Why do I suddenly get flashbacks to 2007 all over again?
2007 was the last time fortunes shone so well for the landscape of Cleveland sports. The LeBron James-led Cavs upset the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals to punch their ticket to the NBA Finals for the first (and only) time in franchise history. The Indians won 96 games and won their first AL Central title since 2001, and came within a game of reaching the World Series (leading the Red Sox 3-1 in the ALCS). And the Browns used a eyebrow-raising early-season transaction to reel off 10 victories -- the most since the team returned in 1999 -- and came within a tiebreaker of reaching the NFL Playoffs for just the second time since that return.
Unfortunately, 2008 happened, which led to every other year until now. The Cavs never could reach the NBA Finals again and then wound up losing James to Miami. The Indians couldn't take advantage of back-to-back Cy Young Award winning pitchers and wound up trading both away for not much in return. The Browns quickly realized that Derek Anderson was a mediocre quarterback and suddenly found themselves back in the position they've been in -- changing regimes, changing coaches, changing quarterbacks, etc.
"Saviors" came and went -- Mike Holmgren, Byron Scott, Manny Acta, Colt McCoy, James, Eric Mangini, Victor Martinez, Mo Williams, etc. The Cavs became irrelevant after James took his talents down south. The Indians would tease in May but fall apart in June, July and August. The Browns just became a revolving door of mediocrity, as snake-oil salesmen came in with their "grand plans," would blow everything up, but couldn't quite seem to win more than 4 or 5 games each year.
But Sunday -- where both the Browns and Indians won meaningful games, and won them in convincing fashion -- was a day to wash all that away. Today is day where, despite the rainy weather, it looked a bit brighter outside, your breakfast tasted better, your good morning kiss lasted a little longer and you felt about 10 points lighter than you already were.
And, the sad part is, neither the Indians and the Browns have won anything truly meaningful (a.k.a. a championship) yet. But today, Joe Cleveland doesn't care, and I believe most of you don't either.
We'll start with the Indians, since their 5-1 win over the Minnesota Twins clinched something that seemed impossible not just at the start of the season, but at various times DURING this season -- their first playoff berth since 2007 and first-ever Wild-Card berth (all other playoff berths were AL Central Division titles).
Look at this team a little closer -- they had no pitchers with at least 15 victories. Their closer had a "whopping" 25 saves and wound up losing his job down this stretch. They had nobody with 25 home runs or 90 RBIs. They had nobody batting over .300 that was an every-day starter.
But yet, this team -- a team that lost 94 games last season -- went 92-70 this season and will HOST the AL Wild-Card game Wednesday night against whoever wins a one-game playoff between Tampa Bay and Texas.
Even those of you Wahoo Warriors who live, eat and breathe Tribe, those of you who made up the 19,000-fan average at Progressive Field this summer, have to step back and take a look at this team and pinch yourselves. Yeah, they spent some money this offseason. Yeah, they got rid of the Shelly Duncans and Brent Lillibridges and David Delluccis of year's past and brought in viable major league talent. But Nick Swisher, until September, was proving to be a waste of money and Michael Bourn, who led the NL in steals virtually every season, wasn't having the same success in the AL with the Indians. And Drew Stubbs, who was acquired for Shin-Soo Choo, couldn't even stay in the lineup regularly, having been beaten out by Ryan Raburn -- a guy who was brought to camp under a minor-league deal with the most everyone thought of him being was "depth."
Third base was a disaster, as Lonnie Chisenhall couldn't keep his job, Mark Reynolds was even worse and it became a revolving door of Chisenhall and Mark Aviles (a regular shortstop). Carlos Santana regressed as a catcher and Yan Gomes wound up becoming the every-day catcher. And they held on to a 42-year-old former steroid cheat who, if he wasn't hitting a home run or a seeing-eye single, was giving the fans around home plate some additional air conditioning with his hacks.
The pitching -- I won't go into detail. But you went into September with your No. 1 starter on the shelf with an injury and your former two-time All-Star closer suddenly developing a serious case of the yips and becoming more unreliable than he had become in the past.
And yet, with this cast of characters, the Indians go 22-6 in September and end the season on a 10-game winning streak. Go back even further, and they won 17-of-their-last-19 games. Sure, they had a bunch of cupcakes on the schedule in September (they went 17-2 against the White Sox -- and these weren't the 2005 World Champion White Sox), but they played the hand they were dealt and took advantage. They needed to win their last 10 games in a row to even hope that they would be, at least, in a two- or three-way tie for the Wild Card spot, let alone in it at all, and they not only did that, but also cemented that game at home while Tampa Bay and Texas have to waste pitching today to try to simply get the right to play the Indians at a sold-out Progressive Field Wednesday night.
You had that 42-year-old former steroid cheat Jason Giambi deliver, arguably, the biggest home run of the season -- a two-out, two-run walkoff jack to deep right off of White Sox closer Addison Reed that pulled their kiesters squarely out of the fire. Chris Perez gave away a two-run lead in the 9th by giving up a pair of home runs. I would say, if they wind up losing that game, we're not talking about the playoff-bound Indians. We're lamenting about another late season collapse.
I'm not a Giambi fan and I never will be. But I will thank him for single-handedly saving this season. With that home run, they don't win 10 straight games and they don't host the Wild Card game. They might not even be playing today for the right to be in that Wild Card game.
But the biggest reason why this team with this mismatched cast of characters, without a true superstar, without anyone with glittering stats, with former All-Stars going through season-long slumps and high-priced free agent signings underperforming (two of them didn't even last the full season with the Indians -- Reynolds and Brett Myers), is the manager -- Terry Francona.
I will always be a critic of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, but they used their prior relationship with Francona to lure him away from the desk of ESPN back into the dugout wearing Chief Wahoo on his hat. Francona came to town with two World Series rings from his days as a Boston Red Sox manager (2004 and 2007), but some felt his resume was blown up by the fact that the Red Sox had one of the highest-payrolls in MLB during that span. He fielded an All-Star team rife with superstar talent, and even when his team wasn't winning World Series titles, they were always in the playoffs and a threat to do so.
With the Indians, he wasn't going to have an owner willing to spend over $100 million to put out the best possible team money can buy. Sure, payroll went up this year, but he didn't have Dustin Pedroia at second base, David Ortiz at DH, Curt Schilling as the ace of the staff, along with Pedro Martinez, or a young fireballer named Jonathan Papalbon as the up-and-coming closer. He didn't have Johnny Damon in his prime. If he would have shown up last year, he would have dealt with Johnny Damon over the hill.
I would argue and say that the managing job Francona did with this Indians team to turn them into a 92-70, playoff team (that actually finished one game behind Detroit for the AL Central crown) was better than the job he did with the Sox in 2004 and 2007. This year, he did more with less. He pushed all the right buttons, kept his team focused, overcame a mountain of adversity in various aspects and, at the end of the day, has them in the postseason.
No one expected them do it. I predicted 81-81 this year, using this as a step in the right direction. No one turns a 94-loss team into a 92-win team in one season -- not in today's Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap and there is no parity.
Well, Terry Francona did it, and for that, Joe Cleveland thanks him with all of his heart. You made baseball relevant in this town again after years of it not being so. 44,000 people will be at Progressive Field for an October baseball game, and that's because of Terry Francona.
Even if they lose on Wednesday, and even if they can't get past the Red Sox in the ALDS if they do win on Wednesday, I will not be disappointed. It's hard to be disappointed in something you really didn't believe in in the first place. I had written the Indians off many times this year, especially when they stumbled to a 4-15 record against the Tigers. I even had the Indians written off two weeks ago, when they couldn't take advantage of Texas and Tampa Bay playing each other in a four-game series. My tough-love approach worked, and it's not crazy if it doesn't work.
Right now, it's all icing on the cake. Sure, I want the Indians to win a World Series championship -- we all want to see one championship in our lifetimes, especially when we've been devoid of one since 1964. But, to me, the true litmus test is next season. This front office can't sit on their laurels and pat themselves on the back about getting to the playoffs, like they did in 2007. They need to be proactive NOW. If you don't believe in Chris Perez or Asdrubal Cabrera or Carlos Santana, do something about it! Use them to build up your assets for 2014 and beyond! Sure, find some other low-priced free agents that pan out, like Scott Kazmir, Raburn and Giambi, but don't settle for the cheap approach. Sign at least one more guy like you signed Swisher and Bourn. You have $15 million coming off the books with Myers and Reynolds gone, and it could be more by parting with Perez and Cabrera. Use that money for more talent.
Attendance is guaranteed to spike next season. Tribe fans played the "show-me" game with this franchise this year, and they went out and showed us. Now, we believe. Now, we want to be swept up in Tribe fever like we were in the 1990s. You have a manager that, as Swisher says in his annoying commercial, players respect and love playing for.
2013 should be the start of something great for the Cleveland Indians, not the culmination of something. Larry Dolan said his goal was to win "World Series championships" when he bought this team. Now it's time to put his money where his mouth was.
Which brings me to the Browns ...
Two weeks ago, most Browns fans were talking about "Tanking for Teddy" or "Tanking for Tajh" after Joe Banner and Mike Lombardi stunningly traded Trent Richardson to the Colts for their 2014 first-round pick. The same day, Rob Chudzinski announced that third-stringer Brian Hoyer would be the starting quarterback in place of the injured Brandon Weeden, which only intensified those tank feelings.
Today, nobody's talking about Teddy Bridgewater or any "Bridgewater Bowls" against Jacksonville or anything else like that. Today, everyone's wrapped up in "Hoyer Paranoia" and believing that the Browns can actually do something positive this season.
Sure, it's only 2-2, but they just beat two teams that were in the postseason last season -- the Vikings on the road and the Bengals at home. The Bengals were everyone's pick to win the AFC North this season, and the Browns DOMINATED them, 17-6. The score should have been worse, but kicker Billy Cundiff missed one field goal and had another one partially blocked.
North Olmsted native and St. Ignatius grad Brian Hoyer has become the latest folk hero around these parts. The Cleveland Kid came back to the team he grew up rooting for and led them to two wins in his first two starts. You can't script that any better. And this was a kid that couldn't beat out Jason Campbell to be Weeden's primary backup in training camp (although many observers thought that he did).
All of a sudden, this Browns defense looks to be at tough as advertised before the season. This wasn't the same team that lost, 23-10, to Miami in the season opener at FirstEnergy Stadium. This was a team that could very well be the best team in the AFC North.
Today, the Browns, the Bengals and those Thieving Bastards from Baltimore are all 2-2. The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-4 ..... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!
OK, Joe Cleveland had to get that out of his system. Remember, we still have to play the Squeelers from Pittspuke twice, but boy, don't those games sure look winnable now? Especially when you see the Browns beat the Bengals and the Vikings and then notice that both of those teams beat Pittsburgh?
You harken back to that Baltimore game two weeks ago, and can you imagine if Hoyer and Josh Gordon played in that game? The Browns held Joe Flacco and the Ravens to just two touchdowns, but all Weeden could accomplish was two field goals as Greg Little dropped pass after pass and Richardson struggled to gain more than three yards per carry. This team could very well be 3-1 now, because the Ravens aren't that good.
Remember when Browns fans were bitching about taking Barkevioius Mingo over Jarvis Jones, and then feeling that we'd regret that decision when Jones blossoms into another stellar Steeler linebacker? Yeah, me neither. Spinal Stenosis Jones has underwhelmed, to put it nicely, while Mingo -- after a suffering a lung injury that cost him the season opener -- has been an animal out on the field, a true difference maker.
Buster Skrine has even gotten better at what he does. Even Oniel Cousins, who I wanted to hoist off of the 480 bridge after his "performance" in the season opener, has buckled down and been better at the fill-in right guard.
D'Qwell Jackson has emerged as the Ray Lewis of the Browns team (without the murder charge or the insane pregame rants that didn't make any sense). He's become a leader that all sides of the football respect. Jackson is one of the best inside/middle linebackers in the NFL and has made this team HIS team. Same with Joe Thomas, another quiet guy who just goes about his business and could very well be the first Hall of Fame Brown during the expansion era. Hell, same with Phil Taylor.
You remember Phil Taylor, the guy the Browns traded down and drafted instead of Julio Jones, right? Sure, while Holmgren and Tom Heckert botched that trade overall (and the 2012 draft overall), the fact is Phil Taylor is now their version of Haloi Ngata or Casey Hampton -- the big nose tackle in the middle who hits like a freight train and isn't afraid to carry himself with some swagger. He's not Gerard Warren, a guy who talked the talk but, more often than not, didn't walk the walk. He's more like Bob Golic, and that's what this Browns team needs.
The Browns are coached and quarterbacked by guys that grew up in Ohio as Browns fans and are responsible for turning this franchise around. How cool would that be if they actually took this team back to where it hasn't been since 2002?
This week, the national media descends upon Cleveland, with Progressive Field hosting the Wild Card game Wednesday and the Buffalo Bills (also 2-2) coming to FirstEnergy Stadium Thursday. Both games will be nationally televised. Both games are in prime-time. Both games will be played in front of packed houses filled with rabid CLEVELAND fans. Whether you wear Wahoo on your cap with red, blue and white or you prefer Brownie the Elf along with your brown, orange and white jerseys, you will show the country why Cleveland has the best damn sports fans around.
Yeah, we bitch and we moan and we complain about this or that, but wouldn't you when you've been buried in mediocrity for so long? You can only take so many ESPN punchlines for so long before you get resentful. It's what makes us so passionate. As I tried to explain to people who called me an "Indians hater" -- I don't hate the Indians. If I didn't care about them, I wouldn't complain. If I didn't care, I'd ignore them.
This town is full of people who truly care about the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers and Ohio State football (they won on Saturday, too, by the way, over a ranked Wisconsin team that a few in the national media predicted they'd lose to). They want to be entertained, but they want to win. Deep down, a lot of them believe, in their heart of hearts, that "this" is the year that the (fill in the blanks) turn it around.
Well, we can honestly say that about the Indians, whether they continue this remarkable journey or not. We want to believe we can say that about the Browns. The Cavs ... we're not quite there yet, but there was a lot of hype when Andrew Bynum was signed in free agency, so you never know.
Hopefully, in five years, we can look back at 2013 as the year where it all began and not as the blip on the radar screen like we're doing six years later as we look back at 2007.
Shout from the rooftops, Cleveland! Today is your day! Hopefully, by Friday, we're still feeling as good as we are.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Showing posts with label Chris Perez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris Perez. Show all posts
Monday, September 30, 2013
Thursday, July 4, 2013
It's been a while
I didn't realize how long it had been since I put on my "Joe Cleveland" hat and updated this blog. Two full months have gone by with nary a word from Joe Cleveland, and there's been quite a few things to talk about.
Such as (in no particular order):
<> The Indians' tendency to streak one way or the other that saw them flirt with the basement at the start of June but wind up in first place by the end of it (as of today, they are now in second place behind Detroit).
<> Chris Perez's meltdowns, both on and off the field.
<> Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's troubles with the law running Pilot/Flying J and the Browns organization's subsequent pratfalls since, like the kickoff concert debacle, players getting arrested, Josh Gordon being suspended for flunking a drug test, etc.
<> The Cavs winning the NBA's Draft Lottery for the second time in three seasons, only to take a power forward out of UNLV that NOBODY had pegged for the No. 1 overall pick, and then not even guarantee him a starting job.
<> The Cavs bringing back Mike Brown as head coach three years after they fired him when LeBron James and his teammates essentially quit on him during the 2010 NBA Playoffs.
<> LeBron's second consecutive NBA championship, this time outlasting the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series that did nothing but add fuel to the conspiracy theorists' fire.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's been a pretty sketchy few months for Cleveland sports teams.
At the very least, be thankful you don't live in Boston, where your football team lost its star tight end to a murder charge, your hockey team choked a Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals win away in the final minute-and-a-half with two goals in the span of 17 seconds, and your basketball team traded away its coach and two key members of their NBA championship team a few seasons ago and hired a young coach from a mid-major university.
But, Cleveland has had its moments. Even what should be a proud moment, such as the Indians going on a torrid streak to end June and take over first place in the AL Central Division, came with caveats (everything seems to come with a caveat when it comes to the Indians). That first place stint last all off two days. Hope we enjoyed it while it lasted.
The only thing the Browns seem to be doing well at is putting together an on-the-field product, which seems odd because they've struggled with that for most of the time since the franchise returned in 1999. But, beginning with Haslam's troubles that have many believing it will only be a matter of time before he sells the team, either because he's broke or because the NFL forces him to, the organization has had one pitfall after another.
They drafted a defensive end in the seventh round that was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer while in school, and days after he's selected, he gets busted for a DUI (Armonty Bryant).
They signed a free agent defensive end who was arrested in a prostitution sting (Quinton Groves).
Their projected No. 1 receiver, who was kicked out of two different colleges due to failing drug tests, failed another drug test as a Brown, costing four game checks and two games (Josh Gordon). Gordon claims that he tested for codeine that came with a prescription to fight off strep throat, but his story just doesn't add up.
Then, Gordon sends out Tweets trumpeting the Miami Heat's championship and brags about partying with the Heat down in South Beach. He also talks smack to Browns fans for chiding him for siding with Cleveland's Public Enemy No. 1, which only adds more fuel to the fire.
The organization promotes a kickoff concert, which coincides with a meet-and-greet walkthrough with the team, on July 14. But they schedule a headliner in Bon Jovi that had just played in Cleveland months before. And then, Bon Jovi cancels the rest of their tour, including the Cleveland date, which means the Browns have to scrap the whole thing.
And, on the heels of Aaron Hernandez's arrest for murder, a little known defensive end who was only signed after a tryout gets arrested for attempted murder after a bar fight in New Jersey. The Browns promptly released the guy, but it only added fuel to the Browns haters' fire.
But the saga of Chris Perez, the former two-time All-Star closer of the Indians, only got more bizarre as this season took hold.
First, Perez seemed to struggle a lot this year. After a bad blown save, which resulted in numerous angry Tweets from Tribe fans, Perez decided to shut down his Twitter account. Of course, he had to release a statement through the media saying he was going to do it. It just showed that the guy can dish it out to the fans, but can't take the criticism from those same fans he ripped on one year ago.
Then, Perez continued to get worse. During a horrible blown save in Boston, Perez left the game with an apparent arm injury. He was placed on the 15-day DL and missed most of the month of June.
And then, while he was injured, he and his wife were arrested for marijuana possession when a package (addressed to his dog Brody) arrived at his rented house in Rocky River that contained the illegal drug.
Perez was torched during a rehab start for the Class AA Akron Aeros shortly after the arrest, giving up five runs in one inning, and his first save situation upon his activation wasn't without its drama, giving up a hit and walking a guy before escaping with the 6-5 win over the Royals Tuesday night.
While Perez rehabbed, his replacement Vinnie Pestano wasn't much better. It wasn't until his last week as closer that he finally put together some solid outings.
High-priced free agent Nick Swisher slumped and then missed time with a shoulder injury (no DL stint, though). Asdrubal Cabrera also was out for a month and served a DL stint, while Mark Reynolds' bat went cold after he took over at third place for the demoted Lonnie Chisenhall.
Despite all of that, the Indians suddenly reeled off five straight wins and 15 wins in their last 20 games before losing Wednesday night, 6-5.
So, as we head into the second half of 2013, many questions remain about our beloved teams. Such as:
<> Will the real Indians please stand up?
<> Are the Indians contenders or pretenders?
<> Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, or will they stand pat and do nothing like last year, only to watch the season skid off the rails?
<> Will Chris Perez be sent packing, and what will they get for him if they do?
<> Can the Browns avoid any more off-field embarrassment?
<> Will Jimmy Haslam be forced to sell the team, and if he does, what does that mean for Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and the rest of the restructuring they've done to the front office?
<> How will Rob Chudzinski's Browns fare?
<> Can Brandon Weeden succeed in Chud's and Norv Turner's vertical offense?
<> Will Trent Richardson be 100 percent by the start of the season?
<> How will Barkevious Mingo fare in this 3-4 defense?
<> Will Anthony Bennett stay in shape and become a starter with the Cavs?
<> How will the Cavs respond to Mike Brown's style of coaching?
<> Will the Cavs do anything in free agency or sit pat?
<> Can Kyrie Irving stay healthy for a full season? How about Anderson Varejao?
<> Will any of these three teams make the playoffs in their upcoming seasons? How far are these teams from being a true contender?
<> And, how will Ohio State football fare in Urban Meyer's second season without the stigma of probation hanging over the program's heads? And, is it a good thing that Gordon Gee is no longer the president of the university after he made one too many insulting quips?
Hopefully, the answers to these questions are all positive ones. It's high time for some positive news coming from Cleveland sports because these last two months have been pretty low.
Until next time (hopefully not two months from now), remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Such as (in no particular order):
<> The Indians' tendency to streak one way or the other that saw them flirt with the basement at the start of June but wind up in first place by the end of it (as of today, they are now in second place behind Detroit).
<> Chris Perez's meltdowns, both on and off the field.
<> Browns owner Jimmy Haslam's troubles with the law running Pilot/Flying J and the Browns organization's subsequent pratfalls since, like the kickoff concert debacle, players getting arrested, Josh Gordon being suspended for flunking a drug test, etc.
<> The Cavs winning the NBA's Draft Lottery for the second time in three seasons, only to take a power forward out of UNLV that NOBODY had pegged for the No. 1 overall pick, and then not even guarantee him a starting job.
<> The Cavs bringing back Mike Brown as head coach three years after they fired him when LeBron James and his teammates essentially quit on him during the 2010 NBA Playoffs.
<> LeBron's second consecutive NBA championship, this time outlasting the San Antonio Spurs in a seven-game series that did nothing but add fuel to the conspiracy theorists' fire.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but it's been a pretty sketchy few months for Cleveland sports teams.
At the very least, be thankful you don't live in Boston, where your football team lost its star tight end to a murder charge, your hockey team choked a Game 6 Stanley Cup Finals win away in the final minute-and-a-half with two goals in the span of 17 seconds, and your basketball team traded away its coach and two key members of their NBA championship team a few seasons ago and hired a young coach from a mid-major university.
But, Cleveland has had its moments. Even what should be a proud moment, such as the Indians going on a torrid streak to end June and take over first place in the AL Central Division, came with caveats (everything seems to come with a caveat when it comes to the Indians). That first place stint last all off two days. Hope we enjoyed it while it lasted.
The only thing the Browns seem to be doing well at is putting together an on-the-field product, which seems odd because they've struggled with that for most of the time since the franchise returned in 1999. But, beginning with Haslam's troubles that have many believing it will only be a matter of time before he sells the team, either because he's broke or because the NFL forces him to, the organization has had one pitfall after another.
They drafted a defensive end in the seventh round that was arrested for selling drugs to an undercover officer while in school, and days after he's selected, he gets busted for a DUI (Armonty Bryant).
They signed a free agent defensive end who was arrested in a prostitution sting (Quinton Groves).
Their projected No. 1 receiver, who was kicked out of two different colleges due to failing drug tests, failed another drug test as a Brown, costing four game checks and two games (Josh Gordon). Gordon claims that he tested for codeine that came with a prescription to fight off strep throat, but his story just doesn't add up.
Then, Gordon sends out Tweets trumpeting the Miami Heat's championship and brags about partying with the Heat down in South Beach. He also talks smack to Browns fans for chiding him for siding with Cleveland's Public Enemy No. 1, which only adds more fuel to the fire.
The organization promotes a kickoff concert, which coincides with a meet-and-greet walkthrough with the team, on July 14. But they schedule a headliner in Bon Jovi that had just played in Cleveland months before. And then, Bon Jovi cancels the rest of their tour, including the Cleveland date, which means the Browns have to scrap the whole thing.
And, on the heels of Aaron Hernandez's arrest for murder, a little known defensive end who was only signed after a tryout gets arrested for attempted murder after a bar fight in New Jersey. The Browns promptly released the guy, but it only added fuel to the Browns haters' fire.
But the saga of Chris Perez, the former two-time All-Star closer of the Indians, only got more bizarre as this season took hold.
First, Perez seemed to struggle a lot this year. After a bad blown save, which resulted in numerous angry Tweets from Tribe fans, Perez decided to shut down his Twitter account. Of course, he had to release a statement through the media saying he was going to do it. It just showed that the guy can dish it out to the fans, but can't take the criticism from those same fans he ripped on one year ago.
Then, Perez continued to get worse. During a horrible blown save in Boston, Perez left the game with an apparent arm injury. He was placed on the 15-day DL and missed most of the month of June.
And then, while he was injured, he and his wife were arrested for marijuana possession when a package (addressed to his dog Brody) arrived at his rented house in Rocky River that contained the illegal drug.
Perez was torched during a rehab start for the Class AA Akron Aeros shortly after the arrest, giving up five runs in one inning, and his first save situation upon his activation wasn't without its drama, giving up a hit and walking a guy before escaping with the 6-5 win over the Royals Tuesday night.
While Perez rehabbed, his replacement Vinnie Pestano wasn't much better. It wasn't until his last week as closer that he finally put together some solid outings.
High-priced free agent Nick Swisher slumped and then missed time with a shoulder injury (no DL stint, though). Asdrubal Cabrera also was out for a month and served a DL stint, while Mark Reynolds' bat went cold after he took over at third place for the demoted Lonnie Chisenhall.
Despite all of that, the Indians suddenly reeled off five straight wins and 15 wins in their last 20 games before losing Wednesday night, 6-5.
So, as we head into the second half of 2013, many questions remain about our beloved teams. Such as:
<> Will the real Indians please stand up?
<> Are the Indians contenders or pretenders?
<> Will they be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, or will they stand pat and do nothing like last year, only to watch the season skid off the rails?
<> Will Chris Perez be sent packing, and what will they get for him if they do?
<> Can the Browns avoid any more off-field embarrassment?
<> Will Jimmy Haslam be forced to sell the team, and if he does, what does that mean for Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and the rest of the restructuring they've done to the front office?
<> How will Rob Chudzinski's Browns fare?
<> Can Brandon Weeden succeed in Chud's and Norv Turner's vertical offense?
<> Will Trent Richardson be 100 percent by the start of the season?
<> How will Barkevious Mingo fare in this 3-4 defense?
<> Will Anthony Bennett stay in shape and become a starter with the Cavs?
<> How will the Cavs respond to Mike Brown's style of coaching?
<> Will the Cavs do anything in free agency or sit pat?
<> Can Kyrie Irving stay healthy for a full season? How about Anderson Varejao?
<> Will any of these three teams make the playoffs in their upcoming seasons? How far are these teams from being a true contender?
<> And, how will Ohio State football fare in Urban Meyer's second season without the stigma of probation hanging over the program's heads? And, is it a good thing that Gordon Gee is no longer the president of the university after he made one too many insulting quips?
Hopefully, the answers to these questions are all positive ones. It's high time for some positive news coming from Cleveland sports because these last two months have been pretty low.
Until next time (hopefully not two months from now), remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Outbreak of Tribe fever
"Indians fever ... It starts from the very first inning."
Remember that old jingle from the 1980s? If you grew up in Northeast Ohio like I did back then and watched the Indians on WUAB-TV 43, you probably do.
It's been a while since we can talk about "Indians fever" and talk about it positively. The last several years, "Indians fever" could have been likened to an epidemic like E-Coli or the West Nile Virus. Cases of "Indians fever" included referring to seasons as "a grind," getting off to a slow start one season and then limping down the stretch in a second, becoming a penny-pinching miser that liked to go bargain-hunting in the discount rack and sinking resources into a toboggan ramp during the winter months, among others.
Three names have turned "Indians fever" into something positive -- Terry Francona, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.
Although, it starts with Francona, because without him (even if they made Sandy Alomar Jr. the manager), neither Swisher or Bourn come to Cleveland, even with the deals they offered them.
Francona became, arguably, the biggest name manager the Indians have ever hired. John McNamara was a successful manager with the Red Sox, but was aging when he was hired in the early 1990s. Frank Robinson garnered a lot of headlines because he was the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history in 1975, but he had never managed before and was mostly known as a player.
Even Mike Hargrove, arguably the Tribe's most successful manager ever (although you could make a case for Al Lopez or Lou Boudreau), while coming in with a lot of hype because of his status as a former Indian ballplayer, had never been a MLB manager before he took over for John McNamara (and, briefly, John Hart) in 1991.
Francona came back to the Indians with two World Series rings from his successful stint as the Red Sox manager, which came to an inglorious end in 2011 when his team gave up a large lead in the AL East and wound up totally missing the playoffs.
By and large, since hiring McNamara, and even before that, the Indians have usually settled for hiring the unknown commodity. Following Hargrove, Charlie Manuel, Joel Skinner, Eric Wedge and Manny Acta were hired to mostly yawns from the fanbase. All four were fired (although Skinner got a job on Wedge's staff and will always been known as "Stop-Sign Skinner" as a result) after just two playoff berths and four winning seasons during that span.
The last two years under Acta, the Indians got off to great starts only to falter in the second half. Last year's five-win August essentially sealed Acta's fate.
When Acta got hired, he claimed that managerial jobs for franchises like the Indians "go to guys like me" and that "Tony LaRussa wouldn't be walking through that door." Who knew how wrong he would be!
Francona spent his early childhood in Cleveland while his father, Tito Francona, played for the Indians from 1959-64. Terry himself spent the second-to-last season of his 10-year MLB career playing for the Indians, batting .311 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 60 games in 1988.
In the three seasons before he became Boston's manager in 2004 and after he had managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000, Francona spent one year serving as a special assistant to Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro. Francona and Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, who wound up becoming the team's GM when Shapiro was inexplicably promoted following a disasterous 2009 season, all grew to be very close.
Both of those factors played into Francona's decision to leave a cushy gig analyzing baseball for ESPN to head back to the dugout with the Indians. In fact, Francona stated that the Indians' job was the only one he would have considered, which the Cleveland-hating ESPN felt was incredulous.
Many felt that if the Indians were going to resume their bargain-basement spending ways, they might as well have saved their money and kept Alomar in the manager's office. Alomar is one of the most popular players from the "Jacobs Field Era of Champions" and fans would have given him a considerable longer leash than they did did Wedge and Acta. Alomar could have been allowed to grow into the job like Hargrove did. However, the Indians had another trick up their sleeves.
Using Francona as their lead recruiter, the Indians hit the free agent market ready to shop. It didn't hurt that Larry and Paul Dolan had $250 million to spend after selling SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports.
Along with Swisher and Bourn -- the latter signed a four-year, $44 million deal on the eve of spring training -- the Indians also signed slugger Mark Reynolds and pitcher Brett Myers and traded Shin-Shoo Choo's expiring contract to the Reds for speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and top-notch pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, among others.
They also showed that old habits die hard and did their share of bargain hunting. Signed to minor league deals were aging slugger and former steroid cheat Jason Giambi, former standout pitchers Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka, oft-injured closer Matt Capps and outfielder Ryan Raburn. Kazmir and Raburn made the team. Giambi will open the season on the disabled list with a phony injury, while Matsuzaka and Capps agreed to start the season in Class AAA Columbus.
With another season of Indians baseball set to begin tonight at Toronto, optimism is at its highest in many, many years. You'd probably have to back to 2002 for similar optimism, and that's only because the Indians had just made the playoffs six times in the previous seven seasons. Optimism wasn't high in 2008 following their spirited postseason run in 2007 because the Indians did nothing during the offseason to build off of what they did, unless you consider giving designated hitter Travis Hafner $57 million to spend more time in the training room than he did in the batters box.
Joe Cleveland hasn't been shy about his criticism of the Indians in recent years, especially when it comes to the Dolans, Shapiro, Antonetti and Wedge or Acta. And, while I applaud their recent spending spree, I'm not ready to anoint them a playoff team just yet.
Various preseason prognasticators have the Indians finishing as high as second or even as low as fifth in the AL Central. Some have them winning one of the Wild Card spots, while others think they'll flirt with 90 losses again.
And, the main reason for that, and the main reason why Joe Cleveland is skeptical about this Indians team, is their sketchy pitching staff.
While the Indians spent a lot of money to beef up their lineup with a nice mixture of power (Reynolds, Swisher, Stubbs) and speed (Bourn, Stubbs), they really neglected to address their questionable starting pitching.
The Indians' top two starters, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, went 11-15 and 9-17, respectively, with ERAs of 4.93 and 5.40, respectively. Not exactly the second-coming of Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.
The fourth starter, Zach McAllister, went 6-8 with a 4.24 ERA last season. He was the Indians' third-best starting pitcher last season.
Myers, the free agent signed by the Indians in the offseason, split the 2012 season between Houston (0-4, 19 saves) and the Chicago White Sox (3-4). All told, he went 3-8 with a 3.31, making 70 appearances WITHOUT A SINGLE START!
Kazmir, the bargain-basement signing who beat out Bauer and Carlos Carrasco for the fifth spot in the rotation, was out of the majors last year, spending 2012 with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League and going 3-6 with a 5.34 ERA. He was 9-15 with 5.94 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels in his last full big-league season, which was 2010. He hasn't appeared in a major league game since making one start with the Angels in 2011.
This is the rotation the Indians will trot out for the start of the 2013 season, a season that has many folks dreaming of October baseball.
Sure, the defense should be better, with three center fielders in Bourn, Stubbs and holdover Michael Brantley patrolling the outfield. While neither Nick Swisher or Mark Reynolds are fantastic defensemen, they should be better than Casey Kotchman or Matt LaPorta at first base, and you should expect better defensive years from second baseman Jason Kipnis, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall.
However, the infielders aren't exactly Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance, and three center fielders could be an experiment that blows up due to Stubbs playing an unfamiliar position.
Sure, Bauer could be up in the big leagues before the season comes to a close, but Bauer only went 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in four starts with the DiamondBacks last season. He's far from a finished product.
And, the closer is still Mt. Saint Chris Perez, a volcanic force that can be light's out one minute and be flirting with disaster the next. And, let's not forget his penchant for being a lightning rod of controversy with his mouth. The Indians dangled Perez and Cabrera in the offseason, along with Masterson, but didn't find any offers to their liking.
I expect the Indians to be much better than they were last season. However, I don't think this team will win 90 games. In fact, anything above-.500 this season would surprise me. They need Masterson and Ubaldo to pitch like the aces the team expects if they want any chance at a playoff berth. If not, it will be back to the drawing board for next season.
I think the Indians will engage in a lot of 7-6 games as a result of their sketchy pitching and shaky infield defense and slugging offense (that may set a single-season record for most strikeouts as a team). I think the Indians will finish third in the AL Central behind Detroit (who are legitimate candidates for another World Series, and even a title) and the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals, who may be a year ahead of the Indians in their rebuilding efforts.
The Indians will go 81-81; not horrible, but enough to raise the optimism for next season.
Hopefully, the Tribe exceeds my expectations, but after watching the Indians for most of my life, I can't help but have tempered expectations.
While Terry Francona can proclaim that this is "a Tribe Town" and "a baseball town," at this moment, it certainly is not. However, if Francona can get this team back to the winning ways we saw from 1995-2001 (and the Browns continue to be stuck in mediocrity), that proclamation could very well come true.
Until next time, Go Tribe, and remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Remember that old jingle from the 1980s? If you grew up in Northeast Ohio like I did back then and watched the Indians on WUAB-TV 43, you probably do.
It's been a while since we can talk about "Indians fever" and talk about it positively. The last several years, "Indians fever" could have been likened to an epidemic like E-Coli or the West Nile Virus. Cases of "Indians fever" included referring to seasons as "a grind," getting off to a slow start one season and then limping down the stretch in a second, becoming a penny-pinching miser that liked to go bargain-hunting in the discount rack and sinking resources into a toboggan ramp during the winter months, among others.
Three names have turned "Indians fever" into something positive -- Terry Francona, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.
Although, it starts with Francona, because without him (even if they made Sandy Alomar Jr. the manager), neither Swisher or Bourn come to Cleveland, even with the deals they offered them.
Francona became, arguably, the biggest name manager the Indians have ever hired. John McNamara was a successful manager with the Red Sox, but was aging when he was hired in the early 1990s. Frank Robinson garnered a lot of headlines because he was the first African-American manager in Major League Baseball history in 1975, but he had never managed before and was mostly known as a player.
Even Mike Hargrove, arguably the Tribe's most successful manager ever (although you could make a case for Al Lopez or Lou Boudreau), while coming in with a lot of hype because of his status as a former Indian ballplayer, had never been a MLB manager before he took over for John McNamara (and, briefly, John Hart) in 1991.
Francona came back to the Indians with two World Series rings from his successful stint as the Red Sox manager, which came to an inglorious end in 2011 when his team gave up a large lead in the AL East and wound up totally missing the playoffs.
By and large, since hiring McNamara, and even before that, the Indians have usually settled for hiring the unknown commodity. Following Hargrove, Charlie Manuel, Joel Skinner, Eric Wedge and Manny Acta were hired to mostly yawns from the fanbase. All four were fired (although Skinner got a job on Wedge's staff and will always been known as "Stop-Sign Skinner" as a result) after just two playoff berths and four winning seasons during that span.
The last two years under Acta, the Indians got off to great starts only to falter in the second half. Last year's five-win August essentially sealed Acta's fate.
When Acta got hired, he claimed that managerial jobs for franchises like the Indians "go to guys like me" and that "Tony LaRussa wouldn't be walking through that door." Who knew how wrong he would be!
Francona spent his early childhood in Cleveland while his father, Tito Francona, played for the Indians from 1959-64. Terry himself spent the second-to-last season of his 10-year MLB career playing for the Indians, batting .311 with one home run and 12 RBIs in 60 games in 1988.
In the three seasons before he became Boston's manager in 2004 and after he had managed the Philadelphia Phillies from 1997-2000, Francona spent one year serving as a special assistant to Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro. Francona and Shapiro and Chris Antonetti, who wound up becoming the team's GM when Shapiro was inexplicably promoted following a disasterous 2009 season, all grew to be very close.
Both of those factors played into Francona's decision to leave a cushy gig analyzing baseball for ESPN to head back to the dugout with the Indians. In fact, Francona stated that the Indians' job was the only one he would have considered, which the Cleveland-hating ESPN felt was incredulous.
Many felt that if the Indians were going to resume their bargain-basement spending ways, they might as well have saved their money and kept Alomar in the manager's office. Alomar is one of the most popular players from the "Jacobs Field Era of Champions" and fans would have given him a considerable longer leash than they did did Wedge and Acta. Alomar could have been allowed to grow into the job like Hargrove did. However, the Indians had another trick up their sleeves.
Using Francona as their lead recruiter, the Indians hit the free agent market ready to shop. It didn't hurt that Larry and Paul Dolan had $250 million to spend after selling SportsTime Ohio to FOX Sports.
Along with Swisher and Bourn -- the latter signed a four-year, $44 million deal on the eve of spring training -- the Indians also signed slugger Mark Reynolds and pitcher Brett Myers and traded Shin-Shoo Choo's expiring contract to the Reds for speedy outfielder Drew Stubbs and top-notch pitching prospect Trevor Bauer, among others.
They also showed that old habits die hard and did their share of bargain hunting. Signed to minor league deals were aging slugger and former steroid cheat Jason Giambi, former standout pitchers Scott Kazmir and Daisuke Matsuzaka, oft-injured closer Matt Capps and outfielder Ryan Raburn. Kazmir and Raburn made the team. Giambi will open the season on the disabled list with a phony injury, while Matsuzaka and Capps agreed to start the season in Class AAA Columbus.
With another season of Indians baseball set to begin tonight at Toronto, optimism is at its highest in many, many years. You'd probably have to back to 2002 for similar optimism, and that's only because the Indians had just made the playoffs six times in the previous seven seasons. Optimism wasn't high in 2008 following their spirited postseason run in 2007 because the Indians did nothing during the offseason to build off of what they did, unless you consider giving designated hitter Travis Hafner $57 million to spend more time in the training room than he did in the batters box.
Joe Cleveland hasn't been shy about his criticism of the Indians in recent years, especially when it comes to the Dolans, Shapiro, Antonetti and Wedge or Acta. And, while I applaud their recent spending spree, I'm not ready to anoint them a playoff team just yet.
Various preseason prognasticators have the Indians finishing as high as second or even as low as fifth in the AL Central. Some have them winning one of the Wild Card spots, while others think they'll flirt with 90 losses again.
And, the main reason for that, and the main reason why Joe Cleveland is skeptical about this Indians team, is their sketchy pitching staff.
While the Indians spent a lot of money to beef up their lineup with a nice mixture of power (Reynolds, Swisher, Stubbs) and speed (Bourn, Stubbs), they really neglected to address their questionable starting pitching.
The Indians' top two starters, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, went 11-15 and 9-17, respectively, with ERAs of 4.93 and 5.40, respectively. Not exactly the second-coming of Bob Feller and Bob Lemon.
The fourth starter, Zach McAllister, went 6-8 with a 4.24 ERA last season. He was the Indians' third-best starting pitcher last season.
Myers, the free agent signed by the Indians in the offseason, split the 2012 season between Houston (0-4, 19 saves) and the Chicago White Sox (3-4). All told, he went 3-8 with a 3.31, making 70 appearances WITHOUT A SINGLE START!
Kazmir, the bargain-basement signing who beat out Bauer and Carlos Carrasco for the fifth spot in the rotation, was out of the majors last year, spending 2012 with the Sugar Land Skeeters of the independent Atlantic League and going 3-6 with a 5.34 ERA. He was 9-15 with 5.94 ERA with the Los Angeles Angels in his last full big-league season, which was 2010. He hasn't appeared in a major league game since making one start with the Angels in 2011.
This is the rotation the Indians will trot out for the start of the 2013 season, a season that has many folks dreaming of October baseball.
Sure, the defense should be better, with three center fielders in Bourn, Stubbs and holdover Michael Brantley patrolling the outfield. While neither Nick Swisher or Mark Reynolds are fantastic defensemen, they should be better than Casey Kotchman or Matt LaPorta at first base, and you should expect better defensive years from second baseman Jason Kipnis, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall.
However, the infielders aren't exactly Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance, and three center fielders could be an experiment that blows up due to Stubbs playing an unfamiliar position.
Sure, Bauer could be up in the big leagues before the season comes to a close, but Bauer only went 1-2 with a 6.06 ERA in four starts with the DiamondBacks last season. He's far from a finished product.
And, the closer is still Mt. Saint Chris Perez, a volcanic force that can be light's out one minute and be flirting with disaster the next. And, let's not forget his penchant for being a lightning rod of controversy with his mouth. The Indians dangled Perez and Cabrera in the offseason, along with Masterson, but didn't find any offers to their liking.
I expect the Indians to be much better than they were last season. However, I don't think this team will win 90 games. In fact, anything above-.500 this season would surprise me. They need Masterson and Ubaldo to pitch like the aces the team expects if they want any chance at a playoff berth. If not, it will be back to the drawing board for next season.
I think the Indians will engage in a lot of 7-6 games as a result of their sketchy pitching and shaky infield defense and slugging offense (that may set a single-season record for most strikeouts as a team). I think the Indians will finish third in the AL Central behind Detroit (who are legitimate candidates for another World Series, and even a title) and the up-and-coming Kansas City Royals, who may be a year ahead of the Indians in their rebuilding efforts.
The Indians will go 81-81; not horrible, but enough to raise the optimism for next season.
Hopefully, the Tribe exceeds my expectations, but after watching the Indians for most of my life, I can't help but have tempered expectations.
While Terry Francona can proclaim that this is "a Tribe Town" and "a baseball town," at this moment, it certainly is not. However, if Francona can get this team back to the winning ways we saw from 1995-2001 (and the Browns continue to be stuck in mediocrity), that proclamation could very well come true.
Until next time, Go Tribe, and remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Sunday, July 22, 2012
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!
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!
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
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.
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
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!
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
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!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
A deal that may be all the 'Rage'
As the Indians straddle the fine line between "contender" and "pretender," GM Chris Antonetti, team prez Mark Shapiro and the rest of the front office have an interesting decision on their hands as we get closer to July 31:
Do the Indians become buyers, or (as they usually have been) sellers at the trade deadline?
The Indians will not stand pat. They usually don't at that time of the year. Up until last year, the Tribe was mostly sellers, parting off star players on the verge of free agency to try to replenish their prospects. The trades of Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee and catcher Victor Martinez in back-to-back years are still hotly debated topics around Cleveland, and those happened two and three years ago.
Last season, the Tribe's 30-15 start prompted new GM Antonetti to become a rare buyer at the deadline. He acquired outfielder Koisuke Fukudome and pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez at the deadline, and then added former Tribe legend Jim Thome in August when injuries depleted the team's bench.
It didn't matter, as the team slumped to an 80-82 finish, betting lapped by Detriot for the AL Central title and missing out on a wild card berth. However, the Jimenez trade may have ramifications on what the Tribe is (or isn't) able to do in July, especially if they are still hanging around the top of the AL Central and in contention for one of the two wild card spots.
Antonetti dealt two of his top pitching prospects -- former first-round picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White -- along with Joe Gardner and Matt McBride for Jimenez, who was a year removed from a Cy Young contending season. Jimenez started the 2010 season 10-1 and earned the All-Star Game starting nod for the National League before coming back down to Earth, and was struggling in 2011 with Colorado before Antonetti came calling.
Gardner was also considered a Top 10 prospect in the Indians organization, which means that Antonetti doesn't have a lot of face cards to deal when he tries to acquire that right-handed power bat his team has sorely been lacking, or tries to improve the outfield, first base or even his starting pitching.
Jimenez isn't tradable at this point, even with his "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde" routine this season. He's just too inconsistant, and most other major league teams already know the book on him.
Antonetti's top prospects are second baseman Jason Kipnis, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and minor league shortstop Francisco Lindor. Kipnis has been the everyday second baseman with the Tribe all year and may be the team's MVP through the first two months. Chisenhall has finally be called up to replace the injured Jack Hannahan at third base, and it appears it will be his job from now on. Lindor is tearing it up for Class A Lake County and was named the starting shortstop in the Midwest League All-Star Game.
Unless Josh Hamilton is dangled, Antonetti won't part with any of those three, and, with Hamilton's contract status, he may not pull the trigger on that deal, either.
Looking at the minors, the names that jump out are pitchers Zach McAllister, David Huff, Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez (Tomlin and Gomez are currently in the majors, but could certainly be dealt) and position players Beau Mills, Russ Canzler and Trevor Crowe. Both Mills and Crowe are former first-round picks that have not panned out, while Canzler was the Class AAA Player of the Year last season, but was essentially given to the Tribe by the Tampa Bay Rays. You can throw Matt LaPorta, the former lynch-pin of the Sabathia deal, in that mix. LaPorta was tearing up Class AAA pitching before getting called up by the Tribe this week, but it's pretty clear the organization has given up on him.
None of those names, even as a package, aren't going to bring in a big fish like Kevin Youklis or Carlos Lee.
That brings us to the current closer of this team, Chris Perez.
Now, it's widely known that Joe Cleveland does not like Perez. He's been critical of Perez in past blogs for his abilities, along with his tendancy of being a lightning-rod for controversy with his comments, his actions on the field and his Tweets.
Perez was essentially given to the Indians by the Cardinals for journeyman Mark DeRosa because the Cardinals, who selected Perez in the first round out of Miami (Fla.), didn't think he was mature enough to handle the closer role. While Perez has had success in that role with the Indians, making the All-Star team last season and currently leading the AL in saves, he's also had his misfortunes.
Perez may have put himself on the trading block a few weeks ago with his rant about the Indians fans and the Indians organization. Since then, he's been perfect in save opportunities, but he also spurred on Kansas City and Minnesota to beat them in recent home series' with his John Cena "You can't see me" gesture to a Royals player who Perez had struck out during the first game of that series.
The Indians only won one more game during that stretch before taking 2-of-3 from the Tigers at Comerica Park. Prior to Perez's gesture, the team was swept by the Chicago White Sox on the road, which killed off their 3.5-game division lead and now has them looking up to the White Sox (and looking up to the wild-card race).
Injuries, which killed the Indians last year, are starting to creep up again and are playing a part in the team's recent struggles.
Whether the Indians can keep up their pace or fall off the map, Antonetti and Shapiro should take a long, hard look at dealing Perez because, quite frankly, he's their most tradable commodity.
If they buy: The bullpen is, arguably, the Indians' deepest and most talented part of their roster. The so-called Bullpen Mafia is anchored by Perez, but is augmented by the performances of set-up man Vinnie Pestano, rookie Nick Hagadone and currently injured Rafael Perez.
Pestano certainly has the stuff to be a closer in the major leagues, and he has Manny Acta's trust for his abilities to put out some eighth-inning fires before Chris Perez comes in during the ninth. Unlike Perez, Pestano is even tempered. He doesn't scream and yell when he strikes out hitters or do ridculous gestures. He doesn't go to Twitter and say his team were throwing at an opponent. He doesn't do interviews ripping on the fans for their lack of attendance.
He just does his job, and he does his job well.
Hagadone, who is starting to earn Acta's trust, has pitched very well since being called up from Columbus this year, earning a role as a late-inning specialist in the Indians' bullpen. Like Pestano, Hagadone also has closer-worthy stuff and could very well become a closer down the line.
While it could be baffling for a team to trade a guy who's dominating the saves category while they are still in contention, the belief is that the organzation feels that Pestano and Hagadone could easily move up the chain to closer and set-up guy and the team wouldn't miss a beat.
And, Perez is a big-enough name now that a desperate team could dangle some big names, names that could solidify their lineup and add some needed depth.
At this stage, Johnny Damon is not an every-day left-fielder. Grady Sizemore will likely not play at all this year, and even if he does, he may not be very effective. Travis Hafner is on the shelf with his annual injury, and the Indians are counting down the days before his contract is finally off the books. Kipnis, Chisenhall and Asdrubal Cabrera cannot carry this lineup. They need help.
Trading Perez could bring some of that help.
If they sell: If the Indians fall off the map and out of contention, Perez becomes a luxury the Indians could certainly live without. He can bring in a high volume of talent from a contending team desperate for a closer (and there are quite a few). It becomes easier to go to Pestano and Hagadone if they are done.
Either way, I believe that the Tribe's trade prospects begin with Chris Perez. His comments and actions won't be the reason, but they certainly don't help his cause. In the end, it will be a baseball decision that the Indians have to make, either for their immediate future or their long-term future.
Michael Brantley is another big name that could be talked about, but I can't see the Indians pulling the plug on him, especially when the outfield is so thin as it is. During the offseason, perhaps, but not during the season.
If the Indians are sellers, expect a fire-sale of epic proportions. Guys like Derek Lowe, Casey Kotchman, Hafner, Damon and Hannahan may be auctioned off to contenders looking to fortify their rotations or lineups or depth.
At any rate, the Indians won't be dealing Sabathia, Lee or Martinez this time because, quite frankly, they don't have the individual talent on this team to do so. The talent they have has been locked up, such as Cabrera. So, it will be veteran players in the last year of their contracts.
Hopefully, the Tribe will be in position to buy and not sell. Either way, I'd expect Antonetti to be on his phone a lot over the next two months.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Do the Indians become buyers, or (as they usually have been) sellers at the trade deadline?
The Indians will not stand pat. They usually don't at that time of the year. Up until last year, the Tribe was mostly sellers, parting off star players on the verge of free agency to try to replenish their prospects. The trades of Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee and catcher Victor Martinez in back-to-back years are still hotly debated topics around Cleveland, and those happened two and three years ago.
Last season, the Tribe's 30-15 start prompted new GM Antonetti to become a rare buyer at the deadline. He acquired outfielder Koisuke Fukudome and pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez at the deadline, and then added former Tribe legend Jim Thome in August when injuries depleted the team's bench.
It didn't matter, as the team slumped to an 80-82 finish, betting lapped by Detriot for the AL Central title and missing out on a wild card berth. However, the Jimenez trade may have ramifications on what the Tribe is (or isn't) able to do in July, especially if they are still hanging around the top of the AL Central and in contention for one of the two wild card spots.
Antonetti dealt two of his top pitching prospects -- former first-round picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White -- along with Joe Gardner and Matt McBride for Jimenez, who was a year removed from a Cy Young contending season. Jimenez started the 2010 season 10-1 and earned the All-Star Game starting nod for the National League before coming back down to Earth, and was struggling in 2011 with Colorado before Antonetti came calling.
Gardner was also considered a Top 10 prospect in the Indians organization, which means that Antonetti doesn't have a lot of face cards to deal when he tries to acquire that right-handed power bat his team has sorely been lacking, or tries to improve the outfield, first base or even his starting pitching.
Jimenez isn't tradable at this point, even with his "Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde" routine this season. He's just too inconsistant, and most other major league teams already know the book on him.
Antonetti's top prospects are second baseman Jason Kipnis, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and minor league shortstop Francisco Lindor. Kipnis has been the everyday second baseman with the Tribe all year and may be the team's MVP through the first two months. Chisenhall has finally be called up to replace the injured Jack Hannahan at third base, and it appears it will be his job from now on. Lindor is tearing it up for Class A Lake County and was named the starting shortstop in the Midwest League All-Star Game.
Unless Josh Hamilton is dangled, Antonetti won't part with any of those three, and, with Hamilton's contract status, he may not pull the trigger on that deal, either.
Looking at the minors, the names that jump out are pitchers Zach McAllister, David Huff, Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez (Tomlin and Gomez are currently in the majors, but could certainly be dealt) and position players Beau Mills, Russ Canzler and Trevor Crowe. Both Mills and Crowe are former first-round picks that have not panned out, while Canzler was the Class AAA Player of the Year last season, but was essentially given to the Tribe by the Tampa Bay Rays. You can throw Matt LaPorta, the former lynch-pin of the Sabathia deal, in that mix. LaPorta was tearing up Class AAA pitching before getting called up by the Tribe this week, but it's pretty clear the organization has given up on him.
None of those names, even as a package, aren't going to bring in a big fish like Kevin Youklis or Carlos Lee.
That brings us to the current closer of this team, Chris Perez.
Now, it's widely known that Joe Cleveland does not like Perez. He's been critical of Perez in past blogs for his abilities, along with his tendancy of being a lightning-rod for controversy with his comments, his actions on the field and his Tweets.
Perez was essentially given to the Indians by the Cardinals for journeyman Mark DeRosa because the Cardinals, who selected Perez in the first round out of Miami (Fla.), didn't think he was mature enough to handle the closer role. While Perez has had success in that role with the Indians, making the All-Star team last season and currently leading the AL in saves, he's also had his misfortunes.
Perez may have put himself on the trading block a few weeks ago with his rant about the Indians fans and the Indians organization. Since then, he's been perfect in save opportunities, but he also spurred on Kansas City and Minnesota to beat them in recent home series' with his John Cena "You can't see me" gesture to a Royals player who Perez had struck out during the first game of that series.
The Indians only won one more game during that stretch before taking 2-of-3 from the Tigers at Comerica Park. Prior to Perez's gesture, the team was swept by the Chicago White Sox on the road, which killed off their 3.5-game division lead and now has them looking up to the White Sox (and looking up to the wild-card race).
Injuries, which killed the Indians last year, are starting to creep up again and are playing a part in the team's recent struggles.
Whether the Indians can keep up their pace or fall off the map, Antonetti and Shapiro should take a long, hard look at dealing Perez because, quite frankly, he's their most tradable commodity.
If they buy: The bullpen is, arguably, the Indians' deepest and most talented part of their roster. The so-called Bullpen Mafia is anchored by Perez, but is augmented by the performances of set-up man Vinnie Pestano, rookie Nick Hagadone and currently injured Rafael Perez.
Pestano certainly has the stuff to be a closer in the major leagues, and he has Manny Acta's trust for his abilities to put out some eighth-inning fires before Chris Perez comes in during the ninth. Unlike Perez, Pestano is even tempered. He doesn't scream and yell when he strikes out hitters or do ridculous gestures. He doesn't go to Twitter and say his team were throwing at an opponent. He doesn't do interviews ripping on the fans for their lack of attendance.
He just does his job, and he does his job well.
Hagadone, who is starting to earn Acta's trust, has pitched very well since being called up from Columbus this year, earning a role as a late-inning specialist in the Indians' bullpen. Like Pestano, Hagadone also has closer-worthy stuff and could very well become a closer down the line.
While it could be baffling for a team to trade a guy who's dominating the saves category while they are still in contention, the belief is that the organzation feels that Pestano and Hagadone could easily move up the chain to closer and set-up guy and the team wouldn't miss a beat.
And, Perez is a big-enough name now that a desperate team could dangle some big names, names that could solidify their lineup and add some needed depth.
At this stage, Johnny Damon is not an every-day left-fielder. Grady Sizemore will likely not play at all this year, and even if he does, he may not be very effective. Travis Hafner is on the shelf with his annual injury, and the Indians are counting down the days before his contract is finally off the books. Kipnis, Chisenhall and Asdrubal Cabrera cannot carry this lineup. They need help.
Trading Perez could bring some of that help.
If they sell: If the Indians fall off the map and out of contention, Perez becomes a luxury the Indians could certainly live without. He can bring in a high volume of talent from a contending team desperate for a closer (and there are quite a few). It becomes easier to go to Pestano and Hagadone if they are done.
Either way, I believe that the Tribe's trade prospects begin with Chris Perez. His comments and actions won't be the reason, but they certainly don't help his cause. In the end, it will be a baseball decision that the Indians have to make, either for their immediate future or their long-term future.
Michael Brantley is another big name that could be talked about, but I can't see the Indians pulling the plug on him, especially when the outfield is so thin as it is. During the offseason, perhaps, but not during the season.
If the Indians are sellers, expect a fire-sale of epic proportions. Guys like Derek Lowe, Casey Kotchman, Hafner, Damon and Hannahan may be auctioned off to contenders looking to fortify their rotations or lineups or depth.
At any rate, the Indians won't be dealing Sabathia, Lee or Martinez this time because, quite frankly, they don't have the individual talent on this team to do so. The talent they have has been locked up, such as Cabrera. So, it will be veteran players in the last year of their contracts.
Hopefully, the Tribe will be in position to buy and not sell. Either way, I'd expect Antonetti to be on his phone a lot over the next two months.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Monday, May 21, 2012
Tribe Fever not contagious
So, in a town that is so very desperate for a winner, the Cleveland Indians -- who, as of May 21, were in first place in the American League Central Division with a 23-18 record -- are struggling to catch the fans' attention.
Well, the only attention the Indians have gotten locally has been negative attention, which may play into why the team is 30th out of 30 Major League teams in attendance through their 23 home games at Progressive Field (they are 11-12 at home heading into a huge three-game series with third-place Detroit, who are just 3 games behind the Wahoos).
The most recent negative strike for an organization that just can't seem to win came from closer Chris Perez following Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
"I was tired of getting booed at home so I figured, 'I'd better throw some strikes.' You can quote that," he began, following a 1-2-3, 10-pitch ninth inning -- by far, his best outing in a few seasons.
Perez was apparently irritated that some fans began booing him two nights before in a 5-4 11-inning win over Seattle. Perez pitched the 10th and put two runners on before escaping the jam unscathed. However, the boos and catcalls began after he walked the second hitter on four pitches to put the two runners on base.
Asked if it bothered him to get booed at home, Perez said, "It doesn't bother me, it pisses me off. I don't think they have a reason to boo me.
"They booed me against the Mariners when I had two guys on. It feels like I can't even give up a base runner without people booing me. It's even worse when there's only 5,000 in the stands, because then you can hear it. It pissess me off."
Perez ended the 10th by striking out Jesus Montero, but even that didn't ease his anger because the fans responded with a Bronx cheer.
"After I struck out Montero, the mock standing applause just adds to it," he said. "You see their true colors."
He was just getting started.
Perez said the fans' reaction to the Indians is one of the reasons they weren't able to sign free agents such as Carlos Beltran over the winter.
"Guys don't want to come over here and people wonder why," he said. "Why doesn't Carlos Beltran want to come over here? Well, because of that."
Apparently, Perez didn't realize that he plays for one of the biggest penny-pinching owners in the Major Leagues in Larry Dolan, who has never broken the bank for anybody. Beltran turned down the Indians' two-year, $24 million offer to sign with the defending World Series champions for two years, $26 million.
Pretty easy decision if you're Carlos Beltran. But not to the eyes of a guy whose nickname is "Pure Rage" and has already been fined by MLB for an inflammatory Tweet directed at the Kansas City Royals.
"That's part of it," he said. "It doesn't go unnoticed -- trust us. I'm not calling out the fans. It's just how it is. That stuff is reserved for road games.
"We don't want to deal with that crap. Here, good fans are supposed to help you try to get through the inning and say, 'Hey, you're only one pitch away. Hey, it's all right.'"
Apparently, Perez didn't get the memo that, as a professional athlete, sometimes you get booed, sometimes you get cheered, and sometimes you get booed at home. He also didn't realize that Cleveland fans are a pretty emotional bunch themselves and are pretty brow-beaten by 50 years of losing.
The Indians drew 29,799 to Saturday's game. It was their second-largest crowd of the season next to the sellout crowd of 43,190 for the season opener. Still, the Indians are last in attendance at 341,403.
"Nobody wants to play in front of 5,000 fans," Perez said. "We know the weather stinks, but people see that [attendance]. Other players know that.
"You had a choice of playing in St. Louis where you get 40,000 like Beltran chose to do, or you can come to Cleveland. It's going to take more money to get him to come to Cleveland. That's just how it is. That's another thing that you have to go against. It's not only the payrolls of the AL East teams, but that kind of stuff."
Never mind that the Indians have never drawn a crowd as low as 5,000 to Progressive Field this year, but he was rolling.
Perez tried to smooth things over when someone asked him about the economy, but he continued to dig a hole for himself.
"I completely understand, but the fans can't take it personal when the players don't want to stay here or players don't want to come here," he said. "It's a business. You didn't choose to get drafted by Cleveland. I'm in it for my family. Who knows? I could throw my last pitch tomorrow.
"At the same time, I'm here. I'm here to win. I'm here for my teammates and I want to bring a championship to Cleveland, to do my job and help the team win. I think I do a pretty good job of showing that on the field. I don't think I bring any undue attention to myself. I'm out there for the team. In big wins, I get excited and I'm like a kid again, because it's fun."
Given the chance the following day to retract or apologize for some of his statements, following a visit with team president Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti, Perez decided to do neither, instead bringing his bottle of kerosene to add to the fire.
"Thursday was the last straw for me, and Saturday night was the first time I'd spoken [to reporters] since then," he said. "I just didn't understand the booing when I hadn't even given up a run. I don't understand the negativity, in general. Why? We have a first-place team. How many teams in the country would want that right now?
"You think the Tigers are happy? The Tigers are in third place. We're in first place. Enjoy it. We could be in last place. We could be the Royals, we could be the Pirates, who haven't won anything in 20 years."
Never mind that both the Pirates and Royals have won World Series titles sooner than the Indians' last win in 1948, and that, other than a playoff berth in 2007, the Indians have, by and large, not won anything since 2001.
Also, while Perez's Indians began last season at 30-15, they stumbled and bumbled under the spotlight and the sunshine of June, July and August and wound up 80-82, double-digit games behind first-place Detroit.
The blowback from his Saturday outburst was pretty intense, and Perez felt some of it on Twitter and on the Web. He basically said he didn/t care.
"I expected it, but I really don't care anymore," Perez said. "I'm here to do my job and play for this team. If the fans come, they'll come. If they don't, it will be just like it was in April, so who cares?"
Perez tried to downplay his fan bashing by saying he expected more fans to show up. Unfortunately, his explanations didn't help anything.
"The fans are going to come, I know that," he said. "It's just a slap in the face when you're in first place and last in attendance. Last. It's not like we're 25th, 26th -- we're last. Oakland is outdrawing us. That's embarrassing.
"In 2010, I wouldn't have made those comments [the Indians went 69-93 that season]. We deserved to get booed. We deserved to have nobody here. But we've been building up for this season. We're good. We have a good team. We haven't even played our best ball and we're in first."
Perez said some of his teammates feel the same way about the low attendance, but "they just won't say it."
That's a fantastic way of throwing his teammates under the bus, but then again, he's been a walking distraction for a long time,
"I'm not doing anything to bring extra attention to myself or distract from what the team's doing," he said. "I don't have an ulterior motive. I'm here to win. I want to win here. I care. We all care. We want to win. But right now, we're winning for ourselves, basically."
Winning for ourselves ... A fantastic way of saying that you, as a fan base, doesn't matter because he, speaking for his Indians, are not playing for your benefit anymore.
They're not playing for the name on the front of the jersey, they're essentially playing for the name on the back (unless they're using those special uniforms where there is no name on the back of jersey, but whatever).
The Indians responded to Perez's critical comments by losing to the Marlins, 5-3. Perez didn't give fans the sastisfaction of pitching, since the Indians were out of the game for the get-go and only a two-run ninth-inning rally made things respectable.
Yes, Chris Perez, it probably is frustrating that your team is in first place, but nobody is going to games. However, you must not know the fans of Cleveland all that well. You claim to, but you don't.
It seems like, fair or not, the Cleveland Indians have to prove something to the fan base each year to get them to "buy-in." The Browns don't have to do that, but that's because Cleveland is a football-town and the Browns actually left town for three years. Absense makes the heart grow fonder, even if that team has been a stinking pile of dump since it returned in 1999.
The Indians, out of anyone, took advantage of the Browns leaving town the most. Jacobs Field was a palace when it opened in 1994. Dick Jacobs made some key free agent signings, and the team started to win.
They reached the World Series in 1995 -- the first Series berth since 1954 -- but lost. Their Game 6 loss came a few weeks before word of the Browns moving to Baltimore was leaked and then confirmed on Nov. 6.
Without the Browns, the Indians reached the postseason in 1996, 97, 98, 99 and 2001. They reached the ALCS in 1997 and 98 and reached the World Series in 97.
In fact, 1997 may have been the closest anyone from Joe Cleveland's generation has been to a championship. They led Game 7, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the ninth, before Jose Mesa imploded and gave up the tying run. The Tribe eventually lost in the 11th, 3-2, on a two-out single up the middle by Edgar Renteria off of Charles Nagy.
In 2000, the Indians were elminated from the wild-card on the final day of the regular season. That was the year they were sold to Larry Dolan.
Under Dolan's ownership, the Indians have had two postseason berths, one ALCS berth (2007) and three winning seasons (they went 93-69 in 2005 after a furious second-half rally, but choked in the final week of the regular season and missed out on the playoffs). The rest has been terrible.
In 2002, Mark Shapiro was promoted to general manager after John Hart took the identical job in Texas. Shapiro's first act was trading future Hall of Famer Robbie Alomar to the Mets, but his next trade was his best.
After firing Charlie Manuel at the All-Star break, Shapiro dealt Bartolo Colon (who wound up winning 20 games) to the Montreal Expos for Lee Stevens and three prospects -- Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips. While Phillips didn't emerge until Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge gave up on him and essentially gave him to the Reds, Sizemore and Lee became two of the better players in baseball.
Lee, who did little to contribute to the 2007 team, won the 2008 Cy Young Award after winning 24 games. CC Sabathia won the Cy Young in 2007, while the guy formerly known as Fausto Carmona caught lightning in a bottle and also won 19 games that season.
By 2009, only one of those pitchers will still be in Cleveland. Unfortunately, it was the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona, who is currently being detained in the Dominican Republic under his given name of Roberto Hernandez Heredia and is three years older than he told the Indians and the U.S. Government.
Lee and Sabathia were dealt in back-to-back years in cost-cutting trades. Out of the two trades, the Indians have three players on the current big-league roster -- center fielder Michael Brantley, utility infielder Jason Donald and backup catcher Lou Marson.
The Indians also traded popular catcher Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for pitchers Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone. Hagadone finally made the club this year and has become a decent end-of-the-pen guy. Masterson had a great season last year, but has struggled this year.
It's maneuvers like this that cause fan disconnect. The fans loathed that all of their heroes from the "Era of Champions" -- Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel -- all were allowed to walk away as free agents because the Indians couldn't afford to keep them. They loathed that others who replaced them and emerged in their absence, such as Brandon Phillips, Martinez, Lee and Sabathia, were dealt for prospects -- prospects that, for the most part, haven't emerged yet.
The Indians have drafted poorly during that time, which further depleted their farm system. They've drafted better recently, but two of their most recent first-round choices -- pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz -- were dealt at the trading deadline to Colorado for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.
To say Jimenez has been inconsistant since coming to Cleveland would be an understatement. One game,he looks like Cy Young. The next, he looks like Anthony Young.
(Joe Cleveland break -- if you don't know who Anthony Young is, Google him. Young went 3-30 over a two-year span with the Mets, which included a record 24-game losing streak.)
So, fans went into this season with a general distaste for the Indians' ownership and front office. Also, on the eve of the regular season, Forbes Magazine reported that the Indians turned the largest profit in the major leagues -- $30 million. Meanwhile, the Dolans continued to cry the poorhouse blues, and their denial of the report just reeked of lies.
Despite that, a whopping 44,000 people showed up to watch Opening Day against the Blue Jays, and, for 8 1/2 innings, the fans were enjoying a 4-1 lead.
Then Chris Perez showed up to undo all of the good tidings, giving up three ninth-inning runs.
By the way Chris, if you wonder why fans get restless and boo you when you pitch, it's performancs like yours in the home opener you can point to. Some fans just don't trust a lead with you on the mound. Want to shut them up and prove them wrong? Keep firing 1-2-3, 10-pitch innings at opponents. If it takes "not wanting to be booed" to do that kind of performance, Joe Cleveland can only wonder why you're not motivated to pitch like that all the time.
The Tribe wound up losing in 16 innings, and most fans tuned them out after that.
So, you factor in distaste for ownership, a lackluster offseason in which a lot of promised but nothing was delivered (Casey Kotchman and a bucket of crap constitutes as NOTHING), a spectacular blown home opener in front of a raucus capacity crowd, and a chilly April, and it's no surprise why they've been drawing 11,000 fans to their games on average.
Also, you have to go back to last season. Like last season, the Tribe came off of a do-nothing offseason and a miserable home opener to shock baseball by going 30-15 at the end of May.
There was no way a team 15 games above .500 would not win a division title, let alone clinch a playoff berth. And yet, the bargain-basement Indians found a way to do both.
This season has almost been a mirror-image of last season. Fans were skeptical about the Tribe's good fortune last season, but bought in during the summer with large crowds. Once the fans started coming, the Indians started wilting. They were relegated to bringing back legend Jim Thome in August and September to continue some of those large crowds into football season. By then, the team was toast.
So, to say the fans were skeptical again this season is perfectly understandable. Joe Cleveland, for one, is definitely skeptical. They just don't look like a playoff-calibur team to me.
Yeah, they're playing a gritty brand of baseball that Cleveland fans can identify with. They're underdogs, and we all love an underdog. However, everyone's waiting for that other shoe to drop.
All the fans who did so last year pointed to everyone who yelled at them and said, "I told you so." They are waiting to do that again.
Chris Perez's nuclear meltdown this past weekend can't help matters with a fragile fan base. Yes, fans are talking about the Indians more than the Browns today. However, it's mostly debating as to whether or not you side with Perez and/or will continue to support the Tribe.
If the Indians get swept by Detroit, or drop 2-of-3 games, the boo birds and buzzards will swoop in. Perez's meltdown will be the factor in many fans' eyes for their dismal performance, especially if Perez blows a save. Hoo-boy, buckle up for that one, Chrissy!
Who knows, perhaps an outburst like this will galvanize the team into rallying around their beleagured and outspoken closer. Baseball's a funny game.
But, as of now, Joe Cleveland will go back to paying attention to the Browns' OTAs and the Cavs' upcoming NBA Draft lottery. Chris Perez just burned his last bridge to this fan.
By the way, baseball fans, if you like baseball but don't want to pay $10 for a beer, there are cheaper and more family-friendly alternatives to the Indians. The Lake County (Eastlake) Captains to the East, the Akron Aeros to the South, the Columbus Clippers to the further South, the Lake Erie (Avon) Crushers to the West and the Mahoning Valley (Niles) Scrappers to the further East are minor league teams, but put on a great brand of baseball and promote fun for the entire family. Plus, you're not spending over $100 to take a family of four to a ball game.
Joe Cleveland took his 9-year-old nephew to a Crushers game last Saturday. The kid wound up with two foul balls, a couple of autographs, and ate like a champion for under $10.
Ironically, all but the Crushers are affiliated with the Indians, so they're basically competing with themselves. The Captains come highly recommended, as do the Aeros, Clippers and Crushers.
Some fans are saying that the low attendance will eventually lead to the Indians moving. Do these fans not remember all the times the Indians were going to "move to New Orleans" or "move to Miami" or "move to whereever" during the 1970s and 80s, when ownership was terrible and the team was even worse and they played in a dump of a stadium? They didn't move then, did they?
The Tribe's not going anywhere. They play in a great stadium with a great lease. If they do, Larry Dolan will have no one to blame but himself. But, that's a discussion for another day.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Well, the only attention the Indians have gotten locally has been negative attention, which may play into why the team is 30th out of 30 Major League teams in attendance through their 23 home games at Progressive Field (they are 11-12 at home heading into a huge three-game series with third-place Detroit, who are just 3 games behind the Wahoos).
The most recent negative strike for an organization that just can't seem to win came from closer Chris Perez following Saturday's 2-0 victory over the Miami Marlins.
"I was tired of getting booed at home so I figured, 'I'd better throw some strikes.' You can quote that," he began, following a 1-2-3, 10-pitch ninth inning -- by far, his best outing in a few seasons.
Perez was apparently irritated that some fans began booing him two nights before in a 5-4 11-inning win over Seattle. Perez pitched the 10th and put two runners on before escaping the jam unscathed. However, the boos and catcalls began after he walked the second hitter on four pitches to put the two runners on base.
Asked if it bothered him to get booed at home, Perez said, "It doesn't bother me, it pisses me off. I don't think they have a reason to boo me.
"They booed me against the Mariners when I had two guys on. It feels like I can't even give up a base runner without people booing me. It's even worse when there's only 5,000 in the stands, because then you can hear it. It pissess me off."
Perez ended the 10th by striking out Jesus Montero, but even that didn't ease his anger because the fans responded with a Bronx cheer.
"After I struck out Montero, the mock standing applause just adds to it," he said. "You see their true colors."
He was just getting started.
Perez said the fans' reaction to the Indians is one of the reasons they weren't able to sign free agents such as Carlos Beltran over the winter.
"Guys don't want to come over here and people wonder why," he said. "Why doesn't Carlos Beltran want to come over here? Well, because of that."
Apparently, Perez didn't realize that he plays for one of the biggest penny-pinching owners in the Major Leagues in Larry Dolan, who has never broken the bank for anybody. Beltran turned down the Indians' two-year, $24 million offer to sign with the defending World Series champions for two years, $26 million.
Pretty easy decision if you're Carlos Beltran. But not to the eyes of a guy whose nickname is "Pure Rage" and has already been fined by MLB for an inflammatory Tweet directed at the Kansas City Royals.
"That's part of it," he said. "It doesn't go unnoticed -- trust us. I'm not calling out the fans. It's just how it is. That stuff is reserved for road games.
"We don't want to deal with that crap. Here, good fans are supposed to help you try to get through the inning and say, 'Hey, you're only one pitch away. Hey, it's all right.'"
Apparently, Perez didn't get the memo that, as a professional athlete, sometimes you get booed, sometimes you get cheered, and sometimes you get booed at home. He also didn't realize that Cleveland fans are a pretty emotional bunch themselves and are pretty brow-beaten by 50 years of losing.
The Indians drew 29,799 to Saturday's game. It was their second-largest crowd of the season next to the sellout crowd of 43,190 for the season opener. Still, the Indians are last in attendance at 341,403.
"Nobody wants to play in front of 5,000 fans," Perez said. "We know the weather stinks, but people see that [attendance]. Other players know that.
"You had a choice of playing in St. Louis where you get 40,000 like Beltran chose to do, or you can come to Cleveland. It's going to take more money to get him to come to Cleveland. That's just how it is. That's another thing that you have to go against. It's not only the payrolls of the AL East teams, but that kind of stuff."
Never mind that the Indians have never drawn a crowd as low as 5,000 to Progressive Field this year, but he was rolling.
Perez tried to smooth things over when someone asked him about the economy, but he continued to dig a hole for himself.
"I completely understand, but the fans can't take it personal when the players don't want to stay here or players don't want to come here," he said. "It's a business. You didn't choose to get drafted by Cleveland. I'm in it for my family. Who knows? I could throw my last pitch tomorrow.
"At the same time, I'm here. I'm here to win. I'm here for my teammates and I want to bring a championship to Cleveland, to do my job and help the team win. I think I do a pretty good job of showing that on the field. I don't think I bring any undue attention to myself. I'm out there for the team. In big wins, I get excited and I'm like a kid again, because it's fun."
Given the chance the following day to retract or apologize for some of his statements, following a visit with team president Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti, Perez decided to do neither, instead bringing his bottle of kerosene to add to the fire.
"Thursday was the last straw for me, and Saturday night was the first time I'd spoken [to reporters] since then," he said. "I just didn't understand the booing when I hadn't even given up a run. I don't understand the negativity, in general. Why? We have a first-place team. How many teams in the country would want that right now?
"You think the Tigers are happy? The Tigers are in third place. We're in first place. Enjoy it. We could be in last place. We could be the Royals, we could be the Pirates, who haven't won anything in 20 years."
Never mind that both the Pirates and Royals have won World Series titles sooner than the Indians' last win in 1948, and that, other than a playoff berth in 2007, the Indians have, by and large, not won anything since 2001.
Also, while Perez's Indians began last season at 30-15, they stumbled and bumbled under the spotlight and the sunshine of June, July and August and wound up 80-82, double-digit games behind first-place Detroit.
The blowback from his Saturday outburst was pretty intense, and Perez felt some of it on Twitter and on the Web. He basically said he didn/t care.
"I expected it, but I really don't care anymore," Perez said. "I'm here to do my job and play for this team. If the fans come, they'll come. If they don't, it will be just like it was in April, so who cares?"
Perez tried to downplay his fan bashing by saying he expected more fans to show up. Unfortunately, his explanations didn't help anything.
"The fans are going to come, I know that," he said. "It's just a slap in the face when you're in first place and last in attendance. Last. It's not like we're 25th, 26th -- we're last. Oakland is outdrawing us. That's embarrassing.
"In 2010, I wouldn't have made those comments [the Indians went 69-93 that season]. We deserved to get booed. We deserved to have nobody here. But we've been building up for this season. We're good. We have a good team. We haven't even played our best ball and we're in first."
Perez said some of his teammates feel the same way about the low attendance, but "they just won't say it."
That's a fantastic way of throwing his teammates under the bus, but then again, he's been a walking distraction for a long time,
"I'm not doing anything to bring extra attention to myself or distract from what the team's doing," he said. "I don't have an ulterior motive. I'm here to win. I want to win here. I care. We all care. We want to win. But right now, we're winning for ourselves, basically."
Winning for ourselves ... A fantastic way of saying that you, as a fan base, doesn't matter because he, speaking for his Indians, are not playing for your benefit anymore.
They're not playing for the name on the front of the jersey, they're essentially playing for the name on the back (unless they're using those special uniforms where there is no name on the back of jersey, but whatever).
The Indians responded to Perez's critical comments by losing to the Marlins, 5-3. Perez didn't give fans the sastisfaction of pitching, since the Indians were out of the game for the get-go and only a two-run ninth-inning rally made things respectable.
Yes, Chris Perez, it probably is frustrating that your team is in first place, but nobody is going to games. However, you must not know the fans of Cleveland all that well. You claim to, but you don't.
It seems like, fair or not, the Cleveland Indians have to prove something to the fan base each year to get them to "buy-in." The Browns don't have to do that, but that's because Cleveland is a football-town and the Browns actually left town for three years. Absense makes the heart grow fonder, even if that team has been a stinking pile of dump since it returned in 1999.
The Indians, out of anyone, took advantage of the Browns leaving town the most. Jacobs Field was a palace when it opened in 1994. Dick Jacobs made some key free agent signings, and the team started to win.
They reached the World Series in 1995 -- the first Series berth since 1954 -- but lost. Their Game 6 loss came a few weeks before word of the Browns moving to Baltimore was leaked and then confirmed on Nov. 6.
Without the Browns, the Indians reached the postseason in 1996, 97, 98, 99 and 2001. They reached the ALCS in 1997 and 98 and reached the World Series in 97.
In fact, 1997 may have been the closest anyone from Joe Cleveland's generation has been to a championship. They led Game 7, 2-1, heading into the bottom of the ninth, before Jose Mesa imploded and gave up the tying run. The Tribe eventually lost in the 11th, 3-2, on a two-out single up the middle by Edgar Renteria off of Charles Nagy.
In 2000, the Indians were elminated from the wild-card on the final day of the regular season. That was the year they were sold to Larry Dolan.
Under Dolan's ownership, the Indians have had two postseason berths, one ALCS berth (2007) and three winning seasons (they went 93-69 in 2005 after a furious second-half rally, but choked in the final week of the regular season and missed out on the playoffs). The rest has been terrible.
In 2002, Mark Shapiro was promoted to general manager after John Hart took the identical job in Texas. Shapiro's first act was trading future Hall of Famer Robbie Alomar to the Mets, but his next trade was his best.
After firing Charlie Manuel at the All-Star break, Shapiro dealt Bartolo Colon (who wound up winning 20 games) to the Montreal Expos for Lee Stevens and three prospects -- Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips. While Phillips didn't emerge until Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge gave up on him and essentially gave him to the Reds, Sizemore and Lee became two of the better players in baseball.
Lee, who did little to contribute to the 2007 team, won the 2008 Cy Young Award after winning 24 games. CC Sabathia won the Cy Young in 2007, while the guy formerly known as Fausto Carmona caught lightning in a bottle and also won 19 games that season.
By 2009, only one of those pitchers will still be in Cleveland. Unfortunately, it was the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona, who is currently being detained in the Dominican Republic under his given name of Roberto Hernandez Heredia and is three years older than he told the Indians and the U.S. Government.
Lee and Sabathia were dealt in back-to-back years in cost-cutting trades. Out of the two trades, the Indians have three players on the current big-league roster -- center fielder Michael Brantley, utility infielder Jason Donald and backup catcher Lou Marson.
The Indians also traded popular catcher Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for pitchers Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone. Hagadone finally made the club this year and has become a decent end-of-the-pen guy. Masterson had a great season last year, but has struggled this year.
It's maneuvers like this that cause fan disconnect. The fans loathed that all of their heroes from the "Era of Champions" -- Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel -- all were allowed to walk away as free agents because the Indians couldn't afford to keep them. They loathed that others who replaced them and emerged in their absence, such as Brandon Phillips, Martinez, Lee and Sabathia, were dealt for prospects -- prospects that, for the most part, haven't emerged yet.
The Indians have drafted poorly during that time, which further depleted their farm system. They've drafted better recently, but two of their most recent first-round choices -- pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz -- were dealt at the trading deadline to Colorado for pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez.
To say Jimenez has been inconsistant since coming to Cleveland would be an understatement. One game,he looks like Cy Young. The next, he looks like Anthony Young.
(Joe Cleveland break -- if you don't know who Anthony Young is, Google him. Young went 3-30 over a two-year span with the Mets, which included a record 24-game losing streak.)
So, fans went into this season with a general distaste for the Indians' ownership and front office. Also, on the eve of the regular season, Forbes Magazine reported that the Indians turned the largest profit in the major leagues -- $30 million. Meanwhile, the Dolans continued to cry the poorhouse blues, and their denial of the report just reeked of lies.
Despite that, a whopping 44,000 people showed up to watch Opening Day against the Blue Jays, and, for 8 1/2 innings, the fans were enjoying a 4-1 lead.
Then Chris Perez showed up to undo all of the good tidings, giving up three ninth-inning runs.
By the way Chris, if you wonder why fans get restless and boo you when you pitch, it's performancs like yours in the home opener you can point to. Some fans just don't trust a lead with you on the mound. Want to shut them up and prove them wrong? Keep firing 1-2-3, 10-pitch innings at opponents. If it takes "not wanting to be booed" to do that kind of performance, Joe Cleveland can only wonder why you're not motivated to pitch like that all the time.
The Tribe wound up losing in 16 innings, and most fans tuned them out after that.
So, you factor in distaste for ownership, a lackluster offseason in which a lot of promised but nothing was delivered (Casey Kotchman and a bucket of crap constitutes as NOTHING), a spectacular blown home opener in front of a raucus capacity crowd, and a chilly April, and it's no surprise why they've been drawing 11,000 fans to their games on average.
Also, you have to go back to last season. Like last season, the Tribe came off of a do-nothing offseason and a miserable home opener to shock baseball by going 30-15 at the end of May.
There was no way a team 15 games above .500 would not win a division title, let alone clinch a playoff berth. And yet, the bargain-basement Indians found a way to do both.
This season has almost been a mirror-image of last season. Fans were skeptical about the Tribe's good fortune last season, but bought in during the summer with large crowds. Once the fans started coming, the Indians started wilting. They were relegated to bringing back legend Jim Thome in August and September to continue some of those large crowds into football season. By then, the team was toast.
So, to say the fans were skeptical again this season is perfectly understandable. Joe Cleveland, for one, is definitely skeptical. They just don't look like a playoff-calibur team to me.
Yeah, they're playing a gritty brand of baseball that Cleveland fans can identify with. They're underdogs, and we all love an underdog. However, everyone's waiting for that other shoe to drop.
All the fans who did so last year pointed to everyone who yelled at them and said, "I told you so." They are waiting to do that again.
Chris Perez's nuclear meltdown this past weekend can't help matters with a fragile fan base. Yes, fans are talking about the Indians more than the Browns today. However, it's mostly debating as to whether or not you side with Perez and/or will continue to support the Tribe.
If the Indians get swept by Detroit, or drop 2-of-3 games, the boo birds and buzzards will swoop in. Perez's meltdown will be the factor in many fans' eyes for their dismal performance, especially if Perez blows a save. Hoo-boy, buckle up for that one, Chrissy!
Who knows, perhaps an outburst like this will galvanize the team into rallying around their beleagured and outspoken closer. Baseball's a funny game.
But, as of now, Joe Cleveland will go back to paying attention to the Browns' OTAs and the Cavs' upcoming NBA Draft lottery. Chris Perez just burned his last bridge to this fan.
By the way, baseball fans, if you like baseball but don't want to pay $10 for a beer, there are cheaper and more family-friendly alternatives to the Indians. The Lake County (Eastlake) Captains to the East, the Akron Aeros to the South, the Columbus Clippers to the further South, the Lake Erie (Avon) Crushers to the West and the Mahoning Valley (Niles) Scrappers to the further East are minor league teams, but put on a great brand of baseball and promote fun for the entire family. Plus, you're not spending over $100 to take a family of four to a ball game.
Joe Cleveland took his 9-year-old nephew to a Crushers game last Saturday. The kid wound up with two foul balls, a couple of autographs, and ate like a champion for under $10.
Ironically, all but the Crushers are affiliated with the Indians, so they're basically competing with themselves. The Captains come highly recommended, as do the Aeros, Clippers and Crushers.
Some fans are saying that the low attendance will eventually lead to the Indians moving. Do these fans not remember all the times the Indians were going to "move to New Orleans" or "move to Miami" or "move to whereever" during the 1970s and 80s, when ownership was terrible and the team was even worse and they played in a dump of a stadium? They didn't move then, did they?
The Tribe's not going anywhere. They play in a great stadium with a great lease. If they do, Larry Dolan will have no one to blame but himself. But, that's a discussion for another day.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
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