Ben and Skin are having an interesting show right now on the Rangers:

Topics:

1) Philosophy differential between Front Office and Ron Washington.
2) Player fatigue.
3) Lack of belief in bench.
4) Would Washington rather lose being loyal than win with bench.
5) Josh Hamilton factor.

On those points:

1) Wash is a Nolan Ryan guy and therefore is staying, at least for next year. It follows that his 'old school' management style is more in step with Nolan's if not Jon Daniel's. That tension is not going away anytime soon, and neither is Michael Young.

2) Are you telling me the competition wasn't fatigued after 162? Cry me a river, and call Cal Ripken.

3) Lack of a bench was a glaring issue in the 2011 World Series. Washington had a far better bench during this last quarter of the season and did nothing with it. He is among the absolute worst in baseball re: game to game management....not a view in isolation.

4) 1 through 3 above are all Wash issues, and 4 is no different. (See a developing trend??) Obviously, Wash wants to win, rather the question relates to how he pursues that end. He trusts veterans, period. (God help us if we'd had Trout on the roster this year, as he'd be sitting right next to Profar.) He has no feel for how to maximize a bench as evident by what happened down the stretch and vs. LaRussa last year.

5) This is addition by subtraction. Hamilton is NOT a Wash guy, and the manager is fully right on this one. Getting that high-profile head case out the Ranger's clubhouse next year will nearly offset any statistical deficiencies of letting him go....albeit his replacement will be a critical off-season decision.

it's going to be so awesome seeing the development of the young players impeded because ron washington considers them "ponies."

"1) Wash is a Nolan Ryan guy" HUH??!? Is this the same Nolan Ryan that was within 48-72 hrs of firing this same Ron Washington back in 09? The same Nolan Ryan that has surrounded this same Ron Washington with 2 of "his" for sure guys, Maddox and Moore, because he wanted some like minded thinkers around Wash to cover up deficiences? The same Ryan who showed up AFTER Wash had been hired by DANIELS? No way Wash is a Ryan guy, might be closer to being one after this little run, but I do not see that relationship in that manner, not even close.

I don't think there's any way that Wash is a "Nolan guy", and if he is, that scares me even more. JD is the one that deserves the credit for building this team, not Ryan. Ryan is a figure head, a good one, but little more. You think Nolan can calculate oWAR or knows how zone ratings work?

Daniels is an analyst. He tries to buy wins with his budget, and doesn't use his gut. He'd have loved to jettison PADMY two years ago. Wash did not play Profar against JD's intent in calling him up.

As for JD and Wash, I find it pretty funny that Wash was involved in the team that pioneered the analytical approach to baseball statistics (A's) and was noted as being a nay-sayer. Should we be surprised that he continues to play hunches in the face of every quantifiable measure of performance probability?

As for Nolan's guys, I think the most on-the-nose "Nolan guy" on the team is Roy Oswalt. That was Nolan's big play. ...unmitigated disaster.

Eh... the argument for fatigue is that rarely has any team in the wildcard era played as much baseball in a 3 year span as the Rangers have done. NYY at the turn of the millennium did so, and I am unsure whether they rode the same 6-7 everyday players out there 140+ times like the Rangers did though. But in any case, its rare enough to merit consideration.

I listened to the entire Ben and Skin show and they seemed hell bent on throwing Wash under the bus.

Is Wash the best manager in the league...of course not. He made/makes tons of mistakes game in and game out, but there is no f-ing way that someone can say the Rangers lost a 13 game lead because of Wash.

This team flat out failed. From top to bottom...every player (except Beltre, and Darvish), every coach, every front office guy deserves some of the blame. That being said, in the end...when it's all said and done...the players just didn't perform... PERIOD.

I'm not giving Wash a pass, I'm just saying that this team felt entitled form day one. They came out swinging at the beginning of the year because they wanted to prove that 2011 was behind them...then once they got a 9 game lead on the Angles, they started reading the press clippings about how they were the best team in baseball. They played like they were expecting to just flip the switch and poof they win the WS.

In the end, that's why they lost...they were too caught up in thinking they were the best team in the league, meanwhile the A's just played ball and got it done. What a disappointing season.

i don't think showing undue favoritism all season long helped matters. he's just an awful manager in every way possible.

"but there is no f-ing way that someone can say the Rangers lost a 13 game lead because of Wash"
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The Rangers lost a 13 game lead because of Wash. The Rangers lead was only 13 because of Wash.

@ Jurickoon.

Come on man. You can't tell me that you think every player on the team played their best all season long.

It's not wash's fault that Feliz and Colby got hurt. It's not wash's fault that Josh disappeared for 2 months. It's not Wash's fault that Napoli, Kinsler, Cruz, Holland, Ogando, Adams...all had down years. It's not Wash's fault that Josh is a head case and takes himself out of games.

There is plenty of blame to go around...and Wash deserves some of that...but you're crazy if you think this is all his fault. Truthfully, he did a pretty damn good job of keeping this team together for as long as he did. They wanted to collapse for most of the season...the so called best offence in baseball was a no show for most games...

Come on man. You can't tell me that you think every player on the team played their best all season long.

No, they didn't. And thats where Wash is wrong, for letting them play anyways. At least the ones where a good replacement was waiting in the wings.

Exactly. All of the problems that arose throughout the season are not Wash's fault, but how he handled (or failed to handle) them is. The Manager has three primary functions. 1. Put the best team on the field and 2. Keep the team mentally focused throughout the season. 3. in-game strategic management, and he's probably the worst in the league in that category.

I think he should get something lower than an F for all three.

I agree with you Keystone Heavy...and to a certain extent Elliott.

But at the same time, Is my boss solely to blame for me going out and getting hammered then coming into work and messing up? I don't think that's fair. I would be to blame...maybe my boss would ultimately have to be held responsible, but that's not the same thing and taking on all the blame.

No matter what Wash did (and he's done it the same way for his entire tenure with the team...which led us to where we are now) the players still didn't play the kind of baseball that they were capable of.

The problem with wash is that he tries too hard to be one of the guys. Those type of managers have their pros and cons. Being that hes fairly new to managing (meaning he hasnt gone through any really changes to the core of a roster), its still TBD if he can adapt. Hell, scoscia has completely redone his roster since they won the WS in 02 or 03 or w/e and it still took a vernon wells injury to get trout on the field. As far as pitching decisions and changes, I honestly think thats 99% maddux decision. You always see them talking when they happen. It may be wash going out there, but its maddux that decides when and who. Of course, thats just my opinion.

All that being said, I think next year will be huge for wash's future here (and personally, I dont think coolbaugh will be back. at least not as the big league HC). If he learns how to turn off the "one of the guys" approach and get on the players when necessary (a la hamilton after his mindboggling drop), then maybe he lasts. If not, next season could be his last. Again, thats just my opinion.