Thats correct. If we were going to hire a cheater we should have hired manny-he could 1. hit. 2 sell tickets. However we dont need him. Better yet why dont we hire roger clemens and joey belle. Dolan would be ecstatic with the additional revenue these guys would bring in.

TFIR wrote:

My vote would be for Carrera.

My vote would be that Tito knows more about a clubhouse, as well as how to run a team AND pick a roster than all of us combined.

I just watched an interview with Michael Bourn yesterday on STO, where he talked about how much he learned from Lance Berkman while on Houston.

How many times do players have to say these types of things before we get it?

You are entitled to your opinion however wrong that may be.

Another 1st Round Draft Choice leaves the reservation.

URPRISE, Ariz. -- Left-hander David Huff's seven-year stay with the Indians is almost at an end.

Huff is out of options. GM Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona told him Monday that he did not make the big-league club and that they would try to trade him before opening day Tuesday in Toronto.

They gave outfielder Ezequiel Carrera the same news on the same day, but immediately designated him for assignment. Carrera left the club, but Huff is still working out at the team's Goodyear facility, throwing an extended bullpen session Friday. If the Indians can't trade him by the season opener, they must designate him. Once they do, Antonetti has 10 days to find a team that will take Huff. If not, he'll be released or put on waivers.

The Indians have found homes for players in similar situations. They traded Eddie Mujica to San Diego in the spring of 2009. Mujica has turned into a useful big-league reliever. Earlier this spring they didn't try to stop outfielder Ben Francisco from exercising an out clause in his contract. The Yankees quickly signed Francisco and he made their 25-man opening day roster.

The Yankees quickly signed Francisco and he made their 25-man opening day roster.

At least we have Geeambi

Yankees could really tumble this year, but they still have starting pitching unless some of those guys get hurt, too.

Nick Swisher, shown hitting a home run in spring training, is expected to bring some much-needed pop to the Indians' lineup and is expected to play first base most of the season. (Photo by Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

Cleveland Indians 2013 roster - and where minor-league help is available

CLEVELAND, Ohio -


Here is a position-by-position look at the Indians 25-man roster for the 2013 season and what kind of help they can expect from the minors in case of injury, trade or poor performance.


FIRST BASE
Starter: Nick Swisher
Backups: Mark Reynolds, Carlos Santana

Summary: Swisher and Reynolds are two of GM Chris Antonetti's big free-agent signings from the off-season. Swisher is a switch-hitter who moved from right field to first base when the Indians signed center fielder Michael Bourn in February. When Swisher moved to first, he knocked Reynolds into the DH spot. Swisher played 41 games at first last season for the Yankees, while Reynolds played 108 for Baltimore and Santana played 21 for the Tribe. If Swisher and Reynolds stay healthy, don't look for Santana to spend much time at first this year because the Indians want him to catch as much as possible. What separates Swisher, Reynolds and Santana from Indians first basemen of the recent past is they can hit and hit for power. In the case of Swisher and Reynolds, a lot of strikeouts will come with that improved production.

Phone call away: Mike McDade will be at Class AAA Columbus. The 6-1, 260-pound switch-hitter made a good impression in big-league camp. He can swing the bat, but what surprised the Indians most was his defensive ability at first base. Some in the organization believe he could be a starting first baseman in the big leagues. Matt LaPorta is still in the mix, but he's two weeks to a month away from playing in games because of off-season surgery on his left hip. In time, he should be ready to play first and left field at Columbus. He cleared waivers and remains the Indians' property.

Fire down below: Jesus Aguilar will be at Class AA Akron. The right-handed hitter is bigger than McDade and probably has more raw power. Defensively, he's better than his size would suggest. Aguilar needs to swing at better pitches. Chun Chen, who moved from catcher to first last year, could be another option depending on how much playing time he gets. He's expected to start the season at Akron.


SECOND BASE
Starter: Jason Kipnis
Backups: Mike Aviles, Jason Raburn

Summary: Kipnis had a quiet spring. He suffered from a sore right elbow, but the left-handed hitter can run and has some power. Aviles, acquired in a trade over the winter, can play second, shortstop, third and the corner outfield spots. He's a solid right-handed hitter who had a good run with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. Raburn is another right-handed hitter who made the roster as a spring-training invitee. He can play second, third and left and right field. He's shown decent power in the big leagues, which means his homer display this spring was no fluke.

Phone call away: Switch-hitter Cord Phelps blew people away in big-league camp this spring. He'll be at second base at Class AAA Columbus, but he'll also play third, short and first. Versatility could be his ticket to the big leagues.

Fire down below: Jose Ramirez and Ronny Rodriguez are expected to be Class AA Akron's double-play combination with Ramirez at second and Rodriguez at short. They could each help the Tribe in the middle infield if the need arose. Rodriguez has power and Ramirez is a blast to watch at the plate and in the field.


ASDRUBAL-CABRERA-2013-SPRING.JPGView full sizeThe Indians would like to see more consistency out of shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera this season. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

SHORTSTOP
Starter: Asdrubal Cabrera
Backups: Mike Aviles

Summary: Cabrera came to camp in great shape, dropping 10 to 20 pounds from last year. He's been an All-Star the past two years, but needs to put a full season together. The offensive improvements the Indians made over the winter should ease the load on the switch-hitter. Cabrera missed spring-training time playing for Venezuela in the WBC and was slowed late in camp by a back injury. Aviles gives the Indians something they haven't had in a while -- a legitimate shortstop to keep Cabrera from wearing down. He played 128 games at short for Boston last year.

Phone call away: At 6-4, Juan Diaz looks more like a shooting guard than a shortstop, but he made his big-league debut last season and will open the year at Class AAA Columbus. He hit .306 (22-for-72) in a brief look at Columbus last year and the Indians believe the right-handed hitter is improving offensively. They think he can play defense in the big leagues right now, thanks to a strong throwing arm that helps him slow the game down.

Fire down below: The Indians have shortstop covered -- Ronny Rodriguez at Class AA Akron, Francisco Lindor at Class A Carolina and Dorssys Paulino at Class A Lake County. The 19-year-old Lindor is the crown jewel. He could be a candidate for the big leagues in late 2014 or early 2015. Paulino is the Indians best hitting prospect in at least a decade.


THIRD BASE
Starter: Lonnie Chisenhall
Backups: Mike Aviles, Ryan Raburn, Mark Reynolds

Summary: Chisenhall had a clear path to the third base job this spring and he did not stumble. He stayed healthy and hit the ball hard from the first day of camp. Aviles will get the first call when the left-handed hitting Chisenhall needs a break or the Tribe is facing a tough left-hander.

Phone call away: Cord Phelps, depending on how he can handle the hot corner, could be an option at Class AAA Columbus. Nate Spears is in the running, but he'll be unavailable for about a month with a back injury.

Fire down below: Giovanni Urshela will be at Class AA Akron. He's a good defender with a quick bat and decent power, but needs to swing at the pitches he can do damage with.

CARLOS-SANTANA-2013-SPRING.JPGView full sizeCatcher Carlos Santana can only benefit from an improved Tribe lineup this season.Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

CATCHER
Starter: Carlos Santana
Backups: Lou Marson

Summary: Like Asdrubal Cabrera, Santana should benefit from an improved lineup. Manager Terry Francona can move him to the fifth hole and put a decent hitter behind him. That should allow the switch-hitter Santana to relax and avoid trying to hit a five-run homer every time he goes to the plate.

Defensively, this is a big year for Santana. He missed a lot of time playing for the Dominican Republic in the WBC so the Indians spent the last several days of camp emphasizing signals for cut-offs, pick-offs, bunt plays and first to third plays. All signs run through the catcher so Santana better be up to speed by opening day. Marson took a step back last year offensively and defensively. This spring he showed a better swing, but he needs to get back to throwing the way he did in 2011.

Phone call away: Yan Gomes will open at Class AAA Columbus. The Indians believe he has a chance to be a starting catcher in the big leagues. He needs work on his defense and throwing, but he's tough, strong and can hit. Journeyman Omir Santos, who will backup Gomes at Columbus, could help as well.

Fire down below: Roberto Perez will be at Class AA Akron. Defensively, he's ready to catch in the big leagues. He can change a game with his throwing arm, game calling and ball blocking ability. Perez has some power, but he's challenged offensively.


DESIGNATED HITTER
Starter: Mark Reynolds
Backups: Jason Giambi, Nick Swisher, Mike Aviles, Ryan Raburn, Carlos Santana

Summary: Reynolds wasn't thrilled to be moved to DH. When he signed with the Indians it was with the idea of playing first base, but he accepted the move and must find a routine that will keep him sharp and involved on the bench between at-bats. Last year with Baltimore, Reynolds hit .219 (74-for-338) with 20 homers and 55 RBI against righties and .227 (27-for-119) with three homers and 14 RBI against lefties. Giambi, who opened the season on the disabled list with a sore back, should be activated in early April. He'll see playing time against tough right-handed starters.

Phone call away: Switch-hitters Mike McDade and Cord Phelps are options at Class AAA Columbus. So is Matt LaPorta, if healthy.

Fire down below: Jesus Aguilar might not be ready at Class AA Akron, but he certainly looks like a DH.

MICHAEL-BOURN-VERT-SPRING.JPGView full sizeMichael Bourn, a two-time Gold Glove winner, is a proven leadoff hitter and base-stealer. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

CENTER FIELD
Starter: Michael Bourn
Backups: Michael Brantley, Drew Stubbs

Summary: The starting outfield is made up of three center fielders in Bourn, Brantley and Stubbs. Bourn, who has saved more runs over the past three years than any other center fielder according to John Dewan, author of "The Fielding Bible," which includes his "runs saved and plus/minus leaders" formula, will play center. Brantley is in left and Stubbs in right. Bourn didn't do much offensively in spring training, but he's a proven leadoff hitter with speed. He led the National League in steals every year from 2009 through 2011.

Phone call away: Tim Fedroff will be at Class AAA Columbus. He can play all three outfield positions, but his game is best suited for center because he doesn't have much power. Fedroff had a so-so spring with the big-league club, but the Indians believe he's the best pure hitter in the minor league system and is developing as a basestealer. Veterans Matt Carson and Cedric Hunter, joining Fedroff in Columbus, are options in center as well. Carson had a great spring for the Indians, showing power and hustle. Hunter, 25, is a former third round pick of the Padres.

Fire down below: Tyler Naquin, the Tribe's No. 1 pick in 2012, will open at Class A Carolina. He has an above-average arm, decent speed and makes a lot of contact.


LEFT FIELD
Starter: Michael Brantley
Backups: Mike Aviles, Ryan Raburn

Summary: Brantley came to spring training ready to play and had a great camp. He was spiked in the left forearm in February in a game against Oakland and missed time to give the 15-stitch wound a chance to heal. When Brantley returned, he picked up where he left off. He's played left field before and has good range and a better-than-average throwing arm. It will be interesting to see how many bases he'll steal this year because he'll have the green light.

Phone call away: Tim Fedroff, Matt Carson, Cedric Hunter and Jeremy Hermida will be options at Class AAA Columbus.


RIGHT FIELD
Starter: Drew Stubbs
Backups: Nick Swisher, Mike Aviles, Ryan Raburn

Summary: Stubbs has never played anywhere but center field in the big leagues, but the right-handed hitter handled the move to right well in spring training. He's fast, has good range and a strong right arm, but it remains to be seen if it's as good as the man he's replacing -- Shin-Soo Choo. What Stubbs didn't do a lot of in spring training was hit. Making consistent contact has been a problem for Cincinnati's No.1 pick in 2006. He stole 30 bases last year and hit 14 homers, but only batted .213 (105-for-493) with a .277 on-base percentage. Last year, Stubbs hit .186 (66-for-355) with seven homers and 23 RBI against righties and .283 (39-for-138) with seven homers and 17 RBI against lefties.

Phone call away: Tim Fedroff, Matt Carson, Cedric Hunter and Jeremy Hermida will be options at Class AAA Columbus. Carson and Hermida are probably the best right fielders of the bunch, especially Hermida. He's played over 600 games in the big leagues with Florida, San Diego, Boston and Cincinnati.

JUSTIN-MASTERSON-SPRING-VERT.JPGView full sizeNo. 1 starter Justin Masterson is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2012 season in which he went 11-15 with a 4.93 ERA and allowed 18 home runs and 212 hits in 206.1 innings. Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer

STARTING PITCHING

Rotation: Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Brett Myers, Zach McAllister and Scott Kazmir

Summary: The rotation is the Indians biggest concern. Masterson and Jimenez are the only returning starters from last year's opening day five. They were awful in 2012, but this spring Masterson was happy with his ability to make in-game adjustments, while Jimenez used a winter's worth of work to unveil a faster delivery that led to more strikes and ground balls. Free agent Myers, after making 70 relief appearances last year, had big trouble this spring converting back to the rotation. McAllister should be all right in the No.4 spot, while Kazmir was the story of the Cactus League as he came out of nowhere to win the fifth spot as a spring-training invitee. Kazmir has not taken a regular turn in a big-league rotation since 2011, so his durability has to be a concern.

Phone call away: Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Corey Kluber, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Joe Martinez will make up the rotation at Class AAA Columbus. Bauer, Carrasco, Kluber and Martinez have already had a brief taste of the big leagues. Matsuzaka has had more than a taste, but he's trying to recapture the past magic and velocity that made him a reliable starter for the Red Sox in 2007 and 2008.

Fire down below: Danny Salazar and T.J. House will be at Class AA Akron. Salazar is a name to remember because he has the best fastball in the organization. Since the All-Star break last year, Salazar has been throwing consistently between 93 mph and 98 mph.


RELIEF PITCHING

Bullpen: Chris Perez (closer), Vinnie Pestano, Joe Smith, Bryan Shaw, Matt Albers, Cody Allen, Rich Hill and Nick Hagadone

Summary: The Indians will carry eight relievers because they open the season with 13 straight games. They won't stay that way long. Perez beat the odds to make opening day for the second straight year following a spring-training injury. Perez's key set up men, Pestano and Smith, are the same, but they have accumulated some miles. Smith has topped 70 appearances the past two years, while Pestano made 67 in 2011 and 70 in 2012. How will they handle the wear and tear this year? It will be interesting to see how Francona meshes Shaw, Albers, Allen, Hill and Hagadone with the old guard in what has been the best part of the club for the past 2 1/2 seasons. Allen and Hagadone pitched in the pen last year. Shaw, Albers and Hill are newcomers.

Phone call away: Veteran closer Matt Capps, like Matsuzaka, agreed to start the year at Class AAA Columbus. He came on strong at the end of spring training and should be able to help as long as another big league club doesn't get him first. Scott Barnes, Giovanni Soto, Matt Langwell, Preston Guilmet and Jerry Gil will be at Columbus as well.

Drew Stubbs, shown working on his bunting, brings an element of speed to the Indians lineup. (Photo by Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

3 things the 2013 Cleveland Indians must do to win; and 3 things they must avoid

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

Must happen

1. Pitch better

The season rests on the shoulders of the Tribe's starting five. If they repeat last year's performance, it won't matter how player-friendly new manager Terry Francona is or how much money Larry and Paul Dolan spent over the winter. The Indians will be headed for another 90-loss season. Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez must bounce back. Brett Myers must be able to reclaim his form as a 200-inning starter after pitching exclusively in relief last year. Zach McAllister needs to establish himself as big league starter and Scott Kazmir has to finish writing his comeback story. The good thing is that the Indians have help in the minors in Trevor Bauer, Cory Kluber, Danny Salazar and, perhaps, Daisuke Matsuzaka.

2. Make speed

The Indians have injected themselves with speed in the form of Michael Bourn and Drew Stubbs. Incumbents Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera can run as well. Speed is an easy thing to talk about, but it's harder to implement than people think. Remember, the Indians are an organization that not too long ago scoffed at the stolen base, saying it is a low-percentage play. Now they are building their offense around stealing bases and going from first to third and second to home. It's hard to imagine Francona is just going to snap his fingers and the Indians are going to start running like Willie Wilson's old Kansas City Royals.

3. Score

What the Indians have to do this season to be successful is score, score and score. In his eight years as Boston's manager, Francona's Red Sox never finished lower than third in the AL in runs scored. They never scored fewer than 818 runs in a season, topping 900 twice, and led the AL three times. He had a loaded lineup playing half its games in a ballpark that produced runs like a snow machine in Iceland. The landscape is far less fertile in Cleveland, where the Indians scored 667 runs last year, second fewest in the AL, and have not sniffed 800 runs since 2008. The Indians have not had a player with 100 RBI since Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner in 2007. Offense has been added in the form of Bourn, Stubbs, Swisher and Mark Reynolds, but with them comes a gale of strikeouts. Can an increase in runs and strikeouts walk hand-in-hand?



Must avoid

1. Zombie Baseball II

The chance of the Indians repeating their 5-24, season-ruining performance of last August is remote. Since it was the worst month in franchise history, and the Indians have been playing in the AL since 1901, make that very remote. Still, a stretch of lackluster baseball can hurt whenever it stumbles out of the darkness with a slack jaw and dead eyes. The Indians have brought in veteran players, who hopefully knowj what to do in such cases, so the low points of the season come and go as quickly as possible.

2. Bullpen breakdown

After 2 1/2 quality seasons from the bullpen, there might be reason for concern. Bullpens are notoriously unpredictable and there has been turnover in the Tribe's relief corp. The three late-inning pitchers are the same in Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez, but Smith and Perez are coming off spring-training injuries and Pestano missed time in the World Baseball Classic and did not look sharp in spring training. The good thing is there seems to be plenty of depth with right-handers Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw and Matt Albers and lefties Rich Hill, Nick Hagadone and Scott Barnes.

3. Good start fever

Under former manager Manny Acta, the Indians had decent starts to the past two seasons only to fade at the wrong time of the year. There is an obsession with the Indians starting well in Cleveland. It's tied to attendance and not being reduced to an afterthought when Browns training camp opens. Eric Wedge, when he managed the Indians, never bought into it even though his one and only postseason appearance was fueled by a great start in 2007. Wedge believed in letting a team gain momentum. With so many new faces on the 2013 Indians, this might be the best course for them.

What kind of Indians team will hit the field Tuesday in Toronto for the season opener? The Indians have been refinanced, retooled, revamped and revitalized over the offseason, but manager Terry Francona still isn't quite sure, bro.

2013 Indians Season Preview: Big names, big money, big expectations

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

on March 31, 2013 at 4:59 AM, updated March 31, 2013 at 7:20 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -

New manager Terry Francona has this new baseball team and he's not exactly sure how it's going to look or work.

He's like a kid a week before Christmas, who peeks into a box in the attic and finds all these brightly wrapped packages and proceeds to shake every one of them to see just what might be lurking inside.

Francona knows he has some speed and power. There are questions about the starting rotation. Two-thirds of the outfield is new and there are strange faces all over the bullpen. Around the infield, he has a new first baseman, third baseman and designated hitter.

The one thing Francona does have a handle on is the bro factor. First baseman Nick Swisher, who signed the biggest free agent contract in team history in December, says "bro" a lot. As in "Anybody want any coffee, bro?" or "Way to go, bro."

The bro factor has found fertile ground in the Tribe's locker room.

Late last week, with Tuesday's season opener against Toronto fast approaching, shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera was asked if the Indians' lineup was going to be better than the one responsible for last year's 94-loss season.

Cabrera, without hesitation, dropped a "For sure, bro," on a group of reporters.

"See, it's catching on," said Swisher with a laugh.

The Indians, however, are still in the starter's gate. Exactly what kind of horse Francona will be riding when gate opens can't be answered just yet.

"I think we've accomplished everything we've set out to do this spring," he said. "I think we're prepared for the season. I've left camp in past years thinking, "OK, here we go!" But one year in Boston, I remember, we started 0-6.

"You don't know. That's why you prepare the best you can."

Besides the bro factor, a couple of other things are known about this year's club. Owners Larry and Paul Dolan came out of hibernation this offseason and spent a lot of money to make it better. Besides Swisher, they signed free agent center fielder Michael Bourn, DH Mark Reynolds and right-hander Brett Myers. The total nut was worth $117 million.

The splurge impressed everyone, including closer and team critic Chris Perez.

"I feel like we're a big-market team," said Perez when the Indians signed Bourn on Feb. 12.

Perez, who should be ready for opening day despite straining his right shoulder in February, remained impressed late last week.

"If there was an offseason award, we would have won it," he said. "The front office stepped up and did its job and put together a good coaching staff for us. Now it's up to us and go out and do what we're supposed to do."

Besides big-ticket players, the Indians added free agents Jason Giambi, Scott Kazmir, Matt Capps, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ryan Raburn to minor league deals. Giambi, 42, is scheduled to be added to the team during the Indians first homestand after opening the season on the disabled list. Kazmir made the club as the fifth starter and Raburn won a bench job. Capps and Matsuzaka are at Class AAA Columbus for depth.

General Manager Chris Antonetti had a busy winter as the price tag on the Indians' 25-man roster jumped from $65 million last year to an estimated $77 million this year.

"Hats go off to ownership first," said Giambi. "They gave Chris the green light to go get some guys and make a run at this. Chris can't make any moves without them.

"I think Chris has put together a special ballclub. When you talk about an American League lineup, this is a one-through-nine that can score a lot of runs, get on base, can manufacture runs and has some power. You don't have many teams like that."

Only four players return from last year's opening day lineup: Cabrera, catcher Carlos Santana, left fielder Michael Brantley and second baseman Jason Kipnis. Shin-Soo Choo, Travis Hafner, Shelley Duncan, Casey Kotchman and Jack Hannahan are gone.

"It's a brand new team, bro," said Swisher. "It's tough to say what we're going to do . . . We have speed at the top and bottom. We got a couple of boppers right in the middle.

"But speed is our major factor. We're going to have to get those guys on base and get them in."

Bourn will be the trigger man from the leadoff spot. He's stolen 257 bases in the last five years. After dangling in the free agent winds for over three months, he signed a four-year, $48 million deal with the Tribe, trailing only Swisher's four-year, $56 million deal in team history.

His speed doesn't work one way. Bourn has won two Gold Gloves and has been considered baseball's best center fielder over the last three years.

"When you have good pitching and good defense, that's going to help your ballclub on the baseball field," said Bourn. "We have a lot of speed in our outfield. The more speed and range you have, the better you're going to be."

Right fielder Drew Stubbs, Kipnis, Cabrera and Brantley can run as well. It presents a tempting picture to an RBI man such as Reynolds.

"I asked Tito (Francona) to hit Bourn, Kipnis and Stubbs right in front of me," said Reynolds with a laugh. "It's going to be fun once we get everyone in the lineup and start clicking on all cylinders.

"I'm looking forward to us getting into those games where we can start utilizing everything we have in this clubhouse. I think everyone here is looking forward to it."

Reynolds is not alone in that thought.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

Terry Francona won with the Boston Red Sox, but winning in Cleveland would solidify his status as a top-flight manager, writes Bud Shaw. (AP file photo)

Best way for Terry Francona to silence his critics is to win with Cleveland Indians: Bud Shaw

By Bud Shaw, The Plain Dealer

on March 31, 2013 at 5:05 AM, updated March 31, 2013 at 5:08 AM

CLEVELAND, Ohio -

Let's not get too carried away with Terry Francona as the trophy wife on the arm of an Indians team that's not been much to look at for years.

The image isn't fictional. It just has its limitations.

Namely, Francona's hiring as some kind of inexplicable eHarmony glitch glosses over how much he wanted the Indians. And, yes, maybe even how much he needs them.

OK, so he doesn't need them quite as much as they need him since he has two World Series since 2004 and their last confetti party pre-dates his birth by, oh, about a dozen years.

Still, winning with the Indians can verify Francona's status as an elite manager once and for all, while proving the ugly end for him in Boston was truly an aberration.

His ironclad status as a two-time world champion took on some water in 2011 when the Red Sox blew a nine-game September lead and missed the playoffs. As is often the case in Boston, the torpedoes kept coming on the recently departed Francona after the collapse.

Sources in the Red Sox organization suggested he was over-medicating to kill the pain in his knees, that the meds along with a failing marriage compromised his ability to lead a team that took advantage of the situation.

The Red Sox were dominant for four months. (During which Francona no doubt tried to make the pain go away in his knees and back. During which he lived in a hotel apart from his wife.) So if his issues hurt the Red Sox, why just in September, and not June, July and August?

The more damning aspect of the collapse was Francona's own admission that he failed to reach some players. The consumption of fried chicken and beer in the clubhouse became the symbol of a franchise that lost its way (and it wasn't KFC). But baseball seasons are sabotaged in a hundred different ways, little by little, when clubhouse chemistry begins to drain.

Francona answered the allegations in the Boston Globe, saying his use of pain medication "never became an issue and anybody who knew what was going on knows that."

He shared more extensive opinions in a book claiming Boston cared more about signing marketable players than it did about constructing a winner.

Boston GM Theo Epstein supported the claim, telling book author and Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy management's insistence on signing "sexy" players was an "absurdist comedy."

"Talk about the tail wagging the dog," Epstein said.

Taking into account how it ended for Francona, you could see why managing a club run by friends Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti appealed to him. You can see why managing a club in a less frenetic town is a chance to rediscover why baseball has been his life-long love.

"I'm not really big on looking backwards," Francona said at the beginning of spring training. "But if you ask me if I'm having a ball here? Yeah."

The Indians were more of a rebound girlfriend in 2001. That's when Francona joined Shapiro and Antonetti as a special assistant after four years as the Phillies' manager.

This time, he took a year off and worked at ESPN. This time, he could've chased other managerial jobs but clearly preferred old terms of endearment with the Indians front office.

Indians players were -- maybe still are -- surprised Francona walked through the door. Or as Chris Perez said this spring: "Why would somebody that pretty much could cherry-pick his next job come to us? We lost 94 games."

In Boston's two championship seasons, the Red Sox were the second-biggest spenders in baseball. Here, the chump-change payroll of past campaigns escalated with the signings of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, but it's still not exactly the lap of luxury.

Not that many people in baseball have doubts about Francona's skill in reaching players and fostering clubhouse rapport, but do it here where the payroll is similar to what he had to work with in Philly?

The ugly end in Boston? What ugly end in Boston?

The tail doesn't wag the dog here.

It'll be enough, at least for a while, if Terry Francona can get the dog to get off the porch, do some hunting and bring back October baseball.

To reach Bud Shaw:

bshaw@plaind.com, 216-999-5639

Previous columns online:

cleveland.com/columns

Sheldon Ocker: Uncertainty among starting pitchers make Cleveland Indians an 80-win team

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sports writer

Published: March 30, 2013 - 11:11 PM | Updated: March 31, 2013 - 12:49 AM

GOODYEAR, Ariz.:

We learned when we were children that the essential appendages of a well-rounded baseball team are offense, defense and pitching.

Pitching, of course, is at the top of the list. A team that has no pitching has no chance. Offense is nice, especially in the American League, whose lineups include a designated hitter. And to the extent that defense keeps pitchers out of trouble, it is a key element of the complete baseball unit.

And that’s it. Good pitching equals success, particularly if it’s abetted by a high-scoring attack and nine defenders who can slap leather.

That was before Terry Francona came along. The new manager of the Indians has stressed from the beginning of his tenure last fall that there is a fourth element that needs to be included when building a winning club.

Kumbaya conjures up a lot of stale jokes and cliché images of people arm-in-arm swaying to music. Chemistry is the most common expression of what Francona is trying to instill in the Tribe, but that also can be misunderstood by fans, whose idea of togetherness in baseball is everyone sitting around the clubhouse roasting marshmallows in the microwave.

The essence of chemistry in the locker room is this: Even if two middle infielders dislike one another in life, when they are on the field, the shortstop will throw the ball where the second baseman can catch it, so he can turn a double play.

This exact example played itself out in Cleveland when Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar were the Indians’ stellar middle infield combination. Alomar resented Vizquel’s popularity with the fans, but not once did he fail to give his best effort when both men had to collaborate on making a play.

Francona has another description of chemistry: Teammates who have each other’s backs when the battle is joined. And if the entire roster meets for tea and croissants at a Circle-K on the way to the ballpark, all the better. But Francona has taken the concept a step further by bringing in a chemistry specialist. Almost from the moment the Tribe signed Jason Giambi, Francona began heaping praise on him as the ultimate clubhouse sage and counselor.

Giambi already carried that reputation around with him. He has experienced virtually everything that can happen to a ballplayer: World Series games, an MVP season, All-Star Game appearances, involvement with performance-enhancing substances (which he admitted) and now advanced age.

At 42, been there, done that could be Giambi’s vanity license plate. He has lived up to his label as a great guy to be around and a man willing to listen and set a player straight. But how many wins will that produce? Impossible to say. Sabermetricians have no metric for what keeping the clubhouse free of acrimony and envy is worth. And I dare say they never will.

Let’s just say that it probably helps, and no Indians manager in my memory has given as much weight to the concept of chemistry as Francona. That said, the manager has his feet planted squarely on the ground. Which means pitching, hitting and defense receive most of his attention.

He has said only complimentary things about his starting pitching: “We don’t know how good we can be,” is one of his optimistic statements.

And he’s right. We don’t know how good the starters can be or how bad they might be. We just don’t know. If any area of the club lends itself to being unpredictable, it is how these five guys will perform, and therein lies the greatest mystery of the Tribe’s season.

Can Justin Masterson, whose pitches move like a black snake on uppers, command the strike zone? Will Ubaldo Jimenez revert to being the pitcher who dominated all of baseball in the first half of 2010, when he threw a no-hitter for the Colorado Rockies?

Is the 11.25 spring ERA of Brett Myers an accurate reflection of what we’ll see once the regular season begins? Can Zach McAllister continue the upward curve of his career? Will one of baseball’s feel-good stories of spring training, the rejuvenation of Scott Kazmir’s career, endure throughout the year?

The good news is that the Tribe can compete with most teams if three or four starters do the fundamental things that starters are supposed to do: Pitch at least six innings and keep the team in the game.

Granted, this is far from a given. The recent track records of Masterson, Jimenez and Kazmir don’t instill confidence. But at least they all have performed at a high level at some point in the past, and all of them are under 30. And lest we forget: Each of them possesses a live arm that most fathers wish their sons had.

Myers spent all of last year in the bullpen, so he represents another example of the unknown. McAllister was the club’s most consistent starter in 2012, and he showed how hard work and a little experience can translate into progress. McAllister was light-years more proficient last season than he was in his first tentative starts as a rookie in 2011.

Three consistent starters isn’t going to turn the Indians into contenders for the Central Division championship, but if someone in the rotation falters, Carlos Carrasco will be waiting for his chance to leave Triple-A behind. Francona could have made a case for Carrasco taking one of the five starting jobs, but he is coming off elbow reconstruction surgery and will benefit from pitching in Columbus to sharpen his skills.

And what about the phenom, Trevor Bauer, who will be part of the Triple-A rotation? Hard to say when his command of the strike zone will match his velocity and the sharp movement of his pitches (including his dreaded reverse slider). Daisuke Matsuzaka also will be in the Clippers’ rotation, but his fastball has not regained its heat, even though almost two years have passed since he underwent elbow reconstruction surgery.

So while there is realistic hope but not much proven success among the starters, the bullpen is sturdy and deep, with closer Chris Perez, setup man Vinnie Pestano and seventh-inning specialist Joe Smith as the foundation.

As lockdown as these three guys were in 2012, the man to watch will be Cody Allen, who could be the next back-end star for the Tribe, if and when Perez prices himself out of the Northeastern Ohio market. Left-hander Nick Hagadone has superb stuff and velocity befitting a right-hander, which makes him a candidate for eighth- and ninth-inning employment at some point.

The best thing about the offense is that it is multifaceted, and it is not dominated by left-handed batters, a circumstance that made last year’s lineup virtually helpless against left-handed pitchers.

During the winter, General Manager Chris Antonetti brought in Nick Swisher, Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs. Combine their power with that of Carlos Santana, and the Indians will have the capability to win games with one swing of the bat.

But the most intriguing characteristic of the attack will be speed that has the potential to rattle pitchers and force defenses into making mistakes. Michael Bourn, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, Stubbs and even Asdrubal Cabrera have the capacity to succeed at least 75 percent of the time when they attempt a steal.

How Francona uses this speed and how efficiently the players execute — not only steals, but also going from first to third and taking the extra base — will be fascinating to watch.

The defense? With Brantley, Bourn and Stubbs roaming the outfield, grass-stained baseballs will be a thing of the past. At least theoretically. There are no Alomars or Vizquels strutting around the infield, but at worst the defense should be satisfactory.

So what is the bottom line for an Indians team that won 68 games in 2012? To win 12 more would be a significant improvement, even though 80 victories won’t put the club in the playoffs, even as a wild-card entry.

This is really a two-year process, and 80 wins this season would be a big step in the right direction.

Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SheldonOckerABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

This is really a two-year process, and 80 wins this season would be a big step in the right direction.

That's just how I see it, although I guess 78 wins, but I see every reason to expect further improvement in 2014.

JOE: Nice job on posting all the articles today!

Ditto!

Bleacher Reports predicts:


Scott Kazmir Will Win More Games Than Ubaldo Jimenez


Last year, Scott Kazmir was pitching for the Sugarland Skeeters in the Independent Atlantic League. He was barely able to hit 84 MPH on the radar gun.

Now, he's the No. 5 starter for the Cleveland Indians.

Through perseverance and a lot of hard work, Kazmir will make his first major league start in over two years later this week. The life is back in his four-seam fastball, he has rediscovered the control that was seemingly lost.

On the flip side, Ubaldo Jimenez suffered through a miserable 2012 season, leading the majors with 17 losses while walking 95 batters and throwing 16 wild pitches.

Jimenez was up and down for much of the spring, posting a 4.80 ERA but walking only seven in 30 innings.

Kazmir will end up with more wins than Jimenez for the Indians in 2013.

[I don't think so. I predict Kazmir's gone by August 1 either to injury or to submediocrity. Probably sooner. Harder to try to predict UJ's season, but I doubt it will be anything to get excited about.
Maybe he'll win a dozen or a couple more.]

And they predict:


Eric Wedge Will Be the First Manager Fired This Season

Hi-res-7201928_display_image: he now comes with a grey beard

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Mariners manager Eric Wedge is entering his third year as skipper, and he has been successful in showing progress.

Wedge guided the club to 67 wins in 2011, showing a six-game improvement. That number inched up to 75 victories last season. He has indeed shown an upward trend.

However, any early slip-ups this year by a team perceived to have a better offense could lead to his early departure.

The Mariners brought in Kendrys Morales, Mike Morse, Jason Bay and Raul Ibanez in an attempt to get them out of the run-scoring cellar in the American League. For four straight seasons, Seattle has been last in runs scored.

With the fences moving in at Safeco Field, the offense will be expected to provide adequate support for its pitching staff. Wedge will be the fall guy if the offense fails in that endeavor.