While We’re Waiting… Dunctana, Mo No Go and Irving’s Team

While 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.

Prepare yourself for the stark reality that the Tribe may not find that first base bat fans want- “One of the internal possibilities for first base is Shelley Duncan. Or, more specifically, Duncan splitting time at first with catcher Carlos Santana. No, I’m not going to use the dreaded “P” word. This is not a platoon (whoops!) situation at all, so don’t please don’t confuse this with that.

The reality is Cleveland wants Santana to play some first base on occasion to keep his bat in the lineup as often as possible. Mixing and matching him with the right-handed Duncan is one way to go, if the Indians are unable to add a Major League first baseman this offseason. Keep in mind, Duncan is out of options, so it seems highly likely he’s on the Opening Day roster one way or another.So, seeing as it’s the offseason and I get bored easily, I got out my handy dandy notebook and began jotting away (the above photo is from today’s exercise). I was “drawing numbers” as my 2-year-old has taken to calling it. Basically, looking back at last season’s production, I tried to project what a Duncan-Santana scenario — “Dunctana” is what I’m going with — might look like in 2012.

It’s really not as bad as Indians fans might think.” [Bastian/MLB]

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“The NFL suspended Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison one game for his helmet-to-helmet hit of Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy. It’s a tough, but not unexpected punishment. While it should close the book on Harrison’s role here, it shouldn’t be the end of the issue; the league needs to follow up with another substantial move. The NFL needs to use this situation to rewrite its rules to either start sanctioning teams that send concussed players back on the field, as McCoy’s father claims the Browns did, or take the decision out of the teams’ hands and place it into that of an independent doctor.” [Wetzel/Yahoo]

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All about winter league baseball- “There are a few American players sprinkled about in each league. For the few American players that go out and play winter ball every year it can be an eye opening experience. For a lot of the players it is the first time they have ever left the United States or Canada. Not only is it an education of playing baseball in a foreign country, but it is an education in itself to live in the culture. “I’m from a small town in Kansas, so travelling to different parts of the United States has been an eye opening experience for me,” Jared Goedert said, an infielder with the Cleveland Indians that played winter ball in Venezuela last year. “It is hard to describe. By our standards it is not up to what we are used to, so I appreciate where I live even more so having gone there. I also have a greater appreciation of Latin players and see why they work so hard and are so grateful since unfortunately a lot of people don’t have much down there.” [Tony/Indians Prospect Insider]

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As Chris Paul arrives in Clipperland, what will become of former Cavalier Mo Williams- “Mo watched and waited along with the rest of us through the lockout, and I’m sure he was eager to get back to work. As the lockout came to a close, trade rumors for Chris Paul started floating around. First to the Knicks. Then to the Lakers. Then to the Clippers. No trade became yes trade, and Chris Paul officially landed (or will land, rather) in LA. While most people would assume that playing on the same team as a once-in-a-lifetime-talent like Paul would be great, I think we can all agree that this philosophy may not apply when you have just come from a franchise devastated by a similarly-described player (who happens to be one of CP3′s BFFs and shares his PR firm), you play the same position as said prodigy, and you are older than he is. To top it all off, the Clippers also signed veteran PG and NBA Champion/Finals MVP Chauncey Billups to play PG as well. Perhaps personnel will slide Mo over to SG on the depth chart. Eric Gordon was a 6’3″ SG, and Mo is 6’2″, so that’s not so different, right? Maybe, but even so, I don’t think Blake and fellow dunker DeAndre were as excited to play with Mo as they will be with CP3.” [Vafa/Hardwood Paryoxsm]

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As I mentioned in the Baron Davis amnesty piece- “The Cavaliers now belong to Kyrie Irving. Well, almost.

“I think he’s ready,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said of his rookie point guard and the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft. “He can definitely play.” Scott was speaking one day after the team announced it had waived veteran Baron Davis via the league’s new amnesty clause. Since Davis is a point guard, too, it’s only natural to think Irving will immediately be given the ball and be told to go, go, go. Of course, that’s rarely how it works in the world of professional sports. Rookies typically need some time to grow — especially when playing a position that has them directing an entire offense.” [Amico/FSO]