Time is now for Tribe

With Sunday's 4-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles, the Cleveland Indians were on the verge of swept at home for a four-game weekend series and also fell below .500 for the first time since April.

The "Friends of the Feather" were trying to drum up interest in attending the ballpark and give the lowest-average attendance in Major League Baseball a boost this weekend with tons of giveaways, including discounts on parking and deals with Cleveland's RTA system to transport fans to and from the ballpark. It worked, with an average of 30,000 fans for the three weekend games.

However, most of those fans may not come back after seeing the Indians struggle offensively against the Orioles and watch former Indians legend Jim Thome torment the team with his best games since Baltimore acquired him a few weeks ago from the Phillies.

With July 31 looming, the Indians' brass have to make a tough decision -- do they become buyers to salvage their dwindling playoff chances, or do they look at Detroit surging and the White Sox holding steady and decide to become sellers?

Larry Dolan, Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti have to know that, if they become sellers after promising the fans that they would "go for it" in 2012, the attendance for the remaining two months will become almost microscopic and general fan interest would disappear. However, with several contracts coming up (with little chance of re-signing those players) and with several holes needing to be filled -- and a minor-league system that is depleted once again -- the best business decision might be to start shopping those players for some young prospects.

However, Indians fans are tired of hearing about "good business decisions" and "bottom lines" and "market sizes." They are tired of seeing a team put together with shoestrings and bandages on the cheap with the hope that they can take some teams by surprise and slide into contention.

Last season, a skeptical fan base was won over by a 30-15 start that seemed to come out of nowhere. Those Indians quickly proved that the hot-start was a fluke, as they were lapped by Detroit for the Central Division crown and wound up finishing two games under-.500.

Last year, Antonetti decided to become a buyer (reversing a common trend by Shapiro of being sellers at the deadline) and gave up their two most recent first-round draft choices (Drew Pomeranz and Alex White), along with two other good prospects, for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. Jimenez was signed through 2012, and Antonetti tried to sell the fan base on the deal by saying that not only put them contention in 2011, but also in 2012.

Jimenez struggled upon joining the Indians last year, and has been Jeckyl and Hyde this season -- looking like Cy Young one game and like Micheal Young the next. He has been one of the reasons why the Indians' starting pitching has been mediocre at best.

The Tribe also did very little in the offseason to show the fans they were serious about contending in 2012. Supposedly, they pursued Carlos Beltran, Josh Willingham and Carlos Pena, but were either outbid or outspent for all three. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand-grenades, and Tribe fans don't want to hear about how "close" the front office came to spending their cash.

They thought they freed up $9 million when they declined Grady Sizemore's club option. However, they spent that money back on Sizemore ($5 million guaranteed) and on 39-year-old starting pitcher Derek Lowe (even though the Braves picked up $10 million of the $15 million he was owed). Sizemore hasn't played a single inning this season and may not play at all. Lowe got off to a terrific start in 2012, but has since crashed back down to earth over the past two months.

Besides those "riveting" moves, the Indians settled for Casey Kotchman to fill the first base hole and waited until after spring training to sign the aging Johnny Damon to fill the left field hole. Both have been disappointments.

Neither have added any butts to the seats.

If the Indians truly want to be contenders and not pretenders, they need to find a legitimate right-handed bat to play either left field, third base or first base (or two) and they need to find another starting pitcher, because the current crop -- Lowe, Jimenez, Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin and the AAA-duo of Jeanmar Gomez and Zach McAllister -- have been disappointing and inconsistant.

With the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona being granted a work visa by the U.S. government and having to serve a three-weeks suspension by MLB for falseifying his identity, that does give the Indians a live arm for the stretch run. However, Carmona is the same guy that lost 15 games last season and, in reality, only had one good season -- 19 wins in 2007 -- during his major league career. How much help is this guy, at three years older than he was listed and under a different name, going to really be?

The additional wild-card team in each league has put a record-number of teams in contention for the postseason as July comes to a close. That includes the under-.500 Indians, who have the benefit of playing in the weakest division in the American League.

Shapiro foreshadowed a potentially quiet offseason when he Tweeted about how all the teams in contention limits the amount of players that could be available and limits the amount of "sellers" there will be. He quickly downplayed it, but it sent a loud signal that the Indians may not do much.

Players such as San Diego's Carlos Quentin and Chase Headley, Minnesota's Willingham (who the Indians refused to give an additional year to during the offseason) and the Cubs' Bryan LaHair and Alfonso Soriano are the big names that could be available. Either one would be a welcome addition to a lineup that has struggled and does not have an identity.

Pitching-wise, Chicago also takes the stage with Ryan Dempster and Matt Garza available. Philadelphia is also supposedly dangling Cole Hamels. Any of those three would immediatley vault to the top of the Tribe's pitching rotation.

Offense wins in the regular season, but it's pitching that wins in the postseason. Fans of the 1995 Indians know that all too well. This starting rotation will not win many postseason games the way it's currently constructed, especially since they've now lost more games than they've won in the regular season.

The back-end of the bullpen has been light's out. Even with Chris Perez's "foot-in-mouth disease," he's only blown two saves all season (both, however, were three-run saves; one was on Opening Day and the other was the final game of the first half). Set-up man Vinnie Pestano has inherited 11 runners this season, and none have scored. Pestano and Perez have formed about as lockdown of a back-end of the bullpen as you can imagine, and it's a big reason why the Indians have won as many games as they've had.

However, they may have part with one of those players (Perez being the front-runner) in order to make the rest of the team better, either for the short-term of the long-term. A closer like Perez becomes a luxury on a team that's no longer in contention. A team that's willing to deal a top hitter may want Perez to help their bullpen. Fortunately, Pestano seems to have the makeup and moxie (without the mouth and the gestures of Perez) to become a top-of-the-line closer.

Shin-Soo Choo's contract is up after this season, and there is very little chance he re-signs with the Indians. His agent Scott Boras is ruthless and can drive up a player's value by simple negotation tactics. The Indians will not afford him. Despite him being the best outfielder currently on the team, Choo could be dealt.

Another player that has value is Asdrubal Cabrera. The two-time All-Star shortstop has made some dazzling plays in the field that remind Tribe fans of Omar Vizquel (however, he lacks Omar's charm and affability). The Indians have a shortstop of the future in Francisco Lindor, who has opened a lot of eyes in the low minor leagues. Lindor is still a few years away from conrtributing, and Cabrera is under contract for a few more seasons after signing an extension. But, he could command an bounty.

However, if the team becomes buyers, Lindor is one name that other GMs will ask about. By far, he's the best prospect in the Indians' minor leagues, and he is still playing in Class A.

The Indians can hope that Matt LaPorta and Russ Canzler will command interest, but you can hope in one hand and crap in the other and see which one fills up first. The Indians' refusal to bring up LaPorta and Canzler, despite their offensive struggles, sends a loud signal to the other teams that they have given up on them. They would be considred nothing but "throw-ins" in any trade and not as the main bargaining chips.

If the Indians want to keep up fan interest, they may have to become buyers. They need to show the skeptical and angry fan base that they really do want to win. Sadly, most fans (including Joe Cleveland) believe the opposite.

Joe Cleveland does not envy the Dolans, Shapiro and Antonetti right now. They are, essentially, in a no-win situation.

Become buyers, and you risk giving up some future prospects for a short-term fix that may not be enough (as we saw last season). However, it shows you are proactive to the fans and gives your team a legitimate chance of making the playoffs and having a winning record.

Become sellers, then you risk turning off your fan base even more than it already is. However, you see that this season will be one in the red anyway and see a division race that is starting to spiral away, and you try to replenish the shelves that have been bare thanks to numerous squandered first-round draft choices and the recent Jimenez trade for another chance to make a run in a few seasons.

Or, you simply stand pat and don't do anything. You watch this team continue to spiral downward, while winning a few games here and there, but then watch in the offseason as Choo, Sizemore, Hafner and many others walk away with nothing to show for them.

Best of luck, Indians. You are caught between a rock and a hard place, and you only have yourselves to blame for putting yourselves in this position.

***

Speaking of trades, the Cavaliers are rumored to be in the mix during the on-going Dwight Howard saga.

Howard, who may have become the NBA's newest heel, replacing LeBron James, for the way he's dragged the Orlando Magic organization through the mud over the last two seasons, wants out. However, he claims he only wants to sign with the Brooklyn Nets (why, I have no freaking idea).

The Los Angeles Lakers, who recently added point guard Steve Nash to their already potent lineup, want Howard to give them a lineup that Miami can only dream about, even with the discounted signings of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis. But, they do have, arguably, the second-best center in the NBA in Andrew Bynum.

Bynum, however, has worn out his welcome in L.A. with his frequent injuries and his constant butting heads with the coaching staff. He used and abused Mike Brown, the former Cavs coach who cow-towed to LeBron's every need and whim while he was here, last season with the Lakers, and Brown is fed up.

Orlando also has several big contracts that they have to unload to make things work. So, they need to find a team with a lot of cap room. That team is the Cavs.

Bynum, who supposedly expressed an interest in signing with the Cavs as a free agent in 2013 in order to play with up-and-coming point guard Kyrie Irving, is on the Cavs' radar. Anderson Varejao, one of the last remaining links to the LeBron Era and is a fan favorite based on his style of play, would be dealt to Orlando for a three-way swap of centers.

However, the agents for both Bynum and Howard are saying that they won't sign contract extensions for either of their new teams and want to test the free agent market after the 2013 season. The Cavs and Lakers, respectively, would be able to sign both players to more money and more years than other teams. However, we've seen in the past that that guarantee doesn't mean squat.

A lot of media members are advocating against acquiring Bynum. They think he's a cancer and injury-prone. They wonder if he would re-sign with the Cavs or if he would be the latest to make a decision to go elsewhere. They wonder how he would jive with a young lineup of Irving, Tristan Thompson and new draft picks Dion Waiters and Tyler Zeller.

They wonder how he would react to playing for a strict taskmaster like Byron Scott, a coach who isn't afraid to challenge his players.

Joe Cleveland says, if you can make this deal, even without the guarantee of a new contract, you do it.

Bynum instantly makes the Cavs a playoff team and puts them in the top four in the Eastern Conference. He would easily be the best Cavs center since Brad Daughterty played (yep, that includes Zydrunas Ilgauskas). With  an emerging point guard in Irving to serve as a facilitator, Bynum could have one of the best seasons of his pro career.

Perhaps a strict coach like Scott, who Bynum supposedly respects, is what he needs to be reigned in. Some players will challenge coaches to see how long of a leash they will be given. Phil Jackson was not a disciplinarian, but he had the rings to command respect (it didn't stop Bynum, but Jackson believed in treating the players like "men"). Mike Brown came to the Lakers with the reputation of being LeBron's enabler, and he did little to change that perception.

And, to be honest, if Bynum decides to test the market, can you imagine what the Cavs could land in a "sign-and-trade" deal? OK, so they didn't get much in the sign-and-trade for LeBron James. However, the Cavs had their hands tied at that point. LeBron was going to sign with the Heat. If they wanted something, ANYTHING, to show for him, they had to give him that extra year Miami couldn't give him and make the deal.

Bynum won't be going on ESPN with any "Decisions" any time soon. The Cavs would have more freedom to pursue the best deal, whether it's re-signing him to keep him or re-signing him to acquire more assets.

I don't think Chris Grant has the cojones to make this kind of deal, especially after they balked at the earler three-team deal with the Nets that could have brought Kris Humphries to Cleveland. However, if they are serious about speeding up Irving's learning curve and putting the Cavs back in the playoff picture sooner, Dan Gilbert and Grant need to sign off on this deal and make it so.

***

With Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III signed and sealed, it's only a matter of time before Trent Richardson signs with the Browns, along with their other first-round choice, Brandon Weeden.

I expect Richardson to sign by Tuesday at the latest, and Weeden to follow shortly after. I would not be surprised to see the Browns announce the signing of both players on the same day.

Just in time for training camp to begin.

While the Browns didn't do much in free agency, they used the draft to do an overhaul of the offense that is more drastic than we've seen in quite some time.

The Browns could be starting rookie draft choices at QB (Weeden), RB (Richardson), WR (Josh Gordon), RT (Mitchell Schwartz) and FB (Brad Smelley). Rookies like Travis Benjamin and Josh Cooper could easily make the team and be immediate contributors at receiver, while guard Ryan Miller could be a regular contributor as he competes with incumbant starters Jason Pinkston and Shawn Lavaeo.

It is somewhat surprising that two respected football outlets aren't giving the Browns more due. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports predicts the Browns will go 1-15, while ProFootballTalk.com ranked the Browns 32nd out of 32 teams in the preseason.

We can take solace in the fact that most of the same media outlets were saying the same things about the Cincinnati Bengals at this point of the offseason, and the Bengals wound up finishing 9-7 and made the playoffs.

Joe Cleveland's ready for some Browns football!

Until next time, remember that Cleveland rocks!

Open mouth, insert foot

So, Indians closer Chris Perez was one of two Wahoos to be named to the American League All-Star Team, along with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera.

Something tells me that Mr. Perez will be one of a tiny few on the AL roster who get booed by the crowd at Kansas City's Kauffman Stadium. In fact, he'll probably be the recipient of the loudest boos of the night for any player on any team.

I wonder how Perez will take it, considering how sensitive he is to being booed by a home crowd.

This is what happens when you run your mouth for no apparent reason, other than to rile yourself up. You suffer the consequences.

I wonder if Kansas City fans will do the "You can't see me gesture" to him if he enters the game and starts giving up hits. I wonder if someone will hold up a sign that says, "You drill us, we drill you!"

It appears the guy who calls himself "Pure Rage" isn't completely over the mentality of Cleveland fans and their long memories when it comes to his performances and the performances of his Indians' teams. His little popoff to the New York Times confirms it.

Perez seems like another Braylon Edwards. Edwards mostly dressed down Cleveland, the Browns organization and his teammates while he was here, and then lit into all of them the moment he was sent packing to New York to play for the Jets.

Browns fans booed Braylon, and booed him hard. And, they will continue to boo him ... that is, if he ever finds another NFL job.

The moment Perez leaves the Indians -- and it could happen sooner rather than later -- he will pull a Braylon and really let Cleveland know how he feels. He may stress that he doesn't want to go anywhere, but I believe that he's praying that the Indians fall out of contention so they will dangle him to the highest bidder.

Last week, while the Indians were in New York to play (and subsequently get swept by) the Yankees, Perez expounded on his earlier feelings about the fans.

He said fans seemed to care more about rooting against LeBron James and the Miami Heat than they do about rooting for the Indians.

“I don’t get the psyche,” said Perez, who grew up in Florida. “Why cheer against a guy that’s not even in your city anymore? Just to see him fail? Does that make you feel good? I could see if the Cavs were in the championship, but that’s their mentality.

“They’ve had a lot of years of misery. They say, ‘You just don’t understand because you don’t live here.’ O.K., maybe I don’t. But that doesn’t mean it has to keep going.”

The Indians drew more than 3 million fans for six seasons in a row starting in 1996, the year the NFL Browns moved to Baltimore. The new version of the Browns has not won a playoff game in its 13 seasons.

“That’s what I don’t understand,” Perez said. “Their whole thing is, ‘We want a winner.’ Well, why do you support the Browns? They don’t win. They’ve never won. They left. You guys blindly support them. I don’t understand it. It’s a double standard, and I don’t know why.

It's head-scratching. It's just -- they don't come out. But around the city, there's great support. They watch it in the bars. They watch it at home. They just don't come."

A few Cleveland fans claimed that Perez was "speaking the truth." About what, Joe Cleveland wonders?

So, Perez -- a University of Miami graduate -- thinks that the people who support his team in the city he plays should "get over" LeBron James. Apparently, it's OK for Perez to keep an entire city, region, fanbase and franchise in limbo for three years while he drops cryptic hints, gives up on that franchise during his final playoff series, not return any phone calls from the media (or his franchise) after the season, even after that franchise dumped the coach and GM to placate him, and then go on national TV and say you're taking your so-called "talents" somewhere else.

Sure, it's OK for that guy to make disparaging comments about Cleveland after he leaves and throw your teammates under the bus ... then again, this is exactly what Perez has been doing all along.

All of his comments and off-color on-field demeanor simply riles up his opponents. Meanwhile, he sits in the sanctity of the bullpen for 8 innings and only pitches if his team has a lead and only pitches one inning when he does. His teammates, which aren't that good to begin with, find out that other teams are bringing their best and not holding back anything because they've gotten the proper motivation to do so.

Perez likes to talk trash abour the Browns and Browns fans. OK, Chris, let me throw some cold, hard facts your way.

The Cleveland Browns have 8 championshps, while the Cleveland Indians have 2 (and the Cleveland Indians have been around almost 50 years longer than the Browns have).

The Cleveland Browns have won a championship more recently than the Cleveland Indians have -- 1964 (Browns) to 1948 (Indians). Even though the Indians have been in the World Series two more times than the Browns have been in the Super Bowl since 1964.

Going back 10 years -- to 2002 -- the Cleveland Browns have had the exact same amount of playoff berths (one) and winning seasons (two) than the Cleveland Indians have.

So, Chris Perez, why, exactly, is your franchise better than the Browns? Do your history homework, son!

There really isn't a scientific reason as to why Cleveland is more of a football town than a baseball town. You factor in 8 homes games for the Browns to 81 for the Indians, and you can see why people go more ape-shit for the football home games. Plus, it's actually cheaper to go to a season's worth of Browns games than a season's worth of Indians games, when you factor in parking, concessions, travel, etc.

Perhaps the move (and the way the fans responded and the end result) only added to the Browns fervor. The fans showed what loyalty can accomplish when they got the NFL to make a ruling they've never done and gotten concessions (the guarantee of a franchise within a certain time frame, the complete history of the franchise retained, the NFL to kick in on a new stadium) the NFL has never allowed. Yes, the team has been mediocre (by and large) since they've returned. But, quite honestly, haven't all the Cleveland franchises been pretty mediocre during that span?

The Cavs had five straight playoff berths from 2005-2010 with LeBron James in town, even reaching the NBA Finals once. If any franchise wants to call "scoreboard" to the town, the Cavs deserve it, even with LeBron tucking tail and going ring hunting in Florida.

The Indians haven't had a winning season since 2007 (which, coincidentally, was the Browns' last winning season). That year, they had a 3-1 lead in the ALCS over the Boston Red Sox, with Game 5 being played at Jacobs Field with Cy Young winner CC Sabathia on the hill. Somehow, the Tribe blew it.

Perez wants to crow about how his team is "winning," but pennants aren't awarded because you had a great April and May. The Indians had a phenomenal April and May last season, only to finish two games under .500 and double-digit games behind Detroit for the AL Central crown. This season, they had a good April and May, but have struggled ever since Perez went nuclear on his own fanbase.

Yes, the team's offense and the inconsistant starting pitching and some of Manny Acta's moves are all to blame, and Perez still hasn't blown a save since Opening Day. But it seems AWFUL coincidental that the team's overall struggles occurred when Perez popped off the media about a so-called "lack of support" from his fan base.

Perez doesn't seem to get it. Unfortunately, his comments have made him somewhat of a cult hero to a sect of the fan base. But, Joe Cleveland sees a fan base that has struggled to back the Indians because of their apparent lack of supporting a winning product, from ownership on down, and realizes that the Indians blew a lead last year that very few franchises blow and wound up with nothing, and knows that a guy popping off about THEM being the problem and not his manager, his general manager, his president and his owners being the problem (which they are), and most of THEM will sit on their money and not feel as motivated to make the trek to Carnegie and Ontario on a summer night.

The Indians were 12-15 in June. They were 23-17 when Perez first popped off, and 40-39 now, which is 17-22 since May 19. They are barely over .500 and first place in the Central (which is what they were on May 19) seems like a distant memory.

I want the Indians to succeed. However, Chris Perez, if you struggle, Joe Cleveland will not be shy about letting you have it or letting you hear about it.

You drill us, we'll drill you!

Hope you're somewhere else after July 31, Chrissy. Vinnie Pestano should get three measly outs in the ninth inning just as well at a fraction of the salary, without being a lightning rod for controversy.

***

After LeBron led the Heat to the NBA title a few weeks ago, someone argued that LeBron's last Cavs team, the 2010 team, was just as good, if not better, than his current Heat team.

Of course, the main arguement for the pro-LeBron, pro-Decision people is that Cleveland never gave him the proper supporting cast, yadda-yadda-yadda.

Joe Cleveland did some research, and you might be surprised just how evenly these two teams match up.

If you're a stats guy, look it up. If you're a basketball guy, consider this:

STARTERS:
PG -- Mo Williams vs. Mario Chalmers (advantage Cavs)
SG -- Anthony Parker vs. Dwayne Wade (advantage Heat)
SF -- LeBron James vs. LeBron James (I'll give the slight edge to the Heat James because he wasn't afraid to play in the post, unlike his time with the Cavs)
PF -- Antawn Jamison vs. Chris Bosh (even)
C -- Shaquille O'Neal vs. Joel Anthony (advantage Cavs, even with Shaq on the downside, he would eat Anthony for lunch)

Cavs Bench -- J.J. Hickson, Delonte West, Anderson Varejao, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Daniel Gibson
Heat Bench -- Shane Battier, Norris Cole, Udonis Haslem, Mike Miller, Ronny Turiaf

Cavs get a major advantage here, even taking into account Miller's 3-point surge in Game 6. As Gibson showed in 2007, everyone catches lightning in a bottle sometime.

For you stat guys:

2012 Miami Big 3 (points-rebounds-assists)
Lebron James 27-8-6
Dwayne Wade 22-5-5
Chris Bosh 18-6-2

2010 Cleveland Big 3
Lebron James 29-7-9
Antawn Jamison 19-8-1
Mo Williams 15-3-5

Miami has a plus-4 advantage in points, but just a plus-1 advantage in rebounds, while the Cavs had a plus-2 advantage in assists.

To me, what this shows is that, if LeBron had shown half the gumption and heart he showed this year that he didn't show in 2010, the Cavs would have won a championship that season.

The key was LeBron himself. This year, he carried his team to a title. In 2007, he carried the Cavs to the finals. In 2009 and 2010 (and 2011 with Miami), he disappeared when it mattered, except for one fantastic buzzer-beating 3-pointer in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals.

LeBron had the pieces around him here in Cleveland, regardless of what ESPN wants to revise in their own history books or what Cleveland-haters want to believe. It was LeBron who failed Cleveland, not the other way around.

I think that's what angers Cleveland fans more than anything. They know, deep down, that Miami's title should be theirs.

***

When the Cavs drafted Dion Waiters with the No. 4 pick last Thursday, Joe Cleveland's not going to lie -- I was pretty angry.

When the Cavs gave up their remaining three draft picks to acquire center Tyler Zeller, Joe Cleveland's mood didn't get any better.

How could the Cavs screw up this draft, I wondered? Why would they take a collegiate non-starter that they never worked out with their first pick, and then give up everything else for a white "stiff" center?

Well, I let it marinate for 24 hours, did some research, listened as the national pundits didn't lambaste the Cavs over an open spicket like I thought they would, listened as Byron Scott and Chris Grant beamed and boasted about the picks, and realized, well, I might have rushed to judgement.

Two of the Cavs' most glaring needs was an athletic 2-guard to team up with Kyrie Irving in the backcourt and an athletic, long center to clog up the middle. They may have filled those two needs with Waiters and Zeller.

Zeller is not a center like Shaq or Dwight Howard or Roy Hibbert. Zeller is along the lines of another guy named 'Z' that played with the Cavs for a long time, a finesse big man who has range. Unlike Ilgauskas, Zeller is more athletic and can get up and down the floor quickly while also disrupting things on the defensive end.

Waiters may be the most athletic player in this draft, in terms of skill set and intangibles. Waiters is confident in his own abilities. You need that to succeed in today's NBA. He can create his own shot while also meshing well with who he called "his brother," Irving.

All the Cavs were raving about the picks when they happened. The national media have given them high grades. Byron Scott can't want to get this young team out on the court for the 2012-13 season.

They are going to run, run, and run some more.

I'm still not 100 percent, but now I'm more anxious to see these kids in action than I was before.

Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!