Greenberg leaves Rangers; Ryan named CEO

Greenberg leaves Rangers; Ryan named CEO
Hall of Famer will oversee both baseball, business operations

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Rangers' ownership group, which was intended to bring stability to a franchise that had experienced a difficult period, is undergoing a major change.

The club announced on Friday that Chuck Greenberg is stepping down as managing partner and chief executive officer. He is also selling his interest in the Rangers and will no longer be associated with the franchise. Club president Nolan Ryan will assume the title of CEO and oversee all aspects of the Rangers operations on both the baseball and the business side.

Greenberg put together the ownership group that purchased the Rangers from former owner Tom Hicks last August.
Chuck Greenberg put together the group that purchased the Rangers from Tom Hicks last year. (AP)

"Chuck's determination during an extremely long and complicated sales process was crucial in delivering a positive outcome for our ownership group last August," Ryan said in a statement released by the team. "We owe him a great deal of thanks for those efforts and I wish him only the best.

"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."

Greenberg put together Rangers Baseball Express, but the largest investors are Dallas businessman Ray Davis and Fort Worth oilman Bob Simpson. Greenberg's abrupt departure suggests there was conflict within the ownership group about the way the club had been operating.

Simpson and Davis issued a joint statement through the club: "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."

A baseball source said Greenberg and the other owners had been in mediation for the past week to resolve remaining issues between the two sides. The move was made with the Rangers three weeks away from Opening Day.

Greenberg acknowledged differences in opinion among the owners in his statement.

"I have great respect for the Texas Rangers franchise and am enormously proud of all we have accomplished together since August," Greenberg said in a statement released by the team. "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."

Ryan was in camp this week but returned to Texas on Friday for an expected announcement. General manager Jon Daniels was in Surprise but would not address the issue prior to the announcement.

As far as changes impacting the baseball team, Daniels said, "Nothing has changed."

Players in the clubhouse said the same thing and were caught by surprise when they heard the news Friday morning.

"I like Chuck," infielder Michael Young said. "Chuck is a good guy. Apart from that I don't have anything to say."

Added second baseman Ian Kinsler: "Chuck was a great guy from the times that I talked to him. It seemed like he had some good ideas. Other than that, I don't know what happened. It doesn't affect us in the clubhouse or on the field. It might affect the hotel we're staying at or the food we eat but it doesn't affect us on the field."

Greenberg's group won control of the Rangers on Aug. 5 by being the highest bidder in an auction conducted in United States Bankruptcy Court. Their final bid of $590 million won over a group led by Mavericks owner Mark Cuban and Houston businessman Jim Crane.

Major League Baseball approved the sale on Aug. 12. The Rangers finished the season by winning the American League pennant for the first time in club history and advancing to the World Series, which they lost to San Francisco in five games.

"We showed last year things like this don't affect us on the field," outfielder David Murphy said. "I know for the time Chuck was here, he was an awesome guy. He seemed like he was steering in the right direction ... it has been a constant revolving door around here. We're used to people coming and going.

"Maybe we need something like this to be successful. We're just creating drama to add flavor to the team. What would Rangers Spring Training be without some drama?"

Since the World Series, the Rangers' front office has added Rick George as chief operating officer and three vice presidents: Todd Taylor (ticket sales and marketing), Joe Januszewski (business partnerships) and Jay Miller (sales). The Rangers also announced a $13 million overhaul of the video and sound systems at the Ballpark in Arlington, which includes a new state-of-the-art video board on top of the Home Run Porch.

Greenberg also negotiated a potentially lucrative television deal with FOX Sports Southwest and arranged for the Rangers to move their Class A affiliation from Bakersfield to Myrtle Beach. Greenberg is still part-owner of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and the Rangers are still scheduled to play an exhibition game against Coastal Carolina on March 29 in Myrtle Beach.

Simpson and Davis said: ""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."

Under the ownership arrangement, Ryan was supposed to oversee all baseball operations while Greenberg would be in charge of the business side of the franchise. Those lines started to blur when Greenberg took an active role in negotiations with pitcher Cliff Lee.

The Rangers have had six owners or ownership groups since moving to Arlington from Washington, D.C., in 1971. Bob Short brought the team to Texas and sold to Brad Corbett in 1974. The team was sold to Eddie Chiles in 1980 and then to a group led by George W. Bush and Rusty Rose in 1990. Hicks bought the team in 1998.

Hicks ran into financial trouble and announced two years ago during Spring Training that he was seeking minority investors. He later decided to sell controlling interest and Greenberg's group emerged as the leading bidder. Greenberg associated himself with Ryan early in the process and that strengthened his bid.

Hicks agreed to sell the team to Greenberg's group on Dec. 15, 2009, but the sale was not approved by the lending institutions that held debt on Hicks Sports Group. The Rangers, while operating under severe financial constraints, ended up in U.S. Bankruptcy Court and were sold at auction to satisfy the lenders.