Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

3/14/06

Boone lends helping hand to his eventual successor

Indians plan to send youngster Marte to minors

Tuesday, March 14, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>CHUCK CHOW | ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Andy Marte, 22, whom the Indians acquired in a trade in January, hit .275 with 20 home runs for triple-A Richmond in 2005. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>

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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — Andy Marte proclaimed himself ready for the big leagues. But he has been told he will begin the season as the starting third baseman for triple-A Buffalo, where he will be waiting for the call to Cleveland.

Aaron Boone has the job Marte wants and all of the pressures that come with it, pressures that calcified when the Indians acquired Marte in a trade just three weeks before the start of spring training.

Boone is coming off a subpar first season as Cleveland’s third baseman, and Marte represents the possibility that there will not be a second full season.

It is a rite of spring that veterans share a clubhouse with the prospects who might someday replace them, and it can be a destructive dynamic. But Boone made sure that wouldn’t happen by approaching Marte early in camp.

Marte’s eyes lit up as he recalled the exchange.

"He said I’m like his little brother," Marte said. "He’s awesome. He’s a great teammate."

Boone said Marte is "a good dude" and "easy to hang with," which made it easy to reach out. But even before he had met Marte, Boone planned to extend a friendly hand. Marte was the central figure in the trade that sent Coco Crisp to Boston, and he has been deemed the Indians’ top prospect, so he is bearing plenty of pressure on his 22-year-old shoulders.

"It’s a lot for a young guy to get traded and come in here with all those expectations," Boone said. "The last thing he needs to worry about is a couple jerks, so if I can make it easy on him, I’m gonna."

That attitude is why Indians manager Eric Wedge and general manager Mark Shapiro have been so high on Boone since signing him in June 2004, despite the fact Boone was coming off a serious knee injury and has never been the prototypical power-hitting American League third baseman.

Boone earned raves from teammates, coaches and the front office for his leadership and professionalism last season, even as he hit just .151 through the first two months. He hit .284 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI in the final 98 games to raise his final line to .243, 16 and 0. He is signed for $3.75 million this season.

Meanwhile, Marte hit .275 with 20 home runs for Richmond, triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. He was traded to Boston in early December, then to Cleveland in late January. The stat-centric Baseball Prospectus rated Marte the seventh-best prospect in the game, and the scout-centric Baseball America rated him 14 th.

In his first audition for Indians coaches, Marte is 8 for 19 with five extra-base hits this spring.

"He’s right there on the cusp," Wedge said.

Wedge and Shapiro have insisted that Marte will open the season in Buffalo no matter what he does this spring, and Marte said he understands. "I’m just waiting for that call," he said.

Indians officials believe Marte can benefit from more time in triple-A. He sometimes tries too hard to pull the ball, and he has never hit higher than .285 in a season. But it is clear that if not for Boone, Marte would be penciled into the opening-day lineup.

"Obviously, we’ve all heard how great a player he is going to be," Boone said, "and everything I’ve seen suggests that as well."

Boone also has considerable value. He has twice topped 20 homers in a season; he is the smartest base runner on the team; and when healthy, he is capable of stealing 30 bases. He also provides veteran leadership to a still-maturing club.

Only the leadership was evident early last season, as Boone struggled to shake off the rust after missing the previous season because of injury.

"Hopefully, I learned something from it," he said yesterday after hitting two home runs in an 8-7 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. "As tough as last year was, one thing I’m proud of is that I rallied. I got to a point where at least I came to the ballpark feeling like I could contribute. This year, I expect to have more of an impact."

If so, he could shift the pressure onto the Indians. There are some in the game who believe Marte could play a corner outfield position, and Boone has experience at second base. With some creativity, there could be room for both players.

"Who knows?" Marte said. "I have to do my job, and we see what happens."

[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

3/15/06

Relieve or start? That's

<!-- begin body-content -->LAKELAND, FLA. - Relieve or start? That's
the question for Davis
For the past couple of years, there has been a difference of opinion about what's best for Jason Davis.
Manager Eric Wedge thinks that he should be a reliever; General Manager Mark Shapiro thinks that starting should be his game.
``I look at him more as a reliever,'' Wedge said Tuesday. ``But that still is something to be decided.''
Davis is one of four pitchers vying for the final spot in the Indians' bullpen, along with Danny Graves, Steve Karsay and Andrew Brown.
The question is whether Davis will start or relieve at Triple-A if he doesn't win the bullpen berth with the Tribe.
``Right now, we want him to get every opportunity to win that job,'' Wedge said.
What makes Davis a superior relief prospect in Wedge's eyes?
``His third pitch (slider) isn't as important in the bullpen,'' Wedge said. ``He also can come in without having to pace himself.
``And Jason has that position-player mentality. With his intensity level, he's always ready to go.''
At times, Davis' hyperactivity on the mound has hurt him.
``Sometimes it has worked against him,'' Wedge said. ``But he's been working to channel his emotions. He has to realize that his stuff plays better when he doesn't try to do too much.''
Wedge also can give the argument for Davis as a starter.
``For one thing, his strength helps in that area,'' Wedge said. ``He's also done it before, and he can get a ground ball for two outs (with his sinker).
``Jason isn't necessarily a strikeout pitcher, but he can get a strikeout. He also has a fastball and split, and his slider is coming along.''
HOMER HAPPY -- The Indians tied the Detroit Tigers in home run proficiency but lost the game 14-10 Tuesday at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Each team went deep five times, partly because of a stiff breeze blowing out toward right and center fields.
Casey Blake, Aaron Boone each whacked two-run blasts, and Ryan Garko hit a solo homer. Ryan Mulhern ripped a two-run and a solo homer.
``He's country-strong,'' Wedge said of Mulhern, who had a breakout season at Double-A Akron last year and will play first base and left field at Triple-A Buffalo.
Obviously, effective pitching was lacking on both sides. The battle for the final bullpen job continues, with Danny Graves and Steve Karsay taking a turn.
Graves managed to hold Detroit to one hit while striking out two in two innings. Karsay struggled in his two innings, giving up four runs and five hits, including two homers. However, he also struck out four.
``I thought Karsay was much better than those numbers,'' Wedge said.
DOUBLE LOSS -- Back in Winter Haven, the Tribe dropped an 11-5 decision to the Toronto Blue Jays, as Jason Stanford and Ben Howard gave up seven runs in the ninth.
Jason Johnson started and threw four scoreless innings, allowing three hits. Bob Wickman gave up three runs on four hits, including two homers, in one inning. Brandon Phillips doubled and hit a solo homer.

SHELDON OCKER​

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

3/15/06

Tribe's Sowers, Carmona wait for their chance

If Indians starting pitcher falters, either prospect prepared to step in

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->LAKELAND, FLA. - The bottom line with pitchers is this: Either they get batters out or they don't.
How they do it is secondary.
Some fans want to know more. Since the current Indians regime took over baseball operations in the winter of 2001, the emphasis has been on youth and the team's built-in feeder system.
General Manager Mark Shapiro believes that the best way to build a winner is to grow your own players in the farm system. That theory takes on added importance when a club's budget has strict limits.
All spring, fans have been hearing about the upside of young starters Jeremy Sowers, 22, who faced the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, and Fausto Carmona, 22, who pitched four innings against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Monday.
Sowers worked only 1 2/3 innings, allowing two runs and six hits. The Tigers hit few balls hard (two singles never left the infield), and he retired the first two batters in the second inning before hitting a batter, which started him down a rough road.
``In the second inning, I had two outs and needed one more pitch, and I couldn't do it,'' Sowers said.
He has discovered that major-league hitters, even in spring training, are superior to the batters whom he faced last year in the minors.
``They fight (good) pitches off a lot better,'' Sowers said. ``They force you to keep throwing good pitches, which is not a piece of cake to do.''
Sowers and Carmona are first in line to replace a starter who gets hurt or slumps badly. Either of these novices would have been been elevated to the rotation had not Shapiro decided to take a flyer on veteran Jason Johnson late in the free-agent signing period.
That is no reflection on Carmona and Sowers, who will begin the season at Triple-A Buffalo and wait their turn. These are not pitchers expected to settle into careers as No. 4 or 5 starters. They probably won't reach ace-of-the-staff status, but it's not a stretch to mark them as future No. 2s.
They do go about their business differently.
Sowers is a cagey left-hander. He doesn't throw hard (88-90 mph), but his pitches have good movement, and he knows what he's doing.
He is close enough to being big-league ready that manager Eric Wedge said: ``Jeremy just needs to keep pitching. He's like a veteran guy, where the ball does what he wants it to do.
``The consistency of his delivery leads to him having great command. In that area, he is far ahead of other pitchers with his experience. The challenge for him when he goes to a different level will be seeing different batters and then reacting to them.''
In other words, inevitably no matter how successful Sowers is the first time around the big leagues, scouts will tell the hitters how to adjust, and he will have to change his approach.
Unquestionably, Sowers has a high degree of physical ability, but he also is a thinker. During the winter, he graduated from Vanderbilt with a degree in political science. His twin brother, Josh, who pitches in the Toronto Blue Jays farm system is a Yale graduate.
Does a native intelligence give him an edge as a pitcher?
``A guy like Jeremy is not overpowering,'' Wedge said. ``He needs to go out and pitch. He has a great feel, a good aptitude for pitching.''
Carmona takes a different approach. One reason: Sowers, at 6-foot-1, 180 pounds (which probably is a stretch) doesn't have the body type that scouts seek out. Carmona, on the other hand, stands a towering 6-4 and weighs in at 200 pounds or better.
Just looking at Carmona, one would expect him to be a hard thrower, and he is. His primary pitch is not a four-seam fastball, though, but a sinker -- Wedge calls it ``a power sinker.''
Consequently, Carmona doesn't have to be pinpoint with his command. His sinker probably is good enough most of the time that he can throw it to the middle of the plate and it will move toward a corner.
Said Wedge: ``Command is important for Carmona, but it's more important to Jeremy, but Carmona has good command, too.''
Last year at Buffalo and Double-A Akron, Carmona averaged only 1.8 walks per nine innings.
Neither Sowers nor Carmona are in love with the strikeout pitch. Each understands that the fewer pitches it takes to retire a batter, the longer he can remain in the game.
``One thing about both guys is that they are not afraid of (batters making) contact,'' Wedge said. ``Sometimes that's a hard thing for young guys to accept.''
Maybe it's a little easier when you know the choice you made has gotten you within one injury or one slump from a job in the big leagues.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

3/15/06

Gutierrez just getting picky

Wednesday, March 15, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Andy Call REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER [/FONT]


<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Related Stories
TRIBE NOTEBOOK: Brown senses his own problems

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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Franklin Gutierrez knows that his primary goal this spring is to learn to be more picky.
“Last year, I was swinging at every pitch,” Gutierrez said.
The Indians have told their 23-year-old outfielder that becoming a more selective hitter will be the key to his making the big leagues. It was a notion he put to the test during the winter league in his native Venezuela, and the test results were positive. He’s taking the same approach during spring training.
“I’ve tried to look for my pitch and not swing at bad pitches,” Gutierrez said. “I believe that’s the key. If I start to do that, I can be in the big leagues pretty soon.”
The Indians anticipate Gutierrez will start the season in Triple-A. He and Brad Snyder will be two young outfield options there.
Gutierrez was considered a prime prospect when obtained from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2004 trade for Milton Bradley. His speed and arm are assets, and his .277 career minor-league average also is encouraging. The only consistent negative associated with Gutierrez has been a lack of selectivity at the plate — 440 career strikeouts to 154 walks. In 2003, the same year he hit 24 home runs, he also fanned 131 times.
It wasn’t hard to see what Gutierrez needed to do. He took a less carefree approach to hitting in Venezuela and experienced some encouraging results. Gutierrez batted .341 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 51 games — walking as many times (28) as he struck out.
“It works,” Gutierrez said. “What can I say?”
There are other adjustments needed, of course. Gutierrez has played primarily center field in his career, but would be asked to potentially man the corner outfield positions as well if called up by Cleveland.
“I haven’t played left field and right field since rookie ball,” Gutierrez said. “It’s going to take more practice.”
One of Gutierrez’s gifts is his ability to get a jump in the right direction as the ball leaves the bat. He has been fielding fly balls in both corners during batting practice this spring to get a better feel for the angles he will be asked to employ in right and left field.
“When it’s been six years since you played a position, you have to know where to run,” Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez knows he may not be running around in the Jacobs Field outfield right away. He has not hit well this spring (.174), but has more walks (six) than strikeouts (five). Still, he is convinced he’s much more ready for that phone call from Cleveland than a year ago. “I’m different than last year,” Gutierrez said. “I’m confident. I’m a big-league guy right now.” Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail [email protected]
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

3/15/06

TRIBE NOTEBOOK: Brown senses his own problems

Wednesday, March 15, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]TRIBE NOTEBOOK ANDY CALL[/FONT]


<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>Related Stories
Gutierrez just getting picky

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WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Andrew Brown doesn’t know what the standings are, but admits he sure doesn’t feel like he’s in first place.
“Honestly, I’m frustrated,” said Brown, who will get a chance to work out his frustrations this afternoon against Toronto at Dunedin, Fla. “I feel good. My arm feels great. My stats look good. But I’m a little frustrated. I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished the things I’ve wanted to accomplish so far in spring training.”
The 25-year-old right-hander is one of four candidates for one open spot in Cleveland’s bullpen. Brown, who has yet to pitch a big-league game, is competing with veteran right-handers Danny Graves and Steve Karsay and perennial contender Jason Davis.
Brown has been charged with two runs over five innings, allowing four hits and walking three while striking out seven. Opposing batters are hitting .222 off him.
Those numbers wouldn’t indicate a problem, but Brown said he simply has not been able to put the ball where he wants this spring.
“I have some control issues, and they’ve led to some outings I haven’t been too fond of,” Brown said. “I’ve made decent pitches when I’ve needed to, but I could make it a lot easier on myself if I were working 0-2 or 1-2 instead of 2-0 every time. I need to show the coaches that I can throw strikes when I need to.”
“He’s had a tendency this spring to overthrow a bit,” Manager Eric Wedge said. “We have seen that he’s strong and he has a good arm. He just transitioned to the bullpen last year, so he’s still fairly new at that role. He just needs to be more consistent.”
The Indians obtained Brown, along with outfielder Franklin Gutierrez, in the 2004 trade for Milton Bradley. He fared well last year at Triple-A Buffalo (4-2, 3.36 ERA). Brown has demonstrated a strong arm during camp, throwing fastballs that reach 98 mph.
“Andrew Brown had an absolutely dominating year at Buffalo last year and he has come in here and aggressively shown he wants to compete for that job,” General Manager Mark Shapiro said.
Two factors are on Brown’s side. First, there still are two weeks of spring training to play. Second, none of the other candidates have made a definite move to the front of the pack.
“When any of those guys pitch well, I’m happy for them,” Brown said. “I’m not wishing them bad luck. I’m not in a panic mode yet. I’m still out there taking it one pitch at a time.”
BLUE JAYS 11, INDIANS 5 TIGERS 14, INDIANS 10
Tuesday was not a banner day for Indians pitchers, who combined to give up 25 runs during a pair of split-squad losses in Winter Haven and Lakeland.
Jason Stanford gave up a two-run home run and Ben Howard a three-run blast during Toronto’s seven-run ninth inning. Bob Wickman had earlier surrendered a solo home run and a two-run homer during the fifth.
Graves worked two scoreless innings in Lakeland, but four other pitchers combined to give up 14 runs. Edward Mujica, Jeremy Guthrie and Karsay were charged with four runs each. Jeremy Sowers started for Cleveland and gave up two runs on six hits over 1 2/3 innings.
Travis Hafner walked twice, singled and homered in four plate appearances against Toronto. Brandon Phillips doubled and hit a solo home run. Ryan Mulhern hit two home runs against Detroit. Casey Blake doubled and homered, and Aaron Boone and Ryan Garko singled and homered.

TODAY The Indians will face Toronto this afternoon at 1:05 in Dunedin. Jake Westbrook is scheduled to start against Ted Lilly. Scott Sauerbeck and Brown are scheduled to follow Westbrook. There is no local radio or TV broadcast.
TV UPDATE The SportsTime Ohio Web site indicates STO and Massillon Cable are “currently in negotiations” for Indians telecasts. STO still must negotiate a contract with Comcast as well, even though that cable company was recently purchased by Time Warner Cable. There also is no agreement yet with satellite TV providers Direct TV or Dish Network. STO has signed on eight cable companies, including Time Warner.
ALUMNI REPORT Former Akron Aeros closer Lee Gronkiewicz made the trip to Winter Haven with the Blue Jays.
Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail [email protected]
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

3/15/06

<H1 class=red>Grapefruit gab

</H1>

Tuesday, March 14, 2006



What: Game No. 14, vs. Devil Rays at Winter Haven, Fla.

Score: Indians (11-3) win, 8-7.

Rundown: Aaron Boone homered in his first two at- bats and rookie Fausto Carmona allowed one earned run in four innings.

Handicapping the position races: Catcher Einar Diaz, who hasn't thrown well, threw out Joey Gathright at second and picked off Travis Lee at first in the first inning. Utility infielder Ramon Vazquez tripled, but was picked off third in the second. He followed with a run-scoring error at shortstop in the third.

Other observations: Ryan Garko dropped a throw at first base, leading to two runs in the third. . . . Todd Hollandsworth ended the fifth and saved a run with a leaping catch in right field. . . . Jason Dubois, competing with Hollandsworth for the extra outfield spot, homered and doubled. Diaz doubled and homered as well.

Next: Toronto at Indians, 1:05 p.m. today; Indians at Detroit, 1:05 p.m. today.

- Paul Hoynes

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

INDIANS INSIDER
SportsTime Ohio adds Adelphia


Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter

Lakeland, Fla.- The Indians continue to add cable networks to SportsTime Ohio, their new regional TV network.

They signed a deal with Adelphia of Northern Ohio on Tuesday, meaning Adelphia subscribers in several Cleveland suburbs will be able to watch the Indians' 130 regular-season games this season. Jim Liberatore, president of Fastball Productions, said Adelphia reaches parts of Lakewood, Westlake, Ashtabula, Lorain, Macedonia, Port Clinton and Lake and Lorain counties.

According to numbers supplied by Adelphia, the cable system has some 350,000 subscribers in Northern Ohio.

"We're in 1.5 million homes right now," Liberatore said.

Liberatore said the Indians are close to reaching a deal with Comcast but still have not made headway with satellite carriers DirecTV and the Dish Network.

"By Opening Day, we hope to have 90 percent coverage of the cable universe within a 50-mile radius of Jacobs Field," Liberatore said.

Liberatore said negotiations with WOW (Wide Open West), Cox and Armstrong cable companies are ongoing.

Assist, Snyder:

Former Indians outfielder Cory Snyder, working with the Tribe's minor-leaguers this spring, took time out from his dinner Monday night at The Outback restaurant in Winter Haven, Fla., to break up a fight.

When a man punched another man, who was seated at the bar, and then shoved a woman who tried to break up the fight, Snyder put the aggressor in a bear hug and escorted him to the door of the restaurant.

Snyder, who had nothing to do with the disagreement, sat down and finished eating.

Closer look:

Here are some details of Jhonny Peralta's new five-year, $13 million contract.

The $7 million club option in 2011 increases to $7.25 million if he's traded. The same base salary increases by $500,000 if Peralta wins the MVP and by $100,000 if he's selected for the All-Star Game or wins a Gold Glove from 2006 through 2010. The base cannot increase by more than $1 million.

Annual award incentives include $200,000 for MVP, $100,000 for World Series MVP, $50,000 for League Championship Series MVP, $50,000 for Silver Slugger, $50,000 for Gold Glove and $100,000 for being elected to the All-Star Game or $50,000 for being selected.

First time:

Jason Michaels made his first start in center field this spring Tuesday against Detroit. Michaels had played exclusively in left field to get used to playing next to center fielder Grady Sizemore, but he'd never faced Tigers lefty Kenny Rogers.

Michaels doubled in his first at-bat.

Finally:

After watching both teams combine for 24 runs on 34 hits, including 10 homers, Tiger manager Jim Leyland said of his club's windswept, 14-10 victory over the Indians, "I wouldn't judge any pitcher on the face of the earth based on today. It was a hitter's delight. There were jet streams all over the ballpark."

Plain Dealer columnist Roger Brown contributed to this report.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-5158

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

3/15/06

<H1 class=red>Where to find SportsTime Ohio

</H1>

Wednesday, March 15, 2006



Here is a current list of the area cable operators that have reached deals to carry SportsTime Ohio, the Indians' regional sports network. SportsTime Ohio will air 130 Indians regular-season games, beginning April 4.

Adelphia Cable -- Cleveland and suburbs (Channel 17)
Adelphia Cable -- Ashtabula area (Channel 30)
Adelphia Cable -- Lorain area (Channel 23)
Adelphia Cable -- Macedonia area (Channel 97)
Adelphia Cable -- Port Clinton area (Channel 17)
BTC MultiMedia (Channel 76)
Buckeye Cablesystem (Channel 32 in Toledo area; Channel 57 in Erie County)
Doylestown Cable (Channel 16)
Time Warner Cable -- Northeast Ohio (Channel 23)
Time Warner Cable -- Northwest Ohio (Channel 25)
Time Warner Cable -- Mid-Ohio (Channel 24, switching to Channel 34 after March 29)
TSC -- Auglaize County (Channel 12)
Wadsworth Cable (Channel 77)

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

3/15/06

Graves, Karsay make pitches

Veterans compete with two others for last spot in bullpen

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Indians played their final splitsquad games of the spring yesterday, losing 14-10 to the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla., and 11-5 to the Toronto Blue Jays in Chain of Lakes Park.

Danny Graves threw two scoreless innings against Detroit. Steve Karsay allowed four runs in two innings.

General manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge have been complimentary of both veteran pitchers, particularly Graves.

A scout from an American League club, who has seen Graves and Karsay pitch multiple times this spring, was underwhelmed but said Karsay has improved.

"He has better velocity — (above average) at times — on his fastball and a better breaker," the scout said. "He is getting both pitches over."

Karsay and Graves are competing with Jason Davis and Andrew Brown for the final spot in the bullpen. Davis pitched one scoreless inning against Toronto.
Having fun again



Jason Dubois is pushing Todd Hollandsworth for a spot as the fourth outfielder. Dubois is 10 for 25 (.400) with five extrabase hits after hitting only .222 in three stints with the Indians last season.

"Ninety-five percent of it was just pressing," said Dubois, acquired in a trade with the Chicago Cubs for Jody Gerut. "Now I’m getting to know the guys better, and that takes some pressure off."

He arrived Feb. 1 to get accustomed to the surroundings. By the time his teammates arrived two weeks later, Dubois felt settled into the town and clubhouse.

"I’m nice and relaxed and just having fun," he said.
TV talk



The Indians debuted their television network SportsTime Ohio on Time Warner Channel 24 on Sunday, and in the days since they have added Adelphia and Buckeye cable companies.

Jim Liberatore, president of Fastball Sports Productions, which oversees SportsTime Ohio, said his company is still negotiating with Insight and WOW, the other major cable providers in central Ohio.

"I wouldn’t characterize us as close," Liberatore said, "but it’s good we’re talking again."

Bob Lau, vice president of corporate affairs for Insight, acknowledged the negotiations are ongoing but declined further comment.

The main hangup has been the network’s rate.

"We’ve had some legitimate discourse about the rates we’re charging," Liberatore said, "but it’s hard to argue that the rates are too high when so many other providers are signing on."

[email protected]

 

[exhawg]

Looks like I won't get screwed over for not having digital cable after all.

 

[exhawg]

Looks like I won't be getting screwed over for not having digital cable after all. I guess most people would be pissed when the Tribe plays on the west coast and they watch the game as they are going to bed. If they games were only on digital cable you could only watch the game on your main tv or be forced to get a second digital cable box.

 

[Piney]

see exhawg... told ya that the closer we get to opening day the more TV deals that will be announced.

But if I had Direct TV in Cleveland I would be worried. Seems like Direct TV is playing hardball as Direct TV & Foxsports is actually owned by the same corporate entity. Freaking politics.

 

[JCOSU86]

Any word on the "free" games broadcast in Cleveland on WKYC in other markets? It would be awesome to get them in HD

 

[exhawg]

Any word on the "free" games broadcast in Cleveland on WKYC in other markets? It would be awesome to get them in HD

NBC already has an HD channel so I would hope they're in HD. It would be a shame to have to cart in their own cameras for the game rather than using the 8 HD cameras that the Indians will have at the Jake. The Indians own the whole thing and sold the rights to those games to channel 3. It wouldn't be like NBC using the Fox Sport cameras. Of course I've been wrong before so don't listen to me.

 

[exhawg]

see exhawg... told ya that the closer we get to opening day the more TV deals that will be announced.

But if I had Direct TV in Cleveland I would be worried. Seems like Direct TV is playing hardball as Direct TV & Foxsports is actually owned by the same corporate entity. Freaking politics.

I was looking into switching to one of the dish services if Adelphia was going to screw me over on the digital cable box. Luckily I don't have to now. I'm just glad they didn't put it at channel 150. Life is so much easier when you only have to pay the Cable/Internet bill and the Cell phone bill. Who needs a house phone when you are only at home for 2 hours every night before the free nights and weekends kick in?