Nationals manager Manny Acta got the boot tonight, based on comments Acta made to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes:
"I thank the Nationals for giving me this opportunity and I'm sorry that things didn't work out as expected. It's normal for the manager to pay the price when the team is not doing well," Acta said.
The writing was on the wall in mid-June, when Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports learned of the team's plan to replace Acta with bench coach Jim Riggleman. That this information leaked a month early reflects poorly on the organization, as Acta was left twisting in the wind. Maybe Rosenthal's report caused the Nationals to delay the move as an attempt to save face. Talk about mixed messages – on June 26th team president Stan Kasten talked about hoping Acta could serve as the club's long-term manager (Chico Harlan and Mark Viera of the Washington Post reporting).
Let's hear it from the Nationals fans – was this the right move? The expectations are different for the manager of a rebuilding club. How did Acta perform in young player development?
