Boobie Sunday

Please allow me to get something off of my chest:
THE CAVS ARE GOING TO THE FINALS!!!

Behind the young man who may be Robin to LeBron’s Batman, the Cavs rode the hot hand of a man called Boobie to set up this moment that was only a dream on that night when the ping pong balls bounced the Cavs’ way.
On to San Antoine to see if the Cavs can continue their roll through the playoffs on the substantial shoulders of our King.

Meanwhile, across the plaza (which looked like this), the Indians fell victim to the law of averages (and another effort by Cliff Lee to head to Buffalo) and finally lost to the Tigers.

This despite Grady Sizemore not only going retro in his uniform, but in his stirrups as he took that next step to look like a baseball player in 1977.
I hope this becomes a new look for SuperSizemore, but it’s unlikely.

Without dwelling on the only negative thing that happened last night, let’s take a Lazy Sunday:

No sooner had the word “negative” appeared in the intro, does Sheldon Ocker throw some cold water on everybody who’s feeling pretty good about the Indians these days. Let’s see, according to the Bitterman, the Indians have given up on Marte and are unlikely to have Casey Blake on the roster next year.

Does anyone ever wonder if Ocker actually goes to these games or really “talks to scouts”? His write-up of the heart pounding victory on Friday is laughable in that it focused ONLY on the negatives. I was at the game, and sure there were negatives, but if the ABJ ever wonders why their circulation is down, they need to go no further than this dreadful “recap” of what my brother described as “the most exciting game at the Jake in 10 years”.

It is almost a weekly desire stated here, but please…PLEASE, ABJ – take Ocker off of the Tribe beat and promote Stephanie Storm, who covers the Akron Aeros so well.

Here’s the weekly Brad Lidge trade talk, as well as the weekly Rangers’ fire sale talk.

Andy Call has a great story on Pronk’s signing with the Texas Rangers over Frostys at Wendy’s.

Jim Ingraham finally addresses the elephant in the room regarding Cliff Lee in print. While it’s been discussed here (and dissected very well in the comments section by new serial poster Halifax), Ingraham is the first newspaperman to put it in print that Cliff Lee has just as much of a chance to vacate the rotation as Jeremy Sowers does when Jake Westbrook returns from his rehab stint.

While Westbrook certainly didn’t impress in his first rehab start (1 1/3 IP, 4 ER 7 H, 1 BB), Lee is making it a two-horse race to be sent to Buffalo as he still retains two options.

Consider the numbers in their last 3 starts:
Sowers
18 2/3 IP, 12 ER, 5.78 ERA, 1.28 WHIP

Lee
13 2/3, 16 ER, 13.66 ERA, 2.16 WHIP

While Sowers certainly hasn’t evoked those comparisons to a young Tom Glavine recently, Cliff Lee has performed significantly worse. Sowers at least has moments of being in control and has been victimized by poor relief pitching after him (CaBBrera), while Lee continually walks the tightrope and taxes the Tribe bullpen because of his short starts.

Each will probably get one more start (not counting Sowers this afternoon), but it will be interesting to see which direction the Indians decide to go and if, by chance, Lee becomes trade bait to shore up a beleaguered bullpen (which I promise to dissect at some point this week).

Not to just throw something against the wall (OK, maybe just to throw something against the wall), but would San Diego be willing to part with a piece (or pieces)of their magnificent bullpen (Scott Linebrink or Heath Bell perhaps) to see if Lee’s fly ball tendencies play out well in Petco?

Or maybe the Dodgers (with Jonathon Broxton or Joe Biemel) to get Mark Hendrickson or Brett Tomko out of their rotation and see if Chavez Ravine is kind to Five and (F)Lee?

The Indians will have to part with a valuable piece to shore up their bullpen at some point this season. And Brian Slocum and Ben Francisco aren’t bringing Akinori Otsuka, so the question needs to be thrown out there – is Cliff Lee that piece?

He has a track record of winning (ugly, yes…but still winning), with a fairly reasonable contract ($2.75M in 2007, $3.75M in 2008, $5.75M in 2009, club option for $8M in 2010) that runs for quite a while. So, he is an attractive commodity to other teams. But, are the Indians confident in their current stable of pitchers and their arms just below the surface (Atom Miller, Chas Lofgren, etc.) to trade Lee to shore up the back end of their bullpen?

It can certainly be argued (and has been, by me) that solid starting pitching is a commodity too valuable to trade, particularly for a team in contention. But, if Lee no longer falls under that “solid” category, and is on a downward spiral that will result in him either eventually being moved to the bullpen or falling out of favor in the organization altogether, isn’t it time to at least explore those options, when a 28-year-old pitcher with 51 career wins has some trade value?

Today’s start by Sowers and the next starts by the two LHP will go a long way to determine how this all plays out, but don’t be too surprised if that arm that we all assumed at the beginning of the season to be Paul Byrd to shore up the bullpen becomes Cliff Lee.

Still a great chance for the Tribe to take 3 of 4 from the Motor City Kitties today, as Bonderman has struggled since coming off of the DL.
It’s time to go all LeBron and put that foot on the Tigers’ throat and announce the Central as Indian Territory once more.

Finally, the most poignant moment of the night – LeBron searches out Z, the only player remaining from LBJ’s 1st practice with the Cavs who has endured some hard times in a Cavs uni, to give him this bear hug at center court.Cleveland is rising, enjoy the ascent.

Fun with Numbers on a Lazy Sunday

After another clunker by Sowers (where he remains that one pitch away from magically getting out of an inning, instead victimized by that one pitch that becomes a 3-run HR), remember that Westbrook is still probably 4 weeks away from returning; so Sowers will likely have at least 4 or 5 more starts to rectify his issues. If, by that time, no progress has been made, a move to Buffalo is inevitable as the Indians need their 5 best pitchers in the rotation, regardless of past success. Here’s hoping that Sowers can figure out what ails him in Cleveland, which is the best place for him to do so; but with the Tigers not slowing down, the Indians need their best chance to win every night. When Sowers no longer fits into that category, a change will be made. Until then, he’ll be in Cleveland.

Passing the quarter pole last night, I decided it’s time to get into some projections of where the Indians players statistics might end up this year; but before we get into the numbers game, a quick Lazy Sunday:

Paul Hoynes reports that Andy Marte will play against LHP upon his return from rehab, but doesn’t address the reason why. The fear that Marte’s return would take Blake, Garko, or Nixon out of the lineup brought out the “if it ain’t broke…” argument, but Nixon’s performance against LHP (.504 OPS vs. LHP, .838 OPS vs. RHP) and the fact that he’s coming off off-season back surgery became the deciding factors in bringing Marte back to Cleveland, rather than having Gutierrez take those AB vs. LHP. Against LHP, Marte will play 3B and Blake will play RF; while against RHP, Blake will stay at 3B and the Dirt Dog will patrol RF.

Hoynes also touches on the fact that Brandon Phillips doesn’t give interviews to Cincinnati reporters. It’s been well-documented here, but Phillips’ belief that he is destined for enshrinement in Cooperstown, meaning he’s held to a different set of rules makes me happy that he no longer takes up a spot on the Tribe roster, regardless of his performance on the field.

During Friday night’s game, Phillips took off 2nd base with one out as the batter lined an out to CF. Phillips, mid-way between 2nd and 3rd, immediately stopped, took off his batting helmet, and started walking back to his spot in the infield for the next inning as he was doubled up at 2B. Phillips made zero effort to make it back to prevent the inning-ending force out as his arrogance, petulance, and penchant for prima donna behavior showed through in one simple play.

SI.com’s Gennaro Filice (which sounds, frankly, like a made up name) lists Carmona and Sowers in his 5-up, 5-down column.

Apparently, Keith Foulke’s retirement may be short-lived. That is, if you believe anything in a Boston paper.

Finally under the “A Man Can Dream, Can’t He?” ledger, the Rangers’ reporters believe that Texas may have an interest in moving Mark Teixeira. He in under contract until the end of 2008 and is a GIANT bat at a Gold Glover at 1B.

With that out of the way, we’ve officially hit the quarter pole of the season and it’s time to pull out the calculator and make some projections. Using some simple math (and an Excel spreadsheet, but please excuse the way the tables look as Blogger is not exactly easy to import a table into), here is how the Indians’ position players project out over a full season. Since it’s often difficult to figure out how a player is doing regarding RBI or HR or R without looking at the League Leaders, this provides an easier way to look at what the Indians are on pace to do.

With the obvious caveat that this is simply taking the numbers of the players thus far and extrapolating those numbers out, here we go:

Player	R	HR	RBI	SB	OBP	SLG	AVG	OPS
Sizemore	140	28	80	60	.397	.452	.274	.849
Blake	92	12	68	8	.339	.403	.255	.742
Barfield	68	4	64	16	.252	.304	.225	.556
Peralta	92	36	120	4	.354	.514	.268	.868
Hafner	104	32	116	0	.441	.485	.279	.926
Martinez	84	20	124	0	.412	.508	.328	.92
Garko	68	24	60	0	.378	.526	.328	.904
Nixon	72	8	80	0	.366	.383	.278	.749
Dellucci	68	4	24	8	.293	.355	.243	.648
Michaels	32	4	36	4	.308	.397	.274	.705
Shoppach	28	4	24	0	.371	.449	.275	.82
Marte	12	4	32	0	.221	.333	.179	.554
Rouse	12	0	8	4	.237	.176	.147	.413

Yes, that would be 60 RBI from the LF platoon of Dellucci and Michaels and 60 RBI from Garko. If not for the run production from the C and the SS position, that would be unacceptable. Speaking of the SS position, welcome back Jhonny v.2005!

While compiling the pitchers, something stood out that was shocking – had you told me at the beginning of the season that the Tribe would hit the quarter pole with 3 combined wins from Westbrook, Lee, and Sowers, I would have bought stock in Mylanta. Yet, here they sit, atop the AL Central, on pace for 100 wins with the pitchers that entered Spring Training as their #2, #3, and #4 starters combining for 3 wins.

Here are the rest of the projections for the pitchers:

Player	W	L	ERA	G	SV	SO	WHIP
Sabathia	24	4	3.65	36	0	252	1.22
Carmona	20	4	2.55	28	0	80	1.14
Byrd	12	4	3.49	24	0	92	1.24
Sowers	0	16	7.13	32	0	48	1.63
Westbrook	4	8	7.91	24	0	72	1.68
Lee	8	0	4.15	16	0	48	1.27
Mastny	8	4	3.01	64	0	68	0.94
Cabrera	4	8	4.67	48	0	96	1.62
Hernandez	8	4	4.24	68	0	52	1.53
Borowski	0	8	9.01	68	48	72	1.73
Betancourt	0	0	2.45	56	0	52	1.02
Fultz	12	0	2.03	80	0	44	0.75

Obviously, Sowers isn’t going to to 0-16 (is he?) and Aaron Fultz isn’t going to go 12-0, but how about those 2 horses at the top?

As serial poster Tyler pointed out earlier in the week, the number of appearances for The Big Borowski is pretty high and may be the reason that the Indians look to fortify the bullpen – to take some of the load off of JoeBo’s arm. Remember, he failed a physical in Philly, so that many appearances could not be a great idea.

Those numbers can change pretty dramatically one way or the other, but we’re getting to a point where the sample sizes are big enough in 2007 to make some judgments.
These projections could go a long way in determining what those judgments would be.

Team Teflon

The Indians completed the sweep of the Indians as El Diablo outdueled Johan Cyntana and The Little Engine that Could is developing into a full-blown freight train. The obstacles that have been thrown up in front of them simply become items in the rearview mirror.

The Opening Series against the Mariners was cancelled due to snow?
No problem…watch the fans make some snow angels and get ready for the Angels.

The Angels’ series gets moved to Milwaukee due to inclement weather?
Roll with it. Then take the series from the AL West-contending Halos in front of those crazy Wisconsinites.

Cliff Lee starts the season on the DL, followed by Jake Westbrook?
Don’t sweat the technique. Just plug Fausto Carmona in there and watch him rattle off a 5-1 record (including 2 wins against Johan Santana) with a 2.55 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. Carmona’s pulling his best Grady Sizemore (circa 2005) impression…daring the club to send him down to Buffalo. How about this quote from Torii Hunter on Carmona after the complete game shutout -“That dude is filthy. ... If you've never played the game, listen to me, I'm a hitter. Right-handers have no chance unless they get lucky and get a hit on a broken bat.” Um…it’s time to call a realtor, Fausto.

Joe Borowski blows the final game in New York, letting up a 5-run 9th, allowing the Yanks to sweep?
All good. Unfazed, the Tribe just rattled off 11 wins in their next 13 games.

Travis Hafner proves to be human after all, batting .163 with a .679 OPS in the month of May?
That’s fine. The rest of the team has stepped up to the point that they have scored 10 more runs than the Red Sox (94 to 84) and 13 more runs than the Yankees (94 to 81) in the first 15 to 16 games of the month. The Indians 94 runs for the month of May, by the way, lead all of MLB. The most notable contributors include Nixon (14 RBI), Peralta (14 RBI), and the Stick (12 RBI).

Borowski blows another 9th inning game in heartbreaking fashion against the A’s?
Water off a duck’s back. Bring on the divisional rival Twins to beat up on as they sweep their way through the series, outscoring Minnesota 24 to 8. The Twins best chance to win, with Santana, sunk just as quickly as the 95 MPH sinker (?!?) coming out of Carmona’s hand.

The point is, this team has not been given the easiest road to hoe, but it continues to put the blinders on, keeping their collective head down and winning. They sit on the 2nd best record in the AL and 4th best in all of MLB despite the fact that the offense is just now hitting it’s stride and the fact that the bullpen still has an air of uncertainty around it.

If anyone else just waiting for the next barrier to go up in front of the Indians, that’s just your natural reflex as a Cleveland fan and you’re not alone. But nothing sticks to this team, (that’s now 10 games over .500) as it has rolled over all the speed bumps to this point and doesn’t show any signs of letting little things like home games in Milwaukee, two complete meltdowns by your closer (albeit in the midst of getting 12 saves), enduring injury to two of the vital cogs of your rotation, getting jobbed by the umps against Baltimore, and a very un-Pronklike month get in the way of staying on a roll.

The team that we are seeing right now is the team that we all expected going into 2006.
Remember that, the optimism of last March? The Tribe was fresh off of a playoff push, at the top of most Power Rankings to start the season and was the trendy pick to win the World Series. Well, that team has finally arrived, ready to fight this thing out until the end in the AL Central and beyond.


Maybe it’s a year too late, but better late than never.

Jelly on a Roll

Wednesday night's game at the Jake was the closest to playoff baseball that I've experienced since the late 90's. From Jake's no-no until the 6th to Bell-i-YARD going deep in typical Jelly fashion (a swing-out-of-your-shoes effort that he admired as it went deep in the SRO area in left), to Wickman's exciting 9th.

Best scene of the night:
A fan in the right field seats catches the HR that Sticky gave up in the 9th. The fans start chanting, "Throw it back, throw it back". Realizing that throwing a ball onto the field gets you ejected from the Jake, I find the usher to see if she's telling the guy not to. But, she's cheering and pumping her fist to throw it back like everyone else. As the ball flew over Blake's head onto the field, I saw her look up towards the concourse (presumably to another usher), shrug her shoulders, mouth the words "no way", and sit down to watch the final two outs.

The atmosphere was electric, giving high-fives to anyone around you, on your feet for the last 3 innings, giving standing O's to anyone - Belliard, Westbrook after his 5th inning of no-hit ball, Wickman coming out of the pen, Broussard during his PH at-bat in recognition of his two bombs on Tuesday. Even the grounds crew got one for clearing the field after a monsoon reminiscient of the Steve Miller Band Concert in 1992 at Blossom...if you were there, you know what I'm talking about.

21,000+ was pretty loud last night, though I think most of them are the same people who have been there all year, who know and enjoy baseball, and are taking great enjoyment out of seeing a talented team mature in an exciting playoff race. This is going to be a great couple of weeks here, right up to and including the final showdown with the White Sox.

Speaking of the Pale Hose, they dropped a game to KC today, meaning that the Tribe is 4.5 games back in the Central. Ozzie Guillen called out another one of his players, Damaso Marte, for a "questionable injury". The White Sox may be coming apart before our very eyes.

As I looked at the standings this morning, the Tribe has the 4th best record in all of baseball! Then I check out the official site, where this quote appears:

"If we don't sign Jim Thome, it'll erode a significant core [of the fan base], and we need to sign Jim Thome for performance and for that core. But I think the only thing that'll bring fans back to the three million range is for us to build a winning team again. That's what we have to do." -- GM Mark Shapiro, in 2002

Mission accomplished, on your end, Mark. Now it's on the fans to realize it.


Richard Justice of the Houston Chronicle said on PTI yesterday that he thought the Yankees would win the Wild Card, but Indians' fans shouldn't fret because the Tribe will be good for at least the next 10 years. Actually Rich, I think we'll take our cake and eat it too this year.

Just got the new SI (with Aaron Brooks on the cover) and there's a 3 page article about the Indians. A great shot of Super Sizemore, Jhon, Coco, The Stick, and Pronk (shown here) starts the article off and, surprisingly for the national media, it almost presupposes that the Tribe will make the playoffs. If you don't subscribe to SI, it's worth the time and newstand price.

We're talkin' baseball...Indians baseball...TALKIN' TRIBE!!!

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.

Tied at the Top

Heading into Tuesday's game with the Rays, the Tribe has tied the A's and the Yanks atop the Wild Card standings (though they are behind in percentage points, due to playing 2 more games). And, watching Monday's game, nobody can argue that this team is peaking at the right time.
Think about these stats from Monday's game:

1. Grady and Coco each had 3 hits
2. Jhonny went 2 for 4 with his third hit being robbed by Gaithright in DEEP centerfield
3. Hafner went hitless (though his sac fly was about as good of an at-bat as there's been this year) and the team still scored 11 runs
4. The always streaky Broussard hit his second HR in 9 at-bats

The top 5 of the lineup seem to be likely to always produce a few runs, so anything that 6 through 9 can get is gravy. That's why that last point is so important. If Broussard is getting hot and the other Filler B's (Belliard, Boone, & Blake) can produce in the last month, the Indians are looking at a great combination of pitching and hitting for the month of September.

If, in fact, the offense turns the faucet on to a full pour after Monday's game, it may be traced to Grady beating out an infield hit in the 7th. For those who have not seen it, Grady pounded the ball off of the carpet towards second and looked like a sprinter coming out of blocks as he began his trip down the line. About halfway down, the look on his face changed to such determination that, watching later in slow motion, you knew he was going to beat the ball down the line. As he tore down the line, he looked like a halfback putting it into another gear when he hits the secondary. Finally, as Grady barely beat the play out, he reacted as you would expect only Grady to react. He simply clapped his hands once, while his face showed only his constant look of confidence and determination. He didn't go nuts or try to get rah-rah to pump up his teammates. He acted like it was an everyday occurence and sparked the 7 run seventh.

There was a question earlier this year about who the leader of this team is. I don't know if a 23 year old, with less than two years in the majors, can be the leader of a playoff team, but the whole team followed Sizemore's lead and put their collective foot on the throats of the Devil Rays. At the time that he beat out that grounder, the game was still 4-4 and Casey Blake had what could have been a disastrous K in the 6th.

That is what a leader does - he doesn't get up on the top step to lead a hollow cheer - he simply becomes the best player on a team by busting his hump every day, and carries himself in a way that makes other players want to do the same. Isn't that what Jeter does?

A big thanks to Tim for putting his ESPN Insider subscription to use for the common good as he put all of the Tribe articles on ESPN.com in yesterday's comments. Also listed on ESPN's MLB home page was a point that Jhonny has become the OPS leader among SS. But what's even more amazing is the fact that Jhonny has only 2 less HR and 16 less RBI than Tejada in 123 less at bats(!) and 2 more HR and 6 less RBI than Michael Young in 145 fewer at bats!

Omar who? Which leads me to a great comment I heard on the radio today, as WTAM was singing the praises of Jhonny and making fun of the people who are STILL upset that Omar is no longer an Indian. A Vizquel fan made the comment that Omar did more for the city than any other player since Rocky Colavito. The quick retort was that what she meant to say was that Omar had done more women in the city than any other Indian in recent memory. Well played.
Please note in the above link that Omar is 11th in OPS.

As the Tribe tries to pull themselves out of an early Westbrook sink hole (it's 4-2 in the 5th), the feeling that this offense can pull it out is starting to become a regular feeling. Not quite 1995 "we're never out of it" feeling, but it's a start.

Jhonny Be Good

An afternoon win, keyed by our young SS, for the good guys today with the offense and the bullpen coming through to get Westbrook a W despite not having his best stuff.
An interesting note from Justice B. Hill on the official site:

At 64-55, the 2005 Indians have a better record than the 2000 team, which was 63-56 after 119 games. The starting lineup for the 2000 Tribe in game No. 120:
Kenny Lofton
Omar Vizquel
Roberto Alomar
Manny Ramirez
Jim Thome
David Segui
Travis Fryman
Wil Cordero
Sandy Alomar Jr.

Looking at that lineup and reading that the current team has a better record at the same point in the season illustrates a point that has been hammered away at - pitching wins championships. The lineup above boasts 2 probable HOF's and 2 possible HOF's (though Thome's chances are getting very slim). Yet the current incarnation of the Tribe, with two 23 year olds leading the offense has a better record. And the reason is simple: solid starting pitching and a strong bullpen.

Which leads to the question of the day: With Millwood, Wickman, Gonzalez, Elarton, Howry, Sauerbeck, and Hernandez off the books for next year, where do you put the money? Do you invest in a stud starter and fill in the holes on the offense on the cheap? Or do you make a big splash offensively, sign Elarton and another reclamation project and hope for the best for the staff.

If I'm in the front office and I'm given carte blanche, here's the plan (keep in mind that I'm talking ideal situations):

1. Throw a 3-4 year deal at Millwood worth $10 million per to stay. Millwood is 31 in December and will command some big dollars on the market, but make him think about staying in Cleveland. Granted, when Scott Boras is involved, he may ask for one of Dolan's grandchildren in the deal.
2. Offer Wickman the chance to sign another one year deal and when he turns it down, give Howry an offer to close with something like a 3 year, $7.5 million contract.
3. Sign Elarton to a 2 year deal at about $2-$3 million per. His relationship with the Tribe (and Shapiro in particular) is strong enough that a deal like that makes him stay.
4. Promote Cabrera and Davis into the pen full-time and let either Tallet or Traber become your go-to lefty. If neither pans out, find a lefty and trade them.
5. Package some prospects to the Brewers for Lyle Overbay, a solid LH bat to shore up the bottom third of the order.
6. Package a boatload of pitchers who may not fit into the long term Indians' plans for Kevin Mench. The Rangers are desperate for pitching and may take a combination of arms to part with Mench.

Both Overbay and Mench are arbitration eligible this offseason, and both the Brewers and Rangers may be willing to talk about getting some prospects as well as some "major league talent". The Tribe could sign Overbay and Mench to manageable contracts and get two young hitters who would fit in well, not only in the lineup, but in the clubhouse as well. I purposely didn't throw names into the trade options, as I have no idea who Milwaukee or Texas would ask for.

We'll see how the Tribe plays against the resurgent O's this weekend and whether they can continue to make up ground in the tightening Wild Card race.

I'll be cheering from the in-laws house in Milwaukee, where I'll see if Overbay's name hits the local news for trade talks.

This is How We Do It!

Before we get to the Yankees' games, the Tribe picked up Aaron Boone's 2006 option and restructured his contract to include a mutual option for 2007. Before the Boone detractors come out in full force, let's remember that Boone's average has steadily risen as his solid defense has been a HUGE upgrade over Kasey Blake's of 2004. Additionally, the 3B that are available in Free Agency this offseason are as follows:
Bill Mueller
Lenny Harris
Abraham O. Nunez
Jared Sandberg
Wes Helms
Joe Randa
Chris Stynes
Jeff Cirillo
Geoff Blum
Brandon Larson
Any of those names really jump out at you?
Me neither, which makes Boone at 3B for (probably) the next two years look even better. Rather than complaining about extending a player's contract who's hitting under .230, I wish that people looked at the big picture in these instances. No, Boone is never going to give the Tribe great numbers from 3B, but the fact that Peralta and Martinez are two run-producing players, playing positions that are not traditionally power positions allows this team to take advantage of Boone's glove and solid, if not spectacular, offensive numbers.

The offense is still without Le Pronk (who continues to shake the cobwebs out in Akron), but he may be back for the finale of the Yankees series or join the team in Detroit for the weekend. The offense, though, has looked good in the first two games, mainly because of Jhon and the Stick (plus a renewed commitment to patience and seeing pitches). But, boy, adding Pronk to the mix really makes this lineup look better for the dog days of August.

I love watching Cliff Lee work when he's rolling. He, like Millwood and Westbrook, looks like he's in total control - dictating the tempo of the game by throwing strikes and retiring batters seemingly the way that he wants to. He doesn't let a 3 run job by Georgie Porgie Posada allow him to become unraveled; he bears down and gives the team a chance to win.

Breaking the 9 game personal losing streak (though, barely), I was at the Jake last night to shout down Yankees fans and lose about 10 pounds in water weight. The crowd was solid last night, though (as always), I'm floored by the bandwagoners. I've never seen so big-boned girls in Jeter jerseys. One of the best comments was that only girls whose weight starts with a "2" can comfortably wear the "2".

I ended up yelling at some kid in an A-Rod jersey, asking him what borough he was from, then pointing out that Wadsworth and Brunswick are not technically boroughs of NYC. He shot back that A-Rod was better than Boone. REALLY?

The infuriating thing about Yankees fans at the Jake (outside of their obnoxiousness) is their sheer ignorance of baseball and their belief that counting World Championships ends arguments.

I'll take the Indians and their brand of baseball, strong pitching combined with timely hitting (of late), over the Yankees current strategy (outslug all opponents) any day.

The game was not broadcast on ESPN (as promised) tonight, so I'd be interested to hear from our out-of-towners how the game was handled by the national announcers. We got to hear the enthralling banter of Rick Manning and Mike Hegan, 2 color guys without a lot of color.

Assuming that the bullpen can hang onto a 7-4 lead over the last two innings, Millwood will go for the sweep tomorrow night against Shawn Chacon.

Indians Fever is thick in the air, like the humidity. Can you feel it?

Tick, Tick, Tick, Tick...Nothing

The July 31st trading deadline has come and gone with the Indians (and most teams, for that matter) standing pat. One of the bigger trades involved two familiar names as Matt Lawton was traded for Jody Gerut (making a short stay in Chicago for Gerut); but the Tribe, A's, Twins, Yankees, Rangers, and Orioles made no moves today. The Blue Jays were the only Wild Card team to make a significant move, trading John McDonald to the Tigers for a PTBNL on July 22nd (oh wait, they traded him away). The Tigers, interestingly, traded Kyle Farnsworth for a highly touted Braves prospect (despite the fact the Tigers are 3 games behind the Tribe).

While there is disappointment for not adding the needed right handed RF or 1B, it sounds like the "Sellers" are asking for the sun, moon, and stars to make significant moves. The report this morning from the New York Times that Soriano was going to the Twins for Lohse, Bret Boone, and two minor leaguers was probably the most ridiculous one that was circulated. That would be like the Tribe trading Elarton, Aaron Boone, and two minor leaguers for Soriano. Nice work, did Jayson Blair come back to write that article?

While looking at the Wild Card standings and seeing those teams stand pat made me realize that the teams in the hunt for the Wild Card are all "flawed" teams, just like the offensively-challenged Wahoos. So, here are the contenders (assuming that the Red Sox, White Sox, and Angels win their respective divisions) in their current pecking order with a bit of analysis:

• A's - The A's are probably the most dangerous team in the hunt due to their momentum, their tremendous starting pitching, and the fact that GM Billy Beane filled their two needs with the additions of Jay Payton and Jay Witasick after the All Star break. Oakland's offense, though, is still not the strongest. Though the pitching staff can overcome a lot of their offensive flaws, the A's have 33 less HRs, and only 20 more runs, than the Tribe. The A's look like the front-runner, riding Harden and Zito for the rest of the season.
• Yankees - Despite a ridiculously strong lineup, the Bombers were forced to acquire Hideo Nomo, Shawn Chacon, Al Leiter, and Alan Embree (with 3 of the 4 being released by their former teams) to shore up a pitching staff that looks like a Veterans' Hospital. With Kevin Brown, Carl Pavano, Jaret Wright, and Chien-Ming Wang (not to be confused with the immortal Long-Duck Dong) on the DL, the Yankees are going to have to outslug their way into the playoffs. Unable to add another arm, the Yanks are going to have to go with what they've got on the mound and hope that they can win a lot of 12-9 games (when the Big Unit and Mussina aren't pitching).
• Twins - The injury to Torii Hinter and the struggles of Justin Morneau have made the Tribe offense look like the 1927 Yankees compared to the current Twinkies O. Bret Boone has knocked all of 9 hits (all singles) and 13 Ks since joining the Twins. On a sidenote - this is the same guy that hit 37 HRs in 2001 and 35 HRs in 2003, before the advent of any kind of drug testing; not that I'm saying anything. Santana, Radke, Mays, and the bullpen will be pressured to throw some gems with the way that the Twins offense is producing. For comparison, the Twins have 16 fewer runs, 29 fewer HRs, and 18 fewer hits that the "anemic" Tribe offense. And now Spiderman is gone for 4-6 weeks, which means mid-September is the target return date. Can Kirby Puckett still suit up?
• Rangers - Failing to move Soriano for any pitching help means that the Rangers are going to have to MASH to try to stay in this. Factor in that Kenny Rogers will be suspended for 20 games and Chan Ho Park is in sunny San Diego, and Chris Young will be their "ace" through August, not to mention their only available pitcher with more than 8 starts this season (the immortal Ricardo Rodriguez has 8). Is that enough to discount the Rangers, despite a phenomenal offense (does that sound familiar to any Tribe fans?). If the consensus is that pitching wins championships, why hasn't John Hart caught on?
• Blue Jays - Despite a strong push by this forgotten team, Ted Lilly just hit the 15 day DL, leaving Gustavo Chacin, Dave Bush, and Josh Towers behind the dominant Roy Halladay. Toronto is capable of a run, but seeing as most of their remaining games will come against the Red Sox, Yankees, Angels and Orioles (with a series at the Jake in late August to boot), the Blue Jays have a tough path to follow to October.
• Orioles - The Orioles' young pitchers have struggled and injuries have mounted for the fading O's. Unless Tejada can pitch from the SS position and Sammy gets back on the juice (allegedly), the O's are on their way down. The O's dropped under .500 yesterday and look like more of a spoiler down the stretch (against the Sox, Yanks, and Jays) than an actual player in the Wild Card race.

Feel any better about the Tribe's chances? With Millwood, Lee, and Westbrook leading to a solid bullpen, the Tribe needs a few offensive players to find their groove to really stay in this.

Combine The Stick's revival, SuperSizemore's hot streak, and Jhon's nice transition to batting higher in the order to the return of Hafner (who is 2nd in the AL in OPS, behind the other-worldly A-Rod) and I like our chances. With all of the negativity surrounding the team, though, I feel like the only optimist in town. I feel like Lloyd Christmas telling Mary Swanson (after being told his chances are "more like one-in-a-million"), "so, you're telling me there's a chance".

Seriously, watching the Baseball Tonight Deadline Special, the focus on the Indians was whether they would be "Sellers", with Steve Phillips saying that Millwood and Wickman were their two biggest chips. Meanwhile, according to Harold Reynolds, Minnesota just needs to add that one big right-handed bat. What!?!

Wait, aren't the Indians one game back of the scuffling Twins? And isn't the Indians' schedule littered with games against Tampa Bay and Kansas City? Why the lack of respect or national attention? It's baffling.

On another note, with the Tribe not making a deal for a bat, Terry Pluto has an interesting suggestion to get a RH bat into the lineup. Call up Ryan Garko (the Sharko), when B-Phil goes to Buffalo to test his "Atomic Wedgie Hitting & Life Lessons", to platoon with Broussard. Broussard has been shredded by left-handed pitching, while Garko's hit .292 with 15 HRs and 60 RBI in Buffalo. Sounds good to me - as always, the level-headed Pluto simply calls it like he sees it.

A win today puts the road trip at 6-4. 16 of 28 games in August against the Royals, Devil Rays, and Tigers.

"So, you're telling me there's a chance"

Some Tomahawks

• The blown save by Wickman was bound to happen. You can't dance on the edge of the cliff that frequently and never take an occasional fall. It did look like there were a few grounders hit that were just out of the reach of Broussard and Boone. Move those over a few feet and we've got a W.
• That being said, the Tribe just played the hottest team in the AL at home, and almost took the series. A C.C. meltdown notwithstanding, the Tribe played the A's at their own game and played them tough. Granted, we didn't see Rich Harden (who's on fire), but we also didn't throw Millwood or Lee.
• To watch the A's series (again, omit the C.C. debacle), it's easy to see how a team can be built on pitching and win the majority of their games. The starters were great, and the bullpen pitched well (until the 9th today). The A's beat them in the area that the Indians are still weak in - situational hitting. The amount of Indians left on base is staggering.
• I wish that this town would decide what kind of team they want. Back in the '90s, everybody said, "The offense is great, but pitching wins championships". Now, despite a solid pitching staff and some very promising young players, people seem to lament the fact that there isn't an All-Star at every position. NEWS FLASH - That's a good thing. Look at John Hart's Rangers - they're very exciting to watch because they play in 13-11 games on a regular basis. Remind you of anyone? I'll take Westbrook tossing 2 hit ball for 7 innings over empty offense anyday. The A's are a perfect example of how strong pitching and timely hitting by solid, but not necessarily spectacular, players can win ballgames and make the playoffs.
• Now, onto the elephant in the room: C.C. His start on Monday was an absolute train wreck. He started the game throwing nothing but fastballs (RockDawg's comment about how Zito said that the A's were sitting "Dead Red" is a telling sign), then suddenly threw nothing but breaking balls. He's shaking off pitches, he's not mixing pitches, he never throws change-ups, and (as always) he lets his emotions get in the way. His comments after the game that he's "forgotten how to pitch" and that he "doesn't know a good pitch from a bad pitch" reinforce the belief that the problems are all between his ears. It's certainly not physical - the fact that he's throwing 98 MPH regularly shows that there are no mechanical problems. What C.C. needs to do is skip a start (Davis' and Carmona's next scheduled starts in Buffalo coincide with Sabathia's next turn), throw a simulated game with Willis and Wedge (and Nagy?) to teach him game situations, then ease him back into the rotation. When he gets back, though, Wedge should call the entire game from the dugout and NOT allow C.C. to shake off pitches. Maybe he'll pick up how to mix pitches and locate his pitches better than he has. I don't think that sending C.C. to the minors is going to do much. C.C. would be able to blow away minor league hitters with a 98 MPH fastball, so he wouldn't learn how to pitch, he would just continue to throw hard. If that doesn't work, I'm at a loss for what can straighten out the ol' Crooked Cap. Maybe bring in Rick Sutcliffe or Moose Haas to talk to him?
• On to some lighter notes: Is Bobby Kielty the ugliest player in the Major Leagues? He looks like a clown. In fact, he has to be up there with some of the wierdest looking guys in sports. The ugliest guy, still, in the history of sports (in my lifetime) was a basketball player for N.C. State in the mid-90's. I don't know what his name was, but he was a point guard, and I would watch most NC State games just to try to figure out what was wrong with him.
• The rest of the A's look like a crowd from a Candlebox concert. They're all in the late 20's with scruffy hair, are unshaven, and look like they're more comfortable in a baggy flannel shirt than a baseball uniform. Have you ever noticed that the whole team is white? The only player that is not full blown caucasian is Eric Chavez, and he was born and raised in LA.
• The A's, wearing those white hightops, look like they're wearing the crappy shoes that every 5th grader wore in CYO back in the day. Why do they wear white shoes? Is there any other team that does it?
• Jeff Liefer had a nice debut, with an RBI double on Tuesday night. Looking at Liefer in the media guide made me wonder about his career stats against our own Kasey Blake (yes, that was misspelled for a reason). So here it is, Liefer's career numbers over 723 AB's vs. Kasey' career numbers over 1569 AB's:
• Liefer - .232 Average 30 HR 105 RBI .693 OPS
• Blake - .254 Average 58 HR 193 RBI .753 OPS
• Jeff Liefer, in about half of the AB's of Kasey Blake, averages out pretty comparitively. Plus, Liefer's a year younger. So what does this tell us, that Jeff Liefer is the answer in RF? Certainly not, but neither is Kasey.
• So where do we go with the position players for 2006, namely RF, 1B, and possibly 2B and LF? Forget about 3B, Boone needs 500 AB's to vest his 2006 option, and he's over 300.
• The way that I see it, I would target a run-producing RF and a more consistent 2B in the offseason. Let Belliard, Broussard, Hernandez and Bard go. Let Ryan Garko take over at 1B (with a contingency plan), allow Jake Gatreau and Blake to play infield utility (I know that we would lack a back-up SS, maybe Ramon Vazquez). Get a C who can actually hit to give the Stick an occasional night off (or at least an Eddie Perez type). And, if it's possible I would look for a LF, only if he's an upgrade over Coco.
• On the pitching staff, I would sign Millwood (now, if he'll entertain offers) for about 3-4 years at $9-$10 million a year. That way, you pencil Millwood, Lee, Westbrook, C.C. (I hope), and Davis (or whomever) into the rotation. Elarton pitched his way out of Cleveland the past two months. I would try to sign Wickman again and let some of the young arms in Buffalo meld with some holdovers and some new arms to form the pen.
• Can you tell what I think about in bed when a Tribe game is going on? And don't tell me to take a nap so I can stay up. It's not a good scene when you come home from work, have dinner with the wife, then take a nap, only to wake up when she's going to bed. That formula is not in the marriage handbook for success.

This crucial 10 game set (which goes through the Yankees series) can still finish at 6-4, but the Seattle series has to be pretty one-sided (in the Indians favor, of course).

Matsafooey Yamamori, of the Hank Yu Braves - on top of the wall...and OUT!

Back on Track?

After the debacle of the last 2 games, the offense exploded for 10 runs today to give Jake a W. With C.C.'s performance and the anemic offense against the Royals, this was a much needed boost for the skidding Tribe.

Casey Coleman had an interesting point in today's pre-game that had to do with last night's lineup (which looked like the Buffalo Bisons', maybe worse). His comment was that with the night game followed by the day game, Wedge had to sit some starters for one of the games. One could argue that Wedge would want to play them in the game that he thought he had a better chance of winning (with Westbrook or Sabathia on the mound). Whether or not that was the case, it was certainly an interesting perspective.

Looking at this team, there are some things in an overview that are becoming obvious:

• The starting pitching will continue to be the strength of this team for years to come. Guys like Millwood and Elarton may come and go, but the groundwork is laid with Lee, Westbrook, and C.C. (warts and all) to consistently put a strong rotation together. Mix in the fact that the rotations in AAA and AA are absolutely stacked with young talent (not to mention High A players like Adam Miller) and the future looks good, assuming of course that championships are built on pitching (which they are).
• The core offensive players on this team right now are Sizemore, Hafner, Peralta, and Martinez (slow starts and all). The complementary players on the team are Coco and Boone (if healthy). The rest of the positions, as far as I'm concerned, are up for grabs at the end of the year. Much more consistency is needed from 1B, 2B, and RF. Broussard, Belliard, and Blake are all decent players in their own right; but, if and when the Indians put a serious push together, I don't anticipate any of them to be around. Broussard and Blake are too streaky (and when they're cooler than cool...they're ICE COLD), and Belliard's annual swoon (coupled with the fact that it looks like he's not trying half the time) lead me to believe that FA's will be added in those spots (unless Dubois or prospects like Garko or Gatreau are given a chance). An All-Star is not needed at every position, but a player who doesn't constantly leave runners on the bases by whiffing or hitting into DP's is needed (and would be a welcome change).
• The bullpen will remain a work in progress, as evidenced by the high expectations and dismal performance of 2004 and, conversely, the early uncertainties and steady production in 2005. The pieces are there for the future in Riske, Cabrera, Betancourt, and even The Frisbee Thrower, Miller. There will always be relievers available in the offseason, and there are a few nice arms in the minors who translate well into the big league bullpen (Brown, Mujica, and Sipp). After 2004, the Indians' front office will never take this aspect of the team for granted.
• This team still needs to do a lot of maturing and learning how to win by playing smart baseball. A veteran presence (who's not hitting .220) is necessary to help this team establish some consistency, rather than letting streaks dominate their season. This team still gets too high and too low and can't find that middle ground of consistency. That, though, comes with time and experience of being there.

This team still has a legitimate shot at this Wild Card. Despite a lot of teams making a STRONG push right now (A's, Spankees), it is the middle of July. There are 2 1/2 months left in the season, where a lot can happen.

The Saturday Seattle game is on FOX nationally at 3:15. Who are the ad wizards who came up with this one? What's the angle? Grover coming back? Rhodes facing his old mates? My guess is the programmer who scheduled this one is back working at the FOX Tulsa affiliate.

How bad is summer TV? Between the 2nd rate reality shows (The Scholar, I Want to be a Hilton), and reruns of those AWFUL shows on during the normal schedule (Joey, every comedy on ABC), I find myself watching those VH-1 and E! "lists" more and more. If I see 101 Celebrity Oops' one more time, I might throw up. God forbid I go outside, for fear of melting. Seriously, though, when do Lost and Arrested Development start back up? Thank God (and the in-laws) for the Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld DVD's.

But I digress. Tribe faces Moyer tomorrow, who turns into Sandy Koufax in his prime whenever he faces the Indians' lineup. Hopefully, the Tribe can sweep and finish the homestand at 5-6 after a disastrous start.

At the Break II

After the enthralling Midsummer Classic last night (has anything good happened in the All Star Game in the last 20 years outside of Bo Jackson and Sandy Alomar's HR in the Jake?), it's one more night without baseball.

You would think the PD would have an analysis on the first half today, but nothing. Maybe Hoynes is getting it together for tomorrow, or maybe they'll do a big piece on Doug Johnson (the new backup QB). We wonder why the town hasn't embraced this team yet and you have to look no further at the negativity and overall lack of optimism in the local sports page. People read the same sarcastic comments from the luminaries at the PD and scoff at the progress being made. Don't even get me started on WKNR.

This perception that Dolan is a cheapskate (despite the Tribe spending the most of any ML team on player development in the past few years) is truly ignorant. People rant and rave that Omar and Thome and Manny aren't here, neglecting to remember that Dolan offered Manny $18M to stay here, Shapiro was right on the length of Thome's contract because of his back, and Peralta is a budding star at age 23.

Let's look at what we would have if we had kept that "Golden Era" team intact (just counting the players still in the league):

• Manny - too much $, remember the Sawx tried to cut him
• Thome - will be unproductive for the remainder of his contract, which runs through 2008
• Omar - the Giants are already trying to move him, and he's under contract until he's 41
• Lofton - once he lost his legs, was exposed as an athlete playing baseball
• Sean Casey - would look nice here, but has no power
• Sexson - again, would look nice here, but not for his contract
• Giles - a mistake
• Colon - I'd make that trade every day and twice on Tuesdays
• Sandy - a backup catcher

Who am I missing? Where have you gone Albert Belle, Carlos Baerga, Matt Williams, Travis Fryman, Robby Alomar?

There's such a thing as fiscal responsibility in baseball. That's why what the Indians are doing is the right way to approach building a baseball team. Call it the Atlanta Braves method: develop home-grown talent and add pieces, where needed, to put a consistent product on the field. Is anyone arguing that the Braves do it correctly? Right now, the Indians are at the stage where they're developing young talent and finding out what they have before adding the needed pieces.

As as been said many times, it's time for the fans of this town to turn the page and embrace this team. Root for the name on the front of the jersey, not the back.

Moving on to the pitchers, here's what the starters are on pace to achieve:
The stats are listed as Wins - Losses - ERA - K's - WHIP
C.C. Sabathia
11 - 9 - 4.50 - 129 - 1.33
Kevin Millwood
5 - 13 - 3.58 - 133 - 1.30
Jake Westbrook
11-20 - 4.67 -127 - 1.23
Cliff Lee
17 - 7 - 3.89 - 145 - 1.31
Scott Elarton
11 - 5 - 4.72 - 114 - 1.31

The Sticky one is on pace for 42 saves. Looking at these numbers, you can't help but be optimistic for the second half. No way that Westbrook continues his losing, or Millwood doesn't get W's.

Biggest Surprise:
The consistency of Lee and Elarton has given the Indians a shot all 5 days of the rotation. Expect Lee to get Westbrook money in the off-season, with Elarton getting a long look.

Pitching MVP:
Wicky gives balance to the strong bullpen and, though he quickens the heart rate, gets the job done.

Biggest Disappointment:
The Crooked Cap, in a landslide. I can't get into it right now, or it will ruin my night. Just for a snapshot, look at C.C.'s numbers against Elarton's.

Enjoy the second half. Against the protests of everyone, I'll be in the stands for the first game of the White Sox series tomorrow.

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.

6 and Counting...

Sitting in the Right Field Mezzanine (where we got a great view of Joe D-G's catch) with my buddy TC tonight brought up some interesting topics:

• If the Indians fall out of the race by the trading deadline, do you trade Millwood, Wickman, and Howry?
• If the Indians are right in the race by the trading deadline (which I think they will be ), what do they add? What does this team need? Everyone harps on Dolan's "unwillingness to spend money", but really what would you add to the mix here and who would go? The only pressing need that I see is a RH bat, possibly as an OF. It seems that the two-headed monster of Hernandez and Blake is not doing the job.
• What starter conveys the attitude of an "ace" the most? Or, what starter, when on the mound, gives you the most confidence? Consensus in the Mezzanine was Lee, Millwood, Sabathia, then Westbrook. Sabathia #3, you say? The reasoning is that despite his claims that he wants (and needs) to be this team's ace, C.C. still seems to let things pile on when the inning gets tough. The other 3 don't seem to have that problem.
• Is Bob Howry expendable to get a RH bat in the lineup? With Cabrera tearing it up in AAA and Howry's contract up at the end of 2005 (he's sure to get a multiyear deal with the way that he's pitching), do you trade Howry with a minor leaguer to get a RH bat?
• Who are the core players on this team? Super Sizemore is obviously the best position player on this team right now (the Baldelli comparisons have started), but who else will be here in 3 years? With no obvious Manny, Thome, or Vizquel here, who's going to stay for a few years, and who will pull a Paul Sorrento?

Other things seen and heard at the Jake and afterwards:

• The Team Shop is selling #48 Pronk jerseys. If I see a #52 Crooked Cap or a #41 The Stick at the Team Shop, I'm asking for a commission.
• The lineup was introduced to The Crue's "Kick Start My Heart" to get the crowd in the mood. Very well done video montage that got me ready for baseball, more so than "We're talkin' baseball...Indians Baseball...talkin' Tribe!" Who still hits the play button on that one? Is someone in the Indians' front office related to this singer? Let's bring back "Indians Fever, Be a Believer".
• Why does the crowd start the wave with a Tribe runner on first and nobody out? Because Cleveland is not a baseball town. I'm sorry, but it's not.
• WTAM's postgame with Kevin Keane and Mark Schwab gives a voice to the intelligent Tribe Fan. They give a cautiously optimistic view on the team while not getting too high or too low, while also remaining subjective and sometimes critical.
• At a street vendor's stand on Bolivar en route to the game, I saw the script "C" on a hat, which I feel should be incorporated into the uniforms. The other symbol that REALLY needs to be brought back is the silhouette of the full Chief Wahoo against the baseball (think the old Chief sign at Municipal Stadium). Why can't that be the depiction of the Chief, rather than just that big, smiling, red face?

D-Backs in time for the weekend. In the words of Lou Brown, "starting to come together, Pepper...starting to come together." Still shooting for 40-33 out of the homestand.

Left my Broom in San Francisco

Upon completion of their first sweep of the season (Omar's Giants in 3), the Tribe is looking at a favorable schedule over the next two weeks in the friendly confines at Prospect & Ontario. The next 12 games, all at home, are against Colorado, Arizona, Boston, and Cincinnati. Let's say the Tribe takes 3 of the 4 series (and that is the WORST case scenario), they end up 38-35. Let's be honest though, with the state of the Rockies and Reds this season and Boston's pitching troubles, I'm looking for 40-33 coming out of the homestand. It's time to stop scoreboard watching, wondering how long the White Sox can keep this up, and take care of the business in our own ballyard.

Watching the Giants' series was a pleasure. This is how the season was supposed to be: good pitching, timely hitting, an occasional bullpen hiccup (Howry on Saturday night), but solid enough to beat up on inferior opponents. A 7-5 trip is not that bad, figuring in the way that they started in Minnesota and Chicago. Seriously, this team is a Broussard error away from two consecutive sweeps. That being said, it's time for this team to take off, with the starting pitching continuing to lead the way and the lineup producing enough runs to get W's.

I know that one man cannot be to blame for the early season struggles, BUT the Tribe is 6-1 since Murray was fired, and I agree with TB in that multiple career years in 2004 probably unjustly saved Eddie's job. The team seems more patient and more aware of situational hitting. Also, they're finally settling into a lineup that feels right (it only took about 55 games):
CF Sizemore
LF Crisp
DH Hafner
C Martinez
1B Broussard
RF Gerut/Blake
2B Belliard
3B Boone
SS Peralta

The platoon of Gerut and Blake suits me just fine, and an occasional Alex Cora sighting is welcome; but please, no more Hernandez! He's a windmill who's taking up a roster spot. Casey could play 3B, 1B, and OF; Cora can play 2B and SS; that leaves an open spot where someone else (Ludwick?) could take some strain off of the OF's. Send Hernandez to the NL where he can "murder lefthanded pitching" for someone else.

Cliff Lee IS the Indians' All Star, no question. During today's outing, he has never been in a better rhythm and was in complete control (despite Jhon going Ankiel/Knoblauch a few times). He's become a solid 3, at least, with the possibility of developing further. If Lee finishes this season strong, look for the Indians to give him Westbrook money and a long-term deal.

To those Indians' "fans" who were rooting for Omar over the Tribe (there were multiple callers on Friday to radio stations who claimed that Vizquel was "wronged" by the team and wanted to see him exact his revenge), know this: Omar is playing for the Giants because he wanted and took more money and security than the Tribe (wisely) were willing to pay him. When his contract expires, he will be a 40 year old playing SS, while the Indians will be light years ahead of the geriatic Giants. Knowing the way that Omar played his hand to seem like the victim in this whole deal makes watching his team struggle ALMOST as pleasurable as watching Thome not be able to play DH to rest his back (Shapiro 2, Just About Everyone Else 0).

Jason Davis is still not a starter and nobody will be able to convince me otherwise.

I'm trying to design my own #41 jersey with "The Stick" on the back, but it's one letter too long. Maybe a #48 "Le Pronque" or #48 "Shrek" would suffice. The other option is to get #52 with a "CC XL".

C.C. slide was phenomenal. Thank God for my new DVR as the slide was rewound about 10 times.

I appreciate your return to the Diatribe after some time away. Trust this, with all of these Tribe thoughts flowing through my head and the weather heating up, it's on. So bookmark this or mark it down as a favorite, or do whatever you want; because this is starting to get good.

Boom Goes the Dynamite.

California Love

The Tribe, always surprising, takes 2 of 3 from the division leading Padres (could've been a sweep if Broussard catches the DP ball in the 2nd), continuing the Season of Uncertainty. Despite taking 2 of 3 from the Friars, the Wahoos remain 11 games behind those Amazin' Sox. A few thoughts as the Indians head up the Left Coast to face Omarvelous and the Giants (who are 8 games under .500...but Omar wasn't looking for the money or a long-term deal, just a team who would contend):

• Who is the Indians' All-Star? I don't think they're going to have the All-Star representation of last year, but someone has to go. The guess here is Cliff Lee, who has put together a solid first half and has a W-L record that isn't frightening (Sweatbrook, 2-9). Grady "Super" Sizemore is probably the best position player thus far, but his numbers pale in comparison to other available OF's in the American League. The other possibility is the Sticky One, who represents the back end of one of the best bullies in the bigs. I don't know if the manager of the AL has the stomach though for a typical Wicky inning (put 2 guys on, get a K and a DP as the tying run is 3 feet away from home) in the Midsummer Classic. So, I'm thinking Lee. When it happens, I will think about wearing my Lee jersey, but K-Mill took #34 away from Clifton this year (Cliff currently wears #31), leaving me looking like the guy who has the Winslow #11 jersey, a little premature and very embarassed.
• I struggled last night to watch the game with Coldplay on VH1's Storytellers. It was a great episode with the Brits tearing it up as usual, but you can't help but look at the drummer and bassist and think that they're just along for the ride, a la Larry Mullen and Adam Clayton of U2. The most amazing thing, though, is to watch Chris Martin (lead singer) and know that he's married to Gwyneth Paltrow. I know that she's a bit of a loon (British term): she did after all name her child Apple, but c'mon. I can go to the pulpit for Free Trade and not shave for a week and pull off what Martin's got going on.
• What's the deal with Le Pronque? Terry Pluto nailed it the other day by saying that Hafner's season has been "Blah...not bad, not great." Where is the clutch hitting and the opposite field moon shots? I wonder if his right elbow is bothering him more than the Dakota in him will let on. Or maybe he's upset about Shrek 3 not coming out this summer (and don't say you never noticed his similarity to the green ogre).
• I heard a commercial on the radio promoting the Padres series saying, "Catch Coco Crisp and the Indians take on Brian Giles and the Padres, tonight on FSN" then Coco hits 3rd. I was waiting for the punch line...still am. And don't come to me with 3 hits and 1 HR, Coco is not a core player on this team.
• The Super One (Sizemore) has established himself as a true keeper for years to come, but who else on this team is? The Stick and Le Pronque are the only two position players that come to mind, with C.C., Jake, and Cliff representing the pitching staff (Riske & Rocky Betancourt if you count the pen). Where is this next "wave" of players that Shapiro talked about a few years ago? Buffalo is stocked with guys that have been in the minors for about 8 years (think Jeff Manto).
• Anyone notice that the Polanco trade happened for Urbina and an INF (the day before the move was made, I had referenced a rumor of Polanco for Howry and Hernandez). Shapiro seems cautious to make a move that is going to disrupt this team. His comments in the PD that the Indians' schedule in August is favorable only strengthen the idea that this is the team, regardless of where they are at the trading deadline. However, if the Sox don't slow down, it doesn't do any good to have cupcakes in August if you're 15-20 games out.
• Ryan Drese (of TB on Shooters' Deck Fame) was given his walking papers yesterday by the Rangers, confirming the theft of Hafner as one of Shapiro's Great Heists.

Off to the land of fruits and nuts in SF, where I'm sure Omar's yellow suitcoat and Porsche are going over like gangbusters.

The Reason I Don't Manage the Tribe

After debating whether to make the trip to the Jake last night, WEWS' Chief Meteorologist Mark Johnson (he of the plastic hair and uneasy sense of humor) convinced us not to, because Hurricane Andrew was supposed to sweep across the North Coast. After a 15-20 minute downpour and an hour rain delay, the Tribe came back on the field and hung onto victory against the Jays. Should've been watching Tanchak.

When the game started, the lineup looked like a disaster. I see Hernandez batting clean-up and Ludwick hitting 5th while the Indians are trying to put together a winning streak and get some offensive momentum on a crucial homestand. I think to myself, "looks like Wedge picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue." Then, the Atomic Wedgie makes me look like an idiot as the top of the order goes nuts in the first and Bono Broussard (have you heard his cover of U2's With or Without You?) comes through with the big bases-loaded hit. That's why the Atomic Wedgie and his mustache make out the lineup card, not me.

Westbrook still looked shaky last night, though early errors didn't help him. He doesn't seem to be throwing with the same confidence and at the same breakneck pace as he did last year. Maybe his rhythm is off, or maybe he lacks that swagger that he had after owning the Tigers to burst out of the gate in 2004. But, at least Elarton wasn't on the mound.

JDangerously looked like he was going to let it come unglued, instantly giving up the HR to Rios, then bore down and went 2 1/3 of decent ball. Why Wedge would use 5 pitchers, and sap his bullpen, on the first day of a 5 game homestand is beyond me. Maybe so he could have the cameras on him while his face twitched uncontrollably. But, again, I don't make out the lineup card.

Did you notice that a few of the players singled out in the Things That Can Happen at the 40 Game Mark from Monday - Coco and Bono - went absolutely nuts in the Angels series. I mean, I know they want pub for their new CD, but that was unreal.

So, let's see if I mention the Sub-Mendoza boys again, if we can get the reverse jinx going on them:
I don't think Boone and Blake are long for the Tribe Lineup.
There, let's hope that will get them above .200.

Harold Reynolds said the other night on Baseball Tonight that the White Sox are by no means a lock to take the Central. He said that they will lose 6 of 10 or 8 of 10 at some point, just because of the nature of the MLB season. The Tribe just needs to make sure that they're hot while the ChiSox are not. Watching them beat up on the Orioles though, it makes you wonder if they're ever going to slow down.

The Jody Gerut situation will be an interesting one to watch. While the logical move would be to send a struggling Boone to find his stroke (Gerut to RF, Blake to 3B, Boone to Buffalo), Shapiro is unlikely to send Boone to Buffalo; you have to wonder where else Gerut would find a spot. Unbelievable on a team whose offense has struggled so mightily that it seems difficult to find a position for a player who led the team in RBI's 2 years ago, but that seems to be the case. One option would be to platoon Gerut and Blake in right, but after giving Blake a contract over the winter, you have to think that the commitment would be stronger to Casey. Or, you bring Gerut up to take Ludwick's spot. But Ludwick is a Wedge favorite, so Gerut will probably have to prove his worth in upstate NY. Stay tuned to this as Gerut was obviously upset about the assignment to AAA. He may pull a B-Phil and pout (unlikely) or he may pull a Coco and just mash (more likely), forcing Shapiro's hand.

More tomorrow on a comparison of the potential Free Agent signings of the 2004 off-season vs. the actual Free Agent signings of the 2004 off season.

Back on Track?

As has been noted in the comments section, it’s been a while since a post (I was waiting for something positive to happen), but after a long weekend in Milwaukee and a day at the Clinic, it is on.

Last night’s game kept me stressed after my bedtime as Wickman (as he always seems to) made it interesting until the very last strike. Wick striking out LeCroy to win the game was like Tiki Barber running over Ronde Barber at the goal line to win the game. Despite the win, the offense still baffles in its inability to get a clutch hit.

Westbrook looked tentative and worked slower than his normal frenetic pace at first, but hit his groove in the 6th and cruised. I hope that it’s a sign of things to come. With C.C. fully operational, the rest of the rotation needs to take his lead and go after it. We’ll see how Millwood looks tonight against the Twins.

Watching the Twins lineup last night got me worried. I think that they’re deeper and have better hitters than the Tribe. Maybe it’s the Tribe’s slow start, or the amazing fact that Mauer is 21 and Morneau is 24, but I’m officially getting worried. Combine that deep lineup with Santana, Radke, J.C. Romero (mini-Johan), and Joe Nathan, and the Indians are really going to have to get hot for a long period of time to turn it around (not to mention the Amazin' Sox).

While in Milwaukee, I hit a Brewers game vs. the Reds. Seeing a game in a domed stadium (the roof was closed) is a weird feeling. You feel like you’re at the IX Center. The sausage race was a pleasure (as usual) and they have PBR on tap (also a pleasure).

Also, while there, I spent one night at a local establishment that was full of plasma TV’s. The NBA Playoffs were on, but at the end of the game, they put on “Back to School” with Rodney Dangerfield on all of the screens (no sound). I glanced over when the better parts of the movie (Kinison, Robert Downey Jr. in full drug stage, Johnny from The Karate Kid as the rival diver) were on, but made sure to catch the final diving meet. As Dangerfield completed his famous dive, I scanned the bar to see if anyone else had just caught the classic moment. Some guy from across the bar saw me and mouthed “Triple Lindy”. I love it. When I mentioned to my brother-in-law the next day that the bar showed “Back to School”, the first thing he said was “Triple Lindy, right?”. Is there anything else like that, where everyone in the world immediately thinks the same thing about some obscure movie?

Torched

After missing the first portion of last night’s game while visiting friends who had just welcomed a new son (Ryan Michael Joyce – UD Class of 2027), I stepped into the elevator at the hospital and learned (via text messages) that Westbrook was getting shelled and the Tribe was down 10-1. Is there anything more deflating than hearing news like that, especially when you’re excited to hear good news?

I was reminded of the day in 1995, when the Indians were in the World Series while another national event was happening in L.A. On my walk back to the dorm after a shocking outcome to the event in L.A., a friend asked me what I thought of Ogea (Chad Ogea was starting the World Series game that night). I frantically asked, “What happened to Ogea?” When I was told that he was acquitted, I said, “Oh that O.J.” It’s all a matter of perspective.

Since the Tigers suddenly have Westbrook’s number (after he dominated them last year), and the end result was depressing, I’m not going to wallow in my misery by recapping the game.

Just one question to ponder: Maybe the Indians aren’t as good as we thought they were going to be, or maybe the Central is stronger than we originally thought. Things have to turn around soon; timing it with the ChiSox imminent fall to earth would be ideal.

On a lighter note, C.C. signed a two year extension, which puts him in the teepee through the 2008 season (they also picked up his 2006 option). The contract numbers aren’t that big, especially when you look at what Clement/Lieber/Wright got last off-season. This signing (even more so than Martinez, Hafner, Westbrook, etc) is a fantastic sign at the Dolans’ willingness to spend money to keep their home-grown, talented players in an Indians uniform. Call it the Twins Model for Small Market Teams: to keep core players by signing them early and using an abundant farm system to fill holes as players hit arbitration, free agency, or become unproductive. It just stinks that the Twins figured this out three years ago...and are in our division.

I’ll be at a wedding in Milwaukee all weekend, so I’ll see I can put in some posts from the In-Laws' house; though the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel doesn’t give a lot of ink to happenings of our beloved Wahoo Warriors.

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...