Nats hire Davey Johnson

Hey folks, Ben here--back from a week-and-a-half vacation in Australia. Did I miss anything? :-)

Anyway, just a quick blog item: The Nats named Davey Johnson, veteran of four major-league managerial jobs and a stint with the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, senior advisor to the general manager this afternoon. The move had been rumored for a few days, and gives the Nats yet another veteran presence in Mike Rizzo's remade front office.

Johnson coached Stephen Strasburg in the Olympics last summer, and had remarked at one point to our Thom Loverro how impressed he was with the right-hander, while adding he's not typically as effusive in his praise of pitchers as he was with Strasburg. He's got a long track record working with both professional and amateur players, and fits well with Rizzo's aim of assembling a reserve of veteran baseball people.