The journey through the National League has drawn to a close, and now the Cleveland Indians get back to playing their league-mates. From Houston they come to the Big Apple to face the New York Yankees, and boy do they have their work cut out for them. (more…)

We’ve covered Manny Acta before, but it’s just, I don’t know, pleasant to find out that a current baseball manager seems so eminently sane. Here is the man giving an interview to some sort of Internet computer blog:

SB: What’s your stance on bunting and other one run strategies?

MA: Bunting is pretty outdated. Everybody scores so many runs nowadays, it doesn’t make sense to play for one run unless it’s late in the game and it’s close. I hardly ever bunt early in a game, unless it’s with a pitcher. A big inning can win you a game. One run in the third inning can’t, unless you have Pedro pitching.

Correct. Even throws in an interesting point about the increased run-scoring environment of the modern game. Outs are precious. Manny Acta understands this.

SB: Lightning Round. Best hitter in the game, non-Barry division.

MA: Albert Pujols. No question.

Fine with this. Down year this year, but Albert has been superhuman for several seasons now.

SB: Best pitcher.

MA: Roy Oswalt. He’s just tough as nails. He comes at you like nobody else. That’s a tough place to pitch, and he’s been very consistent.

Would’ve chosen Santana probably. Oswalt is on the downslide. Joe’s c-word rears its head. But still, read on for Manny to redeem himself.

SB: Best player.

MA: Alex Rodriguez.

Sure.

SB: What’s your favorite blog?

MA: Squawking Baseball, of course. I read Baseball Prospectus a lot too. Will Carroll writes some of my favorite stuff. I also loved Mind Game.

He reads several blogs? The Prospy? Wilfred B. Carroll? We gotta start rooting for this guy, right? I point this out not only to raise Acta’s profile a little, but also to show that you can read nerdy computer number Blackberry Internet iPhone shit and still manage a team without everything falling apart. I think the Nats actually outperformed expectations — not that Acta necessarily was responsible for this, but still.

Sorry so positive. More venom to come.
-Firejoemorgan.com

Say what? I, for one, had no idea Manny was this hip. Maybe he read my letter to him. Here’s FJM.com’s original post about Acta, with plenty of love to go around.

Manny, I underestimated you. You may not be such a bad guy at all. Stop starting Justin Masterson.