If nothing else, our Washington Nationals are unique. They have 29 owners, but they have no owner. The general manager, the man fingering the red player personnel button, is essentially a temp-employee. The manager finishes the season, hangs around, gets ostracized but doesn't get fired, hangs around even longer, and only now gets rehired, mid-way between the end of one season and the start of a new one.
One could reasonably see this coming, given that the ownership situation still hasn't be resolved. (Ha! There's nothing yet to resolve!) Nevertheless, despite the dormant state in which our little MLB spendthrift ownership has left us, the major players still provided a bit of drama:
Robinson, in turn, has expressed frustration with the Nationals' situation, including in an interview in November in which he said the club was "at a disadvantage" because it didn't yet have an owner.
Concurrent with Robinson's return, the Nats also announced a vastly different coaching staff would assist the ol' skip in '06.
Gone:
- Don Buford (first base)
- Dave Huppert (third base)
- Bob Natal (bullpen)
- Jack Voigt (roving instructor/fill-in color analyst)
- Randy St. Claire (pitching)
- Eddie Rodriguez (bench/bunting)
Apparently, Bodes might retain McCraw as a scout---but, you know, McCraw wants to hear what Cap'n Leatherpants "has in mind" first. He must be in demand.
Alright. So, what do I think?
Fine by me. Stability is good, and many of my concerns (okay, criticisms) about him, especially in longer posts at my old blog, aren't really applicable at the moment. The team hasn't been sold yet, it has no particular direction at the moment, and Robinson isn't really standing in the way of too many developing guys---or at least he won't in 2006, because there aren't many of them, anyway, and the one or two guys who need playing time will hopefully have clear shots without veteran interference.
Specifically, there is no Vinny Castilla to play ahead of Ryan Zimmerman, out of respect for Castilla's veteran status. There is no Preston Wilson to play ahead of (hopefully) Ryan Church or Marlon Byrd, in an inane (but fulfilled) attempt to get Community Service up to 90 ribbies. There are no young, serviceable pitchers with fragile psyches to run out of town anymore, because . . . well, Frobby ran all of those guys out of town already.
But you get my drift. Will the team contend in '06? Maybe, perhaps, sort of like last season---but most likely not. If not, what's the point of replacing:
- a Hall of Fame figure who is respected by many (if not exactly well-liked by some within the game), with
- some guy?
Plus, in four seasons, Robinson has two winning campaigns and a break-even one. Less distinguished guys have been retained, despite less distinguished records. Moreover, maybe the ken of next year's squad will be more sufficiently recondite, given Robinson's strategic aims. At the very least, maybe Alfonso Soriano won't be caught in as many failed hit-and-run situations as Brad Wilkerson.
Speaking of Wilkerson, Robinson extended a very gracious gesture in his comments to the media today on behalf of a player who, even considering his poor season, was never fully appreciated by many Nats' fans and is still being criticized in absentia:
"Soriano certainly adds another element to this ballclub," Robinson said. "So we're a little better there, with some more power and speed. But you also have to remember what Wilkerson brought to the table. It's an awful lot. I don't know if fans understood what he meant to this ballclub. I know what he meant to me as a manager. You can't replace guys like that."
Just like Alec Guiness, that Robinson is. Genuine class.
We should be mindful of that next June, when the team is 10-15 games below .500 and Robinson's days are numbered.
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I'd love to claim that the Natospherian hivemind is set to "Super Groupthinky" on this Thursday, but there's a pretty good diversity of opinion.
Nationalz is pumped:
Nasty Nats understands and approves, too:
Capitol Punishment isn't going to light a victory cigar, but there's some what you might call "respectful acceptance" at work:
Nats Triple Play is less enthusiastic:
Marbert Fickerson. Heh. That's good.
Anyone else? Not yet, I guess.
Oh, and before I forget: Wish the Birthday Pimp a happy, happy birthday. As for presents, he likes Japanese wrestlers, cute little pigs, and Baseball Prospectus subscriptions.
[editor's note, by Basil] Several of these bloggers have noted optimism that Mitchell Page, who is credited with doing wonders with Marlon Byrd, will sign on as batting coach. Page, of course, has battled his personal demons and seems to have turned the corner.