The Ron Washington Debacle
Ron Washington applauds during the Rangers' Opening Day ceremony on Monday, April 5th.Anyone who has frequented any Rangers-oriented website for an extended period of time knows well that there are few subjects more provocative than Ron Washington. He's an old-school "baseball man" in a new-school environment, with a job description that entails the performance of his (on-the-field) duties in a highly visible setting and naturally demands heightened accountability. He's one of the more polarizing figures that this franchise has employed in the last decade (owing in no small part to last summer's transgression), and will no doubt remain that way until the date of his dismissal. He also played an unnervingly large role in last night's 13-inning loss, and not in what I would consider to be a good way, either.
According to multiple sources (including Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News), Washington issued a post-game mea culpa, admitting that he had neglected to order closer Neftali Feliz to begin warming up before the top of the ninth inning commenced. Washington, eager to tilt the matchups in his favor, elected to begin the frame with Darren Oliver on the mound versus the lefty-hitting Eric Chavez, after which a procession of right-handed batters would follow and it would make plentiful sense to summon Feliz ... except Feliz, by virtue of Washington's tardiness, faced the second right-handed batter rather than the first, and ended up being summoned into a sticky two-on, no-out situation. Disaster ensued.
Now, rewind to the bottom of the fifth inning. With the game deadlocked at 2-2, runners on first and second base and no outs and the exemplary-hitting Elvis Andrus standing in against a vulnerable Trevor Cahill, Washington yet again employed the sacrifice bunt -- a play that is useful in certain late-and-close situations, but makes little sense otherwise, given that it reduces your overall run expectancy and dramatically reduces your chances of cashing in with a big inning. Andrus ultimately dropped a successful 0-2 sacrifice bunt of his own volition even after Washington removed the bunt sign (a move which pleased the fourth-year skipper), but Texas failed to plate a single run thereafter.
Let's ignore for the moment the hows and whys of Washington's oversight as far as warming up Feliz; that, in and of itself, is baffling, but what this really does seem to boil down to is Washington failing to put his players in the best possible positions to succeed. Sure, Feliz was rocked after his eventual insertion into the game; he was also forced to rush his warm-up routine and enter an unnecessarily higher-leverage situation. Andrus? He's hitting .296/.415/.343 with some of the most visibly impressive patience and bat control of any early-20s player in the game. Why on earth does Washington continue to insist upon taking the bat out of the hands of one of his current best hitters?
At this point, the manager is who he is. He creates value through hands-on interaction with his players and whatever properties that enable him to maintain a cohesive, functional clubhouse, thereby "extracting the most out of his players." Conversely, he continues to exhibit a disturbing inability to grasp (and apply) some of the most basic principles and nuances of good in-game management, with this now being true to such an extent that it's impairing the team's chances of winning. And if you have a manager who's improperly handling his players and failing to maximize his team's chances of succeeding, aren't you obligated to at least reassess the managerial situation -- regardless of win-loss record?
Maybe I've simply been driven over the edge by last night's debacle (and to be clear, there is blame to be apportioned to the offense and the bullpen as well), but even with Texas sitting three games above .500 and clinging to a share of first place, my level of confidence in Washington is nearing record lows. And my patience is running out. If that makes me a knee-jerking reactionary, I guess I'll just have to learn to live with that.
83 Comments | in Analysis, Game Recaps, The Season
Reader Comments (83)
Wash and Tracy both have something Hurdle didn't, young and developing talent. Tracy is a solid tactical manager tough.
Um, Clint Hurdle went 18-28 with the exact same team with which Jim Tracy finished 74-42. There is no better apples-to-apples comparison one will ever get with MLB managers.
Washington won 87 games last year and is on pace for 88 this year (and that after an April much tougher than our May and June). Hurdle finished above 76 wins one time in 8 tries with Colorado.
Sorry, but you have nothing here.
Of course, if they win the division and perform decently in the play-offs then we will still be discussing Wash's moves same time next year.
So despite being only the 2nd Rangers manager to win a division you'll still be complaining about him and wanting him fired.
That says a lot more about your judgement than it does about Ron Washington.
How about telling Borbon to take a pitch when the count was 2-0 in the bottom of the 13th. Andrus on deck and a pitcher beginning to struggle and instead nothing and swing happy Borbon pops it up. Step up and give him the take sign and if he swings then bench his stupid ass.
Now you guys have me worried that Hurdle isn't an upgrade (over Wash)... .didn't Jackie Moore miserably fail in Houston... or am I confusing him with someone else?
The Rangers, namely Nolan and JD, don't have the guts or the money to hire a guy like Bobby Valentine. It would be boom or bust with him... but sometimes risk brings reward.
Bobby V. is the complete package; he's brilliant, has a positive, upbeat personality yet he thinks no one person is better than the team as a whole (except maybe himself) and he knows what it takes to win...
He would be a very sexy pick... and talk about polarizing, wow! He would take the Rangers to new hieghts and give it a marketable identity... which is something they are sorely lacking.
I could see him telling the SP to knock someone on their butt, announcing the Rangers aren't your whipping boy anymore... and that you better be ready for a fight.
I think they call it SWAGGER... and that's something the Rangers haven't had in a very, very long time.
Rangers100 - don't try to understand this mentality. These are the same people who will blast RW for not bringing in Feliz one day, then the next in the exact situation blast him for bringing in Feliz. These are the people who from day 1 have blamed RW for every loss, and have never condescended to utter a modicum of praise for when they have won. Hell, you can see it in a number of posts on page 1: when they lose, it is always RW's fault. When they win, every team can find a way to win, to overcome the blunders of their manager.
That kind of ungracious, irrational, and arrogant attitude is pathetic and embarrassing, and the truth be told - DFW doesn't deserve RW. I used to think this site was better than DMN or LSB - but it's become clear that the only difference is here fans don't scream racist epithets and curse words at RW - but the mentality is exactly the same.
Hate to tell you this because in all seriousness Wash needs at least one defender (and it's not me), but Wash himself disagrees with you.
You're still very young, Jon, but when you get older and grow up a little you'll learn that good managers (in sports and business) very often tell the press things that aren't true. There are frequently very many reasons to do so, such as taking some heat off two very young players whose mistakes blew the 9th inning last night.
I just think that Hurdle, Maddux, and Moore need to get more aggressive and in Wash's ear. Insist on Wash letting Elvis swing away. Tell Hawk out in the bullpen to start warming Feliz as soon as Hamilton hits that bomb. Give Borbon the red light unless he should be bunting. Wash needs to relax and get out of his own way.
Well put, James.
And it's sad to see some very knowledgeable people like Joey Matschulat stooping down to encourage such irrational behavior in others, especially when they know very well that there is a sad sociological component that fuels the Washington hatred with a not insignificant number among the Rangers fanbase.
I think a big problem is that a lot of commenters on these blogs are kids in their early 20s or younger (Jon is a good example) whose earliest Rangers experiences were with the few winning teams the Rangers have ever had. So they came to believe that should be the norm. Thus, when a manager approaches the highest level of performance the franchise has had in nearly half a century (dating back to the Senators days), their complete lack of knowledge and perspective on the club's history additionally contributes to their irrational judgement of the historically "very good" as "very bad."
didn't Jackie Moore miserably fail in Houston... or am I confusing him with someone else?
Moore was the manager that preceded Tony LaRussa in Oakland from 1984-85 (163-190). His stint with the Astros was spent managing their Double-A/Triple-A in Round Rock, which was owned by Nolan Ryan's group. The general impression was that he did a pretty good job at that level. The Astro's manager you might be thinking of would probably be Cecil Cooper, who did have Jackie Moore as his bench coach for the 2008 season.
"especially when they know very well that there is a sad sociological component that fuels the Washington hatred with a not insignificant number among the Rangers fanbase."
I totally agree. I was watching WS classics on ESPN the other night and they had on an old Yankees team from the 70's with Billy Martin as manager, and I was shocked at all the crazy stuff Martin was doing in that game - all the wild gambles that he made (many of them failed, by the way). If Martin were here in Texas now making those same moves, fans would cheer his bravado, his fearlessness, and his penchant for living or dying by the "gut." I remember when Buck was here - when they had arguably more veteran talent - and his moves often didn't pan out either - but no one claimed he wasn't a "big league manager." He's a "brilliant" tactician, etc. etc. It seems clear to me that the difference is RW's ethnicity and his manner of speech. It is sad to think that, but the most obvious answer is usually the one that's right.
The problem with us is that we are fans. We see games like yesterday and think to our selves; him with another manager here we win that game. Now we can't know that for sure, but there is some grounds for us saying this. This team has more talent on it then any we have EVER seen. This team has more talent then the teams of the late 90's. The problem is most of our talent is young and still in the potential stage. I think everyone here agrees that Ron Washington might be one of the best Coaches in baseball. He however ranks towards the bottom in managing a game. Grass is always greener, we all love the backup QB, etc. We get that. The point is and I will go back to how I started, we are fans. When something or someone else can do a better job, then we can't help but think about making a switch.
@James, above, and Rangers 100,
This is what fans do for the most part. In baseball especially, every move the manager makes is dissected, particularly after tough losses. Comes with the territory.
By what I've observed, the dialogue has been pretty reasonable. It usually is on this site. But passions surface, and that's not a bad thing.
While the 2 of you stop short of calling folks racists or bigots, you do seem to be dancing pretty close to the line. That's unfortunate, because if you come around here much at all you'll know that that "mentality" is mostly non-existent here. Hope y'all keep coming around, not my blog of course, but I enjoy reading the various takes, though it might be prudent to keep your dubious projections as to what's in someone else's heart or mind to yourselves.
@Rangers100: "You're still very young, Jon"
Actually I am the same age as your beloved coke using of a manager.
I have been civil in all my discussions. If this beyond you please return to the DMN blog post haste.
Rangers100 and James: There's is nothing irrational about disapproving of Washington's in-game tactical decisions. While I may agree that personal attacks against the man are unwarranted, he has made some bad decisions for this club in 2010.
What is irrational in this discussion is believing that "the highest level of performance the franchise has had in nearly half a century" is something with which to be content. If better decision making could have netted Wash a .600 winning percentage before this season and another 3-5 wins this year, we shouldn't settle for less. Mistakes happen and some decisions will go wrong even though statistics and trends show those decisions to be your best bet. However, don't just assume that since he's done better (record-wise) than most of our other managers, we should just let him off the hook when he mismanages a game.
One doesn't have to hurl epithets to exhibit racism, as you surely must be aware. Racism is just the thought that one race is superior to another, or that a person of one race is inferior to another person of the same race when doing the same task or job, etc. Buck is a perfect point of comparison. When he was here, his teams sucked, he lost games, he made moves that did not work, yet no one ever ever ever labelled him as a bad manager or tactician. It was attributed to his poor personality and his micromanaging, "by-the-book" behavior.
Why then do these fans, when Ron Washington supposedly "loses games," or even when he makes a gamble that doesn't pan out in a game that Texas actually wins, immediately pinpoint the problem as Washington's intelligence, managerial skill, and lack of ability or smarts? Please don't tell me it's because Buck won more games than RW did, because their records are almost identical. And please don't tell me it's because RW has way more talent than Buck did while he was here.
I'd love for someone to explain that very real phenomenon.
@ Rangers100; "You're still very young, Jon, but when you get older and grow up a little"
Joey,
I hate to request this, but please monitor the board. Passions are running a little to high.
Thanks
I feel that a lot of the Ron Washington hatred has stemmed from the casual Rangers fan's inability to use the lack of pitching as a crutch anymore. All I have heard about this team for years is:
"Wake me up when we get some pitchin'"
"They ain't gonna do nothin' til they get some durn pitchin'"
Now pitching can't be blamed for all of the Rangers problems and those fans need another source to target. Unfortunately for Wash he is that target. Some of it he brought onto himself (off the field issues/beyond questionable game management), but I feel most of the heat is coming from fans who want to find something to complain about. That being said I think Wash's time should be up if the Rangers sloppy play begins to make itself more prevalent in the standings.
I really don't think this is a race issue and the fact that people have brought it up is absurd. As Epic Beard Man says: "It could be a Chinaman for all I care, it don't matter." This is about baseball and let's try to keep away from making this into something it isn't.
@James I think it is really a matter of expectations vs. results. Buck had a team no one expected much from and led them to mediocrity. Wash has a team everyone hopes (expects?) will go to the playoffs and though they are in first place do not look like a playoff contender. JD has been preaching 2010 for, I think, about 3 years now and people want to see this plan come to fruition.
james...get serious...The man obviously and admittedly made bad mistakes in his handling of the team...I contend that the rangers have been semi successful in spite of his poor decisions...If you can't see that then you've got bigger problems than arm chair finger pointing
I also think Warsh got luck in the 7th. Runners at 2nd and 3rd with two outs and a lefty at the plate. Lewis was struggling and Oliver was all warmed up and ready. Lewis gets a hard line drive to Hambone that could have easily cost us two more runs. To me thats a now brainer bring in Oliver for the Lefty vrs Lefty.
"james...get serious...The man obviously and admittedly made bad mistakes in his handling of the team...I contend that the rangers have been semi successful in spite of his poor decisions...If you can't see that then you've got bigger problems than arm chair finger pointing"
Jack - I am serious. As far as I can recall, the only mistakes Washington has admitted to are doing cocaine and not warming up Feliz last night.
Yes, people make mistakes, and Ron Washington is a person - thus he has made and will continue to make mistakes. But for fans to immediately jump to "he's a dumb manager" or "he's a poor strategist" or "he's not a major league manager" or "the team only wins despite his ineptitude" when they never said those things before when Buck made mistakes, is substance for speculation of motives. No one ever says "oh Ron Washington just made a mistake there." See the difference? And the bottom line is the bottom line. If the manager is held responsible for losing, he must be held responsible for winning. To fail to give that kind of basic, logical, consistent courtesy is quite telling, sir.
But hey, I do admit this - it's stupid to try to point these ingrained attitudes out to people - they are things that people simply will not be willing to see in themselves.
I am so sick of people crying racism if someone thinks Washington isn't a competent manager. It has nothing to do with the color of his skin, for me it's the boneheaded moves he makes, period. I guess that makes me a racist. Get a clue and a life.
BTW was sick when the Mavs got rid of Avery Johnson and as I recall he was black but I could be wrong never did pay that much attention to his skin color.
I totally agree. I was watching WS classics on ESPN the other night and they had on an old Yankees team from the 70's with Billy Martin as manager, and I was shocked at all the crazy stuff Martin was doing in that game - all the wild gambles that he made (many of them failed, by the way). If Martin were here in Texas now making those same moves, fans would cheer his bravado, his fearlessness, and his penchant for living or dying by the "gut." I remember when Buck was here - when they had arguably more veteran talent - and his moves often didn't pan out either - but no one claimed he wasn't a "big league manager." He's a "brilliant" tactician, etc. etc. It seems clear to me that the difference is RW's ethnicity and his manner of speech. It is sad to think that, but the most obvious answer is usually the one that's right.
So true and so sad.
You put it well earlier: it really is embarrassing and pathetic.
I am so sick of people crying racism if someone thinks Washington isn't a competent manager. It has nothing to do with the color of his skin, for me it's the boneheaded moves he makes, period. I guess that makes me a racist. Get a clue and a life.
And I'm sick of people throwing out that bogus straw man to intentionally misconstrue the argument and deny the obvious.
So here we are.
No one has said Washington can't be criticized or that race is entirely to blame. What they have said is that race plays a role in driving the criticism to the extreme, ridiculous, idiotic, juvenile, and utterly irrational levels it has reached within segments of the fanbase.
Actually I am the same age as your beloved coke using of a manager.
I have been civil in all my discussions. If this beyond you please return to the DMN blog post haste.
I apologize. I thought you were someone else.
Actually I am the same age as your beloved coke using of a manager.
Oh, and speaking of being civil (after which you then call for people to be banned).
Is Josh Hamilton a crack using right fielder?
@Rangers100 - no, he's a crack using left fielder.
James and Ranger100: please just relax a bit and don't assume that anything posted about Ron Washington has anything to do with race. Many of us who have criticized Ron for his in-game decisions this year have been fully in his corner in the past. I personally have supported Wash for most of his tenure here. I also hold no grudge against the man for his cocaine use. I've just personally decided this season to look at his actual in-game managing decisions and see what I think.
I haven't called the man an idiot or anything of that sort and don't support anyone else reverting to that; however, he hasn't been good this season. It just looks like he's pressing and making to many decisions. I'll say it again here; he just needs to relax and lean on his coaches a little bit more.
please just relax a bit and don't assume that anything posted about Ron Washington has anything to do with race. Many of us who have criticized Ron for his in-game decisions this year have been fully in his corner in the past. I personally have supported Wash for most of his tenure here. I also hold no grudge against the man for his cocaine use. I've just personally decided this season to look at his actual in-game managing decisions and see what I think.
1) I'm relaxed.
2) I don't assume Washington criticism has anything to do with race. I take each comment, the frequency of such comments from the same people, the severity of the comment, etc. into consideration. What I also don't do though is deny reality when it is very obvious and needs to be pointed out.
I haven't called the man an idiot or anything of that sort and don't support anyone else reverting to that
Thank you. Sadly and embarrassingly, this is widespread and increasing among Rangers fans currently. Unfortunately, the proprietor of the Rangers' most frequented fan site strongly and childishly encourages such bigoted comments about Washington.
however, he hasn't been good this season. It just looks like he's pressing and making to many decisions. I'll say it again here; he just needs to relax and lean on his coaches a little bit more
I disagree in that I don't think his managing has been significantly worse than the norm, but thank you for being able to express your criticism in a rational and mature manner.
Well, this was an interesting thread. I think.
Questions:
Has a manager ever been fired when his team is in first place?
If Wash is fired then does Hurdle get the job for the rest of the year?
(a) Would be Pat Corrales, who is the only manager in major league history to be fired while in first place (he was discharged from his duties after having commandeered the '83 Phillies to a 43-42 record and a share of first place; Philadelphia would ultimately go 90-72 and win the NL pennant after his dismissal); (b) My best guess -- and mind you, this is only a guess -- is that Jackie Moore would be promoted into the role on an interim basis, and then if the Rangers performed well the rest of the way, he would likely stick around in 2011. If he faltered, well, Steve Buechele probably makes the most sense as far as getting the call. Both Moore and Buechele are Nolan-backed, at the very least.
It is so easy to second guess. That's what makes all sports writers so intelligent. Oddly enough, Andrus is also the most reliable bunter on this team. And there are more ways of scoring a runner from third than second. If you don't believe in your pitching staff I can understand the big inning philosophy. And if you have no faith in Michael Young and Josh Hamilton it makes too much sense.
Which is it Joey? The pitching or #2 & #3 hitters?
Except nobody was second-guessing the fifth-inning bunt. It was stupid when it was ordered, it was stupid when it was executed, and it will be stupid for the remainder of eternity. And if I'm interpreting what you're saying correctly, I don't get why Texas should only play for the big inning if they're running out a pitching staff that we can't "believe in."
I'm all for Bobby Valentine coming back.
I didn't follow the early-90s Rangers, but I've read horror stories of Valentine running Edwin Correa and Bobby Witt into the ground; the latter pitched in the era of tracked pitch counts (1988-present) and logged 130-150 pitches with astonishing regularity. I don't know if he's learned a lesson or two from all of that, but that has to stand out as a pretty significant red flag even to this very day, I think.
And it's sad to see some very knowledgeable people like Joey Matschulat stooping down to encourage such irrational behavior in others, especially when they know very well that there is a sad sociological component that fuels the Washington hatred with a not insignificant number among the Rangers fanbase.
If writing this post was equivalent to "encouraging [...] irrational behavior in others," well, I'm guilty as charged. I called it like I saw it. I know I've had good things to say about Ron Washington -- I think his bullpen leveraging took a step forward last season, which is probably the single most important in-game function of a manager. I think he's been adequate in that regard this year.
What has bothered me for quite a while is that he's a fourth-year manager who still commits avoidable first-year mistakes, and who we're still not certain is the right manager to lead this team to a pennant. Tuesday night was the perfect storm of poor strategy and the consequences of -- according to Washington -- acquiring tunnel vision and not remembering to order the preparation of his closer for entry into the game. I think Washington is capable of being a successful major league manager, but Tuesday night epitomized the reasons why I have my doubts that he's going to achieve that in Texas.
Thank you to the majority of posters in here who were able to maintain some degree of civility. This is obviously a very flammable subject, and we took the unusual measure of deleting several comments, which is something we generally don't like to do. Hopefully we don't have to resort to doing it again.
The whole thing boils down to Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels doing their job and that is to usher Washington out the door. The man is not a food field manager, not a good common sense basseball manager period. He should have been gone long ago. As long as he is at the helm of the Rangers we will never be successful going into the post season at all!!
The whole thing boils down to Nolan Ryan and Jon Daniels doing their job and that is to usher Washington out the door.
Do you seriously believe the GM and President of a club should fire a manager whose team is in first place?
James and Rangers100-I have read very insightful analysis of Washingon's management, or lack there of, from a lot of intelligent, passionate Rangers fans. As a former Chicagoan and Cubs fan first, it is refreshing to read criticism that is not so venomous, but very spot on. Unfortnately too many Cubs blogs are filled with a lot the hatred or they types of things you claim are going on here, but clearly they are not. For the life of me, I do not see how you can come close to that conclusion. I have watched Washington make one boneheaded bad decision after another, so the ones he made in this loss are not unique at all. Let us please dispense of the talk that Washington is "leading" this team anyplace, or let's all go back and credit Barry Switzer to the Cowboys last Super Bowl. The Rangers are a mostly young team brimmng with talent, hopefully poised for some great things in the next few years. Royals fired Hillman as they look for a scapegoat for clearly putting another medocre product on the field. I would no more blame Hillman for the Royals failings anymore than I would credit Washinton for how the Rangers are doing now. Anyone who really knows the game and understands proper baseball strategy and tactics is on pins and needles waiting for the next Washington brain fart. The Rangers win in spite of Washington, not because of him. More importantly, just stop with the race card BS, as that really is the last refuge of a scoundrel.