A Day of Decision for Browns

The fourth preseason game in the NFL is the least meaningful of all the meaningless games that predate the regular season.

Unless, of course you are one of the players who is trying to make the final 53 man roster on a particular NFL team, then it is anything but meaningless.

There will be more talk today as to who will make the final roster for the Cleveland Browns than last night’s 28-20 loss to the Chicago Bears. The Browns finish exhibition play at 2-2, narrowly missing out on the preseason playoffs.

The most high level roster battle is the position of back up quarterback between Colt McCoy and Seneca Wallace, but other spots are probably far more important, because if Brandon Weeden stays healthy, neither McCoy or Wallace, or third stringer Thaddeus Lewis may never see the field.

If coach Pat Shurmur picks his reverse QB based on last night, Wallace is going to get the gig.

Last night, McCoy showed off all the weaknesses people point out when saying he’s not a starting quarterback in the NFL. His first pass hung out WR Greg Little to dry, allowing him to take a vicious hit, then on a 3rd and 7 play, he threw a check down pass to Travis Benjamin for four yards.

Perhaps that was the play call from upstairs, but it didn’t look good.

On his second series, he threw an interception which led to Chicago’s first touchdown. He wound up hitting just 2 of 5 throws for 16 yards.

By contrast, Wallace looked decisive in moving the Browns to their only first half touchdown, a toss to WR Rod Windsor.

To be fair, Wallace had the benefit of being on the field with RB Brandon Jackson, who showed why he should be the starter in week one if Trent Richardson is not ready to play. The former Packer gained 48 yards in seven carries, and hit the hole hard once he got the ball.

Which is why he should get the nod over Montario Hardesty, who could have a problem making the final roster. Hardesty was tentative early, but finally attacking on a couple of decent runs, the longest being 14 yards. He wound up with 24 yards on six attempts.

Josh Cribbs did a nice job of hooking up with Wallace on the touchdown drive, grabbing two passes for 34 yards. The talk of Cribbs possibly getting cut is flat-out ridiculous. He’s still dangerous with the ball in his hands, and even though he doesn’t run great routes as a wide receiver, if the passer gets him the ball, something good will usually happen.

The other negatives, in addition to McCoy’s poor game, was an injury to LB James Michael Johnson, who is counted on to be a contributor right away this season. Hopefully, a reported injury to his oblique isn’t serious and he can play on September 9th against the Eagles.

There was concern about the special teams having two punts blocked in the last two games, but the guess here is the players out on the field for those blocks will not be here when the games start to count.

The big news will come tonight at 9 PM when the rosters have to get down to 53 players. Will there be surprise cuts? It wouldn’t be shocking to see players like Hardesty, Mohammed Massaquoi, and even Ben Watson being let go.

It’s no secret the Cleveland Browns are getting young, and if the plan is to get this team in a position to make some noise in 2013 and beyond, you may just see some veterans looking for a new team come tomorrow.

What the Dolans Should Do

The end of this baseball season can’t come soon enough, and it seems insane to keep going over the inadequacies of the current roster any more.

It’s starting to feel like piling on to mention that Casey Kotchman, Jack Hannahan, and Shelley Duncan stink. Oops, we did it again!

And since the people who run the franchise don’t feel any urgency to address the future of the franchise, we decided to fill a suggestion box and tell the ownership what they should be doing.

First, changes must be made in the upper reaches of the organization. At least two of the big three (Mark Shapiro, Chris Antonetti, and Manny Acta) have to be replaced.

And we don’t care how coveted Antonetti was several years ago. He completely messed up the off-season, particularly not giving Josh Willingham a third year, and giving Grady Sizemore $5 million to take a year off.

Bring in a new GM who has experience with a successful mid market team. Perhaps he can shed a fresh perspective on the way teams like the Indians have to operate.

Of course, that GM will want to hire a new manager. Let him. Although Acta is a small part of the blame this season, he’s not a difference maker. Right now, this young team needs someone who will be a disciplinarian, an old school type of guy.

That type of skipper doesn’t last long, and isn’t the type of guy hired by the Indians in a long time, but for the next couple of years, it would be the correct choice.

The next thing they have to do is raise the payroll. Again, no knowledgeable fan thinks the Tribe can have a payroll of $150 million. However, $85 million should be well within the Indians’ means.

That would mean a whole lot of money for the new GM to spend after the Travis Hafner settlement is reached.

It would also mean a competitive offer can be made to arguably the Tribe’s best player, Shin-Soo Choo. A nice 3-year deal at $10-11 million per year should work.

It would also allow the Indians to get a quality starting pitcher and a right-handed bat that it desperately needs.

The higher payroll commitment would stop the trolling for low risk, high reward free agents like Kotchman. The players the team signs are available after Christmas for a reason, no one wants them, at least good teams don’t want them.

It will also eliminate the need to keep these marginal players on the Opening Day roster at the expense of younger players. For example, the Indians should have handed Lonnie Chisenhall the 3B job from the beginning of camp, and told him it was his job to lose.

The player development department should also be overhauled. Mid market teams need to have a steady flow of talent acquired from the draft. That hasn’t been the case in Cleveland.

In addition, the Indians need to promote players quicker. Yes, Akron may win the Eastern League, but they are doing it with a lot of players who are repeating AA ball for a second year. There isn’t any reason why OF Thomas Neal and C/1B Chun Chen should still be in Akron with the numbers they’ve put up.

And if a guy hasn’t performed in several opportunities, cut him loose. David Huff comes to mind here. If he isn’t an option to help the big league team, then release him.

This is just the beginning of what should be done with the Cleveland Indians going forward.

It may be painful for the Dolan family to do some of these things, but what they are doing now isn’t working.

Changes should start on October 4th. The day after this nightmare season ends.

Tribe Missed An Opportunity

One of the best things one can say about the Mark Shapiro led Cleveland Indians is they didn’t waste downtime.

When the Tribe fell out of contention in a given season, Shapiro didn’t hold on to players who weren’t part of the future in Cleveland, mostly players who were not coming back the following season.

If the player’s contract expired at the end of the season, the then-GM made a move to try to get something for that player.

That’s how the Indians acquired several key players: SS Asdrubal Cabrera came in exchange for Eduardo Perez. Ben Broussard was traded for Shin-Soo Choo, and Mark De Rosa was sent away to get Chris Perez. Carlos Santana was picked up for Casey Blake.

Unfortunately, the current GM, Chris Antonetti forgot the organizational roots.

After an 11 games losing streak and relative inactivity at the trading deadline (getting Brent Lillibridge doesn’t count as doing something), the time to start looking toward 2013 would have been August 1st.

For some reason, the Tribe front office still isn’t looking forward, and that is mind-boggling.

It is apparent that the players currently on the roster who will be free agents don’t have any value to other teams, and certainly aren’t going to bring back another team’s good to very good prospect, like a Choo or Cabrera.

Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t moves that can be made.

People can pretty much be sure that players like Casey Kotchman, Jack Hannahan, and Shelley Duncan will not be wearing a Cleveland uniform when spring training starts next February.

Yet, they are still on the major league roster, and manager Manny Acta continues to give them at bats.

That’s crazy!

The organization will tell you there aren’t any prospects in Columbus, no one that can help the big league club.

The response to that is how can they be sure? They are the same people who think the three players listed above could be contributors on this season’s team.

Matt LaPorta was just added to the roster last Friday, and right now he needs to play every day, not just against left-handers. A decision must be made on him, and the only way it can be decided he’s not part of the future is by giving him regular and consistent playing time.

He’s probably not the answer, but why not find out for sure?

The same with Russ Canzler. Obviously, Antonetti saw something in him last winter when he claimed the right-handed hitter off waivers from Tampa Bay.

He ranks in the top ten in most slugging categories in the International League, so why isn’t he getting some at bats in the majors to see if those numbers can translate?

We’ve said this before about Canzler…you cannot classify him as a AAAA hitter because he’s had a grand total of three at bats in the big leagues.

You can make the same argument about looking at Jared Goedart and Tim Fedroff.

The Indians had a tremendous opportunity to get at least a few of these players perhaps as many as 200 at bats to find out if any of these guys could help the ’13 version of the Tribe.

Why it hasn’t been done is just one more mystery for the Shapiro/Antonetti leadership, adding to several others that have caused fans to roll their collective eyes this season.

Although all of those guys could get a September look, baseball people understand that you have to look at stats compiled in this month with a jaundiced eye.

This is another reason to be critical of the current administration. Another “could have” moment.

Young Browns Need More Time on Field

Traditionally, the third preseason game in the NFL is the dress rehearsal, the game which most simulates a regular season contest. However, because the Cleveland Browns opponent last night is the same one they will open the season with in two weeks, it was a little different atmosphere.

At least, that’s what they are telling themselves on Saturday. The Browns were manhandled by the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 on the lakefront.

Rookie QB Brandon Weeden looked good early, hitting on his first four throws, but with the Browns in the red zone, the Eagles turned up the heat defensively and the starting unit couldn’t handle it.

Weeden fumbled the ball away there, and later did it again deep in Cleveland territory, making it the third time he’s done that in three games. This isn’t to say he will do this throughout the regular season, but the coaching staff needs to work with him on ball protection.

A more troubling matter is the lack of ground game when Montario Hardesty is in the game. The third year man from Tennessee carried eight times for 12 yards and fumbled again, his second game in a row where he put the ball on the ground.

He seems to wait and dance before hitting holes which gives the defense time to react and close them up. It was a contrast to Brandon Jackson, who hits the hole quickly.

Hardesty may need a good performance against the Bears to make the final roster. In the meantime, hurry back Trent Richardson.

And the lack of a quality ground game doesn’t help a rookie quarterback.

On the plus side, rookie WR Josh Gordon looked good, catching three passes for 50 yards including a beautiful grab to beat Nnamdi Asomugha.

Defensively, CB Joe Haden played well after being tossed out of practice earlier in the week for too much aggressiveness, getting an interception and making a nice play on a wide receiver screen.

However, Sheldon Brown had a tough time with a fast receiver, which is becoming a norm as he gets older. He may be better suited to being a nickel back in favor of Buster Skrine and/or Trevin Wade, but with a suspension looming for Haden and an injury to Dmitri Patterson, coach Pat Shurmur and defensive coordinator Dick Jauron may not have that luxury.

The tackling was also poor for the Cleveland defense, which a great deal of Eagles yardage coming after contact. This too, must be corrected before the September 9th game against Philadelphia.

Still, keep in mind that this is what happens with a young football team, and the Browns are certainly that, with perhaps as many as six rookie starters come opening day.

There will be ups and downs, the young players will look great at times, and on other plays look like they are right out of high school. The hope for Shurmur and Tom Heckert, is that they will grow up quickly, and the learning curve won’t last very long.

Even with all the mistakes, the young Browns show enough flashes to give the front office and fan base hope.

That’s why, even though many NFL teams won’t put starters on the field in the last preseason game next week, Shurmur should give his young guys a little time on the field, perhaps a quarter. It will help them get more acclimated to the speed of NFL football, and could pay dividends in the season opener.

That’s when the rookies real first test will take place.

What Are Browns Fans Worrying About Now?

For the most part, the Cleveland Browns have had a pretty successful training camp. They’ve won both of their preseason games, and it seems a lot of their young players look to be players.

That doesn’t mean Browns’ fans have nothing to worry about. In fact, if the team ever won the Super Bowl, many supporters would be concerned about repeating the following year.

That’s just the way it is.

Anyway, here are some comments on what is weighing on the minds of fans of the orange helmet.

Colt McCoy. While it is clear that Brandon Weeden will be the starter when the Eagles visit on September 9th, who will be the back up quarterback?

Most think the Browns will deal McCoy for a low round draft pick, but should they?

The only reason for doing so would be so that if Weeden struggles, the crowds at Cleveland Browns’ Stadium can’t start chanting his name.

And that seems silly, but it’s tough on a rookie to have a divided fan base.

McCoy is probably better than veteran Seneca Wallace, and probably gives the team a better chance to win if something happens to Weeden.

Plus, McCoy seems to be more engaged in the games than Wallace, who hasn’t been seen wearing a headset during exhibition play.

GM Tom Heckert and president Mike Holmgren will likely deal McCoy after the last preseason game next week, but it’s for the wrong reasons.

It’s an emotional decision rather than a football one.

Playing the Eagles twice in three weeks. The answer here is that the Browns need to do what is good for the Browns, and they can’t worry about injuries and showing the opponents too much.

This is not to say Pat Shurmur should use the same game plan he is going to use on September 9th this Friday against the Eagles, but it shouldn’t affect anyone’s playing time.

The rookies and young veterans on this squad need playing time and need to be prepared to play four quarters when the opening bell rings.

Use a basic offense and defense and keep the starters in for three quarters. That’s what is beneficial for the Browns.

New Owner Jimmy Haslam. After Randy Lerner’s ownership, a guy like Larry Dolan might look like Redskins’ meddling owner Dan Snyder, which Browns fans are fearing Haslam may turn into.

Why? Because he’s gone to a few practices? He’s had the audacity to be seen at games?

Those are things most owners in the NFL do.

Now, if Haslam starts standing on the sidelines during games, like the Cowboys’ Jerry Jones, then it’s time to be a little concerned.

If he starts sitting in the war room on draft day and tells Heckert who to pick, then Browns’ fans should be worried.

If he goes over the GM’s head and starts spending huge amounts of cash on marginal free agents, then he’s turning into Snyder.

So far, he hasn’t done any of that, he’s just watching the team he paid one billion dollars for practice. And in that regard, he’s the same as the thousands who attend training camp in Berea everyday.

If Haslam learned anything from his partnership with the Steelers, it should be to let his football people do their job.

If he wants to truly be a part of the city and become one with the fans, he’ll start to worry about insignificant things.

Who is to Blame With Tribe?

The one thing the Cleveland Indians have done during this collapse which has extended to 18 losses in 22 games in put their entire organization under the public microscope.

Unfortunately, most of the blame is placed at the feet of the ownership. From the standpoint of they are the ones writing the checks and putting the people in charge, then they should shoulder that burden.

But this horrible situation is like an onion, there are many layers to peel away and doing it makes your eyes water.

Certainly, the Dolan family has put Mark Shapiro in charge of the organization. Under his watch, the Indians have put together nine of eleven losing seasons.

There are people who think Shapiro should stay because he’s not involved in the day-to-day running of the baseball operations. However, he would hire the new GM if he chooses to fire Chris Antonetti, and more than likely, he will hire someone with similar ideas.

So, there wouldn’t be a new direction there.

Others feel Manny Acta should be the fall guy. But if Antonetti and Shapiro stay, do you really think the new manager will be different from Acta or his predecessor Eric Wedge? Doubtful.

Fans blame the organization for not wanting to go a third year for Twins’ slugger Josh Willingham last winter, but whose decision was that?

Did the ownership tell Antonetti not to include a third year or did the baseball people decide it wasn’t worth the risk?

Did the ownership push the baseball people to sign Grady Sizemore or Casey Kotchman? Doubtful.

Did the ownership say not to call players up from Columbus? Also doubtful.

Did the GM make the decision to deal three top ten prospects for a pitcher with make up problems in Ubaldo Jimenez, and then deal a pitcher who could have helped the bullpen in Zach Putnam for Kevin Slowey?

On the other hand, did Acta push for Kotchman in order to improve the infield defense?

Does the skipper have a problem with young players Matt LaPorta and Lonnie Chisenhall and that’s why they both started the season in Columbus?

Does anyone know if Acta went to the front office and asked for reinforcements at the beginning of June, or did he assure Antonetti and Shapiro that the Indians could contend with its current roster.

We just don’t know. Nobody does, and it is doubtful anyone will find out the answers to these questions any time soon.

That’s why the Dolan family have to do something we know they are loath to do, and that is clean out the entire organization.

Since they’ve owned the team, they have put a great deal of trust in Mark Shapiro, but seriously name one area of the franchise that is in top-notch shape right now.

The farm system is ranked very low by experts. The top two levels (Columbus and Akron) don’t have many impact players.

We’ve talked about the performance of the big league team over the same time frame. It also doesn’t pass muster.

And fan morale and belief in the front office is at an all-time low. That means it is getting more and more difficult to sell new season ticket packages.

What makes it more difficult is that the Dolan’s seem to be good people. It would be very hard to get rid of someone who they have worked very closely with since they bought the team.

It’s time for a new fresh set of ideas. That can only come with new leadership.

To borrow a phrase from a different sport, Mr. Dolan, the ball is clearly in your court.

Manny Acta’s Imaginary Job Interview

When Manny Acta was hired as the skipper of the Cleveland Indians, both GM Chris Antonetti and team president Mark Shapiro were very impressed with the way he knew a lot about the organization. He did his homework.

Here is how we imagine the interview wrapped up:

Shapiro: Congratulations, Manny. You are the next manager of the Cleveland Indians.

Antonetti: We do have some things we want to discuss as to how we run things here before we make the announcement.

Acta: What do you mean?

Antonetti: Well, things like we have total control over the roster. You can make out the lineup, but we get total control over who is on the 25 man squad.

Acta: You mean to open the season? No problem. I get to make suggestions right?

Shapiro (laughing): Oh yeah, we’ll listen to you, but no, we get to have total control of the roster for the entire season.

Antonetti: And we have to talk about how we speak to the public. You have to use words like “process” and phrases like “in our situation”.

Shapiro (laughing again): You can’t use “grinding” anymore. Wedgie used it so much that people are sick of it. They make fun of him now.

Acta: OK?

Antonetti: We like to use platoons too. We think instead of getting one good player, you can use two limited ones and get the same production. Can you like with that?

Acta (thinking about not getting the job): Sure, no problem.

Shapiro: That’s good. You know, we had Showalter and Farrell in the organization and they kept telling us different things we did wrong. We told them we had to be in charge for the process to work.

Antonetti: Good one, Mark! You used “process”.

Acta: Well, what if a guy who makes the opening day roster starts out struggling, how long do we stay with him?

Antonetti: We are very patient. I’d say we have to wait until around the All-Star game before we can be sure the guy can’t hit. We don’t want to give away someone who can play.

Shapiro: Like Phillips. I told Wedge that was going to bite us in the rear end. We won’t make that mistake again. By the way, Manny, you said “what if”. I like that. I think we can do something with that phrase.

Acta: Ok, I think. Does the ownership plan to invest if we are contending?

Antonetti: We tell the public that, but we’re in this to make money. If we win great, but the owners want to recoup the cash they put up when they bought it. Old man Jacobs really snookered them.

Shapiro (sternly): Chris! We’re not supposed to talk about that. We’ll spend a little, but when a player starts creeping up on free agency, we have to think about moving them. Remember, I’m good at that, I stole three good players for Colon. Damn, we should’ve kept Phillips!

Acta: I think I’m fine with that. I’m not a real fiery guy, is that ok with you?

Antonetti: No problem. Hey Mark, remember when Manuel got thrown out of a couple of games early in his first year? We had to talk to him about calming down. It doesn’t present the right corporate image.

Acta: Corporate? This is baseball, I’m a little confused.

Shapiro: This is the new age, Manny. Heck, if we could make Polo shirts part of our uniform, we would. You’ll see in a few years, every team will operate like we do. We’re on the cutting edge.

Acta: I hope so. I’m your man, let’s do this.

Young Browns Show Improvement

Let’s not get carried away.

We say the same thing whether the Cleveland Browns win or loss one of these pre-season games. They don’t count in the standings so no one should overreact.

Each team approaches these contests differently. Look at Packers’ coach Mike McCarthy. He obviously used the game to find out if he needed a back up to Aaron Rodgers. And he does.

So, the score doesn’t matter.

Still if you are a fan of the Browns today, you have to shelve some of the venom being spewed toward the youngsters after the first exhibition game against the Lions.

They are rookies. They will get better with experience, but they will have ups and downs on the way.

Not to discount the defense, but it is difficult to judge their performance last night because Rodgers played only three series. He had a short field on his first drive because of Montario Hardesty’s fumble and quickly converted into a touchdown.

The defense did force a turnover on Green Bay’s second possession and held them on downs the next time the Packers got the ball.

Rookie CB Trevin Wade continued to impress, playing the slot receiver with the starting unit. He defended the pass on the last Rodgers’ throw and was right on his man.

But the fears surrounding QB Brandon Weeden should be allayed at least for one week (remember, we are in Cleveland folks). He completed 12 of 20 passes for 118 yards.

The only concern is the offense still seems to be the conservative one run by Pat Shurmur last season, filled with short throws under coverage. Weeden has a big arm, so why not allow him to show it off.

However, it is the preseason. Perhaps the offense isn’t installed it is entirety as of yet, or maybe the coaching staff doesn’t want future opponents to see that aspect of the offense yet.

Rookie T Mitchell Schwartz was not the turnstile he was criticized for being in his debut. He did a much better job in his second game, which objective fans figured he would.

So, the talk of this year’s draft being horrible will have to be delayed at least until the Browns play the Eagles next weekend on the north coast.

Among the veterans, Hardesty had 12 carries for 45 yards, but fumbled once, and Brandon Jackson toted the ball 14 times for 35 yards. However, the longest run by a Cleveland back was a whopping nine yards.

The offense needs the big play capability of Trent Richardson, who is still rehabbing his knee.

It’s tough to score points consistently in the NFL relying on 12 play, 80 yard drives. There has to be some big play capability. They need to mix in an occasional 40 yard gain.

Again, it may just be Shurmur and new offensive coordinator Brad Childress keeping it vanilla during the preseason, but the Browns will need to have the ability to strike quick when the regular season starts.

In the meantime, the local panic can be abated just a bit. GM Tom Heckert didn’t draft the worst players imaginable in last April’s draft.

Remember, the Cleveland Browns are playing and relying on a lot of very inexperienced players. They will have highs and lows. They should get better each and every game they play in.

You have to admit there was much improvement from the first game in Detroit last week.

Browns’ Fans Need to Chill

The Cleveland Browns have many knowledgeable fans, they just don’t seem to be very vocal.

How else can you explain the reaction to last Friday nights ~~exhibition~~, er, pre-season game, a game in which Cleveland ended up winning!

What was viewed as a very good draft by GM Tom Heckert is now relegated to horrible, based on one quarter of the Browns first game that doesn’t count.

How ridiculous is that.

Let’s look at the first few picks made by Heckert last April:

Trent Richardson, the third overall pick, had a “hangnail piece of cartilage” removed from his knee last week, so he is referred to as a bust who will never, ever be healthy. We aren’t doctors, but it sounds like a very minor procedure and it shouldn’t keep Richardson out of the season opener against Philadelphia.

The team’s second first round pick, QB Brandon Weeden didn’t complete every pass he threw, and didn’t lead the Browns to touchdowns in the three possessions he played, so now fans are looking forward to getting the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft so they can pick USC signal caller Matt Barkley.

It didn’t help Weeden that Indianapolis’ Andrew Luck looked impressive in his first start against the St. Louis Rams, who had the second worst record in the NFL last season. The Lions, by the way, made the playoffs.

Second round pick T Mitchell Schwartz was shaky against a pretty good Lions’ pass rush, led by All Pro Ndamukong Suh. So, he’s another rookie labeled as a bust, despite playing a half in his team’s first pre-season contest.

Supplemental pick WR Josh Gordon didn’t catch four passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns, so he stinks. Of course, no one allows that he hasn’t played a meaningful game of football on any level for over a year.

Detroit ran the ball very well last Friday, so third pick DT John Hughes certainly will never become even a decent NFL player.

The complaints go on and on.

The truth is these guys are rookies. This was their first game played at that speed, the professional speed. It would be very odd if they played great right out of the gate and stayed at that level for the rest of their careers.

It just doesn’t work that way.

Luck was regarded as the most NFL ready passer to enter the league since Peyton Manning, who’s been in the NFL for more than ten years. That’s how infrequently players like that come along. So, it’s not fair to Weeden to expect he plays at a high level right from the get go.

It will be interesting to see how all of the rookies play Thursday night at Green Bay. Will they take the lessons learned in the first game and make corrections.

Even if they don’t, it’s still crazy to proclaim them busts until they’ve played at least an entire NFL season.

As for Richardson, from many reports, he could have played with the soreness his cartilage fragment generated, but he and the team figured it was better to get it taken care of now.

If after four games, all of the rookies are struggling, then fans can be concerned. And concerned only. No panic, no proclamations of a horrible draft.

The more comments heard after the Detroit game, the more you have to think about former GM Phil Savage’s comments about Browns’ fans. They have a “woe is me” mentality.

Tribe Needs to Keep Moving Forward

In the past few weeks, really since they were in the middle of their 11 game losing streak, the Cleveland Indians are playing for next season.

They’ve released four veteran players and replaced them with younger guys, trying to get a head start on talent evaluation for 2013. We’ve seen Corey Kluber have one good start and two clinkers, Chris Seddon (who’s actually kind of veteran, he’s 28) has had one good start and one so-so outing, and Ezequiel Carrera has shown Tribe fans that leftfielders can get hits every once in a while.

However, they shouldn’t stop there. When Travis Hafner went out with a back injury, manager Manny Acta said Shelley Duncan would get the bulk of the at bats at the DH spot. Why, exactly would the team want to do that?

Look, Duncan’s a hard worker, and Acta has a soft spot for him. But he’s 32 years old, and is 3 for 22 in the month of August. Wouldn’t it be better for the future if the organization gave those at bats to someone else?

For that matter, why should Casey Kotchman and Jack Hannahan continue to garner playing time. These two players, and Duncan, aren’t likely to be on the roster next season. And if they are, then the front office should have a lot of explaining to do.

The Indians keep looking for the player who batted .300 a year ago, but it’s quite obvious that guy isn’t showing up. His batting average continues to hover in the .220’s, and he shows no signs of having a hot streak.

Hannahan hit .250 a year ago, but he’s a lifetime .231 hitter, and his average this season is….231! And since May 1st, he’s batting just .205. Yes, he’s excellent with the glove, but he can’t hit big league pitching consistently.

It’s time to take a good look, not a September 1st call up, at players like Matt LaPorta, Russ Canzler, and Tim Fedroff.

We are stressing not waiting until the rosters can be expanded because of the baseball axiom to ignore what you see in April and September. Tribe management can get a good look at these players for almost 50 games.

On LaPorta, to be sure some of you are saying “not again”. But the Indians front office have to find out once and for all if he can be a productive big league hitter. He can garner almost 200 at bats the rest of the season.

If he hits, great. If he doesn’t, then the ballclub can release him with a clear conscience. However, they simply have to find out.

Canzler has been on fans’ wish lists since spring training when he hit the ball with authority. Dismissed by some as a “AAAA” hitter, he’s had just three major league at bats. Let’s find out if he can be a contributor in ’13.

Fedroff is 25 and has never reached the majors despite being a .297 lifetime hitter in the minor leagues. His problem is that he’s not a power guy with only 21 HR’s in five minor league seasons.

Along the same thought, it’s also time for Jeanmar Gomez to come back up and take a regular turn in the rotation. He’s 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA at Columbus, and had a better ERA in Cleveland than Josh Tomlin, Derek Lowe, and even Ubaldo Jimenez. For a team needing starting pitching next season, he should be getting an opportunity.

It’s probably something than Acta and GM Chris Antonetti don’t want to admit, but this season has set sail and it’s time to move forward to 2013. Giving these players a chance now would be helpful in that regard.