Sunday, March 01, 2009

Jim Bowden's Resignation Statement

STATEMENT FROM JIM BOWDEN

I am today resigning my position as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Washington Nationals. It is an emotional decision that saddens me, but one that I feel is in the best interests of two of the things I love most - baseball and the Washington Nationals.

My resignation is based upon my realization that my ability to properly represent the Washington Nationals has been compromised because of false allegations contained in the press. I am disappointed by the media reports regarding investigations into any of my professional activities. There have been no charges made, and there has been no indication that parties have found any wrongdoing on my part.

At the same time, while I have done nothing wrong, I place a greater value on the love, respect, and best interests of my family, friends, the game of baseball -- that I've served lovingly and faithfully for close to 25 years -- and, the reputation and future of the Washington Nationals, which I'm proud to have been a part of since its inception in 2004.

I believe I have had one of the great challenges afforded to any general manager in baseball. I was hired in November 2004 to make day-to-day baseball decisions on an interim basis with no ownership group, no permanent place to play and no legitimate minor league system. There was little to no budget for a major league roster. But, with the help of some very special assistants, we persevered. Today, we have some of the best owners in the game. We have one of the finest new ballparks, with a beautiful view of the Nation’s Capitol. And, we are headed in the right direction with the nucleus of a young, competitive and interesting major league baseball team that is capable of turning into a contender in a short period of time.

I'm proud to have had the opportunity to be part of such a special organization with so many tremendous people who will always be my friends, and am also proud of my contributions to Major League Baseball, the Washington Nationals and the game.

I wish nothing but success to the Lerner Family, Stan Kasten and the Washington Nationals organization, and to the very special players and front office personnel with whom I've built strong and meaningful relationships. I also want to thank all of the players, managers, coaches, front office staff and ownership for treating my family members like their own.

In closing, let me state this is a bittersweet moment for me. While I will always have the experiences and fond memories of my relationships with the Nationals, Stan Kasten and the Lerner family, who have always been gracious and fair in their dealings with me, I will also carry with me the cold hard realization that my life has been turned upside down by a news media that prints entire stories attributed solely to anonymous sources who refuse to be identified and who are free to allege anything they choose for any purpose without fear of retribution. One can only understand the impact of false allegations, insinuations and innuendos by the press if they themselves been the subject of those false allegations. However, I also want to thank the many media members, who have dealt with me with fairness and professionalism, and they far outweigh the others.

Like anyone else, I have made mistakes in all areas of my personal and professional life, but I leave here with the true belief that I have done nothing intentionally to harm the Washington Nationals or Major League Baseball. The team, the fans and media can now turn all of their attention from the distractions off-the-field to where it belongs, on the baseball field for the Washington Nationals and their upcoming 2009 championship season.

10 comments:

yazzy1956 said...

Now that he is gone, for good or for ill, let's not waste any time doing a forensic study of the Bowden years. There's no sense in picking at the carcass. Opening Day is a month away and let's move on.

Anonymous said...

Yazzy, that's refreshing.

Anonymous said...

The Bowden years were certainly bittersweet with a few highs and many lows and this Frowneygate hopefully doesn't put the exclamation point on his career.

My hope is Jim is innocent of all criminal activity and his final chapter of his Nats career is with a team that does well and he gets some credit on his 2009 work with Olsen, Willingham, Cabrera, and Dunn.

Personally, I will miss Jim doing his impromtu live auction at the Nats Dream Foundation gala, and running in to him at faraway places like in Los Angeles at the Grammy Awards or nearby in a restaurant in Alexandria as Jim was always an upbeat guy and could put a smile on your face especially in the off-season as he was so optimistic about his hopes for the Nationals.

I don't have Jim in my speed-dial so I wish you good luck and I am sure we will see each other in the future.

Anonymous said...

Fair enough, but who gets the Segway?

Anonymous said...

SBF,

I feel for Jim Bowden and everyone who loses their job during these tough times. That said, I think this is a good and necessary move for the Nationals.

Mr. Bowden's reputation and, by extension, the Nationals, is not a good one. I believe that reputation prevented trades and other important deals (like signing first round draft picks) that the team must make to improve.

Hopefully, this sad day will mark the start of an era of prosperity for the national pastime in the Nation's Capital.

Kenny G said...

SBF,
Would love to hear your thoughts on this! Do you plan on a later post?

Anonymous said...

Good luck to Jimbo. I am interested to see the outcome of the investigation and whether (or not) Jimbo is implicated or exonerated.

Keith said...

The DR scandal, which is surely going to be much larger than we now know, was a huge embarrassment for the Nationals. Nevermind the details, or even the facts at all. To the rest of the baseball world the team that lost 102 games was also embezzling from poor people. Bravo to the Lerners and Kasten for taking swift action. Kasten's anger at his earlier press conference was the very best face the team could put on right now. Anyone else within the organization who is tainted by this scandal should be dealt the same swift justice.
The big next question for me is; would Cordero come back now?

Screech's Best Friend said...

Keith: Chad Cordero is not coming back--count of it.

paul said...

Will or Chad?