MLB News: Asdrubal Cabrera day-to-day with wrist contusion
April 21, 2013NFL Draft: Jacob and Kirk Tackle Browns’ 1st-Round Strategy
April 21, 2013While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
Connecting the dots between a possible Kansas City-Miami trade that might affect the Browns’ plans with the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft: “The connections between the Chiefs and the Dolphins, with regard to [Branden] Albert, have been present for awhile. Now, they possibility could be coming closer to being a reality. On Thursday, Arrowhead Pride passed along the information that the Chiefs had given permission to the Dolphins to speak to, but not meet with, Albert.” [Chris Pokorny/Dawgs By Nature]
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Harsh words from a national writer on the Haslam situation: “If the allegations about new Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam III in a 120-page FBI affidavit are true, the NFL recently aligned itself with one questionable business partner. Haslam, CEO of Pilot Flying J, the nation’s largest chain of truck stops and travel centers, purchased the Browns for $1 billion and was unanimously approved by NFL owners in October. Unanimously. You know, after a typically thorough NFL vetting process. [Jarrett Bell/USA Today Sports]
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On the Cavs coaching news circuit, I deliver to you this poem to Byron Scott by Fear The Sword’s Angelo Benedetti. We also have reports that Phil Jackson would listen to the Cavs (per Fox Sports Ohio’s Sam Amico), that Mike Brown is “receptive to the idea” of returning to Cleveland (per AP’s Tom Withers) and that Mark Price would also be interested if the team contacts him (per Stepien Rules’ Brendan Bowers). Overall though, nothing that substantially new. Still, worthy reading material in these diverse links.
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Our friends at DTTWLN scored a neat interview with Saturday’s Indians starter Scott Kazmir: “With former major leaguer Gary Gaetti managing the team, Kazmir was assured he would be able to pitch without the pressure of results. He worked to find that feel that left him in 2010. In his 14 starts, Kazmir was 3-6, with a 5.34 ERA against professionals not good enough to be signed by an affiliated team. But while the statistics did not look good, Kazmir was beginning to find himself and the free and easy mechanics he once had. Eventually those small glimpses began to grow.” [Mike Brandyberry/Did The Tribe Win Last Night?]
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Revisiting the strained history of Ubaldo Jimenez with the Indians: “Nobody has ever questioned Ubaldo’s talent. When Ubaldo pitched in Colorado he possessed a blazing fastball, consistently sitting in the high 90s. He had no-hit stuff, only surrendering 7.6 hits per nine innings while in Colorado, striking out over eight batters per nine innings. Yes Jimenez walked his fair share of batters, but he also didn’t surrender home runs. When he showed up in Cleveland, everything fell apart. Completely, fell apart.” [James Keene/Indians Baseball Insider]
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I could read Joe Po all day long. Yesterday, he wrote about a topic that’s been on the minds of analysts and now sabermetricians of late: “Pitching to the score — the idea that a pitcher reaches for something more in high leverage situations and tends to cruise along carelessly when the score is 9-2 — usually comes up in the context of Jack Morris. There are many, many people who think Morris belongs in the Hall of Fame, despite his 3.90 ERA, which would be the highest ERA in the Hall of Fame.” [Joe Posnanski]
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Finally, we end on another non-Cleveland topic. USA Today’s newspaper model always fascinated me (with no irony intended to the USAT article linked above), and thus, of course, Deadspin does a great job of tearing that out with the passing of its founder: “Al Neuharth’s obituary in the New York Times was notable as much for what it did say as what it didn’t. What it did say: The founder of USA Today and driving force behind Gannett’s dubious rise to “a communications Leviathan” profoundly changed the newspaper industry. What it didn’t say: Anything much nice.” [Sam Eifling/Deadspin]
3 Comments
That Jarrett Bell (USA Today) piece is ridiculous. “You’d think the NFL might have gained a whiff that this was coming…”
Really Jarrett? The NFL should’ve known, because the FBI and IRS typically disclose the subjects of on-going investigations, right? Even the local police chief didn’t know where the raid was going to take place, and it was in his jurisdiction and he’s a fellow law enforcement officer.
But the NFL should’ve caught a whiff.
If this thing does indeed go south it’ll be a huge black eye for the NFL and another “Oh, that’s just Cleveland” fodder for the masses.
We got Lerner’d again!!!
agree. Imagine a NFL-vetting goes something like: written questionnaire/interview with owner re financial status, all criminal convictions, pending investigations, potential civil claims, etc.; court docket checks and as much independent financial info as can be independently verified; google searches for media stories about owner and primary businesses to shake out skeletons; re-interview as necessary.
As you imply, why would any government entity compromise an investigation for the NFL? And the owners are a private economic group primarily interested in the owner’s ability to buy the team and not be an Al Davis-like boat rocker.