Texas Rangers Caravan In OKC Friday, January 15
Published on January 11, 2010 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Oklahoma City Comets News Release
Oklahoma City, OK. - Oklahoma City RedHawks fans will get a preview of the upcoming 2010 season on Friday, Jan. 15 when Texas Rangers players Chris Davis and Craig Gentry visit Oklahoma City during the annual Texas Rangers Winter Caravan. The players will be accompanied by RedHawks long-time skipper, Bobby Jones, Rangers Broadcaster, Dave Barnett, Director of Player Development, Jake Krug and Assistant, Media Relations Court Berry-Tripp.
The Caravan is open to the public and begins at 5:30 p.m. in the Diamond Lounge at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark. Hors d'oeuvres and beverages will be served. As an added benefit, RedHawks Season Ticket Holders are invited to attend as guests of the team. Tickets are available to the public for $65 per person. To purchase tickets or to RSVP, please call 405-218-1000 ext. 218.
The Texas Rangers Caravan is an annual event that provides fans with a pre-spring training update on the Rangers and RedHawks, plus the chance to meet players and receive autographs.
The Texas Rangers 2010 Winter Caravan is presented by Academy Sports + Outdoors, making over 40 stops across Texas and Oklahoma and 11 public appearances at local Academy locations. Davis, Gentry, Jones and Barnett will be available to the public for autographs from 10 - 11:30 a.m. on January 16 at Academy Sports + Outdoors located in Norman at 2010 NW 24th Ave. Krug, Barnett and Berry-Tripp as Rangers representatives.
Caravan guests include:
Bobby Jones:
The winningest manager in Oklahoma City's Triple-A history, Bobby Jones returns in 2010 for his eighth season as RedHawks' manager and 10th overall in Oklahoma City. In three stints as a Triple-A manager in Oklahoma City, Jones has 637 local wins, four division titles (2002, 2004-05, 2008) and one conference title (2008). About to enter his 23rd year as a coach or manager in the organization, Jones is the system's all-time leader in games managed (2,702) and wins (1,354). He won league titles at Class A Charlotte (1989) and Double-A Tulsa (1998). In 2005, he guided the RedHawks' to the best record in the PCL at 80-63. He also served as a Rangers coach in 2000, 2001 and 2006 under former managers Johnny Oates, Jerry Narron and Buck Showalter. Jones played in 314 major league games over parts of nine seasons for Texas and the California Angels from 1974-86. He holds the Rangers' record for career pinch hits with 42. In 2008, Jones won the inaugural Mike Coolbaugh Award, presented to an individual who has shown an outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field.
Chris Davis, infielder:
Put on a fast track to the major leagues after being a fifth-round pick in 2006 out of Navarro College in Texas, Davis made his Rangers debut in 2008 in just his second full professional season. After blasting his way through Double-A and Triple-A in the first half of 2008, Davis was one of the American League's top rookie sluggers after joining the Rangers in late June. He was named AL Rookie of the Month for July, his first full month in the majors, and Rangers' 2008 Rookie of the Year by the Dallas-Fort Worth chapter of the BBWAA. Davis had a major league slugging percentage of.549, tops among all rookie qualifiers. During his 2008 stint in the major leagues, he led all rookies in extra-base hits (42) and doubles (23), while tying for the lead in home runs (17) and RBIs (55). Last year, Davis started and finished the season with Texas while spending a month and a half with the RedHawks. He continued his dominance over Triple-A pitching by batting.327 with 12 doubles, six homers and 30 RBIs.
Craig Gentry, outfielder:
Arkansas native Craig Gentry is spending his first off-season on the Rangers' 40-man roster after a breakout year in 2009. Gentry, a 10th round selection in 2006 out of the University of Arkansas, batted a career-best.303 at Double-A Frisco in 2009, which tied for fifth in the Texas League. Gentry added a league-high 49 stolen bases, plus seven triples, eight homers and 53 RBIs. He was named to the mid-season and post-season Texas League All-Star teams. Gentry received his first major league experience when he was chosen for a September call-up, appearing in 11 games. He picked up his first major league hit Sept. 26 against the Tampa Bay Rays with a double off of former RedHawks and Ranger Brian Shouse at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.
Dave Barnett, Broadcaster:
Already familiar to fans in the Southwest from his ESPN and Dallas-area experience, Dave Barnett joined the Rangers' radio broadcast team last year and is preparing for his second season on the Rangers' radio network. A native of Denton, Texas, Barnett spent 13 years with ESPN, handling play-by-play for baseball, basketball, football and golf. His assignments included the College World Series from 2001-04 and Major League Baseball for ESPN and ESPN Radio. He is a former radio voice of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, assuming that post in 1981 as the league's youngest broadcaster at age 23. Barnett served nine years as the television broadcaster of the San Antonio Spurs prior to joining ESPN in 1996, and returned to the Spurs for the 2006-07 campaign.
Pacific Coast League Stories from January 11, 2010
- Texas Rangers Caravan In OKC Friday, January 15 - Oklahoma City Comets
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