Re: Wedge to be fired today?
Good guy becomes fall guy for Tribe
By Patrick McManamon
Beacon Journal sports columnist
POSTED: 06:36 p.m. EDT, Sep 30, 2009
CLEVELAND: Baseball certainly produces odd situations.
On Wednesday, we had the general manager of the Indians announcing the most reluctant of managerial firings.
And we had the owner saying there sometimes is ''organizational failure'' that leads to a bad season and a move with the one guy who can be moved.
''The manager oftentimes becomes the fall guy for what is organizational failure,'' Indians President Paul Dolan said. ''That's just the tried and true way of baseball.''
Tried and true can be tough to take, and clearly this was the case for General Manager Mark Shapiro, who has said many times that he was as responsible as anyone for this most disappointing of Indians seasons.
Dolan said he agreed with Shapiro that the Indians' failings went beyond Wedge.
Asked, though, if any thought was given to replacing Shapiro, Dolan simply said: ''No.''
Wedge filled one of the manager's roles — take the hit when things go south.
But the Indians now, Dolan said, ''will look for somebody who has some of the same strengths that Eric has.''
He continued.
''Eric is a very good manager. And will be a very good manager again someday. We would do well to get somebody who has some of the same strengths.''
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss — that the guy above him hated to let go.
In truth, the Indians did an excellent job of announcing a firing without making the guy fired seem at fault. It's a testament to the team's personal feelings for Wedge that everyone who spoke said how highly they thought of him while refusing to specify any failings.
Dolan summed things up by saying: ''The reality was that we were not happy with how the team performed the last couple years since 2007.''
The blame game
Was Wedge scapegoated then?
Yes, but no.
Wedge did a commendable job as Indians manager for seven years, but the last two were disappointing.
Slow starts doomed both seasons and eventually led to the trading of Cy Young winners.
The slow start can be put on Wedge's desk.
Bullpen failures belong to Shapiro, who built the bullpen.
Young players did not develop as hoped, and fans never fully embraced or appreciated Wedge.
''I'm guessing they will now,'' Shapiro said.
Had Wedge communicated through his entire seven seasons the way he did Wednesday, his departure would be felt more deeply.
Wedge was straightforward, honest and blunt.
He accepted responsibility, did not hide from failure and spoke of his goals for the team with pride.
He never flinched when the notion was mentioned to him that he managed through a complete rebuild and the trade of Cy Young winners in consecutive seasons.
''It's my job to go out there and win ballgames,'' he said. ''There's not an asterisk next to it that says only if you have this, that or the other.
''I'm a big believer in being accountable for what you do. I preach it to the players. I preach it to people around me. And that's the way I live. I take responsibility for this.''
He spoke of what was important to him — and they should be the same things that are important to every Indians fan.
''How our players play, how they act, the way they represent the Cleveland Indians, the way we play the game,'' Wedge said. ''You always hear me talking about respecting the game and being a good teammate.
''They're the two most important things that you can do in this game, and then you have to go out there and play well.''
Dedicated to team
When it came to effort and dedication, Wedge never for one second shorted the Indians — or the fans.
His dedication to his players never wavered; it's why many were so morose when they heard the news.
His effort was constant, and his dedication to doing the right things and acting the right way were evident every day.
All that mattered, matters and will matter.
Of course, his moves can be questioned, and Wedge concedes that's part of the job. Not finishing the American League Championship Series when ahead 3-1 against the Boston Red Sox, the Brandon Phillips situation, the way the bullpens failed the past two years, the regression of some young players — all can be questioned fairly.
And there's no running from the record that states the Indians went to the playoffs once in Wedge's seven years.
But every manager/coach/leader makes decisions that will be questioned. Some work, some don't. The most important thing is that they're thought through, the logic is understandable and they make sense.
Wedge had seven years with the Indians, and seven years with one baseball team is like a dog's life, seven equals 49.
The Indians decided it was time for a change, a new voice.
Wedge's critics will be happy with the move, but there seems to be something wrong with dancing on the grave of a good man who did his best every day.
Wedge's firing might not be completely just, but it's also not completely unjust.
It just is.
It's baseball.
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