Cleveland Indians' Manny Acta makes a winning impression on fans at town hall meeting
halfway down the article there are some responses Acta makes regarding Choo being in the process of gaining his U.S. citizenship, Raffy Perez possibly being used as a starter, and Travis Hafner playing regularly as opposed to taking off every third game.
about 2 years ago
hans
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Oh god I waded into the comments.
Band name alert!
Broken Down Kerry Woods
"I'm a baseball lifer. It's what I do." —Manny Acta
The best:
Oh and PS. The Indians suck. When will MLB get a salary cap? Better question, When will Larry “Cheap Skate” Dolan poney up and actually invest money into the team like Dan Gilbert?
Three of my favorites in one two-sentence cluster.
Before taking Pro-Acta, please consult your doctor. Do not taunt Pro-Acta.
When will MLB get a salary cap?
When will Larry "Cheap Skate" Dolan poney up and actually invest money into the team like Dan Gilbert?
Aren’t these internally contradictory?
I could really use an oscillation overthruster
Very close. Gilbert is considered a free spender because he is very willing to take on large contracts and absorb any and all cap penalties to make his team better. Then again, if there were a cap in baseball, who is to say it wouldn’t be low enough that Dolan could possibly be in same situation.
So, yeah.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
I like Acta’s sense of humor – his personality is a nice change of pace. I’m not sure that will translate into wins, but at least it’s entertaining.
Wasn’t Wedge just “Mr. Serious Face” all the time or what? I hope Acta can keep it loose when it can be but keep it serious when it needs to be.
Columbus til I die, Columbus til I die. I know I am, I swear I am, Columbus til I die!
Damn it feels good to be a Buckeye!
FKA BLAZER_FAN_199. Now an author for the Jackets Cannon! Check it out!
by Andrew Tolliver on Jan 26, 2010 2:19 PM EST up reply actions
“I saw his last start in Puerto Rico,” said Acta. “He had good command and was throwing all his pitches for strikes. I could tell by the look on his face he was pain free. There will be no restrictions on him.”
Awesome. Fire all the trainers!
he must have had jhonny’s look. he obviously has no passion and is having no fun whatsoever*, but dude is never hurt!
*joke
Everytime Jhonny pulls an outside pitch on the ground to the shortstop, he should be forced to wear a joker-like sh_t-eating grin for a full inning. That’ll learn him.
I could really use an oscillation overthruster
by stuart dean on Jan 26, 2010 12:18 PM EST up reply actions
Lets take the Lou Brown approach. Everytime Jhonny pulls one to the shortstop he owes us jumping jacks, right there at the plate.
Columbus til I die, Columbus til I die. I know I am, I swear I am, Columbus til I die!
Damn it feels good to be a Buckeye!
FKA BLAZER_FAN_199. Now an author for the Jackets Cannon! Check it out!
by Andrew Tolliver on Jan 26, 2010 2:22 PM EST up reply actions
more (and better) from castro
…One season-ticket holder inquired about Acta’s policy on bunting…
This would have been an opportunity for Acta to simply tell the fan what he wanted to hear, but instead he turned the tables on him, asking him if he would let one of his best hitters bunt with a man on first and none out in order to get the runner into scoring position. The fan answered in the affirmative, and Acta quickly told him he was wrong, before launching into his sabermetric-aided beliefs. He said unless the hitter in question is batting below .240, the stats suggest that you’re better off letting the hitter swing away.
by Brick. on Jan 26, 2010 12:18 PM EST reply actions 7 recs
If you connect the dots, Acta is saying that one of his best hitters might be someone batting below .240. Bring back Kelly.
BURN
Columbus til I die, Columbus til I die. I know I am, I swear I am, Columbus til I die!
Damn it feels good to be a Buckeye!
FKA BLAZER_FAN_199. Now an author for the Jackets Cannon! Check it out!
by Andrew Tolliver on Jan 26, 2010 2:23 PM EST up reply actions
Wow, I’m a jerk. I read that and thought “BA? Really? Why wouldn’t you at least go by OBP?”
by VA tribe fan on Jan 27, 2010 1:56 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Note this edit to Casto’s blog:
Acta said Choo is in the process of becoming an American citizen.I spoke with assistant GM Chris Antonetti about this today, and he said Acta misspoke here. He said Choo has not begun the process of acquiring citizenship, but the Indians remain 100 percent confident Choo will not have to leave the team to fulfill his obligation.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
if only it were 110%. perhaps that’s one of the intangibles redmond brings. mauer, after all, is a u.s. citizen.
Not at all, not when it comes to obligations like his. I have a good friend who is a Korean living here in the US and has already fulfilled his military service. Although not an Indians fan, he’s of course highly supportive of Choo. He says he doesn’t see a way around having to go back and serve unless he gets a special dispensation. He personally thinks Choo should get on for being on a ML roster, but doubts it will come.
Of course, one option is for Choo to simply not go back to S. Korea – ever.
I just wanted to believe.
Exactly. It’s a last resort, but probably what will end up happening if they don’t grant it for him.
unless, of course, playing baseball – even for millions – isn’t as important to him as never again seeing his home country and whatever friends and family still live there.
Before taking Pro-Acta, please consult your doctor. Do not taunt Pro-Acta.
My estimate here is that there has been talk of Choo getting his citizenship and that if an exception isn’t granted in a timely order then they will pursue that route. The reason I think this is because I’m doubting that after having spoke to Shapiro about it, Acta would conjure up the citizenship story out of thin air. There has to at least have been talk.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
Of course he wasn’t. I cringed when I read it; obviously it was a gaffe.
The key to Choo’s dealings with his government is that they must know that they’re on the spot without ever being put on the spot publicly. If Choo announces that he’s perfectly willing to renounce his citizenship, the government almost has to deny him special dispensation to save face. He needs to let it look like their decision.
i don’t want to speak for Choo, but if I were a betting man I would bet on him placing the priority on earning millions of dollars and excelling in a sport he loves.
And given that players in these situations have generally committed almost the entirety of their life over the last 10 years to the game, it isn’t a very tough choice.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
I disagree. Think about it this way – if your entire family, most (if not all) of your close friends were all on the other side of the world in an area 3/4 the size of Ohio. Sure, people could come visit you – but you could never again go visit them or go home for a holiday. If you have a relative who dies, your parents for example, you could not go home for the funeral. The language you speak and the culture you know is not spoken or lived anywhere else in the world. You can’t get the food you know and love (trust me, having lived for a year with my Korean friend, the food is specific. Also, having lived abroad before – the things people often miss the most is food).
So in your 20’s, having been raised in a culture that places emphasis on family and duty, you decide that you will never go back again – just so you can play a sport which you can easily play at home and very likely could continue in 2 years after your obligation.
I know it’s easy for us to say, “Of course he’ll choose to stay and play for the Indians over doing some military service.” But I doubt reality is quite that easy.
I just wanted to believe.
Is it a foregone conclusion that if Choo renounces his citizenship, he is barred from ever entering the country?
U.S. citizens visit South Korea all the time.
I’ll ask my friend what happens under that scenario. All I do know is that it’ll take him at least 5 years to get US Citizenship.
But what about his status now? I assume he’s here on a work visa. What happens if he renounces his citizenship? I had a girl in my office who was here in Washington, but had to go back to Europe to file and get a different work visa when her previous visa expired. How does renouncing his citizenship (which is what he’s doing) affect his ability to travel to Canada to play in Toronto (does Korea revoke his passport)? Does he have to declare asylum here in the US? I don’t know the answers to any of these questions. All I do know is that the US Citizen and Immigration Services are a royal pain in the arse.
I just wanted to believe.
Canada might not require a passport from him to travel? From what I understand it is the US that requires it’s citizens have a passport now to travel there. Could be wrong, though. This is getting well beyond my ability. I have all confidence that this type of situation has so many loopholes and exceptions that it takes a lawyer to decipher.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
Even if Canada doesn’t require a passport (unlikely for citizens of other countries – we don’t realize how unique the open boarder was) the US will now require a passport for reentry to the US. And if that passport has been invalidated he could have serious difficulties. Once again, I’m not an immigration lawyer. I am sure that Choo and this Indians have consulted one though.
I just wanted to believe.
Individuals with unique and exceptional skills are in a different category, and that classification has been applied even to minor league players, let alone above-average major leaguers. He won’t have any trouble getting back into the U.S.
If Canada for some douchey reason makes this an issue, then he’ll skip the once-a-year weekend in Toronto. It’s not like we’re going to be meeting them in the ALCS anytime soon.
Can he actually relinquish citizenship in Korea without becoming a citizen of another country? I’m not sure that’s even possible; it would certainly make his status in the US problematic, since “stateless” individuals aren’t something most countries want to deal with (and he has no basis for seeking asylum or anything of that sort).
'If I'm not here, 'I'll be somewhere else.'' Andy Marte
According to the state department’s web site, Korean males who emigrate to the US and become US citizens automatically relinquish Korean citizenship and have no military obligation.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1018.html
I think this would also mean Choo, as a naturalized US citizen, would have the right to travel to S. Korea in the same way as any US citizen without fear of being drafted.
'If I'm not here, 'I'll be somewhere else.'' Andy Marte
The US generally frowns on dual citizenship. Technically you’re supposed to relinquish citizenship of another country once you’ve become a US citizen. Most people, however, do not since there is no real means of enforcing it. The US, however, does not like it when an individual has two passports, for instance.
I just wanted to believe.
This isn’t really relevant to Choo, since under KOREAN law he loses his citizenship in Korea if he becomes a naturalized US citizen, but the State department’s public statements on this are more tolerant — they suggest that the US accepts dual citizenship and indicate that a US citizen who applies for citizenship elsewhere actually has to indicate intent to give up their US citizenship for the latter to happen. I don’t know what happens in practice, but this suggests a more open attitude on paper, anyway.
http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1753.html
'If I'm not here, 'I'll be somewhere else.'' Andy Marte
They get a cheap ticket to Japan.
Welcome back, Sandy! ATALECG...
by USSChoo on Jan 29, 2010 4:19 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs
There’s also this blurb about Baboo, from CastroTurf:
•On attempts to sign Jamey Carroll: “We did offer Jamey a good contract. We did try very hard to sign him, because who wouldn’t want to have Jamey? I know he’s already married, but Jamey’s a guy you would want to marry your daughter.”
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jan 27, 2010 6:26 AM EST reply actions
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