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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Washington Nationals have officially announced today that they will exercise the option on manager Davey Johnson\u2019s contract for the 2012 season, the team said in a statement.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u201CAfter a series of discussions, it became obvious that the Nationals would be best served if Davey Johnson would continue as manager,\u201D Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said in a statement. \u201CDavey\u2019s remarkable connection to the clubhouse and D.C. community during the season\u2019s final three months was well received. His baseball acumen coupled with a proper off-season of planning, including a full regiment of Spring Training, should put our players in a position to succeed in 2012.\u201D&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Johnson took over the youthful Nationals mid-season in 2011 after incumbent manager Jim Riggleman suddenly resigned due to a contract dispute. The 68-year-old, who had previously served as an advisor to the club, helped lead the team to a 40-43 record in the 80 games he managed.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Nationals finished the season with a 80-81 record, marking their second best record in the franchise\u2019s short history. Washington also finished the season strong, winning eight-of-their-final ten games, which was second only to the Texas Rangers who finished the season by winning nine-of-their-final 10 games.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Johnson is best known for leading the 1986 New York Mets to a World Series championship over the Boston Red Sox. In his career he has posted a 1188-931 record as a manager.\n&amp;#160;&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/si-wire/2011/10/31/davey-johnson-to-stay-on-as-washington-nationals-manager>