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In the relatively brief yet semi-sordid history of the Texas Rangers, an owner once fired a manager and then asked him to hang around a few days; a manager quit after 24 hours on the job, and still another owner proudly declared that he'd fire his mother to get the man he wanted.

To this assortment of oddities we submit the tale of Ron Washington's last couple of weeks.

Or as it was almost officially labeled: In One Era and Out the Other.

First, a seven-game losing streak caps an absolutely horrific month of baseball, and the team president all but guarantees some sort of action to prevent the fan base from eroding "any farther than it has."

Next thing you know, the Rangers win 12 of their next 17, a span in which the pitchers put up 33 consecutive zeroes, second-best in club history.

The general manager's reaction to the turnaround? The manager is safe at least until the All-Star break.

And, oh, yes, there remains the distinct possibility that the manager's job was saved, at least temporarily, by his birthday.

You couldn't hardly make this stuff up. Or as Washington summed up his situation before Monday's win over Seattle:

"I've been on teams where things are volatile, but I've never been in a position where I was in charge of the volatility."

Just how much Washington is in charge of these days remains open to interpretation.

Frankly, after the disaster in Detroit, when Nolan Ryan recognized the mounting anger of fans by saying, "We need to analyze this situation and make any adjustments we can," the end seemed near.

No team official talks so openly about a lack of competitiveness and eroding fan base, then hints at change without acting on it.

When those quotes hit The Dallas Morning News on April 25, I gave Washington 24 hours, tops.

But the weekend came and went, and Washington was still here. And April 29 was his birthday. Apparently the Rangers have an unwritten rule about firing a guy on his birthday.

And then the Rangers not only started to play like major leaguers, they played better than they have in years.

If the Rangers, indeed, wanted to fire Washington – and at least two members of the top brass wanted it – they missed their window.

Had the Rangers done it at the end of last month, few fans or media would have dissented. Losing is one thing; embarrassing yourself is another.

Having said that, how good did you think the Rangers would be? Most prognosticators picked them last in a tough division.

When I predicted on a local radio station this spring that the Rangers would win 82 games, the host nearly revoked my baseball writer's card.

COURTNEY PERRY / DMN

The Texas Rangers celebrate after Ramon Vazquez (center) hit a home run in the 10th inning to win Monday.

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No one believed in this team's chances. The owner said last season that he doesn't expect the Rangers to contend until at least 2009. You'd have a hard time finding anyone in the club's next several layers who'd disagree, at least privately.

Jon Daniels? He comes closer to backing Washington than anyone, but he's also tied to the manager. Considering his reputation on trades, the last thing Daniels needs is to admit he screwed up his biggest hire, too.

Still, the GM didn't help with his line about the All-Star break. Both the GM and president have given reason to expect that Washington's days could be numbered.

No matter what you think of Washington's job performance – and I'm not saying he's the long-term answer – he doesn't deserve this treatment.

Bottom line: The Rangers aren't as bad as they looked in April or as good as they looked in the last 10 days. But you can bet the talent level is closer to the former than the latter.