Friday, June 02, 2006

Bowden's Campaign '06

I can't find it online, but SI's Tom Verducci is apparently reporting that there's a pretty good chance that Jim Bowden'll be around for at least another year:
Jim Bowden's future as Nationals G.M. will depend on the disposition of his DUI case in Florida. (He was arrested on April 17 for allegedly running a stop sign.) If he beats the charge this summer, new ownership plans to keep him through 2007. If not, he'll be out of a job.
Apparently all that sucking up to the Lerners is working.

posted by Chris Needham at 9:10 AM

9 Comments:

  • I've said it before, will say it again: even if he does beat the charge, the fact that he got it is enough in this hyper-PC world to show him the door. And here we thought his crap wheeling-and-dealing would have been enough to get him fired.

    Come on, wheels of justice!

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/02/2006 9:34 AM  

  • I have to disagree with Wade's Shade there. PC's effects are strange. If Bowden had defended someone else's drunk driving he'd have more chance of getting canned than his actual committing the offense. If, after he gets convicted, he utters the appropriate PC platitudes and undergoes some "counseling" he may actually get some degree of immunity from being fired. It's not like he's Steve Phillips who was accused of sexual harassment.

    Simon Oliver Lockwood

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/02/2006 10:38 AM  

  • Well, it isn't as though he killed anyone in a drunk driving accident.

    If he beats it, he'll say the right things and do as he's told and it will be all but forgotten in a year.

    Bowden is not a spendthrift, he's very frugal, which I'm sure appeals to Kasten and the Lerners. His record in Cincinnati with small budgets speaks well for that. He's committed to the farm system, and as long as he has an owner willing to spend significant monies to rebuild, and he has the adult supervision of Kasten, then I think that he can be a fine General Manager. After all, does anyone really think that he'll make major decisions without Kasten's approval?

    By Blogger Joe Riley, at 6/02/2006 10:57 AM  

  • Federal Baseball posted that comment about Bowden per Sports Illustrated, too. I wonder where HE got it from?

    If it isn't on their website, perhaps it's in the new issue, which just arrived in the mailbox yesterday - I haven't had time to read it.

    By Blogger Joe Riley, at 6/02/2006 11:01 AM  

  • The comment about Bowden being retained through next year is in the June 5 issue, which I received on Thursday. If Lerner is willing to keep that low life around under any circumstances, you have to question his judgement.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/02/2006 11:18 AM  

  • CrashRiley, Please don't fool yourself with the "Oh, Kasten won't let him do crazy things." We both know Kasten won't get involved in the day to day operation of the major and minor league clubs and I feel that stuff like hiring a good sound manager and putting a good organizational philosophy to generate runs without breaking the bank and stuff like that comes from a good GM. I seriously think Bowden lacks the ability to manage the organization and implement an on the field strategy(moneyball, smallball, ...) that resonates throughout the system. To me it seems that Bowden's strategy is throw shit against the wall and see what sticks. Sure he might be some master negotiator but there is lot more than that required to become a winning organization. Beside I strongly resent a GM who at times makes moves to gain points from the media.

    To me anything less that cleaning house would be a big disappointment, DUI or not.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/02/2006 11:19 AM  

  • Re the DUI: I guess I'm in the minority then, but seriously, Bowden has got to go if there'll be any chance of putting together a contender. I'm with mo's assessment on his GM MO: he picks up anybody's castoffs and throws them against the wall to see who sticks. For recent example, what's happened at catcher is just shameful in a number of ways.

    Put Robinson in the front office as some sort of community affairs liaison and send Bowden back to Cold Pizza. Anything less and Kasten/Lerner sends the message that they're satisfied with the current approach to building the on-field product, call it "spendthrift," "frugal," "cheap" or what you will.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 6/02/2006 11:50 AM  

  • I think Bowden can be prosecuted for this statement alone:

    "You are suppossed to run out of pitchers in September and October, not April"

    No, JimBo, you are NEVER suppossed to run out of pitchers. I realize there were injuries this year, but that is just a really stupid thing to say.

    FIRE BOWDEN!

    By Blogger WFY, at 6/02/2006 12:11 PM  

  • Thanks for the observations, Mo. I'm starting to really understand the vast amount of hatred for Bowden out there. People don't usually clarify their anger for Bowden, all I ever hear is frustration, not specifics.

    What's that old expression, "If he's not committed already, well then he SHOULD be!" (ha!)

    By Blogger Joe Riley, at 6/02/2006 10:05 PM  

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