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Rangers History Today: Wild Accusations A-Brewin'

In what has to be a first, a Rangers manager accused a team mascot of helping the home team cheat. The Rangers weren't the home team.

On this date in Texas Rangers history, Rangers manager Whitey Herzog accused the Milwaukee Brewers’ mascot of cheating.

On July 8, 1973, the Rangers were in Milwaukee and playing the Brewers at County Stadium. The Rangers were awful that season. They hadn’t even won 30 games by that point. By season’s end, Herzog would be out the door (and better days were waiting in St. Louis). He was frustrated. But on this day, Herzog became frustrated with Bennie the Brewer.

Yep, venerable Bernie Brewer. The mascot would sit in center field and wait for a Brewer to hit a home run. When he did, Bernie popped out of his seat, which sat what amounted to a ski chalet, and went down a slide and into a beer much in celebration. Talk about your great part-time jobs.

Only on this day, Herzog lost his mind. The Rangers fell to the Brewers 17-2, the day before. Then, on July 8, the Rangers lost a doubleheader. As author Mike Shropshire chronicled in his legendary book, ‘Seasons in Hell,’ Herzog actually claimed that Bennie was stealing signs and passing them along to Brewers players about 400 feet away.

“He wears these white gloves and when he claps his hands, once for a fastball, twice for a curve, and so forth, he tips off our pitches. ” Herzog said. “If he does that again tomorrow, I’m gonna climb up there into his goddamn little house and personally kick his ass.”

Herzog did not do that (in part because, as Shropshire noted, Bernie was actually the son of a member of Brewers ownership) and the Rangers continued to lose, and lose, and lose — 105 times by season’s end.

Brewers ownership was not amused by Herzog’s accusation, as one might expect. But, hey, no trash cans were involved so … upside?

Also on this date …

July 8, 1980: Infielder Buddy Bell and outfielder Al Oliver represented the Rangers in the All-Star Game, held in Los Angeles. Bell and Oliver had previously been to the All-Star Game, but this was their first appearance with the Rangers.

July 8, 1997: Catcher Iván ‘Pudge’ Rodríguez started and hit eighth for the American League when the All-Star Game was held in Cleveland. He was the only Rangers player on the team that season.

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