Many of us have wistfully thought about telling our boss what Coe contemplates doing in his 1978 classic popularized by Johnny Paycheck.  But the lack of gumption – and reason – prevents most of us from putting our thoughts into action.  Not Jim Riggleman.
Riggleman was the manger of the Washington Nationals until he abruptly quit on June 23 after his team had won ten of its last eleven games.  The winning streak put the Nationals over .500, lofty heights for a team that experts predicted was a year or two away from competing in the National League East.  Perhaps those lofty accomplishments emboldened Riggleman to confront his boss, Nats General Manager Mike Rizzo, and ask him to pick up the 2012 option on his contract.  But Rizzo was having none of it.
In a typical he said he said, the parties gave differing explanations of what actually happened.  But the bottom line is Rizzo declined to pick up his manager’s option, which led Riggleman to walk out on the team.
To say the move was both surprising and bizarre is an understatement.  Riggleman has managed four Major League clubs and has always been referred to as a model organization man, certainly not the type who is inclined to rock the boat.  Although his success in the dugout has been mixed – Riggleman’s career record is 662-824 over parts of 12 seasons and he has guided only one team to the playoffs – most observers would have picked him as the last MLB manager, other than the White Sox’ Ozzie Guillen perhaps – to take such drastic action.
On the other hand, Riggleman could see the handwriting on the wall.  Despite his team’s success this season, Riggleman’s third with the Nationals, it had become painfully obvious to him that Rizzo had no intention of handing him the reins of the club long term.  Riggleman was merely keeping the seat warm for the “name” manager Rizzo was intent on hiring after this season.
So Riggleman up and quit one of the most prestigious jobs in all of sports.  There are only 30 MLB managers and hundreds of men spend a lifetime sacrificing family, health, pride and dignity in the often futile pursuit of one of those positions.
While Riggleman obviously disagreed with Rizzo’s management approach, resigning – essentially quitting on his team – is hardly an appropriate way to demonstrate that displeasure.  If employees resigned every time they disagreed with their bosses, the current unemployment rate, already at unacceptably high levels, would spike considerably.  Riggleman’s resignation – and public comments regarding his contractual situation – guaranteed that he will have difficulty finding another managing job in MLB.
While Riggleman’s actions run counter to his heretofore reputation as loyal and committed, they likewise speak volumes about Rizzo and his management style.  The former farm director of the Arizona Diamondbacks has generally received high marks for his performance as Nationals GM since being hired three years ago.  But Riggleman’s resignation will leave a black mark on Rizzo’s resume.  Bosses should be able to handle employee disagreements in a manner where they don’t spill over into the public domain.  If there were disagreements between the two men – as there undoubtedly are in any GM-manager relationship – they should have either been resolved privately or at least kept under wraps.  Airing dirty laundry in public is neither pleasant nor productive, and can be particularly detrimental to a business that operates in the public eye.
That the affair occurred in the Nationals organization is hardly surprising.  Stan Kasten, one of the most respected men in all of sports, resigned last year for no apparent reason rather than re-up for another term as team president.  While Kasten refused to give reasons for his departure, it followed many other resignations/firings of team personnel during the past five years.  Former employees who I have spoken with describe a corporate culture that is bent on micromanaging and suffocating to work in, a philosophy that apparently stems from the ownership suite.
Like the hypothetical person in Coe’s song, Riggleman worked long and hard without receiving what he perceived to be his just reward.  But unlike his musical counterpart, Riggleman’s actions were irrevocable.  
Jordan Kobritz is a former attorney, CPA, and Minor League Baseball team owner.  He is an Assistant Professor of Sport Management and Sport Law at Eastern New Mexico University, teaches the Business of Sports at the University of Wyoming, and is a contributing author to the Business of Sports Network.  

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