Ron Washington Opens Up About Coke, Third Person Use

Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington.

Washington joined KRLD in Dallas with Newy Scruggs to discuss his nerves heading into his first postseason as a manager, embracing the underdog role, and the media bringing back up his admission to using cocaine last season. On whether he's nervous about managing in his first postseason: Well, nervous, I don't know if it's nervousness or just anxious energy. I've been in the game a long time. I know it's a playoff game, but I'm only going to react to what the game asks me to do. I've always done that all my career. Plus, I have a lot of experience around me, so I'll have support. I just can't wait to get started. Nervousness, no, I don't feel nervousness, but I will be anxious.

On the Rangers' underdog role: When you look at all the teams that are in there, we had the least amount of victories and if that makes you the underdog, that makes you the underdog. I know that the type of team that the Rays are and I certainly know the type of team that the Twins and the Yankees are. In the playoffs, it's all about who plays better on that day and that's the way we go about our business every day.

On having to answer questions all over again about his admitted cocaine use last year: This media that we're meeting right now is media that may have read about things and I'll answer the questions. I don't have a problem with that as long as they're not trying to get vicious with it. I have no problems. I put myself in this position and when you put yourself in certain positions, you have to be there to answer for whatever anyone has to ask. … That's just the way it is and as much as I would like to put it behind me, it's a part of Ron Washington now and Ron Washington did it to himself so I have to deal with it.

This post, written by Eric Schmoldt, appears courtesy of Sports Radio Interviews. For the complete highlights of the interview, as well as audio, click here.

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