Tonight, the last game of the baseball season may be played. 

If Texas beats St. Louis this evening, they will be the World Champions for 2011, the first in franchise history. 

For those confused and saying the Washington Senators won in the 1920’s, that franchise is now the Minnesota Twins.  The Rangers were born in 1961 as an expansion franchise given to Washington to replace the original Senators.

What this means for Cleveland is that three days after the Series ends, the Indians will have to make decisions on two players who have club options:  Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona.

We have already stated that what GM Chris Antonetti should do is decline Sizemore’s option for $9 million and exercise Carmona’s for $7 million.

This is not to endorse keeping Carmona in the starting rotation.  However, starting pitching, particularly guys who can eat innings, is valuable, and the right-hander could be interesting to teams looking for durable starters.

As for Sizemore, he hasn’t been healthy since 2008, and when he has been in the lineup, has shown little to remind us of the player he was from 2005-08. 

Let’s put it another way, if Sizemore was with another team now, and the Indians offered him $9 million for one year, critics would be saying that Antonetti was insane.

These two moves will hopefully kickoff what should be a busy off-season for the Tribe. 

At least it should be active if the front office wants the team to jump over the Tigers and win the American League Central Division.

Once again, the Indians need a right-handed hitter, who preferably plays LF or CF or first base, and another starting pitcher. 

They also need to have that right-handed bat be a guy who does not strikeout excessively.

It’s also time for our annual pitch for the Indians to see if they can find a taker for DH Travis Hafner. 

Understand that this will not be easy, and it definitely will involve paying a portion of Hafner’s 2012 salary of approximately $13 million. 

Yes, we know that the deal would have to be to an American League team, because the big DH can no longer play in the field.

Such a deal would give Antonetti an extra $6.5 million to try to improve the team, and it would allow the Tribe to bring Jim Thome back as DH.

We know Thome will be 41 during the 2012 season, but he was a more productive hitter than Hafner, both with the Indians and in total (838 OPS vs. 811 for Hafner).

When Hafner was in his prime, he regular had slugging percentages in the .550 to .600 range.  The last few years, that figure has dipped to under .450, which is lower than Asdrubal Cabrera, Shelley Duncan, and Jason Kipnis, at least last season.

In a year where he said his shoulder was healthy, he hit just 13 home runs in 325 at bats.  By contrast, Thome hit 15 in 277 at bats. 

Not much of a difference, but keep in mind that Big Jim was making about $10 million less than Hafner.

Tinkering with last year’s roster is not going to put the Indians in position to contend.  They do have some pieces to build on, however.  Cabrera, a healthy Shin-Soo Choo, Carlos Santana, and Jason Kipnis is a good young core of players.

Also, a middle market team can’t have its three highest paid players not contributing on a daily basis.  Keeping Sizemore, Carmona, and Hafner puts them in that position.

Something to keep in mind as the hot stove league heats up.

MW

It is no secret that the Cleveland Browns are putting in yet a new offensive system this season, as coach Pat Shurmur wants to run his version of the west coast offense.

To date, it doesn’t seem to be working, and the latest evidence was getting just two field goals in the 6-3 win over Seattle. 

Critics would say that it doesn’t appear the Browns are running any offensive system at all.

However, whose fault is it for the struggles?

The easy answer is to blame QB Colt McCoy or Shurmur’s play calling.  However, it’s not that simple.

It is most definitely a combination of those two factors, plus some problems on the offensive line, the familiarity of the receivers in the offensive system, and the injury to Peyton Hillis.

The attack has to stretch the field, both vertically and horizontally.  The failure to do this results in the defense packing in its coverage, and it makes it more difficult to complete the short passes McCoy seems content to take.

In the past few games, the Browns have thrown deep once per game, but they need to do it a few more times per contest.  Even if the throw isn’t complete, it makes the defense aware and they can’t creep up to the line of scrimmage.

The problem with doing this is the play of the offensive line, particularly the right side, G Shawn Lauvao and T Tony Pashos.  They simply aren’t providing the protection needed to throw the ball downfield.

Yes, sometimes McCoy holds the ball too long, but how many times have you seen the quarterback take a three-step drop and the defense is in his face. 

They’ve also had problems picking up blitzes as well.  The offensive line woes have forced Shurmur to keep extra people in to block, which limits the passing attack.

It’s why Alex Smith is getting more time at TE than Evan Moore, who’s a better receiver.

The receivers are a problem as well.  Greg Little looks like he has the talent to be very good wide out someday, but the rest of the pass catching corps is pedestrian at best. 

How many times have we seen two receivers in the same area?  It happened at least twice last Sunday.  You have to assume that one of the players is in the wrong spot.  Is that the quarterbacks’ fault?

We can blame having no off-season program and a shortened training camp, but every other NFL team is in the same boat. 

Still, we should see improvement as the season goes on because all of the players should be more used to the offense. 

Receivers should learn where they need to go on hot reads.  The offensive linemen will know where potential blitzes are coming from.  The quarterback will know where the receivers should be so he can get rid of the ball quickly.

If you look back in history, many offensive head coaches have started slowly in their first year, and improved as their system took shape.

Bill Walsh, considered the father of the modern west coast offense, went 2-14 in his first year.  Even Mike Holmgren said last week that the Packers started 2-5 in his first year.

The problem in Cleveland is we, as fans, are starved for a winner, and patience is thin.

This is a young team, with a defense that is starting to show some teeth. 

Be patient.  Not for five more years, but at least until the end of the season.  If Colt McCoy isn’t showing he can handle the offense by then, maybe he isn’t the future for the Browns.

JD

Two years ago, the Browns picked up their first win of the season, and their only win in that season’s first 12 games, by beating the Buffalo Bills, 6-3.

It was doubtful you would ever see that ugly of a win again.

However, we did today, as Cleveland beat Seattle by the identical score, in a game that left viewers shaking their collective heads in disbelief. 

Unlike that victory in 2009, this win raised the Browns record to 3-3 on the season.

You have to give a tip of the cap to the Browns’ defense, which held the Seahawks to just 137 yards of total offense, the lowest by a Cleveland opponent since they held New Orleans to 127 yards in 1993. 

Sure, Seattle was missing starting QB Tavaris Jackson and RB Marshawn Lynch, but still, holding a team to that few of yards in a tremendous feat.  Check out the stats on NFL games, it isn’t done very often.

The most telling statistic of the game was third down conversion, with Pete Carroll’s team getting just 2 of 12 opportunities.  The Seahawks possessed the ball just 17 minutes for the game.

Seattle had just 65 yards rushing and a paltry 72 through the air, and Dick Jauron’s defense had two key turnovers:  a sack/fumble of QB Charlie Whitehurst by S T.J. Ward, and an interception by CB Sheldon Brown after an 85-yard punt return by Leon Washington was called back by an iffy illegal block in the back call.

The Browns stopped the run and pressured the passer.  Seattle couldn’t put anything together all day long, and the one time it did get a first and goal inside the CLE 10 after a 38-yard catch by Sidney Rice, the defense held them to a field goal.

As horrible as the offense looked most of the contest, they actually did an acceptable job except in putting points on the board.  They converted 12 of 24 third downs, and held the ball for 43 minutes.  Even Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers would have a tough time scoring touchdowns without the football.

Still, there have to be concerns regarding the offense.  Seattle blitzed early and often today, and opponents will continue to do this until the Browns can handle it better.  Right now, Colt McCoy isn’t handling it well.

The coaching staff can talk all they want about Shawn Lauvao, Jason Pinkston, and Tony Pashos doing okay, but there are plenty of times that McCoy drops back and the pass rushers are in his face.  They have to do a better job.

McCoy wound up hitting 20 of 35 throws for 178 yards, but threw a terrible interception into double coverage on a promising drive.  Montario Hardesty gained 95 yards, but needed 33 carries to do so.

One promising player was newcomer RB Chris Ogbonnaya, who caught four passes for 35 yards and ran three more times for 15 yards.  He made key third round receptions and converted them into first downs twice.

Another disturbing trend is the poor play out of the special teams.  Josh Cribbs did return to coverage teams and made  a tackle and was near the ball on another, but having two field goals blocked and getting a punt run back for a TD, only to be called back, shows immediate improvement must be made. 

Remember, the 49ers are next and they have a guy named Ted Ginn Jr. returning kicks.

However, kudos to Phil Dawson, whose two kicks made of over 50 yards put the only points for Cleveland on the board.  It would be nice if the offense put him in better position for kicks, and his protection didn’t allow big penetration at the point of attack.

All in all, it’s another win, and the Browns are at the .500 mark after six games, something no one has been able to say in recent years. 

However, more improvement is needed.  Thankfully, this is not a veteran group (like in past years), so the players will benefit from experience.

JD

There is no doubt Peyton Hillis is a popular player in Cleveland, Ohio.

Hillis is a big, physical runner and a good-looking guy and his style fits perfectly with the blue-collar mentality that Cleveland has.

The fans have his back in his ongoing contract talks with the Browns.  Sports talk is filled with people wanting Mike Holmgren to give Hillis whatever he wants.

Of course, it isn’t their money.

The truth is Hillis has had one good season.  Not great, but good. 

In today’s NFL, the great backs get around 1300 yards in a season, an average of 80 yards per game. 

Hillis gained 1177 yards last season, a figure that didn’t even rank in the top ten in the league.  To be fair, his 1654 yards from scrimmage did rank 6th in the league because he is a good receiver.

He definitely deserves more money than he is currently making, but he shouldn’t get what Adrian Peterson got from the Vikings. 

That’s because he’s only done it for one year. 

Fans also think coach Pat Shurmur would solve all of the Browns’ problems by giving the ball to Hillis 30 times per game.  That totally ignores the fact that in four of his last five games in 2010, he gained less than 60 yards.

In three of those games, he averaged less than 3.2 yards per carry.

In truth, the Browns need to be able to throw the football to be successful.

The Plain Dealer’s Tony Grossi pointed out the other day that if you look at any period the Browns were successful, they had a great passing game.

In the 1950’s it was Otto Graham throwing to Dante Lavelli.  In the 60’s it was Frank Ryan and Bill Nelsen throwing to Paul Warfield and Gary Collins. 

The Kardiac Kids had Brian Sipe, and the teams of the late 80’s were led by Bernie Kosar firing passes to Webster Slaughter and Ozzie Newsome.

Running the football is great when you have the lead and you want to choke out your opponents.  However, you get that lead by passing, and the Browns haven’t been able to do that effectively since Derek Anderson’s great 2007 season.

Peyton Hillis is probably frustrated that he hasn’t played well, but he has handled the situation wrong, no matter what his fans think.

He has hired agents with the frequency of Lindsay Lohan appearing before a judge.  His latest agent gave him some bad advice by telling him not to play with strep throat.

Hillis made it worse by saying his agent told him to do that.

And he keeps bringing it up.  He’s the one who won’t let the issue die.  Every week it’s something new.

His teammates have to be irritated that they have to keep answering questions about the big running back.

The problem seems to be that Hillis and his agent have overestimated his worth within the league.  Although he may be very popular here in Cleveland, he’s not an elite running back.

Therefore, he shouldn’t be paid like one. 

He needs to get back out on the field and produce like he did in 2010, and establish himself as one of the NFL’s upper echelon runners.

Getting on the cover of Madden really doesn’t give him an automatic 100 yards rushing per game.

JD

Many people may not believe this, but once upon a time, the Baltimore Orioles were a symbol of baseball excellence. 

From 1963 through 1983, the Orioles were the model of how to run a baseball organization. 

In that time span, Baltimore failed to win 85 games at the big league level just three times, and two of those seasons occurred in years where the schedule was shortened by labor issues (1972 and 1981). 

Only in 1967, a year after the won the World Series, did the O’s fail to reach the .500 mark, finishing at 76-85.

They ran their baseball operations with a philosophy called “The Oriole Way”, and all the minor league teams were run stressing fundamentals and the correct way to do things.

Whether you agree or disagree with the way they ran their organization, you cannot argue with its success.

The Cleveland Indians seem to run their organization with their own set of ideas and philosophies, however, the track record for success just isn’t there.

In the 12 years the Dolan family have owned the team, and Mark Shapiro has been running the organization, the Tribe has won more than 85 games, exactly four times (2000, ’01, ’05. and ’07).

You could argue that the first two of those years were done with holdovers from the club that dominated the AL Central in the 1990’s.

The reason for looking at this was provoked because the Tribe looked within to replace Tim Tolman and Tim Belcher on their coaching staff, going to Tom Wiedenbauer as the new first base coach, and bullpen coach Scott Radinsky will take over for Belcher.

Minor league pitching coordinator Dave Miller will replace Radinsky as bullpen coach.

This is not to denigrate the abilities of any of these men.  They are all fine baseball men, and you have to credit the success of this year’s relief pitchers, the strength of the team, to Radinsky.

However, for a team that hasn’t enjoyed a lot of success recently, you would think they might consider looking outside the organization.

Yes, they did go outside for Acta, but he also seems to be on the same page as both GM Chris Antonetti and Shapiro, at least publicly.

There is no diversity within the organization that we are aware of.  Certainly, inside closed doors there may be plenty of disagreements on philosophy and talent evaluation.  However, there isn’t any curiosity about what other, more successful, organizations are doing.

It’s one thing to be firm in your beliefs, it’s another not to look at alternatives when you aren’t getting results.

Why not look at an organization who emphasize putting the ball in play at the plate?  The Texas Rangers were last in the American League in striking out.  They were also third in the AL in runs scored and are in the World Series for the second straight year.

Instead, the Tribe brass look at the value of players, and are considering invoking contract options because of what the market holds.

Antonetti and Shapiro need to stop worrying about these things and start looking at what constitutes a winning organization.

They, of course, will claim that we don’t understand the financial constraints they are under.  However, Tampa Bay isn’t a big spender and have made the post-season three of the last four years.

Why not look at their organization and perhaps hiring someone from a team that has been successful.

One thing is true.  Based on the last twelve seasons, whatever philosophy the Indians are using isn’t working. 

Instead of going with the status quo, perhaps looking at a new approach would be in order.

MW

A lot of people are going to pin today’s 24-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders to the special teams of the Cleveland Browns. 

After all, 14 of the Raiders’ 24 points came as a result of a 102-yard kickoff return by Jacoby Ford and a 35-yard pass on a fake field goal attempt by punter/holder Shane Lechler to Kevin Boss. 

Certainly, the special teams play wasn’t up to the standards of the past few seasons, but Oakland would have probably made the field goal anyway and increased their lead to 20-7 at the time of the gadget play.

The only thing that made this game competitive until the end was the curious decision by Raiders’ coach Hue Jackson to eschew a field goal late in the game which could have put the game away, giving Oakland a 27-10 lead.  Jackson will get second-guessed on that move without a doubt.

Other than that, it was back to the formula that has kept this franchise from winning since 1999:  Can’t run the ball, can’t stop the run.

Early in the game, the defense couldn’t get off the field, allowing the silver and black a 15 play, 88 yard drive, which featured four third down conversions.  Until QB Jason Campbell fumbled on the ensuing possession, it didn’t appear Dick Jauron’s defenders had an answer for the Raider offense. 

Things did change after Campbell left the game with a reported broken collarbone, and was replaced by Kyle Boller, who formerly flunked out in Baltimore.  Boller was not very accurate and allow the Browns to focus more on the run. 

One problem that did develop was CB Dimitri Patterson gave Raider WR Darius Heyward-Bey huge cushions allowing easy completions for Boller on 10-15 yard patterns.  Heyward-Bey is fast, but too much respect was given a guy who has done little in the NFL in his three-year career.

Still, they couldn’t get the big turnover as Oakland controlled the game on the ground, gaining 151 yards rushing on 40 carries.  They did come close once, when DE Jabaal Sheard strip sacked Boller in Cleveland territory, but the Raider QB fell on the ball to set up the touchdown on the fake field goal.

By contrast, the Browns ran the ball 21 times for just 65 yards.  When they fell behind by 17 points early in the fourth quarter, they had to abandon the run and put the ball in the air.

On offense, Cleveland looked rushed and bothered the entire game by the blitzing of the Raiders.  Colt McCoy was hit too many times, and when he was able to throw the football, he showed the inaccuracy he’s exhibited this entire season.

He completed just 21 of 45 throws for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions, but he did fumble in the second half to set up a field goal. 

Once again, the Browns came out and looked unprepared to play.  This has been a recurring theme during the season.  After two weeks of preparation, that shouldn’t be the case.

Still, after the lengthy drive on their first possession, Cleveland did take advantage of the Campbell fumble to tie the game on a 1-yard pass to TE Alex Smith. 

Unfortunately, the kickoff return gave Oakland back the lead, an advantage they never relinquished. 

There were a few good things to come from the game.  Rookie WR Greg Little, in his first start, caught six passes for 75 yards, and fellow rooks Sheard, and DT Phil Taylor both had sacks.  MLB D’Qwell Jackson continued his standout season with nine more tackles.

The Browns now have Seattle visiting next week, and need a win to get back to .500.  They are last in the AFC North, the only team in the division to have lost three games.

Some improvement was expected after the bye week, but it didn’t reveal itself.  The Browns were beaten in every phase of the game in Oakland.

JD

Pat Shurmur has taken a lot of criticism for a guy coaching a team without high expectations coming into the season. 

Nobody expected the Cleveland Browns to make the playoffs this season, and most people figured the brown and orange would wind up around 7-9 or 8-8.

That they are 2-2 right now would seem to bode well for the first year head coach.

Unfortunately, one new coach has taken the NFL by storm this season.  Jim Harbaugh is in his rookie year as a pro head coach and the San Francisco 49ers are off to a 4-1 start.

So, Shurmur is held to that standard by many fans.

On Shurmur’s behalf, let us point out that the team he was the offensive coordinator for last season, the St. Louis Rams, are now 0-4, and Sam Bradford, his prize pupil at QB with the Rams, is playing horribly.

Let’s give the new head coach some slack, after all, he’s had the job for all of four games, and it’s not as though his team has lost every game.

As others have speculated, the bye week came at a good time for a young team with a new head coach, because hopefully he will take a good, hard look at the first four games and determine what worked and what didn’t.

Even though Shurmur and team president Mike Holmgren are advocates of the west coast offense, the talent currently on the team isn’t suited to a total commitment to the attack.

The strength of the team still is a power running game, and that should be the basis for what the Browns are trying to do offensively. 

The game plan should be to get Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty the football 25-30 times per game. 

Everyone knows Colt McCoy threw over 60 times in the defeat to Tennessee, but he threw 40 times in the opener against Cincinnati too.

In Cleveland’s best performance of the year, the road victory versus the Colts, McCoy passed less than 30 times.

In his press conferences this week, Shurmur has indicated that he is making adjustments based on the first four games, and mostly that means getting the ball into his playmakers’ hands.

He has publicly stated that rookie Greg Little will start at wide receiver, and the passing game will look to utilize TE Evan Moore too.

Shurmur has also stated the need to get Hillis more involved in the running game.

It’s quite possible that the coach had some ideas about his team in training camp, and after trying some things in games, he now knows who can produce, and who cannot.

Let’s just say that it’s a departure from the previous head coach in that he’s not being stubborn.  Shurmur appears to be ready to adjust.

Of course, no one will know for sure if these changes will be made until this Sunday’s game against the Raiders. 

The coach could get carried away due to an early occurence in the contest, and go back to the same game plan used in the first four games.

Keep in mind that Pat Shurmur is still learning on the job.  He may not be “getting it” as quickly as we, as fans, like, but the willingness to make changes is a good quality to have as a coach.

One thing is for sure.  Shurmur should have learned not to lose by 18 points prior to the bye week.

JD

The baseball post-season is now in round two, and soon the World Series will be here and gone.  That means the only season a Cleveland Indians fan cares about will be here, the hot stove season.

After making a big leap in wins (69 to 80 in one year is a pretty significant jump), the Tribe front office now has pressure to get the Indians into the playoffs next season. 

To do that, they have to be active in terms of player acquisition this winter.

On the offensive end, much of the focus will be on getting an outfielder and/or first baseman, and it would help if that player batted right-handed.

However, if they don’t find a good trade fit, they may have to look from within to fill some holes.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much help on the farm.  Cleveland had two prospects in Baseball America’s top 20 list in the International League, but both are already with the big club:  Jason Kipnis (#7) and Lonnie Chisenhall (#10). 

You have to go all the way to short-season Mahoning Valley ( INF Tony Wolters (#7) and C/1B Jake Lowery (#17)) to find another Cleveland farm hand in a minor league’s top 20 list. 

That means there is much help coming from the AA and A levels of the organization.

And that means, there isn’t much that other organizations will want either.

One place Cleveland has some depth in the system is at second base, where Kipnis is probably the incumbent on the big league team, with Cord Phelps, LuisValbuena, and Jason Donald, all being young players who can play the spot.

Phelps is considered the best prospect, despite his struggles in the majors because of his minor league track record (.288 batting average, 810 OPS in almost 1700 at bats).

He’s also a switch hitter.

It has been reported that the team is going to work with Donald in the outfield to make him a super-utility player.

This is weird because Kipnis played OF in college.  Why not move him back to LF, and use Phelps or a combination of Phelps and Donald at the keystone?

Because the Indians are convinced Kipnis has more value as a 2B.  Still, aren’t the Tribe in the business of winning games, not creating value for its players?

If Kipnis becomes a player who can hit .300 with 15-20 HR’s, wouldn’t that play nicely as a corner outfielder?  Particularly if you have a shortstop who can hit 20 homers.

Especially if Phelps can hit the way his minor league numbers indicate he can.

And if Cord Phelps can be a productive major league hitter, aren’t the Indians better off with both of them in the starting lineup than if Kipnis played 2B, and let’s say Trevor Crowe in LF?

The point is why is the front office slotting Jason Kipnis as an infielder, outside of the time invested into making him one? 

Isn’t the goal to put the best nine (or ten with the DH) on the field everyday? 

If GM Chris Antonetti can acquire a player like Ryan Braun, then no problem, let Kipnis play 2B.  But, if you can get more than a journeyman to play LF, then why not try Kipnis at the spot. 

Here’s hoping the Indians consider all possibilities.

KM

It appears likely that the first two weeks of the NBA season will be postponed due to the current labor situation, which has the players locked out. 

It is said the hold up is the percentage the players will get out of basketball related revenue.  The players were receiving 57% and are willing to settle for 53%.  The owners want to slice the money pie up 50/50.

Let’s hope the owners hold out and get the system right.  That is, a system that allows every team a chance to win, not just those in large markets with deeper pockets.

The NFL should be the gold standard for all sports.  True, they play once a week, so it is easy to market the sport as a “happening”, but just look at the participating teams in the last two Super Bowls.

To refresh your memory they are the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.  No teams from New York, Boston, Philadelphia, or Chicago. 

That’s one of the reasons why the NFL is so successful…fans know if there teams are smart and draft good players, they have a chance to win a championship. 

For those in Cleveland, even the Browns, with the right drafting and coaching, can end the city’s title drought, which has been since 1964.

In the NBA, when was the last time the Milwaukee Bucks were relevant?  The Indiana Pacers?  The Sacramento Kings? 

Yes, if you have a great player, you will be able to have a shot, but in today’s basketball, it is rare that a superstar wants to play his entire career in Orlando (like Shaquille O’Neal), Toronto (Chris Bosh), or yes, even Cleveland like LeBron James. 

Funny, Peyton Manning has become quite famous playing for the Indianapolis Colts, and every knows who Brett Favre is, despite playing most of his NFL life in Green Bay. 

Tim Duncan decided to play in San Antonio when he became a free agent, and that allowed the smaller market Spurs to be relevant in pro basketball for a long, long time.  But more and more, Duncan is the exception.  Today’s athletes want the bright lights of New York, Los Angeles, and yes, Miami.

However, the sport needs to have franchises in other areas beside those mega cities.  To be a national sport, you must have teams in the midwest, south, and northwest.  And fans of those teams need to know, that with the right management and shrewd players moves, they will have a shot at hoisting a banner proclaiming a world title.

Much has been made about baseball’s top payrolls advancing in this year’s post-season. The Phillies, Yankees, and Red Sox are all out of the running in 2011.  However, these teams response to this “failure”, will not be to say spending cash doesn’t work, they will just feel that they didn’t spend enough. 

That will create more disparity between the large markets and the small and mid-markets.

Some people will say Cleveland and Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert would sing a different tune had James remained in Cleveland.  There probably is some truth in that, but today’s NBA players want to be paid a premium to play in a small, cold city like Cleveland.  That’s just the attitude that exists for today’s pro hoopster.

The NBA needs to create a league where all teams, if run correctly, have a chance to win, and that any city with an NBA franchise is a great place to play, unless the owner is a complete buffoon (see Clippers, Los Angeles).

The owners should not reach an agreement until this is addressed.  They could join the NFL as the model for professional sports leagues if they do just that.

MW

Last week, former Cavs’ center Zydrunas Ilgauskas announced his retirement from professional basketball after 14 seasons in the NBA.  It was big news around these parts because Ilguaukas spent all but his last season toiling for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Many people have speculated that eventually the big man from Lithuania will wind up working for the organization he played for most of his career, and it looks as though the Cavaliers will honor Z by retiring his #11. 

You can discern that because this year’s first overall pick, Kyrie Irving, was dissuaded by the front office from taking the number. 

Certainly, Ilguaskas deserves some sort of tribute by the Cavs, after all, he is the leading rebounder in franchise history as well as playing in more games and blocking more shots as a Cavalier than anyone else.

He’s also in the top five in wine and gold history in points, field goals made and free throws made.  He also was a big contributor on the only Cleveland team to get to the NBA Finals. 

He did this all, yet we still don’t know how good the big man would have been had his career not been plagued by foot problems throughout his career.  He missed his rookie season and most of two others with fractures in his feet. 

He persevered and came back in 2001-02, and actually became a very durable player, appearing in at least 75 games five years in a row from 2002-03 through 2006-07. 

He most definitely is an important figure in the history of the franchise, and should be honored in some way.  Perhaps being a charter member of the team’s Hall of Fame, or maybe a ring of honor at Quicken Loans Arena.  Just don’t retire his number.

This stance really has nothing to do with Ilgauskas.  The problem is retiring a player’s number is the biggest honor a retired player can get, outside of making the sport’s Hall of Fame. 

And that honor should be reserved for players who have claimed the ultimate prize, a title. 

If the Cavs retired Z’s #11, he will be the seventh player so honored by the franchise.  A team that has won ZERO titles.  No championships, but seven players whose jerseys are hanging from the rafters.

No disrespect to Nate Thurmond, an Akron native who is one of the sport’s all-time greats, but he played a total of 114 games with the Cavaliers.

Larry Nance is another great player, and has continued to make his home in the Cleveland area, but he played less than half of his career with the wine and gold, never averaging more than 20.0 points per game.

Brad Daugherty played just eight years in the NBA, all with Cleveland, and made five all-star teams.  However, he averaged 19 points and 9 rebounds in his career and never got to the NBA Finals.

Mark Price played nine years here, and until recently was the only Cavalier to be named first team all-NBA.  Still, Price never scored 20 points per night with the Cavs. 

Bobby “Bingo” Smith is honored because he was an original member of the Cavs, and played on the “Miracle of Richfield” team in 1975-76.  For all of his contributions to the franchise, he never even made an all-star team.

Only Austin Carr, because of his stature as the face of the team, first as a player and then as an announcer, should have his number hanging from the ceiling of The Q. 

If you want to pick a second person, it would likely be a toss-up between Daugherty and Price, both excellent players in Cleveland for a long time.

It isn’t fair to Ilguaskas that the Cavalier organization used retiring jersey numbers as a way to entice people to attend games during the dark days of the franchise. 

And it is doubtful that there is anyway to undo a retired number without it being a disgrace to the player who was honored.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas certainly deserves to be honored by the Cavaliers for his contributions and perseverance to the team.  Just do it in a way that means more for his place in Cavs’ history than retiring his number.

JK