Cleveland Sports Forum

I think Joe will say he did. He sure got on a winning horse with Jose.

Ramirez has certainly exceed my expectations.

Happy Independance Day, everyone!!

We have now reached the mid point of the season and our boys are 7 games over .500.
44-37
2.5 game lead in division
We have won 4 of the last 5 ... and 5 of the last 7 against Texas and Detroit.

All of this while the team has played pretty much as bad and inconsistent as a team this talented can. And missing their ace starter for a month.

It took us a while but I think our boys are finally hitting their stride and it will be all downhill after this, I hope. (knocking on wood now)

As of now the only clear weakness we have is inconsistency of the bottom part of the rotation. Kluber and Carrasco both looking great. Clevinger just keeps getting better and more consistent. Bauer has even been getting more reliable.

I really wish the Indians would cut bait with Josh Tomlin now. DFA him, see if you can get something for him or just release him. That would give us a little over 3 weeks to see if Bauer and Clevinger could be trusted in a postseason rotation. And we have a guy in AAA, Shawn Morimando who has pitched back to back complete game shutouts, and has had a CGSho in 3 of his last 4 starts. See if he or Merritt can man that 5th spot in the rotation.

If, over the course of the next few weeks, it looks as if Bauer or Clevinger can't be trusted in postseason, or Morimando/Merritt is not ready to man that 5th spot, we have plenty of ammo to pull off a deal for a good reliable starting pitcher. Preferably a lefty to put at the 3rd spot in rotation and break up all the righties. But any guy who you can rely on to go out and eat innings and give the team a good start most of the time. The bullpen needs a break.

We have a ton of pitchers in the minors having great years. Pannone in High-A and AA has been dominating this year. Civale and Bieber in High-A have been unbelievable. The aforementioned Morimando and Merritt. Julian Merryweather has been pretty good too and always been thought well of.

We have Erik Gonzalez wasting away on the major league bench. He is a guy who could easily be starting at shortstop in the majors right now. And we have two young SS prospects in minors, Castro and Chang. None of these guys have a future in Cleveland with a guy named Lindor around. Shortstop is a premius position and I have to think these guys who have good value on the block.

Yandy Diaz hit .325 in Columbus last year, and his hitting .325 in AAA again this year. Unfortunately for him his best position is 3rd base and we have an all star there for years to come. We tried him in the OF and he looked terrible. But a very solid glove at 3rd base for someone. Another position hard to find talent at some times, so another guy I think would have good value.

We have 3 very good CF prospects in Zimmer, Naquin, and Greg Allen. We could easily part with one. And yet again, another premium position.
(Allen has been injured most of the year in Akron, but last couple years he has been one of my favorite prospects to follow. Really good defense in CF, hits for average, walks, doesn't strike out, and steals bases)

I would, under no circumstances, trade our top two prospects. Catcher Francisco Mejia and High-A starting pitcher Triston McKenzie. Both look like they could be super stars. Mejia should have already been called up to AAA. He has absolutely dominated AA pitching. Sandy Alomar says it's because he doesn't speak english but I am with Seagull, who gives a damn. Use hand signals. Code words. Smoke signals. I don't give a crap. Figure it out. Get this kid on the fast track. He's ready to move on to bigger things.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I would think very hard about making Bobby Bradley untouchable too. Early on in his minor league career he looked to me like another Russell Branyan. Hit homers but struck out way too much for my taste. I didn't think all that highly of him. But this year he has been working on striking out less and walking more and it is actually working. He is really starting to make a believer out of me. You almost have to keep either him or Yandy as insurance in case Santana walks and we end up needing a 1st baseman in near future.

But bottom line is, we have good pitching prospects, and we have good prospects at premium positions. So we can easily put a package together to get anything we need before the end of July. And to me what we may need is a reliable inning eating starter. Let's make a great run down the stretch and deep into October!

Bottom line is our minor league pipeline is loaded and most are tradable. Lots of Major League starting pitching out there if money is no object.

David Price has worn out his welcome in Boston but $30M a year is tough to swallow. Bunch of other big bucks starters out here.

Eat a contract for a change.

Pay the bucks and win a WS for us suckers that have been with you since 1948.

Tito back to the Clinic for "follow up" tests. Mills will manage tonight.

Indians activate Abe Almonte and place Carlos Santana on paternity list.

How many babies have the players had this season? 3?

Francona is still at Cleveland Clinic getting tested. Antonetti would not speculate on how long Tito would be away from the team. But it's likely he'll miss entire SD series.

He didn't go into specifics, but Chris Antonetti said he discussed trade possibilities with Tito today.

Per Fox 8 this morning, 7 are having babies during this season.

Terry Francona underwent 'cardiac ablation' operation Thursday to correct irregular heart beat. Should rejoin team July 14th.
Brad Mills will manage the AL All Stars

need to ask my doctor friend what this is about. I suppose Dr. Ken could do so, too, but I don't see his posts.

Only 7 having babies this season for the entire team? One NBA player can do that.

I'm glad Sandy and the rest of the staff still get to go to the all star game. The Rays manager, Cash, is going to assist.

KENM: What can you tell us about a cardiac ablation, like Tito had at the Clinic?

Give the Heart Rhythm
dr. john respass
John T. Respass, MD, FACC
More about Dr. Respass

When is device implantation needed?
Device implantation is used to treat patients who need assistance to keep their heart rhythms steady. Some of these patients are vulnerable to sudden death without assistance of the implantation device. Patients often exhibit symptoms of shortness of breath, dizziness or fainting. Some have already presented with heart issues and their doctors determine that regular rhythms can only be reached with an implanted device.

What is the difference between a pacemaker and a defibrillator?
Pacemakers treat heart rhythms, which are inappropriately slow. They are used for patients with arrhythmias to help patients reach a normal heart rate. Pacemakers are placed in the chest or abdomen and send low-energy electrical pulses to the heart to keep it beating properly. Pacemaker procedures take about 40 minutes. Defibrillators are used for patients who are vulnerable to sudden death. Often ER personnel use the AED device to bring a heart back to a normal rhythm. When that rhythm cannot be maintained because of damage or disease, patients receive a device implanted under the skin to help prevent injury or death.

What is cardiac ablation?
Cardiac ablation also corrects arrhythmias. Doctors use catheters, which are often inserted through the leg, to reach your heart and give it a more regular rhythm. The most common patients for this treatment are middle aged or older who suffer from palpitations. Often the ablation can permanently fix the issue by changing the electric system inside the heart. The procedure takes between one and a half and eight hours and is done as an outpatient. The majority of patients go home the same day. Since it is all done with an IV there is nothing that needs to heal. We suggest patients not do any heavy lifting for five days; otherwise they can resume regular activities.