Wedge sounds like a man heading to the gallows

"This has been difficult, but it's harder for everybody outside of baseball that's around me," he said. "It's part of it. I understand that."

"We felt if we could get healthy, stay healthy and the guys we were counting on in the bullpen to step up into their roles, then we would have a pretty good shot at it, but none of that happened," Wedge said. "And then there were the trades we made and I understand they were out of necessity, but that's tough. But I understand it."

"I know that sometimes change has to be made for change's sake," Wedge said. "You've got to be professional about it. You've got to understand it and I do."

over 2 years ago lenred 34 comments 0 recs |

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“I know that sometimes change has to be made for change’s sake,” Wedge said. “You’ve got to be professional about it. You’ve got to understand it and I do.”

Best reserve the U-Haul and movers now, Eric. Sometimes the reservations fill out early, especially during the Winter.

by Wil Cantrell on Sep 23, 2009 9:48 AM EDT reply actions

Change can also be made for “you suck, Eric” sake.

by gte619n on Sep 23, 2009 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions

Sounds pretty fatalistic in that comment. Could he have made a positive difference this season, had he done some things differently than he has? Probably, but even if he had Wedge would always run up agains the fact that his starting pitching just stunk, his bullpen wasn’t much better and some key parts of his offense was hit or miss.

by MTF on Sep 23, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions

and he did nothing to help the starting pitching or bullpen from being bad.

by Roger Dorn on Sep 23, 2009 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

“I know that sometimes change has to be made for change’s sake”

But that’s not what’s going to happen here. It’s going to be made for a real reason. Right?

"You just gotta roll with the ounches." - Clemson58YearOldMan

by emd2k3 on Sep 23, 2009 9:50 AM EDT reply actions

That bothered me, too.

To be fair, had Wedge had the greatest season of any manager ever, the Tribe still likely would have fallen below expectations this year. [Yes, I realize this is completely unsupportable.] But when Wedge gets fired this offseason, it very much will not be change for the sake of change.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Sep 23, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions

Don’t let it bother you.

We can give him (and his superiors) the comfort of a rationalization. It costs us nothing.

by Jay on Sep 23, 2009 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions

I’ve always pictured you as a truth-teller. This seems out of character for you.

-Erik

by drerikbrady on Sep 23, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions

This is a situation where the decision itself is vastly more important than the decision process.

by stuart dean on Sep 23, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I’m not saying I agree with it or that anyone else should. But I think it’s a very normal human reaction. The man is going to be fired. I have enough empathy not to argue with him about the reasons.

by Jay on Sep 23, 2009 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Yep, I saw it as Wedge not being able to admit he might stink at managing.

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Sep 23, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

I actually feel kind of bad for Wedge.

by Roger Dorn on Sep 23, 2009 1:06 PM EDT reply actions

I will be curious to where he lands next and in what capacity.

by Toxicadam on Sep 23, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m betting he manages again someday and might even have some success. Terry Francona’s record with the Phillies was terrible, dropping to 67-97 (.401!) in his fourth and final year (2000, 41 years old), and now he is considered one of the top managers.

If you believe it's just a game, you're also probably wondering why Santa keeps skipping your house every year.

by LeftyCatcher on Sep 23, 2009 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

And Charlie, too. Wedge will definitely manage again.

by odradek on Sep 23, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions

I feel bad for anyone losing their job, but Wedge deserves to go. Like CU mentioned above, if he had the greatest managerial season ever (not trying to start an argument as to how you’d quantify this), this team is still not competing for the playoffs. A manager’s impact is on those small sampling of games where his decisions make a difference. Quite frankly, his reluctance to play younger guys and his insistence on playing the Dellucci’s of the world probably cost us a few wins. For that reason, and for how this team has played over the last month or so, I think it’s time to say goodbye to Wedge.

My great fear here is that our next manager is a Wedge clone. I truly know very little about Luvullo and Sarbaugh’s styles, and I’ll keep my fingers crossed if they’re hired, but my gut feeling is that we’re going to hire someone in-house who has been cast in the same die as Wedge, mainly because I don’t think many quality candidates outside the organization will want to come to Cleveland, and those in-house guys will be cheap.

by millionairesrow on Sep 23, 2009 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

mainly because I don’t think many quality candidates outside the organization will want to come to Cleveland

There are only 30 of these jobs. Unless you’ve already got one, I have to imagine you take the one you can get especially since once you’re in the club, it’s a whole lot easier to get hired again.

I mean, it’s not like Farrell or whoever can wait around for the Dodgers, Red Sox or Mets jobs. Those jobs might not come open for a decade.

by afh4 on Sep 23, 2009 4:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah. I mean, look at Mangini!

by peter m on Sep 23, 2009 4:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Mangini really shouldn’t have been considered for any HC jobs. He got lucky that someone was stupid enough to offer him one.

And as for the “only 30” claim, Josh McDaniels turned down the Raiders job a year before taking Denver’s. Oakland is a toxic situation and all, but it shows that there are reasons to turn such jobs down.

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Sep 23, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m glad this is settled already.

by Roger Dorn on Sep 23, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions

Do we ever need to bring up football on this site? Ever?

The game is so totally different, from bottom to top, that it’s totally non-germane to any discussion.

by afh4 on Sep 23, 2009 5:10 PM EDT up reply actions 7 recs

I hate football. I was just making the point that people take what are obviously bad jobs because there are relatively few of them.

by peter m on Sep 24, 2009 9:35 AM EDT up reply actions

How can you feel bad for someone who could get $1 million for not working?

If he wants to work next year, he can find a job somewhere in baseball, even as an ML coach.
Probably take a few years for him to get recycled as a manager.

by palcal on Sep 23, 2009 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions

oh god, he’s gonna land in some network’s studio, isn’t he?

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Sep 23, 2009 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

“Well you know JOe, he just might run into one.”

Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?

by ClemsonGirl on Sep 23, 2009 4:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, Krukker, I like him because he’s a grinder, and he occasionally runs into one.

E. Wedge of the future.

"But people are stupid, and their memories are short." - FredOx

by woodsmeister on Sep 23, 2009 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions

Too many facial tics. No go.

"You just gotta roll with the ounches." - Clemson58YearOldMan

by emd2k3 on Sep 23, 2009 10:19 PM EDT up reply actions

I can empathize with anyone who has lost a job. I’m sure the paycheck makes it easier, but it’s not like it’s an enjoyable situation for him to go through.

by millionairesrow on Sep 23, 2009 4:41 PM EDT up reply actions

I’m in favor of a change, and the main reason IS change for change sake. I believe in this, whether it relates to an individual player or in this case, a manager/coach of a team. It just gives everyone a fresh start. I am a firm believer in organizational stability, and I generally like Wedge as a manager, but sometimes a change needs to be made.

The other reason that I think a change should be made is that Wedge has been unable to get the bullpen back on the rails until it was too late for 3 of the past 4 years. I don’t know if that was his fault, but we do know he hasn’t been able to correct it in time.

From what I can tell based on comments from those in baseball over the years, Wedge is pretty-well respected. I’d be surprised if he’s not managing by 2011, if not next year.

by TribeJay on Sep 23, 2009 7:17 PM EDT reply actions

At this stage in the season, what value is there in keeping Wedge with the team? The Indians are so far under water, so demoralized, that I have to wonder why the manager should stick around. Is it because the front office values continuity and has determined through its research that teams who fire their managers doing the season don’t do well after they fire their manager?

by odradek on Sep 24, 2009 1:01 AM EDT reply actions

I kind of wish Shapiro would come don from the front office for the last 10 games like Hart did. Just to get it out of his system. I don’t think he really wants to do it or even will do it, but what the hey, the season is dust anyways.

by talonk on Sep 24, 2009 3:06 AM EDT up reply actions