Buck begone

So much for contract extensions.

The Texas Rangers on Wednesday announced that Buck Showalter has been let go as the team's manager, making him the fourth skipper this week to lose his job.

After an 89-win season -- and third-place finish -- in 2004, Rangers owner Tom Hicks signed Showalter to a contract extension through 2009. Two more third-place finishes have followed. Hicks, speaking to a Dallas radio station on Friday, said he would meet Showalter and general manager Jon Daniels on Tuesday.

"It may take us a while to sort things out," Hicks said. "I am not going to lean any way until I get a chance to talk to him. He was Manager of the Year two years ago. Things haven't gone the way we wanted to this year, and I want to sit down and figure out why."

Since winning a franchise-record 95 games in 1999 -- the last time they appeared in the postseason -- the Rangers have reached 80 wins only twice. Texas was tied for first place with Oakland coming out of the All-Star break, but went 7-11 to start the second half including a six-game slide from July 23-29.

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