We don’t yet know whether Tuesday represented the public unveiling of the Mike DeBartolo era for the Washington Nationals, because there’s no guarantee anyone can carry out a vision when the word “interim” precedes your title and three or four months don’t constitute an “era.

The Nationals shook up their front office on Sunday, firing manager Dave Martinez and general manager Mike Rizzo amid a 37-53 season. Martinez and Rizzo brought Washington a World Series title in 2019, but they've struggled in recent years to match their success.

If the Lerner family conducts a serious search and decides Mike DeBartolo is the best guy, the fans will accept that. However, if they just hand DeBartolo the job, it will be a tougher sell. It would be yet another example of the Lerner family being lazy and taking the easy way out.