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Tag: Ron Washington

  • Michael Young Retires After 14 Years

    Michael Young announced his retirement from Major League Baseball on Friday afternoon at the Rangers Ball Park in Arlington.

    Young played for the Texas Rangers from 2000 to 2012. His struggles in the 2012 season led the Rangers to trade him to the Philadelphia Phillies in December of that year.

    In August 2013, Young was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

    In both cases, Young waived his no-trade clause in order to allow the trades to be made.

    Over the past few weeks, rumors of his retirement had been circulating. On Friday, Young confirmed that he would indeed retire versus remaining with the Dodgers or signing with a new team.

    Young had nothing but good to say about the Rangers. He said he loved Los Angeles and Philadelphia, but called the time in Texas 13 of the best years of his life.

    Post by Texas Rangers.

    The 37 year-old said he was confident, stubborn, immature and had a lot to learn when he came to the Rangers at the age of 23.

    “I figured it all out here,” Young said.

    “There wasn’t a day went by that I didn’t feel like I was valued. That may sound like a small thing, but to a baseball player, that’s a big deal … Even when we hit some bumps in the road here, at no point did I feel like I wasn’t valued,” he continued.

    “Everything that happened here in Texas made me a better person.”

    Young called Rangers manager Ron Washington the “best in the business.” He said the two have always enjoyed a “fantastic, honest relationship.”

    Post by Texas Rangers.

    Washington returned the praise, calling Young the ultimate team leader. He told the gathered press that Young was a “person that came to the ballpark every single day and performed to the best of his ability … the things that he was taught, he was not afraid to pass it on.”

    “Character to me overrides everything,” Washington said. “If you look up character in the dictionary, I think you’ll see Michael Young’s face there.”

    Several questions at the press conference involved Young’s plans for the future.

    Young said that baseball is “in his blood” and he’d like to return to the game in some capacity. When asked if he was interested in becoming a manager, Young replied “Managing is not in my plans.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • World Series Twitter Fun With Devon La Russa

    Normally, it’s the athletes that issue misguided Twitter posts that cause social media blowback, but this time, we get to thank Devon La Russa, daughter of St Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, for providing yet another lesson on how not to use Twitter, especially when you are, or are related to someone who resides in the public’s eye.

    What we have is a daughter talking smack on her father’s team’s behalf, and it simply backfired on her. The younger La Russa — who, it should be noted, does not have a space between the “La” and the “Russa” of the her last name, at least on her now defunct Twitter profile — made fun of some previous history connected to Texas Rangers manager, Ron Washington.

    Because Devon’s Twitter account is no longer active, the tweets in question don’t exist any longer, but that doesn’t mean her attempts at being funny haven’t been captured for all to see, courtesy of a screenshot. Before that, however, the text of the tweet that started this mess, according to Yahoo’s Big League Stew, said:

    I saw a crack head doing “The Wash” today. Coincidence? I think not…

    Two things for those who may not know: “The Wash” refers to a dance that imitates the Texas manager’s reactions when he’s in approval mode. See it for yourself:

    And second, Washington admitted he struggled with cocaine throughout his adult life, and, in fact, Washington tested positive for the stuff as recently as 2009. Again, this seems like perfect fodder for anonymous fans to use, but for the opposing manager’s daughter?

    Yeah, no.

    Because of her ill-advised tweet — leave that nonsense for the fans, Devon, and not the siblings of one of the World Series managers — La Russa’s daughter was forced to defend her statement with perhaps the most ridiculous excuse you’ve ever heard, which was preserved via a screenshot of her Twitter account:

    Devon La Russa Tweet

    See? No space in her last name.

    As for the excuse, surely the younger La Russa had to know what kind of firestorm she would set off with her initial tweet, and to simply back down is weak. Once the situation reaches critical mass like this one did — this story’s pretty popular right now — it’s time to own your mistake, and not back down with “oh, I’m just being silly” responses. Apparently, the subsequent reaction was too much for La Russa’s daughter to handle, and so, she deactivated her Twitter account, at least the public one that got her into all this trouble.

    Social media really isn’t this hard, folks. Really, it isn’t.