Wash Our Hands Free?

Stunning news broke early in the afternoon on Wednesday, March 17th. News that brought many fans and players a wide range of emotions. There will be many different opinions on this subject. Some fans will be wanting to wash their hands free of their manager, Ron Washington. While many others will stand beside him just as they did with Josh Hamilton. There are quite a bit of people inside the media (and also fans) that will probably try and compare the past of Josh Hamilton with what happened to Ron Washington. There will be many loyal supporters of Ron Washington and the Texas Rangers that will flee. Some will question the support that the Rangers front office have given to their manager, while wanting more severe punishment. There will also be those fans that will be merciful and will continue to passionately support their beloved Texas Rangers.

What we do know is that Ron Washington made a mistake and will be having to come face to face with arguably the single most difficult thing that he has personally had to go through. Washington faced a difficult time when Katrina stormed into Louisiana, but this is a personal dark cloud that will be following him around for the near future and quite possibly his whole career. Ron Washington has been around the game for a long time, and you will meet very few people that love the game of baseball as much as he does. Ron Washington is well liked and respected throughout the game. Ron Washington enjoys the simple fundamental aspects of the game and is almost giddy when he walks onto the field each day.

These are things that will no longer come first to mind when fans hear the name “Ron Washington.” There is now a dark cloud that will shadow over him. When he walks on to opposing teams fields he will more than likely be greeted by a heavy reminder of one of the mistakes he will forever want to have back.

Ron Washington held an emotional team meeting and then press conference where he told players and fans about his drug usage. There have been reports from various media outlets that players have stood in support behind their manager. Nolan Ryan has also discussed his initial reaction of frustration and disappointment of the situation, but that the Texas Rangers are a family and will support their manager. About a month ago I got to speak with Ron Washington about the teams chemistry and how they seem to be a very close knit group. Ron discussed that he is happy that fans are noticing this and that they are truly a team in every which way.

No one knows how Ron Washington will handle this situation, and a lot of questions will be answered over time. However, it appears that Ron Washington will not be facing this battle alone and he will have a team of players and a front office that will stand beside him in support.