Your Dark Companion Podcast

Episode 200 of Your Dark Companion features a conversation about the Texas Rangers, baseball history, and the stories behind one of Major League Baseball’s most fascinating franchises.
Mike Rhyner is joined by longtime Dallas Morning News Rangers beat writer Evan Grant and former Rangers PR executive turned team historian John Blake.
Between them, they have spent decades around the organization and have witnessed nearly every era of Rangers baseball — from rebuilding years and clubhouse characters to playoff runs and franchise-defining moments.
They discuss:
How covering Major League Baseball has changed
The personalities that shaped the Texas Rangers
The role of a team historian
The evolution of sports journalism
And why the best baseball stories rarely happen during the game itself
If you love Texas Rangers baseball, MLB history, sports journalism, and behind-the-scenes baseball stories, this episode offers a rare perspective from two people who have spent most of their careers inside the game.
_______________________________________________________________________
Episode 200 of Your Dark Companion brings together two people who have spent decades around the Texas Rangers — and have the stories to prove it.
Mike Rhyner sits down with John Blake, longtime Rangers executive and now the club’s historian, and Evan Grant, the Dallas Morning News beat writer who has covered the team for more than three decades.
Between them, they’ve seen just about everything: rebuilding years, playoff runs, clubhouse characters, media changes, and the slow evolution of a franchise that eventually found its place in baseball history.
They talk about what it was like covering and working around the Rangers during the lean years, how the job of sports journalism has changed, and why the relationships inside baseball often matter more than the box scores.
Along the way, the conversation drifts through unforgettable players, the personalities that shaped the franchise, and the strange, funny, and occasionally chaotic moments that happen when you spend your life around a baseball team.
It’s baseball storytelling the way it’s supposed to be — honest, reflective, and full of the kinds of stories that rarely make it into the game recap.
⏱ Chapters0:00 — Episode 200 Begins3:12 — Decades Around the Texas Rangers8:20 — The Beat Writer’s Life13:05 — Inside the Rangers Organization19:30 — Baseball Before the Digital Age25:10 — The Players Who Defined Eras31:45 — The Hard Years and the Breakthrough Moments38:30 — Baseball’s Changing Media Landscape44:20 — Why the Stories Matter Most49:30 — Looking Back on the Rangers Journey
Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode: patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion
IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/X: https://x.com/YDC_DfwTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanionFB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445
The Old Grey Wolf: X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolfIG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579
To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com

Show Notes

Episode 200 of Your Dark Companion features a conversation about the Texas Rangers, baseball history, and the stories behind one of Major League Baseball’s most fascinating franchises.

Mike Rhyner is joined by longtime Dallas Morning News Rangers beat writer Evan Grant and former Rangers PR executive turned team historian John Blake.

Between them, they have spent decades around the organization and have witnessed nearly every era of Rangers baseball — from rebuilding years and clubhouse characters to playoff runs and franchise-defining moments.

They discuss:

How covering Major League Baseball has changed

The personalities that shaped the Texas Rangers

The role of a team historian

The evolution of sports journalism

And why the best baseball stories rarely happen during the game itself

If you love Texas Rangers baseball, MLB history, sports journalism, and behind-the-scenes baseball stories, this episode offers a rare perspective from two people who have spent most of their careers inside the game.

_______________________________________________________________________

Episode 200 of Your Dark Companion brings together two people who have spent decades around the Texas Rangers — and have the stories to prove it.

Mike Rhyner sits down with John Blake, longtime Rangers executive and now the club’s historian, and Evan Grant, the Dallas Morning News beat writer who has covered the team for more than three decades.

Between them, they’ve seen just about everything: rebuilding years, playoff runs, clubhouse characters, media changes, and the slow evolution of a franchise that eventually found its place in baseball history.

They talk about what it was like covering and working around the Rangers during the lean years, how the job of sports journalism has changed, and why the relationships inside baseball often matter more than the box scores.

Along the way, the conversation drifts through unforgettable players, the personalities that shaped the franchise, and the strange, funny, and occasionally chaotic moments that happen when you spend your life around a baseball team.

It’s baseball storytelling the way it’s supposed to be — honest, reflective, and full of the kinds of stories that rarely make it into the game recap.

⏱ Chapters
0:00 — Episode 200 Begins
3:12 — Decades Around the Texas Rangers
8:20 — The Beat Writer’s Life
13:05 — Inside the Rangers Organization
19:30 — Baseball Before the Digital Age
25:10 — The Players Who Defined Eras
31:45 — The Hard Years and the Breakthrough Moments
38:30 — Baseball’s Changing Media Landscape
44:20 — Why the Stories Matter Most
49:30 — Looking Back on the Rangers Journey


Follow Your Dark Companion on Patreon for every episode: 
patreon.com/YourDarkCompanion

IG: https://www.instagram.com/yourdarkcompanion/
X: https://x.com/YDC_Dfw
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@yourdarkcompanion
FB: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61559876685445

The Old Grey Wolf: 
X: https://x.com/TheOldGreyWolf
IG: https://www.instagram.com/theoldgreywolf16/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mikerhyner579

To reach out email us at: Info@Stolenwatermedia.com

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Creators and Guests

Host
Mike Rhyner
Mike Rhyner… "a little on the bumpy side, but rather likable"…so stated famously by a grade school teacher in Oak Cliff, where Mike grew up. A complicated guy, yet a guy who can do long division and remember call strike three to A Rod. Probably best left unattended. Don't expect assistance from him if a medical situation arises.

What is Your Dark Companion Podcast?

"Whatever I want it to be about on a given day; is what it is." Your Dark Companion couples your familiar friends from radio, Mike and Grubes! Mike brings his classic interviews that draw you in, and Grubes—The Devil—drops…well the drops, and throws the occasional grenade. Mike likes to draw on his fascinating acquaintances and friends allowing them to tell their stories as you've never heard them. But he also goes outside his network, sharing Grubes' network, and often outside of both, to bring you those they don't know, but believe have a story that will make you laugh, make you think, think differently, or just entertain you…"that's what we are trying to do here."