Best Wishes To Manny Acta

(reprinted from DRSEA Newsletter – Volume II, Issue 15)

by Charles S. Farrell

I had figured it was inevitable, given the record of the Washington Nationals under Manny Acta, but I was still sad to see him fired. There are so few managers of color in baseball that the loss of even one is monumental.

By all accounts, Acta was a class act.  I actually met him a few months ago in the Dominican Republic at a reception to announce a joint venture between Major League Baseball and the USAID called MLB-USAID-Dominican Development Alliance. The Alliance, which seeks to use baseball as a catalyst for improving the lives of the less fortunate in the Dominican, is a partnership between Major League Baseball, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Peace Corps and six well-known charitable non-profit institutions – World Vision, Save the Children, Plan International, Esperanza International, Batey Relief Alliance and the Dominican Institute for Integrated Development.

I made a major faux pas when I met Acta at the reception.  Not recognizing him, I asked if he was in baseball.  “Yes,” he said, “I am the manager of the Washington Nationals.”  He showed a wonderful sense of humor when I tried to cover myself by saying I didn’t recognize him because I usually saw him on TV in the dugout with his hat on.  He said, “Not likely; we don’t get on TV that much.  You only get on TV if you are real good, and we are not there yet.”  They still aren’t; the Nationals need a magician, not a manager.  I only hope that Acta will get another chance to manage a team, something rarely offered people of color in sports.

About the DRSEA

The basic mission of the Dominican Republic Sports & Education Academy (DRSEA) is to provide young, gifted Dominican student athletes the opportunity to become well-rounded individuals. While providing student athletes with the opportunity to hone their natural athletic talents amongst some of the world’s best young athletes, the Academy will also prepare them to excel in life, outside the lines and off the playing fields.