Cleveland Sports Forum

civ ollilavad wrote:

Curt Schilling is a Republican. Cleveland proper is not a very accepting place for conservative Republicans.

You don't really think that's how Free Agents choose where they're signing do you? If it's the case, we just need to target all the left-wing right-handed hitting OF's.

Matt Damon, Ben Affleck planning movie on Yankees' wife swap: Book of Norman

Published: Monday, February 27, 2012, 8:05 AM


By Norman Chad, Special to The Plain Dealer


AP File
The Kekiches, left, and the Petersons: Susanne, Mike, Marilyn and Fritz. In late 1972, Yankees pitchers and close friends Kekich and Peterson decided to swap wives -- and lives, including their children and pets. A proposed movie about the incident, sporting the working title "The Trade," has garnered the attention of actors and bosom buddies Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.
Crawling gingerly toward big-screen reality — nothing happens quickly in Hollywood, other than Joan Rivers’ plastic surgeries — is a Ben Affleck/Matt Damon film production of the infamous Mike Kekich-Fritz Peterson 1970s wife swap.


A few years ago they made a movie about Ruffian, a Champion filly who gamely kept running in a match race against Foolish Pleasure. Foolish Pleasure was the winner of the first Kentucky Derby I attended. For the record, my $$ was on Master Derby in that Kentucky Derby won by Foolish Pleasure.

I watched the match race between Ruffian and Foolish Pleasure, and followed the story over the next hours.

Knowing the story well, I have chosen not to watch the somewhat recent Ruffian movie. I already know the ending.

Likewise, I will not watch any Damon-Affleck flick about Kekich and Peterson.

I remember THAT story, and the resultant decades, all to well.

I do think Damon is a fine and talented actor.

Indians notebook: Kipnis likes hitting second, will have to settle for seventh

[I agree with Kipnis. I'd hit Asdrubal 1st and Brantley 9th -- he had an On Base Pct of 318, that does not belong at the top of the order. BTW he and Kipnis are almost exactly the same age, 25 in April and May; Kipnis can stand the top of the order as well as Brantley and has already he can produce much more.]

By Sheldon Ocker

GOODYEAR, Ariz.: It all started with Jason Kipnis telling a reporter that he prefers to bat in the second spot in the Indians’ lineup.

Kipnis has no plans to make his desire known to manager Manny Acta or go into the tank if he doesn’t end up hitting behind the leadoff batter. Just that second is where he enjoys hitting the most.

Acta was asked about that possibility and shot it down immediately.

“We like the kid, but we don’t want to put too much pressure on him, when there are healthy guys who can bat ahead of him,” Acta said. “He can bat second or lower, depending on who else we have.

“Everyone has to adjust to the people we have. [Shin-Soo] Choo, [Travis] Hafner and other guys who’ve been around longer are healthy, and they will hit in front of him.

“I understand guys like to hit second or play shortstop or center field, but life is what it is. I was crushed when they told me I had to move from short to second base. They didn’t tell me my arm wasn’t good enough, they just told me I had to move.”

Reporters have teased Acta about the makeup of his lineup for a week, and he has responded in kind, saying he would reveal one spot in the batting order per week. Last week it was Carlos Santana batting cleanup.

On Monday, however, Acta feigned exasperation with questions about Kipnis’ place in the lineup and yelled, “You guys know what the lineup is going to be, it doesn’t have to come from me.”

Then Acta announced the lineup:

1. Michael Brantley

2. Asdrubal Cabrera

3. Choo

4. Santana

5. Hafner

6. Casey Kotchman

7. Kipnis

There’s no telling who the eighth and ninth batters will be, because the identities of the third baseman (either Lonnie Chisenhall or Jack Hannahan) and the left fielder (cast of thousands) is still up in the air.

Remember him?

Five months after undergoing reconstructive surgery on his right elbow, Carlos Carrasco has begun a throwing program, playing catch from 60 feet.

The usual sequence is to advance from 60 feet to 90 then 120. Eventually Carrasco will begin throwing bullpen sessions, but he probably will not be activated to play in the big leagues until September, at the earliest.

Leadership vacuum?

For the past couple of seasons, while the team has been rebuilt, leadership has been a secondary goal to finding quality players.

But with the Tribe expecting to compete for a berth in the postseason, the issue is relevant again.

“A lot of these young guys came up around the same time,” Acta said. “Because they’re young, they didn’t really want to step forward.

“Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore will lead by example, but they’re quiet guys who don’t get in people’s faces.”

Beginning last season, Acta encouraged Asdrubal Cabrera to take a more prominent role in the clubhouse.

“Asdrubal was here in 2007 [when the club made the playoffs], and he has taken a step forward. When he felt he needed to say something, he did.”

Indians Sizemore Undergoes Surgery, Out 2 to 3 Months

4:07 pm, March 1, 2012, by John Telich



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CLEVELAND, Ohio –

Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore underwent back surgery this morning and will miss significant time in his recovery.

The procedure was a micro disectomy, performed on his lower back. Sizemore will need eight weeks to 12 weeks to fully recover. The veteran hurt his back a few weeks ago fielding a ground ball. The Indians shut him down to let the back recover, but Thursday’s news means further work was needed.

Sizemore went from a time, where in four seasons, he averaged 159 games played per campaign. The last three years, he has only averaged 70 games played a year.

The Indians signed him to a one-year contract, worth $5 million with incentives thrown in.

The Indians are in their first full week of camp. Opening day is April 5.

WHAT?
They said he would only miss a few weeks, and might be ready for opening day.
How can you injure your back fielding a grounder so badly that you need surgery???
Something bigger must be going on with Grady.

Really don't know why the Indians thought they could rely on Sizemore for anything. You'd think the last 2 seasons would have clued them in.

It's hardly shocking news even though I was hoping they guy could stay healthy for more than 5 minutes.

The annoying part is based on their spending this this winter that money could have been better used elsewhere.

Now you have to wonder if Sizemore knew something the Indians didn't know. He signed so quickly after becoming a free agent and I can't believe it was because he loved Cleveland.

You also have to call bullshit on that strory they fed to Hoynes about fielding ground balls in the outfield.

seagull wrote:Now you have to wonder if Sizemore knew something the Indians didn't know. He signed so quickly after becoming a free agent and I can't believe it was because he loved Cleveland.

You also have to call bullshit on that strory they fed to Hoynes about fielding ground balls in the outfield.

The Sizemore kid at 3B for The Athletics tore his ACL in the opening drill of Spring Training.

Perhaps better to be Kardashian, than a Sizemore.

seagull wrote:Now you have to wonder if Sizemore knew something the Indians didn't know. He signed so quickly after becoming a free agent and I can't believe it was because he loved Cleveland.

You also have to call bullshit on that strory they fed to Hoynes about fielding ground balls in the outfield.

I thought the exact same thing when reading about the injury. I agree with you.

Could they void his contract over that?

GOODYEAR, ARIZ.: It’s hard to believe [not for many of us it isn't], but Grady Sizemore probably will miss at least three months of the Indians’ season after undergoing surgery Thursday to repair a herniated disc in Miami.

It’s hard to believe because after all of Sizemore’s physical travails the past three years, it didn’t seem possible that there was any part of his body that hadn’t already been breached by a scalpel or an arthroscope. The latest procedure was his sixth since Sept. 9, 2009.

Recovery time is eight to 12 weeks, although Tribe officials weren’t entirely clear on whether Sizemore is likely to be playing on some sort of rehab assignment or be back in center field for the big-league club three months out.

In any case, Sizemore’s latest setback doesn’t change much for Indians manager Manny Acta, who had to come up with a replacement for Sizemore anyway. It was a week ago the team announced that the center fielder would miss at least the first couple of weeks of the schedule with a lower back strain, a result of bending over for a ground ball.

But head trainer Lonnie Soloff said that club officials have known the problem was a herniated disc for two weeks.

“First of all, I feel bad for Grady,” Acta said. “It seems like he can’t catch a break the last couple of years. But reports from the surgeon say that we could have him back for the majority of the season.

“What this does is open a spot for someone. I’m very happy with the amount [quantity does not equal quality, but considering what Grady has produced lately, the quality is not likely to suffer much if at all] of guys here. Are we a better team with Grady? Of course, but I’m satisfied with the guys in camp.”

The position to be filled almost surely will be left field.

“I’ll be blunt with you guys,” Acta said. “The only way Michael [Brantley] plays left is if Ezequiel Carrera wins the job in center. Other than that, nobody in camp is a better center fielder.”

Carrera was introduced to the major leagues in May, executing a bunt single to drive in the game winner against the Cincinnati Reds in his first at-bat. He was touted as an above-average defender who can run, but he is not a polished player and committed four errors in 64 games.

“It was a tough scenario for him to come up in the middle of a pennant race,” Acta said. “I see him as a very capable player down the road. Whether that will be April 5, I can’t say.”
There are a host of players who might supplant Brantley, when he moves from left to center. The problem: Most of them were signed as needle-in-a-haystack candidates, that is, nonroster invitees on minor-league contracts who received invitations to big-league camp.

Maybe foremost among this group is Ryan Spilborghs, who batted .210 with three homers and 22 RBI in 98 games (200 at-bats) for the Colorado Rockies last year. But those humble numbers might not tell the real story about Spilborghs, who the previous season batted .279 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI in 134 games (388 at-bats).

Acta speaks well of Spilborghs, mentioning his track record and his ability to play all three outfield positions.

Other nonroster outfielders include Felix Pie, Chad Huffman, Fred Lewis and Trevor Crowe. Among players with spots on the 40-man roster are Aaron Cunningham, Thomas Neal and Matt LaPorta, though Acta said LaPorta probably would spend most of his time at first base.

General Manager Chris Antonetti doesn’t seem to be in a rush to seek a left fielder outside the organization, at least that is the impression he wants to impart.

“We’re always looking for ways to improve the roster,” he said. “But I think we have alternatives right here in camp.”

The procedure that University of Miami doctor Barth Green performed on Sizemore is called a microdiscectomy and involves inserting a scope into the lower back to view the extent and location of the damage and making a small incision to remove the damaged portions of the disc, sometimes using a laser.

Soloff said the disc was pressing against a nerve that affected Sizemore’s ability to activate his calf muscle. Before deciding on surgery, it was thought Sizemore might be able to relieve the symptoms by undergoing a rehab program, but that didn’t work.

The decision to re-sign Sizemore in the wake of his injury history will be a flashpoint for fans. Antonetti believed that the most prudent choice was to take a chance that Sizemore would regain full health. The Tribe was on the hook for only one year at a guaranteed salary of $5 million.

“We understood there were some risks when we signed him,” Antonetti said. “That’s why we tried to build in some other choices.”

Antonetti said there was no reason to examine Sizemore’s back before signing him to the one-year deal.

“He has no history of back injury,” Antonetti said.

Soloff said that Sizemore will not be idle for long. There will be a week or two of inactivity followed by an aggressive rehab program.

Is there any connection between Sizemore’s knee injuries (left and right), sports hernias (two) and the herniated disc? Soloff said there was no way to be certain, but players sometimes compensate for one injury by putting more pressure on another part of the body, so it’s possible.

but players sometimes compensate for one injury by putting more pressure on another part of the body

Non athletes do too, as we all are aware.

This is report on Thursday game.

GOODYEAR, Ariz.: The Indians have been saying that Russ Canzler can hit.

So far, he’s making them look good. It’s so early in camp, exhibition games have yet to begin, but Canzler took advantage of the second and last intrasquad game of the spring to demonstrate his offensive prowess.

He walloped the first pitch he saw off Scott Barnes in the third inning, driving the ball halfway up the batter’s eye that rises 50 feet above the center-field fence.

The home run, which probably would have traveled some 445 feet had it not crashed against the high screen, was all the flashier in that the bases were loaded.

Two innings later, Canzler singled home another run, giving him all five of his team’s RBI.

The Tribe acquired Canzler from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash on Jan. 31. Last year, he batted .314 with 18 home runs and 83 RBI in 474 at-bats for Triple-A Durham. He also appeared in three big-league games and went 1-for-3.

Why would the Rays give up a promising offensive player without getting someone in return? He is not the most polished defender.

“I think he would be the first to tell you his best position is first base rather than left field,” said manager Manny Acta, who added that Canzler would concentrate his efforts on improving as a first baseman.

Even though it was only an intrasquad game, Acta was paying attention.

“When guys do good, they make an impression,” he said. “When they don’t, [we say] it’s too early. That’s the way it works. But he’s an interesting guy.”

Hitter’s day

Canzler wasn’t the only player mashing.

Nick Weglarz produced two doubles and Michel Hernandez and Cord Phelps had one apiece. Hernandez also singled. Felix Pie homered with nobody on to drive in the final run that tied the score 5-5, which is how the five-inning game ended.

There was a brisk breeze blowing directly out to center field, which didn’t hurt the many drives hit in that direction.

And there was pitching

Each of 10 pitchers threw one inning, with Derek Lowe leading off the parade by retiring the side in order on three ground balls.

Chris Ray pitched a clean inning, striking out two; Jeanmar Gomez retired all three batters he faced; Zach Mc-Allister and Corey Kluber also retired the side in order.

Two pitchers struggled: Barnes, who gave up four runs on four hits and a walk, and Danny Salazar, who allowed four runs on six hits, retiring only two batters. [Salazar will probably last a couple weeks on teh 40 man roster. No idea why he went on in the first place.]

“The only guys that struggled were the kids,” Acta said. “That’s to be expected.”

Minor injury

Aaron Cunningham has been nursing a sore left hand the past few days.

“He took batting practice today,” Acta said. “He’ll probably be available for Saturday

GOODYEAR, Ariz.: Who else? Of course, manager Manny Acta named Justin Masterson the Indians’ Opening Day starter Friday.

Masterson not only is the logical choice, but also he’s the only choice after being:

A. The workhorse of the staff

B. The most dominating presence among the starters

C. The starter who displayed maximum consistency

D. The club’s hard-luck pitcher, the man who more than anyone in the rotation did more with less.

“This honor is well deserved,” Acta said. “Coming into the season last year, we knew Justin had the stuff. But he had a rough season the year before learning to be a starter.

“But last year when teams rolled into town, they wanted to know if they were going to see him or not. That’s what a No. 1 starter is.”

Opposing hitters didn’t have much fun facing Masterson, who compiled a 12-10 record and 3.21 ERA in 33 starts and one relief appearance. He pitched 216 innings and suffered through a serious scoring drought. The offense scored two or fewer runs in 11 of his starts and one or no runs seven times, probably costing him at least four or five wins.

So Acta’s choice was not difficult.

“Not at all,” he said. “All I had to do was wait for him to come to camp, see him throw on the side and make sure his shoulder was sound.”

Over the winter, Masterson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left (non-throwing) shoulder to repair a tear in the labrum.

Did the injury bother Masterson last year?

“Probably,” Acta said. “But he never said anything about it.”

Whatever problems the discomfort caused have disappeared.

“My shoulder feels tremendous now,” Masterson said. “I’m not saying that I don’t know I had surgery, but it hasn’t affected me when I’m throwing. The only time it affected me is in the very last game of the season.

“It’s been an issue since 2007, when I had to drain the cyst [that developed from the tear]. I knew I would have to deal with it.”

Then Masterson got technical.

“My shoulder juice was leaking out,” he said, a slight smile on his face.

Masterson hasn’t been dwelling on being the Opening Day starter.

“I wasn’t really thinking about it,” he said. “But it’s a neat thing. My philosophy has always been that each time you start, you have to be the ace that day. You want to be the tone setter if you’re the Opening Day starter.”

When Masterson started, the Tribe lost 2-1 three times, 1-0 twice and 3-2 once. But no matter the level of frustration Masterson might have felt internally, he never showed his disappointment in public, and he never pointed fingers.

“His background and his personality fit well in [dealing] with that kind of stuff,” Acta said. “Nothing got to him.”

To Masterson’s way of thinking, that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

“Sometimes the mental toughness I had to exercise was in talking to the media,” he said. “You can only control what you can control. I don’t have any control after the ball leaves my hand.”

Masterson viewed his lack of run support as his problem. If the offense gave him two runs, it was his job to allow no more than one.

“You don’t want your head to get too big,” he said. “You have to stay humble, remain on an even keel. You don’t want to start thinking you’re so great — ‘Look at me’ — because there’s always somebody better.”

Masterson had to convince his bosses that he was a starter rather than a reliever.

Before he was traded to the Tribe in July of 2009, the Boston Red Sox were convinced that Masterson belonged in the bullpen. After he came to the Indians, club officials were split, but the consensus was that Masterson should start.

His problem: At 6-foot-6, 250 pounds, Masterson had difficulty repeating his delivery for six or seven innings. The Indians stuck with him through a fitful 2010 season, in which he posted a 6-13 record and 4.70 ERA.

“He was able to maintain his mechanics [last year], which is something he had trouble with,” Acta said. “He was used to coming out of the bullpen and maintaining his mechanics for one inning, which is a lot different than doing it for 110 pitches.”

Masterson said the key for him in 2011 was “pounding the strike zone and getting ahead.”

Others might not have been so sure Masterson would make it as a starter, but he was confident.

“There’s no arrogance in this,” he said, “but I know what I should be able to do.”

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Outfielder Ryan Spilborghs' right heel is healthy. The plantar fasciitis that put him on the disabled list twice last year with the Rockies has been rectified, but Spilborghs is taking no chances.

He still sleeps with a protective boot on his right foot.

"I do not want that thing to ever come back," said Spilborghs, a right-handed hitter. "I'm super vigilant because the last thing I want, especially with the amount of injuries this outfield had last year, was to come in here with an injury from the past and not be 100 percent."

Spilborghs is one of 10 pure outfielders in camp trying to win a starting job with the Indians. The job opening will most likely be in left field, but that doesn't matter to Spilborghs. He played all three outfield positions with the Rockies from 2005 through '11.

Last year, Spilborghs had cortisone shots and PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) treatments on the heel. PRP involves taking the athlete's blood, spinning it and injecting it into the injured area. He played just 98 games, struggling to run and hit because of the injury.

"To my detriment, I decided not to go on the DL when I probably should have," said Spilborghs. "I hurt myself in that regard. People think you're not the player you once were. That's not the case."

The Indians signed him to a minor-league deal after he was non-tendered by the Rockies.

"My goal is to make this team out of camp," said Spilborghs, 32. "I think if I prove I'm healthy and they see my approach and the way I play the game that they would try to make a spot for me to help this club."

Warming up: Lefty David Huff will start for the Indians in today's Cactus League opener against the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.

Jeremy Accardo, Nick Hagadone, Frank Herrmann, Chen Lee, Danny Salazar, Chris Seddon, Tyler Sturdevant and Robinson Tejeda will follow Huff.

The Reds will start right-hander Mike Leake.

'''The Reds are the home team today, but will use the DH. The two teams play each other Sunday and Monday. The Indians will be the home team on Sunday.

Ubaldo Jimenez will face Cincinnati's Homer Bailey on Sunday. Justin Masterson will start for the Tribe on Monday against Reds right-hander Johnny Cueto.

Baby steps: Carlos Carrasco, recovering from Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, will start playing catch at 75 feet Monday. By the end of March, he hopes to be throwing at 90 to 105 feet, but the earliest he could be pitching in games is sometime late this season.

"I'm just going every day step by step," said Carrasco. "I know this is going to take a while. Maybe I can pitch at the end of this year or next season." Finally: The Indians will meet with representatives from the players association at 8:30 a.m. Friday. It was announced that MLB will go to a 10-team format for the postseason starting this year. A second wild card will be added to each league and the players have to approve that move.

For the curious, under the new system, the 2000 and 2005 Indians would have qualified for the postseason as the second wild card team. The Indians won 90 games in 2000 and 93 in 2005.