Is same as the old. Well, more concisely, the interim no more. Jim Riggleman was announced as the Nationals permanent Manager tonight, Veteran's Day. As The Sports Freak just commented in our discussion of this minutes ago, it's almost appropriate as Riggleman seems like the grandpa that will tell you war stories.
Initial reaction is why Riggleman? Rumors had little, if anyone really looked at by GM Mike Rizzo and the Lerners. Former Mets and recent Japanese league manager Bobby Valentine was considered. Maybe Valentine cost too much? Or maybe he turned it down. Riggleman was a good choice to fill the interim role. But he showed little in his time to prove that he deserves the job on the permanent basis. Is it his fault? Not entirely, as former manager Manny Acta lost his job for the same reason...non-production from a team that CAN NOT produce, thank you Jim Bowden.
Well, positively for Rizzo, at least the Nationals didn't go through the debacle that the Redskins had hiring their leader until settling for Jim Zorn.
Leave a comment