tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post8469214992101318327..comments2023-06-25T04:47:18.160-04:00Comments on NationalsFanboyLooser: Ramblings on RigglemanMikeHarrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120210292656990693noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-76296594242787125062009-11-13T17:29:52.156-05:002009-11-13T17:29:52.156-05:00I think it's a telling detail that they are no...I think it's a telling detail that they are not releasing the terms of Riggleman's contract, and indeed had him and his agent sign confidentiality agreements that they would not reveal it. Kasten and Rizzo are quoted as saying Riggleman is the long-term or permanent guy. What this means is that they do not want to fire him unless he totally FUBARs the team. This is the same attitude they had when they hired Acta, but because he was a newbie then they probably felt they needed to announce his two year contract with two team options. But unfortunately this put them in a bind because the press knew at the end of the 2008 season that there was an unexercised option out there for him, which immediately spawned the "how bad can they be before Manny gets fired" talk EVEN BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED. I believed at the time they fired Manny that they really didn't want to do it, and I still believe that. If his contract status had not been out there all along, perhaps they could have held off firing him a little while longer, and he could have led the same turnaround that Riggleman did after the bullpen was rebuilt and Nyjer Morgan was acquired. Because we all know that that is what made the difference, not Riggleman.<br /><br />So really, Riggleman is not Acta 2.0. He's Acta 1.1, with a service pack installed that hides the contract terms so the press can't start obsessing over them even before he manages one game.An Briosca Morhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06855174362787324401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-3053793140265968872009-11-13T16:26:43.751-05:002009-11-13T16:26:43.751-05:00Fair enough - to me the guy who can do that is a p...Fair enough - to me the guy who can do that is a pretty darn good manager.MikeHarrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15120210292656990693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-27352324148920002742009-11-13T16:21:26.090-05:002009-11-13T16:21:26.090-05:00I think you are misinterpreting the argument about...I think you are misinterpreting the argument about Valentine v Riggleman (sounds like a great court case on a tv drama!).<br /><br />Valentine is the guy you bring in once all the parts are in place and you're ready to go. He's like bringing in a Nascar driver once you have your car all built out and running smoothly.<br /><br />Riggleman is the guy who is going to help develop the talent, has the ability to deal with the growing pains, knows when to pull the right levers with young and developing players.<br /><br />Valentine has one setting - full throttle. Riggleman (who is in essence Manny 2.0) is willing and understands that this puppy is still in second gear and not ready for 88mph.<br /><br />This isn't about bad or good managers. It's about finding the right TYPE of manager for the condition of the team we have now, and hope to have in 2-3 years.<br /><br />Rizzo keeps saying we're farther along than a lot of people think. However, he's also comparing his view to those who say "The Nats are one of the outright worst teams in the MLB", and to be fair those people make a very compelling argument. So maybe Rizzo think we'll be at .500 in 2 or 3 years. I have a small amount of faith that Riggleman can deal with that, and do a good job with a .500 team.<br /><br />Valentine would have been Riggleman with the Cubs, win at all costs. He wouldn't have followd innings limits for pitchers, he'd say "I want Storen and Strasburg on day one, and get me 2 high-priced starting pitchers while you're at it."<br /><br /><br />My assumption is Rizzo said to Jim "We want you to develop this team, help it grow, turn it into a .500 team. And if you do that, you'll be given a chance to run it when it is ready to win."<br /><br />Rizzo handed him the keys to a car that we're building as all us fans are in it. We have to have a driver who can go in 2nd gear while we are adding parts.<br /><br />Riggleman is supposed to be that guy.testhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06870302406467697102noreply@blogger.com