Riggle's the Man
Grim Reaper takes over for Manny
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Unlike Manny, Riggleman isn't afraid to talk to the umpires.
The Nats officially announced that Jim Riggleman, a.k.a. "The Grim Reaper," has been promoted to interim manager, a job he handles well. For the second straight season, Riggles had taken over when the team he was with axed their manager.
Note to baseball managers: if your GM hires Riggleman as bench coach, don't sign a long-term lease.
It's the third time in his career that he's taken over mid-season. He's the Captain Sullenberger of MLB.
In 1992, he guided the Padres to a sterling 4-8 record, finishing up for the immortal Greg Riddoch.
Then last season, he led the Mariners "up" to a .400 winning percentage over the team's last 90 games. (There's not a Nats fan out there who wouldn't take that at this point.)
Strangely, his work with the Mariners is automatically going to be better for the Nationals than anything he'll do here -- barring an undefeated second half.
How?
By guiding the M's to a few extra wins down the stretch, he pushed that hulking wreck above the Nats in the standings. So at the end of the year, the Nats had the worst record, giving them the No. 1 pick. So without Riggleman, the Nats might not have Stephen Strasburg.
Thanks, Riggs!
But what about the danger of doing the same? This team clearly isn't as bad as their record. They've got parts that churn along, just not all in synch. And as the young players continue to develop, they could just as easily hum along at .400 like the M's did.
Well, that's where we can "thank" Manny Acta. By steaming this hunk of metal to such a terrible record, the Nats have an eight game "lead" over the next-worst team.
Even if Riggles improves them by four games over the second half, it probably won't matter. Thanks, Manny!
So enjoy the second half with the Grim Reaper, free in the knowledge that small improvement probably isn't going to hurt the team long-term!
Copyright NBC Owned Television Stations
Posted Tuesday, Jul 14, 2009 - 7:00 PM EST
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