Ron Washington was set to enter the final year of his contract that was extended after the 2010 season, but on Monday, Rangers GM Jon Daniels gave him another extension, meaning the Rangers will have Washington running in place in the dugout until at least the 2014 season.
With all the great things Washington has done with this team — increase the team's win total on a regular basis, bring in a new pitching/defense mentality and, of course, win two straight AL pennants — let's face it, it could be easily argued that he shouldn't have a job as a manager right now.
The Rangers hung with Washington after he tested positive for cocaine during the 2009 season, an incident Washington claimed was a one-time thing. Whether that's true or not, many teams would've cut ties immediately and no one would've really batted an eye.
Instead, Daniels and team president Nolan Ryan believed in Washington and what he was doing with their team, and the decision to keep him around has proven to be quite genius.
Rangers fans love Washington and his eccentric personality, and the players love him because of his devotion to them. But make no mistake, he's no softie. He yanked C.J. Wilson back on to the mound a few years ago and made Wilson properly hand him the ball before removing him from a game. He's scrutinized Elvis Andrus' play on a fairly regular basis in recent years, knowing he has something special in the young shortstop and wanting to get the best out of him.
He knows what he's doing, and it's shown. And now the Rangers are guaranteed to have him on their side for at least three more seasons.
