Thursday, April 19, 2007

Unforgivable...

The Indians blew a 4 run lead with 2 outs in the 9th somehow losing 8-6 and getting swept by the Yankees to fall to 6-6 on the season.

A number of unforgivable items from today's game:
  • In the 4th inning after tying the game 1-1, the Tribe loaded the bases with one out and produced zero, count 'em, zero runs. This was thanks to two awful at-bats from Casey Blake and Jhonny Peralta. Surprise!
  • In the 6th, the Tribe loaded the bases again, this time with NO OUTS, and produced zero, count 'em, zero runs. This was thanks to three awful at-bats from... Casey Blake, Jhonny Peralta and Mike Rouse. Surprise!
  • The Indians scored just one run off rookie starter Darrell Rasner.
  • Casey Blake LEFT 7 RUNNERS ON BASE!
  • Jhonny Peralta LEFT 8 RUNNERS ON BASE!
  • Both came up with the bases loaded TWICE and produced ZERO runs.
  • Joe Borowski gave up 5 hits, 1 walk and 6 runs in 2/3 of an inning. This included 2 HRs. He threw 31 pitches for 18 strikes and almost all of those 18 strikes were right over the heart of the plate.
  • Up by one, with runners on 1st and 2nd, two outs and A-Rod up Borowski threw a wild pitch to advance the runners to 2nd and 3rd. With a base open Eric Wedge chose not to intentionally walk A-Rod and pitch to Jason Giambi even though A-Rod leads MLB in HR, RBIs, is the hottest hitter in the game right now and KILLED the Tribe in the first two games of the series.

Incredible. Unfathomable. Unforgivable.

The worst thing is up until the 9th inning there were some bright spots that were ruined and will be forgotten:

  • Fausto Carmona looking dominate at times. Pitching out of a couple jams and looking like the man he has the potential to be.
  • Fultz and Betancourt making the middle relievers look good yet again.
  • Great offensive days by Pronk (3-4, 2R) and Victor (2-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR).
  • Another solid contribution in a platoon role from Jason Michaels.
  • The Tribe battling back after being down 1-0 and 2-1.

The jury is still out on Borowski. Once 6-3 and looking like they were going to around their normal April swoon are now 6-6. Uncle Eric not doing anything to silence the critics of his in game management. Casey Blake still playing. We need Blake. Great guy. Good veteran. Not an everyday player. Spot player when a guy needs a rest. Worst clutch hitter on the team. Let Garko, Vic and Pronk man first while Dirt Dog, Michaels and Dellucci rotate in the OF.

I hope that this season is actually following the "Major League" script with the games in Milwaukee and the Yankee ass kicking. Because then the Tribe would end up winning the division. But right now... "These guys ain't so f$cking good."

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Fugly...

Another starter who couldn't get out of the 3rd inning. Sketchy bullpen work. No contributions from the 4th through 8th hitters to the tune of zero hits. Another awful, awful showing by the Indians in New York securing their first series loss of the 2007 season.

For a team that looked focused and found ways to win in the first two weeks of the season, despite almost a week layoff due to snow, they looked completely over matched and intimidated by a team that has a potent line-up but absolutely no pitching. Facing a rookie pitcher for the second day in a row, the Tribe got thumped 9-2 a day after getting rocked 10-3.

Andy Marte got a day off after looking like a sieve at third and Casey Blake had a very Casey Blake day by playing great defense but going 0-5 with 2 Ks. But this team needs to get more out of people not named Sizemore or Hafner if it is going to be a contender. The bullpen didn't look horrible but it didn't look good either.

Frustrating considering the strong 6-3 start. Now we are teetering at 6-5. Hopefully a trip to sunny Tampa (wait they play in a dome) and facing the putrid Devil Rays will help change this but they still have an afternoon game Thursday against the Yankees first.

Thank God we have Fausto Carmona pitching to stop the bleeding! WAIT A TICK!?!...

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Two Browns FA Signings... and a smell eminating from Berea?

The Browns signed two veteran Free Agents today to add depth on the offensive side of the ball, FB Alan Ricard and TE Ryan Krause.

Ricard is familiar to Browns fans since he was the man who was the lead blocker for Jamal Lewis' 2,000 yard season in 2003. It should be no surprise since Browns Management loves to sign all of the Dirty Birds' cast-offs. This means that the Browns weren't ready to make the FB spot a full-time showing of "The Lawrence Vickers Experience" and, IMHO, competition is always a good thing. Whether or not they carry 2 FBs during the season is yet to be determined.

I find the Krause signing more interesting. Now he's a journeyman TE who played for San Diego the past 3 years and hence is familiar with new OC Chud Light. So, no surprise that the Browns signed a guy that somebody knew from somewhere else, but why all the activity with TEs? We just signed Steve Heiden (the most effective Browns player since their return in 1999) to a four year extension and have Darnell Dinkins under contract for another 2 years. Plus we have The Soldier Kellen Winslow... who had secretive major knee surgery (that was supposed to just be a scope) and has been wildly rumored to possibly be out for 2007. The Browns have vehemently denied it but they'd never lie about injuries. Just ask LeCharles Bentley... oh... wait...

Some thing's oozing from Berea... and whatever it is, it stinks.

Cleveland @ New York 4/17/07

The Indians start a three game series in New York against the Yankees tonight, Jake Westbrook takes on Chase Wright, who is making his major league debut due to the numerous injuries on the Yankee pitching staff. The Indians have a horrible history against pitchers they have never seen so we'll see how it pans out...

TOP OF THE FIRST
Grady and Jason Michaels work walks off a shaky looking Chase Wright. Hafner bails out Wright with a horrible swing on a change-up out of the zone on 2-1 but eventually advances the runners with a ground out to the hole deep at second. Victor makes his return to the line-up and promptly send a week ground out to SS to score the first Cleveland run. Garko lines out to Jeter to end the threat. Not a good way to start against a minor leaguer making his ML debut.
1 RUN, 0 HITS, 0 ERRORS, 1 LOB - INDIANS 1, YANKEES 0

BOTTOM OF THE FIRST
Johnny Damon milks a walk after being in an 0-2 hole and goes from first to third on a perfectly executed hit and run by Derek Jeter. After an Abreu strike out, A-Rod singles home Damon to tie it a 1-1. Giambi walks to load the bases and Jorge Posada takes Jake to deep CF for a SF and a 2-1 Yankees lead. Cano grounds into a FC to end it. Jake does not look sharp... again and the Umpire is not calling the low strikes tonight.
2 RUNS, 2 HITS, 0 ERRORS, 2 LOB - YANKEES 2, INDIANS 1

TOP OF THE SECOND
Blake works the count to line a single. If only he could bat with the bases empty every time since he seems to lose the ability to hit with anyone on base. Jhonny P works a walk to give the Tribe two men on with no outs. Barfield looks totally over matched and eventually pops out to first. Marte then pops out weekly to LF. That makes them 0-5 today with runners in scoring position. Awesome! Grady lines out to LF to make it 0-6.
0 RUNS, 1 HIT, 0 ERRORS, 2 LOB - YANKEES 2, INDIANS 1

BOTTOM OF THE SECOND
Melky Cabrera weekly grounds out to Garko at first for out #1. Jake gets ahead of the legendary (and .138 hitting) Doug Mienkewicz 1-2 and serves up a homer into the RF stands for a 3-1 New York lead. Damon lines Jake's next offering into the RF corner. Announcer just said Jake has given up 16 hits in 12 1/3 innings this year, ugh. Damon advances to third as Jeter ground out to Jhonny Peratla. Abreau lines a shot past a diving Garko for a 4-1 lead. Everything is being hit HARD of Westbrook tonight. Abreu steals second as Victor throws the ball into CF, I thought he was "improved" behind the dish. And A-Rod promptly hammers one into Monument Park for a 6-1 lead. Paging Jason Davis... and he up in the pen. Another bullet off the bat of Giambi and Posada takes Westbrook downtown DEEP to right center and it's 8-1 Tribe fans. Uncle Eric finally comes out to tell Jake goodnight. Jason Davis gets Cano to ground out weekly to third and Andy Marte commits error #4 on the year to keep the inning alive. The Yankees have batted around. Melky Cabrera comes up again and pops out to third to end the massacre. Thank God he's playing he gave up 2 of the outs this inning!
6 RUNS, 6 HITS, 1 ERROR, 1 LOB - YANKEES 8, INDIANS 1

And that's going to wrap it up for me. I am going to watch the game but I can't blog this crap anymore. I might punch myself. Bottom line, Jake Westbrook has had 3 starts and has looked piss poor in all three.

Please shove egg all over my face and come back and win this thing.

Peace out, Tribe fans. --Doc P.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

One hit? That's all... one G$d D$mn Hit? (And a win.)

The Indians held on for a 2-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox today in the bitter cold and freezing wind of Jacobs Field. The victory gave the Tribe a 2-1 win in the 3 game series and improved the Indians to 6-3 overall as they won their third consecutive series to start the 2007 season.

C. C. Sabathia looked dominating in the frigid weather as the Tribe managed to put up two runs on only one hit and Joe Borowski actually looked like a closer by pitching a nearly flawless ninth to pick up his 5th save.

Grady doubled in the first inning, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a Dirt Dog ground out. He then forced in a run by drawing a walk with the bases loaded. The White Sox helped out by committing 3 errors and the Indians really should have been ahead 4-0 or 5-0 after three innings.

On the down side, this game should not have even been close but on the bright side these are the 1-run games that Indians habitually found ways to lose in 2004, 2205 and 2006.

And off day tomorrow before the Indians battle the Yankees in New York for a 3 game series as Jake Westbrook (0-1, 7.36) takes on the oft-injured Carl Pavano (1-0, 4.76) at 7:05 PM EST Tuesday.

Say it ain't so!!!!

I think I am going to be sick...

I read Tony Grossi's Mock Draft on Cleveland.com this morning and my heart dropped. He has the Browns taking Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn at #3. This follows Oakland taking LSU QB JaMarcus Russell at #1 and Detroit taking Wisconsin OT Joe Thomas at #2. Then in an apparent attempt to kill me, he also stated that Phil Savage would be more than happy to trade up to get JaMarcus Russell.

Let me preface this by saying I think JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn are going to make above average quarterbacks. Maybe even better that that. But are these guys can't miss franchise QBs like Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer or Matt Leinart? I can't say that with any certainty. They could be more Tim Couch and Aliki Smith for all we know. Russell had one good year in 2006 (like Akili Smith) and capped it off by having a monster bowl game against Mr. Quinn's Notre Dame squad. Quinn has gaudy numbers generated by playing sub-par talent and has a habit of not showing up in big games. He does have an advantage in that he did play in Charlie Weis' pro-style system. But to say that any of these guys is a sure thing is a stretch at best.

We need to hope Detroit is throwing the NFL a smoke screen and takes Brady Quinn or someone else and hope Joe Thomas falls to us at #3. If he doesn't then I hope Phil Savage is throwing the NFL a smoke screen in an attempt to trade down and acquire some much needed extra draft picks. And if that's not the plan then we better take Adrian Peterson at #3.

Here's why I think we need Joe Thomas. For the Eric Steinbach to mean anything we need to draft Joe Thomas. It will give us a left side of the offensive line that we won't have to worry about for TEN F%CKING YEARS! No more whining about the OL. No more wasting second day draft picks on unathletic, grunt linemen. It's done. You throw in the fact new OG Seth McKinney is also an athletic big guy, Hank Fraley is pretty nimble (despite his resemblance to the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man) and I think Ryan Tucker is an above average RT when his head is screwed on straight and maybe, just maybe, we have a line that we can say; "These guys ain't so f%cking bad." Throw in depth with Rob Smith, Isaac Sowells, Lennie Friedman, Kelly Butler and Kevin Shaffer and an added bonus if LeCharles can ever come back and we have SOLVED A PROBLEM. The Browns OL has been so slow, unathletic and soft since 1999 it's been a joke. A sick, sadistic joke.

We have so many problems (including QB and RB) that I think we need to fix the most pressing one and work on the others later. We can work on the Defense in the rest of the draft and maybe we get a sleeper RB in there, too. But we don't need to ruin another QB like Tim Couch or Charlie Frye because he doesn't have time to throw a pass and becomes gun-shy because he has to run around after 1 second in the pocket.
Listen, barring a miracle, the Browns are not going to be good in 2007. But if we lay a solid ground work in 2007 they could breakout in 2008. Joe Thomas is the keystone to that foundation.