Well we have a lot of ground to cover males and females.
Let's start with the site.
The Offseason Outlook Chart has returned. You can view it here, or click the Offseason Outlook button on the side under Indians Corner.
If you forget what it's all about, check out last year's final version and refresh yourself with some of the things we did with it.
By this time last year, we were well into the organizing the offseason aspect and going over free agents. This year it won't be that much of a rapid process because A)We've got serious news right now and B) We aren't signing free agents, or at least any rather quickly.
So gander that, it will be updated regularly, unlike the other boards which are a bit out of commission right now thanks to the offseason. Familiarize yourself with this though and try to understand my weird color coding, I will explain more when the time comes.
We have manager news to go over though and as you can see at the bottom of this chart there is a spot for the manager search and that is the most up to date info we've got.
Obviously the news yesterday was the final four was pretty much announced and confirmed.
It's Torey Lovullo, Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, and Don Mattingly.
I guess the Travis Fryman thing was a leaky pipe or something like that, because it was in fact not true and it continues to go along that thing I've been screaming about. TRAVIS FRYMAN IS HAPPY DOING WHAT HE'S DOING!
Which anyway you look at it, has an impact.
That being said, we've got our four candidates. Now it's time to scrutinize..
Up first was Manny Acta, who faced the media yesterday. You can watch the video on that link. I watched a good snippet from the press conference and came away impressed. Here are some thoughts from things he said.
He said the Indians to things right as far as an organization and was clear they were very thorough about this process. I'd say that's accurate considering we all though Travis Fryman was in and it was actually Lovullo. He also said he had no clue who he was up against, but for a guy who's very in-tuned to the media, I find that hard to believe.
He made it a point to say he thought rebuilding was necessary and that situation was one for him to have to take on because the Joe Torre's of the world have paid their dues and they don't have to be brought in to those situations. He is also thankful that the baseball people don't go on wins and losses and are giving him another chance after Washington, basically. He has no regrets from his time in Washington though.
He did say the Indians have more pieces in place than his former team and actually brought up a few names. He clearly did his homework on the team which is good to see. He also used that "core" term that Shapiro so fondly uses when describing things and Acta used it in reference to the Nationals.
He called himself a "Common Sense Manager" and he brings communication skills and a positive attitude to a club. He's about execution and fundamentals, but he knows everyone pretty much knows the ins and outs of baseball. He knows the job is more about being a good communication than it is being able to make the right baseball moves, because everyone knows that.
He did address coaches and he said he looks for guys with personality and good social skill. He did say he wants balance, which is something Shapiro said he was going to want in terms of someone who can instruct catching, someone who can instruct infielders, and someone who can instruct outfielders. He wants all the bases covered so to speak. Remember three of the coaches on Wedge's staff were former catchers.
He said he wants to bring in a few people he trusts but he sounded like he was also willing to bring in a few guys within the organization because of their knowledge of the team. That doesn't mean guys like Carl Willis or Joel Skinner, but it could mean a Torey Lovullo or Mike Sarbaugh. This makes me happy.
Overall though, I was really pleased with what I heard from Acta. He has a good head on his shoulders and really if he doesn't get hired, I think I'd want him on the staff anyway in some capacity. He'd be an asset to any coaching staff and if this was the choice they would end up making, I'd be okay with it.
I'm attempting to make long drawn out cases for each managerial candidate on Bleacher Report. Here was my article on hiring Manny Acta. He brings a lot of positives to the table and what upsets me the most about the fans of Cleveland is their quick trigger.
Their immediate thought when they think Manny Acta is "Oh my god the Nationals guy? They sucked, we don't need that garbage!" And hey I'm guilty of it too sometimes, but do a little homework before you start going nutso.
Acta brings a lot of good credentials to the table, give it some thought before you go off spouting how he'd suck.
Another thing is.. Stop comparing him to Wedge. Sure he's got a lot of the same personality traits, but that doesn't mean he's "just another yes man" for Shapiro to bully around.
Shapiro didn't bully Wedge around to begin with, so your thoughts are just lunacy.
Anyway, I came away pleased with Acta. I still want to see the others before I make a stand, but if Acta ends up being the guy, I would not have a problem with it.
Now there are three other guys in this race and we are expected to get something done by the end of the World Series.
However Shapiro did talk to the media and it also appears he'd be willing to go past that to find the right guy. So he's doing his homework, he wants to cover all his bases and makes sure he gets who he wants.
To me, that says he wants to interview Don Mattingly. But I don't think he'll have to wait for the end of the World Series to do that, because I'd be shocked if the Dodgers come back. They were my pick and it ain't over till it's over, but a 3-1 hole is going to be tough.
Mattingly is of course the other candidate, even if Shapiro is not going to name him. He is the only one that has other commitments going on right now.
Today I made my case for Mattingly on Bleacher Report. Torey Lovullo's will be up Friday the day he is scheduled to interview with Shapiro and company. Valentine's will come sometime next week, unless he interviews tomorrow, in which case I better get moving.
I did catch a few parts of Shapiro's address to the media as well. The main things I took away from that though were the points about Fryman and Mike Hargrove.
He made it clear Hargrove wasn't a fit for him right now. Which tells me they did phone interview him. But like expected, this just isn't what is needed right now. He did have an interesting tidbit in saying Hargrove still has the passion to manage again. That is interesting.
He talked to Travis Fryman as well and they didn't phone interview him, but rather sat down with him in Arizona. He did have high praise for Fryman saying he came away impressed and that Fryman has a desire and will eventually make an impact. But it does sound like the fact that he has no major league experience worked against him there, which is something I agree with.
Terry Pluto chimed in on the Acta conference. A good point he made was in relation to the coaching staff, saying that if the Indians are taking a different approach to a manager, they most certainly will in a coaching staff. He is big on the fact that Acta has a lot of Latin pull and so am I. That's a huge thing in my eyes. While it isn't the whole thing, it is a nice check mark in his column.
He also brought up the idea of Hargrove being the bench coach to any of the four candidates if they get the job. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that right now, but if it ever becomes a real possibility, I'll have to think about it harder and evaluate the circumstances.
With that though there is only one more bit of news before I depart for the day.
There is one coach that will most definitely not be back with Cleveland next year. As you know the Indians haven't shut the door on any of the coaches from last year, it sounds like that will be up to the new manager. But one coach has shut the door on them.
Derek Shelton, according to Tony Lastoria, is headed to Tampa Bay in an unknown role, and will not be back with Cleveland next year. St Pete times now has this confirmed that he will in fact be their major league hitting coach.
Not really shedding a tear here. Shelton did some good and I've made clear in the past my opinion on him and his style, but I wasn't really begging to bring him back. Hopefully we can get a hitting coach in here that has a little more experience.
Sounds like Tampa is happy to have him though, specifically Joe Maddon. Which makes sense because Shelton is a lot like Maddon as far as his personality goes... But it goes to show you he wasn't complete trash like everyone (and myself at times) thought he, and everyone on Wedge's staff, was.
And for those of you just thinking about bringing up the name Rudy Jaramillo. Forget it, he already signed with the Cubs and even if he didn't, there was no shot of that happening. $2 million for a hitting coach? Yeah right.
Let's start with the site.
The Offseason Outlook Chart has returned. You can view it here, or click the Offseason Outlook button on the side under Indians Corner.
If you forget what it's all about, check out last year's final version and refresh yourself with some of the things we did with it.
By this time last year, we were well into the organizing the offseason aspect and going over free agents. This year it won't be that much of a rapid process because A)We've got serious news right now and B) We aren't signing free agents, or at least any rather quickly.
So gander that, it will be updated regularly, unlike the other boards which are a bit out of commission right now thanks to the offseason. Familiarize yourself with this though and try to understand my weird color coding, I will explain more when the time comes.
We have manager news to go over though and as you can see at the bottom of this chart there is a spot for the manager search and that is the most up to date info we've got.
Obviously the news yesterday was the final four was pretty much announced and confirmed.
It's Torey Lovullo, Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, and Don Mattingly.
I guess the Travis Fryman thing was a leaky pipe or something like that, because it was in fact not true and it continues to go along that thing I've been screaming about. TRAVIS FRYMAN IS HAPPY DOING WHAT HE'S DOING!
Which anyway you look at it, has an impact.
That being said, we've got our four candidates. Now it's time to scrutinize..
Up first was Manny Acta, who faced the media yesterday. You can watch the video on that link. I watched a good snippet from the press conference and came away impressed. Here are some thoughts from things he said.
He said the Indians to things right as far as an organization and was clear they were very thorough about this process. I'd say that's accurate considering we all though Travis Fryman was in and it was actually Lovullo. He also said he had no clue who he was up against, but for a guy who's very in-tuned to the media, I find that hard to believe.
He made it a point to say he thought rebuilding was necessary and that situation was one for him to have to take on because the Joe Torre's of the world have paid their dues and they don't have to be brought in to those situations. He is also thankful that the baseball people don't go on wins and losses and are giving him another chance after Washington, basically. He has no regrets from his time in Washington though.
He did say the Indians have more pieces in place than his former team and actually brought up a few names. He clearly did his homework on the team which is good to see. He also used that "core" term that Shapiro so fondly uses when describing things and Acta used it in reference to the Nationals.
He called himself a "Common Sense Manager" and he brings communication skills and a positive attitude to a club. He's about execution and fundamentals, but he knows everyone pretty much knows the ins and outs of baseball. He knows the job is more about being a good communication than it is being able to make the right baseball moves, because everyone knows that.
He did address coaches and he said he looks for guys with personality and good social skill. He did say he wants balance, which is something Shapiro said he was going to want in terms of someone who can instruct catching, someone who can instruct infielders, and someone who can instruct outfielders. He wants all the bases covered so to speak. Remember three of the coaches on Wedge's staff were former catchers.
He said he wants to bring in a few people he trusts but he sounded like he was also willing to bring in a few guys within the organization because of their knowledge of the team. That doesn't mean guys like Carl Willis or Joel Skinner, but it could mean a Torey Lovullo or Mike Sarbaugh. This makes me happy.
Overall though, I was really pleased with what I heard from Acta. He has a good head on his shoulders and really if he doesn't get hired, I think I'd want him on the staff anyway in some capacity. He'd be an asset to any coaching staff and if this was the choice they would end up making, I'd be okay with it.
I'm attempting to make long drawn out cases for each managerial candidate on Bleacher Report. Here was my article on hiring Manny Acta. He brings a lot of positives to the table and what upsets me the most about the fans of Cleveland is their quick trigger.
Their immediate thought when they think Manny Acta is "Oh my god the Nationals guy? They sucked, we don't need that garbage!" And hey I'm guilty of it too sometimes, but do a little homework before you start going nutso.
Acta brings a lot of good credentials to the table, give it some thought before you go off spouting how he'd suck.
Another thing is.. Stop comparing him to Wedge. Sure he's got a lot of the same personality traits, but that doesn't mean he's "just another yes man" for Shapiro to bully around.
Shapiro didn't bully Wedge around to begin with, so your thoughts are just lunacy.
Anyway, I came away pleased with Acta. I still want to see the others before I make a stand, but if Acta ends up being the guy, I would not have a problem with it.
Now there are three other guys in this race and we are expected to get something done by the end of the World Series.
However Shapiro did talk to the media and it also appears he'd be willing to go past that to find the right guy. So he's doing his homework, he wants to cover all his bases and makes sure he gets who he wants.
To me, that says he wants to interview Don Mattingly. But I don't think he'll have to wait for the end of the World Series to do that, because I'd be shocked if the Dodgers come back. They were my pick and it ain't over till it's over, but a 3-1 hole is going to be tough.
Mattingly is of course the other candidate, even if Shapiro is not going to name him. He is the only one that has other commitments going on right now.
Today I made my case for Mattingly on Bleacher Report. Torey Lovullo's will be up Friday the day he is scheduled to interview with Shapiro and company. Valentine's will come sometime next week, unless he interviews tomorrow, in which case I better get moving.
I did catch a few parts of Shapiro's address to the media as well. The main things I took away from that though were the points about Fryman and Mike Hargrove.
He made it clear Hargrove wasn't a fit for him right now. Which tells me they did phone interview him. But like expected, this just isn't what is needed right now. He did have an interesting tidbit in saying Hargrove still has the passion to manage again. That is interesting.
He talked to Travis Fryman as well and they didn't phone interview him, but rather sat down with him in Arizona. He did have high praise for Fryman saying he came away impressed and that Fryman has a desire and will eventually make an impact. But it does sound like the fact that he has no major league experience worked against him there, which is something I agree with.
Terry Pluto chimed in on the Acta conference. A good point he made was in relation to the coaching staff, saying that if the Indians are taking a different approach to a manager, they most certainly will in a coaching staff. He is big on the fact that Acta has a lot of Latin pull and so am I. That's a huge thing in my eyes. While it isn't the whole thing, it is a nice check mark in his column.
He also brought up the idea of Hargrove being the bench coach to any of the four candidates if they get the job. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that right now, but if it ever becomes a real possibility, I'll have to think about it harder and evaluate the circumstances.
With that though there is only one more bit of news before I depart for the day.
There is one coach that will most definitely not be back with Cleveland next year. As you know the Indians haven't shut the door on any of the coaches from last year, it sounds like that will be up to the new manager. But one coach has shut the door on them.
Derek Shelton, according to Tony Lastoria, is headed to Tampa Bay in an unknown role, and will not be back with Cleveland next year. St Pete times now has this confirmed that he will in fact be their major league hitting coach.
Not really shedding a tear here. Shelton did some good and I've made clear in the past my opinion on him and his style, but I wasn't really begging to bring him back. Hopefully we can get a hitting coach in here that has a little more experience.
Sounds like Tampa is happy to have him though, specifically Joe Maddon. Which makes sense because Shelton is a lot like Maddon as far as his personality goes... But it goes to show you he wasn't complete trash like everyone (and myself at times) thought he, and everyone on Wedge's staff, was.
And for those of you just thinking about bringing up the name Rudy Jaramillo. Forget it, he already signed with the Cubs and even if he didn't, there was no shot of that happening. $2 million for a hitting coach? Yeah right.
Original Story:
Add Comment