Ranger Baseball Cards (Part 30)

Chris “River” Rivera was a super-utility player for the Rangers. The only position he did not play was pitcher, and possibly Center Field, but the Rangers details on items like that are fuzzy at best. River joined the Rangers after his freshman season of Loyola Club Baseball in 2003 after playing High School baseball for the Shamcocks of St. Pats on the North Side. River had a natural opposite field swing, driving the ball into right field on a consistent basis. River even volunteered to catch despite having limited experience behind the plate. During a heated game against the Cubs at Riis Park in 2006, Curtis Brown of the Cubs attempted to barrel over River at the Plate on a long sac-fly to right. Lucas Luecke fired a strike from deep right (and shredded his shoulder in the process) and River stood his ground. Brown was ejected for making contact (he did not know there was a no slide rule) and River showed the team how much of a bad-ass he really was. His competitiveness came out again when he was ejected at Riis for joining a fracas when a Red Sox Player got in the face of mild mannered teammate Matt Brooks. Ever a fiery competitor, the Rangers miss River and his love of Jack Daniels and cooking pots. He retired after the 2009 season with chronic shoulder problems. The sight of him swinging and his arm sliding out of its socket became too painful to watch. Perhaps the slowest skinny guy to ever run the bases, Rivera retired with a career .286 Batting Average and 109 Career hits. His presence is missed, although we know he is making the streets of Chicago safer in the law enforcement industry.

Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 23)

If you have been a longtime baseball fan, you know that the Oakland Athletics wear white spikes. Then why the heck did Jeff “Shitty” Schmidt wear white spikes when he played for the Rangers in 2003? In all seriousness, Schmitty was a terrific all around ballplayer who had great speed, a terrific arm, and a tremendous inside out swing. Schmitty was a doubles machine, with two-baggers accounting for 33% of his career hits. The Rangers found out first hand how good of an arm he had when he easily threw out a runner trying to score on a deep fly ball to right field. The throw did not even bounce and was on a line the entire way. A high school teammate of former Ranger skipper Tim Brannon, he was known to ask for a ride to the “Beer Store” on more than one occasion. Jeff also pitched a few innings for the Rangers, although his numbers did not reflect the pitcher that he was. Jeff played college baseball at a contending Division 3 school, possibly in Texas. Or maybe he moved to Texas after High School. Records from that era in Rangers history were lost in the great flood of 2010 (which amazingly occurred the day Schmitty appeared back in Chicago for Brannon’s Bachelor Party…coincidence?). Jeff did make an appearance at Brannon’s wedding that summer and the obligatory Ranger wedding picture was taken, although its whereabouts are unknown at this time.

Ranger Baseball Cards Part 22)

After a 7 year Ranger career, Mark “Wiggy” Wegren announced that he is officially leaving the Rangers, for a second time! His first departure from the team came after the 2005 season. He returned to the team in 2008 after two tumultuous seasons with the Aviators. Wiggy was a high school teammate of Mike “Heartattack” LaRocco and Brian Salgado at Archbishop Weber High School in Chicago and also played with LaRocco, Salgado, Bob Wacker, and Lucas Luecke on the Garfield Park Renegades in the Aurora Men’s Baseball League. Wiggy is best known for having a perfectly level swing that consistently makes contact with the ball, but with limited power. Wiggy is a career .262 hitter with the Rangers and was a consistent presence at former Ranger sponsor bar Simply Rays, and of course Gio’s. Also an avid runner, Wiggy will compete in both the 2011 Chicago Marathon and a half-marathon on the Great Wall of China. Wigs also enjoys softball, floor-hockey, and collecting autographs. The Rangers would like to wish Wiggy luck in his future adventures.

Chicago Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 17)

2005 was the year of 1-year and done Rangers. Jason "Wheezy" Keydel was one such player. Roommates with Dan O'Malley and Kevin Casey, Wheezy was a Right-Handed pitcher who was underused in 2005. His most notable achievement was leaving Gio's early after one early morning Ranger practice to go home and sleep, when two carloads of drunken and boisterous Rangers woke him up by stacking wooden chairs and whatever else they could find on top of him. Wheezy was known to roll and smoke his own cigarettes before and during Ranger games and sunbath in the grass at Winnemac (See Baseball Card Photo). Wheezy had a decent season in 2005, he hit .316 with 6 hits, 1 Triple, 1 Home Run,5 Runs, and 9 RBI, really good production considering how few At-Bats he had. Pitching he was 0-2 with 18 K in 18 1/3 innings. After his Inside-the-Park Home Run hit at Riis Park, Wheezy was definitely wheezing, circling the bases at a pace that would make the Statue of Liberty look fast. Wheezy is believed to be living in Detroit, although details of his whereabouts are sketchy at best. Wherever he is, the Rangers are sure he is doing a helluva job!

Chicago Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 16)

Dan "Big Rig" Jeserig was an original Ranger in 2003, had his 2004 season cut short due to injury, and was a nominee for the "Life" Hall of Fame. Big Rig was a Left-Handed Pitcher and occasionally played the field. Although he claimed to be not much of a hitter, 2 of his 3 career hits were doubles. Dan finished that 2003 inaugural season with a 3 and 2 record, the only pitcher on the staff to have a winning record that season. The next year, he went 0 and 1, pitching in 2 1/3 innings, but did not give up a run. The beginning of the end of his pitching career came against the Yankees during the 2002 season. He gave up two long homes runs (possibly back to back) became angry, and threw straight gas to the the next hitter, striking him out on three pitches. As a result of overthrowing those pitches, Dan strained his shoulder, threw the Army Ranger figures (only the legs were left) the served as the teams first mascot, and walked off the mound in obvious pain. Other highlights include getting the first ever win in Ranger History against the Vikings on June 11th, 2002 in that comeback of epic proportions. Dan and his wife were excellent drinkers, spending a great deal of time ta hooters and Simply Rays. On July 3rd, 2002, Big Rig, his wife and the rest of the team were at Hooters for some shenanigans. The outdoor sprinkler was set off and Dan's wife ended up urinated on a lawn in Park Ridge. Always late to games, Dan always claimed he "had to let the dog out". If that was a euphemism for something else, we may never know!

Chicago Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 15)

Nick Taylor arguably could be one of the most athletic Rangers in team history. He made plays at Shortstop that the team has never seen before, and his effort on the field was second to none. Nick was a rostered Ranger from 2005 until the 2007 season, although he appeared in only 1 game in 2005 and none in 2007. He was the first Ranger to have a uniform number taped on for that game in 2005 and went 1 for 3 with a triple. While running the bases on that triple (which occurred in his first Rangers at-bat) the tape fell off, prompting embarrassed team number taper Mike LaRocco to use better workmanship on future tape job. 2006 was a great year for Nick, he hit .357 with 15 singles, 15 Stolen Bases, 16 Runs, and 1 RBI, proving to be the lead-off hitter the Rangers were looking for. His season was cut short bu injury when he was setting up a stage and a length of rope became tangled around his leg while it was going through a pulley. The resulting wounds had him on the disabled list and barely able to walk for the last few weeks of the season. Nick was a member of the Loyola University Club Baseball team and currently resides in Addison, Illinois.

Chicago Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 14)

The Rangers go through Shortstops like Spinal Tap went through drummers. Matt Hall was the primary Shortstop for the Rangers in 2005, a season in which he hit .316 with 12 hits, 1 double, 9 runs, and 8 RBI. Matt was the 6th consecutive club baseball president to play for the Rangers following Luke Luecke, Vince Caringi, Mike LaRocco, Kevin Casey, and Tim Brannon. the Loyola Rambler - Chicago Ranger pipeline was shut off after 2005 marking the end of an era. Matt wore the #00 jersey for the Rangers, the second person to do so. A native of Kansas City, Matt is a lifelong Royals fan, something he was made fun of for on a daily basis. A Physics and Math major at Loyola, Matt is currently studying Medical Radiation Physics at the Rosalind Franklin School of Medicine. Most importantly, there is actually a Facebook Group dedicated to Matt titled "We Hate Matt Hall", a fitting tribute to the man with the whitest teeth in the history of the Rangers.

Chicago Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 12)

Colin Clark had a few strikes against him when he joined the Rangers. A natural rival to the team's Loyola Club Baseball Roots, Colin was the captain of the Eau Claire Wisconsin Club team during the last season Luke Luecke was the captain of the Loyola Club team. In fact, Eau Claire ended Loyola's 2000 season with a blowout of the Ramblers and even injured future Ranger Vince Caringi on a line drive back to the mound. This game is actually on tape in the Ranger Archives. Was it Colin's fault he ran a good team, yes it was. Colin was also born in Canada, making him the first non American citizen to play for the Rangers. All fun aside, Colin was a great teammate with infectious competitiveness. His career with the Rangers lasted from 2004-2007 when he relocated due to a job opportunity in Maryland. In three seasons, Colin went 4 and 2 as a pitcher and played a stellar center field. He left the Rangers with a .341 Batting Average, garnering 27 hits, 2 double, 2 triples, and 1 Home Run. Colin also played first base and caught, becoming the first of 2 Left-Handed Catchers to appear for the team. We wish Colin and his wife the best on the East Coast and hope that he can one day rejoin the team!

Rangers Baseball Cards (Part 11)

An argument can be made for Tony Litzey being the best one year Ranger in the team's long and storied history. He stabilized the Shortstop position for the Rangers in that dream like 2007 run to the CMBA Runner-Up position in the standings. Tony attended a tryout for the team before the game against the Oriole Park Cubs on May 19th, 2007, the second game of that season, with Alonzo Hilliard. Jonathan Kohn also attended a tryout that morning as well, all three players obviously made the team and paid huge dividends that season. Tony did not start that day, but with the Rangers trailing by more than a few runs, he came in the game and sparked a Ranger comeback by going 1 for 2 with 2 runs. With Tony on the team, the Rangers only lost 3 games that season, ending up with a 23 and 4 record. In his Ranger career, Tony hit .385 with a .444 On-Base-Percentage, drove in 12 Runs, scored 15, and hit 1 Home Run. The most amazing aspect of Tony's Ranger career is that he is an overnight crane operator, going straight to work after week day games and coming straight from work on Weekend Games. The Rangers wish Tony the best, and will always have a roster spot open if he decides to make a comeback!

Chicago Ranger Baseball Cards (Part 9)

The phrase to describe Ryan Varney's Ranger Career is best summed up as the "One Man Wrecking Crew"! Recruited by Jody Joseph during the miserable 2008 campaign, Varney became the second of three former browns to play for the Rangers. In his 1.5 seasons with the team, Ryan hit .508, amassing 31 hits including 5 Doubles, 2 Triples, and 2 Home Runs. Ryan played a plethora of positions, including all outfield positions, first base, second base, and enjoyed a comeback to the pitcher's mound. On the mound, he threw 5 innings giving up no runs, walking 5, but striking out 7. To sum it up, he threw GAS! While in Chicago, Ryan worked for the legendary WGN Radio personality Paul Harvey. In 2009 he relocated with his now wife Jenn to Cincinnati and his veteran presence has been missed in the heart of the Ranger order ever since.