And in Sports News No One Cares About: Cleveland to Fire Eric Wedge.

[HughBeaumont]

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2009/09/source_cleveland_indians_will.html

CLEVELAND - The Cleveland Indians will announce the firing of manager Eric Wedge and his coaching staff at a 1:30 p.m. press conference today.

Wedge and his coaches will finish the final six games of the season, including today's doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, the final home games of the season. The Indians play a four-game series in Boston this weekend.

Wedge is in his seventh year as manager. The Indians are 64-92 and in fourth place in the AL Central. They have lost 20 of their last 25 games.

Wedge ranks fifth among Tribe managers with 560 victories.

Wedge is the fifth-longest tenured manager with his current club in the majors, trailing only Bobby Cox of Atlanta (1990), Tony La Russa of St. Louis (1996), Mike Scioscia of the Angels (2000) and Ron Gardenhire of Minnesota (2002).

Cleveland - where all sports hope goes to die by guillotine.

[Auggie]

1. HOLY SHIT -- I CARE! FINALLY! YES! YES! YES!

:bounce: :headbang: :applause: :patriot:
:woohoo:

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

LET'S SING:

So long sad times
Go long bad times
We are rid of you at last

Howdy gay times
Cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let's sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Altogether shout it now
There's no one
Who can doubt it now
So let's tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again

Your cares and troubles are gone
There'll be no more from now on
From now on ...

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So, Let's sing a song of cheer again

Happy times
Happy nights
Happy days
Are here again!

[HughBeaumont]

2. This was a while coming, I feel.

Overall bad decision-making; no leadership or plan when they were up 3-1 on Boston. He's had more mediocre seasons than good.

Then again, when you're plagued with the "think-we-can-mimic-the-Twins" method of baseball ownership the Dolans are miserably failing at, it's not like he has much to work with.

[Auggie]

4. You nailed it -- I can't add much

I've accepted facts that as a small market team Cleveland is stuck in the mode of rebuilding/tearing down every few years.

Realistically though, how can anyone honestly ask an owner to spend more than what's coming in? Anybody who buys a baseball franchise in a small market has to be crazy to think it will profitable, let alone break even. Not at the payrolls were seeing. Even at the $80 million level Dolan was losing $10 million a year, I believe.

I respect Mark Shapiro. He's doing what he has to do -- taking risks and spending money on the instructional and minor leagues. I really hope he can scratch enough money together to get a decent manager.

Wedge should have been fired after 2007, IMO.

[Capt. America]

3. I always thought Wedge was picked just because he was a good "company man".

Good riddance to bad rubbish. Now all the Indians need to do is:

1) Get a new owner.
2) Get a new GM.
3) Get a new manager.
4) Get rid of Chief Wahoo.
5) Get new players.
6) Change the name of the ballpark to either 1) Jacobs' Field or 2) any non-corporate sponsored name.

[joeybee12]

5. Winner! Most brutally honest subject line!

:toast: