Aerodynamics: Catching up with the Double-A Akron Aeros 6/16/10
June 16, 2010Tribe loses 3rd in a row in Talbot’s worst start of the season
June 17, 2010While 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
Hopefully only growing pains: “No question damage has been and will continue to be done as his free agency plays out. Some say that they’ll never look at LeBron the same way after all of this; that LeBron’s relationship with Cavs fans is forever changed. Some even say they’ll be glad to see him go. But I’m still thinking about growing pains here. Sure, we’ll never look at LeBron the same way after all of this, just like a parents can never look at their 7-year old, then 14-year old, then 21-year old as the same perfect angel (s)he was when (s)he was a toddler. Things we know: Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment. And every relationship has its ups and downs. No question the honeymoon is over between Cleveland and LeBron. Definitely call this a “down” period in the relationship.” [Pete/Cleveland Frowns]
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Honest assessment of minor league potential: “The Indians have quite a few older players performing well in this high minors this year. Some of these guys were formerly legitimate prospects who fell off the map because of injury or lack of performance, some of them are simply minor league vets putting together a great season. Given the questionable talent on Cleveland’s roster, and the questionable tenure of the talent that is there, it is worth sorting through some of these guys and evaluating whether any of them stand a shot of contributing in Cleveland.” [APV/Let’s Go Tribe]
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O-Line shuffles continue: “In replacing Ghiaciuc, the team signed OG Paul Fanaika. At 6’5″ and 325 pounds, Fanakia was a seventh-round draft choice for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009. He started off on the Eagles’ practice squad, but was picked off their practice squad in November 2009 when the Washington Redskins signed him. The Browns claimed him off waivers after the Redskins released him two days ago. According to his stats, it doesn’t look as though Fanaika played in any games. It is interesting to note that Fanaika was drafted by the Eagles when they had Tom Heckert. With the Browns working rookie Shawn Luavao at guard and center, Ghiaciuc was apparently expendable.” [Chris Pokorny/Dawgs by Nature]
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MoMass poised for a breakout year: “Massaquoi’s rookie numbers weren’t much to look at, but a few factors point to taking a big step in 2010. He is a hard worker who will put his ’09 experience to good use. He has a new quarterback, Delhomme, who shows a knack for getting him the ball. Fellow second-year receiver Brian Robiskie has had a strong spring and is ready to diffuse the pressure. ‘(Massaquoi) has outstanding hands. You could see that last year, not always in the games, although he had some good ones, but … bunches of times at practice, he made just unbelievable catches. He makes good adjustments with his body. It’s really impressive when you watch his growth—route in, route out.'” [Sporting News]
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Dividing up the new Big Ten: “The Western division is fertile ground for nouveau rivalries, the Buckeyes would be free of a dreaded rematch with the Wolverines, and the states of Indiana and Michigan keep their in-state rivalries. Further, athletic department travel costs are kept down and fans have road trips that do not require an extra a day off of work in most cases (especially in the Eastern division). The problem with this setup is you now have the three traditional conference powers, Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State, in the same division (see the old Big 12 South). This is bad for a host of reasons (the fear of having lopsided games) and almost certainly a situation the Big Ten will not allow. So, the solution would seem simple: move one of the three to the other division. It can’t be Ohio State or Michigan, for the previously mentioned fear of seeing the teams play two games in a row to end the season.” [Jason/Eleven Warriors]
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Good GM’s being run off: “Sarver had decided, like Paul Allen, that the star GM — or at least too centralized a front office — might be a liability. Or at least not a clear-cut advantage when the name attached to it wasn’t Larry Harris. But there’s writing on them there walls, especially in a summer where free agents are arguably more important than team logic. That’s why you saw Danny Ferry leaving Cleveland, right before what should have been the most exciting months of his career. Or were they? Ferry tried to give James support as best he could. The same goes for Mike Brown. Maybe neither is perfect, but both proved extremely effective at their jobs. Now, they would come under intense scrutiny, however unfairly, for the simple fact that Cleveland didn’t go all the way. That artifical set of conditions was all about LeBron James’s presence. And it would only heighten in the run-up to July, to the point where Ferry would be second-guessed and undermined at every turn. Ferry would have had to land LeBron and at the same time, justify his resume to LeBron. If he made any other moves, they would be both more loaded than ever, and more monolithic. This isn’t what a resourceful general manager should spend his days doing. Is that so different from what Danny Ainge, 2008 Exective of the Year, did to win that title? Well, Ferry has more actual team-building chops (Ainge’s draft grabs didn’t add up on their own), has been more active, and presumably wants more out of his job than wooing single big names.” [Bethlehem Shoals/Fanhouse]
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
21 Comments
I would really hate it if OSU and Penn State weren’t able to play every year. OSU/Um is the best traditional rivalry but the OSU/State game has been the most competitive of late. I’ve been wanting a conference championship game forever and if missing out on this game is the price then so be it I guess.
@ Clown Baby – If/when Joe Pa. passes on to glory I am guessing PS will have a solid 4 years of dreck. Which will make that game irrelevant as well, and I am only assuming that as the years go on, Joe Pa’s approach to glory gets closer.
I’m not so sure putting OSU, UM, and PSU in the same division would be such a bad thing. Think about it…
Nebraska is on the rise, coming off an appearance in the Big 12 Championship (and all but winning it, I might add). A match-up between Nebraska and OSU or Nebraska and Michigan would move the meter, so to speak, as far as national attention is concerned, simply because of the historical impact. Think “Lakers vs. Celtics.” The only downside? You’d have to hear the term “smash mouth football” repeated to the point of nausea.
By Nebraska v. OSU and Nebraska v. UM, I am of course referring to a Big 10 championship game.
Why is Steve Kerr a big name GM?
Looking back at Ferry, while he certainly can’t be blamed for not getting us over the top with his hands tied, he didn’t do what the two championship GMs did do. Sure, he had few picks and no cap space. Ainge had the same problems and ended up with Rondo. Kupchak had the same problems and somehow got Gasol and Bynum. I don’t think these teams (Phoenix, Cleveland, potentially Portland) are wise in letting their GMs go. But in Ferry’s case in particular, it’s the moves that we didn’t all think of, the impossible moves that he didn’t come up with while better GMs did, that he has been held somewhat accountable for.
“Delhomme, who shows a knack for getting him (MoMass) the ball”
Based on OTA drills and 2 weeks of practice?
I still have last years horrid passing offense burned into my memory.
“glad to see LeBron go” those are the people who sound like bitter ex-wives or girlfriends.
Speaking of East vs West, would they have that separation in basketball? You think its one-sided for football? Purdue, Michigan State, Indiana, Ohio State, and I’ll even throw in Michigan. The west has Wisconsin, thats it. Minnesota is solid right now, but not historically.
Stink…. not as important in basketball though. They have the conference tournament either way. And teams would all play each other during the season b/c there are so many more games than football.
But that would be a loaded division.
A BigTen Conf Championship game will at the very least ensure that OSU fans can no longer use the “our team just has too much time off between games” excuse after everytime they lose a bowl game.
JPS3 – It’s not the sole reason OSU has lost bowl games, but is it not valid? The B10 is losing out on 3 weeks or so worth of practices that other (excluding Pac10) conferences get prior to the bowl game.
@Clown, no it’s not a valid reason because Tressel and OSU actually won a natl title in 2003 dealing with the same “issue” against a team who was heavily favored. They also had huge BCS wins vs Kansas State and Notre Dame. But the excuse only popped up after they lost to Florida, LSU, and Texas consecutively.
Why people entertain calls for excuses after a bowl game loss completely escapes me.
The people who need excused are those who predict the outcomes.
@JPS3, that year OSU also played 13 games before the title game and only had about 40 days off (remember the title game used to be earlier in January). The stretch was 11/23 to 1/3 vs 11/18 to 1/8 (in 06). That’s a bit different.
Just because OSU overcame the disadvantage one year doesn’t mean it’s not a disadvantage.
OSU lost to Florida, LSU and not so much Texas because they (not OSU) were the better, faster and more schematically prepared teams. It’s not an excuse. But you really can’t overlook the disadvantage of one team sitting around eating Thanksgiving leftovers for a few weeks while another team is still on there game/practice schedules. I don’t think it has cost OSU a game (maybe Texas) because in most cases OSU got their doors blown off and # of practices/games didn’t matter. But I’m happy to see a more level playing field going forward in the even OSU or another B10 team is playing an equal opponent in a bowl or Sweet Baby-Jesus willing a playoff game.
-1 for me for using there instead of their above.
@Alex, and the long layoff could be perceived as an advantage to those who are trying to heal ailing players. example: Chris Wells and his season long toe injury. Like anything, I guess it’s all in how you look at it.
RE: Relationship LeBron
One day, after LeBron (hopefully) re-signs, I think this Huey Lewis classic will perfectly capture the “relationship” between Bron and Cleveland fans: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8b0IKQxx2k
Happy to be Stuck With You
We’ve had some fun, and yes we’ve had our ups and downs
Been down that rocky road, but here we are, still around
Thought about someone else, but neither one took the bait
Thought about breaking up, but now we know it’s much too late
We are bound by all the rest
Like the same phone number
All the same friends
And the same address
Yes, it’s true, I’m happy to be stuck with you
Yes, it’s true, I’m so happy to be stuck with you
Because I can see that you’re happy to be stuck with me
We’ve had our doubts, but we never took them seriously
And we’ve had our ins and outs, but that’s the way it’s supposedto be
Thought about giving up, but we could never stay away
Thought about breaking up, but now we know it’s much too late
And it’s no great mystery
If we change our minds
Eventually, it’s back to you and me
Yes, it’s true, I’m happy to be stuck with you
Yes, it’s true, I’m so happy to be stuck with you
Because I can see that you’re happy to be stuck with me
We are bound by all the rest
Like the same phone number
All the same friends
And the same address
Yes, it’s true, I’m happy to be stuck with you
Yes, it’s true, I’m so happy to be stuck with you
Because I can see that you’re happy to be stuck with me
I’m so happy to be stuck with you
@ 15 – I feel I have the perfect solution for a playoff in NCAA football. The four BCS bowls (excluding the champ game) act as the four playoff games. You get your automatic bids from major conferences and if a few outsiders do really well, they get in too. Keep all your other bowls. You add games (and $$$), you make the games even more intriguing to the general public, it prevents huge layovers, and it gives the 8 best (or 8 or the best 10-12) teams a chance to win the title. Start the first round in mid December and finish up after New Years
Do it!
/Off topic from original post, sorry
@CleveFanVA: Great call on Huey Lewis. Heart of Rock n’ Roll is relevant here as well.
Re: Penn State, another huge reason it would be a shame if they weren’t in the Big Ten is that Happy Valley might be the best place in the Big Ten if not anywhere to catch a college football game. I’m still crushed that my old employer deleted all of the Frownie Fotos from that day off of my blackberry when I had to give it to IT to get de-firmed. I’m still considering a six-figure suit against them for that.
I enjoy the presence of Bill Nebrasky in the Big Tenleventwelve.