Wash

“That’s the way baseball go.”- Ron Washington

“I’m going to pull off my belt and throw him across my lap and give him a spanking,”- Washington on what he would do if Derek Holland had a second straight poor start.


I’m a big fan of Ron Washington.  He gets his share of abuse from Ranger fans (although I think he is beloved much more than maligned), and yes sometimes I don’t understand his moves, or his at times stubborn refusal to play young players over struggling veterans.  But I also know that he has more baseball knowledge in his little finger than I will accumulate in my lifetime, so I like to think I have proper perspective as a fan.
 
I like him because it seems like his players love playing for him, and that’s validation enough for me.  Elvis Andrus said one of the reasons he was excited to sign his extension with the Rangers is that he loved playing for (and learning from) Wash.  I like him because the Rangers are in the middle of a golden era of Ranger baseball  and Wash has been at the helm of it (although yes I definitely credit John Daniels with that as much, if not more, than anyone).

Mostly, I like Wash because it’s obvious he cares about the game, and seems to enjoy his job.

I picked up a handful of Wash cards from his playing days, all on the cheap at sportlots.com.  I saw his rookie card for $.18 and had to have it for my sampler album:

I also picked up a few more to fill out my Wash page in my Rangers album:

 

1985 Fleer is such a strong set.  Maybe I'm nostalgic for it because it was some of the first wax I ever bought.  Whatever it is, I like it.

These are actually all different cards:  Topps base, Topps Tiffany and O-Pee-Chee.  The Tiffany is a little glossier and the print is brighter on the back.