Associated Press
Evidently, Seattle's Adrian Beltre believes in ghosts.
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- Phillies vs. Orioles preview
- Phillies Notebook: Phillies hope Ibanez injury not long-term
- Manuel nears boiling point as Phillies get swept by Blue Jays
- Dare we ask, what's next?
- Long road through minor leagues for Bishop Eustace's Rowell
- In major leagues, changing manager not always the answer
- Phillies prospect Michael Taylor a heavyweight five-tooler
- O's rally in 9th to beat K-Rod, Mets
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Paul Hagen: In major leagues, changing manager not always the answer
The Rockies were going nowhere fast when Jim Tracy was hired to replace Clint Hurdle last month. Maybe the Rockies were due to turn it around. Maybe Tracy made the difference.
No matter. The Rockies have gone 15-5 since the switch, including an 11-game winning streak.
It's also getting to the point of the season where management of teams considered to be underachieving start seriously considering a managerial change.
That's why rumors have begun to surface that Cleveland's Eric Wedge could be in trouble. Ditto Houston's Cecil Cooper. And multiple national outlets reported a week ago that Washington's Manny Acta would be gone by now.
All of that raises the question of whether changing managers really matters. And the answer is open to interpretation.
The Washington Times calculated that there were 27 managers fired at midseason from 2001 through 2008. In 22 instances, the team's record improved. But only eight of the replacements had winning records. And the Wall Street Journal figured out that teams had an average winning percentage of .470 after a midseason change compared to .454 before in 178 firings-and-hirings since 1969. But only 14 of those teams made the playoffs in the same year they made a change.
Meanwhile, the well-respected Acta continues to dangle. Team president Stan Kasten wouldn't confirm or deny the rumors but talked about how "perplexed" and "troubled" and "distraught" he is by the team's poor performance.
It could be that the Nats have concluded that Acta is one of the few stable elements of a franchise that's been beset by turnover since most of the coaching staff was sacked at the end of last season. Or maybe they looked at the track record of what happened after a manager is fired and, despite what's happened in Colorado this year, that Acta is doing as well as anybody who might replace him.
The hot corner
-- The Pirates would apparently love to trade righthander Ian Snell. Part of the problem is that other teams view the Delaware native as a potential reliever, while the Bucs would want to get starter's value in return. Another is that Snell's act is wearing thin. Last Friday he was upset that manager John Russell had him walk Detroit's No. 8 hitter, Ramon Santiago, to get to pitcher Rick Porcello, who then delivered an RBI single.
-- Brewers general manager Doug Melvin admits that, like many GMs, he's looking for pitching. "But there's no indication anybody [dependable] is available right now."
-- Braves manager Bobby Cox was trying to send a message when he lifted shortstop Yunel Escobar in the bottom of the third Sunday after two mental mistakes. "We pride ourselves on doing things right and being in the game and don't do things lackadaisically," he said.
Around the bases
-- Even under suspension, Manny is still being Manny. Manny Ramirez can begin a minor league assignment next Tuesday to prepare for his July 3 return. The Dodgers would like him to face Triple A pitching at Albuquerque. But Manny prefers Class A Inland Empire so he can live at home and commute to San Bernardino. And Manny will apparently get his way, even though the California League begins its 3-day All-Star break on Monday.
-- When the All-Star coaches were announced this week, AL lieutenants Don Wakamatsu (Seattle) and Trey Hillman (Kansas City) had a combined 135 managerial wins. Charlie Manuel's NL assistants, Joe Torre and Tony La Russa, had 4,690.
-- From the strange injuries file, Royals reliever Kyle Farnsworth has a bandage on his left hand after breaking up a fight between his pet bulldogs. Fortunately, he throws righthanded.
On deck
