The Tribe Daily

Protection is a Beautiful Thing and Random Stuff

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:35:00 +0000

The last thing I want to do is what I, and many others, did last year.

Initially, the fact that Matt McBride didn't get rostered was sort of surprising and it almost feels as if it was a mistake.

But the more and more I think about it, the more and more I'm starting to realize how this works.

First, I will bring this up.

When is the last time the Indians lost someone of worth in the Rule V Draft?

Yeah good luck finding one recently.

The point is this, we get all in a huff about some of the protections and really, the Indians know what they are doing. They've talked to scouts, they've done their homework, they've looked at all angles of everything.

So let's get down to this.

The Indians decided to protect seven players, to fill up their roster to 40.

This for one, tells me that they're not planning on making many signings that will actually need to be immediately put on the 40 man and if they do, I'm sure Anthony Reyes will be the spot they use.

Jordan Brown, Nick Weglarz, Jason Donald and Jeanmar Gomez all were protected without surprise from anyone. I think we can all agree those four were pretty much assumed.

The three that surprised were Wes Hodges, Carlos Rivero and Kelvin De La Cruz.

Quite honestly, I thought De La Cruz was the only one of those three that would be possible.

But let's look at these.

Kelvin De La Cruz

The Indians are making it plainly clear with the additions of De La Cruz and Rivero that they value their prospects and are not going to chance it.

However I still think the chances of him actually getting rostered were rather low because of his unique situation. Tony at IPI laid it out the best.

The hoops a team would have to jump through just to stash him away is just something that isn't worth it. You run the risk of totally ruining the guy unless you really think he can contribute in some way this year.

I mean someone like Rondon last year, I could see. But De La is coming off an injury and hasn't pitched past Single-A. They always say Double-A is the level you can really tell, so they also run the risk of not knowing if he's actually for real.

The chances of him actually getting selected, filling a roster spot for an entire year or being stashed on the 60 Day DL (and filling the numerous requirements that are necessary for them to retain the player) are low and all of this is unlikely.

I can see the Indians stance though. They didn't even want to think of chancing it if they had the roster spot and they did. They'd rather risk a Chuck Lofgren or a Yohan Pino than someone with a super high ceiling.

I get it and it's probably why I'm not in the front office and they are. But it's of my belief that they could have gotten away with not rostering him.

Carlos Rivero

This is the one I really don't understand.

You can look at this two ways.. 1) Is the player valuable and 2) What are the chances he is taken.

I like to look at it in that order. Sure Carlos Rivero is valuable, but what are the realistic chances he's taken? Rivero still has some development to go through and unlike De La Cruz, he's a position player. Position players cannot be stashed away in your bullpen in a long relief role.

Rivero would have to play if he was on the active roster and he'd have to be used often because that's just how bench players are needed. Injuries happen, as we saw with the Indians last year, Jamey Carroll had to see starting time, hell Andy Marte got into the action.

So Rivero already was at Double-A, so logic tells you that he may be close. Wrong, Rivero didn't have a good year in Double-A in 2009. He did well in the AFL, but I don't think that will be enough for him to immediately go to Triple-A next year. He'll probably have to start at Akron and that still puts him at least a year and a half away.

So while Rivero is valuable, I think there is more of a chance someone like McBride gets taken than Rivero. I'm not sure which one is more valuable, that's another debate for another time, but if it were up to me, I'd probably have protected McBride over Rivero.

Wes Hodges

I actually totally see this. And really, I'm sort of disappointed I didn't point this out earlier.

Remember Wes Hodges was being called the third baseman of the future before Lonnie Chisenhall emerged and Hodges got injured.

Underline the word injured. Hodges didn't have a bad year like Carlos Rivero did. He just got hurt. Injuries were a big reason he didn't play well this year, not because he fell off. Hodges may not be looked at an important prospect because of that injury, but the man can still hit. The talent is still there.

Those are the types of players that get taken in the Rule V draft and those are the types of players that end up burning you. I think the Indians realized this and they made the smart move to roster him. Kind of like Jordan Brown last year, but the Indians survived that. Brown had the track record, had the bad year because of injuries, but the Indians didn't roster him and they avoided losing him.

No wondering about Hodges with that.

Matt McBride

Okay so this will be the big discussion piece, why wasn't Matt McBride rostered?

Personally, as I've mentioned, I would have added him over Rivero, but let's see why the Indians didn't.

He ripped it up in 2009 and in the AFL recently. He's showing he has the bat and he can hit the ball.

But he's exactly the opposite of someone like Wes Hodges and Jordan Brown.

He's had the one great year and all the other years, McBride has had issues, mainly with injuries.

Another thing working against McBride is his position. He was a catcher, moved to first and the outfield, but then was back for some catching duties in the AFL. But instead of being looked at as a man with many positions, he's sort of looked at as a man with none, which actually helps the Indians in the fact that it goes against a team thinking of selecting him. He needs work at his new positions, but there are still concerns about his original catching position, that the chances of him playing there are unlikely.

He's like Rivero though. If this was a pitcher, there's a higher chance he gets selected. But even NL teams now need to have these roster spots open for the long season and the chances of someone like McBride lasting the entire year are very slim.

There is enough working against McBride getting selected that the Indians can risk this. The chances of him getting taken are good, but remember this. The chances of him sticking on the roster for the season, are another animal.

So really, this is the one guy that we're going to need to keep are eyes on. McBride is the big chip that could get taken or not get taken. I would also pay attention to Chuck Lofgren and Yohan Pino, they are certainly not slam dunks in terms of being safe, but the chances are a little less-likely.

As it's been pointed out in many different places, including Tony at IPI. The Indians are with the high-ceiling prospects in this instance. They've favored, Rivero, De La and Hodges over McBride, Lofgren and Pino. They're favoring potential over chance and willing to risk that chance.

Last year, they came out smelling like roses. This year, we'll soon see.

----

Let's talk other things now... First off, there is a new Hey Hoynsie out, but it isn't the least bit informative if you ask me. We've hit a point in the offseason when the questions aren't really timely and or just not very good. Especially with nothing really going on.

However Terry Pluto always has informative information.

The tidbit I'm most interested in this week.

The Indians used Travis Hafner to help them check out infield/third base coach Steve Smith. Hafner played for Smith in the Texas minor-league system, and Hafner called some players on other teams who also were coached by Smith. This could be fun because Smith has been suspended twice over the past three years for screaming at umpires when he coached for the Rangers and Phillies. The Indians consider Smith to be "an impact infield coach." He needs to work with Jhonny Peralta at third, and help find a way for Luis Valbuena to increase his range at second base.

This could be fun, hahaha. It will be fun. But it sounds as if Travis Hafner, who had prior relationship with Steve Smith, found out good things about him from other players. Fully supporting the idea that I've had in my head that this guy was a good coach, but maybe the Phillies management and current coaching staff really didn't mesh well with him because they differed in personality.

The Indians need this type of personality on the staff though. I can't wait to see him in action.

Many people are interested in the possibility that Kerry Wood is dealt. Personally, I've never really considered this a possibility this offseason. Not many have inside the people who actually know this team. Most of these ideas are coming from the national scale and the sites that like to bring up the big names.

Wood is too expensive and the Indians aren't going to eat his salary for another team to have him. They'd rather have him backend their bullpen for the money they are paying him. I will say this now too.

If Kerry Wood's 2011 option vests... It will be because the Indians want it to. They will not let it vest, just like they did last year, unless they absolutely want it to.

That and they could just trade him midseason if they aren't in contention and some team wants him, when they won't have to eat a big numbered salary for him to pitch for another team for a full-season.

This has now been "confirmed" or something from FOX.

I could have confirmed this with you a few weeks ago and I don't have any sources.

Okay, so I couldn't have confirmed it, but I could have told it to you.

Point is, Kerry Wood isn't going anywhere this offseason, so don't even think about it. Plus I think having him around will be nice for this clubhouse. This team still needs a veteran around and he is just that. Especially a vocal one.

Finally, let's take a look at this thing by Hoynes about Manny Acta.

I want to point this out, because I don't think I have, about the beginning of this piece.

As we know, the Indians do have a process for everything and they fully intended to go with that process in hiring their new manager.

But how refreshing is it to see them scrap their process for once, in order for something they felt their gut was telling them.

Let's take our time with pitcher A and move him up according to the process.

Bah humbug, the guy is ready, let's get him up.

Let's take our time hiring a new manager.

Bah whatever, this is our guy, let's hire him now before he goes somewhere else.

I love it. It is sort of the dawning of a new mentality, one that Mark Shapiro started to display when he fast-tracked Zach Putnam and made the statement that everything was going to be looked at differently.

He's making changes and he's realizing what's at stake. The whole process thing wasn't working in some ways. Sometimes you just have to go ahead and do it and that's what they did here.

Anyway, that whole piece is a Q&A with Manny Acta... Nothing really that we haven't heard or discussed here already in the past week, but read it if you'd like.

I do want to highlight a few answers though...

Q. Do you have a lot of rules as a manager?

A. I'm not a ticky-tacky rules kind of guy. I believe this job is tough enough to play. I like to keep my guys happy.

But everybody needs structure. ... The main thing will be to show up on time, play hard, and there's no excuse for not doing that, and respect. You respect each other, respect the game, respect the coach staff and respect the fans.

He's kind of like Eric Wedge then.. So it won't be much of an adjustment for the players in that way, which is good. Nothing was wrong with the effort the Indians players put forth, that is something you cannot deny.

In reading a little bit about how Acta has gotten to where he is, which is sort of what the middle part of the interview is about, Acta is Chris Nash. You know, players like him. Remember the Chris Nash story about how he and the other Captains visited the Indians late this past season?

Acta was that type of a player. He was the guy who was told he couldn't make it and didn't. There are players that are told that and a few bust through, but there are many that you root for, like Chris Nash, but ultimately don't make it and things fizzle out. But some still fight for it and like Acta, they have the skills to do more and become a manager.

So that's awesome.

Rule V Round Up, Alomar Speaks and Minor League Free Agents

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:02:00 +0000

Alright so today, we'll actually post this one at a normal time instead of like, late in the afternoon when the network at UA sucks.

Anyway whatever, I'm over it now man.

I really am.

There's a bunch of roster move stuff we need to go over, but let's clean up some stuff about Sandy and Manny.

Yesterday, Sandy Alomar had a conference call with reporters and we now find out that he did indeed have an offer to take the same post with New York.

In fact, Omar Minaya didn't even want to give Sandy the opportunity to talk to Cleveland.

"This developed over the last week," said Alomar, speaking to Cleveland reporters Wednesday on a conference call. "I talked to Omar relentlessly. At first he was skeptical, but I was persistent. When he gave me the opportunity to talk to the Indians, he knew I wasn't coming back."

This is something Sandy genuinely wanted. He wanted it before he even talked to Shapiro and company. To say that, he knew that he was trying to talk Omar Minaya out of letting him leave the team.

Props to Minaya for actually letting it happen. Letting someone advance up in their career is one thing that someone should always do if you can't give them that chance, but to let Sandy make the lateral move like that is something he didn't have to do. Gained a little respect for the Mets GM on this one.

"I'm very excited," Alomar said. "This is a great opportunity to return to a place where I have a lot of great memories. My family is very excited."

And as Sandy also said, these are "special circumstances."

Two of Alomar's kids live in Cleveland right now. It is going to be a homecoming the day Cleveland plays their first home game for sure.

Sandy says he does want to manage one day and given how quickly he's progressed in just a few years, I'd say it could be in his near future.

Now Acta met with the Cleveland reporters yesterday and had lunch with them. Not much that wasn't covered the past two days that we saw. Really nothing too new from what they uncovered that he didn't say to Levine or Drennan on the good old television. Here is a recap from Castrovince though.

There is one part though... And that's Free Agency, that is a set to begin in a few hours.. And when I say few, I mean the rest of the day.

One funny quote from Manny on Free Agency.

"You asked me what I want, man," Acta said with a laugh. "I'll give you a list Santa Claus couldn't [fulfill]."

Now that's not realistic as Manny knows, but I think he believes enough in what we have here to be fine. He did say that no matter what happens with Jake Westbrook, it would be smart to get another pitcher or two in here. As he said, you have to cover yourself when it comes to pitching.

Now does that mean going out and getting players that are even in the Carl Pavano range where you can sign them to incentive based deals?

I don't know. It may be people in the above-Tomo Ohka range. Starters that won't get deals anywhere else, but you can sign them to minor league deals and say, hey come on in and compete for a starting spot.

Especially though, I'd expect the Indians to pick SOMEONE up if Jake Westbrook suffers a setback. But let's hope that doesn't happen.

Castrovince even throws out a list of players that he believes would be in the Tribe's range if they were to make some sort of a move. And mind you, this would be very late in the process when these guys are looking for anything.

Paul Byrd, Jose Contreras, Doug Davis, Justin Duchscherer, Kelvim Escobar, Josh Fogg, Mike Hampton, Livan Hernandez, Eric Milton, Brett Myers, Brad Penny, Jason Schmidt, Ben Sheets, John Smoltz, Brett Tomko, Jarrod Washburn, Jeff Weaver, Todd Wellemeyer and Kip Wells.

I think names like even Jarrod Washburn would be off limits. I'd be a big fan of a signing like Justin Duchscherer. Someone who missed the entire season last year won't come very expensive. Someone like Brett Myers would be perfect, but he's a jerk.

Anyway, Manny did also address the idea of adding any relief pitchers and the bullpen. He said they are happy with what they have, but there will be 200 players available, so I'm sure they'll add some guys on a minor league deal like they always do.

Acta did also say though that there will only be one role assigned going into Spring Training and that is Kerry Wood as closer. Other than that, everything is up in the air because last year, roles going into the season didn't really work. I agree with this, make everyone earn their spot.

Spots... Spots.. Let's talk spots..

Tonight free agency begins.... Jamey Carroll and Tomo Ohka leave our roster officially. Jake Westbrook and Anthony Reyes need to be added or in Reyes' case, possibly removed.

And then the Indians need to announce who is going to be added in protection for the Rule V Draft.

This is something that both Anthony Castrovince and Tony Lastoria covered this past week.

Both sort of came to some agreement on several players, so it seems likely the following will be protected.

Jeanmar Gomez
Jordan Brown
Jason Donald
Nick Weglarz

I didn't think Gomez would be that much of a lock, but he's made tremendous strides and with him probably going to be at Columbus next year, I guess I can see you just add him now.

So assuming seven spots are up for grabs, maybe eight depending on what is done with Reyes, that leaves 3-4 spots open for everyone else and it is actually going to be more hotly contested than I originally thought awhile ago.

These are where the names get interesting. Lastoria believes McBride, Lofgren, Pino and Tomlin are Probables at 75%.. So if the Indians want to protect all four, you will see Reyes DFAed..

Now is that where the discussion ends?

De La Cruz, Hodges, Rivero and Josh Rodriguez are listed by Tony as 50% Questionables.

In the end AC mentions De La Cruz, but Tony seems to be convinced that he will most definitely not get rostered and there is a compelling reason why.

The guy basically missed last year. He'll start next year again at Kinston and probably make it to Akron? I mean that's my best guess. They'll probably move him through Kinston quickly, but I can't imagine anyone taking a chance on a kid that is coming off an injury that hasn't pitched above Single-A. I just cannot imagine it happening and therefore I think it's safe to leave him unprotected.

Tony's got seven names that he believes are rostered. The four locks, McBride, Lofgren and Pino. If there are only six rostered, then he thinks Lofgren is the odd man out and if eight are rostered, it isn't Tomlin, but Carlos Rivero.

It needs to be pointed out that Rivero has sort of regained some of the momentum he lost during the regular season with his AFL performance, so it makes some sense.

So... I'm no expert on this issue but I'd have to say the four locks are four players I agree with. I wouldn't protect De La and would probably protect Pino, Lofgren and McBride.

McBride was someone that made me think, but I think in the end, you have a guy who completely broke out and could be in Triple-A as soon as halfway through. He's exactly the type of player, who has position versatility now as well (especially at a valuable position like catcher again), and a hot bat to get taken.

Matt McBride, by the by, is up for the Stenson Award, given to the AFL player every year who exemplifies the follow qualities: unselfishness, hard work and leadership. Jason Donald, now an Indian, won it last year.

So yeah... Expect six to get rostered for sure. Believe seven is a high possibility and eight could happen.

So who knew Josh Barfield was a minor league free agent?

I didn't.. But he is one of Cleveland's minor league FAs.

Others of note, Scott Roehl, Rich Rundles, Juan Salas, Juan Lara, Ole Sheldon.

Anyone seeing Josh Barfield leaving? I think so.. What a bust of a trade that was.. Damn.. I had high hopes for the kid too, we all did.

Final note from one of the Hoynes stories. Tim Tolman and Manny Acta will share outfield instruction duties during the season. Gary Thurman, who was in the running to be one of Acta's coaches, will do it during Spring Training. The final two spots aside from the Hitting position, are the bullpen catcher jobs, which will go to people inside the organization.

Sandy Mania, Acta Thoughts and Other Stuff

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:00:00 +0000

5:02 PM: A big die off to the University of Akron network today. They were having all sorts of issues and this post was DONE around noon today but lovely jerks didn't let me publish it.. Be back tomorrow, hopefully in the morning with what I promise at the end of this one.

Gather yourself.

So wow.

Acta talked to Les Levine on Monday at 6:00 on Time Warner's NEON channel. It was his first one on one with a Cleveland media type and it was the first time he had some interaction with the fans.

A day later he did his second sit down in as many days with Bruce Drennan and right off the bat he dropped his first bombshell.

After a week ago when Omar Minaya was emphatic about Sandy Alomar Jr. remaining on staff for the New York Mets, I sort of just filed that one away under disappointment.

But something obviously changed that situation in a hurry.

Acta had a wide smile on his face yesterday and you could tell Bruce didn't even know what was about to go down. He knew Sandy had an announcement to make and he caught me off guard with such an announcement when he said he had a coaching hire.

The wheels turned in that one minute, who could it possibly be that he's waiting to announce on this program?

Then it all made sense with Sandy Alomar Jr.'s name was blurted out of his mouth. He barely finished the Junior before Bruce burst into cheering. Acta made the announcement live on the air on the Cleveland Indians own network. Then it hit the internet and I don't have to tell you the reaction.

I knew this was the reaction.

There is not one bad word I've read about the hire.

In fact, some have even gone as far as to praise the Indians for "finally doing something right."

Which we all know is crazy in itself, but even Joe Casual is pumped. Facebook reactions are all positive, there is no point in going over them!

Which is great. Like I've said in the past, I'm not one for hire him because he's a former Indian or hire him because the fans will want him. I look at that as a bonus. Sandy Alomar Jr. made sense and I wouldn't have brought him up in the initial stages as a possibility if I didn't think his hiring would make sense on the field.

If you now look at the staff, you now look at how well-rounded they are and the personalities and people we have.

Acta is at the top, bringing the Latin background as well as the expert communication and personality skills.

Tolman is his bench coach, someone who Manny feels will challenge his opinion (we'll get into that) and someone who's played the outfield, so there's someone for players to relate to.

Smith is his third base coach and infielders coach. A fiery personality that contrasts not only the current manager, but any other coach this team has had in the past few years.

Alomar at first base and to also instruct catchers. You know his primary job is to work the catching and that's big when you consider the Indians have arguably the top catching prospect in the entire game.

Belcher as the pitching coach. A successful major league pitcher who has had success and experience with not only instructing at every level, but with some of the current players on the roster and the ones that will be.

Radinsky as the bullpen coach. Again, someone who had success at the major league level as a reliever, working with players that he's had before. Working with guys he's had a relationship with. And as we've learned, his personality is one that you can be excited about.

All that's left is a hitting coach.

So.. Inside organizational hires: 2. Outside organizational hires: 3.

They figured it would be split 50/50, well if indications that Jon Nunnally is the favorite come true, it will be as Nunnally would make 3 inside hires.

The sad part in all of this is the fact that we won't get to see Torey Lovullo on this staff, which is something I really set my own heart to seeing. But hey, like I've said, Lovullo has a future as a major league manager, I truly believe that. I don't mind seeing him in Columbus for another year if that's the case.

Let's get back on track for a second.

Last bit on Alomar... Acta said the following.

"Sandy's a guy we had in mind from Day 1," Acta said. "We had to respect the position he had with the Mets, but he has a lot to bring to us [in working] with our young catchers, Lou [Marson] and possibly [Carlos] Santana down the road. Sandy loves it here, and he's loved by the community. We're very happy to have him here."

The Mets did in fact grant the Indians permission and as Acta said, it was Sandy's decision from there on out. When it came down to it, what did you think he would do? If you are offering him the same position as Cleveland is, I think Sandy has so many fond memories here, that he almost would kill to switch and I think that's what happened.

It is a slight upgrade over what he was doing with the Mets and I don't know if they offered him a higher position than what he had now, but he's a Cleveland Indian again and that's all that matters.

Alright so Acta was on Levine's show on Monday and Bruce's show Tuesday. He didn't spend as much time on ABAO and a lot of his chatter was about his family and his past and stuff we've been over or repeated from Monday, so I'll just review what went down then and I think it should blanket everything.

- On Tim Tolman as his Bench Coach: He's familiar with the Indians and not only a friend of Acta's, he's worked with him, Manny's played for him and he won't be afraid to talk to or challenge Manny when it comes to things. Remember Manny wanted someone who's wheels would be turning at the same time his was and as he definitely stated after Levine asked him, He didn't want a simple "yes" man. So while Tolman might be his friend, he won't be nodding with every move Manny makes and that's ultimately what you want in a bench coach. Someone who isn't afraid to challenge some thinking and if Acta is open to that, I think it has the groundwork of a successful hire.

- On Frank Robinson Talking to Him About Cleveland: Frank Robinson actually called Acta right away and told him nothing but good things about Cleveland. He said he made an excellent choice. That's good to hear from a legend.

- On the Lidle Plane Crash: I threw this in here because I found it very interested. Remember or not, Acta lived in the apartment that was hit by Cory Lidle's plane. Acta said he was about 10 stories below where the plane had actually hit, but he left 30 minutes before the crash happened. Couldn't even imagine what he was thinking when he found out.

- On Choosing Cleveland: Acta said he zeroed in, and this is something we've known, on a few teams when he was sitting at home after he got fired. He watched a lot of Houston and Cleveland because he knew there could be a chance obviously, but he also watched some New York and Washington because they were places he worked. Overall Manny said there are a lot of good pieces in Cleveland and that the farm system is rich and that was something he was attracted to. Again he started naming players and even through in some Jeanmar Gomez.

- On Jhonny Peralta: Manny continued to talk about how Peralta is a key for the team and even said he talked to Peralta on Sunday. Sounds like he now knows what Eric Wedge did about his attitude. He may look like he doesn't care, but he really does and doesn't choose to show it. Hey that's Peralta, and some guys don't wear their emotions on their sleeve. Hopefully Acta can form a good relationship with JP and turn him around.

- The lineup: For the first time, Manny actually expanded on some of his ideas. He said right now, Sizemore probably will be leading off based on the fact that he's done it before and too much pressure shouldn't be put on Brantley. He did say in the future though, he'll probably move Sizemore down to the middle of the order when the "young kids" are eased in. Brantley will hit at the bottom for now.

- A Set Lineup: Manny did say that in a perfect world, a set lineup from day one would be something he wants. But he did say those things also have a way of working themselves out. What I get from that is, he might not have something set from day one and he might have to shuffle a few times throughout the season, but eventually, the main pieces, provided they are healthy, are going to settle into a specific spot and a specific role. I think that's positive thinking. He also said he didn't know what happened last year or in previous years, be it injuries or whatever, but he wants a set lineup where positions are set, batting spots are set and it's from the start.

- Catcher: They are "exploring options" but the young kids will get opportunities. He mentioned Shoppach's name, but he seemed to be saying "Lou" more than a few times.

- Pitch Counts: Believes in them, but he believes in what the pitcher is doing at the time. He'll take a guy out when he sees him getting killed. But if he's pitching good he'll leave him in. That's common sense (again, wait for it) at it's finest. Also said you need to take into consideration age, what happened in the last inning, and even the last game, all that stuff.

- On the Poor April starts: Manny Acta wants to win regardless. He isn't going to put max effort in from day one of Spring Training, but he is going to stress winning all the games. There is no "on switch" for when it ends. He also said int he AL Central, a good start is important.

- Mangers Personality: Acta said when a team is young, like this one will be, it's important because they take after their leader. He knows what's up. He gets it. He said treat them like your own kids and get the best out of them. Show them that you are just like them and you are there when you are failing and successful. The guy has this talking thing down pat.

- Rebuilding Philosophy and his mentality on winning: He doesn't equate money to winning. He even threw in a nice dig to the Yankees by saying a team doesn't need to buy two pitchers to win. He thinks the Indians organization has made smart decisions given the circumstances with the rules of baseball.

- On What Type of Manager he is: Again, he said he was a "common sense" manager. He plays the cards that are dealt to him. Play according to what talent on the field provides. Wedge sometimes did not do that and tried bunting with the most randomest people. I can tell Acta is going to be well liked if he sticks to what he's saying. He said he's a combination of throw back and current baseball (statistics and that).

- Closers: He's a four out guy if the situation asks for it and won't be afraid to send Wood out there in the eighth if need be.

- This is a good question. He was asked how do you finish guys off at the major league level and the example of Franklin Gutierrez was given. Simply put, Manny said playing time will tell you. Specifically on Franklin, platoons may be successful for awhile, but playing time will eventually tell you what he's about. Remember this was one of the big problems that I've had with Wedge, so hopefully Acta follows through on this.

- Matchups: He is a believer in them, but he won't bring in a guy just because he's a lefty facing a lefty. The stats must back it up.

- Putting together his staff: He was looking for balance with people that could not only relate on the field with teaching, but could relate with players as well in terms of personality. He definitely did that all around.

- Rotation: They're counting on Westbrook to be healthy and will be in Puerto Rico to watch him, Fausto and Huff to be there and the competition will be between others and maybe free agent additions. So it sounds like he's going as far as Huff, Fausto and Jake if they are there to be in the rotation and maybe Laffey and then a competition between everyone else.

If you'd like to see a highlight package of Acta on with Levine, you can click this link. STO typically puts up videos like Acta being on the show, but so far nothing. I'll post the link if it ever comes up.

Alright I think that's enough for now. There are some roster issues and discussion I want to get into, but I'll save that for tomorrow in a sort of a preview to the Rule V deadline on Friday.

SANDY'S BACK!

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:36:00 +0000

BOMBSHELL!!! BOMBSHELL!!

Manny Acta dropped a bombshell just a few minutes ago on All Bets are Off.. Sandy Alomar Jr will be the next first base coach for the Cleveland Indians!

IT'S NOT APRIL FIRST IS IT?!

NO?!

WOOOOOO!!!

Emphatically and exuberantly confirmed by the Swain/Swibel twitter account.

That is all!

More Acta

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:05:00 +0000

I'll have a review of Acta on both last night's More Sports and Les Levine and on All Bets Are Off with Bruce Drennan today.

He'll be on ABAO with Bruce today at 4:00 PM or there about, in studio, for his second sit down interview in as many days with Cleveland media.

Lots of interesting stuff in last night's interview that I'll post tomorrow and anything new from Bruce's show I'll add in there.

Back to paper writing!

Acta on NEON/Les Levine Tonight

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:30:00 +0000

Manny Acta is opening himself up for the second time in his young stint as Indians manger for a one-on-one with the Cleveland Media.

Remember Acta did a short interview with Bruce Drennan the day of his press conference via the phone.

He's stepping it up one further now. He'll be on More Sports And Les Levine tonight at 6:00 PM ET on the Northeast Ohio Network (NEON). If you are a Time Warner Customer in Northeast Ohio, you probably get the channel (23). I know I do.

Anyway, this is his first interview in Cleveland and the first time he'll actually have some direct communication with the fans. Wedge was on ABAO answering fan questions before, but it wasn't something happened often, so this is refreshing to see Manny take stage in Cleveland this early in the game.

If you'd like to send in a question, I'm told the e-mail is les@5front.com or if you'd like to call in, 216-575-0403.

I'll be watching tonight myself and will have some impressions tomorrow or Wednesday (I've got a fantastic paper due Wed, so I might not have the time to organize everything immediately). If you do not get TWC or will not be able to catch the interview, there should be a highlight video out there that I will relay to you when it is available.

Special thanks to Mike for the e-mail about the interview.

Coming Together: Acta names three to staff

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:37:00 +0000

Shocked much?

Manny Acta made three additions to his coaching staff today and two of them were names we've heard.

But like the pitching coach, Acta and company threw us a bit of a curveball with a name that hasn't really been thrown out there.

In fact, when I say Steve Smith, all the jokes will come about the Carolina Panthers Wide Receiver or the now New York Giants receiver, or that basketball player that was named Steve Smith or the American Dad..

Such a generic name. Why do you think the former ESPN reporter/writer went by Stephen A. Smith. Because the Steve Smith population is astounding and he'd just be another Steve Smith to get confused with.

At least he's the only Steve Smith in baseball.

Oh Wait..

We have an issue here.

You see there's a player in the Indians organization named Steve Smith and I've already created the tag, Steve Smith.

So what to do?

Steve Smith the Coach?

It's going to have to be, even though it's long as hell.

Anyway, that's my side rant for the moment.

Manny Acta did indeed hire Steve Smith to be his third base and infield coach, Scott Radinsky to be his bullpen coach and Tim Tolman to be his bench coach.

That leaves first base and hitting coach as his last spots to fill.

Everyone seems to think Jon Nunnally is the guy to fill the hitting coaches spot.

As for the first base spot. It's anyone guess.

But the third base job/infielders position going to Steve Smith impact Torey Lovullo's chances very much. Lovullo was an infielder and if you were going to hire him to staff, that'd probably the spot.

However here's the good news as far as wanting Lovullo to be hired.

Tim Tolman is an outfielders guy, so if Acta wants all the bases covered, he's already done so.

Here's the other news... Tolman is the bench coach, I'm not sure his duties would involve being the outfield coach as well, but who knows.

Here's the other news... This staff does not have a former catcher on it.

In fact this is a complete 360 from the old staff that had nothing but catchers on the staff. Joel Skinner, Eric Wedge and Jeff Datz were all catchers. Luis Rivera coached infielders.

Yeeeikes.

Now does any of this really matter? Just because someone didn't play the outfield, doesn't mean they can't instruct the person on the fundamentals on baseball or execute the positioning they want (hey look at the spray charts and trends and make your decision, boy!).

This all being said, there's that phrase again, Acta's got some nice diversity on his staff already and he still has two hires to make. So far, he's covering all the bases like he said he would.

Here are some short profiles I've put together on each new coach.

Tim Tolman
Bench Coach
Last Organization: Seattle
Last Position: Coordinator of Instruction
Career Statistics

Tolman spent the last year in the Seattle organization after being fired from this third base post in Washington under Acta. He spent two years there as the third base coach.

Tolman has a history with Cleveland as well. He spent four years in Cleveland working int he minor league part of the organization. He now returns to Cleveland under his old boss and former co-worker with the Houston organization. Tolman played for Detroit and Houston in his major league career.

Scott Radinsky
Bullpen Coach
Last Organization: Cleveland (Columbus)
Last Position: Pitching Coach
Career Statistics

Scott Radinsky didn't get this job last year when it was open. So he returned to Columbus as their pitching coach for another season.

Now he's back in the big leagues and finally on a major league staff. He was considered an option for the major league pitching coach opening, but lost out to Tim Belcher. Still, his career as a relief pitcher may suit both him and the Indians bullpen in this role.

Radinsky had a good career in the major leagues, playing for Chicago, Los Angeles, St. Louis and finally Cleveland. His career ended with the Indians after he returned from Tommy John surgery and was not the same.

Radisnky joined Cleveland in 2005 and was the pitching coach for the Lake County Captains. A year later he was in Akron and a year after that Buffalo. He made transition to Columbus this past season with Torey Lovullo.

Scott is also the lead vocals for a band called Pulley since 1995. Radinsky has doubled in a musical career and was even kicked out of his previous band because of the time constraints to baseball.

Steve Smith
Third Base Coach
Last Organization: Philadelphia
Last Position: Third Base Coach

The last job Steve Smith had brought him a World Series victory.

Smith was the third base coach of the Philadelphia Phillies when they won their World Series in 2008. He was fired following that and was not on a major league staff last year.

Smith has loads of major league experience as not just a third base coach for Philadelphia, but Seattle and Texas prior to that. He also managed over 1,600 minor league games.

Back in 2007, Smith was suspended for three games after a tirade with umpire Laz Diaz. He was suspended for two on-field incidents in his coaching career.

He is not to be confused with the Baylor coach of the same name.

---

Of course the big unknown here is Steve Smith. Tim Tolman is actually a bit of an unknown to us, but Smith is a bigger one because his name hasn't been thrown around.

But I've read some good things and some bad things. Taking a look at some of the Phillie fans perspective on Smith, I'm coming away a little excited about his prospects.

A lot of the comments that were supporting Smith in the wake of his firing were intelligent and well thought out. The ones that were not in support of Smith were short, abrasive and quite frankly, hilarious.

If you believe some Phillie fans, he never made the right decisions on when to send and when not to send and that he "blows monkey dong." Pardon my language, I'm just quoting. Others will tell you he was the best coach on that staff and that his firing marked a new 25 year curse on the organization. Again, quoting.

What I do pull away from it is that the Phillie players liked Smith and he was a guy who would motivate them. He seems like a fiery individual, something this staff has not had before, at least in the last regime.

In fact, he seems to be a bit of a Wild card both in the sense that we have not much on him at this point and his personality is a bit of one.

Which I think is fantastic.

Not only does this staff need to be diverse in what they teach, but they need to be diverse in personality.

We've got a bilingual champion communication, a punk rock lead vocalist and now a guy that has had a past of being a real firebomb.

So far, so good from my perspective. Acta is really setting up this staff in a positive way.

Rule V Discussion, Winter Leagues and Omar

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

Good Saturday morning from the lovely looking Youngstown, Ohio.

No really, it's very nice looking out.

Once a month or so I'm back in my old stomping grounds to visit and get a hair cut, because I'm too silly to change routine. But anyway that is not the point.

Things have slowed down even more in Tribe land, but there are plenty of things to go over. In fact, we've neglected some talk thanks to all the coaching news out there. Luckily this news doesn't go out of fashion until November 20th.

I'm of course talking about the Rule V deadline, which is six days away now.

And because work has returned to my schedule on the 20th, we need to be prepared before Friday.

As you may remember from last year, the Indians, and every other team alive, wait until the very last minute to make the moves, even if they know what they are doing. Why? Because they can and that's how baseball works. That's how everything works. They won't show their hand until they have to.

A lot of the discussion this year is going to be around Jordan Brown, who was shockingly left off the 40 man roster last year. At which point, everyone was convinced he was going to get taken.

Not the case, what was even more shocking than him getting left off was him not being selected.

And here we are again. Brown is still not a part of the 40 man roster, which means he's still eligible for such a draft, which means there is discussion as to his status.

We'll let's not waste breath... If Jordan Brown isn't added to the Indians 40 man roster, the front office has gone completely insane. The guy is the perfect candidate for such an addition because he's now the perfect candidate for a Rule V pick.

It also appears that Brown will either be on the Indians 40 man, or another team's 40 man, according to Tony Lastoria at the IPI. I'm not really going to raise a huff over him this year, unless of course he isn't added, at which point the Indians will be crucified on the spot. That's going to be the upset of the century though.

Most of the discussion should be surrounding more questionable situations.

Jason Donald figured to be one of the additions after September's roster expansion, but he got hurt. With his eligibility for the Rule V draft looming, it would make sense that he too would be a lock for a roster spot.

And then of course Nick Weglarz, who is just one of those guys that is too valuable to risk.

So that brings us, three players that you can pencil in.

Now there are seven spots open on the 40 man, this is presumably after the Indians A)No longer have Tomo Ohka and Jamey Carroll counting as they become free agents and B)Re-add Jake Westbrook and Anthony Reyes from the 60 day disabled list, since they can't stay there during the offseason.

So that goes down to 31 and back up to 33.

Add in that trio and there is four spots left. I think we are all assuming the Indians make anywhere from zero to two free agent/trade acquisitions that would actually take up a 40 man and that is without the assumption that they'll rid themselves of another player, AKA Kelly Shoppach because of his price tag.

So the Indians could very well just use the last four spots on prospects.

Or maybe five?

As Tony also evaluates the names on the bubble, it appears they could get one more spot if they really wanted it.

Hell I think it's something they should do regardless of their need for the spot.

Anthony Reyes will not pitch next year, so why even bother? Who's going to be that desperate, or for that matter, that in love with Anthony Reyes, that they'd claim him, stash him on the 40 man this offseason AND next offseason and pay him a big league salary to do so just to see what he "might bring" in 2011.

Only stupid teams.

Which is why you just outright him right now and take that small risk of someone being very stupid. Get him down on a minor league deal where the whole thing is out of your roster hair.

And if someone does take him?

Eh, so what? I like Anthony Reyes very much, but it seems pointless to have him floating around the 40 man when he's not even pitching next year and everyone knows it.

So that opens up five spots for possible additions. Let's take a look at the bubble.

Pencil In
Nick Weglarz
Jason Donald
Jordan Brown

Bubble
Chuck Lofgren
Frank Herrmann
Jeanmar Gomez
Johnnie Drennen
Jose Constanza
Josh Rodriguez
Josh Tomlin
Kelvin De La Cruz
Matt McBride
Stephen Head
Wes Hodges
Yohan Pino

You can check out the full list on the good old board.

These are simply bubble names. Guys high up in the system. Quite frankly, I doubt more than half are even considered.

But you need some damn names to consider.

There are four cases that I think are really interesting. But only four cases, maybe five or six, so really, there is little to no intrigue if all four cases are compelling enough.

Wes Hodges is case number one.

Hodges was one of those guys that was perhaps a lock last year, hell he might have already been added had you asked some people.

But injuries derailed his season and Lonnie Chisenhall's quick ascension has derailed his future. Hodges is somewhat of an afterthought now. Do the Indians bother with someone who they know can hit, but is still a WIP in terms of defense? He's sort of in the situation Jordan Brown was last year, and we know how that ended. Maybe the way that turned out can make us say, hey he won't get picked.

Case number two is Matt McBride and he's only interesting for one reason.

He lit it up this past year.

I'd give this small consideration and move on. He's still too raw to be taken if you ask me. A team would just end up sending him back after they realize he needs more seasoning as someone who is really without a true position right now.

Going over to the pitchers side we've got Jeanmar Gomez.

Gomez is in the position Hector Rondon was last year, yet there is one difference. Gomez hasn't been as highly touted as Rondon was at this point. Rondon had some name recognition with the fact that he was in the Future's Game. Gomez had much success this past year, but I'm not sure he's the "can't miss prospect" that you don't toy around with and just add out of principle.

If it weren't for the next guy, I think Gomez would not only be the most interesting case, but probably a guy you pencil in.

The next guy is none other than Kelvin De La Cruz. He was considered someone you rostered last year until we found out he didn't need to be rostered.

Now, he isn't too far away from where he was last year thanks to injuries, but he's still regarded as one of the can't miss guys in the system as far as pitching is concerned. He was just like Rondon in the regard that he may be too valuable in the long run to even risk.

But does the injury change things?

Given that there aren't many pressing issues in terms of who you roster, and there are spaces open, and the Indians don't figure to make many additions.

Add him... If things work out this year with health, he'll be in Akron at some point. And if you look at Rondon, he's knocking on the door. Don't risk it with someone like De La.

Those are probably the four most interesting cases to me and I think three of them are guys who probably won't even get added. I see a lot of spots, and few very open and shut cases, which gives the Indians a lot of flexibility.

It also means it's worth holding onto guys like Andy Marte (especially with LaPorta's surgery) and Jose Veras (especially with bullpen questions).

The only two other people I think are remotely interesting: Yohan Pino and Jose Constanza.

Chances of them taken in Rule V? Eh, slim if that I'd say.

Pino for the reason he's a bit of an unknown. What if some team out there sees someone who's pretty much done well with the Triple-A level and says, eh let's see what he's got, we suck anyway.

Constanza's chances are pretty much non-existent, he's not even major league ready, but speed is a dangerous thing and something you really don't need to "hone" for the major league level. If your fast, your fast and if someone is in desperate need of some speed, and they are a team like Washington, you just never know.

That's an idea out of left field though and probably would never happen. But like I said earlier, there are stupid teams out there you know.. Organizations like Kansas City exist for a reason. At least at their current state.

That all being said...

I don't think we are in for a pinch this year. Last year sort of eased a lot of the opinions that everyone and their mom could get taken from the Indians when Jordan Brown didn't get picked and the fact that the Indians are armed with a surplus of spots only helps.

It makes decisions like what to do with Adam Miller obsolete. Just let him go, we've got the space.

We haven't discussed free agency much because it won't happen for awhile, at least not in Cleveland. Kelly Shoppach will be the central story concerning the Indians really. Will they let him go or trade him or whatever? That's probably the only activity this team will have until next calender year.

So we won't get into it, but Omar Vizquel remains an option for everyone who loves to dream.

He also remains an option for everything that makes sense as well. He would fit the team. And whatever small salary he would take (he made just one million last year for Texas), you would certainly make up in "Vizquel 13" shits you'd sell for people who want to re-live the glory days.

Man.. You bring Vizquel back, pry Sandy Alomar Jr away from the Mets coaching staff (which is unlikely now as Omar Minaya is being a bitch)... All we have to do is hire Kenny Lofton as the team's outfield and base running coach.

Speaking of that...

Some coaching house-keeping to go through. Hoynes threw out one name, Gary Thurman in a little snippet in his latest bit of news roundup. He'd probably be the outfielders coach if brought upon as that's what he does now in the organization for the minor leagues. Oh that and base running. Well isn't that interesting.

He had a crappy career for a first overall pick of the Royals (hey look at that!) back in the 1983 draft, but that doesn't make him a bad teacher. He also spent time in the Mariners organization.

This all being thought of, I was joking about Kenny Lofton. I'm certainly the last person that would make moves on the basis of the fans giving a damn, but Alomar, as we've been over, and Omar would both make sense for this team. The fact that they'd also suck up to the fans and help make some cash would just be a bonus in my eyes.

The team seems pretty set on the idea of Jason Donald at least competing for the utility spot and if Vizquel doesn't win that.. Oh we've been over that before and it's the biggest reason such a move is a bad idea. Cutting Vizquel would be the end of Mark Shapiro's career, because the fan base would put an end to it by putting an end to his life.

Finally... I've neglected winter league statistics very much. Bad me, bad bad me.

Here is a PDF of the latest statistical update of all the Indians players taking part in winter league action, courtesy of the Tribe Insider twitter feed.

As you can see, Jordan Brown and Matt McBride are still hitting the stuffing out of the ball and even Andy Marte is looking good through 16 games.

Nick Weglarz is done for the rest of the AFL. He had a rod put into his leg and yes he will have that in there forever and ever ever ever. Should be good to go for next season. Tim Fedroff replaced him in the AFL.

Luis Valbuena is having a good stint in Venezuela. Pitching in these offseason leagues is sort of just overlooked, especially in the AFL because all the hitters are amazing and as we saw from Arizona's spring training last year, pitchers get killed anyway.

But Josh Judy is having a good time in the AFL. He's pitching in 15 innings and has given up just one earned run.

On a final winter league note, Jake Westbrook will make some starts in Puerto Rico. Former Indian and current ESPN analyst Eddie Perez is managing Ponce (awesome name) and says Westbrook is scheduled to go two innings for his team on November 28th and if things are good from there, he'll be with the team through December 17th.

Site Clean-Up

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:59:00 +0000

So, I'm as about as knowledgeable as you are in terms of the future of the site on this platform.

As you may or may not know, I agreed to move this over to the Fan Huddle network, a new site starting up that has blogs about every professional sports team, or at least the goal of having that.

As you can see, things are pretty much settled there. But if the site has had issues in it's infant stages.. Issues I'm not ready to put this blog through. That site might be just starting out, but this site isn't and I'm not going to subject those of you who read this, to downtime and what not.

So we're just hanging out here until I hear some sort of news that makes me want to actually transfer all my posts and work over there.

That and I've heard nothing about the transfer of my URL, which is the biggest thing I want to make sure is operative before anything. Moving from the old name was a hassle in itself the site still hasn't recovered from.

That being said (there's that phrase again), we're just going to hang out here until further notice. I don't know what's going on and will continue to operate as is because they all seem very busy. As am I with classes and other things, so I'll wait until I'm come to before we do anything else.

So continue coming here until further notice to see awesome.. I've already started the process of cleaning up the site a little (I've already sort of cleaned up the side bar with the elimination of things like the Betancourt Cap Counter (tear). I'll also start cleaning up the links section.) and I'm going to put my effort into overdrive when the semester ends in a few weeks. While work is starting back up here while we're on break, I'll have plenty of time in between to do things.

Including the debut of the two other boards I've been working on. One site related, the other Tribe related.

I've also spawned an idea that will try and help us get through the offseason.

We all know Twitter is sweeping the nation, but have you heard of Twidder?

Me either until I created it.

I will only say that if you've been disappointed that Matt LaPorta is the only Indian on twitter, you will be no longer when you see how many Cleveland Indians are on Twidder.

Yeah, me playing with photoshop again. It will be good, I promise.

Stuff from all over: Staff, Offseason Moves, Spring Training

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 19:43:00 +0000

So things are taking a snails pace in Cleveland concerning just about everything.

Last week we got Tim Belcher, this week, we may not get anything.

In fact, according to Paul Hoynes, the staff may not be finalized until December 7th, which is the opening of the Winter Meetings in Indy.

Which the Indians don't expect to be big players at.

We'll talk about that in a second.

Hoynes mentions that Radinsky, Tim Tolman, and Columbus hitting coach Jon Nunnally are favorites to earn some of the coaching spots. Tolman would be the third base or bench coach for Manny Acta, Nunnally the hitting coach, and Radinsky the bullpen coach, if any or all were to be hired.

I've updated the offseason chart to reflect some of the more candidates.

I also added Kirk Gibson as an official target for the Indians. It appears that they had at least interviewed the historic slugger (I can't believe what I just saw!) over the phone as one of their ten finalists. He's the current bench coach for Arizona.

Much needs to be made about the changes the Indians are making throughout their organization. They will go unnoticed by many casual fans, but the people who want Shapiro to change things are clearly not looking hard enough.

The shake up in the Latin American and Asian scouting departments is clearly a step in the right direction. Ramon Pena was brought on as someone who can do more than just go down once and awhile to scout. He's someone who's going to live there and take good care in his homework of the players he's watching. Not only that, the Indians are moving the academy they have closer.

"Our academy was so far away before, we were having trouble getting top prospects to come for tryouts," said Mirabelli. "Ramon can really help with something like that."

And in case you were wondering. Yes, Omar Minaya gave high recommendations about Pena, whatever that may be worth. He may not be loved by many people, but Minaya is a good baseball guy.

The Indians announced more changes, this time with the Asian scouting department.

John Mirabelli, Indians director of scouting, said Pacific Rim scouts Jason Lee and Nate Minchey have been fired. Minchey was scouting Japan and Lee the Pacific Rim. Mirabelli said Dave DeFreitas will scout and live in Japan, while two part-time scouts will be hired to cover Taiwan and South Korea.

With this... Mirabelli acknowledged genuine interest in Takafumi Nakamura, the shuuto pitch guy we had fun with last week. They are competing with the Japanese Industrial League, whatever that is. Sports Nippon, a Japanese newspaper that the Indians will officially make the signing later in November.

The free agent market doesn't figure to be something the Indians make a splash in and we've mentioned this before. I doubt they even make a major signing until January/February-ish. Last year's example of players lasting for awhile and signing one year contracts is appealing, but a good point that I read today may even make that something that won't happen much.

If players get deals early that are more than one year or so, they might just take them because they'll probably not get anything better.

Or you take another one year deal and try and test things out again next year.

Either way, this market is a different animal and if there is a good decent player out there that comes cheap, and he IMPROVES the team without "blocking a young player" from the major league roster or playing time, I could see the Indians going after him.

It would have to be a pitcher though. Honestly, that's going to be a very narrow market for them though. So really when it comes down to it, we may not even see much activity, if any at all. If the right name and situation comes around, maybe, but this year will just not be one for the Indians to do anything. Not that I think they should anyway.

The Cactus League schedule is out for 2010 and the Indians will open the Spring Training game schedule with Cincinnati on March 5th. The two will play two days in a row, with Cleveland being the away team in the opener. The longest roadtrip for the Tribe this year will only be two separate two-hour visits.

Of course, those who travel to Arizona to check out the Spring Training action won't have to travel far to see the Indians' road games. The only drives in excess of about 40 miles will be the two-hour treks to Tucson to face the D-backs on March 8 and the Rockies in a split-squad on March 17.

But the greatest part of this all....

PITCHERS AND CATCHERS REPORT FEBRUARY 21ST 2010!

Wooohooo!

What you really care about though... The Indians are one of the best organizations in the game and this further proves why.

Responding to some fan concerns from the first year in Goodyear, the Indians will open a new fan access area in '10 that will allow fans a chance to get autographs and see the Tribe players up close and personal at the player-development complex.

People complained and the Indians have listened and accommodated them. This was one of the big ones for fans last year and we'll see how it works out this year.

New York still has not granted the Indians their request to talk to Sandy Alomar Jr. about their coaching staff. I find this very rude considering he played the majority of his major league career in Cleveland. Either give us permission or promote him. What if we can offer him advancement and you can't? I doubt he'd be pleased with that.

Anthony Castrovince is back from his Paris trip with a new Indians Inbox and without getting into the Letterman-Conan War he's diving into, we'll see what he has to offer up.

He chimes in on the Belcher hire and like everyone else, was surprised. Like myself and just about everyone else I've read though, it's just a matter of knowing what he brings to the table as a coach. We all know the work he's done so far has been praised and the credentials he brings are all good, but he hasn't coached at the major league level. It will be a test for him, no doubt.

AC is searching for a nickname for the guy.

ACTA = Advancing Cleveland to ALCS.
-- Bob B., Palm Harbor, Fla.
If that's the case, they should have aimed higher and hired a guy named Actw.

We're going to settle with "Actavision". Which was offered up somewhere, but I forget. Actavision works, not just because it's clever, but his vision is different and it's certainly what we're looking for.

The Gold Gloves start coming out today in the AL and if Asdrubal Cabrera doesn't get one today, I think the Indians will be unrepresented this year in the MLB Awards.

The guy certainly deserves the nod at either short or second, because he's clearly one of the best defensive players in the entire game. But he doesn't have the name recognition and the switch mid-season to short may impact that.

Either way... It's unlikely a Tribe player takes home hardware this year.

Fausto Carmona was supposed to continue the run of Indians and their Cy Young Award Winners, but we know how that goes.

Grady Sizemore's run at Gold Glove will most likely take a little bit of a year off after he missed considerable time.

And of course the chance to have two comeback player of the year award winners went away when the Indians traded Carl Pavano, even though he didn't win the award.

And despite all the Rookies the Indians had... You can forget about that, but like I mentioned when we did BBA voting, Tony Sipp should get some votes somewhere.

The options have been picked up Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee, while Colorado has declined theirs on Rafael Betancourt and offered him a two year, seven million dollar deal. He promptly declined, which may or may not be smart for him considering he is a Type B Free Agent. Will anyone give him better than a two year seven million dollar deal? I don't know.

Finally... We need to tackle the latest Hey Hoynsie, because he threw out a Jody Gerut mention.

Hey, Hoynsie: Are you aware of any changes as to how the Indians will evaluate amateur and pro talent? Didn't Albert Einstein say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? -- Joy Darville, Camden, Ohio.

Hey, Joy: Actually, the first person I ever heard say that was former Tribe outfielder Jody Gerut. He stole it from Colorado manager Clint Hurdle, who must have stolen it from Einstein.

We're all aware that Jody went to Stanford. Those Stanford folk...I can actually see Jody saying this.

Anyway... That had nothing of interest in it, but it's Hoynes, what do you want?

On Belcher, Rest of the Staff and Free Agents

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

"As I mentioned, I think it was just a matter of him making the commitment to be on the field. It was not just the Cleveland Indians, but the whole baseball industry waiting for the moment to have a guy like him because we think he is a special guy."

That was Manny Acta on Tim Belcher, the newest pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians.

According to Mark Shapiro and Acta, Belcher comes well recommended, well respected, well known and well equipped.

Just read some of those quotes courtesy of Prospect Insider.

Let's tackle some questions though. I raised the concern about him having experience as a coach.. Well even though he was a special assistant, he did plenty of teaching as Shapiro will explain in this one.

"He was a pitching coach at I want to say at almost every level in the minors. He filled in at Triple-A, Double-A and A-ball, but throughout the eight years being here he has been a pitching coach both at Instructional League and spring training and filled in at almost every level throughout the farm system."

So yeah, he's done it before. Not in a full-time role, but he isn't walking into something blindly.

Alright so let's here from the man himself.. How is he going to help?

"I am familiar with this staff. I have been involved heavily in spring training with the big league side each of the last eight years. In varying degrees I have a relationship with really every pitcher in our organization from Kinston up, and some significant relationships."

And what is his philosophy as far as the position is concerned?

"I am not a guru. I think one of the things that too many people make the mistake about is I think that coaches at all levels in all sports get way too much credit when things go well and way too much blame when things don't. It is essentially the players on the field that have to perform and to have success in order for your team to be successful. Coaches in all sports in my mind are there to facilitate. If there are changes that need to be made you facilitate by providing the right information, enough information, and timely information for a particular player to get better."

I'm big on the hire so far. I'm reading nothing but good things. Of course it is all from the Indians, but with all the talk of how other teams wanted him at different points, you know there is mroe than just the Indians liking him there. This is someone who's patiently waited for the right situation as well. He's not just some guy who is getting thrown into the fire and taking the first good job that came his way.

Look at John Farrell. He was in a front office-type position before taking the job in Boston and now look at him.

Let's see if Belcher can follow down that path.

What's next though?

Well according to Mark Shapiro and Manny Acta, they're closer to names on the rest of their staff than "We all think." And as for the bullpen coach goes, it sounds like they're aiming for someone who's had experience in the pen... Which fits Scott Radinsky.

481 innings all out of the pen in Radinsky's career. Scott would be a nice guy to have in the pen as it would essentially be two pitching coaches on one staff as, this guy was in consideration for the pitching coach job and some believe he'll be there one day.

That's still unknown though, so we'll back off.

Acta is a busy man lately. He's everywhere... It sounds like he'll be in Cleveland soon and that's probably when they'll finalize the rest of the staff in that period.

"I am going to spend a couple of days here at home and will interview some more people and then I will fly up to Cleveland and spend about a week over there. Then I have to fly to some other places. I will probably go see some of our players in Venezuela, probably go see Jake Westbrook in Puerto Rico, and some of our players in the Dominican, so it is non-stop until Goodyear."

I'm sure a lot of his travels has to do with him getting to know his players now that he's their new manager, but I don't even know if there is another manager that would take this much initiative this quickly.

For the next three months, the guy is going to be going everywhere, it's amazing.

The Indians made another move yesterday that went by the wayside with the hiring of Tim Belcher.

They hired Ramon Pena as their new Director of Latin American Operations, replacing Lino Diaz.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Ramon’s experience, track record and influence join our organization,” said John Mirabelli, Indians director of scouting, in a statement. "We are excited to add Ramon and feel he could impact our organization in a very positive way.”

Pena has been with the Mets, under GM Omar Minaya and you can bet with Shapiro's relationship with him, he comes well recommended and Shapiro respects that. Before his three years as special assistant to Minaya, Pena spent many many years in the Tigers organization and he has a track record.

He's signed studs such as Jair Jurrjens and Francsico Cordero. This guy has some good influences.

As for the guy he's replacing, Lino Diaz, brother of former Tribe catcher Einar Diaz, he's still in the organization. He will be, what is being described as someone who is "helping transition the Latin Players to playing in the United States."

Finally....

This happened yesterday... With it being really the first big day of the offseason, trades happening, free agents filing, all sorts of fun stuff.. The Indians had two players file for such.

One is Jamey Carroll, who we all know and the other is Tomo Ohka. Bahaha.

Shapiro says that Carroll will be under consideration for that open utility role the Indians have, but they seem to be fixed on going internal and young with that.

However, I don't think Carroll will come as expensive was we originally thought.

Let's remember this economy sucks and last year, baseball felt that.

Players like Orlando Hudson and Orlando Cabrera signing late and for one year deals. What is Jamey Carroll going to garner? Certainly not the millions he would have a few years ago. If the Indians did want to get Carroll back, I don't think he'd come at a steep price. However I don't think the Indians are in a position to bring back a veteran at that spot.

While this team needs a veteran, one like Carroll may not be the answer.

Tribe Hires Tim Belcher as Pitching Coach

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:49:00 +0000

The first surprise of the Cleveland Indians new coaching staff was it's first one.

Tim Belcher has been hired as the new pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians.

Most assumed that Scott Radinsky and Dave Miller were the favorites to fill the pitching job in Manny Acta's staff. While both still could get a crack at the bullpen job, Belcher's hiring as the pitching coach is a bit of a surprise given the talk, even if he was a candidate listed.

Many people don't know where this guy comes from, but they may remember his name. For the record, he's actually coming right from under your nose. Belcher's former position as of today, Special Assistant to Baseball Operations for... you guessed it, the Cleveland Indians. He's held that position for eight years.

Belcher is a 14 year major league veteran that accumulated 146 wins over his career. He spent his career in many different locations, including Los Angeles (Dodgers to start his career, Angels to end it), Cincinnati, Chicago (White Sox), Seattle, Kansas City, and Detroit. so in other words he's played for three AL Central teams and has been in the organization of a fourth and you may not know this, but he he was drafted by the fifth, the Minnesota Twins first overall in 1983, but refused to sign.

Many know him for a variety of reasons... Here are some of those reasons.

- He gave up the first major league hit to a shortstop who just recently won another World Series ring... I think his name is Jeter.

- He won a World Series game for the Dodgers in 1988, the year they won the World Series.

- His best season was a year later in 1989, when he led the NL in shutouts and complete games and placed sixth in the Cy Young voting.

- He led the AL in loses in 1994 for Detroit, and yes that was a strike year.

- And of course, the Chan-Ho Park incident. Love that flying kick sort of a thing from Park. What was that all about?

So a little shocking? To me it is.. His name was out there, but everything looked like if it was coming from inside the organization, it was going to be Radinsky or Miller.

He's certainly have the major league credentials..

Here is a quote from Ross Atkins from Minor League camp a few years ago. Blecher may have been in the Front Office for the past few years, but when Spring Training would roll around, it's clear he's been someone who's done some instructing.

"Every day, there's a different topic," Atkins said. "The importance of routines, the importance of getting guys out on three pitches, keeping your body in shape and making 30 starts a year ... Tim Belcher's voice is certainly loud in those settings."

It's not like this guy is foreign to instructing, but he hasn't done it full-time as a pitching coach for even a minor league team. I can see this getting met with disdain from some people, but let's wait and find out more before we judge and go crazy.

According to Hoynes, some of Blecher's duties included: Working with players in the development system, evaluation of pitching talent, advanced scouting of other teams for the major league pitching staff.

If you can believe the Indians Insider tweet, than he knows this organization in and out and that's something that is important, but realize it doesn't make him the best choice. We'll soon see what the Indians see in him, because there is definitely more to it.

It's all going according to plan....so far

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Remember when I suggested Sandy Alomar Jr. for this coaching staff a few posts ago?

That as purely speculation and wild hope.

But it turns out that there may be some ideas from the Indians to do this.

ESPN's Buster Olney broke the news that the Indians are working on Alomar for their staff, and Hoynes says it might be in a catching instructor/bullpen coach role.

Which would be a slight upgrade to his catching instructor/bullpen catcher role.

However New York has made changes on their staff and could easily promote him to keep him around. However they did fire his Dad.

So it's going to be interesting to see if we can pry him away. A catching instructor/bullpen coach role would be perfect for Sandy. He'll get to potentially work with Carlos Santana.

Now there is a chance the Indians still go with someone like Scott Radinsky or Dave Miller as their bullpen coach, if they hire one or neither as their pitching coach. The first two coaches that Acta is aiming to get: Pitching Coach and Infield Coach (Torey Lovullo would probably do that if he was hired, seem coincidental?)

Manny has been doing some things while the World Series has been going on, but now that it is officially over, he can probably ramp up the search and get into it.

And Hoynes throws in this tidbit at the end of the last link.. The staff may be split 50-50 on in-house hires and outside hires. I don't know how accurate that is, because Acta and crew are going to hire who they want to hire, regardless of where they came from. We have no clue.

Anyway, like I said, this is the point when things will start to accelerate as far as the coaching staff. All of Acta's time will now be devoted to finding people for his staff, so expect a flurry of activity in the next week or so.

Let me end this by saying Grrrr to the Yankees and their World Series win. Why do we hate the Yankees? Because it's fun. I will say this though.

I seriously undercut CC a lot. I said it was going to be a mistake just like it was for many star players (mostly pitchers) who went to New York and their careers took a nose-dive. We all know the CC that gets over-emotional and starts to overthrow and get all uncontrollable. Well we didn't really see that from him this year in the postseason and in a way, I'm proud of him.

I thought it was a decision he was going to regret and I thought it was going to end in disaster. It didn't and in a way, as much as I don't like the Yankees and have a little loss of respect for C after those comments he made a few weeks ago, I'm glad it worked out for him.

But that's enough about that. The real reason I was cheering for the Phillies.

This hilarious shirt.

Philly fans are awesome.

Can anyone here throw a shuuto pitch?

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:39:00 +0000

I twitted (tweeted) yesterday about the signing or possible signing of Japanese right hander Takafumi Nakamura.

What?

That's Hiro Nakamura, from Heroes.

Relation? No, but that doesn't mean we can't speculate he has the ability to stop time. Or say that Ole Sheldon is related to Sheldon Ocker or Sheldon Plankton. Or say that Rick Bauer isn't related to Jack Bauer.

Anyway, the report came out through MLB Trade Rumors through the NBP Tracker site that deals with all the Japanese player movement.

Prospect Insider has picked up on it and says the Indians have confirmed interest, but no contract has been reached. We'll know soon enough if this is a deal or not though.

So who is Takafumi and why do I love his name?

Well he's a 21 year old from Chuo University, he's about 6'5, 195 pounds.. 6'5? Damn son.

HBP Tracker says he wasn't a high-profile prospect for what I'm guessing is, the Japanese Professional League draft.

But he throws four pitches. A fastball that varies from anywhere between 86-91 (which tells me he probably sits at 88, or at least has to and he very rarely reaches 91.. so he's a high eighties fastball pitcher that relies on speed changes and his delivery, he has to.), a curveball and a forkball.

Now I love anyone who throws the forkball. Anytime I created a pitcher on the show, I'd give him the forkball.

Why? Because the forkball rules and no one really throws it.

Now there is another pitch that is called a "shuuto".

I don't know what this is or why he referred to it so casually. But it may be a common pitch over in Japan.

So I gave it the good old google effect and learned all about the shuuto.

I now know enough about the shuuto pitch to last me a lifetime.

It's basically a screwball and Daisuke Matszuaka threw it. I don't know if he still does.

Remember the famed Gyro Ball though? Dice-K was supposed to throw this mythical pitch that leaked gyro sauce all over the hitter, distracting them as the ball curved down.

Not really, but that sounds about right.

Anyway apparently the Gyro Ball is a shuuto pitch, which is a fancy Japanese way of saying modified screwball.

And let me tell you my friends.. I'd have the fastball, the forkball, a generic pitch like a change or a circle change and then the screwball.

This guy is essentially the pitchers I'd create on the show.

How terrifying does shutto sound compared to Gyro ball though? I'm going to shuuto you to death right now... Here comes the shuuto!

SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTO!

Anyway... It looks like if they end up signing him, he'll be sent to the minors, deep into the minors. Even further down than CC Lee, who started at Kinston. Could be in Single A at some point in the season though.

So last season we signed someone from Tawain and sold Tom Mastny to Japan.

This year we've signed a Japanese prospect.

By the way how is Tom Mastny doing? I don't know, I couldn't find stats, but here is his Japanese Baseball Profile.

That's a fantastic lego rendering of Tom.

As you can tell, this is the only piece of news I have, or else I wouldn't be rambling on about shuuto pitches and Tom Mastny. The truth is my first class got canceled (beautiful day) so I have time to kill and energy to waste.

Shuuuuto Mastny!

It's going to be a long week if we don't get any news about Acta's staff.

Sunday Chatter: Acta's Potential Staff, Arbitration, Winter Leagues, Rule V Discussion and More

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

You would think with Manny Acta doing his thing for covering the World Series for the FOX Spanish broadcast, that we wouldn't have much news to divulge into.

But there is plenty to get into about Acta's staff that he'll start putting together once his commitment to World Series coverage ends.

We're starting to get some names though and while all of them have been internal candidates from the Indians organization, one has not been.

The name being floated around by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a possible coach for Acta's staff, Tim Tolman.

Tolman was a third base coach for Acta in Washington during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He was fired last year and spent this year in Seattle's minor league system. Now Tolman actually has ties to the Indians organization, so with ties to Acta and the Tribe, there is some sense there.

Tolman was with the Indians from 2003 to 2006 as the minor league field coordinator. What he really did, who knows. But with the Nats, he was the third base coach. I've made it clear I'd give that spot to Torey Lovullo, but as long as he's on staff, I don't care.

I don't think Tolman would be brought on as the bench coach, I think Acta would want a more established name, but this is someone he obviously trusts. As for his playing background, he was a corner outfielder slash first baseman with Houston and Detroit from 1981 to 1987. 132 total games through seven seasons in the big leagues with a career .168 average.

Now I brought up Lovullo and he definitely has interest in being on the staff, as anyone in his position would. Lovullo is already working the right angle, continuing to show how bright of a thinker he is.

"I'm not sure exactly what direction they're going in," Lovullo said. "But I would be honored if I did have that opportunity."

"I could probably fill a lot of gaps, as to what Manny might not know at this point," Lovullo said. "In time, he's going to know the players well, but I could give him a little insight about their strengths and weaknesses. That might be the biggest thing at this point."

Loves was just grateful for the opportunity given to him by the Indians. But this guy is going places, so why not elevate him? He's motivated to do so and he's ready.

Should be noted that both Torey and C-Bus pitching coach Scott Radinsky live in California, where Acta is for FOX's coverage. Acta is going to be conducting interviews for coaching positions, if he'll do or has done any while in Cali is another story.

Chris Antonetti said they've asked teams for permission to talk to some people.

Two guys who will not be on the staff or be interviewed, as we've mentioned already, Derek Shelton, who is with Tampa Bay now. Congratulations need to be sent out to Jeff Datz now as well, who was hired as bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Big Daddy lands on his feet in Baltimore, congrats to him.

Could Luis Rivera be in the mix? He interviewed for the first base job in Pittsburgh but lost out. He said he felt he had unfinished business with the infielders, so you know he'd be interested.

The Hoynes link above says the Indians are making the pitching coach their first order of business.

Terry Pluto has some interesting things about Acta. He makes the comparison, or at least shares an e-mailers comparison with Terry Francona. We've seen baseball people already make the comparison and it is very close.

Pluto touched up on two of the Indians fallen stars in Carmona and Peralta though. He mentions how Acta will have to get JP back on track. He also unveils how the Indians offered to give Carmona the winter off, but he chose to partake in Winter Ball.

So far, I don't believe he's pitched. You can see a full list of players who've played and their statistics in their respective leagues here.

Jordan Brown is ripping it up still. Carlos Rivero led the Peoria Saguaros (whooo Saguarooooo!) to a win over Phoenix the other day. Rivero is working on his hitting and defense, the defense as something he's always had to work on, the offense as something that struggled in 2009.

Now that Acta is the man, we're starting to see the names that were also considered come forward.

It turns out Ron Roenicke was not a finalist, but rather just a top ten finalist. Turns out the Indians did just get permission to speak with him over the phone and they weren't thinking of bringing him in for a sit down.

Other names mentioned.. Clint Hurdle, who was thought to be a back up plan if things didn't go right, Bob Melvin, and Ned Yost, all former NL managers.

So the top ten: Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, Torey Lovullo, Don Mattingly, Clint Hurdle, Ron Roenicke, Ned Yost, Bob Melvin, and two unknown? John Farrell if he wanted to.. I think we have an idea now of what the Indians were looking for. Experience.

Here's the only gem worth visiting in Hey Hoynsie.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do you know if GM Mark Shapiro will be throwing out the first pitch in Game 1 of the World Series? -- Frank Jacketty, South Euclid.

I lied.. This unrelated to the Indians one, which makes absolutely no sense.

Hey, Hoynsie: Why is Andy Pettitte allowed to have the ball in his glove and nobody can see if he's spitting on the ball before every one of his pitches? Is there some rule I don't know of? -- Bob Hofelich, Berea.
Hey, Bob: The plate umpire may not be able to see what Pettitte is doing to the baseball when he puts it in his glove and holds it close to his face as he comes to a set position, but the first-, third- and second-base umpires would be able to see if he was putting a foreign substance on the ball.

Not to mention the TV cameras.

Really? Just Really?

In preparation for the Rule V draft, the Indians have cleared up a few more spots for their roster so that they can add players to protect. I doubt they take a chance on anyone this year, but we'll have to wait till we see the player pool that is formulated first after the November 20th deadline.

The Indians out-righted Mike Gosling, Niuman Romero and Scott Lewis to Columbus.

Potential players up for Rule V Protection: Carlos Rivero, Chuck Lofgren, Frank Herrmann, Jeanmar Gomez, Jordan Brown, Josh Rodriguez, Josh Tomlin, Kelvin De La Cruz, Matt McBride, Nick Weglarz, Stephen Head, Wes Hodges.

Two spots will be needed for Anthony Reyes and Jake Westbrook who are on not on the 40 man because they are still on the disabled list. So that leaves five spots for offseason acquisitions and prospect protections.

Nick Weglarz is a lock. There is seem to be the thought that De La Cruz is as well, especially after they protected Rondon last year. Too valuable to risk. Will Jordan Brown get protection? Who knows..

It's up in the air, but there isn't anyone that is a lock like Weglarz outside of De La Cruz. Hodges looked like one last year, but now, not so much.

I've updated all the charts. The offseason one especially. The 40-man roster and salary is up to date. I've switched over to 2010 mode with salaries and option years fixed. There are four arbitration eligible players for Cleveland. Kelly Shoppach who is in year two, Rafael Perez, Anthony Reyes, and Jose Veras.

They could non-tender Kelly and he should have Type B eligibility, meaning he'd get you a draft pick if you play your cards right. Veras seems like someone the Indians might want to hold onto, but I wouldn't hesitate to let him go if the roster spot was needed.

Anyway, all that stuff is updated. Have at it.

David Huff Q and A. Have at it.

Finally.. A tweet I must share with you... Don't click on the link, because who knows if it actually leads to that..

eBay: Indians Masa Kobayashi Signed OML Baseball PROOF COA $114.99 http://tinyurl.com/ykkggtu

114 bucks for a Kobayashi autograph? Who'd be drunk enough to do that?

And it turns out, this is all true... The link directly to what they are talking about.

Seriously!? Is there anyone that crazy of a collector to buy a Kobayashi signed baseball for 114 bucks?

Love his signature though... Masa 30

Hahaha Shin-Soo Boo.. You serious?

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Happy Halloween out there to everyone who gives a damn.

To me, this is just another Saturday. The novelty of Halloween wore off the year after the last time I went out to get candy door to door, which I believe was eighth grade. And If I remember right, I only went that year (after two years where I didn't) because me and my friends all wanted to do it one more time before we were forced to grow up and go to High School.

I was Jerome Bettis/Alien/Backwards Baseball Cap Guy that wielded a machete of sorts.

And now as a college student, I probably should get into the whole dress up as something silly and go out partying, but I believe I'm above that for some reason.

Okay that's not the reason, I hate Halloween.

And I blame it on people for ruining Halloween.

You see last week is the week our neighborhood did Trick Or Treating. To me that's stupid. Who does that a week before from 2 to 4 in the afternoon?

I mean today, it sucks outside, it's windy and cold... So last week's weather was perfect, but it's the principle of things.

Anyway, I won't bore you with my hatred for how the world has screwed up Halloween. In fact I don't really have anything much to say in this post. I just wanted to share with you something that I found mildly amusing and wish you a Happy Halloween. Just because I'm a Scrooge doesn't mean you have to be.

Shin-Soo Boo.

That was done by some dude from Toledo and it was voted the winner of the Indians pumpkin carving contest. For his great skill of carving Cleveland Indians right fielders into a pumpkin and giving it a clever name, this guy won an autographed Grady Sizemore bat and Shin-Soo ball.

So if you wanna win something like that. When winter comes, just build a snowman in the shape of Jhonny Peralta and call it Snowman Jhonny. It isn't a clever name, but it has as much lateral movement as the real Jhonny Peralta.

Best comment on facebook towards this pumpkin... "If that's our best pumpkin, why haven't we traded it yet?"

I really need to stop reading that stuff, but I can't help it. It's entertaining.

Facebook Reactions Part II: Acta Hired

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:50:00 +0000

And now the second part of Facebook Reactions to the Manny Acta hiring.

I think this would conclude Manny Acta week here.. Certainly I think we've killed this to death.

There's some more news floating around, we'll get that to it later today or tomorrow. For now, enjoy more commentary on ridiculous comments.

Part I can be seen here.

----

Man, I wish Cleveland baseball fans knew something about baseball. Manny is a good baseball man. Don't judge him by what happened in DC. Give him a chance.

As do I, as do I.

Unbelievable! When I got the email announcing this, I was absolutely stunned. Eric Wedge has to be wondering why he was fired after this move. Talk about a slap in the face. Monumental Fail

You must have not been paying too much attention to things then. It's quite alright though, not many others did.

This is a pathetic team. You suck!!!!!!

Who sucks? The guy who wrote the article? That's a big no no then, AC is the one thing that does in fact, not suck.

HORRIBLE. I LEFT MY SEASON TICKET GROUP TODAY.

Oh well...

You guys are nuts... who was a better option... guys like torre and francona managed bad teams to start their careers... I'm not saying he'd going to be great but give the guy a freakin chance.

I just like highlighting the few comments that are actually sensible.

Are you kidding me?!?!?! Maybe now we can call the California penal league and get a pitcher!!!!

Major League Reference, 3.

should anyone be surprised really?!??! since 97 what goods decisions have been made by the Tribe??

You really want me to count them out?

Can you say CHEAP

Cheap... What was supposed to happen?

For those who missed the fine print, the Indians weren't the only team to choose Acta as their manager. Houston also wanted him but he decided to go to Cleveland for the longer deal.

Fine print? It didn't even need to be in fine print, people don't like to read, especially Indians fans after they read a headline.

what hhappened to eric wedge?

Talk about living under a rock....

God Damn it I think it's time to find a new favorite baseball team

What is that like four or something? Oh well, I don't think we're missing much.

@fairweather fans: I'm sure there will be seats on the bandwagon the next time it rolls through town. Go Tribe!

Oh there will be, but I'll be at the end of the Bandwagon with a blowtorch fending off these numskulls that want back on.

Shoulda hired Mangini.

I know man, really.

I give up on all Ohio sports teams

Even the Cavs and Buckeyes? Wow, sorry to hear that.

wow time to fire mark shapiro... the bum hires a BIGGER bum than wedge... I think he is trying to make the Indians such a huge loser that they move the team...

How does that benefit him in anyway? Sometimes I wonder if people realize what they say.

Not happy with this choice. should have kept Wedge then if they are going with this guy. Horrible Dolans Horrible. They are making it very hard for me to remain a fan.

I'm sorry they are being so hard on you.

donny baseball didn't even get an interview?! cheap ass dolan, I'll give the guy a chance but until we get a better owner and gm, the future looks grim

At least you are giving the guy a chance. Some people have some hope.

The Indians are quickly finding out the power of social media.

Hahahaha. Yeah really..

You guys (read: the majority of people who have posted here) really don't get it? Do you?

No, they don't..

Everybody is jumping on this as a bad hire. I really like it. The guy's got major league managerial experience. He is from outside the organization (something I think we need). All I've read about him indicates that he's got a good baseball mind. He'll be able to easily relate to the Latino players on the club. Just because he was let go by DC doesn't make him a bad candidate. He was the victim of circumstance there. To dismiss the guy like has been done here, to me, is stupid.

This guy reads some things.

WOW!! It's like the 70's all over again. And the 80's. Poor talent, poor manager, poor GM and poor ownership. What is the city going to do when 'Bron 'Bron leaves next year? Manny Acta? Seriously? How could you really be happy about this unless you're a front office bean counter. Congratulations Dolan/Shapiro, you've successfully ruined a once proud franchise.

I told you they we're talking about LeBron. I'm happy about this and I don't count beans in their front office. But if anyone knows how I could get into a job like that. Let me know.

were suppose to give this guy a chance because he managed a bad team in DC to a bad record....what kind of team do u think the Indians have...A BAD TEAM

Ahh boy..

Horrible hire.

You know that sir?

I'm going to trust Shapiro's judgement because he was able to do a quick rebuild from 2002-2004. It just seems odd that some of these prospects have average numbers in the minors and that the new manager had no success with his prior team. I won't bash it until after next year, but I just don't know.

Neither do a lot of us, at least you will wait before you call it bad.

I am not sure about this hire. I am willing to give the man a fair chance though.

Wow there is hope for this fan base after all.

Brendan, have you looked at his record? I wish I could be less cynical, but the man hasn't won squat. He never played in the bigs; his record sucks.

How many current good managers were good major leaguers?

I'm moving away from cleveland!!! I HAVE HAD IT!!!

Wow this person is actually moving from Cleveland. Amazing

Some coaches do better in their second stint. See Bill Belichek.

Not baseball but good point.

Great, they hired a manager who was fired and has a horrible record and no experience with success in baseball. Great.

No experience of success? Just because he was with the Nationals doesn't mean he hasn't been on a winning team.

I think they just don't want to win...Cliff, Ben, Victor, & CC....the organization should be ashamed! It should be real fun watching CC vs. Cliff in the World Series.

Yeah they don't want to win... That's what it is.

WHY NOT BOBBY VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MANNY ACTA SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You must have not watched his press conference. I'll give you a pass.

What? Do we hire the first guy that walks in the door? Oh, wait, WE JUST DID!!!!! I am very disappointed with this choice, especially when we had a proven winner like Bobby Valentine interested in the position.

Yeah they hired the first guy they interviewed, but it isn't like they hired him right after the interview. Child Please.

Wow the amount of ignorance posting on here is unbelievable. Acta had no talent in Washington, it was like trying to win in Pittsburgh. He was the best choice. Go Tribe!

Ignorance is bliss, unless you are a Cleveland fan.

With the hiring of the former manager of the worst team in baseball, Larry Dolan has once again proven he is not interested in competing or winning. But getting by on-the cheap. Under Dolan, the Indians have become a joke and Indians fans the punch line. I urge all Indian fans to NOT buy tickets or merchandise until this man sells this "Team". DO NOT put a single red cent in his pocket for his subsatndard product.

This is the irrational Cleveland fan that is different from typical people. This one actually has some sort of an idea what he's talking about, or at least he thinks he does. And his brilliant solution is to tell everyone to not buy tickets or contribute to the team. This is worse than typical irrational fan.

absolutely stupid. i guess larry dolan is commited to losing even tho he says he wants to win. i predict this team will not be in cleveland in 10 years, and we cal all thank mr. dolan for that.....*******

Yep that's exactly what he's doing. Again, do people think about what they say?

What a joke... I'm losing my loyalty.

Ouch, you must have not had much to begin with.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.. Manny Freaking Acta, seriously WTF is this.. Don't kid yourself, Valentine was never going to get this job. He made 4 mil in Japan, Dolan would never pay that to a manager, especially when he's still paying Wedge 1.3 mil for this year. So Shapiro really only interviewed 2 guys, is Randy Lerner consulting for the Tribe now? At least Acta showed he could get the most out of his talent in D.C. oh wait THEY SUCKED! Come on Shapiro you don't even interview Mattingly? Did this move have to be made today? I DOUBT IT. If Houston really wanted Acta then why didn't they hire him last week? I hope I'm wrong but I think this move blows. With Dolan saying he's not spending money in the offseason, this was the one chance to generate some interest in his pathetic team..FAIL

You feel better? I hope so, just so you didn't say all that for nothing.

ACTA HAD NO TALENT IN DC TO GET ANYTHING OUT OF IT. Valetine was a joke and he admitted himself he knew nothing about the Indians or the Central Division. You shouldn't try to talk Baseball if you know nothing about it.

Again just counting the good beans.

wow you guys passed up Bobby Valentine and Don Mattingly for a guy that got cut from the nationals? LOL cleveland is perhaps cursed who knows.

Yep, because he was the better choice.

Dolan isn't the problem. Market imbalances is destroying MLB. There are 20 farm teams, for the top ten market teams. I am through with MLB, till they fix their game.

There really only was one comment like this. The high road was taken here.

Goodbye, Indians. Your constant ineptness, continued crapping on the fans, and obvious role as developmental team for the rest of the league have worn on us too thin. You can have my tickets back. They will now match all the other empty seats around them. Shapiro + Dolans = Losers.

Just keep crying....

The new promotional calendar for 2010 is "1982 theme night" all year. There will be a crowd of 3,000 people each night, and the Indians will stink.

This is thoughtful.

**** DOLAN, **** SHAPIRO **** LERNER AND **** MANGINI! GO CAVS!!!!!

Feel Better?

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!..........Nope...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO.

How old was this person?

Valentine was never really an option, this isn't the right situation for him. So you have Acta who is basically a Wedge clone or Tory Luvullo who is a Terry Francona clone. They basically replaced Wedge with a bilingual Wedge.

Bilingual Wedge.. That's funny. I've heard the opposite in terms of comparison though. Acta was the new Francona and Lovullo was the new Wedge.. I guess people really don't know, which brings us back to the point that, no one knows right now.

It's all about the $$. Acta comes cheap! I don't like the choice, BUT it's better than Tory Luvallo!

Please at least spell the names right.

ask the nationals what kind of impression he left, 59-103, and couldn't sign their 1st round pick, great move dolan's you set us back at least 2-3 more years!!!!

Actually they signed their first round pick, but Acta has no bearing on that.

They say he made a lasting impression. Ya he told tight ass that he would pay him to coach

Hahahaha, wow I love some people.

I'm a life long tribe fan and I will reserve any judement until I see how this evolves... I guess call me a "glass half full" kinda guy... However I do think Dolan needs to sell the team...

Yeah I'm a glass half full kind of guy, but they should really sell the team. Hahaha. Good one

Acta=Spanish for cheap
The Tribe and the Dolans went the affordable route...how surprising, lol.
Oh well, at least the Cavs start Tuesday!

You know my name is Spanish for boy?

OMG BEST DECISION EVARRRRRRRRRR The worst team in Baseball fires it's manger and you hire him.... So let me guess.... Next big free agent pitcher the Indians sign will be Charlie Sheen? Oh and since Victor is gone ya might as well pick up Kevin Kostner on waivers but you'd probably just trade them all away for prospects huh?

Did anyone ever think they are the worst team in baseball for a reason and that's why they fired him? Because they are stupid? Major League Reference is up to four I think.

I really dont know what to say. I love the Tribe. Why does this **** happen to us, LOYAL Tribe fans that are forces to watch two or our pitchers start game one of the biggest game in baseball on wednesday. Heart is hurting, I am going to leave my tribe hate in Baghdad this time. Go Cubs

LOYAL? You just said Go Cubs.. I'm sorry sir but you are not loyal.

At least the new manager is used to being around players without talent.....He'll fit right in with the Tribe......

Hahaha again, if you are going to make fun, at least be funny.

This is just The Indians being Manny!

And I think that is a fitting way to end things.

Facebook Reactions Part I: Acta Hired

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000

In case you are new to the internet, Facebook is one of the roots of all evil and as I like to mention, I'm on it along with the other root of all evil twitter.

As a fan of the Cleveland Indians on Facebook, I see their postings and so do many many other fans of the Indians. Well people on Facebook that claim they are fans at least. Some people like to comment and this is what happens.

I like to make fun of those people, so I've brought that practice here. I haven't included every comment, because sometimes they make no sense and often the same comments are repeated. I've deleted names and times but have not edited the posts in anyway.

If you've made one of these comments and I've made fun of you, I apologize, but you probably have it coming if you opinion doesn't have any argument behind it. The simple fact is that I'm awesome and I can rip apart a flimsy argument.

As always, my comments are in bold below each individual comment from the Facebook...er...

As for a collective reaction. As you can imagine, more typical Cleveland fans that settle on Facebook are against this in some way. A lot of people are yelling at Shapiro and Dolan though, which I am sort of fine with in a way. But the "Acta sucks" and not giving him a chance thing bothers me so much I can sort of go easy on the Shapiro/Dolan haters.

Anyway.. Let's get to it, Part I up today, Part II up tomorrow.

----

DISLIKE - 15 Times

About 15 people had the word “dislike” or some form of wanting to dislike the story instead of “like” which is the only button Facebook has.

What?....Who

This isn’t a surprise.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Yeah we will.

Nooooooooooooooo!

Wow you are really upset about this. Like fifteen extra o's.

I hate this guy!

Do you even know this guy?

You've got to be a tried and true DUMBASS to sign a manager that led the worst team in baseball for the past two seasons... SmFh...

I didn't know what SmFh means until I typed it into Urban Dictionary. Go ahead and shake your head. This is casual fan's typical response. Blaming the record he had with the Nationals.

Just like the Browms, made a hire to quick!!!!

I actually think the Browms made a good hire with Mangini, but again people in Cleveland want to win now, never mind the fact the Browns had cruddy talent before he got there and he's trying to fix it.

Sweet- the price is right!

No this is actually the Indians hiring a manager, not the game show.

I can't believe they would not interview Hargrove. At least throw the fans a bone with that.

Now this is what angers me. Throw the fans a bone by interviewing him? And then when he's not hired and they just do it for publicity, you get all pissy that they didn't hire him. Seriously, throw me a bone and stop these ridiculous thoughts.

Can't be any worse than Wedge!!

Actually you could be, but I get what you were going for.

Manny Acta is a horrible hire. You guys realize he suked with the Nationals right

No I didn't realize that, thanks for the observation genius.

get rid of alll the damn managers......

I like this thought. One less thing for everyone to complain about

This is the worst move Dolan has made. This will ensure even less people go to games next year. They better have dollar dog and fireworks every night to get anyone there.

You know what, maybe they will... And every night they don't do that, it will be Grady Sizemore give away nights.

this is probably not the best decision

Probably? Not too confident in that comment.

Brilliant!! Lets hire the manager from the worst team in baseball and keep him until 2012. I suppose Bozo the Clown was occupied at the moment. DISLIKE DISLIKE DISLIKE!!!

That's the plan. Bozo the Clown was actually occupied. He's over in Chicago. /OzzieGuillenBurn

i was hoping they would have tried to get hardgrove. that wouldve been cool

Really now? You think so?

are lerner and dolan the same person? they seem to make the same type of moves.

You gotta love the way some people continue to compare the Browns and Indians, just because they are both horrible.

ya lets get the skipper from the worst team in the league now they look like the browns

You also have to love the way some people continue to compare the Browns and Indians and also bring up the fact Acta managed the Nationals. It's the most common crazy irrational reasons meshed into one. It's one giant ball of crazy.

What, they couldn't get Mangini so they got the next best thing? Why not at least talk with someone else first??

They talked to Bobby Valentine and Torey Lovullo. I bet Eric Mangini didn't want to deal with two messes in Cleveland at this time.

Fire Acta
Thank you Tribe for finally cementing in my decision to like another team besides your dumb asses. You've got to be kidding me. When the Dolan's and Shapiro are both gone. I'll check back! Until then.. Peace

Peace Bro. Don't come back anytime soon.

THIS TEAM BLOWS....SELL THE TEAM *******S!!!!!

I can only imagine what he starred out.

Nice! Hire someone elses garbage. Sound familiar Browns fans? Time for the owners of the Browns & Indians to sell the teams to poeple who want to spend money to field a competetive team.

First they have to find people who have the money to actually buy something that won't make them much money at the outset. Well the Browns may make money because this town is obsessed, but the Indians sure as hell won't.

Thank God for the Cavs and Lebron for now. Oh! the state of Cleveland sports. Wedge may be better then Acta.

This is the third or fourth most common type of response. At least we have that 0-2 Cavs team! And the more sorrowful people mention how they better hold onto LeBron or all hope is lost.

Lets get an owner that wants to spend money...lets get an owner that has money to spend

I don't think you can find a single solitary owner that would love to actually spend money. I know what you mean, but you sound very bitter and I had to own you.

awful........way to interview everyone and take your time!!

So they didn't interview one candidate. Oh well, it happens, get over it.

Lets get a GM that knows whats going on

Are you implying we have a GM that doesn't know what is going on?

are we trying to be the worst team?I guess I am now NOT in the Tribe.

You too? Well that's two more fans we don't need.

as they should cuz he could get it done with Washington which is apparently the same skill level so nice call Tribe front office. once again we put money before a championship

This is why the Yankees are bad for baseball. Not because they buy the good players to try and gain a competitive advantage unlike most other teams, but because our casual fans get this kakamami idea that the only way to win is spend money.

this is a fantastic move. All of you who don't like this, please bookmark this thread and save it.

Hahaha.. I wouldn't go calling it fantastic now, but this is pretty much a bookmark I'd say.

Who owns this team anyway? Some stripper that wants to move it to Fla?

Major League Reference, 1.

He was fired as the NATIONALS Manager! The worst team in baseball. This is ridiculous! Of the four finalist he was my LAST choice - but they obviously didn't ask me...lol. Mattingly never even got his interview.

lol.. yeah... He was my first choice, so that's where we differ I guess.

Why do you hire a manager that has one of the worst records over the past 50 years of at least two years of manager experience???? Stupid!

Because records aren't everything pal.

Wow!!! I think I'm a Tigers fan now. That was a horrible hire! You just got the Mangini of Baseball.

You think? Make a decisions so I can cross you off the list of loyal people in the world. I guess this guy hasn't watch either Mangini or Acta, because they couldn't be more not alike.

Fail. Eric Mangini with a Dominican accent.

Hahahaha.. If you are at least going say something like "Yeah he's just another Mangini!" At least make it funny like this one. I give this bonus points.

Does this mean there is extra money to spend on good free agents to help the team in 2010?

Sure, but do you want to help this team place in second rather than third? Or in everyone's eyes, fourth instead of last.

Lets see, in 2 1/2 years Acta lost 100 games more than he won, The Tribe blames that on the Nationals having young, inexperienced players. WOW. What do they think he has to work with here? Please, Mr Dolan, sell this team to someone who gives a rats a$$.

Correction. The Nationals did have young and inexperienced players. But not all of them were very good. They also tried bringing in lousy veterans and headcases.

Couldn't wait for Donny Baseball?

Nope, gotta get going since Donnie Baseball wasn't going to manage here anyway.

Way to go Shapiro and Dolan, you guys suck!!!!
Mattingly would have been better then this bum

How are you so sure about that? That's what gets me. How do people really know this?

If the Indians were so worried about getting someone who could relate and speak to the Spanish speaking players, then they should have considered hiring Mike Hargrove and a TRANSLATOR!!!! HELLO

Hahahahaha.. HELLO!

Thome should retire and take over the manager spot of the indians...

I actually started to respond to this with more than three lines then I realized what I was responding to.

Oh come on! You fire Wedge and replace him with a coach that had an even worse record for the last several years with the Nationals. WTF?!

Like I said, this was a common occurrence.

Somewhere the Astros fans are thanking us. DISLIKE!

Brad Mills and they are thanking us? Yep.

BOOOOOOOOOO x 1,000,000,000,000

Nice work here, even more upset than the Nooooooooooo guy. Believe it or not, a female did not make this comment.

This is an absolute slap in the face of Indians fans....what a joke.

I did not feel a hand smack my face.

Ugh. And Ch ch ch Charlie Manuel is in the World Series FAIL!

What are you stuttering?

dolans make another damn mistake and lets think he is the one that jumped the gun who said he got the job so he is ready to mess up our team.. bring back Charles Negy as a pc

I have no clue what that first sentence means or says. Charles Negy eh? If you guys like these old players at least take the time to spell their names right.

He must have been the cheapest of the finalists. It's all about who will fill the vacancy for the lowest price, not who's most qualified to put wins back on the books. Glad to see Mattingly even got a chance.

Torey Lovullo would have actually been the cheapest if you ask me, then I think Mattingly considering another team wanted Acta.

Dave is right... this sounds like the script from the movie, "Major League". Are they trying to ruin attendance even more??? trying to move??? what in the world are they doing??? Do they not use any brains in hiring the worst manager in baseball today? Between trading my favorite players and now this... I am going to give up my loyalty to the Indians... and, maybe I will switch to the Pirates.

Yes, the Cleveland Indians are intentionally trying to lose more money and alienate their fan base. That's exactly what they are doing and congratulations, you figured their plan out. Enjoy the Pirates and their 900 consecutive losing seasons and horrid ownership.

Many of you are saying you don't know much about the guy and thats why you don't like the hire? He's the one I wanted all along. Shapiro didn't just go for the big name, he was smart and went for someone who fit our team and could actually help us win. He did his homework, not just look at Acta's record while he managed a team that had no talent and should have, and did finish last.

Wow someone that is actually logical. You don't even need to be smart to realize this. People complain about the hiring, yet they also admit they have not much background on the guy. Logic is all I ask sometimes.

What do we expect from Cleveland? Sell ALL of the good players then fire the coach's & Managers. Why not? He'll sign for peanuts!

What is he, an elephant?

i like this hire. The guy was only with Washington for 2 and a half years! I mean come on......Give the guy some time to develop his talent cause the talent that was in Wash. wasnt his! And who would u guys have rather had????? Another triple A manager.....or a has been who has been in Japan the past 5 years? Thats what i thought! Stop all of the whinnig and call the whambulance fair weather Indians fans!!

I support this statement and no I didn't make it, or else I would have spelled whining right and used proper punctuation. Still, mega bonus points to you.

he doesn't need someone to fit the team until 2012, when then become competitive again (his words after the Martinez trade). A name would have been good to get fans in seats, make the team some money and afford us to go buy some talent. Who cares about Acta?

You twisted his words buddy.

Are the Indians nut's? Tis is not a good hire mark my words

Tis not? I'm marking your words now.

I liked Wedge.

Didn't we all?

another 10 years of a sorry team. GO CAVS!

Go Magic.

they could have brought in the greatest manager in the world....we still would have those terrible players. Let the suckyness......continue..........

This isn't a popular comment, but it was when Eric Wedge was fired if you remember. They were disguised as "Fire Shapiro" comments.

Boooooo! Not what I wanted to hear.

I don't know if Mark Shapiro and company were aware of what you wanted to hear. Could you please tell them next time.

Painfully Pleasant is Cliff P. Lee

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:14:00 +0000

I've decided to delay Facebook reactions a day because of what we witnessed last night.

I wanted to avoid talking about this here because of how painful it is.

And it really is painful.

But after what we saw last night.. Wow.

It didn't really hit me until I saw Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia in the pre-day of game press conferences as is the norm for starting pitchers in the Playoffs.

Then it really hit me when I actually watched the game.

Two former Indian Cy Young award winners that were just on this team last year, now pitching in the World Series against each other.

Mass attention. Mass praise. Mass everything.

None of us are shocked by this right?

Everyone in the world is like, oh my god Cliff Lee. Well guess what, I expected nothing more from that guy. After 2008 we were all believers of Lee. And If we weren't, we were convinced after a few starts this year.

Cliff Lee is pitching on another planet.

And now he's a cult hero.

My contribution to #cliffleefacts?

Cliff Lee doesn't throw his curveball. He dares his fastball to curve.

People keep saying he's in the zone. Dudes, he's been in the zone since the start of 2008. I'm starting to think there is no zone, he's just that good.

This all being said...

As painful as it is, I'm getting sick of ESPN and FOX reminding us all about that pain. "Boy I'm sure Cleveland feels good right now."

Shadddddup!

Of course it sucks to watch.

We don't need your confirmations of that.

How are we feeling this morning that all aside? CC Sabathia did well, I still think we feel a little bitter towards him more than Cliff because of the team he ended up with. But Cliff Lee dominated and I think us Tribe fans all feel a little proud this morning that he did that. And also a little pleasant, even with a little pain, that he did it against the Yankees.

Oh and how about someone asking him if he was nervous?

He struck out ten Yankees. He stood there and just caught a ball like it was nothing. He casually reached behind his back to catch a Robinson Cano grounder up the middle.

That man is not nervous. That man is special. And for anyone that thinks Cliff Lee is fibbing by saying no he isn't nervous, I'll speak up for him as will most of us. That is Cliff Lee, not changing a bit.

More things to consider: Acta's Cultural Impact and Coaches

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:21:00 +0000

With Acta now fully on board and the flurry of madness that was his arrival sort of over, I think it's time to settle down a bit.

First off, read my plea to Cleveland Fans everywhere about Acta. It was my formal here is why he is a good hire for Cleveland right now post and I came to this conclusion while writing the piece.

Out of the list we had to choose from, Acta was the best choice. Is he the best choice to run this situation? We all hope he is, but that is simply something we do not know right now.

I think any sensible Cleveland fan can come to that conclusion.

And with that, we move on, at least until I unleash Facebook Reactions on you tomorrow. Oh trust me, there are some real gems in there.

Let's just talk a little bit more about this.

And let's start with the impact Acta is going to have on this club based on his Latin roots and bi-lingual...ness.

I think people are taking for granted how big of a deal this is. I stated it myself in my case for Manny Acta and some people thought I, and everyone else that was bringing it up, was making too much of a big deal about it.

But I think I didn't do it justice. You need to read Tony Lastoria's latest post on Prospect Insider.

And let me just emphasize the three names he brought up that are central to this team.

Rafael Perez, Fausto Carmona, Jhonny Peralta.

When the Indians went to the ALCS in 2007, Rafael Perez was a dominant relief pitcher. When the Indians went to the ALCS in 2007, Jhonny Peralta had one of his best years and was clutch in the playoffs. When the Indians went to the ALCS in 2007, Fausto Carmona won 19 games and was a stud.

If you don't think those three players are important to this team, you are crazy.

I myself, like others, have had enough of Peralta. I will say it right now, the guy better do something that tells us he deserves to be on this team because the guy is on thin-ice as far as I'm concerned.

But perhaps this manager is one Peralta can better relate to.

All three of these guys are Domincan, as is Manny Acta. Not just from a Latin country but from Acta's Latin country.

It also appears he has a prior relationship with Fausto Carmona.

I think it is absolutely HUGE that this guy can sit down and just talk with these players and the fact that he is the manager, he is the guy putting them in the lineup, or deciding their roles, or where they slot in the rotation.

It's huge and I think it needs to be mentioned till it is actually overblown.

Then you factor in all the Latin prospects and young players this team has and their best one is from the Dominican?

I'm glad Tony talked at length about it because it made even me realize that it is a bigger deal than even I thought, and I thought it was a big deal. Tony also talks about some interesting offseason moves or possibilities that we won't get into today, but certainly will once the coaching staff is in place and this free agent market kicks off.

I know for one thing, I do buy the idea of signing some sort of impact player, but waiting till the very end when they come cheap. As pointed out, the economy still sucks and teams like Oakland and Los Angeles made a killing off getting veterans for cheap at the end on one year deals. There will be a pitcher out there for the taking.

Hey Sheldon Ocker is alive and talking... I think he stole the premise to my article though. Probably not, but a boy can dream.

(I'm just kidding, please don't think I'm serious.. If you didn't get the joke: I actually agree with Ocker's opinion for once, which means he isn't crazy like he usually is. Therefore, he stole my opinion.)

Let's talk coaches though.

I was tweeting yesterday while I was bored in Astronomy class about coaches and possibilities.

BENCH

I tweeted this and I've seriously been thinking about this stuff when I'm bored so this wasn't a little heyyyy crazy thought.

But Acta should bring in someone, all on his own, that he trusts. It would be nice if he had major league managerial experience, but that is a tough qualification to find. Hey I wonder if Eric Wedge is available?

Haha wow, okay too soon. But really, Acta said he wants someone that is thinking at all times. Someone that is managing along with him that he can turn to and ask for an opinion. That screams someone who's managed before. It would be nice to have two guys that have been mangers at the big league level on staff.

Possibilities that I can throw out: Ned Yost, Clint Hurdle.. Etc.

Should let this one up to Acta though as it will be his main source to rely on.

PITCHING

Over at IPI Tony posted that Scott Radinsky (no shocker there) and Dave Miller (some are saying, who?), are two of the top candidates based on their familiarity with the pitchers in the organization.

Radinsky has probably been on the top of everyone's minds for awhile now. Some credit him as "fixing" guys when they get sent down. The case was stated no better in that post. Radinsky is the favorite in my eyes. I don't know if Acta has a guy, but Randy St. Claire, the guy that Acta had with him at Washington, was hired by Florida yesterday.

Not sure I would have wanted him anyway. Let's go internal for this spot unless there is a better choice, but I like Radinsky a lot and so do others.

HITTING

Jon Nunnally is at the tip of everybody's tongue after Paul Hoynes mentioned him specifically in one of his news postings and there was the quote that some believed he was "the best hitting coach they've ever had."

Well we don't know who is saying that so who knows really. But if Nunnally can solve Andy Marte somewhat, that may be somewhat for real.

I really have no clue. Nunnally seems nice, but I'd like to avoid having the entire Columbus coaching staff promoted. Still if there is no better choice.

LOVULLO

The guy has to be on staff, right? I mean what else can he prove in the minor leagues? Get him up, put him at third or something. Get him on the staff someway, somehow.

SANDY ALOMAR JR.

Yeah I did it.

Alomar is with the Mets right now. He isn't a third base or a bench coach, but he's on staff. I don't know what his position is, if he has any interest long term with New York, but I'd go after him. Acta used to be the third base coach for the Mets but I don't believe he was actually on staff with Sandy.

Alomar was playing for the Mets for awhile, so I'm thinking they might have at least overlapped in "acquaintances" but Sandy played for them a year after Acta left.

Still, go after him and here is why.

Fans are still bent out of shape about this. They wanted guys like Omar back, which is unrealistic because those days are long gone. They wanted someone like Fryman because he played her.

Sandy makes sense! And what even more of a boost to Santana would that be if they brought him in long term.

You don't need fifteen catchers on staff, but you need one and I'd make Sandy that one.

Here is your fan suck up move, go do it and do it right now.

OTHERS

I have no more names in my memory bank. Of course Sal Fasano would be awesome though.

On that thought though. With Lovullo moving up, Sarbaugh should which means others should, which means there should be plenty of openings in the minors for someone. Get the mustache!

Acta should have free reign beyond that to just bring in guys he's qualified. If Shapiro and crew have suggestions or guys they really like, they probably should get consideration.

Breaking Down Acta: The Press Conference

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:15:00 +0000

HOLY CRAP

Has this guy been in the organization longer than one day or something?

He talked as if he's been here for awhile.

He dropped a Hector Rondon mention! I mean, who does that?!

He even dropped Nick Weglarz!

Um he was asked about Fausto Carmona specifically and he narrowed in to his final two starts as if he was in the dugout for them.

I mean, does this guy do his homework or what?

Let's start going over things... I'm going to talk quotes, but I'm just going through the presser and giving you my opinion as I hear it, I've pretty much listened to this thing twice now. I'll throw in specific quotes from Hoynes and AC's articles.

He recognizes a lot of things: the history of this franchise for the most part (the 455 sellout streak), the passion of the fan base, the weaknesses of the team (the starting pitching), the effort is going to take and the division they play in. He was sort of kind on it though calling it the "most balanced."

"These people over here are very good poker players." Got a chuckle out of me. It would hard to not be aware of you not being a favorite. I think this directly speaks to how aware he is, but only of the things that matter. He cares about Aaron Laffey taking the next step, but not necessarily the media reports that he himself is the favorite for the job. Sure he could be aware of that, but I think it just says a lot about what he values. Baseball is first with this guy.

He talked about not being a Youtube highlight. This isn't going to go over well with the people that wanted Wedge to show fire. Acta sounds like he is just like Wedge in the instance that he's a competitive individual, but not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. I think a manager needs to know when to speak up and I think Wedge didn't do the greatest job at this.

Acta comes off as someone and given what he's said, as having that quiet competitive spirit that Wedge did. We'll have to see if he has the knack to know when to speak up. Shapiro called him an elite communicator, so remember that.

"If you give people the opportunity to choose between, say, Joe Torre after his first three years with the Mets or the Joe Torre now, I believe everyone would pick the one from now," Acta said. "I think we have to look back and know that not everybody who is a big shot now was a big shot when they started. I think big shots are just little shots who keep shooting, and I'm not willing to quit shooting until I become a big shot."

The response to his question about the record with the Nationals was brilliant. He made it all about the Indians and not about the Nationals. Yeah it was a rebuilding process and whatever, but this is where I'm at now and that's what I'm focused on. Then he referenced Joe Torre specifically as you can see above and gave this funny thing about big shots and little shots. I loved it. It shows he realizes this is his second chance to prove what happened in Washington happened in Washington and that he's far better than what that showed. Brilliantly handled.

He talked about the influence of Frank Robinson. That is not a bad guy to learn from.

"I battled this organization for years in the Minor Leagues," Acta said. "This is a place where a lot of people want to be. In 2007, I worked as an analyst during the playoffs [for Spanish-language FOX Sports] and fell in love with the Indians back then."

It really sounds like this guy eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. He talked about the 2007 stint as an analyst and how he fell in love with the team. He talked about seeing it from the other side when he was in the minors. So he is aware of some of the current guys just from that perspective.

The point when he starts naming players. Jake Westbrook, Peralta, Laffey, Carmona, Huff, Rondon, Santana, Weglarz, Mills. Just floored me. Okay he knew Jake Westbrook was good and needed him to get back and that Fausto and Jhonny have struggled. But to pull out Laffey and Rondon and Weglarz! WEGLARZ!

The lineup discussion is interesting. We'll get to that later, but it sounds the normal run of the mill perspective. You want a lineup but if changes need to be made, changes need to be made.

Big on pitching and defense was something he mentioned specifically as "big." You know I like that.. At this point he mentioned for the second time how athletic the team was.

With that he talked about the starting rotation and he fielded a question directly about Fausto Carmona. I mentioned it above, but he sounded like he was with Fausto with the two starts when he looked better. It's good to know they have a prior relationship though.

He tackled his favorite stat, which seemed to be OBP. Big on getting on base because that provides you chances to score. He threw in a little OPS love for Shapiro, but he was big on getting on base.

I loved when the woman in the press said the "1997 Indians" and he immediately corrected her. I don't even want to address what she said though because it wasn't really a question worth anything.

He isn't even waiting till winter to reach out to his players. He said it starts tomorrow. Beautiful, beautiful. He follows it up with his first joke about how he sucks at golf, so why do that? Again he eats baseball.

"It was very tough day for me emotionally," said Acta, who grew up in the Astros organization. "That being said, we have to do what's best for us. I felt Cleveland was perfect for me."

Acta confirmed he made his decision Saturday night and talked a little bit about making the decision between his "dream job" and the Indians. I think he made it clear this was a better situation.

Tackled Peralta. He said he has a higher ceiling and that he's going to reach out to him, which makes me happy if he's going to be around. He realized how important Peralta is to the success of this club offensively.

Acta said he will use the first few weeks of spring training to get a feel and take a look at guys, but that the last few weeks, it is "all out." You gotta love that Anti-Wedgeites.

Ah the Grady leadoff question... Knew that was coming... Of course Acta said he'll look at things. He keyed on LaPorta though saying it might rely on him and where they put him.

Acta said what I've been thinking.. Things aren't totally bad if this rotation is fixed. The problem is the rotation is really lacking that it really hurts. You put together a rotation you can do some things.

Um wow he's reference two reporters (David and Terry Pluto) by name. Seriously has this guy been around?

"People are always going to say the same things when things don't work out," said Acta. "I really don't worry about my reputation. Reputation is only what people think and say about you, and I can't control that."

Terry Pluto by the way brought up the discipline issue with Washington. Again, Acta said the right things. Things were said, by Washington of course and he's moving on. He mentioned how nothing was said when they exceeded expectations and he isn't worried about what went down.

I love the fact that he has that same sort of demeanor. It's what I liked about Wedge. Yeah I don't care about my reputation. I'll take the brunt and the blame, I can't control it. Let the players do the work type of mentality. Wedge protected his guys, I think Acta will do the same. He did it in Washington.

Mark Shapiro chimed in... At that point he laughed and said "this has been the best press conference ever."

Anyway Shapiro mentioned the elite communicator thing and said there was an "ease" talking to him. Shapiro wouldn't comment on Valentine specifically when asked. He made a general statement about insights gained from the guys they brought in to talk to and the ones they talked to on the phone.

"Every decision in life is tough," Acta said. "I wanted to come to a place where I can grow with the front office and the good group of young, talented players we have here, and become good for a long time. ... I consider myself a blessed human being. Both jobs were offered. It was a very tough day for me, emotionally. But that being said, you have to do what's best. And I felt that Cleveland was best."

Back to Acta... He was up front about not knowing much about the city itself. He said fans want to win just as much as everyone else and they don't come to see him, but the product on the field. But he did realize the passion and how could you not? Every city has it. He just might not know that this fan-base is a little crazy.

Manny wants someone in a bench coach that is managing with him, someone who is thinking and he can turn to and ask.

If Jamey Carroll returns, he'll have to pick yet another new number as Acta is taking 11. 14 was retired (Uh Doby!!!) so 11 it is after his birthday.

Okay.. Now Acta did a follow up with Bruce Drennen on STO. You can view that video here.

My impressions, because of course Bruce has to be nice and ask about his family.

Lefty/Righty... He used that "common sense" guy thing. He's a stats guy of course, so yeah he'll do what he needs to do. I loved his "bikini" comparison, brilliant.

Acta clarified a comment he made in the press conference when talking about the lead-off spot. I was kind of confused but he did say Choo was like LaPorta that he could change who does hit there based off where he hits.

Let's revisit the coaching discussion because this is something big that Bruce brings up. Acta said nothing will be forced on him and that they will make the decision as a team. They've already begun the process and according to Hoynes, they hope to have a staff finalized in the next two to three weeks.

Bruce brought up Luis Isaac specifically. Yaaaa.

Acta went back to the athletic point when Bruce brought up the national league style of ball. Acta seems like a guy who is going to manage to what his team's skill set is. I don't think he's a guy set on some sort of approach or mindset. He goes with what his team can do and I like that.

And because I didn't even bring it up, the whole thing with his 800-word English book. That's just fantastic.

And that would do it.

Overall.. I was impressed, just as much as I was with the initial media session. The guy has a way with words. He may be from the Dominican but he has a good grasp on the English language and knows his way around it, perhaps better than some Americans even do.

It all comes down to the field though. This is all well and good and I can sit here and praise him for his press conference and his interviews. But we're about to get into the testing of Manny Acta. Let's see what he's got. It was a good day for the Cleveland Indians right now and hopefully when we look back on it in a few years, it turns into a fantastic day.

Watch (part of) the press conference here.

Listen to the entire press conference here.

Following Acta... Isn't that a clever pun

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Clever ain't it?

Everyone is doing it though.

Second Act(a) or Re-Opening Acta.

Whatever..

It's been a bit of a whirlwind since yesterday when the Indians named Manny Acta their new manager. Everyone wants to chime in.

But make no mistakes about it. This is the beginning of a new era and it is bringing a bit of joy to the situation. There is hope and optimism and whether general Cleveland fan wants to admit it or not, there is cause to feel good about this club.

As is the case with anyone making an exciting new hiring. Sure you don't want to be in this situation, but the fact that you are means things have been really bad and there are just hopes for not feeling really bad.

So your joy in this new process comes out.

From my perspective, a lot of reasonable fans are either A) For this hiring or B) Aren't really disappointed.

A large portion of the fans that are ready to chop Shapiro's head off are irrational.

You can tell who's irrational and who's not just by reading their reasoning.

If they make clear of Acta's flaws, then they've got a point and are actually thinking and their opinion deserves to be considered.

If they are shouting random things in vain about the Nationals sucking, Shapiro being a dolt, or just bringing up Eric Wedge, then they have no clue what they are talking about and are just a casual Cleveland fan that doesn't take the time to educate themselves.

That is what really bothers me, for the most part.

Cleveland has many irrational fans, many fan bases do. But you combine irrationality with the collective impatience and pessimistic traits this fan base has and you have a bunch of overreactions, shouts of anger that make no sense and things blown completely out of proportion.

This isn't about that though, so let me get back on topic. It just frustrates me to no end to see fans losing faith before they have a right to even do so. You have no clue how this is going to work out, so stop being such a uneducated negative fan and giving Cleveland fans a bad rap. Who I'm talking to, I have no clue, but if you say "Yeah that's me" when reading this description, I'm talking to you.

Let's go around the web and iron this whole situation out and then pick up on some opinions that are informed.

Okay so this happened this way.

Houston had come to the conclusion that Manny Acta was their guy. They offered him a two year deal. Acta wanted a three year deal. Probably hearing that Acta was being offered the job from Houston, Mark Shapiro and Cleveland decided that Acta was too good to let slip away, so they offered him a three year deal.

Better situation, better contract, better everything if you ask me.

Houston would not budge on the two years, which made Acta's decision even easier. He's coming to Cleveland.

Now what made Shapiro and the Indians do this?

First with Valentine.. It became apparent he still wasn't quite sure if he wanted to do this or not. The Indians apparently were ready to bring him in for a second interview until the developments with Acta came around. That is probably when they scrapped the idea of Valentine and said forget it.

Torey Lovullo was the in-house candidate and considering there are only three jobs open and he was only in the running for this one, there is little doubt of him going anywhere this year. Still that wouldn't have effected their opinion. Shapiro wanted major league experience and Lovullo didn't have that. I still think he ends up on this staff though.

Don Matttingly, the final candidate, at least so we thought. He was expected to get scheduled for an interview this week, but again with Acta getting the offer the Indians had to speed this process up. Either they had to feel really good about one of the other three taking their job or they had to offer it. Mattingly's position may have been key because it appears he was only using Cleveland and Washington for leverage with the Dodgers. As if he was the heir apparent to Joe Torre and he wanted that commitment from them.

Why would the Indians risk not getting any of their men, including their favorite, just to interview Mattingly? It wasn't worth it, even if Lovullo was a fall-back option. Mattingly was a combination of Lovullo and Valentine. He had major league experience unlike Lovullo but he also didn't have an interest (according to rumors) in the Indians, like Valentine.

So I believe that's how this all unfolded and why Acta was hired on Sunday like that. The Indians loved him from the start and they didn't want to lose him to another team because they wanted to interview someone that doesn't actually want the job and badger someone else who didn't really want the job.

Acta wanted the job, he was the candidate they liked the most, so it was simple. Offer him a deal and don't let him go to Houston.

So here we are, like it or not, Manny Acta is the guy. Let's see what the world is saying this morning.

Scott Miller is one of the ones that doesn't get it.

The Indians have hired Manny Acta as manager, which clearly means one of two things:
Either Cleveland knows something Washington didn't.

Or the Nationals were more of a bottomless pit than even they knew.
----
Acta, 40, under-managed an already hopelessly over-matched team?

Or Acta has enough managerial chops to overcome even the Nationals' taint?

The Indians have committed themselves to finding out.

And one way or the other, I have a feeling, in the end, there won't be much middle ground here, either.

So while Miller isn't directly saying he thinks this is a bad hiring, he is leaving the door open to what everyone really is thinking. This is either a really brilliant move or a really stupid one. Fair enough for me.

Sort of the same position Terry Pluto is taking, but Terry is more of an insider to this team than Miller is and he knows what's up.

Here's what think of the Indians hiring Manny Acta -- I just don't know.
He certainly belongs on the all-interview team, as Houston also wanted to hire him. That's a lot of attention for a guy who was fired at mid-season with a 26-61 record in Washington. Other than the Nationals, his former franchise, the only teams looking for a manager were Houston and the Tribe.
-
Several successful managers had rocky starts to their careers, including Torre and Terry Francona. That's why it is a mistake to simply write off Acta based on what happened in Washington. Now, Acta gets another chance to manage, and the Indians are counting on him to make the most of it.

Just remember that last paragraph, something I'll harp on for awhile. The general theme seems to be unknown and unsureness. Tony Lastoria's turn.

There are sure to be several detractors because of his poor record with Washington or because they wanted Bobby Valentine or some other name manager. But looking beyond all that, and looking at Manny Acta himself and how I really feel about his being named as manager, I honestly have no idea if I like the hiring or hate it.

Most of this is because I know almost nothing firsthand about him other than that 158-252 win-loss record in Washington. And you know what? About 99.9% of us are probably in the same boat. We just don't know anything about this guy.

That said, I do think out of the final four candidates or all the guys they talked to throughout the interview process, that Acta was probably the best option available. That is not necessarily a pat on the back to Acta as this is mostly because it overall was a less than appealing crop of managerial options available to the Indians.

And I think Tony's last paragraph is the general consensus of the rational fans. We don't know what to think, but out of the group we had, as crazy as it sounds, he might have just been the best option for this team right now. Paul Cousineau's turn.

Truthfully, like any coaching hire, nobody really knows what to expect as Acta was unquestionably in control of his press conference with the assembled media and said all of the right things about all of the right people at all of the right times. How he goes about achieving all of those things - like fixing Fausto and getting some consistency out of Peralta - is where his baseball acumen will have to show, and quickly.

Getting a read on him and making a snap judgment about whether he's the right man for the job borders on folly, but some clues about him and his strategies should begin to emerge with the first order of business - naming a coaching staff. The construction of the staff (according to the Front Office when this process started) is up to the newly named manager, and Acta has made it clear that he would have no problem bringing along coaches that are familiar (and successful) with the current batch of Indians - a category that the AAA troika of Columbus manager Torey Lovullo, Columbus hitting coach Jon Nunnally, and Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky all fall under.

Which is the central reason I want to bring in the final voice, for now.. Okay Hoynes, you can talk. For informational purposes only though.

Internal candidates for the coaching staff include Class AAA Columbus manager Torey Lovullo, pitching coach Scott Radinsky and hitting coach Jon Nunnally. Others include Dave Hudgens (field coordinator), Dave Miller (pitching coordinator), Class AA manager Mike Sarbaugh, Bruce Fields (hitting coordinator) and Gary Thurman (outfield/base-running coordinator).

As Paul stated though.. This is where it all begins for Acta. Hiring the coaching staff. We've really had a fun time in Cleveland debating about coaching staffs and getting on Wedge for firing Eddie Murray and all that fun stuff. Complaining about Luis Isaac being let go. All that stuff. This is Acta's first attempt to impress the fans. While I don't think it will be just him putting this staff together, he has a large say in it and that's going to really help or hurt his outlook for many people.

It isn't just about you but who you surround yourself with.

Now as this week gets on, we'll probably be discussing that. But today is a day to take in. Manny's press conference will be at 4:00 PM ET and it will most definitely be on STO. I have class during that time so I'll miss it, but you can no doubt bet I'll watch it and take it in.

This is the choice Shapiro has made. You can either get over it and support the guy, even if you disagree with the decision, or you could pout and act like the Indians suck. If you do the latter, don't be the first one to jump back on the bandwagon if things pan out. That is the worst.

This guy is bringing a lot to the table. More than some people are willing to admit. Some people just can't move past the fact that the managerial record with Washington was bad. He had a good first year and then it went down hill.

Look at some of the bozos that organization brought in. Elijah Dukes? I mean really? How is someone supposed to enforce discipline and hard work when management is bringing in a head case like Elijah Dukes? That organization was a train wreck under Jim Bowden and there is a reason that guy is fired now.

If all the things we've heard about Manny are true and he does what he believes in, this has the potential to be the perfect fit. Shapiro wants nothing but good-hard working players with high character. Step one already achieved before he walks in the door. No Dukes, no crazy people, just high character guys that will listen if you talk to them.

All he needs to do is win the team over and there's no telling what can be done. If Eric Wedge can win this team over, so can Acta. Just look at how he won over everyone at his media session. He is a fantastic communicator and given the quality of this organization and the beliefs they have, this could potentially be a match made in heaven.

Give it a chance. Take an open mind. I wanna go over more later, but let's take in the press conference. Approach this with an open mind and stop looking at the Nationals. This is a new day for Indians baseball and let's hope it is the start of something good.

Manny Acta named Cleveland Indians Manager

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Final Update: Okay Acta is the guy as everyone and their mom has confirmed it and now we found out that the Astros did indeed press the Indians to make this move.

The Astros no doubt played a part in that time frame, as they offered Acta their manager's job. Acta spent 16 years in the Astros' Minor League system, so it had been expected that they might be his first choice. But he turned down the Astros to accept the Indians' offer.

Houston offered him the job, the Indians clearly wanted him from the beginning, so they did the same. He realized this was a better opportunity and took the job and the Indians have their man earlier than expected.

That's how it's shaped out if you ask me.

Shapiro wanted Acta and he got him. He now better make sure this was the right choice or the entire city will be ready to take him out behind the house and rough him up like a big brother does his little brother on Sunday afternoons.

Jon Heyman said that the Indians might have hired Valentine if he was more committed to them which goes back to that "I don't even know if I want to manage" bit. Did he take that stance in the interview? Maybe, and if he did, it should have been clear to Shapiro that Valentine was just trying to get his name out to the public again and wasn't totally into the idea of coming to Cleveland.

Here is the press release...

“We are very excited to have Manny Acta as our Major League manager,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager MARK SHAPIRO. “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.”

“I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family,” said Cleveland Indians Manager MANNY ACTA. “I look forward to working with this talented group of young men who seem to possess a lot of energy and passion for their work. I believe we will grow together as a team with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.”

Buckle Up Cleveland... This is going to be interesting...

Edit 3:05 PM ET: Anthony Castrovince is confirming it...

I'm thinking they completely bought into Acta right from the start and that nothing was going to change their mind, especially after visiting with Lovullo and Valentine. I'm also thinking something has developed with Mattingly to the point where interviewing him would be pointless. Hence the quick stab to get Acta before Houston could.

Edit Again: Paul Hoynes chimes in and says it's going to be a three-year deal. Three years plus a team option for a fourth. They're going to officially announce the hiring today. Press-Conference Maybe?

Original Post, 2:57 PM ET: Jon Heyman is breaking news via Twitter.

He is saying that the Indians are going to hire Manny Acta as their manager.

More on this as it develops, but what's causing this if it happens to be true?

Was Houston making a press for Cleveland's current favorite? Did Bobby V tell the Indians Thanks but no Thanks?

Did something happen with Don Mattingly that has effectively ended the interview process?

Only time will tell, but if Heyman's report is true, Manny Acta will be the next manager of the Cleveland Indians.

Sniff Sniff Boom... Uncovering Manager Tidbits

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Sniff Sniff Boom is me for the past few days.

My immune system is as strong as a defense as the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2008 squad.

I never get sick unless something tricks me.

The last time I was actually sick was when Taco Bell gave me food poisoning. But as far as the last time I actually had the flu or a bad cold, I don't even remember.

That being said, I had a little bit of a cold this weekend. I could chalk it up to allergies though because I feel much better today.

Who's ready for this week? I am. The last week of October is good news. I can't wait til November. It's going to be fun.

The last week of October also means that we're going to get some more headway in the Indians search for a manager.

As we went over yesterday, we may have two more candidates in the fold and that means we may have three more interviews to witness. The Indians in my eyes are still ahead of schedule as far as getting a manager before the World Series ends, but even if they don't, who cares?

Washington and Houston are really the only other teams looking to make moves right now and who's Washington going to steal from us? Houston might take Acta, but that really is the only common candidate the two teams have.

My head is spinning though and it isn't because of this little cold.

There is so much interesting information and little bits about this manager search that are being uncovered that make this situation more intriguing by the minute.

I'm not sure where to start.

Let me get this out of the way.

Bud Shaw had quite the interesting outlook on Valentine's session with the media. Almost as if Valentine's outside opinion and the fact the has absolutely no clue about the Indians may work.

Wait what? As crazy as that sounds, it has a lot of sense within it.

Maybe the fact that Valentine has no opinion or idea of what has been going on here, he can come in with no prior slants or influences and do what HE thinks is the best.

That may be starting Chris Gimenez at catcher..

Would it work? Who the hell knows.. But if it does, Valentine would be a genius.

This bring us all back to Valentine's curious interview. What the hell was he trying to accomplish? Was he mailing it in for the media and if so why? Was he just jet-lagged and tired after sitting through an interview already? Given some of the things he said about "Gee I didn't know how thorough this would be" maybe that was the case. But he met with the media longer than any of the other candidates have so far.

It's just... Weird and no one knows what to think because according to Terry Pluto, Valentine impressed Shapiro and company in his interview. I can't imagine he did so by saying some of the same things he did to the media.

On his visit, he had a knack for remembering names and getting a sense of what the Indians are about, despite his public claims not to know much about the Tribe or the Central Division.
3. That's why the Indians should invite Valentine back for another interview, and suggest he do some homework on the team. This is a way for them to find out how serious he is about the job. Valentine makes sense only if he sees this as a real opportunity to re-establish himself as a big-league manager and take a team near the bottom of the American League and lead it back into contention in the weak Central Division within a few years. If Valentine passes on another interview, then he really doesn't want the job.

Boom Terry Boom. That's right on point.

If Valentine really want this job. He's no doubt the best choice. He's a bit of an evil genius. Like I said earlier. He's a risk that would pay off big-time if he bought in. But is the risk of him buying in worth taking?

And then there is this guy we've got.

7. Class AAA Columbus manager Torey Lovullo is selling himself as the anti-Valentine, the manager who has paid his dues in the Tribe farm system and knows everything about the young players and the organization. But this team cries out for a different view and some new ideas, which brings us back to Valentine or Acta.

My oh my...

What a mess... What a lovely mess we have.

What do we want for the Tribe?

At this point, I have absolutely no clue.

And whatever concerns there were with Manny Acta, they seem to be given a curious excuse.

His backers say the front office stacked the roster with several difficult personalities and did not back Acta when the manager wanted to impose some discipline. Houston also is very interested in Acta, meaning he is a finalist for two jobs after being fired in Washington with a 162-254 record in 21/2 seasons.

He Sucked with Washington > Oh yeah, the talent sucked, who wouldn't?

He wasn't discipline enough > That was all the management not letting him do that.

We are nuts for hiring this guy when another team fired him > Houston also wants him and it appears now that if he doesn't get hired by either, Toronto would love to have him in some capacity.

Can we make as many excuses for Bobby Valentine?

Actually we can, we can make many many more. But that is only because there are many many more questions about Valentine.

Why though? Maybe because he turned the media session into his own playground rather than a caged cell where the Cleveland media could get an accurate read on them.

Again, more of the genius and maybe more excuses.

I encourage everyone to take a read of Paul Cousineau's latest at The DiaTribe. Two of them. One in response to Valentine's first interview the other in sort of a review as a part of his lazy Sunday.

Some of the same topics I've brought up here are ones that Paul has initiated or expanded upon.

As I said earlier.. We've got a mess on our hands.

Is it a good mess?

I don't know but it certainly is interesting to think about.

And something I totally missed was brought up by Paul in those posts... Lovullo pretty much distanced himself from Eric Wedge with everything he said. Which wasn't a bad move. Sure he may have created a little bit of a drift between himself and Eric Wedge if they ever cross paths again. But he put a lot of confidence into the minds of everyone else who was looking at him as just another Wedge in the pie.

One note about coaches to add...

It appears that Jon Nunnaly is in line to get serious consideration for the position of hitting coach, regardless of who gets the manager's spot.

According to "whoever played for him this year in Columbus" he is "the best hitting coach they ever saw."

So Trevor Crowe, Matt LaPorta and Andy Marte's opinion are enough reason to elevate him?

Look he may be the best hitting coach ever, but according to a few Indians minor leaguers that don't exactly have long track records?

Is this coming from the likes of Tony Graffanino? If so I might buy it more.

Results speak for themselves though, so I have no problem with Nunnally getting the job. The Columbus Clippers were one of the best in the IL for team batting average. He's doing something right.

Finally...

Shapiro said it's bittersweet watching CC and Cliff doing what they are doing in the postseason. To me, it's frustrating.

In response to what CC would say to the fans of Cleveland about him and Lee now pitching for postseason contenders.

"I don't know what to tell them," he said. "It's not our fault."

Ohhhhhhhh REALLY?

It isn't?

It isn't your fault that we lost the ALCS?

"Don't take anything for granted," Sabathia said. "We were in the best position possible a couple years ago in Cleveland, but you've got to finish it off. We weren't able to do it. But we've got the guys here who have been through this before."

I still have a soft-spot in my heart for CC.. But this rubs me entirely the wrong way.

It was SABATHIA that mucked up game five in the ALCS. It was CC that gave up eight earned runs in the first game of the ALCS.

With this team needing just one win, you provided NONE in two chances.

"The only guy I know over there is Grady [Sizemore]," Sabathia said. "And Jake [Westbrook], when he comes back [from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery]. That's it."

Errmm.. The entire team didn't die CC.. You were here last year. Sure a good portion of the team is young and players that you did not play with, but there is more than just Grady and Jake Westbrook.

It seems as if the bright lights of New York has gotten to our much loved Carsten Charles. How quickly has he forgotten the team and organization that gave him so much.

"You don't have to," he said. "You've got Derek Jeter, you've got Alex Rodriguez, you've got Robinson Cano, you've got Johnny Damon and all these guys behind you. You don't have to do too much. You just have to be yourself, and let everything else take care of itself. It definitely helps to have this great team behind you."

Are you serious? Is that the excuse you are giving us for sucking?

I still have a little love for CC, but with these stupid quotes, I'm starting to lose it. This is sickening in a way to read this garbage. It's as if we no longer know the big guy. It really as if New York has changed him.

When I talk to my grandparents, in Youngstown, they ask me if it's cold outside.

They ask it as if I'm in California and they are in Ohio. I'm 45 minutes away in Kent, of course it's cold outside. Just because I'm not where you are doesn't mean it isn't cold.

Sure you could ask me if it's raining, that would differ.

But the weather is relatively the same, so don't bother asking the question.

CC Sabathia is basically my grandmother asking if it's cold outside. Don't forget where you came from. You only got traded in 2008, not ten years ago.

Jhonny Peralta, Travis Hafner, Kelly Shoppach, Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, Aaron Laffey, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis and the two you just mentioned were all there when you played.

Stop acting like you left ten years ago and things have completely changed. Just because things move two miles a minute instead of a mile a minute in New York, doesn't mean the world was leveled and Cleveland is a new place.

Please... Ignorance...

Enjoy your Sunday.

BBA AL MVP Award

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:37:00 +0000

So the Cleveland Indians haven't had a legit MVP candidate since Travis Hafner's awesomeness a few years ago.

If Grady Sizemore is healthy and this team can contend, he'd be up there.

But I can't really make any Indians comparisons here, so let's just get into the voting.

Here is the final award for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance award voting.

In a landslide, Zack Greinke took home the AL Cy Young Award. As if you didn't see that coming.

The MVP voting is a different animal as we get ten slots. I'll keep the remarks brief.

PS.. Despite my want, I did not put Franklin Gutierrez in my top ten. But you know I wanted to.

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10. Alex Rodriguez, NYY

Ugh... I didn't want to, but the team did suck before he returned from an injury. I made peace with giving him a vote, but giving him the tenth place vote. You don't think the writers do this kind of stuff?

9. Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE

What? I have ten votes, why not spend one on an Indian? This team would realistically suck even worse without Cabrera.

8. Miguel Cabrera, DET

Despite getting drunk and getting into an argument with his wife, he really was the Tigers core player on offense.

7. Bobby Abreau, LAA

You know this team really took on a different sort of identity with his addition. I'll throw him a bone.

6. Aaron Hill, TOR

Dude went from having a concussion and possibly a lost career to being an absolute mammoth. And he's some shrimp that plays second base? How does someone like him hit 36 home runs? Makes me think I'm almost good enough to make a minor league roster somewhere, anywhere. I love baseball.

5. Ben Zobrist, TB

I wouldn't be surprised if this kid could play three-ways in football (my guess is QB, Safety and Kicker), be a successful two guard in basketball and make a mean left winger in hockey as well as play baseball.

4. Jason Bay, BOS

There was one point in the season that J-Bay was hitting everything insight and knocking in all the runners ahead of him.

3. Kendry Morales, LAA

Who saw this coming? Apparently the Angels as they had the balls to let Tex walk and replace him with this stud for a way cheaper price.

2. Mark Teixeira, NYY

Offensively and defensively he really changed the Yankees. Perhaps his offensive presence also has enabled A-Rod to be the jerk he has been in the playoffs.

His defense though has boosted that team way up.

1. Joe Mauer, MIN

I might riot if this guy doesn't win the real MVP award. He missed a month and still managed to lead the free-world in average, OBP and hit his career high in home runs and RBI.

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There is way too much I want to talk about for the manager job, so check out the other post.