Box Score: Indians 3, Royals 6
September 22, 2012OSU Week 4: Are the Buckeyes Really the Best Team in the Big Ten?
September 22, 2012While 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.
Last night’s loss again pushed the Tribe to the cellar of the AL Central: “After a brief rise out of the cellar the Indians are right back at the bottom of the in the American League. Due to the Twins/Tigers rainout the Tribe is now a half game behind the Twins and appears to be in serious danger of finishing in last place for the first time since going 57-105 in 1991.
Justin Masterson continued with his abysmal road performances this season, allowing four runs in just six innings of work. Masterson also picked up his 15th loss of the season, keeping right on the tail of Ubaldo Jimenez for the team lead. It’s the first time since 1991 that the Indians have two 15-game losers in the same season (Greg Swindell and Charles Nagy). In fact, the Indians two 15-game losers this year matches their total from 1993 through 2011 (Jake Westbrook in 2005 and Roberto Hernandez in 2011).” [Ryan McCrystal/It’s Pronounced “Lajaway”]
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Early thoughts on the Indians’ 2013 schedule, since looking at the 2012 schedule is too darn depressing: “To that end, the Tribe faithful can be thankful Major League Baseball gave them something else to look forward to. Late last week, the league announced the schedule for the 2013 season. Next year’s slate of games provides a good deal of interesting quirks. The oddities begin as soon as the Indians hit Progressive Field for the first time. After a road trip to start the year, Cleveland will open its home slate April 8 against the hated New York Yankees.” [Craig Gifford/Did The Tribe Win Last Night?]
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Oh yeah Jim Brown? Really? Just keep trolling along: “Remember all those comments from Jim Brown about how Cleveland rookie running back Trent Richardson is ‘ordinary’? Yeah, Brown says he was just kidding. Brown, who has been mending fences with the franchise in recent weeks, said today that he made those comments because he wanted to motivate Richardson. Brown also indicated that he thought what he said about Richardson became overblown, comparing his ‘ordinary’ comment to a ‘firestorm coming out of the mountains.'” [Michael David Smith/Pro Football Talk]
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The first key to victory for the Browns on Sunday: “#1 – Tough to Contain C.J. Spiller: Speed. Elusiveness. Breaking tackles. Those are three assets that Buffalo Bills running back C.J. Spiller has, as Jon did a great job detailing in this post that called him an X-Factor for this week’s game. Up until Fred Jackson’s injury near the start of the game in Week 1, it looked like the 9th overall pick in the 2010 draft would take a backseat to Jackson for the third consecutive season. Now, Spiller has a golden chance to seize the opportunity and be an elite-level back in the NFL.” [Chris Pokorny/Dawgs By Nature]
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My favorite stats/sports blog tackles the details of the NFL referee debacle: “Like professional athletes, sports officials have collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) with their respective sports leagues. The CBA between the NFL and its referees expired in June, and when the two sides couldn’t agree on a new agreement, the NFL locked out its referees, just like the NHL has locked out its players. The referees are looking for increased salaries, improved retirement benefits, and want to make some changes to various operational issues. The NFL, not surprisingly, doesn’t want to spend more money on officials. The financial difference between the two sides amounts to around $4 million per year.” [Devin Dignam/Wages of Wins]
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Some quick hits on Ohio State’s opponent this week: “The boys from Birmingham make their first ever trip to Columbus, Ohio, fresh off of a one-sided loss in Columbia, South Carolina. A season removed from going 3-9, this Blazer team might struggle to achieve as many victories this year. A new head coach might eventually be the answer for a program that has never really been good, but it won’t be a quick transformation. Truth is, on paper this team is no better than Miami (OH), and might not even be as good.” [The Silver Bullet]