Cleveland Sports Forum

I chose Miami (of Florida) because I liked warmth and girls in bikinis. I told people I accepted there because of their good Criminal Law program.

Sounds like lawyer material.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 6&f=768701

Orel Hershiser on current playoffs, Indians hiring Francona, and what it was like to be an Indian.

rusty2 wrote:http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 6&f=768701

Orel Hershiser on current playoffs, Indians hiring Francona, and what it was like to be an Indian.

I hope he's right.

I see our CF( Brantley) just underwent a sports hernia operation.

Where have I heard that before?

VT'er wrote:

I chose Miami (of Florida) because I liked warmth and girls in bikinis. I told people I accepted there because of their good Criminal Law program.

Sounds like lawyer material.

If I had only tracked a white Bronco and later found a glove.


"If you don't agree, just shout shout with glee"


I would have kicked arse as a criminal defense attorney. Really, I would have. Somewhere in the game deciding years of my youth I lost that motivational gumption, and just decided to seek out wine, women and song.

It's been a good life, save lack of satisfaction over Cleveland sports.

But, next year is another year.

Think about it......

Once again Terry Pluto has nobody to talk to:

Terry Francona's 'out' clause with Cleveland Indians is no big deal -- Terry Pluto talking

Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012, 8:54 PM Updated: Thursday, October 11, 2012, 10:46 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

Talking to myself about Terry Francona, the Indians and the new manager's contract:

Question: Is it true that Terry Francona has an "out clause" in his four-year contract with the Tribe?

Answer: Yes. If President Mark Shapiro and General Manager Chris Antonetti are fired, he can leave before his deal is up.

Q: Isn't that strange?

A: I've never heard of another manager with an out like that in his deal, but I understand it.

Q: Understand what?

A: That a big reason Francona came to Cleveland was because he wanted to work for Shapiro and Antonetti. He trusts those guys.

Q: Why would the Dolans agree to that?

A: Because the owners know Francona is "the best manager on the market." That's not just my opinion, but that of Drew Sharp, who wrote it in the Detroit Free Press when discussing the future of Tigers manager Jim Leyland. Francona had been rumored as a possible replacement for Leyland if the Tigers had missed the playoffs.

Q: The point?

A: If you're the Dolans and your franchise has lost at least 90 games in three of the past four years -- and you don't want to replace your top baseball people -- then you do what is necessary to bring in the best manager possible.

Q: But doesn't this create an awkward situation?

A: Like what?

Q: Maybe that Shapiro and Antonetti owe their futures with the Tribe to Francona?

A: That was going to be the situation, regardless of who was hired. The Indians can't keep losing 90 games a season and everything remains the status quo. I know that Shapiro's contract runs through the 2013 season. I've been told that Antonetti has a deal that lasts at least until 2014. All three of these guys -- Shapiro, Antonetti and Francona -- are in it together.

Q: Meaning what?

A: Suppose the Indians are 82-80 under Francona next season and have a fun year, much as they did in 2011. Do you think the Dolans would want to fire the front office but keep the manager? If the team wins, they all look good. If it falls apart, they all look bad. Very rarely is there a case in which a team fires a general manager but keeps the field manager.

Q: Will Francona have the drive to win? Doesn't it sound as if he just wants to work for his friends?

A: Francona had a .440 winning percentage when he managed the Phillies. He knows a manager needs talent to win. He also knows if he fails horribly in Cleveland, he will no longer will be considered an elite manager, as is the case right now. It's in Francona's best interest to become a "turnaround" manager and find a way to at least make the Tribe respectable again.

Q: Do you think this signals a big increase in payroll?

A: Do you?

Q: Paul Dolan said in August that he didn't anticipate making a major increase, right?

A: Right, and I doubt that's changed.

Q: So why would Francona take the job?

A: It's not because he will be making decisions about trades, etc. That will remain with the front office. But I do expect him to have more of an impact in terms of his opinions on deals. He has more experience than other managers who have come before him. Let's face it, if the Indians gave Francona a four-year deal and are paying more money than any other Tribe manager has ever made, they will take what he has to say very seriously.

Q: Why do you think it matters if Francona manages if the payroll doesn't change?

A: Suppose you worked for a struggling company. Suppose that company had a chance to hire an experienced supervisor who has a history of success, strong people skills and a desire to work for that company? Don't you want him to be your boss? Wouldn't his presence at least make some things better?

Q: But it doesn't make them contenders, right?

A: Francona's presence really is a step in that direction. It's a signal that he thinks Cleveland baseball is not hopeless. It tells the players that the front office wanted to bring in the best leader available. And it also says the new manager has confidence in the old front office, or he would not have come to Cleveland.

Q: So that makes it all a happy ending?

A: More like a decent start to the off-season.

Cleveland Indians CF Michael Brantley undergoes surgery for sports hernia

Published: Thursday, October 11, 2012, 3:53 PM Updated: Thursday, October 11, 2012, 4:29 PM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Center fielder Michael Brantley on Thursday underwent surgery for a sports hernia on the left side of his abdominal wall. Dr. William Meyers performed the operation in Philadelphia.
Brantley, coming off his best season in the big leagues, will need three to six weeks to recover. He'll begin physical therapy next week at his home in Florida and should be ready to start his off-season conditioning program in late November.

Dr. Meyers performed similar surgeries on Cliff Lee and Grady Sizemore.

Brantley strained his left groin on Sept. 23 in a rundown between first and second against Kansas City, but that wasn't the primary reason for the surgery. He'd been experiencing pain in that area the entire second half.

Some of these Pluto columns are painful to read.

I find all of his columns painful.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 6&f=781751

Terry Francona on ESPN 850 this morning.

Rumor has it that the Indians #1 offseason target is Kevin Youklis. DH, first base, and third base.

Francona might help with this.

Former Houston manager Brad Mills expected to join Terry Francona's coaching staff with Cleveland Indians



Published: Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 7:32 PM Updated: Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 7:32 PM



By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Change has begun in the Indians' coaching staff under new manager Terry Francona.
Hitting coach Bruce Fields and third-base coach Steve Smith will not be back in 2013. This was Fields' first full year in the position. He replaced Jon Nunnally, who was fired by former manager Manny Acta on June 19, 2011. Fields, 52, has already taken a job with another organization.
Smith, 60, was third-base and infield coach for the last three years. He told friends at the end of this season that he intended to take next season off to watch his son Garrett, an infielder, play his senior year at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Former Houston manager Brad Mills is expected to fill one of the staff vacancies. Mills is a former teammate of Francona's at the University of Arizona and the Montreal Expos. He is the father of Indians No.1 pick Beau Mills (2007), who was traded by the Indians to Cincinnati on June 22.
Mills was Francona's first-base coach for four years in Philadelphia and his bench coach for six years in Boston.
Sandy Alomar Jr., the only other candidate besides Francona to interview for the Tribe's vacant manager's job at the end of the season, has already agreed to join Francona's staff, likely the bench coach's role. The only way Alomar won't be on it is if he gets a manager's job. When Acta was fired on Sept. 27, Alomar was interim manager for the final six games of the season.
Mills was interviewed Tuesday on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM. He told hosts Jody McDonald and Kevin Kennedy that he expected to be signing with a team this week. Mills was fired as manager of the Houston Astros on Aug. 19 in his third season on the job. GM Chris Antonetti said Mills is a candidate.
"Brad Mills has a lot of experience on a major-league coaching staff," said Antonetti. "He could potentially fill a variety of rolls and he his a familiarity with Terry."
Antonetti said interviews with coaching candidates will continue this week. The staff isn't expected to be in place until sometime next week. It's still not known if interim pitching coach Ruben Niebla, bullpen coach Dave Miller, first base coach Tom Wiedenbauer and coaching assistants Armando Camacaro and Francisco Morales will be back.
The Indians finished the year ninth in the AL in batting average (.251), 13th in runs (667), 13th in total bases (2,107), 14th in sacrifice hits (17), ninth in sacrifice flies (39), third in walks (555), 14th in runners left on base (1,162), 11th in shutouts (12), 13th in slugging percentage (.381) and sixth in on-base percentage (.324).

Could Francona give Indians shot to steal Youkilis from ChiSox?

By Jon Heyman | Baseball Insider

October 17, 2012 3:35 pm ET

The White Sox would like to re-sign third baseman Kevin Youkilis. But some see the rival Indians, who've hired his friend Terry Francona to manage, as a potential threat to try to sign Youkilis now.

The Indians' interest is mostly in the speculative stage, but it makes sense. The Indians could use hitters, and especially righthanded ones.

The White Sox are expected to decline Youkilis' $13-million option for 2013 (and instead buy him out for $1 million), but they loved Youkilis' contributions and especially his fit in their clubhouse. They would very much like him back.

Youkilis hit .235 with 19 home runs and 60 RBI, so he'll have to take a cut in annual pay following his worst year in the majors. He did hit much better once he got to Chicago. He posted a .771 OPS for the South Side team after being at .692 with the Red Sox.

Other teams could have interest , as well, including the Phillies, who will seek a third baseman. Francona and Youkilis always had a very close relationship, so that could give them one edge. But Youkilis' few-month stay in Chicago worked out nicely, so perhaps they are still favored to keep him.

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... 1&f=769731

Hargrove on ESPN 850. Talking about Francona and the Indians.

No question Francona has a commitment from dolan to increase the payroll. Going to be an exciting off season folks.....