The Offseason
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Four in line for Tribe's managerial post
GM Mark Shapiro met with reporters today, following Manny Acta's formal interview for the Tribe's managerial vacancy, and revealed that four candidates are in the hunt for the job.
Acta, the former Nationals skipper, is, of course, a finalist.
The remaining internal candidate is not Travis Fryman, as had been speculated elsewhere, but Triple-A manager Torey Lovullo. Lovullo will interview on Friday.
Former Mets and Rangers manager and current ESPN analyst Bobby Valentine is also in the mix. Shapiro was not yet sure when Valentine will be coming to Cleveland, but it will be sometime this week.
Finally, there is another candidate whose identity Shapiro did not reveal. Shapiro just said that this candidate currently has other responsibilities -- the implication being that he is still involved in the postseason. Though Shapiro didn't say so, Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly is that guy. The Dodgers are down 3-1 to the Phillies in the NLCS, so he could be available to interview soon.
While it's believed these are the final four candidates, there is a chance that one or two others may emerge late. For now, it's down to Acta, Lovullo, Valentine and Mattingly.
http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/archives/20...bes_manage.html
Dodgers: Hitting coach Don Mattingly a managerial candidate in Cleveland, Washington
PHILADELPHIA -- Hitting coach Don Mattingly said today that he had a phone interview with the Cleveland Indians about their vacant managerial position last week and that the Washington Nationals have contacted General Manager Ned Colletti to ask for permission to speak with him.
Mattingly said he had plans to resume discussions with the Indians.
"I've wanted to manage for a long time," Mattingly said. "I've been moving in that direction."
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blo...washington.html
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http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...sp&c_id=mlb
PHILADELPHIA -- Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly, presumably being groomed to take over when manager Joe Torre retires, has interviewed for the vacant Cleveland Indians manager's job and has been approached through the Dodgers' front office by the Washington Nationals about their managing job, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported.
"I've wanted to manage a long time and I've been moving in that direction," said Mattingly, who interviewed by phone with the Indians but said the Nationals told Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti their interview process will start after the World Series.
"I'm flattered the organization thinks I'm capable of [managing], or at least they'd think I could," Mattingly added. "It was a chance to get to know them and for them to get to know me."
Mattingly was reportedly one of eight to 10 candidates interviewed over the phone by Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro and assistant general manager Chris Antonetti last week, during the Indians' organizational meetings in Goodyear, Ariz.
It is not known if Mattingly is one of the three to five finalists for the job who will have a more formal interview with the Tribe's higher-ups. Thus far, former Nationals skipper Manny Acta is the only confirmed finalist, as he was in Cleveland on Tuesday. The Plain Dealer has reported that former Mets and Rangers manager Bobby Valentine will also be interviewed in Cleveland this week, though that was not confirmed by the club.
Mattingly, 47, is the former Yankees All-Star first baseman who was passed over for Joe Girardi as Torre's replacement when Torre and the Yankees parted company after the 2007 season. When Torre accepted the Dodgers' offer, he did so only if Mattingly and third-base coach Larry Bowa came with him.
Mattingly immediately took a half-season leave to attend to family issues, but he reclaimed his job after the All-Star break of 2008, and the Dodgers' offense immediately responded.
"I rely on him a great deal," Torre said of Mattingly, who serves as a sounding board for Torre as well as hitting coach. "He's closer than I am to the players. I played 30 years ago, he played 14 or 15 years ago. He was a superstar, but you wouldn't know it. He doesn't expect you to listen to him because of that. He has something to say and he works hard. He would be an excellent manager. He's not afraid to be wrong."
Preaching a patient, yet aggressive, approach at the plate, Mattingly had an offense that led the league in batting average and on-base percentage and was fourth in runs scored, even though it was 11th in home runs and left the most runners on base.
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For some reason I think Donnie Ballgame stays in LA to become Torre successor year after next.
Luvullo is being interviewed because he has earned that right being in the Indians organization.
From what I have read he has an outside chance at being manager but all the right pieces must fall into place for it to happen.
Fryman likes spending time with his kids and was also offered the phone interview as a courtesy to him for being in the organization.
Valentine......Really I don't see the personalities meshing here for him to take the job
Acta could take the job here or the one in Houston......was interviewed here for seven hours
(what do they talk about for 7 hours anyway?)
Clint Hurdle may get an interview according to AC
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If Manny Acta is the Indians' man, he would help rebuild Latino ties to the players: Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Can Manny Acta be a good manager for the Indians?
Who knows?
He spent 2 1/2 seasons with a franchise that is baseball's version of Devil's Island, the Washington Nationals. It's so bad that his first season record of 73-89 was considered a positive.
The next two seasons, it was baseball business as usual in the nation's capital -- a 59-102 record followed by 26-61 mark and being fired at mid-season. He was replaced by Jim Riggleman, who had a 33-42 record and may be retained as manager for next season.
The Indians are very serious about Acta, who also is a finalist for the Houston Astros' job. He certainly ranks ahead of Class AAA Columbus Manager Torey Lovullo, who is expected to be in town for another round of interviews this week.
How does he stack up next to remaining finalists Bobby Valentine and Don Mattingly? Hard to know. Valentine has a plush deal with ESPN. Mattingly is an impressive guy, but his coaching career consists of two teams -- the Yankees and the Dodgers.
Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerWhether or not Manny Acta is the eventual choice to lead the Cleveland Indians on the field, the organization needs to address a need for Latino coaches at the big-league level, says Terry Pluto.You can imagine the financial culture shock Mattingly will experience if he ends up in Wahoo red, white and blue when stars are traded away -- rather than brought to his team as is the case in New York and Los Angeles.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Acta does bring something to the Indians that they desperately need. He is a strong Latino presence, a baseball man respected south of the border.
That is not reason to make him the manager. But it's a driving force to add Acta or someone like him to the new coaching staff. Baseball has a huge Latino influence. The young players from the Dominican, Venezuela and Latin countries need baseball role models.
When former manager Eric Wedge fired veteran coach Luis Isaac, it was a major mistake, but not for the reason some fans assumed. The Indians had bad bullpens with Isaac, although there is no reason to blame him for that.
But with 44 years in the Tribe organization, Isaac was the kind of coach who could help young Latino players acclimate to the big leagues. He was replaced by Chuck Hernandez, who simply didn't have the same status with Tribe players as Isaac. The only other Latino coach was Luis Rivera.
This is not about political correctness, it's simply common sense.
At the moment, the Indians have 11 Latinos on their 40-man roster. It's a safe bet at least eight will be on the 25-man roster. Having coaches who can speak Spanish is a huge advantage, especially since it's possible to find qualified Latino coaches if a team makes the effort.
Rudy Jaramillo is considered perhaps the best hitting coach in baseball. He is on the open market after leaving the Texas Rangers in a contract dispute. The Indians not only need to spend money for a manager, but also for top coaches.
The right coaching staff is critical here, where the team relies on so many young players.
So if the Indians hire Acta, they should consider Mike Hargrove for a bench coach position. Not because Hargrove is white and a team wants some racial balance or to hit a quota. Diversity also means having different ranges of experience on the coaching staff.
Hargrove has managed the Indians, Orioles and Mariners. Acta is only 40 and can be helped by the 59-year-old Hargrove. He not only understands the big league game -- but also knows how it is played in Cleveland, on and off the field.
General Manager Mark Shapiro said Hargrove is not a candidate to replace Wedge, but also stressed that Hargrove has the "energy and passion" to manage again. He'd be ideal for Acta, Mattingly and even Valentine because of his background with the Indians.
The Indians allowed Wedge almost complete power to pick coaches, and most were from the farm system and were much like him. The only one with major league managerial experience was Joel Skinner, who was an interim skipper for the Tribe after the 2002 All-Star break.
The interview of Acta hopefully is a sign that the Indians are looking not only at the manager's job in a different way, but also a new approach to the coaching staff.
http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/index...._indians_m.html
Hit the link for video of his Q&A after the interview, he seems like a pretty likeable guy. The DiaTribe mentions his use of "We" and talking about the Browns and such, seems like he's excited about Cleveland.
Pretty sure he's my favorite of the four now.
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yeah manny acta is a wedge clone. he doesn't steal, put on hit and runs or sacrifice bunt. he sucks.
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suns said:
What kind of game does valentine run?the game where you manage for 15 seasons and make the playoffs once. he should fit in well here.
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yeah manny acta is a wedge clone. he doesn't steal, put on hit and runs or sacrifice bunt. he sucks.
yeah manny acta is a wedge clone. he doesn't steal, put on hit and runs or sacrifice bunt. he sucks.
Is that really what you're looking for in a manager? Hit and runs and sac bunts?
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yeah manny acta is a wedge clone. he doesn't steal, put on hit and runs or sacrifice bunt. he sucks.
Is that really what you're looking for in a manager? Hit and runs and sac bunts?
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I just don't see the similarities. Acta's a young, bilingual, respected Dominican native, stresses defense, uses advanced stats. It's hard to judge him on his W-L record considering how awful the Nationals have been talent-wise, and the "he doesn't steal" thing doesn't get me considering the team stole a decent amount of bases despite having one of the worst success rates in the majors.
The sacrifice hits are debatable...I hate them, especially when you're supposed to be an offensive team. At full health, there's not really anyone on the Tribe who I want to take the bat of his hands. If it's a 2-1 game I can get behind it, but not over the course of a season.
The real similarities to Wedge come down to the fact of the matter. Experience with young players, managing a small market team. It doesn't make much sense to bring in a Joe Torre, Phil Jackson type who's known for managing the egos of superstars.
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yeah manny acta is a wedge clone. he doesn't steal, put on hit and runs or sacrifice bunt. he sucks.
yeah manny acta is a wedge clone. he doesn't steal, put on hit and runs or sacrifice bunt. he sucks.
Yeah, that's an interesting way to look at the game. Not saying you're an idiot (or that you suck) for thinking that way, but please do share why you're in favor of stolen base attempts, hit and runs and sacrifice bunts. Doesn't matter if you focus on the personnel currently on this team or just in general.
I'm seriously eager to learn why you feel that way.
Beanpot
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