Longtime Indians Bullpen Coach Luis Isaac Fired
Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge made a stunning announcment today saying that he has fired bullpen coach Luis Isaac. Isaac has been with the Indians since 1965 in various roles and has been the bullpen coach since 1993. Wedge didn't jump into specifics on the firing but did say:
"Luis was as loyal as the day is long," Wedge said. "Ultimately, I felt we needed a different dynamic in the bullpen for that role. It's been something I've been thinking about for a while."
"Change is inevitable. It's something we put a lot of thought into in regard to what we felt we needed to have happen down there. So we needed to make that change."
"It was a tough decision I had to make."
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Luis Isaac
Eric Wedge is a piece of work. The problem is not the bullpen coach. The problem is a GM who is best friends with a mediocre manager. A boss needs to honestly evaluate his staff. Shapiro has a blind spot re: Wedge's performance. So, the only constant will be change everywhere except where it matters.
Who's to say
I'm sure this was not an easy decision for Wedge, but as always an honest one. It was a bad year for the bullpen, but Isaac has managed many successful bullpens, and I don't believe this season's results are the sole reason for the change. It may just be time for someone younger with a different approach.
As for Wedge, I think he should've been able to squeeze more victories out of his 2008 team. But if they produce in '09 the way they did in '07, we can write this season off as an injury-plagued fluke.
He's not a great motivator, but a pretty good personnel manager. He approaches the game seriously, keeps his players honest, and doesn't allow B.S. on the field or in the clubhouse. I like the way his teams approach the game.
To Luis Isaac: How do you say thanks for 44 years of loyalty? At least they got a couple of pennants during your tenure! Best wishes.
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