In the wake of Jim Bowden’s recent firing resignation from his position as general manager of the Washington Nationals, Buster Olney of ESPN took a look back at Bowden’s run with the team, and it wasn’t pretty (must have Insider account to read). Bowden’s firing resignation made me think about how strangely baseball teams handle the hiring of their most senior decision makers. It’s almost like you win the lottery if you get hired as a GM of a team because you’re likely to retain the job long after it’s been proven that you aren’t very good at it (Brian Sabean, I’m looking at you) and, if you actually do get fired, you’re probably going to get hired by another team just because you’ve been a GM before. Bowden is a perfect illustration of this dynamic.

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