Indians Tidbits (2007 Season)

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

Tribe Report: Pros give Barfield head start

Dad, Rickey Henderson foster his love of game

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Former Indians catcher Sandy Alomar started the buzz by telling a reporter that Josh Barfield would steal 50 bases.
Naturally, manager Eric Wedge was asked for his take on Alomar's prediction.
``I don't know about that,'' Wedge said of his new second baseman. ``But Josh is a very good base runner. He'll steal some bases.''
Wedge gave the most vanilla answer he could muster up. What he probably doesn't know is that Barfield was tutored in the art of the steal by the greatest of all time, Rickey Henderson, who retired with 1,406 stolen bases.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

INDIANS
Lee is out of rotation until at least mid-April
Monday, March 12, 2007
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> Cliff Lee


An injury is testing Cliff Lee?s patience and the Cleveland Indians? pitching depth.
Lee has not thrown in recent days as he continues to feel discomfort in his right side. It has been diagnosed as a mild abdominal strain. Team officials believe the problem is not related to ? nor as serious as ? the sports hernia that cost him half of the 2003 season and required two surgeries.

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[LoKyBuckeye]

link

A stadium worker removes a snake from the press box as reporters and fans look on as the Cleveland Indians play the New York Mets in a Grapefruit League spring training baseball game in Winter Haven, Fla., Tuesday, March 13, 2007. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Press Box Snake Makes Reporters Flee

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - A 3-foot black snake sent reporters scurrying in the press box as the the New York Mets defeated the Cleveland Indians 6-5 in a spring training game on Tuesday.

As the snake slithered across notebooks and laptop computers in the bottom of the fourth inning, fans stood up and laughed as they gazed into the press area.

A grounds crew member accustomed to such occurrences at Chain of Lakes ballpark, was summoned. He grabbed the snake and released it in the parking area behind the complex.

 

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ABJ

Indians notebook

Miller looks set for bullpen

Manager likes what he sees from right-hander who missed most of last season to elbow surgery

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

BRADENTON, FLA. - Manager Eric Wedge hinted broadly Monday that Matt Miller has shown enough to earn a spot in the Indians' bullpen.
``Matt has done everything we need to see,'' Wedge said. ``He just needs to keep doing it.''
After undergoing elbow surgery last year and missing most of the season, Wedge wanted to be assured that Miller came back healthy.

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ABJ

Indians notebook

Sabathia, Luna have lousy day

Unwelcome visitor slithers into press box during fourth inning

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - It was not C.C. Sabathia's best day of the spring, and Hector Luna made another bad impression on manager Eric Wedge, who is looking for someone to fill the utility infielder spot.
Sabathia gave up four runs and five hits, including two homers, as the New York Mets defeated the Indians 6-5 on Tuesday at Chain of Lakes Park.
``C.C. was much better the last couple innings,'' Wedge said. ``He was working to find it the first couple.''

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Canton

C.C. wants to do more to boost baseball in inner cities
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
By Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER


WINTER HAVEN, Fla. One of baseball?s biggest players took a few minutes Tuesday afternoon to address an issue much bigger than himself.

C.C. Sabathia was discussing the Tribe?s scheduled appearance in the first Civil Rights Game, March 31 in Memphis against the St. Louis Cardinals. Major League Baseball will make donations to several charities that day, including the National Civil Rights Museum, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Jackie Robinson Foundation and the Negro Leagues Museum.

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Canton

Politte watches as spring closes
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
By Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. While his teammates yawned and sipped coffee Tuesday morning, Cliff Politte was hard at work in the trainer's room. While they warmed up for the baseball game that afternoon, he climbed into his car and drove away.

Politte, 33, is living in baseball limbo. He is part of the Indians, but not part of them. His list of accomplishments in baseball is longer than almost any pitcher in camp, yet he may never wear a Cleveland uniform. The veteran right-hander is trying to recover from rotator cuff surgery, and the road back is long and boring.

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[SanAntonioBuck]

AP

Indians' GM gets 5-year extension

By TOM WITHERS
AP Sports Writer

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. (AP) -- General manager Mark Shapiro agreed to a five-year contract extension through the 2012 season with the Cleveland Indians, a team he has dismantled and rebuilt into a playoff contender.

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Dispatch

Indians armed with veterans
Veteran relievers bode well for youngsters and starters
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

</IMG> REINHOLD MATAY ASSOCIATED PRESS Entering his 11 th big-league season, reliever Joe Borowski doesn?t sweat the small stuff anymore, and he has experienced a payoff.


WINTER HAVEN, Fla. ? Joe Borowski has enjoyed success, endured failure and persevered to be a veteran. It is what Indians general manager Mark Shapiro was shopping for in the offseason, when he talked of wanting to "change the dynamic" in the bullpen. The Indians used a procession of rookies last season and finished with the fewest saves in the major leagues. The late-inning drama undermined a solid rotation and productive offense. So Shapiro signed four veteran free agents, including Borowski, to man the late-inning roles.

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ABJ

Shapiro gets pact, lavish praise

Tribe GM indicates deal for Wedge could be near

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Onward and upward.
That was the theme as club President Paul Dolan made it official: Mark Shapiro has been signed to a five-year extension that will keep him as the Indians' general manager through the 2012 season.
``For me, this decision was an easy one,'' Shapiro said Thursday at Chain of Lakes Park. ``I have an overarching desire to bring a championship to Cleveland. There is no place I'd rather work and no people I'd rather work with.''
Dolan was lavish in praise of Shapiro, who tore down the structure of a financially overcommitted franchise in 2002 and rebuilt it quickly.

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ABJ

Rouse in running for utility infielder

Shortstop, key position, is where he's played most

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

When Mike Rouse has a sore foot, it's news. Not headline-grabbing, SportsCenter news, but around Chain of Lakes Park, it matters what happens to Rouse.
Most Northeast Ohio fans had never heard of Rouse before this spring. Even now, Rouse is not exactly a household name outside his own house, but he is one of three contenders for the Indians' utility-infielder job, and he is holding his own with Hector Luna and Luis Rivas.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

Miller dominating in spring
Saturday, March 17, 2007
By Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. Perhaps, just perhaps, few baseball experts would have predicted Matt Miller would be the American League's most dominant pitcher in spring training.

"It's spring training, and the hitters are working on things," Miller explained. "But hey, I'm working on things, too."

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ABJ

Notebook

Defense puts Garko in limbo

Second error of spring shows first baseman needs more training

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. - Ryan Garko still does not have an Indians roster spot locked up, and Sunday was the kind of day that has made manager Eric Wedge uncertain.
Garko singled twice and drove in two runs in a 5-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, but he also fumbled a ground ball at first for his second error of the exhibition season.
``Ryan is a very good hitter who is still working on his defense,'' Wedge said. ``On the one ball, he just tried to be too quick and looked up. He needs more repetitions at first base to get better.''

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ABJ

Ocker on the Indians

Veteran Nixon edges out promising Choo

Right fielder has history as power hitter with injuries

By Sheldon Ocker

Who would have guessed that Shin-Soo Choo's 15 minutes of fame already would be over?
Last summer it appeared that Choo's renown might last much longer than a quarter of an hour. When he batted .303 and drove in 16 runs in August, fans and Tribe deep-thinkers seemed genuinely excited about the acquisition of Choo, who came from the Seattle Mariners in exchange for Ben Broussard on July 26.

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ABJ

Indians report

Wedge can't use a set batting lineup

Sizemore will lead off, but part of order to vary due to use of platoons

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - A former Cleveland talk-radio host once informed his audience that the overriding criteria for constructing a batting order should be home runs.
The No. 1 home run hitter should bat first, the second-best home run hitter should be in the two hole and so on, with the hitter who produces the fewest homers batting ninth.
``Don't you want your best home run hitter at the top of the lineup so he gets more at-bats?'' said the sports talker on the air.

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