Things That Make Us Say “Who Cares”

With two sports talks stations in the Cleveland area, there are many times the hosts have to try to create controversy to get people to call in to their shows.

Since the Indians were swept in a huge series and the Browns played their first exhibition game this week, you would think this would be one of those times where the action on the respective fields would have been enough to generate an audience.

Here are four subjects that made us say “Who Cares?”

INDIANS

Neither thing took place on the field, because a real fans would have to be upset at four straight defeats at the hand of the Tigers.

The first was the “Detroit’s bankrupt” chant that offended some people as a response to the Tigers’ fans rubbing it in the faces of Tribe fans during the games at Progressive Field. Why does this bother anyone?

They weren’t chanting the city was morally bankrupt, that might be considered offensive. The fact is the city did file for bankruptcy protection, so there was nothing untrue involved.

Cleveland, the city, and its fans have been taking it from people all around the country for years, and now, we can’t give a little jab to another city who is having it tough? Besides, we have gone to games in other cities over the years, and we aren’t obnoxious in our support for the hometown squad.

Cheer for your team all you want you are a supporter of a visiting team, just don’t start chants rubbing it in the face of the host squad.

Actually, it was quite funny that Tribe fans thought of this. Made us wish we’d have started it.

The second “incident” was the Indians’ players laughing when Ryan Raburn pitched the top of the ninth in the last game of the Detroit series.

No doubt, the players were chuckling over seeing a popular teammate on the hill for the first time. It does not mean that Terry Francona has “lost” the team, nor does it mean the players don’t take the game seriously.

Baseball isn’t a sport where you can say if you try really, really hard in the bottom of the ninth, you could make up the eight run deficit Cleveland was facing. In fact, after the game Jason Giambi held a team meeting to remind everyone there is a long way to go in the season. No one was laughing about being swept or losing 10-2.

There was no reason to make a big deal about it.

Browns

The big debate for football fans was Trent Richardson not playing in the first preseason game vs. the Rams. After all, the second year man out of Alabama has never played in one of these games.

Here’s a big reason that the coaching staff held Richardson out…IT DIDN”T COUNT!!!!

If Rob Chudzinski decides to get his starting running back carries in games #2 and #3, and sits him out in the last exhibition tilt, that would be perfectly fine here. It is better to keep him fresh for the regular season, where he will be expected to carry a large load.

The same goes for any nicked up player held out by the staff. It is better to have them ready in September.

The biggest “who cares” is regarding the results of the first preseason game. Yes, the Browns won, and yes, they looked like they knew what they were doing, in sharp contrast with the past few seasons.

However, the game didn’t count, and the Browns will still be 0-0 for three more weeks.

And yes, we’d be saying the same thing if they would have lost. There were things to be excited about, but the score ranked way down on that list.

If Tribe Makes Move, It Should Be Dealing from Strength

With the Cleveland Indians playing well and actually getting into a tie for first place after Sunday’s win over the Tigers, Tribe fans are thinking about what GM Chris Antonetti can do to put his team over the top.

Most everyone feels Terry Francona needs one more quality starting pitcher if his team is going stay in the race into and throughout September.

That leads to speculation as to what the Indians would have to give up to land someone who would upgrade the starting rotation.

Keep in mind that weakening your squad in one area to help in another doesn’t usually work out unless you have someone as good to take the place of the player you are dealing.

That would mean not trading one of the players who consistently comes up in this discussion, SS Asdrubal Cabrera.

Mike Aviles is a nice player, and has done a solid job with the Tribe, but he’s not an everyday player, let alone an everyday SS. Check his numbers, he is much more productive getting 350 to 400 at bats in a season, not 600 in a year.

That’s the argument for some so-called “experts”, you can trade Cabrera because Aviles can step in and play short.

If Antonetti was to deal Cabrera, a two-time all-star, he would have to get a top of the rotation type starter, and who is going to deal one of those? We don’t see teams willing to make that kind of trade.

If you are going to get a middle of the road starter, aren’t you better off just going with Trevor Bauer or Carlos Carrasco, either of whom might be better than someone a bad team is trying to unload?

The other player usually mentioned in trade talk is SS Francisco Lindor, Cleveland’s best prospect now playing at Class A Carolina and hitting .330 at age 19.

Certainly, Lindor would be desirable to any organization. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan said that Lindor might just be the minor league’s top prospect period by the end of the season.

Many teams, particularly those out of the race and looking to shed salary, would be happy to trade you a good to very good starter for Lindor. However, Lindor may be the Cleveland version of Derek Jeter, a franchise SS who can play 10-15 years with the Indians.

That’s not to denigrate Cabrera, who is a very good player, arguably the best shortstop in the American League.

But Lindor is showing signs that he is special, and the Indians cannot take the chance of trading him and having him develop into a perennial all-star type player.

As said before, you have to make these types of deals from a position of strength. And where does the Indians’ organization have a lot of talent? The bullpen.

That’s why a possible trade for closer Chris Perez could make sense. The Indians have a few options they could look at to close games, such as Vinnie Pestano, Cody Allen, and perhaps Bryan Shaw.

The farm system is also filled with bullpen candidates like Trey Haley, Preston Guilmet, Scott Barnes, Bryce Stowell, and Austin Adams.

Understand that the concern there would be switching to an unproven closer in the middle of a successful season, but with the depth in this area, it’s a well calculated gamble.

If the Indians stay in contention going into July, there is little doubt they will do something. But weakening one part of the team to help somewhere else makes no sense. That’s something to watch as the season unfolds.

Tribe Needs to Keep Moving Forward

In the past few weeks, really since they were in the middle of their 11 game losing streak, the Cleveland Indians are playing for next season.

They’ve released four veteran players and replaced them with younger guys, trying to get a head start on talent evaluation for 2013. We’ve seen Corey Kluber have one good start and two clinkers, Chris Seddon (who’s actually kind of veteran, he’s 28) has had one good start and one so-so outing, and Ezequiel Carrera has shown Tribe fans that leftfielders can get hits every once in a while.

However, they shouldn’t stop there. When Travis Hafner went out with a back injury, manager Manny Acta said Shelley Duncan would get the bulk of the at bats at the DH spot. Why, exactly would the team want to do that?

Look, Duncan’s a hard worker, and Acta has a soft spot for him. But he’s 32 years old, and is 3 for 22 in the month of August. Wouldn’t it be better for the future if the organization gave those at bats to someone else?

For that matter, why should Casey Kotchman and Jack Hannahan continue to garner playing time. These two players, and Duncan, aren’t likely to be on the roster next season. And if they are, then the front office should have a lot of explaining to do.

The Indians keep looking for the player who batted .300 a year ago, but it’s quite obvious that guy isn’t showing up. His batting average continues to hover in the .220’s, and he shows no signs of having a hot streak.

Hannahan hit .250 a year ago, but he’s a lifetime .231 hitter, and his average this season is….231! And since May 1st, he’s batting just .205. Yes, he’s excellent with the glove, but he can’t hit big league pitching consistently.

It’s time to take a good look, not a September 1st call up, at players like Matt LaPorta, Russ Canzler, and Tim Fedroff.

We are stressing not waiting until the rosters can be expanded because of the baseball axiom to ignore what you see in April and September. Tribe management can get a good look at these players for almost 50 games.

On LaPorta, to be sure some of you are saying “not again”. But the Indians front office have to find out once and for all if he can be a productive big league hitter. He can garner almost 200 at bats the rest of the season.

If he hits, great. If he doesn’t, then the ballclub can release him with a clear conscience. However, they simply have to find out.

Canzler has been on fans’ wish lists since spring training when he hit the ball with authority. Dismissed by some as a “AAAA” hitter, he’s had just three major league at bats. Let’s find out if he can be a contributor in ’13.

Fedroff is 25 and has never reached the majors despite being a .297 lifetime hitter in the minor leagues. His problem is that he’s not a power guy with only 21 HR’s in five minor league seasons.

Along the same thought, it’s also time for Jeanmar Gomez to come back up and take a regular turn in the rotation. He’s 6-2 with a 2.59 ERA at Columbus, and had a better ERA in Cleveland than Josh Tomlin, Derek Lowe, and even Ubaldo Jimenez. For a team needing starting pitching next season, he should be getting an opportunity.

It’s probably something than Acta and GM Chris Antonetti don’t want to admit, but this season has set sail and it’s time to move forward to 2013. Giving these players a chance now would be helpful in that regard.