Josh Cribbs to Return this Week

Get it? Return? He is returning from injury and he will be returning kickoffs, because he is a kickoff returner!

Whoa. I am funny. WHOOO! Whooo. whoooo.

Can you tell that we are coming off of a bye week?

Anyway, Cleveland.com has the return of Josh Cribbs.

"There's a lot of linebackers running down full speed," he said. "Wide receivers want to stay away from linebackers. I don't care at all. I'm trying to make a mark at it. I'm trying to make a name for myself, being that tough guy willing to do whatever it takes.

"I'm just trying to be known as that person who will go in there and make our kickoff return team special."

Charlie Frye, who also played in the MAC conference with Cribbs in college called Cribbs the Michael Vick of the MAC. So, make sure you look for him returning kicks this week for the Browns.

(Whooo.)

Baseball Success and Your Payroll

This article (which seems to show up in one publication or another every year) examines how baseball is a game where money doesn't necessarily buy success. While I agree that it can't buy the World Series ring, it definitely makes it easier to outlast the rest of the majors and make it to the playoffs on a more consistent basis. For example, if Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee had all gotten injured this season, who would have replaced them? The higher payroll teams have a chance to go out and make a big deal before the All-Star break in order to bridge the gap. A team like the Indians would probably roll the dice with rookies or re-treads.

So, I agree that money doesn't necessarily buy success, but it should buy greater consistency of success. Plus as we Clevelanders know there is nothing worse than watching a player rise through the ranks of your organization, only to hit their career peak and then be purchased right out from under your nose by teams with monstrous payrolls. Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome were home-grown players and cornerstones of this franchise. They were the Indians' versions of Jeter and Posada, except arguably better.

Anyway, I won't go any further into this rant because it is bad for my health to be as bitter as I can get when I start talking about the economics of baseball.

In the article, the Cleveland Indians and Mark Shapiro are mentioned.

The Indians ranked 26th, with salaries totaling $41.5 million. The only teams with lower payrolls this season were Milwaukee, Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Tampa Bay, perennial doormats. For every dollar the Indians spent on players, the Yankees peeled off almost five.

But in baseball, money can't always buy a clutch single. In 2002, Shapiro traded away several higher-price players, receiving raw minor leaguers in whom he saw future stardom. This year, rookie outfielder Grady Sizemore (salary, $318,300) and fourth-year catcher Victor Martinez ($500,000), among others, bloomed. And the Indians were bargain-basement contenders whose hopes of qualifying for the playoffs were alive until the regular season's final day.

According to Business Week's exhibit the Indians have two of the five biggest bargains in baseball, in Grady Sizemore and Coco Crisp.

Here were the five players that they listed.
Player Team
• Morgan Ensberg - Houston Astros
• Brad Lidge - Houston Astros
• Grady Sizemore - Cleveland Indians
• Coco Crisp - Cleveland Indians
• Jason Bay - Pittsburgh Pirates

Hopefully Shapiro gets Coco and Grady signed to 4 or 5 year deals this off-season. They will get reasonable raises and we can have the security knowing that they will be playing the best defensive outfield in the American League for the next few years, at minimum.

Indians Set to Make an Offer to Millwood

Millwood wants at least a three-year deal. He made $7 million on his one-year deal this year and is looking for a raise. If the Indians sign him for $10 million per year, he would be their second $10 million-per-year player in history.

While I think Kevin Millwood was a ridiculous value this year at $7 million, I am not sure that I totally agree that he should be offered $10 million over three years. It seems pretty risky with a 30-year-old who has had arm problems in the past. At the same time, I would say that it is a better bet than the one the tribe made with Chuck Finley in the 2000 season. That was also a three-year deal, which paid him:

$7,911,948 in 2000
$9,666,667 in 2001
$7,911,948 in 2002

(Finley wasn't worth the big money he made)

Finley was 37 when he joined the Indians, and Millwood is only 30 right now, but it still scares me a little bit with a team that has just over $40 million in payroll, to spend $10 million on one player. If this is Dolan's idea of spending on a free agent, then I would like to take that money and push it toward an experienced position player who can smack some balls around the yard, preferably from the right side of the plate.

In other free agent news, the Tribe is expected to pick up the contract option for Ronnie Belliard for $4 million next season. That isn't a real big surprise considering how well he has played for the last two years in Cleveland. Bob Howry is a free agent after the world series along with Scott Elarton. I would like to see Howry come back, but not at a crazy price. If the Indians don't get something done with him quickly, I would expect him to get a pretty good bid on the open market and jump ship.

David Riske, Ben Broussard, and Coco Crisp will be eligible for arbitration. I would guess that Coco will get a multi-year deal similar to what Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner got at the beginning of this season. Coco has earned every bit of a long-term deal and I am hoping he is roaming the outfield for a long time at Jacob's Field.

I like Ben Broussard, but depending on what arbitration says, I think that we should just let him go, or trade him. He still has potential, but he doesn't give me that confident gut feeling that I want from a first baseman. As you look around the diamond with the Indians, first base is one place where they could stand for a major improvement and unfortunately with Broussard eligible for abritration, he might not have any time left to prove that he can be that player.

David Riske made just over $1.4 million this season and depending on what the arbitrator says, I can't expect the tribe to pay him much more. In the Cleveland.com article it was also suggested that Riske could be trade bait, but I am not sure what they would get for him of high value. It isn't like when the Indians traded Paul Shuey, but then again, Riske makes a lot less money than the $7 million or so that Shuey was making when he was traded.

This off-season is already starting to look interesting. I will be looking forward to seeing who becomes the coveted bat for the Indians lineup in 2006. As soon as I get some ideas of the available players, I will post my wants here.

Expectations for the Browns Post Bye Week

I was checking out the Podcasts of Tony Grossi over at Cleveland.com and he came forward with some of his expectations for the Browns after their bye week.

First, he mentions Braylon Edwards should see more playing time, possibly as a starter. It has been a decent start for Edwards, and he has proven that he can get open versus the starting cornerbacks in this league. I think Edwards has some of the best big play potential on the team and his increased playing time should yield good results for the team.

Secondly, Reuben Droughns needs to be a huge part of the offense. Droughns needs to touch the ball a lot in order to give him a chance to have breakout performances. Of course if the Browns are down on the scoreboard, the chances of Droughns getting a lot of opportunities is slim. Hopefully the Browns will continue to build Droughns' portfolio in the offense and Maurice Carthon will be in a position to be really aggressive with the running game.

In terms of my expectations, I would hope that the Browns improve on their defensive pass rush. They haven't been able to put pressure on QB's so far this season and whether they need to add more linebackers and corner backs to the pass rush, or whatever, they need to step it up.

Of course, I would also like to see less sloppiness in terms of penalties. This is especially true on special teams. The Browns have shown an ability to really break some plays on punt returns with Dennis Northcutt, but unfortunately two TD's have been called back in the first three games. This trend can't continue. I am not sure what the coaching staff can do to help reduce these mistakes. It is up to the players to be more disciplined in the heat of the game and avoid the illegal blocking penalties that are erasing the explosive play.

Overall, I think 1-2 is a pretty good start considering the newness of everything in the Browns' schemes, but moral victories like keeping it close in Indianapolis will not carry much water with me or the rest of the fans as the season progresses.

The Browns have the Bears this week, and it is one of the more winnable games on the schedule, so we will see what kinds of things Romeo and the boys put into place with the extra week off.

Today's Cleveland Sports Conversation - 10/4/2005

After the fun the Deezo and I had with last week's conversation, I figured we would do it again. A lot has happened since then. The Indians finally folded it in for the year after battling the whole second half of the season. The Browns completed their bye week, and the Cavs have started their two-a-day practices. So I started things off this week. My comments will be in red and Deezo's will be in Blue.

So, now that the Indians shit the bed in the last week of the season, are you more excited about the rest of the Browns season with their lackluster chances of making the playoffs, or are you more excited about Lebron and company who should make the playoffs with their new lineup of role players and starters?

How about the return of Alan Henderson? Who saw that one coming?

I am more excited, at this point, to see what the Browns can continue to do to improve. They seem like they are still lacking in talent in several areas, but I am really psyched by the improvements that I do see, including an apparent hardass as head coach. He talks a good game about wins and doesn't seem to pull any punches in the media or in his locker room.

Regards,
Craig

Lots of questions....so lemme get started.

I am still reeling from the Indians collapse...so much so infact that I have begun to read and research the NHL’s rule changes. I am contemplating watching hockey this year for no other reason than I may feel less emotionally attched to it because I have no frigging idea what the guys on the ice are doing.

Honestly I like the direction the Browns are headed in though. I think they are trying to establish a hard nosed offense that can run the ball and mix you up with some shots down field...this is very Patriot-esque...so I am all for it. I think were they are hurting right now is in the depth department. They may have 22 decent guys, but after a 1st stringer goes down...they are S.O.L!

Defensively I think Romeo is as good as advertised when it comes to game planning for an opponent (Case and point the Colts game). I am pumped to see what he can do once he has his own guys running his system. I
don’t think I am going out on a limb here by saying half of this defense won’t be here in 2 years.

I haven’t really followed the NBA in like 5 years. I think the quality of play right now is horrible. I can’t handle all of the clear out bull shit essentially making the game a 1 on 1 or 2 on 2 battle. I also have no tolerance for people who shoot under 70% from the free throw line...which is like 40% of the NBA right now. I still can hardly pass up on a NBA Classic game with some of the teams from the 80’s (Celtics, Lakers, Pistons). I hate to sound like an angry old man, but I remember when having a good screen and roll game was common place, and not the most devastating play in basketball (I.E. Duncan & Ginobli). I also remember when a point guard who involved his team mates wouldn’t be considered MVP caliber because THAT IS WHAT POINT GUARDS ARE SUPPOSED TO DO!!! I could go on about everything thats wrong with the NBA, but that would take hundreds of years and cost millions of lives, so Ill just talk about the Cavs.

In actuality I will probably pay a little more attention to the Cavs this year because from what I hear and read (famous last words) they have some components of a decent team. I think the addition of Larry Hughes is going to be big for them, as is the addition of Donyell Marshall to be a scoring threat in the front court.

I am out,
Fizzil

Well, I can definitely identify with your pain involving the quality of play in the NBA. We should have seen it was coming when Mike Fratello was run out of Cleveland after winning an amazing amount of games, with a mediocre roster, by playing slow-down basketball. Sure it wasn't necessarily all that good for business, but he did win games. How was business after they got rid of fratello and guys like Randy Whitman were killing this team?
But I digress.

I have been optimistic about the Cavs' chances for a long time. And I have been nothing but wrong every year, so far. But, I did see some really promising stuff last year. And, I think it is the kind of stuff that will keep a purist like you happy. Sure, they still play up the one-on-one and two-on-two style game to an extent, but with Lebron James on the court, you know that the amazing assist to set up a team mate is always really close on the horizon. You won't see Lebron forcing garbage at the rim nearly as much as other superstars.

Also, I know that great players are supposed to make their teammates better and all that stuff, so why should we praise them, etc, but if Lebron can be the start of the domination of fundamental basketball in the game again, I think that is a great thing.

I think a lot of the reason that the level of play has dropped is because the age of the players has dropped so much. The high school experiment is slowly dwindling away because the players don't have the necessary fundamentals even when they are athletic freaks of nature. So wouldn't it be ironic if the death blow to the league drafting players without fundamentals was delivered by ... a high school player ... named ... Lebron James?

Regards,
Craig

Keeping asses in the seats is more important than winning in professional sports. Sometimes they coincide, but most times people are paying to see the "superstars" . That is why Indians games against the Yankees, and Cavs games against the Heat ALWAYS will sell out. The Browns are a bit of an anomaly because people go to them for the atmosphere more than the product on the field.

I agree that the NBA is going after players who are way too young. Kids in HS don't have the maturity or skill in 99% of cases to handle the rigors of an NBA season. Also, how much better would the college game be if these players had to stay in college until they were 21 or at least the end of their sophomore season?

The best thing that could happen to the NBA right now is a rebirth of fundamental play. I wish I could take 12 goofy guys from rural Indiana on a bus trip around the country and wow people with jump shooting, solid man to man defense, and chest passing, but sadly the And1 Mix tape has destroyed the perception of fundamental basketball players. I think now a days if a kid walks into a gym for a pick up game, he had better be able to dribble with his knee and dunk or he won't get picked to play regardless of how good a jump shooter he is or how tough he is on the boards ... and frankly that bothers the shit out of me.

Out,
Dizzil

And that is how we will end today's session. Deezo calls for 12 goofy rural Indiana boys to spark the rebirth of fundamental basketball.

I guess the only question is whether or not Gene Hackman is available to coach those fundamental warriors?

2005 Cleveland Indians Season Wrap-up - The Good Things

Well, it has been a day or so and I feel like I can at least speak at this point. It was hard to watch this team as the wheels came off in the past week, but it has been an amazing season for the Cleveland Indians regardless. They were awful early on in the season, and they came back and made it a race. So, without further ado, here are The Good Things from this baseball season for the Cleveland Indians.

• 300 - The Indians had 4 players either hitting or truly flirting with a .300 batting average this season. Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, and Coco Crisp hit 300 or just over, and Grady Sizemore finished at 289. By contrast, Travis Hafner was the only player in 2004, who played in over 100 games who had a 300 average.
  
  
• Double digits home runs - The Indians had 9 players who had 10 or more home runs this season. The top was Travis Hafner with 33. Jhonny Peralta gets major props for his 24 as a shortstop and breaking the Indians homer record for a shortstop. As a team, the Tribe hit 207 homers. In 2004, they hit 184.
  
  
• The Emergence of Cliff Lee - It was nice to see one of our young pitchers come into his own. Cliff Lee had more than a few milestones this season. He went 18-5 with a 3.79 ERA which is great, but even more importantly, he made 32 starts and pitched 202 total innings.
  
  
• Wickman, The Cardiac Closer - Bob Wickman, despite making us all crazy with his style of closing games, had an amazing year. 45 saves and a 2.51 ERA. These are important stats. Not only did this year's Indians team get in a position to win games, they had a guy who could close the door. There is nothing worse than not being able to finish out a game. That can be one of the biggest momentum breakers in baseball, and it is a game of streaks.
  
  
• Team Pitching - The Indians finished the year at the tops of the AL in ERA with a team total of 3.61. It was the combination of solid starting pitching and a good bullpen. You can't put up numbers like this without getting luck along the way, as well. The Indians' luck came in the form of health this year. There weren't a ton of injuries on the pitching staff this year.

There are more things for sure, but those are the things that stuck out to me. Overall, I am happy that this team competed this year. I have been pretty understanding of the rebuilding that this team has been going through since losing Manny, Jim Thome and then trading Bartolo Colon and Roberto Alomar, but without results, that understanding would have withered away very quickly.

While finishing second in the division and the wild card standings isn't "acceptable" per se, it is a good start for a young team. And hopefully that is exactly what this is. A start.