Wedge Watch: Who Will Manage Tribe in 2010?

[Gunther]

Two takes on Valentine's interview:

Paul Hoynes (kind of beat-reporter bland)
http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2009/10/bobby_valentine_interviews_wit.html

Bobby Valentine says he wants to manage the Cleveland Indians
By Paul Hoynes
October 22, 2009, 3:55PM

CLEVELAND -- Former big league manager Bobby Valentine, following today's interview to be the next manager of the Indians, said "I had a great day. I met with baseball people. It couldn't be any better than that."

Valentine left his gig with ESPN late Wednesday night. He arrived in Cleveland early after about two hours of sleep and met the media at 3:30 p.m.

"When I managed in the states, Cleveland was a pretty progressive thinking organization," said Valentine, who managed Texas and the New York Mets. "They signed young guys to longer contracts. Built a new ballpark and filled it for 455 straight games.

"That was the envy of everybody in baseball. That's the idea of the culture I had from afar. Getting to meet Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, I feel the same about it. It's a very well organized culture."

Valentine said he wants to manaqe the Indians.

"I'm a baseball manager and they're looking to hire one of those guys," he said. "There are only 30 of these jobs and I'm fortunate to be considered for one of them."

Valentine, 59, took the Mets to NLCS in 1999 and World Series in 2000 where they lost a subway series to the Yankees. His overall record as manager of the Rangers and Mets is 1,117-1,072.

He managed the Chiba Lotte Marines in Japan from 2004 through 2009. The Marines were one of Japan's worst teams, but he helped them win the Japan Series in 2005.

The Marines would not renew Valentine's contract, despite fan protest, at the end of this past season. They said they could no longer afford his salary. Valentine made almost $4 million this year.

"I had a six-year love affair with a country that plays baseball," said Valentine. "Their baseball society is something that should be kept forever. Women play it. Kids play it. Kids still have gloves on their handle bars. Kids are still throwing balls against the wall.

"They let me be part of that society for six years ... It was a six-year magic carpet ride."

Valentine recently returned to the United States where a job with ESPN was waiting. His contract has an out clause if he is hired as a manager.

Lastoria - definately more opinionated.

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/2009/10/acta-impresses-valentine-bombs.html#

Thursday, October 22, 2009
Acta Impresses, Valentine Bombs
Posted by Tony at 6:03 PM

I usually do not remark much on the happenings on the big league side of things with the Indians, but in listening to Bobby Valentine's 35-min presser today I have to say I was not impressed at all with what I heard. I listened to Manny Acta's 18-min presser on Tuesday, and listened to it again just before Valentine in order to compare the two back-to-back, and to me Acta just absolutely blew Valentine away at least by means of presentation, delivery, and knowledge of his team/opponent.

When Acta was asked in his interview about the Indians, he knew everyone and named players and what he'd like to see. When asked why he knows so much about the Indians, he said he knows all 30 teams inside and out because he needs to know that as a manager. Meanwhile, when Valentine was asked in his interview about the Indians he said he didn't know anything about them nor about the Central Division or the American League in general. Acta may have prepped beforehand to know all those things he talked about in regard to the Indians, but to me it shows a level of preparedness you should expect out of a field general and Acta doing it and Valentine not doing it speaks volumes.

Valentine also remarked in his interview that he has been away from the game in the United States for the last six years as he was in Japan, so know very little about the players in the game today or even some of the general changes to the game in the states. Also he said he is not very familiar with all the new subjective and objective stats that have become prominent in the game over the last four to five years. Again, this is another difference between him and Acta. Acta is very knowledgeable of the players playing today, and is a big time stats guy who is very up to speed on the en vogue stats in the game today. Terry Pluto actually asked Valentine halfway through the interview if him not knowing all this stuff if he was making a case for not being hired as the Indians manager.

Overall, just looking at the interviews straight up, Acta blew away Valentine. Both had a long day of travel and interviews, but Acta showed no wear while Valentine did. Acta's delivery, preparation, and more upbeat personality came across much better, while Valentine seemed tired, distant, and out of touch. Acta acted like he had the job, Valentine was lost and too worried about mentioning how tired he was. This stuff probably does not mean a ton in the grand scheme of things, but it shows you a little about the inner workings and the drive a guy has. Valentine came across as old and disinterested, while Acta came across as alive and hungry.

The Indians are obviously using a lot more than the interview session with the media to evaluate the candidates, but based on this unique interaction between the media and the candidates it is safe to say Acta is by far the better option over Valentine. Going in I was torn between Acta and Valentine on who I would prefer if it came down to them. To me, after hearing this, there is no question I would prefer Acta over Valentine. No doubt. Acta is clearly the frontrunner, and it looks like Valentine bombed enough to where there should be no way even if Acta goes to Houston that Valentine would be a fallback option for the Indians job.

 

[Ajak0410]

.

 

[7foot3]

I feel you are underestimating the role of a manager or coach. Why have them at all, then? Do you really think that Carmona, Carrasco, Huff, etc. can have success without the proper guidance? Sometimes that means applying the proper discipline. Sometimes it means giving the proper space. How these two are balanced typically defines leadership ability.

Sure, a coach is scapegoated to a point when things go poorly, just as they are given too much credit to a point when things go well. In the end, though, they are in charge and project the philosophy of the organization as well as giving their players the best possible chance to perform to their potential. The only thing a coach or manager can't do is pick their players, though if they're lucky they have some input on that process with the GM.

We do agree on one thing, however. The fans will definately overreact to whoever the manager will be. No stopping that.

There's a huge difference between what I said ('a lot more goes into players' success') and suggesting the 'why have them at all' line. Obviously coaching is important, but Carl Willis didn't change his stripes. And there were vast differences between 2007 Carmona and Lee, and 2008-09 Carmona and Lee. I'm not going to pretend I know how that happened. But the Indians need to catch some breaks with these young arms.

 

[Gunther]

Here is the Valentine press conference video.

<table style="border:0px; padding:0px;"><tr><td><font style="font-size:13px; font-family:Verdana; font-weight:bold; font-color:#293546">Cleveland Indians manager candidate Bobby Valentine</font></td></tr><tr><td><script type="text/javascript" src="http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/trh/embedAsset.js?width=470.0&height=265.0&wmode=transparent&skin=v3AdvInt_cleveland.swf&dockey=33732536AA64BE02550C7FA712CD87D0&"></script></td></tr></table>

 

[BooyaCS]

Here is the Valentine press conference video.

<table style="border:0px; padding:0px;"><tr><td><font style="font-size:13px; font-family:Verdana; font-weight:bold; font-color:#293546">Cleveland Indians manager candidate Bobby Valentine</font></td></tr><tr><td><script type="text/javascript" src="http://tribeca.vidavee.com/advance/trh/embedAsset.js?width=470.0&height=265.0&wmode=transparent&skin=v3AdvInt_cleveland.swf&dockey=33732536AA64BE02550C7FA712CD87D0&"></script></td></tr></table>

All I can say is he is 12 short of a dozen.

He is a major whackjob...

 

[macbdog]

I really wondered about his initial response to the comment about whether he is interested in the job, but after listening I realized he was being a smart ass ('I'm a baseball manager, and they are looking for one of those.') Touche, Bobby.

Hmmm. That was just a small snippet of the presser and supposedly he was pretty tired. I won't let him off that easy- he could have scheduled his time better and been more prepared for the day's events- so this whole interview did bug me. What matters more, though, is what management thought of him in the actual interview. In the presser, he actually reminded me of Casey Stengel- all over the place, just kind of pulling words out his rear.

 

[Gunther]

Pluto on Valentine:

http://www.cleveland.com/sports/index.ssf/2009/10/post_10.html

Idea of hiring Bobby Valentine manager is intriguing, but would come with risks: Terry Pluto
By Terry Pluto October 23, 2009, 4:40AM

For the Indians, Bobby Valentine is a baseball wild-card.

He has spent the past six years managing Japan, and admits being out of touch with the American League. He claims no expertise about the Tribe's roster and confessed to skipping his homework.

He also happens to be the only candidate to replace manager Eric Wedge who has any success as a major-league manager. His stance seems to be: If you want me, take me as I am. I'm not about to beg for this job.

Odds are that he'll make a major impact in the dugout, either good or bad.

The former Mets and Rangers manager may turn out to be hopelessly out of touch with the American game, a guy out for one last big payday at the age of 59.

Or perhaps a driven Valentine can transform the Indians into a hustling, overachieving team that will be embraced by their hardcore fans. He knows the team will be young with a blue-light special budget, but promised he won't act like he's in perpetual spring training. Not at this stage of his career.

"I'm a lousy loser," he said.

If Tribe fans want something different, that's Valentine.

Even his critics admit that he is brilliant and innovative. He also can be ego-driven. He has a history of battles with the front office. Some of his players viewed him as self-serving. He appears to be the opposite of former manager Eric Wedge, who usually defended his players and the front office as if they were beloved members of his family.

But maybe the Indians need a guy who has found a way to having winning records in such diverse places as Texas, New York and Japan. Maybe they need someone who won't be wedded to strict pitch counts. Valentine vowed not to let anyone throw 160 pitches in Japan, but seemed to think up to 135 a game could be acceptable for some starters in certain circumstances.

Maybe they need a unique approach to spring training, one that would incorporate much of the strict Japanese methods. Given the slow starts and the failed bullpens in five of the previous seven seasons, a new approach is imperative -- no matter who becomes the next manager.

Valentine is the complete contrast to the other candidates being considered this week.

Class AAA Columbus manager Torey Lovullo has paid his dues in the Tribe minor-league organization, managing at every level. Earlier this week, former Washington manager Manny Acta was interviewed.

Acta and Lovullo are immersed in modern baseball statistics and the accent on communication -- speaking more of the language of today's front offices than what was heard from Valentine. The same is probably true of Dodgers coach Don Mattingly, apparently the fourth candidate.

Valentine proved to be a quick study as he found a way to be a success in Japan, not easy in a completely foreign baseball culture. He is fluent in Japanese. If he is hired, he vows to work "28 hours a day" to learn about the Indians and the American League.

The Indians believe Valentine can still be relevant and effective.

What is not certain is if Valentine truly wants the job, or if he will stay with ESPN next season and perhaps wait for a bigger market team to come courting. Washington also is believed to be considering Valentine.

Bobby Valentine to the Indians? It's hard to imagine, but it's kind of fun to think about.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

I don't know if I want someone who admits he has no idea what OPS is...that's pretty damn bad, even if you are in Japan.

I think Acta or Lovullo would make a fine bench coach, though.

 

[Gunther]

Further developments according to Lastoria:

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/2009/10/roenicke-enters-manager-mix.html

Friday, October 23, 2009
Roenicke Enters Manager Mix
Posted by Tony at 12:32 PM

The LA Times reported today that the Cleveland Indians have contacted Los Angeles Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke to interview him for their vacant managerial job. Roenicke has spent the last ten years working on Angels' manager Mike Scioscia's staff with the first six years as a third base coach and the last four as a bench coach.

The Indians have not confirmed that they have contacted Roenicke, so it is not certain if he has been contacted to be a part of their final round of interviewing or if they had contacted him and talked to him last week during the first wave of interviews they conducted via phone out at their Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Arizona.

In any case, this is an interesting development if he has been contacted to be interviewed for the final round of interviews as just this past Tuesday Indians GM Mark Shapiro mentioned that they were only talking to four candidates in the final round round of interviews. Those candidates were known to be Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, Torey Lovullo and Don Mattingly. As we all know, Acta and Valentine have already interviewed and and Lovullo will interview today.

But there is still no word on when (if) Mattingly will be interviewed. While the media has mentioned he is the fourth candidate, the Indians have yet to officially acknowledge he would be brought in for the final interviews or that they had even talked to him. In his press conference on Tuesday, Shapiro did not name the fourth candidate and went so far as to say that the person had other obligations which prevented them from talking to him right now. When probed further and asked if those "obligations" could be postseason obligations Shapiro did not dismiss it.

Is it possible that Mattingly is not the fourth candidate and that instead Ron Roenicke is the fourth candidate? Roenicke seems to make a little more sense than Mattingly as he is a bench coach while Mattingly is a hitting coach, and the Indians seem deadset to bring in a manager who has a a good idea on how to handle a pitching staff and develop young talent. Both were position players in their professional careers, but as a bench coach Roenicke would seemingly have much more experience with the in-game management especially with that of a pitching staff than a hitting coach like Mattingly would.

Or, it may just be that the Indians have decided to add a fifth candidate to the final round.

In any case, the plot has thickened in the search for the Indians next manager.

Notes

- For those wondering, former Indians manager Mike Hargrove was in fact interviewed over the phone last week by the Indians for the managerial opening. While the Indians liked a lot of what they heard from Grover, they did not invite him to the final round of interviews because they just wanted to go in a different direction. He is out as a candidate as manager, though could surface as a bench coach option depending on who is hired for the head job.

- The Indians also talked to Travis Fryman last week in Goodyear during their first round of talks, and it was pretty much mutual between Fryman and the Indians that this was not the right time to pursue a big league manager's job. Fryman is still very green having only managed for two years, and Fryman himself is still not ready to commit to the everyday gig of a big league manager. He very much likes his short-season gig with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers as it affords him the time to be with his family more, though it should be noted that he certainly has the drive to be a big league coach or manager someday.

- Last but not least, the Indians are also considering two other unnamed candidates. In his press conference on Tuesday, Shapiro made it clear that they would not contact those two additional candidates unless they felt that they were not sold on one of the final four candidates. It is also possible they could get turned down by any or all of the candidates as Acta could go to Houston, Roenicke could stay with the Angels, Valentine could opt out, and if Mattingly is really being considered he may choose to stay with the Dodgers. That would leave Lovullo, and the organization has already made it clear that they are not likely to hire from within for the manager's opening. So, this is why those two other "candidates" would be considered if this happens. There is no confirmed report on who those two unnamed guys are, but Indians.com beat reporter Anthony Castrovince speculated that former Colorado Rockies Manager Clint Hurdle could be one of them.

 

[Amherstcavsfan]

Clint Hurdle would be an unmitigated disaster.

 

[Gunther]

From Terry's Talkin' 10/24:

SOURCE

Terry Pluto's Talkin' ... about Browns defenders, Tribe's search for a boss and the start of Cavaliers' season
By Terry Pluto
October 24, 2009, 11:52PM

About the Tribe ...


1. One of the reasons for the success of the Minnesota Twins is Rod Gardenhire in the dugout. As a manager, he finds a way to keep his team contending in the Central Division when stars are traded or leave via free agency. He and his coaching staff put the finishing touches on prospects coming from the minors. If possible, the Indians must hire an impact manager. Of the four being interviewed -- Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, Torey Lovullo and Don Mattingly -- Valentine seems the best bet to be that guy for the Indians.

2. The Indians were impressed with how Valentine learned Japanese, how he adapted to a different culture and style of baseball while winning the first pennant in 31 years for Chiba Lotte. 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.

4. They have yet to do their in-person interview with Mattingly, so it's possible what is suggested here may change. But it seems Acta is the favorite to get the job. He came prepared and has a lot of baseball people backing him, suggesting that he was in a terrible situation in Washington. Acta also admitted to the Indians that he made some mistakes there.

5. It does bother me that Washington played better (33-42) under Jim Riggleman after Acta (26-61) was fired. The criticism in Washington was that Acta is too much of a players' manager and needed more discipline. 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.

6. Washington is the only other team seemingly interested in Valentine. Compared to the Nats, the Indians probably look like the Tommy Lasorda Dodgers (Valentine loves Lasorda) to the veteran manager. Of course, Valentine may decide to just stick with his new ESPN job and wait for a bigger market team to come calling next season.

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.

8. It's hard to take Mattingly seriously as a candidate. He never has managed a game in the minors or majors. He has been a coach in New York and Los Angeles only. He is supposed to be a smart guy with tremendous character, but it would be a major shock to be under the budget limitations that will come with this job.

9. There are candidates with big-league track records such as Bob Melvin and Phil Garner available, and neither seems under consideration by the Indians. I'd like to see them add another established manager to the mix, especially if Valentine turns out not to be serious about the job. Melvin was fired after a 12-17 start in Arizona. He was 90-72 and 82-80 the previous two years. Garner, 60, has not managed since 2007. He has only four winning records in 15 years as a manager, but three in his last four with the Astros.

10. In 1970, the Indians fired veteran manager Alvin Dark. Since then, the only times they have hired someone who managed in the majors before: Dave Garcia (1979-83), Pat Corrales (1983-87) and John McNamara (1990-91).

 

[Cavsfan89]

It's Manny Acta. I like the hire personally.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Manny Acta is set to become the Indians' next manager.