From the Dallas Morning News’ Tim Cowlishaw :
Is it fair for someone to go from Manager of the Year to the hot seat, a step away from a desk at ESPN?
In Buck Showalter’s case, it is.
It’s not that the guy doesn’t have a track record of winning or that he didn’t do an excellent job with this club last year. It’s that whatever the players think of Tom Hicks’ unwillingness or inability to spend for key players or John Hart’s failure to upgrade the roster through trades, Showalter has tied himself into all of that.
It’s typical that on the off night following a 1-12 road trip, Showalter and Hart had dinner at Hicks’ estate to discuss the team.
These three are joined at the waist, and that’s why players who have lost faith with the top of the organization include Showalter in that mix.
Showalter said he had no problem with being lumped in with Hicks and Hart. “We’re all in this together,” he said. “I’m no different from other managers.”
Oh, he most certainly is. Joe Torre isn’t dining with or playing golf with George Steinbrenner on any kind of regular basis. Yankees players view their manager as an advocate. Rangers players view their manager as someone they can no longer trust.
Submitted for your reminder: It has been said on more than one occasion that the prime reason Ryan Drese was allowed to be snapped up by the Washington Nationals for a song, if not a short medley, was that Drese had had his, ahem, differences with Rod Barajas—and Barajas is believed to be a Showalter pet of a sort.
indeed, Drese won 14 games for the Rangers in ’04 yet was considered expendable…by a team absolutely desperate for decent pitching.
Which isn’t to say Drese would’ve gotten his shit together in Arlington, either, but he’s certainly been a contributor in DC’s improbable run.