Indians’ Wedge named AL Manager of the Year

He edged Angels skipper Mike Scioscia and Yankees manager Joe Torre.

GATEHOUSE NEWS SERVICE

CLEVELAND Eric Wedge talked about the players. He talked about his coaches.

He talked about the organization.

In fact, he spent most of Wednesday afternoon talking about everyone except Eric Wedge.

That’s exactly what those who know him best would have expected.

“One of his strongest traits is, this game is about the players, it’s not about the manager or the coaches,” Indians third baseman Casey Blake said after Wedge was named American League Manager of the Year by the Baseball Writers Association of America. “He doesn’t try to take any of the credit for himself. He stays out of the way and lets the players do it. That’s huge.

“There are situations where the manager thinks a team’s success is all because of him. Eric won’t admit it, but he’s a huge part of the success we’ve had this year.”

When the Indians celebrate on the field after victories, Wedge and his coaches linger in foul territory. That may be a symbolic gesture, but it’s representative of how Wedge views his role.

“I’ve always felt that way as a player, and even more so when I started managing,” Wedge said. “I made a promise to myself when I started managing that I’d never forget how hard it is to play this game. It’s not about me. It’s about the players who play the game.”

Wedge is the first Indians manager to win the award, instituted in 1983. He is the third consecutive Central Division manager to win, following Detroit’s Jim Leyland and Chicago’s Ozzie Guillen.

He was named on all 28 ballots, and was the first-place pick on 19 of them.

The other nine first-place votes went to Mike Scioscia of the Angels and Joe Torre of the Yankees. Wedge accumulated 116 total points to Scioscia’s 62 and Torre’s 61.

“I think it’s a great honor,” Wedge said. “I think about how much respect I have for what it takes to be a manager at the major-league level, what goes along with that responsibility-wise. It’s an honor, but it’s an honor for the organization and the people I surround myself with.”

The Indians finished 96-66 in 2007, tying Boston for the best record in the major leagues and finishing eight games ahead of second-place Detroit.

Cleveland defeated New York in the Division Series, the first playoff appearance since 2001 for the Tribe, before losing to Boston in seven games in the American League Championship Series.

“I’m very proud of what our guys accomplished last year, but we fell short of our ultimate goal,” Wedge, who is 415-395 as Cleveland’s manager, said. “It just makes you that much more hungry to get going next season. That’s probably the way it should be.”