Jim Riggleman Is Bona Fide, He's A Suitor! Will He Manage The Washington Nationals In Twenty-Ten?

Asked by Washington Post writer Chico Harlan, in a Nationals Journal post entitled, "Riggleman And Rizzo Talk Future", "What have you been told about where you stand?", the Nationals' "Interim" Manager Jim Riggleman responded simply, "Well, I really haven't been told anything except that I'm a candidate to be the manager. But that's okay. That's a good thing. The process is going to play itself out." Later in Mr. Harlan's article he quotes DC GM Mike Rizzo saying that Riggleman, who's 29-42 as the Nationals' skipper since replacing Manny Acta, "...is a definite candidate to stay on...I would say he's a legitimate candidate to be the manager in 2010." 

Mr. Harlan's colleague at the Washington Post, Dave Sheinin, posted a Nationals Journal story yesterday entitled, "Valentine: I'm 'Committed' To ESPN --At Least For Now", where Mr. Sheinin wrote about how the Nationals, "..are believed to at least have a mild interest," in the services of recently inked ESPN analyst and former Texas Rangers', NY Mets' and Chiba Lotte Marines' Manager, Bobby Valentine, who, Mr. Sheinin "reports", "is believed" to have an "out clause" in his deal with ESPN should an offer to manage in the majors arise. Whether or not Mr. Valentine would be willing to join a (re)building franchise like the Nationals, is an obvious question, and Mr. Sheinin asks what the 59-year-old manager would want to do with a 100-loss team:

"'I don't know about 100-loss seasons,' said Valentine, who managed in the U.S. for 15 years with the Texas Rangers and New York Mets, taking the Mets to the 2000 World Series. 'But I do know about a No. 1 draft choice [pitcher Stephen Strasburg] that was signed."'

What did he say? Whatever...Neither of the articles added a name to the list of possible candidates for the Nationals' job, though there's one name to be added to the list Mr. Sheinin provides when he writes at the end of his article about the other teams in the market for a new skipper:

"Aside from the Nationals, the only other team with a managerial opening are the Houston Astros, although several other teams, including the Baltimore Orioles, could be considering changes..."

One of those teams "considering changes" made their decision today when the Cleveland Indians decided to part ways with Eric Wedge, (well decided they will part ways at season's end), and immediately the same names, like Buck Showalter, for example, which have popped up in talk about the Nationals' position were being mentioned as possible replacements in Cleveland, which led me to wonder...If you had to rank the appeal, to the top candidates, of the jobs that are open as of now:

1. Houston Astros
2. Cleveland Indians
3. Washington Nationals

"Joe Girardi a few yrs ago turned down offers from the Nationals and Orioles to Manage...hoping the Yanks job would open so he could win."