Well, it’s here! Tonight is the night LeBron James returns to The Quicken Loans Arena for the first time as a member of the Miami Heat.

 The eyes of the nation, not just the basketball nation, are on Cleveland, Ohio to see how we will react. Here’s hoping a few fans on national television don’t embarrass our city.

James deserves the boos he will hear from the wine and gold faithful that will pack downtown tonight, and there will be signs decrying his departure from a franchise that he took to the brink of a title in 2007. That’s all there should be.

You see, James doesn’t merit any more attention than that. He left. Good riddance.

As of this time, LeBron James lost a heck of a lot more by leaving than we, as fans, have. The Cavaliers won over 60 games the last two seasons, and James was named the league’s MVP in each of those campaigns. It does not appear that will occur this season, and the wine and gold’s former star likely will never win another MVP unless he would average a triple double for an entire season.

He’s also no longer in the spotlight as he was when wearing #23 with the Cavaliers. No one is talking anymore about James being either #1 or #1A with the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant in terms of being the world’s best basketball player.

And even if the Heat win as many titles as either Michael Jordan’s Bulls or Bryant’s Lakers, LeBron James will be viewed as a guy who helped win those titles, not as the preeminent player on those squads.

This is not to say we should feel sorry for James. He deserves to be reviled after what he did to the Cavalier franchise that treated with nothing but honor in his time here.

He also did not handle his business in the correct manner. He was entitled to leave Cleveland if he so desired, he earned the right to be a free agent. However, he did hold the franchise hostage because he never gave them a maximum year deal.

He should have called Cavs’ owner Dan Gilbert, who treated him as a partner, and told him of his decision to leave in person, not allowing one of his marketing group buddies to make the call.

He’s not worth the embarrassment. He’s gone, we are still here and you know what, life goes on. When Heat highlights (or lowlights based on their record) are shown, the blood doesn’t pump any faster.

On a different subject…There is a new sports talk alternative in Cleveland and it’s definitely worth a listen. Digital Sports Network can be accessed on Cleveland.com, The Plain Dealer website.

The network is an alternative to what has become “canned” sports talk on the town’s ESPN radio affiliate.

With outstanding hosts, including Cleveland radio veterans Les Levine and Bob Karlovec, former national talk show host Chuck Booms, PD columnist Bud Shaw, as well as Harry Petsanis, Joe Lull, Darryl Ruiter, and Ken Silverstein the talk is very entertaining and insightful.

They also have an interactive chat room so listeners can interact with other fans. Tell you friends about DSN. They will definitely love it.

MW

Next week, the hot stove will be turned up full blast with the beginning of baseball’s winter meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, which if you don’t know is Disney World.  This seems apropos for the cynics who like to hammer the Cleveland Indians for anything they do.

The Tribe’s real problem is that their ownership doesn’t really know when to speak and when to keep their collective mouths shut. 

A primary example is Paul Dolan’s comment over a week ago that now is not the time to spend money on free agents.  While it is probably true, why say it?  If the ownership feels the need to make any comment at all, why not say something positive, like you are looking forward to seeing young players like Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, Cord Phelps, Lonnie Chisenhall, Alex White, etc.

The reason is that this organization is caught in a negative cycle, always making excuses about the system in major league baseball, such as no salary cap, which makes it tough for a small market team to compete.  Even though Tampa and Cincinnati made this year’s playoffs and San Diego missed by one game.

This is the time to sell your franchise to its fans, giving them hope.  It’s no wonder ticket sales continue to lag for this team.

As of late, there has been a lot of talk about bringing back Kevin Kouzmanoff to play 3B if he is non-tendered by Oakland.  Here’s a move where saving money would be a good idea.  The former Indian’s OPS over the last three years has declined from 732 in 2008 to 722 in ’09 to 679 last season.  The law of declining statistics should be exercised here.

Even if it would only cost $1 million, the Tribe would be wise to pass and use the money elsewhere, for example, on pitching.

By the way, Arizona 3B Mark Reynolds is another guy to pass on.  Here’s hoping the Indians aren’t impressed by his home run totals (28, 44, and 32 the last three years) in a hitter’s paradise.  The guy is a whiff machine, averaging over 200 strikeouts over the same period.  With all those dingers, his OPS was still just 753 last season because he hit just .198.

In another under the radar move, Cleveland lost minor league free agent OF Jose Constanza when he signed a deal with the Atlanta Braves.  The left-handed hitter batted .319 at Columbus last season with 34 stolen bases and a 766 OPS. 

Is it possible he might be better than Trevor Crowe? 

The problem is Crowe is a former first round draft pick and the organization has invested a lot of money in him.  Unfortunately, at some point that shouldn’t matter.  Good organizations don’t evaluate players based on where they were picked in the draft after a certain amount of time. 

The year after they are drafted, yes.  Six years after they are drafted?  No.

There are reasons why certain organizations are always at or near the top, excluding the teams that spend exorbitantly like the Yankees and Red Sox.  Teams like Minnesota consistently make good decisions.  They know when guys can play and when guys can’t. 

They don’t make decisions based on where a guy is drafted or who he was traded for.

This is not to say Constanza will turn out to be a better than average major league ballplayer, but didn’t he earn the right to at least get a September call up to find out if he could play?

Giving young guys a chance is another positive way to promote this franchise.  Bringing back players who were mediocre doesn’t help the cause.

KM

Eric Mangini did not have the look of a victorious coach, instead he had the look of a survivor.

He survived a horrific four play stretch by his starting quarterback, which turned an eight point halftime lead into a one point game.  He survived a game in which his team lost the turnover battle, 3 to 1.  He survived another screen pass against his defense that turned into a 48 yard gain, and a 24 yard pass with 12 seconds remaining to put his opponent into a makeable field goal situation.

He survived a game in which the Browns almost turned a certain victory into a defeat by arguably the worst team in the NFL. 

It is tough to get excited about beating the Carolina Panthers by one point when kicker John Kasay’s 42 yard attempt hit the left upright.

However, Mangini did survive and the Browns improved to 4-7 on the season with a 24-23 triumph.

The Browns’ coaching staff has tried to protect rookie QB Colt McCoy by playing it safe at times on offense.  It turns out that they really need to protect the veteran, Jake Delhomme. 

In a terrible four play stretch which started at the end of the first half, Delhomme had the following results:  fumble recovered by one of his offensive linemen, threw an interception which resulted in the first missed field goal by Kasay, a running play, and then a pick six by Captain Munnerlyn to cut a once 14 point lead to just one.

There is no question that the offense became very conservative until Cleveland lost the lead with 7:04 left in the game on Kasay’s 43 yard field goal, as Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll didn’t want anymore mistakes.

The funny thing is the quarterback who seems to be most careful with the pigskin is the guy Mangini has the most worry about, his rookie signal caller.

This staff has totally mismanaged the most important position on the field.  Granted, McCoy was hurt and couldn’t play, but the guy the staff should have turned to was Seneca Wallace, who was playing very well before he sprained his ankle. 

By the way, the interception return for a TD was the second for Delhomme this season in just three games, and he had a third where the interceptor was tackled inside the five yard line.  Yikes!

The Cleveland offense was led once again by RB Peyton Hillis, who gained 131 yards on 26 carries, and caught six passes for 63 more yards.  Brian Robiskie emerged to have the best game of his young career, grabbing seven passes for 50 yards.

Evan Moore caught two passes for 18 yards, but fumbled inside the five late in the first half.  However, he drew a pass interference penalty on the Browns’ first touchdown drive.  He should still be more involved in the passing attack.

Defensively, Abe Elam had two of the three sacks the brown and orange had on Panthers’ rookie Jimmy Clausen, and CB Joe Haden acquitted himself very well in his first start, getting his third pick of the season, one which should have sealed the deal with less than two minutes remaining. 

But, the offense played it safe with three runs up the middle and couldn’t use up the clock, which led to the Panthers getting the ball with 59 seconds remaining.  On a 3rd and 10 at the Carolina 16, the defense allowed a play reminiscent of last week’s short pass and run by Jacksonville’s Maurice Jones-Drew, as Mike Goodson took a short pass and rambled through the defense for 32 yards, giving the Panthers a shot to pull out a win.

The defense simply has to make a play there.

In the end, the Browns, like their coach survived.  It should have been so much easier than that.

JD

The Cleveland Cavaliers have one of the best benches in the NBA.  Unfortunately, the starting lineup is playing horribly right now.

After sweeping their first three game road trip, beating Philadelphia, Washington, and New Jersey, they stepped up in class on their latest trek and got pummeled by New Orleans, San Antonio, and Indiana.

The wine and gold started the sojourn with a good quarter and a half against the Hornets, but Nawlins went on a 15-2 run to end the half, and the road trip got worse from there, ending with hammerings at the hands of the Spurs and Pacers.

Tuesday night, Byron Scott made his first change to the starting unit, replacing Jamario Moon with Joey Graham, mostly to give a more physical presence to the first unit.

That may not be the last change.

The simple thing to do would be to start the guys who have been coming off the bench, but that would just weaken the strength of the team, which is the second unit. 

So you have to come up with a mix, a group consisting of both starters and the bench group in order to get two units capable of being productive on the floor.

As much as J.J. Hickson is a big part of the future for the Cavs, it may be time to make him part of the second unit, and replace him in the starting lineup with veteran Antawn Jamison. 

Let’s be clear, this is not to say Hickson’s playing time should be cut, it’s when his playing time comes.

The Pacers game shows the wine and gold need to have more than one scorer, Mo Williams, with the starting lineup.  Adding Jamison would enable the coach to have two guys who can put the ball in the basket at the start of games.

The second unit would still have Daniel Gibson, who continues to be the Cavaliers’ leading scorer, on the floor with Hickson to provide offense. 

It also makes the second five something of a greyhound unit with all five players being guys who can get up and down the floor.  So they can provide energy, and have players who can score.

Understand that it’s not a total substitution we are talking about here, but it doesn’t get a veteran go to scorer in the contest at the beginning.  And Jamison has shown to have a variety of ways to score.

Another player that needs to pick up his performance is veteran Anthony Parker, although he did play well against Milwaukee on Wednesday.  Parker was relegated to a three point specialist when LeBron James was here, but it was felt here he could do more. 

Parker is making 47% of his shots from behind the arc, but is hitting just 33% of his attempts inside the three point line (37% overall).  Also, he seems to be a step slow getting out defensively on three point shooters, one reason opponents are hitting 38% of their triples.  If Parker isn’t doing these things, he’s needs to be replaced.

The problem is the Cavs’ only big guard option on the roster is undrafted rookie Manny Harris.  It will be interesting to see if Scott starts giving him more time if the wine and gold doesn’t start playing better.

This is the first real rough patch of the season for this basketball team, and the coach wants to see who will buck up and take charge.  Mo Williams did it against the Bucks.  Who else will elevate their performance?

At the end of this season, Browns’ president Mike Holmgren will have a decision to make regarding Eric Mangini.  Is he the head coach who can lead this organization into the playoffs, and once there, can he get them to advance?

Mangini has some things going for him.  He has made the Browns a physical football team.  He has also taken a squad that was getting blown out on a weekly basis early last season, and has them in every game a year later. 

As proof, the brown and orange has had the lead in the fourth quarter in eight of the ten games played thus far.  So, it is safe to assume that the Browns have had a chance to win any of those contests. 

However, they’ve won just three.

How are they able to compete each week?  Either they do not have a great deal of talent and the coaching staff does a tremendous job of putting together schemes each week or they have some players and they just aren’t being utilized correctly.

If Holmgren’s answer is the latter, then Eric Mangini will not be the coach here in 2011.

There is talent on this football team.  On the offensive side of the ball, LT Joe Thomas is a three time Pro Bowler, and C Alex Mack is rated as one of the best at his position in the NFL.  And certainly, Peyton Hillis will garner his share of votes to go to the Pro Bowl. 

The wide receiver position is way below average, but the coaching staff under utilizes TE Evan Moore, perhaps the best receiver on the team.

They also need another running back because when Hillis leaves the game, the other running backs have a problem gaining even a yard.

On the defensive side, the youngsters in the secondary have been as good as advertised with rookies Joe Haden and T. J. Ward making major contributions.  Also, LB Scott Fujita, Marcus Benard, and Matt Roth are also capable of starting for other NFL teams, as well as NT Ahtyba Rubin. 

And don’t forget Shaun Rogers, who is uber talented, although not in the best of shape.

So spare us the lack of talent argument. 

For the Mangini supporters, there clearly is enough talent to be in almost every game they have played this season.  That cannot be debated.  And if you are in the game, and in many cases, leading in the fourth quarter, why can’t this team finish the deal?

Because when you play not to lose, more than likely, you lose.  This is a problem for many defensive oriented coaches who ascend to the title of head coach.  Browns fans went through the same thing back in the ‘80’s when Marty Schottenheimer was the coach. 

These guys are more comfortable with defensive game plans, so they like to play a very basic game on offense and put the game in the hands of the defense.  But that strategy doesn’t put games away.

Unfortunately for Mangini, this philosophy is directly opposite from that of his boss, Mike Holmgren.

Sunday’s loss illustrated that even though the coach opened up the playbook in the wins over the Saints and Patriots, he went back to a conservative game plan in a contest where his team was expected to win.  That has to irk the Big Show.

It’s a tale of two coaches.  One has an offensive background, the other a defensive background.  The guy who likes to score points runs the show.  Where does that leave the other coach?

MW

It is very difficult to turn the football over six times in a game and win, but the Jacksonville Jaguars did it today in beating the Browns, 24-20 in Jacksonville today. 

The Browns lost this game because some of their old bugaboos returned to bite them.  They couldn’t run the ball, and they couldn’t protect their quarterback, as Colt McCoy was sacked six times in the game. 

They lost even though they had a fourth quarter lead for the eighth time this season after Phil Dawson kicked a 41 yard field goal with 2:51 remaining to give the Browns a 20-17 lead.  Their defense, which again forced six turnovers, allowed Maurice Jones-Drew to take a short pass and run 75 yards to the 1 yard line just a half-minute later.   The Jaguars punched it in and gave themselves an astonishing victory.

The Cleveland Browns have to learn to close out games.  It was thought they learned this against New Orleans and New England, but the problem reared its ugly head once again.

Still, Eric Mangini and Brian Daboll should explain a lack of a killer instinct after the Jags’ turnovers.  Three of the second half miscues gave Cleveland the ball on the Jacksonville side of the field and all three resulted in the same play calling sequence: 

Run, run, pass attempt. 

This in spite of the fact that the Jaguar defense was pretty much stuffing the run the entire day, holding Cleveland to just 88 rushing yards for the game, and Peyton Hillis had just 48 yards in 21 attempts for the game. 

Very conservative, indeed. 

It appeared that after three straight weeks for aggressive play calling, Mangini and Daboll went back into a caution first game plan with their rookie quarterback.  Perhaps it was due to the poor performance of the offensive line, but not going for the jugular after these turnovers is something that had heads shaking with wonderment.

Outside of Abe Elam’s fumble recovery which gave Cleveland a 14-10 lead early in the third quarter, the Browns scored just three points as a result of six turnovers.  That’s just a terrible performance. 

Yes, the Browns are a running team first.  And yes, they have a rookie quarterback, but he’s a rookie who has proven to be very careful with the football.  Why not take a chance on McCoy making a play following one of these mistakes by the Jaguars, and give the team a commanding lead, and giving some breathing room for the defense.

Another Cleveland weakness is the play of the wide receivers.  Mohammad Massaquoi caught four passes for 51 yards and Chansi Stuckey caught four more for 27 yards from the slot.  Brian Robiskie dropped a very catchable ball late in the game.  Is there a solution?

Yes, play Evan Moore!  Moore is listed as a tight end, but is really a hybrid, kind of like a Dallas Clark type of TE.  Why don’t the Browns use more two tight end sets using Moore split out and utilize his pass catching skills.  Remember, it was Moore who made a big grab against Darelle Revis of the Jets a week ago in a key situation.

Moore may just be the Browns best receiver if given the opportunity.

Defensively, what else can you say about six turnovers.  Abe Elam had a pick and caused a fumble, which he returned for a TD.  Rookie T. J. Ward had two interceptions.  Fellow rookie Joe Haden added another.  Coordinator Rob Ryan’s group also had four sacks.  They didn’t get any help from the offense, who refused to take advantage of the errors.

Last week, it was predicted here that this could be a trap game for the Browns.  With the next four games looking very winnable (Carolina, Miami, Buffalo, and Cincinnati), a win today could have put Mangini’s team in a position to be 8-6 going into the last two games against the Ravens and Steelers.

Unfortunately, the offensive play calling didn’t feel the same sense of urgency.  That’s why the Browns are sitting at 3-7 today.

JD

The NBA season is just 10 games old, and already the Cleveland Cavaliers have had many ups and downs to their season. 

They knocked off the defending Eastern Conference champs, the Boston Celtics on opening night, and promptly lost on the road to the Toronto Raptors two nights later. 

They had a three game road winning streak, but they’ve also had a four game losing streak at Quicken Loans Arena. 

So, all in all, being .500 on the season is about where they should be based on how they’ve played to start the 2010-11 season. 

Critics will say the record is only that good because the wine and gold have played a relatively soft schedule, and while that is true, there are some things that need to be said about the quality of the teams in the NBA.

There simply aren’t that many very good teams in the league right now, in fact, you can make the case that there are a lot of mediocre squads in the NBA, particularly in the East.  David Stern has got to be cringing at that statement.

There are 15 teams in the Eastern Conference and currently just six of them are over the .500 mark. 

There are some outstanding teams.  You have to put Boston, Orlando, and Miami (yes, it pains one to say that) in that class, and Atlanta and Chicago (especially when Carlos Boozer gets back) are very close behind. 

That would be five teams who figure to make the playoffs, leaving three spots up for grabs, and quite frankly, the Cavaliers are as good as any of the teams vying for one of those spots.

The best of the rest, so to speak, may just be the Milwaukee Bucks, who have a good big man in Andrew Bogut and a possible rising star at the point in Brandon Jennings.  They also have solid veterans in Corey Maggette, John Salmons, and Drew Gooden.  They also have a good coach who stresses defense in Scott Skiles. 

That leaves nine teams looking to get the last two spots.  Can anyone say with conviction that the Cavs aren’t better than these teams:  New Jersey, New York, Toronto, Philadelphia, Indiana, Detroit, Charlotte, and Washington?

The biggest challenge for Byron Scott’s crew is getting healthy. With Anderson Varajao and Mo Williams both in the lineup, the wine and gold won the three straight road games.  They can go 10 deep when both are playing, although the coach played that many yesterday by giving rookie Manny Harris some minutes. 

These two guys are arguably two of the team’s best, along with Antawn Jamison.  Those three have the best career track records.  They are all solid NBA players.  We need to see more of guys like J. J. Hickson and Daniel Gibson before they can be put on that level.

The point is the people who say the Cavaliers have had a soft schedule need to look at the league.  Outside of five or six teams (the three from the East and the Lakers, Spurs, and Thunder in the West, we’ll reserve judgment on the Hornets), anyone else you play would be considered a beatable team. 

For example, check out the “great” Heat.  They haven’t beaten any team with a winning record as of yet. 

This basketball team will get better as the season goes on because they will learn to play Scott’s system better.  There is no reason to write this team off.  After the first ten games, they still can be a playoff team.

JK

ESPN calls itself the worldwide leader in sports, and others use that term with either admiration or derision depending on who is making the comment.  No matter what you think about the four-letter network, it is clear they have an agenda, much like the cable news networks.

There is plenty that ESPN does well; their 30 in 30 film series has produced some outstanding television sports documentaries.  However, there is plenty to shake ones head about when viewing the family of networks that is ESPN.

They sometimes look to make the news instead of reporting it.

The reason behind this column is that ESPN’s current NBA power rankings, done by analyst John Hollinger, show the Miami Heat as the league’s second best team, behind only the undefeated New Orleans Hornets.  The Heat (6-4) ranks ahead of the Boston Celtics, who have beaten them twice so far this season.  They are also ranked higher than the defending champion Lakers (8-2) and the San Antonio Spurs (8-1). 

In the interest of fairness, another columnist, Marc Stein, has the Heat ranked 7^th, citing the team’s wins are against opponents with a cumulative 16-32 record. 

Hollinger is a good NBA scribe, but you have to ask if there is a hidden agenda behind putting Miami this high on the list.  Remember, the network has devoted a great deal of talent, including former Plain Dealer writer Brian Windhorst, to following the team calling the coverage “Heat Check”.

Another website, Basketball Prospectus.com, has Miami ranked third behind New Orleans and Boston.

This isn’t the first time ESPN has tried to push an agenda on the people who watch their sports coverage. Think about the inordinate amount of coverage given soccer on the network.  Is there a groundswell for the sport that we aren’t noticing?  The World Cup coverage was all over the airwaves, and they have even started putting the scores on its crawl on ESPN2. 

Another cause for the “Worldwide Leader” is Boise State.  The on air people seem to constantly talk about how Boise State deserves to be in the BCS National Championship game, despite the fact that right now TCU is ranked third, and probably has played a better schedule. 

There is no question here that if Boise State played in the Big 12, Big Ten, or the Southeastern Conference they would not be undefeated or in the talk for a national championship.  We’ll save the need for a playoff in college football because there is no doubt it is needed, but why the tub-thumping for Boise and not TCU? 

We haven’t even mentioned the continued love affair the network has with Brett Favre and LeBron James.  You get the feeling that the executives in Bristol are already developing a reality show for Favre about his adjustment to retirement when he leaves the NFL, just so they can continue to have a connection with the Vikings’ quarterback.

Everyone now agrees it was a bad decision by the network to put “The Decision” on its airwaves in July.  They did so to enhance their relationship with James, who they let host their ESPY Awards a few years ago. 

Even though they are a broadcasting monolith, it seems like they are afraid to cross some of the superstars of sports.  Like they need these stars to attract viewers.  That should have been a non-factor years ago.

ESPN was once a great new network.  They covered all teams, in some cases, better than local markets did.  Now, they’ve morphed into emphasizing the big markets, New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.  Just like the people who covered sports before them.

MW

What a football game at Cleveland Browns’ Stadium today.  It is good to see excitement back at the lakefront.

It is also nice to see the nation welcome the Browns back to the relevance in the NFL.  Heck, CBS even had Jim Nantz and Phil Simms announcing the game, the first time they’ve been here in awhile.

As for the game itself, the Browns just couldn’t get the big play on defense  they needed all day, and lost to the Jets, 26-20 with 16 seconds remaining in overtime.  Eric Mangini’s crew now drops to 3-6 on the season.

Rob Ryan’s defense couldn’t force a turnover until late in the overtime, and if Joe Haden hadn’t made the instinctual play, picking off a long pass intended for Braylon Edwards, this game may have ended differently. 

The smart play would have been to knock down the pass and force the Jets to punt from their own 46 yard line.  Cleveland likely would have had more room to operate a normal offense.  Instead they had to punt out of their own end zone and the resulting return set up New York on the Browns’ 37 yard line. 

But that is nitpicking.

The defense had another chance for a big play with less than three minutes to go in overtime, but Shaun Rogers somehow did NOT sack Sanchez inside the Jets’ 10, and instead escaped to hit LaDanian Tomlinson for a 21 yard pass and run to get the Jets out of bad field position. 

The Cleveland defense sacked the Jet quarterback twice, but seemed to have him locked up at least three other times, but couldn’t bring him down.

The Browns bent and bent, but did not break, allowing 456 yards and allowing New York to have the football for almost 38 minutes in regulation, but three missed field goals kept Cleveland in the game. 

They would not give in to obvious fatigue, and even lost two starters, CB Sheldon Brown and LB Scott Fujita, to injuries in the first half.  By the way, Haden replaced Brown and did a great job in coverage, giving more credence to giving him a starting spot.

Offensively, Colt McCoy faced another tough defensive unit and did just fine.  The game plan was to mix up the run and pass, and get the rookie QB out of the pocket a lot when he did throw.  McCoy hit 18 for 31 passes for 205 yards and engineered a drive to tie the game with less than a minute to go, hitting big throws to TE Benjmain Watson, TE Evan Moore, and then a touchdown toss to Mohammad Massaquoi to tie it up.

Peyton Hills rushed for 82 yards against an elite defense, and the offense made many big plays such as a 37 yard catch and run by Josh Cribbs to the five yard line in the first half.  However, the Browns couldn’t punch it in from there and had to settle for a field goal.  That was a tough mistake.

The other huge mistake was Chansi Stuckey’s fumble in overtime with the Browns either in range for a game winning field goal, or very, very close.  Stuckey made a great move to take a small gain and make it into a big one, but coughed up the ball at the end of the play.

Next week, the Browns travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars, and a new set of challenges.  With the performance of the last three games, wins over the Saints and Patriots and this game against the Jets, the Browns will be expected to win, even on the road.  You have to go back three years since Cleveland had that burden. 

One last thing, and this is directed to the head coach.  Let’s not play games this week.  Everyone knows that Colt McCoy should be the starter.  Name him that at the beginning of the week. 

Football is back in Cleveland.

JD

We all know the Cleveland Indians are not expected to be very active this winter in terms of player acquisition.  They are expected to depend on the development of their young players to better the team in 2011.

However, there is one player the Indians would love to trade and that is DH Travis Hafner, he of the contract worth over $10 million per year for the next two years.  Pronk is still a productive major league hitter, his OPS last season was 824, second highest among regulars on the Indians to Shin-Soo Choo, but he’s become a platoon player.  He hit just one home run against southpaws last season, and his OPS against lefties was just 706.

If new GM Chris Antonetti wants to move the DH, he has a limited market, because he can’t be dealt to the National League.  And the Tribe would have to play part of his remaining salary to move him too.

Is that a good deal for the Indians?

It would be only if the ownership would take the extra money and put it in the major league roster. 

Hafner is due $13 million the next two years.  Let’s say in order to deal him; Cleveland would have to pay half of his remaining salary.  That would give the Indians $6.5 million to spend on a starting pitcher and/or a bat. 

The next thing to look at is what teams may be interested in the big man.  The teams that come to mind quickly are Tampa Bay, Detroit, Chicago, and perhaps Oakland and Los Angeles.  Do those teams have some pitching they might want to give up in exchange for a DH?

An intriguing name is James Shields from Tampa who makes $4.25 million next year with club options in 2012, 2013, and 2014.  The right-hander has won more than 10 games and pitched over 200 innings in each of the last four years.    His ERA was over 5.00 in 2010, but the three previous years, it’s been in the 3.30-4.20 range.

Why would Tampa want to unload him?  They have a top prospect, Jeremy Hellickson, who is ready to join the big league rotation.  And they would like to reduce payroll as well.  Now, why would they want Hafner?  They still think they can contend and DH has been a weak spot for the organization.  The payroll cut will come from letting Carl Crawford and Carlos Pena leave as free agents.

It is doubtful that either the White Sox or Tigers will trade an established starting pitcher to the Indians, and it is equally likely the Tribe front office doesn’t want to see Pronk 18 times a year either as a divisional foe.

As for the Angels, they would love to get rid of lefty Scott Kazmir, who is coming off a 9-15 season with a 5.94 ERA.  He’s also guaranteed $20 million over the next two seasons, so he wouldn’t be a good fit for the Indians.  Perhaps the Los Angeles could put together a prospect package, and Antonetti could look for a starter elsewhere.

The A’s could use a veteran bat in their lineup and have a boatload of young pitching (although not as much as yesterday since they traded Vin Mazzaro to Kansas City for OF David DeJesus), so they could be a match if they are willing to take on some payroll.

The other benefit for Cleveland is that it would open up the DH spot, and coincidentally, there are a couple of former Indians looking for a team on a one-year deal.  Do the names Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez ring a bell?

Could either of those guys be a stop gap for the Tribe in 2011?  They probably could hit more than the 11 homers that Travis Hafner hit for the Indians in 2010.

MW