I became a baseball fan when Nolan Ryan became a Texas Ranger. It was 1989 and I needed a hero. My dad lived in Arlington at the time and I loved going to see the Rangers play ball in the old Arlington Stadium. If Nolan was on the mound it was extra special. I was more than a casual fan. I clipped newspaper articles, kept up the standings with my little plastic helmets (I still do this), collected baseball cards and researched them in Beckett Magazine, and believed EVERY YEAR, despite what the standings said, that the Rangers would claw their way in and make it to the World Series. After all... they had Nolan Ryan. This was my relationship with baseball until mid August 1994. The Rangers were in first place in their division and the season ended. Baseball was no longer innocent. I didn't watch another baseball game for years. I became a football fan instead. Needless to say, I have regained my affection and interest and love for baseball... but August 12 1994 was a major day in my childhood.
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