Ron Washington: Rangers manager

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/sports/AP-BBA-Rangers-Manager.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

 

Sign of the times that I and some others may find refreshing: Hardly any mention anywhere (TV, radio, print) that Washington is the Rangers' first African-American manager.

One sign that race should no longer matter (and never did in the first place) if you are a good coach / manager.

 

Washington's name popped up for a couple of jobs. You have to wonder what Billy Beane was thinking by letting him get away.

 

1) Expect the Rangers to start bunting a lot.

2) Expect some of the hilariously profane managerial scrums in baseball history, or at least since Lee Elia.

 

I'm sure I've posted it here before (and I will again later, if folks want), but Washington pulled off my favorite managerial move of all time while with the Capital City Bombers (would have been 1993, I'm guessing).

And while I don't have the time to give you the full story here, I'll give you the particulars:

-- Mid-game abduction of first base.
-- Holding of said base hostage in a locked equipment room.
-- Painting of said base day-glo orange.

 

It didn't matter who the Rangers hired: they fired Buck Showalter, so they are guaranteed to win the World Series this year. Just ask the Yanks and DBacks.

 

Greatest Ron Washington quote of all-time:

Ron Washington on bunting for a basehit:
"Bottom line, son, you gotta get that bitch down and run like a motherfucker.”

 

That Washington wanted a.) more than $4.50 an hour to manage and b.) wasn't willing to spend every minute glorifying Beane's very existence?

 

You might be on to something there.

 

Good for Washington. Good for the Rangers. I know he's had a lot on his mind in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and this is good news for him and his family.

 

Plus, in all seriousness, Washington has been there a while and is popular among players. It'll be tougher for Beane to bully someone who has the respect of the locker room. That's probably the mistake he thinks he made with Macha.

 

I heard Ron Washington is kind of a big deal... his dugouts smell of rich mahogany.