The Washington Nationals will be looking for a new general manager. The Associated Press says Jim Bowden has stepped down as federal investigators are looking into the club's alleged skimming of signing bonuses given to Latin American prospects.
Bowden has presided over the Nats for the first four years of their existence since leaving Montreal. They finished right at .500 in their first year in D.C. but have endured three straight losing seasons since. That includes the Nationals finishing with baseball's worst record last season in which they finished with just 59 wins. (Everytime I see 59, I always think of the Jays brutal 1978 season and that was the first season I got into baseball. Oy vey!) The good news for the Nationals is they will have a chance to select San Diego State phenom righty Stephen Strasburg in this year's amateur draft.
As you can tell from the picture on the right, the odd Nats fan might be happy about this development. They're probably feeling the same euphoria that Cincinnati fans experienced when Bowden was the longtime GM of the Reds. His wikipedia article highlights a number of controversies during his time with the Big Red Machine.
Now the question is, will team president Stan Kasten jump ship as well? He has been rumoured to take over as Jays president but perhaps this recent controversy could throw a wrench into those plans.
Feel free to share your thoughts here and if you like, give us a funny caption for Bowden's picture above. Remember, keep it clean. This is a family site!
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