Cleveland Sports Forum

THAT SWING IS STILL THERE

Hey! Make all the fun you like. I was just moved by the Manny Ramirez article. What can I say?? None of the items mentioned in that article were fake or fictitious. I saw well over half of Ramirez's 47 ballgames to figure that one out. I also figured out that Manny can still hit. I also figured out that Manny was giving maximum effort.

Was Manny a good teammate and soldier? No one can prove to me that he wasn't.

Whenever the cameras would pan the dugout, Ramirez was either celebrating with his teammates, comforting them when they made mistakes, or the remainder of the time, he was standing next to his manager intently watching the ballgame.

Manny's heart is still in the game and if I were an owner or a general manager, I'd give Manny his final shot at a major league gig wherever that might be.
MANNY GOES FIRST TO THIRD ON A BASEHIT

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THE ADOPTED SON OF SANTIAGO HOME OF THE AGUILAS

Any team that takes a chance on Manny had better give him a thorough testing for PEDs.

Manny is trying to get paid Joe. If you really watched half of his 47 games then I got to say one of 2 things. Get a life or stop wasting time at your 2nd job.

rusty2 wrote:I guess you thought that adding the edit would make you look less pathetic. Did not work.

Don't you think that anyone that posts here already knows of your envy for Shapiro's dad, education, and job. Do you think we might have got it after your 1000 posts about it ?

No, so you have a few drinks and guess what ? I think I am going to post it again.

Rusty, The Cleveland Indians have had exactly TWO winning seasons in the eleven years since Mark Shapiro was handed the keys.

That's just TWO of eleven.

Just getting a winning season isn't as tough as making the post season, so it's not like the bar is too high in that metric for Mark.

I do not understand at all why you choose to defend his performance, or why anyone would.

John Hart left him with bullets in the gun with Sabathia and Colon, and regular sellouts for a fan base.

Shapiro squandered and misplayed it, and focused successfully nary at all on the drafts and scouting.

Today, few in Cleveland consider it important or worthwhile to make it to see Cleveland Indians Baseball.

The San Francisco Giants have two World Series Championships since Mark Shapiro was handed the Cleveland Indians keys, and they did it in large part on the backs of players they drafted, signed and traded for while Mark Shapiro was playing in the same sandbox.

Mark Shapiro in his eleven years at the top swung and missed at the options San Francisco converted to Championship pay dirt. Twice.

It's obvious you are either on the Shapiro PR payroll, or are just obtuse.

Or perhaps, just an ornery old pathetic man.

You are now on my ignore. All those articles you post with minimal personal insight are just for your own viewpoint anyhow, and easily found elsewhere.

Is there a reason why you only post after midnight and you live on the east coast ?

Winter of wheeling and dealing adds intrigue to Cleveland Indians' spring: Paul Hoynes analysis

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
on January 26, 2013 at 6:53 PM, updated January 26, 2013 at 6:54 PM Print


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- August was the cruelest month for the 2012 Indians. They went 5-24, the worst record in a calendar month in the history of a team that has been playing in the American League since 1901.

The lone bright spot was a quote by former manager Manny Acta. During a nine-game, 10-day West Coast trip, Acta, the clock running down on his managerial tenure, was asked about the team's needs for next season. Without hesitation, Acta said that solutions were needed in left field, first base and designated hitter. He added that it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a backup plan at third base as well.

The powers that be in the executive offices of Progressive Field were not thrilled with the public evaluation -- Acta refused to delve into the subject again before he was fired with six games left. But with Indians pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training in two weeks, it's clear Acta wasn't too far off the mark.

Since the end of the regular season, GM Chris Antonetti has been a man in motion. A total of 19 players have been added to the 40-man roster. Twelve have come from outside the organization.

There have been changes away from the roster as well. Terry Francona was hired as manager on Oct. 8, replacing interim manager Sandy Alomar. Almost an entirely new coaching staff was hired as well, with Alomar and Mike Sarbaugh being the only holdovers.

It's been suggested that the hiring of Francona has been Antonetti's best move. It became clear last season, especially in the second half, that Acta's voice was no longer reaching the players he needed in the clubhouse. Francona has the reputation of being a players' manager. He is coming off a great run in Boston, where he led the Red Sox to World Series titles in 2004 and 2007. Yet the same thing that happened to Acta last season happened to Francona in his final season in Boston when the Red Sox suffered through a historic September collapse.

So the dynamic between Francona and Indians players bears watching.

As for the problem areas that Acta identified in August, only the designated hitter has yet to be fully addressed. Here's a look at how Antonetti has re-created the Tribe roster.



• Nov. 2: Right-hander Esmil Rogers was traded to Toronto for infielder Mike Aviles and catcher/utility man Yan Gomes.

What Aviles brings: A right-handed hitter who should solve the Tribe's endless search for a capable backup to shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. Aviles started 128 games at short for Boston last season. If Lonnie Chisenhall doesn't take hold of third base, Aviles can help there as well.

Francona has talked about Aviles playing a variety of positions while being in the lineup several days a week.

What Gomes brings: The Indians view him primarily as a catcher. He's a right-handed hitter who has shown power in the minors and played four positions last year for the Blue Jays.

He'll probably have trouble beating out Lou Marson for the backup catcher's job coming out of spring training, but he could be a factor later in the season.

• Nov. 30: Switch-hitter Mike McDade claimed off waivers from Toronto.

What McDade brings: The 6-1, 250-pound McDade gives the Tribe depth at DH and first base. He hit a combined 17 homers with 67 RBI at Class AAA Las Vegas and Class AA New Hampshire last year.

• Dec. 6: Selected left-handed hitting first baseman Chris McGuiness off the Texas roster in the Rule 5 draft.

What McGuiness brings: Like McDade, he provides depth at first base and DH but, if the Indians like him, they're going to have to be creative in keeping him. They can carry him on the 25-man roster all season (highly improbable) or work out a deal with Texas in which they could send him to the minors.

• Dec. 11: The Indians, in a three-team deal with Arizona and Cincinnati, acquired Drew Stubbs from the Reds for Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald and $3.5 million, while acquiring Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw from Arizona for Tony Sipp and Lars Anderson.



What Stubbs brings: The addition of Stubbs, yet another right-handed hitter, filled the vacancy in left field. Just who fills that, Stubbs or Michael Brantley, hasn't been announced, but one of them will. Last season, the Indians used nine players in left: Russ Canzler, Ezequiel Carrera, Aaron Cunningham, Johnny Damon, Donald, Shelley Duncan, Brent Lillibridge, Thomas Neal and Vinny Rottino.

Stubbs brings strikeouts and power as well. He's hit 54 homers in the last three years. The Indians hit 136 homers last season, their second-fewest in the last 20 years.

What Bauer brings: Acta never said anything about starting pitching on that day in August because there was no need. It was awful and everyone from owner Paul Dolan to the night watchman in the players' parking lot at Progressive Field knew it.

Bauer might be a flake. He certainly didn't make a good impression with the Diamondbacks even though they took him with the third pick in the country in the 2011 draft, but he's young and has a strong right arm. As starters go, those are in short supply with the Indians.

If nothing else, it's going to be fun watching him throw long toss at 400 feet.

What Albers and Shaw bring: They're two right-handers who should make the bullpen, which has sprouted a few holes due to Antonetti's wheeling and dealing.

• Dec. 18: First baseman Mark Reynolds signs a one-year, $6 million deal.



What Reynolds brings: He's a pure dose of power and strikeouts from the right side. Francona will have a much more-balanced lineup to face left-handed starters than Acta did. Left-handed starters were 35-18 against the Tribe last year. Only the Mets lost more games (38) to lefties.

It's no accident that Reynolds, Aviles, Gomes and Stubbs hit from the right side. The Indians, with a lineup dominated by lefties, hit .234 against lefties last year.

• Jan. 3: Switch-hitting outfielder Nick Swisher signs a four-year, $56 million deal with a vesting option for 2017.

What Swisher brings: He replaces the talented Choo in right field. Swisher doesn't have Choo's throwing arm or speed on the bases, but he should give a bad offense the one thing it needs -- consistent run production. Francona will have the luxury, if he so chooses, of batting switch-hitters Cabrera, Carlos Santana and Swisher consecutively in the middle of the lineup.

Swisher, like Reynolds and Stubbs, strikes out a lot (141 punchouts in 537 at-bats last season). With the strikeouts come power, an average of 26 homers and 87 RBI over the last four years. The Indians haven't had a player drive in 100 runs since Victor Martinez in 2007. Swisher has never had a 100-RBI season and Francona isn't expecting that. If Swisher can do what he's done the last four years, that would be fine.

• Jan. 4: Right-hander Brett Myers signs a one-year, $7 million contract.

What Myers brings: The Indians immediately put Myers in the starting rotation behind Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez. Myers is an experienced starter, but he spent all of last year in the bullpen with Houston and Chicago.

Is he this year's version of Derek Lowe? If so, the Indians need him to have a little more staying power.

• Jan. 21: Infielder Ryan Raburn and outfielder Ben Francisco sign minor-league deals with an invitation to big league camp.

What Raburn and Francisco bring: They're two more right-handed hitters, who could help out at DH or in a utility role. Raburn hit 35 homers from 2009-11 for Detroit. Francisco is a corner outfielder who got his start with the Tribe.

How come that list of unsigned free agents doesn't mention Casey Kotchman? No one wants a fine-fielding 1st baseman who cannot hit a lick?

Terry Francona boosts the Cleveland Indians' chances; now about that payroll: Bill Livingston

By Bill Livingston, The Plain Dealer
on January 28, 2013 at 6:03 PM, updated January 28, 2013 at 6:04 PM Print



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Money can't buy happiness. But, as Rhett Butler told Scarlett O'Hara, it can buy the most amusing substitutes.

With Indians manager Terry Francona, it probably was enough to put him into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Hand-wringing about the Boston Red Sox trade of Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919, the so-called "Curse of the Bambino," became a cottage industry for writers in New England. The struggles of the Red Sox followed themes of Nemesis and Puritan denial. No lead was safe in Fenway Park.

They should have followed the money instead.

Francona, in his first year in Boston in 2004, not only won the World Series, but managed the only team in baseball history to overcome an 0-3 American League Championship Series deficit -- and against the Yankees!

He got the Red Sox job after Grady Little was too stupid to take Pedro Martinez out of the seventh game of the ALCS in 2003 against the Yankees. Three years later, thanks to third-base coach Joel Skinner and the "Stop Sign From Hell," Francona's Red Sox overcame a 3 games-to-1 deficit against the Tribe in the ALCS, then won the World Series again.

Sometimes, pure, dumb luck is a big factor in sports success. But money plays a big role, too.

Both times the Red Sox won the World Series, they had the second-highest payroll in baseball, the only major sport in this country without a salary cap.

Playoff baseball is a crapshoot. It is not damning that Francona won one playoff series in his last four years, although the Red Sox missed the postseason entirely in his final two seasons. Joe Torre won only one series in his last four seasons with the Yankees, too.

Yet during the long years without victory parades, Boston managers were hardly passed over when it came to sizing the goat's horns. John McNamara, for example, left wicket-legged Bill Buckner in Game 6 of the 1986 World Series against the Mets, rather than use defensive replacement Dave Stapleton, with disastrous results.

In neither the case of McNamara nor of Little, however, were starting pitchers alleged to be consuming fried chicken and beer in the clubhouse during games. That was the most shocking part of Boston's epic unraveling in September, 2011. In Francona's last season there, the Red Sox lost a nine-game September lead by dropping 20 of their last 27 games.

Despite "Fried Chickengate" and Francona's admission that he could no longer reach some of the players, he is generally viewed sympathetically, as a man wronged by aloof owners with superficial concerns.

In his forthcoming book "Francona: The Red Sox Years," Francona and former General Manager Theo Epstein charge that Boston ownership was too interested in image, as projected by good-looking players who would generate higher cable television ratings among women viewers.

Still, one of the players those bottom-line owners acquired on telegenic grounds was Adrian Gonzalez. In 282 games in Boston in 2011-12, he hit 42 home runs, drove in 203 runs, and hit .321. They are better overall numbers than the Indians' most glamorous free agent signing, Nick Swisher, had with the Yankees.

In Cleveland, Francona approaches the coming season as a heroic figure with a vast fund of goodwill. Fans dream that he might snap the Tribe's streak of 64 years without a World Series title, exorcising along the way twice as many curses (those of Bobby Bragan and Rocky Colavito) as in Boston.

The bad news is that the payroll here is going to be more like the Philadelphia teams Francona managed prior to the Red Sox. The Phillies, saddled with payrolls ranked in the lower half of the major leagues, never reached the playoffs or had a winning season then.

Even after the Dolan family sold SportsTime Ohio to the Fox network in the off-season for a reported $230 million, the Indians' 2013 payroll probably will be just under $70 million this season. That's in the bottom 10 overall.

The STO money was why the Tribe could afford to sign Swisher to a four-year, $56-million contract. Fans, apathetic after years of fiscal conservatism, reacted as if he were the second coming of Stan Musial.

In 2014, an additional $25-$28 million will be available to each team when new national TV contracts begin. The catch, however, is that it's all relative. The same TV tide that floats the Wahoo canoe also lifts the payroll of the big-market battleships.

Teams can win on comparatively low budgets -- Oakland, where Moneyball analytics began, Tampa Bay, where years of losing provided significant draft assistance. But the margin for error is slight.

Francona can only do so much. Managers have no magic wand, although money works nicely in its absence.

Power of the purse

The payroll, MLB rank, season record and postseason results of MLB teams managed by Terry Francona: 

Philadelphia Phillies 

1997: $35.5 million (17), 68-94, missed playoffs 
1998: $36.1 million (19), 75-87, missed playoffs 
1999: $30.5 million (23), 77-85, missed playoffs 
2000: $46.9 million (20), 65-97, missed playoffs 

Boston Red Sox 

2004: $127.3 million (2), 98-64, won World Series 
2005: $123.5 million (2), 95-67, swept in ALDS 
2006: $120.1 million (2), 86-76, missed playoffs 
2007: $143 million (2), 96-66, won World Series 
2008: $133.4 million (4), 95-87, lost ALCS 
2009: $121.7 million (4), 95-67, swept in ALDS 
2010: $162.4 million (2), 89-73, missed playoffs 
2011: $161.8 million (3), 90-72, missed playoffs

How about Russell Branyan adding some muscle as Tribe DH? Hey, Hoynsie!

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
on January 26, 2013 at 10:51 PM Print


Hey, Hoynsie: I've asked some off the wall questions in the past, but trust me, this one is legit! Considering the names being mentioned concerning the Tribe's 2013 DH spot, Thome, Hafner, Ramirez, is it crazy to think maybe Russell Branyan could be an option? He might have a few miles left on the tires -- and would come relatively cheap, wouldn't he? -- Brett Ormsby, Bay Village

Hey, Brett: If you're into all-or-nothing swingers, Branyan would have to be an option. Branyan, 37, didn't play in the big leagues last year after signing a minor-league deal with the Yankees and coming down with back problems.

When you think of power hitters, you think of Branyan. He's hit 194 homers in the big leagues and 222 in the minors. One day at Baseball City, Kansas City's old spring training site in Florida, Branyan hit the longest homer I've ever seen. It cleared the right-field fence, a road behind the fence, and a fence behind the road before landing in a sand pile.

Hey, Hoynsie: Me and some guys who post on cleveland.com want to know the contract terms of players such as Ryan Raburn and Ben Francisco, who signed minor-league deals with the Indians and get invited to spring training. -- Eric Hawkins, Mentor

Hey, Eric: I'll see what I can find out.

Hey, Hoynsie: I hear the Tigers are looking for late-inning relief and a middle infielder and are willing to part with starter Rick Porcello. Meanwhile, the Indians have been shopping Chris Perez and Asdrubal Cabrera, and are looking for a starting pitcher. Yet, the Tribe never seems to be mentioned among the teams the Tigers are talking to. Do you know why? Is there an intra-division trade taboo at work here? -- Wayne Smith, Wattsburg, Pa.

Hey, Wayne: I don't think the Indians are going to give up an All-Star shortstop and an All-Star closer for an inconsistent starter. Besides, the Indians and Tigers have made deals in the past. In 2010, the Indians traded shortstop Jhonny Peralta to Detroit for minor-league left-hander Giovanni Soto.

Peralta has helped the Tigers win consecutive AL Central titles, while Soto was invited to his first big-league camp last week by the Tribe. And don't forget Rocky Colavito.

Hey, Hoynsie: When Paul Dolan recently stated that he "remains committed to winning a World Series" was that via press release or did he actually state that in person? -- L.K., Carson, Calif.

Hey, L.K.: Not that it makes that much of a difference, but Dolan was quoted on a team press release.


Hey, Hoynsie: Delmon Young (27) signs for $750,000, the Indians sign Ben Francisco (31) for $450,000. Why? Character issues? Albert Belle and Brandon Phillips come to mind. Please, let's give Tito the best talent so he can win ballgames. With another pitcher and another hitter, this team is not that far from competing. -- Bill Drummer, Wauseon

Hey, Bill: The Indians weren't the only team that shied away from Young. Otherwise, it seems like he could have gotten a better deal and at least stayed in the American League where he could DH some.

Hey, Hoynsie: In terms of Nick Swisher's $56 million contract, the Tribe doesn't pay that money up front, right? Isn't that about what Travis Hafner signed for five years ago? -- Bill Rawls, Cleveland

Hey, Bill: The deal is spread over four years with Swisher receiving $11 million in 2013, $15 million in 2014, $15 million in 2015 and $15 million in 2016. Hafner got a multiyear extension in 2007.

Hey, Hoynsie: Are you surprised Chris Perez is still with the Indians? While he is a top-tier closer, the Indians have a very deep bullpen that could probably handle his departure. With a starting pitching rotation that has a bunch of questions and a lineup that could still use a few upgrades, wouldn't it be smart to peddle Perez? -- Leslie Gora, Sagamore Hills

Hey, Leslie: I never really thought the Indians would trade Perez. They definitely talked to several teams about him, but I've always felt that a good closer is hard to find.

Hey, Hoynsie: Since the Indians don't have a DH, why not sign free-agent pitcher Micah Owings? Owings could be the 13th pitcher, but he could also be our DH. In 205 ML at bats, he has hit .283 with 58 hits in 205 at-bats with 14 doubles, two triples and nine homers and 35 RBI. With a little time in spring training, he might be able to play some first base, too. -- Joe Eversole, Pelham, Ala.

Hey, Joe: You're thinking outside the box and that's good. But you're a little too far out there for me. Besides, I think you've asked this question before.

Hey, Hoynsie: Have you had an opportunity to get to know Terry Francona? Any thoughts on why he would co-author a book? Does he feel that he is a celebrity? I realize his team won two World Series, but was he ever a Manager of the Year? -- William Rawles, Painesville

Hey, William: Remember how baseball was in Cleveland when the Indians dominated the AL Central from 1995 through 2001? Remember how they went to two World Series and were in the postseason almost ever year?

Well, that's how baseball is every year (win or lose) in Boston. It's not the fringe sport it has become in Cleveland. It is a big deal all day, every day.

Francona was the manager who broke the curse of the Bambino. In 2004, he directed the Red Sox to their first World Series in 86 years. Then, he did it again. I think that's worthy of a book. In 2007, following Francona's second World Series title, he was named manager of the year by Baseball America.

By the way "Francona: The Red Sox Years" is a good read. Halfway through it.

-- Hoynsie

Better find out if Manny went to the lab in Miami whee Aroid just got caught for the second time. Bartolo Fat Colon, a one time FOM (friend of Manny) got his stuff from there.

Here's a little diddy about another FOM

imsy Searching For Enrique Wilson Enrique Wilson Searching For Jose Lima melissa lima eugene ionesco not afraid to be servicey
By A.J. Daulerio
Nov 4, 2009 1:15 PM
Searching For…Enrique Wilson

Since our fine, upstanding readership was so helpful in tracking down Jose Lima for his ex-wife, Melissa, another ex-lover of a ballplayer requests your assistance. Yes, deadbeat wranglers, you've been deputized again. Please help Ms. Marina Valdez.

I guess is a tradition for these players to do that..I have a daughter with Enrique Wilson (former Yankee player) and he also stopped paying child support and has never call his daughter again, his place to escape and be child support free…Dominican Republic…I have been searching for him for the past 3 years and no one can tell me exactly were he is at, until 2 weeks ago that my cousin was watching a game and saw him playing for a baseball team in the Dominican Republic...Can you put a search party out please...I'm willing to cooparte.. I can even send you a copy of how much he owes in child support

You heard the lady —now, activate the Lexis-Nexis side of your brain and help her find Enrique Wilson.

If these requests continue, this could become the blueprint for the most retardedly excellent reality show ever.

Turns out the Aroid lab in Miami is the same lab where manny was known to have gotten stuff. Exellent.

The bigger question is if Manny had never existed would there still be a tribe forum.

Whoa, that's one of the DEEP questions.

The bigger question is if Manny had never existed would there still be a tribe forum.

Bigger question. If Manny had never cheated would he had been anything special.

More and more it looks like Sandy Alomar, Brian Giles, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Omar Vizquel only became really special after taking steroids.

Of course Omar could field anything but needed a lot of help with a bat.

More and more it looks like Sandy Alomar, Brian Giles, Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, and Omar Vizquel only became really special after taking steroids.

Amazing they all beat the testing except for that rocket scientist, Manny.