Today's game story from T.R. Sullivan is pretty interesting, not because of its coverage of the game, but because of Sullivan's comments on the managerial situation:
Now [Hicks] and general manager Jon Daniels must decide what to do about an increasingly frustrating season, and there's little doubt that manager Buck Showalter's job situation has grown increasingly tenuous.
Club officials aren't saying if a change will be made. They stress no decision has been made. But there will be some serious heart-to-heart talks and summit meetings in the next week and beyond with earnest feelings being exchanged both ways.
Showalter, whose effort and passion have never been questioned in four years on the job, has tried to keep his team focused, playing hard and in a position to finish strong but the Rangers went down for the 10th time in the last 16 games.
The Rangers finished their home schedule with a record of 38-41 and are 78-78 on the season going into the final six-game roadtrip. This is not a happy team.
* * *
Daniels has been consistent in saying that he's not considering a change right now, but that everybody would be reviewed after the season. Hicks said any recommendation will have to come from Daniels.
Daniels is with the team on its final road trip to Anaheim and Seattle and will likely talk at length with Showalter about the future of the team. They and their staffs met with Hicks on Saturday, and there will be more meetings after the season, including one involving just the owner, general manager and manager.
This is a tough time for the Rangers. This is not the way anybody wanted it to end, not Showalter, not Hicks, not the players.
But it is ending this way, to the disappointment of all, and there is much to discuss in the days ahead. The manager, after four years of doing everything he can to bring a winner to Texas, is at the top of the list.
I know that there's the little disclaimer at the bottom of these things, that the article isn't subject to approval by MLB or the clubs...
But Sullivan is the resident writer for the official Rangers website. If he's insinuating that Showalter's job may not be safe, it leads you to wonder if that isn't a big red flag...