Cleveland Sports Forum

Would the Indians be better off to try & pull off 3 separate deals involving Choo, Perez, & Asdruball, or pull off a 10+ player deal that maybe reshape the entire roster in one deal?

Peter Gammons ‏@pgammo

GM line::"If you give a longterm contract to a pitcher in his 30's, sooner or later you're going to be mailing cheques to the house

Old article, but I had not seen it. Maybe it was posted at the time. Do not remember.

Indians Pitcher Joe Smith Was Rejected From A Bar After The Old “I’m A Baseball Player” Routine Didn’t Work

by Dylan Murphy | 9:00 am, May 24th, 2012

Yeah, us too. We have no idea what Joe Smith looks like. When he and his “friend,” Allie LaForce, current sports reporter for Fox Sports Cleveland and former Miss Teen USA in 2005, tried to swindle their way into the Roundhouse Bar in Put-in-Bay, Ohio, neither did the bouncer. (We’ll leave the jokes concerning the town name up to you.)

Via NewsNet5:

“According to the report, Joe Smith tried to enter the bar without identification – and when bar security questioned his age, Smith told them he was a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians. Bar security did not accept that answer, and one of the people with Smith told police ‘Roundhouse security became rude and disrespectful.’ It was at this point in Smith’s explanation of events to police that the officer remarked in the report that ‘Mr. Smith became upset with me because I did already not know who he was.’

The report then said that the pitcher’s girlfriend leaned forward and stated, ‘He’s a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians!’ Smith told officers that a bar security member called him a name before removing him from the property, and then someone else tried to fight with Smith.

Officers then told Smith and his friend — both of whom had been placed in handcuffs — that no charges or citations would be issued. But before they left, the police report stated that the mother of Smith’s friend “held out a large folded stack of $100 bills to Ofc. Williams and said ‘Can you guys take a tip?’ The officer explained to the woman that ‘we would not be taking any gratuities,’ according to the report.”
Important: Joe Smith is 28 years old. And, in case you were wondering, he has posted a career E.R.A. of 3.13 in five years with the Mets and Indians. While his pronounced arrogance, that a random bouncer would lay out the red carpet for a not-even-starting pitcher, is undoubtedly enjoyable, more alarming ingredients of this story should catch your eye.

Who doesn’t carry his ID at all times? Maybe Smith simply didn’t have his wallet, but that begs further questions. Where did his wallet go? Did it disappear in a night of bar hopping and debauchery? Did Chris Perez steal it to boost attendance by financing more season tickets for Cleveland Indians fans? Why was LaForce’s mother present? Bars don’t appear to be the appropriate locale for some mother-daughter’s boyfriend mingling. And why was she carrying a stack of $100s? Only illicit activities require such a flashy, and large stipend.

But the best part of this story is the honest cop, who courteously refused the “tip” and eloquently addressed it by its proper name: a gratuity. It’s good to know that there are still some stand up cops out there. Luckily for Smith, and his entourage, no charges were filed and Smith is free to service the Indians’ bullpen as the team continues its outstanding start to the season.

Long time ago a friend told me that I looked like Wade Boggs. So when I had to go see a young doc about a toe problem he asked me (just making conversation, you know how this goes) what I "do," I said "I play third base for the Boston Red Sox." Doesn't matter that Vermont leans Red-Soxish, he thought I was serious.

VT'er wrote:Long time ago a friend told me that I looked like Wade Boggs. So when I had to go see a young doc about a toe problem he asked me (just making conversation, you know how this goes) what I "do," I said "I play third base for the Boston Red Sox." Doesn't matter that Vermont leans Red-Soxish, he thought I was serious.

Did he offer you some chicken?

Acta pleased with effort down the stretch

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 09/19/12 9:53 PM ET

CLEVELAND --

The Indians are no longer fighting for a place in the postseason, but that does not mean the ballclub is going out without a fight. In fact, the Tribe's decision makers are monitoring the players' efforts closely down the stretch.

So far, Indians manager Manny Acta has no complaints.

"They've been pretty good," Acta said prior to Wednesday's game against the Twins. "Some of those guys are obviously a little fatigued, and [August] took a toll on them mentally, but it's been a good response this month."

For evidence, Acta was quick to point to the fact that the Indians forced the American League West-leading Rangers and the AL Central-contending Tigers to use their closers in a stretch of six consecutive games, beginning on Sept. 11.

The way Acta sees it, that shows the players are still giving a strong effort.

"If you make two top teams in the American League bring in their closer six games in a row, they're giving their best," Acta said. "Just because you're not winning as much as you want to win, that doesn't mean that you've quit."

The Indians went 5-24 in August, falling out of the playoff chase during that forgettable stretch. For the season's final month, Acta said he made it clear to the players what the organization wanted to witness.

"Its time to evaluate and see character," Acta said. "We've seen how people's character was tested throughout the whole ordeal of the second half. That's something that's being evaluated. Who can handle it? Who can't? Who's going to point fingers?

"Who's going to take responsibility? Who's going to move forward? Who's going to keep their head down for too long? Those are things we're evaluating."

What a joke.

Tribe hitters clueless in the clutch: Cleveland Indians Insider
Published: Saturday, September 22, 2012, 9:34 PM Updated: Saturday, September 22, 2012, 9:35 PM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer


KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If the Indians' offense was a four-speed all-terrain vehicle, it would have blown its clutch a long time ago. They just don't hit when it counts.

They are 18-48 since the All-Star break. It has taken a collapse in all phases of the game to accomplish that, but the Indians' clutch hitting has done more than its fair share of damage.

The Indians entered Saturday night's game against Kansas City hitting .214 (106-for-496) with runners in scoring position since the break. They hit .250 in the first half.

Here's what several Indians are hitting with runners in scoring position for the entire season.

Michael Brantley: .265 (35-for-132) with three homers and 53 RBI.

Asdrubal Cabrera: .268 (34-for-127), two homers, 42 RBI.

Ezequiel Carrera: .158 (3-for-19), five RBI.

Lonnie Chisenhall: .273 (6-for-22), one homer, nine RBI.

Russ Canzler: .350 (7-for-20), five RBI.

Jason Donald: .133 (4-for-30), six RBI.

Travis Hafner: .137 (10-for-73), 19 RBI.

Jack Hannahan: .269 (18-for-67), two, 24 RBI.

Jason Kipnis: .308 (41-for-133), four homers, 55 RBI.

Casey Kotchman: .238 (24-for-101), five homers, 41 RBI.

Brent Lillibridge: .125 (2-for-16).

Lou Marson: .163 (7-for-43), nine RBI.

Carlos Santana: .236 (30-for-127), six homers, 54 RBI.

"We continue to scuffle with our situational hitting," said manager Manny Acta. How do the Indians get better at it?

"The same thing is being taught all the way from rookie ball to the big leagues by the 30 major-league clubs," said Acta. "Some guys are more relaxed when the situation is not high leverage. Some guys panic a little and get out of the strike zone."

Acta pointed to Santana and his performance in Friday's 6-3 loss to the Royals. In the first inning, he struck out with runners on second and third and one out. In the seventh, with two out and runners on second and third, Santana hit a two-run single.

"It comes and goes with certain guys," said Acta. "The same guy who failed in the first inning got as two-run single in the seventh. It's part of the game.

"It's a little more magnified when you're scuffling the way we are."

Hit by pitch: Shin-Soo Choo has been hit by pitches 13 times this season. He leads the Indians and ranks fourth in the AL.

This is not a guy who tries to get hit, ala Ryan Garko and Kelly Shoppach from years gone by. Choo is getting worked inside because that's the way pitchers, especially left-handers, are getting him out this year.

Lefty Tim Collins hit Choo in the right hand in the seventh inning Friday. It broke the skin on the top of his hand. In the eighth, Tribe lefty Scott Maine hit rookie David Lough, drawing a warning from plate umpire Gary Cederstrom. It was probably a good thing, because it was the first time an Indians' pitcher has hit an opposing batter after Choo was hit by a pitch since May 11.

Choo said he didn't think Collins hit him on purpose. Acta said the same.

Asked if he felt the Indians had protected Choo, Acta said, "I think we've done that enough. We do what we can. Our thing here is to win ballgames."

So far, so good: When Chisenhall first came off the disabled list Sept. 4, the plan was to ease him back into the lineup to make sure he was completely recovered from his broken right wrist.

Chisenhall made his fifth start in the last six games, four at third base, Saturday night.

"He's fine," said Acta. "It was just the first week that we had to try and take care of him. I'm very happy with the way he's bounced back."

Finally: Justin Masterson has received the lowest run support, 3.75 runs per game, of any starter in the AL. It's been a problem for Masterson since he came to the Indians in 2008, but this year it's different.

"It doesn't matter if we're scoring runs or not scoring runs, I haven't pitched that well this year," said Masterson after Friday's loss. "Until you're able to do your job consistently, you're not talking about what other people are doing."

Indians Chatter

Clubhouse confidential: Texas right-hander Yu Darvish, recognized in the big leagues as a rookie although he pitched five years in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters, has 16 wins and 214 strikeouts. There have only been three other pitchers who have produced that kind of season, according to Elias Sports Bureau, as rookies.

The pitchers are Herb Score (16-10, 245 strikeouts), Indians, 1955; Dwight Gooden (17-9, 276), Mets, 1984 and Mark Langston (17-10, 204), Mariners, 1984.

Grass roots: The Royals inducted groundskeeper George Toma into their Hall of Fame in a ceremony before Friday's game. Toma's work as a groundskeeper is legendary in baseball circles.

In his acceptance speech Toma, 83, told the crowd that he got his start in the business in 13 when former Indians owner Bill Veeck hired him to the groundskeeper for their Class A team in the Eastern League. He was 13 when he took the job. Toma's father was a coal miner in Pennsylvania. He died when Toma was 10. Toma said he took the groundskeeper's job because he didn't want to work in the mines.

Stat of the day: The Indians entered Saturday's game having lost six straight against the Royals. It's their longest skid against the Royals since they lost nine straight from June 1 through Aug. 15, 1973. 

Royals beat Cleveland Indians to hand Ubaldo Jimenez 17th loss of season


KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Indians have been in the lifeboats since late July and no one is getting a shore pass until this season is buried at sea.

After Ubaldo Jimenez lost his 17th game Saturday night in a 5-3 loss to Kansas City, manager Manny Acta was asked if he might shut down Jimenez down to prevent him from losing any more games. Jimenez is 1-10 since the All-Star break and is the first Tribe pitcher to lose 17 games in a season in 25 years.

Acta, doing his best imitation of Captain Bligh, said the Indians will row or sink together.

"You get paid to work. You get paid to pitch. I get paid to manage," said Acta. "If he's fine, he should continue to pitch. You don't sit anybody to stop him from striking out 100 times.

"Plus, it's not 20 [losses]."

Jimenez has two starts left so the most he can lose is 19. Would Acta not pitch him if he was facing his 20th loss?

"No. If we had 99 losses, am I allowed to stay at home and it doesn't count against me?" asked Acta. "We all signed to play the whole season."

Knuckleballer Tom Candiotti was the last Indians pitcher to lose 17 games in one season. Candiotti finished the 1987 season with a 7-18 record.

Like so many of Jimenez's starts, he failed to post a shutdown inning right after the Indians' offense put him back in the game. Cord Phelps pulled the Indians into a 2-2 tie with a two-run homer against left-hander Will Smith in the fifth. After Thomas Neal singled to start the inning, Phelps drove an 0-1 pitch just inside the left field foul pole for his second homer in the big leagues.

Jimenez (9-17, 5.55) should have come out roaring in the fifth. In the fourth, he gave up a leadoff triple to catcher Brayan Pena and stranded him by retiring the next three batters. Perhaps the inning took too much energy, because he wasn't the same in the fifth.

He walked Alex Gordon to start the inning. After retiring Billy Butler, who drove in his 100th run of the season with a first-inning single, Jimenez walked Mike Moustakas. No surprise, really, because Jimenez came into the game ranked second in the AL with 92 walks.

Jeff Francoeur singled to load the bases and lefty Chris Seddon relieved. Seddon should have been out of the inning with the score still tied, 2-2, but it didn't work out that way.

Eric Hosmer sent a ground ball to Lonnie Chisenhall, who made a high throw home trying to get the force. Carlos Santana had to lean out in front of the plate to make the catch and umpire Lance Barksdale ruled that his foot came off the plate to give the Royals a 3-2 lead. Pena followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 4-2.

"The video clearly shows that [Barksdale] blew the call," said Acta. "Carlos was on the plate. The momentum after he caught the ball took him off the plate."

Irvin Falu followed with a single to left to make it 5-3. Rookie Thomas Neal may have had a shot to throw Francoeur out at the plate, but he bobbled the ball for an error.

Jimenez (9-17, 5.55) allowed five runs on seven hits. He needed 94 pitches for 4 1/3 innings as he walked three and hit a batter. In 14 starts since the break, Jimenez is 1-10 with a 6.96 ERA. His only win in the second half came on Aug. 9.

"It was a bad inning, a really bad inning," said Jimenez. "We lost the game because of those two walks and the base hit I gave up."

Jimenez wasn't the only Indian who didn't do the right thing at the right time. Shin-Soo Choo, with one out in the ninth and the Tribe trailing, 5-3, singled with one out. When he tried to stretch it into a double, Francouer threw him out for his MLB-high 19th outfield assist.

"It's not a very good idea," said Acta. "You have to be 100 percent sure that you're going to make it. You've got to give the tying run a chance to come to the plate."

Smith (6-8, 4.88) went seven innings for the win. Smith is 2-0 against the Indians after winning his first big-league game at their expense on May 29.

The Royals, 9-5 against the Tribe, took a 2-0 lead in the first. Jarrod Dyson drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on Alcides Escobar's double. Basestealers are 37-for-42 (88 percent) when Jimenez is on the mound.

Butler singled home Escobar.

The Indians made it 5-3 in the eighth. Santana hit a leadoff single and scored all the way from first when Jason Bourgeois misplayed Michael Brantley's line drive to center. Bourgeois was charged with an error.

"The video clearly shows that [Barksdale] blew the call," said Acta. "Carlos was on the plate. The momentum after he caught the ball took him off the plate."

Acta saw some video that I didn't see. The stuff I saw was motion-blurred, but certainly didn't prove that the ump blew the call.

Travis Hafner: .137 (10-for-73), 19 RBI.

At last he departs after this season. Is there any chance anyone else will sign him? Minor league contract and ST invite, I suppose.

Indians 'to respect the game' against White Sox

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 09/24/12 8:25 PM ET

CHICAGO -- The Tribe could play a key role in deciding the American League Central this season. Beginning with their matchup on Monday, the Indians will face the White Sox six times down the stretch.

Entering Monday, Chicago led the division by just one game over the rival Tigers. Cleveland plans on doing everything in its power to make the White Sox earn a trip back to the postseason.

"That's what we're doing," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "We'll try to put the best team on the field. You've got to respect the game."

For the opener of the three-game set, the Indians only had four players -- right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, second baseman Jason Kipnis, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and catcher Carlos Santana -- in the lineup who were among the starting nine on Opening Day.

Veteran designated hitter Travis Hafner, who recently returned from a back injury, was on the bench. Acta noted that he did not like matching Hafner up against tough White Sox lefty Chris Sale.

Center fielder Michael Brantley was out of the lineup because of a sore groin.

"He's probably going to need a day or two," Acta said of Brantley.

Quote to note

"We've just got to continue to get better as individuals and then it will happen as a team. There is not one guy here that is responsible for everything that went on."

-- Indians manager Manny Acta

Smoke signals

Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis is currently one of five players this season with at least 10 homers, 25 stolen bases and 70 RBIs. The others include Ryan Braun, Starlin Castro, Mike Trout and B.J. Upton.

Tribe's first off-season decisions will focus on Acta, front office: Cleveland Indians Insider

Published: Monday, September 24, 2012, 10:40 PM Updated: Monday, September 24, 2012, 10:40 PM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

CHICAGO -- Manny Acta, in his conversations with reporters, sounds like a manager confident about keeping his job.

On this last trip of the season, Acta has talked about plans for next spring training and for several organizational meetings that will take place right after the end of the regular season on Oct. 3. He does not sound like someone worried about getting fired after an all-encompassing collapse in the second half.

Or is Acta simply relying on his positive nature, while whistling past the graveyard?

In truth, nothing has been decided on Acta's future because there is at least one decision that must be made higher up the Indians' flow chart of responsibility. Yes, that involves the future of GM Chris Antonetti. The two men making that decision are expected to be CEO Paul Dolan and President Mark Shapiro. Dolan, backed by his father, Larry, could decide to make a clean sweep and look to replace all three -- Shapiro, Antonetti and Acta, but that seems unlikely.

The Dolans have always trusted Shapiro. In turn, Shapiro has always been a strong advocate of Antonetti, who was his assistant general manager for nine years.

Until a decision is made on Antonetti, a decision on Acta will not be made. After the 2009 season, Shapiro was moving from the general manager's job into the team presidency. He gave Antonetti, the incoming GM, plenty of freedom in hiring Acta to replace Eric Wedge. If Antonetti does return, and Acta is fired with a year left on his contract, what does that say about Antonetti's judgment?

When asked about Acta's future, Antonetti said Monday afternoon, "Nothing has changed. Our concentration is still on getting as much as we can out of these last games. When the season is over, we can't evaluate these players anymore."

Still, in these uncertain times, the Indians are facing a long list of decisions. It's hard to imagine that discussions on the big ones haven't already taken place, because they're going to have to be made in a timely manner once the season ends.

After a decision is made on Antonetti and Acta, decisions on the coaching staff must follow. So far, they have not been told if they'll return. Bench coach Sandy Alomar Jr., of course, is considered a favorite to replace Acta if a managerial change is made.

Key personnel decisions will have to be made as well. Among them, do the Indians exercise the options of starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Roberto Hernandez? The course of the team needs to be plotted as well. Do the Indians try to add to the existing core, or do they rebuild by trading players such as Shin-Soo Choo and Chris Perez?

The Indians have eight games left to evaluate the players on the field. The evaluation on everyone else should already be nearing completion.

No go: Acta wanted to start his best available lineup Monday in this three-game series again the AL Central-leading White Sox, but that wasn't possible.

Center fielder Michael Brantley didn't start because of a groin problem. Brantley injured the groin in a rundown between first and second base Sunday in the sixth inning. Ezequiel Carrera started in center.

The day after: Jason Donald's right wrist was barking Monday after he went through a full workout of hitting and throwing Sunday. Donald has not played since Sept. 16 when he was hit by a Justin Verlander pitch.

"I've really never had a day-to-day injury," said Donald. "This feels different every day."
Donald took batting practice and threw before Monday's game.


Clubhouse confidential: First sabermetrics devalued the win by starting pitchers when it came time to select a Cy Young winner. Now the RBI has been devalued among statisticians and baseball front offices.
How does manager Manny Acta feel about the RBI supposedly losing some of its luster?

“How do you win games?” Acta asked. “By scoring more runs than the other team. Runs and RBI are very important to me.”

On the run: Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Kipnis started the Indians’ five-run seven inning Saturday with a double steal. Choo stole third and continued home on catcher Adam Moore’s throwing error.
Choo and Kipnis each have the green light and they went on their own. The key, said third-base coach Steve Smith, is for Kipnis to keep an eye on Choo so he runs when Choo runs.

Stat of the day: In Sunday’s 15-4 victory, the Indians scored all their runs from the sixth inning on. It’s just the third time the Indians have done that, according research by the team’s PR department, since 1918. The first two times happened Sept. 10, 1939 vs. St. Louis Browns and July 8, 1956 against the Kansas City Athletics. 

— Paul Hoynes