I’m not happy with this decision. Yes, if the Indians play .400 ball the second half Eric will probably be looking for a new job, but I really don’t want Wedge here for the beginning of next season. I think his teams play “tight” until the season is lost and the pressure is off.

I would much prefer to have a new manager and have that manager in place asap rather than at the beginning of a new season (or not at all).

So what Shapiro is telling us is that we should expect to continue playing below expectations and those nifty prospects he’s netted in the last year (and will continue to net this year with his forthcoming trades) will all be mishandled at the big league level for the foreseeable future. We can also expect to see strange lineups with defensive ‘quirks’ that just don’t make sense.

Good one Shapiro. Great.

Loyalty can be a flaw when taken to extremes. Shapiro is showing us this…

Meh. All this means is that Skinner or Lovullo won’t be installed as an interim. For those of us who would prefer an outsider be hired, this is probably good news, as the interim won’t have had the chance to build a track record.

I think the chances of Marte getting another shot just went from 5% to 0.7%

And by just, I mean six hours ago when this was posted, but it took me some time to finish crying.

Boo.

Pluto mentioned today that the FO was surprised that the fans were speculating about Wedge getting fired.

Seriously? Last place isn’t enough for you to consider a managerial change? We aren’t the Nationals or the Pirates, the Indians current record is embarrassing given the talent on this team

Wedge can stop shaving and start blowing the harmonica in the dugout. He’s safe for the rest of the year. He can even start telling weird discursive stories.

I really can’t believe anybody is surprised by this. Disagree with it, sure, but I never for a second thought that Shapiro would fire a manager in the middle of a season in which the club has no chance of making the postseason. Again, I’m not defending his point of view, but it has always seemed apparent that Shapiro was not the type to change horses in mid-race, certainly not if there’s no reason to believe the new horse is likely to lead you to victory. Neither Wedge’s Indians nor Skinner’s are going to make the postseason.

Who else would like to see Wedge pull a Charlie Manual and force the issue?

This news makes me think the “Ch” in the site header should be changed to “N.”

I really didn’t expect this level of boo-hooery. What do you want from the new manager? Five more wins over the course of the season? Wedge more likely than not goes when this all plays out. Shapiro wants the consternated players and coaching staff to stop wringing their hands and stay focused on baseball. The crying references and fuming are just a little juvenile, all things considered. Man up. LGT.

It may be tougher this year for a second half surge. There seem to be fewer teams abandoning hopes of contending. The races are closer. So, there will be fewer teams promoting AAA pitching for us to face.
Nevertheless, I hope Shapriro and staff use this time to fully explore all options with regard to manager and other coaches.
Are we allowed to converse with coaches on other teams informally during their season? Is this considered tampering?

The grass is always greener. I really would hate it if the Tribe degenerated into a knee-jerk organization. If I’m the Dolans, allowing the plan and the management structure to play out through what is already 1/3 of rebuild #2 is more appealing than flailing, which is what piecemeal moves are. A managerial change without a front office change must make sense, and unless there is a candidate that everybody agrees will work well inside the plan, then you’re just crossing your fingers and jumping.

I think this is Shapiro manning up behind something he believes in – his plan, process, and staff. The first rebuild got to the ALCS and developed cost/value talent depth, even if it is currently over-weighted towards position players. Moving Lee and Victor over the next 14 months will net substantial complementary talent. Shap’s FO and Wedge are all first-timers. To jettison anybody now would be to jettison collective experience and lessons learned, in complete disregard to expected outcomes.

If it takes three years to get another group to come together at the same time and make it to the ALCS, I can live with that. To be more consistent than that is going to take a either a much larger budget (no guarantees when you sign that check, mind you), or LUCK (see bullpens and injuries, ala 2007), not a new manager.

That said, one part of the plan that may not have been considered in 2001 that may be coming up more frequently now: Shapiro and Antonetti may acknowledge either a) that the FO is having a hard time putting together talent that meshes with Wedge’s need for set roles, or, b) that Wedge can’t maximize rosters that don’t present a salient identity immediately. If they do make a move after the year, I think they’ll look at those two factors in selecting their next manager. But, as I said above, that won’t make much of a difference in the W-L columns.

Shapiro and Antonetti may acknowledge either a) that the FO is having a hard time putting together talent that meshes with Wedge’s need for set roles, or, b) that Wedge can’t maximize rosters that don’t present a salient identity immediately.

Good points.

Wow, Wedge has been manager for 7 years. That’s a long time in sports.

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For me, at this point, the questions aren’t about Wedge. He is what he is. The real questions are about Shapiro and what he needs to change or improve to make this team competitive for more than one year in a row. I’m certainly more doubtful now of Shapiro’s ability to accomplish that goal than at any time since he started.