tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post5773605863422350318..comments2024-03-16T08:21:16.037-04:00Comments on The DiaTribe: The Walking WoundedPaul Cousineauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490622970961409253noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-90882324386315769792008-06-05T12:09:00.000-04:002008-06-05T12:09:00.000-04:00Starting friday, the central is about to get shake...Starting friday, the central is about to get shaken up. We're playing the tigers. The twins are playing the white sox follwed by us playing the twins and the white sox playing the tigers. If theres ever a time that we need the bats to flourish, id say its from here to the 12th. Its about to get interesting. Freaking cmon cleveland.csusihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02575419830013173006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-51628004460601586242008-06-05T11:14:00.000-04:002008-06-05T11:14:00.000-04:00these conversations remind me of all my ben mcdona...these conversations remind me of all my ben mcdonald and todd van poppell cards and how i thought i was going to retire on baseball card income.<BR/><BR/>I'm unsure of how to interpret the last few games by "Those We Don't Speak Of". The wind blowing out was so strong you could see ripples in jerseys of players. And the stick still missed a homer by a foot.<BR/><BR/>I guess I'll still remain positive.....Heed the warning bell, for they are coming.Cy Slapnickahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109399114263980881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-14305860119376378462008-06-05T10:54:00.000-04:002008-06-05T10:54:00.000-04:00Two questions:Q. Would keeping CC all season long...Two questions:<BR/><BR/>Q. Would keeping CC all season long in a "go for broke" effort to make the playoffs be beneficial?<BR/><BR/>A. Almost certainly. If he stays healthy he is going to win you a lot of games between now and the end of September.<BR/><BR/>Q. Assuming we make the playoffs, what is the risk of a repeat performance of last year's less-than-stellar playoff performance?<BR/><BR/>A. Who knows? Three games is a small sample, but he didn't exactly shine when it came down to crunch time last October.<BR/><BR/>It wouldn't be right to hang the "choke" label on him at this point, but his tendency to try and do too much in the big games is troubling.<BR/><BR/>In the lone game he won in three postseason starts last year he allowed 4H + 6BB in five innings of work with two of the four hits being dingers (against the Yankees). Against Boston he was 0-2 with a combine ERA of 10.45 in those games.<BR/><BR/>We know he'll win you a lot of games. The great unknown is "Can he win you the BIG game"?Profhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06602941464293410960noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-84748178601492631382008-06-05T10:37:00.000-04:002008-06-05T10:37:00.000-04:00The other side of that argument includes Marte, Ha...The other side of that argument includes Marte, Hank Blalock, Dallas McPherson, and Morgan Ensberg are all examples of highly touted players in the upper levels not panning out. Young players, whether in the draft or in the minors, are a major gamble. CC remains one of the top 5 pitchers in the league. As long as we have a shot, we have to keep him.Spillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08413824903442574052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-43739291620151760222008-06-05T10:26:00.000-04:002008-06-05T10:26:00.000-04:00tyler,That's what I thought and posted it (in not ...tyler,<BR/><BR/>That's what I thought and posted it (in not as convincing form as your post) on another site debunking what the OP stated....but he thought opposite (and said many think that way also). We'll see how this plays out over the next few weeks I suppose.rodellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14464668223136752374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-57792967318343109462008-06-05T10:08:00.000-04:002008-06-05T10:08:00.000-04:00rodells,I've had that thought before, and it makes...rodells,<BR/><BR/>I've had that thought before, and it makes a lot of sense until you realize it's wrong. Getting bonafide minor leaguers is 99% of the time a more valuable return than compensatory draft picks, because active players have proved that they can at least play to their level. The rate of attrition for draft picks, even for top-ten guys, is very high.<BR/><BR/>It's tempting to think it terms of Jay Bruces and Evan Longorias, but that's cherry-picking. It would be hard to find a draftee more highly thought of at the time than Brad Snyder -- look it up sometime, he OPS'ed about a billion in college -- but he's still toiling away in Buffalo, and I think you'll find he's far more representative of draft talent than the players you have in mind.<BR/><BR/>Not to mention, compensatory picks aren't first rounders. At best, even for C.C., you're likely to get a guy in the 60s and a guy in mid-100s. It's not nothing, but...<BR/><BR/>If you think we should keep C.C., there are plenty of arguments to be made to support that. But draft picks aren't one of them. To answer your question, then: Yes, two B/B+ prospects would be better than draft picks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-29127541569647250362008-06-05T09:46:00.000-04:002008-06-05T09:46:00.000-04:00The Olney stuff on CC's value come July has me thi...The Olney stuff on CC's value come July has me thinking. And I'm gonna ramble on here.....<BR/><BR/>If we keep him and he walks this offseason, we get some draft picks.<BR/><BR/>Let's say we trade him and the market is peaking at two or three Grade 2 prospects as I'm hearing, is that better than the draft picks? I don't think Olney, and others, believes so.<BR/><BR/>Essentially, I'm looking at this as Grade 1 prospects are almost untradeable.....where Grade 2 prospects project as everyday major leaguers, but not all-stars.<BR/><BR/>Of course you could hit on a Grade 2, I'm not saying you can't. But the question is, is it easier to find a Grade 1 (or a future all-star or solid major leaguer) with comp picks in the draft or develop a Grade 2 into a near all-star since you should better scouting reports on this player? <BR/><BR/>Running thru some big player trades might be a great exercise in the coming weeks (much like when PC broke down the long term contracts from various big name SP's). <BR/><BR/>What was Colon's contract status when we dealt him to the Expos? I'm pretty sure Phillips was a Grade 1, I'd venture to say Sizemore was also but could have been a 2, Lee was Grade 2 at most. We've got the Haren trade coming full circle now with Carlos Gonzalez is up in Oakland, Smith and Eveland were already producing in the majors (wasn't Daric Barton, Grade 1, in a deal with Cards/A's...maybe Mulder?). The the Johan trade w/ Carlos Gomez, Humber and others. <BR/><BR/>I'm sure it matters WHEN these trades happened and the contract status of the big name players involved...but it would be interesting to break them all down (I know I'm missing others).rodellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14464668223136752374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-85564014537334467532008-06-05T09:19:00.000-04:002008-06-05T09:19:00.000-04:00Arlington, guys. Arlington. Let's not forget thi...Arlington, guys. Arlington. Let's not forget this. Hopefully it jumpstarts the rest of the season though...rodellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14464668223136752374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-6241676235893411072008-06-04T22:50:00.000-04:002008-06-04T22:50:00.000-04:00Not sure why, but I suddenly feel upbeat about the...Not sure why, but I suddenly feel upbeat about the Indians future. They've been scoring runs in bunches this series, which has had little to do with the oppositions pitching (see Royals), and they're bringing up Bauer and Slocum tonight. Maybe they've buried themselves enough that they will finally embrace the underdog role that has become the Cleveland sports mantra. <BR/><BR/>And if anyone can save this season, it's Jack Bauer.Spillshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08413824903442574052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-43794919329503773382008-06-04T22:45:00.000-04:002008-06-04T22:45:00.000-04:00*scared to say anything...*scared to say anything...Cy Slapnickahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109399114263980881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-36913045382990438542008-06-04T22:39:00.000-04:002008-06-04T22:39:00.000-04:00Tyler Titan,The CC/Byrd thing is getting dicier by...Tyler Titan,<BR/>The CC/Byrd thing is getting dicier by the day with these injuries and let's all hope that Jake doesn't have to go the TJ route. I was all for flipping Byrd when Carmona got back, but now with Westbrook down...I'm not so sure. I suppose if Sowers shows himself to be on par with Byrd before Carmona comes back, I pull it off.<BR/><BR/>Not sure what we'll get for Byrd as I know that some people think we can get a MLB-ready bat or reliever for him as teams are starved for a #4/#5 starter, but are those same teams going to part with anything that would help THEIR stretch run? I'm not sure if Byrd would net much more than a high-A player like Max Ramirez, who we got for a few months of Wickman...and I feel like high-A hitters is all we have.<BR/><BR/>As for the Hefty Lefty, I'm holding out on a wait-and-see as I just don't think that the Central is going to get away from us. I try not to be the ostrich and avoid that fact that the team needs to go on quite a prolonged run of success to hit that magic 87-90 win mark, but if Laffey and Sowers can pick up the slack in the rotation, I don't think that the Central is out of the question. <BR/><BR/>I also share your frustration on the dearth of impact offensive prospects in the higher levels and think that moving CC could probably restock the cupboards at the upper levels, but it will on July 31st the same as it would next week.<BR/><BR/>If the team is ostensibly out of it by mid-July, neither CC or Byrd should be kept; but I STILL could see them making a run at this.Paul Cousineauhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03490622970961409253noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-84039961483344466082008-06-04T14:19:00.000-04:002008-06-04T14:19:00.000-04:00it makes the sting worse. due to poor player inju...it makes the sting worse. due to poor player injury management, they both could be at full strength right now mashing the ball, had they been given proper rest. but instead, they "grinded" through these injuries and we are reaping the benefits now. here's a thought, why not just give victor some real time off? no DH, no 1b, just hot tubs, massages, and happy endings. then bring him back at 1b/dh to see how he feels and then get him back to catching.<BR/><BR/>i realize i am making a lot of assumptions here (they really were and are injured, mgmt knew, they'd be recovered by now), but i just can't understand the logic if this is all true. you have 2 world class players, one whom has a bum arm already and cannot play many games in the field and one playing the most physically demanding position on the field. both are injured in march, not april, MARCH...and you make a conscious decision to allow them to "grind it out" for 162 games and the post-season? what did they think, that victor would get healthier catching in 90F, humid weather with a bad leg? that hafner's shoulder would get better in september?<BR/><BR/>nothing is going to change my current frustration with this season, but think about this from a business perspective. it appears as though high level club officials were acting in a belligerent manner (at the very least taking gambles that aren't working out) with some of the most significant assets this organization has. does it not? or are we being lied to? either way, you'd expect someone would be held accountable, right?<BR/><BR/>at the end of the day, i can handle injuries and sophomore slumps....even cc's problems. but we are seeing marte rot on the bench, terrible lineups, injured cornerstones (and the close) mishandled, middle relief pitchers starting games...<BR/><BR/>what's next, american express commercials?Cy Slapnickahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109399114263980881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-74909593058520550992008-06-04T11:27:00.000-04:002008-06-04T11:27:00.000-04:00Hey, Paul, what's cookin?Here's another question: ...Hey, Paul, what's cookin?<BR/><BR/>Here's another question: Does the knowledge of these injuries change your thoughts on flipping C.C. and Byrd any?<BR/><BR/>Consider that we may be without Westbrook for the remainder of this year (and, worst-case scenario, a piece of next year as well), that Fausto might not be back at full strength until mid-summer (odd that we haven't heard anything about his progress), and that Victor and Travis are question marks until they prove otherwise.<BR/><BR/>We're essentially looking at playing .600 ball the rest of the season to get in the neighborhood of 90 wins, and we're supposed to do that with spotty contributions from four of our most important players?<BR/><BR/>APV's piece on LGT demonstrates to me that we just don't have the prospect chips to swap for major leaguers this season. If we're going to salvage any value in talent from 2008, I think C.C. and Byrd are the only real way to do that.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-31590312327993991322008-06-04T10:27:00.000-04:002008-06-04T10:27:00.000-04:00So ole Garko is batting roughly .430 in the last 3...So ole Garko is batting roughly .430 in the last 3 games. This makes me happier than you can imagine. Garko has always been one that ive hoped the best for. I think his potential as a hitter is great, so hopefully the wheels are starting to turn in that direction for him. <BR/><BR/>Which, bringing into play what you said PC about the switch up between Garko and Martinez. I would love to see Martinez at DH, mainly for the reason you brought up of, how in the world can a guy with a quad injury regain strength when he's squatting behind the plate for 3 hours plus. <BR/><BR/>And, what a feeling to finally have the bats going but have the pitching falter for the first time in a long time at the same time. <BR/><BR/>Which brings me to this theory....Wedge is throwing this season. I swear it seems as though as soon as something starts to go right, Wedge feels the need to "switch it up a bit". A dude on Castroturf brought up a good point about poor asdrubal putting up a solid start 2 nights ago, only to be rewarded the following night with a seat on the bnech. I know its one game, but freaking grief Wedge, allow players to start getting comfortable in their slots instead of playing tribe chess every flipping game. <BR/><BR/>And lets not forget about the gem of an idea to bring up a reliever to start last nights game. CMON!?!?! man. Say what you want about "having to make things work" in response to Westrbrook hitting the DL, but i repeat....A mid-range, if that, reliever from BUFFALO, (not our bullpen) was called up to START THE GAME! <BR/><BR/>And we wont get into the amount of time he allows a pitcher to get butchered before, he sends willis or himself to the mound.<BR/><BR/>Wedge is the culprit and my eyes are on him. Cause im starting to think he's pulling his own version of the black sox scandal.csusihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02575419830013173006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-84112642750192292052008-06-03T20:35:00.000-04:002008-06-03T20:35:00.000-04:00I don't think it really stings any less -- the who...I don't think it really stings any less -- the whole season has been like one big jellyfish/hornet hybrid sting from the begining.<BR/><BR/>And like you said, if the 3 and 4 hitters were even playing "bad", we wouldn't be in such a hole.Todd S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01554648835076550453noreply@blogger.com