Cleveland's Launchpad

Rivalry Building Between Browns, Jets

2010-06-25T16:46:00.002-04:00

The Cleveland Browns and New York Jets have had an interesting history. Cleveland topped New York in the first Monday Night Football game ever and in double overtime in the 1986 playoffs. However, since that exciting Bernie Kosar-led victory, the franchises have gone in different directions. While the Jets haven't been the model of an NFL franchise, they have reached the NFL playoffs a number of times in the last decade and have been far from the disaster our Browns were.

Now it seems, the two franchises are linked once more. First, Cleveland hired Empire State-hated Eric Mangini from the Jets. Then, they traded mercurial wide receiver Braylon Edwards to the Big Apple. And now, the teams find themselves opposite one another on the 2010 schedule. A fact not lost on Edwards (see below). Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New York. If the Browns win only five games this season, those are the ones I want.

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Braylon Edwards can't wait to play the Lions, Browns (from pft.com)
Posted by Mike Florio on June 24, 2010 9:52 AM ET

Braylon Edwards is launching his first full season as a member of the New York Jets. And he has circled on the calendar games against teams that reside in much smaller cities.

The Lions and the Browns.

Per Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press, Edwards looks forward to his November 7 return to Michigan. "I'm excited to play back home," Edwards recently said. "It'll be fun because I have so much family here that supports me. So I can't wait for them to get a chance to come to the game."

The next week, he returns to his adopted home.

"Seven days later is the game I'm worried about," Edwards said. "We go to Cleveland. You know I've got a little chip on my shoulder the size of the golden nugget. So I can't wait to go out there."

Edwards may want to think twice about that one. We hear that the 130-pound guy he beat up last year on his way out of Ohio has been working out. Word is that he's already up to 140.

Five more and he can definitely take Braylon.

Vote Choo!

2010-06-11T22:22:00.001-04:00

Vote Shin-Soo Choo to the American League All-Star Team:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/events/all_star/y2010/ballot_pop.html?tcid=cp_asg2010_ballot&cmpid=425783&cme=112145

Look Back on a Cavalier Decade

2010-06-10T15:04:00.001-04:00

Courtesy of Cavs.com, great feature

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June 8, 2010
Deciphering the Decade

For the first time in several summers, the Cavaliers are a team totally in flux. On Tuesday afternoon, owner Dan Gilbert will announce Chris Grant as the team’s new general manager. But there are still questions to be answered after that.

So, while we ponder the Wine and Gold’s future, cavs.com decided to take a look at the past – a thumbnail sketch of the previous decade of Cavaliers basketball.

From the franchise’s early depths to their recent heights, a decade is a lot to capsulize, so we tried to get it done in under 1,000 words.

So, in 982 words, here is an abridged version of the last ten years, in which the Cleveland Cavaliers …

… began the decade by naming Mark Price, Austin Carr, Shawn Kemp, Larry Nance and Brad Daugherty members of the 30th Anniversary team.

…witnessed Akron native LeBron James’ incredible brilliance – becoming the first Cavalier to be named Most Valuable Player (twice). In seven years – beginning with a 25-point 9-assist night in Sacramento on Oct. 29, 2003 – James has already established Hall of Fame accomplishments, leading the Cavaliers franchise to unprecedented heights.

… clinched their division for the first time in 33 years in March, 2009 – eventually taking the Central by 25 games and repeating the next season by a 15-game margin.

… reached the NBA Finals in 2007 for the first time in franchise history – topping their nemesis Detroit Pistons in six games behind LeBron James’ heroic 49-point effort in Motown and Daniel Gibson’s second-half explosion in Game 6 at The Q. Unfortunately, Cleveland was swept in four games by the Spurs in the Finals.

… were purchased in March 2005 by Dan Gilbert, chairman and founder of Quicken Loans – who shortly thereafter invested over $30 million in Quicken Loans Arena renovations, as well as upgrades to the Cavaliers executive offices and the development of the Cleveland Clinic Courts.

…saw Paul Pierce get in a mid-game shooting contest with Moondog, saw Ricky Davis shoot at the wrong basket in order to get a triple-double, and watched Drew Gooden grow a “Gucci patch” on the back of his head.

… were presided over by three General Managers – Wayne Embry, Jim Paxson and Danny Ferry.

… opened a brand new 50,000 square foot state-of-the-art player development facility – the Cleveland Clinic Courts – in Independence.

… sported two totally different uniforms and color schemes in the decade – and donned as many as five different threads in 2009-10 alone.

…featured players named Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje, Smush Parker, Flip Murray and Zendon Hamilton – as well as a Yogi (Stewart), a Jiri (Welsch), a Bimbo (Coles), and a Bruno (Sundov).

… saw players hit some of the biggest and most dramatic shots in franchise history – Damon Jones’ 18-foot series-clinching baseline jumper in Game 6 against Washington in 2006, giving Cleveland its first trip to the Second Round in 12 years and LeBron James’ game-winning three-pointer against Orlando in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals at The Q.

…watched Zydrunas Ilgauskas and LeBron James rewrite the record books – leaving only field goal percentage (Mark West, .533), defensive rebounds (Brad Daugherty, 4,020) and Mark Price’s 3-pt. field goals made (802) and his all-time assists marks (4,206) still intact.

…compiled Playoff records against: Detroit (11-6), Washington (12-4), Chicago (4-1), Atlanta (4-0), Boston (5-8) and San Antonio (0-4)

…watched LeBron James become the first Cavalier since their first year in existence to score 50 points when he dropped 56 on Toronto in 2005. He’s scored 50 or more in seven games since.

…saw Andre Miller become the first Cavalier to lead the league in assists in 2001-02 – averaging 10.9 helpers per contest on a team that finished 16th in the league in scoring.

…knocked the Washington Wizards out of the First Round of the playoffs in three straight seasons.

…knocked the Chicago Bulls out of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

…saw one player leave the Cavaliers and proceed to win the Euroleague Championship (Trajan Langdon) and signed another who won two Euroleague titles (Anthony Parker) before coming to Cleveland.

…won the 2003 Draft Lottery in Secaucus, New Jersey when the four ping-pong balls pulled from the tumbler added up to “23.”

…welcomed Tractor Traylor and Joe Smith back for two tours of duty.

…were jilted by Carlos Boozer in July, 2004, but proceeded to make lemonade from lemons – trading Tony Battie and a second-round choice for Drew Gooden, Steven Hunter and 2010 All-Defensive first teamer, Anderson Varejao.

…saw Andre Miller turn in the Cavaliers’ first four double-doubles of the 21st century, with LeBron James notching the next 34.

… began the century with Danny Ferry as a ballplayer and a 25-year-old center, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, considering retirement after playing just one full season. Both still had hair.

…had only one player in the last decade turn in a 20-point/20-rebound game: Carlos Boozer, who did so twice.

…traveled to China in the summer of 2007 – taking on the Orlando Magic in Shanghai and Macao.

… saw Mike Brown become the only Cavaliers coach besides Bill Fitch in 1976 to be named “Coach of the Year.”

… selected these players in the first-round this decade: Jamal Crawford (2000), DeSagana Diop (2001), Dajuan Wagner (2002), LeBron James (2003), Luke Jackson (2004), Shannon Brown (2006), J.J. Hickson (2008) and Christian Eyenga (2009).

…averaged 11,497 fans per contest with two total sellouts in 2002-03. In 2009-10, they averaged 20,562 – selling out every game of the season.

… have had three players make the All-Star Game in the past ten years. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who made two trips – in 2003 and 2005. Mo Williams, who made his first mid-season classic appearance in 2009, joining LeBron James, who played in his sixth All-Star Game in 2010. LeBron was named All-Star MVP twice (2006 in Houston and 2008 in New Orleans).

…featured some local products like Jawad Williams, J.R. Bremer, Earl Boykins, Eric Snow and, of course, LeBron James.

… dealt for a four-time Defensive Player of the Year (Ben Wallace) and four-time NBA Champion (Shaquille O’Neal).

…lost 65 games in one season (2002-03) and won 66 in another (2008-09). In the 66-win season, the Cavaliers won one less game in March (16) than they did all season (17) in the campaign before landing LeBron.

…have seen six coaches come and go, including Randy Wittman (62-102), John Lucas (37-87), Keith Smart (9-31), Paul Silas (69-77), Brendan Malone (8-10) and Mike Brown (272-138).

Concerned About Gilbert

2010-06-07T22:38:00.002-04:00

For all the money Dan Gilbert has spent, all the wins the Cavaliers have accumulated since he took over as majority owner, all the success of this franchise, I'm afraid that in the end his presence may be a curse.

The ousting of Mike Brown and Danny Ferry, two solid, well-respected basketball people, in an obvious attempt to gain more power for himself, reeks of egomanical pro sports owners Daniel Snyder and Mark Cuban (and their zero combined championships).

I'm concerned with the fact that Gilbert doesn't know basketball, but he knows $$ and will do anything to keep LeBron. Do you hear that Cleveland? To keep LeBron. That's a good thing right? Well, partially. There is no guarantee that if LeBron re-signs we will be a better team than we were under Ferry and Brown. And I know that in the end, all us true fans really want is a championship.

Brown and Ferry wanted to build a defensive team but trades for Williams and Antawn Jamison (who truly pulled the trigger on those?) seemed to set the team back on that end of the floor. I suspect Gilbert and James had quite a bit of say there and that Ferry and Brown, the two people whose say matters most, didn't.

But the straw that broke the camel's back for me is the Tom Izzo rumor. This potential hiring is preposterous. Upon hearing the rumor, I immediately made the Gilbert-Michigan connection and realized that he is hiring people he thinks will be good NBA people, not people who are considered by the league to be good NBA people. What background does Izzo have coaching professionals? At least Coach K of Duke won an Olympic gold medal coaching with James.

Gilbert may have the deepest pockets this side of the Mississippi, but we've seen in that past that that doesn't equal winning. I'm just concerned that if things continue the way they are, that whether LeBron re-signs or not, we won't be any better off than we were the last 7 years.

Wild Night in Comerica

2010-06-03T15:03:00.003-04:00

The Cleveland Indians have never had a perfect game thrown against them. For years after last night's ballgame, decades perhaps, baseball fans will ask whether that statement remains true or not.

The game itself will be talked about and analyzed ad nauseum, but I want to take a look at it from the perspective of a Cleveland Indians fan. Obviously, I was rooting for the Tribe to get a baserunner and break up the perfecto, but when Austin Jackson made that amazing Willie Mays catch (1950s Tribe fans shudder at the sight), I knew it was meant to be. But not like that. I didn't want Armando Galarraga to lose his once-in-a-lifetime outing on a blown call by first base umpire Jim Joyce (not to be confused with the famous Irish author by the same name). At that point, I was confused. I immediately understood the impact that call would have on Joyce for the rest of his life, and based on his postgame comments, he did too.

At this point, it's bigger than the Indians keeping their decades long streak of not being "perfected." It was about a man being able to live his life without shame and regret, a journeyman pitcher being recognized as one of a group of 21 all-time, and a sport instituting instant replay. There was no instant replay last night, but hopefully Bud Selig will do what needs to be done: reverse the call. It would certainly be the right thing to do. And I'm sure Jason Donald wouldn't mind. He'll have plenty of infield singles in his future.

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Three-fifths of the Indians starting rotation gives the team a chance to win every night. Unfortunately for Tribe fans, the other two-fifths have been plain awful. David Huff and Justin Masterson, a combined 2-11 on the season with a ballooning combined 5.50+ ERA may still be a part of the Indians future. But I really don't want to see them in the present.

Luckily, the Tribe brass sent reliever Aaron Laffey down to Columbus to be stretched out as a starter. The idea was that he would replace Justin Masteron in the rotation, who would either be sent to AAA as a starter or moved to the bullpen. But after Masterson's strong outing in Yankee Stadium and David Huff's disastrous last two outings (sandwiched by a line drive to the head off the bat of Alex Rodriguez), I'm beginning to think he deserves a few more chances.

It's time to send Huff (a pitcher I think was rushed to the majors last year anyway) to Columbus to work on his mechanics and give Masterson a couple more starts with Laffey in the mix. If Masterson continues to struggle, it's time to move him and his electric stuff to the bullpen where I envision him as a back-end setup man. We certainly could use a couple of those. As for replacements in AAA? Yohan Pino, Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrassco or even Jeremy Sowers could get a look.

I do know one thing: we can't keep sending out this group of five starters if we want to finish out of the basement of the AL Central.

Someone Tell Me What Just Happened

2010-05-11T23:45:00.002-04:00

Not in Game 5. Not in Game 4. But throughout this entire series.

When did Rajon Rondo become Bob Cousy? Is LeBron injured, tanking or just playing bad? How is Mike Brown making Doc Rivers look like Jerry Sloan?

And the biggest question: why us?

I believe it is a 98% chance we go home after Game 6, LeBron leaves, etc.

But here are two interesting notes. I won't elaborate on them, just bring them to light.

1. Orlando was down 3-2 to Boston last year

2. In order to break their curse, the Red Sox needed to dig down when all the chips were off the table and come back from 0-3 against their biggest rivals, the New York Yankees

2% is better than 0%

Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft

2010-04-24T18:04:00.001-04:00

2010 Browns NFL Draft

1st Round: Wanted: Eric Berry (taken at #5)
Revised: trade down, but if not: Derrick Morgan or Joe Haden
Actual: Joe Haden (My Grade: B+)
-would have preferred a trade-down after Berry was taken but Haden fills a major need

2nd Round: Wanted: Sergio Kindle, Taylor Mays, Golden Tate (all available at #38)
Actual: T.J. Ward (My Grade: C)
-I like the position, safety. big hitter, but everything fans don’t want to see from a draft pick in the second round: a bit of a reach with major injury concerns.
Montario Hardesty (My Grade: B-)
-will provide solid 1-2 punch with Jerome Harrison, decent value pick

3rd Round: Colt McCoy (My Grade: B+)
-I’m not a fan of McCoy as our franchise QB but it was worth the risk this late in the draft

Shawn Lauvao (My Grade: B-)
-I like the pick of a guard with Lauvao but think there may have been better options at his position.

5th Round: Larry Asante (My Grade: B)
-for a 5th round pick this guy has a ton of potential and talent. Not sure if he’ll ever get it right though but not a bad risk. Adds depth to the secondary and special teams

6th Round: Carlton Mitchell (My Grade: A-)
-this may turn out to be the best pick of this draft. Mitchell has been compared by draft guru Mel Kiper to Brandon Marshall and he has the athleticism and hands to be a steal of a wide receiver. Some outlets had him as high as a late 2nd round pick going into the draft

Clifton Geathers (My Grade: B)
-I know little about Geathers but he appears to have some raw athleticism as a 3-4 pass rusher. Not a bad pick to fill an area of need

Overall Draft Grade: B+
-I feel a ton better after this draft than last year (I wonder what changed?). We got a legitimate #1 corner with Haden, successfully overcoming the theft of Eric Berry by the Chiefs. T.J Ward was a puzzling pick but he is a huge hitter with potential if he stays healthy. Hardesty had only one good year at Tennessee but I liked what I saw from him as a compliment to Jerome. McCoy may be our franchise QB and if not, we only used a late 3rd round pick on him. Lauvao adds depth to the line and Geathers to the linebacking core. Asante has a chance to be very good and Carlton Mitchell may be this year’s Marques Colston. Only time will tell for this draft with a lot of “maybe” great players, but at the least I expect to see a lot of Haden and Hardesty in 2010-11.

Indians Trade Prospects - Where Are They Now?

2010-04-19T01:54:00.004-04:00

Where Are They Now?

Indians prospects acquired in trades in 2008-09.

Acquired for: CC Sabathia

1B/OF Matt LaPorta- Cleveland (MLB), 25 years old, .252 average, 7 HR, 22 RBI in 61 career games

P Rob Bryson- Lake County (Low-A), 23 years old, 2-0 in relief, 3.86 ERA, 8 Ks, 1 BB

P Zach Jackson- traded to Toronto for Player to be Named Later

OF Michael Brantley- Cleveland (MLB), 23 years old, .284 average, 13 runs scored in 36 career games

Acquired for: Casey Blake

C Carlos Santana- Columbus (AAA), 24 years old, .417 average, 4 HRs, 14 RBI in 10 games

Acquired for: Paul Byrd

OF Mickey Hall- I can't find Mickey at the moment, he isn't on any of the minor league rosters and may be injured. Spent last season mostly at AA Akron

Acquired for: Mark DeRosa

P Jess Todd, Columbus (AAA), 24 years old, 6.75 ERA, 0-0 record, 5 Ks, 1 BB in 4 games out of pen, spent parts of 2009-10 in Cleveland

Acquired for: Ryan Garko

P Scott Barnes, Akron (AA), 23 years old, 0-1, 3.24 ERA, 4 Ks, 4 BBs in 2 starts

Acquired for: Rafael Betancourt

P Connor Graham, Akron (AA), 25 years old, 0-1, 10.61 ERA, 6 Ks, 8 BBs in 2 starts

Acquired for: Cliff Lee

P Carlos Carrasco- Columbus (AAA), 23 years old, 1-0, 2.92 ERA, 12 Ks, 6 BBs in 2 starts

IF Jason Donald- Columbus (AAA), 26 years old, .333 average, 10 runs in 10 games

C Lou Marson- Cleveland (MLB), 24 years old, .219 average, 6 RBI, in 29 career games

P Jason Knapp- Arizona (extended Spring Training), 19 years old, will be rostered later in the year

Acquired for: Victor Martinez

P Justin Masterson- Cleveland (MLB), 25 years old, 10-16, 3.90 ERA, 201 Ks, 102 BBs in 80 career games

P Nick Hagadone- Kinston (High-A), 24 years old, 0.00 ERA, 0-1 record, 8 Ks, 3 BBs in 2 starts

P Bryan Price- Akron (AA), 23 years old, 7.71 ERA, 0-2 record, 9 Ks, 3 BBs in 2 starts

Acquired for: Carl Pavano

P Yohan Pino- Columbus (AAA), 26 years old, 1.50 ERA, 2-0 record, 11 Ks, 2 BBs in 2 starts

Why do I want the Bulls in the First Round?

2010-04-16T17:15:00.001-04:00

Path to Redemption

2010-04-15T19:27:00.002-04:00

Chicago. Boston. Orlando. Los Angeles.

Four of the Cavaliers biggest rivals in the last 20 years and also their four likely opponents en route to a potential NBA Championship. This is our season, but it is also our path to redemption.

Chicago: Michael Jordan may be gone, but the sting of his "Shot" remains. Chicago has one coming for them for all the years of Jordan's bullying us around.

Boston: the taste of 2008's Eastern Semifinals is still a bitter one on my and many Cavs' fans tongues. The Celtics 15 bazillion NBA titles make them as hateable team as any.

Orlando: the biggest challenge to the Cavs in the East deserve some payback after last season's ECF upset.

Los Angeles: one of the greatest franchises in sports history, LeBron can silence his critics forever by beating Kobe in the Finals.

These are the four I want. GO CAVS!

Browns Land Two Starters in Trade

2010-04-03T16:27:00.001-04:00

Good trade for the Browns. We give up two late round picks that we don't need (10 more on hand) and a linebacker whom Mangini and his staff didn't seem to like for a former Pro Bowl corner who still has some gas left in the tank at 31 years old and a young OLB with potential who will likely step in on the other side of Matt Roth.

This trade, and all of the Browns offseason moves, aren't flashy but they are solid and will go a long way towards "Building the Browns."

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Eagles CB Brown traded to Cleveland

ESPN.com news services
Philadelphia Trades CB Brown To Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- While their best defensive player was still in jail, the Cleveland Browns got some help for one of the NFL's worst units.

The Browns acquired cornerback Sheldon Brown and linebacker Chris Gocong in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles for linebacker Alex Hall and two draft picks on Friday. The fourth- and fifth-round selections are the Nos. 105 and 137 overall in this month's three-day draft.

Brown and Cleveland promptly restructured his contract, a league source told ESPN Insider Adam Schefter.

NFC East blog

Mosley ESPN.com's Matt Mosley writes about all things NFC East in his division blog.

• Blog network: NFL Nation

The Browns did not give Brown a boost in pay. But they converted a chunk of the money he had left on the last three years of his contract into guaranteed money paid in a signing bonus and added incentives.

Thus, Brown still has the three years left on his original contract, but a good portion has been paid out, the source told Schefter.

The trade was announced as Browns nose tackle Shaun Rogers -- a three-time Pro Bowler -- was being held after his arrest for trying to carry a loaded handgun onto a plane; he was charged later Friday with a fourth-degree felony and released later in the day on $1,000 bond.

. But time stops for nothing in the NFL, and the Browns agreed to terms of the deal pending physicals.

A Browns spokesman confirmed the trade but said the team will not comment until the physicals are completed.

Cleveland general manager Tom Heckert, who spent the previous four seasons as Philadelphia's GM, returned to his roots to continue an overhaul of the Browns' defense, which ranked last in the AFC last season and gave up less yardage than only the Detroit Lions.

Brown, a former Pro Bowler who hasn't missed a game since becoming a full-time starter in 2004, likely will move into Cleveland's starting lineup on the opposite side of Eric Wright, who made 16 starts last season at left cornerback. Brandon McDonald made six starts on the right side, with Mike Adams getting the other six.

Brown wanted a new contract from Philadelphia last season, and despite his unhappiness over the contract, Brown played through a hamstring injury last year and recorded a career-best five interceptions.

A second-round pick in 2002, he and Lito Sheppard replaced veterans Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor after the 2003 season. They played a key role in helping the Eagles reach the 2005 Super Bowl.

Gocong started 35 games in four seasons with Philadelphia. He had just signed a one-year deal.

"Sheldon Brown has been a very good football player for the Eagles over the last eight years," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "He's a good person, a legitimate tough guy and he'll do a good job helping the Browns. Chris did a good job converting from defensive end to linebacker and helped us win a lot of football games. We wish both of them all of the best."

Coming off a 5-11 season under first-year coach Eric Mangini, Heckert and new team president Mike Holmgren have been busy reshaping the Browns. Hall's departure follows those of quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley, the team's top pass rusher.

The Browns reached when they selected Hall out of Division II St. Augustine in the seventh round in 2008. Physically gifted, he showed promise in recording three sacks as a rookie but mostly played on special teams last season and finished with just four tackles.

"Alex Hall is a big, athletic linebacker who we've had our eyes on over the last couple of years and he'll have a chance to compete at the SAM linebacker spot," Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said.

The Browns still have 10 picks in the draft, but the arrival of Brown could change their early round strategy. The team has shown a strong interest in Tennessee safety Eric Berry and Florida cornerback Joe Haden and has visits planned with both players.

Brown is the latest veteran to depart Philadelphia this offseason. Former All-Pro running back Brian Westbrook, former All-Pro guard Shawn Andrews, linebacker Will Witherspoon, defensive end Darren Howard and wide receiver Kevin Curtis were released.

Despite that trend, Roseman insisted the Eagles aren't rebuilding after an 11-5 finish and playoff loss to Dallas.

"We're trying to win, we're always trying to win," Roseman said. "For us, this was a football decision. We're excited about some of the players on our team and we're excited about the quality of this draft."

Ellis Hobbs, acquired last year from New England, steps into Brown's spot. Hobbs is coming off neck surgery and probably will have to win the starting role in training camp. He started every game when the Patriots went 16-0 in 2007.

"It's an opportunity for Ellis Hobbs to step up and contribute to our defense," Roseman said. "We like Ellis Hobbs. We think he's a good starting corner in this league and we feel we have other players on this team that can step into that spot and contribute."

Information from The Associated Press and ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter was used in this report.

Cleveland Indians 2010 Outlook

2010-03-25T22:31:00.000-04:00

Best case scenario: Fausto Carmona, Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore all revert back to their strong form of years past, Jake Westbrook is fully recovered, Justin Masterson and David Huff/Aaron Laffey have career years and Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera and the other youngsters continue to improve. New manager Manny Acta better reaches Latin holdovers Jhonny Peralta and Rafael Perez than Eric Wedge did and the bullpen comes together. 83-88 wins, contend for division

Wost case scenario: Carmona and Perez become lost causes, Sizemore and Westbrook have lingering effects from injuries and the young starters don't step up to the challenge. Chris Perez can't handle the role of closer and Acta has little change on the club. With the team out of it in June, Peralta, Westbrook and other veterans with lengthy contracts are shopped. 65-70 wins, bottom feeders in division.

Realistic scenario: the team makes strides under Acta and several of the young players come into their own. While the future looks bright, the present will have to settle for mediocre: 75 wins, middle of the pack in division.

Indians Brass Choose All-2000s Team

2010-03-17T13:03:00.003-04:00

Great article and I honestly agree with almost every choice. I would have given the 5th starter spot to Paul Byrd over Carmona.

Enjoy

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2000s a 'decade of extremes' for Indians
Club wins two division titles, finishes below .500 five times

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

03/17/10 11:00 AM ET

CLEVELAND -- The 2000s were a drastic decade for the Indians.

The Tribe entered the decade riding the last wave of its 1990s renaissance period, when division titles became par for the course and record numbers of fans came through the turnstiles at Jacobs Field.

By the end of the decade, it was Progressive Field, and the selling of the naming rights was just one of many changes. The team had undergone an overhaul, on the field and off. The Dolan family bought the organization from Dick Jacobs, Mark Shapiro took the general manager's reins from John Hart, and a total rebuild reinvented the way business was done at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

When all was said and done, the Tribe teams of the 2000s won 90 games or more four times and captured the American League Central crown in 2001 and '07. But they also fell below .500 five times.

"It was," team radio voice Tom Hamilton said, "a decade of extremes."

The decade was the topic of discussion during a bus trip to Columbus on the Tribe's winter Press Tour in January. Aboard the bus were Hamilton, vice president of public relations Bob DiBiasio and director of media relations Bart Swain, and MLB.com asked the three men to pore over a list of players at each position from 2000-09 and select the Indians' All-Decade Team.

Two other men who watched this club, night in and night out, for the duration of the decade -- Shapiro and Plain Dealer beat reporter Paul Hoynes -- weren't on the bus but were surveyed separately.

The goal was to come to a consensus. Which players' contributions within that 10-season period ranked above the rest at their position? We wanted to pick five starters, one setup man, one closer, three outfielders and one player at every other position, including DH.

While the answers were fairly obvious at most spots, there were a few head-scratchers in the mix. Here's a full rundown, and keep in mind that only the 2000-09 seasons were taken into consideration:

Indians All-Decade team
POS Player
C Victor Martinez
1B Jim Thome
2B Roberto Alomar
SS Omar Vizquel
3B Casey Blake
OF Grady Sizemore
OF Kenny Lofton
OF Shin-Soo Choo
DH Travis Hafner
SP CC Sabathia
SP Cliff Lee
SP Bartolo Colon
SP Jake Westbrook
SP Fausto Carmona
SU Rafael Betancourt
CL Bob Wickman
MGR Eric Wedge

Rotation

We began with the starting pitching, where left-handers CC Sabathia (106-71 with a 3.83 ERA in 237 starts) and Cliff Lee (83-48, 4.01 ERA in 178 starts) -- the Tribe's first Cy Young Award winners since Gaylord Perry in 1972 -- were no-brainers.

But the panel was asked to select a full, five-man rotation, and it wasn't easy.

Hamilton looked at the list of candidates -- including Paul Byrd, Fausto Carmona, Bartolo Colon, Chuck Finley, Kevin Millwood and Jake Westbrook -- and asked, "Can we maybe go with a four-man rotation?"

In the end, Colon (39-24, 3.67 ERA in 80 starts) and Westbrook (63-62, 4.25 ERA in 158 starts) received votes from all five panel members. But there was dissension about that fifth spot. The majority went with Carmona (33-37, 4.69 ERA in 85 starts), by virtue of his 19-win season in 2007.

"You can make the argument that he should have been the Cy Young winner [over Sabathia] that year," Hamilton said.

Swain added: "His start against the Yankees [in Game 2 of the '07 AL Division Series] was as good as you'll see."

Hoynes, however, went with Byrd (32-27, 4.68 ERA in 84 starts).

"I just think he was an underrated guy," Hoynes said. "I looked at his stats, and I liked the way he pitched in the '07 postseason. He was a gritty guy, and he was exactly what they needed -- a veteran guy in the middle of the rotation to pull it together."

Shapiro, meanwhile, went with Millwood, by virtue of his 2005 season in which he went 9-11 with a league-leading 2.86 ERA in 30 starts, and the way he became a mentor to a young pitching staff.

"He had a dominant year," Shapiro said, "and he made a lasting impact on CC at a pivotal point for our team."

Setup man

The panel had no problem coming to a consensus on this one. Right-hander Rafael Betancourt (23-22, 3.25 ERA in 371 games) was a unanimous choice over the likes of Danys Baez, Bob Howry, Steve Karsay, David Riske and Paul Shuey.

"People didn't appreciate how good he was," Hamilton said of Betancourt.

Closer

This was another easy call. The group unanimously chose Bob Wickman (8-16, 3.23 ERA, 139 saves in 255 games) over Joe Borowski (5-8, 5.57 ERA, 51 saves in 87 games). Borowski led the league in saves and helped guide the Tribe to the division title in '07, but Wickman established himself as the club's all-time saves leader.

"It wasn't always pretty," Hoynes said, "but he always seemed to get the job done."

Catcher

Absolute no-brainer here. Victor Martinez first came up to the big leagues in 2002, became a regular in '03 and eventually grew to become the face of the franchise before he was traded to the Red Sox last season. V-Mart hit .297 with an .832 OPS, 103 homers and 518 RBIs in 821 games with the Tribe.

First base

Jim Thome didn't get much competition in this department. While his great seasons in the 1990s were tossed out of the running, his 2000-02 campaigns (combined .287 average, 1.026 OPS, 138 homers, 348 RBIs in 461 games) were more than enough to make him a unanimous choice over Ben Broussard and Ryan Garko.

Second base

Roberto Alomar was a unanimous choice here, though the group did have to acknowledge the accomplishments of Ronnie Belliard, who filled the position from 2004-06 and compiled a .285 average and .770 OPS.

"I really liked Belliard," Hoynes said. "He came in with a bad reputation, but he played his butt off. Those were the best three years of his career."

Still, nobody was going to top Alomar, who was arguably the greatest free-agent acquisition the organization has ever had. Alomar's transcendent 1999 season wasn't considered, but he batted a combined .322 with a .903 OPS in 2000-01, earning two All-Star invitations, two Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger Award.

"And I know it's not in the decade," DiBiasio said, "but his '99 season still counts for something."

Shortstop

Omar Vizquel, who won two Gold Gloves in the 2000s with the Tribe, was a unanimous choice over Jhonny Peralta, who took over the position when Vizquel left as a free agent after the '04 season.

"He was a blast to watch," Hoynes said of "Little O."

Third base

The most interesting position battle might have been at third base, where Travis Fryman and Casey Blake both embodied the "high character" qualities the Indians value.

Fryman batted a combined .274 with a .765 OPS, 36 homers and 199 RBIs in 371 games from 2000-02, earning All-Star and Gold Glove honors in '00.

But he was beaten out, through a unanimous vote, by Blake, who batted .266 with a .787 OPS, 116 homers and 417 RBIs in 810 games from 2003-08. Blake played any position the Indians asked him to play, but his most consistent home was third.

"Casey has to be on our all-clubhouse team, too," Swain said.

The group agreed that Fryman in his prime would have taken this honor, but he was at the end of his career in the early 2000s.

Outfield

Asked to select three outfielders, regardless of their spot, the group had some dissension here. Grady Sizemore, a three-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award and one-time Silver Slugger Award winner, and Kenny Lofton were unanimous choices.

Lofton's 2000-01 seasons and his brief stint with the Tribe at the end of '07 were taken into consideration.

"Nobody wanted to win more than Kenny Lofton," Hamilton said.

The dissension came with the third spot. Hamilton, DiBiasio and Swain gave the nod to Shin-Soo Choo, who has batted a combined .302 with an .893 OPS since the Indians acquired him in 2006.

"He's improved every year to become one of the better right fielders in the league," DiBiasio said of Choo.

But the group also had to take into account Manny Ramirez's 2000 season, in which he batted .351 with a 1.154 OPS, 38 homers and 122 RBIs in just 118 games. And don't forget Juan Gonzalez's '01 season, in which he batted .325 with a .960 OPS. Ramirez and Gonzalez each won a Silver Slugger Award in those respective seasons.

Hoynes and Shapiro went with Ramirez for the third outfield spot.

"Look at what he did in 118 games," Shapiro said. "It's ridiculous."

Said Hoynes: "He homered in his last at-bat, like Ted Williams. That sticks with me. That was his free-agent year, and he was unconscious. He was showing you what you were gonna miss. Everybody knew he was going to be gone, and he rubbed salt in the wound."

Designated hitter

Travis Hafner (.282 average, .917 OPS, 162 homers, 547 RBIs in 800 games) was a unanimous choice over Ellis Burks (.287 average, .885 OPS, 66 homers, 193 RBIs in 317 games).

"But Ellis was another underrated guy," Hoynes said. "I would have liked to see him play with good knees."

Pronk's numbers have taken a nosedive the last three years, but there was no discounting what he did from 2004-06.

"He was arguably one of the best hitters in the game at that time," Swain said.

Manager

The only candidates here were Charlie Manuel (2000-02) and Eric Wedge (2003-09). Wedge oversaw the Indians' rebuild and won AL Manager of the Year honors in '07, when the Indians won the Central and finished a win shy of the World Series. He was the unanimous call.

My Take on the Whirwind of Moves

2010-03-15T22:12:00.003-04:00

Browns Prez Mike Holmgren started the 2010 offseason making some quiet, but shrew moves. Among them, potential starters were signed in free agency in the form of TE Benjamin Watson (Patriots), RT Tony Pashos (Niners), and LB Scott Fujita (Saints). Holmgren sent his old team, Seattle, a 2011 7th round pick for his old back quarterback, Seneca Wallace and restricted free agent linebacker Jason Trusnik was re-signed to his 2nd round tender.

While these moves were noteworthy, a franchise-changing set of events beginning at the end of last week with the release of cancerous QB Derek Anderson and signing of long-time Panthers vet Jake Delhomme culminated in a pair of Sunday trades: former first round picks Kamerion Wimbley and Brady Quinn were jettisoned to Oakland and Denver for a grand total of a 3rd round pick, a 6th round pick, Broncos running back Peyton Hillis and a conditional late round 2011 pick. Not exactly a return for the investment of two 1st round picks (and in Quinn's case, a slew of other picks as well).

As much as I had invested in Brady Quinn over the last five years (I began a personal campaign for us to draft him back while he was still tearing up defenses at Notre Dame), the writing was on the wall when Delhomme was signed. Holmgren evidently wanted to erase all memories of last season's joke of a passing offense, and dumping Anderson and Quinn appeared to be the easiest answer. I still have cautious optimism that Quinn can succeed under Josh McDaniels in Denver but Derek Anderson's words of vile against Browns fans (see, a whole nother discussion) will fall on deaf ears. Wherever the emotionless, inaccurate quarterback signs, it likely won't be as a starter. Not like he ever had the tools to be a starter. Signs pointed to Anderson being a flash in the pan at the end of 2007 where he single-handedly destroyed our season vs. Cincinnati. When rumors abounded of teams interested in trading a first round pick for Anderson, I begged for then GM Phil Savage to pull the trigger and hand the reigns to Quinn. He didn't, and the rest is history.

Wimbley's trade was a bit more surprising. Since his 11 sack rookie campaign, Wimbley has just 15 quarterback take-downs in three seasons despite not missing a single game. He showed signs of returning to his old form this past season under Rob Ryan, but apparently Holmgren didn't want to keep him onboard. I definitely see the Browns picking up another pass rusher either in a trade or in the draft, but apparently Holmgren and Coach Mangini like what players such as Marcus Benard and Jason Trusnik bring to the table. I'm hoping that fan-favorite Alex Hall will step up to the plate and make an impact in 2011.

With Jake Delhomme at the plate, its possible that this Browns season could be offensively worse than the last one. Delhomme tossed 8 touchdowns to 18 interceptions last season in one of the worst years in NFL history. I'm hoping he'll play more like the man who led the Panthers to the Super Bowl and be a calming veteran influence on this team. Either way, the future holds many question marks but one that is answered is what I will be doing with my Kam Wimbley and Brady Quinn jersies: eBay.

Latest Update! Indians Offseason Moves

2010-03-10T00:10:00.002-05:00

It's been a long time since I've updated the blog but I have added a few new features including a Twitter page (see top of blog)!

Let's take a look at what has been a quiet offseason for the Cleveland Indians:

I'm a fan of the Russell Branyan move. There is no sense in rushing LaPorta's progress and him learning from a veteran power hitter like Branyan is a major plus.

The Shoppach trade was necessary to pave the way for more talented youngsters Lou Marson and (later down the road) Carlos Santana. Unless Andy Marte pans out (don't hurt yourselves laughing), the Coco Crisp trade officially becomes a bust for both teams.

And last, but far from least, is the Manny Acta hire. I think this was a great move! I'll admit I was asking myself "who is this washout from the Nationals" but Manny has grown on me to the point where I have actually become quite excited about the 2010 season. Acta's youth, energy and ability to relate with our Latin players will all be plusses. It's too early to tell what his assistants will do for the club, but any fresh faces are a relief from Carl Willis and Derek Shelton.

Cleveland Indians 2009 Offseason

Additions:

Re-Signed Free Agents/Arbitration:

P Rafael Perez, re-signed

Minor League Free Agents:

P Adam Miller, re-signed
P Anthony Reyes, re-signed, placed on DL

Added to 40-Man Roster

IF Jordan Brown
P Kelvin De La Cruz
P Jeanmar Gomez
IF Carlos Rivero
IF Jason Donald
IF Wes Hodges
OF Nick Weglarz

Non-Roster/Minor League Invitees

P Jason Grilli
P Mike Gosling
IF Brian Buscher
IF Luis Rodriguez
P Saul Rivera
OF Shelley Duncan, Yankees
IF/OF Austin Kearns, Nationals
IF Mark Grudzielanek, Royals
P Tom Mastny, Japan
P Josh Judy
P Zach Putnam
P Alex White
P Yohan Pino
P Frank Herrmann
IF Lonnie Chisenhall
IF Beau Mills
IF Niuman Romero
C Damaso Espino

Rule 5 Draft – Major League

P Hector Ambriz, Diamondbacks

Rule 5 Draft – Minor League

IF Brian Horwitz, Giants

Trades

P Mitch Talbot (for Kelly Shoppach)
IF Brian Bixler (for Jesus Brito)

Free Agents

C Mike Redmond, 1 year, $850 K
IF Russell Branyan, 1 year, $2 mil
RP Jamey Wright

Subtractions:

Free Agents:

P Tomo Ohka, free agent
IF Jamey Carroll, signed with LAD, 2 years

Minor League Free Agents:

P Juan Veras, Florida minor league
P Vinnie Chulk, Pittsburgh minor league
P Greg Aquino, Chicago White Sox minor league
IF Tony Graffanino, free agent

Outrighted to AAA

P Scott Lewis
P Mike Gosling
IF Niuman Romero

Rule 5 Draft – Major League

P Chuck Lofgren, Brewers

Rule 5 Draft – Minor League

P Anillins Martinez, Marlins
P Matt Meyer, Cardinals

Trades

C Kelly Shoppach, Rays (for Mitch Talbot)
IF Jesus Brito, Pirates (for Brian Bixler)
P Zach Jackson, Blue Jays (for PTBNL)

Reassigned to Minor League Camp:

40 Man Roster

Pitchers

Hector Ambriz
Fausto Carmona
Carlos Carrasco
Kelvin De La Cruz
Jeanmar Gomez
David Huff
Aaron Laffey
Jensen Lewis
Justin Masterson
Chris Perez
Rafael Perez
Anthony Reyes
Hector Rondon
Tony Sipp
Joe Smith
Jeremy Sowers
Mitch Talbot
Jess Todd
Jake Westbrook
Kerry Wood

Catchers

Lou Marson
Mike Redmond
Carlos Santana
Wyatt Toregas

Infielders

Brian Bixler
Russell Branyan
Asdrubal Cabrera
Jason Donald
Wes Hodges
Andy Marte
Jhonny Peralta
Carlos Rivero
Luis Valbuena

Outfielders

Michael Brantley
Jordan Brown
Shin-Soo Choo
Trevor Crowe
Matt LaPorta
Grady Sizemore
Nick Weglarz

Designated Hitter

Travis Hafner

Coaching Staff/Front Office

Subtractions

Eric Wedge- Manager
Carl Willis- Pitching Coach, minor league pitching coordinator Seattle
Derek Shelton- Hitting Coach, same position Tampa Bay
Jeff Datz- Bench Coach, same position Baltimore
Luis Rivera- First Base/Infield Coach
Joel Skinner- Third Base Coach, manager AA Akron
Chuck Hernandez- Bullpen Coach
Tim Maxey- Strength and Conditioning Coach, MLB

Lino Diaz- Director of Latin American Operations, re-assigned by Cleveland

Additions

Manny Acta- Manager
Tim Belcher- Pitching Coach
Jon Nunnally- Hitting Coach
Tim Tolman- Bench Coach
Steve Smith- Infield/Third Base Coach
Sandy Alomar Jr- First Base/Catching Coach
Scott Radinsky- Bullpen Coach
Joe Kessler- Strength and Conditioning Coach

Ramon Pena- Director of Latin American Operations

Browns Team of the 2000s (Part 2)

2009-11-21T03:14:00.013-05:00

Browns Defense and Special Teams of the 2000s:

DL- Orpheus Roye, Shaun Rogers, Kenard Lang; LB- Andra Davis, D'Qwell Jackson, Kamerion Wimbley, Jamir Miller (not pictured); S- Robert Griffith, Sean Jones; CB- Daylon McCutcheon, Leigh Bodden; K- Phil Dawson; P- Chris Gardocki; KR- Joshua Cribbs; PR- Dennis Northcutt

Browns All-2000s Team

2009-11-21T03:06:00.010-05:00

I gave you a taste of it earlier in the season, but now we'll reveal the entire Cleveland Browns Team of the 2000s! It isn't the best team, but it's what we've been watching the last 10 years.

Let's start with the Offense:

QB- Tim Couch, WR- Braylon Edwards, WR- Kevin Johnson, LT- Joe Thomas, LG- Eric Steinbach, C- Jeff Faine, RG- Shaun O'Hara, RT- Ryan Tucker, TE- Kellen Winslow, RB- Jamal Lewis, FB- Lawrence Vickers

New Lebron 2010 Website

2009-11-14T18:53:00.002-05:00

http://www.pleasedontleave23.com/home

PROTEST The Monday Night Game

2009-10-30T02:01:00.001-04:00

Fed up with losing, Browns fans organize protest at Nov. 16 game

Associated Press

BEREA, Ohio -- One of the most loyal Dawg Pounders is done barking about the sad state of his beloved Cleveland Browns. It's time to bite.

Mark Duncan / Associated Press
Mike Randall, also known as "Dawg Pound Mike," is heading a Nov. 16 protest aimed at showing fans' displeasure with the Browns.

Lifelong Browns fan and season-ticket holder Mike Randall, aka "Dawg Pound Mike," is encouraging other Cleveland fans to stay away from their seats for the opening kickoff of the Browns' Nov. 16 home game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Sickened by the nearly constant losing since the NFL team's return in 1999, Randall hopes the sight of empty seats for the start of the nationally televised Monday night game will send a loud message to Browns owner Randy Lerner and other club officials that fans have had enough.

"We're tired of losing," said Randall, 39. "We're tired of the booing, of seeing fans leave in the fourth quarter. There are fans who have had tickets for 30 years who are turning their seats in because they can't take it anymore. So many fans are fed up."

Randall and his friend, Tony Schafer, decided to go ahead with plans for the protest following last Sunday's 31-3 loss to the Green Bay Packers. As they walked out of the stadium, they heard fans grumbling about how they're wasting their Sundays and money on an inferior product that seems to be getting worse.

Their hope is that fans stay outside the stadium, on concourses or in the restrooms, for the start of the game.

The Akron Beacon-Journal first reported the protest, which Randall and Schafer announced on their Web site, www.mobiledawg.com.

"We don't want to see fans with bags on their heads or booing," Randall said. "We love the Browns and will do anything to support them. But we're not being heard. Our goal is to say to the Browns' organization, 'Hey, listen to your fans.'"

Under first-year coach Eric Mangini, the Browns are 1-6 this season and have scored just four offensive touchdowns in 81 possessions. Cleveland's defense is the league's worst.

Since coming back as an expansion team 10 years ago, the Browns are 55-113 with one playoff appearance and appear to be on their way to their eighth season of double-digit losses since 1999.

Lerner is aware of the response and said in an e-mail that he understand the fans' frustration.

"On the grounds of frustration and irritation with performance, then that's the medicine I (we) are going to take, and I accept that," Lerner said. "The goal this year was to rebuild the culture at the Browns. We felt at the end of last year that we lacked any overall philosophy, approach or direction regarding recruiting, drafting, coaching, preparation or training. As a result, each season was feeling like starting over and 4-12 following 10-6 felt painfully not all that surprising."

Lerner added that the team remains open to feedback and support to help the Browns improve.

"We won't become entrenched or stubborn and despite my allergy to be more conspicuous, I do remain eager to seek help and guidance from any and all corners," he said.

Randall, who sits in the front row of the Dawg Pound, the notoriously rowdy bleacher section, doesn't know where to assess blame for the Browns' misery. He has met Lerner and appreciates the ultra-private owner's attempts to turn around the franchise. He knows Mangini needs time, and Randall wishes general manager George Kokinis would let fans in on the team's intentions.

"We have no one who talks to the fans," Randall said. "Randy isn't out front. The GM is invisible, and Mangini has said this was going to be a process and that things would improve. Well, nothing has improved."

Randall said there is no energy in the crowd at home games and that fans are still being told to sit down in their seats or risk ejection. He has spoken to Browns officials about reconnecting to the team's past, but he has met mostly with resistance.

"There's nothing in the stadium that even shows the eight championships we did win," Randall said. "This team has lost generations of fans."

During last week's game, Randall said a young fan approached him and asked, "Will we ever win?"

Lerner recently brought in former Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar to serve as a consultant to the team. Although Kosar's role with the team hasn't been clearly defined, Randall sees the addition as a positive.

For more on the Cleveland Browns, check out the latest
from our bloggers.

» Blog Blitz: Browns

"I love it," Randall said. "Bernie is an offensive mastermind, and I think Randy is seeing we need to bring some of the former guys back. It's a good first step."

When Art Modell took his NFL franchise to Baltimore in 1995, Browns fans fought to regain their team. Randall was one of the fans who helped jam the league's fax machines and carried thousands of signatures to meetings, hoping pro football would return to Cleveland.

It worked, and Randall, who wears something shaded in Cleveland's brown and orange colors every day, is hoping this protest helps the Browns return to winning.

"We did this as a positive," he said. "We want to send a statement that the status quo cannot go on."

Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press

Some Interesting Media Clippings

2009-10-28T23:14:00.003-04:00

Many interesting articles I found online:

Time for Browns to Admit Mistake, Fire Mangini <-- agreed

Sabathia and Lee Shine, Shapiro Watches <-- gut wrenching for us fans

Central Preview: Championship or Bust for Cavs <-- probably true

Grading the NFL's worst: The Browns <--depressing... the fan grade was low I thought. We're angry, yes. But still good fans.

Acta Spells out his Goals for Tribe <-- I'm surprisingly happy for this move... let's see how it plays out

Cavs Offseason Recap

2009-10-24T23:49:00.000-04:00

The Cavaliers' season is just a few days away! With that being said, let's take a look at how the 2009 version of Cleveland's best team was formed:

Cleveland Cavaliers 2009 Offseason

C: Shaquille O’Neal, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Darnell Jackson
PF: Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, Leon Powe
SF: Lebron James, Jamario Moon, Jawad Williams
SG: Anthony Parker, Delonte West, Danny Green
PG: Mo Williams, Daniel Gibson, Coby Carl

Overseas rights: Christian Eyenga, Emir Preldzic, Ejike Ugboaja, Sasha Kaun

Free Agents

Wally Szczerbiak, unrestricted
Lorenzen Wright, unrestricted
Joe Smith, unrestricted, signed with ATL, 1 year vet min
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (player option), activated option for 1-year, $11.5 mil
Anderson Varejao, unrestricted, re-signed to 6-year $50 mil deal

Additions:

Free Agency:

G/F Anthony Parker, TOR, signed to 2-year $6 mil deal
F Jamario Moon, MIA, signed to 3-year $9 mil deal
F/C Leon Powe, BOS, signed to 2-year, $1.8 mil deal

Trades:

C Shaquille O’Neal, from PHO, 1 year remaining on contract
G/F Emir Preldzic, rights from PHO, overseas in Turkey

NBA Draft

1st Round (30): G/F Christian Eyenga, signed 3-year contract in Spain
2nd Round (46): G/F Danny Green, signed to 2-year $1.2 mil deal

*from Chicago

Training Camp Invitees

F/C Rob Kurz, waived
C Darryl Watkins, waived
G Coby Karl
G Andre Barrett, waived
C Luke Nevill, waived
G Russell Robinson, waived

Subtractions:

Waived

G Tarence Kinsey, signed overseas in Turkey

Trades:

G/F Sasha Pavlovic, PHO, released by PHO, signed by MIN
F/C Ben Wallace, PHO, released by PHO, signed by DET
2010 2nd Round Pick, PHO

Hughes: Lebron Will Stay

2009-10-16T00:23:00.001-04:00

A former teammate of Lebron James, one Cleveland fans know well and who knows New York well, believes #23 will remain in northeast Ohio when his contract expires this summer.

New York Knicks' Larry Hughes believes LeBron James will stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers

BY Frank Isola
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Thursday, October 15th 2009, 4:00 AM
Larry Hughes understands that the chances of him returning to the Knicks next season are slim to none. Unfortunately, the same may be true of one Hughes' best friends as well.

Hughes reiterated Wednesday that he believes LeBron James, the Knicks' primary free agent target, will re-sign with the Cleveland Cavaliers when James becomes a free agent next summer.

"I still feel that way," Hughes said following the Knicks' practice in Greenburgh, N.Y. "He's got a good opportunity to win there. And I know a lot of people talk about him playing in a big market, but he just wants to win a ring. It's not about playing in a big market."

Hughes speaks regularly to his former teammate with the Cavs and maintains that James is content with the direction of the club. Hughes was with Cleveland when James reached his first NBA Finals in 2007. After the Cavs were eliminated by Orlando in the Eastern Conference Finals last May, the club acquired Shaquille O'Neal, Anthony Parker, Leon Powe and Jamario Moon.

Like LeBron, Hughes will also become a free agent next summer, but his future and present for that matter remain unsettled. Hughes is versatile enough to play three positions, but with the Knicks committed to their younger players - Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson and Toney Douglas - and with Mike D'Antoni committed to using a shorter rotation, Hughes could be the odd man out.

"Well, I expect to be playing," Hughes says. "But it's the coach's decision to make. But I'll do whatever the team needs."

Hughes doesn't think of himself as an older player. He's only 30, but Hughes is entering his 12th NBA season, and the wear and tear is catching up to him. He's lost some of his athleticism, and his durability is a question. Hughes has appeared in 70 or more games once in the last seven years.

Nor does he get much of a grace period with fans. Hughes was booed in his first game last season after being acquired from Chicago and he heard the same derisive cries in the fourth quarter of Tuesday's preseason loss to Philadelphia. Hughes missed all eight shots he attempted against the Sixers, but his teammates weren't much better.

David Lee was 2-for-8, Jared Jeffries and Chris Duhon both shot 2-for-7 and Gallinari was 1-for-6. But only Jeffries and Hughes heard boos.

D'Antoni has two weeks to figure out which eight or nine players will become part of the rotation. If Douglas, the rookie point guard, struggles, Hughes could find himself on the court on opening night chasing after Dwyane Wade. His experience and toughness could be valuable assets for a young team hoping to reach the playoffs.

Another Fan's Attempt to Convince #23

2009-10-15T23:11:00.001-04:00

Not the prettiest of sites, but the attempt is there: to convince Lebron James to stay in Cleveland. Check it out, sign the petition and make your voice heard!

http://keepbronbron.com/

Quick Liftoffs: 10-7-09

2009-10-07T21:09:00.002-04:00

Changes Abroad in Cleveland

Times are changing in the City of Cleveland, and this past week has certainly highlighted that.

-Eric Wedge coached his last game with the Cleveland Indians on Sunday, a loss to the Red Sox completing a 4 game sweep. Wedge finished his Indians career with just two winning seasons and one AL Central Title in eight seasons. His 561 wins were the fifth most in club history and his 573 losses were the third most. Only Lou Boudreau, Mike Hargrove and Tris Speaker coached more games for the Cleveland Indians thank Wedge's 1,134. I'll always appreciate Wedge's role as the Manager of the Year in our 2007 ALCS run and in general for bringing this team out of the darkness. I wish him the best as I'm sure his managerial career is just beginning.

-Braylon Edwards was traded from the Browns to the New York Jets today, ending a five year saga that had its ups and downs since the club drafted Edwards #3 overall in 2005. You know the drama. From the rookie year injury, to the best season by a WR in club history, to the trade rumors and drama on and off the field the last two years, Edwards has seen it all with the Browns. In just four seasons worth of games, Edwards caught 28 TD passes, 7th in team history, 22 of which from Derek Anderson, the 6th best QB-WR duo the Browns have ever seen. Edwards caught a pass in 61 straight games, the second most in team history and posted 11 100 yard games, T-4th all-time. I was always a BE fan but kind of see why this move needed to be made. I just don't know why we waited until his value was this low to move him.

-Shaq made his debut a winning one for the Wine and Gold. He posted 6 points, 3 boards and a blocked shot in the Cavs' preseason opener vs. Charlotte. I'm looking for big things from the big man.

Was Eric Wedge a Scapegoat?

2009-10-02T22:06:00.001-04:00

Here's what the nation had to say...

Browns All-2000s Team (Part 2)

2009-10-02T21:31:00.000-04:00

The Pass Catchers

Kevin Johnson: KJ was the Browns best wide receiver from 1999-2002 and one of the only Dwight Clark draft picks to have any success. Johnsn caught 84 balls for 1,097 and 9 TDs in 2001. His most famous catch as a Brown was the 1999 Hail Mary catch from Tim Couch to get the expansion Browns' first win in New Orleans. He is 4th on the Browns all-time receptions list with 315. He caught a pass in 73 consecutive games, the 2nd longest streak even for Cleveland. Tim Couch to KJ was one of the best combinations in Browns history. They combined for 19 scores.

Braylon Edwards: One of the most explosive players the Browns have ever had, Braylon set almost every Browns single-season receiving record in 2007 when he had 80 grabs for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns. Edwards has been criticized for his drops, but there is no question that when he has the ball delivered to him accurately, he will go up and get it and make a play. None of the others Browns WRs of this decade remotely compare to this talent.

Kellen Winslow: Love him or hate him, K2 is the best tight end we have seen since Ozzie Newsome. Winslow caught a Browns record 82 passes in 2007, for 1,106 yards, arguable the best season by a tight end in team history. Despite his subpar blocking, Winslow was a threat over the middle and down the field, and won a lot of games for the Browns from 2006-2008. One wonders what his career could have been if Butch Davis didn't put him on the hands team in 2004 and if he didn't ride his crotch rocket in 2005.

Up Next: the Big Boys up Front

Browns All-2000s Team

2009-09-28T15:57:00.003-04:00

Hey guess what everybody? The Cleveland Browns are picking in the Top 5 of the draft again this year (that is, if they don't trade down to pick a center)!

But let's put this year's awful squad in the back of our minds and take a look at the best Browns of the last 10 years. It may be the worst all-decade team in Browns history, but this group gave Browns fans some things (if not a lot) to cheer for and be proud of from the Comeback in 1999 to where we are now.

Over the course of the next week, we will take a look at this team, starting with your backfield:

QB Tim Couch: you may not like him, but Tim Couch is the best quarterback this team has had since 1999. Putting aside the fact that he was the #1 overall pick (and looking at the lack of talent around him), Tim did the most out of a group of Kelly Holcomb, Jeff Garcia, Charlie Frye, Derek Anderson or (so far) Brady Quinn. Couch took the team to the playoffs in 2002 with an 8-6 record under center, including a number of excellent come from behind wins. Perhaps his highlight game as a Brown was a dismantling of the Steelers on SNF in 2003, where he tossed two TDs and ran for another in a 34-13 win. Couch has the Browns franchise record for career completion % and is third in completions.

RB Jamal Lewis: Lewis beat out a group of William Green, Lee Suggs and Reuben Droughns for this honor. He has rushed for 1,000 or more yards in his first two seasons as a Brown including a fantastic 2007 season in which he had 1,500 total yards and 9 TDs. Consistency, power and leadership make Lewis the best Browns RB of the 2000s.

FB Lawrence Vickers: it was a tough choice between Terrelle Smith, a punishing blocker, and Vickers, who can block, catch and run. Vickers was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2007 and has helped paved the way for Jamal Lewis to rush for 2,300+ yards in two seasons which helping the team on short-yardage situations and out of the backfield.

Up Next: The Pass Catchers

Delonte West's Shocking Arrest

2009-09-20T03:01:00.001-04:00

This was not the news Cleveland needed. Not with the Browns forever muddled in sub-mediocrity and the Indians in the midst of a 5 game losing streak that all-but assured they will lose 90 games in this disastrous season. Not from the Cavs, the only team with hope in this city. Not from our starting 2 guard who has bipolar disorder. Not now.

Delonte West arrested outside Washington, D.C.

by Pat McManamon on September 18, 2009

in Cavs, Delonte West, McManamon

Cavs guard Delonte West was arrested in Maryland last night because he had two pistols and a shotgun on his possession. All were loaded.

West was originally pulled over for making an unsafe lane change on Interstate 95 while driving a three-wheeled motorcycle and confessed to carrying a pistol. Police eventually found the other two weapons.

Details are sketchy, though the picture painted by the Washington Post is not pretty.

The guns on West's possession included a .357, a 9-millimeter and a shotgun in a guitar case he was carrying.

All were loaded.

West apparently cooperated with authorities, according to the Plain Dealer, and was released on his own recognizance.

The Cavs Danny Ferry released this statement:

"We are aware of the situation and take this matter very seriously. We have been in communication with Delonte and his family. We are gathering more information and will not have further comment until the appropriate time."

Obviously there are a lot of unanswered questions in this story, but it just doesn’t seem like much good can come from a guy driving erratically while carrying three loaded weapons. West grew up in a tough area … but … wow.

Among the questions lingering:

Where was West going?

Why carry so much firepower?

What will the league do about this?

Will the Cavs have their own discipline, or will they play the "let the legal system run its course" card?

West is prone to depression, and gave a very touching news conference last season discussing his struggles. Could this be a dangerous symptom?

Is there a medication issue involving the depression or other struggles at work?

The Cavs have prided themselves on signing and acquiring good guys. West has always been cooperative and fun to be around.

But two pistols — including a .357 — and a shotgun is an eye-opening reality.

Phil Savage Draft Analysis

2009-09-07T00:04:00.002-04:00

On my return to the blog, let's take a look at Phil Savage's draft classes and how they look after cutdown day with the new regime. I posted this on Browns.com Message Boards also for those who think I may be stealing it from there.

2006

1/13. Kamerion Wimbley (not playing up to the level we drafted him but could develop)

2/34. DQ Jackson (I liked the pick at the time and he is our best LB now, great pick but consider we traded Jeff Faine to get him)

3/78. Travis Wilson (a SWWWWIIIIINNNGGG and a miss, out of NFL)

4/110. Leon Williams (never has played to potential on scrimmage plays but valuable as a special teamer. made this year's team, maybe ManKok can get the best out of him)

4/112. Isaac Sowells (finally released in year 4 after showing nothing on the field nor getting on it much)

5/145. Jerome Harrison (jury's still out but he sure has given us more already than most Day 2 runninbacks do)

5/152. DeMario Minter (it was a low-risk high-reward pick that didn't turn out. he's now with the Florida Tuskers of the UFL, good for him)

6/180. Lawrence Vickers (great pick low in the draft, he's an above-average NFL fullback)

6/181. Babatunde Oshinowo (I had more hope for him than what he did -- not much. has bounced around from 5 teams and is currently a free agent)

7/222. Justin Hamilton (made the team for a year but got hurt in 2007 and was waived from Washington in 2008. out of football)

Overall: 5/10 players still on the team four years later, including 2/3 first day picks and a very solid 3/7 second day picks. the other 5/10 are out of the NFL, oddly enough

Starters: Wimbley, Jackson, Vickers

Potential Pro Bowlers: Wimbley, Jackson, Vickers

Overall Grade: B+ (the Wilson pick was a waste and I wish we would have taken Ngata over Wimbley. At the time that's who I wanted. Also, you never want to trade down with a division rival. But Wimbley has shown flashes and DQ was a great pick for the 2nd round. Getting value like Harrison and Vickers on the 2nd day balanced out the Wilson bust)

2007-2008 up next...

2007

1/3. Joe Thomas (I didn't want him, I wanted Peterson. Overall, he has been a stud of a LT, one of the best in the game, but still we missed that HOF running back...)

1/22. Brady Quinn (jury's still out but if he turns out to be our franchise QB, this draft's stock jumps tremendously)

2/53. Eric Wright (has played well at times and bad at others. jury's still out but he needs to take more steps this year. our best DB playmaker)

5/140. Brandon McDonald (getting the production we have out of this 5th round pick is very solid)

6/200. Melila Purcell (waived by the new regime, didn't show much)

7/213. Chase Pittman (never made the active roster)

7/234. Syndric Steptoe (did some good things but shouldn't have been a starter last year. burned his bridges here)

Overall: 4/7 players still with team

Starters: Thomas, Quinn?, Wright, McDonald

Potential Pro Bowlers: Thomas (2), Quinn, Wright

Overall Grade: we traded a LOT of picks to get Quinn. If he turns out to be our answer, this draft gets a MAJOR A due to Thomas being a Hall of Fame-looking left tackle. Wright and McDonald are both starters and solid and still improving. Couldn't expect much from the three picks in the 200s. If Quinn becomes average, this draft gets a B+, if he's a total bust, it gets a C+

2008:

Didn't have many picks in this draft due to trades. I will insert the player as if we drafted them in that round.

1. Brady Quinn trade

2. Corey Williams trade (not getting a good value on our investment as he isn't even starting this year. needs to continue to learn the 3-4 and figure some things out or this is a huge miss)

3. Shaun Rogers (packaged this pick with Leigh Bodden looking like a steal. I still have questions about his attitude but he's a Pro Bowler)

4/104. Beau Bell (bust of a 4th round pick who we just cut. maybe a practice squad candidate)

4/111. Martin Rucker (not progressing how we have hoped but has some potential. not a bad value-gamble)

6/190. Ahtyba Rubin (solid player as our backup nose tackle, still have yet to see how good he can be)

6/191. Paul Hubbard (never made our team in two tries)

7/200. Alex Hall (excellent value pick could be a stud at OLB)

Overall: 3/5 still with team, 2/5 just released from roster

Starters: Rogers, Hall?

Potential Pro Bowlers: Rogers (1 with us), Hall

Overall Analysis: Considering the Rogers and Williams acquisitions and disregarding Quinn as part of last year's draft, I give this draft a B-. The 2nd round "pick" of Williams was a bad trade, the Rogers trade was one of the best in our team's history to this point. Bell was a bust, Rucker still could be good. Rubin is solid depth and Alex Hall was one of Savage's yearly 2nd day gems, a player with a higher ceiling than Wimbley in my opinion.

Other Notes:

Chris Perez's 20 2/3 scoreless innings streak is the longest by a Tribe reliever since Paul Assenmacher tossed 23 1/3 straight scoreless in 1997.

Michael Brantley has a hit in each of his first six Major League games. It's the longest such streak to open a career by a Tribe player since Josh Bard hit in his first nine games in 2002.

Quick Liftoffs: 7-13

2009-07-13T23:03:00.001-04:00

Goals for Cavs' regular season:

-win the Division
-stay healthy
-TRY and get homecourt

Then the fun begins. How will we match-up with the top dogs?

C: Shaq - Rasheed - Howard - Bynum
PF: Varejao - Garnett - Lewis - Gasol
SF: Lebron - Pierce - Pietrus - Artest
SG: West - Allen - Carter - Kobe
PG: Mo - Rondo - Nelson - Fisher

Benches: Z/Parker/Gibson - Perkins/Tony Allen/House - Gortat/Johnson/Redick - Odom/Brown/Walton

Honestly, those are some stacked teams. And yet, I'm not going to put Detroit or Dallas or San Antonio into that mix. On paper, Shaq can guard Howard and Bynum well and against Boston we can put AV or Z on Rasheed on the perimeter. Shaq will dominate Boston in the paint and should handle LA. Varejao guards Garnett as well as anyone in the league AND now we have Anthony Parker/Lebron in our small lineup for Orlando. Lebron is still the best player in the game and Ron Artest as a "King stopper" is an absolute joke in my book. Pietrus starting in the absence of Lee and Turkoglu KILLS Orlando's bench. Delonte can hold his own defensively against all those SGs and if not, we have the bigger, stronger Parker. Mo is the 2nd best pure PG on that list and the best shooter/scorer. He can't defend Rondo or Nelson off the dribble but thankfully, Rondo can't shoot so you just give him some space.
IT'S GONNA BE CLOSE!

Sports fans/media: WE'RE NOT TRADING VICTOR MARTINEZ OR CLIFF LEE!! The Indians management is going to make a run at things next year with guns ablaze because honestly, Shapiro's job is on the line.

The following guys will be likely moved or attempted to be moved due to contractual situations/depth at the position:

-Jamey Carroll (I almost guarantee it)
-Kelly Shoppach (Santana's time is coming)
-Ben Francisco (no room for him, any takers?)
-Ryan Garko (I'd rather see Jordan Brown and LaPorta playing at 1st)

If we are going to contend next year, we need to keep A. the young talent and B. the veterans who are cheap and useful. That means Victor, Lee, Pavano, Betancourt, all are here to stay.

Summer Time

2009-07-12T00:34:00.003-04:00

It's time for the summer league where fringe roster players will try to make the Cavs and rookies and other youngsters will look to show what they have for more regular season minutes. Along with the names you are familiar with, look out for center David Harrison, a tough center formerly of Indiana. He's a legit contender to make the roster as a 6th big and a third 7-footer behind Z and Shaq. Leo Lyons was impressive as Missouri and may be a longshot to make the roster as a combo forward. Remember, it's not about wins or losses but you do want to see solid performances from people like Darnell Jackson, Tarence Kinsey and Jawad Williams who we may look for at times to contribute this season.

The Cleveland Cavaliers release summer league roster and schedule
by Starting Blocks/Plain Dealer
Friday July 10, 2009, 2:05 PM
APCleveland Cavaliers rookie Danny Green.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will begin summer league play on Saturday in Las Vegas. The summer league runs today through July 19 at the Cox Pavillion and Thomas and Mack Center on the campus of UNLV.

The Cavaliers, with a roster of rookies and free agents, will play the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.

Here's a look at the Cavaliers' schedule and roster:

CAVALIERS GAME SCHEDULE

Saturday, LA Lakers vs. Cavaliers
6:00 p.m. EST COX Pavilion

Sunday, July 12 Milwaukee vs. Cavaliers
10:00 p.m. EST COX Pavilion

Tuesday, July 14 Washington vs. Cavaliers
7:30 p.m. EST Thomas & Mack

Thursday, July 16 Dallas vs. Cavaliers
8:00 p.m. EST COX Pavilion

Friday, July 17 Detroit vs. Cavaliers
4:00 p.m. EST COX Pavilion

ROSTER:

Christian Eyenga, G/F, 6-5, Congo
Jamont Gordon, G, 6-4, Mississippi State
Danny Green, G/F, 6-6, North Carolina
David Harrison, C, 7-0, Colorado
Robert Hite, G, 6-2, Miami
Darnell Jackson, F, 6-9, Kansas
Tarence Kinsey, G, 6-6, South Carolina
Leo Lyons, F, 6-9, Missouri
Maureece Rice, G, 6-1, George Washington
Jawad Williams, F, 6-9, North Carolina

You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello

2009-06-28T02:08:00.002-04:00

TRANSACTIONS APLENTY for the Cavs and Tribe over the last two games. Let's take a look at who is coming in and who is going OUT.

First off, the one you all know about, Shaquille O'Neal traded to the Cavs for Sasha Pavlovic, Ben Wallace, a 2010 2nd round pick and $500,000. Shaq brings his four championship rings to Cleveland with his massive presence in the middle and a natural chemistry with Lebron James. The move will push Z to the bench for the first time in his very solid career and will add some much-needed physicality to the Cavs interior defense.

Sasha Pavlovic ends a career with the Cavs that was up-and-down with minutes that, in my opinion, were unfair to him at times. He had some very memorable moments in the 2006 season including a chase-down block for the ages vs. Jason Kidd in the playoffs, a monster dunk in a home game vs. Miami (I was there!) and helping us a starter to the NBA Finals.

Sasha ranks in the Top-10 in Cavs playoff history in a few statistical categories including 42 games (7th), 26 3 pointers (8th), 76 3 point attempts (8th), and 90 personal fouls (10th). Overall as a Cav he played in 302 games over 4 seasons, scoring 1,843 points and making 207 three pointers.

I will miss Sasha as a still young wingplayer who bought into Mike Brown's system and went from being a defensive liability to one of our best perimeter defenders. If Phoenix releases Sasha and his non-guaranteed contract, I would be open to bringing him back. Good luck with the rest of your promising NBA career, Sasha!

Big Ben Wallace, whose NBA career may be over, was also included in the trade as mostly a financial piece. Big Ben was in the twilight of his (maybe) Hall of Fame career as one of the best defensive players in league history.

Ben finished 8th in franchise playoff history with 18 blocks and 9th with 50 offensive rebounds. In a season and a half for the Cavs, Wallace played in 78 games and grabbed 526 boards and blocked 110 shots. Big Ben, a team captain, brought a defensive mindset to the Cavs and grabbed some big rebounds in his tenure he. If his NBA career is indeed over, he will have played in 903 games and finished in the Top 100 in some significant All-Time NBA categories including offensive rebounds (2,989 for 22nd), defensive rebounds (6,277 for 24th), total rebounds (9,266 for 41st), steals (1,182 for 73rd) and blocks (1,947 for 17th).

Thanks for everything, Big Ben!

The Indians recently picked reliever Jose Veras off waivers from the Yankees and sent Jensen Lewis down to the minors, a move I have been clamoring for for quite a while. Hopefully he will figure things out down there.

But in the biggest move, they traded Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. It was well-known the Tribe were shopping DeRosa, who brings value to a team needing any kind of infielder with a strong bat, and he knows the NL Central well, while playing with the Cubs. Perez is a flame-throwing 23-year old who hopefully will develop into a solid pen arm for a while for the Tribe.

Two teams going in two different directions. The Cavaliers are gearing up for a title run and the Indians... well, they are sellers. Again.

Goodbye, Michael Aubrey

2009-06-24T17:55:00.004-04:00

The Michael Aubrey experiment in Cleveland has officially ended. Aubrey, the Indians top draft pick (11th overall) in 2003, was traded to Baltimore today for a player to be named later. He had a brief stint in Cleveland last season where he hit .200 with 2 HR and 3 RBI in 15 games. Aubrey was a .295 hitter in 7 seasons the Indians' minor league system including a .292 average with 5 HRs in AAA Columbus this year. Injuries ravaged Aubrey's young career but he appears to be healthy now. With the Indians log-jam at 1B, je was removed from the 40-man roster last spring but cleared waivers and was sent to AAA. Aubrey will probably never be a power hitting 1B, but with a high average and great defense, could be a poor-man's Sean Casey.

Good luck with your career, Michael!

Indians Roster Updates

2009-06-23T14:53:00.001-04:00

Here's how my "master plan" (which may be too late) to fix the Indians now looks with some changes. Sizemore was up for Crowe this afternoon with Sipp up for DFAed Vizcaino. Greg Aquino cleared waivers and is back in Columbus.

UPDATE/CHANGES: (until we officially start selling)

Tony Sipp UP (a lefty that can actually get people out) - CHECK
Vizcaino DFAed - CHECK
Sizemore back to CF, Crowe back down to AAA - CHECK
Greg Aquino DFAed (maybe sneak him back to AAA) - CHECK ON BOTH

When Laffey comes back FROM INJURY...
Jensen Lewis DOWN (work on things because not getting important innings up here)
Sowers TO BULLPEN (long relief, best suited for at this point)

Chris Gimenez DOWN (more AAA experience, no help up here)
Jordan Brown UP (get Brown some starts in LF, less Francisco and Crowe)

Asdrubal Cabrera back to SS FROM INJURY
Valbuena utility, Peralta full-time 3B, Barfield back to AAA

Betancourt back to pen FROM INJURY
Pick 1 from Gosling/Perez/Scott Lewis as 2nd lefty in pen, other two to AAA

Trade Shoppach, Wyatt Toregas UP FROM AAA

Jake Westbrook back to rotation FROM INJURY
Ohka/Huff (back to AAA, if Ohka can clear waivers)

Last-Chance Lineup/Rotation (by Mid-July):

SS Cabrera

CF Sizemore

C Martinez

RF Choo

LF DeRosa

DH Hafner

1B Garko

3B Peralta

2B Carroll

Bench: Toregas, Brown, Valbuena, Francisco

Lee
Pavano
Westbrook
Laffey
Ohka/Huff

Bullpen: Herges, Joe Smith, Sowers, Sipp, Perez/Scott Lewis/Gosling, Betancourt, Wood

Guys worth keeping an eye on in AAA:

Jensen Lewis, Masa Kobayashi, Andy Marte, Michael Aubrey, Matt LaPorta, Trevor Crowe, Greg Aquino, Tomo Ohka, Chris Gimenez

Cavs Ranked NBA's 19th Best

2009-06-19T22:07:00.002-04:00

John Hollinger of ESPN.com recently ranked the 30 NBA franchises based on historical results. The Cavs, thanks in large part to the last six years, ranked 19th/30.

19. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: 43.59 POINTS PER SEASON (1970-2009)
Wins: 1,460
Playoff wins: 64
Series wins: 13
Titles: 0 All-Stars: 30
Best player: LeBron James
Best coach: Lenny Wilkens
Best team: 2008-09 (66-16, lost in conf. finals)

Contrary to popular belief, the story of the Cleveland Cavaliers does not begin with the selection of LeBron James in the 2003 draft; it doesn't even begin with their winning the NBA draft lottery. No, the Cavs were a real, live NBA team for three decades before that. Unfortunately, most of that time was spent near the bottom of the standings.

The Cavs joined the league in 1970-71 and produced the "Miracle at Richfield" in 1976 when the team made the Eastern Conference finals after having never won a playoff series or had a winning record. But that would be the Cavs' only playoff series win in their first two decades of existence.

FRANCHISE HISTORY
• Cleveland Cavaliers (1970-present)
Instead, the Cavs became synonymous with the incompetent ownership of Ted Stepien, who caused the league to establish the rule that a team can't trade draft picks in consecutive years in order to thwart his destructive tendencies.

Eventually he sold the team, and the Cavs built a very solid club in the early 1990s ... just in time to be repeatedly victimized by Michael Jordan. Led by Mark Price, Brad Daugherty and Ron Harper, the Cavs won 57 games in 1989 and 1992 and 54 in 1993, but Jordan's Bulls beat them all three times -- most infamously on the shot by Jordan over Craig Ehlo at the buzzer of Game 5 of the first-round series in 1989.
After a couple of playoff series wins in the mid-1990s, things were quiet until James' chapter began. He took Cleveland to the Finals in 2007 with an epic outburst in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Detroit, but the overmatched Cavs were swept by San Antonio in the Finals. They were much better in 2009, with 66 games and an MVP award for James, but were foiled by Orlando in six games in the conference finals.

Moves to Help Tribe

2009-06-18T00:29:00.000-04:00

My moves to help fix this awfully below-average Indians team:

Rich Rundles, Tony Sipp UP (a lefty that can actually get people out)

Jensen Lewis DOWN (work on things because not getting PT up here)

Greg Aquino DFAed (maybe sneak him back to AAA)

Chris Gimenez DOWN (more AAA experience, no help up here)

Jordan Brown UP (get Brown some starts in LF, less Francisco and Crowe)

More starts for Barfield at 2B (hitting well this year)

After Injured Return

Laffey to the rotation, Ohka back down to AAA

Cabrera back to SS, Valbuena back to AAA, Peralta full-time 3B

Betancourt back to pen, Vizcaino DFAed

Sizemore back to CF, Crowe back down to AAA

Scott Lewis up to the bullpen if needed (Perez to AAA)*

Jake Westbrook back to rotation, Huff/Sowers back to AAA

Last-Chance Lineup/Rotation (by Mid-July)

SS Cabrera

CF Sizemore

C Martinez

RF Choo

LF DeRosa

DH Hafner

1B Garko/Shoppach

3B Peralta

2B Carroll

Bench: Garko/Shoppach, Brown, Valbuena OR Barfield, Francisco

Lee

Pavano

Westbrook

Laffey

Sowers/Huff

Bullpen: Herges, Joe Smith, Rich Rundles, Sipp, Perez or Scott Lewis, Betancourt, Wood

Guys that may play themselves back onto the team from AAA

Jensen Lewis, Masa Kobayashi, Andy Marte, Michael Aubrey, Matt LaPorta, Crowe, Huff/Sowers, Perez/Scott Lewis

Rex Hadnot Saves Browns

2009-06-14T18:22:00.000-04:00

Browns finish camp on positive note
Zac Jackson, Staff Writer
06.13.2009

As Rex Hadnot stood on the 10-yard line Saturday afternoon, all that stood between the Browns and summer vacation was one catch.

Eric Mangini ended the Browns' morning minicamp practice by making his players a deal. If an offensive lineman could catch a punt -- or if a defensive lineman could catch a kickoff -- minicamp would be over. Meetings would be cancelled. So, too, would the last practice session.

So the players chose Hadnot, and he jogged towards the goal line. Dave Zastudil's first punt missed him, but it was deemed a warmup. Hadnot caught the next kick and was mobbed by his teammates.

"He nailed the second one," Mangini said.

"I took a little spin off it the second time," Zastudil said. "I know there was a lot riding on that catch."

Mangini joked that though he wasn't sure about Hadnot's run-after-catch ability, he'd see about adding the guard/center to the list of punt return prospects.

THAT'S A WRAP -- There won't be any returns (or drills, or 7-on-7's, for that matter) in Berea for the next month-plus. The end of minicamp marks the end of the offseason program. The veterans will report back July 31, and the Browns will open training camp Aug. 1.

"I told the guys, ‘You don't want to just head off to the beach, throw on some suntan lotion and pick up a book,'" Mangini said. "The book you want to pick up, if you are, is the playbook. You want to be studying and making the information that you have been given just second nature. So now you are not thinking, you are reacting and you are playing, and your true ability comes out and you give yourself the best chance to be successful.

"The same thing physically, you need to maintain the level of fitness that you have currently and improve upon it, because it is a challenge, physically, during camp and then moving into the season. Those were points of emphasis that I worked on and talked about with them this morning. I've just seen a lot of progress in the past in this block of time, and hopefully we will see the same progress here."

FINISHING STRONG - The Browns' final practice of the spring was heavy on situational work - two-minute offense, four-minute offense, and scenarios that forced the offense to drive 30 yards and kick a field goals in some situations, and in others the offense needed 60 yards, a touchdown and a two-point conversion.

"I could see the progress," Mangini said. "I could see it in the situational awareness, the things that we did today. A lot of practice was winning plays and two-point plays. Everything was scripted that way.

"I saw a lot of progress in situational awareness from (previous) days to here this morning. There are definitely a lot of things to be encouraged about."

THUMBS UP - Robaire Smith, who's been rehabbing from a torn Achilles that ended his 2008 season last September, said he's encouraged with his progress and hopes to be back on the field for training camp.

"I'm just working hard to get back," he said. "I feel good, so we'll see. There's a lot of energy out there and I'm just trying to be a part of it. It's up to the doctors and the trainers, but I'm going to keep working and following their lead."

Brown on Hot Seat - Replacements?

2009-06-11T17:42:00.002-04:00

By now, I'm sure you've all heard that Mike Brown is on the hot-seat in Cleveland. Rumors from ESPN say that Dan Gilbert and other higher-ups not named Danny Ferry believe Brown was badly out-coached by Stan Van and needs to go.

My two cents:

Rick Carlisle was ousted after winning Coach of the Year in Detroit so there certainly is precedent.

I feel like we were out-coached and Brown was outsmarted by SVG in that series and that the bench was used very wrong. Unless we can get a committed star coach (Riley and Larry Brown do NOT qualify for the "committed" part) I wouldn't make a change however.

A first year or young coach would be a terrible fit. I wonder what Rudy Tomjanovich is doing these days. Don Nelson, despite his lack-of-defense style would be an excellent fit. He is great with rotations and is loved by his players. He has also never really had a superstar player and you can bet he'd jump at the chance to coach Lebron. I'd also accept George Karl if he's willing to leave Denver, Mike Fratello if he gets his personal life cleared up and maybe even a guy like Del Harris.

Here's a stretch, perhaps Jerry Sloan or Rick Adelman would be ready to jump off their sinking ships to win that elusive title with LBJ in Cleveland. They can bring Carlos Boozer or Yao Ming with them, too. :D

Cavs Season Over/Akron Aeros Report

2009-05-31T20:59:00.003-04:00

After a season of excitement, Cavs depart in a night of embarrassment
by Terry Pluto/Plain Dealer Columnist
Saturday May 30, 2009, 11:30 PM

ORLANDO, Fla. -- For the Cavaliers, the season ended with a dunk in the face, a defensive collapse and a total breakdown of what made them the winningest team in the regular season.

Final score: Orlando 103, Cavaliers 90 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The real story is the game didn't feel that close, that somewhere along the line, the Cavs' will was broken, it's confidence slammed by Dwight Howard scoring inside or Rashard Lewis and the rest firing away while wide open from the 3-point line.

The word that comes to mind is embarrassing.

How could the Cavs be so passive, so uncertain in a Game 6 with their season on life support?

"We feel like we have to win this game at home," Rashard Lewis told the Orlando media. "We don't want to come and play in their arena where they feed off the crowd."

Before the game, James said: "I think a team is most dangerous when it's down to its last limb."

Not if the guys plan to just jump off, which the Cavs did for whatever reason -- be it pressure or a sense of the season slipping away.
Joshua Gunter/The Plain DealerLeBron James and the Cavaliers again had their season end amidst the celebration of their triumphant opponents. It was an especially painful end to a stunning season, says Terry Pluto.
Yes, Orlando is the better team, proving it by winning all five games here -- two in the regular season, three in the playoffs. Of course, had the Cavs capitalized on that 16-point lead in the opener, there would be a Game 7 in Cleveland coming up. They lost their home court advantage in the opener, which ended up a 107-106 loss.

But the Cavs had to be better than they were Saturday night.

They seemed uncertain on offense. James was not driving with authority, his teammates were reluctant to aggressively look for their shots. What exactly was the plan? Go inside? Set up James on the wing or at the top of the key, where he was so effective in Game 4? How about James in the low post?

"They jumped out to an early lead, Mo (Williams) got in foul trouble and because we got behind, we had to play quick and never could get control of the tempo," said Cavs coach Mike Brown.

The last thing you want to do to steal a road game is to be out-rebounded, 25-16, in the first half when the road team needs to set the tone. But the Cavs were out-hustled for what Mike Brown calls 50-50 balls. They seemed to disappear like Magic into the hands of Orlando players about 90 percent of the time.

At that point, the game was over.

"I never would have thought with the way this series has gone that we'd have been up 20 points in the fourth quarter," said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy.

But when a team is soft defensively on the road, it happens. Orlando dominated the boards, 47-34, with a 15-4 scoring edge on second shots. Howard consistently set up near the basket and overpowered the Cavs big men.

OK, here are a few second-guesses:

1) What were the Cavs doing with James on defense? It was hard to know exactly who he was supposed to be covering.

2) Whatever happened to Joe Smith? It's hard to believe they couldn't have used another big man have helped underneath where Dwight Howard was terrorizing them.

3) What was the deal in the third quarters, where the Cavs were outscored in five of the six games? What happened to adjustments?

There's so much more.

Brown made his reputation as a defensive coach, but never could come up with a scheme to stall Orlando for long, much less shut them down. The Magic averaged 103 points in this series, shooting nearly 49 percent.

He stubbornly refused to maximize James on defense by assigning him to defend either Rashard Lewis or Hedu Turkoglu for most of the series. He was not able to find a way to either stop Dwight Howard (40 points, 14 rebounds) inside or Lewis and the other shooters outside.

Even James (who averaged 38.5 points per game) seemed a bit out of sorts, as he didn't drive to the basket with the same authority. After three quarters, with the Cavs trailing 86-70, James had attempted only six shots in the paint, making three.

James finished with his worst performance of the 14-game postseason, scoring 25 on 8-of-20 shooting.

As Orlando prepares to head to Los Angeles for the NBA Finals, the Cavs go to their summer vacation feeling empty and, hopefully, a little angry. This was a lousy way for what should have been a very good season to end.

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First-Eye Akron Aeros Report

I got a chance to see the Aeros play the Erie Seawolves in Erie this afternoon, a 7-2 Seawolves win.

Jeanmar Gomez, who pitched a perfect game for Akron earlier in the season, started for the Aeros did not have his usual stuff getting lit up for 7 runs in only 4 innings. Gomez showed excellent breaking pitches and got 2 strikes on the majority of the batters. However, he could not put them away. His fastball clocked around 90 mpg, an area he can surely improve on in his young career.

Carlos Santana had two sac flies for the only Aero RBIs of the game, one with the bases loaded and 0 outs in the first inning.

Beau Mills and Nick Weglarz did not have very good days at the plate.

The Seawolves starter Marte really shut down the Akron bats in a 3 game Erie sweep of the series. The Aeros still lead the division by 3 games over Erie.

Season Saved, For Now

2009-05-29T17:11:00.001-04:00

That's the kind of game we need to see from Mo Williams to save this series!

The season continues: James' brilliant fourth quarter keeps Cavaliers alive in Game 5, 112-102
by Brian Windhorst/Plain Dealer Reporter
Thursday May 28, 2009, 11:37 PM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cavaliers made several statements on Thursday night. The most important may have been the one they made to themselves.

They can beat the Orlando Magic, a concept that has seemed doubtful at times during this rocky Eastern Conference finals. They can do it playing their own way, even if it means having to absorb body blows and intense and sometimes unrelenting pressure.

The Cavs took what they hope is their first step in a comeback by out-battling the Magic, 112-102, in Game 5 at The Q.

It was a high-scoring game that saw an early 22-point lead turn into an 8-point deficit with stunning swiftness, not your typical Cavs effort. But it also showed just what it is going to take to eliminate the Cavs from the playoffs.

Quite a bit.

Now the series shifts back to Orlando as the Magic get their second chance for a closeout game. But they will have to do so under pressure for the first time all series.

If the Cavs are to steal one in Central Florida, it will probably take the same sort of effort they put forth in Game 5. Not only was it the deepest performance of the five games but it also saw some of the Magic's unsungs stop playing like such heroes.

That and yet another superior effort from LeBron James, who doesn't yet seem to be tiring of them yet.

James had his best all-around game of the series and his first triple double of the postseason when the Cavs had to have it. He scored 37 points with 12 assists and set a career playoff high with 14 rebounds. Those numbers can seem numbing without this context: From late in the third quarter to late in the fourth, James scored or assisted on 32 consecutive Cavs points.
John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer The Cavaliers, as Wally Szczerbiak showed on this second-half play, were determined not to let Dwight Howard get easy baskets inside. Howard scored 24 points before fouling out.
Coach Mike Brown took a page out of the Magic book and put James in the high post at the center of the floor not unlike the way the Magic use Hedo Turkoglu and Dwight Howard in their middle pick-and-rolls. Surrounding him with a small lineup and a couple of teammates who were hot, notably Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson, turned out to be a perfect adjustment.

"I knew there was going to be an opportunity to press the gas on the offensive end," James said. "It was something the players and coaches came up with to exploit their defense and take advantage of my shooters."

When the Magic gave him space, he repeatedly bulled into the lane and into Howard, drawing fouls until Howard was disqualified. The final foul for Howard came with 2:22 left as James crunched into him and somehow got the ball on the rim and into the net. When he finished the three-point play, the Cavs had pretty much finished the Magic and earned new life.

James scored 17 points in the fourth quarter and dished out four assists. Three went to Williams and Gibson for 3-pointers.

"They're giving him the ball in the middle of the floor. The game is all LeBron all the time," Magic coach Stan Van Gundy said. "It is a difficult area to double team in because of shooters and his passing. It gets real tough because he has shooters and if he gets in the lane it is automatically a foul."

Williams finally was able to summon the sort of All-Star performance he gave for much of the season. He made his first four shots, seeming comfortable on the floor for the first time in about a month. He finished with 24 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Four other Cavs scored in double figures, again the sort of team-wide production that was a characteristic of so much of the season.
Tracy Boulian/The Plain DealerWally Szczerbiak and LeBron James enjoy the biggest basket of Thursday's Game 5, a fourth-quarter drive and score that drew the sixth foul of the game on Dwight Howard (rear).
Zydrunas Ilgauskas made 6-of-8 shots and put up 16 points despite having his hands full dealing with Howard, who presented a problem just about every minute he was on the floor. Ilgauskas, as in Game 4, finished the game on the bench after fouling out -- as did Anderson Varejao.

Delonte West had another strong game with 13 points though he, too, had struggles on defense. Daniel Gibson followed up his good shooting in Game 4 by hitting three more 3-pointers in Game 5 on his way to 11 points.

The Cavs played a more standard style of defense than they had been using in the first four games. They did not cross-match James on Rafer Alston and played straight up and attached to the Magic's strong shooters when they could. It had both positive and negative effects.

Alston came back to earth after his 26 points in Orlando and went just 1-of-10 from the floor. His missing production turned out to be a difference for the Magic. So did Rashard Lewis, who had 15 points but went just 4-of-12 shooting. Without as much space, the Magic made just 8-of-25 3-pointers.

The Howard/Hedo Turkoglu pick-and-roll was still a problem. Orlando got 24 points from Howard before he fouled out on 8-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds. Turkoglu had his best scoring game of the series with 29 points. But the Cavs simply had more support.

"Our mental focus and awareness were there," Brown said. "Especially down the stretch."

Thanks For Nothing, Mo Williams

2009-05-24T23:32:00.001-04:00

All season I wondered what could derail this season and the answer is that Mo Williams is a playoff choke

The Shot, the Drive, the Fumble, The MO

Biggest disparity between a regular season and playoff player I have ever seen in sports. Without Mo, we are last year's team and this year's Magic beat last year's Cavs every time.

I'm not gonna waste your time with his awful playoff stats, are you watching the series? That's enough proof right there.

Let it be known I am officially ending the Cavaliers season. Lakers over Magic in 6.

Oh My

2009-05-23T18:36:00.007-04:00

Don't Blame Z, Look at Backcourt

2009-05-21T16:18:00.002-04:00

Before we blame Z and his defense of Dwight Howard for the Game 1 loss, let's take some things into consideration:

Z's +- was a plus 12 where as Ben Wallace was a minus 14. I know those stats can be misleading but it is interesting to think about. Honestly, this would be a perfect series to get Lorenzen Wright some minutes as a big physical body to D up Howard but alas, he is hurt. Ben is just too small to be effective in this series.

Mo and Delonte shot 10 for 32. It's bad enough to shoot 28% but when your duo takes 32 field goals in the process, it's tough to win. The rest of the team shot an outstanding 33/56, the two guards really need to step it up.

The point is, yes Z had some trouble with Howard defensively, but so did everyone else on the team! Howard didn't beat us, the three point shooting in the 2nd half (particularly from Turkoglu and Lewis) did! Z had a double double and did his job. This was a team effort but let's look at the back-court who we have praised all season, and take into account that Mo and Delonte need to step up!

Quick Liftoffs: 5-17

2009-05-17T23:06:00.003-04:00

I know Tribe fans are getting impatient and panicking, calling for every young prospect from AAA to be brought up, but ITS NOT WORKING.

These guys are not helping us win games and many of them haven't had enough time in AAA to have any business being up here in the first place.

Crowe was outmatched at the plate (and is still in AAA, batting under .200), Francisco has been outperforming LaPorta (ditto when Laporta plays 1B over Garko or DeRosa), Carroll is a better option than Valbuena (also putrid at the plate), and at this point I'd take Sowers or Zach Jackson as the 5th starter over what we saw from Huff today (not enough time at Columbus!). Bringing up Hector Rondon would be another mistake!

The veterans are going to need to turn it around to save this team. I have faith in Francisco, Peralta, even DeRosa and Carmona to help turn things around over the youngsters who aren't ready!

On the injury front, Hafner coming back will bump LaPorta back to AAA (unless Dellucci's .270 average plummets in that time), Westbrook will eventually bump out the #5 starter (I want Jackson, Sowers or Tomo Ohka right now), and Joe Smith will bump out one of the over-the-hill pen arms (Herges, Vizcaino).

Right now, I think there are a couple moves that can be made to help the team in the short-run.

Sent Jensen Lewis down to AAA, bring up Rich Rundles - A lot of Tribe fans are anxious to see flamethrowing Jon Meloan (acquired in the Casey Blake deal) but the fact is that his over-6 ERA and tendency to walk people in AAA make him an unsafe option. Rundles has been pitching well for Columbus and has experience for the Tribe last September where he performed well in a short amount of time. He's also already on the 40-man roster which is a plus. I think everyone agrees that Lewis needs a sabbatical to figure out what is going wrong.

Give Sowers another shot - I know what he did in his first two starts, but the fact is that there isn't anything left to prove for Sowers in AAA where he has an impressive ERA hovering around 2 and won a 2-1 decision tonight. I'm all for giving him a handful of starts until Westbrook comes back later in the summer and deciding his future at that point. I'm still waiting for the 2006 Sowers to reemerge. I know, though, that even if Sowers will never work out for the Indians, that we can boost his trade value in that time with some more exposure and some good starts. David Huff hasn't been in AAA long enough to be up here in the bigs (3.2 innings and 7 runs today) and Laffey is our best bullpen arm at this point, no sense moving him from that role.

Barfield up, Valbuena down - Luis Valbuena is a promising young IF but he is just overmatched at the plate, batting around .100 at the time of this post. Josh Barfield was 3-3 with some runs scored in a very brief appearance earlier this month and I'd like to give him another shot as the starting 2B. Valbuena needs more time at AAA (see a pattern?) to work on his bat and Barfield can work at 2B with Peralta at 3rd, Cabrera at short with Garko/DeRosa getting a day off or DH-ing. At the worst, he can provide speed off the bench, something Valbuena does not.

Bringing em back - At some point, Lewis and Perez will need to come back to Cleveland and contribute to the pen. Perez may be ready soon, with an ERA of 0.00 in a handful of appearances, but Lewis would need some time. I'm gonna give Luis Vizcaino a chance to prove himself but if his one pitch walk-off Friday night was any indication, he's just another journeyman stiff. I'd consider removing some of those type of guys in our bullpen with those who have proven themselves for us in the past (Perez, Lewis, even Zach Jackson).

God bless us all

Quick Liftoffs: 5-12

2009-05-12T23:21:00.003-04:00

Indians

Jim Thome, we hate you. I refuse to listen to Indians fans who still love "Big Jim" or are willing to forgive him for spurning the Tribe for the money the rest of American baseball provides. I will never forgive him, or Manny, or Carlos Boozer, or any of the others. When athletes leave a team for money, just say it. Don't hide behind excuses or claim you were just "testing the market." You aren't fooling anyone, we are smart people here! It wouldn't be enough just to leave, but to come back to THE CHICAGO WHITE SOX and constantly torment us (2 HRs 4 RBI tonight) is just too much...

Cavs

Will the Cavs ever lose? At 8-0 with 8 double-digit wins, it sure doesn't look like it. I won't be foolish enough to say that the Cavs an sweep the Celtics and Lakers/Nuggets, but I don't think Boston is a legit threat any more. It will take them a minimum of 13 games played (and 7 overtimes or more) to get to the same place the Cavs are at with 8 games. They are old, tired, and don't have the unquenchable hunger that is driving, Lebron and Co. to their ultimate goal. Like Mo said earlier this postseason, I sure won't feel bad if that series goes 7!

Browns

The way the Indians are going, it is possible the Browns can come up from the cellar they have held in the Cleveland sports rankings since pre-Lebron days. Eric Mangini better be a pretty damn good coach though....

Another Day, Another Bullpen Meltdown

2009-05-02T22:10:00.003-04:00

The team with the most 8th inning runs allowed in baseball was at it again on Saturday blowing a game that would have been a great comeback and a series-winner.

The Indians rallied from 5-0 down after starter Aaron Laffey was chased in the 4th to take a 7-6 lead thanks in part to solid bullpen efforts from Vinnie Chulk and Tony Sipp. However, all of that came undone when Rafael Betancourt gave up 3 runs in the 8th inning and Jhonny Peralta blew a chance to make things interesting in the 9th, stranding runners on 1st and 3rd with 2 outs.

This team is the most frustrating in baseball. One day you get double-digit runs, then you get 12 runs in 6 games. The starters are up and down and the bullpen is mostly down, with no bridge whatsoever to closer Kerry Wood (perfect in 5 save opportunities).

I propose a complete bullpen shakedown to save this pitiful season.

Send Jensen Lewis and Rafael Perez to AAA Columbus and bring up youngsters John Meloan and his firey fastball and Zach Jackson who started the season as a longman with the Tribe. The Indians need to strongly consider designating Masa Kobayashi for assignment if he can't prove to be effective and think about moving Scott Lewis or Anthony Reyes to the pen for another effective arm. Betancourt will be reduced to a mop-up guy until/if he can turn things around and Chulk and Sipp moved to the 8th inning responsibilties as the only guys in the pen with ERA even close to being under 3.00.

God help us all if this bullpen can't turn things around. Why did Wedge fire Luis Isaac again?

Quick Liftoffs: 4-26

2009-04-26T19:07:00.002-04:00

Draft Day is complete for the Cleveland Browns and the Cavaliers advance to the Eastern Conference Semis with a four game sweep of the Bad (as in skill, not attitude) Boys from Detroit.

After trading down three times in the first round, helping the Jets acquire franchise QB Mark Sanchez, the Browns took a center in Alex Mack from Cal. They went on to use two 2nd round picks on young wideouts, Brian Robiskie from Ohio State and Mohamed Massaquoi from Georgia. Both should complement "non-traded" Braylon Edwards and stretch the field for also non-traded Brady Quinn. They closed out the first day by taking a versatile DE/OLB from Hawaii, David Veikune.

On the second day, the Browns filled depth holes at CB, LB and picked up a young runningback, James Davis from Clemson.

Overall, the Browns selected players with high marks in character and were generally safe picks. Needs were filled on the outside and inside and depth was added across the board. All of these picks should be relatively cheap and easy to sign and many may contribute to the team right away.

Overall Grade: B-

Recap

1st (21):^ Alex Mack, C, California

2nd (36): Brian Robiskie, WR, Ohio State

2nd (50):* Mohamed Massaquoi, WR, Georgia

2nd (52): David Veikune, DE/OLB, Hawaii

4th (104): Kaluka Maiava, LB, USC

6th (177): Don Carey, CB, Norfolk State

6th (191):* Coye Francies, CB, San Jose State

6th (195):^ James Davis, RB, Clemson

*from Tampa Bay

^from Philadelphia

Cavs Win, Playoff Milestones Set

2009-04-24T22:19:00.002-04:00

In the Cavs' win over Detroit tonight, bringing the series to within one game of a sweep, two Cavaliers set playoff franchise records:

Lebron James passed Brad Daugherty for the all-time lead in defensive rebounds with 333

and

Zydrunas Ilgauskas passed Daugherty for the all-time lead in total rebounds with 424

Congrats to Lebron and Z!

The Cavs will look to close out the 1st round series on Monday.

Tribe Heating Up

2009-04-23T14:51:00.004-04:00

Don't look now, but the once 0-5 Cleveland Indians are getting hot. Sure, a 6-5 stretch isn't exactly world-beating, but compared to what the Indians did in the first week of the season, it is a godsend. After splitting a 4-game series at Yankee Stadium where the offense came to life, the Indians won their series at home against Kansas City with a 5-2 comeback win today after a fantastic start by the Royals' Gil Meche. The Tribe will look to continue their hot streak vs. the Twins, another contender in the closely contested yet mediocre Central Divison.

Players of today's game: Grady Sizemore, 3 R GW-HR and Kerry Wood, a 1-2-3 save with 2 Ks! Boy is it nice having a flamethrowing, stud closer! Now if only the rest of the bullpen would catch up...

Columbus Watch: David Dellucci has hit .417 in three starts at DH in AAA Columbus for his rehab start. Josh Barfield is hitting .300 since being sent down to make room for SP Aaron Laffey.

Congrats Coach Brown!

2009-04-21T17:04:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Cavaliers Head Coach Mike Brown, the 2009 NBA Coach of the Year!

LINK

Quick Liftoffs: 4-18

2009-04-18T20:14:00.003-04:00

Great Day for Cleveland Fans

What more could we want from this 18th of April, 2009? The Cavs did what they were supposed to in crushing the Pistons in Game 1 of the First Round of the NBA Playoffs with TheKing dropping in 38 points. The day got even better for fans who were flipping back and forth from ABC to FOX and saw the Indians stomp on, decimate, and light on fire the lifeless corpses that were the New York Yankee pitchers today. The Tribe beat the Yanks 22-4, bringing back memories of a 2006 Fourth of July in New York where the Indians beat the Bombers 22-0. Mark DeRosa had 6 RBI and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a Grand Slam while Fausto Carmona picked up the easiest win of his career. Eric Wedge picked up career managerial win #500 in the rout.

Box score from the awesome performance here

CLEVELAND ROCKS!

Quick Liftoffs: 4-16

2009-04-16T18:08:00.002-04:00

A new segment with random talk throughout Cleveland three major teams...

Cleveland Cavaliers

The debate will rage on for a long time on whether Mike Brown should have sat his starters for Game #82 against the Sixers. The Cavs lost only their second game at home this season and were denied the NBA record of 40-1. In the end the only thing that matters is that the team get healthy for the playoff run. In other stats, no NBA team has ever gone 66-16, the Cavs' current record, and not won the NBA Championship (2-0)...

There sure were some crooked numbers in that game with season-highs from Wally Szczerbiak and Daniel Gibson (also a career-high) as well as 4 blocks from Lorenzen Wright (.02 per game this season) and a career high 8 points from rookie D-Leaguer Jawad Williams. Despite the loss, the game was an excellent chance for the Cavs to show off their depth and reward the veterans like Wright and the youngsters like Williams and Kinsey who have patiently waited their turns...

Cleveland Indians

A win streak?!? The Indians won their 2nd in a row and pounded the Yanks 10-2 at Yankee Stadium's opening today defeating CC Sabathia in the process. The big lefty got a ND in the game but the Indians forced him to throw over 120 pitches in 5.2 innings and knocked the Yanks pen around to the tune of 9 runs. Cliff Lee went 6 innings and gave up only 1 run in his first win of the year, a surely welcome sign for the Tribe faithful. Grady Sizemore hit a grand slam, the first in the new park...

The "streak" will look to continue when Anthony Reyes faces Joba Chamberlain tomorrow at 1:05...

Cleveland Browns

I have no idea what the new regime is doing dangling Brady Quinn and Braylon Edwards for the NFL's viewing (and trading) pleasure. Our one-time franchise QB/WR paring will both likely be elsewhere come the end of the NFL Draft which makes no sense considering you have one of the NFL's best WRs in Edwards and a young QB who wants to be here (shocking, really) and hasn't gotten even a remotely long enough chance to prove himself. You can argue that Braylon will walk as a free agent after this season but in reality he loves Cleveland and if the fans get back on his side (helped by fewer drops, of course) there is no reason to think he won't re-up with the Browns... for the right price

Tribe Offseason and Opening Day

2009-04-04T01:50:00.003-04:00

A finalization to my original Indians Offseason post. Opening Day is Monday @ Texas at 2:05 PM. Cliff Lee vs. Kevin Millwood

Cleveland Indians 2009 Offseason

Free Agents

IF Jamey Carroll (club option for ’09) option exercised
RP Brendan Donnelly (filed for free agency) signed by Texas
C Sal Fasano (filed for free agency) signed by Colorado
RP Scott Elarton (filed for free agency) un-signed
RP Juan Rincon (filed for free agency) signed by Detroit

Minor League Free Agents

OF Brad Snyder, placed on waivers, claimed by Chicago Cubs
RP Reid Santos, placed on waivers, claimed by Toronto
IF Andy Gonzalez, signed to minor league deal by Florida
P Bryan Bullington, signed by Toronto
P Brian Slocum, signed by Pittsburgh
OF Ryan Goleski, released

Trades:

OF Franklin Gutierrez traded to Seattle for RP Joe Smith and IF Luis Valbuena
IF Mark DeRosa acquired from Chicago Cubs for Ps Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Gaub
OF Mickey Hall acquired from Boston to complete Paul Byrd trade
IF Isaias Velasquz traded to Tampa Bay for RP Juan Salas
RP Shawn Nottingham traded to Pittsburgh for PTBNL
RP Edward Mujica traded to San Diego for PTBNL

Additions:

RP Kerry Wood (signed to 2-year deal)
SP Carl Pavano (signed to 1-year deal)

RP Greg Aquino (non-roster invitee)
C Damaso Espino (non-roster invitee)
IF Andy Cannizaro (non-roster invitee)
P Tomo Ohka (non-roster invitee)
IF Jesus Merchan (non-roster invitee)
IF Wilson Valdez (non-roster invitee)
P Kirk Sarloos (non-roster invitee)
RP Vinnie Chulk (non-roster invitee)
RP Matt Herges (non-roster invitee)
P Jack Cassell (non-roster invitee)

RP Joe Smith (trade from SEA)
IF Luis Valbuena (trade from SEA)
IF Mark DeRosa (trade from CHI)
OF Mickey Hall (trade from BOS)
RP Juan Salas (trade from TB)
IF Andy Marte (assigned to AAA)
IF Tony Graffaninio (non-roster invitee)
RP Jae Kuk Ryu (claimed, sent to AAA)
Played to be named (trade from PIT)
RP Juan Lara (signed to minor league deal)

Subtractions:

OF Brad Snyder (claimed by CHC)
RP Reid Santos (claimed by TOR)
IF Andy Gonzalez (signed by FLA)
P Bryan Bullington (signed by TOR)
P Brian Slocum (signed by PIT)
RP Tom Mastny (sold to Japan team)
OF Franklin Gutierrez (traded to SEA)
P Jeff Stevens (traded to CHIC)
P Chris Archer (traded to CHIC)
P John Gaub (traded to CHIC)
OF Ryan Goleski (released)
RP Brendan Donnelly (signed by TEX)
C Sal Fasano (signed by COL)
RP Juan Rincon (signed by DET)
IF Isaias Velasquez (traded to TB)
RP Shawn Nottingham (traded to PIT)
RP Edward Mujica (traded to SD)
RP Jae Kuk Ryu (sent back to SD, transaction voided)

Non-Roster Invitees

Pitchers

Greg Aquino
Tomo Ohka
Kirk Sarloos
Dave Huff
Ryan Edell
Vinnie Chulk
Matt Herges
Jack Cassell

Catchers

Damaso Espino

Infielders

Andy Cannizaro
Jesus Merchan
Wilson Valdez
Michael Aubrey
Stephen Head
Beau Mills
Jordan Brown
Wes Hodges

Outfielders

Michael Brantley
Matt Laporta

Signed to 1-Year Contracts for Season:

IF Josh Barfield
OF Shin-Soo Choo
SP Aaron Laffey
RP Jon Meloan
P Adam Miller
SP Anthony Reyes
RP Tony Sipp
SP Jeremy Sowers
C Wyatt Toregas

Reassigned to Minor League Camp:

P Ryan Edell
P Tomo Ohka
RP Rich Rundles (AAA)
RP John Meloan (AAA)
P Adam Miller (AAA)
P Hector Rondon (AA)
RP Tony Sipp (AAA)
2B Luis Valbuena (AAA)
C Carlos Santana (AA)
P Jack Cassel
SP David Huff
C Armando Camacaro
1B Jordan Brown
3B Wes Hodges
IF Jesus Marchand
1B Beau Mills
OF Stephen Head
LHP Jeremy Sowers (AAA)
C Wyatt Toregas (AAA)
P Greg Aquino
IF Michael Aubrey
OF Michael Brantley
OF Matt Laporta
P Kirk Saarloos
IF Andy Cannizaro
SP Aaron Laffey (AAA)
C Chris Gimenez (AAA)
RP Vinnie Chulk
C Damaso Espino
IF Tony Graffanino
RP Matt Herges
SS Wilson Valdez
3B Andy Marte

40 Man Roster

Pitchers

Rafael Betancourt
Fausto Carmona
Zach Jackson
Masahide Kobayashi
Aaron Laffey
Cliff Lee
Jensen Lewis
Scott Lewis
John Meloan
Adam Miller
Carl Pavano
Rafael Perez
Anthony Reyes
Hector Rondon
Rich Rundles
Juan Salas
Tony Sipp
Joe Smith
Jeremy Sowers
Jake Westbrook
Kerry Wood

Catchers

Chris Giminez
Victor Martinez
Carlos Santana
Kelly Shoppach
Wyatt Toregas

Infielders

Josh Barfield
Asdrubal Cabrera
Jamey Carroll
Mark DeRosa
Ryan Garko
Jhonny Peralta
Luis Valbuena

Outfielders

Shin-Soo Choo
Trevor Crowe
David Dellucci
Ben Francisco
Grady Sizemore

Designated Hitter

Travis Hafner

Opening Day Lineup:

CF: Grady Sizemore
3B: Mark DeRosa
1B: Victor Martinez
DH: Travis Hafner
SS: Jhonny Peralta
RF: Shin-Soo Choo
C: Kelly Shoppach
LF: Ben Francisco
2B: Asdrubal Cabrera

Bench: 1B Ryan Garko, IF Jamey Carroll, IF Josh Barfield, OF Trevor Crowe

Starters: Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona, Carl Pavano, Scott Lewis, Anthony Reyes
Relief: LRP Zach Jackson, RP Masa Kobayashi, RP Rafael Betancourt, RP Jensen Lewis, RP Rafael Perez, RP Joe Smith, CP Kerry Wood

Disabled List: David Dellucci (15 day), Jake Westbrook (60 day)

CBS Likes Indians as Sleeper in Central

2009-04-03T01:27:00.004-04:00

You can imagine my shock today when I clicked on the baseball preview on CBSSportsline.com and saw the Cleveland Indians represented in first place and major postseason awards.

Three CBS analysts have the Indians picked to win the AL Central ahead of the Twins. The fourth has us in 4th place ahead of only Kansas City.

Those same three analysts have tabbed Eric Wedge as the AL Manager of the Year which would be the 2nd time in three years he has won the award. All found in the Award section are Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera as Surprise of the Year, Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner as Comeback Player of the Year and Hafner as Disappointment of the Year.

There wasn't any love for Cliff Lee or Fausto Carmona to pick up the tradition of the Tribe's ace winning the Cy Young Award for the 3rd straight season.

Full predictions can be found below and remember, only three days until Opening Day!

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/story/11578622

Congrats to Ilgauskas

2009-03-23T01:58:00.001-04:00

Congrats to Z for becoming the Cavaliers' all-time leading shot blocker and reaching the 10,000 career point mark this week. He is the 4th Cavalier to score 10,000 points and passed Hot Rod Williams with 1,202 blocks.

Great Clevelander of the Week 3-17

2009-03-17T18:09:00.003-04:00

Great Clevelander of the Week

Highlighting the Best of Cleveland (other than Lebron)

Joe Smith

The veteran power forward signed with the Cavs last week after being bought out by Oklahoma City. Smith is making his 2^nd stint in Cleveland after being traded in the deal for Mo Williams. He has averaged 6.5 points and 4.7 rebounds per game adding depth off the bench for the Cavs, including 10 points and 7 rebounds in a win over the Knicks. The Cavs are 5-1 since Joe’s return.

Out With the Old and in With the... Old?

2009-03-10T00:06:00.003-04:00

The past couple weeks have seen a whirlwind of comings and goings for Cleveland's three pro sports teams. Browns Pro Bowl TE Kellen Winslow was traded to the Tampa Bay Bucs for two undisclosed draft picks, long-time LB and captain Andra Davis was signed by Denver and starting S Sean Jones was picked up by the Eagles. When looking at one of my old posters from last season, I saw that with those three gone, less than half of the players on the poster remained with the Browns!

The Browns were not alone in "cleaning house" as the Indians designated IF Andy Marte, a bust from the Coco Crisp trade, for assignment and the Cavs waived Jawad Williams who had spent the whole season with the team. They also chose not to re-sign Trey Johnson whose 10-day contract with the team expired.

Whew! That's a lot of Clevelanders booted out in a short period of time.

Apparently, according to George Kokinis, Mark Shapiro and Danny Ferry, sometimes the best way to replace what you have lost is by brining back what you had once had. That's exactly what the Cavs did when the brought back Joe Smith after he was waived by OK City. The reliable front court scorer was acquired by the team in the mega-trade last winter and traded the following summer for Mo Williams. To top it all off, Marte ended up rejoining the Tribe after clearing waivers!

One thing in all this is for sure, Eric Mangini and the Browns will not look to bring back players from the Browns' recent, unsuccessful past. As they traverse ahead, Mangini is brining back "the old" however, as many former Jets have been linked to or signed with the Browns. DL C.J. Mosley and CB Hank Poteat are two of the former Manginites to sign and reunite with their old coach.

Call it a blast from the past or a retro renaissaince in Cleveland, but for these three professional sports teams, old memories are becoming new again and new ones will be made -- hopefully involving championships.

Great Clevelander of the Week 2-26

2009-02-26T23:58:00.003-05:00

Great Clevelander of the Week

Highlighting the Best of Cleveland (other than Lebron)

Matt Laporta

The slugging outfield prospect acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers in the CC Sabathia trade knocked one out of the park in the Tribe’s 2^nd spring training game of the year. Laporta finished 2-3 at the plate, 3-6 for the spring season with two runs in two games.

Indians Offseason Recap

2009-02-21T20:14:00.003-05:00

The Tribe didn't make any earth-shattering offseason moves in 2009, but they did make a lot of solid ones. A recap of the team's offseason below:

Free Agents

IF Jamey Carroll (club option for ’09) option exercised
RP Brendan Donnelly (filed for free agency) signed by Texas
C Sal Fasano (filed for free agency) signed by Colorado
RP Scott Elarton (filed for free agency)
RP Juan Rincon (filed for free agency) signed by Detroit

Minor League Free Agents

OF Brad Snyder, placed on waivers, claimed by Chicago Cubs
RP Reid Santos, placed on waivers, claimed by Toronto
IF Andy Gonzalez, signed to minor league deal by Florida
P Bryan Bullington, signed by Toronto
P Brian Slocum, signed by Pittsburgh
OF Ryan Goleski, released

Trades:

OF Franklin Gutierrez traded to Seattle for RP Joe Smith and IF Luis Valbuena
IF Mark DeRosa acquired from Chicago Cubs for Ps Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer and John Gaub
OF Mickey Hall acquired from Boston to complete Paul Byrd trade
IF Isaias Velasquz traded to Tampa Bay for RB Juan Salas

Additions:

RP Kerry Wood (signed to 2-year deal)
SP Carl Pavano (signed to 1-year deal)

RP Greg Aquino (non-roster invitee)
C Damaso Espino (non-roster invitee)
IF Andy Cannizaro (non-roster invitee)
P Tomo Ohka (non-roster invitee)
IF Jesus Merchan (non-roster invitee)
IF Wilson Valdez (non-roster invitee)
P Kirk Sarloos (non-roster invitee)
RP Vinnie Chulk (non-roster invitee)
RP Matt Herges (non-roster invitee)
P Jack Cassell (non-roster invitee)

RP Joe Smith (trade from SEA)
IF Luis Valbuena (trade from SEA)
IF Mark DeRosa (trade from CHI)
OF Mickey Hall (trade from BOS)
RP Juan Salas (trade from TB)

Subtractions:

OF Brad Snyder (claimed by CHC)
RP Reid Santos (claimed by TOR)
IF Andy Gonzalez (signed by FLA)
P Bryan Bullington (signed by TOR)
P Brian Slocum (signed by PIT)
RP Tom Mastny (sold to Japan team)
OF Franklin Gutierrez (traded to SEA)
P Jeff Stevens (traded to CHIC)
P Chris Archer (traded to CHIC)
P John Gaub (traded to CHIC)
OF Ryan Goleski (released)
RP Brendan Donnelly (signed by TEX)
C Sal Fasano (signed by COL)
RP Juan Rincon (signed by DET)
IF Isaias Velasquez (traded to TB)
IF Andy Marte (designated for assignment)

Non-Roster Invitees

Pitchers

Greg Aquino
Tomo Ohka
Kirk Sarloos
Dave Huff
Ryan Edell
Vinnie Chulk
Matt Herges
Jack Cassell

Catchers

Damaso Espino

Infielders

Andy Cannizaro
Jesus Merchan
Wilson Valdez
Michael Aubrey
Stephen Head
Beau Mills
Jordan Brown
Wes Hodges

Outfielders

Michael Brantley
Matt Laporta

Later: Indians 2009 Starting Lineup and Rotation

Great Clevelander 2-18

2009-02-19T22:36:00.001-05:00

Great Clevelander of the Week

Highlighting the Best of Cleveland (other than Lebron)

Danny Ferry

The Cleveland GM wisely didn’t pull the trigger on some bad deals at the deadline Thursday and kept the 41-11 Cavaliers intact. Rather than trade away draft picks and talented young JJ Hickson along with team leaders Ben Wallace and Wally Szczerbiak for an aging Shaq or Antwan Jamison. The team with the 2^nd best record in the NBA (based on losses) will gear up for a title run with the guys that have been winning all year.

Great Clevelander 2-11

2009-02-11T23:01:00.002-05:00

Great Clevelander of the Week

Highlighting our very best (other than Lebron)

MIKE BROWN

The normally quiet coach of the best team in the NBA unleashed a rant for the ages after the team’s controversial loss @ Indiana. “That last call is the worst call that I have ever been a part of,” Brown said. “I cannot imagine another worse call than that. It was an awful call and for him to take away a basketball game from a team with 0.4 seconds on the clock is irresponsible.” You tell em coach! Brown will be in Phoenix to coach the Eastern All-Stars this weekend.

Mo Finally an All-Star!

2009-02-10T22:12:00.001-05:00

On the fourth time around, Mo Williams is an All-Star! After being passed up for Ray Allen by the commissioner, he was selected to replace the injured Chris Bosh today. Congrats Mo.

After a crushing defeat at the hands of Indiana, Lebron made a couple historic notes:

-He moved to 2nd in franchise history with 9,279 FG attempts passing Bingo Smith
-He moved to 5th in defensive rebounds with 2,495 passing Larry Nance

Don't Believe the Rumors

2009-02-03T16:01:00.001-05:00

Support Mangini Despite Rumors

Over the last 24 hours, rumors have popped up on such sites as YahooSports! and ProfootballTalk.com that new Browns coach Eric Mangini is already being disliked in Cleveland. The source of this propaganda is Todd Porter of the Canton Repository. This is where we breath a sigh of relief, Cleveland. The Canton Repository! Not the Plain Dealer or the Beacon Journal, but this second-rate paper located multiple hours' drive from the heart of our sports world. If you dig further into the story and do some sleuthing, you will find that Porter is upset that his "moles" inside the Browns were fired (whether personnell or assistant coaches) and he is lashing out at the new regime. Calling out a coach and creating waves before the Combine has even started? That's complete bush-league no matter if you love the Mangini hire or hate it. I call to you, Browns fans, to not believe the garbage that is going to fly from the national media and instead look at the results: a Super Bowl ring in New England, 2 winning seasons out of three on a team with mediocre talent and awful quarterback play, and most important of all, a line of Jets outside Mangini's office begging for his job and wishing him well. Just look at what Browns' captain and Pro-Bowler Josh Cribbs had to say in a radio interview with Cleveland legend Michael Reghi. If the Browns players and media people want a guy like Romeo, they aren't getting him. They are getting a disciplinarian, but most importantly, a winner.

Williams to be All-Star?

Unless you have been comatose in the world of sports the last week or so, you know that Cavs guard Mo Williams was snubbed from the All-Star game this month in Phoenix. Well, perhaps justice will be served, just not in the way we wanted. Magic G Jameer Nelson, one of a trio of guards selected ahead of Williams, was injured in Monday's loss to Dallas with a dislocated shoulder. He will not be able to go in the ASG and may miss the rest of the season. More news on if Williams gets the nod in his third try (after fan voting and coaches' selection).

(Other) Williams Released

Jawad Williams' time with the Cavaliers is over -- for now. The rookie forward was not re-signed after his 2nd 10-day contract with the team expired on Sunday. Williams played in 8 games with the Cavaliers, 9 minutes total, and recorded 4 points and a personal foul on 2-6 shooting (0-1 from three). The local product will possibly be re-signed to the roster for the remainder of the season once Eric Snow's contract comes off the books (more on that when there is news to report). To replace Williams on the 15-man roster, the Cavs signed G/F Trey Johnson from the Developmental League.

Mike Brown to Coach All-Stars

2009-01-31T18:26:00.002-05:00

Brown to Lead Eastern Conference All-Stars

Cavaliers' head coach Mike Brown (and franchise leader in winning percentage) is heading to Phoenix to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Brown qualified by virtue of having the best record in the East as of February 1st (Celtics coach Doc Rivers was not eligible because he coached the squad last season) and will join star forward Lebron James for the weekend festivities. I can't think of another coach in the NBA more deserving of this honor. Brown has instilled a defensive mindset that is the identity of the Cavaliers and has turned offense-first players such as Sasha Pavlovic, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Lebron into defenders to be reckoned with. Brown is going to cancel his family vacation he had planned and instead book a hotel in Phoenix for February 15th.

Congratulations, Coach Brown!

Browns Hire Mangini

2009-01-10T01:26:00.000-05:00

Experience could serve Mangini well

Zac Jackson, Staff Writer

01.08.2009

Eric Mangini has been here before.

His story here - as in Berea, starting as a ball boy 14 years ago - has been well documented.

But he's been "here," in the head coach's office, before. And that might be one of the biggest reasons the Browns moved so quickly to make Mangini their new head coach.

Mangini becomes the 12th full-time coach in Browns history and the first the team has hired since 1970 with prior NFL head-coaching experience. His last three seasons leading the Jets - two of them winning seasons - were his first three as a head coach.

He was 35 and the league's youngest head coach when he started in 2006, and he was asked during his introductory press conference Thursday how far he's come as a coach since then.

His answer: "I'd say light years is a fair assessment."

If that experience can help the Browns and Mangini - a wiser, battle-tested Mangini - on their path towards establishing a consistent winner, the Browns have made the right hire.

Mangini emphasized Thursday that he was proud of the work he'd done at the Jets and the program he was building. And he insinuated that lessons he learned along the way would help him - and the Browns - going forward.

"When you take that first job," Mangini said, "you're trying to figure out what next step is, whether it be the draft, free agency, hiring coaches, hiring a support staff, assessing the players you have, assessing the organization.

"You've never done a practice script, you've never put together an offseason calendar, you've never talked about an offseason weight program. You've never hired a nutritionist or a sports psychologist. There's a million firsts in that process."

In his first year in New York, the Jets won 10 games and went to the playoffs. Replicating that here would have Browns fans doing kartwheels down I-77.

That's not to say 2009 will be a failure if the Browns don't reach double-digit wins or the postseason. It will be a success if Mangini's Browns are disciplined, play smart and aggressive football and make improvements, both subtle and the kind the show up on the stat sheet, from last season. First things first.

"Being able to go through those the first year, access it, you get the formula you think is going to be successful," Mangini said. "That formula is always open to improve, but it's not same level of firsts.

"Right now what we've got to do is finish the search for the GM, hire the staff, assess the players that are here and then build a plan to continue to improve the players that are here and to develop the best possible ways to bring in other players that can continue to help us succeed."

Mangini becomes the fourth head coach since the Browns returned to the NFL and probably the first of those four to inherit any substantial veteran talent. He's already said he'll stay in the 3-4 defense, but just how many players return from last year's team and what their roles will be remains to be seen; free agency in the ever-changing NFL is just seven weeks away.

Very soon, Mangini will start putting his stamp on the Browns - his Browns - and beginning that process of trying to build a consistent winner. He needs to build a staff, prepare for free agency and the draft and start preparing to try to beat the Ravens and the Steelers.

He knows Cleveland, and he knows it's never too early for that.

"There's a lot of things I believe in terms of types of players we're going to bring in," Mangini said. "It's something I did on the first or second day I was with the Jets and it's something that will be going on (upstairs) here very shortly. There are very specific characteristics that I look for.

"I look for guys that are smart, I look for guys that are tough, I look for guys that are hard-working and I look for guys who are competitive. And I don't mean just a little competitive. I mean they want to win whether they're playing checkers, whether they're in a sack race, they're competitive.

"I want guys that are selfless. And I want guys that football's truly important to, that have a passion for the game. Those things are going to go in the draft room, they're going to go in the pro personnel room and when we talk about a player, the first thing I'm going to say is 'What's he like? Does he meet the four characteristics?' That to me, that's always the starting point."

Mangini and the Browns have started. It seems the ingredients are there for the kind of finish Browns fans have been waiting for.

Thomas, Rogers Make Pro Bowl

2008-12-16T16:45:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to LT Joe Thomas and DT Shaun Rogers who will represent the Cleveland Browns at the Pro Bowl in Hawaii! The invitation is Thomas' 2nd consecutive and he will start the game at tackle for the AFC team. Rogers, acquired in a trade from Detroit, is returning to the Pro Bowl, his first as a member of the AFC. In addition, Josh Cribbs was named a 1st alternate for both kicker returner and special teamer spots. Phil Dawson was a 2nd alternate at kicker and D'Qwell Jackson and Eric Steinbach were each third alternates.

TYIB Results:

The This Year in Baseball results continue to come out this week and three categories Indians players were up for were announced today.

Grady Sizemore finished 5th (out of 10) for Defensive Player of the Year
Asdrubal Cabrera's triple-play finished 4th in Play of the Year voting
Victor Martinez's bucket-kicking incident finished as the 8th Oddity of the Year

Pro Bowlers to be Announced

2008-12-16T00:22:00.002-05:00

With the Pro Bowl announcement only hours away, us Browns fans turn away from the disastrous Monday Night debacle and look to see if we will have any players on the team. The NFL.com crew selected a number of Browns to their "teams" if they had a vote:

3 chose Joe Thomas
1 chose Eric Steinbach
2 chose Shaun Rogers
1 chose Josh Cribbs

I was shocked to see so few choose Cribbs (with Leodis McCelvin and Leon Washington getting nods over him) and 0 choose Phil Dawson (Steven Gotskowski and Rob Bironis). While I feel that D'Qwell Jackson has had a great season, I can understand why Ray Lewis and James Farrior would have been selected ahead of him.

Stay tuned for the official Pro Bowl announcements.

Going back to that Monday Night Game, there were some milestones that were passed and here they are:

Jamal passed Jim Brown for 22nd in rushing attempts with 2,360 and Roger Craig for 26th in touches with 2,573
Cribbs moved into 18th in NFL history with 5,430 kick return yards
Brandon McDonald had the longest INT return in NFL regular season history that did not go for a touchdown (98 yards)
McDonald also became the first player to have an INT in each of 3 Monday Night games in 1 season

Chairman of the Boards

2008-12-08T17:32:00.003-05:00

Friends, teammates root on Ilgauskas as he nears Cavs' rebound mark

by Mary Schmitt Boyer/Plain Dealer Reporter
Thursday December 04, 2008, 11:37 PM

John Kuntz/The Plain Dealer

Sometime in the next few games, an errant shot will clang off the rim and Zydrunas Ilgauskas will stretch out his long arms to retrieve a milestone, one that many -- including Ilgauskas -- never thought would come.

The Cavaliers much-loved, much-injured veteran center needs 23 rebounds to surpass Brad Daugherty's franchise record of 5,227. Whether it comes at home or on the road, whether the game is stopped or goes on uninterrupted, it will be a nearly miraculous achievement, considering all the pain Ilgauskas has been through -- physical and emotional, professional and personal, public and private.

"It was really worth it," Ilgauskas said with a small smile.

Those who know him best and who have been with him through all the ups and downs since the Cavs made him the 20th pick in the 1996 draft will celebrate the accomplishment not because they think Ilgauskas is such a great player, but because they think he's such a great person.

"No one will be cheering louder," said Cavaliers minority owner Gordon Gund.

"It makes my heart swell," said his agent, Herb Rudoy.

"You know he's my man," said former General Manager Wayne Embry, who drafted him.

"It's indescribable what type of person he is," coach Mike Brown said. "I don't have the words for it. That's how good a guy he is."

Said former roommate Scott Brooks, "He's a great man. Cleveland's lucky to have had him for all the years he has played. He's a good player and he has a great heart."

Mike Brown: "(Ilgauskas) just makes my life and my job easier because of what type of guy he is. We're very lucky as an organization to have him as part of this thing, not only are we lucky, but the city of Cleveland, the state of Ohio is lucky because he's a class act for us. I feel like I've coached some very good professionals. He's got to be in the top three."

A gentle giant with a wicked dry sense of humor off the court, the 7-foot-3 Ilgauskas never shies from mixing it up on the court, whether it's tangling with opponents like Detroit's Rasheed Wallace or ordering around lax teammates like Shawn Kemp. Such actions belie a soft touch who has been known to not only autograph a ball for a sick child but deliver it in person.

Yet when describing him, friends and teammates most often use the word tough. There is no other way to explain the challenges he went through to get to this point.

"Knowing the great difficulties he's had, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined he could reach this pinnacle in his career," Rudoy said. "I am so emotional about this because 1) he's an absolutely fine person; 2) he's an absolutely fine person and 3) he's an absolutely fine person."

Rudoy first met Ilgauskas when he was about 16.

"My partners in Europe signed him," said Rudoy, one of the first agents to court European players. "He came into my office in Chicago, a big, tall skinny kid who was almost shy."

A former soccer and volleyball player, Ilgauskas had gone through a recent growth spurt and decided to concentrate on basketball, his country's national sport.

"It still is like a religion back home," said Ilgauskas, who had started out as a point guard. "We say all the boys have to play basketball in Lithuania, and if they're not good enough they go on to do smaller things -- like [be] doctors and lawyers."

At that point, he never envisioned playing in the NBA.

"It was one thing playing in Lithuania and being a good player," he said. "But the NBA would show one game a week back home and you'd see highlights of guys taking off from halfcourt and doing all this crazy stuff and you're sitting in your living room going, 'There's no way.'"

His plan was to finish his senior year in high school at a prep school on Long Island, N.Y., and then enroll in an American college like Georgia Tech or Alabama.

"I flunked my senior year in high school in Lithuania on purpose so I could come back to the states and finish my senior year in high school," he said. "My English wasn't good enough to go straight to college."

But after a downturn in the economy in Lithuania, his mom, an engineer who suffered from diabetes, and his dad, a bus driver, lost their jobs. So Ilgauskas signed a contract to stay home in Kaunas and play professionally for the Atletas Basketball club in order to take care of them and his sister, Zivile, seven years his junior.

Instead of attending a U.S. college, Ilgauskas had to be content playing for his national team in exhibition games against schools like Kentucky. Of course, when he put up 26 points, 19 rebounds, 4 blocked shots and 2 steals against the Wildcats in a 114-81 loss on Nov. 22, 1994, people started to take notice. Well, some people anyway. Former Cavs coach Mike Fratello remembers calling his friend Rick Pitino, the Kentucky coach at the time, who said his team had won by 33 points and none of the opponents had stood out.

Former Cavs coach Mike Fratello: "It's a tremendous accomplishment when you realize the frustrations he went through as a very young player. This wasn't late in his career. This was early on. He hadn't even had a chance of tasting success. The best years hadn't come yet. ... Any time you become the leader of any franchise in a key statistical area that helps winning, it sets you apart. ... I'm not sure he has gotten as much notoriety or respect as he perhaps deserves, although I think there are reasons for that. He has a guy on his team who's not a bad player named James. But he's not a guy who's looking for that. He's just happy being an important part and doing what his job is."

But when Ilgauskas applied for early entry into the 1995 NBA draft, Minnesota Timberwolves assistant general manager Kevin McHale was all over him. Ilgauskas had a couple of impressive workouts in Minnesota but, in what would become an all-too-common occurrence, his right foot started to hurt. In fact, it was broken and he wound up withdrawing from the draft and having two surgeries, which caused him to miss the 1995-96 season.

He came back strong the next spring, and reapplied for early entry into the 1996 draft, which included Allen Iverson (No. 1), Kobe Bryant (No. 13) and Steve Nash (No. 15.) Minnesota had the No. 5 pick, which it used on Ray Allen. Cleveland had the No. 12 pick, which Embry used on Wright State's Vitaly Potapenko because he was confident he could still get Ilgauskas at No. 20. It was the only time Embry used a first-round pick on a player he had not seen play a game in person.

"We watched tape of him playing at Kentucky," Embry said. "He was the best big man in the game. You could see his assets. He was playing more low post than he is now. But down low he had great footwork with a nice shooting touch. He was way ahead of the game there. You can correct deficiencies and help players overcome their weaknesses, but one thing you can't teach is 7-3. He was a big gangly kid who knew how to play basketball.

"Once you got to know him, you fell in love with him."

Unfortunately, he broke his right foot again and missed what should have been his rookie season. He did, however, begin to endear himself to players, coaches and staff members with practical jokes and hilarious escapades.

Brooks remembered a fender-bender when Ilgauskas was learning to drive. Gund remembered a bawdy song Ilgauskas and Potapenko sang at the team Christmas party. And no one can forget his first Thanksgiving when, having overheard so much slang in the locker room that he asked someone to "pass the #$%& mashed potatoes."

The laughs were short-lived, though. After an outstanding rookie year in his second season with the team, in which he averaged 13.9 points and 8.8 rebounds and was named MVP of the Rookie Challenge and a member of the all-rookie team, he played just five games in the strike-shortened 1998-1999 season before breaking a bone in his left foot. The injury cost him the 1999-2000 season as well.

He looked to be back on track at the start of the 2000-01 season and was averaging 11.7 points and 6.7 rebounds as the team got off to a 15-8 record. Then came a game at Miami on Dec. 22, 2000.

"That was the lowest of the low," Cavs assistant coach/strength and conditioning coordinator Stan Kellers said, his voice cracking even now, eight years later.

"That whole year my foot wasn't hurting but it was achy," Ilgauskas recalled. "Looking back, I just had a bad feeling in my mind that something bad was going to happen. Against Miami, I made a shot and landed on my foot and felt really a sharp pain. My foot went numb for a couple seconds. I never felt like that before. That scared me. Right then I knew, that was it. I took myself out of the game. I didn't need any MRIs or anything. I just knew."

Danny Ferry was a player at the time, and one of Ilgauskas' good friends.

The left foot was broken again. A devastated Ilgauskas contemplated retirement.

"I didn't know if I had it in me to keep going," he said. "The lows were just too low. I put in so much work, and everything was just going down the drain. I spent more time on crutches in those years than walking on my own two feet. For me, just walking without crutches was a luxury. I had these permanent marks on my sides from the crutches. The hardest part was watching the games, just sitting there, sitting there, sitting there, watching, watching, watching."

After about six weeks, Ilgauskas decided to have one more surgery -- his fifth in six years -- a radical reconstruction by Dr. Mark Myerson in Baltimore.

"I was 25 at the time," he said. "If I was 35, the decision would have been made for me. But I just didn't want to look back at my life and feel like I missed something or quit too early. I wanted to be forced out.

"My biggest thing was, 'If I go down now, I'll be one of the biggest busts in Cleveland sports history.' Or at least Cleveland Cavs history. I wouldn't be there with [Art] Modell or anybody else, but seeing this promising career going down the drain ..."

So he had the surgery and then went through months of grueling rehab, working out with Kellers and a host of trainers, doctors and physical therapists. He was the perfect patient, following every instruction to the T. When he wasn't working out, he was wrapped in ice. He carried a bottle of Advil in his pocket, popping the pills constantly. Then one day during training camp in 2001, he woke up and the pain was gone.

"It was weird," he said.

He played 62 games that year, 81 in each of the next two years and 78 in each of the three years after that. He was named an All Star by the Eastern Conference coaches in 2003 and 2005. He played 73 games last year. Friday night against Indiana he will tie Hot Rod Williams for third place in games played with the franchise at 661, just 62 behind all-time leader Ferry.

It's no coincidence that with Ilgauskas healthy, the Cavs have reached unprecedented heights. Of course, the fact that he's playing with LeBron James also has something to do with that.

"I have enjoyed the basketball games so much more," Ilgauskas admitted.

Still, there was more tragedy. With the Cavs in the middle of their most successful season ever, resulting in a trip to the 2007 NBA Finals, Ilgauskas and his wife Jennifer lost the twins she was carrying. They would have been their first children.

The entire team mourned for their friends and it was no accident when James sought out Ilgauskas and wrapped him in a bear hug after the team won the Eastern Conference championship.

"He means a lot to me, honestly," James said. "When you go through adversity like he went through, you can always look to a guy like that to help you get through certain things. To have him go through the last few seasons winning, I think has added a little happiness to his life."

More than a little. With one year left on his contract, Ilgauskas, 33, doesn't know how much longer he'll play. He does know that he'll always have a home in Cleveland with friends who love him.

One of those friends is Kellers, who will be looking on emotionally when that rebounding record falls one of these days.

"It'll be amazing," Kellers said. "It's a quantifier of what he's been through. All of us who have lived through this with him realize what a great accomplishment it is. This is a statistical validation of what we known he's done.

"I'm sure everybody in the organization will be thrilled. I'm sure my feelings will be a little unique because of my length of time with him. We'll all have our own certain memories and emotions."

Kellers did not rule out the possibility that a tear or two would be shed.

"But I can't say that," he said with a grin. "I'm the strength coach. I'm supposed to be strong."

--------------------------------------------------

Z is likely the classiest Cavalier of all-time, and maybe will end up being the greatest. Despite only 2 All-Star Appearances (should be at least 4 due to ridiculous fan voting for an aging Shaq and Rasheed Wallace), he is likely going to end up being the franchise leader in games played, 2nd in scoring and free throws attempted and made, (behind Lebron), blocked shots and all three rebounding categories.

Stay strong, Z. Here's hoping we win you a championship!

Crennel Takes Blame for Losses

2008-11-25T01:02:00.002-05:00

Steve King, Browns.com Staff Writer

11.24.2008

Following Sunday's loss to the Texans and then again on Monday afternoon in the routine player media availability, Browns players insisted that it was them, and not head coach Romeo Crennel, who should be blamed for the Browns disappointing 4-7 start to the season.

When asked what the players taking responsibility for the disappointing season means to him, Crennel said, "It means that they are incorrect because I am the head coach, and the buck stops at my desk. It is my charge. If we don't win games, it's on me.

"We've got coaches who work very hard to try to get a good plan, try to put it out there and try to get the guys to execute, and when they team doesn't play well, it falls on the head coach. Just like when the offense doesn't do well, a lot of times, it falls on the quarterback, rightly or wrongly. In this position, the scrutiny goes with it."

He later repeated, "I'm the head coach, and the buck stops here. When we go out there and we don't play well, I don't do well. When we play well, I do well. That's the way it has been all along."

It's the same thing he says when he discusses the state of the team with Browns owner Randy Lerner.

"I tell him that this team hasn't lived up to expectations," Crennel said. "We are not as consistent as we need to be. We are working to try to be what everybody wants us to be, but it hasn't happened the way we expected it to happen. I tell him we are going to keep fighting, and we are going to try to win a game.

"He is saying that he appreciates that attitude. He knows that there are no guarantees in this business. Every game is different, and you have to line up and play it. That was his indication."

Those are similar to Crennel's conversations with general manager Phil Savage.

"We talk on a regular basis," he said. "We know where we're at, 4-7, which is not good enough. Going forward from that, we've got a game on Sunday (against the Indianapolis Colts at Cleveland Browns Stadium) that we need to try to win. Then after that, we have other games we need to try to win, and, one by one, they become the main focus.

"If we can win a game on the field, then the organization looks better. That is what we're going to try to do."

I have yet to get on the "Fire Crennel" bandwagon mostly because I respect him as a man and quotes like this reaffirm my feeling. Romeo is a good man and the players love him, I just don't know if he is getting the job done. When does the responsibility lie on the assistant coaches or the players? Who knows. We will see what happens this offseason if Romeo survives the ax. I think we need to finis

Quinn is Starter; Jurevicius Not Done Yet

2008-11-03T18:57:00.002-05:00

Browns move Quinn into starting lineup, replacing inconsistent Anderson at QB

Associated Press

Updated: November 3, 2008, 5:46 PM ET

BEREA, Ohio -- Quarterback Derek Anderson has been benched by the Cleveland Browns, who will start popular backup Brady Quinn on Thursday night against the Denver Broncos.

The switch was confirmed Monday by the team, just hours after coach Romeo Crennel said he had no plans to make a change.

Anderson, who has been inconsistent this season, threw a costly interception that was returned for a touchdown in the final minutes of Sunday's 37-27 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The pick prompted Browns fans to begin chants of "Brady! Brady!" for Quinn, the former Notre Dame star who has thrown just eight passes in two seasons.

I am completely on board with this move and think Brady is our franchise player we have been desperately searching for since 1999.

Browns WR Jurevicius, out with staph, hopes to return for '09

Associated Press

Updated: November 3, 2008, 4:06 PM ET

BEREA, Ohio -- Joe the Football Player isn't ready to give up the game he loves.

Cleveland wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, forced to sit out the 2008 season because of a serious staph infection in his surgically repaired right knee, plans to come back next season for his beloved Browns.

"I'm not giving up," he said. "I'm playing next year. It's not, I'm going to try. I am playing next year."

The passionate 33-year-old, who grew up in the Cleveland area and attended Browns games as a kid, revealed Monday that he has undergone five procedures in the past 10 months to clean out staph, which he contracted following arthroscopic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic in January.

Jurevicius is one of five known Browns players to get staph in the past three years, an outbreak that led to the team calling in infectious control specialists for assistance. Kellen Winslow recently had a second bout with staph, and the tight end was briefly suspended by the team for criticizing its handling of his hospitalization.

Jurevicius plans to have another operation on his knee to remove scar tissue. But instead of going back to the Clinic, he'll have his next procedure performed by Dr. Richard Steadman in Vail, Colo. Jurevicius doubts that he'll need microfracture surgery, an operation that involves drilling holes in the kneecap to promote cartilage growth and requires a longer rehab period.

Jurevicius said he contracted staph within 1½ weeks of his surgery. He isn't sure where he got it.

"I'm not a doctor," he said. "I'm not here to point fingers, whether it was the Cleveland Clinic or the Browns' facility. All I know is that I contracted a staph infection and wasn't happy with it. It is what it is. I battled, still have some work to do and we go from there, but now is not the time for me to point fingers."

He was asked about his theory on why the Browns have had so many staph cases.

"There's been some numbers here and it does make people open their eyes," he said. "I just feel that for me personally, I've seen enough of the Cleveland Clinic in terms of the amount of times I've been in there. For me, I would personally just like to start with a clean slate, a fresh chalkboard and write the rest of the story up. That's the reason I plan on going out to Vail. But I will be back here after that. But in terms of the number of staph infections, it makes you open your eyes."

Jurevicius, who also played for the New York Giants, Tampa Bay and Seattle, signed as a free agent with the Browns in 2005. It was his dream to end his career in Cleveland, and he's determined to see it through. Sitting out has been difficult for Jurevicius, who has found driving to Browns games extremely difficult.

As he passes fans tailgaiting -- some of them wearing his No. 84 jersey -- before games, Jurevicius remembers Sundays spent with family and friends.

"I take the long way to the stadium every game because my memories are of the Muni Parking Lot," he said. "When you see No. 84s out there, when you see the smoke from the barbecues, or people fighting, that's what I miss. It tears me up inside."

His teammates were not surprised to hear that Jurevicius is planning a comeback.

"He's a pro's pro and truly a leader on this team," kicker Phil Dawson said. "You can take a poll of this locker room and every last person would tell you that they respect Joe Jurevicius. I appreciate the fact that the guy wants to come back and play with us. He's a hometown guy and we can all learn a lesson from his passion and his commitment. I'll be really excited when he gets back in that helmet."

Jurevicius wants to leave the NFL on his own terms, not because of an infection he was powerless to stop. When he's done, he hopes to walk off the field at Browns Stadium in his uniform and wearing his orange helmet with daughters Caroline and Ava under each arm.

"I don't want them to see me give me up," he said. "I could take the easy way out and say I'm done. I'm going to take the tough road and I'm not done.

"I'm going to play."

From: ESPN.com

This man is an inspiration and a gift to the city of Cleveland. Hopefully, Quinn will lead the team to a Super Bowl in his final season next year!

When Is Our Turn?

2008-10-31T17:07:00.003-04:00

Another season ends, another "curse" or "drought" ends. In 2004, it was the Red Sox. In 2005 it was those other Sox. The Giants broke an 18 year old Super Bowl drought this past season and the Colts won their first as a franchise since 1971. Just this past year, the Celtics won their first title since the days of Larry Bird and the Phillies ended a drought of 25 years without a major sports title in the city.

With all these long awaited droughts and streaks ended, seemingly year after year, a Cleveland sports fan can only ask himself: when is our turn? When will we finally break through and get what we have been longing for for 44 years and over 13,000 combined contests? When will the stars align, for just one season, a few months' hot streak? When will we finish off teams on the ropes, come back from a deficit to win a crucial series, get the big hit (or send the runner home), knock down the big shot or make the big kick?

Plenty of our "cast-aways" have won titles, some the very next year. This year, it was beliguered Phillies manager (and former Tribe skipper) Charlie Manuel, along with former Indian reliever Chad Durbin to hoist a trophy. With the Celtics it was Scot Pollard. The Red Sox won two titles with former Indians Coco Crisp and Alex Cora. Offensive lineman Shaun O'Hara with the Giants was a Butch Davis cap-casualty. I could go on and on. Why do players find more success outside the land of the Key Bank than within? Is it the lake, the people, the weather, or something more?

No city with three major pro sports teams has ever seen a combined drought like this, and no one other than Cleveland ever will. It is a curse, a hex. Something super natural that cannot be explained. From the Fumble, the Shot, Red Right 88, the Drive, The Sweep, The Comeback or The Collapse including such colorful heroes or goats (depending on whose side you are on) as Jose Mesa, Edgar Renteria, John Elway, Michael Jordan, Earnest Byner, Brian Sipe, Tim Duncan/Tony Parker, Tommy Maddox, CC Sabathia and JD Drew, Clevelanders have had their share of heartbreak, and enough leftovers to last a millenium. What have we done to deserve this fate? No one knows. But I do know one thing: when we finally break through and win our first championship since the 1964 Browns, it will be more satisfying for our city than for any other in the world.

Lee Denied of Pepsi Clutch Award

2008-10-22T20:29:00.004-04:00

On Wednesday, October 22nd at 7:00 on ESPN, Major League Baseball and Pepsi announced the 2008 Pepsi Clutch Performer of the Year. The winner was not the Indians' Cliff Lee, who I have campaigned for on the 'Pad for the last few weeks, but former Indian pitcher CC Sabathia.

Wait a minute?! C(hoke) C(hoke) Sabathia won a "clutch" award?!?! This is laughable for anyone who has followed Sabathia's career, particularly in the playoffs. Sure, Sabathia was money for the Brewers down the stretch, helping lift them into the playoffs, but he was rocked to the tune of 5 ER in only 3.2 innings in the playoffs for the Brew Crew, helping play them out of the chase for November. Where was "Mr. Clutch" for the Indians this season when he lost his first three starts (with an ERA of 13.50) on his was to a 6-8 AL season as the "ace" of a last-place club. Did the pressure of last year's playoffs get to Sabathia to start this season? In fact, last year for the Tribe in the playoffs, Sabathia came up small yet again with a 1-2 record and 8.80 ERA, including a crushing defeat in one of the Indians' three clinching chances to make it to the World Series.

Sure, CC may light it up when the lights are off or even dim, but put the spotlight, the glow and glamor of the playoffs and he crumbles like a pack of playing cards 289 pounds lighter than him. The fans of baseball (largely influenced by the media, no less) may think CC was the "Clutch" player of the season, but how can you take the award from someone who never lost?

Cliff Lee put up a 22-3 record for the same team Sabathia went 6-8 for. He had an ERA of 2.54 and halted numerous Indians team losing streaks with solid performances. Even in his three losses he never put up numbers worse than 5.2 innings and 5 runs and pitched 5 complete games and 3 shutouts.

Lee was the clutchest man in baseball this year, but that's OK. Let the Yankees or Dodgers sign Sanathia this offseason. He can get them 20 wins and maybe a playoff birth, but will never take a team much further. But then again, is that what clutch is all about? Going all the way? Cliff didn't have the opportunity to do that this season (by absolutely no fault of his own) but I look forward to him getting the chance next year.

PEPSI CLUTCH PERFORMER

ESPN Rates Anderson "Gunslinger"

2008-10-17T19:39:00.002-04:00

Shortly after a near-flawless performance on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants, Derek Anderson was mentioned an in ESPN.com's Page 2 feature. This feature rated all 32 starting NFL quarterbacks on a +50 to -50 scale from "gunslingers" to "game managers." Anderson received a gunslinger rating of +18 with this description: A 2007 season of 29 TDs and 19 INTs? A liberal studies major at Oregon State? Doesn't sound very conservative to me.

Brett Favre was rated the ultimate gunslinger with a +50 rating and Matt Cassell was the ultimate game manager with a -50 rating.

See the rest of the ratings here.

This Year In Baseball: VOTE TRIBE

2008-10-13T18:23:00.002-04:00

Six different Tribe players are up for awards this season in MLB.com's This Year in Baseball Awards.

The players and categories are:

Best Starter: Cliff Lee
Defensive Player of Year: Grady Sizemore
Performance of the Year: Kelly Shoppach (5-6 3 2B, 2 HR, 3RBI vs. DET July 20)
Play of the Year: Asdrubal Cabrera's unassisted triple play
Oddity: Victor Martinez gets his foot stuck while kicking a bucket (May 21 vs. CWS)

You can vote for these Indians players at MLB.com or by clicking this link.

VOTE TRIBE

Thank You, Eric Snow

2008-10-13T00:16:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take the time to thank Eric Snow, who retired this week, for his hard work, classiness, "sudo-coaching", work in the Cleveland community and contributions on the floor while with the Cavaliers.

It seems like so long ago that he was battling Jeff McInnis for the starting PG spot but yet just yesterday that he was one of 8 players to lead our Cavs to a short-handed win over Washington last season, his last professional start.

Eric finished his Cavs career with 267 games played, 1,035 assists and 208 steals. His assist-to-turnover ratio was an excellent 3.17/1. Snow's contributions in the playoffs with Cleveland ranked him among the top 15 in Cavaliers history. He finished his career 11th in Cavs history in games played with 32, 14th in minutes with 652, and 9th in assists with 65.

In Snow's 14 year NBA career, he played in 846 games with career averages of 6.9 ppg and 5.0 apg. His 4,245 assists rank him a solid 71st in NBA history and 846 games put him 224th. He started his career with 3 seasons in Seattle followed by 7 in Philadelphia where he teamed with Allen Iverson, both in the prime of their careers, to form a formidable backcourt. The duo reached the NBA Finals in 2000, a place he would reach again in Cleveland in 2006. Eric finished his career with four years with his home franchise and will be missed both on and off the court. Snow was set to be the longest-tenured Cav heading into this season other than Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Mort Believes

2008-10-10T23:04:00.003-04:00

As I clicked on ESPN's Week 6 NFL Picks, I bit my tongue as I prepared to see a slew of the word "New York Giants" across the board. But -- GASP -- someone picked the Cleveland Browns to upset the Super Bowl Champs on Monday Night Football. That man, Chris Mortenson, seen at 2:45 in this video is going to look very smart come Monday at around 11:30 PM...

See Mort's shocking pick for yourself, at this link.

Tribe Seeks Revenge

2008-09-26T14:09:00.003-04:00

From Clevelandindians.com, written by Anthony Castrovince

BOSTON -- A smile creeps across Jhonny Peralta's face when he thinks about the final weekend of the 2005 season.

Not because of the way it ended, mind you. He will never smile about that.

This smile relates to what could happen to the White Sox this weekend at U.S. Cellular Field.

Revenge, anyone?

"Maybe we could do something to them," Peralta said through that smile. "You never know."

You know how '05 ended. The Indians had a chance to reach the postseason for the first time in four years, but the White Sox, winners of the American League Central, swept them on the Tribe's own turf in the season's final three games. And so Cleveland sat at home in October, its 93-win season rendered moot.

The lasting image of that series is White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen grasping his throat -- his little way of telling the Indians that they'd choked.

It's been three years, and only a handful of faces (Peralta, Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee and Rafael Betancourt) remain in the Tribe clubhouse from the list of '05 regulars.

But as the White Sox, embroiled in a brutal battle with the Twins for division supremacy in these waning days of the regular season, fight for their postseason lives, the Indians, who close out '08 with three games at U.S. Cellular, can have a say in how the AL Central shakes out.

"Knowing they're trying to make the playoffs might boost us a little bit," Lee said. "That gives us a little more momentum. But we're going to play hard and try to win no matter who we play."

Lee's playing days might be done for '08. He's been bothered this week by a stiff neck, and the Indians might hold him out of Sunday's regular-season finale if it turns out to not have any bearing on the postseason setup.

Peralta, on the other hand, will most definitely be playing. In fact, with Andy Marte's season over, he is expecting to get the start at third base on Friday night.

He's hoping that the Indians can put an exclamation point on a season that fell short of expectations.

"We have to play hard," he said. "We have to try to win every game."

That's what the White Sox did in '05. And if the Indians have their way this weekend, the choke joke will be on Chicago.

Picture added by me

10th Time's the Charm

2008-09-12T14:17:00.005-04:00

For one night, everything went right for Tim Couch. The offensive line protected him, the running game was clicking, the receivers were making all the catches and the defense stepped up big. On that one shining night, Sunday Night no less, the Cleveland Browns went into Pittsburgh and won 33-13 and Couch (2 TD, 0 INT, 1 rush TD) was a hero.

That seems so long ago, doesn't it? That's because for a number of reasons (porous defense, absent running game, paper line, putrid QB play), the Cleveland Browns have lost the last 9 games with their archrivals from the Steel City since that fateful night. Now is the time for redemption. The Browns will get another crack at Pittsburgh, number 10, this Sunday night (sense a deja-vu?) in front of a national audience all wondering the same thing: is this the time? Is this team for real? The Browns will need to step up big as it seems all odds are against them. The Clevelanders are coming off a 28-10 beatdown at the hands of Dallas while Pittsburgh was on the giving end of one of their own, smashing the helpless Texans. The Browns are hurt (see below) and the Steelers (as usual) are almost completely healthy. It's been almost 8 years since we have defeated Pittsburgh at home and in a recent CBS fan poll, 93% of fans picked the Steelers to win.

I'm not sure what to expect or what to hope for, but this seems to be as good a time as any. We are hungry: the fans, the players, Phil, Romeo and perhaps most of all, Randy Lerner, a man who deserves more for what he has put into this team than the team has given him. The Steelers are content, the "fat cats" of the division and they have little reason to get fired up. After all, many of the Steelers' players and fans have declared that this is no longer a rivalry due to the team's dominance over the last 5 years. I don't know if we can do it, but I do know that we have to. There is no other option.

Injuries

As usual, the Browns have a host of injuries heading into Sunday night's game with the Steelers, here's a brief recap:

S Sean Jones, OUT (knee surgery)*
TE Martin Rucker, OUT (knee surgery)
KR Josh Cribbs, QUESTIONABLE (ankle)*
LB Kris Griffin, PROBABLE (elbow)
G Rex Hadnot, QUESTIONABLE (knee)*
S Brodney Pool, QUESTIONABLE (concussion)*
OL Ryan Tucker, DOUBTFUL (hip)*
WR Donte Stallworth, DOUBTFUL (quad strain)*
LB Kamerion Wimbley, PROBABLE (groin pull)*

WR Joe Jurevicius, PUP (out until Week 7)
OL Lennie Friedman, IR (out for season)
CB Daven Holly, IR (out for season)
OLB Antwan Peek, IR (out for season)*

*projected starters

Simmons: Cleveland Will Stink

2008-09-07T01:53:00.002-04:00

I'm posting this here as a reminder this season when we make our presence known throughout the league. Call it "blog lockerroom bulletin board material."

From ESPN.com, Bill Simmons

Prediction No. 4: Cleveland will stink.

I'm not a big fan of this formula: Artificially high expectations + too many nationally televised games (five in all) + brutal schedule + too much luck last season (what are the odds of them getting 32 games from Kellen Winslow and Braylon Edwards again?) + brewing QB controversy + horrible preseason = Yikes.

Also, their two biggest offseason moves were fundamentally illogical: Trading for Shaun Rogers and keeping Derek Anderson. In the salary-cap era, you can't keep Anderson (who had two good months and tailed off) after dealing a future No. 1 and committing all that money to Brady Quinn. It's like drafting QBs in the first two rounds of a fantasy draft -- yeah, you can do it, but it never works. Why not trade Anderson for two draft picks and back the guy who you loved so much a year before? And why compound the error by trading your 2nd and 3rd round picks plus a valuable cornerback (Leigh Bodden) for expensive and possibly shaky defensive linemen (Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers). That's a swing of four draft picks plus Bodden! Didn't they see what happened with the Giants last year? If you made a "How to win the Super Bowl" formula, would "Pay two quarterbacks big money" and "Don't get anything from your draft" be two of the pieces? OF COURSE NOT!!! On the bright side, "taking the Browns to the Super Bowl" remains my favorite euphemism for making a doody.

Also from ESPN, why Rick Reilly thinks that Cleveland is a Browns town while ripping on the Cavs:

CLEVELAND Browns. Name one other city that lost a team and had the league give it back! Name, uniforms, everything! If the Cavaliers left, two janitors might look up.

LINK

Buffalo Plays Last Game as Tribe Affiliate

2008-09-02T13:31:00.004-04:00

A 9-6 loss to the Rochester Red Wings on Monday was not only the end of a season for the Buffalo Bisons, but also the end of an era. For 14 seasons, the industrial New York city was the host of the Cleveland Indians' AAA farm team and what a marriage it was. Bisons fans didn't quite have the final season with the Indians they wanted going 66-77 for 4th place in their 5 team division, but they did go out with a bang, getting to see Aaron Laffey, Travis Hafter, Josh Barfield and Victor Martinez play for the last 10 or so games of the season. However, with multiple division championships and an International League Title in 2004, there were many great moments for the fans in Buffalo, but those will not be gone. Buffalo fans will still have a AAA team in 2009, likely the affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, while the Indians will move closer to home in Columbus.

On the year for players who played the majority of the season in AAA, Mike Aubrey led the team in average (.281), Todd Linden was the MVP and leader in homers (14), Brad Snyder was the leader in RBI (61) and pitcher John Halama led the team in wins (8). Young starter David Huff stole the show for the Bisons after being called up from AA Akron going 6-4 but with a 3.01 ERA. Rick Bauer led the team in saves with 18 and Eddy Buzachero had an excellent season out of the pen with 10 himself.

All in all it was a sad but reflective year for Bisons fans but an exciting one for the Tribe. With a new start in Columbus, better facilities and home in Ohio, the future is looking up for Indians Minor League Baseball.

NOTE: The Akron Aeros begin their playoff series with the Bowie Baysox on Wednesday looking for their third championship since 2003.

Source: Cleveland Indians.com

Browns Trim Roster to 53

2008-08-30T13:33:00.005-04:00

The Browns made 22 necessary moves on Saturday to trim their roster to the mandatory 53 men allowable. Among the moves were some not so surprising but also some shocking cuts. Let's take a look.

Biggest Shock

Travis Wilson WR, and Shantee Orr OLB CUT

After a solid preseason finale I thought for sure that Travis Wilson would be the #3 wide receiver. After Saturday's cuts he isn't even on the team. The so-called "best WR" in the 06 draft and official busted Browns pick is now looking for work on the streets.

Orr on the other hand was a free agent pickup whom I thought would provide a nice pass rush this year. His release likely means the Browns are high on 7th rounder Alex Hall and are convinced Antwan Peek is healthy enough to contribute week 1.

Another Injury

Lennie Friedman was surprisingly placed on the injured reserve, ending his 2008 campaign. The versatile G/C was going to be a factor this year, but his spot will have to be filled by Seth McKinney, Isaac Sowells and Ryan Tucker.

DB Battle

In the battle to make the roster as a DB, Jereme Perry and AJ Davis lost and Gerard Lawson and Travis Daniels were the big winners. The Browns traded a draft pick to acquire Daniels over a week ago and Lawson is an undrafted rookie who will be relied on mostly on special teams. Perry and Davis had subpar preseason outings.

Former Savage Picks Gone

Gone are former Phil Savage 2nd day draft picks DL Chase Pittman and Melila Purcell, and LB David McMillan. The depth of the Browns has improved to the point where moves like this can be easily made.

Four Tight Ends

Phil chose to go with four tight ends this season: Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, the injured rookie Martin Rucker and roster bubble candidate Darnell Dinkins. I like this move and appreciate Dinkins' work on special teams. Brad Cieslak and Kolomano Kapanui were released.

2008 Draft Class

All picks of the Browns' rookie class made the roster: Beau Bell, Atyba Rubin, Alex Hall, Paul Hubbard, and Martin Rucker. Also making the team as a rookie is UDFA Gerard Lawson.

WR Battle

And last but not least, the vaunted wide receiver battle. As I mentioned earlier, Travis Wilson was surprisingly released, due in most part to the play of Syndric Steptoe who emerged as a special teams force this preseason. Also gone is area-native Steve Sanders who had a good preseason. Paul Hubbard made the team due to his size and potential because he had an up-and-down preseason and Joe Jurevicius will be eligible to come off the PUP Week 7. For now the Browns will go with 5 WRs.

Reserve-Injured

OL Lennie Friedman

Waived

TE Brad Cieslak

DB A.J. Davis

WR Efrem Hill

TE Kolomona Kapanui

DB Travis Key

OL James Lee

WR Lance Leggett

LB David McMillan

DB Brandon Mitchell

LB Chase Ortiz

OL Jonathan Palmer

DB Jereme Perry

DL Melila Purcell

K Jason Reda

WR Steve Sanders

WR Travis Wilson

Terminated-Vested Veteran

LB Shantee Orr

Waived-Injured

OL Derrick Morse

OL Marvin Philip

DL Chase Pittman

RB Travis Thomas

Projected Depth Chart

QB: Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey
RB: Jamal Lewis, Jerome Harrison, Jason Wright
FB: Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali
WR: Braylon Edwards, Donte Stallworth, Syndric Steptoe, Josh Cribbs, Paul Hubbard
TE: Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, Martin Rucker, Darnell Dinkins
LT: Joe Thomas, Isaac Sowells
LG: Eric Steinbach, Scott Young
C: Hank Fraley
RG: Rex Hadnot, Seth McKinney
RT: Kevin Shaffer, Ryan Tucker

DE: Robaire Smith, Louis Leonard
NT: Shaun Rogers, Shaun Smith
DE: Corey Williams, Atyba Rubin
OLB: Kamerion Wimbley, Alex Hall
ILB: Andra Davis, Leon Williams
ILB: D'Qwell Jackson, Beau Bell, Kris Griffin
OLB: Willie McGinest, Antwan Peek
CB: Eric Wright, Brandon McDonald, Travis Daniel, Terry Cousin, Gerard Lawson
FS: Brodney Pool, Mike Adams
SS: Sean Jones, Nick Sorenson

K: Phil Dawson
P: Dave Zastudil
LS: Ryan Pontbriand
KR: Josh Cribbs
PR: Josh Cribbs

EDIT: On Monday, September 1st, the Browns claimed OL Scott Young off waivers from Philadelphia and announced their practice squad. OL Nate Bennett was waived to make room for Young on the roster.

Practice Squad

OL Nate Bennett*
LB Titus Brown
RB Omar Cuff
OL Christian Gaddis
S Travis Key*
WR Lance Leggett*
DL Melila Purcell*
WR Steve Sanders*

*Spent time with Browns training camp.

Source: Cleveland Browns Home Page

Browns Make Roster Moves; Jurevicius to PUP

2008-08-26T16:28:00.002-04:00

The Cleveland Browns made their aforementioned roster moves on Tuesday, two of which were expected injury list placements. Joe Jurevicius was placed on the PUP list meaning that he will not be eligible to play until after Week 7. His 2008 season in its entirety is in doubt after a serious knee surgery. Kevin Kasper, a fellow receiver looking to make the squad was placed on the injured reserve due to head/neck injuries, ending his 2008 campaign. Other moves included the waiving of DB Damon Jenkins, RB Austin Scott and DL Brian Schaefering (as I predicted). Travis Thomas, the beneficiary of the Scott cut, will get one last preseason game to prove himself to the Browns and/or the rest of the NFL.

Source: Cleveland Browns Team Website

First Round of Cuts Arriving Soon

2008-08-25T14:14:00.003-04:00

It's the time of year that all players in the NFL dread, cut week. Starting tomorrow and ending before Week 1 of the regular season the Browns' roster will be shrunk from 80 players to 75 and to the final total of 53. Let's take a look at my first five cuts as the Browns approach Week 4 of the preseason.

Jason Reda, K

Kicker cuts are rarely indicative of the quality of performance, rather a situation where a veteran is already in place and has done nothing to lose his job. This is the case with Reda, the Illinois product who has shown a strong leg on kickoffs and solid accuracy putting the ball between the posts. Phil Dawson is the Browns' man and this cut will give Reda a shot to latch on elsewhere in the NFL.

Brian Schaefering, DL

The big man from tiny Lindenwood College is an NFL success story to just make it this far but his time may be up. With the depth additions to the DL this offseason and the emergence of last year's draft picks Melila Purcell and Chase Pittmann and this year's rookie Atyba Rubin, his chances of making the 53 man roster are slim to none.

Kapanui Kolomona, TE

The man with the coolest name on the Cleveland Browns likely will not survive past Tuesday. It's not his fault, per se, but Kolomona has been injured all of camp and missed virtually all of late practices and preseason contests. Everyone knows of the depth of Browns tight ends and out of the group including Winslow, Heiden, Rucker, Dinkins and Brad Cieslak, Kolomona is likely the one to go.

Lance Leggett, WR

Another victim of depth at an offensive skill position, the large Miami U product has performed decently enough in training camp and limited preseason action. However, I think the Browns want to see more of Steve Sanders, Paul Hubbard and the oft-injured Kevin Kasper who have more of a shot of making the actual 53 man roster.

Travis Thomas, RB

The Golden Domer (seen above) has bounced from runningback to linebacker back to runningback in his college career. The fact that the 5th year senior has made it this far is testament in and of itself but I'm afraid his time may be up. Thomas has shown limited vision and speed in games and fellow UDFA RB Austin Scott of Penn State surpassed him on the depth chart for the last exhibition game against Detroit. This is likely the end of Thomas' NFL run.

What's next for these cuts? Practice squad is a possibility as I think of the bunch Schaefering and Leggett are most likely as is latching on with another NFL squad. Most likely however, these men will play a lower division of football or go into the real world. Whatever the case, I'm sure their time with the Browns will be one to remember for the rest of their lives.

Three Clevelanders Traded

2008-08-15T15:23:00.005-04:00

The events of the last few days have left Cleveland pro sports minus three key veteran players. Paul Byrd of the Indians was traded to Boston for cash considerations and in a much larger deal Damon Jones and Joe Smith of the Cavaliers were traded to Milwaukee for Maurice Williams (Smith was then traded to Oklahoma City). All three players were veterans who were well-liked on their teams and by the fans. Let's take a look back on their time in Cleveland.

Joe Smith

The shortest tenured Clevelander played only 41 games with the Cavaliers last season (27 regular season, 14 playoff) before being shipped off in the Mo Williams deal. Smith was originally acquired as a "throw-in" in the Ben Wallace/Larry Hughes deal with Chicago but proved to be a valuable asset to the Cavs, averaging 8.1 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game with a reliable midrange jumper. Smith's best game as a Cavalier came in a 17-point effort in a Game 3 playoff win over Boston.

Paul Byrd

Byrd played 2+ seasons for the Indians after being signed as a free agent in the 2006 offseason. He finished his stint with the Indians with a 32-27 record and an ERA under 4.75, impressive numbers for a man once thought to be a #5 starter for the Tribe at best. Byrd was 2-0 in last year's playoff run including the clinching game vs. the New York Yankees. Let's take a look at where his stats rank in Indians pitching history:

32 wins (72nd all-time)
84 starts (59th all-time)
84 games (141st all-time)
502.1 innings (80th all-time)
232 strikeouts (91st all-time)
4 complete games (162nd all-time)
2 shutouts (91st all-time)

Damon Jones

A well-liked character with a personality as large as his ego, Damon Jones once called himself the greatest shooter in the world. While maybe not that, DJ was a good three point threat who hit many great shots for the Cavaliers. In 2005-06, his first season with Cleveland, Damon was an ironman for the Cavs playing in all 82 games with 6.7 points and 2.1 assists per game. In his second campaign, Damon was selected to the All-Star Game's Three Point Shootout where he didn't win but finished a solid 5th. In his last season, 07-08, Damon shot a Cavalier-best 41.6% from three point range with 6.5 points a contest. Some of his most memorable moments come on the grandest of stages. In a key late-season game in 2006, Damon drilled the winning 3 pointer vs. the Raptors. He would go on to come cold off the bench, having not played a single second, and win Game 6 vs. Washington in the playoffs with a short jumper. Damon finishes 6th in Cavaliers regular season history with 344 three pointers made and 6th with 877 attempted. He finishes 15th in playoff history with 29 games played and 10th with 14 three pointers made. Let's take a look at some of Damon's more memorable moments:

Vote Slider for Mascot Hall of Fame!

2008-08-11T22:54:00.002-04:00

The Cleveland Indians' very own mascot, Slider, is up for induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame. You can help by going to mascothalloffame.com and registering in one easy step. Choose Slider from the list of Professional Mascots and click vote, it's that easy.

VOTE SLIDER!

More info

Byrd Rolls - Does This Affect Indians '08 Rotation?

2008-08-10T00:17:00.004-04:00

It seemed inevitable a month ago that Paul Byrd's career as a Cleveland Indian was winding down. The veteran was 3-10 after a loss on the 4th of July with an ERA over 5 and the most HRs allowed in the Major Leagues. Four straight wins later -- with no dingers given up -- the veteran is the hottest name pitcher on the waiver wire trade market. But do the Indians want to give Byrd up? With the trade of C.C. Sabathia, the loss of Jake Westbrook (Tommy John surgery puts his '09 campaign in question), the up-and-down nature of young hurlers Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers and the recent injury struggles of Fausto Carmona, would the Tribe consider bringing back the savvy Byrd for one, maybe two more seasons? It makes sense from a stability and leadership standpoint. Byrd has been consistent in the last 2+ seasons as an Indian being good for double digit wins and excellent control (230 strikeouts to only 90 walks) while bringing an excellent presence to the clubhouse day in and day out. It also makes sense from a monetary position. After being signed to a 2-year, $14 million contract in 2006, the Tribe picked up Byrd's club option for $7.5 million in 2008. There is no doubt that at 37 years old and towards the end of Byrd's career that he will be cheaper this time around. The simple fact may be that the Indians can't afford to take a chance on minor leaguers such as David Huff or youngsters such as Laffey and Sowers when they are looking to put this disappointing season behind them. Unless Mark Shapiro really feels confident about making a serious run at bringing back Sabathia (who rejected an Indians offer for $19 mil a year earlier this season) or picking up other Brewer ace Ben Sheets, it will probably be a guy like Randy Wolf of the Astros, an aging, relatively cheap back of the rotation starter. Don't we already one of those? Anthony Reyes may have pitched himself into the mix with 6.1 one-run innings, picking up the win in his Tribe debut last week vs. Toronto. However, like Laffey and Sowers, Reyes is young and has struggled in his recent career. If it were up to me, I would make a long run at the man who went 2-0 in last years' playoffs, Paul Byrd. It's not good to maintain roster stability on a team that misses the postseason, but Byrd is a winner, going 32-27 as an Indian. I have no doubt that he would help the Indians as a 4th or 5th starter next season as they look to reach the promised land once again.

My Projected '09 Tribe Starting Rotation

Cliff Lee
Fausto Carmona
Aaron Laffey
Paul Byrd
Jeremy Sowers

Emergency Starters: Anthony Reyes, Adam Miller, David Huff
Disabled List to start season: Jake Westbrook

A lot of things depend on how Sowers and Laffey finish this 2008 season, but I see them having potential breakout years in 09. Reyes is a relative unknown right now but he could easily be in this mix, as could Adam Miller if he could ever stay healthy. David Huff could make an impact as a late-season call-up. Jake Westbrook would probably bump out Laffey or Sowers when/if he returns from the Disabled List.

Browns Preseason Week 1

2008-08-08T17:58:00.003-04:00

I was at CBS last night and saw the Browns in action for the first time this year firsthand. A couple random thoughts and some analysis of the game:

Derek Anderson looked sharp but actually missed Braylon Edwards on his one-handed TD grab. Braylon came back to the ball and made an excellent play.
Jamal ran very hard behind an offensive line that hasn't missed a beat from last season and Jerome Harrison impressed with the 2nd teamers. I think he will pass Jason Wright as Lewis' primary backup with Wright on special teams.
It looks like it could be a season where we stop the run two times and give up a third-and-long though the air. The run defense was stout, led by Shaun Rogers at nose, but the DBs looked vulnerable, particularly Brandon McDonald and Terry Cousins.
If something ever happened to Josh Cribbs, Syndric Steptoe could fill in nicely. He had an excellent evening returning kicks but missed a Quinn pass that got tipped for an interception. I'm not sure if he will make the team, but Steptoe will be a solid practice squad candidate at worst.
Speaking of Quinn, the backup was sharp completing 13 of 17 passes for over 130 yards and leading the 2nd team offense to a TD (Jason Wright 1 yard plunge) against the Jets' first team defense. Ken Dorsey was not so fortunate. Given multiple chances to win the game in the final minutes, Dorsey failed finishing 8-26 on the night.
Dave Zastudil concerns me. He didn't have a great season last year after returning from a back injury and had two very mediocre punts in last night's game. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Browns draft a punter this coming offseason, but let's hope we won't need to see much of Zastudil this year.
On a final note, let's hope and pray that we receive no further injuries to the offensive line or secondary. From what I saw last night, there is not a lot of depth at either the cornerback or tackle positions.

The Browns' next game will be Monday Night against the Giants on ESPN

Baxter to Undergo Another Surgery

2008-08-05T17:48:00.008-04:00

Just saw a story reporting that Browns DB Gary Baxter has undergone another surgery on his knees, this one an arthroscopic. Baxter had been practicing in training camp for about a week but experienced some soreness starting a few days ago. The usual time-frame for this kind of injury is about a month but for Baxter could be even longer. That time-table would put his return at around the first regular season game, meaning he will miss the entire preseason, if he were to make the team. That chance of making the roster looks shaky at best for the Cleveland Browns or any NFL organization at this point. Perhaps the best shot for Baxter is if the Browns put him on the Physically Unable to Perform list (or PUP). That would make him inactive for the first 6 regular season games while he rehabs and continues to strengthen the knee, while not counting on the 53-man roster. Then when the time comes at Week 7, if a roster move is necessary or if he has proven himself ready, he can join the team.

Certainly not good news from a guy I was rooting for... If only he could have made it to Thursday to get back on that field for the Browns preseason home opener.

Source: Cleveland Plain Dealer

Lee Wins #15, Makes Case for Cy Young

2008-08-05T13:31:00.004-04:00

It took 115 pitches and 7 innings, 5 runs of support and 2 solid relief innings from Rafael Perez but that was enough to give the Indians a win Monday vs. the Rays. Wins these days are few and far between for the disappointing Tribe but this was an even more special one, not necessarily for the team, but for the starting pitcher. The win was Cliff Lee's 15th on the season, tops in baseball and three away from a career high -- in early August. Coupled with only 2 losses and an ERA under 2.60, Cliff is having the best season for an Indians pitcher in almost 30 years and is making his case to be the second Indian in as many seasons to win the Cy Young Award, the most prestigious for a pitcher in all of baseball.

Let's take a look at how Cliff stacks up against other competitors at this point of the season.

Cliff Lee, SP, Indians: 15-2, 2.58 ERA, 127 Ks, 22 BBs, 153.2 innings, 2 CGs, 1 shutout

It's hard to find flaws in anything Cliff Lee has done this year because, well... there aren't any. With an AL-leading 15 wins, AL-low (for starters) 2 losses, and 2nd best 2.58 ERA he has made as strong a case as any for the award. Did I mention his 127 strikeouts to only 22 walks -- a 6-1 ratio?!

Joe Saunders, SP, Angels: 14-5, 3.03 ERA, 70 Ks, 41 BBs, 145.2 innings, 1 CG

Saunders presents probably the greatest challenge to Lee from another starting pitcher with his 14 wins and ERA just over 3, however his 5 losses and subpar strikeout-to-walk ratio will hurt his cause. The fact that he anchors the staff of the best team in baseball will make up for any statistical disadvantages to Cliff Lee, who is on a last-place team.

Mike Mussina, SP, Yankees: 14-7, 3.44 ERA, 90 Ks, 19 BBs, 133.1 innings

Mussina's resurgent season should not be discredited, however some of these statistics may be lying. The Moose has received excellent run support from the Bronx Bombers and has been bailed out by a strong bullpen. He also has 7 losses to his credit. However, 14 wins does stand for a lot as does his excellent control, only 19 walks in 133+ innings. Perhaps he should be in the running for keeping the Yanks in the playoff hunt in the absence of ace Wang.

Juistin Duchscherer, SP, Athletics: 10-7, 2.33 ERA, 78 Ks, 31 BBs, 1 CG, 1 shutout

Duchscherer's trouble is the opposite of Mussina's. He hasn't received anything remotely resembling run support from the A's. With a 2.33 ERA, best in baseball, he will be in the conversation for this award despite his team's lack of help and his average win-loss record. A stretch of 5 or 6 wins to finish out the season would be Duchsherer's only hope.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, Red Sox: 12-2, 3.04 ERA, 94 Ks, 64 BBs, 106.2 innings

I will argue against Dice-K winning this award with any Red Sox fan alive, but his stats put him in the conversation. With one of the highest run supports in baseball, Dice-K has won 12 games with only 2 losses despite walking 64 men in 106.2 innings of work. He deserves some credit for pitching out of trouble but has also left some games due for a loss where he team has come back to win. His time on the DL will hurt his case for the Cy Young Award.

Francisco Rodriguez, RP, Angels: 1-2, 2.40 ERA, 51 Ks, 28 BBs, 48.2 IP, 45/48 saves

K-Rod has been the best closer in baseball this season with 45/48 converted save chances, by far the most in baseball. However his relatively high ERA and 1-2 record will count against him as will the question in voters' minds: should a reliever win this award? K-Rod is worthy for certain, but one has to remeber that saves only come from a team being in a save situation, something the Angels have had plenty of this year. Saves can be overrated as well. K-Rod has had a number of those this year with a 3 run lead and even a 1-pitch save against the Indians where he came in up 3 to spell another Angels reliever with 2 outs.

Mariano Rivera, RP, Yankees: 4-4, 1.49 ERA, 58 Ks, 5 BBs, 48.1 innings, 26/26 saves

No that isn't a misprint. Mariano Rivera has a 100% save conversion and only 5 walks in 48.1 innings. However, he has been very average in non-save situations, picking up 4 losses that the competing Yankees could not afford. The other thing that will hurt Rivera is that he has 19 fewer saves than the AL leader, Francisco Rodriguez and his team is currently in third place. What will help Rivera? That 26/26 stat and the fact he plays in New York.

Joe Nathan, RP, Twins: 0-0, 1.18 ERA, 49 Ks, 11 BBs, 45.2 innings, 30/32 saves

If you asked my opinion, I'd tell you that Joe Nathan is the best closer in baseball. Try telling that to the media. Nathan has yet to pick up a loss on the season, has the best ERA in baseball by any closer at 1.18 and has converted 30/32 save chances. He has been virtually unhittable for the Twins who don't score a lot of runs for him to carry into the 9th. Nathan probably should win this award over the other two closers, but his lack of save opportunities and the fact he plays in Minnesota will hurt him.

My Ballot:

1st Place- Cliff Lee
2nd Place- Joe Saunders
3rd Place- Joe Nathan
4th Place- Francisco Rodriguez
5th Place- Daisuke Matsuzaka

Welcome to the Launchpad

2008-08-05T13:12:00.002-04:00

With a name inspired by Cavaliers announcer Michael Reghi, the Launchpad will be a source for everything Cleveland sports with my own unique spin and opinions. Feel free to add your comments to each post by clicking below them. You can subscribe to the blog by checking out the links at the very bottom of the page. Feel free to contact me with questions or opinions.

Let the sports talk begin!

Cleveland's Launchpad

Rivalry Building Between Browns, Jets

Vote Choo!

Look Back on a Cavalier Decade

Concerned About Gilbert

Wild Night in Comerica

Someone Tell Me What Just Happened

Cleveland Browns 2010 Draft

Indians Trade Prospects - Where Are They Now?

Why do I want the Bulls in the First Round?

Path to Redemption

Browns Land Two Starters in Trade

Cleveland Indians 2010 Outlook

Indians Brass Choose All-2000s Team

My Take on the Whirwind of Moves

Latest Update! Indians Offseason Moves

Browns Team of the 2000s (Part 2)

Browns All-2000s Team

New Lebron 2010 Website

PROTEST The Monday Night Game

Some Interesting Media Clippings

Cavs Offseason Recap

Hughes: Lebron Will Stay

Another Fan's Attempt to Convince #23

Quick Liftoffs: 10-7-09

Was Eric Wedge a Scapegoat?

Browns All-2000s Team (Part 2)

Browns All-2000s Team

Delonte West's Shocking Arrest

Phil Savage Draft Analysis

Quick Liftoffs: 7-13

Summer Time

You Say Goodbye, And I Say Hello

Goodbye, Michael Aubrey

Indians Roster Updates

Cavs Ranked NBA's 19th Best

Moves to Help Tribe

Rex Hadnot Saves Browns

Brown on Hot Seat - Replacements?

Cavs Season Over/Akron Aeros Report

Season Saved, For Now

Thanks For Nothing, Mo Williams

Oh My

Don't Blame Z, Look at Backcourt

Quick Liftoffs: 5-17

Quick Liftoffs: 5-12

Another Day, Another Bullpen Meltdown

Quick Liftoffs: 4-26

Cavs Win, Playoff Milestones Set

Tribe Heating Up

Congrats Coach Brown!

Quick Liftoffs: 4-18

Quick Liftoffs: 4-16

Tribe Offseason and Opening Day

CBS Likes Indians as Sleeper in Central

Congrats to Ilgauskas

Great Clevelander of the Week 3-17

Out With the Old and in With the... Old?

Great Clevelander of the Week 2-26

Indians Offseason Recap

Great Clevelander 2-18

Great Clevelander 2-11

Mo Finally an All-Star!

Don't Believe the Rumors

Mike Brown to Coach All-Stars

Browns Hire Mangini

Experience could serve Mangini well

01.08.2009

Thomas, Rogers Make Pro Bowl

Pro Bowlers to be Announced

Chairman of the Boards

Friends, teammates root on Ilgauskas as he nears Cavs' rebound mark

by Mary Schmitt Boyer/Plain Dealer Reporter Thursday December 04, 2008, 11:37 PM

Crennel Takes Blame for Losses

Quinn is Starter; Jurevicius Not Done Yet

Browns move Quinn into starting lineup, replacing inconsistent Anderson at QB

Browns WR Jurevicius, out with staph, hopes to return for '09

When Is Our Turn?

Lee Denied of Pepsi Clutch Award

ESPN Rates Anderson "Gunslinger"

by Mary Schmitt Boyer/Plain Dealer Reporter
Thursday December 04, 2008, 11:37 PM