While We’re Waiting is WFNY’s way of saying “Hey, we’re not really awake and ready for the day yet, but here are some quality Cleveland sports links anyway.” Enjoyed an article or post recently? Send it over via our staff e-mail: tips@waitingfornextyear.com.
I’ve heard from solid sources that Byron Scott is holding out for the Lakers job, but this seems interesting: “As Byron Scott establishes himself as the clear frontrunner for the Cleveland Cavaliers’ coaching vacancy, team executives have reached out to two of LeBron James’ friends – Chris Paul and Jason Kidd – to discuss their former coach.
Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant and assistant GM Lance Blanks made an initial round of calls to New Jersey Nets and New Orleans Hornets officials to research Scott shortly after the firing of Mike Brown, but are now digging deeper as they inch closer to making him a formal offer.” [Adrian Wojnarowski/Yahoo Sports]
John Krolik is back to his old awesome tricks with statistics, minds and the game of basketball: “So, that’s that. Lakers are your back-to-back NBA champions. Let’s get this out of the way first: LeBron, Game 6: 27 points, 8-21 shooting, 19 rebounds, 10 assists. Satan. Kobe, Game 7: 23 points, 6-24 shooting, 15 rebounds, 2 assists. Champion. LeBron did have five more turnovers than Kobe, but still.” [Cavs: The Blog]
Quick and fun article here about the LeBron James fever by the newest intern at the Cleveland Scene sports desk: “I have been in denial. I used to think that here in Cleveland, we shielded ourselves from the groveling and begging that cities like New York and Chicago are currently showcasing in their effort to woo LeBron…. But this morning, I had a revelation.” [Jordan Zirm/'64 And Counting]
Detailing the newest exciting June roster moves by the Browns organization: “The Cleveland Browns front office gave eight more players their walking papers on Thursday, trimming the roster to 80 guys. The Browns now have their preseason limit of 80 players, and are set to begin training camp, most likely on July 31.” [Brian DiTullio/Dawg Scooper]
Yet another solid profile article from OBR, this time on young WR Carlton Mitchell: “Browns rookie receiver Carlton Mitchell is raw, but he is learning quickly. Mitchell was a baseball player until his sophomore year at Gaither High School in Lutz, Fla., and then he decided to give football a whirl because his friends played football.” [The Orange and Brown Report]
Writing about the importance of the Browns running backs to being successful in 2010: “One certainly can’t say the Browns have been a perfect 10. In the last 10 years, they have won as many as 10 games just once, going 10-6 in 2007. In the 10 years before that, when they didn’t even have a team for three years, they reached 10 wins just once, going 11-5 in 1994. Is 10 wins in 2010 an impossible dream? The key might be finding the right combination at running backs.” [Steve Doerschuk/Canton Repository]
Talking about Carlos Santana after one week in the major leagues: “However, now that he’s arrived and since we can put away the Major League Equivalent calculator, we’re finally able to watch Santana face MLB pitching and fill the batter’s box from both sides. The obvious first impression is that he has looked the part of a stud hitter, posting some of the better AB against Cy Strasburg and more than holding his own since his arrival.” [Paul Cousineau/The DiaTribe]
Anthony Castrovince is very good at what he does for the Cleveland Indians. Take a look at some of his intriguing bullet points here before Cleveland’s series against the Pittsburgh Pirates: “The other part of the preparation, of course, is pitchers taking batting practice, which has been going on for the last few weeks. Acta said David Huff has stood out as the guy who handles the bat better than anyone else on the pitching staff. But I wouldn’t expect to see him pinch-hitting anytime soon.” [CastroTurf]
And finally, I invite you to check out the new Aerodynamics blog that I created with the Akron Aeros. Here is a glimpse of yesterday’s stat of the night before the team’s 10th inning loss: “Akron Aeros relievers allowed five walks and six runs in Thursday’s loss. The entire bullpen entered the game with a 3.70 ERA for the season along with a 2.69 ERA in the past 41 contests.” [Me/Aerodynamics]
(Photo above via Associated Press/Darren Abate)
