League To Rule On Cell Phone Usage By Players During Games!

Nelson Cruz is tagged out by CC Sabathia last night while apparently asking caller, "Am I Safe?"

The Seattle Mariners hired Eric Wedge to manage at least part of next season.

Heads in the clouds...or somewhere else?

Would you trust this man with your business?

Don't look for the fortunes of the Cleveland Indians to change anytime soon, at least as long as they are owned by the Dolans and they keep Mark Shapiro in charge of the daily operations of the team. Apparently job performance doesn't matter as Marky was promoted from GM to President of the club. Who takes his place? His protege, Chris Antonelli, the assistant GM. Do as I did AND as I say!

We can thank Mark and the Dolans for giving us the ability to see some of our favorite players in the playoffs again this year. You know, guys that labored for the Indians and have found the brass ring and their fortunes elsewhere as we continue to develop talent for the rest of the league.

Manny Acta was a somewhat pleasant surprise this year as he was palatable as the manager of the team. But don't look now, Tony LaRussa will be moving on from the Cards and we will stand pat with Acta. Acta is somewhere between Wedge and LaRussa, kind of like hamburger helper to filet mignon and gruel...Lucky us!

How Do you See Things?

This is how Mark Shapiro sees himself wheeling and dealing Cleveland Indians' soon-to-be free agents;

This is how the fans in Cleveland see Shapiro's deal making;

This is how Braylon Edwards sees the city of Cleveland;

This is how the fans and coaches in Cleveland repeatedly saw Braylon Edwards;

LeBron's "Lady" sees the fans of Cleveland as unfair to the King;

You know what? I hated to see the guy go but we can take consolation in one thing...He didn't go to New York!

Today was "Take Your Best Shot At Cleveland Day!"

Is that all you got????

It's the Dog Days of Summer and tempers flare more and more at the old ballgame.

Did you see the Cards and Reds tonight?

Check it out;

http://stlouis.cardinals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20100810&content_id=13276098&vkey=news_stl&fext=.jsp&c_id=stl

Lovely, isn't it? And it was all pretty much started by a guy who holds the City of Cleveland in just as high esteem as anyone, Brandon Phillips.

Perhaps Milton Bradley would like to drive through Cuyahoga Falls for old time sake...Oh, bad idea Milty!

Why not have an Albert Belle bobble head night? Shake him just a little bit and he smashes a thermostat in the clubhouse, or hits a guy in the face with a ping pong paddle, or throws a strike at a camera man's chest, or...runs down some teens in his SUV.

We love and worship our sports heroes here in the city that once gave itself the phrase, "Best Location In The Nation!"

They just don't love us back!

So It Begins Again...

Well, just when things begin to turn around, the fire sale begins again. Why Austin Kearns had to be taken out of the game last night because he didn't belong to the Indians anymore! Johnny Peralta goes to the Tigers for a Happy Meal. Austin Kearns goes to the Yankees for a hand full of beans to be named later. Jake Westbrook is starting today. If he comes out early for no apparent reason...guess what? He's traded!

It feels like the '70s and the '80s again. We almost lost the team until Dick Jacobs built a new stadium and saved the franchise. He enabled GM John Hart to extend long contracts to young players to ensure a future for the team and it worked. We have become a Triple A farm team for MLB once again. The funniest thing last night was that broadcaster Rick Manning kidded fellow broadcaster Matt Underwood that he heard rumors that Underwood was being traded. Funny, but sad.

So who is to blame, the Dolans for their shoestring budget and almost absentee ownership?

Or is it Mark Shapiro who sits on the edge of his seat ready to pull the trigger on any player making more than the league minimum?

I'll say it again, if my job performance read like Shapiro's, I wouldn't be gleaming for the cameras with the eventual promotion he will receive at the end of the season. When results are less important that the immediate bottom line, there is little hope for the future of the franchise...unless there is another Dick Jacobs out there. The city of Cleveland longs for another hero like Mr. Jacobs but does that person or group exist?

Until then, we are subject to the annual fire sales and poor baseball in Cleveland.

Too bad...too bad! But the true fans of the Cleveland Indians will still support the team and keep the faith. After all, that is what the city of Cleveland is so good at and all about. Time to pop in "Major League" again in the DVD player and dream about...I don't know, next year? Perhaps 10 years from now.

It's Been A While...

Yes, it has been a while...since June 5th. So what's been going on? Well, LeBron James set the city of Cleveland on it's (R)ear with his tasteless and classless theatrical announcement that he was going to the Heat. We will miss you LeBron but not the circus sideshow. How about Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cavs? He paled in comparison to "The Announcement" in his "Rebuttal" letter but he laid just as big of an egg as his ex-superstar.


While this was going on, I received many calls, texts, and e-mails asking how the town was going to handle another loss. Well, my response was that we all got up and went to work the next day, just like any other day. Of course, the USA Today had to remind everyone about the heartbreak Cleveland suffers in sports what with "The Drive", "The Shot", "The Fumble", etc. But they forgot more than they remembered and the lights are still on in the city by the lake. Why stop with sports anyway? We have the city that went into default. The river that burned...heck, that same year our mayor caught his hair on fire!

We still love ya, Ralphie! So don't worry about Cleveland and it's people...they are a hardy bunch that even "Red Right 88" couldn't keep down. It is a city of eternal hope. Our theme song should be, "I Will Survive!"

On another bright ray of hope, look at our Tribe!

They have won 7 out of their last 11 games since the All-Star break from 1st or 2nd place teams; Detroit, Minnesota, Tampa, and New York and they are in the process of beating the Yankees tonight.

The problem is these guys don't know they aren't supposed to win.

This is a pretty solid lineup that will only get better. Crow, Cabrera, Choo, Santana, Peralta, Nix, Brantley, and Kearns are hitters with good defense. They are getting better and better as they begin to believe in themselves. And the pitching is improving too!

So here it is...How we set ourselves up for disappointment in Cleveland...

The Cleveland Indians, despite the front office sitting on their hands, will grow into a contender next year...

But wait, there is more...

Just as I predicted in 2005 and 2007, this little team will win some games and make the division interesting in August and September! Are they going to the playoffs? No, of course not but could they finish 3rd in the division?

Here is how I see it on September 30th;

Twins

Sox

Indians

Tigers

Royals

Buckle up and hang on 'cause these guys are gonna win some games in August and September!

This is my Tribe!

Sportsmanship

You saw it probably 20 times by now. If you saw it live, it was even more incredible. We all looked at every angle to see what umpire Jim Joyce could have seen. Did Galaragas miss the bag? No, no, and no. Did he bobble the ball? Yeah, a little but each closeup on replay showed he had control before the runner got to the bag.


No doubt Jim Joyce erred on the call and only he will ever know what really went through his mind in that split second in eternity...or perhaps he will never know.


So what did you see? It is probably a better question to ask what you did not see. You did not see a George Brett-like tantrum. Instead you saw a young man who was truly cheated of a perfect game and all of the fame that goes with it. In a moment he realized what he had lost. You could see it in his face for the second or two that he stared in amazement at the "safe" call. But immediately he gently smiled as he truly maintained his composure and went back to the job of finishing the game.


The word "Class" has been used and overused in describing what happened. The true definition of Armando Galaragas is "Sportsman."


So now what? One faction is screaming for replays and the purists are defending the "human" aspect of the game.


Where do you stand?


We could go completely high tech and wire everything from the strike zone to the bases, to the foul poles to the balls and bats.


Before a batter stands in, electrodes in his uniform defining his specific strike zone would be synchronized with an electric 3-D strike zone that calls balls and strikes for those pitches not swung at.

The same type of electrode could decide if a bat or a body part made contact with the ball. The foul lines could call fair or foul. An electrode in spikes and first base could make the call at the bag. Umpires would be obsolete.

Well, that would end the game as we know it and put it into the hands of this techy society that does not get the beauty of this timeless game between cell phone calls and text messages. They have no patience to take the time to understand the mental battle that each pitch presents.

Probably the best suggestion I have heard was on the Cleveland Indians' telecast this evening. Matt Underwood suggested that the scorer become a 5th umpire that would decide when a play should be under review and when a replay would be necessary. That scorer/umpire would then review the replay and decide is there was conclusive evidence to change a call.

This way the human aspect of the game stays in tact until it is evident that a serious error could have been committed.

It will be very interesting to see what develops.

Questions, Questions, Questions...

More questions...

If you were Grady Sizemore, wouldn't you have used a bigger cup?

Doesn't Austin Kearns look like Beaver Cleaver all grown up?!

Who would you rather have on your team, Russell Branyan or Andy Marte?

(That's a tough one but I pick Marte!)

Would you let this man help your kids with their homework...in particular, spelling?

Is this the reincarnation of Bill "Spaceman" Lee?

If you had 30 minutes of this man's time, what would you say to him?

If this man worked for you, would you get tremendous satisfaction in firing him?

How long will we have to put up with the Dolan/Shapiro era?

Will empty seats finally force them to sell?

How do you give up 5 runs in the top of the 9th inning to the Royals and not flinch?

What if Dan Gilbert could put together a deal to buy the Tribe and make LeBron a part owner to keep him and the Indians in Cleveland?

Is there a someone out there with the backing and business savvy of Dick Jacobs who cares enough to rescue a city and it's baseball team?

MR. DOLAN...SELL THIS TEAM!

I Still Watch...I Still Believe...

I do!

As often as I can, I watch...even out of town on the web...This is my team and this is my city.

Yes, we were all reminded that Cleveland has not had a winner since the '64 Browns at the conclusion of the Cavs/Celtics playoffs. As the Celts celebrated, the world had to see again the suffering of Cleveland teams and fans with all of the heartbreaking plays that have crushed dreams over the last 46 years. Thanks for that...but guess what? We can take it.

Are there more heartbreaks to come...some sooner than later?

Is LeBron really LeGone?

I hope with all of my heart that LeBron stays but if he doesn't, guess what? We all get up and go to work the next day.

So why hope and believe in Cleveland?

This is my town. I have lived here for almost 61 years and I am not about to relocate now.

My sport is baseball and my team will always be the Indians, no matter who poorly owns them or who miss-manages them.

I still think this team can make a lot of noise in the AL Central. The door is open with the Red Sox tanking. Except here comes Tampa Bay again!

So what! Did you see the Indians come back on Baltimore on Saturday night with 8 runs in the 9th inning? That set the table for a big performance by pitcher Jake Westbrook on Sunday.

They are still fun to watch and they keep showing signs of life with some pitching that is coming on fast. Get Grady back on track and who knows how close they can come.

Let the rest of the world look back on the heartbreaks and laugh, or even feel a little sorrow.

We will still get up in the morning and go to work with hope in our hearts...that a man the likes of Dick Jacobs steps up again in the city that he loves (like D.J. did) and rescues this franchise for the better.

Time to go to work...