Thursday’s question: Do you think the positive cocaine test by Texas Rangers Manager Ron Washington was handled appropriately?

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Reporters from around the Tribune family tackle the question of the day, then you get a chance to chime in and tell them why they are wrong.

Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times

Absolutely. Ron Washington didn’t wait to see whether he would be outed by the Mitchell Report, a supplier busted by the feds or an investigator leaking his test result. He owned up to his positive test right away--even warning a positive test might be coming--and offered no rationalizations or excuses for his behavior. He took the responsibility and showed the accountability sadly lacking among the likes of Manny Ramirez, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and virtually every player that checked to see if his name were in the Mitchell Report before owning up to anything. If you want your manager to take responsibility for his mistakes and shoulder the burden of accountability for working to correct them, why wouldn’t you want Ron Washington as your manager?

Juan C. Rodriguez, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Ron Washington knew he was busted. Before the Rangers found out, he apprised them of the situation and offered his resignation. The easy thing to do was accept it. Good for the Rangers that they didn’t. Why should Washington be held to a loftier standard than Steve Howe or Darryl Strawberry or Josh Hamilton? Yes, he is a leader of men, but Washington is not taking troops into combat or making national security decisions. He manages a baseball team. Like the rest of us, he’s not infallible. That Washington’s bosses and players expressed wholehearted support is a testament to his character. Washington now is positioned to touch lives beyond the baselines showing he knows what to do with a second chance.