I thought this was an interesting little note and potentially wise investment for the savvy buyer. Does this fellow Dave Newsom have a decent shot at breaking into the bigs?  25 years old already and doesn't seem to be breaking down any doors thus far, but for $20, why not right?  link below

http://shakedownsports.com/2008/01/25/an-easier-way-to-get-an-mlb-salary/

has received a 4 year 48 (forty-eight!!) (For-tee ate!!!!) million dollar deal with the Mariners.  i don't know if these are enough characters to qualify for a diary but i'll just say that bill bavasi is dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb dumb, and that these are the kind of deals that throw entire free agent classes on their heads and make other bums like silva believe that they should get that kind of money and makes studs like CC think they should be getting 25 mil. wow.

in the arrested development sense...

the Yankees have decided NOT to carry any left handed relievers, at least for this series. Villone was not on the final roster.

as if i couldn't feel any more optimistic about this series, as uncomfortable as that feeling can be, being from cleveland and all, it's nice to know that they won't be able to match up the splits against the likes of sizemore, hafner and lofton.

from the indians website

<<<When the Indians designated Cabrera, they placed him on trade waivers -- the same waivers they used to acquire Gomez. An unidentified team made a claim on him, and the Indians were under the gun to work out a deal with that club. They had no leeway to talk to other clubs about Cabrera, because the non-waiver trade deadline passed on July 31. <p> "We were unable to work out a deal with the eligible club," Antonetti said. "So we elected to give him his release." >>>>

this i just don't understand. while they don't identify the claiming club, i don't understand why the tribe wouldn't take SOMETHING, anything, a fringe A ball prospect, some cash, etc., rather than just release him and get nothing in return.
who can speculate the best as to why this goes on?

i was at the game last night and quite literally heard music to my ears.  the indians have begun playing a familiar tune at the end of home wins, the same song that was played during the mid-90's/hargrove years.  it sounds like john mellencamp but i have never been able to get an answer as to the name or artist. i thought it was the dance by garth brooks, but on my youtube research i found that to be a slow and depressing song. anyone know the title and singer? the song gives me goosebumps every time pretty much because of the great memories it gives me.  
and oh yeah, this season sure as hell feels like 95 doesn't it?

Betancourt
Miller
Cabrera
Davis
Perez
Mastny
Mujica
Carmona

I think it's going to be tough to pick just 3 of these guys to fill in the remaining bullpen spots. what if fultz turns out to have an awful spring training? the FO should not be afraid to let him go if a perez or lara show great stuff.

what with betancourts few years of established non-sucktitude when he's going well, miller's inability to stay healthy, and cabrera and davis being out of options, I see them taking the easy way out and having a pretty formidable pen which will dominate the international league.

i really hope we do not regret roberto hernandez. most especially i hope we don't make him guillermo mota, wasting a roster spot and money on him, and overburdening others with his innings.

so, just 2 weeks left in the season, and I'm thinking (and seeing) that jason michaels outperformed coco crisp, at least for this season.  if he stayed here would he have been the reliable sparkplug or has he reached his peak? or was this team destined to be the obscure 4th team in a 3 team division?

only recently have i caught on to the phenomenon of youtube, and I think we all need a good chuckle now that we're over the excitement of the injected youth movement as they now struggle with the bats.  so I believe this may be the funniest single minute of life ever recorded from beginning to end.

Janice, it ain't funny!

and no, i don't know how to to do the thing where it can be anything but a transplanted link, but seriously worth it. enjoy

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vj0AbWu-Zw

Carlos Lee, that is.  Vernon Wells would be nice here but we'd need to give up a lot.  Apparently Lee wants 5 years says Hammy after he turned down 4 from milwaukee, and probably 12-15 per. I say give it to him.  Just this morning Dolan promised a "significant" increase in payroll.  I think if you just gave every bit of your free agency cashmoney to him, the team would be set.
Do it, and you have to be (or at least I am) loving the lineup of

Sizemore CF
Choo/Michaels RF
Hafner DH
Lee LF
Martinez C
Garko/Kouz 1B
Marte/Kouz 3B
Peralta  SS
Inglett 2B

power protection for pronk instead of let's walk hafner so we can double up v-mart or at least hold him to a long single.  you can do this and still keep the payroll from being astronomical, since you're paying minimum wage total of about 1 million at 1st 2nd and 3rd instead of the approx 10 mil broussard, boone, belliard, and perez made to man those positions this year.

The bullpen I believe is fine, because the young guys are getting some innings up here and because it can't possible be as bad as this year.  Of course it haunted us through most of the season but now with Mastny at the anchor it has stabalized.  No Graves, no Saurbeck, no Mota, no Jason Johnson making us stretch the pen.
but a pen of

Mastny
Brown
Betancourt
Cabrera
Perez
Mujica
Sikorski/Miller/JD/fill in the blank

doesn't make me too uncomfortable.

without giving up on 2006, 2007 looks promising (on paper of course, but then again so did 2006), but when you add the seasoning a lot of the young guys will/should get, it could be beneficial for a hot start that is maintained

Rotation:
CC, Lee, Byrd, Sowers, Westbrook/FA signing

Pen:
Carmona, Cabrera, Betancourt, Mujica, Brown, Perez, Guthrie

OF:
Sizemore, Gutierrez, (Francisco/Dubois/FA)

IF:
Marte, Peralta, 2bTBD, Garko/Martinez, Shoppach/Martinez, Hafner

Riske was traded to the white sox today for a minor leaguer. Bard couldn't catch the knuckleball.
Mota stinks, shoppach isn't getting the playing time, and marte is still on the cusp.

could this trade wind up resembling the roberto alomar trade, which basically turned out to be a wash because everyone involved on both sides had no careers to speak of post-trade?

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/thiel/273042_thiel07.html

this story is so incredible, it's amazing it didn't happen to us.

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Does anyone think any Indians from the 90's to present have a shot at getting a number retired? The indians haven't retired a number in forever, save Jackie Robinson and "the fans".  I think Sandy Alomar's 15 and Charles Nagy's 41 should be under heavy consideration, possibly even Vizquel's 13 or Lofton's 7.  I would have thought Thome's 25 would have a shot except for the way he left town.  Unfortunately, I don't think Rocker's 49 will make the cut.
A player shouldn't need hall of fame credentials to make the hall of fame, though I think Vizquel and Thome will both make it there eventually. they should only be special in the eyes of the franchise and accomplished great things over the better parts of their careers. sure there were no world series championships, but the success enjoyed by those players on some of those teams shouldn't be ignored.

did anyone catch scott elarton on baseball tonight? he called out his entire team for being awful then said the management didn't care either. he seems to miss the tribe, and the way johnson is pitching, i kind of wish he was here as the fifth starter too. very unappreciated role you don't miss til you don't have it. like a good punter in football.

Why did we DL FCab when we really just wanted to option him to buffalo?  Today he looked good, if he struggles there does he stay there when he's eligible to come off the DL?
also what are the rules for doing this? it does seem sketchy

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Looks like Boone is the first of the killer filler b's to return to his 2005 self. along with that error tonight you gotta wonder how long shapiro is going to hold off pushing the button to bring in andy marte?

Poll

When will Andy Marte start his next MLB game?

3%

Spring Training 2007

3 votes

2%

Never (at least in an Indians uniform)

2 votes

23%

Before June 1

19 votes

32%

Before the All Star Break

26 votes

23%

Before September 1

19 votes

13%

September Call ups

11 votes

80 votes | Poll has closed

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phillips- 1 for 1, pinch hit double, run scored.
vazquez- 0 for 7, 5 k's.

early of course, but still a move that seems to boggle the mind and doesn't fit shapiro's plan

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I'm not even sure how the arguments can be two-sided with some of the position battles.
with catcher, we are looking for someone to replace victors bat. it ain't gonna happen. so do you go with the old veteran with shaky defense and a ridiculously weak bat (remember that 16 rbi or whatever season he had with us way back when, or the new guy who cranked a bunch of homers in AAA and has a better arm, and if he's any good will take heat off the coco trade until marte gets here?  seems so easy but it's not over.

for middle infielder, again, do you go with the dime a dozen veteran with no pop, or the guy who if nothing else can be a great late inning defensive replacement, has some speed, and showed some ability to hit AAA, the same guy who made shapiro pull the trigger on the colon deal?
it just doesn't seem so complicated.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AuFaB.9DwcaluigJYWyQ4UQRvLYF?slug=ap-sportsshowcase&prov=a p&type=lgns

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haven't heard a peep either way about what is going on with him. you'd think he'd have a pretty big spotlight on him. how's he been doing?

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http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AikNnuSwPVZErizuMSLLpCcRvLYF?slug=ap-bellearrested&prov=ap &type=lgns

i kinda derive a sick pleasure and giggle when they refer to belle as a "slugger" and then put it in the context of doing something physically abusive to people

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so the PD today said that 23 players on the 40 man are 'unsigned', and that includes cliff, jhonny and grady.  so what kind of bargaining power do they have? i know they aren't arbitration eligible, so they're not going to see anything resembling big bucks offers, but what happens if/when they don't want to sign for the 300k or so the indians will offer? can they hold out/demand trades/do anything other than sit back and wait for their arbitration years?
also if they're unsigned how are they under our control? are they under an option type deal and if so why would we wait to pick up options on those guys?
sorry a lot of questions, but i would like to understand fully baseball economics before i'm 75.

i remember that during the hayday in the mid 90's the tribe 'went public' and issued stock. i don't think buying stock was anymore than a symbolic gesture, and you weren't really getting any ownership or voting rights int he team. but it was still real money on the stock market.
did/does anyone own any?
is it still offered on the market?

k

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If these 2 trades as speculated happen, I think good things can happen this season if Michaels (or LF TBD) produces at even 80% of 2005 crisp, because I'm banking on increased production from a seasoned sizemore, peralta, hafner, and martinez.  wondering if michaels' higher OBP could even make him a leadoff hitter and move sizemore to either 2nd or possibly 6th and move belliard up to 2.  but wedge will probably keep everyone from last year where they are and have michaels bat 2nd which is fine by me.

but what really makes you salivate is 2007's potential gauntlet, which will really put forth the whole 1-9 mantra that shapiro and wedge have been preaching, especially straight through the heart of the order

1. Sizemore-CF
   
2. Michaels/Francisco LF
   
3. Peralta SS
   
4. Hafner DH
   
5. Martinez C
   
6. Marte 3B
   
7. Garko 1B
   
8. Snyder/Gutierrez RF
   
9. Phillips/FA Pickup 2b

even without a 50 homer guy like Belle (I think Hafner will top out at 40), this lineup could potential the mid-90's as far as constant productivity and no point at which a pitcher can cruise.  Marte and Garko batting 6/7 is just like Thome/Ramirez in the same role of 1995-1996

via Page 2, see Deadspin.com and scroll down to the lead item under wednesday jan 18th.  looks like bob wickman and danny graves have the same trainer. i guess because of the aforementioned wickman we can't say that he can't be effective, but between him and karsay's chances of making the team (if either), smart money is on karsay

Brett Tomko, last year 8-15 with a 4.48 ERA (just below his career average 4.52) gets a 2yr/$8.7 mil deal.
whatever happened to the 1 year/$1 mil deal if you even make the team and stay the whole year with guys like this?
so is shapiro going to pay someone and actually convince them to come here?  i'd take preston wilson.
right now the only way this team is possibly better than last is with the hope that the extra year under the belt of vic,pronk,jhonny,grady, and cliff has worked wonders, which i guess i believe in. let's hope

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AhEISWSA9Yez3zzzOtRfnro5nYcB?slug=ap-dodgers-garciaparra&p rov=ap&type=lgns

this is not looking good. hopefully just a rumor. apparently garciaparra still thinks he has it in him to have a productive season if he's going with the 1 year deal.  wonder what the indians offered that he wouldn't come to a contender where having a good season will be more noticeable and valuable, especially if he puts the team over the top.

personally i'd love to see garciaparra in right field or first base.  now that the yankees are into it though, and especially considering how they haven't done anything of significane all winter, you'd think they'd be ready to outbid us at any price.
any idea on what they're offering?  nomar is going to probably chase every penny. what was that extension he turned down a couple years ago, something like 5 yrs/60 mil?  obviously he's not going to get anything close to that so I think he'll want to maximize his value in whatever way he can.