It’s been a busy week in Cleveland sports with the Cavaliers starting their second round series and the Indians’ season teetering on the brink. Here are some of my thoughts on both teams—
· The Cavaliers have certainly been impressive winning each of the six playoff games by 10 points or more. However, neither the Pistons nor the Hawks are among the elite teams in the NBA, something many national experts are pointing out. I agree with them, but isn’t that the advantage you get by being the conference’s top seed? You get to play the lowest qualifier in round one, and you avoid a division winner in round two. You can’t fault the Cavs for beating up on these teams.
· Remember, last year’s number one seed, the Celtics were pushed to seven games in both their first round and second round series. They had the same advantage and didn’t dominate the same way the Cavs have.
· Atlanta will be tougher on their home court, but if Joe Johnson is out tomorrow night, it may not matter. If the wine and gold take game three, this series will be over Monday night, and the Cavaliers will have another long layoff before the conference finals.
· Danny Ferry has put together a wonderful team. Of course, LeBron James was here to start with, but Ferry has brought in a great mix of veteran experience off the bench and has made this team very, very deep. This team gets a significant contribution each night from someone off the bench. Last night, it was Wally Szczerbiak, but Joe Smith, Ben Wallace, and even Sasha Pavlovic have stepped up. It is truly a joy to watch.
· Now for the Indians. I’m happy that GM Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge are thinking outside the box in moving Aaron Laffey to the bullpen, but it shouldn’t stop there. I’ve heard rumors that veteran reliever Luis Vizcaino may be headed to Cleveland from the Cubs, and I would bring up Jon Meloan as well. Masa Kobayashi and Jensen Lewis shouldn’t be too comfortable.
· Eric Wedge is managing like a desperate man, making several strange decisions. He used Aaron Laffey for three innings Wednesday night, thus making him unavailable for the following night’s game, and his non-use of Luis Valbuena has to be driving Shapiro crazy. Since being called up on Friday night, the young infielder has played two games. There is no reason to bring him up if he’s not going to play.
· I also chuckled at Wedge’s irritation with Jhonny Peralta’s defense in Toronto. He’s the guy who plays him there. Most baseball experts feel the Tribe’s best defensive infield would be having Asdrubal Cabrera at SS, Mark DeRosa at 2B, and Peralta at third. We know Peralta isn’t a great defensive shortstop, so why complain when he doesn’t make a play.
· Meanwhile, the strikeouts continue to pile up. However, one guy who does make consistent contact is Ryan Garko, but he seemingly can’t get off the bench. Shin-Soo Choo DH’d against a lefty in Toronto, while Garko sat out. Garko is the closest thing on the roster to a professional hitter like Victor Martinez. Sure, I’d like to see him hit with a little more pop, but his lack of use in puzzling.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 