Report: Ron Washington Tested Positive For Cocaine In 2009
Joey Matschulat
Ron Washington makes a pitching change against the Tigers on April 10th, 2009.This is obviously not the kind of story that needed to blow up in the face of this organization within the ever-narrowing three-week window preceding Opening Day, but it did, and so begins vigorous damage control on the public relations front -- referring, of course, to the stunning revelation that Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington tested positive for cocaine in July 2009, an infraction for which he was not terminated.
According to SI.com's Jon Heyman (who broke the story late Wednesday morning), Washington notified the commissioner's office and his immediate superiors -- including general manager Jon Daniels and team president Nolan Ryan -- of his cocaine use shortly after the league-imposed drug test was administered around the All-Star break last year, expressing remorse over his decisions and going so far as to tender his resignation.
The Rangers, so the story goes, refused to accept his resignation and agreed to retain him on the condition that he entered Major League Baseball's substance-abuse program and didn't tally another positive drug test. Washington was reportedly tested three times a week over the last nine months as part of "extensive outpatient counseling," coming up clean each time, and despite being cleared by doctors to have his tests scaled back to those of the standard four-per-year variety (which are administered randomly to all non-playing personnel who work around the clubhouse), he has consented to additional voluntary drug tests as a means of eliminating any further questions about his sobriety.
So what happens now? Nothing, in all likelihood. Or at least that's the safe assumption. Washington's purported one-time indulgence in cocaine has become mainstream knowledge in astonishingly short order, but as far as the Rangers are concerned, there's really nothing to decide upon -- they made their decision nine months ago, and given the unanimous ring of support that has been thrown around Washington by management and players alike, doing a 180-degree reversal on that decision now in order to mollify angry fans isn't a viable option. It's just not. The notion of Washington being fired at any point before Opening Day is a pipe dream, plain and simple.
[And, by the way, let's not forget that the entire reason that this story went public is because somebody -- presumably, though not necessarily, in the commissioner's office -- leaked it to the media, which, by virtue of Washington being a first-time violator of Major League Baseball's drug policy, should not have happened. That leak, in and of itself, is a tad alarming. A lot of us hunger for greater transparency on matters such as these, but Texas was expressly prohibited from divulging the details of Washington's failed drug test; to do so would have violated the confidentiality of baseball's collective bargaining agreement. You can criticize the Rangers for their decision to retain Washington, but you can't criticize them for a lack of disclosure.]
And really, once you start seriously pondering the decision-making process that unfolded behind closed doors last July, perhaps axing Washington then wasn't the most viable option either. Had he been shown the door then, there are those who would have lampooned the organization for its seeming hypocrisy in kicking Washington to the curb after uniting so readily behind Josh Hamilton in the wake of his January 2009 relapse; true, the two situations aren't completely analagous, but the point would have been there to be made in some manner, and it would have had some merit behind it.
Here's the really key point that I think needs to be made, though: According to the timeline of events offered by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Randy Galloway, Washington's positive test was incurred during the Rangers' three-game sojourn in Los Angeles from July 6-8th, at which time the Rangers were effectively locked in a dead heat with the Angels atop the division and Washington, at this point, was less than one month removed from having his 2010 team option exercised.
Given these facts, I think it's fair to ask two very important and pertinent questions: (a) what sort of irreparable damage is done in the clubhouse if Washington -- a manager who does have his flaws, but commands the respect of his players and also seems to extract maximum effort out of his players -- is fired with the team effectively in first place, and (b) what sort of P.R. disaster ensues back home in Texas following Washington's mysterious ouster, particularly since the Rangers couldn't rationalize their decision to the media and to their fan base without violating the collective bargaining agreement?
If you're not perfectly clear on what I'm getting at, let me lay it out in more explicit terms: the Rangers are getting thoroughly blasted for sticking by Washington, and I think that it's fair to consider that the organization might have to deal with some credibility issues as far as its fan base, but I'm not sure that Texas, at the end of the day, really had much of a choice in this matter. It was either (a) fire Washington with almost certainly disastrous consequences in the middle of a pennant race, or (b) keep Washington, hope that the confidentiality clause held up and that no leaks developed, and pray that this story never saw the light of day. Which option would you have chosen?
[Tuesday 6:00 a.m. CST Update: For what it's worth, Randy Galloway is reporting this morning that the source of the leak was a "disgruntled" ex-Rangers employee who attempted to blackmail the organization, leveraging knowledge of Washington's cocaine use to create bargaining power. The team employee, fired after the 2009 regular season, reportedly listed multiple demands, including a "glowing letter of recommendation" which Texas refused to supply. Draw your own conclusions from there.]
Reader Comments (25)
BIG wow - and a much bigger deal than usual considering (1) he works in the Biblest Bible city in the Bible belt, (2) his own job security is probably just a 8-10 game losing streak away from being nil, and (3) Josh Hamilton.
Four- He's not well regarded as a strategic manager. He's well regarded as a clubhouse guy. This hits him where it hurts.
This is a no-brainer: fire him.
He's semi-illiterate, a druggie, and can't manage.
Does it take Einstein to figure this one out?
Now the similarities between him and Tyrone Biggums are not just physical...
well, I have been critical of him from the begining, and his "gut decisions", but now maybe I understand.... back him up and see how a clean manager operates....
he may turn out to be a really good one.
and no, I have never tried drugs of any kind.
at 76, my generation seemed to skip them. I remember as a boy, "them" talking about "goofballs"
thats about it..
The Hurdle hiring makes more sense now, not that I'm not a "Hurdle Fan"...but it does make more sense.
Give Hurdle a shot to manage the team this year.
Interesting quote by Andruw Jones on ESPN about this.
They asked him if he was aware of anything going on with Ron Washington last season:
"This is 2010. I’m not there right now. If you asked me when I was there, I probably had an answer for you. I'm not there now, so I can't answer that question."
A not so artful dodge?
Ron Washington has my full support. If Nolan and JD didn't see fit to can him last year then in my opinion there are apparently good reasons to keep him around. He is a players' manager and that couldn't be more obvious than MY's unconditional support. As long as he hasn't lost his team then there isn't anything different in the clubhouse than there was yesterday. I was absolutely on the 'give Washington the hook' bandwagon early last year. Now, not so much. They've improved record-wise every year during his tenure. How many managers have accomplished that in Rangers history? I can't imagine that many given that we've been a 'losing' franchise for 3 decades now. I'm not sure I even believe that it was a one time transgression (57 year olds don't just go out and and hook up an 8-ball), but as long as he's meeting the demands of the job AND STAYING CLEAN he's got my support as a 20+ year Rangers fan.
The 'Biblest Bible city in the Bible belt'??? You can't really be serious? I'll give you being smack dab in Tornado Alley, but come on with being the bellwether of the Bible Belt.
Any manager with this amount of talent and the expectations of this front office would be on the white hot seat with a 10 game losing streak. If they lose more than 4 or 5 in a row, I'd be seriously worried about what is going on regardless of who is managing...
Semi-illiterate? So you know how well Ron reads? I'll give you that he doesn't always speak well, but that has no bearing on how smart he is or whether or not he can read and write. The guy is a baseball lifer and is very intelligent when it comes to the game of baseball. I don't agree with many of his gut decisions, but that doesn't make him illiterate.
I agree, Hurdle is an excellent...hitting coach (look at his record as such with the Rockies). Of course, living in Denver I also watched all of the piss-poor teams he ran out there before the miracle run and how he floundered with a team that the GREAT Jim Tracy took to the playoffs. Hire him right now to lead these guys to the promised land...he's definitely the answer.
I want a Championship team and if Ron isn't the right guy then a change needs to be made. More than anything else, if he loses the locker room over this then hell yeah he has to go. Otherwise, let him weather the storm and see where the chips fall. As long as Maddux is helping with in-game pitching decisions, I'm more than ok going to bat with Ron as the Manager. I trust JD and Nolan to make the right decisions. Until there is an obvious crack in the hull, lets ride this out...
Hey Joey, or anyone, I have not been around since the Rangers late-season swoon last year. What's the final analysis? What the heck happened? After playing so great all year, they just fell apart. And it was the bats!
What happened, and are you worried it could recur? Also, what are the major differences on the roster this season?
Give the man the ax. As others have said - he can't even manage properly and now this? It's time, Nolan, it's time.
"The Hurdle hiring makes more sense now, not that I'm not a "Hurdle Fan"...but it does make more sense."
As does the decision to NOT extend Washington through 2011 following his 87-win success, a decision which Nolan himself acknowledged was partly influenced by this coke incident. I do think it's fair to consider Washington's leash appropriately shortened; if this thing starts slow out of the gates, it's going to be the same old story as back in 2008, when he was apparently one loss away from being fired -- any security gained by 87 wins is probably negated by his extracurricular activities.
"A not so artful dodge?"
Seems that way. Ken Rosenthal wrote on Wednesday that some of the players knew as far back as last August. Probably safe to assume that Andruw was in on this.
The Galloway blackmail story is a riot. Make sure to read it.
"Give the man the ax. As others have said - he can't even manage properly and now this? It's time, Nolan, it's time."
I guess what I keep coming back to -- and what I wrote about in the article above -- is this: if the Rangers already made their decision on this issue back in July, why would they now throw him under the bus solely because the story was leaked? How the fan base reacts is undoubtedly important, since that's the primary driver of revenues, but isn't a rather dangerous precedent set if the Rangers renege on their commitment to Washington and cave to outside pressure?
RG has had quite a series of inside stories over the past year. This one... what can I say other than: WOW!
Well, I think the Rangers took the less risky approach last year, and I think it was a wise decision, and I think RW is on a short leash, and he needs only look at his coaching staff to understand how short that leash is.
So, what exactly is the short leash? The no-brainers:
(1) out of contention by June, even if injuries play a role.
(2) a second drug test failure.
(3) mismanagement of Feliz/Holland/etal. that has the appearance of hurting their long-term development.
What if the Rangers fall out of contention in August or September? Do the circumstances of such a swoon weigh on their decision to keep RW? Probably not, I think.
What about alleged drug use? Does even a rumor of drug use get him fired? I think that is highly likely. I'm not sure the FO would spend more political capital to keep RW around, when they are dealing with this messy and costly ownership transfer at the same time they are trying to win back fans.
Basically, I think this season has to be a Disney season for RW to come back next year. They need to make the playoffs, which means Hamilton/Davis need to mash and Borbon needs to contribute at least league-average production and the pitching staff needs to take a step forward in preventing runs and a couple of young pitchers need to make solid to border-line spectacular contributions.
Now kids know there is no real punishment for cocaine use.........a person in his position, its just not acceptable! And shame on the Rangers upper management!
I liked yesterday's headline better, but such is life.
@ Adam D-- Funny stuff, thanks.
There is a lot not to like about this, but near the top of the list is how it has brought out the Wash haters with all their tired non-sense.
Joey your insight is really good, but don't you think the media and fans would have accepted a Washington resignation which sited "personal matters" and accompanied by regret and complimentary words from both parties? I don't think its a simple as the Rangers had no choice, unless you posit that the 'resignation offer' story is made up.
A final thought -- People should keep this in mind the next time they are about to blast the players for not accepting a drug testing regime. Baseball has thoroughly proven that it cannot live up to its contractual responsibility of confidentiality. What a disgrace!
Now kids know there is no real punishment for cocaine use.....
How about, now kids know if they make a stupid mistake,
they can be forgiven if they seek repentance...
I like that better.. because of some of my stupid mistakes.....
I watched RW's apology and he certainly seemed extremely sincere. To my detrement sometimes, I believe in the good in people and believe him when he says this was truly a one time incident as a result of being too stressed out or whatever. If the Rangers team is truly as close as they claim to be, then they'll rally behind Ron and kick the shit out of any naysayers who claim that they're done... even before the season starts.
Hell... the '86 Mets were all doing coke weren't they? And they won the World Series! I joke but c'mon the man made a mistake. We should hold public figures to a higher standard but when they admit at screwing up, we shouldn't skewer them. I think the Nolan, JD and all the players handled the situation very well.
I prefer your take on this situation billydpowell. If we really are in the heart of the "Bible belt" (I would agree to being the largest metropolitan area in the "Bible Belt" but not the biblest city, whatever that means), shouldn't Ron have the most leeway. Doesn't forgiveness mean something here? If he's been tested regularly since and has shown that he's sorry, he deserves a second chance albeit with a shorter leash.
The thing that strikes me on this situation is any blow-back coming on the Rangers as an organization for being secretive. If they accept his resignation when this happens, then they have to use the "personal reasons" excuse. That's far more secretive than dealing with the situation when the truth surfaces. They can't come out with the story themselves unless Ron asks them to take it to the media. The drug testing policy is meant to be confidential. We should have never known a single name from the pre-steroid testing screening. We should have never heard a word about Ron's situation until he wanted us to hear it. As far as the rest of this situation, I don't have a really strong feeling on the rest of this situation, but I'm right in the Rangers corner when it comes to someone thinking they're hiding things from us. Damn right they are. They stuck to the MLB policy on this one. If you have a problem with the Rangers not coming out with this themselves, go after MLB and the players union (good luck).
The Rangers should have fired him.
I immensely respect the decision not to though. Easy to fire a guy after a mistake like this -- takes courage to stand at his side during his darkest hour and give him a second chance.
First time use -- I call BS on that. Doesn't matter though cuz if Wash fails a test again he's gone.
Wash isn't a very good tactical manager, but the fact that apparently the entire team was at his press conference as a sign of support shows how much the guys respect and care for him. Also speaks to the pull Young and Kinsler have in the locker room as I believe those two (and Hamilton too probably) were behind the "show of support" effort.
Ridiculous thing is -- this whole episode just galvanized the 2010 Texas Rangers into a team. A team willing to stand behind one another no matter the circumstances. 2010 is going to be one hell of a ride...
Wonder how much this played into TEX decision let Rudy leave ... and to replace him with Clint Hurdle?
How is Wash going to react when he goes to the mound in NYC and the fans go nuts with their usual nuttery - or jogs to the mound in Minnesota and the organist plays Clapton's "Cocaine"?
No, it's too late to fire him Joey, you're correct - but as soon as there is another excuse to do so, I'm quite positive he'll be gone. He's on the shortest leash in baseball.
Good take JM, as are most of the comments here.
If I were Ron Washington and a PA system played "Cocaine" when I went to the mound I'd start dancing. Better yet would be if the whole team on the field started singing along. Throw it back in their face in a funny manner and it will stop. Otherwise ignore it.
As to the fans in Eww Yuck and Boston, they are so over the top abyway that he will probably never notice. After a certain level which they easily pass every night that sort of Shimano just gets stupid, petty and idiotic.
I still support RW, but I imagine he will be fired this season when Texas doesn't jump out to a commanding lead in the AL West like most homers think they are supposed to.
I've lived in a lot of places, and I've never seen any place like Dallas for fake, pompous, quasi-racist, hypocritical religiosity. I feel for RW, I really do. He never stood a chance here. From day 1, as soon as he opened his mouth and spoke in his very non-white, non-middle class fashion, he's been mocked and lampooned by local fans mercilessly. Whenever he does something good, it's the players, and whenever something goes wrong, it's him. So this latest revelation is just going to make things even harder for him.