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Former Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg has kept a low profile since leaving the organization last week. But he did post a message to fans on his Facebook page:

I want to extend a heartfelt thanks to everyone for your unwavering support over the last year and a half -- especially the past few days. I was honored to be a part of the Texas Rangers at a historic time -- and am enormously proud of all we accomplished together. What extraordinary memories. I wish only the best for the franchise and look forward to many memorable Octobers for Rangers fans. You deserve it...chuck

Just thought I'd pass it along.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The stunning news that Chuck Greenberg is out of the organization is only the latest chapter in a book full of spring training craziness the last two seasons (really, this club seems to have something crazy every year, but we'll focus on the last two years for this blog entry).

"What would a Texas Rangers spring training be without drama?" David Murphy asked Friday.

Here's a quick recap of the major storylines last two years at spring training:

2010

* Ron Washington's failed drug test comes to light in the middle of spring training. Washington admits his mistake, has a meeting with his team and faces the media as his team watches around the conference room at Surprise Recreation Campus. They vow to support their manager and not allow it to become a distraction.

* Utility infielder Khalil Greene never reported to camp as he dealt with social anxiety disorder. The Rangers spent the spring searching for a utility infielder before Andres Blanco emerged.

* Second baseman Ian Kinsler suffers a high ankle sprain in what was supposed to be a harmless spring training drill. He misses the first month of the season.

* C.J. Wilson is converted from reliever to starter, earning the job with a strong camp despite many figuring he wouldn't be able to do it. He goes on to win 15 games.

* Chuck Greenberg was telling folks that his group would own the team sometime in April. That didn't happen until an auction in August.

2011

* A month before spring training started, Nolan Ryan was saying how much he was looking forward to a "normal" spring training. Oh well. Before the club ever arrived in Surprise, the Michael Young drama took center stage. Young has demanded a trade and the club says it will try to make that happen. So far, Young remains in camp (and is tearing the cover off the ball and doing his job) as the Rangers have said they will only trade Young if it makes the team better.

* Adrian Beltre, the club's major free-agent signing this offseason, has still not played in a game thanks to a Grade I calf strain. The team isn't worried and expect Beltre to play in a game next week. Still, it wasn't the kind of start to the spring that the club wanted.

* And on Friday came word that Greenberg was out. Ryan flew back to Dallas to participate in the news conference with co-chairs of the board Bob Simpson and Ray Davis. The players have vowed that it won't impact what they're doing. The good news: They are certainly used to distractions and learned last year how to deal with them.

What drama will we have next? After all, there's still three weeks until Opening Day.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- It was an eventful day. Here are six things you should know from Friday at spring training:

1. Chuck Greenberg is out. The former CEO has left the organization and Nolan Ryan takes over as CEO. The bottom line: Greenberg and the management team had a different philosophy. Here are some of my thoughts on the whole thing. Also, the official club release.

2. GM Jon Daniels said it won't impact his baseball operations team. Ryan has grown to trust Daniels' leadership, as shown by the extension and even Greenberg's departure, which makes sure that Daniels works without interference from management.

3. Players vowed that the altered management structure won't impact them on the field. And Nolan Ryan felt that even though he adds the title of CEO that his role won't change much. He said he's not a micromanager and plans to let the people he has in place do their jobs. Matt Mosley reads a goodbye letter to Greenberg.

4. Colby Lewis was pleased with his curve ball and happy with his overall performance on Friday. He thinks he's just about ready to go for the season. Also in that same link: Ian Kinsler keeps hitting the ball well and Michael Kirkman threw four solid innings.

5. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan was on the minds of Rangers' personnel on Friday. Daniels said the Japanese players and scouts in camp checked with their families and they are OK. Lewis, who played in Japan, also talked about the disaster. "I'm definitely sad for the people," Lewis said. "It's tragic. I've been in that part of the country. I was talking to one of our Japanese scouts and he said he was trying to get in touch with his wife. So I know it's tough situation. It's a terrible deal."

6. The club held an intrasquad game Friday morning to get some pitchers some work. Check out the details here.

Galloway & Company's Matt Mosley reads a goodbye letter to Chuck Greenberg.

 

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- There's a lot of talk about the difference of style and opinion between Chuck Greenberg and new CEO Nolan Ryan and co-chairs Ray Davis and Bob Simpson. But one thing that also seems obvious the last few weeks is how valuable Jon Daniels has become inside the organization.

Many wondered why in the world it would take so long to extend the contract of the GM who just put together the squad that went to the franchise's first World Series. We heard that it was a busy offseason. And that's true. But it certainly appears that part of the delay was figuring out what to do about Greenberg's relationship with management. (It had nothing to do with the Michael Young drama this offseason, either).

Despite the delay, Daniels got what he deserved: a four-year extension that makes him GM through 2015. Next on the list is assistant GM Thad Levine and then other staffers.

But by eliminating any doubts as to how the management team is structured, Ryan is clearly giving Daniels his full endorsement. Certainly the extension is a sign of that, but so is the idea that Daniels runs his baseball operations staff without interference. Ryan oversees it and is involved. But it's Daniels' team. He assembled many of them and now has the security to run that operation the way he has the last few years. And Ryan won't let anyone get in the way of that.

The relationship between Ryan and Daniels has grown over the years. Ryan didn't hire Daniels. That was a Tom Hicks call (and one of his better ones). Ryan came in after that. But after watching how Daniels operated, Ryan was impressed. First, the young GM convinced Hicks to re-build knowing that meant some mediocre seasons while the minor league system was revamped. Then he made some shrewd trades to stock that system and allowed the players to grow and eventually wind up in the majors. It culminated in the World Series run in 2010.

Daniels also hired manager Ron Washington, something he did before Ryan's arrival. Now that manager, one that Ryan and Daniels stuck with even after he failed a drug test in 2009, has led his team to a World Series and clearly has the respect of his team.

Ryan has overseen the baseball operations for a while now. But this team has had Daniels' fingerprints on it even before Ryan put his on too. And while Greenberg and Ryan couldn't make the relationship work, Ryan and Daniels have. It's why when Daniels says the Greenberg departure won't impact baseball operations, he's telling the truth. He's been working with Ryan this whole time, regardless of what Greenberg may or may not have been doing.

So just as Greenberg's last few weeks ended up with him out of the organization, the last few weeks have seen Daniels go from someone whose contract was set to expire at the end of 2011 to a guy with a new deal and complete confidence of the guy who is now the CEO and unquestioned leader of the organization. That's good news for Rangers fans.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Now that I've had a little time to digest the Chuck Greenberg departure, here are a few thoughts. (I may update some of these following the news conference this afternoon):

* This didn't just happen all of a sudden. There were things that built through the offseason that led to this decision. Some of those are noted here, so I won't get into all of that on the blog. But Greenberg himself in his statement noted "different styles" with Nolan Ryan and the co-chairs of the board Ray Davis and Bob Simpson. Greenberg probably had his version of what his role would be and Ryan, Simpson and Davis had another.

* Greenberg was in that rare job of being the general managing partner and CEO despite having a small stake in the team. He did a great job of putting together the group of investors, most of them local. But most of those investors -- including the biggest ones -- don't come on board without Ryan being a major part of the leadership. So unlike Jerry Jones or Mark Cuban, owners that have money to back up their titles, Greenberg was the face, but without a bunch of financial clout. The big money (Simpson and Davis) were on the board and behind the scenes. If Greenberg tried to assume more control than Ryan, Simpson and Davis thought he should have, he wouldn't have had the financial leverage to do much about it.

* At some point, it was clear that Greenberg couldn't work within the organizational structure. And there's little doubt that Davis, Simpson and the board would back Ryan. Now, with the title of CEO, there's no doubt he's running the organization. No questions about who does what. Ryan is in charge of both business and baseball operations. He's the boss with the backing of the board (and they'll make a united front at that news conference today).

* GM Jon Daniels said Greenberg's trip to Arkansas didn't impact Cliff Lee's decision. I agree. But it did leave a perception with some about who was running baseball operations. Instead of Ryan or Daniels going out there again, it was Greenberg (with assistant GM Thad Levine and Davis). Sure, owners can sometimes get involved in things, but the understanding when Greenberg bought the club was that Ryan would run baseball operations. It was odd to see him make that last push with Lee.

* One thing Ben, of Ben & Skin on 103.3 FM ESPN mentioned that I think is worth considering is that for a while, all the media wanted to talk to Greenberg. But as the offseason progressed, do you remember hearing him much or seeing him much? Part of that is that if you wanted to talk Rangers, you called Ryan or Daniels. If you wanted to talk about the scoreboard or corporate sponsorships, you called Greenberg. Maybe that wasn't what Greenberg thought was going to happen. That's merely speculation on Ben's part, but it's an interesting thought.

* Chuck Cooperstein said, while I was on with Coop & Nate today on 103.3, that one thing the club must replace is Greenberg's ability to shake a bunch of hands. That's true. Greenberg took his role as an ownership face of the franchise very seriously. He met more fans than any MLB owner, I would guess. He made it feel like it was everyone's team, not just the ownership group. The Rangers will have to find some folks to step up in that area. Ryan already does some of that, but others will need to as well.

* I'll be honest with you that whenever I tried to talk to Greenberg about on-field issues, he told me to talk to Ryan and Daniels. That's why this surprises me. I figured Greenberg wouldn't meddle. And maybe more than meddling, it was just a clash of personalities and roles.

I'll have more later on the blog on what this means for Daniels.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- In Rangers general manager Jon Daniels' mind, nothing much changes from a baseball operations standpoint with the news Friday of Chuck Greenberg's departure.

PODCAST
Galloway & Company's Matt Mosley reads a goodbye letter to Chuck Greenberg. Listen

"It really shouldn't have any impact," Daniels said. "Nothing changes as far as how we operate, organizational structure, budget. All of that remains the same. We're looking to keep our baseball management leadership group in place for an extended period of time. None of that changes."

Daniels said ever since the new ownership group took over, that he reported to Nolan Ryan. Now, what it means is that Ryan is the CEO and in charge of business and baseball operations. For Daniels, it doesn't alter things. He said if there was a big trade or a free agent he wanted to sign, that he would first talk to Ryan. Sometimes he also talked with Ryan and Greenberg at the same time or even made presentations to the club's board of directors (there's 13 of them led by Ray Davis and Bob Simpson) if needed.

Daniels said his relationship with Ryan is strong and expects that to remain the case. He's gotten to know some of the board members and is confident that while it may appear there's not stability with the Rangers, there is in terms of the baseball operations side and the folks making the decisions on the board.

Daniels said that Greenberg's dealings with Cliff Lee didn't impact where the free agent pitcher signed.

"Cliff had some very attractive options," Daniels said. "He made a choice that was best for him and his family."

Daniels said he wasn't concerned with whether Greenberg's trip to Arkansas and discussion of the Lee deal would send mixed signals about who was in charge of the club's baseball ops.

"We put our best foot forward and Cliff made a different decision," Daniels said.

Daniels said Greenberg's involvement was "about what you'd expect" from someone in that position.

"He was in the office and around sometimes when decisions were being made," Daniels said. "Some he had an opinion on, others he didn't. But ultimately, our group put our heads together and would make baseball decisions. When there were big investments, big dollars involved, that typically involves upper management and ownership to a degree."

Daniels didn't comment on the differing management styles between Greenberg, Daniels and others on staff. But that was something Greenberg brought up in the official club statement.

Daniels talked about the short offseason and getting used to new faces in place in various positions within the front office.

"You're talking about an offseason in which several new executives came on board on the business side," Daniels said. "It was a short offseason because of the playoffs. It was a different offseason because of the success the franchise had and some of the opportunities that were there. It was still evolving. People were still trying to find their comfort zone."

Daniels admitted that nothing much surprises him anymore with the Rangers after being with the club in various posts since 2002.

Daniels said the management structure and the Greenberg situation didn't factor into his negotiations for an extension. He dealt exclusively with Ryan during that process.

"We agreed on a deal and I can't say whether or not it had an impact on the timing of it, but from my standpoint it had no impact," Daniels said.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers sent out a release on the end of Chuck Greenberg's tenure in Arlington. Here it is:

The Texas Rangers today announced that Chuck Greenberg, Chief Executive Officer, is leaving the organization.

Team President Nolan Ryan will add the title of CEO and oversee all baseball and business operations for the organization, reporting directly to the team’s Board of Directors.

The Co-Chairmen of Rangers Baseball Express LLC, Ray Davis and Bob Simpson, issued the following statement:

“We greatly appreciate Chuck Greenberg’s hard work, professionalism and unwavering commitment to the team, our fans and the Dallas-Fort Worth communities. Chuck is a dynamic leader with superb strategic, operational and business development skills, and under his and Nolan Ryan’s direction, we have accomplished a great deal in a short time. We thank Chuck for his many contributions to the organization, and wish him well in his future endeavors. At the same time, we are very confident in the continued success and further development of the Texas Rangers under Nolan’s leadership.”

Further, the Co-Chairmen stated, “Chuck’s departure will have no effect on the team’s operation and we look forward to working with Nolan Ryan as this organization continues to grow and prosper. The baseball group has demonstrated its quest for excellence under the skillful leadership of Jon Daniels. On the business side, we also have a deep bench of experienced executives who always put our fans first and will ensure our ambitious plans for the 2011 season stay on track. We appreciate Chuck’s contributions and wish him all the best.”

Greenberg said, “I have great respect for the Texas Rangers franchise and am enormously proud of all we have accomplished together since August. Unfortunately, Nolan Ryan, the Co-Chairmen, and I have somewhat different styles. While I am disappointed we did not work through our differences, I remain wholeheartedly committed to doing what’s right for the franchise. Together we concluded it is best for all concerned for me to sell my interest back to Rangers Baseball Express and move on. I do so with a heavy heart, but with every confidence in the direction that the new management team is taking the Rangers and, with Nolan at the helm, I know this franchise will continue to thrive and reach even greater heights both on and off the field.”

“Chuck’s determination during an extremely long and complicated sales process was crucial in delivering a positive outcome for our ownership group last August,” commented Ryan, who originally joined the Rangers as President on February 6, 2008. “We owe him a great deal of thanks for those efforts and I wish him only the best.

Ryan added, “I am excited about the future of the Texas Rangers in so many ways. Our front office is comprised of talented and passionate people who come to work every day with the goal of making us the best organization in Major League Baseball, on and off the field.”

Rangers Baseball Express LLC completed its purchase of the Texas Rangers Baseball Club and related assets from Texas Rangers Baseball Partners on August 12, 2010 and is the sixth owner in club history.

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers players aren't shocked by anything anymore, but they were a bit surprised to hear that Chuck Greenberg is relinquishing his post as CEO and managing general partner.

But players vowed that it wouldn't impact them.

"Chuck was a great guy the time I talked to him," second baseman Ian Kinsler said. "Other than that, there's really nothing to say I guess. It seemed like he had good ideas. I don't know exactly what happened. It doesn't effect the club in the locker room or on the field. So we're not going to worry about it. I hope Chuck has success wherever he goes."

David Murphy said he wasn't aware of anything until he was asked about it by the media today.

"Things like this aren't going to effect us on the field," Murphy said. "I don't know details, but the time that Chuck was here, he was an awesome guy. He seemed like he was going to steer the franchise in the right direction. We'll miss him, but in this profession, whether it's the front office or ownership or players, it's a constant revolving door. We're used to people coming and going."

Michael Young echoed similar comments.

Managing partner and CEO of the Rangers Chuck Greenberg joined Ben and Skin to give perspective on the dynamics of the team as they go through spring training.

One of the topics Greenberg touched upon was a possible contract extension for GM Jon Daniels.

"I don't think there's any reason to be concerned," Greenberg said. "That's completely between Nolan [Ryan] and J.D. ... Obviously, J.D. has done a tremendous job. He has enormous amount of respect from everybody in the organization, his peers and all around baseball. You cannot say enough great things."

 

A few other notes for you from RangersWorld today:

* Full season ticket equivalents are up as expected this season. CEO Chuck Greenberg said the club is already above 10,000 (again, that full season ticket equivalents, not just the full season tickets themselves). They were at 7,500 all last year.

"We have significantly more full season equivalents now than at any time last season," Greenberg said. "We think there’s a chance to double [last year's] season-ticket base by the end of the year."

That would mean 15,000 season ticket equivalents by the end of 2011.

* The new videoboard remains on target for Opening Day. Greenberg said he was giving a tour of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington on Sunday and was struck by how much of a difference in space the new board is over the old one now that the steel is in place. He said that in about a week, Chuck Morgan and his staff will begin training for the new system.

The Rangers announced individual ticket prices for the 2011 season today and that they go on sale March 5 at the First Base ticket window at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, by phone at 972-726-4377 or at texasrangers.com.

A total of 71 percent of the ticket prices for nonpremier games have increased from 2010 levels, though most of those are by $2 or less. The team is keeping parking at $10 (something the new ownership group lowered from $12 when they took control) and 69 percent of the tickets for premier games have been lowered. But the club has increased its number of premier games from 19 in 2010 to 29 in 2011.

The largest increase in ticket prices is in the Lexus Club Box and the Lower Box, which account for a little less than 15 percent of the capacity of the stadium. Those prices are going up 29 percent ($13) in the Lexus Club Box and 24 percent ($12) in the Lower Box for regular games and 18 and 15 percent, respectively, for premier games. The grandstand seats are also increasing by $1 per nonpremier game ($7 now), but decreasing by $3 for premier games ($8 now).

Greenberg said his team wanted to adjust the pricing points in the stadium and actually considered starting over completely, but because the sale happened so late, decided to just alter some of the existing prices.

"It's a matter of demand, but also being as equitable as possible in how the house is scaled," Greenberg said.

It should be noted that 11 percent of the seats in the stadium for nonpremier games are decreasing and 25 percent are flat.

"We’re trying to establish long-term relationships with our fans," Greenberg said. "Were in a growth mode. So everything we're doing now is about how are we going to continue to get more people to the ballpark and more people involved in ticket pacakges this year than last year and 2012 over 2011 and so on. We're not trying to take maximum advantage [of the club's strong 2010 season]. We're trying to take the approach of what it takes to build and sustain long-term relationships."

The Rangers announced the club's individual ticket pricing and the procedures for purchasing any remaining tickets for Opening Day.

Because the club has sold so many Opening Day tickets are part of various package, there is a limited inventory. The team is holding an online lottery system for fans interested in attending the Opening Day game at 3:05 p.m. against Boston on Friday, April 1.

Fans can go to the club's website and fill out this form for a chance to purchase up to four tickets to the game. The window for that lottery opens today and ends Feb. 21. The random drawing for the chance to buy tickets happens Feb. 22 and fans are all notified by Feb. 23.

"Tickets to Opening Day this year may be the most sought after ticket in franchise history," CEO Chuck Greenberg said Wednesday. "There will be very few that are available. We wanted to construct a system that is as fair to all of our fans as possible. We didn’t want to penalize fans that are working and can't spend the morning on the phone or at night camping out and leaving their families behind. We wanted to give everybody the same opportunity and so to create a lottery was easily the most fair approach."

The tickets involved in the lottery will be spread out throughout the stadium once the staff figures out how many various ticket packages have been purchased. But they are making sure that fans in the lottery get a chance at tickets in a wide range of areas and prices.

Fans can still purchase 10-game packs, which include a free ticket to Opening Day.

Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg sits down with Mike & Mike at Sundance Square to take time out from Super Bowl talk and discuss the upcoming season for the Texas Rangers and the back-and-forth comments with the New York Yankees this offseason.

PODCAST
Texas Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg says the team wanted to keep pitcher Cliff Lee, but only on their terms. Greenberg also weighs in on Yankees president Randy Levine's recent comments about Greenberg. Listen

"I thought what I said was awfully benign," Greenberg said when asked about his comments regarding Cliff Lee, which stirred up Yankees president Randy Levine. "It was much ado about nothing. There’s really no point in putting oxygen into an imaginary fire. I just explained what we were trying to do. It didn’t work out where he ended up with us, but at least he’s going to the NL where we don’t have to face him regularly."

Greenberg was asked about Levine's comments and he made it clear he's ready to move on.

"I thought he was kidding," Greenberg said. "I was at a speaking engagement Friday and someone emailed it to me and I thought he was kidding. What are you going to do? It was much ado about nothing and we’re just going to focus on what we need to do for our franchise and our fans and we move on."

Forgive me, but I'm a bit confused by this whole "controversy" involving Chuck Greenberg's comments at Fan Fest regarding the signing of Cliff Lee.

Yankees president Randy Levine is apparently so upset that he's called Greenberg "delusional" and said that he'll be impressed with the Rangers CEO "when he demonstrates he can keep the Rangers off welfare."

All of this stems from a question asked by a fan in Arlington over the weekend about the Lee signing. Here's what Greenberg said, according to The Dallas Morning News:

"We didn't know specifically that Philadelphia was in on Cliff until the day he agreed to terms with Philadelphia," Greenberg said Sunday. "But all along we thought if a mystery team would come forward that there was a pretty good chance that it would be Philadelphia.

"We had three different meetings with Cliff and his wife and his agent in Little Rock. At the very first meeting he spoke very highly of the experience he had pitching for the Phillies. And it was clear that pitching here and in Philadelphia were the two most enjoyable experiences of his career. Even though Philadelphia was probably not in, they were always in the back of our mind.

"I think if we wouldn't have gone to Arkansas that last time, I think he was going to sign with the Yankees. We pried the door open a little bit to give ourselves another opportunity. And ultimately the Phillies were able to take advantage of that opportunity that we created. While we would have preferred that he would have chosen to go with us, we're real pleased that he's going to the other league."

It's that last part that must have drawn the criticism. But is Greenberg wrong? He's merely stating his opinion, which was simply that the Rangers went back to Little Rock for a third time and, in the process, gave Lee something more to think about that allowed the Phillies more time to get in the game. As for Greenberg's last sentence: Of course he's glad Lee went to the National League. The Rangers don't want to see him in a Yankee uniform or any American League jersey if he's not going to be in Texas.

I just don't understand why this has turned into a big deal. Greenberg wasn't smart in the postseason to voice his opinion of Yankee fans and he apologized for that. But this is completely different, in my opinion. He merely explained what he thought happened during the Lee signing process.

What am I missing?