The Indians Get an Extended Wedgie

The Indians are hanging on to the youngest manager in the big leagues

Eric Wedge got his extension, which I am fine with, but some people are up in arms about it.  I don’t think he is horrible..he’s not the best there ever was, but between him and Mark Shapiro, they are doing good things with a $60 million team.

I’m not sure why people tend to complain about managers so much.  I know they are important but I think the players play SOME part in the success of the team.  It’s like..if a manager pinch hits with somebody and they strike out, people are like “great move, genius.”  But what about the guy who struck out?  To me, managing is a basic strategy plus some instinctive moves..that’s it.  Wedge seems to do the basic things all right..pinch running to try to get the winning run in, moving players around for better defense late in the game, and starting players with the best chance of success against the opposing pitcher.

I probably shouldn’t talk too much about this because I’m not really an expert in managerial duties (heh..duties), but I will anyway.  Wedge has done all right as far as I can tell, but there are some things that have bothered me.  The main thing was his decision not to give Ryan Garko a starting spot at the beginning of the season.  Even though he only played for a couple months last season, it seemed pretty obvious that he could hit, even if his defense wasn’t good (but he’s turned out to be a decent fielder).  But that all worked out, so all is forgiven (as Kramer would say “it’s all water near a bridge”).

On another note..I’m anxious about upcoming trades.  One rumor is that Cleveland is interested in Kenny Lofton.  I actually like the idea of having a wise old sage leading off.  But really, he may be a bit older but he’s still got it.  Plus, it would allow me to bust this poster back out:

The question is..who would the Indians give up?  If it’s someone that the Indians don’t have room for, I’ll be ok.  I’d like to see:

Lofton
Blake
Grady
Hafner
Vmart

Every game would start out: Lofton singles/walks, Blake moves him over, Grady knocks him in with a base hit, Hafner homers and it’s automatically a 3-0 game.  You’re guaranteed three runs to start every game, it can’t miss.

Another need is bullpen help.  Imagine this:

Aki/Lidge/Gagne
Perez
Betancourt
Borowski
Fultz
Mastny

I’m really liking the Rafael combo meal.  I’m fine with Borowski.  Fultz, besides allowing inherited runners, was doing well before his DL holiday and Mastny isn’t awful, just average right now.  That’s a good bullpen, but adding one of those other guys would make the best bullpen since..sliced bread.   But what does it take to get one of those guys?  That’s the eternal question..

Well, that’s it for me..let us all hope for some good trades in the upcoming weeks.

Cory

Getting My Hopes Up for the Second Half

Well, the All Star break is over, so it’s back to baseball.  It was a good first half, but not the best.  I will talk about the Indians’ first half vs what I expect from them in the second half.  It is sure to be the most exciting thing you have ever read.

The Offense
First half:  Good but fairly inconsistent.  Not very good on the road.  They lost to the Reds 1-0 in 12 innings (even when Sabathia himself had two hits).  The first half offense was one of the best in baseball, statistically, but it doesn’t feel like it.  I expect Hafner to bounce back with his new contract.  V-Mart may not be AS good as he has been, but he should still be good.  I hope Peralta and Blake keep up their seasons while Grady and the Barf raise their averages a little.

Second half: Same.  I’m expecting the offense to be what it has been lately.  Good at home, bad on the road.  IF the Indians were to trade for another bat, maybe in the outfield, that could change (but don’t trade Garko or else face the consequences.. hell hath no fury like an Indians fan scorned).  I don’t want any BIG changes to the lineup though, maybe just a tweak.

The Rotation
First half: Better than I expected thanks to Carmona and Byrd.  C.C. is as good as ever, but Carmona and Byrd stepped up when the rest of the rotation was injured.  Sowers, Lee, and Westbrook all left a Sowers taste in my mouth (crickets chirping), but I blame injuries and the sophomore slump.

Second half: I expect a slight improvement.  I think C.C. and Byrd will be about the same as they were in the first half.  I expect Carmona to drop off just a little, but I also hope that Lee and Westbrook will pick up the slack.  Lee has shown signs of improvement lately..and we know Westbrook is as cool as the other side of the pillow (or as cool as a chillow).  Just look at a picture of Westbrook when he is throwing a pitch.  Cool as a chillow..

The Bullpen
First half:  Surprisingly, not that bad.  It’s not like they blew a four run lead to the Yankees in the 9th with two outs and nobody on (it NEVER HAPPENED).  Besides a couple horrifying experiences, the bullpen has done relatively well.  Betancourt having a very Carl Farbman-like year.  Borowski has surprised me.  Perez and Fultz have also been nice surprises.  But Cabrera and Mastny started off strong and have faded since.  Then Roberto Hernandez was released, possibly because of conflicts between the team and his retirement home.  Overall, good but not GREAT.

Second half: Better.  I assume that they will get some bullpen help (Aki..?).  Even if they don’t trade for any relievers, I think Betancourt and JoBo will keep up their work and the rest, hopefully, can hold their own.  Maybe Cabrera will get back in the groove..who knows?  I guess we’ll never know..until the season is over.

The Bench
First half:  Well, there isn’t much of a bench because of platoons.  But if you consider Shoppach and Francisco as bench players, then this bench has been great.  Then there’s Rouse.  It’s nice that he can play all around the infield but man.. not a lot of offense.. that’s a nice way of putting it.

Second half:  Probably worse.  I don’t expect Shoppach to continue to put his numbers up.  I’d like to see Francisco in more of a starting role.  And of course Rouse.. but maybe a trade will be made.  Overall, this isn’t a huge concern for the team either way.

Overall
First half:  The team has done well but a lot of fans, including myself, feel like it hasn’t been a GREAT first half, even though it has.  Their best hitter isn’t hitting that well, one of their most consistent pitchers hasn’t been consistent at all, and their road record is looking up at .500.  Despite all this, they were just one game back in the division, and leading the Wild Card, entering the All Star break, which I will take.

Second half: I’d like to say better, but it all depends on whether the team clicks or not.  There is always the chance that things that have been going their way in the first half won’t go their way in the second half.  They might just play the same, too.  Here’s what I’m hoping for (and where I get my hopes up and my heart ready to be broken):  Pronk is awakened and sparks the rest of the offense, the starting pitching gets a little more consistent, some bullpen help arrives, and their performance on the road gets a little better.  Those are pretty realistic..right?  I’m not getting my hopes up……right..?  What might also be nice is to get a legitimate leadoff hitter to let Grady hit 3rd, but I don’t want to trade too much for one and I’d be worried about tampering with the lineup TOO much.

Well, who knows what will happen with the trading deadline coming up.  I do feel like, if the team would play to their potential a little more, they could have an insane second half.  The Tigers are tough, but the Indians and the Tigers have stayed within a few games of each other all year long, so it’s really a toss-up.  I don’t think the Tigers will fade away, which sucks, so it will be interesting..

On another note, we are officially on Rangers Trade Watch.  If something goes down, it could be the beginning of a new life for Tony..or the end of it.  If you see James Loney, Matt Kemp, Clayton Kershaw, or Conor Jackson as Texas Rangers, Tony will be a new man..one of those guys who walks down the sidewalk with a walking stick, hair slicked back, throwing money around and yelling into a phone “BUY BUY..SELL!”

Cory

GMs

I don’t think I could be a general manager. I’m not good with knowing a player’s value vs another player’s value, or how much money a player should get and for how long. I do know good GMs from bad GMs. Brian Cashman has all the money in the world to spend and look at the Yankees.

Tony could be a GM..don’t be surprised if you see the headline “Rangers GM Daniels replaced by guy who was part of a 7-run scoring duo in 8th grade.” That’s right, I was the other part of the duo.

By the way, am I the only one who thinks Jon Daniels looks like Dax Shepard from Punk’d?

I mean, if they had the same hair and if Dax was trading away future All Stars (and maybe Hall of Famers) for the guy who will soon be washing your car and/or serving you at your local McDonald’s.

As Tony is painfully aware..Daniels is in a make-or-break position. With half the team expendable and many likely to be traded, he can bring in prospects to save the Rangers or he can pull a Daniels. You will know which one it is if you read the headline “Cory has to talk Tony down from a ledge.” And yes, that would be the frontpage headline in the New York Times.

For me, on the other hand, I’m content with Mark Shapiro as the Indians GM. He has done well considering the amount of money he is allowed to spend. Unlike Cashman, he can’t just throw money around to try to fix a team (by the way, isn’t it funny that his name is CASHman). Not all the moves have been perfect. Roberto Hernandez, who started his career with the New York Knickerbockers, and Trot Nixon haven’t been the greatest signings. Trot’s not HORRIBLE but for the money, I’ll take Franklin Gutierrez or Ben Francisco in right field. But hindsight is always 20/20, isn’t it?

Well..I don’t have much else to say..just wasting time in class.

Cory

Let’s just agree that neither of us could be a GM. My roster would consist of Pudge and Michael Young (both handed lifetime contracts), washed-up prospects for Rudy J to turn into hitters, and any high school pitcher from Texas who can top 92 on the radar gun.

Tony