Playoff Failures Cost Hargrove

Mike Hargrove took Cleveland from a team that lost more than 100 games a year to a club that twice won the American League pennant.

But the Indians never won a World Series title with Hargrove as manager and he was fired Friday after another disappointing postseason.

“It’s hard for me to say if I’m paying the price,” Hargrove said in a phone interview. “I don’t know that this would have happened if we hadn’t gone farther in the playoffs.”

Later, Hargrove became emotional when talking about his dismissal.

He had heard reports of his firing on local radio, and listened to General Manager John Hart’s news conference during which Hart talked about his team needing a manager who could get them to the “next level.”

“And that’s so wrong,” Hargrove said, his voice choking with emotion.

Hart said no single event prompted the firing, which came three days after the Indians lost their third straight game to the Boston Red Sox to end the season.

Hart admitted the Indians’ failure to close out the Boston series was painful and the team needed to start “a new era of success.”

“There is a need for a new energy, a new voice, coming from the clubhouse,” he said. “This change will create a different atmosphere.”

The Indians have won five straight Central Division titles.

“I think there is a perception that managing the Cleveland Indians is a cushy job,” Hargrove said. “There’s a lot more to do than just fill out the lineup card.”

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The St. Louis Cardinals signed former Angel right-hander Mike James and outfielder Steve Bieser to minor league contracts. The Cardinals said James and Bieser would be invited to next year’s spring training camp.

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Houston reliever Billy Wagner has tendinitis in his left elbow, but no other damage is apparent, the Astros said. General Manager Gerry Hunsicker said an MRI exam showed no serious problem and team physicians expected he would be ready for spring training.

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Jose Valentin signed a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that probably includes a pay cut for the slumping shortstop. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but Brewer General Manager Dean Taylor announced Friday that the club’s option on Valentin for the 2000 season had been restructured.

Managed Care

Major league teams that have changed managers since the end of the 1999 season:

Team Manager (Replacement)

Baltimore Orioles Ray Miller

Chicago Cubs Jim Riggleman

Cleveland Indians Mike Hargrove

Detroit Tigers Larry Parrish (Phil Garner)