Wash Resigns As Rangers Manager!

Photo by Willie Martin "Mr. Will"

Can it possibly be? The week of Labor Day in Texas two well-liked skippers were shown the door.

One by way of a firing, the other courtesy of a resignation to attend to family matters.

Quite frankly none of this passes the sniff test.

The following statement was issued by Ron Washington earlier this day.

"Today, I have submitted my resignation from the job I love -- managing the Rangers -- in order to devote my full attention to addressing an off-the-field personal matter," Washington said in a statement. "As painful as it is, stepping away from the game is what's best for me and my family.

"This is in no way related to the disappointing performance of the team this season. We were already discussing 2015 and looking forward to getting the Rangers back to post season contention."

Initially I wondered if perhaps Wash had suffered some kind of relapse like what he tested positive for in 2009 and offered to resign. Nolan Ryan at the time said no. The timing of this is very fishy.

Was this done with the knowledge that the Astros were inquiring about the availability of Mike Maddux, the pitching coach? This resignation looked as awkward as what we noticed last October when it was Nolan were saying 'Thank You' and goodbye.

Next we see Wash's bench coach Jackie Brown fired. All of a sudden a manager's hands are tied.

We may never get to the bottom of this but you cannot convince me that with less than three weeks left in a season a manager just up and quits the team in a season where nothing has gone right.

You can ponder the way the scenario wiith Yu Darvish went. You can also wonder just how non-communicative Jon Daniels and the Rangers skipper have been over the last two years. 

You can also make the argument that even though Ron Washington was the ultimate protector of players on his team maybe he lost the team as the season wore on.

Crazier still, this happens only four days after Bo Porter gets the ax in Houston after an improved season with the Astros. 

Any possibility that Bo comes to Houston and Wash rejoins Nolan Ryan in Houston? That in itself might make sense.

Jon Daniels earlier in the day issued the following statement.

"While we are disappointed, we accept Ron's decision and are grateful for his many contributions to the Rangers organization over the last eight years," Daniels said in a statement. "This has certainly been a difficult season for our major league club in terms of on-field performance, but we were looking forward to moving ahead with Ron as our manager in 2015."

It almost sounds like a back-handed, 'Cam you just go away now so we can scout talent to manage the team?' JD and Wash have had their differences over the years. Amazing what you will overlook when a team is winning. Start losing and everything goes by the way of a Zapruder film. 

Two names being bounced around-Michael Young and maybe a Steve Buechele type. Works for me.

As a fan I will always remember the way he turned a program around in 2009 in his third season as Rangers skipper. Amassing 87 wins and then a teo year run to the World Series only to come up a little but short.

Pitching and Defense. Man, did he preach that mantra! Since2007 he did that and over time he successfully made a mantra stick in Arlington. Quick to take a bullet for his players, and even quicker to mentor and share his passion for the game.

That's how baseball go. A catch phrase we fell in love with in victory and defeat.

Whatever personal matter Ron Washington must attend to may he find the peace he needs to find and get back to the game he loves the most. 

Fans of the Texas Rangers will have questions galore from now until the end of hte season. The Rangers brass now deals with the possibility of losing a very loyal fan base for 2015 and onward. 

Thanks Wash! Thanks for eight wonderful years here in Texas. A picking machine extreme who took us to the Autumn Dream not once, but twice.

One manager improved his team by leaps and bounds and suddenly is shown the door. The other becomes the most successful manager in Texas Rangers history with four straight ninety win seasons, gets beset by injuries this year and now resigns under a cloack of secrecy.

Something isn't sitting rught wth me. 

Best of luck to you Wash. 

You and Mr. Porter will indeed be missed.

Tim Bogar will now manage in thie interim, the 20th Rangers manager in their history.

Over and out in Big D.

Mr. Will