Battle For Ohio

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Archive for the ‘Indians’ Category

Not cowboys and indians, the Cleveland Indians. We might not cover Willie Mays-Hayes or Rick “The Wild Thing” Vaughn, but we will be talking about the actual Cleveland Indians. It might not be as fun.

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Reds v. Indians: The Calm Before the Storm.

Posted by George Herron on May 20, 2011

Not so fast, I'm not sure who they think they are, but the Indians are winning again. Someone call them and tell them it's not 1995 please.

Dear Andy,

Who would have thought that coming into the annual “Battle For Ohio” that we would find both teams playing excellent baseball, leading the division and sexy picks for the talking heads?  What a great series this should be!  And the best part, I have no animosity with Cleveland and inter league games really don’t matter, so I can just sit back and enjoy them. Unlike the recent Cardinals series which might have given me an ulcer.

But being as these games are one of the inspirations for the blog I feel it apropos to engage in some conversation, spirited debate and other crap that no one will really care about.

Here’s what I got for ya:

  1. Since Brandon Phillips came from Cleveland and of course now plays for the Reds, I always like to ask you how you feel about it.  I remember talking to you about it a year after it happened.  I asked you because it was obvious the kid had talent, but I wanted to know why Cleveland had given up on him.  So I asked you what the deal was.  You said then that he was kind of a punk and I’m not sure, but I think there was a money issue.  I just remember you saying the kid was an ass and wasn’t worth the inconstant flashes of talent.  And looking back Brandon has been nothing but great since he has been here.  And it’s not like the Reds were always good, that have just been a last two and a half years.  I really don’t mean to rub it in, but I do wonder how you feel about it at this point.  Are you pissed, do you think that they should have gave him a little longer, or is it simply it was best for both to part ways and start over?  Do you have those “what if” thoughts if they would have kept Phillips?
  2. How do you feel about the Indians so far?  Cautiously optimistic?  Completely confident?  Waiting for the other shoe to drop?  Too early to really tell?  What has surprised you and what has let you down?  What’s the Indians weakness?
  3. Do you pitch to Joey Votto?
  4. Even though I know that he is a quite legit all around outfielder, I just can’t take a man named Sin-Soo Choo seriously.  Do you feel that he is slightly disrespected because of his silly sounding name?
  5. How do you feel about the weekend?  The Reds rank slightly ahead of Cleveland offensively, but pitching isn’t even close.  Cleveland blows Cincy out of the water, I’ll be honest I think that is what surprises me the most about this years Indians, is how good the pitching has been.  Defensively both teams are about even as well, so it just might come down to the solid pitching of Cleveland that could seal this series.  Does it make you feel better to see that the Reds just choked hard and dropped two straight games to the Pirates?
  6. Is Chris Perez getting ready for his Halloween costume as a lumber jack or a homeless guy or Rosie O’Donnell?

That should be good enough to get the ball rolling.  I look forward to your answers, comments and questions.

Posted in Indians, Reds | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Manny Acta Impressed With Tribe Depth; I’m Not Impressed With Manny Acta

Posted by pacmanxu on March 12, 2011

I actually don’t dislike Acta, but to me this statement is ridiculous.  We’re talking about an Indian team that lost 100 games last year and added nobody of note to the roster.  Can you really have depth when 90% of your players wouldn’t start on other MLB teams?  No.

Depth is something that good teams talk about and something that contending teams need.  Every good team has injuries and some guys that just have bad years.  Depth is when declining veterans or young, unproven players fill in the gaps that present themselves during the year.  In that sense, depth means that you don’t skip a beat.

Maybe that’s what Acta meant.  It wouldn’t really matter who played, the Indians wouldn’t skip a beat.  They would continue to lose games in the most proficient manner.

That is the only thing I can think of.  Wait, there is one more…

The Tribe DOES have depth of utility players.  They have been dedicated for the past 7 years to finding players that can play multiple positions.  Flexibility is the key for them…in fact, it’s more important than being really good at one position.  They love guys like Jason Donald that can play 3 positions, even though he’s not very good at any of them.

Personally, I would love to find guys that are excellent at a few things and can complement their teammates rather than a team of Jacks-of-all-trades.  They’re already messing with Carlos Santana, playing him at cather, 1st base, and DH.  Jason Donald will start at 3B, but can also play SS and 2B.  Asdrubal Cabrera is the SS, but can play 2nd.  Orlando Cabrera has played his whole career at SS, but they will play him at 2B and a little 3B.  Matt Laporta will start at 1st, but can play some LF and RF

Do you see how impressive they are?  Although they won’t seem that impressive when they are 20 games under .500 by the end of June and looking to trade Sizemore and Carmona in another fire sale.

The depth comment is a joke, unless Acta was talking about the minor league teams.  Flexibility is also a joke.  There is a reason utility players don’t get paid any significant salaries…because they aren’t better than anyone at any one thing.  Utility players are guys you fill the last 3 spots on your roster with, not the ones you build teams around.

That’s my Tribe!!

Posted in Indians | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Jim Thome: A Tribute.

Posted by George Herron on September 8, 2010

Thome, the younger.

Andy, this is for you.

I was watching “Quick Pitch” on MLB Network today and they were talking about Jim Thome. They talked about how he had CRUSHED his 21st home run of the year. The titanic blast was 480 ft of legitimate man power. A new record at the new Target Field in Minnesota by the way.

So this got me to thinking about Jim Thome. Why don’t people talk more about this guy? Why no love for a guy that has seemingly done everything in his career without any help and has made smart career moves at the right times in his career. He is one a the few guys from the early 90′s Cleveland Indians teams that my old room-mate Andy can still talk about without, shame or distane.

He is so unnoticed that it’s almost disrespectful.  I looked him up in free agency on my ESPN fantasy baseball team. Of course he was a free agent even though he has 21 home runs and is hitting a decent .275, but he is only owned in 4.5% of leagues! I suppose it comes down to the fact that he is only available as a DH and the fact that he won’t play every game. Can’t be a lazy fantasy player with Thome. But what makes him a challenge to a fantasy manager is what has ensured that he is still a productive MLB player today at 39 years young.

What sets him apart:

He’s no Barry Bonds.  Jim Thome has flourished hitting home runs like so many other hitters have in the steroid era. But Thome didn’t use steroids. Go back to when he first came up with the Indians. He just looked like a dopey corn-fed kid. When he got older he did exactly what guys should do when they get older. His waist line got a little bigger and his hair-line got a lot thinner. The home runs still came, as did the strikeouts, but even at 39 he is still producing. Not a freakishly alarming pace like Bonds was, but at his own pace, playing every other game, as a DH. You see since Thome isn’t using steroids he take a little longer to recover after a couple of games.

He’s no Ken Griffey Jr.  Thome has primarily been a first basemen in his career. But unlike Ken, he knew his limitations and knew when it was best to make the move to CH to extend his career. He hasn’t played first base really since he was 34 and that was just 52 games, the year before he played a full season at first. But you never heard of Thome refusing a trade to the American league, you never heard of him refusing to move to a role as a DH. He just showed up and played. He accepted what he was, a slugger. Much like Adam Dunn. And because he was willing to accept that role he is still collecting a paycheck.  Near the ned of his career Jr. was polarizing and a club house diva, it was off-putting and I think Ken’s game suffered, he stopped having fun and just started to mope and whine a lot.  Jim just goes out there like he always does and produces.

He’s no Alex Rodriguez.  Jim Thome is a blue-collar guy, he shows up and works hard and keeps his mouth shut for the most part. He isn’t doing magazine articles making out with himself in front of a mirror. He is 9th all time in home runs but every home run he hits is just another home run, same as the previous one. One more home run and he is tied with Frank Robinson for 8th all time, if you take out Bonds and Sosa he would be tied for 6th. He is second on the active list, only behind the Central Park sun bather.  He didn’t even stand out in his younger years on the Indians.  Not with flashy guys like Lofton, or ill-tempered guys like Belle, or crazy guys like Man-Ram, or highlight reals with the glove like Alomar.  Thome has never needed the attention to be productive.

Thome, the elder. The differences are in the hair-line and waist line, one is growing, one is receding.

The Stats:

  • 9th all time home runs (2nd active)
  • 30th all time RBI (3rd active)
  • 46th all time total bases (3rd active)
  • 20th all time in slugging percentage (6th active)
  • 54th all time fielding percentage (.994)
  • Ranks second in “old white guy” power.  You know that power that fat old men get, where all they do is drink beer all day and surprise you when they can lift a car?  Only Babe Ruth tops Thome in this category.

Slugger.

Perhaps not a first ballet Hall of Famer, but is it because of being over shadowed by the steroid era?  Or is it because of his quiet all business like attitude?  Either way I don’t care, mainly because I doubt that Jim Thome cares.  This dude just likes playing baseball, and I like watching him play baseball.  You keep doing what you do Jim and I’ll keep watching and rooting you on.

Posted in Indians, Random Thoughts | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Tribe Now Has Exactly THREE (3) Players Making $1M Or More

Posted by pacmanxu on August 3, 2010

The Dolans told us Indian fans that the only way we could compete on an annual basis was to build through the farm system because we couldn’t afford to try and compete in the free agent market for the best players.  That made sense.  Instantly we started envisioning the Minnesota Twins system and had flashbacks to how the Indians did the same thing in the early 90′s under Dick Jacobs and John Hart.

We were fools.  This was a con job of Obama-like proportions.  What they really meant was that they would trade any player making a lot of money to another team in an effort to have a minuscule payroll and to earn an easy profit from year to year, regardless of how many people actually came.

That headline is correct.  Only Fausto Carmona, Grady Sizemore, and Travis Hafner are making more than $1 million/year.

Jake show his son the vision of Progressive Field in the 6th inning of a game.

That is staggering.  And this season there was talk that they were looking to deal Carmona and Sizemore too.  The only reason they weren’t looking to deal Hafner is that there is no way in hell any team will take him at $11.5M.

So this is another year of house-cleaning as we watch Jake Westbrook, Kerry Wood, Jhonny Peralta, Russell Branyan,  and Austin Kears pack their bags for brighter lights in bigger cities.

What more shocking is that the Tribe’s 2009 payroll for the 25 man roster was $81M and now their payroll for the 40 man roster is about $41 M…when that includes $23M for 3 guys that means that the other $18M is split among 37 players, averaging around $480,000 per guy.

It’s no surprise that they are in last place.  They are virtually a AAAA team.

Honestly, it’s hard for me to argue about any of the players they got rid of except Westbrook.  The others were fairly worthless, but that in itself is depressing knowing that all that big money was paid to guys who weren’t very good.

Don’t get too attached, Tribe fans.  Before long Sizemore, Cabrera, Talbot, Carmona, and Santana will be in other uniforms.

The rebuilding destruction of the Indians is almost complete.  It started with Victor Martinez, Mark DeRosa, CC Sabathia, and Cliff Lee…and now this.

We are the Marlins of the AL…you know…without all the World Series Titles.

Posted in Indians | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Indians Season Recap: Only 2 Months To Go Until Football Season…

Posted by pacmanxu on June 26, 2010

That’s right…season recap.  It’s over before the all-star break.  I started out writing this entry at the end of April, and it was supposed to be an APRIL recap with a look ahead at the rest of the season.  I didn’t see much point in spending my valuable time on what we knew at that time would be a total waste of a baseball season, so I decided to try and forget about the Indians, which wasn’t hard.

Almost everything has gone wrong with the season that could have.  As usual it started with the ownership and their marching orders that no significant money will be spent on the team until they contend, which is totally backwards or just a ruse to try and cover up the thought that the Dolans don’t really want to make any effort to build a winner, but just slog along and protect their profits.  You would have thought that trading away the contracts for Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee would have freed up some good money, but it was just capsized.

So there was virtually no chance that any free agents worth noting would be in a tribe uniform.

You see...what had happened was....

The best offseason moves were trading Kelly Shoppach for Mitch Talbot and signing Austin Kearns to a minor league contract…off to a bad start.  The best description of this roster is a mixture of high-ceiling rookies that are struggling to find their way and a veteran core of unproductive, highly flawed players.  By the end of April, five starters were hitting below .200!!!!

There were three bright spots.  Mitch Talbot was a steal from Tampa and has been one of the better starters in the league so far, but you’d never know because the team can’t score any runs for him.  Kearns has gone from spring training invitee to the best hitter on the team, which is good but that doesn’t mean a whole lot right now.  And lastly, Asdrubal Cabrera showed early that he is on the best shortstops in the game with his gold glove caliber defense and switch-hitting ability with an average over .300.

Cabrera and Sizemore both got injured.  Peralta, Hafner, and Wood played like single-A players, and most of the young guys couldn’t hit anything…

I won’t waste your time anymore than I have to.  The team was doomed for failure from the start and the situation got worse once the season started.

The good news is that we are just a little over 1 month from football season starting, where we can dump all of our hopes onto another team that will probably disappoint too.

Posted in Indians | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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