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Nationals fire Manny Acta

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Mark DeCotis, Jul 13, 2009.

  1. Mark  DeCotis

    Mark DeCotis New Member

    Midway through his third season as manager of the woeful Washington Nationals, manager Manny Acta has been fired.



    The team plans an 11:30 a.m. press conference today to discuss the managerial situation.


    The Nationals, who hold spring training in Viera, have Major League Baseball’s worst record at the All-Star break, 26-61. Acta’s record at the Nationals’ helm was 158-252.
     
  2. Matt1735

    Matt1735 Well-Known Member

    So a team with an acta-ing GM will have an acta-ing manager, but neither one will be Acta.
     
  3. Bob Cook

    Bob Cook Active Member

    Rearranging deck chairs, Titanic, etc.
     
  4. Starman

    Starman Well-Known Member

    And Montreal chuckles. :D :D
     
  5. spnited

    spnited Active Member

    He'll end up in Flushing next year after Manuel gets canned
     
  6. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Enjoy that.
     
  7. Pancamo

    Pancamo Active Member

    Always looks bored. Pathetic franchise.
     
  8. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    There's enough talent on that team to be better than 26-61, whether it's Acta's fault or not.
     
  9. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Agreed. Team should be 36-51.
     
  10. expendable

    expendable Well-Known Member

    I wonder how long it will be before Acta gets another shot. The Nats are 26-61 because of the front office, not because of Manny.
     
  11. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Offered without comment, a copy of the letter the Nationals sent to saps like me who keep pouring money (for now) into this franchise:

    To Fans of the Washington Nationals,

    No one is more dissatisfied in the first half of the 2009 Washington Nationals season than we are. Like you, we had hoped that some of our younger players would have matured faster and that the addition of some of our new veterans would have significantly improved our record from a season ago. Our hope was that solid club leadership would emerge on and off the field and that some intangible combinations would begin to click resulting in many winning streaks.

    We definitely do see significant pieces materializing for the future, and there have been many close, exciting games and optimistic bright spots: Strong outings by John Lannan, the home run and RBI production of Adam Dunn, the All-Star selection and 30-game hitting streak of Ryan Zimmerman and the recent addition of speedster Nyjer Morgan. Much of the season, however, has been defined by weak relief pitching, poor defense, and youthful inconsistency. We have tried to work through this period with patience and focus but now we are faced with mounting losses which are beginning to take a toll on our entire roster. Clearly, some changes are required as we prepare for the second half of the 2009 season and, more importantly, build for a competitive future.

    Today, we announced that manager Manny Acta is being replaced on an interim basis by Jim Riggleman, veteran manager, and currently the Nats bench coach. Both the Ownership and the entire Washington Nationals organization have the highest respect for Manny Acta and the role he has played in the short history of the Nationals. However, it is our belief that a fresh attitude and approach is necessary as we set out to improve our performance for the remainder of the year. We want to send a strong message to our clubhouse and our fans that the status quo is unacceptable. We believe that more is expected of everyone in the organization.

    Baseball operations will be reevaluating all our players and our options for improvement over the next several months. We hope to sign our 2009 draft choices by the August deadline. We hope these new additions will join an already exciting Nationals youth movement headed by the likes of Lannan, Jesus Flores, Alberto Gonzalez, Jordan Zimmermann and Craig Stammen on our current roster, and the likes of promising Minor League stars like Chris Marrero, Michael Burgess, Danny Espinosa, Derek Norris and Drew Storen, among many others. But, we also will be determining the viability of trades or roster upgrades that can be made without doing damage to the farm system or the developing talent we expect to blossom within the next two years.

    When we bought the Washington Nationals in the middle of the 2006 season - just under three years ago - we committed to a patient, long term approach, building a strong farm system and core foundation that would deliver a perennial and consistent contender; to provide a second-to-none family entertainment value at Nationals Park; and to investment and involvement in the metropolitan Washington, DC community. Today we remain steadfastly committed to each component of that mission. We are proud to represent the National Pastime in the Nation's Capital, and we are proud to call the Capital area home.

    We know we have a way to go, but the end result will be all the richer for the early days we've spent together at Nationals Park. We are getting better. We want you to be with us as the pieces of the puzzle come together. Your support is powerful to the Nationals and baseball in Washington. Thank you for your continuing patience and your commitment to a shared dream.

    Sincerely,
    Washington Nationals Baseball Club


    My response:

    To The Washington Nationals:

    Thanks for the note. Now STFU and produce, eh? You've changed almost everything from the day you arrived. Almost all the players. The manager, twice now. Coaches. The GM (thank you for that). The improvement seen? None. Zero. Zip. We keep hearing how things are on the right track blah blah blah blah blah. How about showing us that? You act like you're the only organization in the world with good, young talent. You are not. So save the energy it takes to tell us how sorry you are things are working out this way. Put all of it toward fixing this mess and fixing it quickly.

    Nice touch, leaving your new (interim) manager out of the press conference, by the way. Not that we'd want to hear from the man charged with trying to clean up some of this mess.

    Sincerely,

    NFBLooser
    Owner of four (partial) season-tickets, a big gas bill and more "Curly W" clothes than any human should claim to own.
     
  12. Trey Beamon

    Trey Beamon Active Member

    Acta deserves blame, but only to a certain point. He wasn't the one who put together The Bullpen From Hell.

    Then again, it's not all bad for the Nats. They have some nice rotation pieces in Zimmermann, Lannan, Martis and Stammen. And I'd certainly take the potential of Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper over consecutive 68-94 win seasons.
     
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