Mark Shapiro made mistake in letting Charlie Manuel go in 2002: Paul Hoynes' Rant of the Week

Manuel and Shapiro were not a match made in heaven. Still, the Indians GM should have recognized the positives with Manuel instead of firing him during the 2002 season.

View full sizeNam Y. Huh / APThings have worked out pretty well for former Indians manager Charlie Manuel, who has won a World Series with the Phillies and won two pennants.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Impatient as human beings are, time is the still the best evaluator. It doesn't matter in what field of endeavor decisions are made, time decides the winners and losers.

At the All-Star break in 2002, Indians manager Charlie Manuel went to see General Manager Mark Shapiro about his job status. Manuel was in the last year of his contract; Shapiro was in his first year as general manager.

Manuel is from Virginia, talks with a drawl and signed his first pro baseball contract right out of high school. Shapiro is an Ivy League-educated football player who inherited Manuel from the previous GM. They were not a match made in heaven.

When Manuel met with Shapiro, Manuel said he wanted to know where he stood in terms of managing the Indians beyond 2002. Shapiro said he wasn't ready to make that decision until the end of the year. That wasn't good enough for Manuel. The conversation deteriorated, and Manuel was fired.

After the season, Shapiro hired Eric Wedge. Wedge embarked on a seven-year managerial run that produced one trip to the postseason under the cash-strapped ownership of Larry Dolan. Manuel didn't manage again until 2005, when he took over the primed-to-win and well-funded Philadelphia Phillies. He's in his sixth year and has taken them to one World Series title, two pennants and three division titles. On Tuesday, Manuel led the National League to its first victory in the All-Star Game in 13 years.

Manuel fired himself when he forced Shapiro's hand during that 2002 All-Star break meeting. He was fortunate he got another chance to Manage, and he's made the most of it.

Shapiro didn't recognize what he had in Manuel, and he should have. Shapiro worked with him in the Indians' minor-league system. He watched him lead the Indians to a 90-victory season in 2000 and a division title in 2001. Every general manager has the right to pick his own manager, but Shapiro made the wrong choice in that situation.