Or, why I keep saying I wouldn't want the Rangers to hire Joe Girardi as manager once he's fired by the Marlins...
From Bill Madden in the New York Daily News today:
One baseball man close to the situation in Florida had this to say about Girardi: "Joe's done a great job with those kids, but when it comes to managing style, he makes Buck Showalter seem like Walter Alston. Right now the kids are buying into it, but sooner or later all that hands-on, attention to everything stuff becomes suffocating."
That's precisely what they're saying again about Showalter in Texas, where the Rangers went 3-1 against the Tigers while he was serving his suspension and 1-3 against Tampa Bay after he returned. It's an open secret that much of the core group of Ranger players, particularly Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock, does find the controlling Showalter to be insufferable and the team's uptight play of late is a reflection of that. But even though the team seems destined to fail to meet owner Tom Hicks' expectations of making the playoffs this year, he remains enamored of his manager. Rather than firing Showalter, the more likely offseason scenario in Texas will be the trading of Teixeira (there've been preliminary talks with the Orioles about Miguel Tejada) and Blalock - as well as a full-fledged pursuit of Vernon Wells.
It makes no sense to get rid of a micromanaging, tightly-wound obsessive who has worn down his players with his style with someone who is even worse. Yes, Girardi has had a surprising year in Florida, but he's not going to solve any problems in Texas.
Meanwhile, as for the rest of it...hopefully, Madden is off base there. But if Jon Daniels decides to address the Rangers problems this offseason by trading Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock while keeping Buck Showalter around...
I think my head would explode.