Published: Monday, July 11, 2011, 11:00 PM


Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer



"If I could walk, I wanted to be there," former Indians power hitter Rocky Colavito said about the All-Star Game, in which he played nine times over six seasons from 1959-66. "It was an honor. It was prestige. It was being with great players. It's part of why you play the game."

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The year was 1961. Rocky Colavito walked into the dressing room at San Francisco's Candlestick Park to prepare for the All-Star Game.

He was in the same dressing room with so many stars, including Roger Maris and Norm Cash.

"We all were [once] with the Indians," said Colavito. "Roger and I roomed together in the minors. We picked up Cash from Kansas City. Just think if they had kept us all together."

In 1961, Maris hit 61 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth's single-season record of 60. He did it for the Yankees. Cash batted .361 with 132 RBI ... for Detroit. Colavito hit 45 homers, drove in 140 runs ... for Detroit.

"Just think if that egomaniac had kept all three of us," said Colavito, sounding like an Indians fan as he talked about former Tribe General Manager Frank Lane. After dealing Maris, Cash and Colavito, the only significant players Lane had to show on his 1961 roster were Woodie Held and Willie Kirkland.

Colavito thought about a lineup that could have been Maris, Colavito and Cash.

"I really believe if I had spent my entire career in Cleveland [with that lineup], I'd have hit 500 homers," said Colavito, who finished with 374. "I loved every minute with the Indians."

Double your stars -- with mixed results

Colavito was talking about the first of two All-Star games in 1961. One was in San Francisco on July 11, 1961. The next was July 31 in Boston.

They used to say "let's play two" before a Sunday doubleheader in the hope of drawing more fans, but "the two All-Star games were done to raise money for the players pension fund," said Colavito.

This was back before players had agents, before free agency. It was when Mickey Mantle's salary was cut from $70,000 to $66,000 because he batted .285 with "only" 31 homers and 75 RBI in 1959. The Yankee star was baseball's highest paid player.

The owners' stance was if the players wanted more money for their pension fund, then play an extra All-Star Game. So they did that from 1959-1962. Finally, they stopped when, as John Drebinger wrote in the New York Times: "The public at large is finding a second all-star attraction something of an anticlimax, like playing a second World Series in Brazil."

The two games were just a fact of financial life. Before the 1961 season, the schedule was increased from 154 to 162 games to accommodate expansion -- and raise more revenue for the owners. The players didn't receive any extra money.

That season, the Yankees had a 109-53 record. Colavito's Detroit Tigers were 101-61. The Indians? They were 78-83.


On August 10, Colavito will be 78. He is in good health, his weight not far from the 190 pounds that he carried on his 6-foot-3 frame with the Tribe. He had prostate cancer in 1992, a heart bypass in 2003 and a knee replacement last year. He still lives in the small Eastern Pennsylvania town where he has spent most of his retirement.

He is dismayed that some players want to skip the All-Star Game.

"If you are really injured, it's one thing," he said. "But if I could walk, I wanted to be there. It was an honor. It was prestige. It was being with great players. It's part of why you play the game."

He made six All-Star teams between 1959-66. He was 6-of-25 (.250) with three homers and eight RBI.

He also missed only five games in five seasons from 1961-65.

"That's how it was back then, you played," said Colavito. "I wish I could have played longer."

The first All-Star game was in San Francisco. The outfielders for the National League were Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Stan Musial. The American League countered with Maris, Mantle, Colavito, Yogi Berra, Al Kaline and the Tribe's Tito Francona.

There were 21 Hall of Famers in the game. But the story was how Giants pitcher Stu Miller was knocked off the mound by a 40 mph gust of wind whipping off the bay near Candlestick. In a San Jose Mercury story last week, Miller (now 83) told reporter Jeff Faraudo, "I was not blown off the mound."

Miller insisted it was more like "a flinch."

Colavito heard that and laughed.

"I was the batter," he said. "This big wind came and knocked him off. It didn't knock him over, but the wind definitely got him."

In that at-bat, Colavito hit a grounder to Ken Boyer, who made an error. Poor Miller had four errors made behind him in his 1 2/3 innings. There were seven errors in the game, the National League winning, 5-4, in 10 innings.

Twenty days later, they played again in Boston. It ended in a 1-1 tie. Colavito homered for the American League, and rain washed away the game in the ninth inning.

Going deep, 'the right way'

Harvey Kuenn was not on the 1961 All-Star team. He was the 1959 batting champ (.353) for the Tigers, while Colavito hit 42 homers for the Tribe. They were traded for each other, a deal that still angers Tribe fans.

Kuenn's last All-Star appearance was in 1960, when he batted .308 with nine homers and 54 RBI for the Tribe. He was traded after the season to San Francisco for Kirkland.

Colavito said he often talked with Kuenn, but never about the deal.

"Neither of us wanted to be traded, and we had no control over what happened," he said. "But fans would see us together, and want us to pose for pictures."

So they did. "Why not?" asked Colavito.

In 1960, Colavito said he was "still in shock from the trade and didn't have a very good year." He still hit .249 with 35 homers and 87 RBI for the Tigers. In 1961, it was .290 with 45 homers and 140 RBI.

From 1958-1966, Colavito averaged 35 homers a year. From 1960-64, he hit 173 homers. He came back to the Tribe in 1965 (an ill-fated deal for Tommie Agee, Tommy John and John Romano) and hit .287 with 26 homers and led the American League with 108 RBI. He also played every game in right field and didn't make an error.

"I look back at what Roger [Maris], Mickey [Mantle], [Hank] Aaron and the rest of us did hitting homers," he said. "And I know we did it the right way. Based on what we know now [about steroids], it's even more impressive."

Strengths And Weaknesses Of The Trade Market

By Tim Dierkes [July 12 at 9:56am CST]

A dozen teams look like potential July 31st sellers, if we exclude the Rockies. With assumptions on who the Blue Jays, Orioles, Royals, Mariners, Athletics, Mets, Nationals, Marlins, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, and Padres might be willing to move, let's examine the strengths and weaknesses of the 2011 trade market.

Catcher: Weak. If you're looking to add a starting catcher, the out-of-contention teams have very little to offer. You might be able to get a Ronny Paulino or a Rod Barajas, but this group is more about backups. Two players who could shake up this market if made available: Geovany Soto and Ramon Hernandez.

First base: Weak. Relative to how few contenders actually need a first baseman, the outlook isn't awful. Carlos Pena is the headliner. Derrek Lee and James Loney are disappointing players who could still make a difference. Guys like Luke Scott and Mark Reynolds are not generally considered first basemen but they could play the position regularly for a few months if need be.

Second base: Weak. There are some players capable of starting at second, such as Jeff Baker, Jeff Keppinger, Omar Infante, and Jamey Carroll. Still, there's not really a difference-maker.

Shortstop: Weak. A team could try a salary dump player like Rafael Furcal, or check in on Jason Bartlett and Juan Uribe. This position does have long shot potential to become strong if J.J. Hardy, Jose Reyes, or Hanley Ramirez become available.

Third base: Weak. Reynolds is probably the only quality regular. Wilson Betemit, Edwin Encarnacion, and Ian Stewart are worth a look. Wild card: Aramis Ramirez if he changes his stance on being traded.

Corner outfield: Weak. Carlos Beltran is definitely the top name, with Kosuke Fukudome, Ryan Ludwick, Jeff Francoeur, David DeJesus, Josh Willingham, and Scott rounding out a less-than-stellar group of bats. Hunter Pence is the potential wild card, though the Astros are not expected to move him.

Center field: Strong. Coco Crisp and Marlon Byrd are viable options, while DeJesus could be passable. There's also the chance that Colby Rasmus, B.J. Upton, and Michael Bourn are made available.

Designated hitter: Weak. Take your pick from Vladimir Guerrero, Scott, Encarnacion, Jack Cust, and Hideki Matsui, but none of the AL teams will find clear upgrades.

Bench: Strong. Reed Johnson, Greg Dobbs, Laynce Nix - there should be a veteran to fill most bench needs.

Starting pitching: Weak. I agree with the idea that the market mostly features fourth starters: Jeff Francis, Jason Marquis, Javier Vazquez, Aaron Harang, and the like. Chris Capuano, Erik Bedard, and Rich Harden are more interesting when healthy. The Dodgers and Astros could shake things up by offering Hiroki Kuroda, Ted Lilly, Wandy Rodriguez, and Brett Myers, and the Braves and Rays could also make waves with their depth. Five wild cards that would change everything: Ubaldo Jimenez, Anibal Sanchez, Ricky Nolasco, Jeremy Guthrie, and Francisco Liriano.

Right-handed relief: Strong. I came up with 24 viable right-handed reliever trade candidates, and some of them aren't even members of the Blue Jays or Padres. This group features closers like Heath Bell, Francisco Rodriguez, and Leo Nunez, plus top setup men such as Koji Uehara, Mike Adams, and Grant Balfour.

Left-handed relief: Weak. For the most part, the market offers overpaid lefties like Brian Fuentes, Mike Gonzalez, and John Grabow. But there are a few interesting choices such as Randy Choate and Tim Byrdak.
In general, this trade market looks especially ugly. That can change in an instant if certain players become available, but right now middle-of-the-order bats and front-end starters appear scarce.

I have zero optimism a trade will be made to help the Tribe this season.

It's the kids or bust.

Trade Candidates Who Are Currently Playing Well

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [July 11 at 7:20pm CST]

Players who have performed well this month are more likely to intrigue buyers for at least two reasons. First of all, strong performance is an indication of health. Secondly, MLB teams have diverted some scouting efforts from amateurs to the pros since this year’s draft concluded about a month ago.

As a result, it’s fair to say that players who have been performing well this past month are more likely to draw interest at the trade deadline than players with similar overall numbers who had hot starts then cooled off later in the season. Here’s a look at some players who have been performing particularly well over the course of the past 30 days:

Michael Cuddyer - The Twins aren’t prepared to sell yet, but Cuddyer would be a candidate to go if they do decide 2011 isn’t their year. He has a .378/.458/.633 line this month.

Melky Cabrera - Cabrera is under team control through 2012 as an arbitration eligible player, so Kansas City’s front office may decide to keep him around for another year. His .342/.374/.470 line this month would appeal to contenders, though.

Mark Reynolds - The slugger has ten homers in the past 30 days after starting the season slowly. He earns $7.5MM in 2012 and has an $11MM option for 2013 ($500K buyout).

J.J. Hardy - Like Reynolds, Hardy had a power surge this month. He hit seven homers and added a .269/.306/.600 line. The Orioles are negotiating an extension with the shortstop, so there’s a good chance he stays in Baltimore.

Coco Crisp - Crisp has a respectable .298/.364/.426 line this month.

Carlos Pena - Like Reynolds, Pena strikes out a ton and has a low batting average. But his hot streaks can carry teams and he hit ten homers with a .240/.306/.600 line this month. Tim Dierkes examined Pena as a trade candidate earlier today.

Livan Hernandez - GM Mike Rizzo says the Nationals will be buyers and sellers this month. Presumably some rival clubs are hoping the dependable Hernandez is available this summer, since he has a 3.62 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month.

Edwin Jackson - It’s not surprising that clubs are inquiring on Jackson given that he has posted a 4.05 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month. And his 2.52 xFIP suggests he has pitched better than his ERA indicates.

Ryan Dempster - Across town, Dempster could draw interest as well. The right-hander has a 2.59 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 this month.

Carlos Villanueva - Though he may not be a trade candidate in the traditional sense, Villanueva’s success in the rotation has presumably drawn the attention of front offices around baseball. He has a 2.84 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 this month.

Hiroki Kuroda - Kuroda will require compensation to waive his no-trade clause, but he is already drawing interest. The right-hander has a 2.30 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month.

Aramis Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Hunter Pence have been playing well, but it seems unlikely that they'll be dealt this month. I’m ignoring relievers, since many relievers have worked ten innings or less this month and that’s a minute sample size.

The outfielders for the National League were Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson and Stan Musial. The American League countered with Maris, Mantle, Colavito, Yogi Berra, Al Kaline and the Tribe's Tito Francona. There were 21 Hall of Famers in the game.

It's not the same any more

Interleague play has taken the life out of the AS Game.

Deciding the home field advantage for the WS by the results of this game is sheer folly of a magnitude that dwarfs the wildest imaginings of Charlie Finley.

Funny that the 2 best trade possibilities might be Blake and Crisp. Brantley could play right until Choo returns.

Brantley could play right until Choo returns.

Brantley has no arm. Tough to play a weak arm in right.

Sea, did you really think that you needed to tell me that Brantley has a weak arm ?

Really ????????

Thought you might have forgotten....or is the term misremembered.

There is going to have to be a compromise. The Indians are not going to be able to acquire a RH hitting corner OF with a strong arm without giving up one of their untouchables.

Not much out there.

I think it's going to take more than one righthanded bat with pop to turn around this team's woeful performance against LHP.

We might just sit tight.

We're 5 games over 500....play 4 over the rest of the way and we're sitting on 90 wins.

I'd take 90 wins right now and let the other teams chase it.

Errrr .... I think you mean play 13 over the rest of the way, don't you?

If he would come cheap enough in terms of players going away, I'd take a flier on Carlos Pena. He's on the last year of his contract, so no long term obligation.

Horrible vs lefties, which is when I would sit him and have Santana at first, Marson behind the plate and LaPorta(yes, I know he's a stiff out there) taking over a spot in the outfield. Matt can't play worse defensively than Buck, Duncan and Kearns.

Not wild about Pena, but his bat has some pop.

I don't know what math you guys are using. Maybe you need a crooked finger and toe for calculation.

Fact is that the Tribe must go 43-30 the rest of the way to reach 90 wins.

That's +13 added to the current +5 for a total of +18 or a final record of 90-72.