The Lerners are incredibly cheap

The Nats’ owners could, you know, fire Jim Bowden, but instead they are standing pat and waiting for him to get arrested or something:

Washington Nationals General Manager Jim Bowden said on Monday that he has done nothing wrong. The federal investigators looking into Bowden still aren’t so sure, a source familiar with the investigation said. The Nationals, meantime, are waiting to find out, and want to learn more about Bowden’s possible involvement in a growing baseball-wide scandal before they determine whether he retains his job.

But behind the scenes, according to sources, some within the team’s ownership group — which includes Managing Principal Owner Theodore N. Lerner, seven principal owners and nine founding partners — are eager to cut ties with the general manager they inherited almost three years ago, and see the investigation as a way of facilitating Bowden’s exit. The Nationals, one source said, are encouraging the investigation to return an answer on Bowden so the parties can “go on their merry way.”

This is ridiculous. Bowden has already shown his incompetence through his hiring of and reliance on Rijo and his signing of Gonzalez, among many other things. The only reason the Lerners are sitting back now and hoping that this investigation bears some criminal fruit is so that they can fire him for cause or via a moral turpitude provision in his contract or something. Meanwhile, this investigation, Bowden and his Segway cast a pall over Nats’ camp while Dominican free agents make a mental note not to go anywhere near the Nats for fear of having the FBI listen in on their calls. If the Lerners cared a lick about their team, they’d can Bowden now. To wait so that they can save a few bucks tells you everything you need to know about them.

If I were a Nats fan I’d probably walk up to team headquarters and pull a Thích Quảng Đức in protest of the Lerner’s ownership of this team.


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Bob
15 years ago

Stan Kasten would love to get out of there and head to Toronto.

pete
15 years ago

It’s fun to bash the Nats, but I don’t have a big problem with them trying to avoid paying him the rest of the money he’s owed…although you’d think they’d at least suspend him with until the investigation concludes.

Wooden U. Lykteneau
15 years ago

Chris Needham – Do you have any idea what Craig will do to you when he finds out you’ve hijacked his account?

Leo
15 years ago

The Nationals, one source said, are encouraging the investigation to return an answer on Bowden so the parties can “go on their merry way.”

What the heck does that mean?  Would the FBI act slower if the Nationals weren’t “encouraging” the investigation?  Does the FBI care that the Nats are “encouraging” them?

The Common Man
15 years ago

“What the heck does that mean?  Would the FBI act slower if the Nationals weren’t “encouraging” the investigation?  Does the FBI care that the Nats are “encouraging” them?”

I’m sure it means that they’re enthusiasticly turning over documents related to Bowden’s tenure.  Pay stubs to document how much money they paid him, anything he signed off on (especially as it relates to Latin American scouting and development).  Giving the Feds everything they are asking for, and perhaps more.

http://www.the-common-man.com

J. McCann
15 years ago

At first I thought this was another story about how office employees need approval to get a stapler.  Remember that one from last year?  As much as we’d all love to work for a baseball team, the Nats sound like a real drag.

It looks like their modus operandi will be to wait until contracts expire, and never cut someone loose early.

Leo
15 years ago

Good point, Mr. Common.  That would be pretty “encouraging.”

estuartj
15 years ago

Wow, Lerners are cheap…did you think of that all by yourself or is that a stem response.

I don’t think this has anything to do with money, some in the organization want him out, but others don’t and neither group has the power to either remove him or give him a vote of confidence.

I’m betting the source for the Segura articles was inside the Nat’s organization, that disfunction is actualy much more disturbing than Bowden’s incompetence.

Arnold Rothstein
15 years ago

If I tried to pull a Thích Quảng Đức over this, the Lerners would simply laugh and conclude that I was one very crazy dude. No thanks.