Riggs Linkage

It's the morning after. And what we have on our hands is a classic case of he said/she said between our GM and our former-Manager. Personally, I am still trying to digest all the information out there as it comes out before I throw out more than my two cents. So, for now I'll post some of the best and most thought-provoking words from your National Media and blogs; where the consensus is that both players are at fault in some way or another. Here is your Riggs Linkage:

Jim Riggleman Will Never Manage Again by David Schoenfield of ESPN.com's SweetSpot Network

Plenty of Options for Nats to Consider by Jim Bowden of ESPN.com

Riggleman Trades Nats by Can't Stop The Bleeding

Jim Riggleman Leaves Behind Promising Nats by Rob Neyer of SB Nation

The Nationals After Jim Riggleman by Grant Brisbee of SB Nation

Hard to Defend Riggleman's Choice by Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com

I Quit! by Kevin Kaduk of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports

Riggleman Shocker by Scott Miller of CBSSports.com

Riggleman Decision Shortsighted by Joe Lemire of SI.com

Riggleman Was Pushed One Too Many Times by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports

Riggleman Proves He Wasn't Right Man for the Job by Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post

Riggleman Marks Resignation With A Drink by Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post

VIDEO - MLBNetwork Crew Reacts to Riggleman by MLBNetwork

There are also a ton of Nats-specific Blogs that I chose not to link here, needless to say that their coverage is also excellent and must-read. You can find links to several of our favorites over on the right-hand side of the screen.

There is definitely not a shortage of words on this subject - stayed tuned to Capitol Baseball for all the latest!

Dissecting Riggleman's Resignation

When the Nats walked off with a 1-0 win to sweep their series with the Mariners, no one in that clubhouse could have expected what was coming just a few short minutes later. Jim Riggleman's stunning resignation took the baseball world by storm on Thursday night, because it came after 11 wins in the previous 12 games and the team's first appearance above the .500 mark this late in the season since 2005.

Everyone reading this knows the details: Rizzo says there was an ultimatum; Riggleman says he just wanted a meeting. Initially, our reaction was pure, unadulterated anger toward Riggleman for making such a selfish decision. After cooling down for a bit, though, our frustration shifted toward Rizzo. Why hadn't he chosen pick up Riggs' option? Furthermore, why wouldn't he just sit down and have a conversation with him on the trip, even if there was no plan what-so-ever to sign him just to help the fantastic play?

It's hard to dissect the real background of the resignation without being a fly on the wall during Rizzo's and Riggleman's conversation at 12:35 pm on Thursday, and it certainly seem to us that there is an untold part of this saga, but we're going to do our best to create some accountability here and let you know how we see the Nats going forward.

We'd like to say that Mike Rizzo is innocent here, but he may not be. If what Riggs has said to the media is true, and all he wanted was a meeting about the 2012 option, then it seems inexcusable that the Nats' GM was unwilling to grant that request. But we have a hard time believing that was it. Furthermore, even if it was, as brilliant minds have pointed out over the course of the last 18-24 hours, it is still inexcusable for a professional manager to walk out on a team in such an odd manner with literally 9 innings notice. Not to mention, Riggleman's dismal 140-172 record as Nationals manager should hardly place him in a position to make immediate contractual demands. As such, we place the vast majority of the "blame" here on Riggleman's, and perhaps more importantly his agent's, poor decision making during the ordeal.

Several beat writers and national baseball media have quoted executives that said they wouldn't even consider hiring Riggleman as a minor league manager after these shenanigans. Riggleman comes off as selfish, and that doesn't look good in a sport where teamwork and clubhouse cohesion is so important.

Former bench coach John McLaren has already been named the Nationals short-term interim manager, and short-term is bolded because CSN's Mark Zuckerman seemed to make a point to emphasize that in his announcement. Here's hoping it remains short term. From there, though, the Nats have some options that CapBall will go into in more detail should time allow before the Front Office's official announcement, but there does seem to be a consensus on the leading contenders for the full-time manager's job: Davey Johnson, Bo Porter, Randy Knorr, and John McLaren.

Two of those four candidates (McLaren and Johnson) would likely only be short-term solutions to finish the season, but that's a hard decision to make. From there though, the future is wide open. Jim Bowden wrote yesterday that the Nats managerial job is a top 10 job in baseball that Riggleman literally gave away. And for once, we agree with Bowden. It's gonna be a fun couple of months in NatsTown as this epic saga resolves itself.

One thing that shouldn't be lost in the drama, though, is the players' resiliance; they didn't miss a beat. In interviews after the game, players wished Riggleman the best, but reiterated that the team would go on, and that they played for the team not any individual. Talk about advice Riggleman could have used before his brash decision: team, not individual. When Drew Storen said, "I don't think it's going to be as big as everybody's making it. I trust the veteran guys. I know that all the guys down here know what they're doing, so they're going to figure it out," we got the impression that this clubhouse really does know what they're doing. The veterans command the respect of the young guys. And things might actually turn out alright.

We'd love to hear your thoughts on all of this in the comments. Enlighten us, CapBallers!

Can Riggs Take Nats to Next Level?

When Jim Riggleman took over managerial duties for the Nats in 2009 after now-Indians Manager Manny Acta was fired, there wasn't a whole lot to be hopeful about, besides Ryan Zimmerman's Gold Glove and Silver Slugger Awards at 3rd base. Only 3 of the 10 listed infielders from 2009 remain on the 2011 roster (Zimmerman, Desmond, Morse); only 6 of the 30 pitchers that appeared on the Nats roster that year have appeared on the 25-man roster this season. Most have long been dismissed from the organization entirely.

The Nats were in bad shape and had posted the 2nd-worst winning percentage in the franchise's history: the 1969 Montreal Expos were worse. Last season, the Nats and Riggleman were able to right the ship a bit more. They flirted with .500 through most of May, and finished the season 10-wins better than the disastrous 2009 season; the team still failed to break even 70 wins for the 3rd consecutive season.

There seems to be a reverberating frustration across NatsTown, even earlier than in past years. The biggest question mark for the Nats coming in to 2011 was it's starting pitching, which has been good enough to get them the 11th best ERA in baseball. Everything else, though, has been fairly disappointing. The bulllpen has been good, but not great, and nothing compared with last season. The offense has essentially not existed. The entire team is hitting for a .226 batting average, good for 29th in baseball.

So all this being said, can Jim Riggleman take the Nats to the next phase: winning?

Unfortunately, history says no. Managers across baseball, including Manager of the defending World Champion Giants Bruce Bochy, consider Jim Riggleman to be a brilliant managerial mind, and he shows signs of that from time to time. But records don't lie, and Riggleman's record as a major league manager is a dismal 638-803. In his 11 years of managing (not including this season), he's finished above .500 just twice, and one was in 1995 with a shortened season due to the 1994 labor strike. He did take the Cubs to the playoffs in 1998, but got swept in the NLDS.

He'll still be the manager that makes infuriating double switches in weird situations and leaves starting pitchers in for too long at times. He still, as the MASN commercials say, believes in the players and not the numbers.

However, Riggleman is a player's coach and is probably the right guy to help pull a team out of the gutter. He seems to have unwaivering support of his players in a good clubhouse. While I can't imagine that Riggleman will be the Nats' manager when the team finally reaches the playoffs for the first time, he will be seen as an important figure in the building of young talent in the organization.

According to his contract, Riggleman has a contract-option for 2012. Do you see him filling the managerial role next season? If so, do you think it's a good idea? Sound off in the comments.