Cleveland Indians ax Charlie Manuel

CLEVELAND (AP) - A chaotic season for the Cleveland Indians took another crazy turn. <br> <br> Manager Charlie Manuel, unhappy the team wouldn&#39;t assure him a long-term contract, forced his own firing Thursday. <br> <br> ``He said he needed to know that he was my guy,&#39;&#39; said Indians general manager Mark Shapiro, who in his first year on the job has traded Roberto Alomar, Bartolo Colon and, in his latest move, dismissed Manuel. ``I wasn&#39;t ready to make that commitment.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Third-base coach Joel Skinner was appointed interim manager, and under him the Indians lost 7-4 to the New York Yankees on Thursday night. Shapiro said Skinner will be a candidate to become the full-time manager after the season. <br> <br> Manuel was in the final year of his contract with the Indians. He wanted assurances he was part of the club&#39;s rebuilding plans during a Wednesday meeting with Shapiro and owner Larry Dolan. <br> <br> ``I just wanted to know where I stood,&#39;&#39; Manuel said by phone. ``Once we sold out on Colon, I knew we were going in another direction. I felt like I needed to know if they wanted me around.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Shapiro wasn&#39;t planning to replace Manuel until the 58-year-old gave him no alternative. <br> <br> ``I wanted Charlie to stay. I really did,&#39;&#39; Shapiro said. ``I&#39;m really disappointed.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Indians have been one of baseball&#39;s big flops this season. The perennial AL power recently shifted into to a full-fledged rebuilding mode by trading Colon to Montreal for minor league prospects. <br> <br> With the loss in the opener of a four-game series against the Yankees, the Indians dropped to 39-48, 10 1/2 games behind division-leading Minnesota. <br> <br> Andy Pettitte didn&#39;t allow an earned run in seven innings and Jorge Posada drove in two runs as the Yankees won for the seventh time in eight games and moved a season-high 24 games over .500. <br> <br> The Indians scored three runs in the ninth before Mariano Rivera got Omar Vizquel on a grounder for his 22nd save in 24 tries. C.C. Sabathia (6-8) took the loss. <br> <br> Manuel, who had been in the Indians&#39; organization since 1988, said walking away was difficult. <br> <br> ``I&#39;ve had great memories here,&#39;&#39; Manuel said. ``Everything was great, except this. It was tough. I love the Indians and the job.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Manuel, who went 220-190 with the Indians, was the seventh manager fired since the season began. <br> <br> The 41-year-old Skinner caught for the Indians from 1989-91. He was the minor league manager of the year in 1998 at Cleveland&#39;s Double-A Akron affiliate. <br> <br> Skinner learned he would become manager in the afternoon while picking up his son and some friends. <br> <br> ``They got in the car, and I said, &#39;Can you guys keep a secret?&#39;&#39;&#39; said Skinner, whose father, Bob, an ex-Pirate, managed Philadelphia for parts of two seasons and San Diego for one game. ``Those four guys were the first to know.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> There had been speculation the Indians might replace Manuel, who last week said he felt he was the best candidate to help develop the team&#39;s young players. But the Indians decided not only to reshape their roster, but to change managers as well. <br> <br> ``It had less to do with Charlie and more to do with the circumstances around him,&#39;&#39; Shapiro said. ``This was not something I expected to do.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Shapiro said he was surprised when Manuel insisted he get a commitment from the club beyond October. <br> <br> ``I wanted to have one meeting, and Charlie wanted to have another,&#39;&#39; Shapiro said. <br> <br> Manuel said he doesn&#39;t regret his decision to force the Indians&#39; hand. <br> <br> ``I wanted some answers,&#39;&#39; he said. ``I didn&#39;t want to be in limbo. I don&#39;t think my stubbornness cost me.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> The Indians have sputtered offensively this season after trading Roberto Alomar and not re-signing Juan Gonzalez. Owner Larry Dolan told Shapiro to trim $15 million off last season&#39;s $91 million payroll, and it is expected to drop further. <br> <br> ``I guess Charlie was unhappy not knowing what his future was,&#39;&#39; reliever Paul Shuey said. ``If he wasn&#39;t going to be part of the rebuilding, I guess he thought he&#39;d take his show on the road.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Manuel&#39;s last appearance in an Indians uniform was Tuesday night as one of the AL coaches at the All-Star game. <br> <br> Notes: Yankees manager Joe Torre said he will go with a six-man rotation for the first couple series of the second half ``to keep everybody sharp.&#39;&#39; ... The Skinners are the second father-son managerial tandem in baseball history, joining George and Dick Sisler.