If GMs "should be measured over the long haul of the regular season and not the quick flash of the playoffs," then MLB Rangers President of Baseball Operations & GM Jon Daniels is "as successful as they come," according to Tim Cowlishaw of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. But Daniels "doesn't see it that way." He "recognizes that the Rangers haven't won their final game" in any of the past four seasons and, "in some respects, that's still what counts." If the Rangers "get off to a poor start, some fingers will point at manager Ron Washington," while others will "be directed toward Daniels as the one who let this thing fall apart and the man who chased" former team CEO Nolan Ryan out of town. Daniels said of the criticism he faces, "When we came up short here the last two years, nobody here shied away from it. Accountability is a big part of this job, whether it’s mine or Wash’s or the scouts’." He "declined to speculate on why Ryan is now part of the Astros’ organization." Daniels said, "That’s a question for ownership and for Nolan. I just don’t see a lot of value in rehashing it." Cowlishaw noted Daniels has "presided over the best times in Arlington." He is "equally responsible for this team’s failure to make a dent in October the last two years, and if his reluctance to spend big money to address pitching needs generated by off-season injuries costs this team early, it’s on him" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/16).
