That didn’t take long.
As soon as the news hit Monday that the Texas Rangers had fired Chris Woodward, the calls for his replacement came fast and loud on social media.
And one particular name kept coming up, underlined by memorable gifs and images from some of the greatest memories in Rangers history.
Ron Washington was trending on Twitter deep into the night and Tuesday morning as “Bring Back Wash” became a rallying cry for flustered and frustrated Rangers fans in the wake of Woodward’s departure.
Rangers third-base coach Tony Beasley was named the interim manager for the final six weeks of the season, and is a potential full-time candidate, according to general manager Chris Young.
A couple of fans even attempted to start a “Bring Back Wash” chant during the Rangers’ 2-1 win over the Athletics Monday night but it didn’t catch on, according to reports. The crowd of less than 14,000 — the smallest announced attendance at Globe Life Field since COVID-19 crowd limitations were lifted in 2021 — was quiet enough for the chant to echo throughout the ballpark.
Whether Rangers ownership heard or cared, is an altogether different question.
Washington abruptly resigned late in the 2014 season amid an undisclosed off-the-field matter. Washington only would publicly admit to be unfaithful to his wife. The actual details of Washington’s forced resignation, however, are likely too troublesome for the Rangers to entertain his return. Since none of the details of the incident have been confirmed or corroborated by the Star-Telegram, we’ll steer clear of them here.
But Washington remains beloved among Rangers fans, former players, and even members of the Rangers front office.
Washington, 70, won his first World Series a year ago as the Atlanta Braves’ third-base coach.
Of course, and diehard Rangers fans might want to skip the next few sentences, he was one strike away from leading the Rangers to their first World Series title in 2011, before, well, you know the rest.
