Rangers manager Ron Washington and Astros manager Cecil Cooper will oppose each other for the first time on Friday night. It will be the first time that the clubs have met with each team having an African-American manager. A presentation for Washington and Cooper will be part of Friday's pregame festivities. The first 20,000 fans will receive a C.J. Wilson Bobblehead on Friday.

On Saturday, the National Anthem will be played and sung live via satellite from Baghdad, Iraq by soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division, based at Ft. Hood, Texas. It will be the first time the Rangers have ever had the national anthem performed via satellite, one of a limited number of satellite performances ever for a Major League Baseball game. Robert Earl Keen will play a post-game concert, which is free for anyone who buys a ticket to Saturday's game.

Sunday will be Chuck Morgan Day at Rangers Ballpark. The longtime public address announcer and in-game entertainment coordinator for the Rangers, Morgan announced the starting lineups for his 2000th consecutive game on April 10 vs. Baltimore (Game 1). He will be honored before the game. There will also be a Six Flags Over Texas ticket giveaway, and the wives of Rangers and Astros will play the annual softball game prior to the 2:05 p.m. start. Astros mascot Junction Jack is also expected to be in attendance this weekend.

Below is a schedule for the weekend series:

Friday, May 16, 2008 - vs. Houston - 7:05 p.m. - FSN
• The first 20,000 fans will receive a C.J. Wilson Bobblehead
• MLB Jackie Robinson Vendor Award
• Jackie Robinson Community Achievement Award
• Ron Washington/Cecil Cooper Presentation
• After the Berita Arterberry Gospel of Light Choir sing the National Anthem, UH-60 Helicopters from the Texas Army National Guard will be flying over Rangers Ballpark in Arlington
• By entering DRPEPPER as the coupon code on texasrangers.com, fans can purchase half-price tickets in the Upper Box, Upper Home Run Porch, Upper Reserved, Lexus Club Terrace, Lower Reserved or Corner Box sections of Rangers Ballpark for this game

Saturday, May 17, 2008 - vs. Houston - 6:05 p.m. - FSN
• Major General Hammond of the 4th Infantry Division based at Ft. Hood, TX will address the ballpark crowd live via satellite prior to the game
• As soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division unfurl the oversized American Flag on the field, soldiers from the 4th Infantry Division will play and sing the National Anthem live from Baghdad, Iraq
• Robert Earl Keen post-game concert will be held on the North Lawn at Rangers Ballpark, sponsored by 99.5 The Wolf
• Rangers Yearbooks will be distributed to the first 20,000 fans
• All You Can Eat Seats are available for every Thursday through Sunday game in sections 201-209 in the Lexus Club Terrace...seats include all you can eat hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, peanuts, and soft drinks for $34 ($38 for premier games including May 17)

Sunday, May 18, 2008 - vs. Houston - 2:05 p.m. - my27
• Six Flags Over Texas will be giving away free tickets to Six Flags to the first 10,000 fans 13 and under
• Wives of Texas Rangers players will play wives of Houston Astros players in a softball game on the field prior to the game from 11:30-12:30, in the annual Diamond Boot Series sponsored by Academy Sports and Outdoors...there will be a presentation from Tiffany's immediately following the softball game
• Chuck Morgan Day Presentation
• Every Sunday is Drumstick Ice Cream Sunday...Drumsticks are only $1 for kids 13 and under
• All fans are invited to run the bases immediately following the game
• Gates open an hour earlier than usual, at 11:30 a.m., for this game

Each season the Astros and Rangers play for the coveted Silver Boot. The team with the best record in the annual 6-game series wins The Boot. In the case of a tie, margin of victory decides who keeps the award for the year. This astounding award measures nearly 30" tall and displays a massive size 15 cowboy boot cast in silver, complete with a custom, hand-made spur. The base is two-tiered and consists of elegant cherry-finished Dymondwood and Black Acrylic. The award proudly honors winners on etched silver plates with the current winner displayed at the top of the second tier. The trophy used from 2001-04, before it was mysteriously damaged en route from Houston to Arlington, consisted of a cut glass boot with silver highlights atop a crystal baseball. The original Silver Boot, a leather boot painted silver, was awarded to the winner of the teams' annual exhibition game for several years in the early 1990's. Whereabouts of the original Silver Boot are unknown, but it is believed to reside at Houston's Minute Maid Park.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.