Cleveland Sports Forum

All is sunshine and harmony here again. Must be time for spring training.

Mr. Personality.......Clueless as ever

Where were you hiding when you had nothing to bitch about in the first 2 months last year ?

No one really cares about your negative opinion. Just like the beer league. The only folder with one thousand posts by one person and 10 by all others.

For the record, JOE was not a member of this forum until mid--August last year, and his first post was very complimentary of the Tribe:

"Go Tribe!

I'm excited to see that management is finally getting it. It's about time.

There's a lot I'd like to say concerning the events of the past few months but there is not enough time nor enough space to encompass all of my thoughts. Suffice to say that I am very happy with the buttons management and manager are pushing.

I have mixed feelings on the Jimenez trade. I was hoping we would continue with the youth movement and promote White down the stretch and Pomeranz when the rosters expand. However, the prospects of having three top of the rotation pitchers is very attractive. Having Tomlin on the mound every fourth day ain't bad and the combinations of Huff/Carrasco coming out every fifth day is quite appealing.

The Hannahan story was a feel-good-all-over event. In trying times, this was a very nice team gesture.

I have my fingers crossed that Choo and Santana might put together just average numbers for them down the stretch. Average is better than nothing in our case. I don't think they can do any worse than they had done the first half of the season. This is a fine time to put it all together. If they had been putting up those just average numbers to date, we would be looking back at the Tigers and Sox in the rear view mirror. It a race and Labor Day is just around the corner. Time to step it up fellas.

It's early, but my vote has been cast. Manny Acta is my choice for Manager of the Year in the American League. He's done an awesome job handling this team. He's been pulling all the right strings with his pitching staff and he's been able to manage his young team under some trying times and keep them heading the proper direction. Terrific job in my opinion!"

I gamble.

Have I mentioned that before?






JoeZ, and I love him, did not post here in the 2011 season until The Indians were still doing well after the All Star Break.

JoeZ might have been lurking, but Rusty is not entirely incorrect.

VT'er wrote:All is sunshine and harmony here again. Must be time for spring training.

Have some more lobster, cheese, and perhaps a fall apple from last season...

J.R. wrote:It's the first day of Spring Training! Is anyone optimistic about the Indians? Anyone feel good that baseball is back again?

I do.

I think we all do.


J.R. is to Linus as Baseball is to Christmas.

Always glad when baseball is back but not feeling much optimism with Jason Verlander, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder, Alex Aviles and lots more in Detroit. I can be convinced that the Cleveland offense might be more than acceptable with Santana, Kipnis, Cabrera, Choo in charge. The pitching is unlikely to be above averge unless Jiminez returns to past glories, not inconceivable. I can look forward to some pretty impressive Class A teams as the Tribe has a solid collection of 17-20 year old prospects.

From Covers.com

Season wins.

IMHO 86.5 is way too high for the Indians who did nothing in the off season but cross their fingers and pray.

I'll take the UNDER.

Arizona Diamondbacks: 86
Atlanta Braves: 87.5, moved to 87
Baltimore Orioles: 69.5
Boston Red Sox: 89.5
Chicago Cubs: 74.5
Chicago White Sox: 74
Cincinnati Reds: 86.5
Cleveland Indians: 86.5
Colorado Rockies: 82, moved to 81
Detroit Tigers: 92.5
Florida Marlins: 84.5
Houston Astros: 64.5, moved to 64
Kansas City Royals 80.5
Los Angeles Angels: 92.5
Los Angeles Dodgers: 81
Milwaukee Brewers: 83.5
Minnesota Twins: 75, moved to 73
New York Mets: 70.5
New York Yankees: 93.5
Oakland A’s: 71
Philadelphia Phillies: 92.5, moved to 93
Pittsburgh Pirates: 73
San Diego Padres: 73.5
San Francisco Giants: 87.5
Seattle Mariners: 72
St. Louis Cardinals: 82.5, moved to 83
Tampa Bay Rays: 87
Texas Rangers: 91.5
Toronto Blue Jays: 80
Washington Nationals: 82.5, moved to 84.5

Ok, if you believe the Mayan calendar then this is the year we win it all.

But I am an optimist.

IMHO 86.5 is way too high for the Indians who did nothing in the off season but cross their fingers and pray.

Actually, another thing they might have done this offseason is GET HEALTHY.

A healthy rebound season(s) from Choo and Sizemore (and Hafner) would go a long way towards improving last year's total.

Besides, I do like the pitching, it was quite solid last year.

No Garland after all!

Veteran shortstop Cristian Guzman in camp with Tribe: Indians Insider
Published: Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 7:00 PM Updated: Tuesday, February 21, 2012, 10:51 PM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- A locker that was supposed to belong to Jon Garland was cleaned out Monday when the right-hander didn't take a scheduled physical. On Tuesday, it was filled by shortstop Cristian Guzman, who -- like Garland -- is worn around the edges.

Guzman, a former two-time All-Star, took a physical and hit the field for a workout.

"I think I passed the physical because they let me on the field today," said Guzman, 33, who did not play last year because of a sore right shoulder.

Guzman said he could sign a minor-league deal on Wednesday. Manager Manny Acta would have no comment until something became official.

"I have a good relationship with Manny," said Guzman, who played for Acta in Washington. "He called me and asked me if I wanted to keep playing. I told him I wanted to keep playing and he said to come here and try to help the team."

It sounds as if Guzman will compete for the utility infielder's job. His last year in the big leagues was 2010, when he played for the Nationals and Texas. The switch-hitter batted .266 (97-for-365) with two homers and 26 RBI. He played shortstop, second base and right field.

Guzman said he had rotator cuff surgery on his right shoulder three years ago and it prevented him from playing last year. He spent the first six years of his career as the Twins' shortstop. He then signed with the Nationals as a free agent.

Indians chatter

Clubhouse confidential: The Indians started last season at 30-15. They fed off that start the rest of the year. Manager Manny Acta wouldn’t mind repeating it this year, but only if it’s followed a consistent brand of good baseball.

“How many teams start at 30-15?” asked Acta. “You’re not going to see that very often. We would still like to have a good start to set the tone, but it’s such a long season. That’s why we downplay [a fast start] all the time.

“What I want to see is consistent baseball throughout the year. At end of the day, it doesn’t matter how we start or finish. We want to be in the playoffs.”

Left out: Last year Progressive Field, according to the Bill James Handbook, yielded the second-most homers to left-handed hitters in the American League with 111. Yankee Stadium led the way with 124.
The Indians hit 71 homers and the opposition 40.

Stat of the day: Indians pitchers were 44-44 with a 4.19 ERA with Carlos Santana catching last season.

— Paul Hoynes

Traded: The Indians traded lefty Kelvin De La Cruz to Texas on Monday afternoon for cash. De La Cruz was designated for assignment on Feb. 13 to make room for first baseman Casey Kotchman. De La Cruz had been with the Indians organization since 2004.

On the move: Kevin Slowey, one of pitchers competing for the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, was traded twice over the winter.

The Twins traded Slowey to the Rockies on Dec. 6 for minor leaguer Daniel Turpen. Just as Slowey was getting used to the idea of challenging Denver's altitude at Coors Field, the Rockies traded him to the Indians for reliever Zach Putnam on Jan. 20.

This spring he's competing with Jeanmar Gomez, David Huff and Zach McAllister for the fifth spot in the rotation. He has the most big-league experience of any of the candidates. Slowey went 39-21 from 2007-10 for the Twins, making 82 starts in 86 appearances.

Last year, Slowey lost his spot in the rotation at the end of spring training and went 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA in 14 games, including eight starts. He started the year in the bullpen and went on the disabled list in April with tendinitis in the right shoulder. He returned to the DL in May with a strained abdominal muscle.

The needle: Indians pitchers and catchers weren't the only ones getting physical Tuesday.

"I gave lots of blood," said Acta, with a laugh. "I don't know why you need that much blood. Maybe the manager has to lead by example, giving away that much. I thought it was a lot."

Finally: Indians pitchers and catches go through their first official workout Wednesday. ... The Indians have their prospects present in preparation for a mini-camp. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, last year's No.1 pick, is among them.

gaylord perry wrote:Ok, if you believe the Mayan calendar then this is the year we win it all.

But I am an optimist.

I rarely if ever factor the Mayan Calendar into my sports thoughts, but hey, THAT would be cool.

Indians notebook: Playoff berth is the goal

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer

GOODYEAR, Ariz.: It didn’t take long for the talk to start.

That would be talk about the Indians pressing the Detroit Tigers for the Central Division title. But forget the Tigers. Who says the Tigers will be the team to beat just because it looks that way now? The Tribe is concerned only about itself and its ability to keep pace or even set the pace.

Asked if it was worth examining why his team jumped to a 30-15 start last year, manager Manny Acta said: “We have some talent. We didn’t do anything different in spring training. It’s not a fluke when you spend all that time in first place.”

The Indians led the division almost every day through July 20, when the Tigers finally caught and passed them, eventually winning the Central by 15 games.

Indians players already have adopted the mantra: “Why shouldn’t we win the championship?”

“Everyone in our clubhouse knows what our expectations are,” Acta said. “We’re letting them know in our two-on-one meetings.

“At the end of the day, we don’t care how we start or how we finish. We want to make the playoffs.”

The meetings to which Acta referred are conducted with each player and are led by the manager and General Manager Chris Antonetti.

Familiar name

Not so long ago, shortstop Cristian Guzman was a mainstay of the Minnesota Twins’ infield. Now he is trying to work his way back to the big leagues at the Tribe’s training camp.

Guzman was dressing in front of a locker Tuesday and said he expects to sign a minor-league contract today. Why was he out of a job?

“I had surgery on my [right] shoulder three years ago,” he said. “I played in 2010, but I had to rest the shoulder last year.”

Guzman, who will be 34 in March, played six years for the Twins then five years for the Washington Nationals, taking him through 2009, after which he underwent arthroscopic surgery. He played part time for the Texas Rangers in 2010 before sitting out last year.

His career batting average of .271 includes a season in which he hit .316 and amassed 183 hits (2008). Four times, he scored 80 or more runs, though not since 2004. He batted .328 in 2007 but had only 174 at-bats. He can play second as well as short.

“It’s not official yet,” Acta said. “So I’m not commenting on it.”

Who’s No. 5?

Kevin Slowey is the favorite to win the fifth spot in the rotation. He is coming off a horrid season in which he was winless in eight decisions and was hampered by two injuries.

However, Acta thinks there was another problem.

“Slowey is kind of like Josh Tomlin [in that he doesn’t throw hard],” Acta said. “We felt that he was off a little in his mechanics and his location. A guy like him can’t be off by much before it has an effect.”

Done deal

The trade of Kelvin De La Cruz to the Rangers became official Tuesday with the Tribe receiving cash to complete the deal.

De La Cruz, 23, pitched for the Double-A Aeros the past two seasons, posting s 5-6 record and 4.19 ERA in 23 appearances, 16 of them starts.

Overcrowding

So many players are in camp (62), the Tribe has run out of locker space in the major-league clubhouse. Consequently, four pitchers are sharing: Danny Salazar and Chen-Chang Lee in one locker, Austin Adams and Tyler Sturdevant in another.

Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SheldonOckerABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

If oddsmakers put us at 86.5 they are making that judgment with knowledge and stats, not with emotions and frustration of us fans. So maybe they're right.

Choo is the offensive key. If he returns to normal we have a corps of solid multi-talented hitters in Kipnis, Choo and Cabrera and Santana. That's a good start.