Nationals President Kasten Takes Lead On Baseball Ops, For Now

Kasten In Charge Until Former GM Jim Bowden Is Replaced

Nationals President Stan Kasten yesterday said that he is in charge of the team's baseball operations while the franchise "determines how to replace" former GM Jim Bowden, who resigned Sunday, according to Ben Goessling of the WASHINGTON TIMES. Kasten: "I'm in charge. I've done this before. I'm doing what we need to do to keep the franchise moving forward" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/3). Kasten added, "I met with the staff this morning, made sure everyone understood their roles, made sure all of our tasks were getting covered. ... I'll talk about turnover when it comes" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/2). Kasten said in his meeting with Nationals front-office employees he "exhorted people to step up." In DC, Chico Harlan notes Bowden's departure "opens the door for Kasten to play a larger role in player personnel matters," though he will pick a new GM "perhaps by the end of the week." If Kasten has "expediency in mind," promoting Assistant GM Mike Rizzo "makes sense." In addition, it is a "strange time to hire" a GM, because "those positions normally become open in the weeks after the season" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/3). FOXSPORTS.com’s Ken Rosenthal writes Kasten’s decision to temorarily take over baseball operations was “perceived by some in the industry as a blow" to Rizzo, who "appeared the most logical choice to take over on an interim basis.” Rizzo and Assistant GM Bob Boone “remain the leading in-house candidates.” Rosenthal notes the Nationals “almost certainly will go through a standard interview process, adhering to the commissioner’s guideline for interviewing minority candidates” (FOXSPORTS.com, 3/3).

BOWDEN HAD BECOME A DISTRACTION: Kasten indicated that he was concerned that throughout the past few weeks, the team's "games and players were irrelevant to the media." Kasten: "With the difficult times in the real world with the economy and enough worries on the mind of our customers, we didn't need to be adding to those worries. We need the fans to be focusing on the positive story lines that had been built up through a very successful offseason" (MLB.com, 3/2). ESPN's Michael Wilbon said Bowden "had become more than a distraction” ("PTI," ESPN, 3/2). 

PLACING BLAME: Bowden, who prior to his resignation was under fire for his involvement in an FBI investigation regarding the skimming of signing bonuses for Latin American prospects, said "false allegations, insinuations and innuendos by the press" were to blame for his departure. In San Jose, John Ryan writes, "Yeah, forget that whole the-feds-are-investigating thing." Bowden in his resignation statement also said, "There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part." Ryan: "That's some good lawyering there. 'No charges' and 'no indication.' The non-denial denial always plays well in DC" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/3). The Nationals had the worst record in MLB last season, and ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser said Bowden stayed on "because he’s great with the media, he talked to the media and everybody likes him." Kornheiser: "But when you get this kind of heat coupled with that kind of record, (he should) resign” (“PTI,” ESPN, 3/2).

WAS HE PUSHED OUT? Washington Post reporter Barry Svrluga said of Bowden’s resignation, "This is all semantics. If Jim Bowden has in fact proven that he has not done anything wrong, that he did not skim money from these Dominican players, they wanted to give him a chance to save face and maybe somehow get another job in baseball, although that seems very unlikely right now. This was very orchestrated by the team. Jim Bowden is not a quitter." He added, "No one said directly that Jim Bowden was involved. .. But the bottom line is that it happened on Jim Bowden’s watch and it happened with his recommendation." Svrluga: "For the Nationals, that was enough to push him out the door” (“Washington Post Live,” CSN Mid-Atlantic, 3/2). Meanwhile, the GLOBE & MAIL's Jeff Blair wrote it is likely MLB Commissioner Bud Selig has ordered Kasten to stay in DC and "clear up the mess." Nationals Owners the Lerner family have "shown themselves to be way over-matched in the baseball business and there are whispers around baseball that the [Nationals are] once again causing Selig's office more than its share of concern" (GLOBEANDMAIL.com, 3/2).

Nationals Unveil "Newly Mature" Screech Mascot

MASCOT MADNESS: The Nationals yesterday unveiled their "newly mature" mascot, Screech, at the ESPN Zone in DC. The Nationals said that the "original Screech was a baby eagle, and that the intent had always been for him to grow up one day." The mascot's new garb was designed by MLB's design department. Nationals VP/Communications & Community Relations Chartese Burnett said Screech is "like a teenager now." Burnett: "Wait until you see his new attitude. I think he wants to be youthful and hip and cool" (Dan Steinberg, WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/2). In DC, Dick Heller writes Nationals employees yesterday were "making happy talk about their humanoid eagle mascot that, presumably, few fans over the age of 7 or 8 care about." Heller notes like a "lot of humans when they mature, the adolescent version isn't nearly as cute." The new Screech is "full-sized, gawky and prances around with his mouth wide open as if waiting to catch a worm." Charm is "hardly his middle name -- or even an alias" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 3/3).