CSN: Beltway Baseball: Jim Riggleman’s Week Out

Spell Kasten…the Nats way.

While this is the first NatsFest for Riggleman as a manager in Washington, he’s been down this road before. He has also coached the San Diego Padres, the Chicago Cubs, and the Seattle Mariners (as interim manager).  But even with past experience, Riggleman was asked some questions that seemed to take him by surprise.

At the Hot Stove Luncheon last Friday, Nats TV analyst Rob Dibble asked the skipper about his awareness and involvement with steroids in the late 1990s. Riggleman was manager of the Cubs during Sammy Sosa’s chase of the single season home-run record. He began his answer by responding lightheartedly with “thanks a lot.” After the crowd reacted, team president Stan Kasten remarked in jest about Dibble’s television contract security and looked displeased as Riggleman began to speak.

Riggleman explained that he had not been asked a question about that topic. While Tony La Russa has been scrutinized about Mark McGwire, no one had yet questioned Riggleman about it. He said that he had been anticipating it, but thought the topic may have passed on.

He continued to describe managing in the Steroid Era: “It’s hard to believe, but we were really naive about it.  When you’re there, you kind of just don’t even really think about it. You see the guy getting bigger and you’re thinking ‘Man, he’s working hard.’ We all missed it.”