Tony Beasley

Part of the joy Tony Beasley experienced this season was congratulating Alfonso Soriano.

STEVE DeSHAZO: In limbo, Beasley awaits his future

Date published: 10/5/2006

WASHINGTON--The season began with Tony Beasley's decision to send a runner who was called out at home. It may end with Beasley out of a job.

In between, there's little the Bowling Green native would change about his first year in the major leagues--except, of course, for the Washington Nationals' 91 losses.

"I've obviously enjoyed myself this year," Beasley said last week, relaxing in RFK Stadium's home dugout before the Nationals' final series of the season. "It was my first opportunity to see the game at the major-league level and experience a lot of things. In many ways, it's been a learning experience for me."

Beasley's in baseball limbo at the moment--still under contract for the rest of the month, but waiting for the other shoe to fall. He served as third base coach for a manager (Frank Robinson) who wasn't retained, and the Nationals' next skipper is likely to want to bring in his own staff.

If so, Beasley will start looking for a new job. He's sure to land somewhere--possibly even back in the big leagues. But it may not be quite as enticing as getting your first taste of "the show" barely 80 minutes from your driveway.

"I'd love to be back," he said. "This is the home team. It's not just a job; I put my heart and should into this team. Everyone at home roots for this team; when something happens, they always call me. Even though this is a new organization, I couldn't ask for a better place to coach baseball."

After an unremarkable career as a minor-league player, Beasley made a name for himself as a manager in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, leading his modestly talented farm teams to the playoffs in each of his five seasons.

That caught the attention of the powerful New York Yankees, who hired him last winter as a roving minor-league instructor--until the Nationals offered him his current job. General manager Jim Bowden labeled the 39-year-old Beasley "a rising star."

Nationals fans may have had a different name for Beasley after Washington's opening-day loss to the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. Trailing 3-2 in the eighth inning, Beasley waved Alfonso Soriano home on a double by rookie Ryan Zimmerman. Umpire Tim Tschida called Soriano out, although replays showed Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca dropped the ball (and Tschida later admitted he missed the call).

That's a tough big-league debut, but Beasley said it didn't cause him to lose aggressiveness or confidence.

Date published: 10/5/2006