Wedge Staring at Death's Door

[Beanpot]

I have no idea who could possibly come in and fix this mess of a team, but it looks like we're about to have a new skipper to kick around:

 

Decision time? As Cleveland Indians stumble, pressure increasing on manager Eric Wedge

Posted by jturner June 21, 2009 16:43PM

CHICAGO -- The fate of manager Eric Wedge is in the hands of owners Larry and Paul Dolan. If they say he's gone, he's gone.

 

The Dolans were at Wrigley Field for Friday and Saturday's extra-inning losses to the Cubs that extended the Indians' losing streak to five games and dropped them a season-high nine games out of first place in the AL Central and 12 games below .500. They were there as part of the team's annual family trip.

 

Besides seeing Wrigley's ivy-covered outfield walls, they would have been better off spending the weekend at Cedar Point.

 

When asked if he was considering a change, Larry Dolan said, "I'll talk to you later." When asked if that meant a change was being considered, Dolan said, "I just don't want to lie to you."

 

GM Mark Shapiro said Saturday night that he does not believe Wedge should be fired.

 

"I don't feel one person, coach or manager is responsible for the problems we're having," he said. "It's the magnitude of the injuries we've suffered combined with a bullpen that has performed at a very poor level.

 

"Part of the bullpen's performance is tied to the inconsistency of our starting rotation and not having three-fifth of the rotation we opened the season with."

 

Shapiro added, "If anyone is to blame, it's me."

 

The Dolans trust Shapiro implicitly. Outside of the team payroll, they do not meddle in team decisions. If they push for Wedge's firing, it will be a first in their tenure as owners.

 

Shapiro said this has been his most trying season as general manager. He feels a responsibility for the bullpen, which has blown 13 saves, because he put it together.

 

It is one of the reasons he feels Wedge should not be fired.

 

Another is that the Indians usually score enough runs to keep things close before something goes wrong in the late innings. They've lost 10 games this season in the opposition's final at-bat.

 

Shapiro sees that as a sign that Wedge hasn't lost the club.

 

"He keeps putting us in position to win," said one veteran Indian. "It's up to us to go out and win the battle."

 

Said another veteran, "It's not like we're getting blown out. I actually think we've been playing pretty well. But we seem to be making mistakes late in games."

 

This is Wedge's seventh season as manager. Picked to contend, the Indians have been in last place for all but three days this season.

 

"I don't doubt that [i'm still reaching the players]," said Wedge. "This team is fighting. We've had some tough breaks this year. But you don't play 13 innings Saturday after losing a tough game Friday if you don't have a lot of fight in you. I'm still confident we're going to do better."

 

The heat, however, is on.

 

"There is always going to be fingers pointed at me," said Wedge. "That comes with the territory. When you have this type of year, and you're going through a tough stretch like this, there is going to be a certain amount of focus on me. I take full responsibility. I don't shy away from that at all."

 

The Indians have been hit hard by injuries, but most teams are over the course of a season. Their offense is built on Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner. Only Martinez has been healthy and productive. Hot-hitting Asdrubal Cabrera is on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury

 

The opening day rotation has lost Anthony Reyes and Scott Lewis to injury and Fausto Carmona to poor performance. Jake Westbrook's comeback from Tommy John surgery has hit a snag and swing man Aaron Laffey is still recovering from a strained right oblique.

 

Wood has gotten inconsistent work as a closer. Set-up man Rafael Betancourt is injured, while his left-handed complement, Rafael Perez, has been disappointing. Side-armer Joe Smith has been injured and disappointing.

 

They have already used 41 players, including 23 pitchers.

 

Shapiro joined the team Saturday in Chicago. He took his son, Caden, so they could celebrate Father's Day on Sunday at Wrigley.

 

If Wedge is fired, Shapiro has plenty of interim candidates. Third-base coach Joel Skinner filled that role when Shapiro fired Charlie Manuel at the All-Star break in 2002. He hired Wedge at the end of that season.

 

Class AAA manager Torey Lovullo is a possibility, as is bench coach Jeff Datz or special assistant Robby Thompson.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2...veland_ind.html

 

Beanpot

[BrownB499]

Shapiros'( or Dolans') waiting for the AllStar break to send him down the road but, lord, time for this guy to hit the bricks

 

these guys aren't play'n for him anymore, their playing for a ticket outta here.

 

End it already Mark... it's over.

[ballpeen]

A bad deal, but I have never liked Wedge...a little to nice.

 

As a old guy like Bobby Cox you can be mellow.

 

Wedge spends to much time jerking his neck in a nervous twitch for my liking.

[SoCalBrownsFan]

A bad deal, but I have never liked Wedge...a little to nice.

 

As a old guy like Bobby Cox you can be mellow.

 

Wedge spends to much time jerking his neck in a nervous twitch for my liking.

Wedge is a stone. Build a statue of him and sit them side to side, and see how hard it is to pick out the real one.

 

Just once I would like him to go Pinella on the Tribe.

[CIMO.]

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20...rtnerId=rss_cle

 

Tribe's coaching staff can take sigh of relief

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

 

CLEVELAND -- The clouds of doubt that have hovered over Indians manager Eric Wedge and his coaching staff in recent weeks have given way to clear skies.

 

Whether they return after October is a matter that will be decided over the remainder of the second half. But for now, Wedge and his staff have been assured by general manager Mark Shapiro and the Larry and Paul Dolan ownership that their jobs are safe through the rest of the 2009 season.

 

Shapiro made the official announcement Sunday morning.

 

"As I've said all along, the responsibility for the disappointments this season doesn't rest with one person," Shapiro said. "The responsibility is spread equally throughout the players, the front office, Eric and his staff. And I felt it's important for the remainder of the second half to remove the potential distraction that exists from that speculation."

 

That last point was an important one for Shapiro. When rumors swirled about CC Sabathia's possible departure last summer, the Indians found themselves in the midst of a 10-game losing streak. Players pointed to the Sabathia situation as a distraction.

 

Shapiro didn't want that to happen this time around.

 

"I'm not very sympathetic to the potential of that distraction," Shapiro said, "but I'm eliminating that potential, at this point."

 

Wedge was pleased to hear the news, but he said this doesn't change anything with regard to how he goes about his job.

 

"I just focus on today and working hard to help our players be better," he said. "We've got a solid coaching staff that cares about the right things, and we're going to be much better. The things I can't control, I don't concern myself with."

 

Players surveyed after Sunday's game expressed satisfaction with the news.

 

"For me, it's great news," catcher Victor Martinez said. "He always cares about us. He lets you play and makes you play the game the right way. I'm really happy to hear that. He's a great manager. It's easy to blame one guy instead of 25 guys."

 

Said first baseman Ryan Garko: "A lot of that [speculation] got overblown in the first place."

 

Of course, this doesn't mean Wedge -- who is 529-525 in seven years at the helm entering Sunday and was the 2007 American League Manager of the Year -- and his staff are completely off the hook. The Indians entered Sunday's play with a 33-49 record and 12 games back in the AL Central, a division they entered the season expecting to claim. A large segment of the fan base has been clamoring for change.

 

While Wedge's fate might not be directly tied to the wins and losses, it is certainly tied to the job he and his coaches do at developing the young players on the roster for 2010 and beyond. Of particular interest are the second halves to come from Fausto Carmona, who is nearing his return from a Minor League banishment, and Rafael Perez, who hasn't been the key bullpen cog he was expected to be entering the season.

 

"There are a lot of young players we need to see develop so that we have a better base for making evaluations going into the offseason," Shapiro said.

 

In recent weeks, particularly as the Indians went 9-18 in June, speculation began to mount that Wedge and his coaches were the ones under intense evaluation not just by Shapiro, but also by the ownership. Shapiro has been unwavering in his support of Wedge and his insistence that the accountability for what's transpired over the past two seasons rests with him, not Wedge. But the view of ownership was somewhat of a mystery, and it was expected that Shapiro and the Dolans would meet to discuss the managerial situation, among other topics.

 

In talking to reporters Sunday, however, Shapiro made it clear that his announcement is not the result of a specific meeting, but rather the next step in a continuing conversation about the direction of the ballclub.

 

"It was a natural progression to take this public," Shapiro said.

 

Shapiro also said the last couple weeks have not been awkward for him and Wedge.

 

"The communication with Eric and I has been consistent, completely open and honest," Shapiro said. "We know the nature of the relationship going in, and we know the potential outcomes that exist."

 

Shapiro also shook off any notion that the Tribe players have tuned out Wedge this season.

 

"There hasn't been any prolonged point of this season where I think our club hasn't been giving the effort," Shapiro said. "The talent's been lacking at times, but the club's been giving the effort."

[J-Miester7]

I have no idea who could possibly come in and fix this mess of a team, but it looks like we're about to have a new skipper to kick around:

 

Decision time? As Cleveland Indians stumble, pressure increasing on manager Eric Wedge

Posted by jturner June 21, 2009 16:43PM

CHICAGO -- The fate of manager Eric Wedge is in the hands of owners Larry and Paul Dolan. If they say he's gone, he's gone.

 

The Dolans were at Wrigley Field for Friday and Saturday's extra-inning losses to the Cubs that extended the Indians' losing streak to five games and dropped them a season-high nine games out of first place in the AL Central and 12 games below .500. They were there as part of the team's annual family trip.

 

Besides seeing Wrigley's ivy-covered outfield walls, they would have been better off spending the weekend at Cedar Point.

 

When asked if he was considering a change, Larry Dolan said, "I'll talk to you later." When asked if that meant a change was being considered, Dolan said, "I just don't want to lie to you."

 

GM Mark Shapiro said Saturday night that he does not believe Wedge should be fired.

 

"I don't feel one person, coach or manager is responsible for the problems we're having," he said. "It's the magnitude of the injuries we've suffered combined with a bullpen that has performed at a very poor level.

 

"Part of the bullpen's performance is tied to the inconsistency of our starting rotation and not having three-fifth of the rotation we opened the season with."

 

Shapiro added, "If anyone is to blame, it's me."

 

The Dolans trust Shapiro implicitly. Outside of the team payroll, they do not meddle in team decisions. If they push for Wedge's firing, it will be a first in their tenure as owners.

 

Shapiro said this has been his most trying season as general manager. He feels a responsibility for the bullpen, which has blown 13 saves, because he put it together.

 

It is one of the reasons he feels Wedge should not be fired.

 

Another is that the Indians usually score enough runs to keep things close before something goes wrong in the late innings. They've lost 10 games this season in the opposition's final at-bat.

 

Shapiro sees that as a sign that Wedge hasn't lost the club.

 

"He keeps putting us in position to win," said one veteran Indian. "It's up to us to go out and win the battle."

 

Said another veteran, "It's not like we're getting blown out. I actually think we've been playing pretty well. But we seem to be making mistakes late in games."

 

This is Wedge's seventh season as manager. Picked to contend, the Indians have been in last place for all but three days this season.

 

"I don't doubt that [i'm still reaching the players]," said Wedge. "This team is fighting. We've had some tough breaks this year. But you don't play 13 innings Saturday after losing a tough game Friday if you don't have a lot of fight in you. I'm still confident we're going to do better."

 

The heat, however, is on.

 

"There is always going to be fingers pointed at me," said Wedge. "That comes with the territory. When you have this type of year, and you're going through a tough stretch like this, there is going to be a certain amount of focus on me. I take full responsibility. I don't shy away from that at all."

 

The Indians have been hit hard by injuries, but most teams are over the course of a season. Their offense is built on Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner. Only Martinez has been healthy and productive. Hot-hitting Asdrubal Cabrera is on the disabled list with a left shoulder injury

 

The opening day rotation has lost Anthony Reyes and Scott Lewis to injury and Fausto Carmona to poor performance. Jake Westbrook's comeback from Tommy John surgery has hit a snag and swing man Aaron Laffey is still recovering from a strained right oblique.

 

Wood has gotten inconsistent work as a closer. Set-up man Rafael Betancourt is injured, while his left-handed complement, Rafael Perez, has been disappointing. Side-armer Joe Smith has been injured and disappointing.

 

They have already used 41 players, including 23 pitchers.

 

Shapiro joined the team Saturday in Chicago. He took his son, Caden, so they could celebrate Father's Day on Sunday at Wrigley.

 

If Wedge is fired, Shapiro has plenty of interim candidates. Third-base coach Joel Skinner filled that role when Shapiro fired Charlie Manuel at the All-Star break in 2002. He hired Wedge at the end of that season.

 

Class AAA manager Torey Lovullo is a possibility, as is bench coach Jeff Datz or special assistant Robby Thompson.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2...veland_ind.html

 

Beanpot

 

With Shaps sticking his neck out for Wedge it means he now has a date with the guillotine right after Wedge loses his head.

 

Thank God!