The best thing about the NFL pre-season is that it’s over.  The only thing you really need to know about last night’s game against the Bears is that when the starters for both teams went to the sidelines for good in the second quarter, the Browns were ahead 10-0.  Romeo Crennel wanted his starters to play “decent” and they did as they were told.  The rest of the game involved a lot of players who will be on the waiver wire by Saturday afternoon, so at that point we should look at individual performances rather than the score.

 

Keep in mind that the Patriots were 0-4 in the pre-season, and the Colts were 1-4.  The Detroit Lions finished up at 4-0.  Certainly, we are not putting the Browns in the same class as New England and Indianapolis; they have not accomplished anything close to what those teams have.  But, it does show that the pre-season record has little to no bearing on the talent level on a football team.  No one thinks Detroit is going to the Super Bowl, so you cannot predict a 4-12 record for the brown and orange based on these games.

 

NOTE:  We use the term “pre-season games” tongue in cheek, because that’s what the almighty NFL calls them.  They are exhibitions, and we feel bad for those who were forced to pay full price for tickets to last night’s game, where they viewed players who will never wear an NFL uniform again play the majority of the game.

 

Brady Quinn looked better than he did in his previous start, taking the team on two scoring drives in his brief appearance.  WR Travis Wilson, trying to hold on to a roster spot, caught six balls for 57 yards, but dropped a possible touchdown pass from Ken Dorsey, which could jeopardize his inclusion on the final roster.  The offensive line performed much better as well, particularly the right side, which had problems against the Lions.  Unfortunately, Rex Hadnot left the game with a knee injury, which could put his availability for Dallas in doubt.  With Ryan Tucker on the PUP list to open the season, which would mean Seth McKinney may open the season at right guard.

 

This weekend, the roster has to be reduced to 53 players.  Some cuts may be made as early as today.  After that, Monday is a huge day for the Browns as they find out how many of the wounded will be ready to practice.  It’s safe to assume Derek Anderson and Braylon Edwards will be ready to go on Monday, but the team needs Jamal Lewis and Sean Jones for the Dallas game.  However, if we learned anything from the Indians, if they aren’t ready, it’s better to hold them out and have both available for the last 15 games of the season.

 

As far as people’s comments about the “Berea Country Club”, that’s a matter of perception.  If the Browns have a good season, and play well at the end of the year, Crennel will be praised for preserving his team in the summer.  If they have a poor season, he will be chastised for not working them hard enough.  No matter what happens in this season, this much is true…what happened in these four games means absolutely nothing.  When the Browns take the field on September 7^th at Cleveland Browns Stadium, their record will be 0-0, not 0-4.  And if they make the playoffs, no one will remember the pre-season record.

 

JD

 

 

This just in…The Cleveland Indians are red hot, having won nine in a row and 15 of their last 18 games.  They moved into third place in the AL Central with last night’s 10-4 victory over Detroit, which was won by southpaw Cliff Lee.  The remarkable Mr. Lee ran his record to 19-2 on the season, and will look for his 20^th win Monday against the White Sox at Progressive Field.  When he gets #20, he will be the first Cleveland pitcher in 34 years (Gaylord Perry) to reach that plateau.  That said, here are some thoughts on the suddenly hot Tribe: 

 

·          There has been a lot of talk about Kelly Shoppach being the everyday catcher in 2009, with Victor Martinez playing more at 1B.  Here’s something to ponder…in his career, Shoppach has 562 at bats and has struck out 208 times!  That’s a Russell Branyan like pace.  It’s another reason I would look to deal Shoppach in the off-season assuming Martinez’ elbow is sound.

 

·          Speaking of strikeouts, I would like to see the ball club put an emphasis on contact in the off-season.  The Tribe ranks third in the AL in whiffing this season (behind Oakland and Texas), and ranks just 10^th in walks received.  It is difficult to play situational baseball, which a good team needs to do in late innings, when the lineup is filled with guys who strikeout.

 

·          There is talk that the Tribe will move Jhonny Peralta to 3B in the off-season, but here’s another thought…what about 2B?  Peralta is strong which would help him on the pivot, and his strong arm would be an asset on relay throws.  As it stands now, there will be an opening at either 2B or 3B, so maybe it comes down to whether the front office thinks more of Wes Hodges or Josh Barfield.

 

·          Question:  If you could only keep one of these three players:  Ben Francisco, Shin-Soo Choo, or Franklin Gutierrez, which one would you keep?

 

·          Statistical oddity:  Ryan Garko’s power numbers are down drastically from last year (.483 slugging percentage in 2007 vs. .371 in 2008), but he has knocked in 69 runs in 412 at bats this season compared to 61 in 484 at bats last season.

 

·          Consider me among those who would prefer the Indians select OF Michael Brantley as the player to be named later in the C.C. Sabathia trade.  Brantley is a speedy outfielder that has a .395 on base percentage at Class AA Huntsville.  He has also stolen 28 bases, and walks more than he strikes out.  He is reportedly more of a LF than a CF, but that’s okay because Grady Sizemore plays for the Tribe.  He could be the leadoff hitter who pushes Sizemore into the middle of the batting order.

 

·          Jensen Lewis has stabilized the back of the bullpen for now, but I would like to see prospect Adam Miller get a shot at closing in spring training.  Miller has had some arm problems, so working an inning at a time might be a help.  Plus, he throws in the mid to high 90’s, which is preferable for a closer.  Remember, Jonathan Papelbon was a rookie when the Red Sox gave him the gig.

 

Don’t kid yourselves; the Indians are not back in the race.  However, it is better to win that to lose these games, and it gives some of the players the experience of playing winning baseball.  Also, it would be nice to finish over .500 and in third place ahead of Detroit as well.  It appears Victor Martinez will rejoin the club Friday night when they take on the Mariners.  Hopefully, Travis Hafner is close behind.

 

MW

 

 

I’m pretty sure that Browns’ coach Romeo Crennel didn’t have an 0-3 record in his plans for the pre-season games.  However, that’s what the record shows after Saturday’s 26-6 loss to the Detroit Lions.  It was an uninspired performance to be sure, but once again it is more important to look at individual performances that the score of the game.  Watching the offense, it’s pretty clear it was a vanilla attack, devoid of pre-snap motion.  That being said, Brady Quinn still didn’t perform like he’s capable of taking Derek Anderson’s starting job any time soon.

 

Defensively, the weakness in the secondary showed up once again.  Keep in mind; both starting safeties (Brodney Pool and Sean Jones) missed the game with injuries.  However, Jon Kitna decided to attack the Browns through the air, and was quite successful doing it.  When Detroit tried to run, they weren’t successful as Shaun Rogers led a defensive front, which achieved good penetration against the rush.  It could be a case where Cleveland leads the league in defense against the rush because it is much easier to throw against this unit.

 

Another problem the defense had was making tackles.  There were plenty of opportunities to stop the Lions behind the line of scrimmage, only to see guys in silver helmets escape for either a small gain, or in the case of Kevin Jones, go some 30 yards for a touchdown.  It’s great to penetrate the offensive line, but you have to follow up by making the tackle.  That’s fundamental football.  The secondary problems could be the result of being vanilla on defense too, but poor tackling is not a result of a lack of a game plan.

 

Offensively, the right side of the line has to be a concern.  The left side is fine with Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach, but it appears the team needs Ryan Tucker back soon.  Kevin Shaffer and Rex Hadnot could not stop the Detroit defensive front from getting into the Cleveland backfield.  Also, the receivers behind the starters pretty much showed nothing.  Did Travis Wilson even play?  Everyone knew depth would be a problem, but it is for many NFL teams.

 

Quinn threw the ball downfield on his first pass, but the rest of the afternoon was spent throwing short passes and avoiding Lions who visited him in his own backfield.  He may be a great quarterback someday, but that day is not imminent.  All the fans that want the former Notre Dame product to start should take a hard look at the tape of this game.

 

Still, it’s not time to panic.  The Browns had several key players out on Saturday, including their quarterback, their best wide receiver, their best running back, and both starting safeties.  Thankfully, these are not long-term injuries.  However, it would be prudent to play some of these guys Thursday night against the Bears, if they are able to play.  It would be very tough for these guys to be ready for Dallas if they haven’t played in nearly three weeks.

 

Remember, some teams play these games to win, some teams run basic stuff that they would never run in the regular season.  It appears the Browns are one of those teams.  However, they need to get some of the nicked up players back in the lineup.  When the Cleveland Browns take the field against the Cowboys on September 7^th, they will have an 0-0 record. 

 

JD

 

 

Yesterday’s Indians’ victory over the Kansas City Royals, 10-3, made one wish that the Tribe could make another Bartolo Colon trade.  Two players involved in that transaction were the stars in the contest, as Grady Sizemore had four hits and seven RBI’s, and Cliff Lee won his seventh straight decision and 18^th overall in the win.  The Tribe has now gone 21-16 since they dealt their latest ace of the staff, C.C. Sabathia to the Brewers.  How in the world has that happened?

 

There is no question that the Cleveland bullpen has been the worst in all of baseball.  However, looking at the month of June, when the Tribe season collapsed, the starting pitching was not very reliable either.  At that point in the season, the only starters that could be counted on to provide the team with a chance to win that night were the two hurlers mentioned earlier, Lee and Sabathia.  Jake Westbrook went on the disabled list, while Paul Byrd and Jeremy Sowers were struggling.  Aaron Laffey did well early on, but he also pitched poorly in June.

 

After the trade, several starters turned it around.  The recently traded Byrd talked to Bert Blyleven, discovered a curve ball, and started to get left-handed hitters out more efficiently.  That led to four straight wins before he was sent to Boston.  Sowers also picked it up, starting with a performance against Tampa Bay were he struck out eight in four innings.  Since that point, he has been able to give Eric Wedge at least six effective innings per start.  Matt Ginter was called up, gave the Indians a couple of decent outings before remembering that we was, well, Matt Ginter.

 

In the past couple of weeks, the Indians have used newly acquired Anthony Reyes and Zach Jackson in the rotation, both with success.  Reyes has pitched well in three starts, while Jackson has had two solid outings.  Also, Fausto Carmona has returned from his hip injury and is rounding into form.  Suddenly, the Indians have put together a solid rotation over the last month.  Granted, the competition has eased up recently, but still the Tribe has won series in this span against Tampa Bay and the Angels, and the pitching was solid against both contenders.

 

One of the Tribe’s strengths was that they could put a starter on the mound every night that would give the team a chance to win.  For a six-week period after Carmona and Westbrook went out with injuries, that wasn’t the case.  It wasn’t just inexperienced hurlers getting shelled, a veteran like Paul Byrd wasn’t pitching well either.  Although a veteran innings eater (effective innings are the key, see:  Johnson, Jason) is needed for 2009, the Indians now have a lot of options for the rotation next season (Lee, Carmona, Reyes, Jackson, Sowers, Laffey, and David Huff).

 

Obviously, the bullpen is a major area of concern.  Just when you think guys have turned it around, they regress.  Edward Mujica has had that problem.  Yesterday, Wedge put Rafael Betancourt into a close game after a couple of good jobs in mop up roles, and the right-hander immediately pitched his way into trouble.  Only a bullet off the bat of David DeJesus that Ryan Garko turned into a double play saved Raffie Right.  It served as a reminder that the bullpen is still a huge problem.

 

MW

 

 

I don’t think I would want to be a Cleveland Browns player when practice resumes Wednesday in Berea.  Romeo Crennel is probably ready to work them like dogs after last night’s disappointing and embarrassing display in the first quarter of last night’s 37-34 loss to the New York Giants in NFL pre-season play.  The scores and results of these games are meaningless, but the style of play had to be upsetting to a coach who is looking to make the playoffs this year.

 

Maybe it was the curse of the brown pants, but the Browns came out in the first quarter and laid a gigantic egg.  They took a 3-0 lead on a 56-yard field goal by Phil Dawson before the roof caved in.  Eric Wright was beaten for two touchdown passes by Domenik Hixon, a former Akron Zip, and also contributed a pass interference penalty.  In fact, the brown and orange were penalized six times for 98 yards in the first quarter!  Couple that with special teams errors such as Dave Zastudil punting the ball off his up blocker for a safety, and the resulting free kick that was returned for a TD by Hixon, and you have a game reminiscent of last year’s opener against the Steelers.

 

The offense was no better.  The Giants won the Super Bowl by putting pressure on the quarterback, and they did so again last night, as they were in Derek Anderson’s face the entire quarter.  In fact, Anderson left the game early in the second quarter with a possible concussion.  Jamal Lewis fumbled a handoff near the goal line that was returned 95 yards for another NY touchdown.  It was an ugly performance.  However, remember this…it didn’t count.  It was meaningless.

 

Of course, you don’t want your team to commit six penalties in one quarter, you don’t want to turn the ball over, and you don’t want to make special teams errors.  Guys who will not be on the final 53-man roster made some of these errors, particularly the special teams mistakes.  In the big picture, this game provided a slap in the face to a team that might have been reading its press clippings.  It gives Crennel plenty to focus on before this Saturday’s game against Detroit.

 

There were a couple of good things that occurred in last night’s loss.  Syndric Steptoe had a long kickoff return, and scored a touchdown on a backwards pass from Brady Quinn in the second quarter.  Quinn also shook off the dink and dunk attack he was accused of after the Jets’ game, by throwing the ball downfield often.  However, Quinn did not have to contend with the Giants starting defensive line, which harassed Anderson while he was in the game.

 

The Cleveland Browns now have an objective for this weeks’ game against the Lions.  Get back to basics.  It would be one thing if the first team was horrible in the pre-season opener, but they weren’t.  They laid an egg last night, and the worst thing about it was the whole country got to see it.  Thank goodness the Olympics provided an alternative.  If Saturday’s game goes that way, then it’s time to worry.  For now, it’s a teaching tool for the coaching staff to remind the squad not to ever let that happen again.

 

JD

 

 

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have baseball’s best record.  They also have an AL leading 24 wins in one run games.  Yet, this weekend, the Cleveland Indians took two of three one run games against the Halos, showing once again that baseball is indeed a funny game.  Heck, yesterday, the Tribe won 4-3, despite having a lineup that featured Franklin Gutierrez, Andy Gonzalez, Sal Fasano, and Asdrubal Cabrera batting in spots 6-9.  Now, that’s amazing!

 

Cliff Lee set the tone on Friday night with a complete game 3-2 win for his 17^th victory of the season.  Unless Lee falls completely on his face the rest of the season, he should be the Tribe’s second straight Cy Young Award winner.  Sure, LA’s Francisco Rodriguez will break the single season save record this year, but the history of the award shows that relievers get the honor in the absence of any dominant years by starting pitchers.  Right now, Lee’s season is dominant.  He leads the league in wins and ERA (2.43) and is second in the league in innings pitched.  He’s also in the top 10 in strikeouts.  He has been the best starter in the American League since his first start in Oakland back in April.

 

Saturday’s game was a mess as a combination of four errors, a wild pitch and a seventh innings where the Indians loaded the bases with no one out and couldn’t push across the tying run contributed to a 4-3 loss, but the Tribe rebounded yesterday because Gutierrez, of all people, had three hits and two RBI’s in the victory.  Jeremy Sowers was rewarded with a victory, which was nice because he has pitched better over the last month with really nothing to show for it.

 

In Saturday’s game, Kelly Shoppach, who fanned for what seemed like the 50th time this week, made the first out in that fateful seventh inning.  Many people have suggested moving Victor Martinez to first base next season, and installing Shoppach as the starting catcher in 2009.  It says here that Shoppach is a great trading chip in the off-season for teams looking for a backstop.  Granted, he has only been the everyday receiver for a couple of months, but watching him play everyday shows his wide range of performance.  Quite simply, he is not consistent.  He is either hot or he strikes out a tremendous amount.  If Mark Shapiro can get a 3B or a bullpen piece for Shoppach in the off-season, he should make the trade.

 

Which brings us to Andy Marte.  We advocated seeing what Marte could do well before he was finally given regular playing time around the beginning of July.  We have officially seen enough.  He does a nice job defensively, but he cannot hit enough to be given regular playing time.  His batting average still lingers under the .200 mark, and he just recently knocked in his tenth run.  Shapiro can now unload Marte with a clear conscience.  He was given regular playing time and didn’t take advantage.  Unless they move Jhonny Peralta to the hot corner, the 2009 Tribe will be looking for a third baseman.

 

Speaking of Peralta, why would you move him to 3B?  Right now, he’s the best shortstop in the American League.  He will never be confused with Omar Vizquel defensively, but he does an acceptable job with the glove.  He is just 26 years old, and he’s on pace to hit 25 HR and knock in 80 runs, as well as hit 45-50 doubles on the season.  Leave Peralta at SS, and look for a stopgap third baseman for next year.  By the way, not Casey Blake.

 

KM

 

 

Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry has been accused of inertia by many, but he pulled his second major trade since the beginning of the year by trading guard Damon Jones and forward Joe Smith to the Milwaukee Bucks for point guard Mo Williams.  The deal also involves the Oklahoma City Thunder as well, as Smith will be moved on to the Thunder ultimately along with Desmond Mason.  Luke Ridnour and Adrian Griffin will also move on to Milwaukee. It says here that it’s a good move for the wine and gold.

 

Here’s the first thing I can tell you about Williams.  We couldn’t stop him.  He is a quick point guard who can penetrate and score, something the Cavaliers have needed since they drafted LeBron James.  He is also just 25 years old, not turning 26 until December.  It has been said that he is a shoot first point guard, but he did rank in the top 15 in the league in assists, averaging 6.3 per game.  He has topped that mark in three of the four years he played with the Bucks.  He also can hit the outside shot, as he is a career 36% shooter from behind the 3-point circle.

 

The negatives about Williams, who played his college ball at Alabama, would be that at 6-1, he is smaller than Coach Mike Brown would like.  However, Brown pretty much taught the entire Cavs’ roster how to play defense, so if Williams is a willing pupil, he will improve on that end of the floor.  He also has had injury problems, missing 16 games last season, and has played more than 70 games just once in his five year NBA career.  Williams also has five years remaining on his current contract.

 

Losing Smith is tough for the Cavs because he was arguably the second best player acquired in the mega-deal at the trade deadline.  He’s a reliable offensive player who can make the mid range jumper consistently.  However, he is an older player with shaky knees.  He was not going to be in Cleveland for an extended run.  Jones is a one-dimensional shooter, who the coaching staff couldn’t trust because of his defensive limitations.  He made some big shots for the wine and gold, but overall he talked a better game than he played. 

 

This move also puts Delonte West (assuming he re-signs) in the role, most basketball experts feel he is best suited, that of third guard.  West can back up Williams at the point and Wally Szczerbiak at the shooting guard spot, or he could start along side Williams in the backcourt with Wally coming off the bench. 

 

As for the frontcourt, I would like to see first round draft pick J.J. Hickson to start the year getting Smith’s minutes, but probably Ferry will look for another veteran big man to take his place.  The trade also means that Anderson Varajao will have a bigger role on this team.  He may even stay with the Cavaliers for the entire season.

 

The bottom line is this:  The Cavaliers picked up a quality NBA point guard for virtually nothing of consequence.  Williams’ critics will say he’s a shoot first point guard, but he’s also never played with anyone as talented as LeBron James.  Having Mo Williams get into the paint where he can draw defenders and hit the open man gives the wine and gold a dimension they’ve not had for a long time.  Danny Ferry cashed in some expiring contracts and picked up a guy who will help the Cavs contend for a title.

 

JK

 

 

The Cleveland Indians have won five straight games for the first time since late April, although the bullpen problems continue to plague the team, particularly in the Orioles series.  Monday night, it was Edward Mujica blowing a 7-4 lead in the 7^th inning, and last night, Masa Kobayashi and Rafael Perez squandered a 5-3 advantage in the same frame.  I’m sure Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers are very appreciative.  Yesterday also marked the departure of Paul Byrd, who was dealt to Boston for cash or a low level prospect.  Byrd won 32 games with the Tribe, which is most he won with any one team in his long, injury plagued career.

 

Jensen Lewis has saved his first two opportunities in the closer role, but others have had limited success in that role this season.  However, no one has really taken control of the spot.  Lewis is not a dominant type closer anyway; he is more like the Bob Wickman/Joe Borowski type that has scared everyone one in Cleveland for the last decade.  The other thing that Lewis lacks is pinpoint control.  He has had issues with walks before (remember in Cincinnati this year, when he walked four in one inning), seems to be a nibbler when he gets ahead in the count.  But, for now, he is better than Mujica in the role.

 

You can pretty much attribute the Indians’ failure in both the 2006 and 2008 seasons to a horrible bullpen.  According the Baseball Prospectus, the Cleveland bullpen is five wins worse than any other relief corps in the game.  Also, according to run differential, the Indians should be 61-57 right now, which would put them in contention in the AL Central Division.  Although the bats struggled early in the year, it is the relief pitching that has knocked the Tribe out of the race.  It hasn’t shown any signs of improvement, either.  The only reliable options are Rafael Perez and currently, Lewis.  The question is whether or not Eric Wedge and Carl Willis can handle a bullpen.

 

In looking at the ’05 and ’07 Tribe, the thing the stands out with both bullpens is a dominant set up man, Bob Howry (2005) and the combination of Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez (2007).  Without this role, the bullpen seems to be unsettled.  In 2006, Betancourt was on the roster and had a solid year (3-4, 3.81 ERA, 52 hits allowed in 56-2/3 innings, 7 HR allowed), but the other set up men were Fernando Cabrera (3-3, 5.19 ERA and 12 HR’s allowed in 60 innings), Jason Davis (3-2, 3.74 ERA but 67 hits allowed in 55-1/3 frames), and memorable gas can Guillermo Mota.  Also, Fausto Carmona was used in this role until he switched to the closer spot when Bob Wickman was traded.  Carmona was a failure in the closer spot, giving up three game winning dingers in a two-week span.

 

Last year, if Cleveland had a lead going into the seventh inning, Wedge went to Betancourt and Perez, and the game was usually in hand.  The problem that Wedge and Willis have is if their first option in the role doesn’t work out, they stay with the pitcher even if he is ineffective, and it also takes them a month or two to identify someone else.  That’s what happened this year.  Betancourt hasn’t been effective since April, and still most of his appearances are in the 7^th inning or later.  This is not to say the Tribe should cut ties with him, his track record shows that this may very well be a horrible year for a guy who is normally reliable.

 

It does say that Wedge and Willis must react quicker to guys who aren’t getting the job done.  I understand these are people they are dealing with, not baseball cards, but if a guy like Mujica gets bombed in three out of his last four games, he should be sent back to Buffalo.  He’s not a guy with a proven track record like Betancourt.  Yesterday, GM Mark Shapiro mentioned Rich Rundles as a guy they would like to take a look at.  Get him up here!  The Indians badly need another southpaw in the bullpen.  It’s like Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland says:  Show me a team with a bad bullpen, and I’ll show you a bad team.

 

KM

 

If only the Indians could play the Toronto Blue Jays more often.  The Tribe rebounded from a sickening loss in Tampa on Wednesday to sweep the Jays over the weekend, capped by Cliff Lee’s league leading 16^th win on Sunday.  In seven games against Cleveland this season, the Blue Jays scored just eight runs, making it pretty easy to win the season series against Toronto, 6 games to 1.  With a ten game home stand starting against Baltimore tonight, the Tribe could be on the verge of their best stretch since early May.  Here are some tidbits from the last week…

 

When Anthony Reyes won his Indian debut Friday night, he became only the third Indian pitcher to have a winning record (Lee and Carmona).  That’s how bad this season has been.  In fact, if you take Lee’s 16-2 mark out of the equation; the Tribe’s record is a woeful 36-62.  Carmona (5-4) and Reyes (1-0) are each just one game over the break-even point. 

 

Sources say right-hander Paul Byrd has cleared waivers.  The way he has pitched over the last month, he becomes the most desirable starting pitcher on the market.  It would not be surprising to see Byrd dealt to a contender in the next week or so.  His complete game win over the Blue Jays didn’t hurt his market value.  Also, Aaron Laffey threw eight shutout innings for the Bison on Saturday and could step into Byrd’s spot in the rotation.

 

After the debacle in Tampa, the Indians called up Reyes and Brandon Donnelly, replacing Matt Ginter (DL) and Tom Mastny, who has been sent to Buffalo.  The question is:  What did Mastny do wrong?  Overall, he hasn’t been effective, but he also has rarely pitched.  If the move was made to get him some work, then fine.  Meanwhile, Juan “Run per outing” Rincon continues to be on the roster.  I know someone in the front office likes Rincon’s arm, but you still have to get guys out.

 

Watching the Buffalo box scores, I noticed that veteran Jeff Weaver is working out of the bullpen.  His last four outings have been one or two inning stints.  Perhaps it is a good way for him to salvage a big league career.  He was getting waxed as a starter at the AAA level.  With the problems in the Cleveland bullpen, it’s worth taking a shot. 

 

Arizona lost 2B Orlando Hudson to a season ending wrist injury, so would they be interested in Jamey Carroll as a replacement?  Carroll has performed very well this season for the Tribe, playing more than expected because of Asdrubal Cabrera’s poor performance.  The Indians have veteran utility man Tony Graffanino at Buffalo, and he should be ready for a return to the big leagues.  Meanwhile, Cabrera’s bat is showing signs of life, hitting around .270 since his return from the minors.

 

The 10 game home stand features only three games, this weekend against the Angels, versus a playoff contender.  Yes, the Indians are out of it, but it would be cool to finish ahead of the Tigers even in a year where almost everything has gone wrong.  Also, look for Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield to start rehab assignments this week.  Martinez could be back in the lineup before the end of the home stand.

 

MW

 

 

The Cleveland Browns lost their pre-season (read:  exhibition) opener to the New York Jets 24-20 Thursday evening in a contest delayed during the first half by a lightning storm.  Who cares.  The most important thing was that the team suffered no key injuries, and they should the attitude of a squad that expects to contend for a spot in the playoffs in 2008.  The Browns led at the half 14-10, and that was the last time anybody who will play a key role on this team this season played, for the most part.

 

Derek Anderson looked good in his brief stint on the field, and Brady Quinn overcame an early interception to play well too.  Braylon Edwards caught a touchdown pass from Anderson that was thrown over the wrong shoulder by design, according to the QB, for the Browns first touchdown, showing the chemistry between the two is in mid-season form.  Kellen Winslow sat the game out due to injury so we did not see DA hook up with him.  Newcomer Donte Stallworth caught two passes as well, and the offensive line performed well.  Everything looked good when the brown and orange had the ball.

 

Defensively, the biggest question is the play of the two young cornerbacks, Eric Wright and Brandon McDonald, and both passed their first tests.  NT Shaun Rogers made the tackle on his first play for Cleveland, but the pass rush was non-existent in the first game.  Perhaps it is a case going very, very vanilla on defense in the first pre-season game, and Mel Tucker will be adding much, much more in the way of stunts and blitzes as training camp continues.  It would be very surprising if the defense didn’t do a lot of different things when they take on the Cowboys in the season opener.

 

Where the Browns will be made or broken is in regards to depth.  Injuries are a fact in the National Football League, so the good teams have quality depth.  That is why the most troubling thing to come out of camp thus far is the knee surgeries done on LBs Antawn Peek and rookie Beau Bell.  The linebacking crew is not a point of strength anyway, and losing two players expected to be contributors hurts.  Both players needed to be on the field during the pre-season, especially a rookie like Bell, so he can be evaluated in the new defense.

 

That’s why it was good to see third year WR Travis Wilson play well.  The Browns need to develop a third wide receiver, especially with Joe Jurevicius’ injury problems.  Wilson caught three passes for 58 yards.  Rookie TE Martin Rucker also showed an ability to get open, grabbing five balls for 70 yards.  Backup RBs Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison ran the ball effectively.  And we know the offensive line has depth.  As for the defense, the reverse secondary was burned by two long passes by Jets’ reserve QB Brett Ratliff.  That’s not a good sign, although the only DB involved that will probably make the team is special teams ace Zach Sorenson.

 

Otherwise, the first game was a non-event, although it was good to see football being played downtown again.  The Browns are now off until a week from Monday night, when they take on the Super Bowl champs, the New York Giants.  The starters should play around a half in that game before turning it over to the reserves.  As long as the attitude is there and injuries are avoided, that game will be a success as well.

 

JD