“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.

Possibilities for Cavs at 19- “Reggie Bullock, SF, North Carolina. Bullock measures in at 6’7” and is listed as a small forward. He averaged 13.9 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assist this past season while shooting 47.6 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from behind the arc.

Not only is Bullock a great perimeter scorer, but during his junior season at UNC he was also charged with guarding the opponent’s best perimeter scorer on a nightly basis. This is one of the biggest reasons why the Cavaliers could make Bullock their pick at 19. With Mike Brown’s focus on the defensive side of the ball, Bullock fits into that mold while adding length to the perimeter. He does a great job of being at the right place at the right time, which is why he averaged nearly 7 rebounds per game this past season.” [Poloha/Stepien Rules] [Read more...]

“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.

“We see it, especially, with these 2013 Indians, who have been streaky enough this season to offer plenty of opportunity for debate. You’re either convinced that Ubaldo’s turned a corner and the rotation is going to hang tough or you’re just waiting for the wheels to fall off and burn. You’re either undaunted by that stretch of six losses in seven games and the betrayal provided by the bullpen or you’re convinced Chris Perez is one setback away from shoulder surgery and Vinnie Pestano’s going to blow out his elbow and a funk is going to envelop the late-inning efforts. You’re either utterly enamored with the offense or concerned it is too home run-reliant and strikeout-prone. The Trevor Bauer-penned theme song is either music to your ears or 99 seconds of your life you wish you had back.

I’m on record, for better or worse, that I believe this is a fundamentally different ballclub than the ones in recent years past. I don’t believe the Indians are going to completely collapse. Do I think they can give the Tigers an honest, earnest run for their money (quite literally) in the AL Central? Well, that’s complicated, to say the least. But with two Wild Cards on the table, if you can simply hover north of .500 into the late summer, you’re in the conversation. And this is a town that could use a good conversation.” [Castrovince/MLB.com] [Read more...]

Every once in a while I like to put together some thoughts that don’t warrant separate posts. Here goes…

The Browns

- Jim Brown is back with the team as a “Special Advisor“. My initial thought was that the Browns were forcing something here. Jim Brown is a sports legend in town, and nothing will ever change that. But this wasn’t exactly like a long lost son returning home. He is opinionated and quite frankly a little more vocal about players (Richardson for example) than he needs to be.

Then I thought about what they are asking him to do. They are asking him to work within the community, and specifically it sounds like with inner city youth. If he is going to legitimately work within the community, then he had to have a public relaunch so to speak. I won’t lie though, it wouldn’t surprise me if his tenure with the Browns comes to an end because he doesn’t “tone it down.”

- I can’t help but think that the Browns are building a defense for a coordinator (Ray Horton) who if he is successful this year will be a head coach elsewhere next year. It just doesn’t seem to line up with the rest of the rebuild. Are they grooming someone in house to take over if that is the case? I won’t accept “you don’t worry about 2014 right now” from a group that traded out of 2013 picks in lieu of 2014 ones. [Read more...]

“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.

“That was no more evident than during batting practice on Tuesday, when Choo chatted with his former teammates and coaches at Great American Ball Park. He couldn’t keep a smile from spreading across his face as he embraced bullpen catcher Francisco Morales, who nearly clotheslined Choo to the ground with an aggressive hug.

Rarely has Choo been at such peace.

In 2010, he directed his native South Korea to the gold medal in baseball at the Asian Games, a feat necessary to make him exempt from having to fulfill a military obligation, which could have forced him to miss time on the field with the Indians. A DUI, a broken thumb and a strained oblique muscle foiled much of his ’11 campaign. His aversion to being hit by pitches — one he has since shaken — and his uncertain future admittedly hindered his focus for parts of the ’12 season.” [Meisel/MLB.com]

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Funny jersey story in Minnesota. It wasn’t Donyell Marshall funny, but funny anyhow. “So, if the umpires or the Brewers had noticed Colabello’s improper jersey, he could have been made to change jerseys at any point. I suppose umpires would have cause to kick him out of the game, too, but they probably would have made him wear a generic jersey, or a teammate’s. Just as long as everyone’s said “Minnesota.” Actually, it would have been funny if umpires made everyone else on the Twins change jerseys and then kicked Colabello out. That would have been Angel Hernandez’s solution.” [Brown/Big League Stew]

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“I’m approaching the games I watch now with the full expectation that there will be bad and missed calls. It’s a fundamental truth but yet so roundly unaccepted. Once this mindset is adopted, every aspect of the game-watching is improved. I can only describe it as liberating. Take a baseball game for an example. MLB is creeping toward an average of 300 pitches per game. I found a datum saying that ~130 of those pitches are swung at. So.. of course the home plate umpire will not get 170 calls right. There’s no good in expecting different.” [Kanick]

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Looking at available big men- “3. David West. In terms of approach and personality, West is the anti-Smith, and perhaps even the anti-Howard. He hasn’t the slightest interest in creating any fuss, and goes about his business with a plain professionalism. West doesn’t attempt shots he can’t make or make claims he can’t back up, and in that provides a safe, productive (17.1 points on 49.8-percent shooting, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game) addition for any team lucky enough to sign him. Indiana has provided a wonderful fit in terms of team personality, but in truth, West could get along well in just about any context. Muscle, shooting range, and smart defense tend to travel well, to say nothing of the culture-setting leadership that a player like West exudes. Roy Hibbert has been quick to credit West’s influence for the Pacers’ collective focus, and that intangible appeal should only increase the value of a player who already offers so much on the court. [Mahoney/Point Forward]

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“Let me know if this sounds familiar. Lousy team makes a lot of moves in the off-season. National media catches on. National media begins singing praises of lousy team. National media predicts breakout season for lousy team. Lousy team stays lousy, never reaching bar set by national media. National media blasts lousy team for not reaching expectations. Team stays lousy, fans stay miserable. Rinse and repeat.

By now, thanks in large part to the site you’re visiting, you’ve probably guessed that lousy team I’m referring to is the Browns. Although I probably wouldn’t be far off if I was describing a typical off-season news cycle for any of Cleveland’s other sports teams. Typically, these things go one of two ways: Either the team gets a lot of national attention and hype and fails to live up to it, or it gets absolutely none and we, the fan base, demand to know why we’re not getting more respect. I guess, in Believeland, you really can’t have it both ways.” [Alton/Draft Browns]

“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.

“As it stands now, the Browns own nine picks in next year’s draft, behind only San Francisco’s 10. Clevelanders would do well to remember the widespread praise heaped on both the 49ers and Browns divisional rivals Baltimore for their stockpiling of picks in this year’s draft. Both of those teams also happen to have played in last season’s Super Bowl. At the very least, Banner can point to these future assets as evidence of a true vision for the long-term future of the franchise.” [Joseph/iSportsWeb] [Read more...]

“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.

“There’s long been a debate about the merits of athletes. Should they be considered viable heroes and idols for children? Charles Barkley said no, but plenty of others have differing opinions. It’s not to say sports figures are bad people; they often prove to be upstanding citizens. It’s tough to match them up against service members and first responders, though.

Already in the five months of 2013, tragedies have been a theme of the year. And with each dose of heartache, those charged with protecting us have risen to the occasion. It was never more apparent than in the streets of Boston when police officers ran toward bomb blasts with terror surrounding them. Former Ohio State football player Joe Brown is the definition of selfless. From undrafted free agent to an NFL career, Brown knows what hard work is. In 2003, as he was set to enter his third season in the league, Brown, a defensive lineman, abruptly left the Seattle Seahawks to pursue another career – defending the country.” [Rowland/Eleven Warriors]

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Some Cavalier options at the 3- “Dorell Wright – 27 years old, and coming off a tough season in Philadelphia, Wright is a guy who is both a solid shooter and defender. He might be one of the most underrated players in the NBA, as even through Philly’s troubles, he finished the season with a PER of 16. In his last four seasons, he has yet to finish a season with a PER of under 14.5. Conrad was ahead of the curve on Wright, and frankly, he looks to be a perfect fit. You can add Wright an maintain financial flexibilty.

Martell Webster – 26 years old and coming off of his best season in the NBA, he is a guy that I would urge some caution on. His three point shooting the last four years, starting with the most recent one: 42%, 34%, 42%, 37%. Pretty darn good, with some relatively serious fluctuation going on. He is a very good defender, helping Washington as a team to have a top 10 defense in the NBA, impressive for any lottery team. He is a better rebounder for his position than Gee, though he is not elite by any stretch. I expect him to be much more expensive than Wright, and I am not sure the pay-off will be that much better.” [Zavac/Fear the Sword]

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Interesting piece on feeding the Browns- “Howerton: “Between breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I always see a lot of meat here. How much meat do you go through a week, how many pounds?” Burnst: “I would say roughly between 700-800 pounds — a lot of protein, but it’s what they need.” [Pokorny/Dawgs by Nature]

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Chapman throws at Swisher’s head. Hear Tom Hamilton’s reaction. [Tom Hamilton has the best home run call in baseball]

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Been keeping an eye on this series. Five players that could keep Manziel from winning a second Heisman. Turned into six players. None of them is Braxton Miller. [Schwab/Dr. Saturday]

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

“But there are some clear divisions among the good coaches, and then tend to fall down lines of offense and defense. Every coach worries about and has ideas on both sides of the ball, but it’s very obvious that some coaches (and schemes) do a better job on one side or the other. Thibodeau, for instance, might be able to turn any club into a defensively-stout one. I’m not convinced he can do the same on offense. The same applies to the sporadically maligned Lionel Hollins: he can get a squad playing defense, but designing an efficient offense? Probably not. Adelman’s knock has always been that he struggles to put together a strong defense, though he’s had a few excellent units (particularly with Portland and Sacramento). Mike Brown can’t put together a good offense. Mike D’Antoni can’t coach a lick of defense. Sloan, if you demote him down here, is too obsessed with the bygone punch-em-in-the-mouth era to the detriment of his team. Nate McMillan can’t run a team that doesn’t crawl up the court because he perennially lacks trust in his point guards. And so on, and so on.” [Ziller/SB Nation] [Read more...]

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

“Francona has been to Fenway since his ouster following the Red Sox’s historic collapse in 2011. He worked one Red Sox home game from the ESPN broadcast booth in 2012. He received a thunderous ovation at last April’s Fenway Park centennial celebration, as New Englanders expressed their abiding love for Francona despite the deterioration of his relationship with team owner John Henry.

Earlier this month, I asked Francona if hearing those cheers eased any of the anxiety he would feel this week. He corrected me.

“I don’t have any anxiety,” Francona said, sitting in the visiting manager’s office during a series in Detroit. “I’m an Indian. I have great memories. I have some tough memories. But you move on. And as time separates it, you know, you remember more of the good. And there was a lot of that.” [Morosi/Fox Sports] [Read more...]

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

“Yes, the Cavs grabbed the No. 1 pick in the lottery, but it’s a lousy draft. OK, it is a lousy draft … so would you rather have the No. 6 pick in a bad draft? That was the worst the Cavs could have finished in this lottery. Nope, if you’re a fan, you should be thrilled that your team has the top pick.” [Pluto/Cleveland.com] [Read more...]

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

“Well, last year Cleveland’s hot start was done with smoke and mirrors; they were outscored on the season, even when the Tribe was standing in first. That ain’t the case this year, as Cleveland is above average in run scoring and run prevention. The Indians’ offense has been a real juggernaut so far. They are first in the AL in slugging percentage, second in homers, third in on-base percentage, fourth in doubles, triples, and batting average—yeah, they are hitting pretty darn well. In fact, their team OPS+ is a comically high 121.

Strangely, Cleveland ranks just sixth in runs scored, though. It isn’t as bad as it sounds, as there is a tight pack at the top. If you shift to runs per game, the Indians are tied for third in the AL. Still, to date their bats have been at their worst when it matters most, with lousy numbers when batting in close-and-late situations, as well as when the bases are loaded. Odds are that should improve as the year goes on. Then again, they won’t keep a 121 OPS+ all season long.” [Jaffe/Hardball Times] [Read more...]

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

“But it’s a big boy business and that isn’t lost on Stoneburner. That’s why the mood was upbeat when the Green Bay Packers contacted him to become an undrafted free agent. Stoneburner will keep that undrafted status in the back of his mind for a little extra motivation.

“Teams didn’t pick you for a reason,” he said. “You’ve got to figure out what that reason was and you’ve got to take that and critique it. Take it with you to Green Bay and show teams they made a mistake in not drafting you. You don’t want to act too crazy up there and act like you’re some nut job that wishes he’d have been drafted, but you definitely have to have a chip on your shoulder.”

There was logic in the reasoning why Stoneburner remained on draft boards for 254 picks. He’s had two knee injuries, including a torn meniscus last season, and he never quite lived up to his potential at Ohio State, though it can debated whether that was his fault or not.” [Rowland/Eleven Warriors] [Read more...]

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

Back-to-back walk-off wins for the Tribe and they couldn’t have been more different. A three run bomb versus a fielders choice. Oh, baseball. “Chris Perez, apparently wanting to up the drama of a game the Indians had been in complete control of for 8.2 innings and force me to completely re-write my recap, gave up a pair of two-out solo homers in the bottom ninth to tie the game at 4, unfortunately robbing Zach McAllister of a well-earned W.  (For the record, I know Perez has his detractors, but unless your name is Mariano Rivera, blown saves happen to even the best closers. Yes, it’s rarely easy with Perez, but that’s only his second blown save all season. He came into the game 6-for-7 on save chances with a 0.64 ERA, and it’s still just 1.80. Perez is the kind of pitcher who probably won’t be appreciated until he’s gone.)

Fortunately for Perez and the Tribe’s now 22-0 record when leading after six innings, the offense came right back in the bottom of the ninth. Jason Kipnis continued his “shut up everyone who said I should be moved down in the order” tour of May with a solid single to start the ninth. (Mea culpa, Jason, mea culpa).  Asbrubal Cabrera then made up for an earlier base running blunder by blasting a double to left. After walking Nick Swisher to load the bases, Mark Reynolds then drove in the winning run (his third RBI of the game) by smashing a grounder in the hole that Brendan Ryan grabbed on a dive, but his throw from the seat of his pants pulled Jesus Montero off the plate.

Back-to-back walk-off wins is certainly one way to start getting fans to take notice, and the Indians appeared to have another good crowd Saturday following up on Friday’s 34,000.” [Matt Hutton/It's Pronounced "Lajaway"].

[Read more...]