When the Browns announced the change to Brady Quinn as the quarterback on Monday, they forgot one thing.  Quinn doesn’t play defense. 

 

For the second straight game, the Cleveland defense blew a lead of ten points or more in the second half as they lost to the Broncos 34-30 at Cleveland Browns Stadium.  The loss makes the rest of the season a test for younger players and an evaluation of who will stay in 2009 and who will not be back in a Browns uniform next year.  It likely will mean that Romeo Crennel’s tenure as head coach will end after the season.

 

Quinn played well, going 23 for 35 for 239 yards and two touchdowns.  Those are solid numbers.  That is, until you compare them to Denver QB Jay Cutler’s statistics in the fourth quarter alone.  Cutler shredded the Cleveland defense for 207 yards and three TD’s in the last quarter.  The Browns simply had no answer for the Denver attack despite the Broncos being on their fourth or fifth string running back.

 

Once again, the defense failed to put pressure on Cutler most of the night, getting just one sack by Kamerion Wimbley.  In many key situations, defensive coordinator Mel Tucker rushed just four, but Cutler and the Bronco receivers made them pay.  And when the Browns did blitz, the defensive backs could not cover Cutler’s targets one-on-one.

 

In addition to the air assault, the Broncos gained 129 yards on the ground, making the grand total a whopping 564 yards of total offense for Denver.  That’s the kind of yardage you hear about in a college game where Oklahoma beats someone team that has one win, something like 63-7.

 

CB Brandon McDonald had a horrible game, getting burned on a 93-yard pass to Eddie Royal and after the ball was caught, he tried to decapitate the receiver instead of tackling him.  He also stood and watched as two Browns missed tackles on TE Daniel Graham on the second touchdown of the fourth quarter.  By the way, he also dropped two possible interceptions.

 

As for Quinn, he was very efficient, and although he did not throw deep, his receivers seemed to gain more yards after the catch than when Derek Anderson was the quarterback.  He had a connection to Kellen Winslow, who caught 10 passes with two TD’s.  Braylon Edwards caught just one pass, which will probably lead to complaints to the media before next Monday’s game against Buffalo.

 

The Browns ran the ball well gaining 160 yards on 29 attempts.  Jerome Harrison came out of mothballs to carry five times for 48 yards.  They used Josh Cribbs on two reverses that were very successful.  They made only one real mistake, and that was Winslow’s fumble in the fourth quarter, which basically cost them the game. 

 

Winslow was also called for an offensive pass interference that cost the team possession and dropped the fourth down pass with less than a minute to go which ended the game. 

 

As an aside, the penalty is why I can’t stand NFL officials, as Winslow’s infraction had nothing to do with the play.  They should take a cue from NBA referees who use the theory that if it doesn’t affect the play then why make the call.

 

The loss makes it very unlikely that Romeo Crennel will remain the coach of this team after this season.  He’s a good man and a good defensive coordinator, but he will have coached three losing teams in four years.  The players like Crennel, but they don’t respond to him.

 

The Browns have more talent than they had when Butch Davis left, but they still have a long way to go.  The defense needs a major overhaul.  Shaun Rogers has been tremendous and likely will make the Pro Bowl, but who else makes plays?  Eric Wright and McDonald have potential, but they aren’t finished products.  The linebacking corps is a mess.  The upgrade in talent likely means Phil Savage stays.

 

Also, this team can’t undergo a total management overhaul.  Let Savage stay as GM, and bring in a new coach.  If improvement isn’t seen in a couple of years, then Savage should be replaced.  There has to be some sort of continuity with this team. 

 

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this season plays out.   Will we see more of guys like Harrison, Alex Hall, Louis Leonard, Beau Bell, Ahtyba Rubin, etc?  Will Quinn throw the ball downfield?  Will Tucker take more chances on defense?  We should continue to watch to see guys like Rogers, and another sure fire Pro Bowler in Josh Cribbs, the best special teams player in the NFL. 

 

However, it will be a long, long wait until the next thing Browns’ fans have to look forward to…The NFL Draft.

 

MW

 

Monday afternoon, the Cleveland Browns finally made the switch to Brady Quinn at quarterback, naming him the starter for Thursday night’s game against the Denver Broncos.  Certainly, Derek Anderson’s inconsistent play cost him his job.  His up and down play was never more evident than in Sunday’s game where he played an excellent first half, but fizzled after the halfway point of the third quarter.

 

Of course, he wasn’t helped by his Pro Bowl wide receiver not being able to hold on to the ball.

 

Why was the change made now?  I believe partly because the Denver defense is struggling.  Let’s say Anderson starts and plays a tremendous game on Thursday.  At that point, Crennel would feel obligated to play him the entire game the following week on Monday night against Buffalo, and he would definitely start the next week against Houston.

 

Want proof?  Anderson was great against the Giants, and played the entire next game against Washington even though he was 5 for 22 at one point during that game, and started the following game against Jacksonville.

 

The other reason the change was made had nothing to do with Anderson, he was just the most replaceable guy.  Don’t you think Crennel would bench Braylon Edwards if he had a viable alternative?  With Quinn, the quarterback position had a high profile backup, one that was a first round draft pick to boot.  You don’t send a wake up call to your team by replacing the right guard or the strong safety.

 

Also, in Anderson’s last ten starts, which include the last two games of 2007, he is the 31^st ranked passer in the NFL.  His recent performance is not that of a Pro Bowl quarterback, it is more that of a guy who should be looking over his shoulder. 

 

There is something dysfunctional about this football team.  They win a big game and play like a semi-pro team the next.  They cannot sustain any momentum, particularly offensively.  The lack of consistency from the quarterback position is a large part of that.  The coaching staff expects the same level of play from the linemen, the backs, and the receivers, so is it a big shock they expect the same out of the most important position on the field?

 

Whether or not Crennel was the one who made this decision, it had to be made.  Remember that the head coach had to be persuaded to replace Maurice Carthon as offensive coordinator, so it would not be a surprise if he had to be pushed to put Quinn in the lineup.  The Browns need to see what they have in Quinn before the off-season.  That’s the biggest reason why he will start Thursday night.

 

JD

 

The light on the Cleveland Browns’ season is flickering as they blew a golden opportunity yesterday at Cleveland Browns’ Stadium.  The Browns led the Baltimore Ravens by two touchdowns half way through the third quarter, only to watch Baltimore score the last 24 points of the game and win 37-27.  The brown and orange are now two games behind the Ravens and 2-1/2 behind the Steelers, and have a 1-3 record within the division.

 

It was the shortcomings that have plagued this team all year that caused them to lose yesterday:  Run defense, inconsistent offense, and dropped passes. 

 

Outside of the superb effort against Jacksonville, the Cleveland defense has struggled against the running game all season long.  Injuries have plagued the line, but getting Shaun Smith back yesterday was supposed to bring relief.  It didn’t.  The Ravens ran for almost 200 yards (193) included a 60-yard run by rookie Ray Rice that set up a field goal, which put Baltimore ahead to stay.  Look at the history of the NFL and you will see that teams that can’t stop the run do not win.

 

After putting up 20 points in the middle of the third quarter, the offense had exactly one first down the rest of the game.  That’s first downs, not touchdowns!  The one quality that drives coaches crazy is inconsistency, and that trait describes QB Derek Anderson to a tee.  What happened after the touchdown pass to Jason Wright.  I didn’t see the offense go conservative.  You can’t win with a quarterback who runs hot and cold.  It should be time to see if Brady Quinn is more even keel.

 

Which brings me to my least favorite Brown, Braylon Edwards.  With the offense sputtering in the fourth quarter, Edwards got behind the Raven defense and Anderson hit him in the hands with a pass that could have put the team inside the Baltimore 20.  However, Edwards dropped the ball.  He missed another catch later.  He now has dropped 13 balls of the season. 

 

What’s worse is that he didn’t speak to the media after the game. 

 

If you are going to run your mouth incessantly all season long about how the offense doesn’t get him the ball, etc., then be a man and stand up and talk about how you dropped two passes late in a game your team needed to win. 

 

That brings me to Romeo Crennel.  I agree with those who say that Crennel gets too much blame when things go wrong, and the coordinators get credit when things go well.  That’s not fair.  However, the head coach doesn’t help himself when he says things like his team didn’t have the energy to win yesterday’s game. 

 

His comments indicate he is either covering for a bunch of players who have no heart, or he is guilty of not having them prepared to win games.  He did an outstanding job of having the Browns prepared in the turmoil prior to the Jacksonville game, but what happens to this team after a big victory?  I tend to blame to the players for this, but Crennel should stop protecting some of these prima donnas.

 

There are many players who leave everything on the field each and every week, and obviously I’m not talking about them.  Guys like Josh Cribbs, Shaun Rogers, Jamal Lewis, and even Kellen Winslow are driven to win and there are more like them, however it’s obvious that the coach doesn’t see the same level of commitment from everyone. 

 

The Ravens’ players said Ray Lewis wouldn’t let them lose yesterday.  The Browns need a leader with the same fire as Lewis, particularly in a game where they led by two touchdowns.

 

At the end of the day, it’s the Browns who are watching the lights flicker on a season in which they expected to make the playoffs.  What’s worse is listening to Ravens’ Coach John Harbaugh dedicate the win to the Browns former owner, whose name will be unmentioned here.  Throw a flag for piling on for Harbaugh.

 

JD

 

 

One of the problems with starting the season 0-3 is it doesn’t allow you any room for error going forward.  The Cleveland Browns have one three of their last four games and are coming off a huge road win last Sunday at Jacksonville.  However, this week’s game at home against the hated Baltimore Ravens is just as big.  A loss this Sunday drops the Browns to 3-5, but more importantly drops them to 1-3 within the AFC North.

 

However, a win ties the brown and orange with the Ravens at 4-4, evens their division record at 2-2, and would enable the team to split the season series with Baltimore.  It’s pretty much a two game swing.  And with the Steelers playing on the road Monday night against the Redskins, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that the Browns could be just a game out of first place come Tuesday morning.

 

What do the Browns need to do this Sunday?

 

Defensively, they need the same type of effort against the run, and if they can force the Ravens into passing situations, they need to put big pressure on rookie QB Joe Flacco.  They can’t let Flacco be comfortable in the pocket.   They have to keep him confused.

 

Remember that Baltimore scored more than half of their points in the first meeting as a result of Derek Anderson interceptions.  This Sunday, Cleveland needs to make the Ravens go the length of the field. 

 

Offensively, the Ravens are susceptible to the deep pass, but the trick there is giving the quarterback enough time to throw.  Therefore, the Browns need to establish Jamal Lewis early; he needs the ball more than the 12 carries he had in September.  They have to be aggressive, be the ones to punch the Baltimore defense in the mouth.  And don’t be afraid to take advantage of the Ravens’ aggressiveness on defense.  Rob Chudzinski needs to use all of his weapons. 

 

Romeo Crennel cannot watch his quarterback struggle for more than half the game either.  Anderson played okay last week, but he was hardly spectacular.  If he is struggling on Sunday, Crennel needs to give Brady Quinn a shot.  The time for protecting Anderson’s fragile ego is over, the Browns need to win games, and have to exhaust all methods to get the job done.

 

Romeo Crennel is 3-0 at home against Baltimore.  If the Browns can eliminate the mistakes they made in the game at the Charm City, they will continue that streak.  The only way the Ravens can score enough points to beat the Browns is if Cleveland helps them out.

 

JD

 

The national pundits are already showing no love to the Cleveland Cavaliers.  I’ve already seen national magazines picking the wine and gold for 5^th or 6^th in the Eastern Conference.  The new object of these writers’ affection is the Philadelphia 76ers, which acquired Elton Brand as a free agent.  They also love how the oft-injured Jermaine O’Neal will boost the Toronto Raptors to the elite teams in the conference.  I just shake my head.

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers went to the NBA Finals in 2006-07, and took last year’s champs, the Celtics, to a seventh game in their conference semi-final series last year.  Plus, they employ the league’s best player, LeBron James.  Now, I’m rolling my eyes.

 

These idiots have no idea what they are talking about.  The only writer who shows the Cavs any love is ESPN The Magazine’s Chris Broussard, who used to cover the team for the Akron Beacon-Journal.  He picks the wine and gold to go to back to The Finals.  He knows better.  And I agree with him.  It will be a fun winter and spring at The “Q” in 2008-09.

 

Here is one thing to remember, LeBron James is just 23 years old and will not turn 24 until the end of this calendar year.  That means he is still improving as a player.  And that, my friends, is a scary proposition for the rest of the NBA. 

 

The addition of Mo Williams gives the team another player who can create his own shot, and that will help #23 in a big way.  Williams also likes to push the ball, and there is no question that when The King is in the open court, he is all but unstoppable.  I believe James will come as close as anyone to averaging a triple double since Oscar Robertson in 1962.  Figure 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists per night for the gold medal winning James.

 

The Cavs are not a perfect team.  They have some age in the frontcourt where Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Ben Wallace are on the wrong side of 30, and the only proven offensive performer is Big Z.  However, they have the very tradable commodity of Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract to trade during the season to bolster any weak areas that creep up during the season. 

 

This is the most athletic team the wine and gold have put on the floor in the James era.  Besides #23, Williams, Delonte West, Daniel Gibson, Anderson Varajao, and Sasha Pavlovic can all get up and down the floor, meaning if the Cavs can play good defense, they can create easy opportunities to score.  Remember that they have the best finisher in the game in James.

 

This city should be excited by what is starting tonight.  The Cleveland Cavaliers are a legitimate contender for an NBA championship, and their season starts this evening in Boston.  The last time we had this level of anticipation was with the Indians in the late 90’s, but even those teams didn’t have the best player in his sport.

 

JK

 

If you can figure out the Cleveland Browns this season, please drop me a line.  The Browns went to Jacksonville with their season on the line, and emerged with a 23-17 heart stopping victory to raise their record to 3-4 after an 0-3 start.  If you don’t think this team doesn’t have a shot at the playoffs, take a look at the standings where outside of the AFC East, the second place team in every division is no better than 4-3.  If Cleveland can continue to play like they did yesterday, they definitely have a chance.

 

Perhaps the most telling comment after the game came from Jamal Lewis, who stressed the victory was a result of playing as a team.  You can read anything you want into that comment. 

 

The defensive stars were nose tackle Shaun Rogers, who was immense in body and play, and reserve safety Nick Sorensen, who knocked the ball away from WR Matt Jones, saving a game-winning touchdown on the penultimate play of the game. 

 

Rogers was all over the place, getting nine tackles and one sack on Jaguar QB David Garrard.  He spearheaded the much-maligned defense against the run, as the Browns held the Jags to 113 yards on the ground.  It was even more telling that Garrard picked up 59 of those yards, as the defense held Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew to just a combined 53 yards on 20 attempts.  At least on this day, Cleveland stuffed the run.

 

Even though Jacksonville held the ball for 35 minutes, the Browns controlled the line of scrimmage and thus won the football game.

 

Offensively, it was a return to the big play attack of last year.  Early on, Jamal Lewis ran through some gaping holes in the Jags’ defensive front, and then it following by big plays.  Derek Anderson threw for 246 yards, but more than half came on three plays.  The fourth and one call that resulted in a 53-yard pass and run to Steve Heiden, was a huge play.  So was the pass over the middle to Syndric Steptoe that set up the go ahead field goal was also big.

 

However, the attack sputters near the goal line.  On first and goal at the one with the score tied at 17, the offense could not punch it into the end zone.  The first down pass to Braylon Edwards was almost picked off and returned for a touchdown.  I think too much imagination is being used.  The Browns have two Pro Bowl offensive linemen on the left side in Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach.  Why not run Lewis behind them?  Once again, I think it’s a case of trying to outsmart the opponent instead of just showing who’s better.

 

This week, the Ravens come to Cleveland and the Browns have a chance to tie them at 4-4.  The problem this team has had is following up a good game with another solid performance.  Hopefully, no one, not even Edwards will take Baltimore lightly. 

 

Also, Anderson’s performance next week shouldn’t buy him a full game of terrible play next week.  If he’s not getting the job done, Romeo Crennel needs to make a switch.  It’s another huge game.  A loss puts them two games behind the Ravens and make a wild card spot all but impossible.  That’s the challenge the Browns face this week. 

 

Jamal Lewis is right.  When the Browns play as a team, they can win.  Understand, Braylon and Kellen?

 

JD

 

With their season teetering on the brink with a 2-4 record, the Cleveland Browns should be pulling together to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars this Sunday, thus remaining in the playoff hunt.  Instead, the entire week has been spent talking about Kellen Winslow and the fact the team has suspended him for one game.  Not exactly the way to prepare for a big game, eh?

 

First off, let me say that I like Phil Savage.  I think he has done a good job bringing talent in to the organization, which was devoid of it after the Butch Davis regime.  However, he was wrong in two areas regarding the Winslow situation. 

 

He should have picked up the phone and contacted Winslow in the hospital.  It has been reported that the GM did not contact LeCharles Bentley or Joe Jurevicius when each player was suffering from a staph infection, and if that is the case, he is wrong in each instance.  This type of infection is very serious and it would be the class thing to do to find out how the player is doing.  It certainly isn’t the same as a knee injury that requires arthroscopic surgery.

 

Savage also should have been the person announcing the decision to the media instead of releasing a statement and letting Romeo Crennel address the press.  Savage is the team’s General Manager, and he is in charge of the day-to-day operations of the franchise.  He should have been there to answer the questions people have about the decision and the situation.

 

This is not to take blame away from Winslow, the Browns’ best player.  After a tough defeat, and with their season teetering on the brink, the last thing this football team needs is one of its stars being a distraction.  Yes, Winslow is an emotional player who wears his heart on his sleeve, but he’s also an adult, and should understand the ramifications of his comments.  He put his coach and his teammates in a situation where they had to answer questions about this stuff all week.

 

By the way, many people have defended Winslow based on the “freedom of speech” argument.  This is ridiculous.  The citizens of this country have many rights, including free speech, and the government is not supposed to allow punish people for this.  However, this protection doesn’t include employers.  Try going into your boss’ office and exercising your freedom by telling him what you think is wrong about the company.  You likely will not be employed there very long.  You can’t criticize the boss!

 

On the other hand, it did deflect attention on what has happened to the team’s offense.  The high-flying attack of last year has all but disappeared, showing itself in only one of the six games played year to date.  The deep passing game is a rumor.  The pass protection is not nearly what it was in 2007.  And the offensive coordinator, Rob Chudzinski, has been slow to adjust.  What are defenses doing differently to stop the Browns?

 

Also, no one is talking about Derek Anderson’s extreme decline from last season, and no one is discussing the fact that Braylon Edwards has more excuses than catches.  So, maybe KII’s outburst was well timed.  No one is talking about the play of this 2-4 football team.

 

Regardless of all of the extra stuff, the Cleveland Browns have to win this week if they are to have any chance of making the playoffs.  If they win Sunday at Jacksonville, they will say the controversy pulled them together.  If they lose, it will be considered a huge distraction.

 

JD

 

The San Diego Padres have put 2007 NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Peavy on the market, looking to move their ace right-hander in an effort to speed up a rebuilding process.  Peavy will turn 28 years old next season and is signed through 2012, with a club option for the 2013 season.

 

The Cleveland Indians need starting pitching.  It says here that they probably can’t do better than to make an offer for Peavy, a proven major league ace who will include cost certainty for the foreseeable future.  The Tribe also can put together a good package of players and prospects, which should interest San Diego.

 

This, of course, assumes the Indians front office gets over its fear of trading prospects that have never done anything in the major leagues for someone who will be here a minimum of four years.  This is not to say a farm system isn’t important, in fact, it most certainly is for a smaller market team.  The Tribe needs to keep developing low cost players so they have a shot at keeping their better players when free agency arrives. 

 

In putting together a package for Peavy, you have to notice that the only catcher on the San Diego roster is young Nick Hundley, who has a total of 198 big league at bats.  That means they would have to be interested in Kelly Shoppach.  Shoppach is the Indians primo trading chip and cashing him in for a pitcher like Jake Peavy seems like a perfect fit.

 

The Padres will also want young prospect pitchers, which means the Indians will have to part with either David Huff or Adam Miller.  Miller has had all kinds of injury problems, so the Pads will probably prefer Huff.  Even though it appears Huff has a higher ceiling than the other southpaws Cleveland has (Jeremy Sowers, Aaron Laffey, Scott Lewis, Zach Jackson), he still has yet to pitch above the Class AAA level.  And, of course, Peavy is signed for at least four more seasons.  It’s not as though the righty is a one and done guy.

 

San Diego will want one more premium prospect, so the Tribe can dip down into the lower levels of the farm system for a hurler like Hector Rondon or Kelvin De La Cruz.  Rondon had a good year at Kinston, and pitched in the Futures Game on All Star weekend.  De La Cruz has been described as a left-handed Fausto Carmona. 

 

The Indians can also throw in an outfielder such as Ben Francisco or Franklin Gutierrez.  Francisco has the better bat, but the Padres need a guy to patrol the spacious centerfield in Petco Park, and Gutierrez is an elite defender.  They could also throw in another lower level prospect to sweeten the pot. 

 

This is not to advocate gutting the Indians’ farm system.  However, when an elite player who is signed for at least four years becomes available, a team has to be willing to trade some prospects to get them.  Remember that a guy like David Huff might turn into a Cliff Lee, but he also might be Jeremy Sowers.  Adding Peavy to a rotation that includes this year’s AL Cy Young Award winner and a pitcher with the stuff of Carmona would be the first step to returning to the playoffs in 2009.

 

I doubt the Tribe can pull off such a move, but this is the type of bold move that the Cleveland Indian organization needs to make. 

 

MW

 

The high-octane offense the Cleveland Browns showed on Monday night against the Giants obviously sprung a leak on the flight to Washington.  The reality is this:  The Browns have played six games this season, and their offense has played well in exactly one contest.  Yesterday, it was inaccuracy by QB Derek Anderson and four more dropped passes by Braylon Edwards, who amazingly admitted the team was a little “lax” in practice this week.  Are you kidding????

 

For some reason, this team, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2002, started out the season 0-3, and has played one good game out of the first five this season, decided to not take a game against a 4-2 team against Washington very seriously.  It makes you wonder about the make up of the players and the respect they have for the coaching staff. 

 

Of course, I’m sure not every player had this attitude.  Not perhaps a word from the greatest of them all, #32, Jim Brown should be in order.  I would love to hear Edwards tell Brown about his focus in practice.

 

Meanwhile, back to the game.  It is a minor miracle that the Browns had a chance to win this contest after the way the offense performed yesterday.  In the middle of the third quarter, Anderson was 5 of 22 passing.  If not for his performance against the Giants, Brady Quinn, who is more effective in the short passing game, should have replaced him.  Besides the dropped balls, Anderson was horribly inaccurate, missing open receivers all over the field.

 

At the end of the game, it was Rob Chudzinski that had me scratching my head.  After Anderson’s sneak gave Cleveland a first down on the Washington 37 yard line, Chudzinski eschewed short passes which appeared to be open to throw the ball 20 yards downfield.  Why not move the ball to the 25 yard line, in certain Phil Dawson range, and then try to go for the kill.  Nothing is for certain, but you sure feel better about a 42-45 yard field goal attempt than a 54 yarder.  This was definitely a coaching mistake.

 

Somehow, the defense kept the Browns in the game despite being run over by the Redskins, particularly Clinton Portis, who gained 175 yards on 27 carries.  The run defense has not shown improvement so far this season.  However, outside of the Dallas game, this defense has allowed the offense to stay in the game, giving up just 78 points in the last five games, and the 24 against the Ravens was aided by turnovers by the offense.

 

Eric Wright’s outstanding strip of Portis with less than five minutes left allowed the Browns to get within three points, and then the defense forced a three and out to get the ball back with a little less than two minutes to go.  However, the offensive got greedy and couldn’t cash in.

 

We haven’t even touched on Anderson’s on field tiff with fullback Lawrence Vickers, Kellen Winslow’s disagreement with Phil Savage, and disappearance for three quarters of Jerome Harrison.  All of which are subjects for another time.  The Cleveland Browns are showing themselves to be an inconsistent team, which means they are a mediocre team.  There is nothing more frustrating to coaches and fans than that.

 

JD 

 

 

The baseball post-season is winding down, the winter leagues are starting up, and soon the sport will be in full hot stove league mode.  Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro talked about the needs of his ballclub for the 2009 season, particularly a closer, an infielder, and taking care of the lack of experience and depth in the starting rotation.  Yesterday, the Tribe made news by picking up the option of utility man Jamey Carroll, a good move when you consider his production in 2008.  He played more than he was scheduled to and he played well.

 

Here are some things I hope the Indians DO NOT do this off-season:

 

1).  Sign a closer.   The Angels’ Francisco Rodriguez is too expensive, and likely will decline before the end of any five-year contract he demands.  Any other closer on the market, and I’m including the Rockies’ Brian Fuentes, has failed in the role.  Therefore, you don’t know what you are going to get for at least $10 million per year.  I would rather fill the role internally with a guy like Jensen Lewis, or trade for a guy like Huston Street.  Remember former Indian GM John Hart’s comment about closers:  They fall out of trees.

 

2).  Re-signing Casey Blake.  Blake made $6 million this year, and actually brought one of the best prospects in the Tribe farm system in catcher Carlos Santana.  You have to figure Blake will be seeking a raise after a year in which he hit .274 with 21 HR and 81 RBI.  The Indians should not put that much cash into a player who likely will not put up those numbers in 2009.  Blake was a solid player here, and a great teammate.  But, Shapiro should pass at a chance to have him on the roster in 2009, unless he would take a minimal contract.

 

3).  Assuming Travis Hafner is okay.  In fact, the front office should take the assumption that Pronk will not be available to play.  They have to put a contingency plan in place at the DH spot.  If Hafner’s shoulder recovers and he can return to somewhere between his 2006 and 2007 seasons, then it’s a bonus.  Based on his shoulder’s lack of progress during rehab, the Indians simply cannot count on anything from Hafner in 2009.

 

4).  Sign bits and pieces.  Hopefully, the David Dellucci and Jason Johnson signings have scared Shapiro from giving guys like these prominent roles on his ballclub.  There is a reason that no one is offering players like these big contracts, and that reason is they aren’t good enough to hold down everyday jobs.  Paying a guy like Jamey Carroll is fine, because he is a back up player.  Shapiro would be better off pooling the money and inking one impact player.

 

5).  Be Satisfied with the Young Arms.  Anthony Reyes pitched well after coming over from St. Louis, and Scott Lewis did okay after being called up in September.  However, these guys, as well as Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey shouldn’t lull the Indians’ front office into a sense of security.  Shapiro realizes the starting rotation is unproven and not very deep.  He needs to acquire an established starter.

 

With the correct combination of moves, the Indians can return to contender status in 2009.  With the limited resources the ownership has, Mark Shapiro has to spend money wisely.  Using cash on a closer, older players with no upside, and limited players is not the way to go this winter.

 

MW