Orlando’s Rashard Lewis Tests Positive for PEDs
August 6, 2009Carmona and Crowe Help Top the Twins
August 7, 2009While 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 in the sidebar.
I’m sure Zydrunas Ilgauskas loved to hear this: “”Wow,” said James about center Shaquille O’Neal. “Anytime you can get a guy like that. . . . I was asked by [management], ‘Would you like him to be a part of this team?’ and I said, ‘Of course.’ I’ve never had a low-post presence since I’ve been in the league. I love it. Instead of dribbling the ball up where guys can pressure me, I can catch the ball out of a double-team from Shaq, become a shooter or drive.” [Branson Wright/Plain Dealer]
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Following up on yesterday’s Paul “Woe is me” Dolan post: “If that’s right, Dolan’s “$16 million loss” is really a loss in projected revenue based on projected ticket sales. For that to be a loss in the profit-loss sense of the term — which he’s clearly implying — original budget projections had to have been based on the Indians turning zero profit. Call me crazy, but I doubt that the Indians are a 501(c)(3). I don’t doubt that the Indians have lost some money this year — and certainly are short of their projected financial goals — but if I’ve learned anything over the past decade or so, it’s that you can’t take a word a baseball owner says about money at face value. This is post-Martinez and Lee trade P.R.” [Craig Calcaterra/Hardball Times]
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On the latest LeBron interview, mentioned above: “What I took away is that he’d like to stay in Cleveland with all things being equal, but will leave if he doesn’t think this is the place for him to win championships. Basically, what I hear him saying is that if there’s no championship next year, it’s time for a serious decision to happen. One thing we know about this offseason for LeBron: no matter how many viral video scandals he’s a part of, he will have a crazier summer next year. [John Krolik/Cavs the Blog]
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“I’m pretty sure I’ve commented in the past on [Shaun Rogers’] size and how I would not want him barreling towards me. But being close enough to him to reach out and touch him, I’m convinced that he is not entirely human. I think he is some strange man/bear hybrid. I mean one of his legs is the size of my entire body. And he LOST 40 lbs this off season. I have a new found love/respect of this man for his sheer size alone. When a player commits a penalty at training camp, they have to run a lap. When man/bear Rogers was sentenced to such a fate, my one friend made the comment “why does he get to walk his lap”. I replied with, “I’m pretty sure that is him running”.” [Girl out of Cleveland]
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And checking in on Cliff Lee: “Over two starts since the Phillies got him from the Indians for four minor-leaguers, Lee is 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA. He has allowed 10 hits in 16 innings — a .182 opponents’ average — with 15 strikeouts, three walks and no homers. Both runs he has allowed have scored on sacrifice flies.” [Ed Price/MLB FanHouse]
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(Image via ’64 and Counting – make sure to check out some of the pictures from last weekend’s National Sports Collectors show)
20 Comments
Wow, big cut on big Z. Im sure LBJ didnt mean it like that though since he seems to love Z.
I think what Lebron says is the truth. Z’s not really that much of a low post presence. He’ll spot up on the block, but then move out for the pick-and-roll, or the pick-and-pop. Z’s got the best mid-range game among the NBA’s centers (IMHO), but he’s really not that dominant under the basket, where Shaq has made a living down there. I agree with Lebron’s comments. Z’s the one who will benifit greatly from the O’Neal signing. The Cavs now have a starting center coming off the bench, and that’s a good thing.
Well, Z is not a post presence. Have you ever seen how pathetic his post up is?
I’m tired of people whining about the Dolans…its business, and theyre losing money due to underperformance from their club…who’s fault is it then? when you sign players thinking you have a good group, only for them to not perform, but they had previously…where do you look? did they underperform because of the coaching? the front office? we had a few injuries, and a few other guys didnt perform under pressure…plain and simple…I am not a wedge fan, nor do I hate him…hes a coach, so he is ultimately responsible for the team…
I do not have an answer for the Indians problems, but I do see them going in a positive direction…yesterday’s game was a refreshing twist to this interesting year…they actually WON a close game…good D, timely hitting, great bullpen work…
I believe, still, that the trades were needed, not only to restock and try again next year, but to change up the atmosphere surrounding this team…I will miss Vic and Cliff, but I like that this team is hungry again…
DK,
Hungry? That’s the benchmark now, a team that’s hungry?
I think if you turn back the clock to September 08 you’ll see another team that was hungry on their mission to finish the season at .500… (yippee).
@dwhit-
you can turn back the clock to 07 when no one expected them to compete, but made it within a win of the WS…interest in this team is what is needed now, not crying about losing players or whining about the ownership…
I see young guys that are eager to show everyone that they are legit and are fun to watch…not slow and boring like Ben and Garko…
Pardon me if I like watching new guys that are trying to prove themselves, and therefore turn singles into doubles, go all out, and are hungry to win…
Go Tribe!
Pitchers always do better moving to the NL. Lee is going to tear it up.
Agreed pretty much with Jay’s comment. If the Cavs had Shaq and were getting Z via trade, LeBron would probably say something like, “It’s great he’s coming here…I’ve never had a center that could stretch the floor before, and Z has a great mid-range game and can even hit a corner 3. He’ll be another weapon to pass to off a drive.” That wouldn’t be a dig against Shaq, it’s just being honest about what the player adds to the team.
I mostly agree with you DK. All this Dolan complaining…where is it going to get us? This is the hand we were dealt being an Indians fan in the MLB economic situation. Everything has to work out just so. We cannot afford, in our market, to have underperforming players. Boston, Yanks, Cubs – they can absorb those type of hits. The Tribe cannot.
We were oh so close in 07 and missed. The last 2 years stunk so time to blow it up again. I have news for all the Dolan haters out there. That will always be the pattern no matter who owns this team! Build it up for a 3 year window and take your shot. We wont be able to sustain it for much longer then that. And, if it had worked in 07, would we still be complaing about this type of economic pattern the Tribe faces? I for one would rather get the team geared up for a short window of success then be cursed with being a Pirates or Royals fan.
@9 – agreed…it doesnt seem as though people understand that the problem isnt necessarily the ownership, its the way that the non-salary capped MLB world works…they just automatically assume that its some scheme to alienate fans…that argument never really made sense to me anyways…but I appreciate the fact that someone else understands that too…
DK-if only you understood what a real business model was.
I don’t think Z should be too mad.
1) It’s true (as people have said). Z is not your classic “post-presence” center. European players typically aren’t.
2) It’s just a sound bite. It’s so easy to extrapolate too much from too little.
3) He loves Z. Cleveland loves Z.
DK,
The problem is BOTH the Dolans and the league.
Us not being able to sign big name free agents is the leagues problem. Us not resigning a player loved by the fans who wants to stay is the owners problem.
Oh, they lost $16million, boohoo. YOU OWN A PROFESSIONAL SPORTS FRANCHISE, SUCK IT UP.
/that was yelling, not sarcasm
Isis – if you only knew what reality was.
@13 – so when everyone went ga-ga over signing Wood and DeRo for 25 million…thats not a big name free agent? one of the top closers in the league???
us not resigning a player that can no longer play his position because he has a noodle for an arm and instead gets moved to a position where he is mediocre at best in the field, and an average hitter with 20 hr power for a few good young arms that can help the pitching staff for 3-4-5 years is a good swap in my opinion (and its just my opinion)
and my guess is that you probably have a good job, make decent money, but dont have a couple hundred million dollars to toss around, therefore you cant say what its like to *only* lose 16 million dollars…if millionares were careless with their money, they wouldnt be millionares…
@ Isis – the day you understand a business model is the day you admit you are actually RandyOSU.
DK,
I wouldn’t buy a 200k summer home if I couldn’t afford 10k to repair the roof.
What I liked about the Wood signing was it looked as if they were willing to spend money to compete. I would have rather NOT signed him, and had money to retain our own players (possibly biased with hindsight). I personally did not think Wood was the piece we needed.
If you will enjoy watching the players develop for the next 2-3 years, I’m happy for you. I can’t get into it when I know that if they become anything they’re gone.
@swig – I think players staying with one team is a little overrated…I dont mind that you feel that you cant get into it…I do honestly understand the sentiment…
that being said, I liked the Wood signing, because I thought that the rest of the bullpen and pitching staff would hold to form and be decent…they didnt have to be great, just decent…the fact that we are something like 4-36 in one run games or something absurd like that, shows that you needed quality arms…as much as I loved Lee and liked Vic, I like that the organization recognized what their weakness was, that they needed to bolster the power arms, and that it wouldnt be a popular decision…they knew that going in…
I dont think that keeping victor would have done anything for us other than cause more problems down the road…I honestly would love to have him at first base, but he doesnt always give you the power you might like from a corner infielder (i know that doesnt really hold weight with Jhonny at third, but you get my point), and he was the most attractive player we had to other teams because, while he doesnt throw anyone out anymore after his arm problems, he is still a good receiver, and as a first basemen, he was average in the field…
I dont think keeping Lee, who openly said he wanted to test the free agent market (which for a cy-young winner is basically saying I want what you cant pay me), wouldnt have been a good idea anyways…yes, he did say that he wanted to sign an extension, but probably more than we were ok spending…
and I do understand your analogy about the summer home, but if you can buy that same summer home with someone else that can do the same job or better for 7500 from a newer company, I would go with the less expensive one, all things being equal…
Indians are actually 16-14 in one run games, but are a quite poor 4-16 in two-run games. Thus the team’s record is 20-30 in games decided by two runs or less and that .400 winning percentage is the second-worst in the American League (Toronto is 20-32).
where can i get one of those t shirts?