Manny Acta - What to Expect

From the beginning of the Indians' Managerial search I was very critical of the fact that Manny Acta was one of the people being considered. I was even more disappointed that he was the man who was eventually hired. But I think I may have to re-think my position on this guy. First, it is clear that Acta had no talent to work with in Washington D.C. I think he is a born leader and it seems to me that all of the players he had looked up to him. Also, I read today in the Cleveland Plain Dealer that he is well respected by most of the league. That is a great thing. He's built a good coaching staff, including Sandy Alomar Jr. The only position he has left to fill is the bullpen coach.

The next thing that excites me about Acta is that he exudes a confidence that Eric Wedge never had and Charlie Manuel couldn't muster. He plans on giving this team all the confidence they need to go out and win ballgames. One of his quotes that struck me was "We don't want to compete. We want to win" which is the greatest mind-set a manager can give his players. The big test will be when the Indians lose a few in a row, because it will happen, and how he deals with it. Giving his team the ability to bounce back after a tough string of games is most important. I can honestly say that I never saw a "quit" in the Natinals, even when they were 30 games under .500.

Acta also believes that he has talent in place to compete and that this team is NOT rebuilding. While that may or may not be true, it is very important for the Indians' players to believe that they belong in the Majors. Again, it's all about the mindset that Acta puts his players in. He needs to keep the clubhouse upbeat and fun while getting his players to focus on fundamentals and achieving all they can. If he can do that, he and his team will be successful.

It's going to be very important for Acta to recognize the leaders of the team and let them take charge at times as well. It is equally important for those leaders to make themselves known. We can't have Grady sitting back and keeping quiet any longer. Give the man a "C" for his jersey so everyone knows, including him, that he is the leader of this team when it is on the field. Shake things up, make it fresh, fun, new. Make this team want to do its best.

Only time will tell just what Manny Acta can do with this team but I will be there, supporting the team, win or lose. Let's just hope that Mark Shapiro doesn't royally screw something up during the Winter Meetings to really put the Tribe behind the 8-ball.