Comments on: The Invisible Manny Acta

By: I Guess Hagadone Won’t Be Working Things Out At Triple-A « It's Pronounced "Lajaway"

Sun, 08 Jul 2012 17:49:43 +0000

[...] I complained about Manny Acta recently, Hagadone was one of the major reasons for my griping. I felt that he’d been mishandled, [...]

By: Drew

Drew — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 16:16:38 +0000

Brenden – The Indians exercised Manny Acta’s option for the 2013 season last September. Might I suggest an SSRI to combat your severe depression?

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 06:33:21 +0000

Correction: Men’s Journal Article

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 06:32:15 +0000

The Men’s Health article you referenced was interesting; however, Acta only received 5% of the vote. Given that there were only 100 “randomly selected” players surveyed that means that 5 randomly surveyed players stated that Acta was their least respected manager. To me the opinions of 5 random MLB players doesn’t hold much water. Do I wish he stood up for the players more? Maybe. But, there is also something to be said about a manager who is even-keeled and who does not act out irrationally. I see Acta as an intelligent and level-headed manager and that is the kind of person I’d rather have in the dugout most of the time.

By: Brenden Lowery

Brenden Lowery — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 20:24:09 +0000

*nods head while clapping* I could not have written it better myself Stephanie.

If you asked me to rank all of the MLB managers best-to-worst as far as a manager that “sticks up for their players”, to me Acta ranks DEAD last. I mean, how he cannot muster enough anger to come out and argue some of the bad calls the Indians have dealt with in the past few games is beyond me. I really do believe he is just a corpse, a la Weekend at Bernie’s style as you mentioned.

With that being said (And I am not saying fire the guy by any means), but I am going to go into severe depression if we keep Acta at the end of the year, and Sandy Alomar Jr. becomes a manager for an upstart team. I certainly would not blame him considering he’s just an assistant for us, but I really think the guy could be an excellent manager. He definitely commands the player’s respect due to his career, is a very vocal guy, and would definitely argue some calls.

By: Tim

Tim — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 11:42:33 +0000

For me, I think it is a cumulative effect at the continuing failure of this front office to address the team’s glaring needs. Month after month. Year after year. Every month, the excuses make sense. Every year, the excuses make sense. In totality though, it’s pathetic.

We’ve had a LF problem for how many years? No RH power for how long? No production from 3 of our corners for how long?

They’ve worn me out.

By: John-Ryan Dobbs

John-Ryan Dobbs — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 00:32:03 +0000

I think I can sadly say that most Free agents would rather play for the Browns than the Indians.

By: David

David — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 23:04:51 +0000

I just read an article that appeared in the Washington Post not long before Acta was fired from the Nationals job in 2009. Acta is quoted as saying that he had a short temper that he displayed during his first managerial job, with Auburn in the New York-Penn League (1993-96).

“I spent too much time arguing with umpires and stuff and getting thrown out of the game until my farm director just flat-out told me, ‘You’re being paid to manage the ballgame, not to get thrown out [of] the game. You gotta stay in the game and watch these kids and teach them how to play.’ ”

Later, while watching televised games, he noticed the negative reactions managers had to mistakes made on the field, and thought of the embarrassment players and their relatives might feel seeing or hearing about those reactions.

“I told myself . . . the day I get a shot [at managing in the majors] I’m not going to be able to do that. I’m aware the camera’s on me; that’s why I’m not [cursing] anybody or doing anything that’s uncalled for.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/28/AR2009062802479.html

Now of course, it’s one thing to embarrass a player, and quite another to protest a bad umpire’s call. But the impression I get here is that Acta disdains any public outburst. We’ve seen him be sarcastic with reporters during postgame press conferences, but that’s about as far as he seems willing to go.

I know that as bench coach, part of Sandy’s job is to offer input that may be contrary to Acta’s decisions and procedures. Wonder if he has suggested a more fiery approach in situations like last night’s.

By: Bob Sproule

Bob Sproule — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:42:08 +0000

I get your frustration here. I can remember an interleague series a few years back – can’t recall the exact year – when the Pirates went into Yankee Stadium for the first time since 1960. A call that could have been highly arguable went against the Pirates and Lloyd McClendon never left the dugout. The umpire even looked toward the dugout awaiting McClendon to charge out, but Lloyd just sat there with a sheepish look on his face. It seemed like he was afraid to challenge ANYTHING since it happened in Yankee Stadium against the NEW YORK YANKEES. As I say, I can’t recall if that was Lloyd’s last season as Buc skipper, and I’m too lazy to look it up, but it seemed to me that McClendon was DONE as the Pirates manager as of that night.

By: Mary Jo

Mary Jo — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 19:26:58 +0000

At least the Tribe is no worse than 26th in the category “Which team would you least like to play for?” I know, grasping at straws…