Ron Washington is back where he started his MLB coaching career, serving as a defensive instructor for the Oakland A's, brought in specifically to work with error-prone shortstop Marcus Semien earlier this season.
He isn't allowed in the dugout during games, but goes out in pregame and works with the A's infielders, and tonight at O.Co Coliseum, he'll be out there most likely catching up with some of his old players. That's because Washington's A's host the Texas Rangers in a three-game set beginning Tuesday night. It'll be the first time Washington has seen several of his former players since he resigned abruptly as the Rangers' manager on Sept. 5, citing marital problems that needed to be ironed out.
When asked what he remembers from his days as the Rangers manager, a tenure that spanned from 2008 until last September and included five 90-win seasons and two trips to the World Series, Washington spoke in pretty simple terms.
"To have done that was the ultimate accolade in my career,'' Washington told the San Jose Mercury News of his two World Series appearances with Texas. "It doesn't get any better than getting to the World Series and getting your shot at winning it. But it wasn't just me. It was a lot of people over there. We all had the same goal of winning. You have to have that to get that far.''
With that said, the Rangers' all-time leader in managerial wins isn't sentimental — he's only looking ahead.
"My future is today,'' he said. "This is what I do, coaching here. I want to help these guys all I can. Where it goes from here, I don't know. But this is my team, my organization now.''
