@MD80rookie: What happens if you close the throttle to quickly while leaving TOD?
If your gross weight is low (low inertia), the plane might pitch down violently to chase speed (especially on high altitude). Not nice for the people in the back
Having just recently transferred to the Bus, conversion trained by highly experienced instructors, and not a word about A/P Off when OP CLB/DES. I can't see the point either. If you have MAN THR you should definitely keep A/P On to reduce workload if it's available to you.