Thursday: From Washington to Washington

This is Thomas Lowery again. Please note that I'll be continuing to write on the blog a few days each week.

The number 23 (and we're not talking about that cheap Jim Carrey flick). We're talking about 23 names to remember who have managed the Texas Rangers (Including when they played in Washington), though some of their actual stints with the club don't necessitate remembrance (think Ted Williams: great ballplayer, lousy manager). It's fun to go through the list and pick out the ones that have been the most successful. Obviously Johnny Oates would be the first choice, and Bobby Valentine, who managed from '85 to '92, was popular, even if he didn't bring the Rangers much success. And I guess I have to mention Buck Showalter. I was never a fan of Buck, but he did in fact bring the Rangers 89 wins in 04, my favorite season as a Ranger fan. But one of the most important managers in Ranger history is the current skipper, Ron Washington.

Ron Washington is now in his third year with the Rangers, and if his team struggles early on, like last year, then you can expect his job to be in jeopardy. But even though many (if you listened to 'Rangers Replay' on KRLD at the time, then you'll know what I mean) thought that Washington's stint was over after the Rangers started the season 8 and 16, I believed that Washington was here to stay, because what he started in 2007, he'll finish.

When Washington was signed after the '06 season, I heard him say in an interview that in 2007 he would bring the Rangers to the playoffs and the rest of the AL West would be sitting on the couch watching. I was ecstatic to hear this, but I also knew that the new manager was being a tad idealistic. However, his energetic presence, his terrific former reputation with Athletics, and his ability to correspond with the players were all qualities that Buck Showalter did not hold. Ron Washington was pulling up all of the dead flowers that Showalter had left and planting new ones in order to change the direction that the team was headed. Ron Washington spelled new life for the Rangers. Even though 2007 did not go as planned and many (again, Rangers Replay, which to me is the best way to find out what is truly on other fans' minds) considered him to be a failure, I thought that Washington accomplished a great deal that year, after he brought the Rangers from 'worst' to 'respectable.' As usual, Washington was blamed too much for the team's failures, and was not given enough credit for their success. Same story in 2008. We can expect 2009 to be slightly reminiscent to '08, though I think overall it will be a big improvement. We can also expect the mulling over whether Washington will be fired if the team struggles early on. Though some of Washington's decisions in games are questionable, his powerful presence has undoubtedly changed the team. Washington is the type of manager who helps out young teams. Like I said, he plants new flowers (excuse the somewhat schmaltzy metaphor) until they are ready to come into full bloom. As of March 26, the flowers have almost bloomed. But unfortunately when they are, I feel Washington's days may be numbered. I say this because when Washington's hard work (and that's not to say he's doing this alone) has finally paid off, we will have ourselves a playoff team. But if the team, when expected to play well, begins to struggle, you can expect Washington to be shipped out. Just think about what happened to Ned Yost in 2008. But regardless of what happens, we have to look at Washington as the right choice for manager over the past two seasons.

In the end, I feel that Washington's effort with the Ranger's won't be fully appreciated. I think people will finally start praising Jon Daniels, and maybe even Tom Hicks. But I get the feeling that Washington will be slightly ignored, which is unfortunate, because I think by his communication and work ethics with these players he has played one of the most important roles in the resurgence of the Texas Rangers.

All the way from Washington to Washington, the 23 managers we've had have been consistently bad. But if all goes well, then Ron Washington will be considered one of the great managers in Rangers history. Again, that's not saying a whole lot, but it's special nonetheless.