Cleveland Sports Forum

civ ollilavad wrote: What a great hitter he was! 50 doubles and 50 homers in a season.

Not good enough for Rookie of the Year or MVP.

Not good enough for Rookie of the Year or MVP.

The Greatest "Snub" in the History of Major League Baseball.

Belle::: 121 runs, 173 hits, 50 dbls, 50 HRs, 126 RBI,, 5 stolen bases,, .317 avg, .401 OBP, .690 slg, OPS 1.091, Walks 73, Strikeouts 80

Vaughn: 98 runs, 165 hits, 28 dbls, 39 HRs, 126 RBI, 11 stolen bases, .300 avg, .388 OBP, .575 slg, OPS 0.963, Walks 68, Strikeouts 150

I forgot to add the OPS, Walks, and Strikeouts, What a Joke !

Let's see. Steroid taker, bat corker, and alcoholic. What's not to like ? Complete piece of crap. Team was full of steroid abusers. Alomar, Giles, Belle, Ramirez, Thome, and Visquel etc. Charlie Manuel did a great job of pointing out how these players could improve their hitting. CHEAT !!!!!!!!!

I see the Indians' big bats were at work in todays intrasquad scrimmage. Somebody scored a run for the final 1-0 victory. Good thing they went out and got all those big bats over the winter.

I love the 1995 Cleveland Indians, and have teflon feelings.

Seagull: If the glass is half full you would be glowing about the outstanding pitching in the opening spring training matchup. 1 run total! What a collection of arms we have! And pitching is 90% of baseball....

Indians notebook: Tyler Sturdevant stands out early in camp


GOODYEAR, Ariz.: Who caught manager Manny Acta’s attention in Wednesday’s four-inning intrasquad game?

“Tyler Sturdevant has come to camp and opened some eyes,” Acta said. “He has good composure, he has not been overwhelmed, and he threw a pretty good inning out there today.”

Sturdevant was one of eight pitchers who each threw one inning. Only Sturdevant and Josh Tomlin each executed a totally clean inning, both retiring the side in order, striking out one.

Sturdevant, 26, was picked by the Tribe in the 27th round of the 2009 draft and played at three levels last year. He compiled a 4-2 record and 1.98 ERA at Class-A Kinston before moving up to the Double-A Aeros (3-1, 3.30 ERA) and then Triple-A Columbus (0-0, 4.91). All of his 42 appearances were out of the bullpen.

The hitters produced only one run. It came in the first inning, when Carlos Santana doubled and scored with two outs on Jose Lopez’s single off Chris Seddon.

Tomlin needed only nine pitches to get three outs.

“He had his command and location,” Acta said. “The rest of the world is just trying to get outs. That’s him. He’s in midseason form.”

Nick Hagadone worked his way out of a bases loaded jam after giving up a walk and two singles with one out. Frank Herrmann struggled with his control, walking two.

Santana had the only extra-base hit. In addition to Lopez’s single, Ezequiel Carrera, Jason Donald, Shelley Duncan, Fred Lewis and Jason Kipnis hit safely.
At the other end of the spectrum, Lonnie Chisenhall struck out in both his trips to the plate.

Acta issued a reminder that an intrasquad game is hardly the proper venue in which to evaluate a player.
“These games are just for guys to get their timing and for pitchers to work on their command,” he said. “People are not going to make the team playing in a couple of intrasquad games.”

Observations

Russ Canzler is a man with a bat. That’s why the Tribe acquired him from the Tampa Bay Rays in the offseason. Canzler batted .314 with 18 homers and 83 RBI at Triple-A Durham last year and also went 1-for-3 in the big leagues.

Canzler, 25, has demonstrated solid workmanship at the plate for most of his career, but his glove has prevented him from making the jump to the majors.

“He’s a bat,” Acta said. “You see it in batting practice. He has legit power. The ball jumps off his bat. He also has very good makeup, and he has a chance.” The Tribe is working with Canzler to improve his defense.

“We want to limit him to first base and perhaps play a few games in left field,” Acta said. “Obviously, his bat is ahead of his defense, but he’s fairly young and we have plenty of guys to help him. I’ve read a lot of reports on him, but I really haven’t seen enough of him.”

Sizemore alert

Head trainer Lonnie Soloff is scheduled to update the condition of Grady Sizemore (strained back) this morning.

Perez update

Chris Perez has yet to throw, but he reports that his strained left oblique is virtually pain free.
“They give me a different exercise every day to test it, and it feels good,” he said.
Perez has a chance to open the season on time, though it will be awhile before he knows for certain.

Decision time?

Major League Baseball might announce as early as today the addition of one wild-card entry per league.
“That means there would be a better chance to the Tribe,” Acta said, “whether it’s a one-game playoff or two out of three.
“And if you’re a wild card, you shouldn’t be picky about how many games you get to play. Be happy with one game and zip it.”

End of the campaign

Where did the season go? The finale of the two-game intrasquad schedule will be this afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark.
The 4›-inning contest will include the following pitchers: Hector Ambriz, Scott Barnes, Jeanmar Gomez, Corey Kluber, Derek Lowe, Zach McAllister, Dan Wheeler, Kevin Slowey and Danny Salazar.

GOODYEAR, Ariz.: It’s not Ubaldo Jimenez’s fault that he was traded for the Indians’ two best prospects.

Not that it matters. Jimenez failed to live up to advance billing as a dominating starter after arriving in Cleveland following the July 31 deal for Drew Pomeranz and Alex White.

He struggled in the first half with the Colorado Rockies, compiling a 6-9 record and 4.46 ERA in 21 starts. Nothing changed after the trade, as he went 4-4 with a 5.10 ERA in 11 starts for the Tribe.

Was this really the same guy who posted a 14-1 record and 1.83 ERA in the first three months of 2010? Oh, and don’t forget that six-walk, seven strikeout no-hitter against the Atlanta Braves in April.

What happened to that pitcher? Jimenez spent the final three months of 2010 compiling a 5-7 record and 3.98 ERA. Add that to last year’s numbers, and Jimenez is 15-20 with a 4.43 ERA the past 1› seasons.

Why did Rockies General Manager Dan O’Dowd make available a pitcher with a golden arm who couldn’t become a free agent for 3› seasons? He said he wanted to add young pitching, but Jimenez is young (27 at the time) and has unusual ability.

Once he did put Jimenez on the market, why didn’t the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees dial up O’Dowd’s cell phone? Both teams needed pitching.

What did O’Dowd know that Tribe General Manager Chris Antonetti didn’t? Or was it the other way around. Did Antonetti conclude correctly that Jimenez’s problems were only temporary, a product of two early-season injuries and flawed pitching mechanics?

We still don’t know the answers to these questions, but this year should bring things into focus. As far as Jimenez is concerned, he is ready to prove that the Indians were right.

Corrections were begun during the winter. “I worked really hard to get ready for spring training and the season,” Jimenez said Wednesday. “We worked a lot on my lower body and core to make me stronger and help with my mechanics. I threw a lot of bullpens and live batting practice. I also pitched one game [2‚ innings] in winter ball.”

A strained right groin and a torn cuticle on his right thumb landed him on the disabled list for the first half of April. Those injuries seem to be at the root of Jimenez’s problems. He thinks so, and so do the Tribe’s deep thinkers.

“People who have seen me pitch before knew that something was wrong,” Jimenez said. “I couldn’t throw hard consistently. Because of the finger and leg injuries and a shoulder that got a little tired, I worried about what might happen next.”

Jimenez is not accustomed to dealing with injuries. The only other time he was hurt was in 2004, when he suffered a shoulder injury in A-ball. Apparently, the injuries were a factor in altering his mechanics, which manager Manny Acta hopes have been repaired.

“The problem was the way I landed,” Jimenez said. “My stride wasn’t short and I was rushing [my delivery] a little. I probably knew it, because I had trouble with that in Colorado a couple of times.”

Acta won’t know whether Jimenez’s delivery is back on track until he pitches in games, but so far the indications are positive.
“He’s working on it,” Acta said. “He started in the off- season. He’s not a long strider, and what we want is consistency. We’ll have to wait until the real competition starts, but we’re very encouraged by the way he’s been throwing the ball. Everybody around here thinks he’s up to no good.”

By that, Acta means Jimenez might be ready to become a menace to opposing hitters again.
Jimenez said even last year, he could summon up the will to throw 97 or 98 when he thought it was necessary.

“I don’t worry about that,” he said. “It’s not like there’s anything wrong with my arm. But it’s hard when you’re hurt.”

The trade might have created controversy among Northeast Ohio fans even if Jimenez had performed at his peak level. As it was, criticism was rampant. But Antonetti, not Jimenez, took the brunt of the barbs.
“It’s really hard to know what people were thinking,” Jimenez said. “I got a couple of tweets [that were nasty], but 99 percent of the fans were really supportive. When you don’t do good, not everybody is going to understand.”

Jimenez was able to simplify the issue of his own potential value. “If I’m not hurt,” he said, “I think I’ll be as good as I was before.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. --

Count Rangers manager Ron Washington among those curious to see Yu Darvish take the mound against the Padres on Wednesday in the pitcher's first Cactus League start.

The game can be listened to at 2:05 p.m. CT on an exclusive free webcast on http://www.texasrangers.com.

"I'm just not going to put a whole lot into what happens," Washington said. "I just want him to get out there and get into a big league game and get his work done like everyone else is getting their work done and move forward to the next time."

Darvish, who signed a six-year, $60 million deal with Texas in January, is scheduled throw two innings or 35 pitches. He will start again March 13 against the Indians at Goodyear Ballpark.

Yu Darvish's second scheduled start, on March 13 vs. the Indians in Goodyear, Ariz., will be broadcast live on MLB Network in the Texas market with the Sports Time Ohio feed. The game audio will also be available live on www.texasrangers.com via an exclusive free webcast.

"Fenway South"

This was before the game started. My seat was atop the "monstah."

Here's the view from there:

J.R., you are right down the street from my wife and youngest daughter(and her boyfriend) at present.

I get my wife back on Friday.

You are also close to LouFla, as I suspect you know.

Jack Hannahan, Cleveland Indians slam Arizona, 10-2
Published: Wednesday, March 07, 2012, 6:15 PM Updated: Wednesday, March 07, 2012, 6:18 PM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Indians hit three home runs Wednesday, including Jack Hannahan's grand slam in the third inning, to beat Arizona, 10-2, at Salt River Fields.

David Huff, competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, earned the win as he became the first Indians' pitcher this spring to go three innings. Huff and four relievers held the Diamondbacks to four hits.
Huff allowed two runs on two hits. He struck out two and walked one in throwing 51 pitches, including 31 strikes.

Jason Kipnis and Shin-Soo Choo hit consecutive homers off Trevor Cahill in the first inning for a 3-0 lead. Michael Brantley, who had three of the Indians' 11 hits, opened the game with a single.

Tyler Skaggs started the third for Arizona, but was wild. He walked the bases loaded with one out before Hannahan hit a 1-2 pitch over the fence in right center field for a 7-2 lead. Skaggs lasted two-thirds of an inning, walking four, including Huff before he was relieved.

The Indians made it 9-2 in the fifth on three straight two-out doubles by Juan Diaz, Nick Weglarz and Brantley. Weglarz and Brantley collected RBI. In the eighth, Felix Pie hit a leadoff triple and scored on a wild pitch for a 10-2 lead.

Arizona scored twice in the second.

The Indians are 2-1-1 this spring. Arizona is 1-4-1.

All Audio telecast captures true sounds of game

More than 60 mics captured Indians, D-backs in element

By Mark Newman / MLB.com | 03/07/12 9:10 PM EST

It was the top of the ninth inning at Salt River Fields, starting players were long gone, the Indians had a 10-2 lead on the host D-backs, and Cleveland's Lonnie Chisenhall was on first base after a single and chatting with first baseman Lyle Overbay.

"I'll take about a hit a day," Chisenhall told him. "That'll work."

Chisenhall and Jack Hannahan are in a battle for the Indians' everyday third-base job this spring, and indeed the former followed up the latter's grand slam on Wednesday by hitting safely in his third consecutive Cactus League exhibition in Scottsdale, Ariz. But in that moment, what MLB Network viewers were hearing was as important as what they were seeing.

(Jason Kipnis sings "Someone Like You" by Adele while playing second base during the Indians' Spring Training game vs. the D-backs)

It was a live conversation actually happening at first base, aired with a brief delay -- that kind of conversation fans for years have wondered about. There was plenty of that to savor as MLB Network presented a groundbreaking All Audio telecast, complete with more than 60 open microphones placed on players, managers, coaches, umpires and spots around the field.

Now everyone knows that Jason Kipnis sings Adele in the field, umpire Gerry Davis went to Paris in the offseason, and Justin Upton has a soprano pitch when he yells "I got it! I got it! It got it!" to catch a shallow fly to right. Now everyone knows what that crack of the bat really sounds like up-close when Shin-Soo Choo smashes a rocket over the wall...and what it sounds like when Choo is on third and has to dive out of the way of a line drive down the baseline.

"It gives the fans an opportunity to see what goes on, how we communicate with each other," said D-backs second baseman Aaron Hill, who had plenty of air time and seemed to enjoy the experience. "We do have fun out there, but at the same time, but obviously it's our job and we take it very seriously. Obviously it's great for the fans. After a while you forget it's there, and sometimes you need to always remember it's there."

He added: "It's fun, I think it makes it a more personable experience for the guys. I don't like necessarily doing it during the [regular] season."

The All Audio telecast was done in cooperation with Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association, an effort to produce in-game audio on a scale never tried before. It began with a pair of enhanced-audio game telecasts during last Spring Training, producing sound but not airing. Both of those games involved the Indians. MLB Network did a test with Tuesday's Texas-Arizona game, and then it made a little history.

"It's a great thing -- it took a lot of work to get to this point, with the cooperation of the Players Association and the Commissioner's Office," MLB Network CEO Tony Petitti said. "We were able to test it last year, and everybody has the same goal, to make the presentation of the game of baseball as exciting and as new as possible. You're always trying to advance the coverage."

"I don't know if I would say I called that game, as there was very little calling to be done," Vasgersian said. "It wasn't about giving people biographical information about A.J. Pollack, who is going to start the year in Triple-A, probably with the D-backs. It was about letting people listen to what it's like out there. We had over 60 open mics out there. ... People in the [production] truck mixing the audio really worked the hardest, and did a great job."

Indians manager Manny Acta had the line of the game, at least outside the box score. When his pitcher, David Huff, threw three straight strikes to Justin Upton, blowing the third one by him to end the third inning, viewers heard Acta say: "Blue Bayou, Linda Ronstadt!"

"I think it's interesting," Acta said. "You can hear the ball hit the catcher's mitt. It's fun for fans at home. Too bad that a lot of stuff ... they can't hear because you have to clean it up, but it's fun.

"It helped me clean up my language, for sure. It's hard to be yourself when you know that so many people are listening to you. Although, a lot of innings go by, and you forget you have it on."

Told that Kipnis was singing on the field, Acta said, "That's what I heard. I'll be interested to see that."

Vasgersian said early in the telecast that MLB Network was not permitted to air audio of conversation around the mound, or on the back bench of the dugout. Other than that, everything was pretty much fair game, although the brief delay was needed to withhold at times.

Reaction to the All Audio game was certainly mixed. The manager on the other side, Kirk Gibson, is glad to be going back to normal mode on Thursday, especially after another lopsided defeat. When asked if he liked being wired, Gibson said:

"Not really. I mean, it was a crap game again, three in a row. It's frustrating, so you have to certainly watch what you say."

Players substitutions are frequent in these early games, so MLB Network personnel were staged around the dugouts to help with the transfer of microphone packs to new players entering the game. One of the more focused-on participants was Indians third-base coach Steve Smith, who chatted with the umpire, and gave insightful help to Felix Pie about leading off the third, as the runner was there following a triple.

Ryan Roberts said of the telecast: "It was alright, I guess. You have to be cautious about what you say, that's the bad thing. You feel like you just have to watch what you say. In the way of feeling uncomfortable with the mic on, no. But uncomfortable that you can't just be you and say what you want."

Hannahan had a big game, as he attempts to maintain his regular job at third base for the Tribe, and he described the audio element as "different." There was one funny moment when he was in the picture-in-picture screen on the right, and all of a sudden he ... sneezed.

It was another reminder that these are people just like anyone else. They make a lot of snorting noises, they huff and puff like other athletes, they spit loudly. They do a lot of chatting with each other when they come to bat, or reach base, a lot of how-do-you-do's. What the game delivered was not so much revelation, as it was confirmation that they are just like normal people.

"I'm not a real big fan of it, just for the fact that it's baseball," Hannahan said. "They've never played with microphones on their unis before, I don't know why we had to now. I just think it takes away from guys being who they are. They're worried about what they're saying. I just feel like it kind of takes away from it."

Asked if he was conscious of the microphone during the game, he replied: "I was, yeah. I kind of felt like I couldn't really be myself out there. I'm a fan of baseball, so if I was at home or whatever, I think it might be pretty cool. But it's a little different being a part of it."

What might the All Audio game lead to in the future? It's hard to say. For one thing, there needs to be a translator handy, as Spanish is partly fact-of-life in a typical game. And it sure would be nice to hear the pitcher, arguably the person around whom the game most revolves.

Jiminez' line is not any good again. Cnzler with anothr error.