Cleveland Sports Forum

seagull wrote:

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.

Shapiro must have hired Lance Armstrong as conditioning consultant.

rusty2 wrote: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.

Dont believe that Manny was roiding in the minors and he was pretty special there. Look at pictures of him when he was a rook-not the same player. Not sure that he was smart enough to do roids in the minors. I will say that Julian Tavarez another FOM gained a lot of muscle weight after his rookie year so he was probably roiding up.

I was at Ramirez's first home minor league game in Burlington NC.

Ramirez had local articles written about the poor foreign kid who spoke no english and spent hours on the outside pay phone at the Holiday Inn Motor Lodge. ( Home of the Burlington Indians)

Not sure they knew he was from New York.

Gerut on mission to protect players' finances

Former Major Leaguer turned agent focused on preventing money woes

By Anthony Castrovince
01/07/13 10:00 AM ET

There was a time when Jody Gerut, despite his Stanford education and professional signing bonus and Major League paycheck, knew absolutely nothing about money.

Oh, sure, he had a financial adviser from a reputable, recognizable firm. He was playing right in the midst of the tech bubble, and he had some stocks and bonds -- from companies like General Motors and AOL/Time Warner -- that seemed secure enough.

But Gerut didn't come from money, wasn't surrounded by people who understood money. He didn't know enough about money to even ask the right people the right questions.

"It was," he says, "paralyzing, debilitating."

Gerut, 35, shakes his head when he looks back at that old portfolio and his own ignorance. Had he not wised up early in his big league career, done his homework and started managing his own money, who knows how much that particular portfolio would have crippled his post-playing funds?

During parts of six seasons, Gerut was an American League Rookie of the Year candidate with the Indians in 2003 and a Comeback Player of the Year candidate with the Padres in 2008. In between and afterward were assorted knee problems, platoon roles, Minor League assignments and bench jobs that kept his career from being particularly lengthy or celebrated.

Gerut, though, was an undeniably interesting player -- probably one of the few who subscribed to The Economist or immersed himself in textbook-sized biographies of political greats. His answers in interviews were always just a little more thoughtful, a little more insightful, and, yes, a little more wordy. When he announced his retirement in early 2011, he did so with a 231-word statement that was refreshingly honest.

Baseball-Reference.com estimates that Gerut made just north of $5 million in his career, plus the $450,000 he received as a signing bonus after the Rockies drafted him in the second round in 1998. Over time, he learned to spend and invest his money wisely, and so today he lives quite comfortably.

But Gerut's story is no longer about his own money. His focus these days, in his newly embraced role as a player agent for Wasserman Media Group, is on other people's money. It's on the remarkable number of professional athletes who don't wise up, don't take care of their future savings while racking up their current earnings.

Maybe it's a difficult topic for average fans to understand or even sympathize with, especially at a time of year when we're routinely hearing about Major League ballplayers signing contracts worth unbelievable amounts of money. But the number of pro athletes who go broke is staggering.

A few years back, Sports Illustrated culled sources -- including athletes, players' associations, agents and financial advisers -- and found that 78 percent of former NFL players had gone bankrupt or were under financial stress within two years of retirement and 60 percent of NBA players were broke within five years of retirement.

The magazine did not report a percentage for MLB, where the bankruptcy issue is not nearly as pandemic, but it did mention ballplayers like Johnny Damon, Jacoby Ellsbury, Mike Pelfrey and Scott Eyre getting tied up in Texas financier Allen Stanford's $8 billion Ponzi scheme.

Truth is, the majority of us don't know much about money or how to save or invest it. The majority of us also don't make the kind of money that professional athletes do. For them, poor decisions can be crippling, not just because of the sheer amount of money involved but also because of their relatively brief peak-earnings potential.

That was something Gerut picked up on early in his Major League career. He's thankful he did. By the end of his career, which included stints as a union representative, coaches and teammates would approach him for advice about their personal finances.

"I got a chance," he says, "to see some of the crap that was being brought to players."

Shaky real-estate deals. Investments in bogus inventions. Family friends looking for handouts. You name it, and the millionaire athlete sees it. And it can become all too easy to throw good money at bad.

After his retirement, Gerut started to dig deeper into the issue. For one, he studied for and received his investment adviser license from the Securities and Exchange Commission. He also spent six months researching athlete bankruptcy in the four major professional sports, talking at length with agents, players and advisers.

He found that, in MLB in particular, the bankruptcy rate for foreign-born Latino players was significantly higher than that of other ballplayers. He estimates that 70 percent of foreign-born Latino players in MLB endure financial hardship within four years of retirement.

"In a lot of cases, there's a lot of trust being put into people that shouldn't be trusted," Gerut says. "There's a lack of understanding of what power of attorney means and the implications of giving the wrong person power of attorney.

"If there's one consistency through my interviewing with bankrupt or financially distressed guys, it was, 'I couldn't say no to family.' So you've got some really difficult human situations, compassion situations."

Gerut's compassion for this particular issue led him to an industry that, fairly or not, is not always known for compassion. He never set out to become an agent; in fact, his goal was to start a consulting firm. But he quickly discovered that the best way to work with players was to represent them, and he joined Wasserman last fall.

"My life's work," he says, "has become the reduction of athlete bankruptcy down to zero percent. As much as I want to be an agent that pushes the market appropriately, I also want my identity to be the anti-bankruptcy agent."

His goal is to better educate today's athletes, particularly those in Latin America, about life after sports, and this means educating himself as well. He's considering a position on an advisory board for a nonprofit dealing with athlete bankruptcy, and he's also studying up on franchising -- a popular investment for current and former athletes -- so that he'll be able to provide proper counsel to clients considering that course.

Just as Gerut was an atypical Major Leaguer, he is now an atypical agent -- one invested as much in a player's post-playing security as his current earning potential.

Gerut is early in his new career, but it could be an interesting one to follow, focused as it is on an oft-overlooked issue in American sports.

YouTube video from Trevor Bauer on pitch grips, if you are interested in that sort of thing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... hVRNaa3qWM

Gerut's only problem was that he was a stiff.

Cleveland Indians likely to open camp without adding DH; Travis Hafner talking to Yankees

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
on January 30, 2013 at 12:29 PM, updated January 30, 2013 at 5:44 PM Print


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It appears the Indians will open spring training on Feb. 10 without adding a bat to compete for the designated hitter's job.

GM Chris Antonetti has been in conversation with veteran free agents Travis Hafner and Jim Thome, but a deal does not seem imminent. Hafner, who spent the last 10 seasons with the Indians, is in serious negotiations with the Yankees.

It doesn't mean the Indians won't sign a hitter during spring training. They've done it the recent past with Orlando Cabrera and Russell Branyan. Last year they signed Johnny Damon in April.

For the moment, however, it looks like the players currently on the 40-man roster, and those coming to camp on spring training invitations, will get the first chance at the job.

It is an interesting group, including Ezequiel Carrera, who is coming off an excellent winter ball season in Venezuela. Carrera is out of options and has a great chance to make the club as an extra outfielder. As a DH, he lacks power, but he has speed as long as he gets on base.

Another candidate is newly-acquired catcher/utility Yan Gomes. If Gomes makes the club, it would give manager Terry Francona the luxury of having three catchers. Gomes can also play first, third and the outfield.

Antonetti and Francona, even if they add another hitter, seem committed to using the position to rest regulars and keep bench players sharp.

Last year only two teams had a DH who played more than 100 games: Kansas City Billy Butler (138 games) and Detroit's Delmon Young (118). Chicago's Adam Dunn (93), LA's Kendrys Morales (92), Tampa Bay's Luke Scott (83), Toronto's Edwin Encarnacion (83) and Boston's David Ortiz (81) followed.

Most teams used a variety of players at the position. The Indians had six players with 10 or more games at DH. The number would have been less if Hafner had been healthy enough to play more than 62 games.

The Yankees also had six players with 10 more games at DH. Alex Rodriguez led the way with 38.

It's been suggested that the Indians pursue Chicago Cubs outfielder Alfonso Soriano, but he has a complete no-trade clause.

Some of the Indians who could be rotated through DH include Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds, Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis and Mike Aviles. Swisher DH'd 12 times for the Yankees last year. Ben Francisco, who signed a minor league contract with the Tribe, DH'd 13 times with Toronto.

Some pre-spring words of advice for the Cleveland Indians: D-Man's World
By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer

on January 30, 2013 at 7:15 PM



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians did not attempt to re-heat, re-package or microwave a club that finished 68-94 last year. They made numerous personnel moves, beginning with the signing of manager Terry Francona in early October.

Francona, while acknowledging the challenges that his team faces, oozed optimism in the off-season. Francona thinks that, at the very least, the Indians can make some noise in a division that figures to be owned by the Detroit Tigers.

What effect the additions of Francona and others will have on the win-loss record is difficult to gauge, though, because the 2013 Indians have question marks and wildcards all over the roster.

In order for the Indians to show significant improvement, here is a to-do list for Francona and notable players:

Terry Francona, manager

• Don't worry about earning players' respect; two World Series rings already have accomplished that.

• Don't fret over how good the Tigers will be.

• Transpose optimism, energy and work ethic to coaches and players.

• Fight for players when umpires make questionable calls.

• Make sure the twenty-somethings are better players at end of season than beginning.

• Don't be distracted by any lingering controversy from book about Red Sox years.

Carlos Santana, catcher

• Don't allow inevitable rough patches at plate to affect defense and game calling.

• When calling a game, do a better job of varying pitch sequences.

• Improve framing and blocking of pitches.

• When hitting, make sure toe-tap doesn't go back to being a leg lift.

• Don't take too many good pitches in an effort to work counts/draw walks.

• Don't be afraid to go to Francona and ask for DH/1B time if/when legs get heavy.

Mark Reynolds, first baseman

• Continue to hit for power.

• Try to reduce strikeouts without sacrificing much power.

• Don't let an already long swing get even longer.

• Don't try to be Casey Kotchman defensively, but be solid.

Jason Kipnis, second baseman


• Continue to play hard.

• Hit significantly better in second half.

• Keep the hands back on off-speed stuff, especially when behind in count.

• Guard against the front shoulder opening too early against lefties.

• Continue to fill up reporters' notebooks and recorders with insightful, honest analysis.

Lonnie Chisenhall, third baseman

• Don't feel pressure trying to lock down third-base job in spring training.

• Stay healthy.

• Hit better against lefties.

• Adjust to bulked-up physique.

• Don't get pull-happy; improve coverage of outer half of plate.

• Significantly improve defense, especially on balls to left.

Asdrubal Cabrera, shortstop

• Come to camp in premium physical condition.

• Play better in all facets in second half.

• Hustle as much as possible.

• Don't grind over having been trade bait in off-season.

• Give Francona a chance to establish a rapport.

• Play significantly better defense, especially on grounders to left.

• Improve footwork.

Michael Brantley, left fielder


• Ease into camp after sports-hernia surgery in off-season.

• Don't sulk over being bumped from center field in favor of Drew Stubbs.

• Increase home-run total without swing getting long.

• Increase stolen bases and efficiency.

Drew Stubbs, center fielder

• Significantly improve offensively.

• Cut down on strikeouts, thereby giving speed more opportunities.

• Get comfortable with toe-tap, which replaced leg raise during off-season swing adjustments.

• Continue to play Gold Glove-caliber defense.

• Don't feel pressure to justify Shin-Soo Choo trade.

Nick Swisher, right fielder

• File and forget brutal 2012 ALCS.

• Don't try to do too much to justify big contract.

• If Cleveland fans boo during a team or individual slump, think twice about cracking them publicly.

• Don't listen when critics say the Indians overpaid, lest it affect performance.

• Bring high energy, enthusiasm and intensity into clubhouse without trying too hard.

• Proceed with caution when needling Trevor Bauer.

Mike Aviles, utility man

• Dial down expectations after having started at shortstop in Boston last year.

• Mentally prepare for sporadic playing time.

• Be prepared to play all over the field.

• Improve on-base percentage.

• Talk fitness with Cabrera.

Ubaldo Jimenez, starting pitcher


• Significantly improve in all areas.

• Reduce moving parts in delivery, mostly to guard against front side flying open.

• Reduce number of pitches to 3-4.

• Rediscover split-finger fastball or split-change.

• Be willing to throw fastball inside to right-handed batters.

• Get nastier on mound.

Justin Masterson, starting pitcher

• Significantly improve in all areas.

• Simplify mechanics.

• Reconsider frequency of slide-step with men on base.

• Don't rely so heavily on two-seamer.

• Increase study time between starts.

• Feel good about reuniting with Francona.

• Don't talk about "people helping people" after getting knocked around in a loss.

Brett Myers, starting pitcher

• Be patient during re-transition from to reliever to starter.

• Don't over-throw early in camp.

• Improve command of secondary pitches.

• Continue to be nasty on the mound.

Zach McAllister, starting pitcher

• Build on progress of previous two seasons.

• Don't get flustered when defense makes mistakes.

• Improve secondary stuff, especially change-up.

Carlos Carrasco, starting pitcher

• Feel good about progress made in off-season after Tommy John surgery in 2011.

• Don't over-throw early in camp.

• Don't worry about six-game suspension needing to be served upon activation.

Trevor Bauer, starting pitcher

• Don't feel pressure to prove skeptics wrong.

• Don't feel pressure to justify Shin-Soo Choo trade.

• Don't feel pressure to justify draft status.

• Play along with teammates' takes on "unconventional" training methods.

• Reduce number of pitches to 4-5.

• Don't project arrogance or aloofness.

Chris Perez, closer

• Don't over-throw at outset of camp, thereby protecting oblique.

• Monitor workload while dovetailing spring training with World Baseball Classic.

• Continue to fill up reporters' notebooks and recorders with entertaining quotes.

• Enjoy playing for Francona.

Vinnie Pestano, reliever

• File and forget September struggle.

• Monitor workload while dovetailing spring training with World Baseball Classic.

• Continue to fill up reporters' notebooks and recorders with insightful analysis.

Joe Smith, reliever

• Continue to build off quality seasons of 2011 and 2012.

• Re-institute guidelines for acceptance into "Bullpen Mafia."

I read today that former Cleveland Indian Einar Diaz is now a batting coach for a Baltimore Oriole minor league team.

Last I remember, Einar Diaz.....and I liked the guy.....batted .206 in his final season with Our Cleveland Indians.


Rusty loves the legacy of Bill Belichick and his coaching tree.


I guess in some way, Einar Diaz will be carrying on a Mark Shapiro touched tree legacy.

I think the suggestions from Manaloof that players

"Significantly improve in all areas"

is a profound and original thought. If all our players do we the team should significantly improve in the standings.

Veteran slugger Hafner on Yankees’ radar

By DAN MARTIN
Last Updated: 10:42 AM, January 31, 2013

When the Yankees were trying to dump A.J. Burnett a year ago, one of the players they were interested in was Cleveland’s Travis Hafner.

Despite their efforts, they weren’t able to reach a deal with the Indians and Burnett ended up in Pittsburgh.

Now, Hafner has drawn the Yankees’ attention again, and this time they don’t have to figure out a way to include Burnett in the deal.

Still without a left-handed designated hitter to take over for Raul Ibanez — who signed with Seattle before general manager Brian Cashman made him an offer to stay in The Bronx — the Yankees are looking at the 35-year-old Hafner.

Hafner might not help the Yankees’ durability, either, because he has had difficulty staying on the field after four excellent offensive seasons with the Indians from 2004-07, when he drove in more than 100 runs each year.

Cleveland remains interested in Hafner, though injury problems since then have robbed him of significant playing time. Last season, he was limited to just 263 plate appearances because of knee and back woes.

Nevertheless, when Hafner is able to remain in one piece, he does provide power.

Despite his injuries in 2012, Hafner hit 12 homers, including eight off right-handers, and his OPS was .798 versus righties — not much worse than Ibanez’s OPS of .812 against them.

The Yankees signed Dan Johnson to a minor-league deal last week in an attempt to fill the spot, but their search for a lefty designated hitter does not include Jim Thome, another free-agent slugger with a history of back problems.

Though Hafner is a power-hitting lefty, he hasn’t had a great deal of success taking advantage of the short right-field fence in The Bronx.

In 12 plate appearances at the new Yankee Stadium, Hafner has just one homer and one RBI. He also had just one homer and 12 RBIs in 75 plate appearances across the street.

A more pressing need remains in the outfield, but the Yankees have been unable to find a right-handed bat worthy of a major league contract.

Cashman has explored the free-agent route, as well as trades and still only managed to land players such as Matt Diaz and Russ Canzler on minor league deals, while Michael Morse and Scott Hairston have gone elsewhere.

Here's a possible scenario that could work out for the Indians: Yankees sign Hafner to AAA contract, invite him to ST; he makes the team, they release Canzler; we can then make room on our roster by putting one of the injured pitchers back on the 40 man roster and Canzler joins the Tribe.

According to Chad Jennings of The Journal News, the Yankees have a deal in place with Travis Hafner.
Jennings suspects that an official announcement will be made within the next 24 hours. Hafner struggled to attract much interest this winter on the open market after batting .228/.346/.438 with 12 home runs in 66 games last season for the Indians. He's injury prone but will carry decent fantasy value in New York if he can stay healthy.

Related: Yankees
Source: The Journal News Jan 31 - 2:10 PM

I like Pronk, but I don't want the Indians to sign him again, so I hope that report is true. And I don't want Thome back, either. TFIR and I were at what should have been his last game in September 2011.

Yankees To Sign Travis Hafner

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 31 at 1:38pm CST]

The Yankees have a deal in place with Travis Hafner, Chad Jennings of the Journal News reports. The deal could be announced later today or tomorrow, once contract language has been finalized. Terms of the deal aren’t known, though Jennings suggests it’ll be a one-year contract in the $1.1MM range. Hafner, a client of the Legacy Agency, will obtain a Major League deal, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter).

The Yankees plan to use Hafner as a platoon designated hitter who only plays against right-handers, Jennings writes. Hafner, a left-handed hitter, has a career batting line of .287/.391/.534 against right-handed pitching.

Hafner hit free agency after the Indians chose a $2.75MM buyout over a $13MM option earlier in the offseason. The 35-year-old hit .228/.346/.438 with 12 home runs in 263 plate appearances for Cleveland last year.

Hafner has averaged only 85 games a season over the past five years due of injuries. Despite his past health issues, he drew interest from the Indians this winter. Rob Bradford of WEEI.com first reported the Yankees could be nearing a deal with Hafner.


Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#Vppcv6khEWjRQtjL.99