Thursday, July 31, 2008

5 and a half hours for that?

I really feel bad for the few brave souls who remained at the Prog last night to watch that debacle. Luckily, I wasn't one of them. My wife and I were finishing up a major landscaping overhaul at our house and didn't even tune into the game until around 9:30 when it was already 11-7. A comfortable lead in the 8th inning, right? Not exactly with this bullpen. They (mainly Edward Mujica and Masa Kobayashi) unraveled yet again, allowing the Tigers to tie it in the 8th and then actually take the lead in the 9th. Some heroics by Kelly Shoppach (five extra base hits on the night) allowed the Tribe to tie it in the bottom of the 9th, but that really just delayed the inevitable.

Shoppach's incredible night went to waste in another bullpen meltdown

I do vaguely remember waking up for a second around midnight to see the Tribe had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th with no one out. But I fell back asleep and didn't see what transpired until this morning. Shoppach struck out (but he can be forgiven after his banner day), and then my favorite double-play candidate, Andy Marte, did what he does best ending any possible hope of a win. How you can't score with the bases loaded and no one out is beyond me. But then again, this game did also feature an 8-1 Indians' lead with Cliff Lee on the mound. Obviously he's not perfect, but with that much run support he shouldn't have to be. And the bullpen should be able to nail down a win in these types of games. Final score: 14-12 Tigers. Just another microcosm of an ugly season.

Today's game should be tons of fun. Fausto Carmona is on the mound in a noon start at the Prog. He needs to redeem himself after his forgettable comeback from the hip injury on Saturday. And I won't go into another rant about these weekday getaway games, but by now we all now how much the Tribe sucks in these situations. With both bullpens being worked so hard last night I expect an ugly game if either starter is shaky. But the Tribe knows all about ugly this season.

Cavs Update: LeBron James made a surprising move yesterday. I don't want to go all political on here but let's just say that I endorse his endorsement.

Browns Update: Day 8 of training camp went without any major glitches. Brady Quinn is showing improvement. And Shaun Rogers is a hit with his new teammates. 38 days to go Browns fans...
"I'd have to say he's got to be one of the best if not the best defensive tackle in the NFL," said Fraley, a nine-year veteran.

This #92 is more intimidating than MDP... will he get his own McDonald's sandwich too?

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

No, thank you CC

Before I go into a recap of last night's game, I wanted to touch on something today that I didn't think I'd be talking about - CC Sabathia. In today's Plain Dealer, CC and his wife Amber took out a full page ad (costing $12,870) to take time to thank Cleveland for 10 great years. It's rare these days to see an athlete take the time to thank his community for their support and I think it shows what kind of guy CC is. I completely understand the business side of the Tribe trading him - we had to do it - but I will miss having a guy like him in our clubhouse. Someone that really seemed to like being here. Imagine that.

"Thank you for 10 great years... you've touched our lives with your kindness, love and generosity. We are forever grateful! It's been a privilege and an honor!" - CC and Amber Sabathia & family
Back to the business at hand... counting down the days until Browns football (only 38 days till the season kicks off!) by watching our beloved Tribe struggle through the season. Last night was another example of why we are still stuck in last place. The 8-5 loss at the hands of the Tigers puts the Tribe's division record at 15-27 (compared to 11-6 vs. the East, and 14-14 vs. the West). When you play that poorly in the division, you have no hope of making the postseason. That's seven more division losses than the Royals! So even with their -75 run differential we may be looking up Kansas City for a while (currently 1.5 games behind them). Ugh.

Ginter only lasted 4 innings on Tuesday night

Matt Ginter took the loss last night, going only 4 innings and 77 pitches, and showing why he probably doesn't really belong in a major league rotation. And Rafael Betancourt continued his tailspin in '08 giving up 2 more runs in his inning of work (including yet ANOTHER home run), after the Tribe had fought back a little to make the game interesting. By my own unofficial stats, Betancourt by far leads our struggling bullpen in 'demoralizing hits' this year. His ERA is now at 6.04, compared to 1.48 last year, and to me is as big a reason for the complete collapse this season as any other. Cliff Lee returns to the mound tonight with his outstanding 14-2 record to give us one reason to keep watching.

Other Tribe Notes: Victor Martinez may be back by the middle of August (only two weeks away, where did this summer go?). Terry Pluto shares his current thoughts on the Tribe. And Paul Hoynes talks about the closer role in the AL's worst bullpen. Finally, condolences to Travis Hafner who lost his father on Saturday after battling cancer.

Browns Update: Day 7 of training camp is in the books and Tony Grossi talks about three guys from UNLV hoping to shore up the defense. Also a video update from Tuesday:


Cavs Update: LeBron James has been chosen as the cover boy for the latest issue of Time magazine in their '100 Olympic Athetes to Watch' story. Pretty cool honor and well-deserved from this Cleveland homer's point-of-view.

King of Cleveland and now 'Redeem Team' leader

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Byrd's swan song?

If this was Paul Byrd's final appearance as a Cleveland Indian, he sure picked a good time to throw a gem. He pitched 7-2/3 scoreless innings last night at the Prog as the Tribe blanked the Tigers 5-0. Amazingly Byrd was able to scatter just four hits in 107 pitches against a potent Tigers lineup. So perhaps he does still have some trade value after all. And if I was Mark Shapiro I'd be all ears right now, listening to any GM looking to bolster their rotation for the playoff run.

In Byrd's last three appearances he has gone 2-0, working at least 6 innings in each start, and has a 1.29 ERA. He credits his success of late to a change in his delivery. Whatever it is, I'm glad he found it. And he obviously knows there's a chance he could be dealt as the trade deadline looms. I've been tough on Byrd this year, but if he is dealt I will miss his candid views, his self-deprecating humor, and I will fondly remember him for his Game 4 start in last year's ALDS in New York.

''I'm in a win-win situation,'' Byrd said. ''I love the people here, the people in the clubhouse and the fans. My family loves it in Cleveland. But if I'm traded, I assume it would be to a contender, so that would be nice, too.''

A final farewell to the fans?

Another sight for sore eyes was Asdrubal Cabrera adding some insurance with a 2-run shot in the 6th, just after Kelly Shoppach also homered. It all added up to a nice win for the Tribe and is satisfying to me given my disdain for all things Detroit. Most importantly, the win keeps the Indians just a half-game behind the Royals for Central cellar honors (but that just doesn't seem fair given K.C.'s -78 run differential compared to our +5). Oh well.
Cavs Update: Negotiations between Delonte West's reps and the Cavs don't seem to be going very well. Hopefully this is more typical agent posturing:
"If he gets a good deal, we'll do it," Goodwin said. "If not, we'll take the qualifying offer."

Browns Update: Just some tidbits today on Brandon McDonald, Andra Davis, and Jamal Lewis. The first preseason game is creeping closer (just 9 days away). Unfortunately it's against the Jets and I'm really hoping they don't have Brett Favre on their roster by then. I just don't want that media circus in town next week.

Monday, July 28, 2008

40 Days Left

Only 40 days left until sports enjoyment can officially resume in Cleveland. Or at least that's what I'm hoping. But until the Browns begin their season on September 7th, we're probably going to have to deal with a few more bad weekends like the one the Tribe had this past weekend. And in what seems like typical fashion this season, I tuned in just in time to see the bad stuff and missed the few good things that did happen.

On Friday I skipped the entire Indians game (in favor of the outstanding Foo Fighters show at the Q) and missed the lone victory of the series, a 5-4 triumph over the Twins. In that game Cliff Lee notched his 14th victory (even if Masa Kobayashi did his best to try to ruin things) and dropped his ERA to a stellar 2.29. The win also marked the Tribe's first division win in 8 tries. Ouch.

So feeling better about the team's recent play and with not much else to do while burning the summer away (it's going WAY too fast) I attended the game on Saturday, eager to see Fausto Carmona's return to the rotation. Well, it didn't last long and it was brutally painful. 2-1/3 innings pitched, 7 hits, 3 walks, and 9 earned runs are all you need to know about the 11-4 loss. I guess this sort of thing should be expected when a guy returns after being out that long. But with the way this season has gone for the Tribe I half-expect Fausto to be put back on the DL for the rest of the year...

Then yesterday's game... I forgot they were even playing and was out and about yesterday when my wife reminded me to flip on the radio as we were driving. Just as I tuned to 1100 AM I hear Tom Hamilton say, "and Sowers has gone 5 perfect innings", and right then I knew it was over. Of course the next Twins batter hit a double and it was all downhill from that point. The Indians ended up losing 4-2 after Justin Morneau got the game-winning RBI off closer candidate #956, Rafael Perez. By the way, Morneau is now hitting .350 against the Tribe this year with 7 extra base hits and 10 RBI. Yikes. Like I said, only 40 more days until Browns football.

All Tribe fans should rejoice now that this man has left town

Other Tribe Updates: Well, Casey Blake was finally dealt on Saturday. That one was bittersweet for me. I love what Blake has done this year and appreciated all his hard work over the years. I wish him nothing but success wherever his career takes him. He ended up going to the Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Jonathan Meloan and catcher Carlos Santana (maybe he will prove to be a better guitar player than Ben Broussard?). In another minor deal, the Tribe acquired pitching prospect Anthony Reyes for hard-throwing right-hander, Luis Perdomo. Terry Pluto calls the deal a "decent gamble" so I'll take his word for it. The Indians face the Tigers tonight at the Prog to start a four-game series. Paul Byrd will be on the mound for perhaps the final time for the good guys...

Cavs Update: Hoopsworld.com got an exclusive interview over the weekend with Danny Ferry. Not much new to report, but I thought I'd pass along what Ferry had to say.
"I like our team very much," said Ferry, "But we're looking at every possibility. I think we helped ourselves in the Draft this year, we'll look at the free-agent situation if there's opportunities there and trades as well."
Browns Update: Camp continues in Berea, with no devastating injuries yet (keep your fingers crossed). There was a nice piece on veteran wide receiver Kevin Kasper today. And also some updates on our favorite backup QB and punt/kick returner. And don't forget, Monday is chat day with the PD's Tony Grossi. There's always some good stuff in those podcasts.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Curb your enthusiasm?

No, I'm not talking about Larry David's HBO masterpiece. I'm referring to the need for us as Browns fans to keep our excitement in check. But damn it, with the lost summer courtesy of the Tribe it's just impossible. This city's thirst for a title is so unquenched that a 10-6 team that just missed the playoffs has us chanting "Super Bowl!" during the first two days of training camp. And obviously, Cleveland has always been a football-first town, which helps ramp things up during training camp anyway. So optimism is now in full swing and I have no choice but to dive in too and soak it all in.

DA spending some time with fans on Day 2 of training camp

K2 has vowed to not be a distraction and so far is living up to his word. This is good news and I think the guy still takes a lot of heat from some fans for things he said when he was a young, dumb kid in college. And obviously the motorcycle incident was a complete bonehead move. But the way he has handled himself since then has been exemplary. I'm glad he's a Cleveland Brown and can't wait to see him catching everything thrown his way again this season.
"I'm sure [the media] thought I wasn't coming, but I'm not that type of guy," Winslow said. "I don't want to be a distraction. My job is to just help this team win and come out here and play to the best of my ability."
Tony Grossi reports that Ryan Tucker is getting healthy and itching to return. I think one of the most amazing things about Phil Savage's reign so far as Browns GM is the fact that we aren't devastated by Tucker's hip injury. He has built such depth on the offensive line that Tucker doesn't have to be rushed back and a guy like Rex Hadnot can be plugged in and the line won't miss a beat. That's what happens on winning football teams and is something we have been waiting for as Browns fans since the new incarnation of this franchise.

One of my favorite parts of the start of football season is Peter King's annual "Postcards from Training Camp" series. Yesterday he gave us his thoughts on the 2008 Browns. He did correctly predict Jamal Lewis's huge year last summer, so let's hope he's right this year about the Rogers/Williams combo helping to shut down the run. And if nothing else, we know our chefs are some of the best in the league. King's visit also hinted at a possible SI cover story featuring the Browns. Let's hope the SI cover curse doesn't hit this town again...

Tribe Update: Just a couple things to note today... apparently the team has 'rebounded emotionally' from the C.C. Sabathia trade. Let's just hope that translates to more wins on the field. And the Mets may be interested in a trade for Casey Blake.

The Indians return to action tonight at the Prog against the Minnesota Twins, with Cliff Lee going against that bastard Livan Hernandez (remember the '97 World Series?).

Cavs Update:
Not much to report today, just a strange story about the possibility of Delonte West heading to Russia. I doubt this has any legs and I'm hoping it's just a negotiating ploy from West's agent. He doesn't have much leverage as a restricted free agent so we'll see how this plays out.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Some good news to report

Most of you are probably aware that Brian Windhorst (a.k.a. the best Cavs writer on the planet) has been fighting through a tough illness. Well, today there was an update from Brian himself that should make all of his fans feel much better:

"I've been coherent for about a week and read a lot of messages from this site [his CarePages.com site here]. Those messages and postings have been very uplifting, especially during this difficult time.

I was moved from ICU the other day and have started my full-scale rehab. My doctors are very confident that I can make a full recovery in a couple months.

I look forward to speaking with many of you in the near future, getting back to covering the Cavs and returning to the business of life.

Thanks again for all your prayers, well wishes and good thoughts. It has meant a lot to me and my family."
Source

Back in action

To the faithful readers out there, I apologize for slacking yesterday. I took a day off and enjoyed some fun at Cedar Point in Sandusky. For those of you that have never been there, or maybe have been there but haven't tried out Top Thrill Dragster, I highly recommend it. The best way I can describe it is an experience where you almost crap your pants and have an orgasm at the same time. Just standing there watching it is intimidating as it accelerates to 120 mph and ascends straight up to 420 feet, and then straight back down again for the 17 second ride of your life. It gives you that nervous/sick feeling in your stomach just waiting in line to ride it (very reminiscent of the feeling I had watching Joe Borowski warm up during last year's playoff run). But I digress.

My day away from the TV and computer did allow me to avoid the pitching mockery on display by the Tribe yesterday. All I know is that they lost 14-11(!), Grady Sizemore hit another home run, and Aaron Laffey has been mystifyingly bad in his last two starts. Oh, and Tom Mastny is still not good (1-1/3 innings, 4 earned runs, and a 14.90 ERA). I've harped on it here before, so I guess I will again today - the 2008 Cleveland Indians are just awful during the day this year (10-19). And in weekday 'getaway' games they are even worse. By my own unofficial count they are now 0-6 on the year, being outscored 40-25 in such games. And there are still four more of them left on the schedule, which gives me another dumb reason to keep following the year of futility. Ugh.

The sun is shining, so chalk up another Tribe loss

Thankfully the Tribe will be given a day of rest today to travel back home. They will resume play tomorrow night at the Prog for a three-game set with the Minnesota Twins. At this point I just want to see us embrace the role of spoiler in the Central and try to make things difficult for both Minnesota and Chicago. And of course end up ahead of the lowly Royals. Yes, I'm now inventing reasons to keep watching.

In other Indians news, Shin-Soo Choo owes his country something. And as we've been speculating for a while, Casey Blake appears to be on the trading block. Also, the bullpen will likely undergo an overhaul before next season.

Browns Update: In more hopeful news, the Browns did finally begin training camp yesterday morning in Berea. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for no devastating knee injuries, resulting staph infections, or any of the other problems that seem to have plagued training camps of the past. Officially, both Joe Jurevicius and Ryan Tucker were placed on the active PUP list. The Browns have until first roster cuts (August 26th) to decide their status for the start of the season. Even with the injury to Jurevicius, Braylon Edwards is ready for the huge expectations this season. But I'm not sure even he was ready for the 'Super Bowl' chants heard on Wednesday.

Can K2 and the rest of the Browns live up to the massive expectations?
''Around here for a long time there were no expectations. We're glad people have some confidence in us, and we're going to try to prove worthy of those expectations.'' - Romeo Crennel
Bill Livingston and Bud Shaw give their thoughts on all the optimism in Berea. And Tony Grossi will check in today at noon for a training camp chat.

Cavs Update: J.J. Hickson continues to receive positive reviews, writes the ABJ's Pat McManamon. And LeBron almost gave me a heart attack last night when I read that he sprained his ankle (thankfully only a 'mild' sprain). Now he is guaranteeing gold in Beijing and I think he will deliver. And finally, Bob Finnan gives us a Delonte West update.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Can this Byrd still fly?

Maybe I was wrong about Paul Byrd. Perhaps he still has a little bit left in the old tank. I've been hoping for a start like this from him for a while, for my own selfish reasons. Last night's outing wasn't pretty (with him they rarely are) but it was effective. Byrd went 5-1/3 innings and got the win as the Tribe beat the Angels 5-2. This is now the Indians' 7th win in their last 8 games after their horrendous 10-game slide. And this one ended a five-game winning streak for the best team in baseball.

"Every inning was a battle," Byrd said. "It was just one of those nights where nothing came easy... I flirted with disaster all night, and somehow came out on top. Rarely do I pitch well against teams I play for, so it's just nice to beat the Angels."
This game featured some rarities worth noting. First, Andy Marte hit another home run and got a single. That gives him a whopping 2HR and 3RBI on the year. But if you dig deeper into his game log, you'll find that this was his fourth multi-hit game since July 5. So maybe the increased playing time has made him more comfortable at the plate. And if that's the case, I guess I can see why Eric Wedge is so hesitant to move Jhonny Peralta (another HR for him last night) to third right now. So Ryan Garko will continue to be the odd man out, unless Casey Blake is moved before the deadline.

The other rarity from last night was Masa Kobayashi's 1-2-3 9th inning for the save. I don't have any statistics at my disposal (actually I don't really know where to look), but I'd venture to guess that there haven't been many 1-2-3 9th inning saves for the Tribe at all this year. In fact, the bullpen has saved only 16 of their 42 wins (38%) this year (compared to 49 of 96, or 51%, last year). But Kobayashi is now 4-of-6 in save opportunities and hopefully he can continue to get an extended look in the closer's role for the Tribe.

Maybe there will still be a trade market for Byrd, who fought hard on Monday night

Other Tribe Notes: Good news from the injury front - Fausto Carmona is expected to make his return on Saturday against the Twins. And Mark Shapiro has some options in free agency this winter, but how likely is he to pursue them? He also needs to determine which player will be the final piece of the CC trade.

Browns Update: Less than 24 hours until training camp opens and no news is good news. But here's a handy guide to camp in Berea. And the Browns have somehow dropped from #9 to #10 in espn.com's NFL power rankings, without even playing a game or holding a practice yet. Those rankings frustrate me to no end, yet I still look at them regularly.

Cavs Update: Not really breaking news, but LeBron James continues to be an all-around good guy. And he shares some thoughts on the 2008 Olympic team.
"Four years ago, I wasn't put in the position I could care. I didn't get to go out and play the way I could," James said. "This time I'm a captain and I know we are going to be a very tough team to beat."

Monday, July 21, 2008

Weekend Wrap

The second half of the Tribe's season got off to a rather rocky start with an 8-2 loss to the woeful Mariners in Seattle. Aaron Laffey was rocked in the bottom of the 2nd for five runs after a bad error by Jhonny Peralta opened things up. But the Indians were able to rebound nicely on Saturday and grab a 9-6 win behind Shin-Soo Choo's bat. And it marked Jeremy Sowers' first big league win since May 24, 2007 (trust me, I looked it up). I wish I could give you more details from Saturday's game, but due to MLB's ridiculous Fox Saturday TV rule, I was not able to watch the game in Cleveland. If someone could explain to me why I would rather watch the Red Sox vs. the Angels on Fox, instead of my favorite home team on STO, well, I'm all ears.

So in Sunday's rubber match between two AL disappointments, Cliff Lee took the mound for our Tribe. And not surprisingly, he notched his 13th win on the year going the distance for the 6-2 victory. Kelly Shoppach provided all the support that Lee would need in the 4th inning. The only bad news from Sunday's game were the two horrendous plays (at least the ones that I saw) turned in by Jhonny Peralta at short. One was officially credited as an error, the other wasn't, but allowed a runner to get a hit on a routine grounder. Look, I'm not trying to pile on Jhonny and I love the way he's been hitting lately. I'm just stating my case for moving him to third base sooner rather than later. Asdrubal Cabrera needs to be our every day shortstop and I'll keep repeating it until I'm blue in the face. Unfortunately, Eric Wedge doesn't agree. Maybe they are just waiting for the right offer for Casey Blake? We'll find out soon I guess.

Just another day at the office for Cliff in Seattle

So after taking two out of three in Seattle, the Indians improved (?) to 11 games under .500, yet are still looking up at the Royals in the standings. But the good news is they've won six of their last seven games overall. They look to continue their improved play in a three-game series starting tonight against the Anaheim Angels of Los Angeles of Anaheim (or something like that). Paul Byrd will be on the hill for the good guys, so pray for rain or just lots of run support!

Browns Update: Training camp starts in less than 48 hours and I'm happier than a teenage girl at an NKOTB concert in 1989. Terry Pluto talks about the high hopes for the 2008 Browns. And Tony Grossi gives us a video preview below. I'm officially pumped.



Cavs Update: Well the summer league has already come and gone, with the Cavs going 0-5 in Las Vegas. But the real story was how well J.J. Hickson performed out west. He ended the summer league on a high note last night, with 24 points and 5 rebounds in 34 minutes of action. In the five games in Vegas he averaged 19.4 points and 7.8 rebounds in 30 minutes a game. Not too shabby.

"The Cleveland Cavaliers' J.J. Hickson has displayed a powerful post game with a full repertoire of moves. It looks like he'll be a steal for the Cavaliers." Source

Friday, July 18, 2008

Back in action

At last, the Tribe will be back on the field again tonight in Seattle. I'm very curious to see how they will perform in the second half of the season. If I'm Eric Wedge, the one goal I'm setting for this team is to get back to the .500 mark by the end of the season. With 68 games remaining, that means they would need to go 40-28 (a .588 clip) the rest of the way. Given the way they've performed so far this year, that may seem like a lofty expectation. But with less pressure, hopefully a more stable roster, and maybe, just maybe some guys returning off the DL (namely Victor Martinez and Fausto Carmona... I'm not really expecting anything from Hafner's bum shoulder this year), the team might start to look more like the AL Central champs of 2007.

But with the trade deadline approaching, there may still be some changes coming. As I noted yesterday afternoon, Asdrubal Cabrera was called back up from Buffalo and will join the team for tonight's game in Seattle. He was able to correct himself at the plate in AAA, hitting .326 (46-for-141). I still expect to see Casey Blake traded to a team in contention before the deadline so that could cause some re-shuffling in the infield. If Blake is indeed moved, then I would really look at DH'ing Jhonny Peralta, moving Cabrera to shortstop (his natural position), taking an extended look at Andy Marte at third, keeping Jamey Carroll at second (damn that Barfield injury and Phillips trade), and getting Garko back to regular time at first. This way you can look toward 2009 to really see what these guys can do.

And before next season, I'd be completely open to bringing Blake back on a smaller contract. He's a great clubhouse guy, a decent hitter, and a very versatile guy on defense. He'd be an ideal utility player for probably a couple more years. But we'll see how everything plays out over the next couple weeks. Terry Pluto also has a plan for the second half, with an eye towards the 2009 season.

Will Casey be dealt before the deadline?

Browns Update: Yesterday Phil Savage confirmed that Joe Jurevicius will likely start the season on the PUP list, meaning he will miss the first 6 weeks (five games) of the season. At this point I'm just hoping he is able to make it back to the field in what will likely be his final season in the NFL. Jurevicius was huge for the team last year, especially on third down, where he so often kept the chains moving with big catches. Get well soon JJ.
''We're obviously very concerned about Joe's situation,'' Savage said. ''It's been very frustrating for everybody. Every time he's taken a step forward it's been two steps back."

Cavs Update:
Not really an update on the Cavaliers, but an interesting story about ousted PD Cavs beat writer Branson Wright. He was definitely not one of my favorite writers, and the biggest newspaper in the state owes it to the team and its fan base to get someone better in there. (Pssst... I will work for much less than you paid him. All I require is a cushy chair courtside at the Q and a laptop.)

The Cavs summer league team will also be in action again tonight at 8:00 in Las Vegas against the Wizards. You can catch the action on NBATV or for free here if you're bored on a Friday night. I promise I won't tell anyone...

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Filling the void

As I've said, this is the part of summer that sucks the most. The Browns won't start camp for another 6 days. The Tribe doesn't resume play until tomorrow night in Seattle. And the Cavaliers summer league team is playing some trivial games out in Vegas, but at least those provide us with a possible glimpse of what's to come. Last night the team fell to the Rockets 73-72, but J.J. Hickson had another solid outing, leading all scorers with 18 points and adding 6 rebounds. In two games he's poured in 44 points and grabbed 15 boards, while going 18-for-30 (60%) from the floor. Obviously we can't get too excited, given that this is just the summer league and a lot of these guys will end up in the D-League or overseas. But his two games have been encouraging so far. Here's a brief interview with Hickson after his summer league debut.

Two solid outing in Vegas so far for J.J.

In other Cavalier news, Daniel Gibson explains why he wanted to remain in Cleveland. And here's the audio from yesterday's conference call. It's nice to hear how much Boobie wanted to stay here alongside LeBron and I'm looking forward to watching him grow as a player. He'll only be 27 when this contract is up...

Now the Cavs can move onto other business, with the top priority being the handling of Delonte West's possible contract extension. And here's a look at the remaining free agents out there. With the full mid-level exception still at their disposal, expect the Cavs to sign someone at some point given owner Dan Gilbert's willingness to keep going way above the luxury tax threshold.

And this is a nice story I stumbled upon today, with the King giving a big assist to the Akron Zips program. Yet another sign he's ready to bolt from Ohio for Brooklyn! ;)

Tribe Update: As painful as it is, it's time to recap the first half of 2008 campaign. Paul Hoynes and Terry Pluto go over the agonizing details of a broken season. And when things go this wrong, it's always nice to look ahead to what the future has in store for Tribe fans.

My personal thoughts on how things came unglued for the Indians could go on for pages. But I'll spare you all the details. I think it comes down to the bullpen first and foremost. There are a lot of other large factors (poor hitting, injuries to key players, no big free agent acquisitions, the weight of enormous expectations, etc., etc.) but the bullpen's performance will usually make or break a team. This year the 'pen has just not been anywhere near where it was last year. Then when you add in all the other problems, everything begins to be magnified, losses start to pile up, and things just spiral out of control. I'm not going to use Wedge or Shapiro as a scapegoat. They were the darlings of MLB last year for good reason. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. But I don't think this team is nearly as bad as its record. And I expect them to be back in '09.

As for now, we found out yesterday that two of our guys will represent Team USA in the Olympics in a couple weeks. I really like what I'm hearing from this LaPorta kid...

LaPorta will be on his way to China soon
"Just the chance to represent my country and bring back a gold medal, it would mean so much," said Indians prospect Matt LaPorta.
*Update - 3:00pm* The Indians are set to recall Asdrubal Cabrera from Buffalo. He will join the team in Seattle tomorrow. To make room, Jorge Velandia was sent back to Buffalo. I'm glad to see Asdrubal getting another shot up here. His defense is outstanding and he needs to regain his confidence at the plate. Hopefully with less pressure on him now he will relax and start hitting...

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

13 years and counting...

Last night marked 13 straight non-wins (one tie if your memory stretches six years back) for the National League in baseball's mid-summer classic. Talk about domination. Cliff Lee started the game and worked two scoreless innings with three strikeouts and just one hit allowed. And Grady Sizemore figured prominently in the outcome. With the AL trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the 8th, his 2-out single with nobody on started the rally. He then stole second and eventually scored on Evan (not Eva) Longoria's double into the left field corner. The score remained tied for what seemed like years, until eventually the AL won on Michael Young's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 15th.

Cliff worked 2 scoreless innings for the AL

I'm still trying to figure out why I actually stayed up for the final outcome. I think I was hoping for Grady to be the hero. Or maybe for both teams to resort to position players having to pitch. Actually, I think I just wanted to see Bud Selig throw up his hands one more time and declare a tie, then flip a coin to see which team got home-field advantage in the World Series. But it wasn't meant to be and so I stayed up until 1:30am Eastern for no good reason. Now we begin the great summer sports void for the next two days. It's gonna be rough...

A repeat of 2002 just wasn't in the cards

Cavs Update:
Not really a surprise, today the Cavaliers inked guard Daniel 'Boobie' Gibson to a contract extension, keeping the restricted free agent sharpshooter in a wine and gold uniform for at least 5 more years. Boobie will always have a special place in my heart after his Game 6 heroics against Detroit in the 2007 Eastern Conference finals. I'm glad he was so quick and willing to re-sign, especially after last year's ridiculous holdouts from Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. Next up is Delonte West.

And Posey Watch '08 continues. It seems to me like he is just playing these other teams to get the Celtics to lengthen their contract offer:
James Posey, the Celtics' highest-priority unsigned veteran, is seeking a four-year contract, an NBA source said yesterday. Posey, 31, is treating negotiations as if this could be his final contract and has been in talks with Detroit, the Lakers, New Orleans, Cleveland, and Washington. No team has been willing to offer a deal beyond three years. (Boston Globe)
*Update* as of 4:00 pm Wednesday, it looks like Posey is going to the Hornets in a 4-year deal. That still hurts the Celts and won't strap us for the next four years, so I'm fine with it. *End Update*

Finally, the Cavs summer league team takes on the Rockets tonight at 10:30pm in Las Vegas. It's another chance to get a sneak peek at J.J. Hickson. And maybe one of your final chances to watch Tractor Traylor lumber up and down the court. Anything to fill the sports void!

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Let's get this over with...

I have to admit I'm not a big fan of the All-Star break. I hate how it creates a big sports void for two days (this Wednesday and Thursday). But I guess this year I should be thankful for that given how much the Tribe has disappointed us. And what makes this particular All-Star game even worse for me is the fact it is in Yankee Stadium in its final season. I understand all the history of that park, but I really don't need it shoved down my throat for 3 or 4 straight days. But maybe that's just me. At least will be able to see two of our guys in prominent roles.

Grady started things off last night with his first appearance in the home run derby. Even though he didn't advance to the second round, I thought he performed well. He has deceptive power - you just don't think he will be able to drive a ball that far when you look at him - but he hit some monster shots to the upper deck in right field. If he could have kept a couple more of them inside the foul pole, I think he had a good shot to get to the finals. But it was still fun to see him out there representing the Indians. And I have a feeling it won't be the last time he is part of the festivities.

Grady showed that 23 home runs is no fluke this year

Now tonight we will get to see Cliff Lee start for the American League, concluding a very fine turnaround story for him personally after a disastrous 2007 campaign. Paul Hoynes put together a nice story in today's PD about Lee. I'm hoping for a couple of shutout innings from Cliff and of course, no injuries. And speaking of injured starters, Fausto Carmona made a solid rehab start for Lake County last night. It will be great to see him back on the mound for the Indians, hopefully soon.

Cavs Update: Thankfully the NBA understands the sports void I'll be soon feeling and they decided to start the summer league right on schedule. The Cavaliers had their first game yesterday afternoon, falling to the Knicks 97-94. The outcome isn't important, but what is important is that first-round selection J.J. Hickson looked very solid in his Cavalier debut, racking up 26 points and 9 rebounds. I haven't had a chance to watch the game yet but I did DVR it for my viewing pleasure later during the big void (probably tomorrow night).

26 & 9 in J.J.'s wine and gold debut

And finally, the James Posey saga still drags on. But I'm not really encouraged about the Cavaliers hopes of landing him by what I read here.

Monday, July 14, 2008

An unlikely sweep... and other thoughts

Well maybe the Indians are finally rounding back into form? Maybe the Rays really are just a fluke and are now crashing back to earth? Or maybe that team meeting before Thursday's game actually woke the Tribe up? We won't really know the answers until the second half of the season starts. But for now, the four-game sweep of Tampa Bay sure was a nice way to cap off an otherwise miserable first half of the 2008 season. And it was definitely unexpected coming on the heels of a horrendous 10-game losing streak.

Friday night's game featured more solid pitching from Cliff Lee, who notched his 12th win on the year with a 5-0 victory. With a 12-2 record and a tidy 2.31 ERA, today Lee did get the nod as the All-Star Game starter on Tuesday night in New York City. Quite a turnaround from his dismal performance in 2007. On Saturday the Indians won 8-4, behind Ryan Garko's career-high 5 RBI night. And yesterday's game featured a very bizarre stat line, one I thought I'd never see again to be perfectly honest. And Jhonny Peralta seems to be finally reaping the benefits of his laser vision correction surgery (7 hits and 2 home runs this weekend). We even had an Andy Marte sighting! And Ben Francisco is playing well again, raising his average by 14 points with a 12-for-19 series. The only bad news I could find after the Tribe's weekend was the fact that they allowed the Red Sox back into first place in the AL East...

A truly backwards weekend: Tribe sweep & a Mastny win!

More Tribe: American League home run leader Grady Sizemore takes his swing up against the short porch in right tonight in New York for the Home Run Derby. And we got a glimpse of the future with new prospect Matt LaPorta on Sunday in the Futures Game. And of course, I will miss seeing this in a Tribe uniform during interleague games. That is a hell of a swing for a pitcher.

Gladiators Update: The fun ride ended on Saturday afternoon as the Philadelphia Soul beat our Gladtiators 70-35 in the National Conference championship game. Early offensive mistakes and a turnover really put them in trouble in the first half and they just were never able to recover. But 2-14 to 9-7 and two playoff wins is nothing to take lightly. Good job by Bernie Kosar, the entire coaching staff, and the players. I'm now a fan and will be looking forward to more indoor football next spring.

Cavs Update: No news yet on the neverending James Posey saga. But Terry Pluto has some thoughts on what is happening behind the scenes in Cavalier-land.

Friday, July 11, 2008

Finally, one for the good guys

The Tribe was finally able to end their horrific 10-game losing streak last night in a 13-2 beatdown of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Indians needed a game like this, especially after the meltdowns in Detroit. For a while it did look like more of the same as the Rays took a 2-0 lead into the 5th inning. But then the Tribe exploded for 13 runs to give the home crowd something to cheer about at last. My favorite stat line from last night was turned in by Rays reliever Gary Glover in the bottom of the 8th inning. It took him 46 pitches to record two outs and give up 7 runs on six hits and two walks. Ouch. Unfortunately, he probably won't make an appearance out of the Rays 'pen tonight:


My fear after a game like last night's is that the Tribe used up all their runs and I'll be stuck with nothing to see tonight at the Prog. But the good news - Cliff Lee will be on the mound in his final tune-up before the All-Star Game. So that's something to actually look forward to...

Finally something to smile about for the Tribe

More Tribe: The Indians did apparently hold a team meeting before yesterday's game. We can only hope it produces similar results to last night's for rest of this season. I'm coming to terms with the rebuilding or re-tooling or whatever you want to call it this year... sometimes these things happen and 2006 may have just prepared the team for a great year last year. Or maybe I'm just forcing myself to be optimistic. Speaking of optimism, Travis Hafner thinks he might be able to play again this year. Remember him?

One final note about the Indians today... well, maybe more of a rant. I've been defending the Dolans for years now. I haven't necessarily agreed with the way a lot of casual fans refer to them as "cheap" and non-caring towards this city. I've occasionally tried to stick up for them here and on message boards that I frequent. I think I have a decent grasp of how MLB is currently set up and I can see that mid-market teams just don't have the cash to compete on a level playing field. I like what the Dolans have done creating STO - basically their own sports network (which is much better than I originally expected), and even selling the naming rights to Jacobs Field (as much as it pains me that it's not 'the Jake' anymore, the name change did generate a lot of cash).

Having said that, there are a couple things have bothered me lately under current ownership:

a) When going to games this year I have noticed a lot of people at the Prog in florescent greenish-yellow shirts. These people spend much of the game going up to fans and asking if they can take their picture. I didn't think much of it at first until I saw how obtrusive they were, even during the games (sometimes in the middle of at-bats). And then I learned that once your picture is taken you can purchase the digital image from the team.
b) I got an e-mail yesterday, supposedly sent out to all season ticket holders. It pointed me in the direction of this page, which allows you an opportunity to get tickets to sit in the visitors' dugout for the post-game fireworks show tonight and tomorrow night. The only catch? You have to pay $50 (on top of the price of your regular game ticket) per person. And only 24 people are allowed for each game. So ownership is now reduced to gimmicky ways to generate an extra $2400 this weekend? It just seems a little bit like panhandling to me, and I'm beginning to understand now why some fans get the impression that the Dolans are "cheap."

Cavs Update: The Cavaliers inked first-round pick J.J. Hickson to a two-year deal yesterday. And we still await word on free-agent forward James Posey's destination of choice.

Gladiators Update: Terry Pluto gives a little insight on the Gladiators as they prepare for the conference championship game on Saturday at 1:00pm in Philadelphia.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Detroit Disaster, Walk-Off Style

I thought it couldn't get much worse, but I guess I was wrong. Lucky for me I wasn't a witness to the carnage in Detroit. I knew better than to watch a game featuring Paul Byrd on the mound, against a hot Tigers lineup, all while trying to halt a 9-game losing streak. Too many factors going against us in this one. I did sneak a peak around 8:30 and to my surprise I saw the Tribe was up 6-0. But still, I flipped to a different channel because I knew it could only get worse. But even in this disastrous season for the Tribe, I honestly didn't think it would end as badly as it did. I saw the score flash across the bottom of the screen on ESPN late last night but didn't bother to check out the gory details until this morning.

So if you took my advice yesterday and decided not to watch as well, here's what you missed: The Indians managed to blow that 6-0 lead in a shockingly quick and pathetic fashion. It started in the bottom of the 7th when the wheels started to come off for Paul Byrd (as they usually do in his starts). Then it continued with Rafael Betancourt (what the hell happened to this guy???) letting the Tigers all the way back into the game, with the score tied 6-6 by the time the dust had settled. Then new closer project Jensen Lewis finished things off by allowing a line-drive home run to Miguel Cabrera to extend the losing streak to 10. Hey, only 13 more days till Browns training camp opens!

More dancing at home plate at the expense of a Tribe reliever

Unfortunately for all of us, the season continues tonight when the Tribe returns home to face the once-laughingstock, now first place Tampa Bay Rays (no more 'Devil' in the name now I guess). Aaron Laffey will try to halt the embarrassing losing streak. I'm more interested to see how many people will actually show up at the Prog.

Cavs Update: James Posey is expected to sign a contract soon. Hopefully it's with the wine and gold. I know we will likely have to overpay for him with our full mid-level exception for at least four years, but I think it's worth it to bring him in. And it would hurt the Celtics, while improving our roster. We'll see how this plays out...

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Motown Misery Continues

Things went from bad to worse on Tuesday night in the Tribe's first game in the post-CC era. Chalk up loss number nine in a row as Jeremy Sowers was rocked again for 6 earned runs on 10 hits in Detroit. The loss is particularly bothersome to me given that the Indians got to Justin Verlander in the first inning with a double and a home run... then followed that up with no hits over the next six innings. This looks to me like a team that has completely given up. I know the Tigers are playing well now and we are obviously in a huge tailspin, but pride needs to kick in at some point. And I'm not sure what happened to Sowers between 2006 and now but he does not look good. His ERA has ballooned to 7.81 to go along with an 0-5 record. Is this the same guy that went 7-4 with a 3.57 ERA in 2006? The Tribe will look to avoid their first double-digit losing streak since 2004 tonight when Paul Byrd takes the mound. Take my advice - don't watch.

Handshakes at the plate seem even more common when Sowers is pitching

CC Update: To add insult to injury, CC Sabathia won his first start in Milwaukee last night. He was shaky (as you'd expect given the enormous expectations, new league, etc.) but still fought through 6 innings giving up 5 hits, 5 walks, and 2 earned runs. He also did go 0-2 at the plate, but I imagine he was a little worked up for this game.

It will be tough to get used to this sight

Cavaliers Update: Onto hopefully some good news... the free agency picture became a little clearer last night as more faces changed teams. Elton Brand decided to stun the Clippers and bolt for Philadelphia, and then Cory Maggette got a huge contract from the Warriors. Of course Cavaliers' GM Danny Ferry is watching this all unfold with his full attention. Maggette would have made a nice addition to the Cavs and they did reportedly offer their full mid-level exception, but that just couldn't compete with the 5 years, $50 million he ended up getting.

So now this leaves and big decision for Twinsburg native James Posey. The Cavs are very interested, but it will be up to Posey to decide which team gives him the best chance to snag another ring. It will also be intriguing to see where Monta Ellis of the Warriors ends up.

Finally, obviously a longshot to be on any NBA roster again, Tractor Traylor is suiting up for the Cavs summer league squad.

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Moving On...

My Cleveland Gladiators (affectionately called 'mine' after my recent jump onto their bandwagon) got a big playoff win last night in Georgia and they will now advance the conference championship game... but they aren't the only ones moving on. The really big story over the holiday weekend actually became official yesterday. CC Sabathia is now a Milwaukee Brewer, traded Monday for 1B/LF Matt LaPorta, LHP Zach Jackson, RHP Rob Bryson and the always popular player-to-be-named-later. The Tribe insists that this player will have a chance to be a big leaguer so we will wait and see on that one.

Listening to the radio and reading responses online, Indians fans are obviously less than thrilled with the move. And I understand that. I loved watching CC grow from a solid-but-inconsistent young pitcher into a Cy Young winner last year. There were always questions about his weight, but none of us can deny that CC was a durable pitcher while he was here and he actually liked being on the Indians. That goes a long way for fans in this town. Yet with that said, I just cannot rip the Indians for this move. This is what Major League Baseball has become over the last decade. With no hard salary cap in place, the rich stay rich and mid-market teams are forced to make agonizing decisions about their own players. Do you risk everything and give him a huge, long-term contract that he will likely never live up to and will strap your team financially for years? Or do you trade him for prospects and hope that those young guys pan out and become stars?

In this case I really think Mark Shapiro made the right decision. We've seen it too many times in the past where we thought we could keep our own players, only to see them bolt to greener (as in dollar signs) pastures. Did we get ripped off in this deal? Who knows? But to me, the Brewers are giving up four prospects for a pitcher they are renting for maybe 15 starts this season. And they are currently behind two teams in their own division. So by no means does this guarantee them anything. At least the Indians know their season is already over and building for the future begins now. We can only hope that this deal can come remotely close to the Bartolo Colon trade that netted us Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips. I'm not expecting that this time around, but I just hope one of these players will end up being solid for us. I'd honestly rather see it go down this way than CC just walking away for nothing after this season.

And ripping the Dolans for this move is just silly in my view. CC was offered a 4-year deal at $72M before this season started. Given the history of long-term huge money deals for pitchers (Barry Zito immediately comes to mind) I would have really been upset if the Tribe went for more years and more money. It just wouldn't have made any sense and would have hurt the long-term potential for this team. I wish CC the best and I'm looking forward to seeing him hit in the National League. But I'm not looking forward to him wearing a Boston or New York cap next season when he chases the almighty dollar. And that's why Major League Baseball in 2008 drives me crazy. This scenario will play out again and again and again until the system is fixed.

We'll definitely miss the big lefty

Trade Reactions:
Other Tribe Updates: Life without CC begins for the Tribe tonight in Detroit when Jeremy Sowers and his 7.53 ERA try to end the team's current 8-game losing skid. In case you missed it over the long holiday weekend, our favorite punching bag closer Joe Borowski was designated for assignment on Friday. Thinking back to last year, it now truly seems miraculous that we were able to squeeze 45 saves out of that right arm. And Jeff Weaver was picked up off the scrap heap to plug the enormous hole left by CC in the Tribe's rotation. That ought to be fun to watch. And Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee will be the lone members of the Tribe in NYC for the All-Star Game. Oh, and Grady will even be in the Home Run Derby, thanks to his AL-leading 22 HR's (18 of them solo shots by my own unofficial count - lots of clicking on individual box scores there).

Gladiators Update: Big win for the Gladiators last night. Once again our receivers basically caught everything thrown to them and they squeaked out another big playoff win, this time on the road. And QB Raymond Philyaw added 8 more TD passes, now giving him 16 for the postseason to go along with no interceptions. My personal favorite moment from last night's game was team president and CEO Bernie Kosar hovering behind the officials as they tried to review a play near the end of the game on instant replay. You can see he is pouring everything he has into this team and it's fun to watch. The Gladiators now advance to the National Conference Championship game against the Philadelphia Soul this Saturday at 1:00pm on ESPNHD.

One win away from ArenaBowl XXII...

Thursday, July 3, 2008

Another Walk-Off Loss

The Tribe's brutal three-game series in Chicago concluded fittingly last night on Masa Kobayashi's first pitch in the bottom of the 10th inning. When the ball finally landed in the bleachers in left center field, the White Sox were again dancing on the field and the few Indians left sitting in the dugout were probably wondering how many more games were left in this miserable season. The bright spot for me is that we are so buried now that I don't really concern myself with the outcome of these games anymore. I used to get pissed - now I'm just indifferent. It makes me wonder how many players on the roster feel the same way about this season...

The White Sox are surely sad to see the Indians leave town

This is now five straight losses for the defending AL Central champs. They find themselves a full game behind Kansas City for sole possession of last place (if anyone still cares out there). At this point I'm hoping that a little pride will kick in. At least enough to stay out of last place for the duration of this season. Grady Sizemore did add two more homers last night... of course they were both solo shots, but now I'm just nitpicking. Today's off-day will likely be a big one for the team, with the front office and manager discussing plans for the rest of the season.

I think I've made my ideas sort of well-known here about the current state of the Tribe. But here's what I would lay out today if I were part of those meetings:

1) Move Jhonny Peralta to third base... it's more likely his natural position now with his lack of range at shortstop.
2) Bring back Asdrubal Cabrera and plug him in at shortstop. This is also his natural position and with the season already over there will be less pressure on him to hit in the big leagues. Time to see what the future holds at shortstop.
3) This obviously means that Casey Blake needs to be traded. He is a free agent at the end of the year and likely not in the team's long-term plans. He's a great guy and I appreciate everything he's done for this team. He can help a team in the playoff hunt and I think he would bring back a prospect or two in a trade, especially given his versatility (he can play basically any position).
4) Other players I'd look to trade (no surprises here) - CC Sabathia, Paul Byrd, Joe Borowski, David Dellucci. Obviously CC is the big prize here. I would wait until the deadline and really see how desperate teams get for him. And I'm not expecting much in return for the other three, but I'd take anything at this point.

There are probably lots of other moves to be made but it's hurting my brain right now thinking that this is the same team that was one win away from the World Series just 9 months ago. Hopefully today begins the discussion to take the necessary steps to get this team back there.