It seems like Asdrubal Cabrera has been around forever.  Most people are surprised when you tell them how old he is. 

Since he was here when the Indians last won the division in 2007, he is put in the same class as guys like Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner, who will be 29 and 34 respectively this season.

However, he is just 25 years old and should be improving, which through the first quarter of the season, he most certainly is. 

He put an exclamation point on his season to date with a 5 for 5 game in the series finale against Cincinnati, with two home runs and five RBI’s.

He came up to the Indians during their drive to a 2007 AL Central Division title at age 21, and contributed mightily, hitting .283 with 3 HR and 22 RBI (775 OPS) in 45 games.

He was 10 for 46 in the post-season with a homer and 6 RBI’s.

He reportedly came to spring training a little out of shape in 2008, and his number slipped to .259, 6 HR and 47 RBI (713 OPS) in his first full season in the big leagues.

The following year, you could make the argument (and we have) that Asdrubal Cabrera was the best shortstop in the American League not named Derek Jeter. 

He batted .308 with 6 HR and 68 RBI with a 799 OPS.  He had 52 extra base hits, including 42 doubles at age 23.

It certainly looked like the Tribe had a potential star on their hands. 

Then came the collision.  Cabrera broke his arm in a bizarre collision with 3B Jhonny Peralta on an infield shift in Tampa.  Cabrera returned shortly after the all-star break, but wasn’t the same player, batting .276, but had just a 673 OPS because he couldn’t drive the ball consistently.

This year, Asdrubal Cabrera is healthy and is showing everyone that he just may be the AL’s best shortstop now that Jeter is starting to show some age.

He took some advice from veteran Orlando Cabrera, who told his younger teammate that he should be driving the ball from time to time. 

ACab is not an Omar Vizquel type of shortstop.  He’s listed a 6’0″ and 180 pounds, and is probably a little bigger than that now that he is older.

His 42 doubles in 2009 show that he indeed has some pop in his bat, and getting stronger would result in some of those double turning into home runs. 

That’s what is happening now. 

In 44 games thus far in 2011, Cabrera has belted a team-leading nine home runs with 32 RBI’s and an OPS of 822.  The RBI total puts him 5th in the junior circuit.

If the Cleveland Indians continue to stay in first place and make the post-season, there is no question Cabrera will be in the conversation for the league’s MVP award.  He’s having that kind of year.

For all of the love the media gives Shin-Soo Choo, and deservedly so, Cabrera could wind up being better in the long run, because he’s so good at this age.

Cabrera is very good in the #2 hole in the batting order right now, but could end up hitting lower in the order as he matures.  It’s not a stretch for him to wind up as a guy who can hit 25 homers in a season.

If the Indians pull this off in 2011 and win the division, it’s would be easy to point to the great performance thus far of the pitching staff.  However, they have a very good young core of everyday players like Cabrera, Choo, Carlos Santana, and Michael Brantley.

And don’t forget players to come like Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis.

Yesterday, Asdrubal Cabrera showed everyone he is an all-star.  At 25 years old, it could be the first of many appearances.

KM

In the midst of a great start, the one thing that can derail the Cleveland Indians may be occurring, injuries. 

The Tribe still has the best record in the American League, and now leads the AL Central Division by six games over the Tigers, but they are losing key people quickly.

Grady Sizemore is already on the 15-day disabled list, and is likely to be joined soon by DH Travis Hafner, who appears to have pulled his oblique muscle.  Both of these veterans missed good portions of the last two seasons with different injuries.

Rookie pitcher Alex White left tonight’s game with an apparent middle finger problem. 

Add to that an apparent turf toe injury to Sizemore’s replacement on the roster, Travis Buck, and it looks like GM Chris Antonetti will have to dig deep into the farm system to find replacements at least temporarily because Sizemore is eligible to come off the DL by next weekend. 

Unfortunately, the Indians have series against two pretty good teams, the Reds and the Red Sox before Grady may be back in the lineup.

Luis Valbuena (.270, 4 HR and 21 RBI with a 784 OPS at Columbus) was called up Thursday to replace Justin Germano on the roster, but was sent back Friday to make room for OF Ezequiel Carrera (.317, 2 HR and 17 RBI, 824 OPS). 

Carrera is a speedster, as evidenced by 15 stolen bases at AAA, and a very good defensive outfielder.  He’s a left-handed hitter, and he made a tremendous big league debut with a game winning drag bunt to steal another game late at Progressive Field.

The Tribe will need a left-handed stick because Shelley Duncan, who hits southpaws very well, is being exposed when facing a lot of right handers.  The lineup is significantly weakened if Duncan is the DH against a righty.

Duncan’s struggles against right handers are compounded with the offensive problems had by another right-handed hitter reserve outfielder, Austin Kearns.  Kearns is hitting under .200 for the campaign, with just three extra base hits, all doubles.

When Thursday’s lineup was posted, skipper Manny Acta penciled in a bottom three of slumping Jack Hannahan, Kearns, and Adam Everett, a trio that scares nobody, except fans of the Indians.

If Buck is going to be out for a while, we may see Cord Phelps wearing a Cleveland uniform quickly.  A switch hitter, Phelps is hitting .300 with 6 home runs and 25 RBI with a 937 OPS, which is helped by walking 29 times.

If Phelps is activated, he will likely get regular playing time, and with his ability to get on base, perhaps he can be put in the #2 spot in the batting order with Asdrubal Cabrera, who leads the Tribe in homers and RBI’s dropped to the fifth spot in the order. 

With Sizemore and Hafner out of the lineup, Acta needs the two guys in the #3 and #4 holes in the batting order, Shin-Soo Choo and Carlos Santana to get hot.  Both have shown signs of putting things together recently.  Choo had a double and triple to left center the past two games, which means he is staying on the baseball.

Santana’s average isn’t anything great, but he leads the Indians in walks, and is always a tough out.  He works the count as good as a ten-year veteran. 

Keep this in mind, as long as the starting pitching continues to do well, the Indians will be in games.  That means that by moving runners and taking extra bases when possible, they can scrape out enough runs to stay on top of the division.

MW

Even the biggest fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers has to be surprised by the results of the NBA draft lottery. 

Sure, the Cavs had a decent chance to get the top pick in next month’s draft, but to get the fourth pick as well, that’s a tremendous bonus.

With those two picks, and the trade exemption the team still possesses as a result of trading LeBron James, the rebuilding process was just advanced in a big way. 

The Cavaliers could be back in the playoffs as early as next season, that’s what an impact getting two top five picks could have on this franchise.

First, GM Chris Grant will probably use the first pick to take Duke PG Kyrie Irving, considered by most to be the best player in the draft.  Irving will be the next point guard to be tutored by Byron Scott, following Jason Kidd and Chris Paul.

He’s more like Paul in body type and style of play, and if he’s close to being that good, Cleveland will have a new centerpiece around which to build the franchise.

As for the #4 pick, Grant has all kinds of alternatives as to how to go with the choice.  Certainly, he could take one of the European big men who will probably be available there. 

One of these guys will certainly be available:  Enes Kanter (6’11”, 250 lbs.), Jan Vesely (6’11”, 240 lbs.), Jonas Valanciunas (6’10”, 230 lbs.), or Bismack Biyombo (6’9″, 240 lbs.).

The Cavs could definitely use some size and of these guys, Kanter and Vesely are considered to be the best.  Kanter was recruited by Kentucky, but never played there,  but is strong, athletic, and has soft hands.  His knees are considered a question mark.

Vesely is a good post up player, and can knock down open shots, but needs to develop his offensive game.  He is athletic and can run the floor very well.

Grant also has the option of trading the pick either by itself, or with the trade exemption to bring in a front line player.  Cleveland may have to take a bad contract in return, probably one with a year or two to go on it, but will get something of value as well.

Or the GM can make separate deals with the pick and the exemption, or of course he can keep the choice, and get another good, young player.

Also, keep in mind that Antawn Jamison’s hefty contract expires at the end of this season, which under the current rules, is very valuable to other teams. 

Even if there is a hard salary cap in the new CBA, it is likely teams will get a few years of a grace period to adjust to the new rules.

Getting the first pick also affects the current roster, particularly at the point guard spot.  The guess here is that Baron Davis will be here to help mentor Irving, but what becomes of Ramon Sessions?

Sessions showed enough last season to be a viable option for another team looking for a point guard. 

Remember that next year’s draft will likely be deeper than this one, and there is no doubt Grant would love to get another first round pick in the ’12 draft.

So, you might even see the Cavs trade some other veterans to get multiple picks in next season’s draft and make the ’11 and ’12 draft a real bonanza.

No matter what they do, there is no question the franchise took a huge step with their win in last night’s lottery.

It’s the biggest win of the season.

JK

The news that Grady Sizemore went back to the disabled list with a bruised knee startled some people because it had been thought that the centerfielder’s latest injury wasn’t serious.

And it may not be.  It could be the Tribe didn’t like the thought of playing Austin Kearns a lot while Sizemore is out of the lineup, and wanted to give Travis Buck, who is hitting well in AAA, an opportunity for the next week or so.

It also provides an opportunity for Sizemore to heal completely, because his reputation is that he wants to be out there if he can walk. 

Regardless, the front office will have some tough decision regarding the roster over the next couple of weeks, most notably with the pitching staff.

Mitch Talbot is making another rehab start this Thursday in Columbus, and if all goes well, he will be ready for reactivation after that outing.  When he is ready to go, Manny Acta and GM Chris Antonetti have a decision to make.

The most likely pitcher to be sent back is rookie Alex White, who wouldn’t have been in Cleveland in the first place had the elbows of Talbot and Carlos Carrasco not been sore. 

However, White has been impressive in both of his starts, one of which resulted in his major league win against the Angels.  Can the team afford to return him to Columbus if he pitches well again versus the White Sox this week?

The decision may get murkier if Carrasco struggles again in his start against Kansas City.  Carrasco did okay in his first start since getting off the disabled list against the Rays, but showed some rust.

With the Indians in contention right now, and not playing for the future as they have over the past few years, how can they justify dropping White from the 25 man roster if he is pitching better?

There is another alternative in the meantime.  They could activate Talbot and use either him or Carrasco in a long relief role and send Justin Germano packing. 

If Acta would decide that, it is more likely Talbot would go to the ‘pen because the organization would rather have Carrasco starting in Columbus every fifth day to further his development.  Remember he’s still just 24 years old.

Having Talbot replace Germano would give Acta an option he trusts more in close games.  Right now, Germano only pitches when the Indians are either way ahead, way behind, or there is no other alternative.

As for Kearns, it is becoming apparent that whatever the veteran outfielder had going for him last year early in the season, it’s no longer there in 2011. 

Kearns has just eight hits in 50 at bats this season, and has just two extra base hits, both doubles, on the year.  He has also struck out 16 times in those plate appearances.  He can still work a walk from time to time, but you’d like a little more from a reserve corner outfielder.

The only problem with Buck in the long-term is that he’s a left-handed hitter, which the Tribe has a boatload of.  If he batted from the other side of the plate, he would have already been here.

So Kearns ultimate replacement could be Chad Huffman (.287, 5 HR, 21 RBI at Columbus) or you might see Cord Phelps getting some time in LF to make him more major league ready.  Phelps (.292, 5 HR, 20 RBI) is a switch hitter, which would give Acta more flexibility.

Another situation to keep an eye on is at 3B, where Jack Hannahan has just five hits in 27 at bats in May.  Hannahan is providing solid glove work, but you still have to hit to play everyday in the big leagues. 

By the way, Lonnie Chisenhall is hitting .280 with 3 HR, and 20 RBI in his first AAA season.

Good teams can’t get complacent in baseball, and with guys ready to come off the disabled list, Antonetti and Acta have to make some tough decisions. 

Decisions which will have a bearing on how long the Cleveland Indians can keep the momentum going.

KM

Now, that the Miami Heat have made it to the Eastern Conference finals, and LeBron James’ so called “apology” is a few day old, it seemed like a good time to examine some facts.  Something the “world-wide leader” sometimes fails to do in their agenda to determine what is important in sports today.

First, let us remind everyone that this is James’ third trek to the conference finals, as the Cavaliers defeated the Pistons in 2007, and lost to Orlando in 2009.  So, he didn’t need to join forces with other great players to get that far.  He’s been there before, even though he didn’t act like it after the Heat eliminated the Celtics this week.

His “apology” was meant to tell Cleveland fans that he needed to do this so he could get past the big mean Boston Celtics, who by the way, did not resemble the team that defeated the wine and gold in 2008 and 2010.  This Celtic team no longer had Kendrick Perkins, had their electric point guard, Rajon Rondo, playing at less than 50%, and a big three that was older. 

It is very likely that had James stuck around with the Cavs, they could have gotten past these Celtics too.  And that opinion is supported by ESPN’s own Chris Broussard, who is a very good hoops writer.

As for the needing another star to win a title, let’s examine that argument.

The experts always bring up Michael Jordan and point out that he had two hall of famers in his championship with the Bulls.  However, people fail to remember that Jordan was there first. 

Jordan’s first year with the Bulls was 1984-85.  Pippen did not arrive until 1987-88, and in his first year, played a little less than 21 minutes per night and averaged 8 points per night.  It wasn’t until Pippen’s third year that he became a good player, and Chicago won their first title the following season. 

As for Dennis Rodman?  While you can debate whether he belongs in the hall, he wasn’t on the team the first three titles won by the Jordan led Bulls. 

The point is this.  Jordan helped Pippen become a superstar.  Who has LeBron James helped achieve that status in his career?

Looking at the hallmark players of the NBA’s modern age (for argument sake, post 1980), only Magic Johnson joined a team that already had a superstar in Kareem Adbul-Jabbar.  And certainly, Johnson contributed to making James Worthy a Hall of Fame player. 

Would Worthy have reached that status without playing alongside Magic?  Perhaps, but being on his team definitely helped.

Look at Larry Bird.  His first year in Boston was 1979-80, and his teammates were Tiny Archibald, Cedric Maxwell, Rick Robey and Dave Cowens.  Where were Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, and Dennis Johnson? 

Parish and McHale arrived the following year, with Parish coming over after four years in Golden State, where he topped out scoring 17 point and getting 12 rebounds a game on a team that went 24-58.  The “Chief” improved his scored two points a night in his first year in Boston. 

McHale was a rookie playing 20 minutes a night and scoring 10 points per game.  Sound familiar?  He didn’t top 15 points a game until his fourth season with the Celts.

Neither player was considered a perennial all-star when they arrived in Boston.

Another great who came to a team with an all-star player was Tim Duncan, as David Robinson was already with the Spurs when he was a rookie.  But Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili weren’t considered excellent players when they arrived in the Alamo city.

The point is Jordan, Bird, Magic, and Duncan all made good players great ones.  LeBron James never did that in Cleveland.  So for all the posturing about how he needed to go someplace else to win so he could be surrounded by better talent.  He should realize that he didn’t facilitate the process of getting his teammates to the next level.

The best players do that to their teammates.

MW

The Indians’ 14 game home winning streak came to an end as Tampa Bay’s David Price’s dominant performance quieted the Tribe bats in an 8-2 loss.  Add in a less than good start by a perhaps rusty Carlos Carrasco, and this game was pretty much over when the Rays scored three in the fourth to take a 4-0 lead.

Oh well, no one really thought Cleveland was going to go 79-2 at home this season.

So, the Tribe can still win the series with a victory tomorrow afternoon, although it won’t be easy as the Indians face yet another good pitcher in James Shields, who has rebounded from a tough year last season.

Certainly, Cleveland’s pitching staff has received kudos from the media for the team’s good start, and rightly so.  The Indians rank 4th in the American League in ERA, which no one would have predicted prior to the start of the season.

The offense gets its fair share of credit too.  The Tribe ranks fifth in the league in runs scored, and they have played fewer games than all but one of the teams who have out scored them. 

Part of the reason the offense has blossomed is the base running, which has improved tremendously from last season. 

First of all, Manny Acta’s crew have really only one player who could be classified as slow in their everyday lineup, and that is Travis Hafner.  And Pronk isn’t horribly lead footed, on the level of Paul Konerko and former Indian Victor Martinez.  The rest of the everyday players have good to above average speed.

Along with the aggressiveness preached by the skipper and his coaching staff all season, the improved speed on the bases has resulted in Indians baserunners taking the extra base all season long.  Even guys like Carlos Santana and Matt LaPorta have been seen going first to third on base hits to rightfield and centerfield. 

Taking the extra base has put pressure on the defense, and it also has ended the three or four hits to score a run offense the Tribe has featured the past couple of seasons. Players like Martinez (who is a great hitter, don’t get us wrong), Jhonny Peralta, and Ryan Garko made the Cleveland attack a station to station one.

Now, the Indians can score with a runner on first with a gap shot.  They can score a run with two singles and a fly ball or two singles and even a double play ground ball, although that’s not the optimum way to tally a run.  Acta calls it action baseball, and he has the entire team buying in.  It’s been effective so far, and it’s also an exciting way to play. 

Tuesday’s win on Michael Brantley’s bases loaded walk was just the latest example of the aggressive base running paying off.  After a leadoff walk by Shin-Soo Choo, he went to third on Carlos Santana’s single to right.  Instead of a first and second situation which would have screamed for a sacrifice bunt, Cleveland already had the winning run on third and didn’t have to waste an out.

Since outs are the only measurable way to time a baseball game, not having to give one up is huge.  It forced Rays manager Joe Maddon to walk Hafner intentionally and use a bizarre five man infield alignment to try to stop the Indians from winning.

It is striking to watch the 2011 edition of the Cleveland Indians and watch the aggressive base running from virtually every player on the roster.  It’s also another thing that doesn’t go into a slump.

It’s just one more thing that is unmeasurably improved on a team that has basically improved from top to bottom this season.

KM

No one knows what the rest of this baseball season will bring, but the first five weeks have been a great deal of fun if you follow the Cleveland Indians. 

The Tribe still sits atop the AL Central Division with a 22-11 record, 4-1/2 games ahead of another surprising team, the Kansas City Royals.  At this point, none of the other teams in the division are over the .500 mark.

Last week’s west coast trip, in which the Tribe faced two of the top pitching staffs in the league in Oakland and Los Angeles, gave more indications that this team is, indeed, for real.

And it’s not as though the Indians are beating up on the dregs of the AL either.  They are only 4-4 against the three teams who currently have the worst records in the league:  Baltimore (3-0), Minnesota (0-2), and the White Sox (1-2).

They’ve also played more games on the road, where they have a .500 record, than at home.  That’s another good sign.

Starting tomorrow is a challenge for Manny Acta’s squad, as they played 17 straight days, and there are more good teams on the slate. 

Tampa Bay has rebounded from a horrible start (0-6) to be tied with the Yankees for first in the AL East, and they have the best road record (11-4) in the league. 

Seattle looked like perhaps the worst team in baseball when the Indians swept them in April, but they are now 16-19, and playing much better for ex-Tribe skipper Eric Wedge.

Those two series are at Progressive Field, and Cleveland then hits the road for a couple of two game sets against division foes Kansas City and Chicago, before the defending NL Central champs, the Cincinnati Reds invade the north coast.

That’s followed by a three game series at home against the team picked by most to go the World Series, the Red Sox.

The young Indians will be tested during this stretch without a day off. 

If you examine the standings right now, there really aren’t any soft touches in the AL, now that Seattle is playing well.  The Orioles have struggled after a good start, but we know that the Twins and ChiSox are pretty good, and Toronto (15-19) can flat-out hit.

The concern is how much pressure this schedule puts on the pitching staff, especially the bullpen, which has been taxed because of both close games and extra inning contests over the last week or so.

Two relievers, Chris Perez and Tony Sipp, have appeared in 16 of the team’s 33 games, and two others, Rafael Perez and Vinnie Pestano, have been in 15 games. 

That’s four relief pitchers who are on pace for around 80 appearances by the end of the year. 

Acta has done a great job in limiting those guys to short stints, they all average less than one frame per outing, but that’s an awful lot of pitching.

And keep in mind, the starting pitchers have been great in eating innings as well.  It’s not as though the starters have been doing a lot of “five and fly” starts.

A few “blow out” wins would be nice, so Acta can give the relievers who have had a lighter work load, Chad Durbin and Justin Germano some work, and give the other guys some time off.

It also would not be surprising if a roster move could be imminent to get some bullpen help.  The Indians could juggle the rotation to skip Jeanmar Gomez’ turn until Saturday, at which time Carlos Carrasco can be ready.

They could send out Gomez before tomorrow and bring up someone (Frank Herrmann?) for the next four games.

Isn’t being positive about this team fun?  That’s the way it should be for Tribe fans.

MW

If you ask most fans of the Cleveland Browns who the quarterback of the future is, they will tell you the Browns already have their man in second year QB Colt McCoy. 

However, the national media continues to question that choice.

Just this week, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay did a mock draft for the 2012 selections and had the Browns picking first and selecting Stanford signal caller Andrew Luck, son of former NFL QB and St. Ignatius star Oliver Luck.

This presumes two things.  First, Cleveland is going to have a horrible season, like 2-14, because that is how you obtain the first overall pick.  If that happens, GM Tom Heckert would probably be looking for a new starting quarterback, because if the team has that record, you can be certain that McCoy stunk out the joint. 

It also presumes that McCoy cannot be an effective starting QB in the NFL and the reason the Browns would have that record is that their offense played horribly.

Another ESPN analyst, John Clayton speculated that the Browns might still be interested in trading for Eagles’ reserve quarterback Kevin Kolb as soon as the league’s labor problems are worked out.  That despite the fact that their statistics are pretty similar.

McCoy completed 60.8% of his 222 passes in his rookie season, with 6 touchdowns and nine interceptions.  Six of those picks occurred in his last two starts against a couple of pretty fair defenses:  Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

Kolb has hit on 60.8% of his 319 throws in his four-year career, the bulk coming in the last two seasons, with 11 TD’s and 14 picks.  Kolb threw five of those interceptions in his last two starts last year, against Tennessee and Dallas. 

Kolb does have an edge in yards per attempt for his career at 6.53 compared to McCoy’s 5.82, although you have to remember that the latter played in the Eric Mangini stone age offense, particularly at the end of the season.

The wrap on McCoy is his arm strength, but the opinion here is that is overrated by people who evaluate passers.  More important is the ability to read defenses and the ability to lead teammates.  There is no question the former Longhorn is a leader.  Even the veterans on the Browns acknowledge that the kid is a guy everybody wants to play for.

Remember the drive against the Jets to tie the game in regulation?  McCoy showed he had a strong enough arm to complete a pass to Evan Moore, who was closely guarded by perhaps the best cornerback in football in Darrelle Revis.  The youngster fired it in  a place where only Moore could catch it.

As for reading defenses, Colt showed signs that he will be fine in that area as well, although he has plenty of room for growth.  Remember, that even Peyton Manning struggled in his rookie season, not to compare McCoy with a future hall of famer, but with more exposure to NFL defensive schemes, he will learn.

Browns’ team president Mike Holmgren has been around the NFL for a long time and has been around passers like Joe Montana, Steve Young, and Brett Favre.  If he doesn’t think McCoy is the real deal, then he’s doing a great job fooling everyone. 

He didn’t even draft another quarterback in the late rounds this season, something he usually does.

With the west coast offense installed this season, we will see a better, more efficient passing attack.  This should play into the strengths of the second year player’s game. 

The Cleveland Browns are still not where they want to be, but unless they have a rash of injuries to key players, they won’t be 2-14 this season, and they aren’t looking for a quarterback either.

JD

With everyone pointing out how LeBron James made the correct decision now that the Miami Heat is up 2-0 in their best of seven series against the Celtics, it’s time to take a look back.

First, James is getting all kinds of credit for tempering his game and allowing Dwyane Wade to be the focal point at times.  But was he willing to do that in Cleveland?

How many times did James take the ball from his teammates and spend countless seconds dribbling at the top of the key looking for his shot? 

In retrospect, James didn’t trust the other guys wearing the wine and gold.  Granted, there was no one the equal of Wade on the Cavalier roster, but there were players like Mo Williams, Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison who have and can make plays.

However, the front office made some mistakes as well.  They tried to make deals to bring more talent in, no question about that, but they made errors in talent judgment as well.

The first mistake made was by coach Mike Brown and his handling of first round draft pick Shannon Brown. 

No one knows what goes on in the locker room, and perhaps Brown’s attitude was questionable in the eyes of the coaching staff, but this guy has some ability, but he was never given a real chance to play in Cleveland.

He has proven to be good enough to be a contributor on two NBA title teams with the Lakers, averaging 8.7 points this season. 

Brown could have been a guy who could get out on the fast break with James and been part of a lethal fast break. 

Even in his rookie year, we thought Brown should have been brought along slowly so he could have been a factor in the playoffs. 

Instead, he played just 202 minutes for the season.

Another opportunity to bring in a player to complement James was wasted in 2009 when then GM Danny Ferry picked Christian Eyenga on the first round. 

Eyenga looks like he has some ability and may be a contributor down the line, but he couldn’t play immediately and that’s what the Cavs needed.

To take Eyenga, Ferry passed on several players who are contributors on good teams.  However, at the time, the two guys people were clamoring for were former Pitt Panthers:  Sam Young and DeJuan Blair.

Young started 46 games for a Memphis team that has reached the second round of this year’s playoffs, averaging 7.3 points per game, shooting 47% from the floor.  Certainly, he could have helped out last year when he had similar numbers.

Blair played in 81 games, starting 65 for the #1 seed in the Western Conference, San Antonio.  He averaged 8 points and 7 rebounds, shooting 50% from the floor.  He certainly could have been in the mix last season as an inside player because he got minutes with the Spurs last season.

James probably made up his mind to leave the Cavaliers before the season ended last year because, in his mind, he didn’t have enough help. 

Would having guys like Brown, Young or Blair on the roster have swayed him?  Probably not.

But that doesn’t mean that Mike Brown and Danny Ferry should be off the hook either.  All of those guys are contributors for good teams in the NBA. 

They could have helped here as well.

JK

What a month for the Cleveland Indians.  Nobody, not even the most optimistic Tribe fan could have foreseen an 18-8 start to the 2011 season.

The good start extended to 19-8 after Sunday’s 5-4 win over Detroit, which was the fifth series sweep of the season by Cleveland.

There are several reasons for the good start, but one that is getting a tad overblown is the veteran leadership factor.

When Orlando Cabrera was signed, there were mixed emotions here.  He has been on a lot of playoff teams over the last several years, so he can translate what teams need to do to win.  However, his offense the past couple of years was a concern.

There is no question that Cabrera’s attitude has rubbed off on the rest of the roster, but if everyone was hitting .200 with no power, and the pitchers were getting shelled on a night in, night out basis, the Tribe wouldn’t be sitting at the top of the division.

The reason this ballclub is winning is simple, they are scoring a lot of runs and not giving up many.  They lead the American League in runs scored and the pitching staff is 3rd in the league in ERA. 

That’s a winning combination no matter what kind of veteran leadership you have. 

Most times, good chemistry in the clubhouse comes as a result of winning. 

Offensively, besides leading the AL in runs, they also are #1 in on base percentage, and rank 3rd in slugging percentage. 

And it is not the result of one or two players getting scolding hot and carrying the club.  The Indians have no one in the top ten in the league in RBI’s. 

However, they do have five hitters in the top 30.  That shows balance and it bodes well for the rest of the season.  Shin-Soo Choo hasn’t  had a good start to the season, yet he still is one of the players with 15 runs batted in.

One player who has been maligned by some fans, but has had a good start is 1B Matt LaPorta, who is hitting .263 with 4 homers and 15 ribbies.  He currently has an OPS of 857, which ranks 4th on the Tribe, behind only Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, and Shelley Duncan, who has only 30 at bats.

The pitching staff has heeded the advise of coach Tim Belcher and is throwing strikes, allowing the 6th lowest total in the AL.  Last year, Tribe hurlers had the 2nd most walks in the junior circuit.

The number of strikeouts is up as well.  Last season, Indian pitchers struck out the least number of batters in the American League.  This year, they still aren’t flame throwers, but they have upped that ranking to ninth. 

And there is no question the defense has improved.  Third base was a black hole in 2010, and Orlando Cabrera’s glove has upgraded the defense up the middle.

Don’t overlook having a healthy Asdrubal Cabrera either.  And having Sizemore back and moving Michael Brantley to LF means Cleveland has three speedy outfielders to chase balls in the gap.

Improvement in every aspect of the game is the reason for the fast start by the Cleveland Indians.  Yes, having guys who know how to play the game helps, but if you can score runs like the Tribe has thus far, and get solid starting pitching, you are going to win games.

Let’s not discount that.

KM