THE TEXAS RANGERS - HAT SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: JULIO FRANCO, IVAN "PUDGE" RODRIGUEZ, RAPHAEL PALMEIRO, GENO PETRALLI, MARIO DIAZ, JOSE GUZMAN - HFSID 290990

TEXAS RANGERS (1991-1992)
Baseball cap signed by 7 team members, including stars Ivan Rodriguez, Rafael Palmeiro and Julio Franco
Baseball Cap signed: "Ivan Rodriguez", "Rafael Palmeiro", "Julio Franco", "Geno Petralli", "Mario Diaz", "José Guzman" and one unidentified signer. White baseball cap with red bill and unfamiliar logo. Signed on the grey bottom of the bill. The signers here were all members of the Texas Rangers baseball club in the years 1991 to 1992. During that period the team, managed by Bobby Valentine, finished with records of 85-77 and 77-85. The Rangers would not win the American League West for the first time until 1996. However, the team, co-owned from 1989 to 1994 by future Texas Governor and President George W. Bush, did not lack for stars. IVAN "PUDGE" RODRIGUEZ, born in Puerto Rico in 1971, played his first twelve Major League seasons as a Texas Ranger from 1991 before moving to Florida in 2003 and helping the Marlins win the World Series. He led Detroit to an AL pennant in 2006. One of the best defensive catchers in history, Rodriguez has been named to 14 All-Star teams and earned 13 Gold Gloves. He was AL MVP in 2000. Rodriguez has caught more Major League games than anyone in history, passing Carlton Fisk for that honor in 2009. A near-certain future Hall of Famer, Rodriguez joined the Washington Nationals in 2010. Born in Cuba in 1964, first baseman RAFAEL PALMEIRO played 20 Major League seasons (1986-2005), three with the Chicago Cubs, ten with the Texas Rangers, and seven with the Baltimore Orioles. A four-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner, Palmeiro is one of only four players in history to surpass 3,000 hits and also 500 home runs. He would be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, were it not for allegations of illegal steroid use, Five months after telling a Congressional committee under oath that he had "never" used steroids, he was suspended for testing positive, he stated that he had "never intentionally" used steroids. He thus joins "Shoeless Joe" Jackson, Pete Rose, and several more recent players, whose Hall of Fame entitlement is hotly debated by fans. JULIO FRANCO, born in the Dominican Republic in 1958, had a Major League career spanning a quarter century (1982-2007), and that doesn't count seasons of professional baseball in Japan, Korea, Mexico and the Dominican Winter League. He played for eight teams, but principally the Cleveland Indians (8 years), Atlanta Braves (6) and Texas Rangers (5). He played in the postseason for Cleveland, Atlanta (3 times) and the New York Mets. The versatile infielder (first, second and short) was named to three All-Star Games. In 2006, he became at age 47 the oldest player ever to hit a home run in the Major Leagues. Starting pitcher JOSÉ GUZMAN, born in Puerto Rico in 1963, spent 10 seasons in the Majors (1985-1994), all but the last two with Texas. He won 66 games for the Rangers, part of an injury-shortened career record of 80-74, with a 4.05 ERA. Since 2003, Guzman has been the Spanish language broadcaster for the Rangers. Shortstop MARIO DIAZ, born in Puerto Rico in 1962, played 9 Major League seasons (1987-1995) with 4 teams (Seattle, Texas, Florida and the New York Mets). Normally a reserve infielder, he played a career high 96 games for the Rangers in 1991. GENO PETRALLI (b. 1959 in California) played 12 Major League seasons (1982-1993), the first three with Toronto and the rest with Texas. Primarily a catcher, he played 5 other positions when the situation required. He was the Rangers' first-string catcher until Rodriguez arrived. In 1987, Petralli set a record for the most passed balls in a season (35), the result of attempting to catch Ranger pitcher Charlie Hough's knuckleballs. Fine condition.