Another in a long line of moronic moves.

When people are promoted in a company in many cases they leave a void.  That is, there is no one good enough to replace them so they just pick the next guy in line, even if he is incompetent.

So it goes with the Cleveland Indians.

In another move whose timing can only be described as moronic, the Indians fired Manny Acta today.

What is to be gained by this?  There are 6 freakin' games left!

Were the Indians ticked at Acta because he won 2 games in Chicago, jeopardizing their 4th slot in the draft next year? 

Aside from that, what on earth could have caused them to fire him now?

Manny Acta stinks as a manager.  I said when he was hired that it was a joke to have a guy who stunk it up in Washington as your manager.  As I wrote before, his teams have tanked it after May in every year except when they stunk equally bad before and after May.  Saying he did the best he can to win is like saying I did the best I could to be a major league baseball player.  Lots of effort, no talent.  Like me, Acta should have given up after little league.

But firing him now?  Did Dolan fall asleep in June and just wake up now?  I don't think so.  But then why? 

Here is my theory.  Antonnetti knows he is gone and he was going to get the pleasure of publically humiliating Acta by dumping him now, during the season.    Say what you want about Acta stinking but Antonnetti is the real cause of this mess.  Between Antonnetti and Shapiro/Mirabelli/Grant, this franchise is so messed up it could very well, as I predicted after the Jimenez trade went south, not have another winning season for 10 years.

Now, that being said, they do have a GOOD chance to win next year if they invest in three players (#2 starter, power hitting RH firstbaseman AND left fielder) and if everyone has a good to great year.  While you may laugh at this it is very possible.  They really have a pretty strong team if they can get a couple or three pretty good players.  No superstars like Pujols or Miguel Cabrera or Konerko but solid from 1-9, 1-5 and in innings 7-9, with REAL depth in the pitching staff. 

This team, with the right manager, can win next year.  I wonder if the Indians are thinking that manager is Sandy Alomar Jr. and wanted to snag him before his contract expired. 

I hope so because if they canned Acta because they were upset with his perfomance this year,  they were only about 60 games too late (actually almost 500 games too late for my taste).  But, with that clown Antonnetti at the helm and with Shapiro apparently   taking a hands off instead of hands around Antonnetti's throat approach,  they could have really thought that firing your manager with 6 games left made some sort of statement to the fans about the team's desire to win next year. 

So, Acta is gone and Antonnetti should be gone.  If life was built around poetic justice, Antonnetti should be banned to being a vendor next year at the Prog.  That way the few fans who show up will have the opportunity to tell Chris up close and personal what an idiot he is and how much they REALLY don't like that he has doomed this franchise to 10 years of bad, bad baseball.

Vinnie Rottino playing, Manny Acta fired.  Yep, polish up that resume' Chris.  You are on the street in days!