The Rangers consider going to three different uniforms for next season, adding a gray and blue road uniform and a blue alternate top, which probably also would be used on the road.
The preliminary designs, which could be further amended, have the Rangers keeping their current home uniforms with the red and white cap. For road games, the gray would be lightened and the “Texas” across the front would be mostly blue with red piping. The road hat would be blue with a white ‘T.’ And the alternate jersey would be worn with a blue hat that has a red ‘T’ on the crown.
The alternate jersey might not go with the home uniform pants, however. The home whites have red piping. The alternate jerseys are almost entirely blue and white and would normally be worn with blue accessories.
One other change the Rangers consider is adding a State Flag of Texas patch to their sleeves. Currently, the patch on the uniform sleeves is a star in a diamond.

NEW YORK (TICKER) — First baseman Rafael Palmeiro and catcher Ivan Rodriguez have led the Texas Rangers to first place in the American League West and today were named AL Co-Players of the Month for August.
The dynamic duo led the AL in nearly every offensive category during the month as Texas posted an 18-12 record. The Rangers ended August with a 79-54 record and a 6 1/2-game lead over Oakland in the AL West.
Palmeiro led the league and set a pair of club records by collecting 15 home runs and 39 RBI during the month, also posting an AL-best .782 slugging percentage. He hit .318, drew 14 walks and scored 25 runs.
Rodriguez led the AL with 45 hits and 29 runs scored in August. He hit .349 with 12 homers and 28 RBI while notching a .667 slugging percentage. The seven-time All-Star also stole three bases and became the first catcher in major league history to steal 20 bases and hit 20 homers in one season.
Both Palmeiro and Rodriguez could be considered candidates for the AL Most Valuable Player award. Palmeiro is second in the league with 40 homers and 127 RBI, and stands fifth with a .337 average. Rodriguez ranks seventh in the AL with 162 hits, 10th in batting at .327, tied for 10th with 30 homers and tied for 11th with 96 runs.
First basemen Carlos Delgado of Toronto and Jason Giambi of Oakland also were

TORONTO (TICKER) — Seeking another quality starter, the Texas Rangers hope they landed one today by acquiring lefthander Jeff Fassero from the Seattle Mariners for a minor league player to be named.
The Rangers own a relatively comfortable lead in the American League West, sitting 6 1/2 games in front of the second-place Oakland Athletics. But Texas surely could use a boost in its rotation, with no starter owning an ERA under 4.30.
If nothing else, the 36-year-old Fassero fills the Rangers’ need for a lefthanded starter. Lefthanded batters are hitting .252 against him this season.
Aaron Sele, Rick Helling, Mike Morgan, John Burkett and Esteban Loaiza, who currently make up the rotation, all throw righthanded.
A change of scenery may be just what the doctor ordered for Fassero, who lost his last six decisions with Seattle. He is 4-14 with a 7.38 ERA in 30 games, including 24 starts, and has walked 73 while striking out 101 over 139 innings.
Fassero posted a winning record and an ERA under 4.00 in each of the previous three seasons, the last two with Seattle. He went 44-32 in that span.
The nine-year veteran owns a 91-83 lifetime record with a 3.79 ERA in 359 games, including 191 starts. He pitched his first six major league seasons with Montreal before being traded to Seattle in a five-player deal in October 1996.
To make room for Fassero on the 40-man roster, Texas transferred pitcher Eric Gunderson from the 15-day to the 60-day disabled list. Gunderson has been sidelined since May with left shoulder problems and had surgery July 17 to repair a partial cartilage and rotator cuff tear.
The Rangers will make a roster move to accommodate Fassero tonight when he arrives in Toronto for the opener of his new team’s three-game series against the Blue Jays.
From Joe: The decision has not been made as of gametime Friday night – the radio announcers said he is not here yet, but is on the way.

The Texas Rangers announced today that lefthanded pitcher Corey Lee has been recalled from Oklahoma of the Pacific Coast Lee. Lee will be in uniform for tonight’s game with New York (#37) and will be making his major league debut.
To make room for Lee, righthanded pitcher Danny Patterson has been optioned to Oklahoma.
Lee, 24, has won both of his starts since being promoted to Oklahoma on August 12 with a 1.29 earned run average. He spent the majority of the season at Tulsa, going 8-5, 4.44 in 22 starts and still ranks 5th in the Texas League in strikeouts with 121 in 127.2 innings. Lee was selected by Texas in the 1st round of the June, 1996 draft and is 36-23 in his 4 pro seasons. His last outing was a win versus Las Vegas on August 19 (8 ip, 8 h, 2 r-er, 2 bb, 9 so).
Patterson is 2-0 with a 5.44 era in 43 relief appearances this season. He allowed 5 runs and 5 hits in one inning of work in Monday’s 21-3 loss to New York.

NEW YORK (TICKER) — Texas Rangers first baseman Rafael Palmeiro, who had seven homers in as many games and drove in 17 runs, today was named American League Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday.
Palmeiro batted .458 (11-for-24) during the week and led the league with a 1.375 slugging percentage.
The four-time All-Star belted his 349th and 350th career homers on Saturday in a 9-2 win over Boston. He hit his 37th home run of the year on Sunday, tying the club mark for a left-handed hitter.
Baltimore’s Jeff Conine, Seattle designated hitter Edgar Martinez and Tampa Bay pitcher Rolando Arrojo were also considered for the award.

ARLINGTON – Alice Holtz, the widow of longtime Rangers’ broadcaster Mark Holtz, died Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. She was 51.
Mrs. Holtz passed away at approximately 4 p.m. Wednesday at Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. She had been hospitalized for about two weeks. In memory of Mrs. Holtz, the Rangers observed a moment of silence prior to Wednesday’s game with Detroit.
Mr. Holtz broadcast Rangers games on television and radio for 17 years from 1981 through 1997. He died Sept. 7, 1997 from complications of a bone-marrow transplant for the treatment of leukemia. He also was 51.
Mrs. Holtz was originally diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 1989. Her struggle against the disease became well known in North Texas. Mrs. Holtz, however, rarely called attention to herself.
“Alice was a tremendously good-natured person with a terrific sense of humor,” said Rangers broadcaster Eric Nadel, who worked alongside Mr. Holtz for 13 years and remained a close family friend after his death.
“She was the type of person you were always glad to see,” said Nadel. “And she was remarkably low-key in describing all of the battles she had to fight the last several years. She was always trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. But she had a really rough struggle.”
Mrs. Holtz grew up in suburban Chicago and married Mr. Holtz in 1967. Before moving to Arlington in 1980, they lived in Waverly, Iowa; Scottsbluff and Omaha, Neb.; Peoria, Ill.; and Denver.
Mrs. Holtz is survived by a daughter, Cindy Kuster; granddaughter, Allison Kuster; son-in-law, Jeff Kuster, all of Arlington; her parents, Bill and Dorothy Rudge of Wildwood, Fla; and a sister, Karen Brown, of Chapel Hill, N.C.
A memorial service will take place Monday at 11 a.m. at Trinity United Methodist Church, 3321 West Park Row, in Arlington. Contributions in Alice Holtz’s name may be made to the American Cancer Society.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS (TICKER) — Texas Rangers center fielder Ruben Mateo, one of the top prospects in baseball, is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist.
Mateo returned to the 15-day disabled list today after suffering the injury while batting in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the Minnesota Twins.
The Rangers plan to activate outfielder Tom Goodwin from the disabled list Friday to replace Mateo on the roster.
Preliminary X-rays on Mateo were negative but he was diagnosed with a fracture after an exam by hand specialist Dr. Bobby Wroten. Mateo will undergo surgery Friday to remove the broken bone.
Mateo, 21, homered in his major league debut June 12 against Colorado and is batting .238 with five homers and 18 RBI in 32 games. He was on the disabled list from June 23 to July 9 with a pulled left groin.
At the time of his recall, Mateo was one of the top players in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League with a .340 batting average, 17 homers, 58 RBI, 81 hits and 50 runs scored. Used as a center fielder and designated hitter, he was batting .434 (23-for-53) during a 13-game hitting streak for Oklahoma.
Signed as an undrafted free agent in 1994, Mateo was among the last players cut by Texas during spring training. The native of the Dominican Republic hit .283 with four homers and 11 RBI in 24 exhibition games.
Goodwin appeared in just one game after straining his left hip flexor muscle June 11. He was disabled from June 12-26, played on June 27, and went back on the DL the following day.
He is batting .241 with one homer, 12 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 56 games. He is tied for second in the American League in steals.

The Texas Rangers announced today that the club will undertake a new Hispanic marketing and community initiative through several different programs.
The first effort is the introduction of a new logo designed specially for the Hispanic market. The logo, which was unveiled at a press conference today at The Ballpark in Arlington, uses the Rangers’ existing secondary logo with the phrase, “Beisbol a lo grande”, meaning Major League Baseball. The red and blue logo will be used in a number of the team’s marketing programs over the next several months.
The inaugural program, which involves the Rangers, Coors Brewing Company, and the Lena Pope Home, was also announced today. Coors, a corporate partner of the Rangers, will utilize the logo to support its 21 Means 21 responsibility message underscored in the company’s national programs and advertising. Together with its local distributors, Coors encourages the responsible and legal consumption of malt beverage products.
Texas Rangers first baseman Rafael Palmeiro and the Rangers Hispanic logo will be featured on Coors point-of-sale materials that emphasize the 21 Means 21 responsible consumption message. These materials include posters, counter cards, mini stand-ups and will be used primarily in retail outlets with a strong Hispanic customer base in markets throughout Texas. The new program is expected to debut this month.
As part of this program, Coors will make a contribution to Palmeiro’s designated charity, the Lena Pope Home of Fort Worth. The Home provides services to meet the behavioral health care needs of more than 5,000 children and their families each year.
“We are proud to assist Rafael Palmeiro in his support of local youth and their families,” commented Coors Field Marketing Directing Randy Porter. “His efforts assisting the Lena Pope Home builds awareness and much-needed funds for behavioral health care services in Tarrant County.”
For more than 15 years, Coors has run television commercials promoting the responsible consumption of its products. The company first launched its 21 Means 21 campaign a year ago. Coors was instrumental in the idea of creating a specific Rangers’ logo for use in the Hispanic Community.
“The Texas Rangers are committed to being a part of the Hispanic community in Texas,” said club President Jim Lites. “We are very appreciative of our corporate partner, the Coors Brewing Company for their efforts in helping us achieve this goal. We are also very fortunate to have players such as Rafael Palmeiro, who give their time and energy back to the community.”
In addition, the Rangers announced that the club will hold its first Hispanic Night on Friday, September 17, when Texas plays the Tampa Bay Devil Rays at 7:35 p.m. On that night, the Rangers plan to honor the Hispanic players on both teams during a pre-game ceremony. One of the new inductees to the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Orlando Cepeda will be the guest of honor and will take part in the ceremonies. The club also plans to offer half price purchase of $14.00, $12.00, $10.00, and $7.00 tickets for that night’s game. Hispanic Night will be co-sponsored by KESS Radio, the Rangers’ Spanish flagship radio station, and Carnival Food Stores. Coupons for the discount tickets will be available at Carnival. The Rangers are currently finalizing the details for Hispanic Night and more information will be announced in the near future.

NEW YORK (TICKER) — Todd Zeile of the Texas Rangers, the hottest player on baseball’s hottest team, today was named American League Player of the Week.
Zeile batted .444 (12-for-27) with three home runs, five doubles and 10 RBI over a seven-game span ending Sunday. He had 26 total bases and a .467 on-base percentage for the Rangers, who have won eight straight games, the longest current streak in the majors.
The 33-year-old Zeile is the first Ranger to be honored this season.
Mike Sweeney of Kansas City (.484) and Fred McGriff of Tampa Bay (1.143 slugging percentage) were runners-up for the award. Also considered were Tony Clark of Tigers, Albert Belle and Cal Ripken of Baltimore, Trot Nixon of Boston and Rick Helling of Texas.

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) — Todd Zeile zeroed in with his camcorder and called over Ivan Rodriguez for a closer look.
They kept staring at the old, beat-up pillow — actually, the catcher’s mitt used by Hank Gowdy on Boston’s 1914 Miracle Braves — and could not believe their eyes.
“You would have to be perfect to catch with that,” said Rodriguez, a seven-time Gold Glove winner.
“I feel like I’m using that sometimes,” said Zeile, shaking his head.
Hours after the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Sunday, baseball’s present met its past when players from the Texas Rangers and Kansas City Royals took a late-night stroll through the shrine.
“You people are a part of it,” Hall curator Ted Spencer told the Texas contingent. “This is where all of you would like to end up.”
On Monday, they were to meet in the annual Hall exhibition game two blocks away at cozy Doubleday Field, the birthplace of baseball. Those teams were picked to come to Cooperstown to honor two of the newest inductees, Nolan Ryan of the Rangers and George Brett of the Royals.
But on this night, with the doors closed to the public, a lot of these players looked like little kids.
Two-time MVP Juan Gonzalez and his Texas teammates studied Babe Ruth’s bat and looked at Stan Musial’s locker. They marveled at the short-pants uniform the Chicago White Sox wore in the 1970s and stared at a picture of Eddie Gaedel, the midget who once batted for the St. Louis Browns in 1951.
A couple of Royals coaches pointed at turn-of-the-century, heavy-wire catcher’s masks and laughed.
“That looks like something Hannibal Lecter would wear,” one said.
Rafael Palmeiro stood at the far end of the main gallery, gazing down the long row of bronze plaques.
“It kind of inspires me, to see all of them hanging there,” he said.
At 34, the All-Star Texas first baseman has 2,096. Every eligible player with 3,000 has been elected to the Hall.
“I kind of walk through these halls and think, `maybe.’ It’s like a vision, it’s out there and I can see it,” he said, waving his hand as if casting a spell. “It’s way out there, but it’s within reach.”
Rangers reliever Danny Patterson held no such illusions.
“I can’t imagine being here, I’m in awe,” he said. “The only way I’ll make it is by giving up somebody’s 3,000th hit or something. I thought I might get a chance to do it against Wade Boggs.”
The Rangers played Sunday at Tampa Bay, then flew to Utica, N.Y., about 45 miles from Cooperstown. About 20 Texas players took the bus ride for a 75-minute visit to the Hall, and Ryan was there to greet them.
“I was kind of hungry when we got in, and I thought about going to get something to eat and not coming here at all,” Patterson said.
“It’s more amazing than I ever thought,” he said. “This might be a once-in-a-lifetime trip.”
Kansas City played extra innings at home Sunday and then traveled to Utica. The entire Royals team made the trip to the Hall, arriving shortly before 11 p.m. EDT and leaving after midnight for their Utica hotel.
Texas was to play Tuesday night at Baltimore, and the Royals returned home to play Seattle.
Royals rookie pitcher Tim Byrdak brought his camcorder. He lingered in the new home-run exhibit, hovering over a case showing Roger Maris’ bat and uniform.
“It gives you an appreciation of the game you play,” he said. “It brings back the excitement of playing baseball.”
Royals pitcher Jay Witasick saw the one display that mattered most. In an exhibit on amateur baseball, there’s an MVP trophy of a youth tournament with his name on it.
“I knew it was here, but I forgot to bring my camera,” he said.
He remembered, at least, to stop by the gift shop on the way out. Along with several other Royals and Rangers, he picked up some shirts and hats as souvenirs.
Zeile narrated his own tour as he filmed — “there’s a picture of Babe and his car” — and soaked in the whole experience.
“To most guys, the history of baseball is what happened 15 or 20 years ago, things they can relate to,” he said. “I think players today are more interested than they would be perceived, but you don’t get a lot of chances to delve into it. It’s nice to be here and see the pioneers.”
One day, some of these players might wind up with a spot in Cooperstown.
Palmeiro and Rodriguez posed for a picture in front of Ryan’s plaque.
“It’s special knowing that I caught him,” said Rodriguez, an eight-time All-Star. “I’m trying to play hard, too, to make it here.”