Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/5/06

Tribe fans can relish rout of N.Y.

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - We can talk about how the Indians and New York Yankees begin tonight's game with the score 0-0.
Or how those 19 runs scored by the Tribe on July 4 pack about as much power today as a soggy sparkler.
I'm just going to say the score: Indians 19, Yankees 1!
I'm not going to dwell on the fact that the Indians are 39-43 and 16 games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers. I'm not going to get into heavy analysis about the frustrations of the season. There will be plenty of time for that.
I'm just going to say it again: Indians 19, Yankees 1.
I'm also going to say this: Happy birthday, George Steinbrenner, as the Yankees owner was a July 4 baby born 76 years ago in Rocky River.
It's been a tough two days for Steinbrenner, along with the many Yankees fans at Jacobs Field this week. They've watched their injury-ravaged team score three runs in two games, losing them both.
Bet that just breaks your heart, Tribe fans.
Yankees fans have seen these guys in the starting lineup: Andy Phillips, Melky Cabrera, Kevin Reese and Nick Green. Not exactly Murderers Row, but what do you want for a $194 million payroll?
Just know that the Indians have won four in a row and six of eight. Not exactly Team Streak, but at least they've stopped playing like Team Stink.
The starting pitching is shaping up. In their past 25 games, the rotation has a 3.80 ERA with a 10-8 record after Jake Westbrook (7-4) held New York to one run in seven innings. The starters have pitched into the sixth inning in 22 of the past 25 games.
So I'm going to say it again: Indians 19, Yankees 1.
In the name of Pete Franklin, wasn't this a fun night for everyone wearing Wahoo red, white and blue?
The late Franklin was the godfather of sports talk in this area from the 1960s through the 1980s. He invented the ``I HATE THE YANKEES'' nights and had fans waive white ``Yankee Hankies'' at the visitors when they came to the old stadium.
Of course, the hankies often became surrender flags for Tribe fans by the seventh inning.
So let's just say the score again: Indians 19, Yankees 1.
The Indians had their regularly scheduled fireworks night after Monday's 5-2 victory over the Yankees. So Tuesday night, the Tribe hitters decided to give the 29,638 fans their own fireworks show.
Six home runs.
Travis Hafner hit two.
Boom, boom.
Jhonny Peralta hit two.
Boom, boom.
Victor Martinez hit one.
Boom.
Ronnie Belliard hit one.
Boom.
By the middle of the nine-run fifth inning, most of the Yankees looked as if they were trapped in tuxedos with ties too tight, realizing they were stuck in a boring banquet with cold, rubbery chicken and that armed guards had locked the doors. The three hours and 10 minutes felt like three months and 10 days.
Not for Tribe fans.
They watched their team's biggest victory at home since the Indians beat the Philadelphia A's 21-2 in 1950.
Yes, that was 56 years ago.
The Indians did win 22-0 in New York back in 2004. Westbrook started that game, too. Wonder if he can at least throw out the first ball tonight to get the bats going once more.
I can tell you that in the past seven games, Belliard has four homers and four doubles. I can tell you that Hafner has five homers in seven games, that he's on pace to hit 46 and drive in 140 runs.
I can tell you that Grady Sizemore was on base five times, and that Victor Martinez has his average up to .307 and is en route to 100 RBI.
I can tell you that Todd Hollandsworth has done a nice job off the bench during the past few weeks, and that when the Indians pay attention and catch the ball on just routine plays, they become a decent team.
But you already know all that.
Instead, I'll just tell you this: Indians 19, Yankees 1.
That's because none of us ever know if we'll get to say that again.

ABJ

7/5/06

Indians notebook

Teams have cooled on warming up in field

Players often bench infield practice prior to games in favor of training in weight rooms, batting cages

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Taking infield practice before games used to be as automatic as the singing of the national anthem or Jimmy Dudley announcing, ``The string is out,'' on a 3-and-2 pitch.
But that was years -- no decades -- ago. For the most part, teams forgo the practice of pregame infield drills these days.
``When I was coming up, taking infield was more a part of your regular day,'' Indians third baseman Aaron Boone said on Tuesday. ``Now, I'd say most teams probably take infield once a week.
``For us, I guess it's once or twice a week, but now we're taking it more frequently.''
Why has such a time-honored part of the game begun to disappear?
``Long before I started, 20 years ago or so, there wasn't as much pregame preparation,'' Boone said. ``Nobody had batting cages or weight rooms.''
Manager Eric Wedge recalls when taking infield was more commonplace than it is now.
``Even in the early '90s, we took it every day when I was at Boston,'' he said. ``It was something fans expected.
``Now, guys might think it's a grind. A lot goes into a major-league day. And if you do your work early, that's OK. But taking infield gives you a kind of rhythm. It does some good.''
Does Boone agree?
``It can't hurt,'' he said. ``I've always kind of liked it.''
But it's doubtful that anyone complains if they aren't called onto the field a half hour before first pitch to take ground balls and make throws to various bases.
``I suppose guys don't like it as much because it's not a part of the regular routine,'' Boone said. ``But I don't really know.''
Wedge doesn't decide his players should take infield on his whim. He has a specific goal in mind.
``We don't do anything without a reason,'' he said.
The return
Jason Michaels (sprained ankle) was activated from the disabled list and in the lineup in left field Tuesday night.
``Jason felt good yesterday and he felt good waking up today,'' Wedge said. ``I don't know about being 100 percent when you're a professional athlete, but he's close to it.''
Nevertheless, Wedge will monitor Michaels.
``We'll be cautious with Jason through the break,'' Wedge said. ``We have that luxury, because of the way (Todd) Hollandsworth and (Franklin) Gutierrez have played.''
Odd man out
Ryan Garko was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo to make room on the roster for Michaels.
``Ryan was a real pro about it,'' Wedge said. ``He had only two at-bats, but he made an impression. For one thing, he had a big hit for us. So we just want him to go down and get ready for the next time.''
Rotating rotation
After the All-Star Game, Wedge will alter the order of his rotation.
``We'll tweak it a little,'' he said. ``I have a pretty good idea now what it will be.''
Nostalgia time
New York Yankees starter Jaret Wright made his first trip to Cleveland since he last pitched for the Tribe in 2002.
``We got here about six in the morning,'' Wright said. ``I remember when I came here for the very first time on the freeway, and suddenly there was the ballpark looming in front of me.
``It was the same thing this time, and it made me think about a lot of good times and some of the stupid things I did when I was here.''
Hero's welcome
In a pregame ceremony, three members of the Marine 3rd Battalion were presented with medals, including Master Sgt. Ralph Perrine of Medina, who was awarded the Bronze Star.
Farm facts
Jeremy Guthrie (4-1, 2.52 ERA) yielded one run and four hits in 6 2/3 innings as Buffalo defeated Rochester 7-1. Ben Francisco had three hits.... Joe Ness (8-2, 2.76 ERA) gave up four runs in six innings, but Kinston beat Winston-Salem 8-4 in Class A.... Kelly Edmundson had two hits and three RBI in Mahoning Valley's 6-1 win over Auburn in Class A.... Michael Butia singled twice and drove in two runs as Burlington beat Danville 8-4 in Rookie League.... Jeanmar Gomez worked six scoreless innings, giving up four hits as the Gulf Coast League Indians edged the Tigers 1-0.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/6/06

Hot Tribe suddenly cold

Errors, stolen bases cause 11-3 meltdown to Yankees

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - And now a word from our sponsors: The National Error Manufacturing and Distribution Co. and We Steal Because You Can't Throw Inc.
Forget the commercial messages prominently displayed on the Jacobs Field scoreboard. The real patron of the Indians is the two-headed monster that sabotaged the Tribe's efforts to win Wednesday night.
Aaron Boone spent a horrendous night at third base, committing three errors, and Victor Martinez (and whoever was pitching at the time) allowed the Yankees to steal six bases, the most by the Bronx Bombers in six years.
The result was a a disheartening 11-3 loss by the home forces, a thudding defeat in the wake of their 19-1 rout of the Yankees on Tuesday night.
``This has been a pattern,'' manager Eric Wedge said of the club's tendency to win big one day and lose big the next.
``One time it will be pitching, the next time hitting,'' Wedge said. ``Tonight, we gave them opportunities. The defense has to pick up the pitcher, and the pitcher has to pick up the defense, but that didn't happen for us.''
Not quite lost in the midst of the blunders in the field and another embarrassing night trying to stop an opponent's running game was arguably Paul Byrd's worst pitching performance of the season.
Then again, how much of his ineffectiveness was a result of his own ineptness and how much was he distracted from his mission and frustrated by misadventures around him?
``It was a tough situation, and for whatever reason, he wasn't able to finish it off,'' said Wedge, referring to the fourth inning.
The flash point of the game was the New York fourth, when the Yankees scored eight runs and sent 12 batters to the plate.
Byrd struck out Alex Rodriguez to start the inning, but soon after the sky began to fall. First came a single by Jorge Posada followed by Bernie Williams' double to put runners on second and third.
Andy Phillips (what is it about guys named Phillips and the Indians this year?) slapped a hard ground ball to third. Boone tried to block the ball, but it bounced off his body and rolled 20 feet in front of him for his first error, loading the bases.
``We were conceding the run there,'' Boone said. ``When Jorge didn't go, I got aggressive, and I was thinking about him.''
That brought up noted power hitter Melky Cabrera (2 HR, 180 AB), who hit a drive over the wall in right for his first career grand slam. And that was only the beginning.
``I threw him two curveballs down the middle that should have left the yard,'' Byrd said. ``The first one didn't, but I threw him another.''
Byrd's mind was focused on keeping Boone from being the goat.
``When Cabrera was up, I looked at Aaron and smiled,'' Byrd said. ``I was thinking, `I'm going to give you another one (ground ball), so you can start a double play.
``So I'll be seeing that pitch all night.''
Miguel Cairo aimed another ground ball at Boone, and he muffed it for error No. 2. Cairo stole second and promptly scored on Bubba Crosby's single. Derek Jeter singled him to second, and Jason Giambi flied to the track in right, Crosby taking third after the catch.
Rodriguez, getting his second at-bat of the inning, singled to score Crosby. Jeter and Rodriguez then executed a double steal, and Posada drove them both home with a double.
``Aaron is a friend,'' Byrd said. ``I wanted to pick him up, but I could not make a pitch to get that third out. I made some good pitches, but I just couldn't do it.''
Added Boone, ``If you play long enough, I suppose you're going to have a game like that. It's not a lot of fun.''
Nevertheless, Boone will have to wipe his nightmarish evening from his memory.
``I probably won't fall right to sleep tonight, if that's what you mean,'' he said. ``But when I wake up tomorrow, I'll look forward to coming here again.''
The inning served as a microcosm of the Tribe's season. Cleveland has become a safe haven for opposing runners, and the team ranks second to last in the American League in errors with 63, and Boone leads the team with 14.
His final error of the evening, though harmless, came in the seventh, when he dropped a foul ball near the railing at third to prolong Posada's at-bat.
Of the six runners who stole bases, four scored.
Mike Mussina (10-3, 3.24 ERA) held the Tribe to three runs in six innings and became the second active pitcher in the big leagues to win 10 or more games in 15 consecutive seasons (Greg Maddux is the other).
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/6/06

Bumbling Indians get dose of reality

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Three errors by the third baseman.
Six stolen bases off the Tribe's pitchers and catcher Victor Martinez.
An 11-3 victory for the Yankees.
For the Indians, it was welcome back to reality, and a reminder why they are 39-44 and 17 games behind first-place Detroit in the Central Division.
They just do so many little things so wrong.
Such as catching the ball, throwing the ball and holding base runners.
Oh, the base running could use some work, too.
Other than that (and the pitching), this was a nice night at the ballpark -- at least until the game began.
This loss came just 24 hours after the stunning 19-1 Fourth of July victory at Jacobs Field.
It came 48 hours after a superb performance by rookie left-hander Jeremy Sowers in Monday's 5-2 victory over New York.
It came just as the Tribe was daring to dream of some kind of winning streak.
Games such as this are why the Indians can't sustain a couple of weeks of good baseball. This was their third loss in nine games -- the other losses were massive smashups.
There was the game in which catcher Kelly Shoppach dropped a pop-up and Jhonny Peralta threw a ball in the dirt -- all in the ninth inning of what became a 5-4 loss in St. Louis.
Then there was Bob Wickman serving up a grand slam as the Tribe turned a 7-0 lead after seven innings into a 9-8 loss in Cincinnati.
Good teams don't lose more than a few games like that each season, much less within 10 days.
Six more steals allowed Wednesday means the Indians continue to lead the league in that department.
With this team, when a Tribe pitcher walks someone, it's often as good as a double.
From watching the Tribe, you get the feeling that the pitchers think: ``We're not throwing anyone out, so why bother to hold them on base.''
And the catchers think: ``The pitchers aren't giving me much help.''
And the opposing team thinks: ``If we get a chance, let's run these guys out of the game.''
A good rate of throwing out runners is 30 percent. Martinez is 5-of-66 (8 percent). The departed Tim Laker was 0-of-9. Shoppach is 1-of-4.
After Wednesday's game, manager Eric Wedge said Martinez finally cut loose with a good throw on the sixth stolen base.
Wedge is trying to get Martinez to take his time because when the catcher rushes his throws, he has no chance to get a base runner.
This is not a problem that is going to repair itself quickly, if ever. It makes some sense to play Shoppach against left-handed pitching, allowing the switch-hitting Martinez to play some first base -- which could be his future position.
Meanwhile, three more errors give the Indians 63, second most in the league.
At first (Ben Broussard) and third (Aaron Boone), the Indians have the players with the most errors in the league at their positions. At second (Ronnie Belliard) and shortstop (Peralta), they have players who rank No. 2 in the AL in errors.
The numbers reveal this is the worst infield in the majors. It's not just the errors. None of these guys has exceptional range, meaning they are botching plays that aren't demanding.
It can be painful to watch.
Of immediate concern is Boone, who received the team's Good Guy Award before the game. But that doesn't change the fact that he's having a crisis in the field and at bat. His confidence seems shaken, as three more errors Wednesday gives him 14 this season, more than any other major-league third baseman. Boone booted two ground balls. He dropped a pop-up in foul territory. He also bobbled a grounder in Tuesday's game, meaning he has four errors in two games.
Since June 1, he's hitting 23-of-107 (.215) with two homers and 14 RBI. This year, Boone is batting .254 with four homers and 34 RBI.
Boone was viewed as nothing more than a stopgap at third base from the moment the Tribe traded Coco Crisp for Andy Marte in January. The clock has been ticking on Boone since spring training.
It would not be a surprise if the Indians are trying to trade Boone, making room for Marte. But games such as these don't improve his value to a contender in need of a third baseman.
Marte was just named to the Class AAA International League All-Star team. After a very slow start, Marte is hitting .325 with 11 homers and 28 RBI in his last 34 games. Overall, Marte is at .271 with 13 homers and 38 RBI.
He is only 22 and still needs work. He is inconsistent in the field and can get into bad habits trying to pull the ball at home plate. But he's talented, and he's hot, and eventually, his time is coming.
Given how this season is going, that should be soon.
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ABJ

7/6/06

Wedge mulls who should bat second

Michaels could reclaim spot, but Belliard fits in

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Manager Eric Wedge would prefer to make out a lineup card on Opening Day, then print 161 exact copies to take the Indians through the rest of the season.
But he knows that's a virtual impossibility.
``I would always like to have a set lineup if I could, but that's not realistic,'' Wedge said Wednesday.
Wedge has had to alter his ideal lineup this year because of Jhonny Peralta's lengthy slump and injuries to Casey Blake and Jason Michaels.
With the All-Star Game looming next week, Wedge will take the three-day break to rethink his lineup, largely because Michaels returned to the active roster Tuesday and Blake probably will be back in a few days.
Moreover, Peralta's skid is only a bad memory, enabling Wedge to restore the shortstop to the third spot in the batting order.
``Jhonny has had a few growing pains, but even before last night, you could see his swing was starting to come,'' said Wedge, referring to Peralta's two-homer night. ``And sometimes it wasn't him but the guy on the mound. I would like to settle in with him in the three hole. We'll see.''
Michaels was a fixture as the No. 2 batter until he got hurt, and Wedge went to Ronnie Belliard to fill in, even though Belliard wasn't keen on the idea.
``We needed a guy who was going to be comfortable in that spot,'' Wedge said. ``I told him this was something he needed to do for the team, and he stepped up in a big way.''
Belliard has produced as the No. 2 hitter, so Wedge will have a decision to make: Will he keep Belliard where he is, or move Michaels back to his former slot in the lineup?
One thing that Wedge has learned about Belliard: ``He sure looks comfortable to me in that spot.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/7/06

Usual steps taken to loss

Sloppy defense triggers another Indians' bumble

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Same stuff, different day? Something like that.
So it's back to square one for the Indians. They have been there before, but it doesn't seem to matter. These guys take two steps forward, three steps back chasing a ball that one of them fumbled. It's not exactly Dancing with the Stars.
Yes, the inability to play defense had a lot to do with the Tribe's 10-4 loss to the New York Yankees on Thursday night at Jacobs Field.
Two errors in one inning, where have we heard those words before?
``It was almost a mirror of last night,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``You play a good team and give them opportunities, they're going to kick your butt.''
On Wednesday night, two fourth-inning errors by Aaron Boone led directly to an eight-run rally that allowed the Yankees to coast to an 11-3 win.
Wedge no longer is hiding his dissatisfaction with the team.
``My frustration level is off the map,'' he said. ``It's about one, one hundredth of what you're seeing.''
Asked if changes in personnel are coming, Wedge said, ``We're close to making some adjustments, and that's not a threat, just a fact.''
Wedge isn't prepared to throw in the towel, but he might not be sure of his next move.
``I've yelled, I've talked to them, I've reasoned with them,'' he said. ``I've taken about every approach I can, and I don't plan to stop.
``If (people) want to point fingers at me, it's my responsibility. But everyone has to take responsibility for himself, too.''
Inasmuch as the Indians seem to enjoy sharing the misery, Boone was not a party to Thursday night's folly.
This time, Franklin Gutierrez and Jhonny Peralta were responsible for the misplays in the New York half of the fifth, when the Yankees scored three times to take a 5-0 lead.
No longer is Wedge willing to provide cover for his errant pupils, though neither will he single anyone out as being especially culpable.
``Regardless of what excuses you can come up with, you either make the plays or you don't,'' he said. ``This is the big leagues. The damn shame is that we were playing pretty baseball for 10 days. We had a good chance to beat New York in this series and didn't come anywhere near doing it.''
Speaking of excuses, apparently Wedge has heard them all.
``I've heard things that are pathetic,'' he said.
Cliff Lee got to see the action up close and personal from the pitcher's mound. After he retired the first batter of the inning, Aaron Guiel singled and Miguel Cairo hit a fly ball to right field that eluded the grasp of Gutierrez for the initial error.
Melky Cabrera followed by slapping a bouncer a couple of steps to the left of Peralta at short. He leaned over from the waist and put his glove down, though his attempt to snag the grounder was a little nonchalant.
The ball skipped past him into center for error No. 2 that allowed Guiel to score.
Anyone who has followed the Tribe this year knows what came next: an RBI single by Derek Jeter and Jason Giambi's sacrifice fly. All three runs were unearned.
That made it nine unearned Yankee runs in two games, which is a pretty good start for any team's offense. Peralta is second on the team with 12 errors, two fewer than Boone, who leads with 14.
Lee tried not to finger the defense, but he made it clear that he's seen enough blundering in the field.
``It's frustrating when you make a pitch and there should be an out, but there isn't,'' he said. ``It makes things tougher for the team. We pretty much lost the last two games because of that.''
Lee's ineffectiveness was foreshadowed by Giambi's two-run homer in the fourth inning. After the shoddy defensive antics in the fifth, Lee (8-6, 4.76 ERA) had a chance to keep the game within reach but couldn't, giving up two more runs in the sixth.
What has happened to the tough-minded Indians who overcame a two-month slump last season to win 93 games?
``I've thought about that until I'm blue in the face,'' Wedge said. ``I don't think it's any one thing. It's a lot of little things that add up.
``Maybe there are guys who think they have more security than they really do. Maybe we don't have the same presence in the clubhouse. We were coming off three seasons where we really improved. As difficult as those seasons were, maybe they were too easy.''
Randy Johnson no longer is the kind of starter capable of anchoring any staff in the big leagues. He came into the game with a 9-7 record and 5.25 ERA and was hammered for eight runs in six innings by the New York Mets in his last start.
But he was on his game Thursday, retiring 12 batters in a row before giving up a hit, to Travis Hafner, who was immediately erased on a double play. Johnson continued to dominate, retiring 19 of 20 batters before Jason Michaels hit a home run with one out in the seventh.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/7/06

Steals hurting Martinez

Manager says catcher needs to fix footwork

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The Indians were able to live with catcher Victor Martinez throwing out 21 percent of would-be base stealers in 2004 and 22 percent last year.
Now that his percentage has dipped to 7.6 percent (5-of-66), something has to be done. Manager Eric Wedge and Joel Skinner, who coaches Tribe catchers, will work with Martinez on his footwork.
How Martinez sets himself to throw is at the root of his problems.
``It starts with Victor's footwork,'' said Wedge, himself a former catcher. ``He tries to be a little too quick, and his mechanics fall apart.''
Martinez was in the lineup at first base Thursday night, but that's because left-hander Randy Johnson was the starter for the New York Yankees, putting left-handed batting Ben Broussard on the bench.
``We had Kelly Shoppach set to catch tonight two or three days ago,'' Wedge said, denying it had anything to do with the Yankees' six stolen bases Wednesday night.
Wedge continues to express confidence that Martinez can improve enough to keep steal totals to respectable levels.
``We want Victor to throw out the guys who he should throw out,'' Wedge said. ``That's what he's capable of doing on a consistent basis.''
It has gotten to the point where opposing runners routinely take off, no matter what the count or the situation.
``Everybody has advance reports,'' Wedge said. ``But it only takes one or two (good) throws, and then it will stop.
``We know Victor can get there. He's done it before, maybe not for a whole season but in pretty good stretches.''
Wedge concedes that if Martinez is unable to make significant strides with his throws, changes will have to be made next year.
``That's safe to say,'' Wedge said. ``But we believe Victor can be better.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/7/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Martinez trying to figure out way to stop stealers

Friday, July 07, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CLEVELAND — The New York Yankees made their intentions clear in the first inning of their just-completed four-game series against the Indians: Johnny Damon singled, stood on first base for one pitch, then stole second. Two innings later, Derek Jeter singled and stole second on the next pitch.
The Yankees stole nine bases in three games against Indians catcher Victor Martinez, rarely waiting more than one pitch before taking off. They stole six bases Wednesday, and four of the base stealers eventually scored.
Martinez has thrown out only five of 66 attempted base stealers — a 7.6 percent success rate, down from 21.7 percent before this season. The Yankees were not the first team to attack an obvious weakness.
"There has been a little momentum with it," manager Eric Wedge said. "Everybody has advance reports, like we do. All it takes is a couple good throws to turn it around."
Martinez has been frustrated by his struggles, and too often he has rushed his throws, which causes the ball to sail. At about 3 p.m. yesterday, he was on the field working on his footwork with bench coach Joel Skinner and bullpen coach Luis Isaac. The three have spent many afternoons on the field the past few seasons.
"I think I threw the ball good last year," Martinez said. "This year, I’ve had a lot of good throws. Obviously, I’ve had a lot of bad throws, too. I’m just working to be more consistent."
Kelly Shoppach started at catcher last night, but it had more to do with left-hander Randy Johnson pitching for the Yankees. Martinez played first base in place of Ben Broussard. Wedge said the Indians are not ready to make Martinez a full-time first baseman.
No love for Hafner

For the second time in three years, Travis Hafner fell short in fan voting for the final spot on the American League All-Star team. Chicago White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski won the spot, followed by Minnesota Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano and Hafner, meaning Wedge and Grady Sizemore will be the Indians’ only representatives in Pittsburgh.
"You’re probably looking at the best player in the league not being there," Sizemore said.
At the start of play yesterday, Hafner led the AL in on-base percentage and slugging percentage, was second to Sizemore in runs, third in RBI and fourth in home runs.
"I think he’s the best hitter in the league," Sizemore said. "I don’t see how anyone on this team would argue with me."
Hafner lost out two years ago to Hideki Matsui of the Yankees.
[email protected]

 

[Bob Saccamano]

CPD

Tribe's 'D' has Wedge on edge

Errors add up to another Yankees win
Friday, July 07, 2006 Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter

The Indians took another night off Thursday at Jacobs Field. It's not like it hasn't happened before in the first 84 games of the season, but this was the first time manager Eric Wedge actually addressed it.

Following their second straight sloppy and one-sided loss to the Yankees, this time the score was 10-4, Wedge voiced his frustration and talked about making personnel changes.

"My frustration level is off the map," said Wedge. "It's one one-hundredth of what you're seeing right now. We're damn close to making some adjustments. That's not a threat, that's just a fact."

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<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"><!--if (parseFloat(navigator.appVersion) == 0) {document.write('<IFRAME WIDTH=468 HEIGHT=60 MARGINWIDTH=0 MARGINHEIGHT=0 HSPACE=0 VSPACE=0 FRAMEBORDER=0 SCROLLING=no BORDERCOLOR="#000000" SRC="http://ads.cleveland.com/RealMedia/ads/adstream_sx.ads/www.cleveland.com/xml/story/s5/s5tri/@StoryAd"></IFRAME>');}--></SCRIPT>With only three games left before the All-Star break, some of the Indians look as if they've already gone on break.

"It's the same story, different day," said Wedge. "This game was almost a mirror of Wednesday's game. There were two plays we didn't make. They should have been out of the inning with nothing."

Wedge was talking about the three-run fifth inning, which gave Randy Johnson a 5-0 lead. Errors by rookie right fielder Franklin Gutierrez and shortstop Jhonny Peralta made the three runs unearned.

The Indians were already running uphill thanks to Jason Giambi's two-run homer off Cliff Lee (8-6, 4.76 ERA) in the fourth. The three-run fifth left them gasping for air.

Aaron Guiel started the rally with a one-out single.

Miguel Cairo sent a soft liner to right that Gutierrez got a bad break on and let it fall in front of him for an error. Melky Cabrera sent a made-to-order double play grounder to Peralta, but he let the ball skip past him into center field as Guiel scored and Cairo went to third.

When told it looked like Peralta had to take only two steps to make the play, Wedge said, "Probably one. I'm not singling any person out. There has been equal contributions to this."

Lee didn't exactly slam the door in the Yankees' face.

Derek Jeter singled to center to score Cairo and Giambi hit a sacrifice fly.
"I don't think the errors affected me," said Lee. "Obviously, it's frustrating to watch. Randy Johnson is pitching a great game. It's going to be tough enough coming back when it's 2-0. But when you give a team like that extra outs . . .

"It's tough when you make the pitch and get somebody out and he isn't out. When you give a team like the Yankees enough outs, it's going to make things tough on your team. We've lost the last two games because of it."
The Indians combined to make five errors Wednesday and Thursday in 11-3 and 10-4 losses. Nine of New York's 21 runs were unearned.

"It seems like it's one thing one day and something else the next day," said Wedge. "You either make the play or you don't.

"It's a damn shame. Except for the last two days, we've been playing good baseball for the last eight or 10 games. We had a chance to win this series from the Yankees and didn't take advantage of it."

The Indians, who lost the season series to New York, 4-3, won the first two games of the four-game set, 5-2 and 19-1.

Lee allowed two more runs in the sixth as the Yankees took a 7-0 lead. Cairo and Jeter singled home runs.

"Obviously our guys [pitchers] have had trouble overcoming some of those things," said Wedge, referring to the poor defense the last two games.
New York added three more in the eighth off Fernando Cabrera, who has allowed five runs in three innings over the last two games.

Johnson (10-7, 5.13) faced the minimum number of batters over the first 6 1/3 innings even though Travis Hafner ended the no-hitter with a single in the fifth. Jason Michaels ended the shutout with a one-out homer in the seventh and the Tribe added three more runs in the eighth.

Wedge said the Indians' disappointing first half is because of a combination of things. He said some players may feel they're more secure than they really are, while others don't have the same clubhouse presence they once did.

"We improved tremendously over the last three years," said Wedge. "As difficult as it was, maybe it was too easy for some of these players."
The one thing Wedge is tired of is excuses.

"I've heard things this year that I think are pathetic," said Wedge. "We're all in this together. We all have to take the responsibility. That's the way it works."

 

[Bob Saccamano]

Indians.com

Indians sign Taiwanese right-handed pitcher Sung-Wei Tseng
Pitched for Chinese Taipei in the World Baseball Classic and currently the No. 1 starter for the Chinese Taipei National Team touring the U.S.

CLEVELAND -- Tseng, 21, pitched for Chinese Taipei in the 2006 World Baseball Classic, appearing in one game and was the only amateur pitcher on the Taiwanese squad. He is currently the No. 1 starter on the Chinese Taipei National Team that is currently touring the United States and he is scheduled to pitch for Taiwan in the World Championships, August 4-15, in Havana, Cuba. On Tuesday, July 4 he tossed 5.0 shutout innings (5.0IP, 2H, 0R, 0BB, 4K) against the United States National Team, which is comprised of the top college players in America.


The 5-11 right-hander pitched at the collegiate level for the National Taiwan College of Physical Education in 2005 and 2006 where he was a combined 14-0 over the two seasons and was named Taiwan's Amateur Pitcher of the Year in 2006. This spring he was 7-0 w/a 0.36 ERA in 9 games (73.2IP, 29H, 3ER, 8BB, 73K, 0HR).

Tseng was named to the All-Alaskan Summer League squad in 2005 where he was 3-1 w/a 2.06 ERA in 10 games/7 starts (56.2IP, 42H, 13ER, 12BB, 38K) and after the season was named the 4th best prospect in the entire league by Baseball America. Sung-Wei also made 2 starts in the IBAF World Cup in September 2005 for the Taiwanese National Team (1-0, 2.25ERA, 12.0IP).

Tseng will report to Winter Haven, FL for the Florida Instructional League in September following his commitment with the Taiwanese National Team. "Sung-Wei Tseng is a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher who we have seen compete at the highest levels of amateur and international competition," said Cleveland Indians Assistant General Manager, Scouting Operations JOHN MIRABELLI. "We have worked hard the past three years in establishing a database and developing a scouting network throughout Asia and we hope this signing is reflective of those efforts."

 

[Bob Saccamano]

Dispatch

Frustrated Wedge tweaks lineup
Saturday, July 08, 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>

CLEVELAND — Indians manager Eric Wedge publicly expressed frustration with his players Thursday, something he was loath to do during his first three years at the helm. He took a more direct approach yesterday.
Ramon Vazquez started at third base in place of Aaron Boone, Ronnie Belliard worked out at third base before the game, and shortstop Jhonny Peralta was dropped from third to seventh in the lineup.

Wedge said Boone remains his primary third baseman, but other players will get more time there. His options are limited with the current roster, so the move seems to be as much about sending a message to a lethargic team as an attempt to bolster the lineup.

Asked if he believes he feels more urgency than his players, Wedge paused, wiped his brow and said, "I hope not. That would be a crying shame."

Asked if he has seen evidence that suggests the players care less than the staff, Wedge quickly said, "No. I know they care."

Boone is hitting .255 with only four home runs, and he has committed 14 errors, the most among American League third basemen. Peralta entered last night with a .249 average and 12 errors.

Belliard plays third base in the Dominican Winter League and said he feels comfortable there. Asked if Wedge indicated how he would be used in the second half of the season, Belliard said, "I got no comment on that" and walked away.

Spanning the globe

With no first-round pick in the recent draft, the Indians have been more aggressive in the international market this summer, and they made their first significant signing yesterday in Taiwanese pitcher Sung-Wei Tseng.
The 21-year-old right-hander is pitching for the Taiwan national team and is expected to be its No. 1 starter in the upcoming world championships. He was the only amateur pitcher on the Taiwanese team at the World Baseball Classic.

Scouting director John Mirabelli said Tseng could have been a second- or third-round pick in the draft had he been eligible. In his most recent start, the Indians clocked his fastball as high as 95 mph and consistently from 90 to 93, Mirabelli said.

Mirabelli denied a report that the Indians have signed 16-year-old Venezuelan third baseman Balbino Fuenmayor but said they are close to reaching agreement with another elite Latin prospect, whom he would not name.

"Stay tuned," he said.
Minor move

The Indians claimed reliever Mike Adams off waivers from the New York Mets and optioned him to Buffalo. Adams, 27, has spent most of the season in triple-A.

It sure worked yesterday-- Gutierrez had a nice game. I have a feeling Marte is going to be coming up soon.

 

[Bob Saccamano]

RealGM

<TABLE cellSpacing=8 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=wiretap_key_header>Hafner First Player In History To Hit Five Slams Before All-Star Break</TD></TR><TR><TD>8th July, 2006 - 3:49 am</TD></TR><TR><TD>

AP - Indians DH Travis Hafner became the first player in major league history to hit five grand slams before the All-Star break when he connected in the second inning against Baltimore on Friday night.

Hafner homered off Kris Benson to give the Indians a 6-0 lead. It also broke the club record for grand slams in a season that Hafner shared with Al Rosen, who hit four in 1951.</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/9/06

Souring feeling strikes rookie

Another loss follows another Indians' rout

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - In an Indians season that has been almost totally unpredictable, certain facets of their performance have been all too easy to forecast.
For example, their 7-4 loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night at Jacobs Field.
Far too often, the Indians have routed a team one night only to have an opponent return the favor the next game. It happened again, one night after the Orioles sustained a 9-0 loss on Friday.
That makes it twice in a week the Indians have allowed this phenomenon to persist. An excited July Fourth crowd of 29,000-plus watched their favorite team pummel the New York Yankees 19-1, but that didn't stop the Bronx Bombers from rebounding for an 11-3 win the following night.
Like many things that have happened to the Tribe this season, nobody has come up with a rational explanation for this maddening habit. That certainly includes Jeremy Sowers.
He hasn't been in Cleveland long enough to know much about it.
Sowers (1-2, 7.47 ERA) made his third major-league start Saturday night, and it was the most disappointing since his call-up from Triple-A Buffalo on June 24. He lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up all seven runs on seven hits and three walks.
``I think I was picking at the outside corner a little too much instead of trusting my defense,'' Sowers said.
Indians manager Eric Wedge concurred, saying, ``Jeremy was working behind too much, and I think he tried to be a little too fine. He's a command kind of guy, but he still has to be aggressive.''
As a pitcher who depends on pinpoint command of the strike for his success, Sowers delivered just enough pitches down the middle of the plate to get himself in trouble and keep him there.
Melvin Mora turned Sowers' first mistake into a two-run homer in the third inning. To that point in his career, the only runs scored against Sowers had come on four two-run homers, but that was about to change.
``That was a really bad fastball out over the plate,'' Sowers said of the pitch to Mora. ``And the count was 1-and-0, so he was probably looking for that (fastball).''
The Orioles scored another run in the third on Ramon Hernandez's infield single, a wild pitch and Javy Lopez's single.
Sowers retired the first two batters in the fourth but yielded a single to Brian Roberts, a walk to Mora and run-scoring hits to Miguel Tejada and Jeff Conine, who served as Sowers' exit batter.
Edward Mujica was summoned to the rescue and immediately gave up a single that scored two runs charged to Sowers. Mujica did not give up another hit, eating up 3 1/3 innings.
Sowers was the victim of a couple of seeing-eye ground balls and broken-bat singles, but he knows that's part of baseball.
``This can be a humbling game,'' he said. ``You can make the same pitch and get two different results, one being a pop up to the infield and the other being a home run.
``I had a couple of tough hits in there, so I had a little bad luck. You couple that with a few bad pitches, and you see what happens.''
Sowers' outing wasn't entirely made up of flaws. In the first inning, Jhonny Peralta committed a two-part error that put Sowers in dire jeopardy.
After Roberts walked to lead off the game, Mora slapped a ground ball to short. Peralta gloved it a few steps from second base. No, he didn't, yes, he did -- sort of.
As Peralta was racing to the bag, he continued to fumble the ball, nullifying a possible force play on Roberts. He finally found the handle and threw badly to first, allowing Mora to reach.
Despite the chaos going on behind him, Sowers kept his composure and retired the next three batters without allowing a run to score.
Orioles starter Erik Bedard (10-6, 4.28 ERA) has traveled a zigzag road this year. He began the season 4-0, posted a 1-6 record in his next 10 starts but has gone 5-0 since.
Kelly Shoppach was the only batter to hurt Bedard, hitting his first career home run leading off the third inning. Bedard gave up just four other hits in six innings.
``They got the ball for me, and I think I'll send it to my folks,'' Shoppach said. ``They have pretty much every home run I've hit as I was growing up. Once I got into pro ball, I got as many as I could track down, so this is something they started a long time ago.''
Yet, the Indians had a chance to change the course of the game in the seventh against Todd Williams. But with bases loaded and one out, Ronnie Belliard bounced into a double play to maintain the Orioles' lead.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/9/06

Ocker on the Indians

Playoff chances are remote, but don't trade yet

Tribe could contend if Tigers or White Sox slip

By Sheldon Ocker

<!-- begin body-content -->Here's why the Indians can't immediately start trading away veteran players for upper-level prospects.
What if the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox hit a bump in the road and lose eight of 10 or nine of 12 in the next two weeks? And during the same time period, what if the Tribe wins nine of 12 and trims five or six games off its huge deficit?
This is all very unlikely, but if the Indians head into August eight games out of the wild-card race, it would be difficult to justify discarding Bob Wickman or Aaron Boone for the sake of re-arming for next year.
Earning a berth in the playoffs is a long shot, to be sure, but because the wild-card spot provides a less challenging path to the postseason, the Tribe's viability as a contender is not totally out of the question.
Besides, what's the rush to dump players? It's not like General Manager Mark Shapiro is likely to acquire the next Francisco Liriano or Joe Mauer by dealing away Wickman or Boone.
With that in mind, was it premature to send Eduardo Perez to Seattle? Probably not. Shapiro acquired a solid middle infield prospect whose forte is defense for a farm system that is devoid of such players at the upper levels. The GM would have been remiss had he not consummated the trade for Asdrubal Cabrera.
Cabrera, by the way, made an immediate impact on the consciousness of Mike Harrington, who covers the Buffalo Bisons for the Buffalo News.
``He was only here for two days, and he already had made the team's three best defensive plays of the season,'' Harrington said.
If the last week of July arrives with the Indians still 15 games behind the wild-card leader, there will be time enough to enter the annual trade-deadline swap meet because Shapiro already has begun the spade work.
Shapiro probably was being truthful when he said he wasn't actively trying to rid himself of established players who would not be part of next year's juggernaut. It's difficult to imagine that anyone the GM is likely to trade would set off a wild bidding war.
The most marketable player probably is Wickman. Even though most contending teams already have reliable closers, the lack of a reliever to save games is a glaring weakness of the Cincinnati Reds.
Todd Hollandsworth certainly has boosted his value during the past three weeks, when the injuries to Casey Blake and Jason Michaels increased his playing time. Even so, he is a bench player who is not going to bring back an impact player in return.
Who else might Shapiro look to move when the timing is right? Ben Broussard clearly is persona non grata with the Tribe's deep-thinkers. He should be attractive to other clubs because of his relative youth, low salary and more consistent production at the plate.
Guillermo Mota certainly is expendable, which is why he might not have much value to other clubs. And what of Michaels or even Blake? Are they a part of the future?
There isn't a great deal of outfield talent at Buffalo or Akron, and before he got hurt Blake was in the midst of his best season.
This was the year that Brad Snyder and Franklin Gutierrez were supposed to blossom at Triple-A. But Snyder has struggled at the plate, and the jury is still out on Gutierrez, even though he already is an outstanding defensive outfielder who can run.
Shapiro has little reason to rid himself of players to massage the budget. None of the probable candidates to be moved has a guaranteed contract for next season. At most, the GM would be saving two months of someone's salary.
That said, if Shapiro were to trade Wickman on or about July 31, the Tribe would save almost $1.7 million, assuming his new employer became responsible for the entire amount. A deal for Boone at or near the trading deadline would reap a savings of $1,250,000 to the team.
What would happen to this windfall? It probably would go into the pot for 2007 salaries. Presumably, owners Larry and Paul Dolan would have no desire to hoard the cash to buy a Learjet for themselves.
There has been a developing issue among the fans concerning Boone and his presumed successor, Andy Marte.
An argument can be made for calling up the young third baseman from Buffalo now so he can acclimate himself to the big leagues and kick-start his career.
But there also is a counter argument to bringing up Marte immediately. As suggested earlier, the better part of wisdom dictates that the Indians wait to see if the Tigers and White Sox take a tumble in the next two or three weeks before jettisoning veterans.
Moreover, is Marte ready to make the jump to the majors? Until four weeks ago, his numbers at Buffalo indicated that he needed more seasoning. Soon after that he went on a home run tear, going deep eight times in a span of 10 games. Marte has cooled since, but maybe he has taken an important step.
Shapiro will not allow Marte to be summoned from Triple-A unless he can play regularly. If Boone is still on the team, will the GM and manager Eric Wedge take the rather dramatic step of telling the third baseman to step aside for the last two months of the season so Marte can play?
That's usually not the way respected veterans are treated. Of course, Wedge could break in Marte slowly, writing his name in the lineup two or three days a week in August then increasing his playing time in September.
Regardless of what happens -- with Marte and the marketable veterans -- we'll know the outcome soon enough.

ABJ

7/9/06

Wedge will use break

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - to adjust rotation
Coming out of the All-Star break, manager Eric Wedge will change the order of his starting pitchers.
Cliff Lee will lead it off against Francisco Liriano of the Minnesota Twins on Thursday night, followed by Paul Byrd against Brad Radke, C.C. Sabathia against Johan Santana and Jeremy Sowers against Carlos Silva.
Jake Westbrook will start the first game of the next series, against the Los Angeles Angels.
``I think putting Byrd between Cliff and C.C. makes sense,'' said Wedge, who wants to separate two left-handers with a righty.
``Having Sowers follow C.C. also makes sense, because those guys represent two different kind of left-handers.''
WHO'S ON FIRST? -- Casey Blake (strained oblique) will be a candidate to play first base when he comes off the disabled list, presumably Thursday.
``He can do it,'' Wedge said. ``Casey is a great athlete. So he can go over to first every now and then if we need him.''
Even after Blake returns, Wedge needs to find out if Franklin Gutierrez is ready for the big leagues. Consequently, Gutierrez probably will take at least a little playing time from Blake in right field.
SLIGHT INJURY -- Todd Hollandsworth missed Friday night's game because of a minor hamstring strain. He was not in the lineup Saturday night because a left-hander was starting for the Baltimore Orioles.
``His hamstring still is a little tender,'' Wedge said.
REACTION -- Travis Hafner's immediate reaction to hitting his fifth grand slam of the season Friday night: ``It was kind of a surprise to see it go out, like, `There goes another one.' ''
HOMECOMING -- Former Tribe outfielder Cory Snyder is attending the weekend series with the Orioles and will assist the team on a professional level.
Now living in Utah, Snyder will participate in the Indians' next fantasy camp, and in spring training, he will help instruct the minor-leaguers on hitting and playing the outfield. Snyder did a two-week stint in spring training this year.
FARM FACTS -- Ben Francisco doubled to stretch his hitting streak to 23 games. Buffalo beat Pawtucket 6-2 in Class AAA on Friday. The streak is the longest in the International League this year. Ryan Garko had three hits, including his 12th and 13th home runs.... Charles Lofgren (11-3, 1.95 ERA) threw 5 2/3 scoreless innings, giving up one hit as Kinston defeated Wilmington 2-0 in the first game of a doubleheader in Class A on Friday. In the second game, Brian Barton homered and singled twice in Kinston's 3-0 win.... James Deters (6-6, 3.50 ERA) worked seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits as Lake County beat Delmarva 3-0 in Class A on Friday.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/10/06

Bring on the break

Indians cap subpar first half with another sloppy loss

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The Baltimore Orioles gave it all they had, but it's hard to beat the Indians at their own game: sloppy fielding, careless base running and errant throwing by the pitcher and others.
The 5-4 loss to the Orioles (41-49) on Sunday at Jacobs Field was a fitting end to the Tribe's disappointing first half.
``I don't think anybody thought we'd be where we are now,'' said Ben Broussard of the Indians' 40-47 record. ``But we've got 80 games left (actually 75), and we can't keep beating ourselves up. My attitude is that we're going to play better. We have to put this behind us, which is hard to do. In baseball, you fail a lot, but you have to keep that from beating you down.''
In Sunday's loss, the Orioles tried to give the game away by misjudging a fly ball, making a key error and delivering a wild pitch. The Tribe countered with two wild pitches, a hit batter and a passed ball, just enough to help the Orioles prevail.
``We let them back into the game,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``They scratched and clawed, and we didn't take advantage of our opportunities.
``I thought we had some good pitches to hit that we just missed.''
The eighth inning was proceeding smoothly for Fausto Carmona, who retired the first two batters. But Corey Patterson hit a ground ball 25 feet to the right of first base. Broussard made a diving stop of the ball but couldn't beat Patterson to the bag.
Still, a two-out single should come to nothing. Except Javy Lopez looped a hit into right, putting runners on first and third, and Carmona hit Kevin Millar to load the bases.
That's when Victor Martinez failed to handle the first pitch to Nick Markakis for a passed ball that allowed Patterson to score from third, snapping a 4-4 tie.
``It was a good sinker that just got on me kind of quick,'' Martinez said. ``It was a little down, but you have to be ready.''
Martinez rushed after the ball and heaved a hurried throw to Carmona, covering the plate. The relay was far too late to get the runner and began bouncing through the infield until Broussard intercepted it. Eventually, Lopez was tagged out in a rundown between third and the plate to end the inning.
Indians starter Jake Westbrook probably deserved a better fate, but that goes double for Orioles starter Rodrigo Lopez, who suffered through the kind of inning that has become almost commonplace for Indians pitchers.
With two outs in the second, Broussard doubled, and Jhonny Peralta hit a drive to center. Patterson began a mad dash toward the infield then suddenly realized he was going in the wrong direction.
The ball sailed 15 feet over his head for a misbegotten triple that scored the Tribe's first run of the game. Joe Inglett followed with a walk, and Aaron Boone smacked an RBI double down the left-field line, leaving runners on second and third.
Grady Sizemore slapped a routine ground ball to second baseman Brian Roberts, who fumbled it for an error that enabled Inglett to score and Boone to take third.
No sooner than that happened, Lopez unleashed a wild pitch, letting Boone score the fourth run of the inning. Though only two runs were unearned, all four were undeserved because of the misplayed triple, which should have been the third out of the inning.
``They pecked away at me, but the the bottom line is that four runs should have been enough for me,'' Westbrook said.
Other than accepting the Orioles' kindness in the second inning, the Tribe did nothing against Lopez, who gave up seven hits and two walks in six innings.
Westbrook pitched reasonably well, giving up three runs through six innings. But he walked the first batter of the seventh, Millar, and was sent to the showers, Rafael Perez taking his place.
Millar was sacrificed to second, and Perez did the rest, throwing two wild pitches to allow the tying run to score, a run charged to Westbrook.
``That was my guy that scored, though,'' Westbrook said. ``He was the only batter I walked the whole game, so he was my responsibility.''
Considering that it would take an act of Congress for the Tribe to get back in the playoff race, the front office might be considering roster changes.
``There won't be any roster moves during the break,'' Wedge said. ``Not at this time. There might be some guys who've been playing seven days a week who will play five or six.
``For now, the moves are Casey (Blake) coming back, and we just got Jason Michaels back a few days ago.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/10/06

Indians sign Australian

At 16, Jason Smit is said to be disciplined hitter

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The Indians seem genuinely excited about signing shortstop Jason Smit, who at 16 is a member of the Australian Junior National Team that is scheduled to play in Cuba next month.
``He has a very disciplined approach at the plate,'' scouting director John Mirabelli said on Sunday. ``He knows how to handle a bat. He could go to the Gulf Coast League right now and stay on his feet.''
The Gulf Coast League is where the Tribe sends its high school seniors and youngest Latin players to begin their professional careers. But even those players are a year or two older than Smit, who will report to spring training in Winter Haven next March before the Indians' player development staff decides which minor-league club he will join.
Mirabelli views Smit as a potential offensive player at a middle-infield position.
``He'll grow into his power,'' Mirabelli said. ``Power is not part of the package right now, but it's not with most 16-year-olds.''
Mirabelli believes Smit, who is 6-feet, 165 pounds, will get bigger and stronger because his father is at least 6-2 .
``We're elated to get this kid,'' Mirabelli said. ``We've been building a relationship with him since he was 13, but we felt like we were a long shot, because we were competing with some big-market teams.''
Smit received a contract worth close to $400,000, slightly more than the Indians gave to 21-year-old Taiwanese right-hander Sung-Wei Tseng last Friday.
The Tribe brought Smit to its extended spring training program in Winter Haven, where he worked out and played against older players. He also visited the Atlanta Braves' extended spring program.
Mirabelli cautioned that signing a player so young carries with it innate problems.
``These guys all come with risks,'' he said. ``There are no sure bets. We are projecting that he gets to the big leagues when he's 21, 22 or 23, and if he does, we'll all be pretty happy. But that's six or seven years away.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/11/06

Blake's hit can't prevent a loss

Indians right fielder makes rehab appearance

By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->Casey Blake had already waited long enough.
The last thing the Indians right fielder wanted to see in Akron on Monday night was the grounds crew at Canal Park scrambling to roll out the tarp 10 minutes before the start of the Aeros' game against the visiting Reading Phillies.
Blake, who's been on the disabled list since June 16 with a strained left oblique, had to wait out a 45-minute rain delay before his rehab appearance with the Aeros got under way.
After sitting out nearly a month, even 45 minutes might seem like an eternity.
Once the game was under way, Blake didn't appear to have collected much rust, going 1-for-3 with a double and RBI of the Aeros' 9-4 loss.
Blake grounded out to shortstop in his first and third at-bats. In his second plate appearance, he lined an RBI double to right field.
``I wanted to see some pitches, but I thought to myself, 'If he throws me a fastball, I'm going to swing,' '' Blake, 32, said. ``So I jumped on that first pitch my second time up.''
Anytime a major-leaguer comes down to the minors to make sure they're healthy enough to return to the big leagues, all that really matters is how they feel afterwards.
``Casey felt really good, especially since this is his first game action in over three-and-a-half weeks,'' Indians head trainer Lonnie Soloff said.
``He felt comfortable in his at-bats, out in the field and on the bases.''
That's good news for the struggling Indians.
The Indians limped into the All-Star break with a 40-47 record and 18 ½-game deficit behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division.
In 60 games this season, Blake is batting .304 (65-for-214) with 14 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 36 RBI. If the second part of his rehab continues to go well today at Class-A Lake County, Blake should be back in the Tribe lineup Thursday against the Twins in Minnesota.
``Now I know how my family feels when they watch us on TV,'' Blake said. ``When the team was on the road I watched every night. It was really weird seeing the game that way. I was talking to the TV, yelling and cussing.''
Despite the frustration regarding the long layoff, Blake hopes he can help get the Indians back to winning again and hopefully, repeat last season's late run.
``Stranger things have happened,'' he said. ``We were 15 games out last year when we made a run.''
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ABJ

7/11/06

All-Star for all time

Hall of Famer Bob Feller put up season for ages in 1946

By Terry Pluto

Cleveland Indians pitching great Bob Feller (right) listens attentively to the sage advice of Young in 1941.
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<!-- begin body-content -->What Bob Feller did 60 years ago will never happen again. That's not a surprise, a lot has changed in baseball since 1946.
But what Bob Feller did in 1946 never should have happened at all.
Start with pitching the 36 games.
Excuse me, the 36 complete games.
That's 36 complete games in 42 starts.
For a little context, the entire American League Central Division -- that's five teams, including the Indians -- had 35 complete games in 2005.
So in 1946, Bob Feller finished more games than all the pitchers on all the teams in the Central Division -- combined!
In 2005, the Indians had the lowest ERA in the American League, along with 10 shutouts -- the same as Feller had in 1946.
Did I mention the four saves?
Feller also pitched in relief six times, saving four games.
Just what was the premier starting pitcher in baseball doing in the bullpen?
``I started every fourth day,'' Feller said. ``I'd rest a day after my start, then I'd throw batting practice on the second day. Other times, I'd help out in relief just to get my throwing in.''
He paused.
``Know what was crazy?'' he said. ``When I threw batting practice, I didn't have a (protective) screen in front of me. That was crazy, because I could have gotten hurt.''
Everything in 1946 for Feller was insane, at least by today's pitching parameters.
Consider his 371 1/3 innings. His 348 strikeouts. His 26-15 record for a team that was 65-89. His 2.18 ERA.
It was a season in which he threw a no-hitter, a one-hitter, was the starting and winning pitcher in the All-Star Game and had a fastball clocked at 109 mph.
After the final game of the year, he took one day off.
``Then me and Satchel Paige went on a barnstorming tour,'' Feller said. ``Played about 35 games in 30 days across the country -- the major-league stars against the stars of the Negro Leagues. Traveled around in two jets. I started every game, usually pitched three innings.''
Feller tells this story as if he were stating the obvious, like this is July and sometimes the weather is warm.
``I didn't think it was a big deal,'' he said.
The white-haired Feller, now 87, would like to lose a few pounds. He comes to most Indians games. He has little use for what he considers the coddling of pitchers -- everything from icing their arms to counting their pitches.
``I probably averaged 125-to-140 pitches (per game) that season,'' he said. ``I was going for the strikeout record.''
Feller says things like that, causing you to call a timeout.
Let's consider the pitch counts first, then the strikeout record. Feller knows all of his crucial statistics, and he's probably right in his estimate. An Associated Press story reported Feller using 133 pitches to no-hit the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium. The story explained: ``The Cleveland speedball artist threw 54 balls, 35 strikes (17 were called, 18 were missed), 29 were fouled off and 15 were hit to the infielders and outfielders.''
Feller fanned 11, walked five.
``I always threw a lot of pitches,'' Feller said. ``I had a high school game where I threw a shutout, walked 14 and struck out 14.''
He paused.
``The game was called after five innings,'' he said.
I laughed. He wasn't kidding. If you do the math on that game, it meant only one batter made an out by hitting the ball. It meant he constantly had the bases loaded, and that he indeed threw a no-hitter.
In high school, most of his games were no-hitters. So when he threw three no-hitters in the majors and a dozen one-hitters, at least one person wasn't shocked: Feller himself.
Back to the 1946 no-hitter.
Consider this: It was the bottom of the ninth inning. The Indians had a 1-0 lead. The Yankees' George Stirnweiss led off by bunting for a hit, which was ruled an error on Tribe first baseman Les Fleming. Newspapers from New York and Cleveland both reported it was an easy play that Fleming botched, the ball rolling through his legs.
Think of today's unwritten rules about bunting to break up a no-hitter in the late innings, how it's considered an insult and somehow unsportsmanlike.
``Nah,'' said Feller last week. ``It was 1-0. He was just trying to win the game.''
Feller retired the next three hitters on ground balls to preserve the no-hitter.
``There was some talk, especially in New York, that I was washed up after the war,'' Feller said.
The no-hitter on that day in late April silenced any doubts. So did that incredible 1946 season, when he pitched in a league that featured the likes of Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Hank Greenberg, Mickey Vernon and Rudy York.
Feller's 26 victories plus his four saves meant he had an arm in 30 of the Tribe's 68 wins.
Feller was 27 that year, at the height of his physical powers. If he says he threw more than 125 pitches most games, he probably did.
By contrast, in 2005, only two of the World Champion Chicago White Sox pitchers used more than 120 pitches. None had more than 130. No Tribe pitcher went over 120.
``I don't care how many pitches you throw,'' Feller said. ``It's, `Are you tired?' How are you throwing?''
Feller believed the arm is a muscle, and you develop it with exercise. The best one is throwing. He also lifted light weights, rare for a player of his era. He didn't smoke, rarely drank and ate reasonably well, lots of protein.
Never iced his arm, either.
``I used a little rubbing alcohol,'' he said. ``Then after I'd pitch, I'd go home and take a nice, hot bath.''
He lived at the Tudor Arm Hotel on East 107th and Carnegie Avenue.
``I had a beautiful suite, they had a great pool and I swam a lot,'' he said.
Feller was 6-foot, 185 pounds, in 1946. He looked taller because he had long arms, a high leg kick and a big windup that seemed to make him look so much closer to the hitter than the regulation distance of 60-feet, 6-inches when he released the ball.
He had a fastball for the ages, but he believes he notched as many strikeouts with his big, overhand curveball. It was a pitch that didn't just break about a foot to the right, but also dropped about a foot.
The rotation of the ball was so tight, so fast, that hitters swore you could hear it ``bite'' the air on the way to the plate.
Feller finished his career with 266 victories despite missing nearly four years while serving in World War II, much of it on the battleship Alabama. He didn't pitch in 1942-44, and only in nine games at the end of 1945.
He was in his early 20s, and had averaged 26 victories the three previous years. So you have to figure Feller could have won another 100 games. Who knows how many more strikeouts (at least 1,000) and no-hitters he might have had?
As for his military service, Whitey Lewis wrote in the Cleveland Press: ``The erstwhile boy wonder, now a man, had served 44 months and had earned eight battle stars as a gunnery specialist on the U.S.S. Alabama. But could he still pitch?''
Feller did his throwing on the deck of the Alabama.
``Guys took turns wanting to catch me,'' he said.
Why not, even if they ended up losing some teeth because they missed a pitch. Feller had already won 107 games at age 22 when he entered the Navy. He led the American League in strikeouts for four consecutive seasons. His fellow sailors knew he was Cooperstown bound.
After nearly four years away from the majors, Feller returned to pitch nine games at the end of the '45 season. He was 5-3 with a 2.50 ERA, but some whispered he didn't throw quite as hard, his breaking ball was not as sharp.
Then came 1946, when Feller pitched and pitched and pitched -- almost as if to make up for lost time.
At the all-star break, Feller had 15 victories and 190 strikeouts. In 1945, there was no All-Star Game because of war-time travel restrictions. In 1946, it was a celebration of returning stars such as Feller and Williams. Feller was the winning pitcher, throwing three scoreless innings. Williams had four hits, including two homers. The American League rolled, 12-0.
``Only time I ever won an All-Star Game,'' Feller said.
Feller always wanted to beat Rube Waddell's major-league strikeout record of 343 for a season, set in 1904.
``Wheaties was going to pay me $5,000 if I did it,'' he said.
But then he detoured into a story of having his fastball measured. The Indians were playing in Washington, and Senators owner Clark Griffith advertised that Feller would throw his fastball into what was known as a Rube Goldberg device, and they would figure out the speed.
``I read about it in the paper, but Griffith never asked me,'' Feller said. ``I got to the park to pitch that night, and finally they told me about the idea.''
Feller said, ``Fine, I want $1,000.''
Griffith said it was good for the game for Feller to go along with the gimmick.
Feller knew it also was good for Griffith's gate with all the extra fans coming.
``Settled for $700,'' Feller said. ``I threw 15-25 pitches into that thing.''
The numbers ranged from 98 to 117 mph, depending upon where they set up the device. They came up with an average of 109.
``Then I pitched something like 10 innings,'' Feller said. ``Got beat 2-1.''
Feller said part of the reason he pitched in relief was to pick up some extra strikeouts. In the second-to-last game of the season, the Indians were in Detroit. In the game, he tied Waddell's record of 343.
The next day, there was no game.
Forty-eight hours later, the Indians played their final game of the season -- and Feller was on the mound again. He pitched nine innings, winning 4-1, and striking out five to claim the record at 348.
``But 10 years later, they went back and recounted Waddell's strikeouts (from 1904) and found six more, putting him ahead of me by one,'' Feller said. ``If I knew it back then, I just would have pitched in relief another game and struck out some more guys.''
At least he did get the $5,000 from Wheaties.
The barnstorming tour was an adventure all its own.
``Started in Pittsburgh, ended up in Seattle,'' Feller said. ``Had two DC-3s; went first class. I paid Stan Musial $10,000. Other guys got $300 to $500 a game. Some got more.''
Consider that in 1946, the winner's share of the World Series was only $2,000 per player, which was big money.
Remembering the barnstorming tour, Feller didn't care about the race issue. He liked Paige, he respected the black players and knew the games would draw big crowds, everyone making money in the process.
``I was excited to be chosen to play for the Satchel Paige All-Stars,'' Buck O'Neil wrote in his book, Right on Time. ``I knew I'd be making more money in that month than I did in six. I'd be taking my first plane ride and I felt this tour was an event that could have a real effect on big-league integration.''
Feller made more than $100,000 in 1946. His base salary was $50,000, and Tribe owner Bill Veeck paid him a bonus for attendance at his home games. He also had his own radio show, made commercials and personal appearances. He led the American League in wins (26), shutouts (10), strikeouts (348), games pitched (48) and innings (371 1/3).
He would never again strike out more than 196 batters in a season. His career ended in 1956.
``It wasn't because I threw too much in 1946,'' he said. ``It's because I slipped on the mound in Philadelphia the next year. I had maybe my best fastball, struck out nine of the first 11 guys. I went to throw a curve, my front foot gave out and I felt something rip in the back of my shoulder.''
He pitched a few more innings, then rested. But not for long. Feller still was 20-11 with a 2.68 ERA in 1947. He threw 299 innings, completed 20 games and struck out a league-leading 196.
``But I never was really the same after that,'' he said. ``That's why I say 1946 was my greatest year.''
Feller said it with a shrug. Sixty years and another era ago.
That season, shortstop Lou Boudreau also was the manager. A fellow named Bob Lemon began the year as a light-hitting outfielder and was converted to pitcher during the season -- no stop in the minors. He was 4-5 with a 2.49 ERA in 1946 and eventually made the Hall of Fame, just like Feller.
``A different game,'' Feller said.
One every baseball fan wishes they could have seen.