If nothing else, Sunday’s crowd of over 32,000 people who showed up to watch Washington’s Steven Strasburg pitch showed that Cleveland baseball fans will pay to watch something worth their time.  The Dolan family should take note.

 

Another reason for some resurgent interest in the Tribe is the call up of catcher Carlos Santana.  Finally!  The switch-hitting back stop belted his first career home run on Saturday, and showed he earned Manny Acta’s confidence by being inserted in the third spot in the batting order, usually reserved for the team’s best hitters. 

 

By the way, the manner in which Santana caught the games, including those by veteran hurler Jake Westbrook, and the tough to handle stuff of Fausto Carmona, showed that the front office’s concerns about his defense were baloney, and the real reason Santana wasn’t here had everything to do with his accumulating service time.

 

This should be just the first of several moves made with prospects over the next few months.  Matt La Porta is raking down at Columbus with 5 home runs in 23 at bats, and will be brought back up to play every day after Russell Branyan is dealt to a contending ballclub looking for pop from the left side. 

 

However, the other big prospect acquired for C.C. Sabathia isn’t faring as well.  Michael Brantley still has just a .351 slugging percentage at Columbus and has only seven stolen bases.  Until he can either learn to drive the ball, and that means doubles and triples, or starts stealing bases at a better pace, he can’t be a regular player in the majors.

 

Brantley is just 23 years old, so it’s not time to give up on him just yet, but he needs to step his game up to be an everyday player in the big leagues.

 

Austin Kearns will probably remain in the lineup all season because Brantley isn’t ready.

 

Another prospect that should be on the fast track is Lonnie Chisenhall, currently at Akron.  Since coming back a shoulder problem in May, Chisenhall has been red hot, bringing his season totals to 5 HR and 23 RBI’s to go with a .292 batting average and an 811 OPS. 

 

If Chisenhall stays hot through the middle of July, he should be the next one going to Columbus to get some AAA action.  And if he’s successful in Columbus, he should get a September call up to the big club. 

 

The Indians will probably site Chisenhall’s age, he won’t turn 22 until October 4^th, as a reason not to give him a shot, but once again, it will be more about service time (read:  $$$). 

 

However, Jhonny Peralta likely not be back next season because he is a free agent, so the Tribe needs a third baseman for 2011.  If Chisenhall can handle the job, who cares how old he is.  Let him become a cornerstone of this franchise along with Santana, La Porta, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Shin-Soo Choo.  And the sooner, the better.

 

If you haven’t noticed, the Indians are moving their second base prospects through the organization as well.  They recently moved Cord Phelps up to Columbus, and Jason Kipnis up to Akron. 

 

Phelps, 23, is a switch hitter that was batting .296 in AA, with 2 HR, 23 RBI, and a 743 OPS.

 

Kipnis, also 23, and regarded as the better prospect, swings from the left side, and was batting .300 in Kinston, with 6 HR, 31 RBI’s and an 865 OPS.  Kipnis was an outfielder at Arizona State and was converted to the infield last season.

 

Luis Valbuena’s continuing struggles probably contributed to the moves of both players.

 

The time is right for a youth movement in Cleveland.  The fans would actually look forward to having some hope, and seeing young players get a shot. 

 

KM

 

The news that Tom Izzo may just be the next coach of the Cavaliers is shocking, but mostly because it’s hard to believe Izzo would leave a program he has built into one of the country’s best college basketball teams year in and year out.

 

Many critics are pointing out the failure rate of college coaches going to the pros, such as Mike Montgomery, John Calipari, and P.J. Carlesimo.  However, the thing that most of these people don’t realize is that those guys all took over poor teams. 

 

If LeBron James stays with the Cavs for the 2010 season and beyond, the wine and gold would still be one of the NBA’s elite teams.

 

Calipari took over New Jersey in 1996-97 with the Nets coming off a 30-52 record.  He went 26-56 in his first year, but took the team to the playoffs in year two with a 43-39 record.  He was fired after a 3-17 start the following year.  The key additions for the second year were rookie Keith Van Horn and guard Sam Cassell.

 

The best players on those teams were Cassell, Van Horn, Kendall Gill, and Kerry Kittles, a rookie in Calipari’s first year.

 

Montgomery took over Golden State after years of 38 and 37 wins under Eric Musselman.  The Warriors won 34 games in each of Montgomery’s two seasons, so basically the team wasn’t very good before he got there and outside of one season (’07-’08) where they won 48 contests, the Warriors have been a lottery team.  

 

Those teams were very young, led by a group of 24 and 25 year olds such as Jason Richardson, Baron Davis, Troy Murphy, and Mike Dunleavy.  Perhaps Montgomery worked through the growing years, and Don Nelson reaped the benefits a few years later when the team went 48-34.

 

Carlesimo took over the best team, as the Trail Blazers went 47-35 the previous season under Rick Adelman, and was bounced the first round of the playoffs in Adelman’s last two seasons.  Under the former Seton Hall coach, the Blazers won 44, 44, and 49 games, and lost in the first round of the playoffs in each year. 

 

It certainly doesn’t look like Carlesimo was over matched.  He did have a well-publicized problem with Letrell Sprewell while the pair was in Golden State, but it looks like he did a solid job in Portland.

 

Others say the “profile” of a successful NBA coach these days is that of a former player, usually a successful one.  What is that profile based on?  There really haven’t been many different teams that have won titles in the past 25 years, as the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, and Spurs have dominated the league.  And Phil Jackson has won 10 of those titles while coaching the best players in the sport (Jordan, O’Neal, Bryant).

 

The more realistic formula for a successful coach is to get a superstar player.  That’s more of the reason that a team wins than the playing experience of the coach.  Gregg Popovich has four rings to prove that theory.

 

Besides, prior to the days of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, many coaches with college experience were successful in the NBA.  Bill Fitch built the Cavs into contenders after leaving Minnesota, and won a title with the Celtics.  Dick Motta won a championship with the Bullets.  John McLeod took Phoenix to The Finals after coaching at Oklahoma.

 

By the way, one of Fitch’s players at North Dakota became a pretty successful NBA coach…Phil Jackson. 

 

Tom Izzo is a very good coach.  Is he a good fit in the NBA?  Can he handle the idiosyncrasies of NBA players?  Can he handle coaching guys that make more than him?  We don’t know the answers to those questions.  However, he does know the game, and if he has talent he can win. 

 

It’s a bold move by Dan Gilbert to go after the Spartan head coach.  But isn’t that what we want from the guys who own our sports teams?

 

JK

 

It’s not like we didn’t advocate sending Matt LaPorta back to Columbus, in fact we talked about it a couple of weeks ago.  The centerpiece of the C.C. Sabathia trade needed to play everyday somewhere, it was just hoped that the Tribe would come to their senses and have it be with the big club.

 

Alas, and predictably, the front office decided to send him back to the AAA level. 

 

It is probable that LaPorta is there to play on a regular basis so he can be recalled soon, and be put back in the big league lineup to stay, but the way the Indians have handled this kid makes even casual fans shake their heads.

 

However, the handling of the young right-handed slugger shows how disjointed the Indians’ organization is.  They don’t want to admit they are rebuilding, but their fans think they are and that they should be.

 

There is no interest in this team because there are no exciting players, save for Shin-Soo Choo.  If the supporters of the team knew they were seeing future starts such as Carlos Santana, LaPorta, Carlos Carrasco, etc., there would be more interest because if the Tribe is to get back into contention soon, it would be because of those guys.

 

The management doesn’t want to admit anything because they are afraid it will affect attendance, but haven’t they noticed the growing numbers of empty seats at Progressive Field?  Apathy has already taken over, and the front office needs to slap the fans in the face with a bold move.

 

The move with LaPorta is exactly what Cleveland fans feared would happen when the club signed Russell Branyan.  The imagined need to play the strikeout prone slugger is costing the younger player valuable big league experience.  And everyone knows it is unlikely that Branyan will be back with the Tribe in 2011.

 

Cutting loose 2B Mark Grudzielanek is a good first step, even though the veteran did a solid job here.  However, a team that is 15 games under .500 having a 40-year-old infielder on the roster is ludicrous.  Having Grudzielanek on the opening day roster was something that was questioned here coming out of spring training because he can’t play any other position.

 

No one is expecting that Anderson Hernandez is going to come in and make an impact for this team, but he does balance the roster in that he’s a true utility guy, capable of playing multiple positions. 

 

Lou Marson is a good defensive catcher, but he’s hitting .193 with a 529 OPS.  That’s unacceptable at the big league level.  Is this front office seriously telling us that Carlos Santana’s defensive problems are so bad that it would overshadow the impact he could make offensively?

 

Meanwhile, the fans don’t see anything that interests them.  The best hitters on the team are Choo and Austin Kearns, who the team picked up off the scrap heap in the off-season.  No one thinks Kearns’ performance is sustainable over the long haul, and in fact, his month of May statistics were pretty pedestrian. 

 

The fans would give the franchise a pass this year if they were rebuilding, but instead they are getting steady doses of Branyan and Peralta.  The balance of this season should be about finding out who can play at this level and who can’t.  Instead, Tribe supporters are treated to watching a bunch of guys who have proven they aren’t anymore than below average major leaguers.

 

That’s why there are a lot of green empty seats in Progressive Field.

 

MW

 

It was a bit of a surprise that Danny Ferry resigned as General Manager Friday afternoon.  Most people figured Ferry would stay on in his position particularly when he didn’t leave after the firing of Mike Brown.  Former assistant GM Chris Grant took over the GM duties Wednesday when Ferry officially left the organization.

 

Still, it’s not as though the management team for the Cavaliers is in chaos.  Grant came to the wine and gold at the same time as Ferry, and has been involved in the NBA for a long time.  And he and Ferry shared many of the same philosophies, so it’s not like a radical change has come to Quicken Loans Arena.

 

The guess here is the coaching situation is the reason Ferry and owner Dan Gilbert agreed to disagree, thus causing Ferry to clean out his desk and depart after five years as the GM.  The highlight of his tenure is no doubt the trip to the NBA Finals in 2007. 

 

However, Ferry wanted to have the ultimate say on all basketball decisions, and probably Gilbert was open to other options, such as bringing in a coach who might want that kind of power.  If you examine the trade Ferry made recently, it’s pretty clear that his vision and Mike Brown’s view were very different. 

 

Brown is, was, and always will be a defensive minded coach.  The additions of Shaquille O’Neal and Antawn Jamison brought in players who were more offensive minded players to take pressure off of LeBron James.  Gilbert likely saw that this didn’t work, and therefore he wants to bring in a coach who knows what it will take to complement James, if he remains with the team. 

 

The coach ultimately needs to make it work, and as Bill Parcells so famously said, if he’s making the dinner, he should get to buy the groceries.

 

And any coach with a record of success in the NBA will want to try to win with his type of players.  He’ll want the power to get things done, and with a GM having the iron fist, that wouldn’t be the case in Cleveland.

 

James is saying the right thing about having respect for Brown and Ferry, but really, the Cavs best chance to get him to stay in the wine and gold was to clean out the front office and start anew.

 

Now there are rumors about a possible trade to be made before the NBA draft that will start re-shaping the Cavaliers’ roster, and the new GM is the focal point of these moves.  It has been hinted that Cleveland is having discussions with a West Coast team, probably the Golden State Warriors, about a big deal which could involve a lottery pick.

 

The PD’s Brian Windhorst speculated that Mo Williams could be sent packing and that makes sense.  Williams has been very good in the regular season, but his lack of defense hurts the team in the playoffs, and he hasn’t made up for that with a stellar offensive game either.

 

Danny Ferry did a great job in his tenure with the Cavs.  They went to The Finals once, and made it to the conference finals another time.  Sometimes, a new perspective is needed in looking at a team.  Larry Dolan hasn’t learned this with his team, but Gilbert is willing to take the risk that this is what the Cavaliers need.

 

JK

 

 

 

If you are a fan of baseball in this city, you have a big problem.  It hasn’t even hit summer yet, and the season is over for all intents and purposes.  The Cleveland Indians’ record has dipped to 19-33, they’ve lost 13 of their last 17 games, and no one in the organization seems to care.

 

Manager Manny Acta’s relief corps is a mess, and for the third straight season, GM Mark Shapiro has assembled a bullpen that is horrible.  Let’s see, for the most part, this is a bullpen that cannot throw strikes, give up way too many hits, doesn’t have a lot of strikeout guys, and has only a couple of guys that the skipper can count on.

 

Other than that, they’re pretty good.

 

And now, one of the guys Acta had confidence in, Tony Sipp, has completely melted down over the last week, giving up 11 runs in the last inning he has pitched. 

 

Yet, nothing happens.

 

Someone needs to place a call to the Tribe front office to see if anyone is there.

 

Acta said Frank Herrman, who has a 0.31 ERA at Columbus, would get a look-see from the big club sometime this season.  When?  Perhaps when his ERA gets around 0.25?  Look, the guy can’t pitch any better in the minor leagues, and the Indians’ bullpen stinks.  Let’s get him up here right away.

 

Carlos Santana continues to assault International League pitching staffs, but all the organization talks about is his catching ability, or seeming lack of it.  If this management group were well known for developing prospects, their critique would be thought of more.  These guys think Rafael Perez is still an effective pitcher, so should we really take their word on Santana?

 

The saddest thing about this current group of Indians is that only two or three players who play regularly in this lineup will probably be on the team next season!  And one of them, Travis Hafner, is only “guaranteed” a spot because of his contract. 

 

Jason Donald could be a regular next season, but he has only a little over 50 at bats this season, so that might be a little bit of a stretch.

 

Branyan, Peralta, Kearns, Marson, Valbuena, Crowe.  All of these guys will have a tough time being in the 2011 starting lineup, some due to their contract status (Peralta and Branyan), the others because they simply aren’t good enough to hold big league jobs. 

 

Who assembled this team?  We can all cry about the lack of spending by the owners, but why isn’t more heat put on Shapiro, who put this collection of “talent” together.

 

The problem is that there seems to be no sense of urgency to try something else.  Why not try someone else?  When Andy Marte is healthy, why not play him at 3B instead of Peralta?  Why not play Matt La Porta everyday?  Why not see what Jordan Brown and/or Wes Hodges can do? 

 

The most frustrating thing for this fan is the inertia in the front office.  It appears that no one associated with this team, outside of the players and coaching staff have any interest at all in either winning or finding out who can play and who can’t.

 

The front office probably thinks having guys like Peralta and Branyan give the team a chance to win with their “veteran” presence.  However, these guys are bums.  They give the team nothing besides a roadblock to finding out whether a young guy can play in the big leagues. 

 

Baseball teams are selling either winning or hope; the fans of the Cleveland Indians have neither.  It’s only June 4^th, and the baseball summer is over before it even starts.

 

KM

 

Since the Boston Celtics eliminated the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference semi-finals, many experts have jumped on the bandwagon in saying that the talent surrounding LeBron James simply isn’t enough to win a title.

 

Where were these people about a month ago? 

 

Many of these same people were saying that the acquisition of Antawn Jamison made the wine and gold the odds on favorite to win the NBA championship.

 

Others have criticized Dan Gilbert and Danny Ferry for making trades designed to win the title this season, and leaving the franchise with little or no salary cap space to work with heading into the 2010-11 season.  They also say the Cavs tried to mix and match up the roster instead of building a solid nucleus of talent to surround LBJ.

 

What choice did the franchise have?

 

The answer is they didn’t have one, and LeBron James himself is partially to blame. 

 

James wanted to keep his options open, which is his right.  His decision kept the franchise constant pushing to make a championship run, and for the most part, that’s a good thing.  However, it also stops the front office from building a solid foundation for a championship team. 

 

Once the Cavaliers were good enough to make deep runs in the playoffs, they no longer could use the draft as an option to get an all-star type player.  Those guys don’t come along in the bottom half of the first round.

 

Therefore, Ferry had only one option to upgrade the roster, and that is to either sign free agents to large contracts or make trades for good players on other teams who have large contracts that their current teams are trying to get rid of. 

 

If LeBron James had made a commitment to the organization that he was going to be here for an extended stay, the GM would have had more time to build a younger core of talent. 

 

It also would have encouraged other star players to want to play for the Cavs, knowing LBJ was here for the long run. 

 

As for the current Cavs’ roster, there is most definitely talent.  It’s amazing to me how players all of a sudden are better when they play for championship teams. 

 

For example, there are people saying that the Lakers’ Pau Gasol is the wingman for Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles.  However, when Gasol was toiling in obscurity in Memphis, no one was hailing him as this type of player.  An all-star?  Certainly, but not a key contributor on a championship team.

 

The point is people might be looking at Antawn Jamison the same way if the Cavaliers were playing Thursday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.  Players on title teams always have enhanced reputations because people seeing them playing on the big stage more often. 

 

A championship for wine and gold would have everyone talking about the energy of Anderson Varajao, the grittiness of Delonte West, and how long the team is defensively with Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. 

 

However, an early exit means these guys aren’t good enough to help LeBron James win a title.

 

The 2009-10 Cleveland Cavaliers had some good players, and had a deep roster.  We all thought that a month ago.  The problem was not utilizing some of them properly. 

 

To say there isn’t talent here is a mistake.  They were good enough to win 61 games in the regular season, despite a lot of injuries.  That doesn’t happen by accident. 

 

JK

 

Minor League Baseball’s website (www.milb.com) has a story featuring today’s games about Tribe farmhand Carlos Santana.  The article refers to San Francisco calling up their prime catching prospect Buster Posey, and wonders if Santana is next.  To this I say, ha ha ha ha ha.  How naive of these people. 

 

Instead, Indians’ skipper Manny Acta told the media that the team is looking forward to bringing up some of their top prospects AFTER THE ALL STAR BREAK!  Why the wait?  After all, everyone in Cleveland is interested in seeing the Columbus Clippers win the International League title.

 

Uh, no we aren’t.  Tribe fans have no interest in seeing Columbus win the IL, nor do they care if Akron wins the Eastern League. 

 

What they do care about is when the current regime will put a competitive team on the field once again. 

 

This weekend was a perfect example of the problems this team has. 

 

First, Tony Sipp’s problems were slightly predictable considering the workload put on him by Acta, mainly because he is one of two pitchers the skipper can count on late in games.  Sipp has been in 23 of the team’s 48 games.  That’s too many. 

 

That’s not to blame Acta, because what other choice does he have considering the make up of his relief corps.

 

Rafael Perez has shown signs of life recently, but largely has been horrible much of the season.  Jamey Wright is a bum who can’t throw strikes on a consistent basis, but we knew that going into the campaign. 

 

Aaron Laffey was good early in the year, but lately has forgotten that he’s not a strikeout pitcher who can get away with a walk here and there.  His problems being a consistent big league pitcher has been the inability to throw strikes.  Saturday’s game earned him a trip back to Columbus.  Jensen Lewis is Jensen Lewis, meaning he’s up and down like an elevator.  And Hector Ambriz is only on the roster because he’s a Rule 5 guy, and has to be offered back to Arizona if he’s not on the major league roster.

 

By the way, when Saul Rivera was traded to the Diamondbacks, did GM Mark Shapiro ask for permission to send Ambriz to the minors in exchange?  Or was he ordered to take the cash considerations? 

 

Of course, some radio guys decided to rip Sipp, who along with Chris Perez have been the only reliable options for Acta. 

 

Why doesn’t the front office get some help for the manager?  Frank Herrmann has pitched 25-1/3 innings this season for Columbus and has an ERA of 0.36, allowing just one run all season.  He’s fanned 18 batters and walked only eight.  He was signed as a non-drafted free agent, so he’s not recognized as a top flite prospect.  But, could he do worse than Jamey Wright? 

 

Vinnie Pestano just came up from Akron and hasn’t allowed a run in 7-1/3 frames while striking out 13 hitters.  Why not give him a shot as well? 

 

It’s the fear factor that consumes this organization. 

 

Benjamin Franklin said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.  Too bad Franklin isn’t the general manager of the 2010 Cleveland Indians.

 

MW

 

What a great Memorial Day weekend to come if you are a fan of the Cleveland Indians.  Your team gets to spend the long weekend in the Bronx, battling the defending champion (and 27 times overall, they don’t let you forget that!) Yankees. 

 

Based on the recent outcomes, this series could wind up being a massacre, because the Tribe is not playing well, and the bottom of the order is giving them absolutely nothing. 

 

Despite this "optimistic" view, we do have some questions for the Tribe management:

 

1).  Exactly when will our top rated farm system start to show some dividends?  The assumption is that catcher Carlos Santana could be here sometimes next week, but isn’t it time for guys like Carlos Carrasco to get an opportunity as well?  Carrasco spent all of last season in AAA, and now has spent two months there this year.  He’s ready to pitch in the big leagues, experience wise.  With Justin Masterson struggling, Carrasco should be in the Indians’ rotation.

 

2).  If you aren’t recognized as a top prospect, why don’t you get a chance?  Many Tribe fans don’t realize there is a pitcher now in the Columbus rotation who is 5-1 this season, won 14 games last season at Akron, and has a career minor league record of 48-21.  That would be Josh Tomlin, and why exactly isn’t anyone in the organization touting this guy for a chance.  All he’s done is pitch well.  OF Jose Constanza is another example.

 

3).  Why is Rafael Perez still on the roster?  This has been discussed before here.  Manny Acta can’t bring him into a game that is still in doubt.

 

4).  Why replace Masterson in the rotation with Aaron Laffey?  This team still needs two southpaws in bullpen, well, three if you include Perez.  Laffey has been okay as a starter before, but he is needed in relief.  That is, of course, if the Indians don’t want Tony Sipp’s arm to fall off.

 

5).  Why was Shapiro promoted?  We have always respected Shapiro’s work, particularly with a limited budget.  However, since 2007’s ALCS appearance, it’s been all downhill for this franchise.  Why move the man responsible for this upstairs?  And why let him promote his first lieutenant into the GM position?  This team needs an outside voice badly.  Yet, the front office acts like everything has been wonderful the past few years.  A different set of eyes is definitely in order.

 

6).  Will the Tribe draft the best player or the best player who will sign at a reasonable rate?  Right now, the team is saying they will draft the best player, but with the recent history of the ownership, one has to be skeptical.  This is an important draft for the Indians.  Last year’s draft looks good so far, but the organization still needs a major talent infusion.  Now is not the time to start pinching pennies.

 

Also, their are several local kids who are thought to be high draft picks in the up coming draft.  Why not take someone like St. Edward’s Stetson Allie or Walsh Jesuit’s Tyler Skulina early?  Or does the front office believe no one in this area can play the game?

 

KM

 

 

 

 

Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro always says a team needs to wait until a quarter of the season, 40 games, to properly evaluate the ballclub.  Well, the Tribe’s record is now 16-27 on the season, which is 43 games. 

 

So Mark, how about taking a look at your team.

 

This is a team that coming into the season was supposed score runs but have troubles with their starting pitching.  However, just the opposite has wound up being the truth.

 

The Indians rank 12^th in the American League in runs scored and rank 13^th in the league in slugging percentage.  The bottom third of the lineup on a nightly basis can’t buy a hit. 

 

Meanwhile, the pitching staff’s ERA is about a half a run lower than last season at 4.48 for the season.  And that’s with several pitchers falling below expectations. 

 

This team has too many of the same players currently on the roster.  For example, let’s look at LF.  The Tribe currently has Austin Kearns, Matt LaPorta, and Shelly Duncan on the team.  They are all right-handed “power” hitters.  There aren’t enough at bats for all of them.

 

LaPorta, who was the centerpiece of the trade for C.C. Sabathia, has to play every day.  If he’s not going to do it in Cleveland, then he should be sent to Columbus so he can get some rhythm.  Playing sporadically is not going to help his development. 

 

He could get playing time at first base, but Shapiro decided to sign Russell Branyan as a free agent.  Branyan is a left-handed bat that adds nothing to this offense except an occasional home run and a boatload of strikeouts. 

 

The last three guys in the batting order on most nights are Luis Valbuena, Lou Marson, and now Jason Donald.  Donald will be excluded from this example because he was just brought up.  The other two guys have OPS of under 600!  A good number is 800.  Both players have slugging percentages of less than .253, which is a mediocre batting average.

 

Unfortunately for Shapiro, he doesn’t have anyone to play instead of Valbuena, except 40-year old Mark Grudzielanek, who has NO extra base hits on the season. 

 

Marson can be replaced by hot prospect Carlos Santana, who hopefully will be on the major league roster soon. 

 

Compound this with another player who is consistently in the middle of the batting order in Jhonny Peralta, who has a slugging percentage of less than .400.  Peralta has shown beyond any doubt that the success early in his career (2005 and 2007) is not the norm, and he is nothing but an average big leaguer at best. 

 

So, with the injuries to Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore, who wasn’t hitting when he was in the lineup, it spells a batting order with more holes in it than a sieve. 

 

The only productive regular players are Shin-Soo Choo, Kearns, and Travis Hafner, who even though he’s nothing like the hitter he was in 2004-06, is still putting up decent numbers at .275/.394/.420.  And Kearns right now is hitting over .400 on balls put in play, which will not continue. 

 

You can make the case that Santana will be the third or fourth best hitter on the team when he comes up.

 

Donald and Trevor Crowe are young players that the organization are trying to find out about, and Valbuena’s season last year puts him in that category too, although a trip back to AAA to get his confidence back might be helpful, especially for a team who is always talking about the mental aspects of having success.

 

That leaves Branyan and Peralta and why are they continuing to be put in the lineup.  The management is being fooled by the occasional bursts of offense. 

 

If this franchise has any hope for the future it comes from developing young players and trying different things. 

 

However, we should know by now that the real agenda for the Cleveland Indians isn’t winning.  We don’t know what it is for sure, but it probably has something to do with money.

 

MW

 

The first change of the off-season happened in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ organization last night when coach Mike Brown was fired after five seasons in the job. 

 

Brown led the Cavs to The Finals in 2007, and also to the league’s best overall record in the regular season the past two seasons, winning 66 and 61 games.  However, he could not parlay that regular season success to the post-season, as his team was ousted in the conference finals last season, and in the second round this season.

 

That’s the ultimate reason Brown lost his job. 

 

The coach came here with a defensive mindset he learned from Gregg Popovich in his time as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs, and he changed the identity of the wine and gold into a defensive team.  That emphasis paid dividends as the Cavaliers extended the defending champion Pistons to a seven game series in the second round during Brown’s first year.

 

The following year, the Cavs upset the Pistons in the conference finals earning the franchise its only appearance in the NBA Finals. 

 

After a loss in the second round in 2008 to the eventual champion Celtics, Cleveland needed to upgrade its talent base, particularly at the offensive end.  Mo Williams was the first piece brought in, and he was the first player acquired who wasn’t a particularly good defensive player. 

 

In the end, Brown couldn’t integrate Williams, and later Antawn Jamison into his defensive schemes, and that caused his downfall as a coach. 

 

The reason is he couldn’t integrate either into an offensive game plan as well. 

 

Maybe LeBron James wouldn’t let him, but regardless, Williams and Jamison were never as effective with the Cavs as they were with their previous teams, particularly Jamison, who has been a 20 points and 10 rebounds guy throughout his career. 

 

Fault can be found with Brown about his use of other players brought on the roster by GM Danny Ferry, most notably Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon.  Both players are solid on the defensive end, but either weren’t used correctly used on the offensive end (Parker) or hardly used at all (Moon).

 

There could be other reasons that we don’t know about, but the bottom line is the Cavaliers were favorites to win a championship the past two years, and didn’t even get to The Finals in either season.  When that happens, the coach usually loses his job.

 

The unfortunate thing about firing Brown is the Cavaliers really cannot search for a successor until they know what LeBron James is going to do.  His presence on the Cavs’ roster makes the job more desirable for the elite coaching candidates, such as Phil Jackson (should he not be back with the Lakers) or Mike Krzyzewski.

 

The potential to play for a title immediately would be there.

 

If James goes elsewhere, owner Dan Gilbert and Ferry are looking at a rebuilding project, hopefully, a short one.  That means they would be looking for an assistant from another team, somebody who can teach and emphasize defense.  Somebody like the guy they just jettisoned.

 

Therefore, a new coach will not be named soon. 

 

In the end, like all coaches, Brown was a victim of his own stubbornness.  He didn’t realize his offensive philosophy was archaic, and wasn’t willing to try something else.  He will get another job because he is a good defensive coach, and defense helps teams compete night in and night out. 

 

It’s part of being a head coach.  If you have a team that has championship aspirations, and you don’t win, you lose your job.  It’s not fair, it’s just part of the gig.

 

JK