The Winning Wedge
By Frank Derry of Indians Ink

Eric Wedge, who will be 35 years and 64 days old when he manages his first major league game next March 31, will be handed the awesome responsibility of trying to mold a super-young group of players into a perennial contender.

General Manager Mark Shapiro is convinced Wedge, the Tribes 39th manager, is ready for the challenge. “I am 100 percent convinced he’s the right man for the job,” Shapiro said. “He has all the qualities necessary to be a successful major league manager.”

“We will go out there and get after it,” said the confident, fiery Wedge, who some have compared to a young Lou Piniella. Wedge likes the comparison.

“I consider it a compliment,” said Wedge, the youngest skipper since Lou Boudreau was named Indians’ manager in 1942 at the age of 24.

“A lot has been made of my intensity and aggressive nature,” he said. “But I’ve learned to feel the moment. I’ll be very diverse with my personality.”

Actually, the Indians have been extremely high on Wedge since Shapiro hired him as a minor league manager for Class A Columbus in 1998. He managed Kinston in 1999.

Prior to Wedge moving up to Class AA Akron in 2000, assistant general manager Neal Huntington said, “He’s a tremendous communicator, a tremendous motivator. He’s knowledgeable. He’s passionate about the game. He’s passionate about his players. He’s organized. He’s a leader.”

“He has every characteristic we look for in our managers. We knew that from Day One, and it’s been confirmed every single day he steps onto the field with our players.”

The biggest concern, in some people’s minds, is probably his age.

“Age was never a factor to me,” said Wedge. “Respect has nothing to do with age. You can’t demand respect, you’ve got to earn it. I’ve always felt beyond my years as far as age goes.”

Shapiro said age was never a factor in making his decision.

“Eric was just the right guy for this job,” said Shapiro, who is beginning his second year as general manager. “I felt so strongly about it that I didn’t really care (about his age). How young he is – other people look at that superficially and tie it to me,” said Shapiro, who is 36 and one of the youngest general managers in baseball.

“But I don’t even look at his age. His maturity transcends his chronological age.”

Shapiro said he learned a great deal about Wedge the past two years while watching him manage Class AAA Buffalo.

Shapiro saw a guy who was able to control his intensity, something which he had a bit of a problem doing his first three years in a managerial role.

“In the last two years, Eric has been selective in when he uses his intensity,” Shapiro said. “That was essential for him to get this position. He really grabbed the throttle the last two years at Triple-A. His intensity has been selective. Before he got to Buffalo, Eric’s throttle was wide open.”

“A baseball season is 162 games. It covers 230 days, including spring training. Your message has to last. Guys who lead by intimidation have a very short window of opportunity.”

Wedge actually started a business in 1995 in the Boston area called Motivated Sports, which now operates in conjunction with Strike One Sports Complex in Danvers, MA. He’s a well-respected motivational speaker.

“There’s definitely a big place for motivation in any type of athletics,” Wedge said. “It’s something I utilized every day as a player and every day as a person.”

“It’s a situation wherein when it comes to young athletes, it’s tough to try and go out there and handle the rigors of day-to-day play. Having to get up to do it every single day is tough. You have to be able to reach inside of you and find something within you to get the job done that particular day.”

Wedge added, “There’s been a lot made of my intensity and aggressive nature. I’m an intense person. If I say something, I mean it. It’s not about being a tough guy. It’s just following up on what you say.”

Shapiro says Wedge has the rare ability to communicate with all 25 players on his roster.

“I think he is a unique in that he can deal with 25 guys on a team and individually communicate with each of them in a different way,” Shapiro said. “It’s a tremendous advantage to have that kind of skill.”