The 2010 Texas Rangers baseball club won the American League Championship Series over the New York Yankees, but lost the World Series to the San Francisco Giants. Manager Ron Washington’s saying, “That’s the way baseball go,” became an unofficial team slogan.
 
The saying is variously recorded as “That’s (just) the way baseball go” and ““That’s how baseball go.” Baseball blogs have recorded Washington’s saying such lines since March and June 2010. (The June 3, 2010 citation below contains an audio link.) On October 27, 2010, Ron Washington trademarked “That’s the way baseball go.” T-shirts were made with the saying in time for the World Series, but Major League Baseball brought action against “unauthorized” shirts.
 
 
Wikipedia: Ron Washington
Ronald Washington (born April 29, 1952, in New Orleans, Louisiana) is the manager of the American League’s Texas Rangers. He is also a former infielder in Major League Baseball, and prior to managing the Rangers, Washington coached in the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics organizations.
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On March 17, 2010, Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported that Washington tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season and has admitted to using cocaine.
 
Part of what makes Washington successful at managing the Texas Rangers is his ability to play “small ball” with one of the best power hitting teams in baseball (a rarity in the American League) Washington’s team can run the bases and hit for power, making them a double threat.
 
Washington would become only the second manager of the Rangers franchise, behind Johnny Oates to take his team to the post season after winning the division in 2010, the team’s first division title in 11 years. On October 12, 2010, Washington became the first manager in franchise history to win a playoff series, with a 3–2 victory in the ALDS over the Tampa Bay Rays. On October 22, 2010, Washington’s Rangers defeated the New York Yankees in the ALCS in six games, to advance to their first World Series in franchise history. He became the third African American to manage a team into a World Series, joining Cito Gaston, who managed the Toronto Blue Jays to the World Championship in the 1992 and 1993 World Series, and Dusty Baker, who managed the San Francisco Giants into the 2002 World Series.
 
Second baseman Ian Kinsler said: “I just love the way he never holds his emotion back, especially when he’s managing. He hangs on every pitch, and it’s great to know that your manager is in every single pitch and cares that much.”
 
As of November 4, 2010, Washington agreed to a two-year extension with the Texas Rangers.
     
TideSports.com
Re: Texas Rangers Manager - Washington Used Cocaine during 09
by BamainbigD » Wed Mar 17, 2010 9:08 pm
On a completely separate note, he absolutely murders the English language on a weekly basis during his radio show with Norm Hitzges on The Ticket here in Dallas/Ft. Worth.
”...that’s how baseball go”
 
SMF
TBoner
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:08 am
Around here, one of our local radio stations plays an audio “drop” of Rangers’ manager Ron Washington delivering a perfectly zen summation of almost any situation: “That’s the way baseball go.”
 
TexAgs.com
p1 Claire
posted 11:34a, 06/23/10
Topic: A quote from the ever-eloquent Ron Washington
That’s how he do. That’s how baseball go.
   
HornFans.com
Horn2Run
07/13/10 11:40 PM
Re: Astonishing 4 game loss / sweep by O’s [re: bierce]   
as a current MLB manager is prompt to say, “that’s the way baseball go”
         
The Newberg Forum - Texas Rangers Blog
Re: Players give Ron Washington managing nod
by CJD02 on Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:55 am
The drop says, “That’s just the way baseball go!”.
 
ESPN - Texas Rangers Blog
C.J. Wilson does job, but ‘W’ eludes him
October, 16, 2010 Oct 161:14AM CT
By Jeff Caplan
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“It’s baseball,” Wilson said. “Like Wash says, that’s the way baseball go.”
 
Fort Worth (TX) Star-Telegram
Ron Washington explains ‘That’s the way baseball go’
Posted Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2010
By Anthony Andro
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
SAN FRANCISCO—Everyone knows about the claw and antlers.
 
But the motto the Texas Rangers adopted this season has everything to do with manager Ron Washington, who once said “That’s the way baseball go,” when describing the season.
 
Now the players use the phrase in interviews. T-shirts are showing up with the saying. Chris Davis wore one in Arlington that had a picture of Washington on the front and the saying on the back.
 
While the phrase is not grammatically correct, that’s OK with Washington. On Tuesday he explained exactly what it means.
 
“That slogan, ‘That’s the way baseball go,’ that means that things happen in the game of baseball that you can’t control,” he said. “Maybe I should have said that and maybe the slogan of ‘that’s the way baseball go’ wouldn’t have been out there.”
   
Dallas (TX) Morning News - Texas Rangers Blog
Ron Washington: OK with viral use of “That’s the way baseball go”
Posted at 11:44 AM on Tue., Oct. 26, 2010
Evan Grant / Blogger
SAN FRANCISCO - Rangers manager Ron Washington has a bunch of go-to phrases, but the one that seems to have taken the Dallas-Fort Worth area by storm is “That’s the way baseball go.” It’s something he’s uttered a few times after seemingly surprising things have happened on the field. And it’s become something of a de facto rallying cry for Rangers fans - it even made it onto the editorial pages of the Dallas Morning News. It’s not exactly proper usage of the language, so I had to know if Washington felt he was being mocked.
 
The saying has spawned T-shirts - Josh Hamilton was spotted wearing one the other day - and other novelties. Washington’s feeling: It’s all about the message, not the delivery.
 
Dallas (TX) Morning News
MLB cracks down on Ron Washington T-shirt
11:18 AM CDT on Tuesday, November 2, 2010
By MATTHEW HAAG / The Dallas Morning News
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
That’s the way lawyers go.
 
A group of friends thought it had hit a grand slam by tapping into Texas Rangers fever and a not-so-poetic Ron Washington quote. The friends created T-shirts last week with Washington’s likeness on the front and his famous line “That’s the way baseball go” on the back.
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COMMENTS
Mark P.
12:46 PM on November 4, 2010
This comment is hidden because you have chosen to ignore Mark P.. Show DetailsHide Details
 
Ron Washington owns the trademark for the phrase on the back of the shirt. So, it may not all be MLB cracking down, Wash might have something to do with it. Do a search for “thats the way baseball go” on http://www.uspto.gov
http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/gate.exe?f=searchss&state=4003:a1covu.1.1
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark THAT’S HOW BASEBALL GO
Goods and Services IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: T-shirts
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 85159648
Filing Date October 23, 2010
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Greg Stephens INDIVIDUAL UNITED STATES Suite 660-512 11700 Preston Rd Dallas TEXAS 75230
Type of Mark TRADEMARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE
 
(Trademark)
Word Mark THAT’S THE WAY BASEBALL GO
Goods and Services IC 016. US 002 005 022 023 029 037 038 050. G & S: Paper goods and printed matter, namely, trading cards, posters, stickers, decals, temporary tattoos, bumper stickers, scorecards, printed baseball game programs, magazines and books featuring baseball, writing pads, note paper, notebooks, binders, stationery-type portfolios, stationery folders, preprinted agenda organizers, autograph books, baseball card albums, book covers, calendars, greeting cards, printed bank checkbooks, checkbook covers, rubber stamps, ink stamps, paper pennants, gift wrapping paper, paper gift and party bags, paper party goods in the nature of paper party decorations; paper napkins, paper tablecloths, mounted and un-mounted photographs, photograph albums, lithographs, plastic baseball card holders and collectors cases, paperweights, letter openers, pens, pencils, pencil top ornaments, crayons, non-electric erasers, art pictures, art prints
IC 025. US 022 039. G & S: Clothing, namely, caps, hats, shirts, T-shirts, tank tops, turtlenecks, pullovers, shorts, pants, dresses, baseball uniforms, jerseys, sweatshirts, robes, jackets, cloth bibs, infant wear, jumpers, creepers, ties, socks, hosiery
IC 041. US 100 101 107. G & S: Entertainment services, namely, baseball games, competitions and exhibitions rendered live and through broadcast media including television and radio, and via a global computer network or a commercial on-line service; information services, namely, providing information in the field of sports, entertainment and related topics, and providing for informational messages relating thereto; educational services in the nature of baseball skills programs, baseball camps, and clinics offered live; entertainment services, namely, production of programming broadcast via television, radio and a global computer network or a commercial on-line service; organizing community sporting events; providing facilities for sports tournaments and competitions relating to baseball; organizing and conducting fantasy sports, sports contests and sweepstakes; fan clubs; providing on-line newsletters in the field of baseball
Standard Characters Claimed
Mark Drawing Code (4) STANDARD CHARACTER MARK
Serial Number 85162323
Filing Date October 27, 2010
Current Filing Basis 1B
Original Filing Basis 1B
Owner (APPLICANT) Ronald Washington INDIVIDUAL UNITED STATES 1000 Ballpark Way Arlington TEXAS 76011
Attorney of Record Cathryn A. Berryman
Type of Mark TRADEMARK. SERVICE MARK
Register PRINCIPAL
Live/Dead Indicator LIVE