Manny Acta knew this was how it was going to end.

He didn't know the exact time his tenure as Washington Nationals manager was going to be done but he knew it was going to happen someday. That's what happens to all managers.

Someday came yesterday.

On record alone, yes, Acta, who managed the Auburn Astros/Doubledays from 1993-1996, deserved to be fired. His team owns the majors' worst record at 26-61. In baseball, like all sports, you are ultimately judged by your record.

Now, lets set the record straight. The Washington Nationals could be managed by Joe Torre, Bobby Cox, John McGraw (for you history buffs) or any Hall of Fame manager and would probably have about the same record as Acta.

The Nationals do have some talent but in the places where they needed it the most, there was none.

Let's start with the bullpen. In the month of April alone, the Nationals bullpen blew six ninth-inning leads. Six. Some teams don't blow six ninth-inning leads for an entire season.

The bullpen was torn apart, patched up with retreads and then nuked again. Their opening day closer, Joel Hanrahan, is now with the Pirates. That's all you need to know.

Think what the Yankees record would be if they had the Nationals' bullpen instead of Hall of Famer Mariano Rivera. Big difference, huh?

As for the starting rotation, the Nationals have a solid foundation, even more if they can sign top draft pick Stephen Strasburg. But when four-fifths of your starting rotation is under the age of 25, you're going to deal with growing pains and inconsistency.

Then there was the defense, or the lack thereof. Outfielder Adam Dunn, the Nationals' big free-agent signing is never going to win a Gold Glove. Cristan Guzman, Alberto Gonzalez or Anderson Hernandez aren't either. Basically, the Nationals gave away games with their gloves. Is that Acta's fault? Possibly, but you would like to believe that major leaguers know defensive fundamentals.

Last year, the Nationals were touting young, talented outfielders Elijah Dukes and Lastings Milledge as future stars. Dukes is in Syracuse at Triple A and Milledge was traded to Pittsburgh. This was the brainchild of former Nationals general manager Jim Bowden, who stepped down in spring training amidst allegations of skimming player bonuses from Latin American prospects.

The bulk of the Nationals' roster were Bowden's players.

But through all the losses, Acta never snapped, always showed class, remained positive and played the hand that was dealt to him, never complaining.

It was a poor hand.

Some fans wanted Manny to lose his temper - with umpires or his players - in an effort to light a fire under his team. Well, that's not him. Maybe inside the clubhouse, Acta might get on a player, but in public, no.

Acta was true to himself, because if he did change, his players would have known he was a phony. He would lose their respect. I'll say this about the Nationals, they mostly played hard for Acta.

So now, the Nationals have an interim manager, an interim general manager and a full-time mess on their hands.

Manny Acta knows baseball, it's been his life, a life that has taken him from the Dominican Republic to the U.S., here in Auburn for four years, then later to big leagues with coaching stops in Montreal and with the Mets.

He loved Washington and wanted to win badly there.

But it wasn't meant to be. He'll look for a job, probably as a coach, and then seek another managing job.

Other teams will know that after 2.5 seasons with the Nationals, Manny Acta has already seen the worst that baseball can offer.

Hopefully, someday, another team will give him a chance to see its best. He deserves that chance.

Sciria, The Citizen's assistant news editor, covered Acta's Auburn teams of the 1990s