Former Indians Manager Manny Acta Talks to Fox 8
CLEVELAND — Former Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta said he wishes his former team “nothing but the best” during an interview with Fox 8 News.
The announcement came on Thursday that Acta will not return as manager.
The team released a statement from the Cleveland Indians Executive Vice President and General Manager Chris Antonetti that said:
“The Cleveland Indians would like to thank Manny Acta for everything he has done for the organization in his three seasons as our Manager. Manny’s passion for the game, positive attitude and tremendous knowledge of baseball helped guide us to a number of high points during his tenure. Managerial changes are never easy or taken lightly, but as we approached the end of the season and turned our attention to assessing the year, we determined a change was necessary.”
Acta was hired by Cleveland in 2009 following two losing seasons as Washington’s manager.
He was the 40th manager in franchise history and compiled a record of 214-266 over three seasons.
“I just want to say thanks to the fans. I had three wonderful years here, the people are very supportive,” Acta said. “I couldn’t ask for a better ownership and better front office to work for. Obviously it’s part of the business. I was hired to win ballgames. We didn’t win enough ballgames and I take responsibility for it and move on.”
Acta plans to “recharge his batteries” at home in Florida and spend time with his family. He said he plans to manage a team again, he just doesn’t know when.
Acta leaves the team tied with the Twins for last place in the AL Central with a record of 65-91.
Sandy Alomar, 46, who has been a member of the coaching staff since 2010 and served as bench coach in 2011, will serve as interim manager for the final six games.
A former Indians catcher, he was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2009 and is well respected in Cleveland.
He is a candidate for the position as the Indians begin an immediate search process.
“I have great respect for Manny and appreciate the effort he exhibited not only leading our team, but also the contributions he made in our community over the past three years,” said Cleveland Indians Chairman/CEO Paul Dolan. “I fully support Chris’ decision to make this change and am confident that he will lead a tireless search to find the right individual to lead the club to our ultimate goal of winning the World Series.”
“I had a great time over here, I’m very low maintenance guy, so I had a great time,” Acta said. “And obviously, being able to do what we did last year here and recharge the fan base, the way we did and every one of those kids that I worked with, and I wish them the best, I had a great time, I have no regrets and no bitterness.”
Columbus Clippers manager Ken Schnacke will serve as acting bench coach.
There will not be other changes to the rest of the coaching staff through the end of the season, the Indians said.
(Fox 8′s Allie LaForce contributed to this report.)
Continue reading below for the minute-by-minute coverage of a news conference hosted by the Indians regarding Acta’s release.
Antonetti says, in general, the players were disappointed their play may have contributed to the decision to let Manny Acta go.
“Manny’s not the only one to blame,” Antonetti says about the team’s performance.
Antonetti: “I still think Manny Acta has lots of attributes that will allow him to be a successful Major League manager… unfortunately, with our group, it just didn’t happen.”
“I felt that this was the most respectful time to (dismiss Manny Acta),” Antonetti says, noting upcoming meetings that Acta would have attended.
Antonetti says there will be more talk about the search process in the future.
Indians hope to fill the vacancy as soon as possible, but there are some things outside of the team’s control.
Antonetti talks about his professional respect for Manny Acta, and says this sort of thing is “never fun” but the team will move forward.
“Sandy (Alomar) brings a lot to the table. I’m confident he’ll be the primary candidate, but where he’ll fit among the other candidates (is unknown),” Antonetti says.
“There was no lack of effort. Coaches and Manny did everything they could to get the team to perform better,” Antonetti says.
Antonetti says the Indians have a good foundation looking forward and “a lot of reasons to be optimistic.”
Q: How much did the Dolans have, input wise, in this decision?
A: There were a lot of discussions with them.
“I expect that Sandy (Alomar) will be a primary candidate,” Antonetti said.
Antonetti: “We all share in the responsibility of the way things turned out this year.”
Antonetti: Decision to let Manny Acta go was made on Wednesday night.
News conference begins: “Unfortunately our results on the field fell short of our expectations,” Chris Antonetti said.
News conference ends at 4:35 p.m. Rely on Fox 8 News and FOX8.com for continuing coverage of the Indians and the team’s search for Manny Acta’s replacement.