The ultimate Ranger

Nolan Ryan's 1989 move to the Texas Rangers turned into five seasons on the mound, and so much more.

Not only did Nolan Ryan pitch well for the Texas Rangers, he has also administered the franchise in times of need.

In 1989, Nolan Ryan went to the Texas Rangers planning to pitch one more year to end his Hall of Fame career. That turned into five seasons on the mound, and so much more. When Ryan finally retired in 1993 - after seven no-hitters, 324 victories and 5,714 strikeouts - the Rangers no longer were a faceless franchise known for, if anything, inventing ballpark nachos.

"The Rangers gained legitimacy as a major league franchise the day they signed Nolan Ryan, and particularly when he showed that he wasn't washed up," Eric Nadel, the radio announcer who was part of Texas broadcasts for 32 seasons, said. "That was crucial in the history of this franchise."

Now with Ryan as their president and part-owner, the Rangers are American League West champions and in the play-offs for only the fourth time in their history.

Ryan never led the Rangers to the post-season as a pitcher, but they built a new ballpark thanks to the goodwill he generated. The added cash flow from the new stadium helped lead to three play-off teams from 1996-99, although the New York Yankees beat them in the first round each time.

Texas bottomed out in the 2000s, until the Ryan Express roared in again. Everything good the Rangers have been and everything great they could become - starting with Game 1 of the play-offs today at Tampa Bay - all trace back to Ryan.

"When he came here as a player, he brought instant credibility," Steve Busby, the former Kansas City pitcher said. "When he came back as president, he brought that same credibility."

Especially since the Rangers were mired in a string of losing seasons when Ryan became team president in February 2008. "When I reflect back to how it was in 2008, when I was here and how painful and embarrassing at times it was to sit down there, it's been so much improvement," said Ryan, a regular fixture in the front-row seats by the Rangers dugout. "It doesn't seem like the same situation."

Perhaps Ryan's most significant victory for Texas came in a federal bankruptcy court this summer when his group outbid Mark Cuban, the Dallas Mavericks' billionaire owner, in an unusual auction for the team. Major League Baseball (MLB) owners quickly and unanimously approved the sale, making Ryan the first Hall of Fame player since Hank Greenberg a half-century ago to be an owner. "Nolan's inclusion in this group, I would not only say is important, I'd say extremely important, and is very beneficial not only for Major League Baseball but for the Texas Rangers," Bud Selig, the commissioner, said last week in Texas. "Nolan's presence is not to be taken lightly."

After his last game, Ryan fulfilled a 10-year personal services contract with Texas while also pursuing profitable ventures in banking, ranching and owning two minor-league baseball franchises. He then spent four years in a similar role in Houston. He was enticed back to revitalise the Rangers, who then had only one winning season since their first three division titles. They are the only major league franchise that has not won a play-off series.

"Obviously we haven't accomplished that much on the winning side, but I think that we've positioned ourselves to do that," Ryan said. "The organisation is probably on better sound footing than it's ever been." The season attendance of 2.5 million was the highest since 2005 at Rangers Ballpark, where a larger-than-life bronze statue of Ryan is prominent in centre field and one of the main roads to get there is Nolan Ryan Expressway.

The former pitcher known for toughness and an unmatched work ethic during his record 27 seasons has emphasised pitchers being in better shape to throw for longer. And when the post-season became a possibility this summer, Texas had stocked their system with enough talent to use prospects in mid-season deals for left-hander Cliff Lee, Jorge Cantu and Bengie Molina. Most telling of Ryan's influence is the team ERA of 3.93, the lowest since 1990, along with a Rangers-record 1,181 strikeouts.

Texas unseated the Angels, the AL West champions five of the last six seasons. Mike Scioscia, the Los Angeles manager sees the obvious difference the pitcher-turned-president has made for the Rangers. "A lot of that is down to Nolan's influence on the franchise in everything they do," Scioscia said. "There's definitely been some impact from Nolan on a lot of parts of that team."

* Associated Press