Let's Go Tribe!

The best outfielders...what would it take?

Tribe Fan Matt — Wed, 14 May 2008 15:35:31 -0000

I know there has been some discussion of this topic but I wanted to get more specific in what options are seriously available to the Tribe and what it would cost to get them here in time to make a real difference. So, with apologies to my fellow LGT bloggers who have forgotten more statistics than I will ever know, I selected these three names through no real scientific process other than it seems they would fit the bill as the power hitting corner outfielder the Tribe lacks...

Carlos Lee

Carl Crawford

Adam Dunn

...And wondered the following:

Are these the most likely (or even the correct) targets Shapiro would seek?

If not them, then who?

And if it is them, or someone else I haven't named, what would it take? For my side, I assume Laffey or Sowers would have to go in any package and probably include another major league player like Gutz or Francisco.

And when is the best time to get one of them? Can the Tribe afford to wait another month for Tampa to come back to earth and make Crawford available?

And one more question. With a proven hitter in this lineup, the Central seems to be there for the taking for anyone who can get on a roll. In the playoffs, the Tribe's pitching would be hard to beat. I know the price will be high, but is the time ever more right than right now to mortgage the future (sort of, because the cupboard won't exactly be empty even with a move of Laffey/Sowers and Gutz/Francisco or others) to win this year?

Is AL>NL actually true?

jakesinger777 — Wed, 14 May 2008 06:06:50 -0000

The AL is better than the NL, right? On LGT, at the very least, the NL is often referred to as the weaker league and, according to the prevailing public opinion, it isn't really all that close.

Recently, one of my close friends and I had a discussion about this and, with interleague play creeping up, I thought this could be relevant, or at least interesting to discuss here. As the Indians, LGT-reading fan, I clearly believed that the AL was leaps and bounds ahead of the NL while he, as a huge Mets fan, naturally disagreed. I wanted to look more deeply into this and I soon got my opportunity in my money and banking class that afternoon.

In order to understand the issue, it is important to recognize which sets of data are useful. I eliminated world series games because that is too small a sample size (it seems as though anything can happen in a 7 game series) and all-star games because they are an inexact science, at best. Finally, I didn't feel comfortable relying on the statistics of players who transfer from one league to the other - there is so much that goes into a player's performance from one year to the next that it would be hard to attribute any difference in statistics to a disparity in the leagues. The only thing I could think of to look at was the records of both leagues in interleague play since it began in 1997. My friend hypothesized that, while the AL would have a higher win % than NL teams, it is because of they are constructed specifically around the DH, which gives them an unfair advantage in home interleague games. The idea here is that the AL teams use a professional DH (though we can argue how much of an advantage that has gained us this year) while the NL teams usually uses its bench players as their DH. He even went as far as to guess that the NL is better than the AL, and that it will be reflected in the interleague records at NL stadiums. We, obviously, needed to look at interleague records at both AL stadiums and NL stadiums. Here is what I emailed him during that class (stats all thanks to B-Ref):

First, I took the overall interleague records since interleague play started (1997). As we expected, the AL is leading, but only slightly (51%). Over the last 5 years it has shifted slightly in the AL's favor (53%). So the AL has been better but not by much. In games played @ AL stadiums, the AL has a 59% win pct. over the last 10 years and a 60% win pct. over the last 5. In games played @ NL stadiums, as you hypothesized, the NL actually holds the advantage (54% over both time periods). It seems as though you were right - the AL holds a significant advantage in games played with a DH and the NL, somewhat surprisingly, holds an advantage in games played in the NL.

Here's where it gets interesting, at least in my mind. It occurred to me that maybe the NL wins more @ home because there is just a straight-up home field advantage. I looked at the numbers from all the overall games that have been played in baseball over the last 5 & 10 years. The home team, in both periods, wins about 54% of the time, or exactly the rate at which NL teams win interleague games at home. Basically, what this means is that NL teams win @ home exactly as much as you would expect them to because they are playing at home. The advantage AL teams have at home (at thus in interleague play overall) can be broken down into two components: their home field advantage and their DH advantage, though it is impossible to separate the two.

My ultimate conclusion is this - the NL and the AL, statistically speaking, are actually equal. The NL wins @ home 54% of the time because home teams in general win 54% of the time. The AL wins @ home 60% of the time because they are built to play @ AL stadiums whereas NL teams are not.

That is what I concluded upon this writing a few weeks ago. I have since decided that my friend's supposed (or actual) unfair AL advantage can be flipped and be applied to the NL teams as well. That is, NL teams are built for deeper benches, speed and defense, and their managers are more adept at employing the "small ball" strategies that only apply because the pitcher has a spot in the batting order. This can be seen as a specific advantage to the NL and, thus, their winning percentage in home interleague games should in fact be higher than the 54% of the time that the home team wins in general. Since it is not, I'll say that the NL is indeed worse than the AL (according to the most concrete data we can use), but the difference is substantially more minimal than we'd like to think.

Apologies for the length of this post - I am really curious to know what other directions this sort of "research" can be taken. I would love to hear some discussion about this - LGT! By the way, with all this lack of attention in money & banking, I still pulled the A-!

Mr. Lee Lyrics

redstick — Wed, 14 May 2008 02:17:38 -0000

I have been hoping for quite a while that Cliff would have a good start so I could put up the Bobbettes lyrics. A nine inning shut out loss deserves some encouragement.

Bobbettes - Mr. Lee Lyrics
from the Stand By Me Soundtrack
excerpt:
...
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff
Come on Mr. Lee and do your stuff
'Cause you're gonna be mine
Till the end of time

One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive
One, two, three, look at Mr. Lee
Three, four, five, look at him jive

Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee
Oh, Mr. Lee
Mr. Lee...

Does downtown suck? Only if it's re-named Souvenir City.

tabler84 — Tue, 13 May 2008 15:06:03 -0000

Checking out the media this week...

I love this headline.

That's mainly because I was angered by the split. Cue Jayson Stark telling us when the last time a team played a doubleheader and its two starters went 9 / 0. Anyway, my response to Eric would be to bunt more. Everyone should bunt. Bunt bunt bunt.

Is downtown really this rough?

I don't get back to downtown Cleveland more than once or twice a year now, but I thought this Globe & Mail blogger's take was excessive: Cleveland is a "sad metropolis that turns into a ghost town at nights and over the weekends."

I wish I would have come up with this idea.

A very nice series on beisbol in the DR from Slate.

I'm beginning to like this blog more and more.

At first I was lukewarm to Anthony Castrovince's blog; I went to college with him, and he was roundly unimpressive then. As in, Andrew Swift could out-write and out-clever him using only two fingers and 20% of his brain. But I think Anthony has worked hard to improve his writing and sourcing, and his blog is a lot of fun. He's got a funny entry on Wikipedia today.

A whiny rant about the DH.

I like to check out the media for teams we're about to play, and I thought this column was silly. The author essentially argues, "Every late and close situation should be superstar hitter vs. pitcher. Blah blah I don't like when middle infielders have to bat with the game on the line." And is there some sort of rule in the NL that prohibits Carlos Beltran from pinch-hitting?

Why do you have a mailbag if you can't answer mail?

Dear John Donovan,

When a reader makes a stupid comment, you can either print their email and refute it in swift, simple, devastating fashion, or you can not print it at all. Otherwise, what's the point? (I'm referring to the Sizemore overrated letter).

Six-year olds know more than some managers.

The inimitable JoePos has a rant against the intentional walk, complete with too-cute-to-believe anecdote. Have you read his blog lately? The man is prolific.

Nothing gets Manny Downs. Okay, mildly Downs.

Really, this gets a headline? He's probably right, and definitely an ass.

And finally, some random observations.

The PD's Tribe section online sucks. The whole online PD is a mess, really. You've got half the article printed on the main page. Readers can't tell if an item was technically an "article," "column," or "blog post." And that's not really a blog they have; I'm amazed they haven't hired someone who can blog or can teach their writers to blog.

I know I dog Underwood and Manning, but they deserve it. Just from memory, here are three standouts from yesterday:

Underwood, commenting on a 2-1 count with a runner on first: "This is a good count to try a hit and run or some other offensive play." What other play would that be?

Underwood's reaction to AbaCab's dinger: "It's outta here, a la Robbie Alomar!" I said this in the game thread, but what kind of idiot references one of the worst moments in your team's history to describe a May home run?

And someone needs to tell Manning that the camera angle from center field does not show a straight-on view to judge balls and strikes. Three times he declared a pitch to be "way off the plate," only to have replay and technology prove him wrong. And yet he still declared that he was correct.

40 game mark

peter m — Tue, 13 May 2008 14:42:30 -0000

The Indians are quickly approaching the 40 game milestone that Mark Shapiro talks about as the proper time to review the team's progress. So, what will he conclude? Here's what I'd say if I were in his position. Maybe we can all help him out and tell him what our eyes are telling us? (he probably doesn't need the help, but whatever):

Starting pitching: no problems. Even CC has pitched better, and the "depth" guys in the minors have come through, and how!

Relief pitching: spotty. Lewis and Perez seem to have come around, Masa looks OK despite first batter problems. Betancourt has been inconsistent. The team has to settle on a closer -- Raffie hasn't seized the job and JoBo's status is unclear. Do they need to look at other options? It really depends on Borowski's velocity. If he can pitch adequately, they can probably muddle through with what they have, but if some depth falls into my lap, I'll take it. The rest of the bullpen has been irrelevant.

Hitting: awful. Too many guys not getting on base. Can the problem be fixed by adding one hitter, though -- Shapiro has already said he doesn't really think so. If I were Shapiro, I would be reluctant to trade a valued asset (Miller, Cabrera, even Sowers, although I could be persuaded on that one) to get one hitter unless that person solved a long-term problem (e.g., 3rd Base). I would look for a deal that wouldn't cost me my most valued young players but would add a veteran right-handed bat with some power, probably in the outfield or at 1B (since guys at other positions would be harder to find and would "cost" me more). I would continue, irrationally, to hope that Hafner will improve.

Defense: no major concerns.

Never thought I'd say this...

tom2323 — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:03:50 -0000

But...

CLIFF LEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not since Vida Blue in 1971 have I seen a pitcher so dominant at the beginning of a year...at least that I can recall. I had to say it somewhere, so I joined this site just to say...CLIFF LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! No one can hit him, and he can't help but hit the corners. He has nowhere to go but down, but when? If it wasn't for the hockey/basketball playoffs, it would be treated as the major story that it is.

Who here likes Fausto Carmona?

NickFantana — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:27:46 -0000

Hey guys, this is a unique FanPost with an inconsequential message.

I recently purchased my first Indians jersey and did not know what I was doing. I bought one of the new alternate home jerseys with Fausto's number 55 on the back. It's the authentic, high-end one. All well and good except I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to jersey size. So I bought a 52, which is too big for me.

So, you're thinking, just return it! But here's the catch. All player jerseys are considered "custom" because you have to order a specific player. So all sales are final. ANOTHER fact I was not aware of.

So here we are. I've got a brand new, never worn, only tried on Fausto Carmona alternate home jersey, as seen here It's beautiful AND really nice. I wish it fit me. Since we're all friends I might be willing to give a little discount, since the alternative is having to eat the cost. My e-mail is in my profile, feel free to send me a message if you're interested. All general questions can go here.

PS So the thread isn't a complete waste of everybody's time but mine, post here and name the three albums you most recently listened to.

Mastny being sent down?

talonk — Sun, 11 May 2008 04:50:04 -0000

In the notes to tonite's AP recap of the game:

After the game, Indians RHP Tom Mastny was seen shaking hands with teammates. The reliever said he will be sent to Buffalo on Sunday, but the Indians did not announce a move.

Since Wedge doesn't like to run with an 11 man staff ....

Am assuming Westbrook and Browski are not ready to come off the DL yet.

Non 40 man roster options could be Elarton, Stanford, Rick Bauer, Matt Ginter or Jeff Harris from Buffalo.

If I had to guess, it will be Elarton or Bauer.

Poll

Who gets the call

My Favorite Indian is...

mjschaefer — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:46:01 -0000

First let me say I don't know if this qualifies as a fanpost or a fanshot and I apologize for being so naive.

I can't speak for all fans, but in general I've learned to never become attached to one player specifically. For example in basketball Shawn Kemp was traded from my Sonics nearly killing the NBA for me, Randy Moss was traded from the Vikings for nothing, and numerous of my favorite Indians have left via FA or some by trade. However there is always another player to take their place. So without any more boring chatter here is my list of my favorite Indians ever......

10. Cliff Lee- I certainly don't expect anyone to believe me given the success that Lee has had this year, but allow me to show some facts. In 2004 Cliff Lee just started up with the Indians. He was 5-0 through May. I picked my Legion baseball number because of him. I wore 31 for that year and again in Varsity baseball. I was also a pitcher. A pitcher who had extreme temper tantrums....leading to my favorite Cliff Lee infamous moment. Lee threw a glove into the crowd after a poor start against Toronto. 2007 and the subsequent off-season was tough because I wanted him to do well but never envisioned him to get another chance here. Glad to see him running with it now. Below is a picture of me pitching in Cliff's number!:
http://b6.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/00818/62/84/818004826_l.jpg
Number isn't visible sadly......

9. Manny Ramirez- This guy was the man when I really got caught up with the Indians. He was post Albert Belle, which I figured meant he'd be around forever...his sweet song has since moved on and he's won two titles and will generally be revered as the most dangerous hitter in baseball over the past decade. When we didn't resign him in 2000 I took it as a sign that the Indians would never be the same. Aside from 01...they weren't.

8. Jaret Wright- I was never so wrong about a guy in my entire life. I was 100% sure he would be the next big thing starting in 1998. How in the world can anyone forget how well he pitched in the post-season of 1997? Arm problems plagued the rest of his career and he was never the same. Any time I see that he's pitching in the box score I think of him as the Yankee-Killer.

7. Kenny Lofton- Any fan of the Indians during the past decade and a half that I've been a fan had to love Lofton. He enjoyed three stints with the team and was generally one of the more exciting players to ever wear the uniform.

6. Jim Thome- This man broke my heart when he left for the Phillies. I don't know why but it just seemed like he would be the type of guy that would hang around even during the down times. Thome is a great man and great player, but as WhySox player I could never root for him.

5. Travis Fryman- Perhaps one of the more underrated members of the Indians. Fryman just showed up and did his job, day in and day out. He was never flashy. He was what he was. His best season occurred in 2000 with his .321 average and a Gold Glove. I think injuries cut him short a few years.

4&3. Alomar Bros- These two dudes were a sheer joy to watch playing together. Sandy Alomar hit the game winning homer off Mariano and hit an exciting homer in the All-Star game hosted at Jacob's Field. Roberto was part of the best double play duo in baseball history. Roberto is widely considered to be one of, if not the best second baseman ever. So eat your heart out Joe Morgan. I got Sandy's autograph last year. He was extremely nice. The sad part was I was at a AAA game to do so.....

2. C.C. Sabathia- I'm not sure if there is any player who better represents the Indians peaks and valleys the way that Sabathia's career arc does. I loved the big guy from the moment he burst on to the scene in 2001. However as the team goes, so does C.C. During their mad dash to the finish line in 2005 it was Sabathia who carried that pitching staff. In August and September he went 9-1 in 11 starts including a 1.54 era in September. Last year's run would have been impossible without him anchoring the staff. With his contract situation up in the air I've been vocal in my feelings that we need to resign him, but only if he takes another discount. I'm unsure of his future.

1. Omar Vizquel- The little O was quite amazing to watch. His defense is the best of all-time for any shortstop and he never ceased to amaze me with his wild acrobatic plays. Vizquel helped key the comeback against the Mariners in 2001 with a triple down the line late in the game. Vizquel went 5-6 against the Yankees in the infamous 22-0 game. Vizquel did something that few of the players before on this list had done....he hadn't left. Vizquel was just there. He was the one constant from 1994-2004. Now he plays for the Giants and more importantly at the ripe age of 41 he is going to come of the DL today and play. I wish him the best luck in the world and hope that the Little O continues to dazzle others the way he dazzled me. He won't make the HOF even though I contend he should.

Now that I've wasted your time........feel free to make your own list!

A Minor Week (May 3-9) part 2

APV — Sat, 10 May 2008 18:27:53 -0000

...and for the kids...

Kinston (13-18, 4th place)

This week: 4-2

May 3: Kinston 6, Lynchburg 3

May 5: Kinston 3, Frederick 1

May 6: Kinston 7, Frederick 5

May 7: Kinston 6, Frederick 12

May 8: Kinston 6, Potomac 4

May 9: Kinston 1, Potomac 4

Steven Wright rebounded from a rough night on stage with his 4th quality start in 6 outings (6IP,4H,0R,0BB,5K). Wright is a college draftee and will be 24 by the end of the season, so it'd be nice to see his very strong start rewarded with an early season promotion to Akron (maybe following a David Huff promotion to Buffalo). Hector Rondon made two starts for the K-tribe this week with fairly positive results (11IP,8H,4R,1BB,7K). Mike Pontius got a much deserved promotion to Kinston and promptly got lit up for 3 runs in two-thirds of an inning (his first earned runs of the season). Have no fear, though, Luis Perdomo , the K-tribe's closer continues to have a perfect 0.00 ERA and added 3 saves this week. Perdomo's older (24) and doesn't strike out a lot of guys (14 in 19 innings), but he hasn't allowed a homerun and has held batters to a .100 BAA. Oh yeah, and not allowed anyone to score.

Mills, Weglarz, Goedert and Rivero...those are the offensive guys to be excited about in Kinston. First, the lumberjack legend, Weglarz . He's having a good May, with an OPS just a hair under 1.000. He added a double, homerun, and 5 walks this week (to go along with 5Ks). Mills is also enjoying May, with a .981 OPS on the month, including 2 doubles, a triple, 6 walk and 6Ks this week. Goedert's topping them all with a 1.025 OPS this month. He had an excellent week, driven by a 4-5 game against Frederick (9-24,3 2Bs, 2HRs,2BB,4K). Carlos Rivero doesn't share the same affinity towards walking as his teammates (only 3 on the season), but has been hitting the ball well. He had hits in every game this week including multiple hits in the past three. Oh yeah, John Drennen , the 5th guy you should care about in Kinston, came off the DL in Saturday's game and went 1-4.

Lake County: (21-13, 1st place)

This Week: 5-3

May 3: PPD

May 4:Lake County 0, Kannapolis 1 (game 1) ; Lake County 6, Kannapolis 5 (game 2)

May 5: Lake County 8, Kannpolis 13

May 6: Lake County 3, Kannapolis 1

May 8: Lake County 4, Greensboro 12 (game 1) ; Lake County 5, Greensboro 4 (game 2)

May 9: Lake County 8, Greensboro 1

Lord Kelvin De La Cruz led the Captains pitching attack with two strong starts, albeit a bit wild (5 walks) in the second game (10.2IP,10H,2R,6BB,10K). Ryan Miller continues to audition for Steven Wright's spot in Kinston (when he takes David Huff's spot in Akron) with another outstanding performance (6IP,2H,1R,3BB,7K). Miller's now got 36K,13BB and only 1HR in 33 innings of work, while holding batters to a .183 average. Vinnie Pestano picked up two saves with two perfect innings of work. Sadly, I apparently put a serious jinx on Josh Judy , who had one hideous and one merely bad outing, after a near-perfect beginning to his season. Chris Archer , who was called "effectively wild" during his successful start to the season, now appears merely wild (29 walks in 24 innings), and got beat around this week because of it.

My lack of enthusiasm for the Captains offensive talent is well documented, so....Karexon Sanchez had a bad week (1-22,BB,6Ks), but at least his one hit was a double. I feel as if Roman Pena has been in Lake County forever (he hasn't), but he is only 21, plays centerfield, and had a decent week (7-23,2B,HR). Chris Nash might be finding his stroke. Another guy with a seriously rough April (.233/.287/.337, 32K, 7BB), Nash has welcomed the change in the calendar (May OPS .996, including 2 HRs and 2 2Bs). His outings this week included a 5-5 day yesterday with a double, homerun, and 3 RBIs.

A Minor Week (May 3-9) part 1

APV — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:33:08 -0000

I'll try to summarize some the highlights and lowlights from the week that was in Akron and Buffalo (Kinston and Lake County coming later):

Buffalo (16-19, 3rd place)

This week: 5-1

May 3: PPD

May 4: Buffalo 6, Charlotte 4 (game 1) ; Buffalo 1, Charlotte 0 (game 2)

May 5: Buffalo 2, Syracuse 3

May 6: Buffalo 6, Syracus 3

May 7: PPD

May 8: Buffalo 8, Syracuse 1

May 9: Buffalo 4, Rochester 3

A good week for the Bisons, led by fantastic starting pitching and a nice debut at AAA by Michael Aubrey. Adam Miller had two starts...the first one was rough (3.2IP,11H,4R,1BB,4K), but probably looks worse than it was. All his outs either came via the K or the groundball (7). All of the hits were singles with the exception of a single double. His second outing was much better (5IP,3H,0R,2BB,4K). He was up to 85 pitches in that last outing and has now not allowed an earned run in 3 of his 4 outings since coming off the DL (short outings, though). Other fine starts were turned in by Brian Slocum (5.2IP,4H,0R,1BB,8K), Jeremy Sowers (7IP,3H,0R,2BB,2K), and Jason Stanford (6IP,4H,0R,1BB,3K). I wouldn't be surprised if we see Scott Elarton join the big-league bullpen sometime in the next month (presumably taking one of the phantom spots held by Mastny and Breslow). He had two strong outings this week and his season line now sits at 21.1IP, 17H, 6ER,5BB,16K, with a .218 BAA. With Mujica and Santos still looking erratic in Buffalo, Elarton might be the next in line (maybe that new 40-man spot?).

Offensively, Michael Aubrey has gotten off to a .360/.407/.440 start through 6 games, with 2 doubles, 2 walks and 3 Ks. It's obviously just a week, but it's nice to see anything out of Aubrey. If he still has a chance with Cleveland, he's got to show he can mash AAA pitching (I'm thinking something upwards of an .850 OPS) this year. Josh Barfield's still in the organization. And despite Chuck's prognostications to the contrary, Barfield doesn't appear to be playing his way to Cleveland anytime soon. He's currently got an 8-game hit streak going, so it wasn't a terrible week (8-28, 2B,3B), but that plate discipline he was showing in Spring Training appears to be wearing off. He hasn't taken a walk during that hit streak to go up against 7Ks. His OBP is now down to .299.

Akron (15-19, 4th place)

This week: 3-4

May 3: Akron 2, Bowie 6

May 4: Akron 5, Bowie 8

May 5: Akron 9, Altoona 4

May 6: Akron 1, Altoona 3

May 7: Akron 3, Altoona 2

May 8: Akron 1, Altoona 0

May 9: Akron 2, Bowie 6

Ups and downs, chutes and ladders...Chuck Lofgren began the season in fierce competition with CC Sabathia for worst performing pitcher in the system. Like the big man, he appears to have turned that around. He took a loss this week, but it was of the hard luck variety (7IP,4H,1R,2BB,7K). He's now gone consecutive starts with good K and BB numbers, and not nearly as many hits on balls in play. Lofgren's got a long way to go though before he starts looking like the best lefthander in Akron, let along in the Tribe's sytem. David Huff owns that title. Huff had his fifth straight impressive start (7IP,4H,1R,0BB,8K) and has not really had a terrible start all season. And for a guy frequently described as a "soft-tossing lefty", his 41Ks in 39IP, partiularly when measured against only 10 BBs, look mighty good.

Middle-infielder Josh Rodriguez , who got off to an atrocious start (.240 average in April, but under .200 for much of the first month) has been rebounding strong of late. This week he went 9-25 with a double, 5BBs, and 8Ks. He doesn't seem to have regained the power he showed last year (20HRs), but it's a start (oh yeah...he was errorless this week, too). Wes Hodges was also decent (7-23,2B,HR,2BB,5K), raising his season line to .283/.336/.504. Chris Gimenez may not have a defensive position, but he continues to hit (6-19,3 2Bs,HR,4BB,3K this week) and show an intriguing combination of power and patience. His line is now at .276/.434/.474. On the opposite end is Matt Whitney who, after a strong April (.277/.358/.447), has had a terrible May thus far (.143/.143/.229). The promotion to Buffalo was probably always going to be Aubrey's, but Whitney hasn't been helping himself any.

A Hafner-Free Zone?

peter m — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:44:09 -0000

It's obvious that everyone here is pretty frustrated with Travis Hafner's struggles. But, I think I'm hearing at least two different views of the situation. Some people think he's crucial to the team and that it's essential that they get him back to hitting well or the team won't be able to contend. It sounds to me as if others feel he's "done" (Mo Vaughn done) and that the team needs to and can move on.

I have trouble accepting this last conclusion -- can the Indians succeed if Hafner does not start to hit at least reasonably well? We've talked a lot about whether Hafner can come back. But, what happens if he doesn't? What do people think that means for the Indians season?

Interested In Columbus?

columbusOHcubsfan — Thu, 08 May 2008 01:38:42 -0000

The AAA Columbus Clippers are constructing a beautiful new ball park in the arena district named Huntington Park in 2009 . We signed a two-year deal to be the AAA team for the Washington Nationals that will end after the 2008 season.

My question to you Indians fans is if you think that the Indians are interested in moving out of Buffalo and locating your AAA club here in Columbus with the Clippers. I think that would be great and I heard you guys would be interested. I would like to hear about what everyone knows. It just sounds like it would make more sense for you guys to have a club closer to home.

A Trip to The House That Ruth Built

mauichuck — Wed, 07 May 2008 12:57:22 -0000

Well I finally made it to Yankee Stadium last night. Took New Jersey Transit up from Princeton Junction to Penn Station and then the "D" Train to Fordham Rd., got off at 181st St. and walked about 10 blocks to Mario’s on Arthur Ave. Met up with Gradysmanlady and a couple of his buddies – ate a little pasta and drank a little vino. All a perfect prelude to a perfect night. GML's a pretty good dude, and for some unknown reason the baseball god’s elected to put us right behind one another waaaaay up in the upper deck. Unfortunately my buddy from Philly was having a hard time – cuz of his knees – making it all the way up to the Himalayan reaches of the stadium so we caged a coupla seats near some NYC secretarial types and their Manhattan real estate agent goomba – he spent most of the game trying to impress the young things with how much he knew about Manhattan real estate – whatta maroon. Later JulioBernarzard showed up after the sixth and we watched most of the remainder of the game together.

Anyway suffice it to say that watching Delucci hit that three run pinch- hit shot offa Chamberlain in the eighth was awful sweet. You could feel the air go outta the stadium as it cleared the fences. We were sitting with about half a dozen or so other Tribe fans from Connecticut. We were all screaming and yelling and high-fiving one another amidst a throng of Yankee partisans – all of which gave us their best version of the ol’ stink-eye. But so what? The Tribe had just taken the lead over the vaunted Yankees offa the unhittable Mr. Chamberlain. What could possibly be better – other than listening to about 2 or 300 other Tribe fans screaming their joy at the Yankee’s misfortune? Like the noted fourteenth century B.C. philosopher Conan the Barbarian usta say, "Good is crushing your enemies, seeing them driven before you and listening to the lamentations of their women". Truer words were never spoken.

Some observations:

Fausto is having trouble locating the plate – duh. And it’s not just that batters are laying off the low stuff. He has stretches were he can’t locate the plate side-to-side or up and down. But then he throws that heater up there at 96 and all seems right. I think he just needs a little work on the side with the pitching coach.
Marte’s a player. There I said it. His defense is excellent. That tag he made in the bottom of the fifth – on Abreu, I think – was an old school veteran play. He stood stone still acting like nothing was happening until, at the last instant he caught the ball and tagged out the runner. Very impressive. He also looked like he had an idea at the plate. The boy at least looks like a hitter, which is more than I can say for most of the line-up.
Hafner looks ab – so – lute – lee lost at the plate. It looks like he’s guessing on every pitch. I don’t know if his stance is too wide, or if he’s over-striding or what, but until he starts to recognize pitches he’s gonna struggle.
Jamie Carroll on the other hand looks like he knows what he's doing with a bat. He takes good swings at good pitches and plays a pretty decent second base – not a good as Asdrubal – but pretty decent. Which is why I think that Cabrera is gonna end up in Buffalo soon. There’s no need to keep him up in the majors and having him struggle when there’s a good replacement available.
Garko, Peralta and Shoppach all look a little confused at the plate. And yes I know Peralta hit that homer. But still they look tentative. These guys will come around but it’s gonna take some work.
Gotta love Raffie L – wicked delivery makes his stuff look harder than it is. Same with Jensen Lewis – if he had a more conventional delivery he’d be getting killed. As it is the hitters are having a tough time finding his stuff.
Alert the media! Yankee fans are a bunch of douche nozzles. I must admit we were treated politely by almost all of the NY fans but in the end their baseball knowledge, for the most part is limited to, "well we’ve won 26 WS, so this year’s team is gonna be great too". I had one older fan tell me that the Tribe hasn’t had a good pitcher since Sam McDowell. Evidently last year’s Cy Young results haven’t been announced yet in Gotham.

I always have big fun at the ballpark – always. But last night was special. Got to meet some of my LGT colleagues, watch the current Yankee HoF designate blow-up and listen to Yankee fans kvetch and flop around – perfect. And, oh yeah, LeStunod choked big time with the game on the line. Two for eighteen indeed!

Well, that might be my last visit to old Yankee Stadium – unless of course those dipwads some how buy a seat at this year’s play-offs. In which case I’ll be back to watch the Tribe pound them into sawdust and break a few balls.

What about D?

JoeyBelleRedux — Tue, 06 May 2008 23:43:11 -0000

I know that offensivly the tribe has looked attrocious, bad approaches, no patience, etc. for most of the season but, why is there not more discussion about therir defense?

I do not get to watch any games that aren't on national T.V. being in LA but, I do listen to Hegan and Hammy and am constantly infuriated by their defense. It seems they are in poor position before the ball is in play, they take poor routes to the ball and take forever to transfer and throw.

Obviously it starts at Third with the Chin, but Garko is below average at first, Peralta has little range and does not turn the DP well at all. Victor as good at the plate as he is still has problems controlling baserunners (which is a problem shared with pitching). RF and CF are solid but it remains to be seen if whomever they put in LF can pull their weight.

Ever since Wedge ball began the fundimentals, including their hitting approach, baserunning, and defense have been terrible and they don't seem to be getting better anytime soon.

Does anybody else feel this way or am I just crazy for thinking that they give up a run or two a night based on either inadiquate or downright poor defense?

JBR

Who's Next Off the Island?

woodsmeister — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:43:31 -0000

Those of you who voted for Jason Michaels to be the first thrown overboard (42%) - congratulations! Your prognosticating skills are mighty and prodigious.

Now that the easiest scapegoat and most spare of spare parts Michaels is gone, who's next?

Casey Blake - could be relegated to super utility duty
Derek Shelton - if the batting funk continues
Abacab - Still has options left, might profit from some time in Buffalo
Eric Wedge - Change begins at the top?
Stil too early to shake it up again?
Andy Marte

Poll

Who's next off the island if the troubles continue?

Tribe at Cincinnati - Who's going?

AngG — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:42:41 -0000

So I know I'm the only one here who cares about the ~*Battle for Ohio*~ with my wacky dual loyalties and all that, but is anyone else going to be in Cincinnati in two weeks to see the Indians play the Reds?

I'll be with my family so I don't know if I'll be able to get away to meet up, but I'll be at Saturday's game. Let me know if I need to keep an eye out for any of you.

LGT Field Trip

mauichuck — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:40:03 -0000

This ain't really a fanpost, cuz I don't expect any discussion. But here it is: me and some of the other LGT guys are goin to watch the Tribe massacre the Yankees Tuesday night in NYC. Anybody else wanna join up? Yous can reach me at cghardy@maui.net or on my cell at (808) 268-5220. Oh yeah here's sixteen more words to make it 75 word total - ya know so it's 75 words.

Cliff Lee

Gladiator — Mon, 05 May 2008 18:31:00 -0000

Found this on mlb.com, regarding trades that didnt happen that have had an impact.

1. Cliff Lee, Indians
• Then: The Tribe was desperate to find a taker for Lee, who had spiraled from a top Cy Young Award contender in 2005 to a Minor League journeyman in 2007. But the $10.5 million remaining on the 29-year-old left-hander's contract turned off potential suitors.

A couple of weeks into Spring Training, the Indians appeared stuck with Lee. He'd been bombed for 17 hits and eight runs in his first 8 2/3 exhibition innings. Only his guaranteed contract kept earning him more chances,

• Now: This is the guy keeping the new name of the '07 AL Central champs' ballpark from being Regressive Field. **At 5-0, he owns one fewer win than the rest of the rotation (Fausto Carmona, C.C. Sabathia, Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook) combined.

His statistics read like typos, with an 0.96 ERA, 32 strikeouts to two walks, and one baserunner allowed every two innings.

Says the AL April Pitcher of the Month's manager, Eric Wedge: "That's nothing you'd expect from anyone at this level, the highest level in the world. To have a month like that is very special."

** I bolded that part because eventhough I am a fan, I found it a bit humorous

Stock up on the Antacids

talonk — Sun, 04 May 2008 04:19:12 -0000

While the offense continues to %&*$ing stink, I reviewed the recap for tonite's game. In the Notes to the AP recap was the following tidbit:

Manager Eric Wedge said RHP Joe Borowski (strained triceps) will return to the closer's role when he comes off the disabled list. Borowski is scheduled to throw off the mound next week

While I know Wedge likes to be loyal to the veterans on the team, I think this would be a very poor decision.

First, RaffyB has yet to get a real chance to prove he can or can't do the closer's job. Second, if Joe is not throwing at the velocity he did last year during his high wire acts, he really needs to be eased into use again. I'd rather him get a few games/weeks in lower leverage situations first before being thrown into fire.

We are trying to win a pennant here, not smooth over Joe's ego. Besides, Joe more than likely retires at the end of the year anyways.