Most of us have worked at a job we were dissatisfied in.. You know the drill, middling and uncommitted company, clueless management, a lack of employer appreciation for employees, (like the TV show "The Office.")  And, at one point or another, we've turned to a spouse or friend and said "if i didn't need the money so badly, I'd quit tomorrow."  Yet, for that very reason, we hang around until we can find a better opportunity or we are asked to leave the building.

While the timing of his exit yesterday from the Washington Nationals was a bit curious, Jim Riggleman's reasoning was fairly sound.  He felt unappreciated.  He felt without at least a conversation about a contract extension, he was hanging in the wind.  He felt like a rent a manager. And he was tired of feeling like that.  So, he confronted his boss and asked for a conversation to begin or he would quit.  The Nats rewarded Riggleman with his walking papers.

Whether or not Riggleman overplayed his hand is a matter of conjecture.  He was obviously bothered by it.  At 58, it's nice to know what your plans are for next year.  It's also nice to know that the people you work for hold you in high esteem and regard you as part of their future plans.  If they are just using you to keep the seat warm or they are planning on canning you soon, maybe being preemptive is in both parties best interest.   Unfortunately, most of us are forced economically to follow the old adage "don't quit your job until you can find another one."

Could Jim Riggleman have handled this better?  Absolutely.  He could have waited until the end of the season and perhaps caught on with another team.  But then again, if the surging Nats went into free fall in August, would Riggleman have kept his job until October?  You can see the plot thicken.  He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.  He went to the table with a pair of deuces and management called his bluff.

If the Nats weren't in the middle of this hot streak, would this have been a tree that fell in the forest and not made a sound?  No one was making a big deal when Edgar Rodriguez stepped down last week as manager of the Marlins, who were in the throws of a horrible tailspin.  When Bob Geren was axed in Oakland a couple of weeks ago, many rejoiced.  But because Riggleman was guiding the Nats to heights unknown, he is branded a  quitter.  And while some may see it that way, I see Jim Riggleman as a man of integrity who simply had enough of being ignored in his requests to discuss his contract.  A man, who walked the walk, damn the professional fallout.  A man who had the guts and resources to do what you and I probably couldn't: Walk away from a crappy job that wasn't going to keep employed much longer anyway.  In that scenario, Jim Riggleman is a hero, not a bum.