The Rangers’ ‘Condor’ adopts an actual condor, but there’s more to it than the nickname
Ronald Guzman is now a proud parent of … a California condor.
“It’s my baby now,” the Texas Rangers first baseman said Thursday.
Considering Guzman has carried the nickname “Condor” since his early days in the Rangers’ farm system, the result of being 6-foot-6 with an enormous wingspan, his online adoption of the endangered bird starts to make some sense.
But it wasn’t something done on a whim.
As Guzman explains it, he and outfielder Joey Gallo were thinking of ways to be more charitable and use their platforms as major-league ballplayers to do some good. They thought of helping animals.
Guzman discovered he could adopt a condor through the World Wildlife Organization, and did it.
“I’m really happy,” Guzman said. “It’s an animal that is endangered right now, so I thought it was a good idea to donate and spread the word, and maybe people will get more interested in that animal.”
Guzman admits that he doesn’t know much about the species, other than its endangered status. He has yet to see one in person, but wants to meet the condor he just adopted.
The only downside? Guzman can’t name the bird, which is cataloged with a serial number.
“I have a nickname for him,” he said. “I’ll call him ‘Guzzy.’”
This story was originally published February 28, 2019 at 9:53 AM.
