Nationals tap Johnson to lead team through 2011

Photo courtesy of
‘Davey Johnson’s Mets Hall of Fame Plaque Revealed’
courtesy of ‘slgckgc’

The Nationals announced late yesterday that they have come to an agreement with Davey Johnson to manage the club through the rest of the 2011 season, and is on contract with the team to serve in some capacity through 2013. Johnson’s career is fairly storied, and includes a World Series trophy (1986, with the Mets. Sorry, Dave Levy) and 1st or 2nd place finishes in 11 of 14 seasons. If there’s someone who knows and understands the concepts of winning baseball, it’s Johnson, who carries a lifetime .564 record with 1,148 wins and 888 losses.

Johnson takes over the club while they’re on a hot-streak, having won 13 of their last 15 games, including 5 of 6 on the road, and there are rumblings about the NL East Wild Card. Sure, the Nats are 3.5 games back of the Braves for the Wild Card, but I don’t think it’s wise to get your long-term hopes up for a playoff spot.

None of that changes the fact that the Nationals are having their hottest June in six years, and the best record in the month of June across either league. We’ll have a homestand preview later this week, with more results from the road trip and previews of the homestand, but the addition of Davey Johnson to the team’s day to day staff is certainly a good thing for a club who could use a shot in the arm from someone who understands what it is to manage baseball teams at the highest level.

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.

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