Cleveland Sports Forum

World Series starts Wednesday.

Rusty likely sees it as "the two cocaine addicts versus the drunk."

I'll be watching as much as I can, and firmly pulling for Texas.

If LaRussa happens to win, I can still be pacified by remembering he does super work for abandoned animals out here, and has a couple of other causes I care about he supports personally and well. Most of my baseball fan life I have not liked LaRussa, "the lawyer manager," but I have softened a tad in recent years.

Well at least it is true.

You can always root for Dave Duncan.

Nope.

Dave Duncan sucked as an active player with The Tribe.

I was in attendance in the cheap seats for many of the 1974 games when Duncan batted .200 as a starter in 136 games, as I have now checked and verified and reconciled with the 12 packs of Stroh's I carried into Municipal with my friends just to see him hit weakly.

Best part of the personal version of That '70's Show for me was that I had the opportunity to chat with Dennis Eckersley in the bullpen in his rookie year.

Oh wait, he was a drunk too.....though Tony LaRussa resurrected his career and paved Eckersley's path to Cooperstown.

I also shared a bag of peanuts in the bullpen with Alan Ashby one night as we chatted.

Alan Ashby supported Gerald Ford over Jimmy Carter in 1976. We had a lot of time to talk, and I had a big bag of peanuts.

Alan Ashby did not request a swig from any of my ice cold beers during the game.

He was a Cleveland Indian, not a member of the Boston Red Sox.

Where is J.R.?

Hopefully just cocooning and enjoying life as Autumn stares at the soon coming time change, and then looking forward to the embrace of the darkness along with the fireside and social warmth of Winter nights.

Or maybe he's doing other stuff....

Thanks for noting my absence from the forum, CALI.

I'm in Florida until mid-November, and the wifi in my condo is intermittent.

Well! On that warm note JR, it's 52 degress here in Rolling Meadows and SNOWING !!

I kid you not!

I was following some storm clouds from Elgin to Rolling Meadows. The clouds were in the east and sun was shining to the west.

I got home and lo & behold, it started to snow. Only lasted for about 3 minutes. Wet stuff. Melted immediately on impact but with the sun shining towards the black skies as a backdrop, the snows were a sight to see. That was followed by the largest (widest) rainbow I ever saw. Both firsts for me during my 67 years here. That rainbow had the full spectrum of color with it. AWESOME!

Jordan Bastian on Twitter:
"Indians not saying anything officially. But here's what's expected to come Monday: Sizemore option declined & Carmona option picked up."

For what it's worth, I would have made those same moves with Sizemore and Carmona.

Hey J.R.,

Beach Blanket Bingo with Frankie and Annette airs on TCM later this evening.....11:15PM my time.

For stays of that duration in Florida, you are nearly an official "snowbird!"

It's official...Tribe declined Grady Sizemore's option for 2012 making him a free agent. They did pick up Carmona's option.

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have declined the 2012 club for Grady Sizemore and exercised Fausto Carmona's option.

Sizemore is a free agent. His option was worth $9 million.

Carmona's option is worth $7 million.

Sizemore, whose career has been slowed by injuries over the last three hits, appeared in just 71 games last season. He hit .224 (60-for-268) with 21 doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 34 RBI.
Carmona went 7-15 with a 5.25 ERA.

Sources: Braves trade Derek Lowe
ESPN.com news services

The Atlanta Braves have traded Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians, sources tell ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney.

Law: Lowe Can Help Indians

The Derek Lowe trade accomplished two things, writes ESPN.com's Keith Law: The Indians get a veteran pitcher who induces ground balls, while the Braves get some salary relief. Blog

Lowe was traded for left-handed pitching prospect Chris Jones, a source familiar with the trade told Olney.

The Braves are eating all but $5 million of the $15 million remaining on the last year of Lowe's contract, sources told Olney.

Lowe went 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA in 34 appearances for the Braves in 2011. The 15-year veteran right-hander has a career record of 166-146 with a 3.94 ERA.

The Braves also picked up their club option on utility player and pinch-hitter Eric Hinske. The team did not release terms on their 2012 contract for Hinske.

Atlanta confirmed it has declined its club option on outfielder Nate McLouth.

Hinske, the AL rookie of the year with Toronto in 2002, has a .252 career batting average with 134 homers. McLouth hit .228 last season and was not part of the team's plans in center field after the midseason trade for Michael Bourn.

Wow. That's crazy. I don't care about the money or the player, but is there any reason to believe Lowe can turn it around? A 5.05 ERA in the National League = "not as good as Carmona."

Also, there's a report that LaRussa is retiring. I don't think he managed all that great a Series, but the record book will always say he won, so there it is.

$5 mill for one year of Lowe is a good gamble IMO. He has the potential to be a solid bottom of the rotation guy.