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Nationals' Big Three Don't Run, Hit or Field
"It's an entirely different job that I've never had before," Jim Bowden, with Manager Manny Acta, said of the challenge of being Washington's general manager.
(By Toni L. Sandys -- The Washington Post)
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That, though, leaves open the most important question. Even if Kasten believes Bowden's skills are best suited for the Nationals' current, looking-under-rocks status, does he believe Bowden will be the best candidate to lead the franchise into the future, when the Lerners plan to increase payroll? As Bowden said this week, "It's an entirely different job that I've never had before."
Asked whether he thought Bowden had those traits, Kasten said: "I do. I have no reason not to think that. You know, you make adjustments always. Always, always, always."
Bowden's adjustment, now, is working within the framework of Kasten's larger plan, one that has the Nationals' payroll whittled to $36 million for 2007 and has the baseball operations department intensely focused on the decidedly less glamorous pursuits of scouting and player development. Kasten, too, is a hands-on president, speaking to the team when spring training began, helping with the hiring of key baseball operations staff.
Asked whether he would have made the same offseason decisions if Kasten had not laid out the blueprint, Bowden said: "I think that the decision that was made from ownership to Stan all the way down was something that none of us will ever second-guess."
Publicly, Bowden is effusive in his praise of Kasten, who he says "has a tremendously high IQ and a great sense of humor."
"He's helped me develop a lot as a general manager," Bowden said. How? "Patience. Analysis. Different ways to view things.
"And most importantly, he comes from a large market. I've never had a competitive budget in development, scouting, the major league side and the personnel. He has had those budgets. It's a different job when you're able to do things right, as opposed to being able to do things you can afford."
Bowden is determined to be there when the Nationals can afford more than they can right now, not only when a new ballpark opens next season, but well into the future. He knows he has his detractors, and he hears them. But, as Mark Lerner said, "He just works so hard at it, I think that's the only thing he's focused on."
"It's hurtful," Bowden said. "But you can't complain about it. It's part of the job. But what you try to do, you try to give 100 percent. You work as hard as you can, you do the very best job you can, so when you look in the mirror at least the fans and the media know you're giving it everything you have 24/7."
