The shocking resignation of Washington Nationals manager Jim Riggleman leaves Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies as the only manager in the NL East who was managing his team at this time last year. The list of the departed:
Jim Riggleman Resignation: NL East Managers Dropping Like Flies
Bobby Cox - Braves
The soon-to-be Hall-of-Famer won 2,504 games in a 29-year managerial career for the Atlanta Braves and Toronto Blue Jays. He retired because he was 69 years old and wanted to retire, though it probably would have been a good practical joke to have told Brooks Conrad that his error in the 2010 NLDS made Cox quit in disgust.
Jerry Manuel - Mets
After taking over for Willie Randolph in 2008, Manuel skippered the Mets to the same kind of late-season collapse that Randolph oversaw the season before. Then, following two straight sub-.500 seasons, his contract was not renewed in the 2010 offseason.
Fredi Gonzalez - Marlins
It’s not as if the Marlins were supposed to contend for a pennant last season, but that didn’t stop the Marlins from firing Gonzalez after a 34-36 start. They hired Edwin Rodriguez as the interim manager, and he was made the permanent manager in the 2010 offseason. Rodriguez has since resigned, and been replaced by interim manager Jack McKeon. Little-known fact that hasn’t been getting a lot of attention: Jack McKeon is older than managers usually are.
It seems as if managers are to the NL East as drummers are to Spinal Tap. At least we know that Charlie Manuel would survive a nuclear blast like a cockroach or a Twinkie, so he should be around for a while.
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