John Russell isn't fond of the term rebuilding.
He'd prefer stabilizing, and the longtime minor league manager would like a chance to help stabilize the Nationals.
Russell hasn't interviewed Washington's vacant managerial spot, but he could soon hear from Nationals officials. Washington recently asked Philadelphia for permission to speak with the Phillies' Triple-A manager.
"That's kind of what I've done my whole career is help bring young players along," Russell said in a telephone interview from Venezuela, where he's managing Las Aguilas del Zulia in the Venezuelan Winter League. "It's all teaching and trying to build a foundation."
Russell, 45, is one of five candidates for the vacant Texas Rangers' managerial job and he said an interview with Rangers general manager Jon Daniels last week "went very well."
He's recently been added to a fluctuating pool of candidates to replace former Nationals manager Frank Robinson.
Fired Marlins manager Joe Girardi, considered Washington team's top managerial candidate, and Atlanta hitting coach Terry Pendleton, recently pulled out of the running, leaving team officials to shift their focus.
The team has done so in private, and general manager Jim Bowden hasn't commented since Robinson was officially fired Sept. 30.
However, several candidates remain in the running, including Russell, Mets coach Manny Acta, a former Expos coach who interviewed Monday with club officials, as well as former Kansas City Royals manager Tony Pena and former Chicago Cubs manager Dusty Baker.
St. Louis Cardinals coach Jose Oquendo also could draw interest from team officials after the World Series.
Russell said he was somewhat surprised when he found out the Nationals had expressed late interest in him--he doesn't have connections to any team officials--but jumped at a chance to manage a big league team.
Russell's playing career spanned 10 seasons and three teams (Philadelphia, Texas and Atlanta) and he was known best for catching Nolan Ryan's sixth no-hitter with the Rangers.
He managed eight seasons in the minor leagues with the Minnesota Twins and was named Baseball America's minor league manager of the year in 2002 before joining the Pittsburgh Pirates' staff for three seasons.
He managed Philadelphia's Triple-A team, the Scranton-Wilkes Barre Red Barons, to an 84-78 record this year and was named International League Manager of the Year.
At each stop, he said he's stressed teaching fundamentals and communication with players, traits which might make him an ideal candidate for the Nationals' rebuilding project.
"It's more just making an organization stable," Russell said. "When you have a solid nucleus like the Nationals have and you can add to that as you go through and add a few pieces, you can stabilize things pretty quickly."
Siegle dismissedNationals assistant general manager Tony Siegle had been with the Nationals since they were named the Expos, joining the organization in 2002.
So he said he was "completely shocked" when he was fired by Bowden yesterday.
Siegle said he was told the organization was "going in a different direction." Bowden was unavailable to comment.
"We worked day and night keeping that team together with no staff and no budget and no nothing and now you finally get to where you enjoy it and you are not there anymore and it's tough," Siegle said. "It's just the break of the game. I wish Jim [Bowden] and Mr. Kasten all the luck. They are going to have a wonderful couple of years."
Siegle, a contract specialist known as an expert on baseball's complex transaction rules, has worked with eight big league clubs and 23 general managers during his 41-year career in baseball.
"I've had a million calls already today," Siegle said. "I'll be OK."
To reach TODD JACOBSON:
Email: tjacobson@freelancestar.com