Media Day offers first look at new Cavaliers

I've made no effort to try to hide my love for the Cavaliers here. I sometimes feel like I defend them as I would my own child. They are always third fiddle in this city, behind the (ever-disappointing) Browns and the Indians. And that's a shame because obviously LeBron is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete and we have him right here to watch on a nightly basis. I get frustrated when casual fans don't see this as a great team. Sure there have been holes on this roster in past seasons, but they have been the most successful Cleveland playoff team in years and I think they have only scratched the surface of their potential. This team is now arguably the deepest squad in the Eastern Conference, and of course they have the best player in the league for at least two more seasons. So yesterday's media day at the Q was a great chance to catch up with the Cavaliers and get a sneak peek at what's in store for us this season.

It's nice having Andy in camp this time around

The best news to me is there are no distractions heading into training camp this year. No contract holdouts, no injuries, no disgruntled players. Just a hungry team led by an even hungrier superstar. Get pumped Cleveland - yes, it's the hokey catchphrase adopted this season, but it's appropriate when you get right down to it. This is one team that will not disappoint you this year.

Some observations from the articles and pictures I've skimmed over:

• LeBron actually likes playing for the Cavaliers! (*GASP!*) Some of those quotes from LBJ are sure to disappoint the national 'experts' that can't comprehend why the King would want to stay here past 2010.
• Delonte West has a new look. He's always been kind of an odd-looking character, but hey, whatever works for him. I'm just glad he's still a part of this team and I expect bigger things from him this season.
  
• Boobie Gibson is always an entertaining interview.
• Mo Williams and LBJ seem to have become fast friends. I can picture Mo in a Damon Jones-like class clown role off the court... only with the on-court game to go along with the antics.
• Even at 6'8" and 260 lbs., the King is still a kid at heart. I'm sure Danny Ferry had a mini-heart attack when he learned of LBJ playing pickup football with Boobie and others, but it was harmless and shows that these guys still know how to have fun.

''I've never given any indication that I was leaving or didn't like being here. Every time I am asked the question — I love being here, I love playing in front of these fans, my family is here, I grew up 30 miles away — I never gave any indication that I did not like playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers.''
- LeBron James

More Cavs Notes: Brian Windhorst reports that big Z has no plans for retirement or early free agency (I also like the part at the end about Delonte and the Russia rumors)... Pat McManamon says the Cavs need to trust each other this season... The PD (pre-Windhorst so bear with them for another week or so) has some things to consider as the Cavs open camp... Dan Labbe has some notes from media day... And finally, I usually hate these things and disagree with them vehemently, but I actually have no problem with espn.com's initial NBA Power Rankings.

Tribe Update: Jhonny Peralta says he's open to a move to third base. I'm glad to hear that, because that's where he'll be come April... The Tribe may finalize the CC Sabathia trade by picking their final player today. Thankfully the Brewers made the playoffs so it is our choice... Kelly Shoppach underwent 'minor' knee surgery yesterday at the Cleveland Clinic. The words "minor knee surgery" strung together in a sentence always make me a little nervious, so let's hope for the best for Shoppach. He had a nice season behind the plate and at the plate this year... And finally, Shin Soo-Choo was named AL Player of the Month for September. This is a well-deserved honor for Choo and I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do in a full season in 2009.

Browns Update: Stop the presses, Donte Stallworth claims he'll be ready to play vs. the Giants. Excuse me for being skeptical, but I'll believe it when I see it... Phil Savage gave the dreaded vote of confidence to DA and RAC... And Terry Pluto says the Browns just need to play better.

Sports weekend from hell

I purposely waited to sum up my thoughts from the Cleveland sports weekend until Tuesday morning. This was partly to recover from a long weekend of drinking in Chicago and then tailgating before and attending the Browns Sunday-nighter... and partly because I didn't want to write a bunch of knee-jerk pissed-off reactionary thoughts. I wanted to digest what I saw on Sunday night. Now that I've had time to do that, I honestly feel no different. I can't believe this is the team that I had such high hopes for two short weeks ago.

That really was an embarrassment on national TV. The Steelers played about as badly as we could have hoped and still beat us in our house because we couldn't do anything right. We couldn't stop them on obvious passing third-and-long situations. We couldn't convert in the red zone. Hell, we couldn't even manage the clock to set up a score right before halftime. That sequence was inexcusable. The ten second runoff penalty, immediately followed by the Browns' complete lack of urgency as they waited another 8 or so seconds to snap the ball. Then their refusal to call a timeout after a completed pass in bounds. Then the final straw - the DA interception to take any points off the board before halftime. The team was rightfully booed as they ran into the tunnel. What a complete disgrace. And the second half was equally as embarrassing with the team mustering only 6 points on two field goals, the second one almost as head-scratchingly confusing as the one ordered by Romeo Crennel in the fourth quarter last week against the Cowboys. I just don't get it.

At 0-for-our-last-10 this 'rivalry' has turned into a joke

The Browns now sit at 0-2 and are really a full three games behind the Steelers with the head-to-head loss. Kiss all hopes of an AFC North title goodbye two weeks into the season. What a great feeling. I'm so sick of seeing black and gold jerseys on the ugly redneck hillbilly fans that treck up here every year to watch their team own us. I'm sick of watching the Browns get knocked around and not really seem to care. I'm sick of wasting my time and money on this team year after year. Of course that won't make me stop going, it will just make me stop hoping. I guess the tailgating will always be good. At least we have that in Cleveland. It would be nice to someday have a team to be proud of too.

Personnel-wise, I have no idea what the Browns can do to shake things up. Derek Anderson has looked awful in his first two games. But I think it will take a few more bad weeks before Brady Quinn would ever get a shot. And what happened to the Pro Bowl version of Braylon Edwards that we saw last year? Did the bizarre foot injury in training camp really set him back that much? And I can't figure out what happened to our run blocking, but 38 yards on 19 carries for Jamal Lewis just won't cut it. That's the kind of production we got out of Ben Gay and Willie Green in their primes, but I expect a little more from Lewis. And finally, where is the vaunted offensive game plan from Chud that we loved so much last year? Are Jurevicius and Stallworth really that integral to our game plan? I really don't know what to expect from the Browns the rest of the year, but if they are to have any hopes of playing in January then two consecutive road wins are a must in the next two weeks. And from the looks of things, I just don't see how that is possible...

Other Browns Notes: Terry Pluto agrees that the next two weeks will be the most important to RAC's coaching career... Another week, another season-ending injury... I think this is tongue-in-cheek writing from Pat McManamon, because I wouldn't adopt the Steelers if my life depended on it... And apparently Romeo doesn't see a problem with opting for field goals. I'm gonna go way out on a limb here (not really) and say that if the Browns are 0-4 entering their bye week, then RAC will have coached his last game here. And I'm really not rooting for that to happen, I'm just making that observation. He needs to inject some urgency into this team immediately.

Tribe Update: To continue the 'weekend from hell' theme, the Tribe went 0-for-3 against the Royals on Saturday and Sunday (to go along with the Buckeyes' embarrassing primetime loss to USC). Thankfully I'm not a huge OSU fan and I wasn't in town on Saturday and was busy tailgating on Sunday, so I missed the Tribe's weekend. Their fight to get back to .500 is now that much more difficult, but they did rebound nicely with a 3-1 win vs. the Twins last night. Scott Lewis impressed again with another 6 shutout innings on the mound for the Indians. He has now gone 14 scoreless innings to start his major league career. Not too shabby, and another reason to have some hope for 2009. Shin-Soo Choo and Kelly Shoppach provided all the power the Tribe would need in this one. And Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez continued their much-improved work of late, paving the way for Jensen Lewis to notch his 9th save.

Paul Hoynes gives more background on Scott Lewis' impressive start... And Shin-Soo Choo is becoming a 'complete player' in Wedge's eyes... Asdrubal Cabrera is proud of his resurgence after being named co-AL player of the week... The Indians will need to go 8-4 over their final 12 games to reach the .500 mark, a tough task when considering 9 of them will be against the Twins, Red Sox, and White Sox. Zach Jackson will continue his quest for his first major league win tonight for the good guys.

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.

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?

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.

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