Odd Stories - Doug Rader

In 1983 Doug Rader became the new manager for the Rangers. I was the Business Manager at WBAP and we carried the Ranger radio broadcasts. In addition to the games we carried a daily coach's show and that is the source of this post.

The Rangers were pitiful under Rader. I think he was just there 2 full season and a part of another one. Their winning percentage under his leadership was about .400 and their best finish was 3rd in the West. When the Rangers adopted red uniform jerseys one year he hated them and said he looked like a giant blood clot. Anyway, the story comes from his first year.

Rader had started his first season as manager, the team was coming home from spring training and they were going to have the annual welcome luncheon and introduction of the players and coaches to the media and season ticket holders. One of Rader's duties as manager was to do the coach's show. Of course he would be paid the standard fee that I think was $45 per show and generally paid monthly. Rader demanded that he be paid for the entire season, in adance, and in cash. As I recall the total was a little over $7,000.

Warren Potash was our General Manager and he was a little miffed that Rader wanted cash in advance but agreed to the demand. But, he was going to make a bit of a scene about it.

The first thing we did was find an old battered suitcase on which the latches had been broken and had to be kept closed by tying a belt around it. Then I went down to the bank and got the $7,000+ in ones except for a number of $100 bills. We proceeded to back the suitcase full of cash placing a $100 bill in the top of each bundle of ones that was on the top layer in the case. When the case was opened it looked like there must be $100,000 or more in there.

Warren took the suitcase full of money to the Welcome Luncheon. When it came time for him to make his remarks he said something about Rader's demand for cash and wasn't sure if it was because Rader wasn't going to be there that long or didn't trust us. He had removed the belt from the suit and presented Doug the case allowing it to fall open and spill the money all over the floor.

Rader never asked for cash again.