While We’re Waiting… Browns Lose Again, Sabathia ALCS MVP, Tribe Names New Skipper
October 26, 2009Crippling Depression Anyone?
October 26, 2009
Yesterday, the Indians made their big announcement – the new manager of your baseball team is Manny Acta. I know I know, this hire is far from sexy. All I’ve heard since the news came down is the following:
“Who is Manny Acta?”
“This is the best we can come come up with?”
“How is this guy going to sell any tickets?”
“Another boring hire from a boring team.”
I feel your pain. But there are some stark realities here that need to be addressed. First and foremost, Acta was actually in serious demand. On Saturday, it had been reported that the former Nationals skipper was offered the Houston Astros job. So the Indians had to act faster than they probably wanted to. Mark Shapiro has acknowledged that Acta was at the top of his list, so a decision had to be made.
With negotiations on-going in Houston, Shapiro either had to make his offer to Acta, or watch him potentially walk and move on to the next name on his list. Therein laid the problem; the next guy was Bobby Valentine.
Nobody knew whether or not Valentine was serious about taking the job, considering the fact that he told the media flat out he did no research on the Indians prior to his interview and hadn’t really watched much of the American League during his Japanese League stint. Not only that, but there was going to be a money issue with Bobby V; as in he was probably going to cost more than the Dolan’s would want to spend on a manager.
Valentine essentially was telling Shapiro and Chris Antonetti “hey, this is who I am, like or or hate it, this is me. If you want me, great, if not, that’s fine too.” His true interest in the job may never be known.
Meanwhile, Acta came into his interview well versed on the roster and the inner workings of the Tribe. “It’s a good core of players,” Acta said last week. “They already have an offense in place. If Grady [Sizemore] had been healthy the whole season and Travis [Hafner] had been healthy and Jhonny [Peralta] would have had his typical year, it’s as good as it gets in the Central.”
So if they let him walk and Valentine wasn’t interested in the job the way the Indians brass wanted him to be, you were looking at the yet to be interviewed Don Mattingly and Ron Roenicke (two guys with no managerial experience) or AAA manager Torey Lovullo.
With that said, I’d say the Indians made the correct decision. Acta truly wants to be here. Don’t believe me? He chose the Indians over Houston.
Houston Chronicle’s baseball expert Richard Justice said this morning that yesterday was a bad, bad day for the Astros, allowing the Indians to steal Acta from them.
In a prepared statement, Acta said yesterday: “I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family … I believe we will grow together as a team with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.”
I’ve long been a proponent of hiring a Latino manager to replace Eric Wedge and the grind. Acta is one of the most respected Latin voices in the game. One of his first jobs should be to straighten out three key core players, all of who are Latino – Jhonny Peralta, Fausto Carmona, and Rafael Perez. Peralta, more than anyone else, should thrive under Acta, considering his well known back and forth feud with Grindmaster Flash. Perhaps the most important guy for Acta to turn around is Carmona.
Acta’s first managerial job was to take over the moribund Washington Nationals. Their GM, Jim Bowden, put together a hodge podge roster of mis-cast veterans collecting big paychecks and not ready for the big league youngsters. Bowden was fired in midstream and Acta’s team floundered. The losses mounted and a change had to be made. This corner is hoping that he learned from his mistakes.
Acta’s supporters all say the same thing – he is the ultimate communicator. He isn’t a “by the book” buy, the way the Grinder was. He says he manages “by feel.” In reality, at this point, the job really is to get the most out of young talents like Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Luis Valbuena, Justin Masterson, and Chris Perez. The development of young core of players is going to be the judge and jury on Acta here in Cleveland.
So while you all are predicting doom and gloom, calling this another “cheap” Dolan move and a boring hire, lets give it some time. Lets see if the Indians can change course under a new field boss. They still are in the most winnable division in baseball. There is no doubt they will probably be a doormat again next year, but lets see if Acta can put something together to build towards a 2011 contender in the AL Central.
Oh, and I promise, I won’t mention Cliff vs CC Wednesday night in Game One of the World Series. Did I just say that out loud?
40 Comments
Who is this team Indians you speak of? And what is baseball?
I believe it’s called ‘beisbol’
Finally! A level-headed look at the hire. Good post.
It just blows me away that the Indians would make this hire right now. I mean I know that managers can’t sell tickets but of all times to hire a guy who will do absolutely nothing to invigorate the fan base…..yikes. I can understand not wanting to pay Bobby V but at least hire someone known for something a little bit better than being the former crappy manager of the crappiest team in sports (no offense Browns).
…and Jhonny [Peralta] would have had his typical year…
How was this NOT his typical year? Solid stretches, then disappearing for three weeks. That’s right in Jhonny’s wheelhouse.
As someone living in DC now, I can tell you that his performance aside as a manger, Acta had it stacked against him. Anyone who knows anything about baseball knows about the scandal with Bowden on the Nationals. That is a classic example of how inept the National were/are. I am not sure how much or if Acta played a role in the embarrassing performance of the gNats, but if his stated goal while in Cleveland is to bring a Championship, I’ll sit quiet for a while and see what he’ll do. Welcome to Cleveland, Mr. Acta.
Now, if Valentine had showed up for his presser with a fake moustache and glasses on, THEN you’d have had to have hired him!
The task of the next Indians manager is getting the most out of an undertalented squad filled with underproductive veterans and underdeveloped young players.
Acta failed miserably in his first effort under those conditions. I wish him the best, but there is nothing in his history that indicates he can succeed.
Bowden didn’t need a scandal to be an awful GM/totally inept… he’s the Doug MacLean, Elgin Baylor, Matt Millen of MLB
Very weak TD-and Acta was not in “serious demand”. Cleveland and Houston-is that called serious demand? Would this type of decision process fly in the busines world?
Sure…..give time. Here’s what the Nationals found out after “giving it time”:
2007-.440 winning percentage
2008-.390
2009-.296
It has nothing to do with not being “a sexy pick”, it has all to do with being a Shapiro pick. There were and are plenty of candidates with winning MBL credentials, but in the end this was rigged for this type of Shapiro marriage of accomodation. Go ahead and “give it time” rather than provide a real thought out assessment of the why’s and wherefore’s.
“If Grady [Sizemore] had been healthy the whole season and Travis [Hafner] had been healthy and Jhonny [Peralta] would have had his typical year, it’s as good as it gets in the Central.”
Hafner, healthy, an entire year. Not since 2005. And this guy did his research?
TD-forget about winning/losing record, how about Acta’s 3 year trend line? What other business would hire someone immediately in the same position with that trendline my friend?
I gotta say I think this hire sucks. The guy manages by “feel”? He must have felt real great about his .299 winning clip. I’m sorry but if you’re fired from a team for having a crappy record, and the team then goes on to improve once you’re gone, IT SPEAKS VOLUME TO YOUR ABILITY TO ASSESS TALENT AND MANAGE GAMES! And that’s not sarcasm, it’s screaming. I would have been fine with a first time manager, provided they came from a winning pedigree. The Nats hired the guy to come in and shape up their program, and he got worse each year. Now we’re hiring him to do the same thing? I just don’t get this team. So he was in demand from the Astros? Big freakin deal. Last time I checked the Astros weren’t exactly a team I was envious of. This is the last comment I’m going to make on the subject because there’s no point in beating a dead horse, but I don’t see Acta doing anything more that .400 in his 3 years with the tribe before he’s let go for the next coaching carousel. I hope I’m wrong, I’d like to see some non-sucktastic baseball in the next couple years, only time will tell.
If this was the deal, why not freakin’ bring in Omar Vizquel in for an interview as player/mgr. and then mgr. THINK ABOUT IT. (and them remember it was Dolan/Shapiro who STIFFED Omar and told him to walk).
I wasn’t entirely down on Valentine, despite the arrogant and vacuous self-presentation of his that you posted at WFNY — part of me was curious to see if some of his many Japanese fans would migrate into global Tribe fans — but, in the end, I felt some relief when V was not chosen. His act would have gotten seriously old under the stressful conditions of perpetual rebuilding. At some point, the fans who argued for an entertaining, happy-go-lucky sort of guy like V would have had to stoop down one more level and perhaps call for Slider to replace him.
What I’m confused by is this:
A lot of the negative comments are centered around: “This roster has no talent, and Acta didn’t do well with a no-talent roster last time around.”
If the roster is so untalented, how will it really matter if you bring in Tony LaRussa to manage them? All you’re doing is paying a lot more money to put someone in the same situation.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not really for or against this move. My reaction was kind of: “Meh.”
The example that keeps popping into my head is (and I know it’s not apples-to-apples), however, is George Seifert, who took over for Bill Walsh with the 49ers, and went 108-35 (including playoffs) in eight seasons, and only missed the playoffs once. He won two Super Bowls.
He then went to Carolina, lasted only three seasons (no playoffs), never finished above .500, and was canned after going 1-15 in his third season. His final record there was 16-32.
So, was Seifert all of a sudden a horrible coach? Or was it that Carolina’s roster was bad? Likewise, if everyone is saying the Tribe’s roster is completely setting Acta up to fail, what’s to say that same roster wouldn’t ALSO hamstring a “proven” manager?
Also, for anyone saying Acta had a bad gig in Washington because of the crappy GM, what the hell do you think Shapiro is?? Guy can’t draft for **** and then he has to use whatever talent has developed on the team to trade for other team’s successful draft picks. It’s a terrible cycle for a small market team that can’t afford big time free agents.
Don’t worry about it. Managing’s overrated.
DP, you nailed it in #15, the real team problem is Shapiro. He sets the manager and the team up to fail by failing at the draft. All the young talent and top prospects we have were initially drafted by other teams.
I have my doubts after watching Acta fail here in DC (albeit, with sub-par talent).
Herein lies the problem with you people and is why I told old Marky there “thanks, but no thanks”: The Cleveland attitude stinks. You all keep this self-fulfilling prophecies going. I sat there after my interview with Shappy and although I had no sleep, I was giddy and relaxed because I felt free. I quickly realized Cleveland is a place for losers. And if you know me, you know I have zero tolerance for losing. So enjoy Acta and enjoy watching your two former Cy Young winners (just read about their wins on wikipedia, but sorry, can’t remember their names) in the World Series!
I watched Acta for that latter part of my second term, and believe me you, it was worse than watching the economy go down in flames!
“I watched Joe Torre manage the Cardinals.. god was he bad”– nyy fans
“Terry Francona? He SUCKED in Philly”– boston fans
“Philly hires Charlie Manuel? Bwaaa aha ha ha ha ha”– phils fans
“Jim Tracy is our interim manager? he was a disaster in LA AND Pit”- col fan
Give the guy a chance…
Dear Iris,
Look at Terry Francona’s record when he managed the Phillies. Not a season above .475. But look he got hired by the Red Sox and won 2 championships.
I don’t understand the idea some people have of hiring a manager “to sell tickets”.
When was the last time you went to a baseball game to see the manager “manage” ?? Really??
I think the fans have to look at who was available to hire. There wasn’t a lot to choose from to begin with !
At least we got someone from outside the team who will (hopefully) bring a different set of eyes and a different way of thinking to this team.
Give the guy a couple years then you can bash him !
The guys at Fire Joe Morgan liked Acta a lot, actually. They did their typical FJM-style analysis with two of his interviews back in 2007.
http://www.firejoemorgan.com/search/label/manny%20acta
Interesting points: Acta is a believer in high-OBP guys at the top of the lineup, so I’m guessing Grady’s days of leading off are over. He’s also not a fan of sacrificing outs to move a runner over unless it’s very late in the game or a pitcher is batting (which obviously won’t be happening now that he’s managing an AL club).
@ 16 diesel
The roster is so bad that it won’t make a difference, but the baseball world continues to act like managers do make a difference, firing them every time a awful team does poorly. If you’re ACTING like it makes a difference, why bring in a harmless guy who has a miserable record?
I think kingdiesel hit the nail on the head. The manager matters in MLB, but not as much as we’re giving credit for. I feel like you might get 5 extra wins from having a good manager as opposed to a bad manager. The real determining factor is the talent on the team and the healthy of the players, and right now the Tribe doesn’t have the starting pitching necessary to win and our players can’t stay healthy. There are some good young offensive pieces in Valbuena, LaPorta, Santana, and maybe Brantley. Relief pitching seems to be a crapshoot and you don’t really know what you have until the season is underway. There’s just so many factors outside of what a manager can affect that it seems silly to think the manager will either turn the franchise around or else send us deeper into the pit. The players that Shapiro puts on the team will determine that.
i really hate the whole “stop hiring failed coaches” argument…
i know we’ve gone over this a million times, but that same reasoning would have belichick (he of the 36-44 cleveland record) sitting on his butt at home as opposed to coaching the patriots to 4 super bowls and 3 wins.
i know its a crazy thought, but people (coaches included) apparently get better with experience! what a concept!
@ Mendy — Like Tyrone Willingham?
For every coach that does well with experience, there is one who doesn’t. Bad argument. Non sequitur. Whichever you prefer.
@ #30 oribiasi,
Don’t worry, not seeing much statistical analysis out of you, either. Let’s give this some time and see what happens. There are previously bad coaches who go elsewhere and do well, and some who do poorly. No way to tell a priori what will happen, so far as I can tell. But I’m sure we’ll have you, Isis, and Mr. Cleaveland to waste our time and use invalid, unbacked arguments to tell us what our problem is.
Isis – if this is a typical Shapiro hire – why do you resent Acta? Resent Shapiro. Further, why would you expect Shapiro to hire a guy who would defy him given the opportunity?
In the business world, this pass with flying colors. The boss gets who the boss wants. By the way, the boss doesn’t care what you think, either. So get over yourself.
@ #25 CLESportsFan,
It’s not so much that people want to watch the manager “manage” or that the manager directly sells tickets, but people will watch a bad program moving in the right direction.
I’ve seen that over the past several years here at Arizona. Our football team was horrible after being run down by poor coaching and recruiting. Our current coach is in his 6th season, and last season (his 5th) was his first winning season. His first two seasons he was 3-8, but people would go to games because the team showed steady improvement the whole time. Now we’re pumped because it actually looks like our team could do some damage.
Of course, after typing that, I have to laugh. Can I imagine a Cleveland coach getting 5 years to get to a winning team, especially considering the commentary on this site? Hahahaha.
@ DKH — I didn’t want to re-invent the wheeel (i.e., Isis already put the last 3 seasons’ stats for Acta on here). But, just to show you I care:
2007-.440 winning percentage
2008-.390
2009-.296
hmm…
@ oribiasi
ok, let’s look at willingham, like you suggest:
he was actually a WINNING coach until washington:
44-36 at stanford
21-15 at ND
11-37 at washington
obviously you’re going to have coaches that are just plain bad no matter where they are… but to say that a losing coach will DEFINITELY be a losing coach no matter where he goes is nonsensical.
@DKH…See #23 for a pretty good point against those numbers.
Minor point, but Ron Roenicke has a fair amount of managerial experience at the minor league level and was “manager of the year” a couple of times.
Get ready for 5 years of rebuilding. 1 year where they make a run at the playoffs. An offseason where they trade away all their good players to the yankees, followed by 5 years of rebuilding. I love MLB!
@ #34 oribiasi,
Hey, get this, I can read Isis’s posts and evaluate their validity, too:
Naive average winning percentage for Acta with the Nats: .375
Nats winning percentage this year: .364
Hmm…
———-
Only instead of closing it there and trying to use implication to make a point, I’ll actually comment. Looks like there’s more wrong with the Nationals than Acta (the same is and will be true of the Indians). Probably the best predictor of club performance is who the players are. Those three numbers aren’t the whole of Acta’s experience and are not sufficient for drawing any conclusions about his performance.
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