Cleveland Sports Forum

He will probably get a big cheer from the Indians fan on Opening Day. I wish him well, but believe his time is past.

a profound and original thought.

Good grief, if writing obvious crap like that is all it takes to be a "sportswriter" ... Where do they find these guys?

Hafner for 1.1 million is easier to swallow than 13 million.

Even Manny would play for 1.1 million.

What a country...... when 1.1 million seems like a slap in the face.

Indians signed RHP Matt Capps to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Capps earned $4.5 million with the Twins last season while posting a 3.68 ERA and 18/4 K/BB ratio over 29 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old right-hander was limited to just three appearances after the All-Star break due to shoulder issues, but he should have a good chance to win a bullpen spot with the Indians if he's healthy.


Jan 31 - 4:36 PM

Indians Sign Matt Capps

By Ben Nicholson-Smith [January 31 at 3:34pm CST]


The Indians announced that they signed Matt Capps to a minor league deal with an invitation to MLB Spring Training. Wasserman Media Group represents the right-handed reliever.

Capps opened the 2012 season as the Twins' closer and posted a 3.68 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 1.2 BB/9 and 13 saves in 29 1/3 innings. However, shoulder inflammation led to two trips to the disabled list in the second half of the season and limited the 29-year-old to just three appearances after June 23rd.

Before the 2012 season Capps had established himself as a closer who was durable if not dominant. He averaged 68 innings with a 3.50 ERA, 6.6 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 from 2006-11 while pitching for the Pirates, Nationals and Twins. In eight MLB seasons, he has a 39.5% ground ball rate. His fastball averaged 92.4 mph last year, not far off his career mark of 93 mph.


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

Ken Davidoff of the New York Post reports that Travis Hafner's deal with the Yankees is worth around $2 million guaranteed.

Chad Jennings of the Journal News reported Thursday afternoon that the two sides have a deal in place. It's a nice low-cost gamble for the Bombers, as Hafner could thrive with the short porch at Yankee Stadium. Of course, he's a poor bet to stay healthy.


Related: Yankees
Source: Ken Davidoff on Twitter Jan 31 - 4:16 PM

Of course, he's a poor bet to stay healthy.


Exactly.

Anthony Castrovince ‏@castrovince


The New York Pronkees.

rusty2 wrote:Anthony Castrovince ‏@castrovince


The New York Pronkees.

perhaps he becomes Prank instead of Pronk!

Dennis Manoloff ‏@dmansworldpd


Source: Travis Hafner's deal with #Yankees is one year for $2 million guaranteed with $4 million in performance bonuses. Pending physical.

Russ Canzler - OF - Yankees


Yankees designated INF/OF Russ Canzler for assignment.
The move clears a spot for the newly-signed Travis Hafner on the 40-man roster. This is the latest development in a busy winter for Canzler, who could soon be claimed off waivers for the fourth time in the space of two months. The 26-year-old batted .269/.299/.398 with three homers and a .697 OPS in 97 plate appearances with the Indians last season and has posted some strong numbers in the minors.

Feb 1 - 4:23 PM

Yankees signed DH Travis Hafner to a one-year, $2 million contract.
He'll have a chance to make $4 million more through incentives. Hafner is obviously a poor bet to stay healthy, but he's a good bet to be pretty productive when on the field, and, at $2 million, the Yanks haven't risked much. The 35-year-old batted .228/.346/.438 with 12 home runs and a .784 OPS in 66 games with the Indians last season while battling knee and back injuries. He'll be the Bombers' regular DH against right-handed pitching.


Feb 1 - 3:03 PM

civ ollilavad wrote: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.

Canzler has already been released...

No one wants Russ Canzler

Craig Calcaterra Feb 1, 2013, 5:05 PM EST

I sure hope Russ Canzler doesn’t buy a new shirt and equipment bag each time he lands on a new team. If he did he’d go broke.

The Yankees just designated Canzler for assignment. This came after the Indians designated him for assignment. Which came after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment. Which came after the Indians designated him for assignment. All of that happened since the 2012 season ended. Before that he was with the Rays.

Canzler is no great shakes — he hit just .269/.299/.498 in 97 plate appearances last year in the majors — but he was the International League MVP in 2011 after posting a .938 OPS, 18 homers and 83 RBI in 131 games for the Durham Bulls. You’d think that would at least buy him a stable spot on someone’s roster for 2013. But I guess he must still keep circling the chairs, waiting for the music to stop.

In celebration of Groundhog Day, top 5 Cleveland sports moments I would like to relive

By Glenn Moore, cleveland.com
on February 02, 2013 at 8:00 AM, updated February 02, 2013 at 9:16 AM Print




As Cleveland sports fans, we have all endured some great and not so great moments in the past 30 years.
We have seen sold-out stadiums and arenas. NBA Finals and World Series games. Athletes at the top of their game. And, of course, being so close to winning a championship.

In celebration of Groundhog Day, I'm posting my top 5 Cleveland sports moments that I would like to relive. This list contains moments in my lifetime, which is the past 30 years. Feel free to list your own in the comments section or tweet them to me @GlennMooreCLE.

1. Cleveland Indians win 1995 American League Central Division crown (September 8, 1995)
It had been 41 years since the Indians made the playoffs. Season after season of poor baseball came to an end on a night in September against the Baltimore Orioles at Jacobs Field.
With a 22 1/2-game lead over the Kansas City Royals in the AL Central, the Indians played their 123rd game with a chance to clinch the division.

As Jim Thome caught the final out in foul ground, years of frustration and despair went away as the Tribe and their fans celebrated. Cleveland was finally put back on the baseball map.

I'll never forget watching the Division Championship flag making its way up to the top of the scoreboard as players helped pull the rope.

I'll also always remember Charles Nagy and other players crying as they remembered Steve Olin and Tim Crews, who tragically were killed in 1993 during a boating accident at spring training.

"The Dance" by Garth Brooks played during the celebration. Then Indians manager Mike Hargrove had phoned the scoreboard room before the game, requesting that it be played when they clinched.

This day marked the beginning of what would be a dominant stretch of Indians baseball in the American League.

The Indians would go on to win 100 games in a 144 game season and make it all the way to the World Series.

Though they never won the World Series, this date is forever etched in my mind.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers win NBA Draft Lottery in 2003 to draft LeBron James (May 22, 2003)
LeBron James. Say the name around Cleveland and you most likely will get a certain reaction that forces you not to say it again.

But lets go back. Before "The Decision." Before Miami. Before the empty promises.

May 22, 2003. The day the Cleveland Cavaliers won the NBA Draft Lottery, which paved their way to drafting LeBron.

Cavaliers TV announcer Austin Carr was so excited about having the first selection in the NBA draft, that he started crying.

The city knew their basketball luck was going to change with LeBron coming to the Cavs. And for the next seven years, the Cavaliers were a team to be taken seriously.

"I'm very excited for the fans of Cleveland," said then Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund, who smiled broadly after NBA deputy commissioner Russ Granik announced that the Cavs had won the James sweepstakes.

"This is a great day for them and for all of that market, for Akron, for Cleveland, all of northeastern Ohio. I'm tremendously excited about it. It's a big day in Cleveland sports."

"I'm staying in Cleveland, and I'm real excited," James said at a news conference.

It was the first time since 1990 that the team with the worst record - in this case a tie for the worst record - won the lottery.

And also the first time the Cleveland had the first pick in the draft since 1986, when it took Brad Daugherty.

3. "Run, William, Run" - Cleveland Browns clinch playoff spot with win over Atlanta Falcons (December 29, 2002)

Jim Donovan's voice echoes in my head as Cleveland Browns running back William Green races down the sideline towards the endzone.

The 64-yard touchdown run gave the Browns an eight-point lead with 3:53 left in the ballgame. More importantly, the run helped the Browns make the playoffs for the first and only time since coming back in 1999.

But while the run is remembered most, the goaline stand made by the Browns defense to end the game is what stands out to me.

Linebacker Earl Holmes made a couple key stops on 3rd and 4th down and stop the Falcons from tying to tie the game. Players celebrated after Warrick Dunn was stopped just short of the goal.

Players stormed the field and rejoiced at midfield on the Browns logo and head coach Butch Davis yelled to his players to "thank the fans".

It would be one of the few bright spots in the coming years, but one that will stay with me forever.


4. Sandy Alomar's home run in the 1997 All-Star Game (July 8, 1997)
"Hometown hero. Goodbye!"

Nobody could have written a better script.

The Indians, hosting their first All-Star game since 1981, were at the top of the baseball world.
Best record in baseball in 1995 and a trip to the World Series, the Indians were in the middle of their AL dominance run.

And having Sandy Alomar hit the home run that would give the American League the lead for good was icing on the cake.

But there were a couple other story lines in this game. Kenny Lofton made his return to Jacobs Field as a member of the National League All-Star team in a Atlanta Braves uniform. He received one of the loudest ovations from the Cleveland crowd.

Lofton was injured and did not play in the game.

Also in the pregame ceremonies, Albert Belle, who was representing the Chicago White Sox, was booed for leaving the Indians as a free agent the previous winter.

What made the home run even more special was Sandy's brother, Roberto, was in the dugout as a member of the American League.

The Indians would go on to the World Series in the fall of 1997, losing to the Florida Marlins in seven games.



5. LeBron's performance against Detroit Pistons in Game 5 of 2007 Eastern Conference Finals (May 31, 2007)

LeBron James played one of the best games in NBA history against the Detroit Pistons in May of 2007. All while having 'Cleveland' across his chest.

48 points. Nine rebounds. Seven assists. Scoring the final 25 points and 29 of his team's final 30 in a 109-107 double overtime win in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

The win moved the Cavaliers one-game closer to their first NBA Finals berth, which they would get one-game later in Cleveland.

The 22-year-old star was 18-of-33 from the field and was the only Cavs player to make a field goal in the last 17:48 and the only one to score in the final 12:49.

"I was able to will my team to victory," James said. "This is definitely a big win, one of the biggest wins in Cavaliers' franchise history. For me and my teammates, it's definitely the biggest win."
James could not be stopped. He drove to the basket time and time again and the Pistons had no answer.

The Cavaliers would go on to the NBA Finals, only to get swept by the San Antonio Spurs. Cavs fans know the rest of the story.