February 22, 2012

While We’re Waiting… Starting off strong, Buckeyes’ downfall and Wanting Wallace

February 22, 2012 By 6 Comments

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.

“Asked by one reporter if the team could go back and analyze that 30-15 start to find out what was working for the club, Acta cut off the question and replied: “We’re talented. We have some talent here. It wasn’t anything different that we did in Spring Training or anything like that. Our focus is to win and when you’re in a rebuilding process you can see it from year to year. We’re talented. It’s not a fluke when you spend as long as we did in first place.”

Injuries or not — and that certainly took a toll on the Tribe in 2011 — Acta would’ve preferred to see more consistency over the course of the entire season. That is what the manager is hoping to witness in 2012. “Everybody would like to win right off the bat,” Acta said. “It’s what comes after that. How many teams start 30-15? You’re not going to see that very often. We’d still like to have a goodstart — that sets the tone. But it’s such a long season. That’s why we downplayed allthat all the time. It’s 162 games.” [Bastian/MLB.com] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

While We’re Waiting… Pile of arms in the minors, D’Qwell’s salary and right side of the line

February 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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.

Makes sense. Then again, chances are everyone playing worth a dime will get a look at some point- “Some of the younger players on the cusp of the big leagues might have been a little miffed at times this offseason as news rolled in of Minor League signing after Minor League signing. Reliever Vinnie Pestano said he remembers that type of feeling from his days as a Minor Leaguer trying to earn his shot with the big league club. A funny thing happened, though. Pestano started to understand the approach.

“When you’re coming up through the system,” Pestano said, “and you see them signing guys and stuff like that, you think, ‘Well, when am I going to get my shot? When’s my turn? I’m trying to get to the big leagues and they just signed a guy for the exact same spot that I do.’ So you’re like, ‘What the heck do I have to do now?’ I think last year was the first year I understood how important that depth is, how important that experience is to have. All the guys we brought in, they’ve been around a little bit. It’s not their first rodeo.” [Bastian/MLB.com] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Evaluating Tom Heckert, keeping up in a small market and Browns CBs praised

February 20, 2012 By 9 Comments

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.

Evaluating Heckert- “The Browns, who are well under the cap, were not aggressive last offseason and don’t expect much to change this year. Heckert is not a go-for-broke type GM like Phil Savage. Think patience. I know that is a word Browns fans get sick at the sight of, but Heckert’s plan is not a quick turnaround. He is aware the Browns need offensive playmakers. He said so toward the end of the 2011 season, but throwing money at the hot free agents is not his M.O. The Browns are building for long term and not looking to repeat the one-year wonder like 2007.

Last season, Young wasn’t an impact player and Jackson got hurt. Heckert took to resigning current Browns players and we’ll see if that trend continues this offseason with the likes of Peyton Hillis, Phil Dawson and D’Qwell Jackson. The only grade to give Heckert at this point is incomplete because, well, the Browns’ roster is just that. He seems to be an improvement over past Browns GMs when it comes to the draft, but the Browns roster is far from complete.” [Delco/Orange and Brown Report] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Playing the draft game, Ohio State running attack and what should the Browns do

February 17, 2012 By 20 Comments

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.

The 4th installment of ‘Building a Winner’ includes a fun game- “The Cavs inability to quickly build a contender after the 2003 draft really started in 1997, when they traded their 2005 first round pick for Wesley Person. Aside from that, most of Cleveland’s problems can be summarized through a little game. You’ll need a few things: seven hats, paper and a pen. We’ll see if you can randomly build a better team from 2000 to 2007 than the Cavs did. To start, in 2 separate hats, place the following names:

Luke Jackson, Andris Biedrins, Robert Swift, Sebastian Telfair, Kris Humphries and Al Jefferson.

Jared Dudley, Wilson Chandler, Rudy Fernandez, Morris Almond, Aaron Brooks, Arron Afflalo, Tiago Splitter, Alando Tucker.

Draw one name from the first hat and two names from the second. The first hat represents the player the Cavs picked 10th in 2004 and the five players selected after. The second hat is the players picked within five of the 2007 first round picks that the Cavs traded in 2005 to acquire Sasha Pavlovic and Jiri Welsch. Did you end up with a better assortment of basketball players than Jackson, Pavlovic, and Welsch? If you did, your random selections worked out better than what Cleveland actually got!” [Hentrick/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… More Building a Winner, Signing Big Names and Being Twitter Responsible

February 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

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.

Part 3 of ‘Building a Winner’- “The historical evidence continues to pile up that there’s no reason to think that drafting in the high lottery is vital to future success. The list of recent teams taking a quick, few year dip into the lottery and emerging as contenders is…the present day Thunder. Overwhelmingly, the elite franchises are built through smart trades, value free agency pursuits, and mid-to-low draft picks. As several commenter’s have noted; continuity, good scouting & player development, and incorporating the right players into a system (thanks for further defining my giant umbrella of “good management”) are how team’s punch their tickets to Titletown. The lottery is a gamble; you either hit it big, or miss & go back next year. That’s totally fine, if the Cavs hit on a really high pick again this year and score another young star – that is OUTSTANDING. If they score a top 5 pick and draft an average player, well that’s a squandered opportunity. If they pick 11th…they can make that work too. The Cavs hit the lottery once and scored a franchise changer; now it’s time to make the most of wherever their draft picks are, along with their trade assets and cap space.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

While We’re Waiting… How to build a champion, LaPorta and the farm system and having ‘patience’ with Eyenga

February 15, 2012 By 3 Comments

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.

Part 2 of the ‘Building a Winner’ series- “The top 3 teams of the last ten years relied on two total draft selections inside the top 8 to build their cores: Tim Duncan and Michael Finley (We can debate about including David Robinson. He was the #1 pick fourteen years earlier and played only the first two seasons of these ten, while averaging 10 & 8). Compared to the less capable teams that drafted early in the lottery repeatedly, either immediately proceeding or early in these ten years (Memphis, Clippers, Toronto), that’s a pretty sharp contrast. The teams were built by signing free agents at a good value, making great talent evaluations later in the draft, and always getting the better end of a trade.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Building the Cavs, Small market risks and Browns running game ‘mediocre’ at best

February 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

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.

“Many of these teams drafted poorly, but the ratio of “teams that built contenders from lottery scratch” to “teams that did not” is really lopsided. The lottery is a crap shoot, starting with the need to get your ping pong balls vacuumed out of glass sphere. Add that to projecting the future exploits of 19 year olds, and the result is pretty frequently continued mediocrity. Speaking of, there is another young NBA contender built through the draft.

The Chicago Bulls are not a “lottery success story” in any easily definable way. From 2000 – 2007, the Bulls picked #4, #9, #2, #4, #2, #7, #3, #7, #2 and #9. Where did that leave them? Back in the lottery, as a 33 – 49 team. Fate smiled on them and with a 1.7% chance to win the lottery, they were able to add Derrick Rose, who became the youngest MVP in league history. Besides the fact it took ten years, that’s pretty irreproducible. Luckily for Cleveland, Irving came with the first dip into the lottery.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Chisenhall’s Spot, Ferrell for All-Star and Misfit Cavaliers

February 13, 2012 By 4 Comments

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.

“If the Indians stick with their four man bench setup like in years past (12 pitchers, 13 position players), then barring injury the bench looks close to being set right now with catcher Lou Marson, infielder Jason Donald, outfielder/first baseman Shelley Duncan all but guaranteed spots. The fourth and final spot could be filled with Hannahan or Chisenhall so the Indians can carry both players, but the Indians will probably need that final spot on the bench for another right-handed bat like Aaron Cunningham, Ryan Spilborghs, or maybe even Jose Lopez.

So the true battle that involves Chisenhall this spring comes down to the Indians making the best decision on what to do with the 25th spot on the roster. Do they just do what they have in the past and stay with the 12-man pitching staff and just option Chisenhall to Columbus? This looks like the most ideal scenario. The only chance he may have to make the team is if they decide to have more flexibility with the lineup and only have 11 pitchers, thus creating another bench opening for someone like Hannahan since Chisenhall would be the regular third baseman if he is with the team.

You hate to send Chisenhall to the minors to open the season, but it may be what is best for the team in the short term. The pitching staff really trusts Hannahan over at third base, and Chisenhall is still adjusting to the big leagues. His defense and hitting both could use a little more polish in the minors, and he still does have all three of his options left.” [Tony/Indians Prospect Insider] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , ,

While we’re waiting… Reviewing the Tribe’s Offseason, Stinkfest in Columbus, Browns and the New Cap Rules and Eyenga Passes Diop

February 12, 2012 By 2 Comments

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.

I’m somewhat amused that the Tribe added Derek Lowe because of his durability… and then brought back Grady Sizemore. “[Lowe's] durability is what intrigued Antonetti. With the Braves accepting to pay $10 million of Lowe’s $15 million contract, the front office saw the move as a low risk-high reward type of deal.

“We feel like we were able to add a quality, durable Major League starter to our rotation; a guy who’s pitched 180 or more innings every year since 2002,” Antonetti said. “He has demonstrated durability. He has pitched on some very good teams, and we feel he has a leadership ability that could rub off on some of our starters.”

The Indians’ biggest offseason decision came when the front office decided to decline its $9 million option on outfielder, and fan-favorite, Grady Sizemore. For years, Sizemore had been one of the faces of the Cleveland Indians franchise, but multiple injuries had derailed the former star’s career. The $9 million option was too much for a small market team like Cleveland to pay for a player that came with a number of risks.

However, on November 23rd in a somewhat surprising move, Sizemore officially re-signed with the Indians on a one year, $5 million contract, plus performance incentives that could make the contract worth up to the $9 million he would have made had his option been exercised.” [Indians Prospect Insider]

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, General

While we’re waiting… Players You Love To Hate, All-Star Statements, Anderson’s Long Term Health and a Chart

February 11, 2012 By 3 Comments

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.

 

Why don’t more NBA coaches vote for role plays for All-Star reserves?  - “The All-Star game is an exhibition game. It doesn’t count. It’s not a competition. It’s show business. I get that. But it’s also a 48-minute infomercial on the NBA. On basketball. On how to play the game. The right way.

At least that’s what it should also be. But it’s not. The NBA All-Star game is mostly just treated for what it is: An all-expenses paid weekend of glamour, preening and ego-stroking for 24 players and their posses.

What I don’t get is all the NBA coaches, who constantly search for a hard-working, unselfish, team-first, winning player — and then moan about it when they can’t find or don’t have one — totally ignoring the importance of that kind of player when it’s time for them to select the reserves for the All-Star team.” [Ingraham/News Herald]

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, General Tagged With:

While We’re Waiting… Kyrie and Chris Paul, Urban Meyer’s spread offense and Muni-Seats for sale

February 10, 2012 By 3 Comments

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.

“Through Kyrie’s first 23 NBA games, he’s averaging 18.0 points and 5.1 assists per night—numbers that line up very close to how the benchmark of NBA point guards opened his career. Through Chris Paul’s first 23 games, he averaged 16.7 points and 7.0 assists. It’s not just numbers drawing comparisons between the two players though. According to the guy who coached them both as rookies, “Kyrie also has a similar Chris Paul-type competitiveness as well.”

A comparison between he and Irving that Paul says is most definitely justified. “Yeah, no doubt, I see the similarities in both our games for sure,” Paul added. “Kyrie’s really good with the ball, his decision making, and things like that. And I talk to him pretty often actually.When the lockout ended he hit me, and asked me about different things that he could do to make sure everything went right with Coach,” Paul went on to tell SLAMonline. “I just told him, just be himself and play hard.” [Bowers/Slam Magazine] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Extending Asdrubal, Trading up for RG3 and Remembering a Tribe legend

February 9, 2012 By 45 Comments

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.

On the Tribe not having players locked up after 2013- “The reason that the possibility of a Cabrera (or Masterson) extension becomes compelling is that the 2011 season represented the first time that Cabrera and Masterson emerged as players that could merit consideration for extensions in an effort to keep them in Cleveland longer than they are currently slated to be. Perhaps the 2012 season will reveal more players that fit that bill as well as the Indian stand at the precipice of perhaps having multiple players emerge as “core” players. Remember that it was the Spring Training prior to the 2005 season that El Capitan and The aCCe were locked up with extensions for Peralta, Grady, and Lee coming year later. Obviously players like Cabrera or Masterson may be in a different service time schedule in comparison to those players at those times, but with so many young players attempting to establish themselves in MLB and with the Indians history of locking up young players, it’s hard not to see how some extensions maybe forthcoming.” [Cousineau/The DiaTribe] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Chisenhall vs Hannahan, All-Star snubs and local champion

February 8, 2012 By 2 Comments

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.

Breaking down Chisenhall vs Hannahan- “It’s hard to say who is the favorite for the everyday job at third this season. Like I said earlier, I think Hannahan is on the roster (barring injury) one way or the other. If Hannahan gets the nod as the starter, I think it’s unlikely that Chisenhall will make the team as a bench player. Chisenhall is still viewed as the third baseman of the future for the Indians, so he needs to be playing every day — whether that’s in the Majors or Minors. If he is thrown into the fire with the Tribe, put Hannahan on the bench as a utility man. If Hannahan gets the job, send Chisenhall to Triple-A Columbus to continue his development.” [Bastian/MLB.com] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , ,

While We’re Waiting… Cord Phelps’ time, Loving some Kyrie and the Tribe’s window to win

February 7, 2012 By 9 Comments

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.

Five prospects with the most to prove this year- “Unfortunately for Phelps and Tribe fans, his brief, 35 game major league stint was a disaster. Phelps had terrible offensive stats (.155/.241/.254 slash line, .494 OPS (39 OPS+), .231 wOBA (39 wRC+), -0.9 fWAR in 80 PA) and struggled defensively (five errors in only 75 chances). Phelps ended up back in AAA while Kipnis solidified his hold on the second base job later in the season.

While Phelps won’t be able to prove himself at the major league level this year, he will need to impress as the everyday second baseman in Columbus in order to rebuild his stock. If he keeps producing at a high level in AAA, he’ll get another shot in the majors. With the lack of middle-infield talent the Indians have in the higher levels of the minors, one injury will give Phelps his chance to prove himself again. He’ll need to work hard this year to be prepared for that moment, whenever it comes.” [Paiscik/Indians Prospect Insider] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , ,

While We’re Waiting… Anderson Varejao 48 minutes of energy, Jamison’s shot and Astrubal’s value

February 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

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.

Some great stuff from Brendan after the Cavaliers’ win against Dallas. Check out his interviews. “Early energy for 48 minutes. That’s what it said in blue dry erase marker ink on the Cavaliers white board prior to tip-off with the defending World Champions last night.” [Bowers/Stepien Rules] [Read more...]

Filed Under: General Tagged With: , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts