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Do IT this week: Layering
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
POSTED: 08:22 p.m. EDT, Oct 26, 2009
CLEVELAND: Who did you expect, Joe Torre, Tony La Russa, Ron Gardenhire?
They all have jobs, and if they didn't, they would command top dollar in the marketplace. Would that disqualify them to manage the Indians? Who knows? It doesn't matter, because that's not reality. What's real is Manny Acta, the Tribe's new skipper.
I'm fairly certain that Acta would not be the fans' choice. Mark Shapiro might disagree. If Indians partisans had a chance to converse with Acta for several hours, as the club's general manager has, they might change their minds.
Acta is personable, engaging, candid. He has years of experience plying his craft. He played six years in the minors with the Houston and Atlanta organizations. He managed or coached in the Astros' farm system for 10 years, and he spent 21/2 seasons managing the lowly Washington Nationals.
But he is largely unknown outside of the baseball community, which local fans find offensive. As in, ''Why can't we hire a manager like Mike Scioscia?'' Except that nobody in Northeast Ohio had the slightest clue that Mike Scioscia would turn out to be an exceptional manager until he had guided the fortunes of the Angels for several seasons.
Or as Acta so sagely put it, ''You have to look back at all these guys. The big shots weren't always big shots. A big shot is a little shot who keeps shooting.''
Can Acta manage? I have no idea, but at this early juncture in his Cleveland career, I have no misgivings about his hiring. At a news conference to introduce him Monday, it was clear that Acta had done his homework.
He name-dropped half of the the Indians' 25-man roster, plus several of its top prospects. And he had answers. Granted, the questions hardly gave evidence that the media had suddenly become experts at originality. But that is hardly Acta's fault.
Beginning words
Can the Indians contend next year?
''If we put our starting rotation in order,'' he said, ''rebuilding is out the window.''
How does he feel about a set lineup?
''Those things work themselves out,'' Acta said. ''You can't go two months with a guy leading off or batting second with a .300 on-base percentage. Of course, you'd like to have the '27 Yankees and just roll them out there every day.''
Is he familiar with the city?
''I was never in Cleveland until my interview [last week],'' Acta said. ''But from all I've heard, this is a good city that gets a bad rap. I'm going to find out about the bad rap.''
Acta refused to say anything negative about the Nationals, who are baseball's continuing edition of the 2009 Browns.
''We were going through a rebuilding process,'' he said. ''It was grueling.''
Is he ready to throw himself into his new job by watching his players in winter ball or in Arizona, and is he set to pick (with Shapiro) a coaching staff?
''I'm in,'' he said. ''I have nothing else. My only hobby is golf, and I'm not very good at it.''
An experienced manager
Will all of this enable Acta to connect with the fans, something that his predecessor, Eric Wedge, never could do?
The sporting public refused to give Wedge even a brief honeymoon, instead going straight to carping and nagging. He was suspect from Day One, and ultimately it was to mollify the dwindling (paying) fan base that he was fired.
Acta has at least a couple of advantages over Wedge. He has big-league managerial experience, and he was sought after by two teams, even though in his previous job with the Nationals, his record was 158-252.
Both the Indians and Astros courted Acta. Houston offered him the job first and forced Shapiro to speed up the hiring process. It came down to this: The Astros would give Acta no more than two guaranteed years plus an option for 2012; the Tribe offered three years plus an option for 2013.
I'm betting that Acta's personality will win the day, at least for awhile. Wedge never revealed his emotions; that's the way he played it, and he paid the price.
In the end, Acta could receive the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for managing, and it wouldn't matter if the Indians kept losing.
That's down the road, though. For now, it makes sense for the fans to give Acta a break. He's on their side. He wants the same things they do. Of course, if he doesn't bunt with runners on second and first, he deserves all the abuse the fans can muster.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: Who did you expect, Joe Torre, Tony La Russa, Ron Gardenhire?
They all have jobs, and if they didn't, they would command top dollar in the marketplace. Would that disqualify them to manage the Indians? Who knows? It doesn't matter, because that's not reality. What's real is Manny Acta, the Tribe's new skipper.
I'm fairly certain that Acta would not be the fans' choice. Mark Shapiro might disagree. If Indians partisans had a chance to converse with Acta for several hours, as the club's general manager has, they might change their minds.
Acta is personable, engaging, candid. He has years of experience plying his craft. He played six years in the minors with the Houston and Atlanta organizations. He managed or coached in the Astros' farm system for 10 years, and he spent 21/2 seasons managing the lowly Washington Nationals.
But he is largely unknown outside of the baseball community, which local fans find offensive. As in, ''Why can't we hire a manager like Mike Scioscia?'' Except that nobody in Northeast Ohio had the slightest clue that Mike Scioscia would turn out to be an exceptional manager until he had guided the fortunes of the Angels for several seasons.
Or as Acta so sagely put it, ''You have to look back at all these guys. The big shots weren't always big shots. A big shot is a little shot who keeps shooting.''
Can Acta manage? I have no idea, but at this early juncture in his Cleveland career, I have no misgivings about his hiring. At a news conference to introduce him Monday, it was clear that Acta had done his homework.
He name-dropped half of the the Indians' 25-man roster, plus several of its top prospects. And he had answers. Granted, the questions hardly gave evidence that the media had suddenly become experts at originality. But that is hardly Acta's fault.
Beginning words
Can the Indians contend next year?
''If we put our starting rotation in order,'' he said, ''rebuilding is out the window.''
How does he feel about a set lineup?
''Those things work themselves out,'' Acta said. ''You can't go two months with a guy leading off or batting second with a .300 on-base percentage. Of course, you'd like to have the '27 Yankees and just roll them out there every day.''
Is he familiar with the city?
''I was never in Cleveland until my interview [last week],'' Acta said. ''But from all I've heard, this is a good city that gets a bad rap. I'm going to find out about the bad rap.''
Acta refused to say anything negative about the Nationals, who are baseball's continuing edition of the 2009 Browns.
''We were going through a rebuilding process,'' he said. ''It was grueling.''
Is he ready to throw himself into his new job by watching his players in winter ball or in Arizona, and is he set to pick (with Shapiro) a coaching staff?
''I'm in,'' he said. ''I have nothing else. My only hobby is golf, and I'm not very good at it.''
An experienced manager
Will all of this enable Acta to connect with the fans, something that his predecessor, Eric Wedge, never could do?
The sporting public refused to give Wedge even a brief honeymoon, instead going straight to carping and nagging. He was suspect from Day One, and ultimately it was to mollify the dwindling (paying) fan base that he was fired.
Acta has at least a couple of advantages over Wedge. He has big-league managerial experience, and he was sought after by two teams, even though in his previous job with the Nationals, his record was 158-252.
Both the Indians and Astros courted Acta. Houston offered him the job first and forced Shapiro to speed up the hiring process. It came down to this: The Astros would give Acta no more than two guaranteed years plus an option for 2012; the Tribe offered three years plus an option for 2013.
I'm betting that Acta's personality will win the day, at least for awhile. Wedge never revealed his emotions; that's the way he played it, and he paid the price.
In the end, Acta could receive the equivalent of a Nobel Prize for managing, and it wouldn't matter if the Indians kept losing.
That's down the road, though. For now, it makes sense for the fans to give Acta a break. He's on their side. He wants the same things they do. Of course, if he doesn't bunt with runners on second and first, he deserves all the abuse the fans can muster.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Canton, OH
Posted 09:58 PM, 10/26/2009
Man, I miss Jim Schlemmer. . .& Terry Pluto. . .
akron, oh
Posted 10:50 PM, 10/26/2009
I'm annoyed at Sheldon for that Mike Scioscia comment. I knew Scioscia could manage; the Angels are my 3rd favorite team. They looked HARD for Mike, or a manager of his intelligence. The Anfels have been on a good track since they changed owners.
akron, oh
Posted 10:50 PM, 10/26/2009
Angels... I can't type.(we knew that...)
Posted 11:02 PM, 10/26/2009
Of course you give him a chance; you have no other choice. I would like to see someone who is animated, since that has been sorely lacking in Cleveland in all sports for a very long time. I predict this team will be under .500, but will be fun to watch. I'm predicting a season like 2004 where we'll have some hope for the following year.
Naples, FL
Posted 06:39 AM, 10/27/2009
If the Tribe has a record over .500 at the end of April Manny Acta will get a ticker tape parade, or at least a Choo bobble-head wearing a white "Miami - Vice" suit
Posted 07:28 AM, 10/27/2009
Oh yeah, it's always fun to watch a team lose, and the Dolans have picked another loser. But then, why should they change their act now? They always pick losers ... as in Shapiro!
Akron, Oh
Posted 07:38 AM, 10/27/2009
Good old shelly - your as big a dope as the dolans.
cuyahoga falls, oh
Posted 07:59 AM, 10/27/2009
we expected at least more than just a polite overture to mike hargrove. they just don't get it.
and that's why lee and sabathia are elsewhere and we aren't the new atlanta...smoltz, glavine, and maddux were consciously kept together to build a powerhouse...our GM doesn't believe we can accomplish that, and so we haven't, and it was the prior front office handling of lee that is why he left without real negotiations.
hagerstown, md
Posted 08:13 AM, 10/27/2009
I have seen first hand the "Manny" act in DC. This guy isn't major league material. Wait until you see how he handles the pitching staff. He did a nice con job and ego stroking to get hired. We did need someone with experience in losing a 100 games. You make more money losing than you do winning.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 08:22 AM, 10/27/2009
Any manager is only as good as his players, and I think he's being a bit optimistic about there talent here. And we KNOW now that the guys that develop under Acta will be gone at the end of his 3 year contract. Quick...name the Tribe's "team leader" for 2010. Is it Pronk? A $10M singles-hitting DH that sits every 4th day. Or is it Westbrook? A pitcher with a dead guy's muscle holding his arm together that's probably traded for more teenagers with "high ceilings" before the 2010 All Star game. Or maybe it's Jhonny? He could lead by example and maybe ALL the infielders will bat .190 with 1 HR for the first 2 months of the season (with 15 or so errors, of course). Grady is the only guy CLOSE to being worthy of the title. Sure, I'm willing to give Acta a chance. But if he REALLY this this team is gonna compete in '10 he musta got an extra strong dose of the the Shapiro Kool-Aid over the weekend.
clinton, oh
Posted 08:31 AM, 10/27/2009
All I know about the Nationals is they kept the Indians and Kansas City from sharing last place in the Major Leagues.
Even the last place team in bowling gets a trophy.
Akron, OH
Posted 08:45 AM, 10/27/2009
Give him a chance?
Oh sure you bet cha, please tell me why Cleveland is hot after this guy? Just another looser that another team has fired, sound familiar Brown's fans?
Posted 09:26 AM, 10/27/2009
I'm not concerned with whether Acta deserves a chance. I'm concerned with whether Dolan deserves yet another chance when he has proven to make only stupid decisions. As Tribe fans, we are sitting at home forced to watch the coach Shapiro didn't think was good enough coach the pitcher he traded for some Cracker Jacks, to pitch against the pitcher he traded for a case of beer.
And why? What sense did any of it make? Because he was too cheap to pay the price it takes to win. So we lose. And with Acta, we lose again. We've gotten rid of a guy who had a .537 winning percentage with us, and replaced him with a guy who had a .495 winning percentage with us. And now, we're replacing that guy with someone who has a .385 winning percentage.
So what part of all this adds up to us wanting to give Dolan a chance?
Posted 09:45 AM, 10/27/2009
Former Tribe coach Charlie Manuel (fired) leads the Phillies in game one of the World Series, pitched by former Tribe ace and Cy Young award winner Cliff Lee (traded) versus former Tribe ace and Cy Young award winner CC Sabathia (traded).
Try and say that 5 times fast! If you can, then you qualify to be the next Tribe GM.
Akron, OH
Posted 09:54 AM, 10/27/2009
I am going to give him a chance, but I would have rather seen "Grover" back up in here, regulatin'.
Get your "acta" together, Acta.
Akron, OH
Posted 10:09 AM, 10/27/2009
Ocker says . . . . 'Acta has big-league managerial experience'
I say . . . . Wedge has more
rmk
, OH
Posted 10:27 AM, 10/27/2009
Of course we are going to give him a chance, but with all that has happened with the Indians, the fans around here are very wary and cautious. Heck, we couldn't even really get that excited back in 07 when we had a 3 games to 1 lead against the Red Sox with our two best pitchers going in games 6 and 7. How are we supposed to get excited about a manager with a losing record leading a team of unproven players in 2010? I just hope Mr. Acta has his team ready to play this April because if he doesn't then he'll be fighting something that took almost thirty years for this club to overcome last time around, and that's fan APATHY.
akron, oh
Posted 10:36 AM, 10/27/2009
@RMK: Nice!
Posted 11:01 AM, 10/27/2009
RMK:
If you read for comprehension, you'd understand that Ocker was making a comparison of the two at the time they were hired. Acta has major league experience coming in. Wedge didn't. This is an advantage Acta has over Wedge in concerns of connecting to the fans from the get go. At least, that's what Ocker thinks.
It's fun to slam the writer when you haven't taken the time to correctly process the information, isn't it?
akron, oh
Posted 01:30 PM, 10/27/2009
Acta needs to bust his hump to change this team. We actually DO have pitchers next season that can get us further than this year. We need a bullpen that can stay healthy, and help. If we can get a hitting coach, and pitching coach, we will build something out of this team.
Paradise, Oh
Posted 02:31 PM, 10/27/2009
I see people are calling Acta a looser. What exactly is one of these?
Is it somebody that sets horses loose when the barn is on fire?
What ever these loosers are, there must be a lot of them because I see people calling other people loosers, each and every day.
They must be a pretty loose bunch.
Green, Ohio
Posted 03:18 PM, 10/27/2009
I will give him a chance. A chance to learn the English language.
Green, Ohio
Posted 03:19 PM, 10/27/2009
And folks, Noodles is saying, you don't know how to spell.
It is loser, not looser!
Bethesda, MD
Posted 04:40 PM, 10/27/2009
Of course give him a chance -- straw man article. He stands are good a chance as most for being a very good manager. Of course the fans wanted a proven winner and we got a guy with a pretty bad track record.
San Diego, CA
Posted 05:22 PM, 10/27/2009
Just hope he doesn't turn out to be a "Man-genious"
New York, NY
Posted 02:06 PM, 10/29/2009
Typical Sheldon, drinking the tribe's kool aid and sticking with the party line.
If Sheldon had any ambition, which he obvisously doesn't he might take a long look at the record of our GM and analyze how we got here.
What else does he have to do during the off season. Once he did his research, he might see that no matter who the manager is, the GM and front office has done little in acquiring talent.
Why doesn't anyone in the media hold Mark Shapiro to the fire?
