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Acta Announces Own Firing

G-Fafif Jul 13 2009 01:39 AM

The once-future Mets manager tells ESPN Deportes his Acta had grown too statle in Washington; via AP [url=http://faithandfear.blogharbor.com/blog/_archives/2009/7/13/4253515.html]here[/url]. ]Report: Acta says he's out as Nationals manager Manny Acta says he has been fired as manager of the Washington Nationals. Acta told ESPNdeportes.com on Sunday that he'd been let go. The Nationals went into the All-Star break with the worst record in the majors at 26-61. "I thank the Nationals for giving me this opportunity and I'm sorry that things didn't work out as expected. It's normal for the manager to pay the price when the team is not doing well," Acta said. An e-mail to Acta from The Associated Press was not immediately returned early Monday. Calls, e-mails and text messages from the AP to Nationals officials also were not returned. Acta would be the third manager in the major leagues to be let go this season. Colorado's Clint Hurdle and Arizona's Bob Melvin were previously fired. It was unclear who would replace Acta in Washington. Bench coach Jim Riggleman has managed the Padres, Cubs and Mariners. Acta was 158-252 in 2 1/2 seasons as Nationals manager, and the team's winning percentage dropped progressively from Year 1 until now. From the outset of spring training in February, he called the current team the most talented he's had, but significant problems in the bullpen, an untested starting rotation and the worst defense in the majors were part of a series of miscues in 2009. The Nationals started 0-7 and never came close to approaching .500. When the team was hitting well, the pitching was a mess, and the team kept shuffling its bullpen with little change. Once the pitching became serviceable, the hitters suddenly became less productive. This was Acta's first major league managerial job, and he always preached patience and emphasized the importance of keeping an even keel — so much so that some wondered whether he needed to be a bit less willing to publicly abide his players' mistakes. From the outset, working for a franchise he knew was undertaking a rebuilding process, Acta repeatedly said he would rather be an optimist than a realist, refusing to acknowledge that his team wasn't ready to be competitive. In 2007, Acta's first season as Frank Robinson's replacement, Washington finished 73-89, fourth in the NL East but a two-win improvement over 2006 and better than was expected. Acta even received votes for NL Manager of the Year. But the team took a step backward in 2008, going 59-102 for a .366 winning percentage, the worst record in the major leagues. And there was even more regression this season — not only are the Nationals still the worst team in baseball, but their .299 winning percentage is far lower than any other team. A 5-0 loss at Houston on Sunday was Washington's seventh in 10 games. The Nationals rank last in the NL with a 5.21 ERA and they have committed the most errors in the majors (82). When Acta was hired in November 2006, he was 37, and no manager in the majors was younger. He was coming off two seasons as the New York Mets' third-base coach, and before that, Acta held the same job under Robinson from 2002-04, when the Nationals were still the Montreal Expos. Acta had managed eight seasons in the minors and five in the Dominican Winter League, and he led the Dominican Republic to the semifinals at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. When the Nationals introduced Acta as their new manager, president Stan Kasten gushed, "I knew within 30 minutes that this could be the next manager, that he had the right stuff," and then-general manager Jim Bowden brought up Jim Leyland's name, saying Acta was "going to be very special." Now, less than three full seasons later, Acta says he is gone. As it is, his staff had undergone a complete overhaul already, with every coach other than pitching coach Randy St. Claire fired at the end of last season — and St. Claire was dismissed at the beginning of June. Acta's firing is only the latest example of the constant upheaval and instability surrounding the Nationals since Kasten and local developer Ted Lerner took over the club — a sale that was supposed to finally bring a semblance of normalcy to the franchise. Instead, there is now uncertainty on the bench to go along with an acting general manager, Mike Rizzo, who took over day-to-day GM duties shortly after Bowden resigned during spring training. Rizzo still does not have the full title.

Fman99 Jul 13 2009 04:28 AM

Ah the rites of summer. Managers getting shitcanned at the break, good stuff. I was thinking of a few years back, when the had the ASG in Houston and short-timer Astros manager Jimy Williams was one of the National League coaches in that game. He got booed roundly and was fired right after that, if I remember right.

MFS62 Jul 13 2009 05:59 AM

What a cheap franchise - they can't even afford a Public Relations person to announce the firing. Later

PiggiesTomatoes Jul 13 2009 07:37 AM

That's a horribly run franchise and as usual the manager is left to fall on the sword. For the love of God, they don't even have an actual GM. It's not as if he'd lost the team as is often the case. Pitching is rancid and replaced Randy St.Clair aabout a month ago. Maybe that move will pan out but replacing Acta with Riggleman is no step in the right direction. Reinvest some of the cash the Lener's are making back in the club and put a real front office together. Manny will land on his feet. Fire Razor and bring Manny back as third base coach.

Edgy DC Jul 13 2009 07:38 AM

I don't know if it's cheap or criminally insane. Thepress release should drop before he makes a phone call.

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Jul 13 2009 10:07 AM

="Edgy DC":1vf5isz8]I don't know if it's cheap or criminally insane. Thepress release should drop before he makes a phone call.[/quote:1vf5isz8] This is a corporation employing a few hundred people highly reliant on public support-- hell, the press release should be prepared before they dial his number/call him into the office/send @MannyActa a Tweet. Edgy DC Jul 13 2009 11:28 AM hitting inboxes right now. <blockquote>TO: Fans of the Washington Nationals No one is more dissatisfied in the first half of the 2009 Washington Nationals season than we are. Like you, we had hoped that some of our younger players would have matured faster and that the addition of some of our new veterans would have significantly improved our record from a season ago. Our hope was that a solid club leadership would emerge on and off the field and that some intangible combinations would begin to click resulting in many winning streaks. We definitely do see significant pieces materializing for the future, and there have been many close, exciting games and optimistic bright spots: Strong outings by John Lannan, the home run and RBI production of Adam Dunn, the All-Star selection and 30 game hitting streak of Ryan Zimmerman, and the recent addition of speedster Nyjer Morgan. Much of the season, however, has been defined by weak relief pitching, poor defense, and youthful inconsistency. We have tried to work through this period with patience and focus but now we are faced with mounting losses which are beginning to take a toll on our entire roster. Clearly, some changes are required as we prepare for the second half of the 2009 season and, more importantly, build for a competitive future. Today, we announced that manager Manny Acta is being replaced on an interim basis by Jim Riggleman, veteran manager, and currently the Nats bench coach. Both the Ownership and the entire Washington Nationals organization have the highest respect for Manny Acta and the role he has played in the short history of the Nationals. However, it is our belief that a fresh attitude and approach is necessary as we set out to improve our performance for the remainder of the year. We want to send a strong message to our clubhouse and our fans that the status quo is unacceptable. We believe that more is expected of everyone in the organization. Baseball operations will be reevaluating all our players and our options for improvement over the next several months. We hope to sign our 2009 draft choices by the August deadline. We hope these new additions will join an already exciting Nationals youth movement headed by the likes of Lannan, Jesus Flores, Alberto Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Craig Stammen on our current roster, and the likes of promising minor league stars like Chris Marrero, Michael Burgess, Danny Espinosa, Derek Norris and Drew Storen, among many others. But, we also will be determining the viability of trades or roster upgrades that can be made without doing damage to the farm system or the developing talent we expect to blossom within the next two years. When we bought the Washington Nationals in the middle of the 2006 season - just under three years ago - we committed to a patient, long term approach, building a strong farm system and core foundation that would deliver a perennial and consistent contender; to provide a second-to-none family entertainment value at Nationals Park; and to investment and involvement in the metropolitan Washington DC community. Today we remain steadfastly committed to each component of that mission. We are proud to represent the National Pastime in the Nation's Capital, and we are proud to call the Capital area home. We know we have a way to go, but the end result will be all the richer for the early days we've spent together at Nationals Park. We are getting better. We want you to be with us as the pieces of the puzzle come together. Your support is powerful to the Nationals and baseball in Washington. Thank you for your continuing patience and your commitment to a shared dream. Sincerely, Washington Nationals Baseball Club</blockquote> John Cougar Lunchbucket Jul 13 2009 11:34 AM We are proud to call the capital area home? Oh, STFU Edgy DC Jul 13 2009 11:45 AM We are proud to represent the National Pastime in the Nation's Capital = "We are still technically a major league baseball team" The best part of the "Capital Area" line is you can see them fretting over making sure that people from Vienna, Fall's Church, and Bethesda still feel included. G-Fafif Jul 13 2009 11:59 AM ]...the entire Washington Nationals organization have the highest respect for Manny Acta and the role he has played in the short history of the Nationals. Could be interpreted as the Washington Nationals organization's goal was to ensure the Nationals had no more than a short history and they respect Acta's role in their intentional sabotage of the franchise. In other words, we hank you, Manny, for helping to kill it before it could learn to walk. Washington: first in war, first in peace, not particularly swift with the correspondence.