From the Washington Post via CTB...
Ok, living in DC and watching too many Nationals games for my own good I do have a decent view of what goes on with this team day to day (a team that is 4th in the hearts of fans in the city...I think it is safe to say that the Redskins are #1 but a very close #2 are the Capitals) so I have a few thoughts to offer on this...
1. This is probably the only logical reason for firing Manny Acta. If you have ever seen the guy you know he is always smiling, having a fun time, and has a passion for the game that is refreshing. I mean, he has to, after all, watching your team lose day after day there is either something wrong about you or you just love that you have the opportunity to manage in the big leagues. Acta was the latter. The only problem with this approach is that, unfortunately, MLB is not a sandlot game, and that these are grown men who sometimes act like boys and need a smack in the head. Acta didn't believe in giving out spankings though.
2. His team needs a firebrand. Acta is perfect for a group of veteran players because he can have fun and handle those types of personalities. To work with young players you need part fun guy, part punkass, and part in-your-face sergeant. Two examples of this would be Joe Maddon and Fredi Gonzalez, two guys who have shaped their young teams into threats. The Nationals need someone who can be one of the guys, make an ass of himself in the club house, and get a team fired up. The Nationals need an old guy who can do this...Bobby Valentine perhaps?
3. There were two players on the team who have had some issues in the past. One, Lastings Milledge, is not longer on the team and is starting to get the lovely tag of 'failed prospect'. Beyond his MySpace Page and his X-Rated Hip Hop Lyrics, Lastings Milledge is just flat out lazy as hell...But So Were The Nationals. You have a kid who has all the talent in the world and you let him act like a spoiled little brat who pouts and stamps his feet at a Toys R Us because his mom won't buy him a new G.I Joe. In this case the Mets had the audacity to require their players to show up early, warm up, and get ready for a game in a semi-regimented fashion. I mean, how dare you treat your players like they are expected to perform at 100% everytime they step on the field! Anyways, those hardasses in Queens were too much for Lastings so he was traded to a team that would allow him to be the gangsta that he is. Word. How does the story end? With Milledge unable to maintain a starting role on the worst team in baseball and, thus, traded to the Pirates in the steal of the year for the Nationals. Apparently it was when Milledge showed up late one day and Acta said nothing which started the ball rolling on the 'Acta is too soft for this team' movement.
The next player needs almost no introduction. He has, shall we say, a colorful personality...and entire page dedicated to him in Tampa Bay where he started his career. Here are some of my favorite, albeit alleged, Elijah Dukes stories...
He threw a Gatorade bottle at a pregnant woman...a 17-year old woman who he impregnated (who by the way was once a foster child).
He has 5 kids with 4 different women
He threaten to kill a woman by sending her text messages like 'dont let me see you when you come home'
He threaten to kill his wife by sending her a text message with a picture of his gun
He was arrested on possession of Marijuana charges
He has pulled a 'Do You Know Who I am" (allegedly it was a traffic stop and he said something to the effect of 'I play pro ball, nobody can fuck with me')
He also left a few voice messages on his wife's phone, one that said 'You're dead dawg, I ain't even bullshittin', your kids too, dawg'.
He has also thrown every single item that can be found on a coffee table or kitchen at various women over the past few years. Now, I will say, since coming to Washington he hasn't done anything that stupid. Maybe somebody got to him, who knows (Oh, and that Little League incident this year was a PR disaster for the Nats...you can't fine a guy for being 5 minutes late for hanging out with a bunch of kids). Anyways, something tells me that he might have been turning around a little bit, but needed a firm presence in the office to make him realize that he has two choices, baseball or jail.
Anyways, it seems that Acta just was not the right personality to handle this crowd and you know what, they might be on to something here. I still think Manny Acta is going to make a good manager one day on a good team. There has not been a manager who just gets it right away, the good ones have been around forever and know what and what not to do and how to deal with every kind of personality. Acta can still reach that point, but it just was not meant to happen in Washington.
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