You may continue with the Ted Wiliams cracks if you like, but I'm trying to raise the level. Yesterday I said I'd include some of the transcript from Eric Wedge's news conference the day it was announced he would not be back. He was never better. Here's some excerpts:
Did he get a fair shot?
"I'm the manager of the team. It's my job to go out and win ballgames. There's not an asterisk next to it that says, 'only if you have this, that or the other.' It's your job. I'm a big believer in being accountable for what you do. I preach it to the players. I preach it to people around me. That's the way I live. I take responsibility for this."
Is it harder to win in baseball market this size?
"It's more difficult and it's more challenging but it's also more rewarding. What we came pretty close to doing in '07 is pretty special stuff."
On his values:
"How our players play, how they act. The way they represent the Cleveland Indians. The way they play the game. You always hear me talk about respecting the game and being a good teammate. They're the two most important things that I think you can do in this game. Then you have to go out and play well on top of that."
Did he learn from the disappointment of 2007?
"I would be a poor manager and a poor leader if I didn't learn from ultimately every situation I've been through in the past."
Could he win with the style of players he managed?
"It doesn't matter to me what type of team I have. I think it's my job to work off that and go out and win as many games as possible."
On the circumstances of being let go:
"The right thing to do is to handle it appropriately, professionally, and then move on."
Does the disappointment of 2007 linger?
"You can't harp on it, because if you harp on it you don't get to the next level. I remember after '05, (people said) 'oh we got so close we'll probably never get there again. Bulls—. I don't understand that. That's not the way I look at it. We will get there, and we'll surpass that. That's the way I looked at it from '07 on. Granted, I'm not going to have the opportunity to do that here. But I hope for all Tribe fans that the next guy that sits in this chair does have an opportunity to do that."
The future for the Indians?
"I was here back in the beginning. I understand really rebuilding. Starting from scratch. This is not that situation here in Cleveland. You need to understand that, fans need to understand that. You have a solid organization. You have solid leadership intact. You have a solid minor league system. You have a process here that works, in this market. So they're going to be fine."
On not showing more emotion to the public:
"It allows me to come out here every day and be the same guy for the players. The players are first and foremost. I'd rather (fans) get on me than the players. I'm OK with that."
On the concerns about his future:
It's not something you think about. I'm a big believer that you get busy doing your job. Don't worry about your job. If you worry about your job you're not doing your job."
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
He was a class act. I agree that he had to go at this time for a variety of reasons, but I expect Eric Wedge will come out of this with another job, where, like Charlie Manuel, he will do fine.
In light of the object of the impromptu batting practice, don't you think it was in very poor taste to put "Ted Williams" and "cracks" in the same sentence? I am shocked and appalled.
you can put it on the board…..it will be Farrell.
"Don't worry about your job. If you worry about your job you're not doing your job."
It'd be nearly impossible for DA and Quinn to not worry about their jobs. Isn't it just great that Mangini promotes confidence and success in his players?
Wedge was manager for quite a long time in manager-years. Even though manager-years aren't the same as dog-years, it was an impressive run!