Results tagged “manager”

The Nationals will be holding a news conference at 2:30 p.m. to officially name their new field manager, but there won't be any surprises: Jim Riggleman will be returning to manage the team on a permanent basis in 2010. Both ESPN's Tim Kurkjian and the Associated Press reported last night that Nationals sources confirmed that Riggleman would have his interim tag removed today. Riggleman led the Nats to a somewhat respectable 33-42 record after taking over from previous manager (and new Cleveland skipper) Manny Acta in July. He previously managed in San Diego, Chicago, and Seattle before coming to D.C., compiling a 555-694 record over ten years of service on the bench.

It took a little bit longer than expected, but Manny Acta is officially no longer the manager of the Washington Nationals, as first reported by ESPN Deportes and confirmed by the Associated Press. It was certainly time for the Nationals to make the switch: between a downward spiral of poor performances, color commentators (usually some of the game's biggest cheerleaders) questioning the team's effort, local media fondly reminiscing about the old manager, the dismissal of the team's pitching coach, and the jettisoning of several underperforming players, there was simply no one left to take the bullet for the team's recent run of form. That the Nationals (aside from Ryan Zimmerman, who'll be in St. Louis for the All-Star Game) will get a full three days to digest the change helps to explain the timing.

If you consider yourself a Nationals devotee -- or even if you just find constant amusement in the walking joke that the team has become -- this column by Mike Wise in today's Post is a must-read: in it, Wise makes the case that former manager Frank Robinson got an incredibly raw deal when he was forced out at the end of the 2006 season.

Ideally, this column is scheduled to run on Mondays. We held it until today because after this report by Fox Sports, and the Nationals subsequent non-denials, we were certain that Manny Acta was going to be fired yesterday. Well, he wasn't. It still seems likely that he will be, it is more a matter of when at this point. If it happens before Sunday, you can expect Bethesda Big Train Baseball's Nationals Night with Manny Acta bobblehead dolls to be the hot ticket of the season.