Red Right 88

In Cleveland, hope dies last

Archive for the category “Cleveland Indians”

01 May 2011
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It’s still early for the Tribe … or is it?

The Indians started May the same way they finished April, with a come-from-behind win against the Tigers.

The Tribe finished Sunday in first place in the AL Central with some pretty impressive numbers:

  • They are riding a 13-game home winning streak
  • They have the best run differential (+47) in the majors
  • They have the best record in the majors
  • They are tied with Colorado for the largest division lead (4.5 games)
  • They had the best April in the team’s 111-year history

For the past few weeks, while the Tribe has built their lead, we’ve all heard that “it’s still early.”

But is it really?

Since Major League Baseball went to six divisions in 1995, there have been 96 division champions, according to ESPN.

Not counting 1995 (since the strike-shortened season started in late April), 49 of the 90 champions were in first place on May 1. That’s just a 54.4 percent success rate, so the numbers suggest the Indians may want to hold off just a little bit on printing playoff tickets.

But if you go a little deeper and look at the Central Division, the Tribe may be in a better position than the other division leaders.

Five times in the past seven years, the team leading the Central Division on May 1 has gone on to win the division. The two times it didn’t happen, the Twins beat out the White Sox, in 2006 and again in 2009.

The Twins came from nine games back in 2006, but they were only a half-game back in 2009.

So the fact that the Indians carry a healthy lead over the rest of the division (4.5 over KC, 7.5 over Detroit, 10 over Chicago and Minnesota) is important. Not only do Central Division teams rarely overcome the early season leaders, they also don’t make up large deficits.

Tribe manager Manny Acta likes to say that every team wins 60 games and loses 60 games, and it is the other 42 games that matter.

Well what if the come-from-behind wins this weekend against Detroit are part of those other 42 games?

Why can’t the Indians keep this going? They can pitch and play defense, which are two things will keep them in the game most nights. Just because the national media didn’t think they were going to be good this year doesn’t mean the team has to buy into it.

Sure, it’s only May 1 and there is still a lot of baseball to be played.

But maybe, as Yogi Berra once said, for the rest of the teams in the division, it really is getting late early.

Posted in Cleveland Indians, Tribe Time
27 Apr 2011

Streak stopper strikes again

Justin Masterson did it again for the Indians Tuesday night against the Royals.

Masterson won for the fourth time this season following a Tribe loss, as the Indians beat the Royals to run their home winning streak to eight games.

”Masterson was overpowering at times,” manager Manny Acta told The Beacon Journal. ”He used that sinker then he’d throw a four-seamer up in the zone.”

Masterson is off to the best start by an Indians’ starter since Cliff Lee won his first six starts in 2008. Lee won the Cy Young Award that year.

Hey, we’re just saying.

As good as Masterson was, allowing three runs and five hits in six-and-two-thirds innings, reliever Vinnie Pestano rocked it in the seventh.

With the Tribe holding on to a 4-3 lead, the Royals loaded the bases with no outs. Pestano came in and shut it down, retiring three consecutive Royals to end the threat.

On the season, Pestano has worked in 10 games, giving up one run in nine innings, striking out 12.

This was a true team effort as the Indians hit five home runs – two by Jack Hannahan, one by Grady Sizemore and one by Shin-Soo Choo.

“It’s not the same guy doing it every time,” Masterson said in published reports. “It’s a different guy, that’s what makes this fun. Guys are making plays here, there and everywhere. It’s not the same person every time, we’re kind of doing it collectively, and it’s kind of the sign of a pretty good team.”

The first-place Indians have a 2.5 game cushion over Kansas City and Detroit. The Tribe is also off to its best start since 2007, when they won 96 games.

Posted in Cleveland Indians, streak stopper, Tribe Time | Leave a comment
23 Apr 2011

Character still counts

We woke up this morning to the news that Miami wide receiver Brandon Marshall was in the hospital after being stabbed – allegedly by his wife.

This is not the first time Marshall has been in the news for off-field shenanigans:

  • On March 1, 2009, Marshall and his wife, Michi Nogami-Marshall, were both arrested and booked on disorderly conduct charges after two officers saw them kicking and punching each other outside Marshall’s Atlanta condominium. Disorderly conduct charges were later dismissed.
  • The NFL suspended Marshall for three 2008 games under the league’s personal conduct policy, although no specific reason was given. He appealed, and the penalty was reduced to just one game.
  • In May 2009 he was profiled in ESPN’s Outside the Lines about the couple’s abusive relationships. The 911 tapes and police reports documented his checkered past.
  • He was arrested in November 2004 and charged with five misdemeanor counts of trespassing, resisting an officer without violence, refusal to obey an officer, disorderly conduct and assault on an officer. The charges were eventually dropped.
  • In April 2005, he was arrested again in Orange County on a misdemeanor charge of retail or farm theft, but was never prosecuted.
  • He made headlines in January 2007 when Broncos teammate and friend Darrent Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting by gang members in downtown Denver. The shooting took place after an altercation at a nightclub between the gang members and other patrons, including Marshall.

The latest problems for Marshall, who signed a $50 million contract with the Dolphins last year, making him the highest paid wide-receiver in NFL history, remind us that character still counts when teams are looking at players.

When the Broncos were looking to deal Marshall, there were some who wanted the Browns to trade for him. There was also a segment of the fan base that wanted the Browns to draft Dez Bryant last year and some who couldn’t understand why the Browns did not trade for Randy Moss when the Patriots grew tired of his act.

Of course, Bryant is currently busy defending himself against lawsuits claiming he failed to pay $246,000 for jewelry and Moss lasted all of four games before the Vikings released him.

While any of the three would have helped the Browns anemic passing attack, we’re glad they are not on the team. We bag on Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi from time to time because they’re not very good, but we’re confident we won’t wake up one day to a headline saying that they are in some off-field trouble.

It’s good, too, that the Browns are determined to shy away from troubled players.

“Those guys in the league that have had issues, those guys are going to be tough for us to mess around with,” general manager Tom Heckert has said in published reports.

So while it may not be true in other NFL cities, at least in Cleveland character still matters.

***

The bad Fausto Carmona showed up for the Indians on Saturday against Minnesota, giving up six runs, seven hits and four walks in just five innings of work as the Tribe fell, 10-3.

It was the first time this season the Twins scored more than five runs in a game (of course) as they entered the day with the lowest run totals in the majors.

But that didn’t matter as the Twins slapped around Carmona and then Chad Durbin (two innings of work, four runs, why is he still on the team?) to hand the Tribe its second consecutive loss.

But all is not lost as Carlos Carrasco will get the start on Sunday in an attempt to give the Indians a split of not only the series, but the six-game road trip. And that’s OK – when you are in first place all that matters is the teams behind you don’t make up ground.

The Tribe split with Kansas City and if they can earn a split with the Twins that’s six division games out of the way without letting the Royals and Twins gain anything.

And that’s not bad at all.

***

Maxi Rodriguez tallied a hat-trick, Dirk Kuyt and Joe Cole each added a goal, and Liverpool closed the gap on fifth-place Tottenham Hotspur with a 5-0 win on Saturday against Birmingham.

”Maxi is a very intelligent footballer. He’s not a direct replacement for Andy but he’s got more goals than him in that one performance,” Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish said in published reports. ”Maxi has not played for a few weeks and came on and did a fantastic job for us.

”Joe also got his reward because he has trained well and he came on and got a goal. It won’t do Joe or Maxi any harm and the joy the players got from Maxi scoring his hat-trick and Joe scoring his goal reflects how close a group they are and that is great for the club.

”They are all playing for each other and the players are going to play better if they are confident and if they are happy going to work they will get better results.”

While the Spurs do have a game in hand, only three points separate the two teams. And Tottenham Hotspur still have to face Chelsea (2nd in the table) and Manchester City (4th) before the next-to-last game of the season against Liverpool against Anfield on May 15.

If the Reds can keep it close until then – they face Newcastle United (9th in the table) and Fulham (13th) – the game with Spurs should be the dogs bollocks.

Posted in character, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Indians, dogs bollocks, Liverpool | Leave a comment
19 Apr 2011

It’s always good to have options

In life, it’s always good to have options. And the same can be said for Cleveland’s sports teams.

With the NFL Draft a little more than a week away, the Browns have plenty of holes to fill and options as they currently hold the No. 6 selection in the first round.

If they want to fill a hole at wide receiver, A.J. Green or Julio Jones should be there.

If they want to continue working on the defense, a defensive lineman – Robert Quinn, Marcell Dareus, Da’Quan Bowers or Nick Fairley – should be available.

You want a linebacker? Maybe Von Miller falls if the teams ahead of the Browns go quarterback heavy.

If the Browns want another cornerback, Patrick Peterson or Prince Amukamara will be available.

Options.

Or if general manager Tom Heckert believes he can move down in the draft and still get someone the team wants, they may find trading partners with Houston (No. 11) as the Texans reportedly want a cornerback or Miami (No. 15) as the Dolphins may be looking at a quarterback – if one falls to No. 6.

As long as the Browns don’t take a quarterback with their first pick, we’re confident they will make the right call. Based on last year’s draft, we have faith in the front office until they give us reason to doubt them.

***

The Cavs also have options as they prepare for this summer’s NBA Draft.

Holding two lottery picks (their own and the Clippers) means that, best-case scenario, the Cavs come home with the top two picks in the draft. Worse case, they take the 5th pick and the 11th.

No matter what happens at the draft lottery on May 17, general manager Chris Grant is ready.

“From our standpoint, we’re in a really good position: high picks, trade exception, flexible contracts,” Grant said in published reports. “Every year we know one thing: We know there’s 10-15, 12-15 good players. Our job is to figure out who those guys are. Those are the marching orders we give our scouts: Go figure out who those guys are.”

So while, according to draft “experts” this may be a bad year to be in the draft lottery – having Harrison Barnes, Jared Sullinger and Perry Jones available certainly would have helped – if the Cavs do their homework they should come out of this alright. And having two lottery picks certainly increases the chances of finding solid – if not necessarily spectacular – players.

And we like what we hear from Grant. He seems thoughtful and we get the feeling that the Cavs are in good hands with him calling the shots. The fact he turned Mo Williams and Jamario Moon into a lottery pick can’t be understated.

Coach Byron Scott did his part in getting the team through a tough season. Now it’s Grant’s turn to step up and give the team some much-needed reinforcements.

***

Thankfully the Indians have options when it comes to their starting pitching, as Mitch Talbot is going to be out – possibly for a long time.

The Tribe called up Jeanmar Gomez to take Talbot’s spot in the rotation and Gomez is scheduled to start tonight’s game in Kansas City against the Royals.

Gomez made his major-league debut last year in July and returned to the Tribe on Aug. 1. He spent the rest of the season with the Tribe, compiling a 4-5 record and 4.68 earned-run average. In two starts this year at Triple A Columbus, Gomez posted a 2-0 record and 1.42 ERA.

Hopefully someone clued Gomez in to the fact that the starting pitching has been lights out so far.

***

We get why ESPN hypes Jon Gruden. He works for the network and they have a brand to sell, and Gruden is nothing if not a brand at this point.

His Quarterback Camp segment on ESPN is completely unwatchable and the five minutes we caught this morning where he was gushing about Blaine Gabbert’s shoe size and ability to wear a baseball cap backwards makes us so, so glad the Browns didn’t hire him as coach. (We think it was Gabbert, it was difficult to tell because our ears were bleeding from Gruden’s rambling).

What’s harder to figure out is why any media outlet not affiliated with ESPN continues to sell the myth that Gruden is some kind of quarterback guru, hanging on every word he utters.

Seriously, what quarterback did Gruden ever develop?

Former Tampa quarterback Shaun King, who played two years under Gruden, agrees, telling JoeBucFan.com that he won’t watch the program:

“I won’t watch it,” King said. “I disagree with the premise of the show. The premise is that Gruden is some kind of quarterbacks guru and that having him as a destination for a rookie QB is the ideal situation for a rookie and that just hasn’t proven to the case.”

Thank you, Mike Holmgren, for being smart enough to not let Gruden get his hands on Colt McCoy.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Jon Gruden, NFL draft | Leave a comment
17 Apr 2011
1 Comment

Manny being Manny

We really didn’t think much when Manny Ramirez announced he was retiring rather than face a 100-game suspension for testing positive for a banned substance.

But then we read Sheldon Ocker’s column in The Beacon Journal remembering the playful Manny that was in Cleveland from 1993 to 2000. That’s the Manny that we will always remember.

We’ve always been pretty ambivalent about baseball’s steroid era. The commissioner didn’t care, the owners didn’t care and the players association didn’t care, so why should we?

And, over the years, it has become obvious that, since no one was being tested, it’s impossible to know who was – and more importantly was not – using something.

While it’s easy enough to see the physical changes and improved performance from players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte taught us players used banned substances to recover from injuries and Jason Grimsley showed us not everyone turned into the Incredible Hulk when they used PEDs.

So unless someone has a time machine and can go back to test everyone who played in the 1990s, there’s really no way to be certain – its all speculation. So you either assume everyone was clean or you assume everyone was on something.

It may not be fair to paint everyone with the steroid brush, but it is also probably naive to think that just because someone’s head didn’t grow to the size of an overripe melon that they were clean.

It’s also unrealistic to think that baseball players weren’t using steroids before the 1990s. The San Diego Chargers were using steroids in 1963 and the Steelers probably owe much of their Super Bowl success in the 1970s to steroid use.

Does anyone really believe word of that didn’t spread to major league baseball teams?

It’s unfortunate that Ramirez had to leave the game this way. But he willingly broke the rules and there are consequences for that.

But we’ll always remember him for what he did on the field, rather than for the choices he made off the field.

***

Fausto Carmona picked up his first win of the season, Grady Sizemore homered in his first game action since last May and your first-place Indians swept Baltimore on Sunday for their 11th win in the past 13 games.

Carmona extended a streak of unbelievable starting pitching for the Tribe, going seven innings and giving up just one earned run.

Indians starters have thrown 87 innings over the past 13 games, giving up just 18 runs, good for a 1.86 ERA, and posting a 9-1 record. They have not allowed a run in the first inning of the past 13 games, and opponents are hitting just .095 (4 for 42) in their first at-bat.

It almost goes without saying that Tony Sipp and Chris Perez each notched another scoreless inning of work.

We hate to say the Tribe’s pitching is unprecedented, but really how else to describe it?

And then there was Sizemore, who homered in his second at bat and added a double in his third.

“I just wanted to go up there, have good at-bats, help the team and get a win,” Sizemore said in published reports. “I was definitely nervous.”

There’s no way of knowing yet how much of the old Sizemore the Indians will see this summer. But anything he can bring to the plate and the field will only be a bonus.

The Indians now head to Kansas City for a four-game showdown for first place.

We could really get used to this.

***

Hats off to the Kent State gymnastics team, as the Golden Flashes finished the season ranked No. 12 nationally, the highest ranking in the program’s history.

Posted in Cleveland Indians, Grady Sizemore, great pitching, Kent State, Manny Ramirez
16 Apr 2011

Masterson the Man for the Indians

Justin Masterson started what will hopefully be another winning streak as the Tribe beat Baltimore on Friday night.

Masterson gave up one run on four hits in seven innings as the Indians beat the Orioles 8-2 for their fifth consecutive win at Progressive Field. Masterson is now 3-0 with a 1.33 ERA on the season.

”He was tremendous,” manager Manny Acta told The Beacon Journal. ”He threw 20 first-pitch strikes to the 26 guys he faced. He had good velocity and good sink on his fastball. All they could do was beat the ball into the ground.”

”A lot of it is throwing strikes, pitching ahead in the count rather than behind,” Masterson said. ”It’s very simple, subtle stuff [altering his mechanics], but I’ve done it enough that I don’t have to think about it.”

The Indians are now 9-2 in their last 11 games, fueled by starting pitching that has been off the charts.

During that stretch, the starters have thrown 74 innings and given up just 15 earned runs – a 1.82 ERA. They’ve also gone an average of 6.2 innings in their starts.

Compare that, for example, to the much-hyped Phillies rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton.

In their last 11 starts, the Phillies starters have a 4.19 ERA, giving up 31 earned runs in 66.1 innings of work.

Oh, and the Tribe is paying its starting rotation just a shade over $8 million this year. The Phillies? They have $67 million invested this year in their starting five.

Impressed yet?

And as good as the starters have been, the main guys in the bullpen have been even better. Tony Sipp, Chris Perez, Rafael Perez and Vinnie Pestano have yet to give up a run in 22 combined innings of work.

Josh Tomlin gets his turn today (weather permitting) to build on the streak of solid outings from the starters.

Posted in Cleveland Indians, dominant pitching | Leave a comment
15 Apr 2011

The week that was in our sports world

Even with the end of their eight-game winning streak, the Indians West Coast trip was a major success for the team.

Sweeping the Mariners helped the Tribe go 4-2 on the trip, even with two losses to the Angels.

Even in the losses the starting pitching was superb.

Fausto Carmona had another solid outing, going seven-and-two-thirds innings, giving up four hits and two runs in the streak-breaking loss. After the Opening Day abomination against the White Sox, Carmona has given up two runs and only six hits in his last two starts, covering 14 and two-thirds innings. That’s a 1.23 ERA.

Of course Carmona has received zero run support (literally) in his past two starts; if that trend continues he could turn into this year’s Kevin Millwood.

Carlos Carrasco was almost as good the next night, giving up just three earned runs in seven innings of work. Just like Carmona, Carrasco has rebounded from a poor first start to post a 2.77 ERA over his last two starts, covering 13 innings.

The Tribe will need that kind of starting pitching, especially with so much of the offense currently struggling. The team has scored just three runs in its last 28 innings, and Carlos Santana (0-for-20), Matt LaPorta (0-for-10), Jack Hannahan (0-for-8), Travis Hafner (0-for-9), Orlando Cabrera (0-for-11), Asdrubal Cabrera (1-for-10) and Travis Buck (0-for-7) are all currently lost at the plate.

While it’s unlikely the Indians will put together another long winning streak, their pitching and defense should keep them in most games. The important thing is that they don’t now go on a five- or six-game losing streak, negating all the good they have done so far.

If they can take two-out-of-three from Baltimore this weekend (weather permitting), they will head to Kansas City for an early-season showdown for first place.

Wait, did we really just write that?

***

The Cavs ended the season this week by winning four of their final six games.

Shockingly, the team didn’t finish with the worst record in the NBA, the Timberwolves somehow managed to beat them out for that “honor.”

So the Cavs probably weren’t as bad as their 19-63 record would indicate, even with a 26-game losing streak and a stretch where they lost 36 of 37 games. If injuries hadn’t taken Anderson Varajeo and Antawn Jamison away from them, those two combined with Baron Davis and J.J. Hickson would have certainly resulted in more wins.

But that’s OK. This team needed to bottom out before it could get better, and another 10 wins or so this season wouldn’t have meant anything in the grand plan.

Now the Cavs enter a summer that should bring many changes to the team.

With two lottery picks and two second-round choices, the team should have a new look next season.

“I haven’t really thought about that,” coach Byron Scott told The Plain Dealer. “I’m just trying to relax a little bit now. (General manager Chris Grant) and I will talk. Obviously, we’re going to sit down and start talking about the future of this basketball team from a player standpoint. But we haven’t talked as of yet. We’ll probably start talking some time early next week.”

Just as important, the team is now a year removed from the departure of LeBron James, which means they should be able to focus solely on rebuilding the team and not worry about parking spaces, which players are being too friendly, or any of the other subplots that dominated this season.

Just like last summer, it will be an interesting and important off-season for the team – but this time it will be for the betterment of the team.

***

The end of the Cavs season also meant the end of Joe Tait’s 39 years as team broadcaster.

There’s no possible way to do justice to how good Tait was at his job and how much he meant to Cavs fans everywhere. We’ll just add our one Tait story to the growing list of tributes:

While in college we worked in the Sports Department at The Beacon Journal as a part-time agate clerk. One night, while waiting for the West Coast scores to come in, the phone rang. We answered and the voice on the other end asked for the score of that day’s Mount Union football game.

He didn’t identify himself, but there was no mistaking that voice, it was Joe Tait calling in – the Cavs were on the road, if we remember correctly – looking for the score. (In the pre-Internet days, people called the local paper looking for information).

We gave him the score and he said thank you.

And that was our one brush with greatness.

***

With less than two weeks to go until the NFL Draft, the Browns reportedly have their draft board set.

“[Our draft board] is pretty much set,” General manager Tom Heckert said on a conference call with season-ticket holders. “There are obviously some tweaks. We’re not exactly sure exactly who we’re going to take with the first pick. It all depends on what happens in front of us. Right now, we’re just going through different scenarios. If we trade up, who do we trade up for? If we trade back, who can we still get? Those are the things we’re pretty much thinking of.”

We have some thoughts on who we would like the Browns to pick which we’ll save for later. For now, as long as they don’t draft a quarterback with their first pick – whenever that may be – we’re fine. Based on last year’s draft, we trust the front office to make the right selections on draft day and will continue to do so until they prove otherwise.

***

The Champions League semifinals are now set: Manchester United will face Schalke and Barcelona will take on Real Madrid.

Man U should go throw to the final comfortably, although Schalke did take out last year’s winner, Inter Milan.

Apparently Barcelona-Real Madrid is some kind of big rivalry? We kid!

Anyway, should be a fun round of games.

***

Finally, today is the anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster, when 96 innocent football fans tragically died when many of them were crushed to death at a FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough ground in Sheffield, England.

We don’t really feel comfortable talking about the tragedy as we have only been Liverpool fans for a few years, so if anyone is interested, EPL Talk is the place to go.

Posted in Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Joe Tait, Liverpool | Leave a comment
11 Apr 2011

How are they doing it?

How did the Indians go from 0-2 horror show to the hottest team in the majors with an eight-game winning streak?

The old-fashioned way: pitching and defense.

It was Mitch Talbot’s turn Monday night and he came through, going eight scoreless innings while allowing only five hits.

“My biggest thing was locating my fastball down in the zone,” Talbot said in published reports. “It had a little bit of sink, a little bit of run, and I was getting ground balls. Most hitters are going to try to run your pitch count up, and maybe take a pitch here or there, so it always helps to get ahead. It’s a pretty big accomplishment to stick around that long in the game.”

“The pitching,” Indians manager Manny Acta told The Plain Dealer. “Other than Opening Day, our starters have all been able to go deep into the game. It gives us a chance to keep the guys rested in the bullpen so we can match up with them.

During the winning streak, the starters are 6-0 with a 1.55 ERA.

The starters have also concentrated on throwing first-pitch strikes.

”They’ve been successful, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to stop telling them,” Acta told The Beacon Journal. ”It’s easier said than done, but they understand. And having success, they see that it does work. The success Masterson has had so far is due to that. Not that this is rocket science. The numbers are there to show it. You can’t pitch from behind.”

As good as the starters have been, the key members of the bullpen have been even better:

  • Tony Sipp has thrown five scoreless innings, giving up just one hit and striking out four
  • Chris Perez has thrown five scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out three
  • Rafael Perez has thrown four scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out four
  • Vinnie Pestano has worked three scoreless innings, giving up one hit and striking out four.

With that kind of pitching, it’s no wonder the Tribe is on a roll.

As for the defense, the Indians have made only four errors – second-fewest in the AL – and have allowed only one unearned run. Two of those errors have been made by the infield, which made 72 errors last season.

The fast start by the Tribe is important on a lot of levels. With the NFL Draft still a few weeks away and the Cavs out of the playoffs for the first time since 2005, the Indians have NE Ohio’s undivided attention. If they were 2-8 instead of 8-2, many fans would have already checked out on the season.

Plus every game they win now makes it less damaging when they inevitably go on a three- or four-game losing streak. Think about it: if the Indians play .500 ball the rest of the way they will finish with 84 wins – a 15-game improvement over last season.

And hey, there ain’t no shame in that.

Posted in Cleveland Indians, good pitching | Leave a comment
08 Apr 2011

A big day in Indians history

Today is the anniversary of Frank Robinson first game as the first black manager in major-league history. On this day in 1975, in the Indians home opener, Robinson debuted as the Tribe’s player-manager.

As Indians fans everywhere know, Robinson, the designated hitter, hit a home run in his first at-bat and helped beat the New York Yankees, 5-3.

We still remember listening to the game on the radio while playing baseball with our friends (not to sound all fake nostalgic or anything) and that day still stands out as one of our top Opening Day memories of the Indians.

You can read The Plain Dealer‘s game story here, the front page of the Sports section from that day is here.

And look at that lineup! Charlie Spikes batting cleanup? How did that team end up winning 79 games?

Here’s an article from Sports Illustrated from October 1974, after Robinson had been named manager, where he talks about the historic decision.

It seems strange today to think that this was ever an issue, but the fact that the Indians took a chance on Robinson, the same way they did with Larry Doby in 1947, gives us another reason to believe Cleveland is an OK place.

***

Of course, that feeling is tempered a bit when we read stories about the city actually working to drive businesses out of town, as the owner of the popular food truck Dim and Den Sum says he will soon be out of business if the city doesn’t change a law that bans food trucks from operating downtown.

“We probably have about four weeks of operating left if we can’t service highly populated lunch places,” owner Chris Hodgson told The Plain Dealer.

Hodgson has a second truck on order for a new business that will serve gourmet tacos. He said he hopes to employ as many as 20 people once both trucks are operating.

Apparently creating jobs is no longer a priority in Cleveland. Good to know.

Maybe Hodgson should have said he was going to open a casino. Because that apparently is the type of business city officials have no problem with.

Posted in Cleveland Indians, Frank Robinson | Leave a comment
07 Apr 2011

Your first place Cleveland Indians!

After Thursday’s 1-0 win completed the Tribe’s sweep of Boston, the Indians are not only the second-hottest team in baseball (only Texas’ 6-game win streak tops the Tribe) but are in first place in the Central Division.

It’s the first time the Indians have been in first place at the end of the day since May 17, 2008.

And they did it in front of the largest crowd since Opening Day (according to Rick Manning).

Fausto Carmona bounced back from a horrific Opening Day start, where he gave up 10 runs and 11 hits in three innings of work, to shut down the Red Sox. Carmona held Boston to just two hits in seven innings of work.

The Tribe’s pitching the past few days has been absolutely phenomenal. Since the third inning of Saturday’s game, Cleveland pitchers have worked 43 innings and only given up nine runs – a 1.88 ERA.

The Indians needed that pitching today, especially with a lineup that included Austin Kearns (.000 batting average), Travis Buck (.143) and the struggling Shin-Soo Choo (.083). In fact, the Indians only had three hits on the day.

But one night after playing longball – with home runs from Asdrubal Cabrera, Matt LaPorta and Choo – manager Manny Acta showed the Tribe can also play little ball.

Adam Everett led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk and then stole second. Orlando Cabrerea sacrificed Everett to third and then Asdrubal Cabrera’s suicide-squeeze bunt put the Indians ahead in their fourth straight win.

“We did beat a very good ballclub – regardless if they’re struggling or not,” Acta said in published reports. “We won and it was a very well-played series. It wasn’t like they were sloppy and we got lucky. We played good baseball.”

Can’t argue with that. And we wouldn’t expect anything less from the longest-tenured coach in town.

We know it’s only been six games, and anything can happen when the Tribe goes out west for series with Seattle and Anaheim, but it’s sure been a fun first week of the season.

Most importantly, we’re ready to see more from this team.

***

Kent State made it official Thursday, promoting Rob Senderoff to the head coach position for the men’s basketball team.

Senderoff’s hiring is in line of KSU’s practice of promoting from within to the school’s flagship program.

The move should be popular with the players, more than half of which were recruited by Senderoff. That’s important as the team is only losing one player off this year’s 25-win team.

“It was good news to my ears,” guard Randal Holt told The Plain Dealer.

Leading scorer Justin Greene said the news was a relief, but also signaled some changes.

“Now it seems normal again,” the 6-8 junior said. “All the players feel comfortable, because we were all brought in by him. With the team we have coming back, we expect there will be some high expectations. But (Senderoff’s) best attribute is he will be tougher on us, held more accountable, than we have been in the past.”

The part about being more accountable is interesting. Plus the fact that the players don’t seem that upset that Geno Ford left.

Hopefully Senderoff is the right man to continue the team’s tradition of solid play. We’d hate to see the basketball team take a step back just because the school wants to emphasize football.

Some good reads on this from The Beacon Journal here and here.

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