Why, Ron Washington? Why?!?!

By Richie Whitt Wed., May 12 2010 at 10:00 AM

Categories: Texas Rangers

Pin It

I like Ron Washington. Really do. It's just that I ...

Hey, if this feels/sounds like deja vu all over again it's because it is.

Bottom line: I honestly don't think the Texas Rangers' manager is good enough to go with his gut instincts.

I'm a quirky, color-outside-the-lines guy, but in baseball there's a book for a reason. Washington needs a refresher course.

Last week he didn't have a .180 hitter bunt over the potential tying run in a loss. And last night ...

He not only didn't start the 9th inning with a closer that had saved 9 of 10 and 7 in a row, he didn't get Neftali Feliz warming up in time to face a key right-handed hitter during the A's rally.

Not saying Feliz is an elite, automatic closer yet. But I am saying that the New York Yankees hand the ball to Mariano Rivera to start the 9th, not with two men on and nobody out.

Oakland 7, Texas 6 in 13 innings hurts. The Rangers were 77-3 last year when leading after 8 innings. This year they've already blown 4 such leads. They are 18-15.

Repeat after me: This one's on Wash.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.

Tags:

baseball, Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Ron Washington

Write Comment

Email to Friend

Print Article

Related Content

More About:

@MushMouth: re: wash's gut instinct. bravo. i'm stealing that one.
ron should have pulled the starter in the 7th,he was laboring,the rest would have been non-factor.
And you even didn't mention the Hamilton stealing 3rd base with two outs scenario on Saturday! Been saying it for two years now, the guy is simply not a big league manager. He costs this team games with his shoddy decision-making and, after last night's 9th inning fiasco, absent mindedness. What other word can you use to describe not having Feliz ready to pitch the ninth?! I'll give Wash his irrational fixation on lefty/right matchups to start the ninth, but not having Feliz warmed up was nuts. A manager's primary job is to put his players in a position to succeed. Wash fails at this basic task over and over and over. It's awful. And Norm's Cane is right Richie. You and Newy are good, but you and Greggo are even better. If he can keep his wits about him, I think the two of you would make a fantastic permanent combo.
@norm'scane...right there wit ya brutha..I do feel dirty for not listening to Norman and the BaD til 2pm..
Is Newy out getting the thumb stomach surgery like Greggo did?
RW, I have been cheating on BADD. You and Greggo really have some chemistry. Is there any way Newie can take a month off?
Follow the money. Remember they couldn't buy practice balls last year. They can't afford to fire him. Pay him to go away? I don't think so. Yeah, it was a head scratcher. But, until this is all sorted out and the money can start flowing again we are likely to be stuck with him.
@Westender- Clint Hurdle is sitting there on the bench. He would be fine on an interim basis.
I would love to see Ron go, should have happened two years ago, but who could you bring in mid-season that not going to mess with the chemistry the team has? Welcome back Bobby Valentine?
It was a horrible miscue for the OSB, again, I don't get it...and haven't for a couple of years..the anus is indeed on Warsh, and he is a flawed guy. @mushmouth: his gut told him to ride the white horse cause it reminded him of Rangers Captain..if/when we miss the playoffs by 5 games, it's gonna hurt..huge, quickly...
Ron was probably worried about his next fix and wasn't focusing on getting Feliz ready. How much more does this guy have to do to prove he isn't a major league manager? The fact that he didn't his closer in the game in the 9th inning is a firable offense. Between Carlisle, Washington, Phillips, and Crawford, this is by far the most ridiculous collection of coaches/managers this town has seen......
The anus?!
The stupid move was not having Feliz ready. Oliver should have been removed from the game after Chavez hit no matter what. I get the lefty lefty thing, but after that it should have been Feliz. I know its May and he might have wanted to try to get Feliz an extra day off now, but again, as I said last week, this is loss #2 that we can look back on in Septemeber and say, "man if we had not blown that game we'd be in the playoffs." Wash doesnt seem to have the "win today, worry about tomorrow, tomorrow" mentality. Fucking worry about the game at hand.
People who always make a big show of "going with their gut" seem to be the ones who shouldn't. Where was this gut instinct when coke was in front of him?
Feliz should have started warming as soon as Hamiltons ball cleared the fence. Wash f-ed this one up. The anus is on him.
I can't equate last night's decision with "bunt-gate" from last week. On one hand neither player did their job. But with Julio at least he had an opportunity to do one of a handful of things in order to advance the runner and HE failed. Last night, Feliz didn't get a full deck of cards to do his job. It's inexcusable to not let a young closer, with electric stuff, and a solid (yet brief) history of doing what he is asked to do: to go out with a clean slate in the ninth and try to shut down a sub-par(at best) offense and get a save. And add to that that its the day after a day off, so he should have been ready, and the fact that he ultimately entered the game says there were no physical issues. The guy's got a job...LET HIM DO IT. So I conclude by saying that this one, Cowboy fans, is most definitely on "Crackpipe" Ron and his powdered mustache.
Washington decision-making can be baffling. Last night left me completely scratching my head.(then scratched balls)