It was turn back the clock night at Cleveland Browns Stadium last night.  The Browns wore their throwback jerseys and helmets from the late 1950’s, and their offense went back all the way to last year in a 35-14 upset win over the New York Giants.  It was a game in which Kellen Winslow, who was inactive for the game, and punter Dave Zastudil both, played the same amount of time.  Neither got on the field.  It was that kind of night for the brown and orange.

 

We wrote last week that offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski needed to open up the attack and use the weapons that are on the roster.  Last night, he did just that.  He used the “wildcat” formation a couple of times with Joshua Cribbs taking the direct snap.  He ran a double reverse with Jerome Harrison for a big gain.  And he utilized Steve Heiden in the passing game for the first time this season.  This may have been a result of Winslow missing the game, but hopefully he will remember that Heiden can be used this way more often.

 

However, the biggest improvement in the offense came with the return of the 2007 version of Derek Anderson.  Anderson went 18 for 29 for 310 yards and two touchdown tosses and no, repeat no interceptions.  DA stood tall in the pocket and had outstanding protection from his offensive line, which also played at last season’s level.  The running game was successful as well, gaining 144 yards with Jamal Lewis leading the way with 88 in 21 carries.

 

In addition to using Heiden, Anderson also found Darnell Dinkins for a 22-yard TD pass in the first half.  Harrison accounted for 67 yards of offense, carrying the ball twice from scrimmage and catching two passes.  The only thing not used by Chudzinski was Cribbs throwing a pass.  I guess you have to save something for later in the season.

 

The only disappointment on offense were the many false start, illegal motion, and illegal shift penalties which seemingly made an 87 yard drive in the third and fourth quarter a 150 yard drive.  This has to be cleaned up if the Browns are going to get back into playoff contention.

 

Defensively, the Browns made enough big plays (i.e. turnovers) to hold the Giants to just 14 points.  Why New York decided to stop running Brandon Jacobs is a mystery.  The Browns could not stop him, so Tom Coughlin and Eli Manning were doing Cleveland a favor by throwing the ball.  In fact, the Giants gained 181 yards on the ground.  However, the three interceptions killed the G-Men.  The backbreaker was Eric Wright’s 94 yard interception return which turned the game from a possible 27-21 Browns lead into a rout. 

 

The defense has to do a better job stopping the run going forward.  I guarantee you will see Washington try to pound the ball at the Browns this Sunday in D.C.  The secondary seems to be improving as Wright and Brandon McDonald are becoming above average cornerbacks. 

 

So at 2-3, the Cleveland Browns are back in the playoff hunt if they continue to play like they did yesterday.  They have to keep being aggressive on offense.  That’s not saying they should take risks, but they need to use the weapons they have on the team.  Still, they have to keep it going.  The Redskins are a good football team, their upset loss to the Rams notwithstanding. 

 

A good offensive performance this weekend could mean that the 2007 Browns are back. 

 

JD

 

Since the Browns don’t play until tonight, here’s a little bit of this and a little bit of that on Cleveland sports—

 

·          The best line of the weekend in the newspaper was by The Plain Dealer’s Doug Lesmerises, who wrote that Ohio State won’t pass, so they can’t run.  That describes the Buckeye attack in a nutshell.  I realize that Terrelle Pryor is a freshman, but Coach Jim Tressel has to open up the offense a little bit.  Mix in a pass on first down every once in a while.  Until that happens, opposing defenses are going to bring more and more men in the box to stop Beanie Wells.  Pryor is young, but he is a tremendous weapon.  He needs to be allowed to make mistakes and learn from them. 

 

·          Speaking of college football, doesn’t it seem like the pollsters now vote with the BCS system in mind?  It should work the other way with the polls being part of the formula to determine the BCS standings.  How else can you explain how #2 Alabama doesn’t jump to the top spot after Oklahoma lost?  Texas jumps from the fifth spot to #1, and last year remember that LSU jumped from below the fifth spot to #2 after winning the SEC Championship.  If you thought Alabama was the second best team last week, how do you not think they are best team today?  It doesn’t make any sense; although that’s not the first time someone has said that about college football.

 

·          Isn’t it amazing the national media now realizes that Manny Ramirez is the best right-handed hitter of this generation?  The fact that he put the Dodgers on his back and into the playoffs is apparently the capper on his great career.  Even when he was in Boston, he was over-shadowed by first Nomar Garciaparra, and then David Ortiz.  It’s also funny that no one remembers that Ramirez was part of two World Series teams in Cleveland, which helped him build his great post-season numbers. When Manny’s career ends, the numbers he will put up will rank among the all-time greats.

 

·          For all the people who want the Indians to sign players to big contracts, what are your thoughts on the signings of Jake Westbrook and Travis Hafner?  I was in favor of the Hafner signing and lukewarm on the Westbrook pact, but both were hurt within a year of inking those deals.  Now you know why smaller market teams avoid making these kinds of deals.  If Hafner can’t return to his former self, his contract is a huge albatross on this franchise.

 

·          If you are a Tribe fan and want something to pay attention to at this time of year, keep an eye on the Arizona Fall League and Hawaii Winter League.  Several top prospects are playing this year, namely Beau Mills and Wes Hodges.  Hodges, a third baseman, has started quick, hitting two home runs in his first three games.  If the Indians are going to move Jhonny Peralta to the hot corner, Hodges could be the type of prospect other teams would covet.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Cavaliers lost their first exhibition game on Tuesday night and no one blinked an eye.  Such are the expectations for the wine and gold this year after last year’s makeover and the acquisition of Mo Williams during the summer.  This year’s edition of the Cavs looks to be contenders for a division title and perhaps even the top seed in the Eastern Conference.  But, one thing that has been overlooked about this basketball team is its depth.  That should enable Mike Brown to play an up-tempo style and put more pressure in his defense.

 

Most of the depth is in the backcourt and small forward spots.  Even though most of these guys aren’t star players, and they certainly have weaknesses, most of them have shown they can be contributors in the NBA.  I’m talking about Williams, Delonte West, Wally Szczerbiak, Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, and Terence Kinsey.  Pavlovic screwed up his entire season by holding out during training camp, but remember he was the starter at shooting guard when the Cavs went to The Finals in 2006-07.

 

Adding him and Williams to the backcourt that finished last season creates more than ample depth.  Plus, Kinsey comes to the team with some size (6-6) and a solid defensive reputation, which is something the other big guards do not bring to the table.  Williams and West will spend most of their time at the point, which leaves four guys vying for time at the two guard spot.  Gibson’s minutes are pretty much guaranteed because of his past performance, so Szczerbiak, Pavlovic, and Kinsey give Mike Brown a lot of flexibility in his backcourt.

 

It also helps that Szczerbiak has experience playing at the small forward spot, where LeBron James spends most of his time.  It has been discussed that the Cavaliers may use more of a small lineup this season, using James at the power forward and either Szczerbiak or Pavlovic at the small forward.  With more teams in the NBA going to smaller, quicker lineups, this has to be a plus.  Another advantage is the match up problem James would enjoy against any power forward.  He is simply too quick for any of them, and likely just as strong.

 

Giving #23 some minutes at the #4 spot also covers the lack of depth at power forward and center.  Currently, the Cavs have Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Ben Wallace, Anderson Varajao, and Lorenzen Wright as experienced big men, but only Z can be regarded as any offensive threat.

 

That’s why it is important to get first round draft pick, J.J. Hickson ready to play as soon as possible.  I know Hickson will not be ready to play the type of defense Brown demands from all his players, but he needs to get playing time right off the bat.  Give him six minutes in the first half, and 2-4 minutes after halftime, preferably in the third quarter, when the game isn’t on the line.  Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer said Hickson might already be the team’s best low post scorer. 

 

At this point, it appears the 15-man roster will only have maybe one player that Mike Brown will be hesitant to put into a game.  The 2008-09 edition of the Cavs looks to be not only talented, but deep.  That will give their coach more options as the season goes along.

 

JK

 

The Cleveland Browns resume play following their bye week at 1-3.  There is a common belief that they would be 0-4 if Carson Palmer had started at quarterback for the Bengals in the Browns’ 20-12 victory rather than backup Ryan Fitzpatrick.  However, Palmer didn’t play and the brown and orange took their good fortune into their week off, and resume play on Monday Night Football.

 

Did I mention they are playing the World Champion New York Giants?

 

The same Giants who led the pre-season game they played in August 30-3 just shortly after the first quarter ended?

 

The Browns have started the season 0-2 at home, and are staring in the face of a three game losing streak at Cleveland Browns Stadium if they can’t beat the Giants on Monday night.  When you play a 16 game schedule, every game is important, but Monday night’s contest is huge.  This team quite simply can’t drop to 1-4 and 0-3 at home.

 

How do you avoid this situation?

 

You pull out all the stops.  I understand the Browns wanted to get back to the running game against the Bengals, and there is no problem with that.  Jamal Lewis is a weapon, and the pounding he provides wears down defenses as games go on.  It also eases some of the burden on the struggling Derek Anderson.  However, if offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski has to call some gimmick plays to open up the Giants’ eyes early in the game, this is the game to do it.

 

Why not let Josh Cribbs throw a pass?  Why not run end arounds or flea-flickers?  On defense, why not blitz Eli Manning?  Pull out all the stops.  Leave nothing on the table.  To quote Al Davis, “It’s time to just win, baby”.  Of course, Davis said that when we was trying to win football games, instead of being in the firing coaches business.

 

If the Cleveland Browns want to get back in the playoff mix, they have to win against the Giants.  Romeo Crennel needs to send that message to every player and coach in the organization.  A loss likely means that the vultures will be circling each and every week for the remainder of the season.

 

JD

 

The Cleveland Indians are at a crossroads.  In 2005, the team went to the last weekend of the season before being eliminated, and since then they have been considered by many as a team that could win the AL Central Division, if not win a World Championship, but have only made the playoffs once, in 2007.  The even numbered years in that span, 2006 and 2008, have not been kind to the Tribe.  This is an organization that needs some self-examination.

 

The Dolan family runs the team the way you want a ballclub to be run.  That is to say, they let their baseball people make the baseball decisions.  Many teams have continued to wallow in mediocrity because the owner interferes and doesn’t allow the proper decisions to be made for many reasons, including how the fans will perceive it.  No team should be run that way.  Although there is no question fans are needed, they shouldn’t be considered in baseball decisions.  Every move made must be to bring a World Championship to the organization and therefore the team’s fan base.  Fans are too emotional to be included in the process.

 

However, the organization needs a swift kick in the pants, and the owners must provide it.  It is time for the Dolans to sit down with Shapiro and ask what will be done differently in this off-season.  The farm system is important to be sure, in fact, it is the lifeline of any successful baseball team.  But, it is time to trade some of the excess in order to get a good, proven major league player who can help this team in 2009.  If that is Brian Roberts from the Orioles, that is fine, he can help you get back to the playoffs.  Look at the logjam in the organization at 1B/LF:  Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco, Matt LaPorta, Nick Weglarz, Trevor Crowe, Michael Brantley, and Beau Mills.  Not all seven of those guys can play the two spots, so some of these guys can be moved.

 

Also, take a look at left-handed starters.  The candidates for one spot in the starting rotation include Jeremy Sowers, Aaron Laffey, David Huff, and Scott Lewis.  Huff is showing the most potential, but the others are pretty similar in terms of stuff.  You don’t want to unload three of them, but certainly one of them can be included in a deal to get help in other areas.

 

Another thing that has to change is the attitude toward spring training.  This team has not had enough success for the opening day roster to be pre-determined before camp starts.  There should be some competition.  For example, if LaPorta hits .480 in the exhibition games with 7 home runs, why shouldn’t he get a spot on the big league roster, and if he does that, he should play.  The idea that players have to serve an apprenticeship is old.  Other successful organizations give young guys a chance to play if they’ve earned the shot.  Based on that type of thinking, Manny Ramirez would have opened the 1994 season at AAA.  He hit his way on the team, and the rest is history.

 

Another thing Shapiro needs to do is exert the fact that he is the boss on his manager, Eric Wedge.  Wedge has a number of excellent traits as manager, but the fact is he has made the post-season once in six years in charge.  Wedge does a great job getting guys to “grind it out”, but has had problems connecting with some players who are talented.  Can anyone imagine Wedge getting along with Albert Belle?  Wedge has to be more flexible in his thinking, because once again, this team has only made the playoffs once in his tenure.  It’s one thing to believe in you, it’s another to be too stubborn to realize some change is needed.

 

I have always been a supporter of how Mark Shapiro runs this ballclub, but that doesn’t mean it is blind faith.  This team needs to look inward and make some changes to be a contender, not just in 2009, but also for a sustained period of time.  Hopefully, the front office doesn’t follow the same direction they have in the past.  Let’s look at the road less traveled.

 

KM

 

 

A little bit of this and a little bit of that…

 

·          I’m sure the C.C. Sabathia critics will be out in full force today after he allowed five runs in 2-2/3 innings last night in Philadelphia.  In fact, Sabathia ranks second last all-time (behind Doyle Alexander) in ERA among pitchers who have thrown 25 innings in the post-season.  I think it is a matter of fatigue for the big lefty.  It was too much to expect him to keep being dominant on three days rest, and last year he threw 30 more innings than his previous career high.   He needs to be kept to around 210-220 innings in the regular season, and he will do fine in the playoffs.  He’s too good of a pitcher to have post-season stats like that.

 

·          Remember in Game 5 versus Boston last year in the ALCS, the Red Sox led 2-1 at the end of the sixth inning.  Sabathia should have been pulled then, but he was left in and gave up two more tallies.  Let’s say the Tribe had scored four runs off of Josh Beckett instead of one, and then C.C. is a hero, pitching the Tribe into the World Series.  The game wasn’t the big lefty’s fault; the reason the Indians lost was they ran into a hot pitcher.

 

·          With this in mind, this is another weakness of Eric Wedge.  Cliff Lee appeared to tire late in the season, and there were some games where the likely Cy Young Award winner was left to complete games when he probably should have been removed.  I know the skipper had a shaky bullpen all season, but last year he didn’t and Sabathia still was gassed.  He has to be more aware of the innings he is putting on his starters.

 

·          Speaking of pitching a lot of innings, Tribe legend Bob Feller is one who talks about how today’s pitchers are babied.  In 1946, Rapid Robert threw 371 innings, 30 more than his previous career high.  He had 36 complete games.  He also was never the same again, and never topped 300 innings in his career.  You can look it up.

 

·          The Tribe is evaluating their 40-man roster in order to protect some prospects from the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings.  Look for the following players to be removed:  Pitchers–Brendan Donnelly, Juan Rincon, and Brian Slocum; Position players–Sal Fusion and Michael Aubrey.  Reliever Tom Misty and Andy Marta might also be released to create more spots on the roster.

 

·          It’s hard to argue with people who say the national media is biased against Ohio State.  The Buckeyes dropped to 14^th in the polls after the beat down at USC, and didn’t really move up despite all of the upsets last weekend.  Remember, the Bucks lost to the then #1 ranked team in the country, something that Florida, Georgia, Wisconsin, and the Trojans cannot claim. 

 

·          It’s amazing how that loss to USC has destroyed everyone’s view of the Buckeyes.  Most people are convinced they will get hammered at Wisconsin this weekend.  Three weeks ago, these same pundits had Ohio State going to their third consecutive BCS title game.  That one loss has people now expecting an 8-4 team instead of a National Championship.

 

KM

 

Confidence.  It’s been a long time since sports fans in Cleveland have had it.  Not winning in 44 years does that to a city.  I thought about this as I watched the Browns game on Sunday.  Our football team has to start playing better if this season will amount to anything, and I thought about whether or not I have any confidence that it will happen based on the current leadership.  Here are my thoughts on the three major league teams in Cleveland and the people who run them.

 

BROWNS

 

This is the fourth season of GM Phil Savage and Romeo Crennel’s regime.  Since Savage has been in charge, it has been an up and down ride:  6-10, 4-12, and 10-6.  This year, it appears the team will not reach or exceed the ten wins from last season.  However, Savage has been adding talent year by year to the organization.  When he arrived, you could argue the only impact players on the team were Kellen Winslow and Sean Jones.  In Savage’s tenure, he has brought in Braylon Edwards, Joe Thomas, Eric Steinbach, Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, and Shaun Rogers.  There are others who look like they could develop, such as Eric Wright, Brandon Mc Donald, Kamerion Wimbley, Corey Williams, and Alex Hall.  I have confidence that Savage can continue to bring in good football players.

 

I don’t share the same feeling for Crennel.  He doesn’t seem to have a feel for the quarterback position, which is the most important spot on the team.  He flipped a coin to start Charlie Frye last season, and this year was unable to make a definitive decision to make a change going into the Bengal game.  He was raised coaching a 3-4 defense, but even though his linebacking corps is shaky, he sticks with the scheme.  He also seems to focus more on what a player cannot do, than what he can do.  Jerome Harrison doesn’t pick up the blitz, in his rookie year; he didn’t play Edwards because of blocking issues.  A coach’s job is to maximize the strengths and minimize the weakness of players.  I’m not sure Crennel does that.  I’m also not sure he is a coach who can lead this team to a Super Bowl.

 

CAVALIERS

 

This is the fourth season of the Danny Ferry/Mike Brown regime.  The three seasons have resulted in two trips to the Eastern Conference semi-finals (2006 and 2008) and one Conference title in 2007.  Ferry is not afraid to take risks, perhaps buoyed by the fact that having LeBron James means you won’t be a terrible team.  He brought in Flip Murray to stabilize the team when Larry Hughes got hurt in 2005-06, and rebuilt the team on the fly last season, making an 11 player deal at the deadline, and then trading for Mo Williams this summer.  The Cavaliers appear poised to make a run at a Central Division title, and another conference championship and a return trip to the NBA Finals.  Ferry has proven he will not sit idly by and watch the season slip away.

 

As for Brown, there is no question his defensive philosophy has made the wine and gold an elite team.  How much the offense improves will determine how good the Cavs will be in the regular season.  In the playoffs, Brown has demonstrated he can negate an opponents’ strength and make them pursue other options to defeat his squad.  He is a much better coach in the post-season, but he needs to do better in the regular season to help the Cavs get home court advantage.  Brown also seems to have a partnership with his superstar, an important factor for any NBA coach.  I can definitely see Brown coaching the Cavaliers to an NBA title.

 

INDIANS

 

Mark Shapiro has been the Tribe’s GM since 2002 and has made the post-season once (2007).  To be fair, Shapiro took the job with an aging team, which needed to be rebuilt, and he had the Indians back in contention late in the season in both 2004 and 2005, however 2006 and 2008 must be considered disappointments.  His strength has been evaluating talent in other teams’ farm systems, acquiring players such as Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo, and Asdrubal Cabrera in trades.  He has also done well signing pitchers from the amateur level.  His weakness is holding on to prospects too long, and being reluctant to include them in deals for proven talent.

 

I have had confidence in Shapiro, but it is starting to wane.  He has made only one trade for an established major league starter since dealing for Matt Lawton prior to the 2002 season, the deal for Josh Barfield.  Neither worked out very well, although Lawton did make an All-Star team in 2004.   He has signed platoon players and picked up Kenny Lofton for the stretch drive in 2007, but he has been hesitant to fill a hole with a trade involving prospects. 

 

As for Eric Wedge, he got the Indians to within one game of the World Series last year, so it is difficult to say he can’t get it done.  However, he is slow to change, especially his use of relief pitchers, and making mistakes in that area costs the ballclub games.  He also doesn’t make use of his entire roster, which limits himself in making moves.  I do like his day-to-day approach.  The players can’t do anything about yesterday’s game, nor should they worry about tomorrow’s contest.  You also have to give him credit for not allowing the team to quit when they were 16 games under .500.  On the other hand, you would like more than one post-season appearance in six seasons.

 

It’s another reason that it is a huge off-season for the Cleveland Indians this winter.

 

MW 

 

The best thing to say about yesterday’s 20-12 victory by the Cleveland Browns over the Cincinnati Bengals is that it showed there is a delineation between football teams that are mediocre and ones that are horrible.  Without QB Carson Palmer playing for the Bengals, the Browns still struggled trailing 6-3 through three quarters before finally putting together a drive and taking advantage of a couple of turnovers to put 17 points on the board in the final stanza.

 

It was definitely not a win to get all excited about.

 

However, it is difficult for a team on a losing streak to regain that winning feeling.  If nothing else, Romeo Crennel’s crew got that back after dropping all four pre-season games and their first three regular season contests.  Perhaps with a bye week to heal some of the injured players, and the good feeling of a victory, this football team can regroup before taking on the Giants in two weeks.

 

It was a little puzzling that the coach did not change quarterbacks after a lackluster first half by Derek Anderson, and when Anderson threw an interception on the second possession of the second half, I thought for sure we would see Brady Quinn.  But, DA pulled it together the next time the Browns got the ball, and drove them to a touchdown.  This after it appeared WR Braylon Edwards berated him on the sidelines after the pick.  This is a problem.

 

Someone in the organization needs to tell Edwards to shut up.  He is taking on the diva-like personalities of guys like Chad Johnson and Terrell Owens without the production.  Here is something else to ponder:  Neither of those guys has won a Super Bowl.  After Edwards’ sideline tirade, Anderson tried to force a pass into double coverage that was picked off.  Fortunately, the Bengals were offside on the play.  Was a force a coincidence or was it an effort to placate Edwards?  Regardless, if Braylon Edwards can’t focus on the team winning, he needs to be somewhere else in 2009.

 

Defensively, the team played well, but how much of that was the result of Palmer not playing.  The defense stopped the run, but they were able to load up to stop Chris Perry because there was no real threat of a passing game.  They did sack the quarterback three times, but two of those came with Cincinnati is serious catch up mode late in the game.  No one knows what the result of that game would have been if Carson Palmer had played, and it’s difficult to get excited about the defense because Palmer sat out.

 

The penalty problems also have to be resolved.  Nine more occurred yesterday, many of them needless at best.  Edwards received a personal foul that was unnecessary and added to his increasing petulant personality.  The defense received four more penalties for lining up in the neutral zone, which is occurring on a regular basis.  This team cannot beat quality teams if they keep making stupid mistakes.

 

Don’t get me wrong.  A win is better than the alternative.  However, the Browns and the coaching staff cannot be satisfied with a game where the team struggled to beat a bad Cincinnati team without its All Pro quarterback.  There is a long way to go and plenty of improvement is needed before taking on the Super Bowl champion Giants two weeks from tonight.  The Browns still have not shown they are a good football team.

 

JD

 

It’s a day for a bunch of stuff on Cleveland sports:

 

·          Whether or not Cliff Lee pitches on Sunday, and here’s hoping he won’t, he will be the first Indians left-hander in history to lead the American League in wins.  He also will be the first Tribe pitcher to lead the Junior Circuit in winning percentage twice.  He also led the AL in that category in 2005 when he went 18-5.

 

·          I’m not one to say teams should put together their rosters to placate the fans, but it will not be a big public relations move if we see this over the winter:  “The Cleveland Indians have announced a press conference today to announce the signing of free agent 3B Casey Blake”.

 

·          One of Romeo Crennel’s problems as a head coach is a lack of decisiveness, and his lukewarm endorsement of Derek Anderson shows that.  The correct thing to do  would be to start Brady Quinn, and give him the entire week of practice with the first team to be prepared.  Being hesitant to make a decision is not a good quality in a head coach.

 

 

Sometimes, the more things change, the more they remain the same.  Last season, the Cleveland Indians eliminated the Yankees in the playoffs and the Red Sox advanced to the World Series by beating the Tribe in game seven of the ALCS.  Last night, the Indians’ loss to the Sox did the same thing.  It allowed Boston to advance to the playoffs and knocked the Bronx Bombers out of the post-season for the first time since 1994.  Once again, Indian players had to watch the Carmine celebrate at Fenway Park.  Arrrrgghhh!

 

Cleveland delayed the Boston party by winning 4-3 Monday night, as Zach Jackson, of all people, defeated Josh Beckett.  Jensen Lewis saved his 12^th game in as many chances by striking out rookie Jed Lowrie with the winning run on second base.  That showed me something.

 

Lewis retired the first two hitters in the inning by striking out Dustin Pedroia and getting David Ortiz on a liner to right.  After Kevin Youkilis (another Tribe killer) singled on a pitch off the plate, Jason Bay followed with a double to left, moving Youkilis to third.   With the Fenway crowd standing, anticipating the clinching of another playoff berth and a walk off win to boot, Lewis calmly struck out Lowrie to end the game and shut up the Red Sox fans.

 

It was the kind of moxie that gives you hope that Lewis could be a closer. 

 

Look, I still would like someone who throws aspirin tablets at opposing hitters, and the front office has said that oft-injured fireballer Adam Miller will go to spring training as a reliever.  He would definitely be a power type closer.  However, he has never been in the major leagues, let alone being a closer.  The emergence of Lewis as an option in that role will allow the Tribe to bring Miller along slowly in a relief role. 

 

This is vitally important because the biggest reason both the ’06 and ’08 versions of the Indians didn’t contend was the horrible performance of the bullpen.  It would not be far from the truth to say over the last four years, when the Indians have a good bullpen they are a very good baseball team, and when they have a bad relief corps, they stink.  There has been no middle ground with the Tribe.  They haven’t had an average bullpen in several years.

 

It’s also up to Eric Wedge to handle the bullpen properly, and to use alternatives quickly when the first option doesn’t work out.  He must develop confidence in everyone wearing an Indians uniform sitting in the bullpen. 

 

Taking a chance on people who have failed as closers in the past isn’t a good option, either.  You might catch lightning in a bottle, but you might get electrocuted too.  GM Mark Shapiro must provide as many options as he can to build a good bullpen, and those options have to include young guys like Miller, Tony Sipp, and Rich Rundles.  The front office needs to realize experience isn’t the only thing that helps relief pitchers, good stuff gets it done as well.

 

KM