In any other year, the Cleveland Indians' late-season collapse wouldn't have mattered much. This year, it knocked them out of the race in the weak American League East and cost Manager Doc Edwards his job.
Edwards was fired on Tuesday and replaced for the rest of the season by special assignment scout John Hart.Team president Hank Peters said Cleveland's inability to contend after getting within 1 1/2 games of first place in early August forced him to fire Edwards.
"I think they (Indians' players) had reached the point where they were satisfied with the type of baseball they were playing, and I wasn't," Peters said. "The thing that changed the perspective this year was the nature of the race in the East. We looked at the standings in August and said, `My gosh, anybody can win this.' "
The Indians were 54-54 on Aug. 4. But in Edwards' final 35 games, they went 11-24, falling to a season-low 14 1/2 games off the pace at 65-78.
"It was pretty hard to make this decision. No one has shown more loyalty or dedication or worked harder at his job than Doc," Peters said.
Hart, 41, was formerly a coach and minor-league manager in the Baltimore organization, where Peters was general manager. Hart was the Orioles' third-base coach last year before Peters hired him as a Cleveland scout in November.
A leading candidate to be Edwards' permanent replacement is Mike Hargrove, a former Cleveland player who managed the Indians' Class AAA Colorado Springs affiliate this year. Hargrove and Hart will be among those considered for the job, Peters said.
Others outside the organization, including former major-league managers John McNamara and Lou Piniella, will also be considered.
Edwards was heading for his home in Great Valley, N.Y., and did not want to discuss his situation immediately, Indians spokesman Bob DiBiasio said. Edwards was offered a chance to stay in the organization.
"He was a players' manager," said outfielder Cory Snyder, whose .222 average contributed to the Indians' problems. "He didn't have a lot of rules. He kind of put the lineup up and let us play.
"We've been going the wrong way the last five or six weeks. Sometimes you have to get on the players. He never got mad at us or yelled at us."
Hitting coach Charlie Manuel said Edwards' attempt to be fair to all his players may have been his undoing.
"Sometimes, I don't think our players knew how good he was to them, how fair he was to them," Manuel said. "That might have been one of his weaknesses. Doc is like a brother to me. He treated me outstanding."
Joe Carter, the Indians' home run and RBI leader, said the players must take the blame for the poor season.
"The manager can't play for you. I don't know if a new manager is the answer," Carter said.
Peters said he decided to make the change now because the Indians will be having organizational planning meetings later this month.