October Off, What is New in September

As the major league baseball season drags through September and the team which you are covering really isn't doing anything remarkable, it becomes difficult to stay motivated and get these random thoughts to text. Neither of my teams (Oakland, Washington) were a threat to do anything after September 1, and aside from Espinosa's hot start, it was a letdown. It would take something newsworthy to get rolling again with the playoffs dominating the headlines. I even considered adding in thoughts from other walks of life.

Then, as expected, Pat Listach was in the wind. Some experts thought he had a shot at the Cubs managerial job, and he interviewed around before settling in as Quade's lieutenant. It's still hard for me to envision Listach as a manager, since it seems like just yesterday he was taking home Rookie of the Year honors for Milwaukee... then again, at the time Milwaukee was still in the AL, so who knows anymore.

With Riggleman not a long term fix at manager for the Nats, Listach would have been a great fit for a maturing team looking to make the next step. It is unfortunate they couldn't find a way to promote him or keep him on staff, though there is always the chance he will still be looking for a top job when Riggleman runs his course. The Bobby Coxes only come around once a decade, so most teams are shedding managers within five seasons.