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Do IT this week: Layering
Acta becomes coach in major leagues in '02
By Stephanie Storm
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Monday, Oct 26, 2009
CLEVELAND: Manny Acta spent a majority of the second half of the baseball season paying close attention to the television, watching and then often re-watching games involving teams that he had a hunch would soon be looking for a manager.
To say that Acta saw his share of Indians losses is an understatement.
Armed with a wealth of knowledge about the team, Acta impressed the Indians' front office personnel during the first round of telephone interviews and again last week in an all-day in-person interview that ended with a sit-down with local media.
Acta's hiring was confirmed Sunday afternoon by the team, and the Indians will make it official at a news conference at 4 p.m. today at Progressive Field.
Acta, the 40th manager in Tribe history, is signed through 2012, with a club option for 2013.
''After speaking with an impressive array of candidates, we feel that Manny is a very strong and experienced leader who possesses great energy and enthusiasm, along with tremendous communication skills and a
positive mindset that will command a presence in the dugout, clubhouse and with our fans,'' Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro said in a news release.
Acta, 40, was fired as the Washington Nationals coach after 21/2 seasons, compiling a 158-252 mark with a .385 winning percentage.
It was the honesty of a Houston Astros minor-league coach in the early 1990s that turned Acta's attention from playing to managing after six seasons in the minor leagues (1986-1991). It took some time, but in 2002, Acta broke into the major leagues as the third base/infield coach of the Montreal Expos.
''When I was 22 years old, the Houston Astros told me to my face I wasn't good enough to play in the big leagues,'' Acta said last Tuesday. ''Since that was my goal, it was pretty tough to swallow in the beginning. Then I just made the goal that if I can't make it as a player, now you're going to have to make it as a coach.''
After three seasons with the Expos, Acta accepted the same position on the New York Mets staff for the 2005 and 2006 seasons before taking on the huge task of rebuilding the Nationals franchise.
One point of interest in hiring Acta is that he holds dual citizenship in his native Dominican Republic and the United States. His ability to speak bilingually is a bonus for an Indians team that has a handful of Latin players, including struggling pitchers Fausto Carmona and Rafael Perez.
In addition to Acta's major- and minor-league managerial experience, he served four seasons as a manager in both the Dominican and Venezuelan winter leagues, guiding the Tigres del Licey to the league championship in 2003 and '04. Acta also managed the Dominican Republic's team to a semifinal appearance in the inaugural World Baseball Classic in 2006.
''I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family,'' Acta said in a news release. ''I believe we will grow together as a team, with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.''
Stephanie Storm can be reached at sstorm@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters.
CLEVELAND: Manny Acta spent a majority of the second half of the baseball season paying close attention to the television, watching and then often re-watching games involving teams that he had a hunch would soon be looking for a manager.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Posted 06:19 AM, 10/26/2009
Weak, just unbelievably weak. Shapiro should be run out of town. It is going to continue like this as long as they are allowed to low-ball and underperform. Just a ridiculous joke - all of it.
He has no idea what he's doing.
Posted 06:41 AM, 10/26/2009
ACTA ???
My God, they ran him out of Washington for being a LOSER !!!!
Hey, I guess he's here to be with the rest of the other loser's, namely the Dolan's and Shapiro !!
What I joke.................
akron, oh
Posted 07:09 AM, 10/26/2009
Actually found a manager who has a worse record than us the last 3 years..
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:41 AM, 10/26/2009
Those thrifty dolans another cost cutting measure. Why hire an actual manager when you have no plans on being competitive.
Alliance, Oh
Posted 07:47 AM, 10/26/2009
Did anyone expect anything different? Maybe he can at least have them ready to play when they come from spring training, unlike our last manager.
Face it Tribe fans. With this ownership, we will have a year or two out of 10 to make the playoffs and when our young players become talented, they will be with the Yankees, Phillies, Boston, or any other eam that can "afford" to pay them!
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 07:57 AM, 10/26/2009
I think it's all part of the Tribe front office's plan to have expectations for 2010 be as LOW as they possibly can be. That way, if by some miracle this team even sniffs .500, Shapiro will spin that as "exceeding expectations" for the '10 season. What a corporate yes-man that dude is. Get a GM that PLAYED the game and recognizes talent when he sees it, and get a mgr. that has not just experience, but experience at WINNING!!
Posted 08:15 AM, 10/26/2009
Cheap skate Dolans didn't want to pay Valentine or Hargrove.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 08:21 AM, 10/26/2009
This pick is worse than WEDGE was. This is horrible! Anyone ready for a 110-loss season?
Middleburg Hts., Oh
Posted 08:49 AM, 10/26/2009
BREAKING NEWS>>>>>>
John Adams, longtime bass drummer for the Regressive One-Man Orchestra, has been TRADED for 1950's nightclubber, Ricky Ricardo. The deal is loaded with incentives for the Cuban born band leader...deluxe 3 bedroom, 5-bed apartment on Cleveland's west side..moving expenses for Ricky's family and friends- Lucy, little Ricky, and Fred and Ethel Merz, and new bongos.
GM Mark Shapiro felt that this move, made in conjunction with the Manny Acta hiring, gives the Tribe more 'rhythm' and greater opportunities for future Latino player signings.
Ricardo, while on a train from New York, said, "I have lottsa spainin' to do and Lucy's in a tizzy...but I am static about the future."
Adams, appearing distraught, was last seen urinating on the Bob Feller statute outside of Regressive Field, and chose not to comment.
Posted 08:57 AM, 10/26/2009
OK baseball fans. The only way to get to the Dolans and Shipiro is to not buy tickets. Stay home and watch them lose on TV. At least that way you can change the channel. As long as you pay for tickets and support these losers, then you deserve it!
Posted 09:05 AM, 10/26/2009
Typical doom and gloom Cleveland fan responses. You guys don't know anything about Manny Acta other than he was fired from the Nationals. Give the guy a chance to show what he can do before you run him out of town.
Posted 09:15 AM, 10/26/2009
Joe, I heard the same thing about giving LaPorta a chance, giving whoever we got out of Lee a chance, etc.
This move is not about trying to win. It's about trying to save money, just like all of Dolan's moves. Acta may be a great person, and could turn out to be a great coach. However, the guy literally has the worst track record of anyone the Indians could have hired. In addition, they're plugging him in to practically the same situation as he was in in Washington, and expecting him to suddenly become a winner.
Cavs start tomorrow!
hudson, oh
Posted 09:25 AM, 10/26/2009
Who?
Posted 09:39 AM, 10/26/2009
Hey Joe, the Nationals already gave Acta a chance to show what he can do. The Indians just want a manager that can deal with a crappy organization and no talent. Nationals, Indians, perfect fit.
Posted 09:42 AM, 10/26/2009
It's time for the Indians to close their ball park, sell the team...just end it all. How can a baseball person with little playing experience and only a losing record be a good move unless the managment is working to make this the worst team in baseball history. It's all about money. They have no money. Cleveland will never be a competitive team again. Get rid of the team. Do NOT buy tickets. Who would ever believe that two former Cy Young award winners would be facing off in the opening game of the World Series when just two seasons ago they both were Cleveland Indians. Talent always leaves the Tribe. Goodbye baseball in Cleveland. My dollars will be spent elsewhere!
, OH
Posted 09:52 AM, 10/26/2009
What difference will ANY manager make when he looks up on Wednesday and sees the two starting pitchers in game 1 of the World Series were guys who were on this club a couple of years ago? Even if some of these new young guys end up becoming stars, they will not be around long enough to make ANY manager a long-term success. I wish Manny Acta the best, but figuratively speaking, he's stepping up to the plate with two strikes on him already. But the dude wants to be a big league manager, so he's got no choice.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 10:13 AM, 10/26/2009
I'm really starting to wonder if they ARE trying to move this franchise using the "Major League"/Art Modell model: get rid of/bench the fan favorites, hire a coach/manager so unpopular that the fans that are left become even more indifferent/angry, then cry to the commissioner that they're not getting fan support from the community...then pack up the trucks. I know little about Acta other than his record as a MLB manager is atrocious. Yeah, I know he had the Nationals. But I don't think this so much "typical Cleveland doom and gloom" than it is – just like what we got in the Lee & Martinez trades - we were hoping for something a little more refined and a little less "potential."
Posted 10:19 AM, 10/26/2009
Former Tribe ace and Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia versus former Tribe ace and Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee in game 1 of the 2009 World Series, coached by Charlie Manuel, who was fired by the Tribe.
The Indians are looking like complete idiots about now... Oh wait it just got worse! Manny Acta!
Tallmadge, Oh
Posted 10:30 AM, 10/26/2009
Hey spdd3333.....
110 loss season, being a bit optimistic aren't we ??
Posted 11:21 AM, 10/26/2009
Everyone is just upset that the Tribe didn't hire a name, like Valentine or Mattingly. Acta is a much better choice for our team given the young talent that they have.
Valentine admitted he has no knowledge of the Indians or even the American League. And don't you think there is a reason the Yankees didn't pick Mattingly as Torre's successor in NY?
All I'm saying is to give the guy a chance and let's see what he brings to the table. Hell, he hasn't even picked a coaching staff yet.
Posted 11:25 AM, 10/26/2009
Good, now the Tribe has another Manager who will not stand up to Shapiro.
Shapiro: "So what are your thoughts on Johnny Peralta?"
Acta: "I think that with a little time and mentoring, Johnny canbe an everyday 3B in this league."
Shapiro: "You're hired."
What a joke. The first time we get to do something great and hire a very experienced man in Bobby Valentine, or even a baseball great in Don Mattingly... we hire a guy just because he can speak spanish.
There's plenty of people in NEO that can speak spanish, hire an interpreter for crying out loud.
Houston, Tx
Posted 11:35 AM, 10/26/2009
My God! What is the front office thinking? "We need to win the fans back in Cleveland...lets rid our team of all possible all-stars and hire the manager with the worst record in baseball over the last 2.5 years...YEP...that oughtta do it!" says Elmer Fudd! Why didn't you just hire the ball boy...like the Browns did!
Houston, Tx
Posted 11:40 AM, 10/26/2009
No more season tickets for me...management for both teams is just too bad. No amount of PR can atone for incompetent front office personnel and atrocious decisin making.
Houston, Tx
Posted 11:43 AM, 10/26/2009
Yep...lets win the World Series with a minor league roster and a proven losing manager! I see the logic in that!
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 12:18 PM, 10/26/2009
Well, there is always the season after next.
Phoenix, AZ
Posted 12:59 PM, 10/26/2009
If they are worried about a manager being able to communicate with the Latin players, maybe they should conduct English classes or better yet move the team to Mexico City. Everyone will feel right at home!
, OH
Posted 01:20 PM, 10/26/2009
Charlie Manuel can't speak English and he's managing in a World Series!
Posted 01:35 PM, 10/26/2009
I've already written them in for last place in the division, only this time they won't be sharing it. I was going to say I penciled them in, but no way I'm erasing it.
Canton, OH
Posted 03:13 PM, 10/26/2009
Whatta terrible choice. . .
Palm Beach, FL
Posted 03:47 PM, 10/26/2009
we had our chance in 95' 97' and 07' and blew it, we're now destined to compete with Kansas City and Pittsburg for the worst record each year
C-town, Oh
Posted 03:55 PM, 10/26/2009
The Tribe is gonna be terrible, this pick of Acta is just bad.
On a the plus side, should be easy to get tickets to games.
Paradise, Oh
Posted 03:58 PM, 10/26/2009
I just found out that the reason the Baseball Gods are so cruel to Cleveland is because Cleveland fans insist on calling their manager..."coach."
"Coach" is football. This is a football area. When you call your manager "coach," the Baseball Gods bite your heads off.
Posted 05:15 PM, 10/26/2009
The Nationals would have lost 100 games with God Almighty managing them. Next year's Indians will be a sub-.500 team. Not because of Acta, or any manager. Because they have no starting pitching. At least, with Acta, they have a manager capable of understanding low-talent, losing baseball.
Posted 08:16 PM, 10/26/2009
Cleveland is the laughing stock city of Major Sports teams, Indians and Browns. Thank God for LeBron!!!!!!!!
clinton, oh
Posted 08:30 PM, 10/26/2009
Here we go again
Another Cleveland Franchise hiring another just fired Coach-Manager
Mangini and Acta will have a lot to share on their flight out of Cleveland one day.
And Acta can teach Mangini a new language.
Might come in handy!!
clinton, oh
Posted 08:54 PM, 10/26/2009
Is this a new Hiring trend in Pro Sports?
Hire coaches and managers that have a proven record for losing.
