SB Nation User Blog: dvd1204

Can we audible?

dvd1204 — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 16:40:42 -0000

I don't want to start the DA vs BQ debate up, but I do have a question that I hope someone can offer some intelligent insight into. Does DA audible? Is he capable? Is he allowed?

I don't ever think I've seen him switch a play at the line of scrimage, and I wonder if this contributes to his inconsistency. IMO there seems to be many situations where the called play has very little chance of success given the defense's formation yet we run it anyway. I know there is a lot of variables that go into each play's success/failure, but I honestly don't know if we have ever changed a play at the line of scrimage in the Chud era, so I ask why?

Poll

Why don't we audible?

we do audible, stupid

5 votes

our QB is incapable

7 votes

our coach's won't allow it

6 votes

18 votes | Poll has closed

Rumored Vikes Trade?

dvd1204 — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 20:24:38 -0000

I have seen on a few sites that the Browns were supposedly offered 2009 and 2010 first round picks from the Vikings for Quinn and we declined. Is there any legitimacy to this? If (most likely) not true, let's play the hypothetical, if you were Savage would you do this deal?

Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Go Browns!

Chicago based Tribe Fan with Tickets

dvd1204 — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:53:29 -0000

So last year, I plopped down my deposit for season tickets for this year so that I could go to the playoff games. So now I have 2 tickets to 20 games which would normally be quite awesome except that I live in Chicago and can’t use them very often.

So, as a long time reader and seldom poster, I thought I’d ask the members of this wonderful community if they would be interested in being placed on a mailing list that will only be used only when these tickets are available (starting tomorrow against the Royals). I plan for this to be my only post on LGT on this subject and to do the rest offline via email. If you would like to be placed on the list or have questions please send an email to dvd1204 at hotmail with the subject Tribe and I’ll respond as soon as I can.

The seats are $22 per in lower reserved down the third base line. I’ll always be selling them at face since I’m not trying to make any money on them, just doing my best not to eat them (as I have already done for a couple of games).

Ryan/Jay, if this is inappropriate feel free to remove.

First round bye?

dvd1204 — Mon, 17 Dec 2007 22:42:57 -0000

As I'm sure everyone knows by now, we can earn a playoff appearance with either a win over Cincinnati or a Tennessee loss. Note that this is not the same as a Brown's win or a Tennessee loss or the same as a Brown's win or a Tennessee loss to NYJ. What does this mean? It means that the gimme game against SF in week 17 in regards to a playoff berth is completely meaningless to the Brown's. The illustration below shows that the outcomes of a L-W and L-L finish for the Browns are identical.

    Week 16 Week 17    Overall    Conference
CLE    W    W    11-5    8-4    IN
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5

CLE W L 10-6 8-4 IN
TEN W W 10-6 7-5

Brown's Loss-Win Scenarios
CLE    L    W    10-6    7-5    OUT
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5

CLE L W 10-6 7-5 IN
TEN W L 9-7 6-6

CLE L W 10-6 7-5 IN
TEN L W 9-7 6-6

CLE L W 10-6 7-5 IN
TEN L L 8-8 5-7

Brown's Loss-Loss Scenarios
CLE    L    L    9-7    7-5    OUT
TEN    W    W    10-6    7-5

CLE L L 9-7 7-5 IN
TEN W L 9-7 6-6

CLE L L 9-7 7-5 IN
TEN L W 9-7 6-6

CLE L L 9-7 7-5 IN
TEN L L 8-8 5-7

Obviously, the SF game at least at this point still has meaning with regards to the AFC North title and seeding.

So assuming that the SF game is truly meaningless, what are people's thoughts on the best way to approach that game? Should we keep playing our regulars and use the game as a playoff tune-up? Or, rest up our regulars (especially those with nagging injuries) and treat the game as a bye.

Quinn's debut?

dvd1204 — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:58:35 -0000

I'll save the playoff scenarios for Chris, but should we defeat Buffalo on Sunday there is a strong possibility that we will have clinched a playoff birth before week 17 against San Francisco. Allow me to get a head of myself and ask the question, does Brady Quinn play? If so, how much time should he get? Whole game? Second half?

There is no doubt in my mind that should this scenario arise, he would have to see some time otherwise we run the risk of his debut occurring in a playoff game if DA gets hurt. Boy that could make for a very interesting story.

Can someone please help me?

dvd1204 — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 18:26:10 -0000

Is anyone going to the game tonight and is willing to check out some seats for me? I live in Chicago, and I'm looking to get tickets to the entire Yankees series. However, I'm afraid that the right field foul pole will obstruct the view of the field and I don't want to pay a premium for obstructed view seats. So, if someone in LGT land can take a peak of the view from Section 116 Row Y (Right Field next to the vistor's bullpen) and let me know how good/bad they are I would be forever indebted.

Carmona and Kruk

dvd1204 — Wed, 02 May 2007 02:19:35 -0000

As I sit here and watch Baseball Tonight, I'm wondering if anyone else saw it last night when Kruk was yelling at Philips that it made no sense at all that the Tribe was sending down their "best pitcher right now". He went even further to say that it would be hard as a player to take the field with lesser pitchers taking the mound.

Not surprisingly, Philips justified the move by saying you have to go with the guys that have a proven track record even if they aren't performing right now. Not once did this former GM mention minor league options as the reason. How did this guy have a job?

Baseball Etiquette

dvd1204 — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 22:13:21 -0000

With one out in the 7th inning, runner on first, down by 7 runs. Do you hold the runner?

That was the situation on Wednesday night and Torre chose not to hold Dellucci. The ESPN crew, mainly Hershiser, was talking about unwritten rules of baseball and the etiquette of the situation. Dellucci stayed at first and in the end it didn't make much difference. But in today's game where runs can really be scored in bunches a 7 run comeback in the 7th doesn't seem impossible (especially if you can chip one more run of the lead with a free base and a bloop single).

So I ask, whose decision is it not to take the conceded base? And whether it was Dellucci's or Wedge's decision, isn't the Tribe conceding the game by not taking advantage of the gift? Either way, I believe this is a lack of leadership from either our veteran and/or our manager. The message is clear; we've lost, so we're not going to try. This is never a message that should be conveyed in baseball where time can never run out.

Does it concern anyone else that Wedge is allowing this loser's mentality to exist? At the very least he could make an example out of Dellucci to the rest of the guys that it will not be tolerated.

No such thing as clutch?

dvd1204 — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:48:35 -0000

There has been some discussion on this site about the fact that the 2006 Tribe is not "clutch". The discussion usually divides into those who have watched this team under-perform in tight situations and emotionally state they are not "clutch" and those that witness the same thing and say, it's bad luck since there is no statistical evidence of "clutch" performance.

So I have to ask, if there is no such thing as "clutch", why does a team need a closer?

Before the Wickman trade, there was a clamoring to let Carmona or even Davis close games to "see if they can do it". If there is no "clutch", there is no need to see if they can close because you would theoretically already know based on previous performance levels established in earlier innings than the 9th. You would suspect that they sustain those levels, but the need to see "if they can do it" is to test if those levels will sustain or drop. If they drop, isn't that "anti-clutch" performance?

The last few years have shown a tremendous amount of pitchers who were tried as closers and failed from the current tribe bullpen to Atlanta's to the failed closer by committee in Boston a few years ago.

Maybe there is no such thing as "clutch", but the need for a closer would seem to indicate that there is such a thing as "anti-clutch", and after all, isn't that the same thing?

Return of the Tribe

dvd1204 — Tue, 20 Jun 2006 23:40:36 -0000

This is a new day of hope! Long sought after changes are happening, and it is time to believe again. With my apologies to Jay for plagiarizing his "Why We Will Win" post, this is why we are still going to win.

There are 93 games left this season. If the Indians can play .666 ball and go 62-31, they'll finish with 93 wins which should put them mighty close to a playoff berth. Is it going to be easy? No. Can this team do it? Yes!

The Tigers and White Sox do not matter. Well, maybe they matter a little bit, but I find it very hard to believe that both those teams can win more than 93 games if we do as well. The truth is we need to take care of ourselves first, and if we can do that, we'll be in it on the last day.

A Great Offense. Regardless of consistency, this is still a great lineup capable of scoring a ton of runs. Heck, we are 2nd in runs scored right now, and there is no reason for that to stop especially since this offense really clicks in low pressure situations, and since everyone thinks we are done, there is no more pressure!

Tougher Rotation. The staff has been really good as of late. Paul Byrd has settled in, and if you can forget the first month of the year, he has been as good as anyone could have hoped. Sabathia still look like a stud besides a couple of mediocre outings. Westbrook and Lee will give us a chance to win every night, and now there is no longer a guaranteed loss out of the 5 spot!

Improved Bullpen. Don't believe it? Relievers are incredibly volatile -- because they pitch so few innings, it's hard to figure out who's really good and who ain't, so teams fluctuate wildly from year to year or within a season. Our bullpen has just gotten younger and better with the addition of Mujica. Carmona is looking like the 8th inning guy we're missing. Beatencourt will go back to the 6th and 7th inning where he is most effective, and all of a sudden we'll be holding games instead of blowing them.

A Great Team. We had a great team in 2005 -- whether or not you noticed, and not much has changed. We easily could have won 5 games that we lost in the last 10 days.

We don't appreciate how good this team is and how great it can be. We forget how we have pummeled teams early on because our pitching was so poor. The starters have been great ever since the first month, but we remember JJ blowing it all the time, or we lose a close game and it shows in the loss column so we can't appreciate the start. This team is very good and easily capable of playing .900 ball for 3 weeks. Heck by the Pythagenport Adjusted Standings we are 7 games worse than we should be. A few lucky bounces and who knows.

This is a very good team, maybe even a great team, and they will make the playoffs. I still believe it.