They sit in the same seats most games – section 50, row 1, seats 15-18. Their seats overlook the left side of the bullpen. Sometimes, in front of the seats on the wall, is a hand-painted sign.
Many fans who tuned into televised Texas Ranger baseball games this season probably saw two 20-something-year-old guys sitting behind that sign. Â Throughout the 2010 World Series, the sign read, “We Believe.”
Although the Texas Rangers didn’t win the World Series, ACU graduates Hutton and Chandler Harris were there to witness the best season in history at the Ballpark at Arlington.
“Hut is the artist of the family,” said Chandler, a student at ACU’s graduate school of communication. “He has been painting signs ever since we were little kids.”
All that sign painting has paid off. Last week the brothers and their parents, Jeff (’81) and Talisa (Thompson) Harris (’82) were at the Rangers’ postseason awards ceremony as Rangers Fans of the Year. Until they arrived, Chandler was unsure of how the evening was going to play out.
“I honestly thought my friends were playing the most cruel prank on me ever,” Chandler said. “It still hasn’t hit home that our family was chosen for such an award by our favorite sports team.”
In honor of their support of the team, Rangers owners Nolan Ryan and Chuck Greenberg presented the brothers with the Texas state flag that flew over the jumbotron at the Ballpark during the playoffs and Series. The flag is so big that it has to be folded just to fit in its glass case.
The gift was not the only perk of the night for Hutton and Chandler. They got to meet the team for which they had cheered all year long. Among the laundry list of players the two met were Josh Hamilton, Neftali Feliz, and Michael Young.
“It was pretty overwhelming,” Hutton (’08) said. “The Rangers went all out for us. We got to go for free and hang with our heroes. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Going to Ranger games has been a Harris family tradition since 1997, when they became season ticket holders.
“Going to the Ballpark has been a second home for our family for the last 15 years,” Chandler said. “We’ve been loyal fans even in the worst years.”
Chances are next year won’t be one of those years Chandler is talking about. But if it is, Hutton and Chandler will be standing where they always do, in section 50, row 1, seats 15-18, cheering on the team they love.
