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US Presswire photo Bo Porter will leave the Nationals after the season to take over the Astros. |
A club source confirmed the hiring, which was first reported early this morning by Foxsports.com.
Porter, who was in the coaching box at Citizens Bank Park for last night's Nationals victory, will be in Houston today for an 11 a.m. EDT news conference where he will be named the 21st manager in the Astros' 51-year history.
It's not yet known if Porter will be back in Philadelphia in time to coach tonight's series finale against the Phillies, but he will finish out the season with the Nationals in his current capacity before leaving for good.
A candidate for several managerial jobs over the last three years, Porter interviewed with the Astros two weeks ago. The Houston resident has no previous connection to the Astros organization, but he did know new owner Jim Crane prior to the interview.
Porter will face a stiff challenge guiding an Astros club that will finish with the majors' worst record this season and next year is relocating to an American League West division loaded with perennial playoff contenders in the Rangers, Angels and Athletics.
His departure erases any possibility of him replacing Davey Johnson once the 69-year-old Nationals manager decides to retire. Porter was considered a potential choice, along with bench coach Randy Knorr, who now becomes the in-house favorite to succeed Johnson, a move that's not expected to take place until 2014 at the earliest.
The Nationals will need to find a new third base coach to succeed Porter (who has held that job the last two seasons) next year. Tony Beasley, who managed at Class AAA Syracuse this season and served as Frank Robinson's third base coach in 2006, would probably be among those considered.
53 comments:
Congrats to Porter and good luck!
Congrats to Bo, you will be missed.
Good luck, Bo, and thanks.
Congratulations, Bo!
Thanks for your work in Washington -- and for teaching the pups in spring training. We'll always remember the football drill.
Best of luck in Houston.
Mark, perennial playoff contenders Athletics? That's a stretch.
Excellent choice by the Astros. Bo was my pick to replace Davey, but he has to seize the opportunity when it is presented. Good luck and thanks for what you have done for the Nats.
Congratulations to Bo, and deservedly so. I'll still remember him fondly for not taking any grief from that Cubs coach this year at Nats Park. Should be interesting to have him in the AL. Lots and lots of scoring. I hope he wears out his right arm doing the windmill sign sending runners home. He always erred on the aggressive side, which I liked. Good move by Houston. We'll miss him, but Davey has some pals.
Off Topic a little, but did anyone else hear on the radio this morning that they are planning on letting Teddy win on the last day of the season....Wed. 10/3 and then retire him?
Probably to be replaced by Kennedy as he's been spotted around the ball park?
Good for Teddy, but will be sad to see him go.
Ghost, I don't think that is really that much of a stretch. Since 2000 the As have won the division or come in 2nd place 8 out of 12 seasons (not including this year since the season is not done but it could be 9 of 13 soon) with 5 playoff appearances in those 12 season. Yes they hit a bit of a "down period" but even in the last 6 years they have never lost more than 87 games and only finished last in the division 1 time to go along with one division title and a 2nd place finish. The A's are a well run organization despite their financial limitations.
Congrats to Bo! Nice to see talent recognized.
Diz, I don't think there is a snowball's chance in hell of Teddy being retired. Sounds like a lot of radio blather from talking heads who have no more insider knowledge than any of us.
Traveler8,
Definitely could be the case.
I actually have tickets that day, so either way, I'll witness a lot of history being made!
Question is for Opening Day next year....how many banners will we be raising? HA HA
Gotta love it!
Diz said...
Off Topic a little, but did anyone else hear on the radio this morning that they are planning on letting Teddy win on the last day of the season....Wed. 10/3 and then retire him?
Yes, and on 10/4 Charles Schulz will rise from the grave and draw a cartoon of Charlie Brown actually kicking the football from Lucy's hold. It will run in the Classic Peanuts spot on the Washington Post comics page in 2025, unless of course the Post hasn't folded by then.
What did P.T. Barnum say, a sucker is born every minute? Good seats still available for that game on 10/3.
Question is for Opening Day next year....how many banners will we be raising? HA HA
Hopefully one. It will have the highest level the Nats reach in the playoffs - either NL East Champs, NL Champs, or World Series Champs. Winning the Wild Card play-in game might rate a banner, but losing it? Ummm....no. Just win four more games and remove that possibility from consideration.
I wish Bo lotsa luck. He'll need it. Would Randy Knorr make a great MLB manager? I have no idea but he did pretty good in the minors, and has paid his dues. Nobody has mentioned McCatty as a possibility. I think that he'd be a lot of fun.
As to Teddy winning, I have a hard time getting too worked up about it, either way.It's all kind of a dumb schlick to me, but the kids seem to like it. I think that it's time to get rid of anything that symbolizes the Nats as losers.
I wonder how much raiding of the coaching staff comes along with this promotion....
Congratulations, Bo!
Congrats, Bo.
(But, sheesh, you have your work cut out for you!)
How do you all like the Pennsylvania Governor (?) Rendell calling Jayson Werth a 7 letter word starting with A and ending with E A-----e?
He stepped up last night to a new level after his 0-fer on Tuesday.
This Werth guy is really making a difference. That was the final dagger last night plus all of his backtalking to Phoolies phans about never wanting to see another celebration on Broad St was great!
even if the Nats win tonight, we won't have the pleasure to see the Phillies officially eleminated.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/09/27/ed-rendell-jayson-werth-is-a-complete-a/
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell wasn’t buying Werth’s excuse, and provided his own thoughts on the former Phillies right fielder. “Well, it’s a seven letter word Angelo [Cataldi], and the first letter is “A” and the last letter is “E”!,” Rendell told 94WIP’s Angelo Cataldi and The WIP Morning Show on Thursday.
I was rooting for Bo to be our next skipper. I'm sorry to see him go but thrilled for him that he finally is a manager. You could see, at spring training, the impact he had on our players, right from the start. He really seemed to be part of turning things around, so the Astros are lucky to have him.. Go Bo! But nit yet. We still need you!
On another nite, they better let Teddy win and kill the lovable loser thing once and for all.
So glad to see Bo get that job. He deserves it. If he takes the Nats' "That's How We Play" attitude to Houston, the Astros will be in very good hands indeed.
I really hope the Nats can clinch before the last home series against the Phillies because celebrating an NL East Championship during the 3 day celebration of a loveable loser seems wrong. And no, Teddy is not going to win on Oct. 3. If he did, the marketing staff would have to come up with some other gimmick for the race, and they're too lazy for that.
Too bad said marketing staff thinks that said sad, tired gimmick is a better way to sell tickets than celebrating and thanking the baseball team that has given DC the best six months of baseball it's ever seen
@Diz, I think they may let Teddy win. I've been thinking his first win would come either when the Nats won the NL East or when they win their first World Series.
I sure hope they wouldn't retire him though. And I hadn't heard about the JFK president. I wouldn't mind JFK being in the mix on occasion, but not as a replacement for Teddy.
He's a good choice for the Astros. He's tough and will instill a winning attitude like he helped to here in DC. Good luck, man.
I've heard that Randy Knorr is being groomed for Davey's replacement. Hoping Davey has a few years left in him.
Good for Bo!!! Um, I don't think he'll have to wave his arm any more, he'll be in the dugout watching his 3B coach do that :).
The Nats were a mere milimeters from losing last night as Brown missed a 3 run HR by the smallest of margins.
Clip again failed to get that rise on his fastball which has been a killer pitch. Its the same ball that Kemp smashed out.
If Brown hits the go-ahead HR, its Papelbon in for the save and Nats lose.
Very surprised Davey didn't pull him out of the game and I'm saying this as someone who likes Clippard. He just isn't himself.
Obama should be the next racing president. They turn left every time they come out of the gate, anyway.
Other point is Espinosa K'ing with 1 out and a man on 3rd in the 9th.
I think Davey's 3 issues right now are Morse's health, Espi's poor approach, Clip's arm.
All jokes aside, they need extra security for Jayson Werth tonight.
Good luck to Bo.
Bo knows a bird in the hand beats two in the bush.
Good luck to Bo, he will probably have a lousy record next year, I hope they give him a few years to change the climate over there. Not that long ago that they were consistent contenders.
Good luck Bo. Thank you for all you've done for the Nats.
Congrats to Bo!!! And Werth had me rolling on the floor last night.
Congrats, Bo! And good luck!!!
A DC Wonk said...
On that Werth hit up the middle in the ninth last night:
Does anyone besides me think that the Phillie SS was lame on that? Ian would have dove and stopped that, easily. Probably Werth still gets a single -- but only one run scores and not two.
Did anyone else see that?
September 27, 2012 10:27 AM
I had the same observation. A typical Rollins lousy effort. He would've had to have dived for the ball and probably only saved 1 run as I don't think he would have had a play at first. Hard to say but there was a lack of effort.
Same thing can be said about Espi on Tuesday on the hot smash by Ryan Howard to his right. He didn't move or attempt to dive. That was big in the blow-up inning.
Ghost, you are right on the security. I wonder if the umps will issue warnings. I would hate that to happen and take away the inside of the plate from Gio.
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell wasn’t buying Werth’s excuse, and provided his own thoughts on the former Phillies right fielder. “Well, it’s a seven letter word Angelo [Cataldi], and the first letter is “A” and the last letter is “E”!,” Rendell told 94WIP’s Angelo Cataldi and The WIP Morning Show on Thursday.
ACADEME?
ACETATE?
ACOLYTE?
ADOPTEE?
ADULATE?
ADVISEE?
AFFABLE?
AIRBASE?
AMBROSE?
AMOEBAE?
ANEMONE?
ANTIQUE?
APOSTLE?
ARACHNE?
ARCHIVE?
ARCSINE?
ARMOIRE?
ARTICLE?
ARTLIKE?
ATTACHE?
I don't get it. What do you mean, Mr. Governor? OH!!
ATHLETE.
Bo will do a good job for Houston. I hope he is given time to bring the team back from the current crater.
In honor of Mark Zuckerman, Duffy's is now offering a "shot" known as the Cortisone!
DL in VA -- POD. You must play a mean game of Scrabble. I bow down to you.
NatsLady said...
Ghost, you are right on the security. I wonder if the umps will issue warnings. I would hate that to happen and take away the inside of the plate from Gio.
September 27, 2012 11:43 AM
This dope radiohead Angelo Cataldi in Philly said the stadium won't be patting down fans entering the stadium for batteries as they will be handing out batteries.
These drunk phools will try something if given the opportunity so you don't want to give them an opportunity.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-gurus/post/take-a-cortisone-shot-for-the-nationals/2012/09/26/51e108f6-080f-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf_blog.html
The details on the Duffy's cortisone shot. They credit FP Santangelo but we all know Mark Zuckerman coined the phrase.
They also failed to mention Danny Espinosa just got a shot last week.
they he really say that, he's telling people that they are justified in trying to hurt Werth. Isn't that some kind of crime?
Mark, perennial playoff contenders Athletics? That's a stretch.
Look at their minor league system. Its not a stretch at all. In fact it really should be the case over the next five years perhaps.
Houston also has been touted as a team that is now in that enviable position. Porter learned a lot from watching Davey Johnson and Jim Riggleman and comparing/contrasting. He now knows you can build a winning team from players fresh off the farm.
The Nats have lots of competition.
Peric, The last time the A's were in the mix was 6 years ago and now this year. If that meets your definition of "perennial playoff contender" than great.
I only hope the Nats get that moniker a few years from now.
sad part is if Davey can manage for 2 more years then Bo will probably be available. Good for him though.
Peric, it has to be a tough day for you seeing Lannan perform again at a high level. 5 hits and 1 walk and 1 of those hits was a big misplay by Bryce Harper that turned into a double and that run scored.
Lannan is now 4-0 and beat his toughest foe last night.
I know you wanted him replaced by your boy Zach Duke and thrown to the trash heap and then your other target Jayson Werth comes up big several times last night.
Houston's gain is D.C.'s loss, but for all the right reasons -- Congratulations Bo Porter, you will lead Houston to glory in the AL!
DL in VA-- that is great. Consider it STOLEN!!!!! Love it.
... anyone know, or have any inkling, why this announcement couldn't or wouldn't be held until ... oh, say ... Nov. 2?
Go Bo!
Go Nats!!
… and another thing: does anyone else agree that such comments (regarding Rendell on Jayson Werth) are below a politician, even a former one, and simply reflect very poorly on the voting public of Pennsylvania?
... it's been a long season, so
go nats,
My congratulations to Bo Porter. (Because I know he reads this and all. Hi Bo!)
I will cheer for the Astros next season. Not in love with any AL team (especially in the west) so I will give them a shout out.
Congrats Bo.
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