"People Upstairs" (a.k.a. Stan Kasten), nowhere to be found...

You gotta love this exchange between Manny Acta and the media prior to tonight's game against the Yankees (via Nationals Journal). Manny just might be the calmest mother f###er since Ghandi:

Q: Have you gotten any clarity from Stan about your job status?

No. I've been here for 2-1/2 years, and I don't have to be communicating with the people upstairs every day. I'm the type of guy who really doesn't need to be patted on the back every day to show up here with a good face, good attitude, and do what I'm supposed to do.

True to form, Silent Stan Kasten has disappeared from sight, and is leaving it up to fake interim Acting GM Mike Rizzo break out the mop:

"It's certainly uncomfortable with the speculation. Names are being bandied about of replacements and we haven't even discussed it with the current manager. He's still our manager. We support him. And all the reports that happened over the weekend, I don't know where those reports come from. And there's not much to comment on reports that there's no basis to."
(Mike Rizzo, via WaPo/Nationals Journal, 6/16/2009)

And so, barring a complete meltdown tonight (he's safe through 6), Teflon Manny lives to fight another couple of days, at least...do you think Stan Kasten the Nationals employee who talked to Ken Rosenthal on Saturday is regretting the leak? Now Stan can't fire Manny!

The expression "Loose lips sink ships" would be appropriate, here; except that this ship sunk many moons ago.