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Today caps a fantastic week for Cleveland sports.
And the Browns snapping their 11-game losing streak just like they snapped their last 11-game skid -- with a home win over the Bengals -- was only part of it.
You can start with the Indians decision to fire Manny Acta and give Sandy Alomar the interim job for the last week of the regular season. He went 3-3 and his teams showed some fight that had been missing since ... well, arguably, since May.
Give the Indians credit for acting fast when it came to a new manager. They targeted two candidates -- Alomar and former Red Sox manager and Indians player/front office member Terry Francona -- interviewed them, made their decision, and hired who they feel is the best man for the job.
That man was Francona, who comes to town with two World Series rings on his fingers from his time with the Red Sox. One of those rings (2007) came at the expense of the Indians. Both of those ended a long streak of no championships for a town that lives and dies with their baseball team. The so-called "Curse of the Bambino," if you will, is no more.
With his seat getting hotter and hotter, Pat Shurmur (now easily third on the depth chart of professional coaches in this town behind Byron Scott and Francona) coached his beleagured Browns to a much-needed victory in their most complete performance since Shurmur took over. 34-24, and it honestly wasn't that close. A garbage TD pass by the Bengals cut the Browns lead from 17 to 10, and a cluch sack/forced fumble by Emmanuel Stephens with the Bengals in the red zone, which was recovered and returned 40 yards by Billy Wynn, thwarted any nonsense about a fourth-quarter meltdown.
The defense picked off three Andy "Ginger" Dalton passes. One of which was by the returning Joe Haden, whose impact was immediately felt in the defense. Another was a pick-six from veteran Sheldon Brown that cemented the Browns' victory.
Brandon Weeden, who you either love or hate (depending on which type of Browns fan you are), shut up a lot of his dectractors with a solid two-touchdown, 290-yard performance. His only interception came off a tipped ball at the line of scrimmage on the Browns' first offensive possession. He clearly outplayed Dalton Sunday.
Montario Hardesty, who many Browns fans were wondering why he even still had a job after not getting any playing time in the four previous games, had to spell an injured Trent Richardson and responded with 54 huge second-half yards and his first pro touchdown. Hardesty played his butt off.
The win has sent Cleveland fans riding a wave of euphoria not seen in a while, and that wave was only extended today when Jimmy Haslam III (see the above video) was unanimously approved as the new owner of the Cleveland Browns.
You can't help but love this guy. He's the first owner this team has had that truly "gets it" since Mickey McBride sold the team in the 1950s to David Jones. Say what you will about the Dead Judas, but I can't recall ever hearing him refer to the Cleveland Browns as "YOUR Cleveland Browns." His selfish move to the land of crabcakes proves that point.
Haslam has been a fixture at Browns headquarters since he first agreed in principle to buy the team from the Lerner Family in early August. He's been at every game. He's been in the locker room. He's been talking to everybody -- the media, the out-of-town media, the coaches, the front office, other NFL owners, you name it. You can probably count on one hand how many times Randy Lerner was spotted at Browns headquarters last year.
This is nothing about Randy Lerner, who I believe is a huge Browns fan and truly cared about the team. He just didn't want to be a team owner and didn't deal with the pressures of that, especially in a city and region such as this one that lives and dies with every Browns snap.
Simply throwing money at people to try to fix it became tiring. His lastest splurge -- five years and $40 million to Mike Holmgren -- will wind up being a wasted purchase.
Holmgren may have brought in some pieces, such as general manager Tom Heckert, to overhaul the Browns roster and add more talent and playmakers. However, his handling of the head coaching position -- from leaving Eric Mangini around for the first year when it was clear to everyone their philosophies would not mesh to hiring the untested Pat Shurmur and letting him twist in the wind for two miserable seasons -- will be his downfall here in town.
Holmgren's ego wouldn't allow him to bring in a head coach with cred. But yet, he didn't want to coach the team himself. Instead of helping out Shurmur, who clearly wasn't ready to be an NFL head coach, he disappeared to Seattle and was rarely around. He was more hands-on with Mangini was the head coach than he was his second year.
Holmgren essentially owned an NFL team without every having to purchase one. Hell, he was given $40 million to own a team. He had carte-blanche to do as he pleased because he didn't have any accountability. He was working for an absentee owner who didn't want to be bothered.
That changed when Lerner finally found a buyer in Jimmy Haslam. Haslam didn't need someone to go to the owners meetings for him or run the franchise for him. He plans on doing that himself.
Suddenly, Holmgren became expendable. Haslam's been around more than Holmgren has this year, and Haslam didn't officially own the team until today.
So, his retirement, which Haslam announced within the first minute of his introductary press conference, wasn't much of a surprise. He'll finish off the year working with the new CEO, Joe Banner, and helping Banner and Haslam transition to their positions of power. Then, he'll ride his Harley off into the sunset, or somewhere near the Puget Sound.
Regardless of what Haslam and Banner decide to do with Heckert and Shurmur in the offseason, it's apparent Haslam wants to turn the Browns into a consistant winning franchise. If he sees enough growth in Shurmur this year, he'll retain him. If not, he'll let him go.
If Haslam and Banner believe they can get a better general manager to be responsible for the makeup of this roster, they'll hire him and fire Heckert. If not, they'll retain him.
Heckert, of the three, has made more of a case to be retained by the new regime. But even then, what jaw-dropping maneuvers or signings has he made? His big splashes were the trade down the the Falcons for multiple draft picks (passing on wide receiver Julio Jones, who has done well with the Falcons) and the trade up with the Vikings to select Trent Richardson. The Weeden first-round draft pick has been scrutinized because of his age and because the Browns were in line to have the No. 1 overall pick (and their choice of either West Virginia's Geno Smith or USC's Matt Barkley) and because of his early-season struggles.
Joe Cleveland has thrown his trust behind Butch Davis, behind Phil Savage and behind Holmgren when they all came aboard. My trust has been crushed by all three of these individuals.
But, I trust Haslam. He's saying and doing all the right things. His presense has been a breath of fresh air in a town that has had it's share of terrible sports owners, including Lerner and Indians owners Larry and Paul Dolan. Dan Gilbert has enjoyed the top spot in Cleveland sports owner hirarchy since he rode into town from Detroit. However, he may have to vacate that spot for Haslam.
And, suddenly, the Browns schedule doesn't look so daunting. The Indianapolis Colts, with rookie Andrew Luck, look beatable, as does the underachieving San Diego Chargers, the Baltimore Ravens (who the Browns nearly beat a few weeks ago in Baltimore and are getting decimated on defense), the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Oakland Raiders, the Kansas City Chiefs, the RGIII-led Washington Redskins ... heck, even the underachieving Dallas Cowboys look beatable at this point.
There is room for the Browns to salvage this season and for Pat Shurmur to salvage his job for at least one season. Holmgren's gone -- Shurmur and Heckert are fresh out of friends. They will be held accountable for their jobs, and the No. 1 judge for that is how this team performs (and wins) on the field.
***
As far as the Indians go, Francona was a smart hire. He was by far the top managerial candidate available, and he wanted to come here. When a guy with his credentials wants to come to town, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to screw it up.
Although, you can't put anything past Paul and Larry Dolan.
One thing that concerns me is the out-clause he put in his four-year contract that gives him the right to leave if the Indians decide to fire president Mark Shapiro and/or GM Chris Antonetti. Both of these guys are on shaky ground at the moment based on their mismanaging of the Indians' talent, draft and minor league system.
You want Shapiro and Antonetti to be more accountable for their jobs. But now, it seems that they have a four-year pass because they are married to Francona.
Do the Dolans want to lose Francona before that four-year contract is up? Or does player personnel decisions make it a gamble worth taking?
I can only hope that the money the Dolans forked over to bring in Francona (he certainly wasn't cheap) signals at least some type of hope that they invest some of those $30 million profits into bettering this roster. I'm not saying they need a $200 million payroll like the Red Sox. However, this $40 million payroll crap just ain't gonna cut it anymore.
If the Dolans weren't going to invest in their roster, it made more sense to hire the cost-effective Alomar. Alomar would have come cheaper than Francona and the fans would have given Alomar a longer leash than they gave Acta or Eric Wedge. The Indians could have sucked a few more years and the fans may have put up with it because of who the manager was.
While Francona is a credible name, he also comes in with high expectations from this fan base. They want to see results. That puts pressure on Shapiro and Antonetti to make sure those results happen, whether they want to believe it or not.
Yes, the Browns will always been No. 1 in this town. However, history has shown that this town can be a baseball town when the product is at least watchable. The anger and vitriol directed to the Dolans and Shapiro isn't because people don't like the Indians; on the contrary, it's because they still passionately care about the Indians and are tired of seeing this franchise that dominated the 1990s like no one has seen being drug through the mud based on terrible personnel decisions and horrrible decisions from an ownership group that is (fair or not) perceived as cheap.
Hopefully, the Francona hire signals a change in the mentality from the Tribe brass. Perhaps they do care about wins and losses instead of just about the bottom line. The funny part is, if you care more about wins and losses, the bottom line takes care of itself.
Joe Cleveland will keep a curious eye on the Indians this offseason to see what exactly they do. He'll also be keeping an eye on what happens with the Browns for the next two months and beyond.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Showing posts with label Larry Dolan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Larry Dolan. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Indians Acta-propriately
The only person who believed Manny Acta would survive the Indians' historic collapse this season from first place to worst in the span of two months was, apparently, Manny Acta himself.
The questions with the Indians was when they would drop the ax on Acta, and who else would be ridden out on the rails?
The Tribe answered one of those questions last Thursday, when Acta was fired with six games remaining in the regular season. Bench coach and former Indians all-time great Sandy Alomar Jr. was named interim manager for the rest of the season and has been identified as a leading candidate for the permanent job next season and beyond.
The other question hasn't been officially answered. But, it looks like team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Chris Antonetti will be spared for at least one more year.
Joe Cleveland was never a fan of Manny Acta. He did not have a proven winning track record coming in to Cleveland. His perceived passive-aggressiveness in the dugout led observors to believe that he didn't seem to care. And, it also looked like his team quit on him from July through September.
It was clear a change had to be made, especially given the Indians' belief that 2012 would be a season of "contention." For the first two months, they looked to be right.
However, while Eric Wedge's team patented the slow start and red-hot finish during his way-too-long seven years at the helm, Acta's teams patented the opposite -- the red-hot start and slow finish.
Acta's teams wound up with 90 losses in two of his three seasons. The middle season was 80-82, but that year saw a fall from a 30-15 start in June that many believing that the Indians were going to the playoffs.
But, it's not totally Acta's fault. He was given Spam by his front office and expected to turn it into prime rib.
At the very least, Antonetti should have also been shown the door, because every move he's made since becoming the team's general manager has blown up in his face.
For starters, he was heavily influencial on the hiring of Acta as manager. When that manager doesn't even last three seasons, that's a reflection on the guy who hired him.
Antonetti's biggest trade may have been his worst -- acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez from Colorado for four prospects, including first-round pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. While both White and Pomeranz have struggled in Denver's thin air and have not panned out as expected, the Indians' farm system took a serious hit for a guy that has struggled to win games and be consistant since he was brought to town last July.
Jimenez was on track for at least 19 losses before the Indians mercifully shut him down. It remains to be seen if they will pick up his $5.75 million option for the 2013 season.
Antonetti's most recent offseason may have been his worst. From the re-signing of injured Grady Sizemore for an incentive-laden, $5 million base salary for one year (and then watching him sit out the whole season with a myriad of injuries) to the acquision of aging Derek Lowe, who didn't survive July to the belief that the triumverate of aging Johnny Damon, journeyman Shelly Duncan and minor leaguer Aaron Cunningham would fill the left field void while deciding to not give Josh Willingham a third year and watching Minnesota grant his wish are just the tip of the iceberg.
There's picking up Fausto Carmona's contract option, only to lose him for most of this season due to an identity fraud case that saw him being really named Roberto Hernandez and aging from 29 to 32.
There's signing the banjo-hitting Casey Kotchman as a bargain-baseman free agent to fill the void at first base.
There's going with a predominantly left-handed lineup, which allowed teams to exploit this by lining up their left-handed starters to face the Indians.
There's picking up former International League MVP Russ Canzler in the offseason and watch the right-hander tear up AAA pitching once again while his major league, desperately crying for a right-handed bat with power, didn't call him up until September.
There's turning down decent offers for Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Perez at the trading deadline, but then not acquiring anything that would help his team push Chicago and Detroit for the Central Division title that once seemed within their grasp. Instead, the team only won 5 games in August, Perez continued to make an ass out himself (even publicly ripping the front office) and Choo had a decent season, but not a great season.
Asdrubal Cabrera, who Antonetti signed to an extension during the offseason, suddenly channeled his inner Jhonny Peralta and became a butcher at shortstop (19 errors) while also suddenly losing his motivation to play (and not playing very well when he did).
The starting rotation, believed to be the strength of the team by Antonetti, became one of the worst starting rotations in MLB. Justin Masterson (who was also being bid upon by teams at the deadline) seriously regressed, along with Ubaldo, and minor leaguers like Corey Kluber, David Huff and Jeanmar Gomez were counted on to be the main starters.
Then, there's the saga of Matt LaPorta, who Acta never seemed to care for. LaPorta lost his job to Kotchman, did decently down in Columbus, but was never given a true chance by the Indians this season. Whenever LaPorta did play, he didn't play well. Whether that's because of his problems with Acta or not remains to be seen. But, the lynch-pin of the CC Sabathia trade has suddenly become an afterthought.
Antonetti didn't make the Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez trades (Shapiro did before he got promoted). But, like his predecessor, Antonetti hasn't seemed to make the draft a top priority and has failed at developing talent in the minor leagues.
The roster Antonetti tried to say was a major league, contending roster this season was a joke. Credit Acta for taking this lineup of Punch and Judy hitters and mediocre starters and turning it into a first place team by the end of May. However, a good manager builds off of that success, and Acta is not a good manager.
Antonetti is a mediocre MLB general manager who deserved to be shipped out on the same bus as Acta was. Somehow, Larry Dolan (the worst sports owner in Cleveland) was convinced these moves were good moves and that he (and Shapiro) deserved another chance to run his team.
All they've done is run his team into the ground. However, the penny-pinching Dolan doesn't seem to care as long as his team can turn a profit.
So, it appears the Red Perm and his Boy Wonder will be responsible for picking the next manager of the Cleveland Indians. The last two guys this braintrust were responsible for were both pretty miserable hires --Wedge and Acta -- so I don't have the utmost confidence in their ability to hire a competant guy.
In the end, though, whether it's Alomar or former Indians player and exec Terry Francona or some other candidate, it's not going matter unless something is done to overhaul the talent pool.
This team has regressed in three years in overall talent, and it may not get better unless something drastic happens.
At the very least, the bloated contracts for Travis Hafner, Sizemore and Hernandez/Carmona will come off the books since they will become free agents. Also, the contracts of Choo and Perez will certainly be dangled for whatever top-shelf prospects they can land, and I wouldn't be surprised if Cabrera, Masterson and Jimenez are also dangled as well.
Other than Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana (who took a step back this season) and Lonnie Chisenhall, there isn't much to build around or to hope for as an Indians fan. Perhaps Canzler opens enough eyes during this September call-up to be given the first base job this season. Even then, though, Canzler has been a career minor leaguer for a reason.
Pitching wise, it's a mess. Carlos Carrasco may be ready to return from Tommy John surgery, but he wasn't exactly the second-coming of Fernando before the injury happened.
The bullpen should be strong enough to combat the loss of Perez. Vinnie Pestano has the makeup to be a successful closer. However, he has had his share of shaky moments in the ninth this year. But, to be honest, this team won't be expected to win very much, so a closer is a luxury they really don't need.
It will be interesting to see if the Dolans hire Francona, since you'd expect that he'd command a hefty price tag. After all, he did help Boston overcome their "Curse of the Bambino" with World Series wins in both 2004 and 2007. He may ask for some say in the personnel department as well, which would cut into Antonetti's and Shapiro's responsibilities.
Alomar should get a longer leash than Acta did by the fans becasue of who he is. Other than Omar Vizquel and (thanks to last year) Jim Thome, Alomar is one of the most revered members of those 1990s super-teams by the Indians fan base. Like Omar, Alomar didn't leave by choice, and he always considered himself an Indian at heart even as he played for five other franchises to end his career. While Alomar would be a good PR-hire, he's also universally recognized as a solid baseball man and an up-and-coming managerial candidate. Plus, Alomar would be cheaper than Francona, which would be music to the meiserly Dolans' ears.
I'd expect that Alomar is given the permanent managerial job after the season ends. Perhaps Francona takes a front office position to help ease the (obvious) burden placed on Antonetti and Shapiro for jobs they are clearly not ready or prepared for.
However, by firing Acta and retaining the brain trust, the Dolans have (without saying so) place the target squarely on both of their heads. Losing won't be Alomar or Francona's fault, it will be on the guys who are responsible for acquiring the talent to make up the roster.
Hopefully, this move greases Antonetti's skids out of town, and hopefully, the swarmy Shapiro follows him out the door.
We can only hope that this is Larry Dolan's cue to sell the club, but you can wish in one hand and defecate in the other and see which one fills up first. A new owner would be the cure-all to this franchise's ails because he would clean house and bring in his own baseball people.
We shall see. But, while it once appeared that the Indians were the closest of the three Cleveland franchises to fielding a winner, it is now apparent they are a distant third, whether Sandy's the man in charge or not.
***
Joe Cleveland goes into every Sunday rooting for a Browns victory, and is extremely disappointed when that doesn't happen.
So far, the Browns have not tasted victory through four games and it looks like that skid may grow to five (11 losses overall) this Sunday at the Meadowlands against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants.
However, unlike some fellow Browns fans, Joe Cleveland has been encouraged by what he's seen.
Even though last year's team was 2-2 at this point and started off 3-3, this year's team is MUCH better, in terms of talent. That has been apparent through these four losses.
The Browns have played three playoff teams and a fourth that was off to a red-hot start following some high-profile free agent signings very, very tough and have been competitive. They came within seconds of upsetting Michael Vick and the Eagles in the season opener and gave AFC North foes Cincinnati and Baltimore all they could handle on the road.
Brandon Weeden is still a work in progress, but he's shown flashes of being a very good quarterback. Two 300-yard games on the road against division foes -- one of which has a historically tough defense (the Ravens) -- is more than enough to open this person's eyes.
Trent Richardson is the real deal. Teams are already game-planning to stop him by stacking the box, making it tough for him to get any running room. But, he's become a reliable receiving threat out of the backfield, making people look silly in the open field. As long as his knee stays healthy -- which it has thorugh these four games -- he could be the best Browns running back since the great Jim Brown himself. It's a high comparison, but I believe it's warrented.
Joe Haden's absense only proves how valuable he is to the play of the secondary. Without Haden, Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Joe Flacco have shredded the Browns secondary -- a secondary that was one of the top-five units in the league last year with Haden playing all 16 games.
D'Qwell Jackson has become a legitimate playmaker and leader on the defensive side. And young linebackers Craig Robertson and L.J. Fort have shown glimpes of being good NFL linebackers.
The wide receivers have, once again, let this team down. They're not giving Weeden much help, and yet he's still putting up decent numbers. The Browns' inability to address this area in the offseason is coming back to bite them in the ass, and that's the fault of Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert.
Jimmy Haslam doesn't need a whole of excuses to bring in his own people. Heckert appeared the safest of the three (Holmgren and head coach Pat Shurmur) and still does. However, the decision to go with 15 rookies was his decision, and that may turn the tide against him.
Following the Giants' game, the Browns' next four opponents will be the Bengals at home, the Colts on the road, the Chargers at home and the Ravens at home. Haden will be back, and defensive tackle Phil Taylor may be cleared to return by the end of that stretch. It will be these four games that will make or break the Browns, especially Shurmur. The Browns have proven they can play with both Cincy and Baltimore on the road, the Colts are in the same boat as the Browns, and the Chargers are regressing.
Anything less than a 2-2 record in those four games may result in a bye-week coaching change (conveniently located right after that Ravens game), and signal the beginning of the end of the Holmgren regime. It should also be a better barometer for the progress of Weeden and Richardson.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
The questions with the Indians was when they would drop the ax on Acta, and who else would be ridden out on the rails?
The Tribe answered one of those questions last Thursday, when Acta was fired with six games remaining in the regular season. Bench coach and former Indians all-time great Sandy Alomar Jr. was named interim manager for the rest of the season and has been identified as a leading candidate for the permanent job next season and beyond.
The other question hasn't been officially answered. But, it looks like team president Mark Shapiro and general manager Chris Antonetti will be spared for at least one more year.
Joe Cleveland was never a fan of Manny Acta. He did not have a proven winning track record coming in to Cleveland. His perceived passive-aggressiveness in the dugout led observors to believe that he didn't seem to care. And, it also looked like his team quit on him from July through September.
It was clear a change had to be made, especially given the Indians' belief that 2012 would be a season of "contention." For the first two months, they looked to be right.
However, while Eric Wedge's team patented the slow start and red-hot finish during his way-too-long seven years at the helm, Acta's teams patented the opposite -- the red-hot start and slow finish.
Acta's teams wound up with 90 losses in two of his three seasons. The middle season was 80-82, but that year saw a fall from a 30-15 start in June that many believing that the Indians were going to the playoffs.
But, it's not totally Acta's fault. He was given Spam by his front office and expected to turn it into prime rib.
At the very least, Antonetti should have also been shown the door, because every move he's made since becoming the team's general manager has blown up in his face.
For starters, he was heavily influencial on the hiring of Acta as manager. When that manager doesn't even last three seasons, that's a reflection on the guy who hired him.
Antonetti's biggest trade may have been his worst -- acquiring Ubaldo Jimenez from Colorado for four prospects, including first-round pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. While both White and Pomeranz have struggled in Denver's thin air and have not panned out as expected, the Indians' farm system took a serious hit for a guy that has struggled to win games and be consistant since he was brought to town last July.
Jimenez was on track for at least 19 losses before the Indians mercifully shut him down. It remains to be seen if they will pick up his $5.75 million option for the 2013 season.
Antonetti's most recent offseason may have been his worst. From the re-signing of injured Grady Sizemore for an incentive-laden, $5 million base salary for one year (and then watching him sit out the whole season with a myriad of injuries) to the acquision of aging Derek Lowe, who didn't survive July to the belief that the triumverate of aging Johnny Damon, journeyman Shelly Duncan and minor leaguer Aaron Cunningham would fill the left field void while deciding to not give Josh Willingham a third year and watching Minnesota grant his wish are just the tip of the iceberg.
There's picking up Fausto Carmona's contract option, only to lose him for most of this season due to an identity fraud case that saw him being really named Roberto Hernandez and aging from 29 to 32.
There's signing the banjo-hitting Casey Kotchman as a bargain-baseman free agent to fill the void at first base.
There's going with a predominantly left-handed lineup, which allowed teams to exploit this by lining up their left-handed starters to face the Indians.
There's picking up former International League MVP Russ Canzler in the offseason and watch the right-hander tear up AAA pitching once again while his major league, desperately crying for a right-handed bat with power, didn't call him up until September.
There's turning down decent offers for Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Perez at the trading deadline, but then not acquiring anything that would help his team push Chicago and Detroit for the Central Division title that once seemed within their grasp. Instead, the team only won 5 games in August, Perez continued to make an ass out himself (even publicly ripping the front office) and Choo had a decent season, but not a great season.
Asdrubal Cabrera, who Antonetti signed to an extension during the offseason, suddenly channeled his inner Jhonny Peralta and became a butcher at shortstop (19 errors) while also suddenly losing his motivation to play (and not playing very well when he did).
The starting rotation, believed to be the strength of the team by Antonetti, became one of the worst starting rotations in MLB. Justin Masterson (who was also being bid upon by teams at the deadline) seriously regressed, along with Ubaldo, and minor leaguers like Corey Kluber, David Huff and Jeanmar Gomez were counted on to be the main starters.
Then, there's the saga of Matt LaPorta, who Acta never seemed to care for. LaPorta lost his job to Kotchman, did decently down in Columbus, but was never given a true chance by the Indians this season. Whenever LaPorta did play, he didn't play well. Whether that's because of his problems with Acta or not remains to be seen. But, the lynch-pin of the CC Sabathia trade has suddenly become an afterthought.
Antonetti didn't make the Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez trades (Shapiro did before he got promoted). But, like his predecessor, Antonetti hasn't seemed to make the draft a top priority and has failed at developing talent in the minor leagues.
The roster Antonetti tried to say was a major league, contending roster this season was a joke. Credit Acta for taking this lineup of Punch and Judy hitters and mediocre starters and turning it into a first place team by the end of May. However, a good manager builds off of that success, and Acta is not a good manager.
Antonetti is a mediocre MLB general manager who deserved to be shipped out on the same bus as Acta was. Somehow, Larry Dolan (the worst sports owner in Cleveland) was convinced these moves were good moves and that he (and Shapiro) deserved another chance to run his team.
All they've done is run his team into the ground. However, the penny-pinching Dolan doesn't seem to care as long as his team can turn a profit.
So, it appears the Red Perm and his Boy Wonder will be responsible for picking the next manager of the Cleveland Indians. The last two guys this braintrust were responsible for were both pretty miserable hires --Wedge and Acta -- so I don't have the utmost confidence in their ability to hire a competant guy.
In the end, though, whether it's Alomar or former Indians player and exec Terry Francona or some other candidate, it's not going matter unless something is done to overhaul the talent pool.
This team has regressed in three years in overall talent, and it may not get better unless something drastic happens.
At the very least, the bloated contracts for Travis Hafner, Sizemore and Hernandez/Carmona will come off the books since they will become free agents. Also, the contracts of Choo and Perez will certainly be dangled for whatever top-shelf prospects they can land, and I wouldn't be surprised if Cabrera, Masterson and Jimenez are also dangled as well.
Other than Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana (who took a step back this season) and Lonnie Chisenhall, there isn't much to build around or to hope for as an Indians fan. Perhaps Canzler opens enough eyes during this September call-up to be given the first base job this season. Even then, though, Canzler has been a career minor leaguer for a reason.
Pitching wise, it's a mess. Carlos Carrasco may be ready to return from Tommy John surgery, but he wasn't exactly the second-coming of Fernando before the injury happened.
The bullpen should be strong enough to combat the loss of Perez. Vinnie Pestano has the makeup to be a successful closer. However, he has had his share of shaky moments in the ninth this year. But, to be honest, this team won't be expected to win very much, so a closer is a luxury they really don't need.
It will be interesting to see if the Dolans hire Francona, since you'd expect that he'd command a hefty price tag. After all, he did help Boston overcome their "Curse of the Bambino" with World Series wins in both 2004 and 2007. He may ask for some say in the personnel department as well, which would cut into Antonetti's and Shapiro's responsibilities.
Alomar should get a longer leash than Acta did by the fans becasue of who he is. Other than Omar Vizquel and (thanks to last year) Jim Thome, Alomar is one of the most revered members of those 1990s super-teams by the Indians fan base. Like Omar, Alomar didn't leave by choice, and he always considered himself an Indian at heart even as he played for five other franchises to end his career. While Alomar would be a good PR-hire, he's also universally recognized as a solid baseball man and an up-and-coming managerial candidate. Plus, Alomar would be cheaper than Francona, which would be music to the meiserly Dolans' ears.
I'd expect that Alomar is given the permanent managerial job after the season ends. Perhaps Francona takes a front office position to help ease the (obvious) burden placed on Antonetti and Shapiro for jobs they are clearly not ready or prepared for.
However, by firing Acta and retaining the brain trust, the Dolans have (without saying so) place the target squarely on both of their heads. Losing won't be Alomar or Francona's fault, it will be on the guys who are responsible for acquiring the talent to make up the roster.
Hopefully, this move greases Antonetti's skids out of town, and hopefully, the swarmy Shapiro follows him out the door.
We can only hope that this is Larry Dolan's cue to sell the club, but you can wish in one hand and defecate in the other and see which one fills up first. A new owner would be the cure-all to this franchise's ails because he would clean house and bring in his own baseball people.
We shall see. But, while it once appeared that the Indians were the closest of the three Cleveland franchises to fielding a winner, it is now apparent they are a distant third, whether Sandy's the man in charge or not.
***
Joe Cleveland goes into every Sunday rooting for a Browns victory, and is extremely disappointed when that doesn't happen.
So far, the Browns have not tasted victory through four games and it looks like that skid may grow to five (11 losses overall) this Sunday at the Meadowlands against the defending Super Bowl champion Giants.
However, unlike some fellow Browns fans, Joe Cleveland has been encouraged by what he's seen.
Even though last year's team was 2-2 at this point and started off 3-3, this year's team is MUCH better, in terms of talent. That has been apparent through these four losses.
The Browns have played three playoff teams and a fourth that was off to a red-hot start following some high-profile free agent signings very, very tough and have been competitive. They came within seconds of upsetting Michael Vick and the Eagles in the season opener and gave AFC North foes Cincinnati and Baltimore all they could handle on the road.
Brandon Weeden is still a work in progress, but he's shown flashes of being a very good quarterback. Two 300-yard games on the road against division foes -- one of which has a historically tough defense (the Ravens) -- is more than enough to open this person's eyes.
Trent Richardson is the real deal. Teams are already game-planning to stop him by stacking the box, making it tough for him to get any running room. But, he's become a reliable receiving threat out of the backfield, making people look silly in the open field. As long as his knee stays healthy -- which it has thorugh these four games -- he could be the best Browns running back since the great Jim Brown himself. It's a high comparison, but I believe it's warrented.
Joe Haden's absense only proves how valuable he is to the play of the secondary. Without Haden, Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Joe Flacco have shredded the Browns secondary -- a secondary that was one of the top-five units in the league last year with Haden playing all 16 games.
D'Qwell Jackson has become a legitimate playmaker and leader on the defensive side. And young linebackers Craig Robertson and L.J. Fort have shown glimpes of being good NFL linebackers.
The wide receivers have, once again, let this team down. They're not giving Weeden much help, and yet he's still putting up decent numbers. The Browns' inability to address this area in the offseason is coming back to bite them in the ass, and that's the fault of Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert.
Jimmy Haslam doesn't need a whole of excuses to bring in his own people. Heckert appeared the safest of the three (Holmgren and head coach Pat Shurmur) and still does. However, the decision to go with 15 rookies was his decision, and that may turn the tide against him.
Following the Giants' game, the Browns' next four opponents will be the Bengals at home, the Colts on the road, the Chargers at home and the Ravens at home. Haden will be back, and defensive tackle Phil Taylor may be cleared to return by the end of that stretch. It will be these four games that will make or break the Browns, especially Shurmur. The Browns have proven they can play with both Cincy and Baltimore on the road, the Colts are in the same boat as the Browns, and the Chargers are regressing.
Anything less than a 2-2 record in those four games may result in a bye-week coaching change (conveniently located right after that Ravens game), and signal the beginning of the end of the Holmgren regime. It should also be a better barometer for the progress of Weeden and Richardson.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Are you ready for some football?
The Cleveland Browns -- or the latest reincarnation of a new era of a never-ending cycle that began back in 1999 -- will take the field a week from today at Cleveland Browns Stadium to take on the Philadelphia Eagles.
There was a lot of optimism from the frustrated fanbase when the Browns used their two first round picks on a pair of offensive playmakers -- Alabama running back Trent Richardson and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden. There was a little more optimism when Randy Lerner sold the Browns to Tennessee truck stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III, and Haslam won over the fanbase with his down-home attitude and football-first mentality.
However, since then, the optimism has waned considerably.
Richardson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery just prior to the first preseason game and hasn't practiced since.
Scott Fujita's suspension over Bountygate wasn't overturned.
Linebacker Chris Gocong was lost for the season with an Achilles' tendon rupture.
Joe Haden reportedly tested positive for the drug Adderol, which would carry a four-game suspension. However, the NFL has not commented on the suspension and it appears Haden will play in the opener.
Weeden struggled with protecting the football, especially with fumbles.
A bitter battled waged on between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace over who would be Weeden's BACKUP.
Rookie right tackle Mitchell Schwartz had a great game sandwiched between two miserable games.
Rookie Josh Gordon and second-year receiver Greg Little had trouble running routes and catching the football.
And, of course, speculation carried over about whether head coach Pat Shurmur would survive this season with a new owner and (presumably) a new team president in Joe Banner taking over.
Add it up, and suddenly there are some fans who think like some of the national pundits do -- that the Browns could be the worst team in the NFL this season and in line for the No. 1 overall pick.
Don't add Joe Cleveland to that list. Now, certainly, I don't think the Browns will be a Super Bowl contender. Not with 15 rookies making up the 53-man roster, including a 28-year-old rookie starting quarterback and a rookie running back whose status for Week 1 is still up in the air.
But the worst team in the league? I don't think so.
Like it or not, Shurmur is on the hot seat. The man who hired him, Mike Holmgren, is probably going to be gone following this year (Haslam can fulfill some of Holmgren's job duties as the "face of the franchise.") Tom Heckert worked with Banner in Philadelphia, but some of Heckert's luster is starting to wear off.
Don't think for a second Haslam and Banner wouldn't want to make a spalsh with a big-profile head coaching hire to try to turn the Browns' fortunes around. Shurmur will simply be fresh out of friends.
Anything less than a 7-9 season will likely send Shurmur packing. And, with the Browns' schedule and the new players, that might be tough to do.
The good news is that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens appear to be getting older and losing their luster. The Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs with a rookie QB, but they are the Cincinnati Bengals. If half of those rookies pan out, the Browns fortunes could very well be on the rise. Joe Cleveland will predict that they won't go winless in the AFC North this year.
Joe Cleveland will take his customary seat in the Dawg Pound this Sunday and for seven other Sundays this fall/winter to see if the Browns can take some more steps forward.
Here's a look at the 53-man roster and Joe's take (*-starter, R-Rookie):
QB (3) -- Brandon Weeden (R)*, Colt McCoy, Thad Lewis: Weeden will be the first true rookie to start in Week 1 since the Browns' inaugural 1946 season (Cliff Lewis is the answer to that trivia question). McCoy, who has suddenly become a fan favorite, was retained after a solid preseason and will be Weeden's backup. Lewis is a Shurmur project from his St. Louis Rams days that he feels is worth developing. Not a great group, but it could be worse (see McCoy, Wallace and Lewis from last year).
RB (4) -- Trent Richardson (R)*, Brandon Jackson, Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya: The Browns kept four running backs because of Richardson's questionable knee. They also like the upside of Ogbonnaya, who bailed out the Browns' running game last year with the injuries to Hardesty and to departed Peyton Hillis. Hardesty was given the opportunity to start with Richardson's injury and blew it with four miserable preseason performances marred by fumbilitis and dropped passes. Jackson, Green Bay's starting running back in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl, will likely start Week 1 should T-Rich not be medically cleared.
FB (1) -- Owen Marecic*: Marecic, a fourth-round choice last season, beat out Alabama rookie Brad Smelley for the position. Smelley was since added to the practice squad, so he could still wind up getting activated if Marecic struggles. Tight end Alex Smith has also played fullback and could see time in the backfield as well.
WR (6) -- Greg Little*, Mohammed Massaquoi*, Josh Gordon (R), Travis Benjamin (R), Josh Cribbs, Jordan Norwood: Norwood beat out rookie (and Weeden's best friend) Josh Cooper for the sixth WR spot, but Cooper was added to the practice squad. Gordon backs up Little, while Benjamin backs up Massaquoi. Benjamin showed tremendous promise during training camp and the preseason, while Gordon appears to be a work in progress. Massaquoi, a former second-round draft choice, could be in his final chance to show the Browns something before he gets let go. Cribbs will be counted on more in the return game and special teams than on his receiving ability.
TE (3) -- Ben Watson*, Jordan Cameron, Alex Smith: Surprisingly, the Browns elected not to keep four tight ends, especially with the injury status of veteran Watson. Cameron, a second-year player, has emerged as a viable receiving threat and could very well be the starting tight end by season's end. Evan Moore, who was given a big contract extension by the Browns' braintrust, was released because he couldn't block and had been beaten out by Cameron for playing time. Dan Gronkowski (the brother of Rob Gronkowski) showed flashes in training camp, but was a victim in the numbers game.
OT (4) -- Joe Thomas*, Mitchell Schwartz (R)*, Oneil Cousins, Ryan Miller (R): Thomas is the best in the business and a future Hall of Famer. Schwartz had his ups and downs in the preseason but should only get better. Cousins is lucky to have a job after a miserable preseason, but his experience wound up saving him, as the Browns did not want a bunch of rookies at tackle along with Thomas.
OG (2) -- Jason Pinkston*, Shawn Lauvao*: Probably the weakest part of the line. I am not a Lauvao fan by any stretch. Pinkston had his struggles last year, but was aided by playing between a pair of Pro Bowlers in Thomas and Mack that helped cover some of his deficiencies. Backup center John Greco and Miller can also play guard.
C (2) -- Alex Mack*, John Greco: Mack was college teammates with Schwartz three seasons ago, which should help the rookie develop. Mack, a maligned draft pick during Eric Mangini's lone Browns' draft, has emerged as a Pro Bowler at center and a steady force. Greco, a Toledo product, is a veteran who will provide depth at other positions.
DE (6) -- Jabaal Sheard*, Frostee Rucker*, Juqua Parker, Emmanuel Stephens, Brian Sanford, Ishmaa'ily Kitchen (R): Rucker and Parker were the lone free agent signings from Heckert during the offseason. Sheard had a good rookie season and emerged as a pass-rushing force. The Browns expect him to only be better. Rucker and Parker are more run-stoppers. Marcus Benard was expected to help as a pass rusher but he is out for the year. Kitchen, a waiver claim following final day roster cuts, is a local product.
DT (4) -- Athyba Rubin*, John Hughes (R)*, Billy Wynn (R), Scott Paxson: Rubin is very underrated for his play. Last year's first-rounder Phil Taylor will start the year on the PUP list, and his absence will be felt. Hughes, a surprise third-round choice out of Cincinnati, beat out fellow rookie Wynn for the other starting defensive tackle spot. He and Wynn will be counted to pick up the slack until Taylor returns -- if he's able to this year.
LB (7) -- Scott Fujita*, D'Qwell Jackson*, Kaluka Maiava*, James-Michael Johnson (R), L.J. Fort (R), Craig Robertson, Tank Carder (R): Fujita will start the season on the suspended list, which will thin out an already depleated unit that is missing Chris Gocong (out for the season). Johnson, one of the brightest spots of training camp, would have likely started for Fujita, but he's batting an injury and his status is questionable. Carder was a fifth-round choice from Buffalo and claimed off waivers. Fort is an undrafted rookie who started a few preseason games and opened some eyes.
CB (6) -- Joe Haden*, Sheldon Brown*, Dimitri Patterson, Buster Skrine, Trevin Wade (R), Johnson Bademosi (R): Haden may still face NFL discipline for a reported failed drug test for Adderol, but nothing has been comfired about the report. For now, he's practicing with the team and is in line to start Week 1. Brown wasn't moved to safety this year and is a veteran presence in the defensive backfield not afraid to tackle. Skrine had a productive rookie season. Bademosi, an undrafted rookie, made his mark on special teams.
S (5) -- Eric Hagg*, T.J. Ward*, Ray Ventrone, Usama Young, Tashaun Gipson (R): Hagg, a seventh-round choice last year, beat out Young to start at free safety. Ward is a fearsome hitter who has battled injury problems in his brief pro career. Ventrone is a special teams force; a rare holdover from the Mangini days. Gipson made the team as an undrafted rookie, beating out fellow undrafted rookie David Sims, who was traded to the Eagles for a draft pick.
K (1) -- Phil Dawson*: No Browns player is more respected and revered as Dawson, the last remaining player from the expansion 1999 season. And, he's proven to be a reliable kicker from both short and long range, seeming to get better and stronger with age.
P (1) -- Reggie Hodges*: Hodges' absense last year from a torn Achilles hurt the Browns, as they were one of the worst punting teams in the league last season. He has had two punts blocked this preseason, but that's the fault of the punt team. He appears to be healthy and at full strength. Hodges will also hold on field goals and extra points.
LS (1) -- Christian Yount*: Yount quietly held down the fort at long snapper after respected veteran and Pro Bowler Ryan Pontbriand suddenly lost his abilities last season (and is now out of football). The Browns have always had a knack for finding great long snappers, and Yount continues the tradition.
KR/PR (4) -- Josh Cribbs*, Travis Benjamin (R), Buster Skrine, Jordan Norwood: Cribbs is one of the NFL's all-time best kick returners, still tied for the most kickoff return TDs in his career (8). Benjamin's speed makes him an asset if Cribbs gets injured or loses his job in both kickoff and punt returns. Skrine is a backup punt returner, while Norwood is a backup kickoff returner.
Practice Squad (8) -- Ronnie Cameron (DT, R), Josh Cooper (WR, R), Solomon Elimimian (LB), Garth Gerhart (OL, R), Ben Jacobs (LB), Jarrod Shaw (OL), Jeff Shugarts (OL, R), Brad Smelley (FB, R): All the rookies but Smelley were undrafted rookies. Shugarts, an Ohio State product, Gerhart and Shaw might have made the team if not for the overall inexperience on the offensive line. Smelley was a seventh-round choice who played well. Cooper displayed good hands and good route-running.
PUP (1) -- Phil Taylor (DT): Taylor will miss a minimum of six games with a torn pec muscle suffered in February. The Browns are hopeful he can return before the end of the season. They'll need him.
Injured Reserve (6) -- Emmanuel Acho (LB, R), Marcus Benard (DE), Auston English (DE), Chris Gocong (LB), Antwuan Reed (DB, R), Eddie Williams (FB): Gocong's injury will be the one that hurts the Browns the most. The rest are bit players who might have been lucky to make the roster. Benard and English were contributors last season, while Acho was a fifth-round draft choice out of Texas.
There's your Browns 2012 Opening Day roster. Hopefully, they can exceed expectations, because nobody has any positive expecations for these guys at all.
Joe Cleveland will predict 6-10, provided Richardson returns to health and Weeden develops quickly. Both are naturally gifted athletes for their respective positions and the team will go as far as they can take them.
***
Remember back in May, when Indians fans were fiercly debating about how "real" they were? Remember when Cleveland fans were chastised by guys like Chris Perez and some members of the media for not attending games when the team was in first place? Boy, how all of that seems like a distant memory.
Here's a what if ... What if championship trophies were awarded for being in first place on June 1? The Indians would be 2-for-2, and we'd be holding parade's down Euclid Ave.
Unfortunately, championships are awarded in October, and for the fifth-straight October and the 10th time in the 13 years Larry Dolan has owned the Indians, Cleveland will be on the outside looking in.
In fact, while once upon a time this team was in contention for the Central Division title, they now seem to be making a bee-line for 100 losses in a season and for fifth-place in the Central. Not many teams can go from first-to-worst in ONE SEASON! The Indians may do just that.
Head's will have to roll if this happens. Larry and Paul Dolan can do their "nothing to see here" routines until they are blue in the face. However, if they ever want to turn a profit in this town again, they'll have to do something.
Mark Shapiro (who is being called "Red Perm" by fans on message boards) made three terrible trades during his last two years as GM before being promoted to Team President. CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez were dealt and the Indians only have one viable major leaguer (Michael Brantley), one decent starting pitcher (Justin Masterson) and a bunch of journeymen reserves to show for them. Not good. During his presidency, the team has continued to struggle at the gate and in the PR department and continue to bungle baseball decisions.
Chris Antonetti, Shapiro's hand-picked GM, will be defined by the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. Jimenez has not been the Cy Young-calibur ace Antonetti believe he would be when he dealt the Indians' top-two pitching prospects for him. Sure, both Drew Pomeranz and Alex White have struggled in Colorado, but when you trade two guys with high ceilings (at the time), you need to get a bonafide star in return. He did not. Also hurting him was the decision to re-sign Grady Sizemore for $5 million, picking up Fausto Carmona's contract option, only to find out he was Roberto Hernandez and three years older and didn't have him for most of the regular season due to government issues, the decision to not pony up to sign Josh Willingham or Carlos Beltran and instead settle for Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon, and on and on and on.
Manny Acta appears to be dealt a terrible hand. However, no manager can survive two epic collapses in back-to-back years like the Indians have done under Acta's stewardship. It is likely not his fault. However, his lack of fire in the dugout shows a disturbing sign of complacency. Also, he was not a proven winner in Washington, who have turned things around after jettisoning him out of town three years ago.
For the Indians to truly move on, they need to do more than simply fire Acta and hire the immensely popular Sandy Alomar Jr. to be the team's manager. The Dolans need to sack up and realize that Shapiro's act has run its course and Antonetti has been a failure as the GM.
The Dolans need to clean house if they really want to show this fan base that they really want to win. If they don't, the fans will continue to believe they only adhere to the bottom line and will stay away in droves the next few seasons.
It will stay that way until they wise up and sell this team. But, because there doesn't appear to be a buyer emerging overnight (unlike what happened with the Cavs and Browns), the next best thing will be to send Shapiro, Antonetti and Acta packing and start from scratch.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
There was a lot of optimism from the frustrated fanbase when the Browns used their two first round picks on a pair of offensive playmakers -- Alabama running back Trent Richardson and Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden. There was a little more optimism when Randy Lerner sold the Browns to Tennessee truck stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III, and Haslam won over the fanbase with his down-home attitude and football-first mentality.
However, since then, the optimism has waned considerably.
Richardson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery just prior to the first preseason game and hasn't practiced since.
Scott Fujita's suspension over Bountygate wasn't overturned.
Linebacker Chris Gocong was lost for the season with an Achilles' tendon rupture.
Joe Haden reportedly tested positive for the drug Adderol, which would carry a four-game suspension. However, the NFL has not commented on the suspension and it appears Haden will play in the opener.
Weeden struggled with protecting the football, especially with fumbles.
A bitter battled waged on between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace over who would be Weeden's BACKUP.
Rookie right tackle Mitchell Schwartz had a great game sandwiched between two miserable games.
Rookie Josh Gordon and second-year receiver Greg Little had trouble running routes and catching the football.
And, of course, speculation carried over about whether head coach Pat Shurmur would survive this season with a new owner and (presumably) a new team president in Joe Banner taking over.
Add it up, and suddenly there are some fans who think like some of the national pundits do -- that the Browns could be the worst team in the NFL this season and in line for the No. 1 overall pick.
Don't add Joe Cleveland to that list. Now, certainly, I don't think the Browns will be a Super Bowl contender. Not with 15 rookies making up the 53-man roster, including a 28-year-old rookie starting quarterback and a rookie running back whose status for Week 1 is still up in the air.
But the worst team in the league? I don't think so.
Like it or not, Shurmur is on the hot seat. The man who hired him, Mike Holmgren, is probably going to be gone following this year (Haslam can fulfill some of Holmgren's job duties as the "face of the franchise.") Tom Heckert worked with Banner in Philadelphia, but some of Heckert's luster is starting to wear off.
Don't think for a second Haslam and Banner wouldn't want to make a spalsh with a big-profile head coaching hire to try to turn the Browns' fortunes around. Shurmur will simply be fresh out of friends.
Anything less than a 7-9 season will likely send Shurmur packing. And, with the Browns' schedule and the new players, that might be tough to do.
The good news is that the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens appear to be getting older and losing their luster. The Cincinnati Bengals made the playoffs with a rookie QB, but they are the Cincinnati Bengals. If half of those rookies pan out, the Browns fortunes could very well be on the rise. Joe Cleveland will predict that they won't go winless in the AFC North this year.
Joe Cleveland will take his customary seat in the Dawg Pound this Sunday and for seven other Sundays this fall/winter to see if the Browns can take some more steps forward.
Here's a look at the 53-man roster and Joe's take (*-starter, R-Rookie):
QB (3) -- Brandon Weeden (R)*, Colt McCoy, Thad Lewis: Weeden will be the first true rookie to start in Week 1 since the Browns' inaugural 1946 season (Cliff Lewis is the answer to that trivia question). McCoy, who has suddenly become a fan favorite, was retained after a solid preseason and will be Weeden's backup. Lewis is a Shurmur project from his St. Louis Rams days that he feels is worth developing. Not a great group, but it could be worse (see McCoy, Wallace and Lewis from last year).
RB (4) -- Trent Richardson (R)*, Brandon Jackson, Montario Hardesty, Chris Ogbonnaya: The Browns kept four running backs because of Richardson's questionable knee. They also like the upside of Ogbonnaya, who bailed out the Browns' running game last year with the injuries to Hardesty and to departed Peyton Hillis. Hardesty was given the opportunity to start with Richardson's injury and blew it with four miserable preseason performances marred by fumbilitis and dropped passes. Jackson, Green Bay's starting running back in 2010 when they won the Super Bowl, will likely start Week 1 should T-Rich not be medically cleared.
FB (1) -- Owen Marecic*: Marecic, a fourth-round choice last season, beat out Alabama rookie Brad Smelley for the position. Smelley was since added to the practice squad, so he could still wind up getting activated if Marecic struggles. Tight end Alex Smith has also played fullback and could see time in the backfield as well.
WR (6) -- Greg Little*, Mohammed Massaquoi*, Josh Gordon (R), Travis Benjamin (R), Josh Cribbs, Jordan Norwood: Norwood beat out rookie (and Weeden's best friend) Josh Cooper for the sixth WR spot, but Cooper was added to the practice squad. Gordon backs up Little, while Benjamin backs up Massaquoi. Benjamin showed tremendous promise during training camp and the preseason, while Gordon appears to be a work in progress. Massaquoi, a former second-round draft choice, could be in his final chance to show the Browns something before he gets let go. Cribbs will be counted on more in the return game and special teams than on his receiving ability.
TE (3) -- Ben Watson*, Jordan Cameron, Alex Smith: Surprisingly, the Browns elected not to keep four tight ends, especially with the injury status of veteran Watson. Cameron, a second-year player, has emerged as a viable receiving threat and could very well be the starting tight end by season's end. Evan Moore, who was given a big contract extension by the Browns' braintrust, was released because he couldn't block and had been beaten out by Cameron for playing time. Dan Gronkowski (the brother of Rob Gronkowski) showed flashes in training camp, but was a victim in the numbers game.
OT (4) -- Joe Thomas*, Mitchell Schwartz (R)*, Oneil Cousins, Ryan Miller (R): Thomas is the best in the business and a future Hall of Famer. Schwartz had his ups and downs in the preseason but should only get better. Cousins is lucky to have a job after a miserable preseason, but his experience wound up saving him, as the Browns did not want a bunch of rookies at tackle along with Thomas.
OG (2) -- Jason Pinkston*, Shawn Lauvao*: Probably the weakest part of the line. I am not a Lauvao fan by any stretch. Pinkston had his struggles last year, but was aided by playing between a pair of Pro Bowlers in Thomas and Mack that helped cover some of his deficiencies. Backup center John Greco and Miller can also play guard.
C (2) -- Alex Mack*, John Greco: Mack was college teammates with Schwartz three seasons ago, which should help the rookie develop. Mack, a maligned draft pick during Eric Mangini's lone Browns' draft, has emerged as a Pro Bowler at center and a steady force. Greco, a Toledo product, is a veteran who will provide depth at other positions.
DE (6) -- Jabaal Sheard*, Frostee Rucker*, Juqua Parker, Emmanuel Stephens, Brian Sanford, Ishmaa'ily Kitchen (R): Rucker and Parker were the lone free agent signings from Heckert during the offseason. Sheard had a good rookie season and emerged as a pass-rushing force. The Browns expect him to only be better. Rucker and Parker are more run-stoppers. Marcus Benard was expected to help as a pass rusher but he is out for the year. Kitchen, a waiver claim following final day roster cuts, is a local product.
DT (4) -- Athyba Rubin*, John Hughes (R)*, Billy Wynn (R), Scott Paxson: Rubin is very underrated for his play. Last year's first-rounder Phil Taylor will start the year on the PUP list, and his absence will be felt. Hughes, a surprise third-round choice out of Cincinnati, beat out fellow rookie Wynn for the other starting defensive tackle spot. He and Wynn will be counted to pick up the slack until Taylor returns -- if he's able to this year.
LB (7) -- Scott Fujita*, D'Qwell Jackson*, Kaluka Maiava*, James-Michael Johnson (R), L.J. Fort (R), Craig Robertson, Tank Carder (R): Fujita will start the season on the suspended list, which will thin out an already depleated unit that is missing Chris Gocong (out for the season). Johnson, one of the brightest spots of training camp, would have likely started for Fujita, but he's batting an injury and his status is questionable. Carder was a fifth-round choice from Buffalo and claimed off waivers. Fort is an undrafted rookie who started a few preseason games and opened some eyes.
CB (6) -- Joe Haden*, Sheldon Brown*, Dimitri Patterson, Buster Skrine, Trevin Wade (R), Johnson Bademosi (R): Haden may still face NFL discipline for a reported failed drug test for Adderol, but nothing has been comfired about the report. For now, he's practicing with the team and is in line to start Week 1. Brown wasn't moved to safety this year and is a veteran presence in the defensive backfield not afraid to tackle. Skrine had a productive rookie season. Bademosi, an undrafted rookie, made his mark on special teams.
S (5) -- Eric Hagg*, T.J. Ward*, Ray Ventrone, Usama Young, Tashaun Gipson (R): Hagg, a seventh-round choice last year, beat out Young to start at free safety. Ward is a fearsome hitter who has battled injury problems in his brief pro career. Ventrone is a special teams force; a rare holdover from the Mangini days. Gipson made the team as an undrafted rookie, beating out fellow undrafted rookie David Sims, who was traded to the Eagles for a draft pick.
K (1) -- Phil Dawson*: No Browns player is more respected and revered as Dawson, the last remaining player from the expansion 1999 season. And, he's proven to be a reliable kicker from both short and long range, seeming to get better and stronger with age.
P (1) -- Reggie Hodges*: Hodges' absense last year from a torn Achilles hurt the Browns, as they were one of the worst punting teams in the league last season. He has had two punts blocked this preseason, but that's the fault of the punt team. He appears to be healthy and at full strength. Hodges will also hold on field goals and extra points.
LS (1) -- Christian Yount*: Yount quietly held down the fort at long snapper after respected veteran and Pro Bowler Ryan Pontbriand suddenly lost his abilities last season (and is now out of football). The Browns have always had a knack for finding great long snappers, and Yount continues the tradition.
KR/PR (4) -- Josh Cribbs*, Travis Benjamin (R), Buster Skrine, Jordan Norwood: Cribbs is one of the NFL's all-time best kick returners, still tied for the most kickoff return TDs in his career (8). Benjamin's speed makes him an asset if Cribbs gets injured or loses his job in both kickoff and punt returns. Skrine is a backup punt returner, while Norwood is a backup kickoff returner.
Practice Squad (8) -- Ronnie Cameron (DT, R), Josh Cooper (WR, R), Solomon Elimimian (LB), Garth Gerhart (OL, R), Ben Jacobs (LB), Jarrod Shaw (OL), Jeff Shugarts (OL, R), Brad Smelley (FB, R): All the rookies but Smelley were undrafted rookies. Shugarts, an Ohio State product, Gerhart and Shaw might have made the team if not for the overall inexperience on the offensive line. Smelley was a seventh-round choice who played well. Cooper displayed good hands and good route-running.
PUP (1) -- Phil Taylor (DT): Taylor will miss a minimum of six games with a torn pec muscle suffered in February. The Browns are hopeful he can return before the end of the season. They'll need him.
Injured Reserve (6) -- Emmanuel Acho (LB, R), Marcus Benard (DE), Auston English (DE), Chris Gocong (LB), Antwuan Reed (DB, R), Eddie Williams (FB): Gocong's injury will be the one that hurts the Browns the most. The rest are bit players who might have been lucky to make the roster. Benard and English were contributors last season, while Acho was a fifth-round draft choice out of Texas.
There's your Browns 2012 Opening Day roster. Hopefully, they can exceed expectations, because nobody has any positive expecations for these guys at all.
Joe Cleveland will predict 6-10, provided Richardson returns to health and Weeden develops quickly. Both are naturally gifted athletes for their respective positions and the team will go as far as they can take them.
***
Remember back in May, when Indians fans were fiercly debating about how "real" they were? Remember when Cleveland fans were chastised by guys like Chris Perez and some members of the media for not attending games when the team was in first place? Boy, how all of that seems like a distant memory.
Here's a what if ... What if championship trophies were awarded for being in first place on June 1? The Indians would be 2-for-2, and we'd be holding parade's down Euclid Ave.
Unfortunately, championships are awarded in October, and for the fifth-straight October and the 10th time in the 13 years Larry Dolan has owned the Indians, Cleveland will be on the outside looking in.
In fact, while once upon a time this team was in contention for the Central Division title, they now seem to be making a bee-line for 100 losses in a season and for fifth-place in the Central. Not many teams can go from first-to-worst in ONE SEASON! The Indians may do just that.
Head's will have to roll if this happens. Larry and Paul Dolan can do their "nothing to see here" routines until they are blue in the face. However, if they ever want to turn a profit in this town again, they'll have to do something.
Mark Shapiro (who is being called "Red Perm" by fans on message boards) made three terrible trades during his last two years as GM before being promoted to Team President. CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez were dealt and the Indians only have one viable major leaguer (Michael Brantley), one decent starting pitcher (Justin Masterson) and a bunch of journeymen reserves to show for them. Not good. During his presidency, the team has continued to struggle at the gate and in the PR department and continue to bungle baseball decisions.
Chris Antonetti, Shapiro's hand-picked GM, will be defined by the Ubaldo Jimenez trade. Jimenez has not been the Cy Young-calibur ace Antonetti believe he would be when he dealt the Indians' top-two pitching prospects for him. Sure, both Drew Pomeranz and Alex White have struggled in Colorado, but when you trade two guys with high ceilings (at the time), you need to get a bonafide star in return. He did not. Also hurting him was the decision to re-sign Grady Sizemore for $5 million, picking up Fausto Carmona's contract option, only to find out he was Roberto Hernandez and three years older and didn't have him for most of the regular season due to government issues, the decision to not pony up to sign Josh Willingham or Carlos Beltran and instead settle for Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon, and on and on and on.
Manny Acta appears to be dealt a terrible hand. However, no manager can survive two epic collapses in back-to-back years like the Indians have done under Acta's stewardship. It is likely not his fault. However, his lack of fire in the dugout shows a disturbing sign of complacency. Also, he was not a proven winner in Washington, who have turned things around after jettisoning him out of town three years ago.
For the Indians to truly move on, they need to do more than simply fire Acta and hire the immensely popular Sandy Alomar Jr. to be the team's manager. The Dolans need to sack up and realize that Shapiro's act has run its course and Antonetti has been a failure as the GM.
The Dolans need to clean house if they really want to show this fan base that they really want to win. If they don't, the fans will continue to believe they only adhere to the bottom line and will stay away in droves the next few seasons.
It will stay that way until they wise up and sell this team. But, because there doesn't appear to be a buyer emerging overnight (unlike what happened with the Cavs and Browns), the next best thing will be to send Shapiro, Antonetti and Acta packing and start from scratch.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Dawn of a new day
It's a new day, Cleveland sports fans -- especially Cleveland Browns fans.
Hard to believe that just 10 years ago, the three Cleveland sports teams were owned by Randy Lerner (Browns), Larry Dolan (Indians) and Gordon Gund (Cavaliers). All three were pretty weak owners.
Today, only one of that "vaunted" triumverate is left, and it's the worst one of the three. But we'll discuss that later.
Earlier this week, Lerner -- who inherited the Browns from his father, Al, during the 2002 season -- sold controlling interest in the Browns to truck stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III for a price close to $1 billion. Lerner will retain a 30-percent interest in the Browns for the next four years before Haslam has the option to buy him out (which he likely will).
Haslam, a native of Knoxville, Tenn. and the CEO of the Pilot Flying J franchises of filling stations and truck stops, had been a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2008. While owning his minor shares, he described himself as a "1,000-percent Steeler fan."
Sorry to the four-letter "Worldwide Leader," but Haslam buried that statement within seconds of his first press conference as the Browns owner.
He referred to the Steelers as "that team from the other state" numerous times. He acknowledged the class of the Rooney family and what he took away from them, but also made it perfectly clear that, other than Pilot Flying J, the Browns are now Numero Uno in his heart.
If he was a 1,000-percent Steeler fan, he's now a 1 billion-percent Browns fan.
Of the three owners I referenced, I liked Lerner the best. Lerner was everything that Art "Judas" Modell wasn't -- a billionaire owner who liked to be in the background. Lerner grew up a Browns fan and would do anything to help the Browns. Unfortunately, he was ill suited to be the Browns owner, and it hurt the franchise.
Sure, it didn't hurt them in the pocketbook, but it hurt them on the field.
Lerner constantly threw his millions on people he believed would fix the Browns fortunes for the better. Butch Davis, John Collins, Phil Savage, Eric Mangini and (most recently) Mike Holmgren were given a lot of money to help the Browns start winning more games. Only recently has there been a sign of progression. But, starting from the team's lone playoff berth in 2002, it's been a forgettable tenure for Lerner.
First, Carmen Policy was bought out by Lerner, and Policy subsequently retired following the 2003 season. Policy was Al Lerner's closest confidant with the expansion Browns, but the younger Lerner knew Policy's rhetoric was turning off members of the media and fans.
Following the 2003 season, Lerner gave Davis a four-year contract extension. Davis was gone with five games remaining in the 2004 season.
Collins, who had been an executive with the NFL for 15 years, was given Policy's job as team president in 2004. Collins hired Phil Savage from the Baltimore Ravens as the new general manager and Romeo Crennel as the new head coach. However, Collins and Savage clashed from the get-go and Collins wanted Savage fired by the end of the 2005 season. Lerner sided with his GM, instead firing Collins. Collins has since done pretty well for himself, serving as the NHL's Chief Operating Officer since 2008.
Savage, meanwhile, struggled in the personnel department and was an absantee GM for most of his tenure while he was out on scouting missions. Finally, after just one winning season and a drop from 10-6 in 2007 to 4-12, Lerner fired both Savage and Crennel following the 2008 season.
Lerner ignored the advice of many within the NFL when he quickly hired Eric Mangini to be the head coach in 2009 without hiring his GM first (many GM candidates refused to work with Mangini and took other jobs, such as Scott Pioli). Mangini brought in his friend George Kokinis from the Ravens to be the GM, but Kokinis was run out midway through the 2009 season and Mangini was rumored to be fired by the end of that season after the Browns stumbled to a 1-11 start.
Lerner found Holmgren, fresh off his retirement as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and hired him to be the team's president and de-facto "face of the franchise" in 2009. The Browns reeled off four consectutive wins to end the 2009 season, which saved Mangini's job for another year (even though his philosophies clashed with Holmgren's and his hand-picked GM, Tom Heckert from the Eagles). After another 5-11 season, Holmgren fired Mangini and most of his coaches and started bringing in coaches who shared his vision of a West Coast offense and a 4-3 defense.
The first year of Holmgren, Heckert and Pat Shurmur was not good. The team struggled to a 4-12 season and looked miserable in the process. However, Heckert had been drafting very well during his three seasons, and his most recent draft had the fan base buzzing with the selections of running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Brandon Weeden in the first round.
This turned out to be Lerner's cue to sell. Supposedly, the NFL helped broker the sales talks between Lerner and Haslam, and the talks wound up going very smoothly. From the time Haslam met Lerner, it only took 31 days for the sale to be completed.
Lerner took criticism for owning the English soccer team Aston Villa, and supposedly "spending more time and resources" on them. He also took criticism for not being more visible for the fan base. They viewed his shyness being apathetic toward the Browns.
I don't think Lerner's heart was in the wrong place. In fact, I think it was in the right place. He really, really, really wanted the Browns to succeed, to make his late father proud. Unfortunately, he was ill-prepared to be an NFL owner and never really got it, or wanted to get it. He wanted to keep the team in his family for generations. But, in the end, he found a family with even more passion for the NFL and football, a family who would keep the Browns in Cleveland and use every available resource to turn the team into a winner both on and off the field.
If Lerner didn't care, he wouldn't have strove for the assurance (and gotten it in writing) that the team would not be moved by a new owner. If Lerner didn't care, he probably wouldn't have strongly suggested to Haslam that they don't put a logo on the iconic orange helmets.
Lerner cared, which is more than I can say for the other guys on that 2003 list. It appears he found a guy who cares just as much, but with much better resources, in Haslam.
And, that, my fellow Browns fans, is sweet, sweet music to our ears.
***
Haslam has hinted at changes. Such as, selling the naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium, which Al and Randy Lerner did not do (they sold naming rights to the four gates, though), and tweaking with the Browns uniforms.
How much tweaking, who knows. However, the Browns are one of the few NFL teams that have not changed their uniforms one iota. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a throwback Browns uniform, because they've, by and large, remained the same since 1946, although the helmet the first few seasons was white.
Sure, they've experimented over the years -- orange pants, brown pants, orange jerseys -- but the design has mostly remained the same.
Even the Steelers tweaked their uniforms a bit, changing the size of the numbers on the front of their uniforms to a more aero-dynamic font.
While I'm a very hardcore traditionalist when it comes to the Cleveland Browns, to be honest, if the team's winning, I don't care what they look like. Yes, I would prefer they keep the Brown and Orange colors (and I can't see why they wouldn't abandon them). But both the Indians and Cavaliers have undergone numerous uniform changes over the years. They don't have the same standing in this town as the Browns do, but you hear less sniping about the uniforms if the team plays well than if they stink.
You listen to Haslam talk, and you can't help but be won over by the guy. By the end of his press conference, I found myself nodding my head and clapping my hands. I was ready to run through a wall for the guy, and I just met him.
Imagine the impact that will have on a team of football players.
Haslam is a "hand's on" guy, but he won't be as intrusive as Modell was. He has way more money and resources than Modell ever did.
For now, he seems willing to let Holmgren, Heckert and Shurmur stay the course, but you can bet it's a must-win season for these three. Another step backward, and Haslam won't hesitate to clean house.
I can remember when Dan Gilbert bought the Cavs from Gund in 2005, and almost immediately, he fired coach Paul Silas and essentially fired GM Jim Paxson (although he let Paxson finish out the season). He sunk his own resources into refurbishing Gund Arena with new seats, a new scoreboard and more anemnities (and, a new name). The Cavs reached the playoffs in Gilbert's first full season of ownership and were in the NBA Finals his second.
Gilbert is widely recognized as the best sports owner in Cleveland, and he's the same guy who failed to re-sign LeBron James (although, the failure is not Gilbert's). Haslam's only been in town for a few days, and he's quickly vaulted up to No. 2 on the depth chart.
A new voice at the top may be just what this franchise needs. This town is a football-mad town with some of the most passionate fans in the world. Browns victories are a matter of civic pride around here.
Welcome to Cleveland, Jimmy Haslam. We're ready to welcome you with open arms.
***
This brings us to No. 3 on the depth chart, Larry Dolan.
The contract to purchase the Browns was barely dry when fans were already begging Haslam to look into buying the Indians. They had already been begging Dan Gilbert to buy the Indians for years.
Dolan may not be the worst owner in Indians history. He may not be the worst owner in Cleveland sports history -- Modell's got that space nailed down, and Ted Stepien is a close second. But, he's definitely not among the best.
If you look at the Indians history, they've been permeated by bad ownership. You had William R. Daley, who tried to move the Indians to Seattle in 1962. You had Vernon Stouffer, who quickly mismanaged his money, tried to play 30 home games at the New Orleans Superdome in 1972 (MLB quickly intervened) and then reneged on a handshake agreement to sell the team to a group headed by George Steinbrenner and instead sold it to Nick Mileti.
Mileti was a great owner for the Cavs and 1100-AM. He was not a good owner for the Indians, other than he saved the team from being moved.
In 1982, the Indians were owned by a dead guy. Seriously. Steve O'Neill, one of Steinbrenner's partners with the Yankees who bought the team in 1978, died. For four years, the Indians were owned by his trust and were in limbo.
When you factor in Modell was still in town in 1982 and Stepien owned the Cavs as well, that may have been the worst triumverate of Cleveland ownership EVER.
Heck, even the Indians' very first over, Charlie Somers, was so broke that he had to sell "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's contract to the Chicago White Sox and had to sell to Jim Dunn because of almost $2 million of debt (which was a lot of money back in 1916).
But Dolan deserves to be mentioned with all of those shady characters.
As the Indians continue to spiral downward -- remember when fans debated about whether Chris Perez had "a point" when the Indians were in first place in May -- pressure is on the Dolans to make some wholesale changes.
Manny Acta's lethargic managerial style is wearing thin on the fans, and it seems to be rubbing off on his lethargic players.
Chris Antonetti's moves (or lack thereof) show a big-league roster devoid of talent and a minor league system devoid of prospects.
Mark Shapiro, who proves that waste can flow upstream in the Cleveland Indians organization, continues to oversee an organization that is hemorraging money, not drawing fleas to Progressive Field and is getting the bejesus beat out of it on a nightly basis. He can see that the team only has two of its own first-round picks in their current minor league system and only has Michael Brantley to show for three trades that he pulled the trigger on -- the deals of CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez (with Justin Masterson's terrible performance over the last month or so, I no longer consider him a "bright spot" among those three trades).
Shapiro and Antonetti decided it was a good idea to spend $5 million on a player who was so injured, that he hasn't even played an inning this season -- Grady Sizemore.
They decided it was a good idea to pick up $5 million on a 39-year-old pitcher named Derek Lowe who led the NL in losses. He teased the fans and the brass with a good first two months, but then he pitched like the 39-year-old guy he really is and is now out of a job with two months remaining in the regular season.
Despite their need for a right-handed bat with some pop, they continue to keep Russ Canzler and Matt LaPorta mired in Columbus. How much worse can they be from the litany of Casey Kotchman, Jack Hannahan, Shelly Duncan, Aaron Cunningham, Johnny Damon, Vinny Rottino and Jose Lopez the Indians trot out with a straight face night in and night out.
Shapiro and Antonetti decided that they didn't have the assets to make a splash at the trading deadline, and were too gun-shy to turn into sellers and deal Shin-Soo Choo, Chris Perez and Justin Masterson, so they sat on their hands and did nothing. The Indians have lost nine straight games in disturbing fashion since the front office gave them this ringing endorsement.
If Dolan doesn't find a buyer for his team (which he should have done years ago), he needs to sack up and clean them all out, because they're taking his money for a ride. Shapiro's ship has sailed long ago, and Antonetti is nothing more than Shapiro's puppet. Acta will never be anything more than a mediocre major league manager, and you have a PR bonanza waiting in the wings as his bench coach, Sandy Alomar Jr.
I guarantee the Tribe could do very little in the offseason, but if Alomar gets named manager, they will sell a few thousand more season tickets. Cleveland is loyal to its own.
The Dolans turned a $30 million profit last season and did absolutely nothing with that money. They'll never turn a $30 million profit in Cleveland again unless they go to the World Series or spend absolutely nothing on the product you see on the field.
Sell the team, Paul and Larry. If you can't man up to the fact that your baseball people are inept, than it's time to sell to someone who knows what the hell they are doing.
Fans want wins more than the so-called "bottom line." Fans don't care about market sizes and baseball economics. Fans would be happy if the Indians had a team like the Royals, filled with promising young talent, rather than the jokers they have here.
If Larry Dolan is truly a fan of the Indians like he claims he is, he needs to take a page out of Randy Lerner's book and sell them. Because Larry Dolan the owner is letting down Larry Dolan the fan.
Until next time, remember that Cleveland Rocks!
Hard to believe that just 10 years ago, the three Cleveland sports teams were owned by Randy Lerner (Browns), Larry Dolan (Indians) and Gordon Gund (Cavaliers). All three were pretty weak owners.
Today, only one of that "vaunted" triumverate is left, and it's the worst one of the three. But we'll discuss that later.
Earlier this week, Lerner -- who inherited the Browns from his father, Al, during the 2002 season -- sold controlling interest in the Browns to truck stop magnate Jimmy Haslam III for a price close to $1 billion. Lerner will retain a 30-percent interest in the Browns for the next four years before Haslam has the option to buy him out (which he likely will).
Haslam, a native of Knoxville, Tenn. and the CEO of the Pilot Flying J franchises of filling stations and truck stops, had been a minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2008. While owning his minor shares, he described himself as a "1,000-percent Steeler fan."
Sorry to the four-letter "Worldwide Leader," but Haslam buried that statement within seconds of his first press conference as the Browns owner.
He referred to the Steelers as "that team from the other state" numerous times. He acknowledged the class of the Rooney family and what he took away from them, but also made it perfectly clear that, other than Pilot Flying J, the Browns are now Numero Uno in his heart.
If he was a 1,000-percent Steeler fan, he's now a 1 billion-percent Browns fan.
Of the three owners I referenced, I liked Lerner the best. Lerner was everything that Art "Judas" Modell wasn't -- a billionaire owner who liked to be in the background. Lerner grew up a Browns fan and would do anything to help the Browns. Unfortunately, he was ill suited to be the Browns owner, and it hurt the franchise.
Sure, it didn't hurt them in the pocketbook, but it hurt them on the field.
Lerner constantly threw his millions on people he believed would fix the Browns fortunes for the better. Butch Davis, John Collins, Phil Savage, Eric Mangini and (most recently) Mike Holmgren were given a lot of money to help the Browns start winning more games. Only recently has there been a sign of progression. But, starting from the team's lone playoff berth in 2002, it's been a forgettable tenure for Lerner.
First, Carmen Policy was bought out by Lerner, and Policy subsequently retired following the 2003 season. Policy was Al Lerner's closest confidant with the expansion Browns, but the younger Lerner knew Policy's rhetoric was turning off members of the media and fans.
Following the 2003 season, Lerner gave Davis a four-year contract extension. Davis was gone with five games remaining in the 2004 season.
Collins, who had been an executive with the NFL for 15 years, was given Policy's job as team president in 2004. Collins hired Phil Savage from the Baltimore Ravens as the new general manager and Romeo Crennel as the new head coach. However, Collins and Savage clashed from the get-go and Collins wanted Savage fired by the end of the 2005 season. Lerner sided with his GM, instead firing Collins. Collins has since done pretty well for himself, serving as the NHL's Chief Operating Officer since 2008.
Savage, meanwhile, struggled in the personnel department and was an absantee GM for most of his tenure while he was out on scouting missions. Finally, after just one winning season and a drop from 10-6 in 2007 to 4-12, Lerner fired both Savage and Crennel following the 2008 season.
Lerner ignored the advice of many within the NFL when he quickly hired Eric Mangini to be the head coach in 2009 without hiring his GM first (many GM candidates refused to work with Mangini and took other jobs, such as Scott Pioli). Mangini brought in his friend George Kokinis from the Ravens to be the GM, but Kokinis was run out midway through the 2009 season and Mangini was rumored to be fired by the end of that season after the Browns stumbled to a 1-11 start.
Lerner found Holmgren, fresh off his retirement as head coach of the Seattle Seahawks, and hired him to be the team's president and de-facto "face of the franchise" in 2009. The Browns reeled off four consectutive wins to end the 2009 season, which saved Mangini's job for another year (even though his philosophies clashed with Holmgren's and his hand-picked GM, Tom Heckert from the Eagles). After another 5-11 season, Holmgren fired Mangini and most of his coaches and started bringing in coaches who shared his vision of a West Coast offense and a 4-3 defense.
The first year of Holmgren, Heckert and Pat Shurmur was not good. The team struggled to a 4-12 season and looked miserable in the process. However, Heckert had been drafting very well during his three seasons, and his most recent draft had the fan base buzzing with the selections of running back Trent Richardson and quarterback Brandon Weeden in the first round.
This turned out to be Lerner's cue to sell. Supposedly, the NFL helped broker the sales talks between Lerner and Haslam, and the talks wound up going very smoothly. From the time Haslam met Lerner, it only took 31 days for the sale to be completed.
Lerner took criticism for owning the English soccer team Aston Villa, and supposedly "spending more time and resources" on them. He also took criticism for not being more visible for the fan base. They viewed his shyness being apathetic toward the Browns.
I don't think Lerner's heart was in the wrong place. In fact, I think it was in the right place. He really, really, really wanted the Browns to succeed, to make his late father proud. Unfortunately, he was ill-prepared to be an NFL owner and never really got it, or wanted to get it. He wanted to keep the team in his family for generations. But, in the end, he found a family with even more passion for the NFL and football, a family who would keep the Browns in Cleveland and use every available resource to turn the team into a winner both on and off the field.
If Lerner didn't care, he wouldn't have strove for the assurance (and gotten it in writing) that the team would not be moved by a new owner. If Lerner didn't care, he probably wouldn't have strongly suggested to Haslam that they don't put a logo on the iconic orange helmets.
Lerner cared, which is more than I can say for the other guys on that 2003 list. It appears he found a guy who cares just as much, but with much better resources, in Haslam.
And, that, my fellow Browns fans, is sweet, sweet music to our ears.
***
Haslam has hinted at changes. Such as, selling the naming rights to Cleveland Browns Stadium, which Al and Randy Lerner did not do (they sold naming rights to the four gates, though), and tweaking with the Browns uniforms.
How much tweaking, who knows. However, the Browns are one of the few NFL teams that have not changed their uniforms one iota. In fact, you'd be hard pressed to find a throwback Browns uniform, because they've, by and large, remained the same since 1946, although the helmet the first few seasons was white.
Sure, they've experimented over the years -- orange pants, brown pants, orange jerseys -- but the design has mostly remained the same.
Even the Steelers tweaked their uniforms a bit, changing the size of the numbers on the front of their uniforms to a more aero-dynamic font.
While I'm a very hardcore traditionalist when it comes to the Cleveland Browns, to be honest, if the team's winning, I don't care what they look like. Yes, I would prefer they keep the Brown and Orange colors (and I can't see why they wouldn't abandon them). But both the Indians and Cavaliers have undergone numerous uniform changes over the years. They don't have the same standing in this town as the Browns do, but you hear less sniping about the uniforms if the team plays well than if they stink.
You listen to Haslam talk, and you can't help but be won over by the guy. By the end of his press conference, I found myself nodding my head and clapping my hands. I was ready to run through a wall for the guy, and I just met him.
Imagine the impact that will have on a team of football players.
Haslam is a "hand's on" guy, but he won't be as intrusive as Modell was. He has way more money and resources than Modell ever did.
For now, he seems willing to let Holmgren, Heckert and Shurmur stay the course, but you can bet it's a must-win season for these three. Another step backward, and Haslam won't hesitate to clean house.
I can remember when Dan Gilbert bought the Cavs from Gund in 2005, and almost immediately, he fired coach Paul Silas and essentially fired GM Jim Paxson (although he let Paxson finish out the season). He sunk his own resources into refurbishing Gund Arena with new seats, a new scoreboard and more anemnities (and, a new name). The Cavs reached the playoffs in Gilbert's first full season of ownership and were in the NBA Finals his second.
Gilbert is widely recognized as the best sports owner in Cleveland, and he's the same guy who failed to re-sign LeBron James (although, the failure is not Gilbert's). Haslam's only been in town for a few days, and he's quickly vaulted up to No. 2 on the depth chart.
A new voice at the top may be just what this franchise needs. This town is a football-mad town with some of the most passionate fans in the world. Browns victories are a matter of civic pride around here.
Welcome to Cleveland, Jimmy Haslam. We're ready to welcome you with open arms.
***
This brings us to No. 3 on the depth chart, Larry Dolan.
The contract to purchase the Browns was barely dry when fans were already begging Haslam to look into buying the Indians. They had already been begging Dan Gilbert to buy the Indians for years.
Dolan may not be the worst owner in Indians history. He may not be the worst owner in Cleveland sports history -- Modell's got that space nailed down, and Ted Stepien is a close second. But, he's definitely not among the best.
If you look at the Indians history, they've been permeated by bad ownership. You had William R. Daley, who tried to move the Indians to Seattle in 1962. You had Vernon Stouffer, who quickly mismanaged his money, tried to play 30 home games at the New Orleans Superdome in 1972 (MLB quickly intervened) and then reneged on a handshake agreement to sell the team to a group headed by George Steinbrenner and instead sold it to Nick Mileti.
Mileti was a great owner for the Cavs and 1100-AM. He was not a good owner for the Indians, other than he saved the team from being moved.
In 1982, the Indians were owned by a dead guy. Seriously. Steve O'Neill, one of Steinbrenner's partners with the Yankees who bought the team in 1978, died. For four years, the Indians were owned by his trust and were in limbo.
When you factor in Modell was still in town in 1982 and Stepien owned the Cavs as well, that may have been the worst triumverate of Cleveland ownership EVER.
Heck, even the Indians' very first over, Charlie Somers, was so broke that he had to sell "Shoeless" Joe Jackson's contract to the Chicago White Sox and had to sell to Jim Dunn because of almost $2 million of debt (which was a lot of money back in 1916).
But Dolan deserves to be mentioned with all of those shady characters.
As the Indians continue to spiral downward -- remember when fans debated about whether Chris Perez had "a point" when the Indians were in first place in May -- pressure is on the Dolans to make some wholesale changes.
Manny Acta's lethargic managerial style is wearing thin on the fans, and it seems to be rubbing off on his lethargic players.
Chris Antonetti's moves (or lack thereof) show a big-league roster devoid of talent and a minor league system devoid of prospects.
Mark Shapiro, who proves that waste can flow upstream in the Cleveland Indians organization, continues to oversee an organization that is hemorraging money, not drawing fleas to Progressive Field and is getting the bejesus beat out of it on a nightly basis. He can see that the team only has two of its own first-round picks in their current minor league system and only has Michael Brantley to show for three trades that he pulled the trigger on -- the deals of CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez (with Justin Masterson's terrible performance over the last month or so, I no longer consider him a "bright spot" among those three trades).
Shapiro and Antonetti decided it was a good idea to spend $5 million on a player who was so injured, that he hasn't even played an inning this season -- Grady Sizemore.
They decided it was a good idea to pick up $5 million on a 39-year-old pitcher named Derek Lowe who led the NL in losses. He teased the fans and the brass with a good first two months, but then he pitched like the 39-year-old guy he really is and is now out of a job with two months remaining in the regular season.
Despite their need for a right-handed bat with some pop, they continue to keep Russ Canzler and Matt LaPorta mired in Columbus. How much worse can they be from the litany of Casey Kotchman, Jack Hannahan, Shelly Duncan, Aaron Cunningham, Johnny Damon, Vinny Rottino and Jose Lopez the Indians trot out with a straight face night in and night out.
Shapiro and Antonetti decided that they didn't have the assets to make a splash at the trading deadline, and were too gun-shy to turn into sellers and deal Shin-Soo Choo, Chris Perez and Justin Masterson, so they sat on their hands and did nothing. The Indians have lost nine straight games in disturbing fashion since the front office gave them this ringing endorsement.
If Dolan doesn't find a buyer for his team (which he should have done years ago), he needs to sack up and clean them all out, because they're taking his money for a ride. Shapiro's ship has sailed long ago, and Antonetti is nothing more than Shapiro's puppet. Acta will never be anything more than a mediocre major league manager, and you have a PR bonanza waiting in the wings as his bench coach, Sandy Alomar Jr.
I guarantee the Tribe could do very little in the offseason, but if Alomar gets named manager, they will sell a few thousand more season tickets. Cleveland is loyal to its own.
The Dolans turned a $30 million profit last season and did absolutely nothing with that money. They'll never turn a $30 million profit in Cleveland again unless they go to the World Series or spend absolutely nothing on the product you see on the field.
Sell the team, Paul and Larry. If you can't man up to the fact that your baseball people are inept, than it's time to sell to someone who knows what the hell they are doing.
Fans want wins more than the so-called "bottom line." Fans don't care about market sizes and baseball economics. Fans would be happy if the Indians had a team like the Royals, filled with promising young talent, rather than the jokers they have here.
If Larry Dolan is truly a fan of the Indians like he claims he is, he needs to take a page out of Randy Lerner's book and sell them. Because Larry Dolan the owner is letting down Larry Dolan the fan.
Until next time, 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!
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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