It’s been yet another frustrating week for Washington Nationals fans. It’s strange but our GM’s actions this week made getting swept by the Giants seem not that bad. I really am disgusted with Jim Bowden at this point. This is going to be a bit of rant, so please bear with me. I’ve never been a fan of Jim Bowden’s flashy style. Some of his past decisions have made me question my support of this team.
The moves he made this past off-season really cemented my feelings on the matter. First off, the Jesus Flores fiasco. The Nats wasted $6 million this year on not one but two catchers, when they had one who was young and more than capable. Instead they signed two “veterans” in hopes of bringing power to the lineup. Because Jim was so hell bent on keeping Flores in the minors, the youngster never got a real chance to compete with the vets for the starting spot. Injuries opened the door and Flores seized the opportunity he should have been granted all along. No Nats fan needs to be told how horribly the catcher plan backfired this season. At least Estrada is now gone, his season and $1 million of the Nats payroll wasted. We are left hoping that Lo Duca is next to go. Finally, the team will be back to where it should have been in April. With Flores starting and with a capable back up, in this case Nieves.
I can appreciate some of the other off-season moves. The Lastings Milledge deal will probably pay off in the long run, although I think bringing him to Washington is just another example of Bowden doing whatever needed to get what he covets. The Dukes gamble seems to have paid off also, his injury is unfortunate, but his numbers this season spell promise. The test will be him keeping his personal life in check this off-season; on that front, things have surprisingly seemed okay. Really though, I think Jim just got lucky with these two moves.
So that brings us to this week. When Rauch was traded for one prospect, one, I just shook my head. Then to learn that the one prospect had been scouted by Mike Rizzo, it became clear: there is no thinking outside the box done within the Nats organization. When Jim will stop at nothing to get THE guy he covets, that player’s price rises, regardless of whether it’s a sure thing. The players traded for or acquired are the ones Jim and his staff have a history with. In addition to reassembling his old Reds lineup, Jim makes every effort to go after his guys, no matter what the cost. It’s personal with Jim Bowden, while on other successful teams, it’s a business. It was personal when Ryan Church was traded. It was personal when Jim ripped into Jason Bergmann early in the season. The team is a mess, it has been for months. The season is a wash and all the promise of a great offensive lineup is basically void. Great job Jim, you’ve had a heck of a season.
You’d think that anyone with half a brain would tread lightly for awhile after making some questionable trades and signing questionable extensions while being investigated by the FBI, but not Jim Bowden. In true Bowden fashion, he opened his mouth on a sports talk radio show the other day and announced the team’s plans to non-tender Chad Cordero, before even informing Chad or his agent. Any class this organization had left disappeared in that moment. Really, that’s the way you are going to treat a valued member of the ball club, especially a guy who has been an integral part since the beginning of the transition to DC? A player drafted and developed in this system? Sure Chad probably knew it was coming, but that’s beside the point. He deserved a phone call and an explanation at least, before the news went public. The disappointing thing is that no one seemed surprised by Jim’s actions. Who is going to want to play for Washington with a GM who treats players like pawns? It is disrespectful the way Cordero’s situation was handled. Who would blame him for not coming back next year?
For me as a fan, this was the last straw. I’m one step away from sending the rest of my season tickets back to Jim Bowden himself.
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July 25th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
He sucks, plain and simple.
The Dukes move gets him no credit in my book; Tampa was basically giving him away.
He was in Cincy for how long? something like 12 years, and had ONE team make the playoffs in that time (in an NL central division that was not particularly strong)
how did this asshole get another job?
July 25th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
He’s terrible. He’s arrogant. He’s a criminal. And he’s unethical.
I’ll be honest, couldn’t care less about the Cordero thing, but understand why people like him.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
I do like Chad and do see where the non-tender thing is a smart move. It’s the way the situation was handled that really bugs me. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that even if something like this happened to Lo Duca I’d be mad. Bowden opening his mouth on a whim like that is not the way to treat a player…any player.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:40 pm
other than being happier with the Rauch deal than you are, i agree wholeheartedly. i would add, though, the “reward” contract handed out to Guzman and the lousy FA signing of Rob Mackowiak as more examples of Bowden’s ineffectiveness.
July 25th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Amen, Stephanie. The litany of embarrassments is getting too long to endure much longer.
July 26th, 2008 at 6:12 am
I’ve never been a fan of Bowden’s style either, but I was stunned by his handling of the Cordero situation. Totally classless. The team site says that Bowden has since personally apologized to Chad (I would guess because he was told to do so).