Riggleman officially takes Nationals’ reins – The Post
Riggleman keeps ‘dream’ job with Nationals – The Wash. Times
Riggleman hired as Nationals manager – nationals.com
Valentine moving on after Nats’ decision – nationals.com
The Washington Nationals held a press conference yesterday to announce that Jim Riggleman had his interim tag removed from his title. It is believed he signed a 2-year deal with an option for a third. No details about the coaching staff were provided during the presser.
Riggleman, a Rockville, Md. native, considers the Nats and D.C.’s team during his childhood, the Washington Senators to be the same. He says this a dream come true. Let’s hope the Nats are not as bad as the Senators for much longer.
Bobby Valentine, the former New York Mets and Texas Rangers manager, was also interviewed at length by GM Mike Rizzo. Valentine and Rizzo both spoke highly of each other, but former never got a call from the latter (bad move Rizzo) to announce that Riggleman got the job. Valentine believes Riggleman was the choice all along and rationalized that the rebuilding would be tough.
THOMAS BOSWELL – The right man for the plan – The Post
Bos, ever the fanboy is happy with Riggleman getting the job. He frames the hiring as part of The Plan and makes numerous references to the Capitals rebuilding — Principal Nats owner Mark Lerner is a minority owner in the Caps. What Bos doesn’t say is “Riggleman might be the next Glen Hanlon,” the caretaker who coaches the team for a while and then gets replaced when the team is ready to make its move.
Loverro: Rizzo’s choice feels right now – but later? – The Wash. Times
On the other hand, Loverro is critical of the hiring and thinks the team is saying “We’re hiring a baseball lifer with a losing record because we really aren’t going anywhere the next couple of years. So why spend the money to hire a manager with a better record?” Hard to argue with that statement, though Loverro does call Riggleman “a decent man who won’t embarrass the organization, a baseball man who can be trusted not to mess up the development of young players.”
Loverro also points out that Rizzo has Riggleman’s back, unlike the previous general manager Jim Bowden and Manny Acta.
