The Wizards fired coach Eddie Jordan just 11 games into the 2008-09 season. The Caps needed 21 games to let Glen Hanlon go in 2007. Even the Redskins once fired Norv Turner with three games remaining in the 2000 season — a rarity in the stability-conscious NFL.
Now a firing watch must begin for Nats manager Manny Acta, too. His team returns to the District with 18 losses in the last 21 games and, at 13-36, has by far the worst record in Major League Baseball.
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The situation is clear — if Acta’s club doesn’t improve soon, the Nats will make a change just on principle. But how much of this debacle is really Acta’s fault?
Certainly not the defense. Throughout an entire 11-game homestand last month at Nationals Park, Acta ran his club through fielding drills before batting practice. But this isn’t spring training and a terrible defensive team isn’t going to improve with 45 minutes of infield practice.
The Nats needed a slugger in the offseason. But that also meant dealing with Adam Dunn‘s struggles in the outfield. A hamstring injury to Elijah Dukes has meant more of Josh Willingham in left — himself a poor outfielder — and Austin Kearns playing out of position in center. The trio put on a comedy of errors on the road trip to New York and Philadelphia, killing Washington’s baby-faced pitching staff night after night. Fans can thank former general manager Jim Bowden for that.
Acta, meanwhile, won’t apologize for not publicly yelling at his players. That style works sometimes — Lou Pinella in Seattle and Chicago — and other times doesn’t — Lou Pinella in New York and Tampa Bay. A manager trying to be someone he isn’t will always labeled a phony.
Where Acta’s critics have a point is when things go against his team. No one says Dunn should be screamed at for dropping a fly ball. But there are times when a manager has to stand up for his players. Too often this season the Nats have watched veteran teams get head-scratching calls with little reaction from the dugout. Umpires make mistakes. But sometimes they need to be held accountable, too.
