Events

2012: A Year in .gifs

Vote for your favorite Rangers .gifs from the 2012 season and together we'll crown the 2012 LSB .gif of the Year.

By ghostofErikThompson@apoplecticfittz Oct 11, 2012, 1:01pm CDT

Since Neftali Feliz's debut in 2009--when I didn't want to stop watching that 100 MPH heater over and over--I've been crafting little snippets of baseball action into Graphics Interchange Format files for our instantaneously looped enjoyment. Be it a humorous sampling in the stands with Jim Knox or amazing plays performed by the likes of Elvis Andrus or Adrian Beltre, our pause-and-rewind moments have been captured and saved because when baseball offers such an instance, it's worth savoring.

The 2012 season offered new 10-second gems to enjoy. We didn't get to a moment quite like Feliz striking out Alex Rodriguez to propel the Rangers to the World Series and there won't be an eternal slow-motion replay of Elvis' iconic flip to Kinsler behind the bag in Game 2 of the 2011 World Series. But, we've had our fun nonetheless.

So, over the next few weeks, I'm going to create a bracketed tournament of sorts to crown the best LSB .gif of the year. To start, I'm going to include some of my favorites that I captured during the season. I ask that you vote for the one you like best in the poll below.

For the community folk who created their own .gifs this season, I ask that you to comment with your best and we'll rec the ones we like. Then, at midnight next Wednesday I'll close the voting/comments and create a top eight bracket where we'll vote for our favorites until we reach a final two where we'll vote for our favorite .gif of the 2012 season.

Please include only .gifs you created or captured during the 2012 season. .gifs can include anything you rendered yourself. My style of .gif has usually been the straight from broadcast capture (with a zombie attacking then Anaheim Angel Fernando Rodney thrown in here and there) but we have talented folks who create their own works from footage and those are obviously welcome.

Without further adieu, here are 20 .gifs that I personally captured and enjoyed the most (in order of file date):

One kid. One bottle of lemon-lime soda. Three hats. All gold.

The .gif that became one of the indelible images of Gauche-gate.

Pudge retires at The Ballpark and throws out the first pitch...from home to second base. I still get chills.

You tried to forget Wash Puppet, didn't you?

The baseball postseason is so boring without these two guys.

It wouldn't be a baseball season without Ron Washington doing a dugout dance.

Robbie Ross milking his way into our hearts.

Forever Brandon Snyder's top contribution to the 2012 season.

Ian Kinsler making Mitch Moreland look even more white.

Love him or hate him, The Keeper has a top-form Worm.

Even though the season ended with bitter disappointment, at least we know Joe Nathan was proud for one moment.

There's something perfectly baseball about Adrian Beltre channeling Kevin Elster in those '90s home white and reds.

At first it seemed like the Rangers would get no help at the trade deadline. Then they traded for Geovany Soto.

The moment Elvis left his feet, and was hoisted into the air by Adrian Beltre on that August 1 night, the Rangers perhaps literally reached the high point for their 2012 season.