WaitingForNextYear

I saw this over at Yahoo sports and was disappointed…

It seems that Michael Silver of Yahoo Sports doesn’t have a high opinion of Browns owner Randy Lerner, or Cleveland for that matter. This isn’t about power rankings or preseason predictions, but rather a ranking of NFL owners. Lerner was ranked #20 in Silver’s article, but it was the comments rather than the actual ranking that got me going.

Randy Lerner: Some people in Cleveland, noting the promise displayed by the organization last season, might argue that Lerner should be higher on this list. I would argue that Lerner probably isn’t one of those people. Chances are, he’ll read this and shrug. He seems far more concerned with Aston Villa, the soccer team he owns in the English Premier League, and the frequent trips to London that gig necessitates. Perhaps because his late father, Al, was such a prominent figure in Cleveland – or perhaps because it’s, you know, Cleveland Read the rest of this entry →

A quick cut to the chase.  Per the Associated Press:

James made his guarantee in a Time magazine story that hits newsstands Friday. The Cavaliers superstar is featured on one of the covers of the Olympic preview issue.

After comparing the feeling of receiving a gold medal on the podium to opening a prized gift on Christmas morning, James was asked if that meant he would lead the Americans to the title. Read the rest of this entry →

…or not so much confidential as a look around the net to see what others are saying about day 1 of camp.

The OBR’s Lane Adkins files his first report from camp, including crowd reaction, injury updates, and quotes from players and coaches. It looks like Phil Savage is in mid-season form-

On released WR Eric Parker- Savage noted the Browns were not interested in recently released San Diego Chargers wide receiver Eric Parker at the present time. Coming off a toe injury last season, Parker is not healthy yet and most likely would not be ready to go for a few more weeks.

On the Browns back-up RB situation- The Browns GM also said he liked the quality and depth of the running backs behind starter Jamal Lewis and would like to see more of Jerome Harrison on the field in the 2008 season. Harrison spent considerable time working on his receiving skills during the off-season.

The PD’s Tony Grossi is the latest to write the ‘there is no QB controversy’ story. Seriously, we get it. Read the rest of this entry →

As the trade deadline looms, baseball writers everywhere have been consuming themselves with the seemingly endless list of players that could be on the move before it is all said and done.  Since dealing CC Sabathia, the Indians have fallen out of the trade spotlight a bit, since names like Matt Holliday and Mark Teixeira have vaulted to the top.

But while we do not have any power sources like the two aformentioned, we do have a few names that have apparently continued to stir interest among the MLB ranks.  From Tim Brown’s recent article at Yahoo!:

After moving Sabathia, the Cleveland Indians remain in sell mode and are listening to offers for Blake, Paul Byrd and Jamey Carroll, and they could be convinced to discuss shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Read the rest of this entry →

Angels 14, Indians 11 (box)

These high scoring games are excellent if you’re a fantasy baseball player.  This is, of course, assuming that Aaron Laffey wasn’t in your starting lineup.  After a stellar start to his 2008 campaign, Laffey has been laughable at best, going 1-3 with an ERA north of eight in his last five starts.

Last night was no different, where the young gun allowed 12 hits and eight earned in only four innings of work.  Ouch.  Even worse was that he pitched to three batters in the fifth, with all reaching base.  Tom Mastny wasted no time in clearing said bases, as catcher Jeff Mathis did his damage once again - this time, hitting ninth.  In the series against the Tribe, Mathis went 6-for-10 with two home runs, four runs scored, and nine RBI. 

Read the rest of this entry →

Hat tip to Dawgs By Nature who brought to our attention that Cleveland WR Donte Stallworth is not practicing today because of a hamstring injury. The injury apparently was not suffered at mini-camp, nor is it known at this time the severity of the injury, or the length of time that Stallworth will be out.

What we do know, according to the Orange and Brown report is that the Browns have been in contact with released Charger WR Eric Parker’s agent-

The OBR’s Lane Adkins reports that the Browns have been in contact with Parker’s agent over the last 24 hours, although there are several other teams (Bengals, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, Raiders) who might also have an interest in the receiver.

So, perhaps instead of taking a risk on Chris Henry, the Browns would play it a bit safer and grab Eric Parker to provide depth to the receiving corps.

A great story that I just couldn’t pass up.  Of course, we all remember the 34-32 upset of Appalachian State over the Michigan Wolverines (in Michigan, mind you) just last season.  And if you somehow forgot, just check out the picture above, as it’s all you need to know.

But while that occured almost 12 months ago, it appears that some Michigan alums are still taking things to heart.

From Appfan.com: Read the rest of this entry →

After completion of the recent C.C. Sabathia deal, Indians GM Mark Shapiro implied that the team still isn’t far off from contention in 2009. In order to make that a reality, one can reason the Tribe would need to add a right handed middle of the line-up bat (LaPorta anyone?), find at least one starting pitcher who can pitch towards the front of the rotation, and figure out how to acquire a closer to settle the bullpen. Are we asking for much?

Of the above mentioned needs, typically the most difficult area to address is to find a good and reliable closer. Nothing would delight me more if Mark Shapiro found a way to fung shway the Indians’ bullpen with a closer. One potential fit on the trade market is Oakland A’s closer Huston Street. Read the rest of this entry →

Angels 3, Indians 2 (box)

A quality start by 31-year old Matt Ginter, where the righty allowed seven hits in six innings was all for naught.  Granted, one of the hits was a home run by catcher (and .211-hitting) Jeff Mathis.  However, the Indians provided two runs of support on seven hits.  And that, folks, rarely gets the job done.

The K’s continued to roll in for the Angels, as 10 Indians went down on strikes.  We struck out 11 times in the previous game, bringing our total to 21 with only four bases on balls.  Not a great ratio by any means.  Especially when you leave nine guys on base.

Read the rest of this entry →

Yesterday the Browns came to terms with all of their draft picks. According to the Plain Dealer, all of them received 4 year deals. All we be in camp as it starts today. Two players not participating are Joe Jurevicius and Ryan Tucker who were added to the PuP list. Tucker is recovering from the surgery he had in June. He is expected to begin practicing in August and will be dropped from the PuP list before the roster cut-down date, ensuring he can play week one. Jurevicius, as detailed earlier, is in for a longer rehab.

There are plenty of good articles around the net about the start of the Browns season. I for one am glad that we aren’t reading about trying to fill 5 or 6 positions on each side of the ball this year. There are in fact few ‘position battles’. There are a few spots where the talent may be equal in the second string player however. Take Willie McGinnest and Antwan Peek for example. WIllie has already made it clear this is his last year, and the Browns will miss his leadership, but Peek has shown flashes of being something special, and hopefully with another year to learn from one of the best, he will blossom. Read the rest of this entry →

The reports say it is a mild ankle sprain. LeBron has had a few of those, and with rest he is able to shake them off. So this shouldn’t worry Cavs fans too much, as long as we’re hearing the truth, and it is a mild sprain. With little time before the Olympic team plays their first exhibition game, here’s hoping LeBron doesn’t try to play before the ankle is ready.

Injury is always a danger when a team allows a player to represent his country in the games. The Cavaliers were thought of as hypocrites for allowing James to play but not Zydrunas Ilgauskas. The Cavaliers were afraid with Z’s injury history that it was too much of a risk to let their best big man play in China. Perhaps allowing James to play for the USA is a bigger risk considering the role he plays for the Cavs? Maybe there is less outrage about denying Zydrunas the opportunity because he wouldn’t be playing for America?

Despite comments from GM Mark Shapiro that the Indians are ‘not the kind of team that can sign free agents’, Les Levine has his eye on a slugger that just might be available…

Forget whether or not Shapiro would actually do this. We understand that he probably wouldn’t. The question is would you want Manny back? He certainly found a way to get ubder the skin of Clevelanders, first by signing a big contract in Boston and then by beating the Indians in the playoffs. He gets booed everytime he comes to the plate or to right field, yet only Jim Thome has hit more home runs in team history. How about it WFNY fans? Would you want Ramirez patrolling left or right field and hitting 4th for the Indians in ‘09?

Is there a more exciting player on this current Browns team than Joshua Cribbs?  Sure, Braylon Edwards can haul in long passes and make incredible catches.  Kamerion Wimbley is in on nearly every play from a defensive standpoint, often chasing down running backs from behind.  But each time the ball is in Cribbs’ hands, all 11 men are gunning to bring him down - something that you can’t really say about the others. 

James Walker, formerly of the Columbus Dispatch and now of ESPN.com, had the chance to sit down with Cribbs to discuss last season as well as the upcoming.  Obviously, the fact that Cribbs was a local school quarterback and went undrafted to then play in the Pro Bowl is a captivating story in itself.  But when we drill down even deeper, it turns out that Cribbs places all of his “thanks” on his brother, Harold, for making him who he is today.

There is a secret to Cribbs’ success that traces deep into his childhood. The catalyst is Harold Cribbs, Joshua’s older brother.  Read the rest of this entry →

I have to admit that I am about as far from a sneaker aficionado as there is.  Back in the day, we had the Reebok Pumps.  Then the “Shaqs.”  Then the “Pennys” with that cool little $.01 logo stitched on to the back.  And although I love Entourage and Turtle’s $10,000 pair of Fukijamas (”art for your feet”), I have lost touch with the world of kicks. 

And to save the day, we have sites like SLAM.  Not only do they give plenty of info on the NBA in general, but they drop previews of upcoming releases of basketball shoes.  But the fun doesn’t stop there as they also provide open letters from lines of shoes to their owners - at least they do now.  The recent recipient of said memoir from the “sole?” (see what I did there?)  Our very own LeBron James.

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Indians 5, Angels 2 (box)

So, all it takes is a twelve-day rest? 

Paul Byrd notched his first win since June 6th, despite a less-than stellar outing (9H, 2BB, 5.1 IP).  In fact, Byrd’s outing against the Tigers during his last appearance (which was later blown by a seven-run inning against the bullpen) was waybetter than last night’s.  Couple that with the fact that Ervin Santana struck out eight and walked none (in fact, no walks were given during the entire game) in seven innings and this was a bit of a bizzaro game.

I guess it helps when 33 percent of your hits are home runs, eh?

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