Travis Buck is 4-for-5 with a homer over the first two spring games. Although, my gut reaction is "this dude sucks, why is he in camp," I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt until he stops hitting. With the injuries to Grady Sizemore and Trevor Crowe (right rotator cuff), either Buck or prospect Ezequiel Carrera (Russell Branyan trade) is likely to be the 4th outfielder come opening day.
Fausto Carmona has been named the Tribe's opening day starter. I'll be there and so will you.
Anthony Reyes, coming off of Tommy John surgery, has a sore right elbow. Although this is not uncommon, Reyes is shut down for the time being. Let's hope he stays that way.
Jared Goedert is 0-for-4 in the first two. I'm not worried yet. Also, he played 1B on Monday and will likely be the starter there if he lands in Cow Town.
Texas is simply the best of the best. They have so much skill, so much talent at every position, that they blow my mind. Unbelievable, baby! 6 losses? Meaningless, they're too good! They've got shooting. They've got rebounding. They've got youth and experience. Their ball handling is beyond reproach. Back-to-back stinkers? You're making my point for me. They're awesome! They are so freakin' good that the team has already been elected to the hall of fame. If they do not get a #1 seed, it will be crime against humanity! If they are not unanimously selected as the overall #1 then I'm sure that Hitler has made a deal with Judas to steal it from them. I become fully engorged watching them inbound the ball. My idea of heaven is being the guy that washes Jordan Hamilton's jock. If somehow their throne as basketball's kings is unjustly usurped, it will convince me absolutely that there is no god. In fact, if they are not given a 1st round bye in the tournament, we should take up in armed rebellion. We should tear down the hypocrisy that this country has become. Texas is the best. Nothing that happens, no number of "losses" by no amount of "points" can change that. Stop the madness and believe it.
I think oompa-loompas are sexy because their skin is Texas orange!
First and foremost, I want to say thank you to the fans in LA and all of Clipper Nation. Not many guys get the chance to play at home in front of their family and friends the way I have been able to the past couple seasons, and I am grateful for that opportunity. My former teammates will always be my family, and I wish them and the organization nothing but the best.\
I can’t wait to join my new team, bring good energy and help us win games. I’m ready to call The Q home and bring some excitement!!!
The Tribe has made it official - Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis will open the season with AAA Columbus. Expect to see both this year, Kipnis first, and both sooner if the boys throw up a bunch of stinkers.
The Indians are also "very close" to signing former Indian and Phillie, Chad Durbin. For those of you who might be worried, I have it on very good authority that Durbin would compete for a bullpen spot. He will NOT be looked at for the rotation.
If you've been under a rock, Mo Williams and Jamario Moon to the Clippers for Baron Davis and an unprotected 2011 first rounder. The Cavs made the deadline and sent a second round pick in the 2013 draft (the one acquired in the Sessions deal) to the Boston for Turkish center Semih Erden and forward Luke Harangody. Love 2 lottery picks this year (I'm hoping for Derrick Williams with the 2nd), hate the scrubs from the Celtics, and it will be fun to Boom Dizzle ball with 'Twan. I do not understand why the Cavaliers would trade away a draft pick, but maybe we can release Samardo Samuels now. He's awful.
Boston also shocked the NBA by sending center Kenrick Perkins to OKC for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Kristic. No matter how you look at it, this is good for the Thunder, who get a man in the middle who has proven himself well in the post-season. Some consider this an upgrade for the Celtics as they have gotten younger. I dissent and argue that Boston no longer has a reliable 5. We'll see.
I hate the Indians. I hate that I'm always excited about baseball in February and dejected in October. I hate that I am so irrational in my optimism for this hapless team. It was about this time last year I had a discussion with e that the Indians might not have the pitching, but at least they were going to be tearing the cover off the ball in 2010. Ugh.
This year's version is that hey, our pitching staff ain't too bad, with a ton of talent on its way up. And that lineup, if guys stay healthy is going to be putting up some numbers.
That is basically the premise of this long article on theclevelandfan. He puts way more time into statistically supporting his delusion then I do. His #1 point, the tribe had a team ERA of just 3.89 in a meaningless 2nd half of 2010.
So there you have it, the rationalization to get excited for the Tribe in 2011. We've got the pieces in place that if a lot of things go right, this could be an exciting season. That is the hope you hang onto that makes Grady's trade to the Red Sox in July all the more crushing.
In a move that I would describe as surprising, at the least, the Browns have put the franchise tag on kicker Phil Dawson. Under the current CBA (set to expire in 10 days), this means that Dawson will receive a 1-yr contract at the average of the top 5 highest paid players at his position. For Phil this translates into $3.25mil. Dawson, who counted himself among the many that did not expect the kicker back in Cleveland next season, sold his house in Westlake and was preparing for his first pro season off of the North Coast. The Brownies will wait until the labor situation is resolved to have conversations with the only kicker the "new" franchise has ever had. Only in Cleveland do we franchise a kicker.
The Buckeyes shot 53% from the field and turned the ball over just 3 times in beating Illinois 89-70. The Bucks held the lead for the final 39:27 and remained undefeated at home. David Lighty lead the way with 21 points and 6 steals. He put on a clinic early in the 2nd half stripping several Illini and scoring 13 consecutive at one point. William Buford scored 15 of his 17 in the 1st half, Jared Sullinger added 12 & 11 and Aaron Craft bounced back from a dreadful performance against Purdue with 6 assists and 0 turnovers. This win was crucial for OSU as they struggle to hang onto a coveted #1 seed in the NCAA tournament. Twice this season they have lost and twice they have responded by taking down a tough foe in the subsequent game. The ability to avoid a losing streak will be key in maintaining standing for a selection committee that will have to leave either the Bucks, Kansas, Texas, Pitt or Duke off of the 1 line. And here's what I would scream at the Buckeyes if I had their ear, "GUARD THE BALL ON THE PERIMETER! DO NOT GIVE UP OPEN 3s!" Can I emphasize that more? If OSU fails in March due to poor perimeter defense, I might go hunt each player down and smack him in mouth.
Too much of this never made much sense to me. All around me are the constructs of society, mores, folkways, rules and regulations. We're all so afraid of judgment that we hide ourselves from the world around. I'm not suggesting a filterless spew of dark secrets and deep desires, simply a common trust among our fellows. No one should have to hide in shame. No one should have to fight alone. To quote myself,
We're all so selfish, so afraid, so much like little children cowering behind absent skirts. The magic and the music is to share this with each other, but how can we if all of our gestures are painted with a timid, callous brush?
There's an old line that none of this matters if you're unhappy. So you you go down the list of things you should want - money, house, wife, kids, fast car, cocaine, star trek collector's plates, fame - and then you strike out on the path that society has laid out to get these things. You have that conversation with Tyler Durden's dad. Then, maybe you get there and it's not so great. Or maybe you fucked up 22 times and never got there at all. Maybe you're wallowing in self-indulgence at the colossal failure that your life has amounted to. Or maybe you lucked into getting everything exactly right, hit that goddamn nail right on the head. Then you get to be a leader of society. Then you get to tell everyone how you got there. Then people try to copy it. I'm not going to go off on a rant about the butterfly effect, but what works for the rooster won't work for the gander. There is not checklist, no template, no six-lane expressway to personal fulfillment. I read once that it's very difficult within the human condition to be happy unless you are flourishing. But here's the joker - you don't need to pull down six figures or marry the prom queen to flourish. All you need to do is honor yourself. How I got so deep into the mire without hearing of this is beyond me, although I suspect that it flies in the face of capitalism and the American Dream. You have to fight those things bereft of existential angst, those things that are to thine own self. No one can predict what they are and no one has the right to deem yours any less worthy than another. Chances are that you already know what these things are. They're unfolding for me as I write. There are a select few reasons not to do them, but most of us are not burdened with such weights. So go do them. Now. There will always be a thousand reasons to avoid them, scores of faces that still don't get it. Pay them no minds. This is not about instant gratification, not about base desires. Rather this about being human in it's fullest sense. If you don't do that, then you're not really alive. So I'm going to keep on talking, even if no one is listening. Strangely I'm no longer looking for any recognition, not struggling to solve the equation, find the answer. This isn't the meaning of life, but if you're unhappy I would give it a whirl. I don't have the discipline to paint a self-portrait, but I would love to sketch it for you, one streak of graphite at a time.
Ah, hell, I'm gonna play you some Justin Bieber for you cuz I have the fever. No, not really. I'll let Ed and John take us out. Cheers.
From New York to Denver - F Danilo Gallinari, G Raymond Felton, F Wilson Chandler, C Timofey Mozgov, the Knicks 2014 first round pick, 2 second round picks that New York received from Golden State in the David Lee deal, and $3mil cash (non-sequential, small denominations).
From Denver to NYK - 'Melo, G Chauncey Billups, F Renaldo Balkman, F Shelden Williams and G Anthony Crater.
From New York to Minnesota - F Anthony Randolph and C Eddy Curry.
From Minnesota to Denver - F Corey Brewer
Thank god it's over. All this and Deron Williams intends to head to Manhattan in 2012. But we still have the Cavs.... yay....
Not only does James not get the block, he then proceeds to the throw the ball away on the inbound. The best part is when Kobe smacks LeBron afterward. Some color it as taunting, I feel it's all in good fun. First, NBA All-Star game that I've watched in years.
