In Cleveland sports, it seems as if every team has one player that fans love to … well, hate is too strong a word … so let’s say kvetch about.
With the Browns, it is usually the starting quarterback.
For the Indians, it’s first baseman Matt LaPorta. But the player who fits the bill on the Cavs is a bit of a surprise to us.
To find out the rest of the story, visit The Cleveland Fan.
It wasn’t Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder, but the Cleveland Indians made two moves this week to help fill out the first base position, at least for a year.
Just a few days after picking up International League Most Valuable Player Russ Canzler from Tampa Bay in exchange for cash (just where did the Dolans get extra cash from?) the Tribe signed Casey Kotchman to a one-year contract worth $3 million plus incentives.
“I’m really excited to join the club,” Kotchman said. “Just seeing how great a start they got off to last year. That was fun for me to watch on the outside, just being a fan of baseball and seeing how good they were playing. For me to have the opportunity to go up there this season and try to help contribute to sustaining that start … it’s exciting.”
Kotchman hit .306 last season in 146 games for Tampa Bay. He had a .378 on-base percentage, and batted .313 against right-handers and .289 vs. left-handers. That followed a season where Kotchman hit just .210 in 125 games in Seattle.
You may not have heard, but Super Bowl XLVI is this Sunday. The game itself has flown a bit under the radar because the participants represent two small markets in Boston and New York.
But the game is on the minds of Cleveland fans because of New England coach Bill Belichick, who is going for his fourth Super Bowl championship. The fact that none of those championships came in Cleveland, where Belichick was coach from 1991 to 1995, still gives many Browns fans agita.
Honestly, though, it’s been more than 20 years since Belichick was hired as Browns coach and 16 years since he was fired, so we’ve pretty much forgotten why we are supposed to be mad at him.
Head to The Cleveland Fan for the rest of the story.
It was quite a week in Cleveland sports, with two stories dominating the headlines.
First off was Prince Fielder signing a nine-year, $214 million contract with the Detroit Tigers.
The second, while off the field, made just a much news, as The Plain Dealer pulled longtime reporter Tony Grossi off the Cleveland Browns beat after Grossi sent a Tweet that personally criticized Browns owner Randy Lerner.
And the reaction to those stories from a growing legion of fan-driven sites highlighted what makes Cleveland such a great sports town.
When the news came out that the Detroit Tigers were planning to sign first baseman Prince Fielder to a nine-year, $214 million contract, the cries from Wahoo Nation rang out as loud and clear.
“The Dolans are cheap!” … “Why don’t they just sell the team?” … “Well, there goes the season.”
The feelings among a large segment of the fan base have become an annual part of Indian summer, providing a backdrop that is every bit as familiar as a John Adams drumbeat.
But does that make them true? Or realistic?
To find out the answers, head over to The Cleveland Fan.
Even by the abnormal standards of the Cleveland sports world, it was an interesting day today.
First off, the Indians pitcher formerly known as Fausto Carmona was arrested in the Dominican Republic for using a false identity.
Turns out Carmona’s real name is allegedly Roberto Hernandez Heredia and he is allegedly 31, not 28 as originally believed.
Good news, as Steven Gerrard has signed a new deal that should keep him at Liverpool until he retires and that includes an ambassadorial when with the team once he finishes playing.
“This is the club I love and is the club I have supported since I was a young boy,” Gerrard told The Daily Mail. “I am living the dream as the captain of one of the biggest clubs in the world. I love coming to work every day and the experiences I have had since I was eight years of age and first signed for the club, I wouldn’t change them for the world. To extend that and to hopefully have some more good times in a red shirt is what I want.”
Manager Kenny Dalglish highlighted Gerrard’s loyalty to his hometown club.
“In this day and age there’s not many people who go through their football career and represent just one club, especially people with quality like Steven,” Dalglish told The Daily Mail. “If you’re happy where you’re playing, you’re enjoying what you’re doing and you enjoy the football club I don’t see any reason to move, and it’s fantastic for us that he hasn’t.”
Dalglish’s comments remind us of what we wrote when Gerrard signed his last deal with Liverpool.
***
Morris Claiborne, LSU’s All-American cornerback, announced on Thursday that he is entering the NFL draft.
Claiborne, the third-rated player on ESPN Scouts Inc.’s draft board, led the Tigers with six interceptions this season and returned one for a touchdown. The winner of the Jim Thorpe Award as the nation’s top defensive back also was LSU’s top kickoff returner, averaging 25 yards per return, with one touchdown that went 99 yards.
Wonder what Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco and Andy Dalton would think about lining up twice a year against a pair of SEC cornerbacks in Orange and Brown?
***
The Indians are reportedly interested in free agent first baseman Carlos Pena, with general manager Chris Antonetti waiting to see if the Dolans will open their wallets.
While Pena is a name that fans will recognize, that doesn’t mean he will solve all the Tribe’s problems at first base.
According to Paul Cousineau at The Dia Tribe:
So, if we’re talking about offensive prowess, Pena’s 2011 numbers look the best…but that doesn’t mean that Pena does not come with legitimate concerns offensively, with the main concern being voiced by a scout in John Perrotto’s piece at B-Pro called “Best Players Still on the Board”: Scout’s view: “He can still help someone, but you better have a good right-handed hitter to platoon with him. He’s completely helpless against left-handers now, so you can’t play him 155-160 games anymore. At this stage of his career, he’s a complementary player rather than a major cog in a lineup, and I’d pay him accordingly.”
“Completely helpless against left-handers now”…oof, we already have a couple of those. Unfortunately, what the scout sees bears out in the numbers as Pena posted a .594 OPS vs. LHP in the NL last year, which comes on the heels of a .675 OPS vs. LHP campaign in 2010 for the Rays. In the last 3 years, Pena has a .704 OPS vs. LHP, a number that has trended down since the 2009 campaign. As a quick aside, Hafner’s OPS vs. LHP over that same timeframe (the last 3 years) is .680, so Hafner has actually been less effective than Pena vs. LHP since the beginning of the 2009 season…and since there would only be one Carlos Santana to go around, you’d still be looking for a RH platoon partner for Pena (or Hafner) if a guy like Pena is signed, warts and all.
Read the rest of Paul’s analysis of the situation here. Hopefully someone can forward the link to the Dolans to help them with their decision.
***
Finally, it was one year ago today that the Browns hired Pat Shurmur as head coach.
Here’s what we had to say about the hiring.
Looking back on what we wrote when Shurmur was hired, we pretty much nailed it.
(Photo by Getty Images)
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be short a player for tonight’s game in Toronto after Samardo Samuels was unable to make the trip because he lost his passport.
With Samuels unavailable, Ryan Hollins will fill the backup role at center. If he gets in the game, it will be the first action Hollins has seen since opening night.
Did anyone with the Cavs think to check Hollins’ locker for the missing passport?
***
Cold Hard Football Facts threw a little cold water on Seneca Wallace’s quest to replace Colt McCoy as the Cleveland Browns starting quarterback in 2012.
With a chance to play in the final three games of the season, Seneca Wallace wanted to prove himself worthy of a starting quarterback position. However, he didn’t get the job done as the Browns lost those three games by a combined 13 points. Perhaps if Wallace played one level better than Colt McCoy, the Browns win a few games and Wallace gets a chance to further prove himself in 2012.
Wallace posted a weak 50.27 Real Quarterback Rating. This includes completing only two of 14 passes attempted to Greg Little or Mohamed Maasquoi.
Overall, Wallace finished with a 65.87 QBR, while Colt McCoy finished with a 75.16 QBR. Clearly, neither quarterback worked in this limited offense, and McCoy should be the leading candidate to return as the starter in 2012.
Not sure we like either option, but Wallace definitely didn’t do himself any favors over the last three games of the season.
***
Everton’s Tim Howard became the fourth goalie – and second American – in Premier League history to score a goal in Tuesday’s game against Bolton.
But just like when Brad Friedel scored, Everton ended up losing.
***
Finally, Jonah Keri at Grantland is not a believer in the Window in baseball – the short period of time in which small-revenue clubs supposedly have to compete.
Keri writes that: There is a nugget of truth behind this Window obsession. Smaller-revenue teams have a tougher time signing premium free agents, or retaining their own top players past their initial six years of team control. That puts extra pressure on these poorer teams to bring up a bunch of great prospects all at once, then hope they get good at the same time before they get expensive.
But far more often it’s a … excuse. It’s a vague, faraway goal that always seems several years out of reach. It’s a cover for cheap, greedy ownership, lousy scouting, drafting, and player development, and myopic trades. It’s a weak attempt to placate a fan base screwed over by years of management incompetence and indifference.
We think the Dolans would like to have a word with Keri.
***
Finally, today is the 31th anniversary of the Browns playoff loss to Oakland in the Red Right 88 game.
That was the day we learned what it meant to be a Browns (and Cleveland) fan. We were obviously much younger then and that was the first Browns team we fell in love with.
If only Brian Sipe had thrown the ball to Dave Logan this site would exist under a different name and would possibly have a different tone to it. But that’s not the way it worked out.
If you’re in the mood, video of the final drive is here. If you want to relive that magical season, Jonathan Knight’s book, Kardiac Kids: The Story of the 1980 Cleveland Browns, is an excellent read.
As we enter the last few days of 2011, it’s time to take a look at the past year in sports.
While it was another year without a title from any of Cleveland’s teams, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t interesting.
For the First Quarter, check here.
For the Second Quarter, check here.
For the Third Quarter, check here.
The Browns entered October at 2-1, but the wheels quickly fell off as the Orange and Brown looked like an expansion team in losing to Tennessee.
Things got worse the following week when word came out that Peyton Hillis’ agent advised Hillis to miss a game because of strep throat. Somehow a player missing a game because of injury/illness became a controversy, which in hindsight was a precursor to the hysteria surrounding Colt McCoy later in the season.
Coming out of the bye week the Browns got knocked around by the Raiders, squeaked out a win against the Seahawks and closed the month with a loss on the road to the 49ers.
Along the way the team lost linebacker Marcus Benard for the season to a motorcycle accident and the team continued looking for an answer to The Colt McCoy Question.
The month also had us questioning the level of competition the U.S. Men’s National Team faces.
In November, the Indians were movers on the first day of baseball’s off-season, declining the option on outfielder Grady Sizemore, picking up the option on pitcher Fausto Carmona and trading for starting pitcher Derek Lowe.
The Browns continued cutting away the dead wood left behind by “super coach” Eric Mangini, releasing wide receiver Brian Robiskie.
The fun continued on the field, as the Browns were rolled in Texas, lost on a blocked field goal – and poor snap by formerly reliable long snapper Ryan Pontbriand – against St. Louis, pulled out a win, thanks to a goal-line stand, against Jacksonville and lost on a late touchdown against the Bengals.
Fans struggled during the month to separate reality from perception and some even longed for a past that existed only in their imaginations.
December opened with the Browns losing at home to the Ravens.
Four days later it all hit the fan as the Browns lost to Pittsburgh on an NFL Network Thursday night game and Colt McCoy suffered a concussion at the hands of repeat offender James Harrison.
Harrison earned a much-deserved suspension, but thanks to a poor choice of words by Browns coach Pat Shurmur the local media, always desperate for a controversy surrounding the Browns, worked overtime to create one.
Team president Mike Holmgren tried to calm the waters, but we’re not sure everyone got the message.
The Browns took the Cardinals to overtime before falling in Week 15, and staged a rally that fell short in Baltimore in Week 16 to fall to 4-11 on the season.
Also during December, Clint Dempsey became the highest-scoring American in the Premier League.
The end of the month also saw us make our debut at The Cleveland Fan.
And that’s a wrap on the year in Cleveland sports. Thanks to everyone who read and commented during the year, if you like what you see be sure to come back and spread the word.
We’re looking forward to new opportunities in 2012 and, while we’re not sure what will happen in Cleveland sports, there is no doubt that it will be anything but boring.
Hope everyone has a safe and happy New Year’s.
(Photo courtesy of Cleveland Browns.com)
As we enter the last few days of 2011, it’s time to take a look at the past year in sports.
While it was another year without a title from any of Cleveland’s teams, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t interesting.
For the First Quarter, check here.
For the Second Quarter, check here.
July started on a high note for the Indians, as Austin Kearns’ three-run homer helped beat the Yankees on the Fourth of July. But injuries started to catch up with the team and a lack of offense dropped the team down the standings culminating in the inevitable – a no-hitter at the hands of Ervin Santana.
The front office shocked everyone though, trading for starting pitcher Ubaldo Jiminez at the end of the month. The Tribe gave up both Drew Pomeranz and Alex White – the top two pitching prospects in the organization – in the deal.
The NFL lockout ended in July, bringing the return of the Browns and the official start of the Pat Shurmur era as coach.
Just before the end of the month the U.S. Soccer team named Jürgen Klinsmann as head coach of the national team.
And we had an excellent time at Waiting for Next Year’s gathering at Canal Park.
In August, the Tribe made one last run at Detroit for the division lead as they took 2-of-3 from the Tigers. But a sweep at the hands of Detroit late in the month effectively ended the Tribe’s season.
After falling out of the pennant race, and needing something to draw fans to the games with the start of the NFL season on the horizon, the Indians brought Jim Thome home for a cameo.
Even though the Tribe faded in the second half of the season, it was fun while it lasted.
Browns camp opened with second-year defensive backs Joe Haden and T.J. Ward expressing their excitement for new defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s 4-3 defense.
We were also left asking, not for the first time, what the Browns were doing at the wide receiver position.
This being the Browns they couldn’t get through training camp without losing a key player, as Eric Steinbach was lost for the year with a back injury.
And the release of the documentary Senna reminded us of the artistry of Formula One driver Aryton Senna.
September brought about the official end of the Indians season, but the team gave fans plenty to cheer about in 2011 and plenty to look forward to next year.
And the Browns were back for the 2011 NFL season with Colt McCoy in his first full season as starting quarterback.
Things got off to a rocky start in Week 1 as the Browns fell to the Bengals following a defensive breakdown. It was only one game but, this being Cleveland, plenty of fans were already on the ledge.
Week 2 saw the team give Pat Shurmur his first victory as an NFL head coach. It wasn’t surprising the team did well, as the game against the Colts was the last with a healthy Peyton Hillis for quite a while.
The Browns followed that win with a late victory over the Dolphins in Week 3 as the defense helped save the day.
General manager Tom Heckert also made the right decision to take it slow when it came to a contract extension with Hillis.
Coming Friday: Injuries help the Browns season take a turn for the worse, the team continues to prune the dead wood left from the Eric Mangini era, and Colt McCoy’s concussion turns into a manufactured controversy.
Red Right 88 