Buck Showalter Fired in Phoenix

P H O E N I X, Oct. 2 -- One year after helping theArizona Diamondbacks become the fastest expansion team to win adivision title, manager Buck Showalter was fired Monday.

Showalter became the third manager to get the axe Monday,joining Jack McKeon of the Cincinnati Reds and Gene Lamont ofthe Pittsburgh Pirates. Larry Rothschild of the Tampa Bay DevilRays escaped the purge, although coaches Leon Roberts, BillRussell and Orlando Gomez were fired.

Philadelphia Phillies manager Terry Francona was fired onSunday.

‘Another Direction’

Showalter was the only manager in team history, but rumorsof dismissal began circulating even before the Diamondbacksstruggled down the stretch and missed the playoffs, one yearafter winning 100 games and the National League West title.

“The purpose and reason for making a change ... is verysimple — we think it’s time to move in another direction,”said Jerry Colangelo, the team’s managing general partner.

“We think it’s time to work on a new attitude in theorganization, in the clubhouse. So we felt it couldn’t be doneany other way but to make this change at this time.”

September Swoon

Arizona acquired Curt Schilling from Philadelphia on July26 and added him to a rotation that already included NLstrikeout king and reigning Cy Young Award winner RandyJohnson. But the Diamondbacks were only 12-18 in September andfinished third in the division, 12 games behind first-place SanFrancisco. Arizona also was nine games in back of the New YorkMets in the NL wild card race.

“In making this announcement today, I want to make itcrystal clear that I am not pointing fingers at BuckShowalter,” Colangelo said. “I don’t lay any blame on hisshoulders for our won-loss record this year.”

The Diamondbacks thought so highly of Showalter that theyhired him as manager in November 1995, more than two yearsbefore the team’s first game. After a 65-97 expansion season,Arizona acquired Matt Williams and Devon White and completed a35-game turnaround last year to become the fastest expansionteam to win a division title.