Method Acta visits Cleveland

I admit it. When I first heard that the manager of far and away baseball's worst team this year (not to mention 2008) was in town to interview for the Indians' manager job, my first thought was, "Good lord, why?" Manny Acta got fired by the Nationals in mid-season after 2 1/2 years in Washington, during which his best finish was a 73-89 record in 2007 that earned them a fourth-place finish.

But the more I read about this guy, the more I like him. He understands sabermetrics, which not very many managers do these days. He understands, for example, that a sacrifice bunt in the third inning isn't going to increase your odds of winning a game. He said as much in a 2007 interview I just read. He's only 40 years old, so he's likely to get better as a manager. And frankly, I don't think Tony La Russa or Joe Torre could have done much better with the Nationals' collection of "talent" than Acta did.

Acta, of course, is just the first to interview for the job. They're apparently going to talk to Torey Lovullo, who's been managing the Tribe's AAA team in Columbus; Bobby Valentine, who has had some success as a major-league manager and has spent the last few years managing in Japan; and a fourth candidate, who is believed to be Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly. I admit I haven't read up on those guys like I just did with Acta, but I'm kind of rooting for Acta right now.