Cleveland Sports Forum

He’s certainly been a different pitcher since June 1 (6-4 record, 3.03 ERA in the 11 starts that preceded Saturday’s short outing) than he was beforehand (6.75 ERA in April, 5.45 ERA in May).

Says it all. That's 11 starts.

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Yahoo! Contributor Network
Ex-Indians pitcher Alex White happy to be out of Cleveland: A fan’s perspective
By Paul Rados, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Aug 2, 1:30 pm EDT


tweet6EmailPrint"Denver or Cleveland, Denver or Cleveland? Let's be honest, I'll take Denver. With the exception of a few people." This was the tweet sent out by Alex White(notes) (@Alex_White6) at 11:47 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 2.



The Cleveland Indians.

MLB.com
There were fans upset when Alex White was included in the deal that brought Ubaldo Jimenez(notes) to the Cleveland Indians. For this young pitcher, that does not seem to matter. What loyalties does he have to the city? None. He simply pitched a few games here.


As fans of any sports team, we have close emotional ties to the team and to specific players. What we often do not realize is that our love for them is often not reciprocated. Gone are the days where players dedicate their careers to a specific team. It is a new era now where players chase either big contracts or championships.


Did Alex White say anything that bad? Not really, but is it necessary to give a smack in the face to the fans who supported you and were ready to cheer you on in your young career? We know our city does not have the draw of others. We are a hard-working blue-collar city that loves our sports teams. We love our professional athletes wholeheartedly until they break our hearts.


White did not leave the Indians organization as a free agent opting for big money or more fame. For Tribe fans, he was a victim in a trade. We didn't want to see him go. White and Drew Pomeranz were to be our one-two punch of the future.


A classier thing to do would be to thank the fans for all the support they have given. To go on a public forum, such as Twitter, and make a comment like that to such a passionate fan base shows a serious lack of maturity. You have every right to be happy. You may have no ties to our humble city that we happily call home, but what positive can come out of such a public comment?


More MLB Commentary from this Contributor:


Indians' legitimacy to be tested in Boston: A fan's perspective


Analysis of Cleveland Indians deals at the trade deadline: A fan's perspective


Indians acquire a true ace in Ubaldo Jimenez: A fan's perspective


Sources:


Twitter- Alex White (@Alex_White6) on Twitter


Paul Rados is a lifelong Cleveland Indians fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados

This is the one thing that few people understand about how difficult of a job that Cleveland's pro teams have. Few players want to live anywhere near Cleveland in their lifetime.

Tribe better play their asses off the rest of this road trip.

Otherwise they'll end up 5+ games behind the Tigers. I don't think they have the stuff to make too big a comeback .

White also said that the trade was a stupid move.

I think he is just bitter that he got traded.

If White really posted that it is bush league and really unusual for a tar heel.

We kept the guy with the team the whole time he was injured, that alone should have told him to keep his mouth shut.

I was thinking of checking the Tribe out in Arlington this weekend, but now I think I'll save my time and money.

Optimism is pretty much just a 24-hour virus in Cleveland.

White really said and posted it. You may not know the author of the article but Paul Rado is a local media guy.

rusty2 wrote:White really said and posted it. You may not know the author of the article but Paul Rado is a local media guy.

That's what I thought when I first read it, but Paul Rado was the guy on WTAM, who used to be on with Triv. This guy has an S at the end of his name, though: Rados.

A classier thing to do would be to thank the fans for all the support they have given. To go on a public forum, such as Twitter, and make a comment like that to such a passionate fan base shows a serious lack of maturity. You have every right to be happy. You may have no ties to our humble city that we happily call home, but what positive can come out of such a public comment?



I think Donna is my only witness, but on the day Brian Anderson was plucked from us in the expansion draft following the '97 season, a post seemingly from him appeared on the old Akron Beacon Journal Board.

The post thanked Cleveland fans for all their support and added that he was excited about his new opportunities in Arizona.....but would miss Cleveland.

I did as much sleuthing as one could do on the internet in 1997, and it appeared the post was from a legit Indians organization address.

Less than an hour after the post appeared, it was deleted.

Not surprising on Anderson since he was a local guy.

JR, yes there is an S but most people only recognize Rado from the pronounciation by Triv.

rusty2 wrote:Not surprising on Anderson since he was a local guy.

JR, yes there is an S but most people only recognize Rado from the pronounciation by Triv.

I found this:
http://www.paulradoent.com/index.php?op ... &Itemid=37

But clearly, the Indians didn't get enough at the deadline, even though they really tried very hard and even though they traded with the Cubs for outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. The Indians had interest in Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, but he said he wouldn't approve a trade to Cleveland because he was more comfortable staying in the National League (he was dealt to the Giants). They actively pursued A's outfielder Josh Willingham, but the asking price was way too high (Willingham stayed in Oakland). They went aggressively after Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick, but the Padres wouldn't make the trade without Taiwanese right-handed pitcher Chen-Chang Lee (currently at Triple-A Columbus) in the deal, and the Indians said no (Ludwick went to Pittsburgh).

Now the Indians are left with an offense that has struggled mightily since the 30-15 start. And that offense likely will continue to labor without injured outfielders Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore, who are out for another three weeks and a month, respectively. Acta recently spoke to some of his veteran hitters -- there aren't many of them; Hafner is one -- and told them that the team needs even more out of them. The Indians have two good young hitters in 24-year-old second baseman Jason Kipnis ("He's a tough kid, a real grinder," Acta said) and 21-year-old third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall ("Look at that short stoke he has, he has a great swing," Acta said), but flipping those guys into the middle of a pennant race and asking them to produce might be too much to ask of two players so young.

It is clear that the only way the Indians are going to pass the Tigers and hold off the White Sox and Twins in the AL Central is to outpitch everyone. And Jimenez at least gives them a chance. Half the people you talk to believe Jimenez is still an ace despite his drop in velocity from 96 to 93 mph in the past year or so. The other half are suspicious about why the Rockies would trade an ace, believing that something must be wrong with him. Physically, there doesn't appear to be, although at least one team (the Yankees) was worried enough about Jimenez's health that it wanted him to take a physical before it agreed to a trade, a request the Rockies denied. There is mild concern that Jimenez's delivery is so complicated, being able to repeat it has been difficult, and will continue to be.


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The Rockies traded him mainly because they badly underachieved this season and, as a mid-market team, they can't plan things year-to-year; they have to do so in three-year blocks. And that's where White and Pomeranz come in. Way down the list of reasons the Rockies were willing to deal Jimenez was that earlier this year, very briefly, Jimenez pouted about not getting a contract extension. He put himself above the team -- again, very briefly -- and that violated the extremely high standards set by the Rockies.

Now the expectations are high for Jimenez in Cleveland. We blast teams for not doing enough at the trade deadline, and some have blasted the Indians for doing too much, taking too big a risk for a rebuilding team, at the deadline. This trade can't be evaluated for another two years until we see how Jimenez does in Cleveland, and how White and Pomeranz do in Colorado. The evaluation process will begin Friday night in Texas when Jimenez will make his first start as a member of the Indians. Rest assured that he won't have someone warming up next to him.


Tim Kurkjian is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. His book "Is This a Great Game, or What?" was published by St. Martin's Press and is available in paperback. Click here to order a copy.


Follow Tim Kurkjian on Twitter: @Kurkjian_ESPN

I had heard the Padres were asking for Chen for Ludwick.

Bill (Denver, Co)


Keith - I have seen you mention on different instances that there are some scouts who believe both White and Pomeranz could eventually end up in relief roles. I believe you quoted one scout who said Pomeranz would end up in the pen "because he only has two above average pitches." If both guys ends up in the pen, did the Rockies give away 2.5 years of Ubaldo for a mediocre return?

Klaw (1:14 PM)


I did quote one scout who said that on Pomeranz, but that is not my opinion on the player, nor is it a consensus opinion. I think Pomeranz will have at least a solid-average changeup and like the fact that he's already cleaned up his delivery. As long as the Rockies don't matzek him, he'll be a starter.