antonio corridor,” Reid Ryan said. “There’s a population of 4 million in the area.”
Meanwhile, Reid is pleased that his father’s situation has been settled, though he wouldn’t talk about it.
“It’s not really my place to talk about what happened with my dad,” he said. “He’s with the Rangers. I’m happy he’s with the Rangers. It’s definitely an interesting story and maybe someday the full story will be told.”
The Rangers’ pair of primary owners ignited the story six weeks ago by making front-office moves that seemed to make no sense. Although Ryan had done an outstanding job the past five years, overseeing a team that made two successive appearances in the World Series, Davis and Simpson removed Ryan as president and gave the title to Jon Daniels for baseball operations and Rick George for business operations.
“The owners had no idea this would cause a public backlash,” said a man close to the Rangers. “They thought everybody would go along with it.”
However, Ryan understandably made an issue of it and seemed likely to leave. But after a series of meetings with Davis and Simpson, in which Ryan expressed his concerns about their changing the existing arrangement, he decided to stay.
Ryan remains CEO while Daniels has authority over day-to-day baseball decisions. Ryan has to sign off on major decisions. If Ryan and Daniels don’t agree on an issue, they will take it to Davis and Simpson and the owners will decide.
Previously, Ryan would have the ultimate say, as in the difference over Jackie Moore as bench coach. Ryan wanted him, Daniels didn’t, he is.
“Nolan has lost some power,” said the person close to the Rangers, “but Daniels hasn’t gained enough to prevail.”
Many people have suggested that Ryan could return to Houston, where on Nov. 19, 1979, then owner John McMullen made him the first million-dollar-a-year player.
But, said the knowledgeable Texas man, “He wants no part of the Astros. He and Crane don’t get along.”
Crane was a losing bidder when Ryan’s group gained ownership of the Rangers from Tom Hicks.
Why is Ryan staying with the Rangers? For one thing, he doesn’t want to leave baseball; for another, he doesn’t want to leave Texas. Those desires didn’t leave him many options.
The ideal solution would be for the Ryans to get their own team, this time with rich guys who are also intelligent. When Ryan was forming a group to bid for the Rangers, he recruited Simpson and Davis, wealthy Texas oil magnates as the money men.
When President Ryan clashed with the CEO, Chuck Greenberg, a Pittsburgh lawyer, who had been instrumental in the acquisition of the team, Simpson and Davis supported Ryan, and Greenberg bid them adieu.
Greenberg didn’t have the Texas roots that Ryan has so he left, taking however many millions in ownership he had. Ryan might have lost a title, but he won’t have to lose any money. By agreeing to stay, he has saved the owners from a potential fan uprising.
If Davis and Simpson make any more questionable decisions, though, how many more times can Ryan save them from themselves?