Most Popular Texas Rangers Stories in 2014

Top Texas Rangers stories of 2014: Who doesn't love end-of-December lists to help you remember the dying year one last time before you toss out your calendar? Probably Texas Rangers fans in 2014, I guess. Well, too bad. Here are the ten most popular posts on Lone Star Ball in 2014 by page view according to Google Analytics:

#1: Ron Washington: Sexual assault allegation led to Washington's resignation (Sept. 10, 2014)

What can I say? We're mostly comprised of red blooded, scandal-loving Americans. The most visited post on LSB in 2014 was about the allegations that led to Ron Washington resigning as manager of the Rangers.

Highlights: In addition to a long subthread in the comments about the dumbest, craziest things that have happened in this black sheep franchise, there was this comment:

As the premier sports blog for the Rangers, if this turns out not to be true

I’m calling for AJM’s immediate resignation for running with this before any verification.

by Spicy Sports Take on Sep 10, 2014 | 10:24 PM

Sweet! Premier sports blog!

#2: Richard Durrett has passed away (June 17, 2014)

It's still stunning that Richard Durrett is gone. Of the dozens of kicks to the pants we suffered this year as fans of the Texas Rangers, nothing even remotely compared to the loss of Durrett. As a sports website, the loss as a top local sportswriter is felt, but the loss of, by all accounts, an extraordinary human being/husband/father remains the toughest thing to rectify.

Highlights: The Rangers' community banding together to honor Durrett with the DoItForDurrett event was inspiring to see. Most of us never even met Richard but it became clear how much he meant to the whole community.

RIP Richard Durrett.

#3: Texas Rangers rumors: Elvis Andrus and the Yankees (Nov. 10, 2014)

Everybody loves baseball rumors! Seemingly nobody likes Elvis Andrus' contract after 2014! Put that together with the Yankees needing a shortstop to replace Derek Jeter and you had the perfect storm for sweet, sweet clicks.

Highlights: Adam's night sweats.

No worries, Elvis Andrus isn't going anywhere.

#4: MLB Free Agent Predictions: Torii Hunter, Mike Morse predicted to end up in Texas (Nov. 1, 2014)

MLB Trade Rumors predicted that the Rangers would sign Torii Hunter and Mike Morse before the free agency signing period had begun so they had no idea that the Rangers were broke and could only afford Kyle Blanks.

Highlights: My night sweats.

Hunter signed with the Twins, called a reporter a "prick," and Morse ended up with the Marlins because they forgot that their league doesn't have the DH.

#5: Oscar Taveras, St. Louis Cardinals outfielder, has died, according to reports (Oct. 26, 2014)

Just days after the Cardinals season ended, elite prospect Oscar Taveras died in a car wreck in his native Dominican Republic. This kicked off a rash of car accidents by baseball players in the Dominican over the next few weeks with former Ranger Pedro Strop and current prospect Ronald Guzman involved in wrecks.

Highlights: Taveras left behind endless possibilities on the baseball diamond, but more disheartening was the loss of two young lives.

RIP Oscar Taveras.

#6: Texas Rangers transactions: Seven players dropped from 40 man roster (Oct. 6, 2014)

How boring was the 2014 season? The sixth most viewed post on Lone Star Ball was an article about the Rangers dropping Joseph Ortiz from the roster.

Highlights: Remembering that Kevin Kouzmanoff was on the Rangers in 2014.

RIP Engel Beltre.

#7: Texas Rangers hiring Jeff Banister: What does it mean? (Oct. 16, 2014)

I still don't know what hiring Jeff Banister means. Do you ever kind of stop yourself and think about the fact that Ron Washington isn't the manager of the Rangers anymore? That's so weird. One day Ron Washington was the most celebrated manager in franchise history and the next day he just vanished.

Highlights: Interim manager Tim Bogar became just another footnote in the bizarre history of this franchise.

Now Banister is integrating himself into the Ranger culture in the most Hank Hill-approved way possible: Quoting Tom Landry.

#8: Texas Rangers rumors: Mets expected to trade a starting pitcher soon (Dec. 7, 2014)

Adam showed his deft SEO skills by somehow getting a bunch of people to click on a post about the New York Mets on a Texas Rangers website. Seriously, people care about Dillon Gee this much?

Highlights: I can't think of a single reason anyone visited this post and yet a bunch of people did.

How did this happen?

#9: Texas Rangers rumors: Mike Leake, potential offseason acquisition (Oct. 13, 2014)

Hahaha What?

Highlights: 2014 sure sucked.

#10: Texas Rangers rumors: Jurickson Profar to San Diego floated by Ken Rosenthal (Dec. 7, 2014)

Dang. You folks really want the Rangers to trade a shortstop. Too bad A.J. Preller is all too aware that Profar's shoulder went full Joaquin Arias.

Highlights: That was almost a month ago so maybe there was still hope within the community that the Rangers would do something to improve the team.

Final observations: Not one of these posts covered an actual game of baseball and only two of them came during the baseball season. I think that sums up 2014 pretty well. Hopefully 2015 will be about Texas Rangers baseball again.

Also, 2014 really sucked a whole lot.