Power Outage, Until...

A very strange scene at the Jake tonight with about half of the lights going out, causing about a 15 minute delay in the game. Up to that point, the Tribe bats had been ice cold and the team hadn't even had a chance to be fired up from Wedgie's meltdown and ejection. Why weren't they hitting? What, was Millwood starting?

But the lights came back on and the light operator may have turned the switch as well on Benny B., who popped a 2 run HR in the 7th to tie the game, then a 3 run jobber in the 8th. I also love how Millwood didn't miss a beat and came back after he delay to get the third out of the inning.

What a game, though as Benny's bat (Garko who?), Millwood's grittiness (he now leads the AL in ERA), and Sticky's ballet moves in the 9th (imagine seeing that keg of beer falling down in front of you as you move down the first base line) contributed to the Tribe improbably coming back to win.

The power outage did allow me to catch some of the classic New Jack City on BET, with the incomparable Wesley Snipes (pre-Passenger 57's "Always bet on black") as Nino Brown. The movie is such a blatant attempt at recreating Scarface, having Nino quoting Tony Montana the whole movie, it's ridiculous. But to an 8th grader, the movie and the soundtrack (which includes Color Me Badd's I Wanna Sex You Up) were great. Speaking of Nino Brown, did anyone catch Braylon Edwards' press conference upon signing with the Browns, when he wore a New Jack City T?

After Jelly Belliard turned some of those magical DP's (particularly the one where he faked the flip to Jhon and tagged the runner, so Swisher didn't go Belle-Vina on him), Shapiro should have his contract extension in the locker room to be picked up.

Art Rhodes left the team for the year on personal reasons, which means that Rocky B-Court, Sauerbeck, Riske, and the F-Cab will move up in the bullpen as well as meaning that some of the young arms (notably, Andrew Brown) may see more action than originally thought. Watching Cabrera throw in the second half of this season makes me think that he could have a similar impact to the one that K-Rod had in the playoffs a few years back for the Halos. I'm not saying that Cabrera is K-Rod, but F-Cab's stuff is filthy and Rhodes' departure may expedite his trip towards the back end of the bullpen.

A sign seen Monday night on FSN - "Super Sizemore". Looks like the copyright office is going to be keeping my checks.

C.C., although he lost his first game in 8 decisons Monday night, showed the maturity that has often been lacking for the (Not so) Crooked Cap. C.C. didn't have his best stuff, but still limited the A's to 1 ER in 6 innings. I realize that the A's are not the 1927 Yankees, but C.C. was able to bear down and work his way out of jams, something that has always been lacking in his repertoire. It seems as though Millwood's composure on the mound has had the desired effect on C.C., Cliff, and Jake. All three calmly work their way out of jams, rather than letting the big inning kill them.

Great game tonight. As Johnny Cougar Mellencamp tells me as I'm leaving the Jake after a good night, Again Tonight.

Browns' Town

The Tribe did it again last night as they pulled victory from the jaws of defeat through persistence, solid bullpen work, and surviving a Wickman 9th. My buddy Dozer, who was among the 17,000 actually in attendance (his estimate, not mine), said that the standing ovation that the team received after coming back to take the lead in the 1st was like nothing he's ever seen at the Jake. This from a guy who STILL wears a Thome jersey regularly and has Chief Wahoo on his ankle. It must have been a pretty special moment, which could've been more special if more than 20,000, much less 40,000, people were there.

I'm not going to harp on attendance much more, but please don't ever tell me that Cleveland is a baseball town and that 455 consecutive sell-outs proves anything. I remember mocking Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and (particularly) Atlanta for not selling out playoff games, thinking, "How could people be that nonchalent about an exciting baseball team". Well, it's happening here, so let's hope that the Jake is filled if the Tribe makes the playoffs in 2005.

With Katrina dumping water on the North Coast and Tuesday's game cancelled (with Wednesday's game very much in question), I thought that I'd share a letter written to Bud Shaw, in response to his column in Tuesday's PD. The letter was written by serial poster Cy Slapnicka and articulates many of the issues that I'm having with the support that this team is receiving, both from the fans and the local media.

Bud,
After reading your column today, I have a question. How was it a throwback night? Was it because they came from behind to win or was it because they won based on runs and not pitching?

This team is completely different than the 1995 Indians. They embody the word team. They are well rounded and seem like quality people. While they have taken some time to gel, the result is far supierior to that of the late 90's Indians. Not to take anything away from that team, as I still fondly remember that summer working as an usher at games and watching them hit the cover off the ball. However, that is the past and I've moved on to the new team. The Kool-Aid Shapiro is serving tastes like wine.

I find it a lot more fun to watch Grady evolve into one of the best players in the AL. Jhonny Peralta has shed Omar's shadow and become his own brand of SS. The class clown Hafner brings a constant threat to the plate and a smile to everyone's face. Boone's bat has reappeared to complement his glove and leadership. And of course, there is the pitching. Bob Wickman wears his heart on his sleeve and as Joe Ladd (wickman's warriors) said in an ESPN article, "He looks like he's from my neighborhood." Kevin Millwood has shown this staff what veteran leadership is, both in the clubhouse and on the mound.

I am tired of Cleveland media comparing this team to the team of the late 90's. Can we just embrace this team as its own and get over 1995? What is not to like? Yes there are flaws, but the Indians of 1995 had theirs as well. And why hasn't the media questioned the faith Indians fans? Where have they gone? Is it because the novelty of the Jake has worn off? Did we ever have that many fans or was it just the thing to
do at the time? Its obviously not good baseball that will lure them to the park.

How can the PD not be interested in this? If attendance at Browns games dropped off to 30,000 a game (their play warrants it), I can only imagine the media uproar. Especially if that continued even after they started winning. I am not sure if you or anyone at the PD will respond to this (I've grown used to responses from Beacon Journal writers). But I'd be very interested to hear why you aren't writing about some of these things.

Why isn't this a big deal and why are there only fluff pieces on this? Lets face it, the Indians are a good baseball team and are contenders, yet the fans refuse to come. That's not worth writing about?

Well said. I'll let you know if he gets a response.

Rumor has it that Todd Walker may be coming to town, which is fine with me as an extra bat off of the bench and glove in the field.

While most are excited that Walker can also play 1B, did you realize that Broussard, after a hot stretch, now has the 9th best OPS for 1B in the AL, ahead of Morneau, Millar, Erstad, and Hatteberg? The position is certainly in line for an upgrade next year, but let's remember that when Benny gets hot, he adds another run-producing bat to an increasingly potent lineup.

Wednesday is the last day that the deal can go down though. With the second trade deadline on Wednesday and rosters expanding on Thursday, how could you not love this game?

I'll work in the "building through FA" vs. "building from within" soon.

Keeping Pace

Big win tonight as the Tribe keeps pace to stay tied at the top of the Wild Card Standings. Tonight's game was indicative of how crazy baseball can be, losing 13-3 one night and winning 12-4 the next. The ability to put a bad loss behind them is a sign that this team is maturing, in stark comparison to the 9 game slide of 2004 after the tough Minnesota loss.

Cliff Lee looked great again tonight to run his record to 14-4 and has actually been mentioned in some articles as a Cy Young candidate, in only his second full year! Is he ace material? I'm not sure, but you can't argue with his record over the past 2 years (28-12). The only certainty about Clifton is that he should be getting his best pen ready to sign the contract that will be offered by the Tribe this offseason. Westbrook's deal, signed this past offseason, is probably a good barometer of what the Tribe will offer Lee (maybe 3-4 years for $12-$16 million).

Nice to see Wedgie give a couple of days off to Peralta and Grady the past few nights as young players do tend to wear down over the course of the 162 game grind. It is amazing how much better the lineup looks with both 23 year olds on the card.

The goal posted here (on August 7) was to end August with a 75-59 record to remain relevant in the Wild Card. After tonight, they're 71-57 with games against Toronto and Detroit, hoping to close the month out strong. If they can take both series, they'll hit that goal with the opportunity to take advantage of a Toronto team that took a couple on the chin in Gotham and a Tiger team minus Rondell White.

Tomorrow night's Browns exhibition and Tribe game happening at the same time is the reason that TiVo was invented.

Taking the 'Wood to 'Em

The Tribe got some revenge for last week's sweep last night in Boston, with Millwood dominating the potent BoSox lineup in the 7-0 win. Some quick hits:

• Has Millwood priced himself out of the Tribe's 2006 plans? I don't think that it's happened yet. But if he continues his current pace, it's very possible. His ERA is hovering around 3.00, which brings the closest thing the Tribe has to an ace every time he takes the ball. If he continues his torrid pitching, you've got to think that he'll be in the $8-$10 million range with 3-5 years on his next contract. If that's the case, I don't think that fits into the Tribe's plans for 2006 (and rightfully so). When you look at the players the Tribe need to lock up (Super Sizemore & Lee), you can't overpay for one player, especially if there's a risk of a Jack McDowellesque flame-out. As Cy e-mailed me, it's time to lock up Grady until 2015.
• Just when I was going to say that Broussard's beard made him look old enough to buy beer, he shaves it into a goatee. Someone needs to tell him that he's not Eddie Vedder and should stick with the tight beard.
• Interesting to see Shapiro in the stands last night with his good friend (and Patriots player personnel guru) Scott Pioli. With the hiring of Danny Ferry (another Shapiro buddy) by the Cavs; had the Browns pursued Pioli further, there was a possibility of these 3 buddies running the 3 major teams in a town. To put that in perspective, think about yourself and two of your friends running the major sports teams in a city. Unreal.
• I've looked through the RH sticks that might be available in a trade and the pickings are slim.
• The first option is Moises Alou, who is 38 and is paid $7 million a year. Alou's numbers so far are .315/12/33/.931 OPS. The Giants, though, would probably want Tallet/Traber, Cruceta, Hernandez, and probably another minor-leaguer to make it happen.
• Another option is Kevin Mench, who had been rumored to be coming in a trade a few years ago. Mench is 27 with a $345K salary. He's hitting .290/12/37/.903 OPS in the young season. With the Rangers (still!) deep in position players and weak in pitchers, this could be a Hafneresqe trade, giving up Tallet/Traber (probably Traber) and Hernandez.
• The final RH option out there is Juan Encarnacion, who's 29 and pulls down $4.4 million a year. He's recently shown some signs of displeasure in Florida, where he's hitting .269/9/40/.795. The Marlins would like Howry (and maybe Hernandez) to stabilize a battered pen.
• As you can see, the pickings are slim. There are other RF's out there, but most are overpriced LH (Berkman, Jenkins, Ibanez). So, if the Indians are buyers, I'm interested to see which direction they'll go to add the "middle of the lineup" hitter that Shapiro has referenced. Mench might fit the bill (and the budget) the best, but I can't see my Uncle Joe tearing his way down to the Jake to see Kevin Mench.
• One of the WKNR Update guys refers to Cliff Lee as "The General". I'm not sure if I'm on board with that one yet. He also called the Indians "Team Windex" last year. Get it, they're streaky?

Last night's lineup looked like it should for the rest of the season (barring a trade). To recap, check out the boxscore online.

Any thoughts on the lineup?

With an dime from TB, I was able to get the Organizational Depth Chart, which will remain on the sidebar and be updated as is necessary.

All right, the Red Sox just cut the lead to 4-3 on the "General" (Nope, sorry. I don't like it). I've got to focus.

What Have I Done?

After witnessing all 4 games of the current 4 game losing streak, I am seriously banned from the Jake for a while. I was so upset at my role in the losses, I spent the drive home figuring out what I have been doing differently or what I can do to change the luck. The decision was made that the new belt that I had gotten last Sunday and had worn to all the games was the culprit. As I held the belt over the trash can last night, I said, "what the hell am I doing?" Had I become that superstitious that I truly think that I can change the outcome of the game?

I wondered where this philosophy could have come from. It couldn't be those countless Browns games when nobody could change seats if the Browns were winning and HAD to change seats after an interception or a fumble, could it? During the Browns-Jets OT playoff game, my father didn't let my friend's mother (who was at the house watching the game) leave our downstairs bathroom for the whole OT, because "it would ruin the momentum that we had going". In retrospect, how insane is that? But it made perfect sense to everyone there at the time. During the Tribe-BoSox Game 5 in 1999, me and my buddy C-Badd changed seats 3 times during Pedro's pitching performance to see if we could "change things up a little bit". My buddy Dozer's family are big Illinois fans and he said they switched seats over 10 times during the Final Four games. Maybe it just makes us feel like we're doing our part to bring home the W.

I think that in Cleveland (where the only "luck" we've ever had is bad), it's amplified. I hear conversations of people that say that LeBron is certain to leave, but maybe if they get a LeBron jersey, it'll change the mojo to make him stay. As if, one Saturday as the cashier is bagging a 23 jersey in Great Northern, LeBron (sitting at home in Bath) will have this revelation come over him that he should stay in Cleveland. It's such an insane premise, but normal, intelligent people subscribe to these superstitions every single day.

I remember this one TV movie when I was a kid called Tiger Town, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086439/, with Roy Scheider (the guy from Jaws), with the premise being that this little kid's favorite player was this washed up vet (Scheider). When the kid went to the games, and prayed real hard when Billy Young (Scheider) came up, Young would always go yard. The movie ends with the player finding out about it, and the kid not making it to the big playoff game in time, but the player hits a homer to win it at the end, without the kid's help.

It's a ridiculous movie, but there I was, about 7 years old, whenever the Tribe was up at old Municipal, head in my hands, deep in prayer. Never worked for the Indians teams of those days though.

What's wrong with us?

On a Tribe note: Let's be patient and see how they close out the homestand. They should've touched Milton up for a ton more runs and it should not have been that close at the end. There is no production coming from the corners.

On a Cavs note: The draft is rapidly approaching, they've cut ties with Traylor and Harris (no argument here), reportedly almost traded Gooden for Kurt Thomas, and are trying to deal Jiri Welsch to get into the draft. One question: WHO'S MAKING THESE DECISIONS? Wouldn't it make sense to have someone in place WELL before the draft and the Free Agency period begins?

Interestingly, they showed on the scoreboard that yesterday were birthdays for George Vuckovich (remember how he always made his hat fall off?) and Doug "Special Delivery" Jones (what a horrible nickname).

I'll recount the conversation between me and my wife about what's wrong with Cleveland sports fans tomorrow. I promise to be nowhere near the Jake tonight.

Ace? More Like a Joker!

The first loss in 10 games falls squarely onto the large shoulders of #52. Despite the Indians scoring 9, C.C. couldn’t keep a lead. It was a very exciting game at the Jake, despite the presence of about 10,000 Sawx fans, 100,000 Canadian Soldiers (that descended on the stands like a plague of locusts in the 7th), and two wave attempts by Indians’ fans (both at critical junctures of the game).

Some Tomahawks:

• I was waiting at the gate next to some guy saying, “You know, if we start to fill this place and Dolan still doesn’t spend money, I’ll stop being an Indian fan.” All of the sheep around him nodded in agreement. It took everything I had not to blurt out, “Good, don’t come back here, because you’re not a fan. You probably haven’t been here since 1999 and wouldn’t even know where good money could be spent. Go home, put on your Thome or Omar jersey, and remember the good old days.”
• Then, I have to sit in front of some guy who felt that the solution to every problem was for an Indian to “go yard” and say “Swing, and a miss” like Hamilton for every whiff. Down 9-4, with a nice rally going and no outs? “C’mon, Hernandez, go yard!” The bashers of the ‘90s made Indians fans dumb in that they simply do not understand good, fundamental baseball. Ronnie Belliard was booed for a sac fly in the 6th for not “going yard”. Maybe I’m a snob, but get a clue.
• C.C., a “#3 pitcher…at best” said the guy next to me, letting the big inning get the best of him again. Why doesn’t Willis come out to the mound to settle the Crooked Cap down, when it’s obvious to everyone at the Jake that he’s becoming unraveled?
• I’ve got to agree with my neighbor last night, and will take it one step further. Right now, I’ve got:
  1) Millwood
  2) Lee
  3) Westbrook
  4) Sabathia
  5) Elarton
  Any arguments?
• Only 30,500 last night, on a 9 game winning streak, against the defending world champs. People must’ve been looking up Doug Johnson’s career stats at home (a “Here We Go, Brownies”, not Indians, chant started in the Batters’ Eye Bar at one point).
• The Wickmans’ Warriors T is 0-1 after last night.
• Saw a #99 Vaughn jersey in the men’s room. It was more of a T-Shirt than a jersey, but not bad.
• Slider is becoming Public Enemy #1 very quickly as I attend more games.
• Can you tell yet that I was disappointed in the results last night?
• Finally, I made my first appearance on the JumboTron, due to the knuckleheads a couple of rows back who had painted their chests. Not knowing if I was on, I simply waved and the camera was off of me. It went against everything that I had ever said, that I would flash the “4” for Four Horseman, to honor the great Ric Flair. I’m only disappointed in me.

See you tonight at the ballpark.

Setting up for the Homestand

With the 12 game homestand coming up (which the Indians should be able to parlay into some momentum) and a sweep of the Giants, what's the biggest news in town? That's easy, the Browns' minicamp! The minicamp, where nobody even gets to see the players! So, after Sizemore goes 18 for 36 in his last 8 games, C.C. and Lee turn into consistent starters, and Omar continues to crack back at the front office (Comment on Peralta: "He's got good power, but he doesn't play very much. If I were him that would make me wonder." Just go away Omar.) the big news is: Braylon Edwards is at his uncle's funeral! If anyone should ever have any doubt about whether Cleveland is a football town or a baseball town, the answer is overwhelmingly clear.

On another note, I caught Johnny Dangerously last night with one of my favorite actors, the venerable Michael Keaton. During the movie was a commercial for Herbie: Fully Loaded, in which Keaton plays the lovely Ms. Lohan's father. Has Keaton's star fallen that far? This guy was the legendary Jack Butler in Mr. Mom, and Billy Caufield in The Dream Team (Keaton's great and the movie has his moments, mostly due to Keaton: "You ever see Wolfen?").

It made me think about Keaton and another up-and-coming comedian from the same time period, who could also go berserk with the best of them, Tom Hanks. Seeing where Hanks is now makes one realize that there must have been some point when their paths took escalators going in the opposite direction.
Here's some random years with movies both were in:
1982
MK - Night Shift
TH - Bosom Buddies (TV)
1983
MK - Mr. Mom
TH - Splash
1984
MK - Johnny Dangerously
TH - Bachelor Party
1988
MK - Beetlejuice
TH - Big
1989
MK - Batman
TH - Turner & Hooch
1992
MK - Batman Returns
TH - Joe Versus the Volcano
1994
MK - The Paper
TH - Philadelphia
1996
MK - Multiplicity
TH - Apollo 13
1998
MK - Jack Frost
TH - Saving Private Ryan
2005
MK - Herbie: Fully Loaded
TH - The Da Vinci Code (coming soon)

Ironically, Keaton's big break as Batman seemed to put him on a downward spiral toward HBO and direct to video movies. Hanks, on the other hand, gained speed (somehow) after Turner & Hooch/Joe Versus the Volcano to win some Oscars. Seriously, look at '92, '94, and '96. What happened to my boy Keaton? It's obvious that Keaton's dramatic turn did not end up the way he would've liked it. But, we'll always have that obstacle course race in Mr. Mom.

Looking at these two, who at one time had comparable careers and promise, in hindsight is like one of those early '80s Topps' rookie cards with multiple players, who all had varying degrees of success. I wouldn't put Keaton in the same category of Bob Bonner (SS) and Jeff Schneider (P), who appear on Cal Ripken's 1982 rookie card. Maybe it's more comparable to Mookie Wilson/Hubie Brooks 1981 card. Hubie and Keaton put together some nice careers, though will be long forgotten. Hanks and Mookie will live forever through Forrest Gump and Bill Buckner's legs.

And, as they say, Boom Goes the Dynamite.

The Thaw is On

Hopefully, Tribe bats are doing what the weather in Cleveland is finally doing- heating up for good. The first few games of the Seattle series were very encouraging with C.C. and Cliff Lee shutting down a pretty potent lineup (Ichiro, Sexson, Beltre, Boone) before my boy Elarton came in to blow up. Even when Elarton was in that 1-0 "pitcher's duel" with Moyer (was anyone really expecting a victory when looking at the probable starters?), I'm just waiting for the lit wick to hit the TNT. Whenever Elarton is on the mound, I feel like that overbearing dad who coaches the Yankees in the Bad News Bears, just as Kelly Leak is stepping to the plate. You know what's going to happen, you're helpless to stop it, it's really only a matter of time. I guess that whole dynamic played out with the Yankees coach smacking his own pitcher (Wedgie are you listening?). I've said it before, but by mid-May, look for a different #5 starter. My NEW guess is Tallett.

Jason Dangerously pulled a Wild Thing after working one solid inning. I was waiting for Harry Doyle to say, "Ball 4...Ball 8...Ball 12, and Vaughn has walked the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches." Where does JD go now? I still think he's a one-inning pitcher, not a starter or a middle reliever. I think it will take one more REALLY bad outing, but perhaps he should go to Buffalo to hone a one inning repertoire.

Lost in the Elarton/Davis disaster is that Cliff Lee is pitching with more confidence than I've ever seen him. He doesn't have that scared look when he gets into trouble, he just seems to get it done. With Lee in the fold, our 4 top starters and the bullpen (Wickman's hiccups notwithstanding) have been a real strength. Yet, we're still losing ground in the Central.

There's no way the ChiSox can keep this up, can they? The Central is shaping up as one of the tougher divisions in the league.

All right, with an off day today we'll do a quick draft recap.

• Edwards is an immediate upgrade over anyone on the roster. But, who's the odd man out at WR? I think Bryant (remember Carthon was his O Coordinator in Dallas, who tired of his antics) while others think Davis (can't stay healthy), or even D-Cutt (just because I don't really like him). Whoever it is, they weren't very productive and I'm not going to shed any tears over any one of them moving on.
• Pool is a versatile, big FOOTBALL player (not a big athlete with potential) who gives depth to the secondary. I think what Crennel is trying to do is build a defense with flexible players who can play multiple positions. If you look at the NE defense, all of the players are smart, versatile players - comfortable handling their spot in the zone. Pool also gives insurance if Jones isn't healthy, or Uncle Butch missed on him too. Interesting comment by Savage on Jones tonight on WTAM. He said that Jones would've been a mid second-top third round pick this year. Translation - He's OK, but Pool (my guy) is better.
• Frye is a great pick, who's going to have enough time to develop and whose drive and work ethic (that I've read about) should endear him to Cleveland very quickly. I know that last year I thought that McCown would develop for 2 years under Jeff Garcia, but I REALLY think that Frye will be able to develop for 2 years under Dilfer and get comfortable in this system.
• Perkins, I think, was the first example of "best available". As I freaked out that we hadn't taken any OL, DL, or LB's, Savage calmly took Perkins (whom he called a 2nd round talent). Does this spell the end for Cutch, who is obviously a better nickel corner, or Northcutt, who may lose his PR job and doesn't seem to fit in with these big receivers? We'll see. For both Perkins and Pool, they were rated as "Best in Zone Coverage" at their respective positions, which plays well into Crennel's defense.
• McMillen is a big, fast DE in college who should be a nice speed rusher in this system. Think a poor man's Jamir Miller (remember Crennel was the D-Coordinator then) or a very poor man's Willie McGinest in the 3-4. I just hope that he gets consistent, which was the big knock on him at Kansas.
• Speegle (who did not get invited to the Combine) is a smart player with experience in the 3-4 at New Mexico. He visited the Browns twice, so this isn't a blind pick. I hope that he can play the Vrabel role in this offense (by the way, how cocky and idiotic did Vrabel sound on the Cold Pizza Set all weekend), but to ask that of a 5th round pick is a stretch.
• Hoffman is a big guy, again with experience in the 3-4 as NT, whose frame is big enough to bulk up to 310-315. He should provide depth at the DL (which looks very thin to me) while developing into a rotational player on the line. He dropped a keg on his toe as a sophomore in college. Andrew Hoffman, meet Ross Verba.
• Dunn is a developmental RT, who along with Chambers (last year's developmental LT) gives the O-Line coaches a project.

Funniest thing I heard all weekend was that my friend's brother was upset about McCown getting traded, but not for the reasons that you think. Turns out he had a custom McCown jersey made after the draft last year, thinking he's the first one on board with the QB of the future. Now, the jersey goes into his closet, next to the Wali Rainer jersey (no lie). Now hearing that someone has those two jerseys, I ask you, how badly do the Browns need a star?

All told, it seems like they drafted football players from big schools who performed over a period of time, and seemed very disciplined to take the best player. There were more glaring needs, but I can't argue with anything yesterday. But, ask me again in 3 years.

Draft Day Thoughts

With the Big Event (whom one person has called "his Christmas") happening at noon today, a few random thoughts:

• I woke up this morning to find my paper completely soaked through, thanks to a beautiful 4o degree rainy day in Cleveland. As I pulled out the hair dryer muttering to myself, "of all the days that I actually want to read Grossi" and "there goes your tip Helen Malloy" (our local paper carier, whose name for some reason I know off of the top of my head), I was hoping that the heat would kick in so I could dry the paper from 2 sources. My bride then bounced down the stairs and said, "you want me to go out and buy you a dry paper?" Gentlemen, when you find someone who is able to know you better than you know yourself (without immediately judging or mocking a 27-year old in his pajamas sitting Indian style on the dining room floor holding a hair dryer over the sports page), don't let her go.
• Am I a loser to sit by myself in a Browns jersey in the middle of April, surrounded by draft magazines and depth charts? Don't answer that.
• I'm watching Channel 19's pre-draft coverage with Bob Golic and I'm reminded when I ran into Golic at a bar before a Browns game this year. After marveling at the size of his head and admiring his mullet, my buddy C-Badd asked him what the most challenging part of playing "Mike" on "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" was. End of conversation.

On to some Tribe thoughts, as I did watch the game last night with the Crooked Cap looking very strong. Maybe the light switch has finally been switched on for C.C.

Here's a note from Peter Gammons latest column on the potential free agent pitchers after the 2005 & 2006 seasons:
Soon C.C. Sabathia, who would be a top free agent after the 2006 season, will begin working on an extension because of his belief in what the Indians are building. For some perspective: Sabathia won't be 25 until July. He has 54 career wins. The next highest total for any pitcher under 25? Jake Peavy has 33.

Think about that. C.C. (after last night) has 55 wins. Let's do the math-if C.C. pitches for 10 more years, until he's 35, and averages 15 wins a season; he's got 205 wins. And that's a pretty cautious estimate. Say he pitches until he's 40 (15 more years) and averages 16 wins a year-that's 295! In this day and age when, after Greg Maddux got his 300th win, most pundits said that the era of 300 game winners is essentially over, that's incredible.

C.C.'s return means even more to this team when you look at the impact of his place in the rotation to Westbrook. If C.C. can bring it against the #1's (Santana, Buehrle, etc.) that frees up Jake to take on lesser pitchers, which (hopefully) means more wins for Sinkbrook.

Does Travis Hafner look skinnier all of the sudden? I know that is difficult for a man who's 6'3", 240; but his neck, in particular, suddenly looks thin. Maybe it was just the TV's at the West End.

Question: Who got the best of the Randy Winn-Lou Piniella deal? Answer: Every other team in the AL West.

Carlos Silva and Justin Morneau came off the DL for the Twins yesterday. Did you see how Gassner (who shut down the Tribe in his first start, and was sent down when Silva came back) got shelled in his second start? I don't want to think about that.

I still can't get used to seeing Grover in another uniform. It would be like seeing Thome or Omar in another uniform. Oh, wait...