PHOENIX − Ron Washington’s wife pleaded with him.

His friends from New Orleans openly questioned whether he should do this.

Those closest to him in the game asked if it made sense to trade security for volatility.

Come on, leave the third-base coach job with Atlanta, one of baseball’s elite franchises, to become manager for one of baseball’s most troubled clubs in the Los Angeles Angels?

“People kept saying how bad the Angels are, and why would you want to go there?” Ron Washington says, sipping a beer at the Angels’ team hotel in Phoenix. “Come on, it’s a big-league job. There are only 30 of these [expletives]. I waited 10 damn years to get back.

“I told everyone, I wasn’t going there because of what they’ve done in the past. I’m going there to create what they’re going to do in the future.

“I’m telling you, I’m going to turn this [expletive] around.

“I wouldn’t have taken this job if I didn’t believe I could make a difference.”

Well, three months into his first year on the job and the Angels (27-42) have the fifth-worst record in baseball, with Washington’s own coaches apologizing watching his career winning percentage (.514, 691-653) eroding every day after producing four consecutive 90-victory seasons and back-to-back pennants with the Texas Rangers.

You know who it bothers the least?

“I haven’t had a sleepless night since I took this job,” Washington tells USA TODAY Sports in a three-hour conversation. “This record isn’t anything what I hoped, and we’re not playing like I expect. But we’ve got such a young team. There are nights when we’ve got everyone on the field making the minimum salary.

“But you know what?

“It’s coming. I know it coming.

“We’ll get it done here, and it’s going to be a beautiful damn thing when we’re on top.’’

This is pure, unfiltered Washington, who at 72 truly believes he can be the one to rejuvenate this dormant franchise, leading them back to the postseason for the first time since 2014.

“I ain’t no damn failure,” Washington says. “I’ve never been a failure in my damn life. I might be failing, but I ain’t no failure. There’s a difference.

“I’m going to do what it takes to not fail. I’m not going to let it just keep happening to me and say I’m a failure. [Expletive] that. I’m going to do what I have to do to come out of it.

“Sometimes you can snap out of it, and sometimes it can take a minute.”

If Washington, who last managed in 2014, didn’t believe he could turn around the Angels, he would have just stayed in Atlanta where he had just agreed to a three-year contract extension to remain their third-base coach. The salary was good and the postseason shares were lucrative.

He received plenty of inquiries over the years to leave Atlanta and become another team’s bench coach, with the Kansas City Royals and the Chicago White Sox showing the most recent interest, but he told Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos he would leave only if a manager’s job became available.

So here he is, managing a team with no Shohei Ohtani (Dodgers), no Mike Trout (meniscus knee surgery, out until after the All-Star break), no Anthony Rendon (strained hamstring, likely July return), no Brandon Drury (strained hamstring, likely late June return) and a lineup filled with kids making the minimum and veterans just hanging on to their careers.

Those Amstel Lights and oatmeal cookies have never tasted so good on these tough nights.

“If we play solid baseball, we have a chance,” says Washington, whose team is 12-21 in one- and two-run games. “It’s not like teams are just coming in and waxing our ass. We’ve had opportunities, we just didn’t come through. We’ve been missing that one hit. One base hit.

“We just have to learn how to win. It takes time. It’ll be different next year.”

Washington, perhaps the greatest infield coach in baseball history, has been instrumental in his infielders winning 14 Gold Gloves and eight Platinum Gloves with Oakland, Texas and Atlanta. He has coached or managed three different MVP winners.

The man is a winner, and although the Angels certainly are deficient in talent, they sure aren’t going to be out-worked. Washington not only arrives early every day to work with infielders along with infield coach Ryan Goins, but conducts a classroom during the daily hitters’ meeting.

“We’ve had more bad days than good,” says Angels GM Perry Minasian, who was with Washington in Texas and Atlanta, “but he hasn’t wavered. He’s the same consistent person in the energy level. The passion for the game was something he’s always had, but the endurance has been really incredible.”

Washington’s daily classroom pores over what transpired the previous game, forcing players to explain why they made a particular play, particularly if it was caused by a fundamental or mental mistake. It doesn’t matter if you’re Jo Adell getting thrown out at second base to end a game without sliding, Trout looking at a game-ending third strike or infielder Luis Guillorme failing to put down a squeeze.

Washington isn’t afraid to call anyone out, and still finds it strange that his sharp criticism ridicule of Guillorme in his postgame press conference a month ago about his failed bunt became national news. He wants to know when it became a sin to publicly point out a players’ shortcomings.

When an Angels official asked Washington if he wanted to apologize the next day, or at least soften his criticism, Washington refused. He instead brought the beat writers in to show a replay of video, explaining why he was angry with the effort.

“I’m not apologizing for [expletive],” Washington told the official. “I can’t have emotions. I can’t compete. I’m supposed to be stoic all of the [expletive] time. I can’t react to [expletive] that’s not right. Come on man.

“It’s been great ever since.”

The only team meeting he called all season to condemn their performance was in late April when they suffered back-to-back losses of 16-5 and 11-5 to the Minnesota Twins.

Instead of getting upset, or overly sensitive to the criticism, the players have embraced the tough love.

“He’s definitely brought the old school back to the new school that we’re playing now,” Angels 23-year-old shortstop Zach Neto says. “He just wants us to play good baseball, man, that’s going back to the small things. Laying down bunts, moving guys over, doing whatever we got to do to manufacture runs. A lot of praise to him to be able to come in here and change to what we had the last couple of years.

“It’s about ownership, guys just having accountability.”

Says Angels infielder/outfielder Cole Tucker: “Everyone saw what Wash did for those guys in Atlanta, and now he’s doing the same thing here. He just exudes energy and work ethic and positivity and just baseball, what it used to be.

“He’s a straight shooter. You know where you stand. You’re going to know what he wants and the demands of you. As we get more analytical and smarter and nerdier, that is the stuff that works.’’

When the Angels played a sloppy game Tuesday night in a 9-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks, there were four players who stood up and spoke at the daily meeting, with Washington providing the closing arguments. The meeting was so emotional that Washington called it one of the most moving events of his career.

“I’ve just got to stay in the process, stay the course,” says Washington, one of only two Black managers in the game. “Every day when they get to the ballpark, I want them to see the same guy busting my ass, trying to get people better and having fun. I want them to feed off me and my coaching staff.

“If I was dealing with stars and this [expletive] was happening, oh, I’d have headaches. But I’m dealing with kids that haven’t even experienced baseball. They’re still learning how to win. So, I can’t get pissed at that. What are you going to do?”

Really, it’s as if Tom Brady took a page out of Washington’s playbook during his jersey retirement ceremony this past week when he said: “To be successful at anything, the truth is you don’t have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren’t – consistent, determined and willing to work for it.”

It’s all that Washington asks.

“He has energy, passion, and a realistic expectation of where this unit’s at,” veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar says. “He wants to win. And he expects to win. But he also has a realistic view of like when we lost Trout and Rendon, like the lineup we’re rolling out there is going to be tough to win.

“Every day our goal is to win, but if we don’t win, he’s a big believer in the process and building culture. He knows it’s not done overnight. Despite our record, we have put ourselves in a position to win a lot of games. We just don’t know how to win those games. We have a lot of young guys here. Some of these guys are being relied on to drive the bus, when really our lineup is made up of bunch of passengers right now.

“Culture is a huge part of it, but you can’t win without superstars.”

Maybe there will be a day when Angels owner Arte Moreno opens his checkbook again after refusing to match the Dodgers’ $700 million heavily-deferred contract proposal for Ohtani, declining to make offers for any other marquee free agent this past winter, with their biggest a three-year, $33 million deal to reliever Robert Stephenson.

Maybe pitchers like Jose Soriano will really turn into Yankees starter Luis Gil, as Washington predicts, Adell will become the power-hitting All-Star outfielder they projected, infielders Nolan Schanuel and Neto will become stars, and Logan O’Hoppe will be one of the best young catchers in the game.

And maybe, Washington, who signed a two-year contract with an option, will be around to see it all to fruition.

“I remember when I took this job,” Washington says, “some people thought I would be out by the All-Star break. I ain’t going anywhere. This is where I belong.

“I know this is going to change going forward. I have no doubt. We’re not going to be losers. That [expletive] is going to change.

“I’m telling you, “I’m going to turn this [expletive] around with my coaches and players.

“You just watch.’’

Staying ahead of the (security) curve

While MLB players are faced with growing threats against themselves and their families from gamblers, including death threats, former New York City police detective John Timpanaro warns players to start being proactive.

“This is just the beginning, the next level problem,” Timpanaro, a 25-year veteran who now works private security for celebrities and wealthy clients, tells USA TODAY Sports. “It’s dangerous out there. You’re dealing with folks who have an addiction, a sickness, which is gambling. These players have inadvertently become the substance, the gambler’s addiction. They didn’t ever want to become part of this.’’

Now, with no choice, athletes can start mitigating the damage by doing due diligence, Timpanaro says:

• ”Go on the web browser, and put their personal information on, full name, research themselves, and see what comes up. Even though they have resources and apparatuses in place, I think most would be very surprised. They may see parts of their social security number, emails, phone numbers, and their home addresses. … Don’t assume people don’t know who you are. You’ve got to do some due diligence. You’ll find it alarming. … So what you’ve got to do is personally scrub your information and remove anything you don’t want on the internet.’’
• ”Spend a few bucks and do some advance work on your personal travels. I’m talking about bugs, cameras, recording decides, all of those things. You’ve got to presume things are out there, and take those extra steps, especially when you’ve been a victim of a threat.”
• ”Social media is a problem. If you just remove social footprint all together, you’re safer. I know it’s not always reasonable or practical in the world we live in, but if you want to safer, you do it.’’
• ”If you’re a victim of a threat, take it seriously. When you leave for the ballpark every day and drive the same car with the same route, you’re just becoming an easy target.’’

Does it sound extreme?

Well, Timparano warns, with MLB and other sports promoting gambling, a nightmare scenario is just around the corner.

“I know there are resources through MLB and the players association,” Timparanaro says, “but don’t be too proud to take the steps. Don’t be shy. Be forceful of it. Don’t be embarrassed to hire executive protection. We see things as law enforcement veterans.

“The next level is scary.’’

Around the basepaths

≻ The Chicago White Sox realize that Garrett Crochet’s value may never be higher so their asking price is exorbitant, hoping that contenders aren’t deterred by Crochet’s injury history and the need to curtail his innings in the second half, perhaps making him a reliever in the postseason.

Certainly, it’s a potential trade that could shape the White Sox franchise for the next decade.

The last time they were in a full-scale rebuild with a left-handed ace was in 2016 when they traded Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox for four prospects: Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz.

It was an absolute bust, which has left the White Sox resorting to yet another rebuild.

While the Red Sox won the 2018 World Series with Sale, who still had three years remaining on his contract, the White Sox chose the wrong prospects, passing up on future All-Star third baseman Rafael Devers and taking Moncada.

The White Sox can ill afford to make the same blunder with Crochet, who has been the game’s most dominant pitcher the last three starts and perhaps the most coveted starter on the market.

≻ Several GMs and baseball executives say they can’t help but laugh at the breathless reports about the trade deadline, which is still six weeks away on July 30.

“Come on, nothing is going to happen until the final 48 to 72 hours,’’ one GM said. “That’s the way it always works. And right now, it’s quiet. We’re all focused on the draft.’’

≻ It has been nearly six weeks since Los Angeles Angels All-Star outfielder Mike Trout had surgery to repair a torn meniscus, and he has yet to begin baseball activities.

Meanwhile, Philadelphia Phillies All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto, who also had surgery to repair torn meniscus, vows he’ll be back in a month.

≻ While the Houston Astros are baseball’s biggest disappointment and most underachieving team, GM Dana Brown’s job is safe. He still has two years left on his contract.

≻ The most intriguing question at the trade deadline will be whether the Los Angeles Dodgers decide to stick with Mookie Betts as their everyday shortstop, or more him to second base.

Betts is having another fabulous season and could be the leading MVP contender, but it’s been a rough adjustment learning shortstop on the fly, making nine errors with a .957 fielding percentage − third worst among all shortstops.

≻ When catcher William Contreras was traded from Atlanta to Milwaukee, Ron Washington, Atlanta’s third-base coach at the time, sent him an inspirational note telling him that he will be a star.

Well, look who’s in the middle of the NL MVP race helping carry the Brewers to a big NL Central lead?

≻ The Baltimore Orioles are on the lookout for a center fielder while All-Star Cedric Mullins’ struggles continue. He is hitting just .186 with a .234 on-base percentage and .325 slugging percentage.

≻ The annual GM meetings, for the first time, will be in San Antonio, Texas, beginning Nov. 5.

≻ Just how much has the Chicago Cubs’ back end of the bullpen struggled this year?

The Cubs would be 50-19 if games lasted only seven innings this season. Instead, they are 33-36.

≻ Former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen, now an analyst for NBC Sports Chicago, on being charged $60 to park in the Wrigley Field parking lot last week: “For that kind of money I should be parking in the bullpen.”

≻ The Orioles’ streak of playing 21 consecutive series against a powerful AL East opponent without losing one will certainly be tested Tuesday when they visit Yankee Stadium for a three-game series against the New York Yankees.

The last time the Orioles lost a series in the division? Would you believe April 9, 2023?

≻ It was an ugly Friday for first basemen/DHs across the game:

Garrett Cooper of the Red Sox, Harold Ramirez of the Tampa Bay Rays, Daniel Vogelbach of the Toronto Blue Jays and Jose Abreu of the Houston Astros were all dumped.

Abreu, who’s still owed $30.8 million, was easily the most painful cut.

≻ The greatest non-trade this winter belongs to the Cleveland Guardians, who were openly shopping closer Emmanuel Clase, and decided to hang onto him when no one met their asking price.

This year, he’s the most dominant closer in the American League with a league-leading 21 saves and a 0.81 ERA.

He has given up just three earned runs in 34 games this season.

≻ Just how great has Cubs rookie starter Shota Imanaga’s control been this season?

He has walked just 11 batters, the fewest by a Cubs pitcher in his first 12 career starts since 1901, while his 72 strikeouts are the third-most by a Cubs’ starter.

≻ The only teams guaranteed to be sellers at this point: the White Sox, Rockies, Marlins, Angels and A’s.

≻ If you have a starter available, Brewers GM Matt Arnold will be calling. They have already had to use 12 starters this season.

≻ The Colorado Rockies will trade All-Star catcher Elias Diaz. They will not trade infielder Ryan McMahon, who should make the All-Star team this year.

≻ The Brewers are taking on the personality of manager Pat Murphy this year with their play despite all of the obstacles in their way, heeding the advice on Murphy’s arms.

Tattoos on feft forearm: “No retreat. No Surrender.”

Right wrist black bracelet: “Relentless.”

≻ Kudos to Orioles GM Mike Elias who beat out everyone for Brewers ace Corbin Burnes this winter.

Burnes has been a godsend, and has been one of the most consistent starters in Orioles history. He has pitched at least five innings and yielded three or fewer runs in all 14 of his starts with a 2.08 ERA.

≻ It has been nearly a half-century since the Phillies had a divisional lead this big, 10 games ahead of Atlanta this week. The last time they had such a massive lead in June was 1976.

It’s stunning the Phillies were able to run away and hide in the NL East considering that All-Star shortstop Trea Turner has been out since May 3. His replacements had an .868 OPS, fifth in baseball.

Now, we’ll see how they fare without All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto the next month.

≻ Let’s put Paul Skenes on the NL All-Star team and Crochet on the AL team right now to see if they can duplicate Pedro Martinez’s magical performance in the 1999 All-Star Game when he struck out five of the six batters he faced.

≻ The World Series teams of a year ago should be bolstered by huge reinforcements at the trade deadline:

The Rangers are expected to have starters Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Tyler Mahle back in July, along with third baseman Josh Jung.

The D-backs are expecting starters Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez back next month.

Those five veteran starters have combined for just four games this season, all started by Kelly.

≻ How rare is the Mariners’ AL West lead? It’s the first time they entered June in first place since 2003.

≻ The Cincinnati Reds don’t play another game West of the Central Time zone the rest of the season. Their longest remaining trip is 2 ½ hours.

The first-place Brewers, on the other hand, still have 23 games left out West.

≻ Whatever happened to the first basemen in the American League?

There is only one qualified first baseman in the AL who has a batting average higher than .230, an on-base percentage higher than .300 and a slugging percentage higher than .430.

Take a bow, Orioles Ryan Mountcastle, who is slashing .271/.318/.478.

≻ The Marlins plan to trade first baseman Josh Bell but realize they will have to eat most of his remaining $16 million contract.

≻ The Orioles’ best trade chip they may be willing to part with at the trade deadline is prized catching prospect Samuel Basallo, who is blocked by All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman.

≻ Scouts are openly concerned about Diamondbacks prized prospect Druw Jones, who was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, one spot behind Orioles’ Jackson Holliday. They question whether his swing will work at the major league level.

≻ So much for the idea that limiting shifts would increase offense.

Teams are batting .240 this season, down from .248 a year ago, and on pace to be the lowest since teams batted .237 in 1968, with MLB lowering the pitching mound the following year.

The .699 OPS, down from .734 in 2023, is on pace to be MLB’s lowest average since 1989.

≻ Pretty cool that Detroit Tigers rookie Justyn-Henry Malloy is wearing No. 44 in honor of his father, Henry Malloy, who is named after Henry Aaron.

“My dad, his name is Henry,” Malloy told the Detroit Free Press. “He was named after Hank Aaron, and then, I’m Justyn-Henry. I think every Black kid’s dream is to wear 42 in the big leagues, but you can’t, so the best alternative that I always thought was 44 as a kid growing up.’’

≻ So, how long had it been until last week that Atlanta had lost five consecutive games?

Can you believe 934 games, dating back to 2017, the second-longest streak in history behind only the Yankees in 1938.

≻ The Royals, who went 56-106 last season, are on pace to win 92 games this year.

How crazy is that improvement?

It would be the greatest single-season turnaround since the 1903 New York Giants went 84-55-3 after going 38-88-5 in 1902.

≻ Ok, which was a greater move this winter?

Atlanta GM Alex Anthopoulos signing Reynaldo Lopez (4-2, 1.69 ERA) to a three-year, $30 million contract or trading for Chris Sale (9-2 with a 2.98 ERA)?

≻ Look out for the Cincinnati Reds, who suddenly have won 14 of their last 19, and just pulled off a zany victory Friday when they made five errors, walked eight batters, hit another, and still won. They entered Saturday six games behind the Brewers, and just one-half game out of a wild-card berth.

≻ Happy 75^th birthday to Dusty Baker, who was treated to a surprise birthday party by his beautiful wife, Melissa, in front of 100 guests in Sacramento.

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

It wasn’t all that long ago that Keion Brooks Jr. was tabbed to be the next star forward from Kentucky.

At the time, Brooks was a five-star prospect set to join a Wildcats class headlined by future NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey in the collegiate class of 2019. The expectation was Brooks would have a brief tenure at Kentucky before a long and successful NBA career.

But Brooks’ journey didn’t quite work out as expected.

After three seasons at Kentucky, the 6-foot-8.5 wing transferred to Washington where he’s spent the past two years trying to prove to NBA scouts that he’s still the prospect people once thought he was. It wasn’t quite enough to land him a spot at the NBA draft combine, but the former No. 14 high school recruit in the country has reportedly landed a workout with the Toronto Raptors, according to The Rookie Wire.

The 23-year-old Brooks had a breakout season with the Huskies this past year, averaging 21.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 38% from behind the arc. It was a monumental jump for Brooks who’d been a 26.5% three-point shooter through the first four years of his collegiate career.

If the growth in Brooks’ three-point shooting is real, so is he as a prospect. He’s long and athletic with the physical tools to be a good wing defender and if he can space the floor he’ll have the potential to be a 3-and-D forward at the next level.

The rest of Brooks’ game still needs development though. He’s not a very good playmaker with a negative assist-to-turnover ratio and he lacks the explosiveness to be an impact shot creator. Defensively his size should allow him to be a versatile defender, but he’ll need some time in the G League to make the most of his potential.

It’s unlikely Brooks’ hears his name called when the NBA draft rolls around later this month, but players with his pedigree and size don’t normally last long after the draft. Considering Toronto’s need for more wing depth, it wouldn’t be hard to see the Raptors going after Brooks with a two-way deal for next season.