BUCK out as Rangers Manager

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Buck Showalter is out as the manager of the Texas Rangers, ending four seasons in which he was never able to get a team with several young All-Stars above third place in the AL West.

Texas was 80-82 this season, its sixth losing record in seven years since last making the playoffs in 1999. Showalter was 319-329 with the Rangers, his third managerial job, and still had three seasons left on his contract.

Showalter was the AL manager of the year only two years ago, when after AL MVP Alex Rodriguez was traded in the spring the Rangers remained in playoff contention until an 11-inning loss in the 158th game of the season.

The Rangers were 89-73 in 2004, the fourth-best record in team history and an 18-win improvement over 2003. They finished only three games back in the AL West, but still in third place behind the division-winning Angels and Oakland.

But the Rangers weren't able to build off the momentum of that unexpected playoff chase. They backtracked last year with only 79 victories, and were only one game better than that this season.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

The Angels will win uncontested for the next 3 years.

He is the second worst manager of pitchers in the last 20-30 years behind Dusty.  And he was a catcher...just amazing.

They don't have the staff for him to run through the buzzsaw.

He could maybe get Detroit, Minnesota or Cleveland a title by chewing up their bullpens and rotation, but those are about the only teams with enough pitchers to feed to the machine. I guess maybe the Brewers, Dodgers and Marlins in the NL. You need at least 10 capable starters and 5-8 great bullpen arms to end the season with 3 starters and 3 relievers for good ol' Lou.