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Although both outgoing manager Frank Robinson (left) and general manager Jim Bowden were - |
WASHINGTON--Frank Robinson was fired yesterday after three straight losing seasons as the Nationals' manager, and if this is the end of his 51-year baseball career, Robinson wanted a chance to say goodbye.
The 71-year-old manager will remain in uniform for the Nationals' season finale against the New York Mets today, and the team will honor him with a daylong tribute before he embarks on an uncertain future that may or may not include baseball.
"It's been a great run for me and I mean that sincerely," Robinson said. "I have no bitter feelings or anything like that about the situation. It's been a good ride for me."
Seated next to general manager Jim Bowden, Robinson and the Nationals awkwardly and amicably parted ways at an afternoon press conference before Washington's 13-0 loss to the New York Mets.
"Basically we tried to make a decision that we think is in the best long-term interest of the franchise and the direction that we're going in," said Bowden, who would not say why Robinson was fired and would not comment on the status of Robinson's coaching staff.
The search for Robinson's successor will begin tomorrow, Bowden said. Team president Stan Kasten said he'd like to have a manager in place by the winter meetings in December, but a decision is likely to come much sooner.
Marlins manager Joe Girardi, former managers Lou Piniella and Tony Pena, and Atlanta Braves coach Fredi Gonzalez are considered potential candidates for the job, and it is customary for managers to choose most of their coaching staffs.
"There's nothing that says it can't be done much more quickly if that's what Jim finds," Kasten said.
Robinson won't manage again anywhere--he made that much clear--and there are no concrete plans for him to remain in baseball after this season. He'll return to his home in Los Angeles after the season, and Bowden said he would talk to Robinson about his role during the offseason.
In addition to today's tribute, the team is planning a "Frank Robinson Day" next season.
But as he addressed the media before what could have been his penultimate game, Robinson clearly pondered the end of a long and successful career.
"Any time that you are looking at the end it's going to be emotional," Robinson said. "How much? I don't know. That's not something you think about or you can rehearse."
Managerial firings are typically announced after the season, but Robinson requested earlier this month that the team decide his fate before the end of the year.
Team president Stan Kasten said Bowden reached a decision on Robinson a week ago. Robinson was informed he would be fired in separate meetings with Kasten and Bowden on Thursday, and Kasten said Robinson chose the timing of yesterday's announcement, in part so he could say goodbye to the fans who watched him during his 51 years in baseball.
Robinson informed his players and coaches that he'd been fired during a pregame meeting yesterday.
"It's a sad day around here," catcher Robert Fick. "Nobody is happy about what happened. Frank said it like it is. It's happened to him before. It's just him being in baseball 51 years, it's tough."
"In 51 years, to see what he did and accomplished in baseball was unbelievable," catcher Brian Schneider said.
Though Robinson's team didn't respond with a win yesterday--rookie pitcher Beltran Perez gave up six runs in his third career start, mostly to Mets first baseman Julio Franco (five RBIs)--the fans responded with a slew of signs and plenty of support.
During a brief pregame appearance on the field, hundreds of fans behind the dugout stood and cheered. Robinson responded by tossing baseballs into the stands.
Many of the 30,449 fans stood and chanted his name as the game ended. With his right hand, he patted his heart and waved.
Robinson hit 586 homers in his 21-year playing career and was an MVP in both leagues, but he had his best days in Baltimore as a player, winning the Triple Crown and two World Series titles with the Orioles.
He returned to the area last year and became the face of the Nationals as he helped usher baseball back to Washington.
He was also a baseball pioneer: In 1975, he became baseball's first black manager with the Cleveland Indians, and managed at three other stops (San Francisco, Baltimore and the Montreal/Washington), leaving behind a rich legacy.
Robinson has 1,065 wins in 16 seasons as a manager, but his teams never reached the postseason. He led the Expos to back-to-back 83-win seasons in 2002 and 2003, but the team has finished last in the National League East the past three years. With one game left this season, the Nationals are 71-90.
The franchise was purchased from Major League Baseball in May by a group led by Bethesda, Md.-based real estate developer Theodore Lerner, and Kasten has pledged to rebuild the team with an eye toward the future.
"I would've liked to have been a part of this organization managing this ballclub--period," Robinson said.
Robinson didn't fit into those plans, however, leaving the difficult decision to fire a legend.
"Nothing comes ahead of the long-term interests of the franchise. Nothing," Kasten said. "We do things we have to do. We make the tough decisions and respect how a person feels. Nevertheless, it still makes it hard when you have to do things that affect people you really like and respect."
To reach TODD JACOBSON:
Email: tjacobson@freelancestar.com
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