Rangers fire Showalter after losing season
While Buck Showalter wasn’t the only person to blame for the Texas Rangers missing the playoffs again, the manager got fired for it.
“There’s a shared responsibility there, some of which is Buck’s, some of which is mine, and a good deal to the players,” general manager Jon Daniels said Wednesday. “This is an organizational goal to win. When we don’t do it, it falls on all of us.”
The ax fell on Showalter after his fourth season, an 80-82 mark that was the Rangers’ sixth losing record in seven years since last making the playoffs in 1999 despite a roster with several young All-Stars.
Daniels, the 29-year-old GM who was the youngest in the major leagues when he was hired a year ago, recommended Showalter’s firing and reached a mutual decision with owner Tom Hicks before a planned dinner among the trio Tuesday night.
“This decision was not based exclusively on the ‘06 season and our lack of accomplishing our goals,” Daniels said. “It’s more about looking forward, and what gives us the chance to achieve those goals … I’m very confident that we made the right decision.”
Showalter was 319-329 with the Rangers, his third managerial job, and is owed $5.1 million for the three seasons left on his contract. Texas never finished above third place.
“You never heard me make an excuse all year, and I’m not going to start now. We just didn’t get it done,” Showalter told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “They want to go in a new direction with a new voice. With the shelf life of managers, I feel fortunate.”
Astros re-sign Garner
After the Houston Astros missed the playoffs for the first time since 2003, general manager Tim Purpura had one main off-season priority: giving manager Phil Garner a one-year contract extension.
Garner will manage the Astros through the 2008 season, the team said. His contract was set to expire after next season.
“I feel very comfortable with Phil. We work well together and that has grown this past season,” Purpura said. “I have a comfort level with what Phil is doing, a comfort level with how he goes about his business.”
The Astros are 219-179 in 2 1/2 seasons under Garner. They won 10 of their last 12 games to go 82-80 this year, finishing 1 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the National League Central.
“I’m having a good time,” said Garner, who just finished his 14th season as a big league manager. “We were competitive this year. I think with our ownership and front office, we’re going to be competitive for years to come.”
Johnson will start Friday
Randy Johnson threw an afternoon bullpen session and Yankees manager Joe Torre said the left-hander is set to start Game 3 of the American League division series in Detroit on Friday night.
Johnson has a herniated disc in his back that required him to get an epidural shot last Friday. He threw in the outfield grass Saturday and then had a bullpen session the next day.
Torre said he threw 30-35 pitches eight hours before the Yankees were scheduled to host the Tigers in Game 2 – a game that was rained out.
“Everything seemed fine,” Torre said. “He’s ready to go.”
Johnson was 17-11 with a career-high 5.00 ERA in 33 starts. His lower back stiffness began in September and increased throughout the month.
Court calls for release
A federal appeals court in San Francisco ordered that Barry Bonds’ personal trainer be released from prison today unless a lower court reissues its contempt ruling for his refusal to testify against the Giants slugger.
Greg Anderson has been imprisoned twice for refusing to testify whether Bonds used steroids. He also served a three-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to steroid distribution and money-laundering charges in the BALCO case.
Mark Geragos, Anderson’s lawyer, has been demanding Anderson’s release. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed, giving U.S. District Judge William Alsup a day to issue another contempt ruling or to set Anderson free.
Lieberthal faces surgery
Philadelphia Phillies catcher Mike Lieberthal will have surgery on an injured abdominal muscle.