Indians, Aeros and Major League Baseball

There’s an old baseball adage that says great players don’t always make great coaches.

It goes with the line of thinking that great players are often so athletically gifted, they can’t always understand why other players aren’t as good, as smart or as gifted as themselves.

But new Indians manager Manny Acta doesn’t buy that old baseball hogwash – at least not when it comes to Sandy Alomar Jr.

In bucking the unspoken rule, Acta named the former Indians All-Star catcher as the Tribe’s first base coach for the 2010 season.

“There are guys who can be great players and great coaches,” Acta said. “And I think (Alomar’s) one of them.”

There’s no doubt about the former, as the 43-year-old Alomar was the 1990 Rookie of the Year, a six-time American League All-Star and ranks third all-time in club history with 950 games spanning 11 seasons with the Indians (1990-2000).

During that time, Alomar batted .277 with 194 doubles, 92 home runs and 453 RBI while serving as the Indians field leader behind the plate on club that won five A.L. Central Division titles and two A.L. Pennants.

But how does Acta know such personal success will translate into helping others become successful?

“I know what kind of guy (Alomar) is,” said Acta, who got to know Alomar Jr. while serving on a Mets coaching staff with Sandy Alomar Sr. for two seasons. “He’s a guy who has potential to do whatever he wants to do in this game.”

And what that’s been the last few years is coach, as Alomar has spent the last two seasons serving as the major league catching instructor for the New York Mets – a similar role he will also undertake in Cleveland, where he is expected to mentor and instruct Indians catchers in addition to his first-base coaching duties.

Alomar joins a staff that already includes pitching coach Tim Belcher, and recently-named bench coach Tim Tolman, bullpen coach Scott Radinsky and infield/ third base Coach Steve Smith.

With the addition of Alomar, who is already an Indians Hall of Famer, Acta now has just one final spot to fill on the Tribe’s major league staff – that of hitting coach.

Acta confirmed he is scheduled to fly to Venezuela the first week of December to meet with candidates, presumably Jon Nunnally (who last year served as the hitting coach at Triple-A Columbus) and/or Dave Hudges (the Indians minor league field coordinator), both of whom are currently coaching for Caracas of the Venezuelan Winter League.

“It’s been a busy, productive month,” Acta said. “We’ve got one more decision to make before we head into the winter meetings.”

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Former Akronite Katie Dannemiller has been named Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year, an award given annually since 1976. [ep
Dannemiller is vice president of baseball operations in the Class A South Atlantic League and formerly executive assistant to Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro. [ep
“It is very exciting and satisfying to be recognized throughout all of baseball, after having also been awarded the South Atlantic League Female Executive of the Year,” Dannemiller said in a statement. [ep
Dannemiller earned a bachelor’s degree in business organizational communications from the University of Akron and graduated from St. Vincent-St. Mary’s High School. [ep

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Tickets for the Indians’ 2010 April 12 home opener against Texas as well as the club’s “”six-pack ” plans go on sale Nov. 23 at 10 a.m. [ep
Fans who buy four or more tickets for Opening Day or a six-pack on Nov. 23 will receive a Tribe fleece blanket as long as supplies last. In addition, for every Opening Day ticket purchased on Nov. 23, a ticket voucher will be given away that allows fans to buy an upper deck ticket for any home game in April and May for $5 except the opener. [ep
Fans buying a six-pack (excluding club seats) will receive a ticket for a seventh game for one of four games in July against the Yankees. For complete infomation on six-pack plans and club seat six-pack plans log onto www.indians.com. [ep
Opening Day tickets and six-packs can be purchased by phone (216-420-HITS), at www.indians.com and at all Indians Team Shops. [ep
Single game tickets for the entire season go on sale March 5 at 10 a.m. [ep

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Akron-native Katie Dannemiller was tabbed as Baseball’s Rawlings Woman Executive of the Year Thursday not long after completing her fourth season as vice president of baseball operations with Class-A Greensboro.

Dannemiller, who joined the Grasshoppers in January of 2006, has helped the team set new attendance marks and landed a handful of industry accolades, including the South Atlantic League’s Merit Award in each of her four seasons with the club.

Her responsibilities include overseeing the team’s marketing and promotional schedules, on-field activities as well as most of the Grasshoppers staff. She also has a hand in planning and executing community-related events.

“I am honored to have been considered for the Rawlings Woman Executive of The Year award and so grateful for receiving the prestigious award,” Dannemiller, also recently named the league’s Female Executive of the Year, told Milb.com. “It is very exciting and satisfying to be recognized throughout all of baseball…My heartfelt thanks to those who nominated me and voted for me, as well as my support network of family and friends, both inside and outside baseball.

During her 13-year career, Dannemiller has also worked in several capacities with the Indians, including serving as the executive assistant to Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro.

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Start the countdown. The Cleveland Indians have announced the tentative schedule for 2010 Spring training in Goodyear, Ariz.

Pitchers and catchers are scheduled to report on February 21 with the first workout scheduled for the 23rd. the rest of the team will report on the 24th with their first workout scheduled for the 26th.

The organization also announced its Cactus League exhibition schedule for the spring. All home games are in bold, although they will play a handful of games against the Reds, who they share the Goodyear facility with:

Friday, March 5: Cincinnati Reds,  Goodyear
Saturday, March 6: CINCINNATI REDS,  GOODYEAR
Sunday, March 7: TEXAS RANGERS,   GOODYEAR
Monday, March 8: Arizona Diamondbacks,  Tucson
Tuesday, March 9: Seattle Mariners,   Peoria
Wednesday, March 10: SAN DIEGO PADRES,   GOODYEAR
Thursday, March 11: Chicago White Sox,   Glendale
Friday, March 12: LOS ANGELES ANGELS,   GOODYEAR
Saturday, March 13: TEXAS RANGERS,   GOODYEAR
Sunday, March 14: San Diego Padres,   Peoria
Monday, March 15: Milwaukee Brewers,   Maryvale
Tuesday, March 16: SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS, GOODYEAR
Wednesday, March 17: Colorado Rockies (SS),  Tuscon
Cincinnati Reds (SS), Goodyear (7:05PM PT)
Thursday, March 18: CINCINNATI REDS,  GOODYEAR
Friday, March 19: Texas Rangers (SS),   Surprise;  San Francisco Giants (SS),  Scottsdale
Saturday, March 20: OAKLAND ATHLETICS,  GOODYEAR
Sunday, March 21: Los Angeles Dodgers,   Glendale
Monday, March 22: Chicago Cubs,    Mesa
Tuesday, March 23: MILWAUKEE BREWERS,  GOODYEAR
Thursday, March 25: SEATTLE MARINERS,   GOODYEAR
Friday, March 26: COLORADO ROCKIES,  GOODYEAR
Saturday, March 27: ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS, GOODYEAR
Sunday, March 28: Los Angeles Angels,   Tempe
Monday, March 29: LOS ANGELES DODGERS, GOODYEAR (10:05PM ET)
Tuesday, March 30: Kansas City Royals,   Surprise
Wednesday, March 31: CHICAGO WHITE SOX,  GOODYEAR
Thursday, April 1: Los Angeles Dodgers (SS) Los Angeles (10:10PM ET); Los Angeles Angels (SS),  Tempe
Friday, April 2: CINCINNATI REDS,  GOODYEAR (10:05 PM ET)
Saturday, April 3: Cincinnati Reds Goodyear

– All game dates and times are subject to change
– All games are at 4:05 PM ET  unless otherwise noted

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The Indians made three adjustments to their 40-man roster Friday, trimming it to 33 players. [ep
Left–handed reliever Mike Gosling, left-handed starter Scott Lewis and infielder Niuman Romero were outrighted to Triple-A. Lewis began the season in the Tribe’s rotation but spent much of the saason on the disabled list. Gosling and Romero both spent part of the season with the Indians. [ep
Because Jake Westbrook and Anthony Reyes are on the 60-day disabled list, they do not count against the 30-man roster. [ep

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Late Tuesday towards the end during his second interview in Cleveland, Manny Acta was asked what he would do if both the Houston Astros and the Indians were to offer him a job.

For as impressed as the 40-year-old managerial candidate was with the people he’d met so far in Cleveland, it was the Astros who’d signed him as an undrafted free agent in 1986 out of San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic. And it was Houston for whom he later broke in with as a young coach when he faced the fact that managing was his ticket to the major leagues.

A bit surprised by the question, Acta said he was humbled by the mere mention of the idea but insisted he simply couldn’t fathom it.

Just four days later, that exact scenario became reality when the Astros first offered Acta their managerial job Saturday, only to be outbid by the Tribe later in the day.

Realizing Acta was in talks with Houston, the Indians put a halt to their managerial search and quickly swooped in and one-upped Houston by offering Acta a three-year contract with a club option for 2013 against the Astros original offer of two years.

“I knew we might lose him because he got offered a job,” Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said. “They offered him a job first (while) we were still working through our process. So we sped up our time frame, since we were headed that direction anyway.”

That is how Acta became the 40th Indians manager late Saturday, a decision that was ceremonially confirmed Monday at 4 p.m. when Shapiro slipped a No. 11 jersey on the broad shoulders of the 6-foot-2 Acta in a press room int he bowels of Progressive Field.

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WKYC.com is offering live streaming coverage of Manny Acta’s introductory news conference. Click here to launch the player (note: may not work in all Web browsers).

Read the story on Acta’s hiring.

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