Beat It, Bob

Bob Watson becomes the first Free Agent to pass on Washington as he has decided not to take the GM job. Apparently, he was not enamored of the temporary nature of the job. The new ownership group would retain the right to overhaul the front office/coaching staff and there was no guarantee that he would remain.

"It's my decision," he said -- but acknowledged that the new owner's right to bring in an entirely different management structure was a factor.
"I understand why you can't [make a commitment for] any longer," Watson said. "You don't have an owner. I understand that. That person should make the decisions."

In the meantime, Pat Gillick continues to politick for the job--or in this case--the media continues to do the job for him.

Watson's decision also puts Pat Gillick's name back in the forefront. The former Baltimore Orioles general manager told The Washington Times several weeks ago that he was interested in the position, even with the uncertainty about the new owners of the franchise. "Any way I could help, I
probably would," Gillick told The Times on Oct. 2. "I've been around this game for a long time. If somebody asked me to do it and put things together and get things on an even keel for a while, I probably would. I'm still working for Seattle [as a consultant], but I am always interested in a challenge."
DuPuy said Tuesday the league has not spoken to Gillick.

Gillick had successful runs with Seattle, Baltimore and Toronto. It's hard to argue with the results, but very easy to quibble with his methods.

Just like everything in this franchise, it's still up in the air. We should just be thankful that Omar Minaya found a new franchise to run into the ground.