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This guy needs to go to jail

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Former Indians Pitcher Alex White Facing “Extreme DUI”
March 6, 2012 By Scott Leave a Comment

Alex White, the former first-round selection by the Cleveland Indians, may be staring at an extreme case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Otherwise considered a “choir boy” by his current general manager Dan O’Dowd, White could be facing charges of ”extreme” DUI – Driving Under the Inflence — after recording a blood-alcohol level of .174, more than double the legal limit of .08 and exactly 50 points shy of Grady Sizemore’s 2011 batting average.

Pulled over in Scottsdale, Arizona, the term “extreme” is something derived via Arizona state law to magnify any influence-based arrest that involves any BAC levels north of .15.

White admitted to having two drinks prior to his arrest, occuring just after 9pm on Saturday.

“It’s very unfortunate, and I’m completely embarrassed,” said White. “It was very stupid, and I let down a lot of people, most important my family, this organization and the fans. That’s not the type of person I am.”

White was traded to Colorado in 2011, along with pitcher Drew Pomeranz, in a deal that netted the Indians right-handed pitcher Ubaldo Jiménez.

There's alot of guys out there that can't count above 2.

First-time Extreme DUI

CLASS OF CRIME Class 1 Misdemeanor
MAXIMUM JAIL Six (6) months
MINIMUM JAIL 30 days
COUNSELING A drug/alcohol screening will be performed. The results of the screening can affect the duration of counseling.
MINIMUM FINE $250 + surcharge
ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL PENALTY $250 assessment to the Arizona DUI Abatement Fund; additional $1000 to State Prison Fund.
PROBATION 5 years (maximum)

Driver’s License Consequences

SUSPENSION 90 days (work permit after 30 days)
INTERLOCK DEVICE Required

Those must have been 2 pretty tall drinks.

I've done some "testing" demonstrations as a part of my job as safety manager, (purely in the name of science and safety training). Three Canadian beers @ 7% alcohol content in about 45-50 minutes put me at .038 BAC, and at that time I weighed around 230 lbs. It quickly went down from there. I would say I felt a slight buzz, made more noticeable because we were in a class room setting. Two other guinea pigs had similar results to me, both were fairly big guys.

I assume White is somewhere north of 200 lbs, maybe as much as 230 (I forget his stats). To get to a .174 BAC he must have been pounding them down pretty good, unless he has diabetes or some similar disorder where he can't metabolize alcohol. Driving at that level would be pretty dangerous.

White was celebrating UNC's win over Duke.

Interesting that both prospects White and Pomeranz that the Indians traded have had run ins with the law that involved alcohol.

Well there you have it. Contrary to what some were trying to make us believe, the shock, shame, and humiliation of being traded away from Cleveland will drive a person to the bottle.

VT'er wrote:

Interesting that both prospects White and Pomeranz that the Indians traded have had run ins with the law that involved alcohol.

Well there you have it. Contrary to what some were trying to make us believe, the shock, shame, and humiliation of being traded away from Cleveland will drive a person to the bottle.

Or, give them a reason to party?

White is 6-3 215.

Other interesting numbers for White: Last season with the Rockies he had an ERA of 8.30 and gave up 12 homers in 36 innings.

The interesting thing is that white was the goody to shoes of the white pomeranz duo. Another interesting question related to that trade is what is ubaldo's real name and how old is he? For that matter is Santana really Perez. Wonder how old Carracci really is?

a. Who is Carracci? I;'m not familiar with him

b. I take you are saying that all Latin players are cheats, based on the fact that two are. that's a wee bit of an overgeneralization.

Jimenez looks to rediscover winning form


''This is a new start for me. I feel good and I look forward to be the pitcher I am capable of being.'' (Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE)

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Tracy Ringolsby is a Hall of Fame baseball writer. He is in his 37th year covering Major League Baseball, is a co-founder of Baseball America, and is in his fourth year as pregame and postgame analyst for Colorado Rockies games on Root Sports.
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March 7, 2012

Associated Press
PROVING GROUND: Cleveland starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez is one of many with much to prove this spring in Arizona. VIEW GALLERY »

GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Ubaldo Jimenez feels strong this spring.

He feels healthy.

He feels wanted.

What a difference a year makes for the Cleveland right-hander.

Originally signed by the Colorado Rockies, Jimenez used to think he would never pitch for another franchise. Then, prior to last season, the Rockies signed shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to long-term contracts. They put Jimenez, an All-Star in 2010 when he pitched the only no-hitter in franchise history, on hold.

Nothing personal, the Rockies said. Jimenez already had a contract that, with two options, gave the team control through 2014, so they felt it was wise to wait and see what happened. It was, after all, a team-friendly deal.

Plenty personal, Jimenez said, publicly admitting for the first time he went to spring training a year ago looking to be traded. He got his way, but it wasn't until July 30 when the Indians, looking for a proven arm to help them in a pennant race, dealt highly regarded prospects Alex White and Drew Pomeranz to the Rockies.

"I read in the paper that the Rockies said they were only going to sign two guys, they couldn't do three guys," Jimenez told FOXSports.com. "I was the third guy. They signed the two guys they were going to sign and they gave them more (years) and bigger (salaries). "

That left Jimenez uneasy when he reported to spring training a year ago.

And things went downhill from there.

That spring he suffered a cut in the cuticle on his right thumb, greatly affecting how he could grip a baseball. Then the cut became infected. And then he strained his groin, which affected the stride in his delivery.

He started Opening Day, but then went on the disabled list for 17 days. When he returned, he said, he wasn't healthy but he wanted to take a regular turn.

"The first two months of the season I tried to pitch through the problems, and I never was able to build up the arm strength for my velocity," said Jimenez, who went from upper 90s with his moving fastball in 2010 to high 80s, low 90s a year ago.

After going 19-8 with a 2.88 ERA despite calling Coors Field home in 2010, Jimenez was 6-9 with a 4.42 ERA at the time the Rockies traded him – though he had won five of his last seven decisions – and was only 4-4 with a 5.10 ERA in 11 starts for the Indians.

"It wasn't the season I feel I should have, but I am happy I kept pitching," said Jimenez. "I was not going to get traded if I was on the disabled list. I wanted to move from Colorado (from the start of last spring). It wasn't working for me with the team. So I was happy when I got traded."

Now, Jimenez wants to make sure the Indians are happy they traded for him. On July 30, the day Jimenez was acquired, the Indians were 53-51, second in the AL Central, 1.5 games back of Detroit. They went 27-31 the rest of the season, still in second but 15 games behind Detroit.

Jimenez wasn't enough to make a difference, and says he doesn't feel he was really himself.

"By the time I came to Cleveland my arm was fatigued, but I kept pitching," said Jimenez. "They had traded for me. I wasn't going to say I didn't want to pitch for my new team. I appreciated them trading for me. I wanted to help e team, but my velocity was never 100 percent."

This spring, Jimenez said, is different. He is healthy. He does have arm strength. And the Indians have added a veteran presence to the rotation.

They knew, after all, that last year's rotation, which ranked 10th in the AL with a 4.51 ERA, wasn't good enough. And they knew that any hope of Fausto Carmona bouncing back from his poor season (7-15) was going to be delayed because of legal issues he faces in his native Dominican Republic, where it was disclosed that Carmona, who claimed to be 28, is actually Roberto Hernandez Heredia, age 32.

So along with the addition of Jimenez last July, the Indians acquired Derek Lowe from Atlanta and Kevin Slowey from Colorado during the off-season. They also invited Jon Garland to spring training, although he never showed up for his physical and was removed from the spring roster.

"This is a new start for me," said Jimenez. "I feel good and I look forward to be the pitcher I am capable of being."

Jimenez feels so good that even a statistically ugly spring debut didn't create concern. He lasted only one inning in an 8-6 loss to Cincinnati on Sunday, allowing five runs, four unearned, on five hits. What Jimenez focused on was a fastball that was solidly in the 94-to-96 mile per hour range.

"You never want the score to be like that," he said, "but I was throwing a lot of strikes."

It was, said Jimenez, a step in the right direction.

And there are more major strides that Jimenez needs to take this spring to get back to being the pitcher he was two years ago.

Jack Hannahan not going to cede spot to Lonnie Chisenhall

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer

Published: March 6, 2012 - 01:02 AM

GOODYEAR, Ariz.: Last week, a member of the Indians’ press corps asked manager Manny Acta if Jack Hannahan’s excellence at third came as a surprise, or if Tribe baseball people knew he was a defensive wizard when he was signed as a free agent in the winter of 2010.

Acta fixed his gaze on the reporter in a way that said, “You should know this answer.”

Acta did answer the question, of course.

“Everybody in the major leagues knows that Hannahan is a very good third baseman,” Acta said.

Hannahan is so good that last spring the media was told repeatedly that Hannahan was on the team to make plays at third and that anything he contributed at the plate would be a bonus.

As the season played out, Hannahan didn’t quite follow the script. As promised, he played spectacularly at third, but he also became a positive factor at the plate, delivering several big hits early to help the Tribe stay hot in April and May, then found his swing again late in the year.

Straight shooter

Last spring Hannahan talked a lot about hitting the ball up the middle. He said he had gotten into bad habits trying to yank balls to right, buying into the idea that corner infielders are supposed to hit for power. But deep down, he knew he wasn’t that kind of hitter.

After batting .250 with eight home runs and 40 RBI in 320 at-bats, Hannahan knows he did the right thing last year. Granted, a .250 average isn’t going to get Hannahan any All-Star Game votes, but it is 20 points higher than his next previous best season.

“I’ve always played good defense,” Hannahan said. “That’s what got me to the big leagues and kept me in the big leagues. But by the end of the year, my offense caught up to my defense, so I’m excited to go into this year.”

His approach at the plate will be the same as last year — think middle of the field.

“That’s my strength,” he said. “You need to understand what kind of hitter you are. I’m a guy who’s not going to try to do too much. My strength is to go the other way. I had gotten into a position where I was trying to do too much to impress people, but you have to be yourself.”

Building on success

Hannahan came to camp last spring trying to make the roster. Jason Donald appeared to have the inside track as the starter at third, but early in camp he suffered an injury that took him out of the running. This spring, Hannahan came to camp as one of two competitors for the everyday third-base job. It will be either him or Lonnie Chisenhall, who made his major-league debut in 2011. Over the long haul, the Indians are counting on Chisenhall to be the regular, but for this season, Hannahan probably has the edge.

Why? His performance in 2011 demonstrated that he can handle the everyday job, not only in the field but offensively. Moreover, Chisenhall has options remaining — Hannahan does not.

Both Chisenhall and Hannahan bat from the left side, but Hannahan has made a career of hitting lefties well, and he seems to be improving. Last year, he hit .296 against left-handers, raising his career average to .249. Against righties, he batted .226 in 2011 and has a .224 average for his career.

“I’ve always hit lefties better than right-handers, even coming up through the minors,” Hannahan said. “In the big leagues, I started to struggle some against lefties, but I made an adjustment last spring. I tried to wait longer [on the pitch], let the ball get a little deeper.”

Competition upon arrival

Hannahan was briefed on his status when he came to camp.

“They said it’s going to be a competition,” he said. “One thing, we have a team full of sinkerballers, so we’re going to need to get outs.”

Sinkerball pitchers induce opposing batters to hit ground balls. Hannahan catches ground balls with the aplomb of few other infielders in the big leagues. In terms of his quest to become the regular at third, advantage Hannahan.

But as the veteran, he has encountered the Chisenhalls of the world before, players who played one position and were shifted to another. Chisenhall was drafted as a shortstop and has been making the transition to third ever since.

“When I was 25, I made 25 errors at Double-A,” he said. “I’m Lonnie’s biggest fan. He’s going to do a lot of special things in this game. I don’t know how many years I’m going to play, but when I leave I know he’ll be a very good third baseman.”

Hannahan wants to help.

“I was fortunate enough to play with guys who talked to me,” he said. “I’ll try to show Lonnie some of the tricks of the trade. The game is so fast, it’s tough for a young guy to come in and do everything right.”

Hannahan should know. He’s still discovering new tricks of the trade.

Ross Atkins, VP of Tribe Player Development, was just in the broadcast booth as The Tribe is on the MLB Network. I only caught the last couple minutes, but he was lavishly praising the work Travis Fryman is doing with young players coming into the system.

Tribe Fan in SC/Cali wrote:Ross Atkins, VP of Tribe Player Development, was just in the broadcast booth as The Tribe is on the MLB Network. I only caught the last couple minutes, but he was lavishly praising the work Travis Fryman is doing with young players coming into the system.

At least someone named Travis is contributing.

Uncle Dennis wrote:

Tribe Fan in SC/Cali wrote:Ross Atkins, VP of Tribe Player Development, was just in the broadcast booth as The Tribe is on the MLB Network. I only caught the last couple minutes, but he was lavishly praising the work Travis Fryman is doing with young players coming into the system.

At least someone named Travis is contributing.

Pronk will hold his own in 2012.....