WASHINGTON -- Jim Riggleman felt he deserved better. He had essentially become a permanent interim manager for the Washington Nationals, a franchise that has spent much of its time trying to become relevant. Once the club was ready to be a contender, he sensed he would be shunted aside for the next best thing to come along.
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"I just felt if there's not going to be some type of commitment, then there obviously never will be," Riggleman said. "I'm just not the guy that they thought they could move forward with."
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"I tell ya, I've been in this 10 years," Riggleman said. "Maybe I'll never get another opportunity, but I promise you I'll never do it on a one-year deal again. ... You don't bring people in on a one-year deal. I'm sure they will never do it here. When they get the guy they want, it won't be on a one-year deal."
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"Timing? Come on," Riggleman said. "That's like I'm not going to get married until I have a steady job. You'll never get married. You make the decision you feel is right and Mike felt the decision was to not move forward with me."
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He said Thursday he was fully aware that he was leaving one of the precious 30 managerial jobs in the majors, but for him it was a matter of principle.
"It's about me," Riggleman said. "It's about looking in the mirror and feeling like I've got to answer to myself. In today's world in major sports, it's not a good environment to work when the manager or head coach in football or whatever is on a short leash. Too many negatives can come out of it. You're walking on egg shells too often. You can't think out of the box as much. I thought after 10 years I'd earned the right to have a little bit longer leash."
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