A Weekend with the Rangers

"Direct from their appearance at Game 5 of the World Series, please welcome your house band for the weekend -- from Austin, Reunion!"  With those words from the Emcee, Reunion's Weekend with the Rangers began.  The band accompanied the Team Awards ceremony on Thursday, Jan. 12, 2012 then played the opening days of the Rangers' remarkable Fan Fest on Friday and Saturday.  Here, in photos, is a recap of the fun.

Roll over the above photos for the crowd, the horse, and the big screen.

 

A panorama of the Team Awards Ceremony on Thursday, live from the Arlington Convention Center.

The big screen behind the band kept everyone up on the goings-on.  And occasionally the cameras were focused on the Pauls. Also in the photo, drummer Tommy and guitarist Dave.

It wasn't all horsin' around, but when the Rangers mascot joined the band on stage, even more fun ensued.  Here the horse, aka Rangers Captain, jams with Sam and Paul.

OK, well not everyone was thrilled about the proceedings.  This little guy found a spot on the floor for his nap.

With interviews and giveaways aplenty, there were more 'breaks' than usual for the band.  Here, Paul and Dave get ready for the next downbeat while the presentations conclude.

Of course, once those downbeats were counted off, Reunion's world-class drummer, Tommy, kept things moving in world-class style.

On of the band's favorite people is Rangers CEO and strikeout king Nolan Ryan.  Here, Sam and Stephen take in the baseball wisdom of the boss.  Ryan, a baseball legend and Hall of Famer, also is a brilliant business man.  But his expertise doesn't even stop there. He also an accomplished cattleman, among other areas of expertise.  During this photo -- and we're NOT kidding -- he was discussing Texas' population of Snow Monkeys.

Undoubtedly, the biggest draws of the Fan Fest were the appearances, interviews, and autograph sessions offered by Texas Rangers stars such as Ian Kinsler, Mike Napoli, Michael Young, and David Murphy.  While superstar and heartthrob Josh Hamilton was being interviewed, Lorrie took advantage of her on-stage perch to get a good picture of a Ranger Hunk.  Caught you, Lorrie!

Longtime baseball fanatic Andrew chats with Bert 'Campy' Campaneris, the accomplished shortstop for the Oakland A's, Texas Rangers, and others, while ace Gaylord Perry takes in the sights of the Fan Fest.

The Dots were in attendance, too.  You know, The Dots, as in Dot Racing.  Here, the kids are mesmerized by the promotional figures.  Andrew liked them, too.

The many lights in the convention center's main hall created this view of Lorrie and John making music.

The Dallas Observer took more photos of the event, including this shot of the band.

Here, the official Major League Baseball website looks back at the weekend.  Though the 'comments' section of the page focused mostly on the players and autographs, there was this mention of the music.  We're glad the commenter enjoyed it!   We had fun, too.