As a young man in my 20’s, I used to go to Rangers games a few times a season. It was in the late 90’s early 2000’s that I began watching on television regularly.
At the time it was Josh Lewin and Tom Grieve calling the games. I used to listen to Eric Nadel on the radio, bur rarely watched on television since I did not have cable.
As my interest grew in baseball and specifically the Rangers, I decided to start blogging about baseball. I was a field and office had for a land surveying office and had absolutely no writing experience.
My early “articles” were nothing short of atrocious, but they were there. A friend approached me in 2007 and said he was starting a thing called a podcast.
I didn’t really know anything about what a podcast was, and I would tell people it was like an online radio show. We had a good run, and I kept writing.
One thing that kept me writing was Grieve. He was very encouraging to me the times we had him come on the show with us. He told me to keep at it. I did.
Today, as you all probably know, I am better at writing (still not a professional) and I have been podcasting for over a decade thanks in part to Mr. Ranger.
His encouragement and the style that he and Lewin had on the air had me hooked. I wanted to continue doing this.
While I have never made a full carrier out of writing and podcasting, I love it and I hope that shows. Tom Grieve retiring was a big deal for me, he is one of the reasons that I fell in love with covering baseball.
I got to meet him at the ballpark this year thanks to Dallas Sports Nation and my ability to now get press passes to Rangers games.
I am a school teacher for a living, and I love what I do. If a full time writing/podcasting/radio gig came along, I would have a hard time turning it down.
I appreciate the career Grieve had and I respect the longevity that he had in baseball and with the Rangers. I hope each one of you enjoy reading and listening to us here at the Ranger Report, and I want you all to know that Mr. Ranger had a lot to do with the beginning of this site.
While I doubt you will see this, I want to wish a happy retirement Mr. Grieve. I hope you truly enjoy the next chapter of your life. Thank you for helping me develop a passion for Rangers baseball.
