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Showalter has Rangers on the road to shame: Buck Showalter's reputation is that he prefers blue-collar players. He will be viewed harshly if he alienates stars Michael Young, Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock

Sporting News, The, July 15, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

Rangers manager Buck Showalter is signed through 2009. Here's betting that he doesn't finish his contract.

This is Showalter's third season with the Rangers, and the first inevitable cracks in his controlling reign are showing.

You can't pin the purge of righthander Ryan Drese directly on Showalter. You also can't pin on him the unseemly insinuation from a Rangers official--reported by Dallas media--that lefthander Kenny Rogers ducked a start against the Angels, using a broken bone in his nonthrowing hand as an excuse.

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But Showalter, after owner Tom Hicks, is the second most powerful man in the Rangers' organization; Showalter's contract extends three years beyond general manager John Hart's. If something happens with the team--be it a roster move or smear campaign--it stands to reason that Showalter is at least aware of it, if not behind it.

There's no excusing Rogers' attack on two unsuspecting cameramen, no matter how much he might have been enraged by the Rangers' whispers about his lack of toughness. But there's a larger question here, and it goes beyond any psychoanalysis of a seemingly troubled pitcher:

Are the Rangers slowly coming apart?

Here's a team that should be on the verge of something big. The Rangers control first baseman Mark Teixeira, shortstop Michael Young and third baseman Hank Blalock through 2008. They have top pitching prospects emerging at Class AA. Their payroll is flexible. Their future is bright.

But they're on their way to screwing it up.

Showalter, 49, is exceptionally well organized and possesses a keen baseball mind, but his calculating, manipulative side grates on certain players and superiors. That's why Showalter lasted only three seasons with the Diamondbacks, his second stop after four seasons with the Yankees.

Showalter is the game's most influential manager for a reason--the Rangers allow it. Hicks, after meeting with Showalter at last year's All-Star break, reversed course and chose to keep Hart as G.M. rather than promote farm director Grady Fuson. The move secured Showalter's power base; Hart operates practically as a G.M. emeritus, welcoming Showalter's input.

Normally the manager is a buffer between players and executives. Showalter blurs that line, fostering distrust. By dumping Drese and by smearing Rogers, the Rangers risk alienating other players--specifically Teixeira, who might balk at signing a long-term deal. The club largely was inert last offseason, coming off a surprising 89 wins. Maybe there's a twisted logic to their conservative approach; big-name free agents might prefer to play for more relaxed managers.

Drese, 29, won 14 games last season, then posted a 6.46 ERA in his first 12 starts. The Rangers, forever starved for pitching, should have tried to fix him. Instead, Drese went to the Nationals on waivers and now has a 2.08 ERA after four starts. One theory is that Drese was doomed in Texas after he got into a dugout scrap with catcher Rod Barajas, reputedly a Showalter favorite. Young, speaking to a Dallas reporter, called the Drese decision "confusing and shocking."

The same can be said of the Rogers saga.

Rogers' first irresponsible act was punching a water cooler and injuring his hand, but any suggestion that he did not want to face difficult opponents is absurd. Rogers tried making one start against the Angels with the injury and was ineffective.

This is the second time Rogers has been at odds with the Rangers over organizational leaks; Rogers also denied a report before spring training that he threatened to retire if the club did not grant him a contract extension. At the time his injury was revealed, Rogers was 9-3 with a league-leading 2.46 ERA. By portraying him in a negative light, the Rangers might have been trying to make a preemptive public relations strike in case they fail to reach an agreement with Rogers' bottom-line agent, Scott Boras, on an extension.

Showalter isn't necessarily the wizard behind the curtain, orchestrating every move. But in the end, the Rangers reflect his vision.

At the moment, they're a mess.

speed reads

With the trade market offering meager options, look for contenders to trade with one another. The Marlins discussed sending A.J. Burnett to the Orioles, he Mets and Yankees talked about Mike Cameron for Gary Sheffield, and the Red Sox and Padres worked on a blockbuster involving six major leaguers, including the Sox's David Wells and the Padres' Phil Nevin. The time around the deadline will be nuts again.

Yes, the Nationals have gotten a little lucky. When G.M. Jim Bowden struck out on his first three free-agent pitching choices--lefthander Odalis Perez and righthanders Jaret Wright and Paul Wilson--he settled for righthander Esteban Loaiza. Perez, Wright and Wilson all have spent significant time on the D.L.; Loaiza began the week with a 3.81 ERA.

Phillies closer Billy Wagner was correct when he told a reporter that the Phils lack "the know-how to win." Larry Bowa wasn't the entire problem last season, Charlie Manuel isn't the entire problem this season, The Phillies' mix of players just doesn't work. The team should be a seller, not a buyer.

Showalter has Rangers on the road to shame: Buck Showalter's reputation is that he prefers blue-collar players. He will be viewed harshly if he alienates stars Michael Young, Mark Teixeira and Hank Blalock

Sporting News, The, July 15, 2005 by Ken Rosenthal

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