For parents, sons, daughters and all generations, baseball still matters: Bill Livingston
By Bill Livingston, The Plain Dealer
December 19, 2009, 8:29PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- My Aunt Wilma was the youngest of eight children who grew up in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl, while my father was the oldest. They were still the closest of them all.
She and my dad were drawn together by a love of reading, usually from the Collier's, Life and Saturday Evening Post magazines that surrounded them, and by baseball, to which each gave a lifetime of devotion.
My dad was a St. Louis Cardinals fan, born and died one. They were the team of the entire Southwest because of the reach of KMOX on the AM radio dial in the years before baseball expansion.
My aunt had no interest in the first major-league Texas team, the Houston Colt .45s, who soon were re-named the Astros. But the Texas Rangers were different. They were her team from the moment the old Washington Senators plopped down within easy driving distance of her until she died last month at the age of 86.
This will be my first Christmas without her. The stock of wisdom and laughter in the world went down when she left it.
I was able to spend an afternoon with her this summer in Texas, when she was in an assisted-living facility. She could still get around in her small apartment, and she had a TV set there. I am sure she had the Rangers schedule close at hand. Long after she was widowed, she passed her nights in the company of Nolan Ryan's fastball, which could bring the heat like the sweat-popping, eye-glazing 100-degree Dallas nights outside.
She rooted for the Indians when they reached the World Series in 1995 and 1997. She said it was because she had family here, but I also think it was because she could relate to the exquisite frustration of excellence that went unrewarded. She had seen Ryan and the young, still-precocious Alex Rodriguez toil valiantly in lost causes night after night.
She and her daughter Sissy visited Canton to see the Pro Football Hall of Fame several years ago. I made sure to set up a trip to Jacobs Field, too. The Tribe was out of town, but Aunt Wilma remembered how my dad would schedule his vacation so he could watch the daytime World Series games on television. Seeing the place where a World Series was played, in person, seemed to be her own field of dreams.
We started at the Bob Feller statue, in which Feller is rearing back to throw the hard one. His leg is just beginning its high kick. He knew how far his fastball might take him, and he was anxious to get started on the journey. Every Depression kid could relate to that leggy, hungry drive for success.
An RBI League (the initials stand for Returning Baseball to the Inner City) game was going on at the park. That was ironic. In earlier generations, more people followed baseball than the other sports combined. Every sportswriter can tell you he gets more mail from female readers about baseball than anything else. It used to transcend age, place and gender.
We took photographs of each other in the press box and stared out at the beautiful ballpark. Then we "borrowed" some paper napkins with Chief Wahoo's face on them, which she kept as souvenirs.
Richard Jacobs, the man who gave the park its name, is gone now, and so is his name on the building, and so is my aunt. After she died, I contacted the Indians staff and thanked them for their kindness years ago. Tribe communications director Curtis Danburg replied, "Sometimes we take for granted the impact this place and the game of baseball has on people."
He got that right.
My aunt kept saying, "I can't believe I'm in Jacobs Field, where they played the World Series!" Then, her hands would flutter up, and she would clasp them over her heart.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
NDIANAPOLIS -- Manny does hats.
Looking as dapper as Frank Sinatra, or Humphrey Bogart in one of those old black-and-white detective movies, the Indians' new manager met the press Tuesday at the winter meetings wearing a black fedora to go along with his black jacket, shirt and pants.
"I like hats," said Acta.
Acta moved easily through the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott. He seemed to know everyone. He bumped fists with Jim Bowden, the general manager who hired him to manage the Nationals in 2007.
"I said when we hired him he was going to be the next Jim Leyland and I still feel the same way," said Bowden.
Acta couldn't take two steps in the crowded lobby without somebody hugging him, shaking his hand or interviewing him. He was a man in his element.
When Acta sat down at his designated table to talk to reporters, someone said Tony La Russa had been drinking out of a can of nearby Pepsi during an earlier interview. Acta grabbed the can and rolled it on his sleeve.
"I want to rub a little of him on me," he said.
Then he started talking about the Indians.
"The first thing we need to do is stop dwelling on the guys that left," said Acta, "because they're not coming back. We need to embrace the new kids that came aboard and are already ready to contribute at the big league level, and to face what it is.
"That's the type of team and market that we are. This is what we're going to do. We need to work hard, out-smart, out-work, out-scout, whatever we have to do to stop from falling into the excuse that we just don't have the right payroll."
The Indians' payroll is expected to be somewhere between $56 million and $65 million. Last year it was $85.1 million.
The list of players no longer here is long and familiar. Yet Acta does not think the Indians are starting over.
"I just don't agree when people are saying that we're rebuilding," he said, "because we have a lot of pieces in place."
He started naming names: Shin-Soo Choo in right field, Grady Sizemore in center, Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop, Jhonny Peralta at third, Travis Hafner at designated hitter.
Then he turned to the farm system with Carlos Santana, Hector Rondon, Nick Weglarz, Carlos Carrasco and others. The Indians' youth and farm system was as important as the third guaranteed year GM Mark Shapiro gave Acta in prying him away from Houston in November.
Some forms of perfection come with flaws.
Acta knows that Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona, his two most experienced starters, have to prove they can still pitch and win in the big leagues. He has to piece together the rest of the rotation from the suspect talents of Justin Masterson, David Huff, Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, Rondon and Carrasco.
In the middle of the lineup, Travis Hafner must rediscover himself after two years of injury and poor performance. Left field has to be settled among Trevor Crowe, Michael Brantley and Jordan Brown. Matt LaPorta has to recover from two surgeries and prove he can play first base every day. No one knows if rookie Lou Marson is an everyday catcher.
In the bullpen, closer Kerry Wood needs consistent work and Rafael Perez needs to leave last year's demons behind. Jensen Lewis has to keep the ball in the park and Tony Sipp and Chris Perez must prove their hot streaks last season weren't mirages.
Then there is the biggest problem of all: how to deal with Sizemore's pirated Internet pictures to his girlfriend?
"I haven't seen them, because that's really not going to help me win one more game," said Acta. "I think it's sad, people using stuff like that to basically get into people's private lives. But you have to be aware of it."
Acta said he'll go to spring training with the idea of winning the AL Central. He expects the same from his players.
"We don't want to compete, we want to win," he said. "That's what we want to establish."
Looking as dapper as Frank Sinatra, or Humphrey Bogart in one of those old black-and-white detective movies, the Indians' new manager met the press Tuesday at the winter meetings wearing a black fedora to go along with his black jacket, shirt and pants.
"I like hats," said Acta.
Acta moved easily through the Indianapolis Downtown Marriott. He seemed to know everyone. He bumped fists with Jim Bowden, the general manager who hired him to manage the Nationals in 2007.
"I said when we hired him he was going to be the next Jim Leyland and I still feel the same way," said Bowden.
Acta couldn't take two steps in the crowded lobby without somebody hugging him, shaking his hand or interviewing him. He was a man in his element.
When Acta sat down at his designated table to talk to reporters, someone said Tony La Russa had been drinking out of a can of nearby Pepsi during an earlier interview. Acta grabbed the can and rolled it on his sleeve.
"I want to rub a little of him on me," he said.
Then he started talking about the Indians.
"The first thing we need to do is stop dwelling on the guys that left," said Acta, "because they're not coming back. We need to embrace the new kids that came aboard and are already ready to contribute at the big league level, and to face what it is.
"That's the type of team and market that we are. This is what we're going to do. We need to work hard, out-smart, out-work, out-scout, whatever we have to do to stop from falling into the excuse that we just don't have the right payroll."
The Indians' payroll is expected to be somewhere between $56 million and $65 million. Last year it was $85.1 million.
The list of players no longer here is long and familiar. Yet Acta does not think the Indians are starting over.
"I just don't agree when people are saying that we're rebuilding," he said, "because we have a lot of pieces in place."
He started naming names: Shin-Soo Choo in right field, Grady Sizemore in center, Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop, Jhonny Peralta at third, Travis Hafner at designated hitter.
Then he turned to the farm system with Carlos Santana, Hector Rondon, Nick Weglarz, Carlos Carrasco and others. The Indians' youth and farm system was as important as the third guaranteed year GM Mark Shapiro gave Acta in prying him away from Houston in November.
Some forms of perfection come with flaws.
Acta knows that Jake Westbrook and Fausto Carmona, his two most experienced starters, have to prove they can still pitch and win in the big leagues. He has to piece together the rest of the rotation from the suspect talents of Justin Masterson, David Huff, Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, Rondon and Carrasco.
In the middle of the lineup, Travis Hafner must rediscover himself after two years of injury and poor performance. Left field has to be settled among Trevor Crowe, Michael Brantley and Jordan Brown. Matt LaPorta has to recover from two surgeries and prove he can play first base every day. No one knows if rookie Lou Marson is an everyday catcher.
In the bullpen, closer Kerry Wood needs consistent work and Rafael Perez needs to leave last year's demons behind. Jensen Lewis has to keep the ball in the park and Tony Sipp and Chris Perez must prove their hot streaks last season weren't mirages.
Then there is the biggest problem of all: how to deal with Sizemore's pirated Internet pictures to his girlfriend?
"I haven't seen them, because that's really not going to help me win one more game," said Acta. "I think it's sad, people using stuff like that to basically get into people's private lives. But you have to be aware of it."
Acta said he'll go to spring training with the idea of winning the AL Central. He expects the same from his players.
"We don't want to compete, we want to win," he said. "That's what we want to establish."
Friday, October 23, 2009
Lovullo's right! - Oct 23
Associated Press
CLEVELAND -- Torey Lovullo wants a chance to manage the Cleveland Indians after spending the last eight seasons working in the club's farm system.
"I'm familiar with the setting," Lovullo said Friday, after interviewing a second time with general manager Mark Shapiro. "This team is a lot further along than some might believe."
Lovullo emphasized his desire to take the job if it's offered to him.
"I have prepared for this and am ready," he said, adding that playing for seven different managers in eight seasons, including Terry Francona, helped mold his managerial philosophies.
Francona guided the Boston Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and '07.
"What you really learn is what not to do," Lovullo said. "You learn from them all, but Terry's ability to communicate and relate to players is special."
Francona was a special assistant to Shapiro between jobs in Philadelphia and Boston.
Lovullo managed 35 players at Triple-A Columbus who played this year for Eric Wedge, who was fired with six games left in his seventh season as Cleveland manager.
The constant shuttle was caused by injuries and poor play by the Indians, who finished 65-97, their worst record in 18 years.
Some players sent down told Lovullo they had lost confidence after being yanked in and out of the lineup or moved from position to position.
"I like to get a lineup and try not to change it," Lovullo said. "I'm big on team chemistry. I want players to know I have their back, that they can play relaxed and comfortable. ... But I expect an effort every day. This team can look different, act different and play different."
Better relief pitching would be a welcome change.
When Cleveland won the AL Central in 2007, Joe Borowski led the league with 45 saves and had a group of reliable relievers setting him up. Last winter, Shapiro signed Kerry Wood to a two-year, $20 million contract -- and the new closer got only 26 save chances all season.
"The biggest challenge to an AL manager is knowing how to run a bullpen," Lovullo said. "You try and put guys in a role in which they are comfortable."
Lovullo thinks he can get the team to start better than the 11-21 record it had by mid-May.
"The last few days of spring training, you have to change the mindset and prepare as if it is already opening day," Lovullo said. "I'd like to take the team on a three-day trip, like we were going on the road."
Lovullo made his major-league debut with Detroit in 1987. He also played for the New York Yankees, Angels, Seattle, Oakland, Cleveland and Philadelphia, before one final season in Japan. In 303 big-league games, mostly as a utility infielder, he hit .225 with 15 homers and 60 RBIs.
He became an Indians minor-league instructor in 2001 and a year later guided Columbus (Ga.) to the second-half championship in the Class A South Atlantic League.
He was manager of the year in 2004 at Class A Kinston (N.C.) and again in 2005 at Double-A Akron, where he guided the Aeros to an 84-58 record and the Eastern League championship.
CLEVELAND -- Torey Lovullo wants a chance to manage the Cleveland Indians after spending the last eight seasons working in the club's farm system.
"I'm familiar with the setting," Lovullo said Friday, after interviewing a second time with general manager Mark Shapiro. "This team is a lot further along than some might believe."
Lovullo emphasized his desire to take the job if it's offered to him.
"I have prepared for this and am ready," he said, adding that playing for seven different managers in eight seasons, including Terry Francona, helped mold his managerial philosophies.
Francona guided the Boston Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and '07.
"What you really learn is what not to do," Lovullo said. "You learn from them all, but Terry's ability to communicate and relate to players is special."
Francona was a special assistant to Shapiro between jobs in Philadelphia and Boston.
Lovullo managed 35 players at Triple-A Columbus who played this year for Eric Wedge, who was fired with six games left in his seventh season as Cleveland manager.
The constant shuttle was caused by injuries and poor play by the Indians, who finished 65-97, their worst record in 18 years.
Some players sent down told Lovullo they had lost confidence after being yanked in and out of the lineup or moved from position to position.
"I like to get a lineup and try not to change it," Lovullo said. "I'm big on team chemistry. I want players to know I have their back, that they can play relaxed and comfortable. ... But I expect an effort every day. This team can look different, act different and play different."
Better relief pitching would be a welcome change.
When Cleveland won the AL Central in 2007, Joe Borowski led the league with 45 saves and had a group of reliable relievers setting him up. Last winter, Shapiro signed Kerry Wood to a two-year, $20 million contract -- and the new closer got only 26 save chances all season.
"The biggest challenge to an AL manager is knowing how to run a bullpen," Lovullo said. "You try and put guys in a role in which they are comfortable."
Lovullo thinks he can get the team to start better than the 11-21 record it had by mid-May.
"The last few days of spring training, you have to change the mindset and prepare as if it is already opening day," Lovullo said. "I'd like to take the team on a three-day trip, like we were going on the road."
Lovullo made his major-league debut with Detroit in 1987. He also played for the New York Yankees, Angels, Seattle, Oakland, Cleveland and Philadelphia, before one final season in Japan. In 303 big-league games, mostly as a utility infielder, he hit .225 with 15 homers and 60 RBIs.
He became an Indians minor-league instructor in 2001 and a year later guided Columbus (Ga.) to the second-half championship in the Class A South Atlantic League.
He was manager of the year in 2004 at Class A Kinston (N.C.) and again in 2005 at Double-A Akron, where he guided the Aeros to an 84-58 record and the Eastern League championship.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Finding positives proved to be a challenge after Cleveland Indians' wasted
Finding positives proved to be a challenge after Cleveland Indians' wasted
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's too easy to ask what went wrong with the 2009 Indians. Everyone knows by now.
People have been fired and traded because of it.
The harder question to ask and answer is what went right? Not much to be sure.
Asdrubal Cabrera had a nice year. The same with Shin-Soo Choo. Rookie David Huff won 11 games. Luis Valbuena hit 10 homers as a rookie. Tony Sipp and Chris Perez threw well at times out of the bullpen.
The Indians had a chance to look at a lot of rookies. There were 12 on the club when the season ended on Oct. 4 with a 12-7 loss to Boston. Said fired manager Eric Wedge, "Some have shown they belong in the big leagues. Some need more time in the minors."
Which sounds a lot like the scout, who in early June, when the Indians still had the team they thought would contend intact, said, "The Indians have a lot of big-league players. They just don't have any stars."
Since several of those big-league players were traded long ago, it makes one wonder where the Indians stand now.
At the All-Star break they were a collection of strangers. It's safe to say they ended the season the same way. When 52 players walk through the locker room door, it's hard to call anybody "buddy," much less remember his name.
The front office has always been a big believer in having leaders among its players. There weren't many to be found after the flurry of trades. Third baseman Jhonny Peralta has no inclination to lead. Travis Hafner started the year with one sore shoulder and ended it with two. Fausto Carmona was in the ozone the whole year and closer Kerry Wood never really got a chance to show what he could do on or off the field because he had so few save opportunities.
Grady Sizemore played for five months with a left elbow and left groin that needed surgery. When he finally shut it down in September to have two operations within a week of each other, the Indians turned into an expansion team.
Statistically speaking, the season was just as bad as it looked. Only six other teams in Indians history lost more games than this year's 65-97 club. The Indians have played baseball since 1901, so that covers a lot ground and a lot of bad baseball.
GM Mark Shapiro says this won't be a complete rebuild like he went through in 2003. He could start an argument in any bar in town with that statement. That is, if anybody is still talking about the Indians.
So whoever Shapiro hires as manager better come with the proper equipment. Only sledgehammers will do on this
FIVE REASONS WHYTHE INDIANS’ SEASON COLLAPSED
1. Desert delirium: When the Indians reported in February to their new $72 million spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., everything that ailed the franchise was going to be cured. No more would they have to contend with the antiquated facility in Winter Haven, Fla. While the complex offered everything a ballplayer needed, even if it did look like a detention center on the far side of the moon, the Indians, remarkably uninspired, lost 20 games in Cactus League play. The desert delirium persisted into the regular season as they lost seven of their first eight games to finish April with an 8-14 record. The pattern of the season was set.
2. Thou shall not save: The Indians’ bullpen, GM Mark Shapiro’s pride and joy in the off-season, blew 10 saves in the first two months of the season. In the next four months, they blew eight.They had 10 games decided in the eighth inning or later in April and May. The Indians went 2-8 in those games.
3. Take your pick: David Dellucci and Masa Kobayashi were a waste of roster space. Grady Sizemore played hurt all year. They waited too long to promote Andy Marte and Matt LaPorta from Class AAA Columbus.The pitchers walked too many batters. The hitters struck out too much. Travis Hafner was a shadow of himself. Manager Eric Wedge changed the lineup too much. Owner Larry Dolan is cheap. Shapiro can’t judge talent. Chris Gimenez played too much. Jordan Brown could have saved the season if they’d only called him up. Winston Abreu was really a spy planted by the four other AL Central teams to sabotage the Tribe’s season.
4. They messed with the gulls: When Shin-Soo Choo’s game-winning single in the 10th inning deflected off a gull in center field on June 11, the Indians should have embraced the moment. They should have done everything possible to cater to the flocks of gulls that had descended into Progressive Field over the previous games. Instead, they set off fireworks between innings to keep the gulls away. The fireworks worked and kept the Indians from being embarrassed in a string of nationally televised games, but it ruined what would have been the best home-field advantage this side of the Metrodome.The Indians were 27-36 and seven games out of first place after Choo’s single. They went 38-61 the rest of the year and buzzards replaced the gulls above the ballpark.
5. It’s the trades, stupid: This is the old chicken or the egg argument. Were the Indians going to break the team up all along? Or were they waiting until midseason to see how they were going before conducting a fire sale?It didn’t matter because after the deals of Mark DeRosa, Rafael Betancourt, Ryan Garko, Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco, Victor Martinez and Carl Pavano, the Indians were as bad a team as there was in the big leagues. After Pavano was traded on Aug. 7, the Indians finished the year by going 19-35. Only Pittsburgh finished with a worse record (17-36).
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's too easy to ask what went wrong with the 2009 Indians. Everyone knows by now.
People have been fired and traded because of it.
The harder question to ask and answer is what went right? Not much to be sure.
Asdrubal Cabrera had a nice year. The same with Shin-Soo Choo. Rookie David Huff won 11 games. Luis Valbuena hit 10 homers as a rookie. Tony Sipp and Chris Perez threw well at times out of the bullpen.
The Indians had a chance to look at a lot of rookies. There were 12 on the club when the season ended on Oct. 4 with a 12-7 loss to Boston. Said fired manager Eric Wedge, "Some have shown they belong in the big leagues. Some need more time in the minors."
Which sounds a lot like the scout, who in early June, when the Indians still had the team they thought would contend intact, said, "The Indians have a lot of big-league players. They just don't have any stars."
Since several of those big-league players were traded long ago, it makes one wonder where the Indians stand now.
At the All-Star break they were a collection of strangers. It's safe to say they ended the season the same way. When 52 players walk through the locker room door, it's hard to call anybody "buddy," much less remember his name.
The front office has always been a big believer in having leaders among its players. There weren't many to be found after the flurry of trades. Third baseman Jhonny Peralta has no inclination to lead. Travis Hafner started the year with one sore shoulder and ended it with two. Fausto Carmona was in the ozone the whole year and closer Kerry Wood never really got a chance to show what he could do on or off the field because he had so few save opportunities.
Grady Sizemore played for five months with a left elbow and left groin that needed surgery. When he finally shut it down in September to have two operations within a week of each other, the Indians turned into an expansion team.
Statistically speaking, the season was just as bad as it looked. Only six other teams in Indians history lost more games than this year's 65-97 club. The Indians have played baseball since 1901, so that covers a lot ground and a lot of bad baseball.
GM Mark Shapiro says this won't be a complete rebuild like he went through in 2003. He could start an argument in any bar in town with that statement. That is, if anybody is still talking about the Indians.
So whoever Shapiro hires as manager better come with the proper equipment. Only sledgehammers will do on this
FIVE REASONS WHYTHE INDIANS’ SEASON COLLAPSED
1. Desert delirium: When the Indians reported in February to their new $72 million spring training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., everything that ailed the franchise was going to be cured. No more would they have to contend with the antiquated facility in Winter Haven, Fla. While the complex offered everything a ballplayer needed, even if it did look like a detention center on the far side of the moon, the Indians, remarkably uninspired, lost 20 games in Cactus League play. The desert delirium persisted into the regular season as they lost seven of their first eight games to finish April with an 8-14 record. The pattern of the season was set.
2. Thou shall not save: The Indians’ bullpen, GM Mark Shapiro’s pride and joy in the off-season, blew 10 saves in the first two months of the season. In the next four months, they blew eight.They had 10 games decided in the eighth inning or later in April and May. The Indians went 2-8 in those games.
3. Take your pick: David Dellucci and Masa Kobayashi were a waste of roster space. Grady Sizemore played hurt all year. They waited too long to promote Andy Marte and Matt LaPorta from Class AAA Columbus.The pitchers walked too many batters. The hitters struck out too much. Travis Hafner was a shadow of himself. Manager Eric Wedge changed the lineup too much. Owner Larry Dolan is cheap. Shapiro can’t judge talent. Chris Gimenez played too much. Jordan Brown could have saved the season if they’d only called him up. Winston Abreu was really a spy planted by the four other AL Central teams to sabotage the Tribe’s season.
4. They messed with the gulls: When Shin-Soo Choo’s game-winning single in the 10th inning deflected off a gull in center field on June 11, the Indians should have embraced the moment. They should have done everything possible to cater to the flocks of gulls that had descended into Progressive Field over the previous games. Instead, they set off fireworks between innings to keep the gulls away. The fireworks worked and kept the Indians from being embarrassed in a string of nationally televised games, but it ruined what would have been the best home-field advantage this side of the Metrodome.The Indians were 27-36 and seven games out of first place after Choo’s single. They went 38-61 the rest of the year and buzzards replaced the gulls above the ballpark.
5. It’s the trades, stupid: This is the old chicken or the egg argument. Were the Indians going to break the team up all along? Or were they waiting until midseason to see how they were going before conducting a fire sale?It didn’t matter because after the deals of Mark DeRosa, Rafael Betancourt, Ryan Garko, Cliff Lee, Ben Francisco, Victor Martinez and Carl Pavano, the Indians were as bad a team as there was in the big leagues. After Pavano was traded on Aug. 7, the Indians finished the year by going 19-35. Only Pittsburgh finished with a worse record (17-36).
Monday, October 5, 2009
Indians Close Out 2009
1. The Indians know they may have to sell themselves to some managerial candidates because there are times when more than one team wants to hire the same person. The Tribe's pitch will center on the fact they went through a seriously rebuilding stage in 2003-04. It produced a contender in 2005, along with the 2007 team that won 96 games.
2 The Indians will explain the strength of the team is in the young position players. It begins with the outfield of Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore and Michael Brantley. They also can use Matt LaPorta in left field, otherwise he starts at first base.
3. Brantley entered the weekend batting .302. The Indians want to see him draw more walks (8 in 106 at-bats). He also had only four extra-base hits, all doubles. They think he will quickly improve in both areas.
4. Notice the Indians gave Trevor Crowe a decent shot, but he batted only .230 (.603 OPS) in 178 at-bats. They think he can help as a backup outfielder because of his speed and ability to play all three outfield spots, but he has to give them more offense. I'm not nearly as sold on Crowe.
5. As the Indians plan their infield, it's Jhonny Peralta at third, Asdrubal Cabrera at short, Luis Valbuena at second with LaPorta at first. But Andy Marte and Jordan Brown also are in the first-base mix, with Marte very capable at third. LaPorta hit .289 (.840 OPS) with six homers and 16 RBI in 133 at-bats after being recalled from the minors.
6. Catching is wide open with Lou Marson and Wyatt Toregas the main candidates, at least until Carlos Santana is ready. Kelly Shoppach will probably be headed to another team. The Indians also would be interested in keeping utility man Jamey Carroll, but not at the $2.2 million salary he made this season. They do want a veteran backup infielder.
7. To make this lineup work, it seems the Indians need another veteran hitter to replace Victor Martinez -- unless Travis Hafner comes all the way back to his 2006 form.
8. The big questions are with pitching. Assuming Jake Westbrook is healthy (not a guarantee), he is the only starter older than 26. It seems Aaron Laffey, Justin Masterson and David Huff have locked up rotation spots -- although Laffey is the only one to show any semblance of consistency. But give Huff credit for winning 11 games with this team. As for Fausto Carmona, they certainly will give him every chance to start.
9. What the Indians need is someone such as Carlos Carrasco or Hector Rondon to make a great leap forward as a starter. Both have the raw talent, but who knows when it will click. Jeremy Sowers had a good two months in July and August, but ended the season with three poor starts and a final record of 6-11 with a 5.25 ERA. He may end up in long relief.
10. The Indians hope they have a decent bullpen in place with Kerry Wood closing. He had a 3.09 ERA and 8-of-10 in save opportunities after the All-Star break. Others who have been promising are Chris Perez and Tony Sipp. They think Raffy Perez is making some progress, but we'll see if that holds up next season. All of this begs for the Indians to find a manager and build a coaching staff that can develop young pitching -- and that points to Boston's John Farrell. While there are contract considerations giving the Red Sox control over Farrell next season, it seems a deal can be worked between the two teams -- especially since they are not in the same division.
2 The Indians will explain the strength of the team is in the young position players. It begins with the outfield of Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore and Michael Brantley. They also can use Matt LaPorta in left field, otherwise he starts at first base.
3. Brantley entered the weekend batting .302. The Indians want to see him draw more walks (8 in 106 at-bats). He also had only four extra-base hits, all doubles. They think he will quickly improve in both areas.
4. Notice the Indians gave Trevor Crowe a decent shot, but he batted only .230 (.603 OPS) in 178 at-bats. They think he can help as a backup outfielder because of his speed and ability to play all three outfield spots, but he has to give them more offense. I'm not nearly as sold on Crowe.
5. As the Indians plan their infield, it's Jhonny Peralta at third, Asdrubal Cabrera at short, Luis Valbuena at second with LaPorta at first. But Andy Marte and Jordan Brown also are in the first-base mix, with Marte very capable at third. LaPorta hit .289 (.840 OPS) with six homers and 16 RBI in 133 at-bats after being recalled from the minors.
6. Catching is wide open with Lou Marson and Wyatt Toregas the main candidates, at least until Carlos Santana is ready. Kelly Shoppach will probably be headed to another team. The Indians also would be interested in keeping utility man Jamey Carroll, but not at the $2.2 million salary he made this season. They do want a veteran backup infielder.
7. To make this lineup work, it seems the Indians need another veteran hitter to replace Victor Martinez -- unless Travis Hafner comes all the way back to his 2006 form.
8. The big questions are with pitching. Assuming Jake Westbrook is healthy (not a guarantee), he is the only starter older than 26. It seems Aaron Laffey, Justin Masterson and David Huff have locked up rotation spots -- although Laffey is the only one to show any semblance of consistency. But give Huff credit for winning 11 games with this team. As for Fausto Carmona, they certainly will give him every chance to start.
9. What the Indians need is someone such as Carlos Carrasco or Hector Rondon to make a great leap forward as a starter. Both have the raw talent, but who knows when it will click. Jeremy Sowers had a good two months in July and August, but ended the season with three poor starts and a final record of 6-11 with a 5.25 ERA. He may end up in long relief.
10. The Indians hope they have a decent bullpen in place with Kerry Wood closing. He had a 3.09 ERA and 8-of-10 in save opportunities after the All-Star break. Others who have been promising are Chris Perez and Tony Sipp. They think Raffy Perez is making some progress, but we'll see if that holds up next season. All of this begs for the Indians to find a manager and build a coaching staff that can develop young pitching -- and that points to Boston's John Farrell. While there are contract considerations giving the Red Sox control over Farrell next season, it seems a deal can be worked between the two teams -- especially since they are not in the same division.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Wedge will have made impact no matter what
Wedge will have made impact no matter what
By Sheldon Ocker Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Thursday, Sep 24, 2009
CLEVELAND: Managers are made, not born, but who makes them?
In just 10 days, Eric Wedge will complete his seventh season as manager of the Indians. Even though he has a contract for 2010, Wedge might not be back. More than likely, we will learn Wedge's fate one or two days after the schedule has been played out on Oct. 4.
Regardless of whether Wedge returns next year, he will have made an impact in Cleveland. Only four managers have guided the Tribe longer than Wedge, who is fifth in wins (557) and is one of only four Cleveland skippers to win a postseason series.
Two distinctive Wedge traits: He always is prepared, and he is consistent in the way he treats his players, whether things are going well on the field or not. Wedge's standards seem so ingrained in his personality, one would think he grew up with the goal of becoming a manager.
''I paid attention to being a catcher when I was a kid,'' Wedge said Wednesday. ''I did like Sparky Anderson, because I was a fan of the Big Red Machine. Those were pretty good teams in Cincinnati.''
Wedge grew up in Indiana and longed to be in the big leagues as a player. He made it with the Red Sox, but injuries prevented him from having a lengthy career. But he stayed in the game, managing in the Indians' farm system for five years before being elevated to the job in Cleveland.
Wedge can't point to a particular mentor along the way.
''I don't think there was one person,'' he said. ''I've taken things from a lot of managers. I've done and learned things from seeing other people do them and from talking to people.
''I will say that [Atlanta manager] Bobby Cox is a guy I have the utmost respect for. But I only know him from conversations when we've played each other.''
Wedge firmly believes that when a team is winning, the manager should do less. And he always has maintained — like most skippers — that the most effective leadership comes not from the manager but from the players.
''When a team is going good, that's when you have to try and stay out of the way,'' he said. ''And more times than not, you need to have guys in the clubhouse to take care of things. Like in '07, it was Trot Nixon or Casey Blake or C.C. [Sabathia]. Guys like that.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians.
CLEVELAND: Managers are made, not born, but who makes them?
In just 10 days, Eric Wedge will complete his seventh season as manager of the Indians. Even though he has a contract for 2010, Wedge might not be back. More than likely, we will learn Wedge's fate one or two days after the schedule has been played out on Oct. 4.
Regardless of whether Wedge returns next year, he will have made an impact in Cleveland. Only four managers have guided the Tribe longer than Wedge, who is fifth in wins (557) and is one of only four Cleveland skippers to win a postseason series.
Two distinctive Wedge traits: He always is prepared, and he is consistent in the way he treats his players, whether things are going well on the field or not. Wedge's standards seem so ingrained in his personality, one would think he grew up with the goal of becoming a manager.
''I paid attention to being a catcher when I was a kid,'' Wedge said Wednesday. ''I did like Sparky Anderson, because I was a fan of the Big Red Machine. Those were pretty good teams in Cincinnati.''
Wedge grew up in Indiana and longed to be in the big leagues as a player. He made it with the Red Sox, but injuries prevented him from having a lengthy career. But he stayed in the game, managing in the Indians' farm system for five years before being elevated to the job in Cleveland.
Wedge can't point to a particular mentor along the way.
''I don't think there was one person,'' he said. ''I've taken things from a lot of managers. I've done and learned things from seeing other people do them and from talking to people.
''I will say that [Atlanta manager] Bobby Cox is a guy I have the utmost respect for. But I only know him from conversations when we've played each other.''
Wedge firmly believes that when a team is winning, the manager should do less. And he always has maintained — like most skippers — that the most effective leadership comes not from the manager but from the players.
''When a team is going good, that's when you have to try and stay out of the way,'' he said. ''And more times than not, you need to have guys in the clubhouse to take care of things. Like in '07, it was Trot Nixon or Casey Blake or C.C. [Sabathia]. Guys like that.''
By Sheldon Ocker Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Thursday, Sep 24, 2009
CLEVELAND: Managers are made, not born, but who makes them?
In just 10 days, Eric Wedge will complete his seventh season as manager of the Indians. Even though he has a contract for 2010, Wedge might not be back. More than likely, we will learn Wedge's fate one or two days after the schedule has been played out on Oct. 4.
Regardless of whether Wedge returns next year, he will have made an impact in Cleveland. Only four managers have guided the Tribe longer than Wedge, who is fifth in wins (557) and is one of only four Cleveland skippers to win a postseason series.
Two distinctive Wedge traits: He always is prepared, and he is consistent in the way he treats his players, whether things are going well on the field or not. Wedge's standards seem so ingrained in his personality, one would think he grew up with the goal of becoming a manager.
''I paid attention to being a catcher when I was a kid,'' Wedge said Wednesday. ''I did like Sparky Anderson, because I was a fan of the Big Red Machine. Those were pretty good teams in Cincinnati.''
Wedge grew up in Indiana and longed to be in the big leagues as a player. He made it with the Red Sox, but injuries prevented him from having a lengthy career. But he stayed in the game, managing in the Indians' farm system for five years before being elevated to the job in Cleveland.
Wedge can't point to a particular mentor along the way.
''I don't think there was one person,'' he said. ''I've taken things from a lot of managers. I've done and learned things from seeing other people do them and from talking to people.
''I will say that [Atlanta manager] Bobby Cox is a guy I have the utmost respect for. But I only know him from conversations when we've played each other.''
Wedge firmly believes that when a team is winning, the manager should do less. And he always has maintained — like most skippers — that the most effective leadership comes not from the manager but from the players.
''When a team is going good, that's when you have to try and stay out of the way,'' he said. ''And more times than not, you need to have guys in the clubhouse to take care of things. Like in '07, it was Trot Nixon or Casey Blake or C.C. [Sabathia]. Guys like that.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians.
CLEVELAND: Managers are made, not born, but who makes them?
In just 10 days, Eric Wedge will complete his seventh season as manager of the Indians. Even though he has a contract for 2010, Wedge might not be back. More than likely, we will learn Wedge's fate one or two days after the schedule has been played out on Oct. 4.
Regardless of whether Wedge returns next year, he will have made an impact in Cleveland. Only four managers have guided the Tribe longer than Wedge, who is fifth in wins (557) and is one of only four Cleveland skippers to win a postseason series.
Two distinctive Wedge traits: He always is prepared, and he is consistent in the way he treats his players, whether things are going well on the field or not. Wedge's standards seem so ingrained in his personality, one would think he grew up with the goal of becoming a manager.
''I paid attention to being a catcher when I was a kid,'' Wedge said Wednesday. ''I did like Sparky Anderson, because I was a fan of the Big Red Machine. Those were pretty good teams in Cincinnati.''
Wedge grew up in Indiana and longed to be in the big leagues as a player. He made it with the Red Sox, but injuries prevented him from having a lengthy career. But he stayed in the game, managing in the Indians' farm system for five years before being elevated to the job in Cleveland.
Wedge can't point to a particular mentor along the way.
''I don't think there was one person,'' he said. ''I've taken things from a lot of managers. I've done and learned things from seeing other people do them and from talking to people.
''I will say that [Atlanta manager] Bobby Cox is a guy I have the utmost respect for. But I only know him from conversations when we've played each other.''
Wedge firmly believes that when a team is winning, the manager should do less. And he always has maintained — like most skippers — that the most effective leadership comes not from the manager but from the players.
''When a team is going good, that's when you have to try and stay out of the way,'' he said. ''And more times than not, you need to have guys in the clubhouse to take care of things. Like in '07, it was Trot Nixon or Casey Blake or C.C. [Sabathia]. Guys like that.''
Friday, August 21, 2009
Cleveland Indians' Tito Francona - Red Sox manager Terry's dad - made a run at .400 in 1959
Cleveland Indians' Tito Francona - Red Sox manager Terry's dad - made a run at .400 in 1959
by Mike Peticca, The Plain Dealer
Friday August 21, 2009, 7:08 PM
Cleveland Press Archives
Tito Francona gives some bunting tips to area youngsters while he was a star player for the Cleveland Indians.
About three weeks before the 1959 season began, the Cleveland Indians traded future Hall of Fame outfielder Larry Doby to the Detroit Tigers for a little-known outfielder-first baseman, Tito Francona.
Doby, 35, was nearing the end of a major league career that began on July 5, 1947. It doesn't matter that in his debut, he struck out as a pinch-hitter in the Indians' 6-5 loss to the White Sox in Chicago's storied Comiskey Park.
The significance of Doby's appearance, then and now, is that he became the first African-American to play in the American League. Jackie Robinson, the legendary Brooklyn Dodger, had broken major league baseball's color barrier on April 15 of that season.
Nearly eight weeks after being swapped for Francona, the White Sox purchased Doby from Detroit, and he completed his final season. Francona, meanwhile, was a spare part early in the season for a team that made a serious, though futile, run for the pennant; Cleveland's last genuine pennant bid until the strike-ending 1994 season, and then the 1995 American League championship campaign.
Associated Press
Cleveland Indians outfielder Larry Doby in Chicago's Comiskey Park on July 5, 1947, the day he became the first African-American to play in the American League.Through June 5, Francona - used primarily as a pinch-hitter - was 6 of 23 (.261). He was more busy at home. His wife had given birth to a son, Terry, on April 22. Terry Francona became a major leaguer, too, including a one-year stint (1988) with the Indians, and is the manager who has guided the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships.
The Indians' volatile center fielder, Jimmy Piersall, struggled through the first two months of the 1959 season, prompting Tribe manager Joe Gordon to give the friendly yet competitive Francona, 25, a chance.
Tito comes through
Francona took full advantage. The left-handed hitter stroked 22 hits in his next 62 at bats, a .355 stretch that boosted his season average to .329.
Then, Francona really got hot. From June 25 through August 4, he batted .471, with 64 hits in 136 at bats, with 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 37 runs batted in. His batting average was .416. He had peaked at .417 on August 2, but lost a point when he was 2-of-5 with a triple, homer and four RBI in the Indians' 8-2 win over the Washington Senators on August 4.
The smooth-swinging Francona couldn't maintain his remarkable pace, although he batted a solid .298 (53-of-178) the rest of the way to finish at .363. His last .400 batting average was going into the game of August 11. Nagging injuries didn't help Francona, and he was especially hampered during a 5-of-39 slump from September 9-18, dropping his average from .391 to .364.
That's the rule
Given the limited information resources, following baseball was quite different for fans when Francona flirted with 400. Tens of thousands of Indians fans, maybe, believed during the season's final days that Francona could at least win the batting title. Many were unaware that in the mid-1950's, baseball had changed its qualifying rule for official league leadership.
A 1961 Topps baseball card of Indians outfielder Tito Francona.Before, a player needed 400 official at bats to qualify. Baseball, though, changed the rule to a minimum of 3.1 plate appearances per games played by the individual's team. Thus, when a team played all of the 154 games it was scheduled for, 477 plate appearances were necessary for a player to qualify as the batting champion. For a batter, his walks, hit by pitches, sacrifice flies and sacrifice bunts do not count as official at bats, but they do count as plate appearances.
Francona finished with 145 hits in 399 at bats. Those unfamiliar with the rule change thought Francona, with 398 official at bats, needed just two more to qualify for the batting title going into Cleveland's final two games. Fans listening to Jimmy Dudley and Bob Neal announce the games on radio wondered what Gordon - who entered the Hall of Fame this summer as a former Indians' and Yankees' playing great - was doing, as he gave Francona just one more at bat in those last two games. What they didn't understand was that Francona needed an impossible 35 more plate appearances to qualify; he finished 34 short, with 443.
Ironically, the rule change from a required 400 official at bats to 477 plate appearances was prompted in part by the last batting championship for a Cleveland Indian. Second baseman Bobby Avila won the title in 1954, when he batted .341 for the American League champion Indians. The 400-at bat rule denied Ted Williams the title.
One of the sport's all-time greatest hitters and a six-time batting champion, Williams hit .345 in 1954. He totaled 526 plate appearances, but just 386 official at bats, so the title went to Avila. Fearful pitchers walked Williams 136 times. The rule, essentially, penalized Williams for his greatness. Williams is the last player to bat .400, hitting .406 in 1941.
Things change
Plain Dealer file photo
Star outfielder Rocky Colavito pictured at some time during his first stint with the Indians.The 1959 Indians finished 89-65, in second place, five games behind the White Sox. That last game of their season turned out to be a good-bye of sorts for two Cleveland legends. Outfielder Rocky Colavito was traded to the Tigers and pitcher Herb Score sent to the White Sox just prior to the 1960 campaign, as Indians general manager Frank "The Trader" Lane continued a trading spree that impacted the franchise for years.
Ironically, Colavito was dealt for Detroit outfielder Harvey Kuenn. Instead of Francona winning the 1959 batting title, it was Kuenn. His .353 average was 10 points south of Francona's, but he exceeded the 502-plate appearance requirement with 617.
Colavito returned to the Indians in a trade prior to the 1965 season. Score began a 34-year career as a radio/television announcer of Indians games in 1964.
Remembering
To recognize the 50-year anniversary of the event, The Plain Dealer's Bill Lubinger wrote earlier this summer about Colavito's four-homer game of June 10, 1959. Click here for his story and a video of him being interviewed about the story by The Plain Dealer's Mike McIntyre.
Score passed away last November 11. To read former Plain Dealer sports writer Bob Dolgan's story about Score's life and passing, with numerous photos and links to other Plain Dealer stories about Score, click here.
John Patsy "Tito" Francona, now 75, played five more years with the Indians. His next three seasons after 1959 were superb, especially 1960, when he led the league in doubles (36), and 1961, when he hit .301 and was named to the American League all-star team. The Indians sold Francona to the St. Louis Cardinals following the 1964 season, and he played for four other teams before closing his career
by Mike Peticca, The Plain Dealer
Friday August 21, 2009, 7:08 PM
Cleveland Press Archives
Tito Francona gives some bunting tips to area youngsters while he was a star player for the Cleveland Indians.
About three weeks before the 1959 season began, the Cleveland Indians traded future Hall of Fame outfielder Larry Doby to the Detroit Tigers for a little-known outfielder-first baseman, Tito Francona.
Doby, 35, was nearing the end of a major league career that began on July 5, 1947. It doesn't matter that in his debut, he struck out as a pinch-hitter in the Indians' 6-5 loss to the White Sox in Chicago's storied Comiskey Park.
The significance of Doby's appearance, then and now, is that he became the first African-American to play in the American League. Jackie Robinson, the legendary Brooklyn Dodger, had broken major league baseball's color barrier on April 15 of that season.
Nearly eight weeks after being swapped for Francona, the White Sox purchased Doby from Detroit, and he completed his final season. Francona, meanwhile, was a spare part early in the season for a team that made a serious, though futile, run for the pennant; Cleveland's last genuine pennant bid until the strike-ending 1994 season, and then the 1995 American League championship campaign.
Associated Press
Cleveland Indians outfielder Larry Doby in Chicago's Comiskey Park on July 5, 1947, the day he became the first African-American to play in the American League.Through June 5, Francona - used primarily as a pinch-hitter - was 6 of 23 (.261). He was more busy at home. His wife had given birth to a son, Terry, on April 22. Terry Francona became a major leaguer, too, including a one-year stint (1988) with the Indians, and is the manager who has guided the Boston Red Sox to two World Series championships.
The Indians' volatile center fielder, Jimmy Piersall, struggled through the first two months of the 1959 season, prompting Tribe manager Joe Gordon to give the friendly yet competitive Francona, 25, a chance.
Tito comes through
Francona took full advantage. The left-handed hitter stroked 22 hits in his next 62 at bats, a .355 stretch that boosted his season average to .329.
Then, Francona really got hot. From June 25 through August 4, he batted .471, with 64 hits in 136 at bats, with 10 doubles, a triple, eight home runs and 37 runs batted in. His batting average was .416. He had peaked at .417 on August 2, but lost a point when he was 2-of-5 with a triple, homer and four RBI in the Indians' 8-2 win over the Washington Senators on August 4.
The smooth-swinging Francona couldn't maintain his remarkable pace, although he batted a solid .298 (53-of-178) the rest of the way to finish at .363. His last .400 batting average was going into the game of August 11. Nagging injuries didn't help Francona, and he was especially hampered during a 5-of-39 slump from September 9-18, dropping his average from .391 to .364.
That's the rule
Given the limited information resources, following baseball was quite different for fans when Francona flirted with 400. Tens of thousands of Indians fans, maybe, believed during the season's final days that Francona could at least win the batting title. Many were unaware that in the mid-1950's, baseball had changed its qualifying rule for official league leadership.
A 1961 Topps baseball card of Indians outfielder Tito Francona.Before, a player needed 400 official at bats to qualify. Baseball, though, changed the rule to a minimum of 3.1 plate appearances per games played by the individual's team. Thus, when a team played all of the 154 games it was scheduled for, 477 plate appearances were necessary for a player to qualify as the batting champion. For a batter, his walks, hit by pitches, sacrifice flies and sacrifice bunts do not count as official at bats, but they do count as plate appearances.
Francona finished with 145 hits in 399 at bats. Those unfamiliar with the rule change thought Francona, with 398 official at bats, needed just two more to qualify for the batting title going into Cleveland's final two games. Fans listening to Jimmy Dudley and Bob Neal announce the games on radio wondered what Gordon - who entered the Hall of Fame this summer as a former Indians' and Yankees' playing great - was doing, as he gave Francona just one more at bat in those last two games. What they didn't understand was that Francona needed an impossible 35 more plate appearances to qualify; he finished 34 short, with 443.
Ironically, the rule change from a required 400 official at bats to 477 plate appearances was prompted in part by the last batting championship for a Cleveland Indian. Second baseman Bobby Avila won the title in 1954, when he batted .341 for the American League champion Indians. The 400-at bat rule denied Ted Williams the title.
One of the sport's all-time greatest hitters and a six-time batting champion, Williams hit .345 in 1954. He totaled 526 plate appearances, but just 386 official at bats, so the title went to Avila. Fearful pitchers walked Williams 136 times. The rule, essentially, penalized Williams for his greatness. Williams is the last player to bat .400, hitting .406 in 1941.
Things change
Plain Dealer file photo
Star outfielder Rocky Colavito pictured at some time during his first stint with the Indians.The 1959 Indians finished 89-65, in second place, five games behind the White Sox. That last game of their season turned out to be a good-bye of sorts for two Cleveland legends. Outfielder Rocky Colavito was traded to the Tigers and pitcher Herb Score sent to the White Sox just prior to the 1960 campaign, as Indians general manager Frank "The Trader" Lane continued a trading spree that impacted the franchise for years.
Ironically, Colavito was dealt for Detroit outfielder Harvey Kuenn. Instead of Francona winning the 1959 batting title, it was Kuenn. His .353 average was 10 points south of Francona's, but he exceeded the 502-plate appearance requirement with 617.
Colavito returned to the Indians in a trade prior to the 1965 season. Score began a 34-year career as a radio/television announcer of Indians games in 1964.
Remembering
To recognize the 50-year anniversary of the event, The Plain Dealer's Bill Lubinger wrote earlier this summer about Colavito's four-homer game of June 10, 1959. Click here for his story and a video of him being interviewed about the story by The Plain Dealer's Mike McIntyre.
Score passed away last November 11. To read former Plain Dealer sports writer Bob Dolgan's story about Score's life and passing, with numerous photos and links to other Plain Dealer stories about Score, click here.
John Patsy "Tito" Francona, now 75, played five more years with the Indians. His next three seasons after 1959 were superb, especially 1960, when he led the league in doubles (36), and 1961, when he hit .301 and was named to the American League all-star team. The Indians sold Francona to the St. Louis Cardinals following the 1964 season, and he played for four other teams before closing his career
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Cleveland Indians trades were about cutting payroll, but most made sense: Terry Pluto
Cleveland Indians trades were about cutting payroll, but most made sense: Terry Pluto
by Terry Pluto, Plain Dealer Columnist
Saturday August 08, 2009, 8:55 PM
To the readers: This is a special edition of the Sunday notes. It's all about the Indians. I've been on vacation the past two weeks. Writing this from northern Michigan near Lake Superior, I decided to concentrate on getting you as much information on all the Tribe deals as possible. Next week, the Sunday notes will have the usual format dealing with all three Cleveland teams.
IT STARTED WITH MONEY . . .
1. Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook make a combined $24 million this season, and their contracts will pay them $24 million next year. Yes, the Indians ranked 14th in payroll at the start of the season at $81 million, putting them near the major-league average. But $24 million of that last year went to Hafner and Westbrook, as it did this season and will again in 2010. No one is blaming those players. Both wanted to stay with the Indians, and both signed long-term deals -- as ownership committed to them. Then, both got hurt. Thanks to elbow surgery, Westbrook has made five big-league starts in two years. Dealing with shoulder problems and then surgery, Hafner has 394 at-bats over two seasons.
2. Team President Paul Dolan said Thursday that the team would lose $16 million in 2009. Insiders project a loss of another $10 million or more next season. They could have brought back Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, but there would be no room in the budget to add any significant pieces or payroll. The Indians have not set a payroll figure for next season, but with their attendance ranking 27th in baseball, it's a safe bet it will be less than the $81 million this season -- even if ownership is willing to absorb some financial losses in 2010. The Indians correctly believed that selling tickets next season was going to be tough with or without Martinez and/or Lee on the roster.
3. The Indians looked at their 2008 team that was 81-81, followed by this season's team that went into Saturday night's game with a 47-62 record. They did not believe they could contend with the current roster. So it was not only time to cut payroll, but also to plan for the future. The team believes it could add almost zero to the team in terms of proven talent even with players such as Masa Kobayashi, Dave Dellucci, Rafael Betancourt and Mark DeRosa -- about $17 million -- coming off the payroll at the end of this season. The economics are that bleak for the Indians.
4. The Indians traded Betancourt to Colorado because he had a $5 million team option for next season. The Indians had no intention of picking it up, meaning Betancourt would have become a free agent. So they sent him to the Rockies this season, saving $1.3 million and adding a hard-throwing prospect named Connor Graham, who Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd said could possibly "be a back-end bullpen guy" in a few years. Graham is 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA in two appearances at Class AA Akron. The Rockies plan to let the 34-year-old Betancourt become a free agent after the season.
5. Ryan Garko is eligible to go to arbitration after the season. The Indians believed it would take a deal much like they gave Kelly Shoppach ($1.9 million) last season to prevent Garko from going to arbitration, where they believe he'd be worth $2 million. They were not going to pay him that, when they believe they have first base/DH replacements in Matt LaPorta, Andy Marte, Hafner and even someone such as hot-hitting Jordan Brown (.331 with 12 HR, 58 RBI, .902 OPS at Class AAA Columbus). That depth also was behind the Martinez deal with Boston. So they moved Garko to the Giants for Scott Barnes, a lefty who was 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA in Class A.
6. DeRosa was traded to St. Louis for relievers Chris Perez and Jess Todd. DeRosa is headed to free agency at the end of the season, and the Indians were not going to keep him. Perez is like Paul Shuey, Steve Karsay, Danys Baez and Eric Plunk, a guy with a 95-mph fastball who should be help in the bullpen. In the past, the Tribe effectively used this type of power arm. Todd has been tremendous in the minors, but doesn't have overwhelming stuff. The team received good value for DeRosa, and saved about $2.5 million. Finally, the Indians traded Carl Pavano to Minnesota for a player to be named.
7. No matter how the Indians explain it, money powered many of the deals. They traded Pavano not long before his bonuses for starts were about to kick in. They whacked at least $12 million off the payroll for this season in what was left on contracts to Lee, Martinez, DeRosa, Betancourt and Pavano -- and at least $25 million next year in contract obligations.
SOME OPINION
1. The Indians have about $7 million tied up in Kobayashi and Dellucci for this season, despite both being released. Dellucci is finishing up a three-year, $11 million contract, Kobayashi a two-year, $6 million deal. The Indians should really review the thought process that led to those signings, because $7 million should yield at least one productive major-league player. Kobayashi was 33 when signed; Dellucci was 32 and with a history of injuries.
2. Yes, the Indians traded young pitchers Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Graub for DeRosa, then turned around and traded DeRosa for young pitchers. Stevens has been up and down with the Cubs. The odd part of the original deal was acquiring DeRosa, a second baseman with the Cubs, and moving him to third. This came after the Indians moved Jhonny Peralta to third base in winter ball. So they moved Peralta back to short, knowing DeRosa was a one-year rental. The obvious lineup to most fans was DeRosa at 2B, Asdrubal Cabrera at SS and Peralta at 3B from Day One of spring training. Somehow, the Indians missed the obvious and ended up making the moves during the season.
3. I liked the trades of Betancourt, Garko and especially DeRosa because all can be replaced next season, and maybe they can find some young pitching from the deals. As for Pavano, he's no loss because he was headed for free agency and not likely to re-sign with the Indians.
4. No way to know if the injuries to Westbrook and Hafner made the front office and ownership gun shy about firing out more large contracts to veteran free agents, but it had to be a factor.
5. Fans often say the Dolans should sell the team. Fine, who is your buyer? When Dick Jacobs put the Indians up for sale in 1999, there were two major bidders: the Ganley family and the Dolans. Ganley dropped out at about $220 million, but Goldman Sachs ran a blind auction and squeezed $323 million out of the Dolans. Yes, the Dolans overpaid. And just as the Dolans' television network, SportsTime Ohio, got going, the economy was crushed and it was hard to sell advertising on TV, radio or in newspapers. The cable TV station has been an asset, but not the tremendous cash cow that some projected.
6. Very few Midwestern teams are being sold. Dan Gilbert bid on the Milwaukee Brewers before purchasing the Cavaliers. His final bid was in the $200 million range. Why didn't he go higher, since he paid $375 million for the Cavaliers? Because the Cavs have LeBron James, and because they play in a league where there is a salary cap to help teams keep stars. Baseball's no-cap system makes franchises less attractive to savvy buyers such as Gilbert. The Indians would be a difficult team to sell in a depressed economy and in a city such as Cleveland, which is not a growing boomtown.
1. The Indians believe that within two years, when Martinez is a free agent after 2010, he will be more of a first baseman than a catcher. By then, he will be 32, and catching takes a physical toll. Lee will probably be able to sign a contract for at least $15 million annually after 2010 when he's a free agent. Martinez would be far more reasonable, but still cost at least $10 million a season.
2. It's possible Martinez would have controlled his own negotiations. He really did seem to love the Indians. But as we learned with other players in the past, what they say in public is one thing; what their agents say over the negotiating table is another. Remember that at the end of last season, CC Sabathia indicated he wanted to stay in the National League where he could bat, and he preferred the West Coast. So he signed with the New York Yankees of the American League, where there is a DH. The largest contract ever given a pitcher changed his mind.
3. Also part of the Martinez deal is that the Indians are strong behind the plate with Kelly Shoppach, Chris Gimenez, Wyatt Toregas, Carlos Santana and Lou Marson (added in the Lee deal with Philadelphia). They are desperate for pitching, so they sent Martinez to Boston for Justin Masterson, Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone. Masterson started Saturday night against the White Sox. Price and Hagadone are in Class A. Hagadone has a 95-mph fastball -- clocked as high as 98 mph -- even after coming off Tommy John surgery.
4. Word is, Boston would not include prized prospect Clay Buchholz for Martinez or Lee. The Yankees would have added Phil Hughes as part of a package for Lee. The man has been Cy Young caliber the past 1½ seasons, a strike-throwing, innings-eating, keep-the-score-close machine. But he was not considered overpowering and is underrated.
5. The Indians correctly perceived they had zerochance to keep Lee after 2010. They believed they could get more now for Lee than they would next season. They sent him to Philadelphia for pitchers Jason Knapp and Carlos Carrasco, catcher Marson and infielder Jason Donald. But the Phillies kept prized pitching prospects J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek.
6. Knapp had a tired arm, but soon will pitch be at Class A Lake County. He has a 98-mph fastball at the age of 18. The Indians believe Donald, Marson and Carrasco all can help at some point in 2010, but none are having tremendous years in Class AAA.
7. The Indians can claim that they added 11 players in these trades, nine of them pitchers. All are under the age of 25. Five were among the top 100 prospects for 2009 as rated by Baseball America and ESPN. Odds are some of them will come through, but it is very hard to replace an All-Star catcher and a Cy Young award winner.
MORE OPINION
1. Why did the Indians need to add nine pitchers? Because their farm system has done a terrible job of producing pitchers. Since Sabathia was drafted in 1998, the Indians have had only threepitchers drafted, signed and developed by their farm system (not counting Latin players) who have made 50 big-league starts: Jeremy Sowers, Jeremy Guthrie and Sabathia. Scouting director Brad Grant has had only two drafts, so it's hard to judge him. But what happened in the previous years created a huge hole that the team needs to fill from the outside.
2. I like the Martinez deal because Masterson is a big-league-ready starter with a 93- to 96-mph fastball who has had success with Boston. He could be a major addition to the rotation. Martinez will be missed, but not nearly as much as Lee.
3. I can't buy the Lee deal. If the market was indeed soft for him now, then wait until next year. In the meantime, you actually have a No. 1 starter in the rotation to model strike-throwing and gutsy pitching to the kids on the staff. Kevin Millwood did this for Sabathia in 2005, which helped him take the next step up.
4. I knew nothing about Brandon Phillips, Lee and Grady Sizemore when they joined the Indians in the Bartolo Colon deal in 2002. The last thing I expected was Sizemore (batting .258 with 3 HRs in 256 at-bats at Class A) to turn into a power-hitting All-Star. Lee had very good stats in the minors, but no one dreamed he'd win the Cy Young. The Indians do have a good track record in dealing for other team's prospects, much better than drafting their own.
5. Maybe Carrasco (7-9, 5.25 ERA at Class AAA) or the 18-year-old Knapp (2-7, 4.01 ERA in Class A) become stars. But this deal lacked a Masterson, or even elite prospects such as Michael Brantley and LaPorta, who came in the Sabathia deal. I can't help but think the $9 million Lee was due next season was driving this deal, along with a fear that the economy and trade market would be even worse in 2010. They also point out that Johann Santana did not bring the Twins any immediate impact players in the trade with the Mets.
6. Bottom line: Given the dismal season, most of the deals didn't just save dollars, they made sense. But the biggest one -- the Lee trade -- came too soon.
by Terry Pluto, Plain Dealer Columnist
Saturday August 08, 2009, 8:55 PM
To the readers: This is a special edition of the Sunday notes. It's all about the Indians. I've been on vacation the past two weeks. Writing this from northern Michigan near Lake Superior, I decided to concentrate on getting you as much information on all the Tribe deals as possible. Next week, the Sunday notes will have the usual format dealing with all three Cleveland teams.
IT STARTED WITH MONEY . . .
1. Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook make a combined $24 million this season, and their contracts will pay them $24 million next year. Yes, the Indians ranked 14th in payroll at the start of the season at $81 million, putting them near the major-league average. But $24 million of that last year went to Hafner and Westbrook, as it did this season and will again in 2010. No one is blaming those players. Both wanted to stay with the Indians, and both signed long-term deals -- as ownership committed to them. Then, both got hurt. Thanks to elbow surgery, Westbrook has made five big-league starts in two years. Dealing with shoulder problems and then surgery, Hafner has 394 at-bats over two seasons.
2. Team President Paul Dolan said Thursday that the team would lose $16 million in 2009. Insiders project a loss of another $10 million or more next season. They could have brought back Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, but there would be no room in the budget to add any significant pieces or payroll. The Indians have not set a payroll figure for next season, but with their attendance ranking 27th in baseball, it's a safe bet it will be less than the $81 million this season -- even if ownership is willing to absorb some financial losses in 2010. The Indians correctly believed that selling tickets next season was going to be tough with or without Martinez and/or Lee on the roster.
3. The Indians looked at their 2008 team that was 81-81, followed by this season's team that went into Saturday night's game with a 47-62 record. They did not believe they could contend with the current roster. So it was not only time to cut payroll, but also to plan for the future. The team believes it could add almost zero to the team in terms of proven talent even with players such as Masa Kobayashi, Dave Dellucci, Rafael Betancourt and Mark DeRosa -- about $17 million -- coming off the payroll at the end of this season. The economics are that bleak for the Indians.
4. The Indians traded Betancourt to Colorado because he had a $5 million team option for next season. The Indians had no intention of picking it up, meaning Betancourt would have become a free agent. So they sent him to the Rockies this season, saving $1.3 million and adding a hard-throwing prospect named Connor Graham, who Rockies General Manager Dan O'Dowd said could possibly "be a back-end bullpen guy" in a few years. Graham is 0-0 with a 4.26 ERA in two appearances at Class AA Akron. The Rockies plan to let the 34-year-old Betancourt become a free agent after the season.
5. Ryan Garko is eligible to go to arbitration after the season. The Indians believed it would take a deal much like they gave Kelly Shoppach ($1.9 million) last season to prevent Garko from going to arbitration, where they believe he'd be worth $2 million. They were not going to pay him that, when they believe they have first base/DH replacements in Matt LaPorta, Andy Marte, Hafner and even someone such as hot-hitting Jordan Brown (.331 with 12 HR, 58 RBI, .902 OPS at Class AAA Columbus). That depth also was behind the Martinez deal with Boston. So they moved Garko to the Giants for Scott Barnes, a lefty who was 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA in Class A.
6. DeRosa was traded to St. Louis for relievers Chris Perez and Jess Todd. DeRosa is headed to free agency at the end of the season, and the Indians were not going to keep him. Perez is like Paul Shuey, Steve Karsay, Danys Baez and Eric Plunk, a guy with a 95-mph fastball who should be help in the bullpen. In the past, the Tribe effectively used this type of power arm. Todd has been tremendous in the minors, but doesn't have overwhelming stuff. The team received good value for DeRosa, and saved about $2.5 million. Finally, the Indians traded Carl Pavano to Minnesota for a player to be named.
7. No matter how the Indians explain it, money powered many of the deals. They traded Pavano not long before his bonuses for starts were about to kick in. They whacked at least $12 million off the payroll for this season in what was left on contracts to Lee, Martinez, DeRosa, Betancourt and Pavano -- and at least $25 million next year in contract obligations.
SOME OPINION
1. The Indians have about $7 million tied up in Kobayashi and Dellucci for this season, despite both being released. Dellucci is finishing up a three-year, $11 million contract, Kobayashi a two-year, $6 million deal. The Indians should really review the thought process that led to those signings, because $7 million should yield at least one productive major-league player. Kobayashi was 33 when signed; Dellucci was 32 and with a history of injuries.
2. Yes, the Indians traded young pitchers Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Graub for DeRosa, then turned around and traded DeRosa for young pitchers. Stevens has been up and down with the Cubs. The odd part of the original deal was acquiring DeRosa, a second baseman with the Cubs, and moving him to third. This came after the Indians moved Jhonny Peralta to third base in winter ball. So they moved Peralta back to short, knowing DeRosa was a one-year rental. The obvious lineup to most fans was DeRosa at 2B, Asdrubal Cabrera at SS and Peralta at 3B from Day One of spring training. Somehow, the Indians missed the obvious and ended up making the moves during the season.
3. I liked the trades of Betancourt, Garko and especially DeRosa because all can be replaced next season, and maybe they can find some young pitching from the deals. As for Pavano, he's no loss because he was headed for free agency and not likely to re-sign with the Indians.
4. No way to know if the injuries to Westbrook and Hafner made the front office and ownership gun shy about firing out more large contracts to veteran free agents, but it had to be a factor.
5. Fans often say the Dolans should sell the team. Fine, who is your buyer? When Dick Jacobs put the Indians up for sale in 1999, there were two major bidders: the Ganley family and the Dolans. Ganley dropped out at about $220 million, but Goldman Sachs ran a blind auction and squeezed $323 million out of the Dolans. Yes, the Dolans overpaid. And just as the Dolans' television network, SportsTime Ohio, got going, the economy was crushed and it was hard to sell advertising on TV, radio or in newspapers. The cable TV station has been an asset, but not the tremendous cash cow that some projected.
6. Very few Midwestern teams are being sold. Dan Gilbert bid on the Milwaukee Brewers before purchasing the Cavaliers. His final bid was in the $200 million range. Why didn't he go higher, since he paid $375 million for the Cavaliers? Because the Cavs have LeBron James, and because they play in a league where there is a salary cap to help teams keep stars. Baseball's no-cap system makes franchises less attractive to savvy buyers such as Gilbert. The Indians would be a difficult team to sell in a depressed economy and in a city such as Cleveland, which is not a growing boomtown.
1. The Indians believe that within two years, when Martinez is a free agent after 2010, he will be more of a first baseman than a catcher. By then, he will be 32, and catching takes a physical toll. Lee will probably be able to sign a contract for at least $15 million annually after 2010 when he's a free agent. Martinez would be far more reasonable, but still cost at least $10 million a season.
2. It's possible Martinez would have controlled his own negotiations. He really did seem to love the Indians. But as we learned with other players in the past, what they say in public is one thing; what their agents say over the negotiating table is another. Remember that at the end of last season, CC Sabathia indicated he wanted to stay in the National League where he could bat, and he preferred the West Coast. So he signed with the New York Yankees of the American League, where there is a DH. The largest contract ever given a pitcher changed his mind.
3. Also part of the Martinez deal is that the Indians are strong behind the plate with Kelly Shoppach, Chris Gimenez, Wyatt Toregas, Carlos Santana and Lou Marson (added in the Lee deal with Philadelphia). They are desperate for pitching, so they sent Martinez to Boston for Justin Masterson, Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone. Masterson started Saturday night against the White Sox. Price and Hagadone are in Class A. Hagadone has a 95-mph fastball -- clocked as high as 98 mph -- even after coming off Tommy John surgery.
4. Word is, Boston would not include prized prospect Clay Buchholz for Martinez or Lee. The Yankees would have added Phil Hughes as part of a package for Lee. The man has been Cy Young caliber the past 1½ seasons, a strike-throwing, innings-eating, keep-the-score-close machine. But he was not considered overpowering and is underrated.
5. The Indians correctly perceived they had zerochance to keep Lee after 2010. They believed they could get more now for Lee than they would next season. They sent him to Philadelphia for pitchers Jason Knapp and Carlos Carrasco, catcher Marson and infielder Jason Donald. But the Phillies kept prized pitching prospects J.A. Happ and Kyle Drabek.
6. Knapp had a tired arm, but soon will pitch be at Class A Lake County. He has a 98-mph fastball at the age of 18. The Indians believe Donald, Marson and Carrasco all can help at some point in 2010, but none are having tremendous years in Class AAA.
7. The Indians can claim that they added 11 players in these trades, nine of them pitchers. All are under the age of 25. Five were among the top 100 prospects for 2009 as rated by Baseball America and ESPN. Odds are some of them will come through, but it is very hard to replace an All-Star catcher and a Cy Young award winner.
MORE OPINION
1. Why did the Indians need to add nine pitchers? Because their farm system has done a terrible job of producing pitchers. Since Sabathia was drafted in 1998, the Indians have had only threepitchers drafted, signed and developed by their farm system (not counting Latin players) who have made 50 big-league starts: Jeremy Sowers, Jeremy Guthrie and Sabathia. Scouting director Brad Grant has had only two drafts, so it's hard to judge him. But what happened in the previous years created a huge hole that the team needs to fill from the outside.
2. I like the Martinez deal because Masterson is a big-league-ready starter with a 93- to 96-mph fastball who has had success with Boston. He could be a major addition to the rotation. Martinez will be missed, but not nearly as much as Lee.
3. I can't buy the Lee deal. If the market was indeed soft for him now, then wait until next year. In the meantime, you actually have a No. 1 starter in the rotation to model strike-throwing and gutsy pitching to the kids on the staff. Kevin Millwood did this for Sabathia in 2005, which helped him take the next step up.
4. I knew nothing about Brandon Phillips, Lee and Grady Sizemore when they joined the Indians in the Bartolo Colon deal in 2002. The last thing I expected was Sizemore (batting .258 with 3 HRs in 256 at-bats at Class A) to turn into a power-hitting All-Star. Lee had very good stats in the minors, but no one dreamed he'd win the Cy Young. The Indians do have a good track record in dealing for other team's prospects, much better than drafting their own.
5. Maybe Carrasco (7-9, 5.25 ERA at Class AAA) or the 18-year-old Knapp (2-7, 4.01 ERA in Class A) become stars. But this deal lacked a Masterson, or even elite prospects such as Michael Brantley and LaPorta, who came in the Sabathia deal. I can't help but think the $9 million Lee was due next season was driving this deal, along with a fear that the economy and trade market would be even worse in 2010. They also point out that Johann Santana did not bring the Twins any immediate impact players in the trade with the Mets.
6. Bottom line: Given the dismal season, most of the deals didn't just save dollars, they made sense. But the biggest one -- the Lee trade -- came too soon.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Failed promises, lost season: Terry Pluto on the frustrated fans of the 2009 Cleveland Indians
Failed promises, lost season: Terry Pluto on the frustrated fans of the 2009 Cleveland Indians
by Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer Columnist Tuesday July 14, 2009, 7:12 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Maybe you are an Indians fan like me. Maybe you were really looking forward to this season, while having one eye on the rearview mirror from 2007.
That's when the Indians won 96 games, when they dumped New York in the first round of the playoffs and fell short by one game of going to the World Series. This team in 2009, it had to be more like that 2007 group than the Indians of 2008, right?
Those 2008 Indians had a 41-53 record at the All-Star break and finished a discouraging 81-81.
Yes, 2009 would be a new year, a year when the bullpen couldn't be as bad as 2008 -- when the relievers' 5.13 ERA was second worst in the American League. Hey, they signed a $10 million a year closer in Kerry Wood. They traded for some other relievers.
At least the bullpen should be fixed, right?
Wrong. Wrong! Wrong!
This season, everything went wrong. The bullpen is awful, the starting pitchers even more pathetic and the Tribe has the league's worst record (35-54) at the break. Having the highest ERA in the major leagues at 5.40 will do that. That 5.40 ERA is the highest in team history! The only other year the ERA was above 5.00 was 5.28 in 1987.
A rainy opening day -- and a loss -- should have told Indians fans Molly Marunowski (left) and Jessica Dell'Aquilla all that awaited the team in 2009."This is the most discouraging season I've ever experienced," e-mailed Berea's Terry Callaghan, adding that he was born in 1950. "I am so disgusted that I deliberately ignore them. When I go out to bars and restaurants where the Tribe is on TV, no one is paying attention. No cheers when they score, no groans when they lose."
Actually, Callaghan still does care, as he wrote several paragraphs about trades that should be made and people who should be fired.
What makes this a season of tears for Tribe fans is the team was supposed to win. On its Web site, eight of 20 ESPN baseball writers predicted the Indians to win the Central Division. So did I, insisting they'd win at least 91 games.
"There appears to be a big crack in the crystal ball or it's just full of smog," e-mailed Ron Zurowski. "I have 12 sets of tickets for the rest of the season that I intend to give away."
As for myself, I confess that I will go to more games this season. I still think Jacobs -- I mean, Progressive Field -- is a terrific place to watch a game. But I never thought the games would be ... well ... so awful!
Maybe you can understand why an unsigned email arrived with this heading: Tribe Ruins My Retirement! You can guess the content of the 60-year-old fan still pining away for former Tribe manager Charlie Manuel -- who moved to Philadelphia and won the 2008 World Series.
There was a game where Trevor Crowe ran from second base to third on a ground ball to short -- and was thrown out by 20 feet. There was a game with a runner on third base, one out. A grounder was hit to Jhonny Peralta at third. He calmly ignored the runner headed to the plate and tossed out the runner at first base, seemingly unaware of the number of outs, just like Crowe.
Whatever happened to that 2007 team?
Only two pitchers remain on the active roster from that playoff staff -- Rafael Betancourt and Aaron Laffey. In case you forgot (I did), Cliff Lee spent part of 2007 in the minors and was not on the playoff roster.
Cy Young winner CC Sabathia is with the Yankees. Paul Byrd is retired. Jake Westbrook has been out since last season with elbow surgery and 19-game winner Fausto Carmona is such mess, he's in the minors. So are Raffy Perez and Jensen Lewis, once reliable relievers.
This season, the Indians have been through 26 pitchers, closing in on the American League record of 32. A pitching staff that for the previous four seasons was in the top two of fewest walks in the league, now has walked the most.
"My wife won't watch the eighth inning, but I do," e-mailed Jerry Crawford from Las Vegas. He is a retired drama professor who signs his emails "The Real Chief Wahoo" and weeps over the Tribe each night with the MLB package on pay TV.
Ah, yes, the eighth inning, where the Indians have been outscored, 69-34.
Then Crawford adds to the torment by watching Seattle play, especially former Indians Franklin Gutierrez and Russell Branyan.
"They have been marvelous," wrote Crawford. "That figures."
"A season like this reminds me of a David Letterman Top Ten from a few years ago," e-mailed Herb Bell. "The subject was signs that your team is bad. The No. 1 answer was, 'Your team rhymes with Smidians.'"
Most nights, the Indians hit a bit -- but don't pitch.
But when 2008 Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee takes the mound, they forget to hit. His record is a deceiving 4-9 with a solid 3.47 ERA. He has lost five games despite allowing two or fewer earned runs over at least seven innings -- hey, that leads the league.
Poor Lee, the Indians have scored a grand total of 14 runs in his nine losses ... yet they've scored 22 runs in one game at New York, 15 against Oakland and 12 (in a loss) to Milwaukee. None of that happened with him on the mound.
"When I travel, I always take books about the Indians with me," e-mailed Barb Schopp from Mansfield. "This time, I'm taking a murder mystery."
Better than Barb wanting to kill some of the players and coaches. She makes trips to spring training most years to check out the Tribe.
"We're missing something this summer," wrote Schopp. "It's not just a good baseball team, it's all the fun that goes with a good team. That's what makes me blue."
by Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer Columnist Tuesday July 14, 2009, 7:12 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Maybe you are an Indians fan like me. Maybe you were really looking forward to this season, while having one eye on the rearview mirror from 2007.
That's when the Indians won 96 games, when they dumped New York in the first round of the playoffs and fell short by one game of going to the World Series. This team in 2009, it had to be more like that 2007 group than the Indians of 2008, right?
Those 2008 Indians had a 41-53 record at the All-Star break and finished a discouraging 81-81.
Yes, 2009 would be a new year, a year when the bullpen couldn't be as bad as 2008 -- when the relievers' 5.13 ERA was second worst in the American League. Hey, they signed a $10 million a year closer in Kerry Wood. They traded for some other relievers.
At least the bullpen should be fixed, right?
Wrong. Wrong! Wrong!
This season, everything went wrong. The bullpen is awful, the starting pitchers even more pathetic and the Tribe has the league's worst record (35-54) at the break. Having the highest ERA in the major leagues at 5.40 will do that. That 5.40 ERA is the highest in team history! The only other year the ERA was above 5.00 was 5.28 in 1987.
A rainy opening day -- and a loss -- should have told Indians fans Molly Marunowski (left) and Jessica Dell'Aquilla all that awaited the team in 2009."This is the most discouraging season I've ever experienced," e-mailed Berea's Terry Callaghan, adding that he was born in 1950. "I am so disgusted that I deliberately ignore them. When I go out to bars and restaurants where the Tribe is on TV, no one is paying attention. No cheers when they score, no groans when they lose."
Actually, Callaghan still does care, as he wrote several paragraphs about trades that should be made and people who should be fired.
What makes this a season of tears for Tribe fans is the team was supposed to win. On its Web site, eight of 20 ESPN baseball writers predicted the Indians to win the Central Division. So did I, insisting they'd win at least 91 games.
"There appears to be a big crack in the crystal ball or it's just full of smog," e-mailed Ron Zurowski. "I have 12 sets of tickets for the rest of the season that I intend to give away."
As for myself, I confess that I will go to more games this season. I still think Jacobs -- I mean, Progressive Field -- is a terrific place to watch a game. But I never thought the games would be ... well ... so awful!
Maybe you can understand why an unsigned email arrived with this heading: Tribe Ruins My Retirement! You can guess the content of the 60-year-old fan still pining away for former Tribe manager Charlie Manuel -- who moved to Philadelphia and won the 2008 World Series.
There was a game where Trevor Crowe ran from second base to third on a ground ball to short -- and was thrown out by 20 feet. There was a game with a runner on third base, one out. A grounder was hit to Jhonny Peralta at third. He calmly ignored the runner headed to the plate and tossed out the runner at first base, seemingly unaware of the number of outs, just like Crowe.
Whatever happened to that 2007 team?
Only two pitchers remain on the active roster from that playoff staff -- Rafael Betancourt and Aaron Laffey. In case you forgot (I did), Cliff Lee spent part of 2007 in the minors and was not on the playoff roster.
Cy Young winner CC Sabathia is with the Yankees. Paul Byrd is retired. Jake Westbrook has been out since last season with elbow surgery and 19-game winner Fausto Carmona is such mess, he's in the minors. So are Raffy Perez and Jensen Lewis, once reliable relievers.
This season, the Indians have been through 26 pitchers, closing in on the American League record of 32. A pitching staff that for the previous four seasons was in the top two of fewest walks in the league, now has walked the most.
"My wife won't watch the eighth inning, but I do," e-mailed Jerry Crawford from Las Vegas. He is a retired drama professor who signs his emails "The Real Chief Wahoo" and weeps over the Tribe each night with the MLB package on pay TV.
Ah, yes, the eighth inning, where the Indians have been outscored, 69-34.
Then Crawford adds to the torment by watching Seattle play, especially former Indians Franklin Gutierrez and Russell Branyan.
"They have been marvelous," wrote Crawford. "That figures."
"A season like this reminds me of a David Letterman Top Ten from a few years ago," e-mailed Herb Bell. "The subject was signs that your team is bad. The No. 1 answer was, 'Your team rhymes with Smidians.'"
Most nights, the Indians hit a bit -- but don't pitch.
But when 2008 Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee takes the mound, they forget to hit. His record is a deceiving 4-9 with a solid 3.47 ERA. He has lost five games despite allowing two or fewer earned runs over at least seven innings -- hey, that leads the league.
Poor Lee, the Indians have scored a grand total of 14 runs in his nine losses ... yet they've scored 22 runs in one game at New York, 15 against Oakland and 12 (in a loss) to Milwaukee. None of that happened with him on the mound.
"When I travel, I always take books about the Indians with me," e-mailed Barb Schopp from Mansfield. "This time, I'm taking a murder mystery."
Better than Barb wanting to kill some of the players and coaches. She makes trips to spring training most years to check out the Tribe.
"We're missing something this summer," wrote Schopp. "It's not just a good baseball team, it's all the fun that goes with a good team. That's what makes me blue."
Mea culpa! Lamentations of a columnist's faulty forecast for the Tribe: Terry Pluto
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talk about clueless ... not only does that apply to the Cleveland Indians, but to me as I look back and weep about some of the things I wrote this spring:
1. Start with the starters. Start with me knowing the Indians would not have a good starting rotation. Start with me simply ignoring that, and writing that they'd win 91 games and the Central Division, anyway. And start with writing that Carl Pavano could be another Jason Johnson, a real bust in the rotation -- and he has been the team's second-best starter behind Cliff Lee and leads the team with eight victories.
2. Not only did I insist the Indians would contend for a title, I wrote Detroit "had no chance" to win the Central Division. Well, at the All-Star break, the Tigers are in first place, the Indians in last. And I picked Arizona to win the NL West. The Diamondbacks stink, too. I also may have told someone that John McCain would win at least 40 states.
3. MVP for this season? Grady Sizemore, no doubt. Only Sizemore is batting .235 with 13 HR and 47 RBI and needs elbow surgery. And I predicted Brandon Webb would win the NL Cy Young Award. He got hurt, too.
4. I wrote the bullpen could be one of the strongest parts of the team, and not just because they signed closer Kerry Wood for $10 million annually. I was sure Jensen Lewis and Raffy Perez would be strong as set-up men. Well, maybe they are ... at Class AAA Columbus. They allowed 12 homers in 65 combined innings with the Tribe, their combined ERA a shocking 8.04.
5. That strong Tribe bullpen? Its 5.13 ERA is the worst in AL. But it's better than the starters, whose 5.56 ERA is also the pits of the league. And I sort of hinted the pitching would at least be OK. With a track record like that, anybody want some of my stock tips? I was real high on Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac about a year ago!
6. I was sure Ben Francisco would be an upgrade over Dave Dellucci and Jason Michaels in left field, that Francisco would hit around .280 with 20 HR. Well, he's at .242 with 6 HR, 25 RBI. Francisco batted only .236 after the 2008 All-Star break, so there were reasons for concern that I ignored.
7. I wrote something about Anthony Reyes giving the starting rotation the same grit as Kevin Millwood did back in 2005 when he had the best ERA in the American League. Well, Reyes had a bad elbow before he joined the Tribe, and it just got worse as he had major surgery -- after racking up a 6.57 ERA.
8. Twice in spring training, I wrote about how Fausto Carmona was looking good and throwing strikes -- He was, really! -- then came the regular season. I don't even want to talk about this stuff any more.
9. I really liked John Meloan, a pitcher the Indians acquired in the Casey Blake deal from the Dodgers last summer. I thought he could help in the bullpen. I mentioned this in print more than few times. Probably about the same time I could have told you that you really want to buy stock in AIG. Anyway, Meloan had a 5.69 ERA at Class AAA Columbus, and the Indians have traded him to Tampa Bay.
10. I'm going to stop here. I'm not going to mention how I pushed for Trevor Crowe (he batted .165) to be the fourth outfielder, or how I thought Jake Westbrook (he's still recovering) would be back from arm surgery and in the starting rotation by the middle of June. I'll just say that from now on, you can just call me Nostradamus.
1. Start with the starters. Start with me knowing the Indians would not have a good starting rotation. Start with me simply ignoring that, and writing that they'd win 91 games and the Central Division, anyway. And start with writing that Carl Pavano could be another Jason Johnson, a real bust in the rotation -- and he has been the team's second-best starter behind Cliff Lee and leads the team with eight victories.
2. Not only did I insist the Indians would contend for a title, I wrote Detroit "had no chance" to win the Central Division. Well, at the All-Star break, the Tigers are in first place, the Indians in last. And I picked Arizona to win the NL West. The Diamondbacks stink, too. I also may have told someone that John McCain would win at least 40 states.
3. MVP for this season? Grady Sizemore, no doubt. Only Sizemore is batting .235 with 13 HR and 47 RBI and needs elbow surgery. And I predicted Brandon Webb would win the NL Cy Young Award. He got hurt, too.
4. I wrote the bullpen could be one of the strongest parts of the team, and not just because they signed closer Kerry Wood for $10 million annually. I was sure Jensen Lewis and Raffy Perez would be strong as set-up men. Well, maybe they are ... at Class AAA Columbus. They allowed 12 homers in 65 combined innings with the Tribe, their combined ERA a shocking 8.04.
5. That strong Tribe bullpen? Its 5.13 ERA is the worst in AL. But it's better than the starters, whose 5.56 ERA is also the pits of the league. And I sort of hinted the pitching would at least be OK. With a track record like that, anybody want some of my stock tips? I was real high on Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac about a year ago!
6. I was sure Ben Francisco would be an upgrade over Dave Dellucci and Jason Michaels in left field, that Francisco would hit around .280 with 20 HR. Well, he's at .242 with 6 HR, 25 RBI. Francisco batted only .236 after the 2008 All-Star break, so there were reasons for concern that I ignored.
7. I wrote something about Anthony Reyes giving the starting rotation the same grit as Kevin Millwood did back in 2005 when he had the best ERA in the American League. Well, Reyes had a bad elbow before he joined the Tribe, and it just got worse as he had major surgery -- after racking up a 6.57 ERA.
8. Twice in spring training, I wrote about how Fausto Carmona was looking good and throwing strikes -- He was, really! -- then came the regular season. I don't even want to talk about this stuff any more.
9. I really liked John Meloan, a pitcher the Indians acquired in the Casey Blake deal from the Dodgers last summer. I thought he could help in the bullpen. I mentioned this in print more than few times. Probably about the same time I could have told you that you really want to buy stock in AIG. Anyway, Meloan had a 5.69 ERA at Class AAA Columbus, and the Indians have traded him to Tampa Bay.
10. I'm going to stop here. I'm not going to mention how I pushed for Trevor Crowe (he batted .165) to be the fourth outfielder, or how I thought Jake Westbrook (he's still recovering) would be back from arm surgery and in the starting rotation by the middle of June. I'll just say that from now on, you can just call me Nostradamus.
All-Star Blog: Albert Belle makes a mid-summer phone call to talk Cleveland Indians, steroids
All-Star Blog: Albert Belle makes a mid-summer phone call to talk Cleveland Indians, steroids
by Paul Hoynes/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday July 14, 2009, 4:29 PM
UPDATED: 5:41 p.m.
Plain Dealer file
Albert Belle says baseball should reveal the names of all the players on the steroid list and get past the issue. ST. LOUIS -- It just isn't a baseball season unless Albert Belle calls.
Belle, the worst-tempered player and most intimidating hitter I've ever covered, called Monday while I was walking into Busch Stadium to get ready for the home run derby. Belle was frustrated with the Indians' first half and wanted to talk about former teammate Manny Ramirez testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
"If they're not going to take anybody's stats away, then what difference does a positive test make?" said Belle. "And what about those 101 players who tested positive and haven't been named yet? I say release all their names so we can get done beating this dead horse."
Regarding Ramirez, Belle said, "Manny is going to hit no matter what. He's a talented kid."
Belle played for the Indians from 1989 through 1996. He's No.2 on their all-time list with 242 homers. Jim Thome, a former teammate, is No.1 with 334.
In his 12-year big-league career, Belle hit 381 homers. Along the way, he had more temper tantrums than Billy Martin and Lou Piniella combined.
Some of those tantrums were directed at me. Realizing that Belle was calling from Scottsdale, Ariz., and I was in St. Louis, I asked him if he'd ever used steroids. I already knew he'd used a corked bat.
"I never did," said Belle. "I didn't need to. All you have to do is check the trainers' weight charts. Every year I'd come to camp weighing 225 to 230 and end the season at about 215 to 220."
I ventured to say that his temper tantrums could have been interpreted as 'roid rage.
Said Belle, "No, I was just an angry black man."
Regarding the Indians, Belle said, "I hope they don't blame Eric Wedge for all this. You've got to have players to win."
Belle was told Wedge's job was in danger. When asked if he would want to manage the Indians, "Unless they got me a lot of new players, I don't need a headache like that."
Five times Belle made the All-Star team during his carer. His last All-Star game appearance was with the White Sox. The game was played at Jacobs Field and Belle refused to pose for the team picture in the outfield because of his running feud with Indians fans.
"The first time you play in an All-Star game, it's great," said Belle. "After that, you can do without it."
Belle, 42, was forced to retire because of an injury to his right hip. It probably cost him a spot in the Hall of Fame. Now he may need some work done on his left hip as well.
"A couple of my friends called me and said you haven't ripped anybody on the Indians all season," said Belle. "I told them, 'He must be getting old.'"
We all do, Albert. We all do.
by Paul Hoynes/Plain Dealer Reporter Tuesday July 14, 2009, 4:29 PM
UPDATED: 5:41 p.m.
Plain Dealer file
Albert Belle says baseball should reveal the names of all the players on the steroid list and get past the issue. ST. LOUIS -- It just isn't a baseball season unless Albert Belle calls.
Belle, the worst-tempered player and most intimidating hitter I've ever covered, called Monday while I was walking into Busch Stadium to get ready for the home run derby. Belle was frustrated with the Indians' first half and wanted to talk about former teammate Manny Ramirez testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.
"If they're not going to take anybody's stats away, then what difference does a positive test make?" said Belle. "And what about those 101 players who tested positive and haven't been named yet? I say release all their names so we can get done beating this dead horse."
Regarding Ramirez, Belle said, "Manny is going to hit no matter what. He's a talented kid."
Belle played for the Indians from 1989 through 1996. He's No.2 on their all-time list with 242 homers. Jim Thome, a former teammate, is No.1 with 334.
In his 12-year big-league career, Belle hit 381 homers. Along the way, he had more temper tantrums than Billy Martin and Lou Piniella combined.
Some of those tantrums were directed at me. Realizing that Belle was calling from Scottsdale, Ariz., and I was in St. Louis, I asked him if he'd ever used steroids. I already knew he'd used a corked bat.
"I never did," said Belle. "I didn't need to. All you have to do is check the trainers' weight charts. Every year I'd come to camp weighing 225 to 230 and end the season at about 215 to 220."
I ventured to say that his temper tantrums could have been interpreted as 'roid rage.
Said Belle, "No, I was just an angry black man."
Regarding the Indians, Belle said, "I hope they don't blame Eric Wedge for all this. You've got to have players to win."
Belle was told Wedge's job was in danger. When asked if he would want to manage the Indians, "Unless they got me a lot of new players, I don't need a headache like that."
Five times Belle made the All-Star team during his carer. His last All-Star game appearance was with the White Sox. The game was played at Jacobs Field and Belle refused to pose for the team picture in the outfield because of his running feud with Indians fans.
"The first time you play in an All-Star game, it's great," said Belle. "After that, you can do without it."
Belle, 42, was forced to retire because of an injury to his right hip. It probably cost him a spot in the Hall of Fame. Now he may need some work done on his left hip as well.
"A couple of my friends called me and said you haven't ripped anybody on the Indians all season," said Belle. "I told them, 'He must be getting old.'"
We all do, Albert. We all do.
Cleveland Indians' 20- and 30-something fans have no reason to fret, compared to older fans
Cleveland Indians' 20- and 30-something fans have no reason to fret, compared to older fans
by Mike Peticca, The Plain Dealer Tuesday July 14, 2009, 2:52 PM
Associated Press
Yes, Jose Mesa couldn't save Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, but the big right-hander had some highlight moments, too. Here, he pitches against the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the 1995 World Series, when he earned credit for the Tribe's 7-6, 11-inning win.
Any Cleveland Indians fan can find recent disappointment in, for instance, the Tribe's failure to turn its 3-1 American League Championship Series lead over the Boston Red Sox into a 2007 World Series berth.
Or, in the Indians' uninspiring 2008 season followed by the team's current malaise.
But, if you're just 20 years old, you may have some recall of 1995, when Cleveland played in the World Series for the first time in 41 years, and more memories of the Indians' improbable run to the 1997 Fall Classic. So what if Atlanta's Tom Glavine got the corner, and more, on almost every close pitch, and that Jose Mesa insisted on throwing that slider to Florida's Charles Johnson? At least, things got to that point.
You were in your mid- to late teens during the compelling - if ultimately frustrating - finishes of 2005 and 2007.
And, if you're 30, you could fully appreciate one of the best eras in Cleveland baseball from 1995 to 2001.
You've got it all over the older Indians fans, those who watched the Tribe finish at least 11 games out of first place in every season from 1960 through 1993, excluding the 1981 season, when a two-month players' strike broke the pennant races into two halves.
During the 34-season stretch, the Indians lost 387 games more than they won, and they finished a combined 768 1/2 games out of first place. They had just six winning seasons, the best at 87-75 in 1965, when they finished fifth in the 10-team American League, 15 games behind the Minnesota Twins.
Cleveland's second-best record during the span was 86-75 in 1968, 16 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers. The Indians finished third, their best standing in the 34 seasons. It was the last season before the American and National Leagues divided into divisions of six, and later seven teams. Yet, Cleveland was able to finish third just the one time, and fourth six times from 1960 through 1993.
Following are a few instances when Indians fans had something to cheer for, only to have their hopes stilled.
Yawn
Indians fans never saw their team play big games deep into the season. Probably the biggest September games the Indians played were in a twi-night doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium on Sept. 6, 1974. Despite having just a 67-67 record, the 1974 Indians were just 4 1/2 games out of first place in the mediocre AL East when the night began.
Here, thanks to baseball-reference.com, is what happened in the opener, a 2-0 Tribe loss, and the nightcap of the twinbill, a 1-0 Indians' defeat before 27,341 fans.
The Tribe finished the campaign 77-85, in fourth place, 14 games behind the Orioles.
Look out, Yankees
The New York Yankees of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Roger Maris were still a powerhouse, but the 1962 Indians swept a four-game series from them in mid-June. A Sunday, June 17 doubleheader capped the series and drew 70,918 to Municipal Stadium to watch the Indians down New York, 6-1, in the opener and 6-3 in the second game.
The Indians spent 19 days in first place from June 16 through July 13, but they lost 34 of 47 games in one stretch and finished sixth, 80-82, 16 games behind the Yankees.
Looked good
The 1965 Indians were fun to watch, in part because of the return of favorite Rocky Colavito. The Indians were 46-28, tied for first place with the Minnesota Twins on July 4.
Tony Tomsic, Plain Dealer file photo
Slugging outfielder Rocky Colavito led the American League in RBI in 1965.Here's the Indians' July 4 game, a 4-2 win over the Orioles with a crowd of 32,756 at the Stadium.
Alas, the Tribe faded to their 87-75, fifth-place finish, 15 games behind the Twins.
Total fold
The 1966 Indians opened with 10 straight wins and were in first place with a 4 1/2 game lead and 27-10 record on May 28. They were still 45-29, although 6 1/2 games shy of the lead, on July 2, but went on a 28-48 skid through Sept. 16. Cleveland finished 81-81, 17 games behind Baltimore, in fifth place.
A highlight was Sonny Siebert's no-hitter, a 2-0 win over the Washington Senators in Cleveland on June 10.
Never close
In 1968, when the Indians went 86-75 to place third, 16 1/2 games behind Detroit, they were within 2 1/2 games of first on June 6, but never got on a real roll. Pitcher Luis Tiant did, though, including his 19-strikeout, 1-0 10-inning win over Minnesota before 21,135 at the Stadium on July 3.
Over-rated
When Sports Illustrated put the Indians' Joe Carter and Cory Snyder on the cover of their 1987 season preview issue, they ignored that the pitching-poor Indians of 1986 were at least 7 1/2 games - and as many as 16 1/2 - out of first after August 7. They rallied to finish 84-78, in fifth place behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. The 1987 fiasco ended with the Tribe 61-101.
The 1986 Indians peaked at 51-41, five games out of the division lead, with a 7-2 win over the Chicago White Sox in front of 20,524 Cleveland fans on July 23.
The Indians promptly lost 26 of their next 40 games.
by Mike Peticca, The Plain Dealer Tuesday July 14, 2009, 2:52 PM
Associated Press
Yes, Jose Mesa couldn't save Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, but the big right-hander had some highlight moments, too. Here, he pitches against the Atlanta Braves in Game 3 of the 1995 World Series, when he earned credit for the Tribe's 7-6, 11-inning win.
Any Cleveland Indians fan can find recent disappointment in, for instance, the Tribe's failure to turn its 3-1 American League Championship Series lead over the Boston Red Sox into a 2007 World Series berth.
Or, in the Indians' uninspiring 2008 season followed by the team's current malaise.
But, if you're just 20 years old, you may have some recall of 1995, when Cleveland played in the World Series for the first time in 41 years, and more memories of the Indians' improbable run to the 1997 Fall Classic. So what if Atlanta's Tom Glavine got the corner, and more, on almost every close pitch, and that Jose Mesa insisted on throwing that slider to Florida's Charles Johnson? At least, things got to that point.
You were in your mid- to late teens during the compelling - if ultimately frustrating - finishes of 2005 and 2007.
And, if you're 30, you could fully appreciate one of the best eras in Cleveland baseball from 1995 to 2001.
You've got it all over the older Indians fans, those who watched the Tribe finish at least 11 games out of first place in every season from 1960 through 1993, excluding the 1981 season, when a two-month players' strike broke the pennant races into two halves.
During the 34-season stretch, the Indians lost 387 games more than they won, and they finished a combined 768 1/2 games out of first place. They had just six winning seasons, the best at 87-75 in 1965, when they finished fifth in the 10-team American League, 15 games behind the Minnesota Twins.
Cleveland's second-best record during the span was 86-75 in 1968, 16 1/2 games behind the Detroit Tigers. The Indians finished third, their best standing in the 34 seasons. It was the last season before the American and National Leagues divided into divisions of six, and later seven teams. Yet, Cleveland was able to finish third just the one time, and fourth six times from 1960 through 1993.
Following are a few instances when Indians fans had something to cheer for, only to have their hopes stilled.
Yawn
Indians fans never saw their team play big games deep into the season. Probably the biggest September games the Indians played were in a twi-night doubleheader against the Baltimore Orioles at Cleveland's Municipal Stadium on Sept. 6, 1974. Despite having just a 67-67 record, the 1974 Indians were just 4 1/2 games out of first place in the mediocre AL East when the night began.
Here, thanks to baseball-reference.com, is what happened in the opener, a 2-0 Tribe loss, and the nightcap of the twinbill, a 1-0 Indians' defeat before 27,341 fans.
The Tribe finished the campaign 77-85, in fourth place, 14 games behind the Orioles.
Look out, Yankees
The New York Yankees of Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Whitey Ford and Roger Maris were still a powerhouse, but the 1962 Indians swept a four-game series from them in mid-June. A Sunday, June 17 doubleheader capped the series and drew 70,918 to Municipal Stadium to watch the Indians down New York, 6-1, in the opener and 6-3 in the second game.
The Indians spent 19 days in first place from June 16 through July 13, but they lost 34 of 47 games in one stretch and finished sixth, 80-82, 16 games behind the Yankees.
Looked good
The 1965 Indians were fun to watch, in part because of the return of favorite Rocky Colavito. The Indians were 46-28, tied for first place with the Minnesota Twins on July 4.
Tony Tomsic, Plain Dealer file photo
Slugging outfielder Rocky Colavito led the American League in RBI in 1965.Here's the Indians' July 4 game, a 4-2 win over the Orioles with a crowd of 32,756 at the Stadium.
Alas, the Tribe faded to their 87-75, fifth-place finish, 15 games behind the Twins.
Total fold
The 1966 Indians opened with 10 straight wins and were in first place with a 4 1/2 game lead and 27-10 record on May 28. They were still 45-29, although 6 1/2 games shy of the lead, on July 2, but went on a 28-48 skid through Sept. 16. Cleveland finished 81-81, 17 games behind Baltimore, in fifth place.
A highlight was Sonny Siebert's no-hitter, a 2-0 win over the Washington Senators in Cleveland on June 10.
Never close
In 1968, when the Indians went 86-75 to place third, 16 1/2 games behind Detroit, they were within 2 1/2 games of first on June 6, but never got on a real roll. Pitcher Luis Tiant did, though, including his 19-strikeout, 1-0 10-inning win over Minnesota before 21,135 at the Stadium on July 3.
Over-rated
When Sports Illustrated put the Indians' Joe Carter and Cory Snyder on the cover of their 1987 season preview issue, they ignored that the pitching-poor Indians of 1986 were at least 7 1/2 games - and as many as 16 1/2 - out of first after August 7. They rallied to finish 84-78, in fifth place behind the Boston Red Sox in the AL East. The 1987 fiasco ended with the Tribe 61-101.
The 1986 Indians peaked at 51-41, five games out of the division lead, with a 7-2 win over the Chicago White Sox in front of 20,524 Cleveland fans on July 23.
The Indians promptly lost 26 of their next 40 games.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Promising Indians Go From First to Last
Promising Indians go from first to worst
One win from the 2007 World Series, Cleveland is now last in the AL; what happened?
By Jerry CrasnickESPN.comArchive
"We got beat by a great team. We've got a lot of young guys on this team. This wasn't the end of something. It was the beginning of something."-- Cleveland first baseman Ryan Garko after the Indians, one win from the World Series, blew a 3-games-to-1 lead against Boston in the 2007 American League Championship Series.
The beginning of what, exactly?
Andrew Weber/US PresswireGrady Sizemore, just activated from the DL, has an OPS 100 points below his career average.
Garko, a thoughtful and soft-spoken Stanford graduate, never could have envisioned the Indians' going 37-53 to begin the 2008 season, rendering the second half irrelevant, or CC Sabathia wearing a Milwaukee Brewers uniform by the All-Star break.
He didn't foresee Travis Hafner hurting his shoulder, Jhonny Peralta's power declining so markedly, or pitchers Fausto Carmona and Rafael Perez, cornerstones of the 96-win team in 2007, going south so quickly. For the sake of accuracy, Perez actually traveled 142 miles southwest to Triple-A Columbus after a demotion in May, and Carmona was last seen undergoing a ground-floor remake in Arizona.
Garko couldn't have predicted the great bullpen disaster of 2008 or a similar meltdown in 2009 after general manager Mark Shapiro made relief pitching a priority during the hot stove season. With the Kerry Wood and Masa Kobayashi signings, injuries to Joe Smith and Rafael Betancourt, and Jensen Lewis' regression, Indians fans have learned to watch the seventh, eighth and ninth innings through splayed fingers.
So here's where things stand: The Indians, a fashionable AL Central pick in March, are 12 games behind first-place Detroit and last in the division. Shapiro can't make it through a day without answering another question about manager Eric Wedge's job security, and he began the process of selling off short-term assets for long-term value when he traded infielder Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for reliever Chris Perez on Saturday.
If this comes as any consolation to beleaguered Tribe fans, Shapiro is convinced the picture isn't as grim as April, May and June make it appear.
BROKEN RECORD
The Indians have fallen well short of expectations since the 2007 ALCS. Here are the win percentages and run differentials among AL teams since the start of the 2008 season:
"I truly believe in my heart that we're going to be back in the playoffs again in the next three years," Shapiro said. "As much as I feel [the fans'] pain, I can't get caught up in the emotion of the history here. I don't believe we're going to be a bad team. I don't believe this is the beginning of another 40 years of losing. I believe this is a bad season. That's what it is."
The pain is more acute because the Indians have such a knack for snatching despair from the jaws of exhilaration. After putting Boston on the mat in '07, the Indians sent their staff ace to the mound for the clincher. But Sabathia, too keyed up by the stakes, threw a clunker against Josh Beckett. The series returned to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox outscored the Indians 23-4 in games 6 and 7 to advance to the World Series.
"Any time you have the opportunity to advance in the postseason and get that close, there's some level of disappointment when you don't reach your ultimate goal of winning the World Series," said Chris Antonetti, Cleveland assistant GM. "We valued that at the time. We understood that for teams in our market size, with our resources, it's exceptionally challenging to repeat and sustain that level of success.'"
For all their problems this season, the Indians have no plans to rip it up and start anew right now. So unless somebody overwhelms Shapiro with a package for Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez, the Indians will try to fill their holes, put this season's disappointment behind them and compete for a playoff berth in 2010.
There's nothing like a 31-46 record to elicit a little introspection. Here are some of the long- and short-term realities Shapiro and Antonetti must confront over the next few months and the offseason.
The pitching problemHafner's $57 million contract looks exorbitant in hindsight, but he still has a .959 OPS in 31 games this season. Even with Hafner and Grady Sizemore's missing considerable time because of injuries, the Indians rank third in the AL in runs.
CLEVELAND ROCKED
The Indians' pitching numbers have gone down since 2007. In parentheses are where they ranked in MLB:
The problem is pitching. Cleveland has one starter, Lee, with an ERA of less than 5.00. The Indians' staff has issued 310 walks, most in the majors, and has given up 88 home runs, seventh most in the game.
How bad is the bullpen? The Indians have been outscored 66-32 in the eighth inning, and the relievers have allowed 58 of 140 inherited runners to score.
And there simply is no depth for when things go wrong. The Toronto Blue Jays have survived an incredible run of pitching injuries with help from a Scott Richmond here and a Ricky Romero and Brian Tallet there, but the Indians can't find anyone to carry the burden behind Lee.
Which leads to our second issue …
A break in the pipelineThe Brandon Phillips trade to Cincinnati notwithstanding, it's hard to argue with Shapiro's trade history. He acquired Hafner from Texas for Ryan Drese and Einar Diaz, stole Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo from Seattle for Eduardo Perez and Ben Broussard, and acquired elite catching prospect Carlos Santana from the Dodgers for Casey Blake last July. And what more can be said about the deal that brought Sizemore, Lee and Phillips from Montreal for Bartolo Colon? It was a classic heist.
The Indians have been successful in Latin America, and while you can criticize some of Shapiro's recent free-agent signings, Jason Michaels, David Dellucci and even Wood don't have the type of contracts that are going to strangle the team for years to come.
So what's the problem? In the spectrum of player acquisition options, Cleveland's lack of success early in the draft stands front and center.
Shapiro has been the Indians' general manager since 2001.
Since 2000, Cleveland has had 19 first-round or supplemental picks. The most successful, pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, has a 23-24 record in the majors, and all of that has come with Baltimore.
Beyond Guthrie, the landscape is essentially bare. First-rounders Corey Smith, Alan Horne, Daniel Denham and Brad Snyder did nothing. Matt Whitney, Michael Aubrey and Adam Miller got hurt. And it's too soon to tell what Trevor Crowe, Beau Mills, David Huff and Lonnie Chisenhall will contribute over the long haul.
Cleveland management contends the early misses are offset in part by some later "finds" that bring the team's overall performance closer to average. Garko, Lewis, Ben Francisco, Aaron Laffey and the departed Ryan Church and Luke Scott are among the players who fit the description. Still, there's not a Ryan Howard, Justin Morneau, Josh Johnson or Jonathan Papelbon in the bunch.
It doesn't help that the Indians rarely pick among the top handful of teams in the first round, where the sure things are found. Cleveland has picked in the top 10 only once this decade. In 2004, the Indians had Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew atop their board but passed on both players for financial reasons and selected Jeremy Sowers, a Vanderbilt product who is 33-14 with a 2.47 ERA in the minors and 14-24/5.18 in the majors.
Some draft watchers think the Indians are too stat-focused and select too many corner infielders, outfielders and DH types rather than athletes and middle-of-the-diamond players. But sometimes it's more about the money than the draft philosophy.
In 2005, the Indians drafted Washington high school pitcher Tim Lincecum in the 42nd round, but ownership wasn't willing to buck the commissioner's office and spend the $1 million or so required to sign him. Think Lincecum wouldn't look good in that rotation right now?
Managing expectationsThe Shapiro-Antonetti tandem gets more love from national media outlets than, say, White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who is perceived as arrogant and overly blunt. Is it because the Cleveland guys are media favorites? Perhaps. But their front office peers also regard Shapiro and Antonetti as extremely bright, people-oriented, innovative thinkers.
"If you gave Mark an organization with the resources of the Red Sox or the Yankees and the ability to paper over the occasional mistake we all make, he would absolutely run a club that would be a force year in and year out," an AL executive said. "It becomes far more difficult in a market like Cleveland, where your mistakes can linger or derail you for years to come. The margin of error is far thinner."
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
Here's how the Indians stacked up, payroll- and performance-wise, against their AL Central competition from 2002-08 (Payroll source: USA Today salary database):
The Indians' Opening Day payroll of $81.5 million this year was almost dead even with the payroll in 2002, Shapiro's first season as general manager. Surprisingly, the cost-conscious Minnesota Twins spent more money than Cleveland on player salaries each year from 2003 through 2007.
Indians fans might blanch when Shapiro says he expects the team back in the playoffs in the "next three years," but that's the way life works for teams in Cleveland's economic stratum. Beyond the big boys in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, most clubs live in a world in which sporadic postseason appearances are the reality.
During Shapiro's tenure as GM, the Indians have a .503 winning percentage, two 90-win seasons and one postseason appearance. The Twins and Florida Marlins have made better use of their resources, as a rule. But Cleveland's performance looks pretty good compared to those of Texas, Seattle, Detroit and several other teams that have outspent the Indians by a wide margin and have less to show for it.
The Pythagorean problemThe Indians have been outscored by only 27 runs this season, but they're 15 games below .500. That makes them underperformers, based on the Bill James Pythagorean theorem of win expectations.
That's nothing new for a franchise that's posted fewer wins than its run differential would suggest several times in recent years.
The Pythagorean disconnect generally is attributed to three things: the manager, the bullpen or luck. Since no team can be so unlucky that often, the conversation inevitably leads back to Wedge and the relievers.
The Indians need to take a hard look at their underachieving bullpens. Is it a question of evaluation or usage? Did the Indians misjudge Lewis based on his 66 innings last season? Did Wedge burn out Perez with overuse in 2007 and 2008? Bullpen performances are the hardest things in baseball to predict, but when they're bad enough to wreck entire seasons, it's a problem.
The burden of historyWhen a city's fan base is "traumatized," as Shapiro calls it, disappointments are cumulative. Every Kerry Wood blown save is somehow linked to Earnest Byner's goal-line fumble, "The Drive" or Charles Nagy's failure against Edgar Renteria in 1997. The sense of desperation and fatalism can become an emotional anchor. Just ask Boston Red Sox players what the atmosphere was like pre-2004.
In Cleveland, the measuring stick for the Indians remains the great John Hart-Mike Hargrove-Charlie Manuel teams of the late '90s. The Indians averaged 93 wins a year from 1995 through 2001, made the playoffs six times, and featured the likes of Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Albert Belle.
During that span, the Tribe made history with 455 straight sellouts at Jacobs Field. But those days are long gone. The Indians finished 12th in the majors in attendance in 2002. They haven't ranked higher than 21st since, and this season, they're 27th with 22,557 a game. The reality is, Cleveland is an economically depressed town, and it's a grind for the Indians to sell tickets, win or lose.
"Everything we do now is compared to what we accomplished then," Shapiro said. "If you're around our team, that's what you feel. It's not 2007. It's '94 to '01.
"That was a very special and unique juncture in Indians history that should be cherished, but it's not a fair barometer. We had payrolls in the top five, and we had a unique set of circumstances. A new stadium. Not winning for 40 years. No football team, a poor basketball team and an economy on the uptick. All those things created a very special level of revenues and a very special juncture in Indians baseball."
This year is special only for the trade speculation it's engendered, the anguish it's created and the questions it's produced. It's not even July, and the Cleveland front office and fan base already are looking ahead to 2010. The real-life version of "Major League'' will have to wait.
Jerry Crasnick covers baseball for ESPN.com. His book "License To Deal" was published by Rodale.
One win from the 2007 World Series, Cleveland is now last in the AL; what happened?
By Jerry CrasnickESPN.comArchive
"We got beat by a great team. We've got a lot of young guys on this team. This wasn't the end of something. It was the beginning of something."-- Cleveland first baseman Ryan Garko after the Indians, one win from the World Series, blew a 3-games-to-1 lead against Boston in the 2007 American League Championship Series.
The beginning of what, exactly?
Andrew Weber/US PresswireGrady Sizemore, just activated from the DL, has an OPS 100 points below his career average.
Garko, a thoughtful and soft-spoken Stanford graduate, never could have envisioned the Indians' going 37-53 to begin the 2008 season, rendering the second half irrelevant, or CC Sabathia wearing a Milwaukee Brewers uniform by the All-Star break.
He didn't foresee Travis Hafner hurting his shoulder, Jhonny Peralta's power declining so markedly, or pitchers Fausto Carmona and Rafael Perez, cornerstones of the 96-win team in 2007, going south so quickly. For the sake of accuracy, Perez actually traveled 142 miles southwest to Triple-A Columbus after a demotion in May, and Carmona was last seen undergoing a ground-floor remake in Arizona.
Garko couldn't have predicted the great bullpen disaster of 2008 or a similar meltdown in 2009 after general manager Mark Shapiro made relief pitching a priority during the hot stove season. With the Kerry Wood and Masa Kobayashi signings, injuries to Joe Smith and Rafael Betancourt, and Jensen Lewis' regression, Indians fans have learned to watch the seventh, eighth and ninth innings through splayed fingers.
So here's where things stand: The Indians, a fashionable AL Central pick in March, are 12 games behind first-place Detroit and last in the division. Shapiro can't make it through a day without answering another question about manager Eric Wedge's job security, and he began the process of selling off short-term assets for long-term value when he traded infielder Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for reliever Chris Perez on Saturday.
If this comes as any consolation to beleaguered Tribe fans, Shapiro is convinced the picture isn't as grim as April, May and June make it appear.
BROKEN RECORD
The Indians have fallen well short of expectations since the 2007 ALCS. Here are the win percentages and run differentials among AL teams since the start of the 2008 season:
"I truly believe in my heart that we're going to be back in the playoffs again in the next three years," Shapiro said. "As much as I feel [the fans'] pain, I can't get caught up in the emotion of the history here. I don't believe we're going to be a bad team. I don't believe this is the beginning of another 40 years of losing. I believe this is a bad season. That's what it is."
The pain is more acute because the Indians have such a knack for snatching despair from the jaws of exhilaration. After putting Boston on the mat in '07, the Indians sent their staff ace to the mound for the clincher. But Sabathia, too keyed up by the stakes, threw a clunker against Josh Beckett. The series returned to Fenway Park, where the Red Sox outscored the Indians 23-4 in games 6 and 7 to advance to the World Series.
"Any time you have the opportunity to advance in the postseason and get that close, there's some level of disappointment when you don't reach your ultimate goal of winning the World Series," said Chris Antonetti, Cleveland assistant GM. "We valued that at the time. We understood that for teams in our market size, with our resources, it's exceptionally challenging to repeat and sustain that level of success.'"
For all their problems this season, the Indians have no plans to rip it up and start anew right now. So unless somebody overwhelms Shapiro with a package for Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez, the Indians will try to fill their holes, put this season's disappointment behind them and compete for a playoff berth in 2010.
There's nothing like a 31-46 record to elicit a little introspection. Here are some of the long- and short-term realities Shapiro and Antonetti must confront over the next few months and the offseason.
The pitching problemHafner's $57 million contract looks exorbitant in hindsight, but he still has a .959 OPS in 31 games this season. Even with Hafner and Grady Sizemore's missing considerable time because of injuries, the Indians rank third in the AL in runs.
CLEVELAND ROCKED
The Indians' pitching numbers have gone down since 2007. In parentheses are where they ranked in MLB:
The problem is pitching. Cleveland has one starter, Lee, with an ERA of less than 5.00. The Indians' staff has issued 310 walks, most in the majors, and has given up 88 home runs, seventh most in the game.
How bad is the bullpen? The Indians have been outscored 66-32 in the eighth inning, and the relievers have allowed 58 of 140 inherited runners to score.
And there simply is no depth for when things go wrong. The Toronto Blue Jays have survived an incredible run of pitching injuries with help from a Scott Richmond here and a Ricky Romero and Brian Tallet there, but the Indians can't find anyone to carry the burden behind Lee.
Which leads to our second issue …
A break in the pipelineThe Brandon Phillips trade to Cincinnati notwithstanding, it's hard to argue with Shapiro's trade history. He acquired Hafner from Texas for Ryan Drese and Einar Diaz, stole Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo from Seattle for Eduardo Perez and Ben Broussard, and acquired elite catching prospect Carlos Santana from the Dodgers for Casey Blake last July. And what more can be said about the deal that brought Sizemore, Lee and Phillips from Montreal for Bartolo Colon? It was a classic heist.
The Indians have been successful in Latin America, and while you can criticize some of Shapiro's recent free-agent signings, Jason Michaels, David Dellucci and even Wood don't have the type of contracts that are going to strangle the team for years to come.
So what's the problem? In the spectrum of player acquisition options, Cleveland's lack of success early in the draft stands front and center.
Shapiro has been the Indians' general manager since 2001.
Since 2000, Cleveland has had 19 first-round or supplemental picks. The most successful, pitcher Jeremy Guthrie, has a 23-24 record in the majors, and all of that has come with Baltimore.
Beyond Guthrie, the landscape is essentially bare. First-rounders Corey Smith, Alan Horne, Daniel Denham and Brad Snyder did nothing. Matt Whitney, Michael Aubrey and Adam Miller got hurt. And it's too soon to tell what Trevor Crowe, Beau Mills, David Huff and Lonnie Chisenhall will contribute over the long haul.
Cleveland management contends the early misses are offset in part by some later "finds" that bring the team's overall performance closer to average. Garko, Lewis, Ben Francisco, Aaron Laffey and the departed Ryan Church and Luke Scott are among the players who fit the description. Still, there's not a Ryan Howard, Justin Morneau, Josh Johnson or Jonathan Papelbon in the bunch.
It doesn't help that the Indians rarely pick among the top handful of teams in the first round, where the sure things are found. Cleveland has picked in the top 10 only once this decade. In 2004, the Indians had Jered Weaver and Stephen Drew atop their board but passed on both players for financial reasons and selected Jeremy Sowers, a Vanderbilt product who is 33-14 with a 2.47 ERA in the minors and 14-24/5.18 in the majors.
Some draft watchers think the Indians are too stat-focused and select too many corner infielders, outfielders and DH types rather than athletes and middle-of-the-diamond players. But sometimes it's more about the money than the draft philosophy.
In 2005, the Indians drafted Washington high school pitcher Tim Lincecum in the 42nd round, but ownership wasn't willing to buck the commissioner's office and spend the $1 million or so required to sign him. Think Lincecum wouldn't look good in that rotation right now?
Managing expectationsThe Shapiro-Antonetti tandem gets more love from national media outlets than, say, White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who is perceived as arrogant and overly blunt. Is it because the Cleveland guys are media favorites? Perhaps. But their front office peers also regard Shapiro and Antonetti as extremely bright, people-oriented, innovative thinkers.
"If you gave Mark an organization with the resources of the Red Sox or the Yankees and the ability to paper over the occasional mistake we all make, he would absolutely run a club that would be a force year in and year out," an AL executive said. "It becomes far more difficult in a market like Cleveland, where your mistakes can linger or derail you for years to come. The margin of error is far thinner."
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
Here's how the Indians stacked up, payroll- and performance-wise, against their AL Central competition from 2002-08 (Payroll source: USA Today salary database):
The Indians' Opening Day payroll of $81.5 million this year was almost dead even with the payroll in 2002, Shapiro's first season as general manager. Surprisingly, the cost-conscious Minnesota Twins spent more money than Cleveland on player salaries each year from 2003 through 2007.
Indians fans might blanch when Shapiro says he expects the team back in the playoffs in the "next three years," but that's the way life works for teams in Cleveland's economic stratum. Beyond the big boys in New York, Boston and Los Angeles, most clubs live in a world in which sporadic postseason appearances are the reality.
During Shapiro's tenure as GM, the Indians have a .503 winning percentage, two 90-win seasons and one postseason appearance. The Twins and Florida Marlins have made better use of their resources, as a rule. But Cleveland's performance looks pretty good compared to those of Texas, Seattle, Detroit and several other teams that have outspent the Indians by a wide margin and have less to show for it.
The Pythagorean problemThe Indians have been outscored by only 27 runs this season, but they're 15 games below .500. That makes them underperformers, based on the Bill James Pythagorean theorem of win expectations.
That's nothing new for a franchise that's posted fewer wins than its run differential would suggest several times in recent years.
The Pythagorean disconnect generally is attributed to three things: the manager, the bullpen or luck. Since no team can be so unlucky that often, the conversation inevitably leads back to Wedge and the relievers.
The Indians need to take a hard look at their underachieving bullpens. Is it a question of evaluation or usage? Did the Indians misjudge Lewis based on his 66 innings last season? Did Wedge burn out Perez with overuse in 2007 and 2008? Bullpen performances are the hardest things in baseball to predict, but when they're bad enough to wreck entire seasons, it's a problem.
The burden of historyWhen a city's fan base is "traumatized," as Shapiro calls it, disappointments are cumulative. Every Kerry Wood blown save is somehow linked to Earnest Byner's goal-line fumble, "The Drive" or Charles Nagy's failure against Edgar Renteria in 1997. The sense of desperation and fatalism can become an emotional anchor. Just ask Boston Red Sox players what the atmosphere was like pre-2004.
In Cleveland, the measuring stick for the Indians remains the great John Hart-Mike Hargrove-Charlie Manuel teams of the late '90s. The Indians averaged 93 wins a year from 1995 through 2001, made the playoffs six times, and featured the likes of Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez and Albert Belle.
During that span, the Tribe made history with 455 straight sellouts at Jacobs Field. But those days are long gone. The Indians finished 12th in the majors in attendance in 2002. They haven't ranked higher than 21st since, and this season, they're 27th with 22,557 a game. The reality is, Cleveland is an economically depressed town, and it's a grind for the Indians to sell tickets, win or lose.
"Everything we do now is compared to what we accomplished then," Shapiro said. "If you're around our team, that's what you feel. It's not 2007. It's '94 to '01.
"That was a very special and unique juncture in Indians history that should be cherished, but it's not a fair barometer. We had payrolls in the top five, and we had a unique set of circumstances. A new stadium. Not winning for 40 years. No football team, a poor basketball team and an economy on the uptick. All those things created a very special level of revenues and a very special juncture in Indians baseball."
This year is special only for the trade speculation it's engendered, the anguish it's created and the questions it's produced. It's not even July, and the Cleveland front office and fan base already are looking ahead to 2010. The real-life version of "Major League'' will have to wait.
Jerry Crasnick covers baseball for ESPN.com. His book "License To Deal" was published by Rodale.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Former Cleveland Indians shortstop Woodie Held dies at age 77
by Grant Segall/Plain Dealer Reporter
Thursday June 11, 2009, 9:21 PM
Courtesy of Russell SchneiderWoodie Held played for the Indians from 1958-1964. Held had a lifetime batting average of .240 and hit 179 homers.Woodie Held hit lots of homers back when other shortstops didn't.
Genial off the field and aggressive on it, Held was the first Indians shortstop until Jhonny Peralta in 2005 to launch more than 20 home runs in a season.
Held's power seemed contagious on July 31, 1963. He hit the first of four Indians homers in a row.
Held died Wednesday at age 77 at his Dubois, Wyo., ranch after seven months' struggle with brain cancer. His wife and high school sweetheart, Nadine, is fighting the same disease.
"Woodie was one of the nicest guys I ever played with," teammate Tito Francona Sr. said Thursday
In retirement, Held was a regular at fantasy camp for fans. Indians spokesman Bob DiBiasio called him "a fun-loving man who really looked forward to fantasy camp, not only to have fun back on the diamond but rekindle his relationships with his old teammates."
Held once gained rare notoriety for throwing a helmet that hit manager Joe Gordon. The manager barked, and the player cursed. But Held later apologized in front of the team.
He was normally easy to get along with. He'd laugh off a yearly barroom prank during fantasy camp, where teammate Gary Bell would snatch Held's false teeth and dunk them in the latter's drink.
In 2001, the Indians named Held one of their top 100 players of all time.
Held was born in Sacramento, Calif., and became a batboy at 13 for a minor-league team there. He grew to 5-11, 180 pounds, with muscles strengthened by swinging from a family tree.
He signed with the New York Yankees for a $6,000 bonus and played four games for them in 1954.
He was traded to Kansas City, and his young family followed him there in 1958. Days later, he went to the Indians with Vic Power for three players, including rising star Roger Maris. His family went back to Sacramento.
Held spent his best 6½ years here, and helped the team contend for pennants in 1959 and 1964. He briefly played center field and third base, making dramatic catches and strong throws. Then, Gordon put him at short and talked the general manager, Frankie "Trader" Lane, out of swapping him.
He had a malignant tumor removed from his back in 1960.
Held roomed mostly with Gary Bell. Their first night together, Held tiptoed into the dark room late, trying not to disturb Bell, who'd pitch the next day. Secretly awake, Bell toppled Held with a pillow. Soon the room filled with feathers and laughs.
From 1965 to 1969, Held played for several other teams. He rode the bench for the Baltimore Orioles when they swept the World Series in 1966.
For his career, he batted .240 with 179 homers.
In those low-paid days, Held earned $20,000 apiece for several seasons. He worked winters installing electrical equipment, selling toys and running a Rocky Mountain dude ranch in Dubois, where he moved the family in 1961.
In retirement, he raced snowmobiles around the country, played in charity golf tournaments, hunted, fished, four-wheeled, ran Dubois' first pizzeria and started the town's first Little League.
He liked to say, "Don't forget to swing hard, just in case you hit the ball."
Besides his wife, survivors also include children, Cinda Cornwell of Galt, Calif., Joy Brown of Sacramento, Woodson Held of Platteville, Colo., Sherry Mitchell of Trevose, Pa., and Roxanne Plummer of Dubois; 15 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren.
Memorial services are pending, and arrangements are by Davis Funeral Home, of Riverton, Wyo.
be sorely missed.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
"What makes players, coaches and managers successful is taking it one day at a time. Right now, I feel the answers are here with Eric, this coaching staff and these players. I don't think those are the kind of things I should be concentrating on right now."
Wedge took responsibility for the Tribe's poor start Monday. Said Shapiro, "Responsibility is shared. Accountability rests with me."
Wedge took responsibility for the Tribe's poor start Monday. Said Shapiro, "Responsibility is shared. Accountability rests with me."
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
13 Games do not make a season
CLEVELAND -- Thirteen games do not a major-league season make. They do not even cover half of a month.
A 13-game sample is enough, though, to get at least a feel for a club and its tendencies. Here is a capsule look at what we think we know about the 4-9 Tribe, which opens a nine-game home stand tonight against Kansas City:
The Indians are not afraid of the big, bad Yankees in the Boogie Down. They split a four-game series in the Bronx that ended Sunday. An opponent usually will gladly accept a four-game road split, but the Indians departed with a sour taste because they had a lead in each game and finished with 11 homers and 40 runs. They posted nine- and 14-run innings.
Too bad the Tribe does not return to New York this season, when the temperature has had time to rise and balls fly that much farther in the pricey new bandbox.
Despite the .308 winning percentage and last-place status, the Indians are very much alive in the Central. Entering Monday, the Royals, White Sox and Tigers were tied for first at 7-5, meaning the Tribe was just 3.5 games back.
Kansas City being anywhere near the lead is no concern for the rest of the division, because it won't last. The White Sox, the team to watch, nonetheless are selectively implementing youngsters. The Tigers are good enough to hang around. The Twins (7-7) figure to have another gritty club under manager Ron Gardenhire. Which is to say none of the four will run away and hide, giving the Indians time to figure it out.
The rotation will not be evoking memories of Early Wynn and the boys. No surprise here: Tribe starters have been shaky even as Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona and Carl Pavano showed signs of life in New York. The rotation does not feature anyone who sits in the mid-90s, meaning less margin for error. One of these days, one will pitch into the seventh inning. Lee and Pavano own the only quality starts (six innings, three or fewer earned).
Lee will need to work (extra) hard for his money. Not that Lee pitched on cruise control en route to 22-3 last season. A starter winning one game in the majors, let alone 22, is not easy. It's just that otherworldly command of the fastball made it appear easy. Fastball location has not been as precise through three starts this season, leading to a 1-2 record and 6.75 ERA. He will be forced to rely more on curves and change-ups and on keeping batters guessing.
At its current rate of usage, the bullpen -- with the notable exception of one man -- will be gassed by July. It stands to reason that starters who cannot get deep into games wreck havoc on those who follow. The bullpen might not be as good as most thought it would be, anyway.
That one man, closer Kerry Wood, needs to find things to do to keep himself occupied late in meaningful games. Wood has made four appearances, one in a save situation. He is on pace for 13 save situations. Owner Larry Dolan is not paying Wood and his rocket arm $10 million annually to collect dust.
Rafael Perez needs to reset his body clock or begin his season in May. Perez has stunk out the joint for yet another April, his slider allergic to early-season cold. He entered with a 4.73 ERA in March-April -- worst of any month in his career. He is at 16.71 in seven appearances this season.
Wood and Mark DeRosa, who played for the Cubs last season, need not worry about adjusting to a new team. Wood intimidates simply by putting on the uniform. DeRosa is an old-school gamer who dared suggest, correctly, that the great Mariano Rivera might actually throw a pitch that should be called a ball when the batter does not swing at it. DeRosa was called out on strikes to end a 6-5 loss Friday, then went 4-for-7 with six RBI in a 22-4 victory Saturday.
Shin-Soo Choo has sun issues. Bat? Check. Arm? Check. Sunglasses? Need new lenses. Choo has two strikes against him already, having lost one in right and one in left, both resulting in inning-changing extra-base hits. No question the sun can be bright and unforgiving, but Gold Glovers might not lose two in a season.
If Victor Martinez stays healthy, he can challenge for a batting title. Martinez is hitting .358 (19-for-53). A handful of his outs have been loud. Martinez won multiple batting crowns in the minors and entered this season as a .298 hitter in 722 major-league games. Matchup lefties are negated because he's a switch-hitter. His primary position, catcher, puts him at a distinct disadvantage, but if Minnesota's Joe Mauer can winning batting crowns, why not Vic?
Grady Sizemore no longer can be expected to hit .300. He hit .289 in 2005 -- his first full season in the majors -- and .290 in 2006. But he has gone .277 and .268 since and is at .259 with 17 strikeouts this season. His swing is not easily adjusted to slap the ball the other way for average-saving singles.
Just because Sizemore won't hit .300 doesn't mean he's not a dynamic leadoff man. He entered this season with a .370 on-base percentage and .491 slugging percentage; those numbers are at .385 and .574, respectively, through 13 games.
Travis Hafner is showing glimpses of a return to Pronk, or at least PronkLite. The slimmer Hafner has four homers, four doubles and six walks. Yes, he has14 strikeouts. But the key to his being feared again, the surgically-repaired right shoulder, seems to be holding up well under game stress.
Derek Shelton's batters know how to work pitchers, good result or bad result. They are hitting .280 and have scored 83 runs, though a failure to come through with runners in scoring position has cost them games. Along the way, they have struck out a staggering 115 times but managed 67 walks.
Manny Ramirez will not be coming back to Cleveland -- not today, next week, next month or next year. Neither will Jim Thome.
A 13-game sample is enough, though, to get at least a feel for a club and its tendencies. Here is a capsule look at what we think we know about the 4-9 Tribe, which opens a nine-game home stand tonight against Kansas City:
The Indians are not afraid of the big, bad Yankees in the Boogie Down. They split a four-game series in the Bronx that ended Sunday. An opponent usually will gladly accept a four-game road split, but the Indians departed with a sour taste because they had a lead in each game and finished with 11 homers and 40 runs. They posted nine- and 14-run innings.
Too bad the Tribe does not return to New York this season, when the temperature has had time to rise and balls fly that much farther in the pricey new bandbox.
Despite the .308 winning percentage and last-place status, the Indians are very much alive in the Central. Entering Monday, the Royals, White Sox and Tigers were tied for first at 7-5, meaning the Tribe was just 3.5 games back.
Kansas City being anywhere near the lead is no concern for the rest of the division, because it won't last. The White Sox, the team to watch, nonetheless are selectively implementing youngsters. The Tigers are good enough to hang around. The Twins (7-7) figure to have another gritty club under manager Ron Gardenhire. Which is to say none of the four will run away and hide, giving the Indians time to figure it out.
The rotation will not be evoking memories of Early Wynn and the boys. No surprise here: Tribe starters have been shaky even as Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona and Carl Pavano showed signs of life in New York. The rotation does not feature anyone who sits in the mid-90s, meaning less margin for error. One of these days, one will pitch into the seventh inning. Lee and Pavano own the only quality starts (six innings, three or fewer earned).
Lee will need to work (extra) hard for his money. Not that Lee pitched on cruise control en route to 22-3 last season. A starter winning one game in the majors, let alone 22, is not easy. It's just that otherworldly command of the fastball made it appear easy. Fastball location has not been as precise through three starts this season, leading to a 1-2 record and 6.75 ERA. He will be forced to rely more on curves and change-ups and on keeping batters guessing.
At its current rate of usage, the bullpen -- with the notable exception of one man -- will be gassed by July. It stands to reason that starters who cannot get deep into games wreck havoc on those who follow. The bullpen might not be as good as most thought it would be, anyway.
That one man, closer Kerry Wood, needs to find things to do to keep himself occupied late in meaningful games. Wood has made four appearances, one in a save situation. He is on pace for 13 save situations. Owner Larry Dolan is not paying Wood and his rocket arm $10 million annually to collect dust.
Rafael Perez needs to reset his body clock or begin his season in May. Perez has stunk out the joint for yet another April, his slider allergic to early-season cold. He entered with a 4.73 ERA in March-April -- worst of any month in his career. He is at 16.71 in seven appearances this season.
Wood and Mark DeRosa, who played for the Cubs last season, need not worry about adjusting to a new team. Wood intimidates simply by putting on the uniform. DeRosa is an old-school gamer who dared suggest, correctly, that the great Mariano Rivera might actually throw a pitch that should be called a ball when the batter does not swing at it. DeRosa was called out on strikes to end a 6-5 loss Friday, then went 4-for-7 with six RBI in a 22-4 victory Saturday.
Shin-Soo Choo has sun issues. Bat? Check. Arm? Check. Sunglasses? Need new lenses. Choo has two strikes against him already, having lost one in right and one in left, both resulting in inning-changing extra-base hits. No question the sun can be bright and unforgiving, but Gold Glovers might not lose two in a season.
If Victor Martinez stays healthy, he can challenge for a batting title. Martinez is hitting .358 (19-for-53). A handful of his outs have been loud. Martinez won multiple batting crowns in the minors and entered this season as a .298 hitter in 722 major-league games. Matchup lefties are negated because he's a switch-hitter. His primary position, catcher, puts him at a distinct disadvantage, but if Minnesota's Joe Mauer can winning batting crowns, why not Vic?
Grady Sizemore no longer can be expected to hit .300. He hit .289 in 2005 -- his first full season in the majors -- and .290 in 2006. But he has gone .277 and .268 since and is at .259 with 17 strikeouts this season. His swing is not easily adjusted to slap the ball the other way for average-saving singles.
Just because Sizemore won't hit .300 doesn't mean he's not a dynamic leadoff man. He entered this season with a .370 on-base percentage and .491 slugging percentage; those numbers are at .385 and .574, respectively, through 13 games.
Travis Hafner is showing glimpses of a return to Pronk, or at least PronkLite. The slimmer Hafner has four homers, four doubles and six walks. Yes, he has14 strikeouts. But the key to his being feared again, the surgically-repaired right shoulder, seems to be holding up well under game stress.
Derek Shelton's batters know how to work pitchers, good result or bad result. They are hitting .280 and have scored 83 runs, though a failure to come through with runners in scoring position has cost them games. Along the way, they have struck out a staggering 115 times but managed 67 walks.
Manny Ramirez will not be coming back to Cleveland -- not today, next week, next month or next year. Neither will Jim Thome.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Are the 2009 Cleveland Indians well-armed? Inside the Opening Day pitching staff
Are the 2009 Cleveland Indians well-armed? Inside the Opening Day pitching staff
by Paul Hoynes/Plain Dealer Reporter
Saturday April 04, 2009, 8:30 PM
HOUSTON -- Here's a breakdown of the Indians' 12-man pitching staff. Stats include batting average against (BAA) and what right-handed hitters (RH) and left-handed hitters (LH) hit against each pitcher last year.
STARTING ROTATION
LHP Cliff Lee
Key 2008 stats: 22-3, 2.54 ERA, 223.1 innings, .253 BAA, .245 RH, .272 LH.
Skinny: Lee, last year's AL Cy Young winner, throws a two- and four-seam fastball, cut fastball, slider, curve and change-up. He tops out at 93 mph, but usually throws between 89 and 91.
Comment: Lee had a tough spring, but came through it healthy. It will be interesting to see how responds to being a marked man because of the Cy Young Award. He doesn't have to win 20 again, 14 to 18 victories wouldn't be bad.
RHP Fausto Carmona
Key 2008 stats: 8-7, 5.44 ERA, 120.2 innings, .271 BAA, .230 RH, .303 LH.
Skinny: Carmona is a power pitcher with a sinking fastball, slider and change-up. He'll top out at 96 mph, but usually pitches at 92 to 93.
Comment: Last year, Carmona walked more than he struck out (70 to 58) as he battled a left hip injury. He pitched well this spring training, easing off on the velocity to keep his sinker on the plate at the urging of pitching coach Carl Willis and catcher Victor Martinez. If Carmona wins 19 games as he did in 2007, fine. It's probably more realistic if he wins 14 to 16.
RHP Carl Pavano
Key 2008 stats: 4-2, 5.77 ERA, 34.1 innings, .306 BAA, RH .283, LH .324.
Skinny: Pavano spent spring training throwing between 89 mph and 91 mph. He throws a fastball, slider and change. He's 6-5 and uses his height well to throw his fastball to both sides of the plate at the bottom of the strike zone.
Comment: The Indians took a chance on Pavano, who has been basically out of commission for four years because of injuries. He made it through camp healthy and got better the longer camp went. The Indians believe he can give them a chance to win every fifth start.
LHP Scott Lewis
Key 2008 stats: 4-0, 2.63 ERA, 24 innings, .222 BAA, .254 RH, .130 LH.
Skinny: Lewis throws a fastball, curve, slider and change. He throws 88-89 mph and locates the ball well. He's effective with his change-up, which is about 12 mph slower than his fastball.
Comment: Lewis has to hit his spots and keep the ball down or he'll give up a lot of homers. He's calm and cool on the mound and that serves him well. Let's hope he's able to grip the ball better in the home opener on Friday at Progressive Field than he did in Arizona during spring training.
RHP Anthony Reyes
Key 2008 stats: 4-2, 2.76 ERA, 49 innings, .242 BAA, .267 RH, .240 LH.
Skinny: Reyes throws a fastball, curve and change. He throws between 87-91 mph. It's a heavy fastball that he locates well. The fastball is offset by a good change-up.
Comment: The Indians weren't sure if Reyes would make it through camp healthy after being shut down in September with a sore right elbow. Not only did he stay healthy, he pitched well. Now he has to keep doing it.
Safety net: The Indians have lefties Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers and David Huff in the rotation at Class AAA Columbus if there's trouble with the rotation. Right-handers Kirk Saarloos and Jack Cassel are also in the pipeline. Right-hander Hector Rondon might get a call at Class AA Akron.
BULLPEN
RHP Kerry Wood
Key 2008 stats: 5-4, 3.26, 34 saves, 66.1 innings, .219 BAA, .227 RH, .209 LH
.
Skinny: Wood throws a fastball, cut fastball, slider and curve. He hit 97 mph in spring training, but usually throws between 91-95 mph.
Comment: Wood gives the Indians their first hard-throwing closer since Jose Mesa. He's in his second year as a stopper and last season converted 34 saves in 40 chances for the Cubs. If he stays healthy, the Indians should be one of the best pens in the American League.
LHP Rafael Perez
Key 2008 stats: 4-4, 3.54 ERA, 2 saves, 76.1 innings, .234 BAA, .243 RH, .222 LH.
Skinny: Perez is a fastball-slider pitcher. He throws a change, but sparingly. Perez throws between 90-92 mph. His pitches have late action in the strike zone, dropping out of reach before hitters can recognize the spin on the ball.
Comment: Perez jumped from 44 appearances in 2007 to 73 last year. He handled the extra workload well and gives manager Eric Wedge an effective reliever against left and right-handed hitters in the late innings.
RHP Rafael Betancourt
Key 2008 stats: 3-4, 5.07 ERA, 4 saves, 71 innings, .276 BAA, .295 RH, .252 LH.
Skinny: Betancourt, like Perez, is a set-up man. He throws a fastball, curve and change-up. He tops out around 94 mph, but usually throws between 91-92 mph.
Comment: Betancourt had a bad first half last season, but rebounded in the second half. His spring-training numbers weren't great, but he looked strong. He needs to keep rebounding to give Wedge the Raffie Left and Raffie Right option that worked so well in 2007.
RHP Jensen Lewis
Key 2008 stats: 0-4, 3.82, 13 saves, 66 innings, .266 BAA, .264 RH, .267 LH.
Skinny: Lewis throws a fastball, slider and change. His velocity reaches 90-91 mph, which is better than last year. Lewis concentrated on his slider in spring training.
Comment: Lewis proved last season that he can close, so that gives Wedge and alternative if Wood gets hurt or needs a day off. Lewis, like Betancourt, suffered last season because of a heavy workload in 2007, but pitched well in spring training.
RHP Joe Smith
Key 2008 stats: 6-3, 3.55 ERA, 63.1 innings, .220 BAA, .192 RH, .320 LH.
Skinny: Smith, a sidearmer, throws a fastball, slider and change. He's touched 92 mph this spring and usually sits at 90 mph, which is above average for a sidearmer. His slider works well against right-handers.
Comment: Smith impressed the Indians with his arm strength. Most sidearmers don't throw as hard as he does. It's one of the reasons the Indians think he will eventually be able to get lefties out. He didn't get a chance to work on that much in spring training because of a viral infection.
RHP Masa Kobayashi
Key 2008 stats: 4-5, 4.53 ERA, 6 saves, 55.2 innings, .286 BAA, .292 RH, .280 LH.
Skinny: Kobayashi consistently hit 92 mph in spring training, but got pounded because he couldn't get his pitches down. He throws a fastball, split and slider.
Comment: He'll open the season pitching in middle and long relief. He's in the last year of a $6 million contract.
LHP Zach Jackson
Key 2008 stats: 2-3, 5.55 ERA, 58.1 innings, .294 BAA, .271 RH, .348 LH.
Skinny: Jackson throws a fastball, cut fastball, slider and split change-up. He throws between 87-90 mph, but is vulnerable to left-handers.
Comment: Jackson made the club because he spent much of spring training competing for the last spot in the rotation. He was already stretched out, which meant if one of the starters got knocked out early, he could step in and control the damage.
Safety net: If the Indians need help in the bullpen, right-hander Vinnie Chulk and left-hander Tony Sipp will get the first call at Columbus.
by Paul Hoynes/Plain Dealer Reporter
Saturday April 04, 2009, 8:30 PM
HOUSTON -- Here's a breakdown of the Indians' 12-man pitching staff. Stats include batting average against (BAA) and what right-handed hitters (RH) and left-handed hitters (LH) hit against each pitcher last year.
STARTING ROTATION
LHP Cliff Lee
Key 2008 stats: 22-3, 2.54 ERA, 223.1 innings, .253 BAA, .245 RH, .272 LH.
Skinny: Lee, last year's AL Cy Young winner, throws a two- and four-seam fastball, cut fastball, slider, curve and change-up. He tops out at 93 mph, but usually throws between 89 and 91.
Comment: Lee had a tough spring, but came through it healthy. It will be interesting to see how responds to being a marked man because of the Cy Young Award. He doesn't have to win 20 again, 14 to 18 victories wouldn't be bad.
RHP Fausto Carmona
Key 2008 stats: 8-7, 5.44 ERA, 120.2 innings, .271 BAA, .230 RH, .303 LH.
Skinny: Carmona is a power pitcher with a sinking fastball, slider and change-up. He'll top out at 96 mph, but usually pitches at 92 to 93.
Comment: Last year, Carmona walked more than he struck out (70 to 58) as he battled a left hip injury. He pitched well this spring training, easing off on the velocity to keep his sinker on the plate at the urging of pitching coach Carl Willis and catcher Victor Martinez. If Carmona wins 19 games as he did in 2007, fine. It's probably more realistic if he wins 14 to 16.
RHP Carl Pavano
Key 2008 stats: 4-2, 5.77 ERA, 34.1 innings, .306 BAA, RH .283, LH .324.
Skinny: Pavano spent spring training throwing between 89 mph and 91 mph. He throws a fastball, slider and change. He's 6-5 and uses his height well to throw his fastball to both sides of the plate at the bottom of the strike zone.
Comment: The Indians took a chance on Pavano, who has been basically out of commission for four years because of injuries. He made it through camp healthy and got better the longer camp went. The Indians believe he can give them a chance to win every fifth start.
LHP Scott Lewis
Key 2008 stats: 4-0, 2.63 ERA, 24 innings, .222 BAA, .254 RH, .130 LH.
Skinny: Lewis throws a fastball, curve, slider and change. He throws 88-89 mph and locates the ball well. He's effective with his change-up, which is about 12 mph slower than his fastball.
Comment: Lewis has to hit his spots and keep the ball down or he'll give up a lot of homers. He's calm and cool on the mound and that serves him well. Let's hope he's able to grip the ball better in the home opener on Friday at Progressive Field than he did in Arizona during spring training.
RHP Anthony Reyes
Key 2008 stats: 4-2, 2.76 ERA, 49 innings, .242 BAA, .267 RH, .240 LH.
Skinny: Reyes throws a fastball, curve and change. He throws between 87-91 mph. It's a heavy fastball that he locates well. The fastball is offset by a good change-up.
Comment: The Indians weren't sure if Reyes would make it through camp healthy after being shut down in September with a sore right elbow. Not only did he stay healthy, he pitched well. Now he has to keep doing it.
Safety net: The Indians have lefties Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers and David Huff in the rotation at Class AAA Columbus if there's trouble with the rotation. Right-handers Kirk Saarloos and Jack Cassel are also in the pipeline. Right-hander Hector Rondon might get a call at Class AA Akron.
BULLPEN
RHP Kerry Wood
Key 2008 stats: 5-4, 3.26, 34 saves, 66.1 innings, .219 BAA, .227 RH, .209 LH
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Skinny: Wood throws a fastball, cut fastball, slider and curve. He hit 97 mph in spring training, but usually throws between 91-95 mph.
Comment: Wood gives the Indians their first hard-throwing closer since Jose Mesa. He's in his second year as a stopper and last season converted 34 saves in 40 chances for the Cubs. If he stays healthy, the Indians should be one of the best pens in the American League.
LHP Rafael Perez
Key 2008 stats: 4-4, 3.54 ERA, 2 saves, 76.1 innings, .234 BAA, .243 RH, .222 LH.
Skinny: Perez is a fastball-slider pitcher. He throws a change, but sparingly. Perez throws between 90-92 mph. His pitches have late action in the strike zone, dropping out of reach before hitters can recognize the spin on the ball.
Comment: Perez jumped from 44 appearances in 2007 to 73 last year. He handled the extra workload well and gives manager Eric Wedge an effective reliever against left and right-handed hitters in the late innings.
RHP Rafael Betancourt
Key 2008 stats: 3-4, 5.07 ERA, 4 saves, 71 innings, .276 BAA, .295 RH, .252 LH.
Skinny: Betancourt, like Perez, is a set-up man. He throws a fastball, curve and change-up. He tops out around 94 mph, but usually throws between 91-92 mph.
Comment: Betancourt had a bad first half last season, but rebounded in the second half. His spring-training numbers weren't great, but he looked strong. He needs to keep rebounding to give Wedge the Raffie Left and Raffie Right option that worked so well in 2007.
RHP Jensen Lewis
Key 2008 stats: 0-4, 3.82, 13 saves, 66 innings, .266 BAA, .264 RH, .267 LH.
Skinny: Lewis throws a fastball, slider and change. His velocity reaches 90-91 mph, which is better than last year. Lewis concentrated on his slider in spring training.
Comment: Lewis proved last season that he can close, so that gives Wedge and alternative if Wood gets hurt or needs a day off. Lewis, like Betancourt, suffered last season because of a heavy workload in 2007, but pitched well in spring training.
RHP Joe Smith
Key 2008 stats: 6-3, 3.55 ERA, 63.1 innings, .220 BAA, .192 RH, .320 LH.
Skinny: Smith, a sidearmer, throws a fastball, slider and change. He's touched 92 mph this spring and usually sits at 90 mph, which is above average for a sidearmer. His slider works well against right-handers.
Comment: Smith impressed the Indians with his arm strength. Most sidearmers don't throw as hard as he does. It's one of the reasons the Indians think he will eventually be able to get lefties out. He didn't get a chance to work on that much in spring training because of a viral infection.
RHP Masa Kobayashi
Key 2008 stats: 4-5, 4.53 ERA, 6 saves, 55.2 innings, .286 BAA, .292 RH, .280 LH.
Skinny: Kobayashi consistently hit 92 mph in spring training, but got pounded because he couldn't get his pitches down. He throws a fastball, split and slider.
Comment: He'll open the season pitching in middle and long relief. He's in the last year of a $6 million contract.
LHP Zach Jackson
Key 2008 stats: 2-3, 5.55 ERA, 58.1 innings, .294 BAA, .271 RH, .348 LH.
Skinny: Jackson throws a fastball, cut fastball, slider and split change-up. He throws between 87-90 mph, but is vulnerable to left-handers.
Comment: Jackson made the club because he spent much of spring training competing for the last spot in the rotation. He was already stretched out, which meant if one of the starters got knocked out early, he could step in and control the damage.
Safety net: If the Indians need help in the bullpen, right-hander Vinnie Chulk and left-hander Tony Sipp will get the first call at Columbus.
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