Stick a fork in 'em

Done. Over. Finished. After their awful 28-10 loss in Baltimore, the Browns' 2008 season of hope is already at an end. At 0-3 they are done and you can write it down now. And really, if this is how they are going to play this season I'm glad it's already over. I've laughed in years past in conversations with friends, all of us agreeing that we should never get our hopes up for the Browns. We made that mistake after somehow making the playoffs in 2002, with a very lucky 9-7 Browns squad. We pinned our hopes on Kelly Holcomb's arm and were bitterly disappointed. Then last year, the Browns came out of nowhere again, led by another no-name quarterback that made us forget Detmer/Couch/Holcomb/Wynn/Garcia/Dilfer/Frye. The 10-6 Browns of 2007 gave us reason to hope again and saw 6 different players sent to the Pro Bowl. Their high-powered offense re-wrote the franchise's record books. So it was safe to have high hopes for 2008, right? Wrong.

Ray Lewis delivers the blow that ended the 2008 Browns season

Derek Anderson is starting to look a lot like Kelly Holcomb of 2003. Forcing balls into coverage, overthrowing open receivers, taking sacks, and serving up those killer turnovers. Yesterday he was 14-for-37 for 125 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Just think about those numbers for a second. There's a reason why he has a league-worst 43.5 passer rating. Yikes. And those interceptions directly led to 14 points for the Ravens. The Chiefs can forget about their idiotic fantasy of getting Brady Quinn. I have a feeling he's gonna be needed here in a Browns uniform in the not-too-distant future. When the Browns inevitably go into Cincy and lose this weekend and enter the bye week 0-4, I fully expect us to have a new head coach and new starting QB going into the Monday nighter against the Giants. And I don't think that is a knee-jerk pissed-off fan reaction. Those are necessary moves to save a team that just flat out quit yesterday in Baltimore.

And one final side note on yesterday's debacle - is there anything worse than watching Ray Lewis dance around like a lunatic? Or seeing Ed Reed gobble up another interception against the Browns and take it into the end zone untouched? I know the Ravens defense is good, but we made them look like it was 2000 all over again. Just utterly embarrassing on so many levels, I feel like my head is going to explode. And what does RAC have to say about it?

"Right now, we're not a very good football team. We're going to have to do a lot better or this thing's really going to get away from us." - Romeo Crennel

Even he sounds worried at this point, and he should be. He has maybe 7-10 days left as head coach of this football team...

Other Browns Notes: Terry Pluto gives his post-game scribbles... And he talks about another QB controversy in Cleveland (here we go again)... Don't miss Tony Grossi's noon podcast - always entertaining after a beatdown like yesterday... Pat McManamon also weighs in on a season that is slipping away.

Tribe Update: As embarrassed as I am with the Browns now, I'm equally proud of the way the Indians are finishing their season. And sad for the fact that their run is almost over. It's been a strange year to say the least for the Tribe. But there's no questioning this team's grit and determination in their quest to end the season with a winning record. Yesterday's 10-5 shellacking of the Tigers at the Prog (how bad is Dontrelle Willis now???) finally put them back over .500 for the first time since May 17th. It was the Tribe's sixth consecutive win and gave youngster Scott Lewis his third straight victory to start his major league career.

You get the feeling that if the season were somehow stretched for another month that the Indians would catch the White Sox and Twins. Amazingly, they are now only 5-1/2 behind Minnesota and just 8 behind Chicago. I know the Wedge-haters out there don't want to hear this, but the guy has done a great job juggling this line-up all year and keeping the team focused and playing hard. I for one am looking forward to next season. And I know that this Cleveland team won't quit like the Browns did yesterday.

Fausto provided a satisfying and lasting memory Friday night

And on a personal note, I was so glad to be in attendance at Friday night's game at the Prog. Seeing Shin-Soo Choo rise to cult-level status among the fans was one thing (this guy's swing is something to behold). But watching Fausto Carmona pound on Gary Sheffield's head was even more gratifying on so many levels. My hatred for all things Detroit has grown over the last couple years with the Pistons and their tired act, and now the Tigers and their bloated payroll and underachieving roster. Thank you Fausto for giving us that memory and a big f*ck you to you Gary Sheffield. You're a class act with your .223 average and $14M salary. I'm gonna enjoy having you around for one more year in the division, and watching your team fall flat on its face yet again.

The Indians will begin their final road trip of the year tonight in Boston with Zach Jackson going for the good guys against Josh Beckett. Not exactly the pitching match-up I'm most looking forward to, but Cliff Lee will get the start tomorrow night.

Week 3: Browns vs. Ratbirds

With the Tribe off last night, I'm reduced to giving my worthless prediction for the Browns game at M&T Bank Stadium. I didn't even realize it was a 4:15 start until yesterday. It is not my favorite thing to have to sit around on Sunday waiting for the second game, especially when my favorite team is 0-2. I want them back on the field ASAP so I can try to forget about the first two games. Obviously, the Browns need to win this one or their season may already be over, as dumb as that sounds just three games into the season. Really, I don't think anyone knows what to expect from the brown and orange at this point. I wouldn't be surprised if they lost and I wouldn't be surprised if they won big.

Remember what happened last time the Browns visited Baltimore?

The Ravens should be nice and rested after Hurricane Ike disrupted their plans last weekend in Houston. But that also means they could be rusty. And with a rookie quarterback in there, you would think that this is the perfect time for the Browns to throw in some blitzing schemes to try to rattle young Flacco. Then again, we've rarely seen that type of planning on defense so who knows what's to come. I do know that with Robaire Smith out of action for the year, it's one less big guy up front to occupy their offensive line.

On the Browns side of the ball, it's imperative that they come away with some points this weekend. A whopping sixteen points through two games isn't going to cut it in this league. Not to mention their meager 206.5 ypg average, good for second-to-last in the AFC. With the weapons this team has, there is no excuse for that type of output. I expect Braylon to elminate the drops, Winslow to be involved more, and Stallworth to be standing on the sidelines in street clothes again. So now on to my prediction...

I see this game coming down to the wire, even though it should not. The Browns are head and shoulders above the Ravens talent-wise. But this is a road game, and the Browns just won't make it easy - just look at last year's game against an overmatched Ravens team. The Browns also have a coaching staff that consistently has looked overmatched and ill-prepared. Play-calling, clock management, and coaching decisions have been even worse than the execution on the field. I could honestly see this one coming down to another Phil Dawson field goal as the clock is winding down with the Browns of course having no time outs and scrambling to the line (a la the 16-15 win in Pittsburgh back in 1999). It was excusable for an expansion team, but I'm not sure why it's still possible 10 years later. Nevertheless, I'm going with Browns 16, Ravens 13.

Other Browns Notes: Phil Dawson is actually hoping for a repeat of last year's performance in Baltimore. Well, at least the part where the teams wins... And more good news - Eric Steinbach is hurting. Just what we need... And Tony Grossi gives his thoughts in his Friday podcast.

Tribe Update: After their final off-day yesterday the Tribe is back in action tonight. This will be the last game that my wife and I will be attending this year so I hope to be sent out on a good note. Fausto Carmona is on the hill for the good guys to start the final 10-game push for .500 or better... Based on my expecations going into this season, Ryan Garko has truly put up some puzzling numbers this year... Jensen Lewis seems to be enjoying the tiring role of everyday closer... And kiss Buffalo goodbye, the Tribe is now calling Columbus its AAA home.

Another day, another win

The Tribe continued the recent hot streak last night at the Prog, winning their 12th in their last 15 games with a 9-3 victory over the Central-leading White Sox. Fausto Carmona almost gave the Indians a quality start, but ran into some trouble in the 6th inning with the Tribe up 4-0. He allowed three runs in the inning but the bullpen slammed the door shut after that. The best news of the night occurred in the 2nd inning when Victor Martinez went deep onto the home run porch for his first homer in almost a year. That was definitely a sight for sore eyes.

The HR drought finally ended for Victor on Tuesday night

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about [his drought]," Martinez said. "This game is all about having fun and the guys made some fun of me. It was a great feeling."

If the Indians are able to complete the sweep this afternoon (although I have my doubts considering it's a weekday getaway game with Jeremy Sowers starting) I may officially become a little excited about the prospects of a White Sox collapse. A win today would bring the Indians to 8.5 games back in the Central with 24 remaining. Obviously a very difficult mountain to climb, but still possible considering the Tribe ends the season with a three-game series in Chicago September 26-28. The fact that I'm even entertaining that thought right now is a credit to how the Indians have really turned their season around. A winning season is now firmly within their grasp and I will be bitterly disappointed if they don't at least achieve that.

Other Tribe Notes: Some roster updates for the Tribe now that September has arrived... And some historical context for Cliff Lee's great 2008 season... And finally, a rundown of all 20 of Cliff Lee's wins.

Browns Update: Tony Grossi has an early scouting report on the Cowboys. And the Browns have been watching "Hard Knocks" on HBO too. I've caught a couple episodes and I have to say, if I was a Cowboys player I probably would have punched Jerry Jones in his obviously surgically-stretched face by now. Why is he in every team meeting?

No, that's not a mask, but it still may frighten young children

Streaking to redemption

Well, the Tribe has found a way to come full circle. I never thought it would happen back on July 10th when they were hitting rock bottom in Detroit. But they have claimed redemption with a ten-game winning streak to erase the memories of that horrible losing streak, and fittingly, they did it in the same city for a little extra emphasis (isn't it always fun to beat Detroit?). Their 9-7 victory over the Tigers last night was the latest in a shocking turnaround that has them sitting just 2 games under .500 with 30 games left to play.

"You have to stay in the moment," said Wedge. "You don't want to get ahead of yourself and you definitely don't want to look back. You just keep trying to get better."

This streak has been immensely enjoyable for me mainly because of the way it seemed to come out of nowhere. But if you look deeper, the team has played great baseball since the trade deadline on July 31st. In that stretch of 25 games they have gone 19-6 (.760). In those 25 games the bats have come alive, with the team averaging 6.08 runs per game, while allowing 4.76 runs per game. And they've done it with the long ball as well - out-homering opponents 35-20 in that same stretch. The Indians are finally getting consistent hitting throughout their line-up and it is translating into wins. As I said yesterday, it is likely too little, too late for this season, but it should make things a lot better for Tribe fans heading into next season.

Last night the Tribe added two more home runs from hot-hitting Kelly Shoppach (6 HR's this month) in the 4th and then Shin-Soo Choo in the 7th. Fausto Carmona didn't have his best stuff again, but he was able to give the team 6 innings of work and the bullpen was able to hold it down (although there were some scary moments between Rafael Betancourt and Jensen Lewis). So now the Indians will enjoy a day off before starting a weekend series with the Mariners. Hopefully the off-day doesn't get anyone out of their rhthym. But the Mariners are 22-42 on the road - by far the worst in the AL. I'm just happy I care again about an Indians/Mariners series this year!

Choo went deep again last night and has showed some real promise over the last month

Other Tribe Notes: Looks like Victor could finally be back this weekend, with Hafner and Barfield soon to follow. And also some good news regarding Matt LaPorta in Akron.

Browns Update: The Browns will look to avoid any major injuries tonight in their preseason finale at Cleveland Browns Stadium against the Bears. Romeo thinks it's time to look 'decent,' and I can't say I disagree. And here's a Browns season preview along with 'expert' picks (those always make me laugh).

Who are these guys?

The Tribe completed an impressive series in Texas by taking all three games over the weekend. And that was on the heels of a sweep of the Royals at home last week. Overall the Tribe has now won 7 straight and is 15-7 in the month of August. They have also swept two consecutive road series, something the team hasn't done since the 2005 season. And they were 20-38 on the road prior to those two sweeps. All of this leads me to a couple of questions: 1) Who are these guys? and 2) Where have they been all season?

"This means a great deal to us," Wedge said. "We want to finish with the best record and as high in the standings as we can. It's about pride. It's about competitiveness."

Friday's 7-5 win featured a strong start by Fausto Carmona to earn his sixth win of the year. And Saturday's 8-7 win included a comeback from a 7-1 deficit. Then last night's 4-3 win had some more clutch hitting from Franklin Gutierrez (.328 BA, .955 OPS, 3 HR, and 12 RBI in August), a great start by Anthony Reyes (7 innings, 1 ER, 4K), and even some nice bullpen work from beleaguered reliever Rafael Betancourt.

A sight for sore eyes - Raffy Righty nailing down a save

So what does all this mean for the Tribe? Who knows. Maybe it's just the ebb and flow of a long season. Maybe it's the fact that all the pressure is off now and they are finally relaxing. But their recent hot streak is impressive when you consider all the changes to the line-up and pitching staff. Who knows how long the good play will last, but they have gotten themselves in position now to finish at least .500 if they can go 19-14 down the stretch. And considering where they were a month ago, any Tribe fan should be happy with where they are now. They move on to Detroit for a three-game series where they will look to leapfrog another team in the Central (only 1.5 behind the Tigers now!). Zach Jackson will get the start for the good guys tonight.

Other Tribe Notes: Sheldon Ocker says the Tribe's recent winning is a group effort. And Kelly Shoppach's play behind the plate is giving the Indians some options for the future.

Cavs Update: Call him 'Le-Bronze' no more. LeBron was able to shed that ridiculous moniker yesterday and now it's time to "witness gold" as he said in his post-game interview. LBJ led Team USA to the gold medal in Beijing with a 118-107 victory over Spain.

The moment he received his medal, James reached down, grabbed it and stared at it. He held it inches from his eyes and just gazed at it, transfixed. And when they handed him a bouquet of red roses, he held them to his nose and inhaled two huge breaths, the sweet smell of victory filling his nostrils and lungs.

And hopefully everyone noticed that the King was the one that started the nice gesture by being the first one to hang his gold medal around Coach K's neck and encouraging his teammates to follow suit. I have a feeling this isn't the first championship that LBJ will be winning, and I think this experience will only help to propel him in his NBA future.

Browns Update: I won't go too much into the Browns' lackluster preseason loss in Detroit on Saturday. In fact, I didn't even see one snap of their "dress rehearsal" for the season since we had a family commitment that day. I know there are a lot of worried Browns fans out there, and I'd be lying if I said I was comfortable with us opening up against the Cowboys in less than two weeks. But the fact remains that the Browns have been very shorthanded the last couple weeks, and the injuries are certainly hurting their preparation for the opener. The good news is that maybe we will be seeing a shorter preseason soon. I know I'm getting tired of shelling out $45/ticket for two games I don't even bother to attend.

Don't forget about Tony Grossi's Monday podcast at noon. You will likely be able to hear a lot of Browns fans being talked off the ledge today.

A grand day for Grady

(My apologies to the handful of faithful readers out there - I was busy yesterday and didn't have time for a post. As Bartles and Jaymes used to say, 'thanks for your support.')

The Tribe has again made the Royals look like... well, the Royals. The completed the three-game sweep of K.C. yesterday with a 10-3 victory at the Prog. It was the Indians' fourth win in a row and 10th in their last 13 games. Grady Sizemore had a banner day at the plate, going 4-for-5 and collecting 7 RBI. And more importantly, Cliff Lee continued his dominant season in collecting his 18th win, going seven strong innings and only allowing two earned runs.

"I didn't feel like I had my best stuff," he said. "I had to battle. The double plays were big. Give credit to the offense. When you get five runs in the first three innings, it gives you some cushion." - Cliff Lee

Grady watches his 3-run shot sail into the party seats in right

With their recent hot streak the Tribe has now escaped the basement of the AL Central and pretty much left the Royals for dead. It gets to the point where you almost feel bad for Kansas City and their miserable performances every year. This will likely be their fifth consecutive season finishing in last place with over 90 losses. But hey, better them than us. The Indians are now also only 2.5 games behind the Tigers for third place in the division. And to keep my dream of .500 baseball alive, they will have to go 22-14 down the stretch. Difficult but not impossible.

The Tribe opens up a six-game road trip tonight with the first stop in Texas. Fausto Carmona will be on the mound to face the Rangers at 8:05.

Other Tribe Notes: Eric Wedge will have to decide who gets playing time with the vets coming back. And apparently I'm not the only one enjoying these Olympic broadcasts... and some updates on the guys on rehab assignments.

Browns Update: The Browns will look to bounce back from the lackluster Monday night game and a shortened week with their Saturday night game in Detroit. Shaun Rogers is resisting the chance to take a shot at his former team. And a former Brown is happy to be paid, even if he is now a backup for Detroit.

Beasts of the East?

I think at this point the Tribe might be wishing this were 1993, before the divisions in baseball were realigned and we had the pleasure of residing in the AL East. Of course, we were also still in the old Stadium and our roster was pretty horrible (aside from young Thome, Belle, Ramirez, etc.). But the point I'm trying to make is that in 2008 the Tribe has been awful in the own division (just 17-30 vs. the AL Central), but a stellar 16-8 vs. the AL East after the weekend sweep in Toronto and then their 13-8 victory last night against Baltimore. To illustrate the quirkiness of realignment in MLB, this was somehow the first time the Indians faced the Orioles since May 7, 2007 (they have played the Reds - a team from the National League - 12 times since then). It doesn't really make sense and no one is really a fan of it as far as I can tell:

"It's a tough thing, but it's the same for both teams," Wedge said. "I don't
like it, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's part of baseball. Now that
we have interleague play and the unbalanced schedule, that's how it works out."

Last night's game was a bit of a wild one, with the Tribe taking a 7-3 lead into the 7th inning. Then Fausto Carmona ran out of gas and Edward Mujica, in true 2008 bullpen fashion, somehow allowed 4 runs to score on just 4 pitches (sadly, he was only charged with one of those runs). He proceeded to blow the lead and the win for Carmona, only to end up getting the win himself when the Indians' offense scored three more runs in the bottom of the 7th. It's been that kind of
year for the Tribe. Asdrubal Cabrera was the hero at the plate last night with the game-winning RBI double, to go along with a 2nd inning home run. Andy Gonzalez also hit his first home run in an Indians uniform. Brandon Donnelly also made his Tribe debut, returning to a major league mound for the first time in over a year, working a scoreless 8th inning.

Gonzalez was one of three Indians to homer on Monday night

The Indians and Orioles continue their 4-game series tonight at the Prog with Jeremy Sowers still looking for his 2nd win of the year. With a win and a Royals loss the Tribe can climb out of the Central cellar for the first time since July 26th.

Other Tribe Updates: Ryan Garko appears to really be sorry (at least to "the clones") about not running out that grounder. And we get some injury updates on Victor, Hafner, and Barfield.

Browns Update: Steve Sanders (no, not him) is temporarily seizing the opportunity with the first-team offense in the wake of Braylon Edwards' bizarre post-practice shoeless foot injury. And Romeo isn't too concerned about the injury. He also is seeing improvement in the secondary.

Cavs Update: LeBron chipped in 12 for Team USA in their 21-point win over Angola this morning. They are now 2-0 to start the Olympics with their most important games (Greece and Spain) next on the horizon.

LeBron and the Redeem Team won easily on Tuesday morning

Finally a 'getaway' win!

I've been harping on it all season here, but the Tribe finally accomplished what I thought was impossible yesterday - a win in the dreaded weekday 'getaway' game. The 9-4 win gave them a split in the 4-game series with the Tigers (although they really should have taken 3 of 4), and gave Fausto Carmona his first win since May 12. He was much stronger in this outing than his previous one, going 6-1/3 innings and allowing only 2 earned runs on 99 pitches. Grady Sizemore provided some offensive punch with his 27th home run (2nd in the AL), a 3-run shot in the 5th. And Ben Francisco made a terrific diving catch early in the game.

This picture just speaks for itself - Fasano & Kobayashi, an unstoppable battery

Granted, the Indians are still in last place in the Central - a full two games behind Kansas City - but they have played much better of late. Since the 10 game losing streak that seemed to last forever (June 28-July 9) they have gone 10-7. Not earth-shattering, but respectable given all the injuries, trades to key players, bullpen struggles, and pitching rotation scrambling. The trade deadline did pass without Paul Byrd being dealt yesterday, but he still could be moved sometime this month.

The Tribe pushes on tonight in Minnesota, beginning a 9-game road trip that will also take them to Tampa Bay and Toronto. Jeremy Sowers will get the start tonight and can hopefully improve his dreadful 5.86 ERA and 1-5 record.

Other Tribe Updates: Some info here about finalizing the CC trade and some early returns on the Casey Blake trade. And some updates from the farm. And Grady Sizemore is having a career year, in case you hadn't noticed.

''I just pace around the clubhouse,'' Sizemore said. ''My routine is so crazy; I don't really want to get into it. I think I do more running in the clubhouse than I would if I was playing in the field."

Browns Update: The first injury news of training camp hit yesterday. Not a huge blow but it's always nice to have depth on defense, so let's hope Peek is back for the regular season. Terry Cousin is one guy who's not worried about the Browns' secondary. And Andra Davis likes the talent all around him. Finally, Terry Pluto gives some views from Thursday's practice.

Of course no training camp report would be complete without a dumb video update:


Cavs Update: LeBron returned to action yesterday with 20 points (8-9 from the floor) to lead Team USA to a 114-82 exhibition win over Turkey in China. He then chipped in 15 points this morning (7-9 from the floor) as Team USA dumped Lithuania, 120-84. And LeBron is now using FIBA rules to his advantage in China.

You just know Loozer wishes he still had this guy on his team every night

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.

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."

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...

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.

Season Swept Away

This may be the defining series of an extremely disappointing and frustrating year for the Tribe. The Rockies completed the sweep of our Indians with a 6-3 win last night in Denver. Jeremy Sowers wasn't very sharp and didn't get much support anyway. And the bullpen then gave us no chance, and they really haven't all season long. This isn't what I had in mind when I bought season tickets (20-game plan) last October.

The Rockies completed the sweep on Thursday night

The team surely won't admit it, but even they have to know it's time to blow this thing up. Start the fire sale now. Terry Pluto agrees with me. I've been saying for a while that Paul Byrd will surely have to go. That's a no-brainer. But now I'm fully on board with trading CC Sabathia as well. Honestly, the only pitchers I wouldn't deal at this point are Aaron Laffey, Fausto Carmona, and Cliff Lee. The rest can be had for the right prospects. It will be interesting to see how this plays out but I have faith in Mr. Shapiro.

Tribe Notes: The Tribe did some shuffling in the wake of Victor Martinez's elbow surgery. They acquired veteran catcher Sal Fasano from the Braves, the the ever popular player-to-be-named-later. They also sent catcher Yamid Haad back down to the minors before he ever played in a game. Oh, and Jason Micheals is batting .279 in Pittsburgh with 5 doubles, 3 HR, and 22 RBI since being traded there. Of course he is. And finally, who knows when Travis Hafner will be back? Your guess is as good as mine.

Cavs Update: Brian Windhorst makes his triumphant blogging return (well, for me at least) and gives us the lowdown on the recent Anderson Varejao trade rumors. I look forward to hearing more from BW over the next week in anticipation of the draft next Thursday.

LBJ Speaks, but Tribe Silenced (Again)

The first order of business today: LeBron James gave a fairly lengthy interview and touched on a variety of topics yesterday with the PD. He also appeared later on ESPN850. This is my favorite part:

"I'm dedicated to bringing a championship to this city," James told Mark "Munch" Bishop during an appearance later Wednesday on ESPN 850 WKNR to promote the upcoming King for Kids Bike-A-Thon. "I'm bringing a parade to this city. I love this city. I love Northeast Ohio. ... Right now I can't see myself going anywhere else."

And I'm dedicated to watching the Cavs win a championship so it works out well for me LeBron. I already can't wait for November. I'll be adding some tidbits here shortly in anticipation of the 2008 NBA Draft that takes place a week from today. This is obviously a very important time for the Cavaliers and I'm excited to see what happens over the next week and beyond.

Forget New York, LBJ was deepening his Northeast Ohio roots yesterday at the Q

Tribe Update: Since it is my sworn duty to speak on all Cleveland sports happenings, I must also talk about the disaster that is the 2008 Cleveland Indians. They dropped their second in a row to the lowly Rockies last night, 4-2 in Denver. The loss drops them into sole possession of 4th place in the AL Central, now above only the Royals. The Tigers have finally overtaken us, themselves a complete disaster in 2008. Once again, the bats fell silent and really didn't give Aaron Laffey much of a chance. And Rafael Betancourt continued his bewildering slide, giving up an important insurance run to Colorado in the bottom of the 7th, just after the Tribe had cut it to 3-2. The Indians will look to Jeremy Sowers to avoid the sweep tonight.

The Tribe continues the trend of making bad teams look good in '08

At least Jhonny Peralta and I have something in common - we both share disappointment in his hitting this year. And who knows when Fausto Carmona will be healthy enough to pitch again?

Browns Update: The Browns rookies took their annual tour of the Pro Football Hall of Fame yesterday. Maybe someday one of them will be enshrined there. For now, I'll just take a home playoff game. I'm working on curbing my enthusiasm with baby steps. That way I won't be so disappointed all the time.

2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad

The good news: the Tribe managed to win a series. The bad news: the fire sale might be starting sooner than we expected. That's becuase Victor Martinez will undergo surgery Friday to remove bone chips in his right elbow and will be out the next 6-8 weeks. Josh Barfield also hit the DL yesterday. The Indians promoted catcher Yamid Haad and infielder Jorge Valendia (don't worry, I never heard of them either) to take their places. And Travis Hafner will still be out of the lineup at least through the team's next road trip to Colorado and LA. Add that to Jake Westbrook's season-ending injury and Tommy John surgery, and Fausto Carmona's hip injury, and the roster looks more like a M.A.S.H. unit. I now fully expect Paul Byrd and CC Sabathia to be dealt, among others.

Last night was encouraging from an offensive standpoint with the Tribe banging out a season-high 18 hits in a 12-2 win over the Twins. The offense was highlighted by Jamey Carroll's 4-hit night, and Shin-Soo Choo's 3-run homer. Aaron Laffey got the win, going 6 strong innings, giving up only one run. His ERA is now down to 2.83. And the team is still only 6.5 games behind the White Sox, even with all the struggles and injuries. But that's my optimistic side coming out. My realistic side is preparing for wholesale roster changes shortly. We resume interleague play tonight at the Prog with the Padres coming to town. Yours truly will be in attendance, so I fully expect to be disappointed with the results. Tonight it will be Jeremy Sowers against Josh Banks.

Laffey was solid again on Thursday night

Browns Update: Superagent Drew Rosenhaus is at it again, talking about a new contract for K2. Sometimes I hate what professional sports have become. It's more about posturing for your next contract than anything else. I wish agents could just be eliminated completely. Also, if you didn't catch the Browns highlight show on STO last night I highly recommend it. It was the top ten plays of 2007 with the audio feed from Donavan and Dieken. Great stuff and I'm sure they'll run it a few more times. Oh, and Brady Quinn just wants to win.

Cavs Update: It's official, Big Z is out of the Olympics for Lithuania. My heart hurts a little for him as this may be his last chance to represent his country. But the selfish Cavalier fan in me says this is great news for him to be 100% next year, resting his ailing back.

Another Weekend of Futility

Apparently my phone-wallpaper-switcheroo had no effect on the Tribe's play. I know you are all shocked out there. Over the long holiday weekend the Indians were only able to muster only one win, 5-2 over the Rangers on Saturday night. Sandwiched around that game were three losses (12-9 on Friday, 2-1 in extra innings on Sunday, and then 6-3 last night in extra innings to the White Sox). So here we sit, just 10 days after the Tribe was in sole possession of first place in the Central. Now they are 5.5 games behind the White Sox and closer to a trade deadline fire sale then another Central division crown.

Not to sound like a broken record, but the way this team plays on a daily basis still follows the same script. Poor execution with runners on base, sloppy relief pitching, and absolutely no scoring threats from the 7th inning on. Not exactly a recipe for winning the close games that we are inevitably involved in with this starting rotation and feeble offense. I've run out of ideas for solutions, short of giving Derek Shelton the axe. But apparently he walks on water and can do no wrong in the eyes of Eric Wedge. All I know is I'm sick of watching this team piss away games. I was at the Prog for Sunday's debacle. I knew it was over when the Rangers tied it at 1-1 in the 7th. Pretty sad when you know your team has no chance to score again after that... sigh.

Terry Pluto is also sick of watching the same thing every night. Ditto for Sheldon Ocker. Just to add more misery, Fausto Carmona will be out for at least a month. Fun time to be a Tribe fan right now. Maybe there is something to the odd year theory for the Indians ('95, '97, '05, '07). Does that mean we'll have to wait until 2015 if that pattern holds true? Shoot me now.

My last ditch effort to change the Tribe's luck - it's up to Jobu now

It Ends Tonight

Well, actually I'm hoping two things end tonight:

1) The Tribe's three-game losing skid that has come on the heels of a five-game winning streak
2) The Washington Wizards' season

The Tribe offense was asleep again for most of last night's game. Grady Sizemore made a much-needed appearance after missing the last two games and provided two doubles and scored our only two runs. Fausto looked pretty solid, going 6-2/3 and only giving up one earned run. But our bullpen (Rafael Betancourt in particular) looked terrible in the ninth, surrendering 5 runs to end all doubt in a 2-2 tie. My hopes for a .500 April went up in smoke as well. I'd like to blame the cold weather for the cold start, but it hasn't even been that cold. Here's to hoping that turning the page on the calender will help heat up the bats. Our new stud Cliff Lee takes his Nintendo-like numbers to the mound tonight to end a long April for our Tribe. Keep it going Cliff!

More importantly, the Cavaliers are at the Q tonight to end the Wizards' season. I'll be in attendance and I can't wait. I have a feeling this will be a very rowdy crowd tonight to greet the knuckleheads from the nation's capital. And speaking of knuckleheads, DeShawn Stevenson has now decided that Michael Vick is a solid role model. Honestly, nothing surprises me about this guy anymore. Please, let's just put him out of his misery tonight. And let's keep LeBron healthy in the process.

As if he wasn't public enemy #1 already... now DeShawn is a proud Mike Vick fan

Well, at least we got one sweep...

Wow, where to begin after last night's debacle in Washington??? The Cavs officially lost by 36 points, but it felt more like 100. I've never seen a less inspired team show up for a playoff game. Honestly, I didn't watch much past about 3 minutes into the third quarter. At that point, the Cavaliers somehow managed to turn the ball over 4 times in a row without even getting off a shot. That may be a first in playoff history. Just a mess of a game and the worst-case scenario for Game 3. Now the Wizards are feeling sky-high and have new life. My only hope is that this loss embarrasses the Cavs enough to be pissed for Game 4 on Sunday. We will see.

And check out this quote from Andray Blatche of the Wizards. This might be the strangest thing I've ever heard an athlete say:

"I was ballin' in my Mohawk," Blatche explained. "We all getting ready to go to war, man. White Out. It's like milk out there; I'm like a cat. I want some milk. I'm telling you, we're ready for war, man White out. Ride together, die together. Bad boys for life. I'm telling you, I was BORN for this."

Whatever Andray. Enjoy your milk.

Nothing was fun about Game 3 for Cavalier fans or players

There was some good news from Thursday night. The Tribe actually won both games of the doubleheader and completed the sweep of the Royals. I would have preferred a sweep by the Cavs, but I'll take this. The offense looked alive again in Game 1, scoring 9 runs. Fausto was not on top of his game but he still got the win. Then in Game 2, Cliff Lee pitched another gem. He is now 4-0 with a sparking 0.28 ERA. Incredible. Last night he allowed only 3 hits in a complete game shutout, while racking up a career-high 9 strikeouts. I shudder to think about the World Series rings we'd be polishing right now if Cliff had this kind of stuff last year. Oh well.

Cliff Lee is my new hero

Other good news from last night - David Dellucci hit a huge home run in the top of the 7th after KC's young stud Bannister had retired 16 Tribe hitters in a row. It ended up being all the support that Cliff would need in the 2-0 win. I'm officially laying off of David Dellucci until further notice.

And Mr. Dellucci is no longer my enemy :)

Tribe & Royals Washed Out

Wednesday night's game in Kansas City was rained out after a two-hour delay. Even Mother Nature doesn't want the Tribe to capitalize on the momentum that started in Tuesday's 15-1 drubbing. A doubleheader has been scheduled for 6:10pm on Thursday, with Fausto Carmona starting Game 1 and Cliff Lee starting Game 2. This means a long and likely late night of sports for me and Mrs. Chief:

6:10-8:00 - Tribe vs. Royals, Game 1
8:00-10:30 - Cavs smacking around the Wizards in Game 3
10:30-12:30? - Tribe vs. Royals, Game 2

The doubleheader on Thursday also means that there will have to be another shake-up in the Indians' pitching rotation. We already know that Jeremy Sowers will take Jake Westbrook's spot on Saturday vs. the Yankees. But now Fausto Carmona won't be able to go on Monday since he is pitching on Thursday. So look for Aaron Laffey to be called up for Monday's start. I'll be back later today for a Cavaliers/Wizards Game 3 update...

There is a 'W' in Sabathia

It took 5 starts, but Carsten Charles Sabathia finally earned his first victory of the season last night, pitching 6 shutout innings and allowing only 4 hits while notching 11 strikeouts. This was much needed from the big fella and a welcome sight for all Tribe fans. And to double our pleasure, the offense decided to make a rare appearance too.

The final tally was 15-1 (damn you Jensen Lewis!) as the bats worked for a season-high in runs and hits (17). The highlights for me were, of course, Casey Blake's grand slam and Franklin Gutierrez's 2-out bases loaded double that scored three. And I must mention that David Dellucci did put together a very nice night at the plate, going 2-5 with a HR. His average is up to .275, so maybe I'll have to lay off him for a little while.

The only low spot in the game for me was Travis Hafner going 0-5 to drop his average to .213. He needs to turn it around too, but the good news is he still has 142 games left on the season. Hardly a time to panic. Let's hope the bats have some hits left in them tonight as Fausto Carmona takes to the hill.

Casey did his part to help the slumbering offense, hitting a grand slam on Tuesday night