2023 World Series Champion Texas Rangers Pop-up Challenge

Question

After 65 years, my hometown team, the Texas Rangers, has just won their first ever World Series Championship!

I'd love to do a pop-up featuring members of the team's current World Series roster, but that isn't practical given the fact that the entire team is still living and access to their profiles is, thus, restricted. So instead, we're going to take a journey back in time. Although the team played as the Washington Senators from 1961 to 1971, their first game as the Texas Rangers occurred on 15 Apr 1972, when they met the California Angels at Arlington Stadium. The Rangers lost that game 0-1 and came in last place for the season. They've certainly come a long way over the past half century.  

Below is the starting line-up from the Texas Rangers opening day in 1972, along with their manager, the incomparable Ted Williams. Let's see how many of these players we can get connected to the Big Tree. All need to have-sourced bios written as well. Let's make these ten profiles WikiTree all-stars. 

The Texas Rangers' 1972 Opening Day starting line-up is now fully connected!

Lenny Randle (2B) - now connected!

Dave Nelson (3B) - now connected!

Don Mincher (1B) - now connected!

Hal King (C) - now connected!

Frank Howard (LF) - now connecter!

Larry Biittner (RF) - now connected!

Joe Lovitto (CF) - now connected!

Toby Harrah (SS) - now connected!

Dick Bosman (P) - now connected!

Ted Williams (M) previously connected!

Comments

The death of Frank Howard just two days before the Ranger's World Series win, leaves just three surviving members of this opening day line-up: Dick Bosman, Toby Harrah, and Lenny Randle. I will try to locate each of their parents and get them attached so that we can work on making a connection to the Big Tree. If you find any of them before me, you can create their profiles, then send me their WikiTree IDs and I will attach them for you.

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Ted Williams has a great looking profile. It's properly formatted, nicely illustrated, and well-sourced. The problem with this bio is that it focuses entirely on his baseball career and includes no other biographical or genealogically significant information. What was his childhood like? Where did he grow up and attend school? Did he marry and have children? What happened before and after baseball? What were the circumstances surrounding his death? If you like telling stories and writing bios, here's a bio in need of some improvement.

Answer 1

I was a Washington Senators fan when I was young. Another former Senator/Ranger player, Casey Cox also recently passed away. Ed Brinkman, Mike Epstein, and Darold Knowles also played at some point for both teams.

Alas, I became a Baltimore Orioles fan and later also a Washington Nationals fan. 

Answer 2

I live in Australia but have a long time interest in American baseball. I support the White Sox but plumped for Texas Rangers after seeing the contenders for the World Series. It was an interesting finale to say the least. No runs after first five innings !! Then a barnstorming finish from the Lone Stater's. I was pleased if not chuffed that Texas won their first Title. 

Comments

So cool to have an Australian fan. Does Australian television show American baseball?

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David;

There is the Australian Baseball League matches which are shown on free-to-air TV but not MLB. MLB is viewable only on pay TV. I watch highlights on YouTube to satisfy my interest.

Answer 3

Frank Howard has duplicate profiles that need to be merged: Howard-25961 and Howard-35907.

Comments

The profiles have now been merged.

Answer 4

Don Mincher [[Mincher-156]] will show as connected tomorrow through his mother, Cothren-61.

Comments

Great job Margaret!

Answer 5

As soon as I can create the profiles, Joe Lovitto will have a connection path tomorrow.

Comments

Joe Lovitto's connection path has been established. He will show as connected tomorrow.

Answer 6

Larry Biittner will show as connected tomorrow. The connection was through the ancestry of his eldest brother's wife.

Comments

Great job four times over! I love to see these players get connected.

Answer 7

Dave Nelson will show as connected tomorrow. The key to the connection was through notable Alfre Woodard [[Woodard-1230].

Comments

I wonder if Dave knew his great-grandfather's sister's husband was the brother of Alfre Woodard's grandfather?

Answer 8

Lenny Randle is still living, but I've added his parents so we can work on getting him connected. I also included the names of his four grandparents in his parents' bios, although I haven't had time to make profiles for them yet. He also had seventeen aunts and uncles, so there's sure to be a link somewhere amongst them.

If anyone wants to join me in working on this family feel free. I'm not territorial.

Answer 9

Toby Harrah's mother was already on WikiTree and is connected to the Big Tree. I attached him to his mother and added a profile for his father. Thus, Toby is now connected to the Big Tree as well.

Answer 10

Dick Bosman is also still living. I added skeletal (i.e. minimal) profiles for his parents, so that others can work on connecting his line if they choose.

Answer 11

Hal King was one of fourteen children, at least half of whom are now deceased. Lots of opportunities for connecting. I've attached his patents. Will try to get the siblings attached this weekend. Again, please feel free to step in if you wish.

Answer 12

Hal King is now connected...but I think there are some poorly sourced profiles farther up the connection path. I am continuing to seek a better connection.

Comments

That brings us down to just two! It's so easy to connect and more on, thanks for taking the time to go back and check the entries that don't look right.

Answer 13

Added about 30 relatives to Lennie Randle yesterday. No sign of a connection but I'll keep looking. Feel free to join in if you are so inclined.

Comments

Added Lenny Randle's great-grandparents, John and Joan Randle. They were likely formerly enslaved persons. Also added profiles for their five children.

Answer 14

I've connected Dick Bosman! He was a little tough because almost all of his lines trace back to the Netherlands, and I don't know Dutch genealogy. However, when I reached his immigrant ancestor on his Bosman line, I turned around and began researching back down the tree. I was quickly able to make a connection through the daughter-in-law of a great aunt. Her grandfather was from Denmark, but he was already on WikiTree.

That leaves just one player left to connect!

Answer 15

Lenny Randle will show as connected in tomorrow's update. He has all 8 great-grandparents and is connected through the Prince family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Comments

Congratulations Margaret! The Texas Rangers 1972 premier Opening Day starting line-up is now fully connected. Thanks to everyone who participated in this challenge.

Answer 16

Now that we've completed this pop-up challenge, how about we take a look at the opposition team? On Opening Day 1972, the Texas Rangers faced off against the California Angels. Of the Angels' nine-man Opening Day roster, not a single one has a connected profile on WikiTree. In fact, only one player (Vada Pinson) has any profile at all.

I'll spend the evening getting these profiles up and will post the links in a new G2G post tomorrow afternoon.