May 24, 2013

Cleveland Indians talk – trying not to talk attendance, Swisher’s intangibles, Francona and Ubaldo and more with TD – WFNY Podcast – 2013-05-09

May 9, 2013 by 3 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoWe did talk briefly about the attendance, but really not much at all. We’ve both agreed that it shouldn’t dominate the headlines a second year in a row.

  • Lackluster attendance and how tired we are of talking about it

  • Bud Shaw’s article about the long-term project

  • TV ratings and how far they’re up year over year

  • You can’t get the pulse of casual fans that stopped going

  • Nick Swisher truly has intangibles

  • LeBron dancing and picture-taking vs. Nick Swisher’s mugging and dancing

  • Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner while great guys and decent players weren’t electric personalities

  • Mike Aviles throwing sunflower seeds at Terry Francona during in-game interview

  • Francona setting his own bar so very high for himself in Boston

  • Jonathan Papelbon and how purely hateable he is

  • Theo Epstein and how he’s disappeared into the Cubs job

  • Brett Meyers, Daisuke Matsuzaka and the also-rans in the system

  • Ubaldo Jimenez and how Francona is managing him [Read more...]

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Sizemore potentially eying mid-season to sign with MLB team

January 7, 2013 by 14 Comments

Rather than signing a multi-million deal and hoping to play, veteran outfielder Grady Sizemore will not sign a contract for the 2013 MLB season until he is 100 percent recovered from his recent microfracture surgery.

FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports, via the player’s representative, that Sizemore may not even consider putting pen to paper until the middle of the upcoming season.

“[Joe] Urbon said that a number of teams have expressed interest in Sizemore, and that some have offered to sign him and allow him to rehabilitate at his own pace,” writes Rosenthal. “Sizemore, however, felt like he tried to rush back last season to fulfill his one-year, $5 million free-agent contract with the Cleveland Indians. As it turned out, he did not play a single game.”

The New York Mets were reportedly “very interested” in the injury-plagued Sizemore as recent as the 2012 Winter Meetings.

[Related: Tribe brass turns scarlet, grey and green into Nick Swisher wearing red, white and blue]

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MLB News: Mets “very interested” in Grady Sizemore

December 21, 2012 by 12 Comments

The New York Mets are reportedly hot on the trail of former Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore.

Sizemore is coming off a second microfracture knee surgery and is not expected to be healthy  — at the very least –until the middle of the 2013 season.

A three-time All-Star, Sizemore is entering his age-30s season. Sizemore hasn’t appeared in a major league game since September 22, 2011 and has hit .220 in just 104 games since the end of 2009, having his career limited by a bevy of health issues.

The Mets, providing quite the headline fodder this offseason, have spent their resources in locking David Wright up in an eight-year deal and trading away Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey.

[Related: Acta Goes Down, But Antonetti Should Have Gone With Him]

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MLB News: Grady Sizemore undergoes another microfracture surgery

December 3, 2012 by 5 Comments

Grady Sizemore’s agent, Joe Urbon, confirmed that the former Cleveland Indians outfielder had microfracture surgery on his right knee this past September.

Sizemore previously had microfracture surgery on his left knee in 2010, one of the several operations he has undergone since his stretch of MVP-like performances between 2006-2008. Though Sizemore missed all of the 2012 season after injuring his back in Spring Training, it appears that the knee was a continual source of pain and frustration throughout the year.

Urbon reportedly stated that this microfracture surgery was “a lot less invasive” than Sizemore’s first, but the player understands the bid to return to the field is going to be a long process given his recent history. Returning to the field, however, continues to be a priority for the 30-year-old free agent who has played in Cleveland every year of his professional career.

“[Sizemore] has a good mindset,” Urbon said. “He knows what to expect and what each step brings.

“He has every intention of coming back when he’s 100 percent, and not a day sooner.”

Since playing in 162, 162 and 157 games, respectively, Sizemore has combined to play in 210 games over the last three seasons.

[Related: Tribe At The Winter Meetings: Will They Add, Or Blow It Up?]

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Seven Straight Losses, Sizemore Done, Tomlin Going for T.J. Surgery, Just Another Day in Wahooland

August 22, 2012 by 7 Comments

So before last night’s date with King Felix Hernandez, beleaguered Indians manager Manny Acta and team trainer Lonnie Soloff met with the media. I am sure they had a blast discussing all of the great news they had to share (sarcasm font needed). In all seriousness, there is legitimately nothing positive going on in and around the Indians organization right now.

Nothing.

On the field the team has become an abject disaster, bereft of an offense while not knowing if their starting pitcher on any given day will go eight innings or make it out of the third. They have exactly three relievers they can count on. It’s enough to give any manager agita.

Acta and Soloff sat there and told the media that oft-injured CF Grady Sizemore had yet another set back and will not play in 2012. Apparently he has been experiencing right knee soreness during his rehab. In other news, the sky is blue, water is wet, and the Ubaldo Jimenez trade has been a failure. [Read more...]

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Indians’ Grady Sizemore Will Not Play in 2012

August 22, 2012 by 26 Comments

Now experiencing soreness in his right knee, outfielder Grady Sizemore is officially done for the 2012 season, a year in which he played zero games after being signed to a one-year deal in the offseason.

Missing the bulk of the season following a Spring Training back injury, the 30-year-old Sizemore has undergone operations on his back, left elbow and both knees, along with a pair of sports hernia procedures in the last four years alone.

“It’s sad,” Indians manager Manny Acta said regarding his one-time MVP candidate. “I won’t call it disappointing. I’m just sad for the human being that he is, and the type of player that he is. Especially for me, because one of the things that attracted me the most to this job was Grady Sizemore, being able to have a player that was going to help me win ballgames by himself.”

Sizemore, the former fan favorite who was once called the best player in the AL Central, was signed to a one-year, incentive-laden contract with a base salary of $5 million over the winter despite hitting just .224 with 10 home runs and 32 RBIs in 71 games in 2011. Over the four seasons prior, Sizemore hit a combined .234 with 28 homers, 109 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 210 games. This compares to the period between 2005-08, when Sizemore hit .281 with 107 homers, 325 RBIs and 115 stolen bases in 639 games, making three All-Star appearances and garnering two Gold Glove Awards.

“A lot of things have happened over the last three, four years that have been completely out of his control,” said Acta. “The guy played the game right. He was an elite player in this league. Unfortunately, over the last three or four seasons, he hasn’t been able to do it.”

[Related: Comparing Manny Acta to Colt McCoy]

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Buster Olney: Indians “Not Expecting Anything” from Grady Sizemore in 2012

July 14, 2012 by 5 Comments

– ESPN’s Buster Olney provides the latest update on Cleveland Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore’s ongoing health issues. Just back on July 3, general manager Chris Antonetti shared that Sizemore was hitting and throwing, but had yet to run. It appears that is still an issue, per the latest from Olney. It now appears doubtful that the Indians will get much at all from their $5 million offseason investment.

[Related: Indians All-Star Break Review: DH and Outfielders]

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Indians All-Star Break Review: DH and Outfielders

July 13, 2012 by 27 Comments

As we do each summer at WFNY when the Cleveland Indians hit the All-Star break, we take a look back at the four facets of the team on the field. There’s been been a lot to talk about with this club. Their 44-41 record is good enough for second in the American League Central, but the team has shown some serious flaws. GM Chris Antonetti continues to tell us that the Indians have not played their best baseball yet. I hope he is right. Additions will need to be made and in-house improvements will be a must if the Tribe plans on playing October baseball.

We started by looking at the starting rotation. Next was the bullpen. Yesterday we examined the infielders, and today, the last of our four part series, will delve into the DH and the outfield.

The best laid Indians outfield plans were shelved before Spring Training even started. The decision to bring back Grady Sizemore for another year was good in theory. But the Indians should have known better. While preparing for the season, Sizemore hurt his back so severely that he needed surgery. The team doctors didn’t want to put a timetable on his return, but the earliest we were told we’d see him was mid-June. At this point, the free agent market was completely barren.

The injury began a chain of events which hamstrung the team’s offensive plans. Instead of Sizemore in center, flanked by Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo, Brantley would move back to center (where he belongs by the way), and left field would become a contest between Shelley Duncan and a bunch of former Major League castoffs on Minor League deals. Nobody stepped forward to claim the job other than Duncan, who showed some power in Goodyear, but hit under .200. He was given the job by default. [Read more...]

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Video: Chris Antonetti talks Indians All-Stars, Sizemore and Improving the Team

July 3, 2012 by 14 Comments

Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti was interviewed yesterday on the MLB Network. Here is the video of that interview-

Highlights of the interview-

“Antonetti on Chris Perez and how vocal he is:  ‘I think with Chris, everything’s coming from the right place with him. He’s a guy that’s a great teammate. He really believes in himself and the team that we’ve built here. I think what he’s trying to say is we’ve got a great team that’s been very competitive in a great environment and wants our fans to come out and enjoy the game. I think that’s the foundation from which Chris’s comments have come. Obviously, we’d maybe wish he’d choose his words a little bit differently, but they’re coming from the right place.’”

“Antonetti on Grady Sizemore’s rehabilitation: ‘Grady’s been rehabbing. He’s a little bit further behind. He’s a couple of weeks away right now. He’s hitting on the field. He’s started throwing, but he’s yet to start running…Hopefully, after the All-Star break, he’ll pick those up and he’ll be able to rejoin the team shortly thereafter.’”

“Antonetti on how much salary the team can take on: ‘Right now, we anticipate having any means of financial flexibility to improve the team. We have not been given any direction otherwise. I think the Dolans have a demonstrated track record of showing that when the team is in the hunt, they’ll give us the resources we need to improve the team.’”

There you go.

[Related: Indians stray from consensus, sign Dominican OF]

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Lubinger: Q&A With Mark Shapiro

June 10, 2012 by 3 Comments

If you haven’t had a chance to see the extensive Q&A session from Bill Lubinger of The Plain Dealer with Indians President Mark Shapiro, it’s a must read. In it, Shapiro addresses all of the hot button issues, including attendance, team profits, player spending, and on-field performance. Below are two of the more interesting answers to questionable moves made by the organization: the Ubaldo Jimenez trade and the Grady Sizemore signing in the offseason.

On if you can grade the Ubaldo Jimenez trade:

“I don’t believe you can grade trades along the way. You grade them at any juncture in time, you are going to make a mistake. What you have is snapshots in time in which you form opinions, and then you wait and evaluate once it’s clear. You’ve got to evaluate on both sides — what did you get, what did you give up. What I’m clear on is that the intent of the Ubaldo trade was our effort to seize an opportunity, our effort to demonstrate a sense of urgency to our fans that we want to win, we want to win now … I think it’s still premature to evaluate the trade.”

On paying Grady Sizemore so much in the offseason:

“That’s not a lot. If you look at the value of a major-league free agent, one win in major-league free agency is somewhere between seven and eight million dollars. When you look at what $5 million can get you on the major league free-agent market, before you say, “Why did you pay him so much?”, go look at who’s being paid $5 million. … We got the right deal at that time and I still feel like there was no player available with his level of upside on the market at those dollars, without a doubt.”

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Report: Grady Sizemore’s Rehab Hits Setback

June 7, 2012 by 24 Comments

In what is becoming something of a recurring theme lately for the Cleveland Indians, physically fit-challenged OF Grady Sizemore, who is currently rehabbing his injured knees and back, has hit a setback in his bid to return to the Tribe.

Jordan Bastian tweeted the news from trainer Lonnie Soloff:

Acta & Soloff (trainer) note that Sizemore (back/knees) has slowed down in his rehab. Backed off some running activities last couple weeks.

According to Bastian, Soloff did add that he was still confident Sizemore would contribute in 2012, but he declined to set any kind of definitive time table.

It would have been foolish for the Indians to count on much production from Sizemore, who just hasn’t been able to stay healthy over the last several years. But evidently they did just that when they decided to give Sizemore a contract to return to the team. Now both sides must continue to preach patience while keeping fingers crossed that some version of a productive Sizemore can eventually get back on the diamond.

[Related: Is Michael Brantley Figuring It Out?]

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Grady And Pronk – Symbols of the Era of “Just Missed”

June 1, 2012 by 26 Comments

So Travis Hafner is out for six weeks after needing knee surgery and Grady Sizemore’s return from back surgery seems to be nowhere in sight. Stop me if you have heard something like this before. Decades from now, these two former cornerstone guys will be looked back on more for what they couldn’t do than for what they actually accomplished. I long for the days of 2005, 2006, and 2007 when Pronk and Grady were All-Star type players who played every single day and delivered the goods at the plate.

The incredible thing about Sizemore was not just his amazing play both with the stick and with the glove, but his durability. During his peak four-year stretch from 2005-2008, Grady missed just nine games TOTAL, which included a streak of 382 consecutive games played. Now we look at him as if he were Mr. Glass from the 2000 M. Knight Shyamalan movie “Unbreakable.”  Six surgeries and two bum knees later, Sizemore has become a lost cause that the Indians continue to sit and wait on. [Read more...]

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The Left Field Fiasco

May 22, 2012 by 31 Comments

Tribe off-days seem few and far between. With a 21-game in 20-day stretch now over and the 40-game mark now surpassed, we can take a look at some hard truths about this this team. Last year the magic number was 45 games, where the Indians were 30-15 and the darlings of the majors. Things fell completely their way during that stretch. The pitching was spectacular, both rotation and bullpen. It was a different hero every single night. Heck, Orlando freaking Cabrera (Obie!) was being hailed as a guy who was a great clubhouse influence (insane I know) who helped Asdrubal Cabrera find his power stroke. Everything clicked.

This season we have another first place team at essentially the same point in the season. Once again, the pitching has been very good, but not quite as good as a year before.  During that hot start, the 2011 club looked a lot better offensively than what we have seen from this current group, yet both teams are in first place. The 2012 offensive limitations have been known since the start of Spring Training.

[Read more...]

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Manny Ramirez Prepping for Return in AAA

May 21, 2012 by 3 Comments

During the MLB off-season as the Indians were trying to find a right-handed bat, I wondered what could be bad about trying to bring Manny Ramirez back. As everyone told me I was crazy and that it was a bad idea and that he had nothing left in the tank, the Indians brought back Grady Sizemore and eventually signed a deal with Johnny Damon. Well, as those storylines continue to play out, Manny Ramirez, who has seemingly turned over a new leaf, is preparing to in AAA to join the Oakland A’s on a $500,000 deal.

“I went through all that situation and I looked myself in the eye and I said to myself I needed a change,” Ramirez said. “My wife is Christian, you know, and I decided to go that path. That’s why I’m here. Because when you fall, the men, all the men do is remind of your past but when you come to God, God says you’re like a new child.”

As Sizemore continues to rehab and Johnny Damon continues to pop balls up and throw underhand from left field, it might make some wonder, “What it?”

–

UPDATE: Ramirez suffers slight set-back-

“Ramirez was held out of Sunday’s game with Triple-A Sacramento because of a left wrist injury of unknown severity. He is with the River Cats for a 10-game assignment as his 50-game major league suspension nears completion. He went 0 for 4 with three strikeouts in his Sacramento debut on Saturday at Albuquerque.”

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Grady Sizemore to Start Taking Batting Practice

May 7, 2012 by 11 Comments

Continuing to make progress from his preseason back surgery, Cleveland Indians outfielder Grady Sizemore will being taking batting practice when the team returns from their next road trip.

Sizemore, who sustained a lower back injury fielding ground balls during Spring Training, underwent surgery and was subsequently placed on the 60-day disabled list.  To add to the roster’s depth, Indians general manager Chris Antonetti signed veteran outfielder Johnny Damon; there were talks that Damon could opt out after Sizemore’s return. Indians manager Manny Acta, saying that “Grady is Grady,” insinuated that Damon’s signing would not have any bearing on the long-time Cleveland center fielder’s return from injury.

A three-time All-Star, Sizemore has battled injuries since 2009, having played in 106, 33, and 71 games over the course of the last three seasons. Miraculously, Sizemore has still led the team in jersey sales over the course of the same span.

[Related: Tribe Weekend Wrapup: ActaBall Reigns Supreme]

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The Damon/Sizemore/Brantley Conundrum

April 13, 2012 by 28 Comments

And starting in left field for your Cleveland Indians, Johnny Damon…..

News broke that the Indians and the 38-year old former All-Star outfielder/DH were working on a deal late Wednesday night. By Thursday afternoon, Damon went on Sirius/XM radio with former GM Jim Bowden and told the world he was excited about being an Indian, despite the fact that no announcement had come from the organization. Around dinner time in Cleveland, Super Agent Scott Boras and the GM Chris Antonetti came to terms and it became official – Johnny Damon is the newest member of the Indians.

As I wrote yesterday, I am down with the move. The offense is currently the worst in baseball and is in dire need of any sort of help. Nobody doubts Damon’s bat despite the fact that on April 10th he was still looking for a team. Boras and Damon will tell you that they were just waiting for the right fit, which may or may not be true. Damon wasn’t going to go somewhere and be a bench guy; he wants  450-500 plate appearances and was willing to wait for them. He may not get to that number with the Tribe, but he will certainly get regular playing time in left field and occasionally at DH. [Read more...]

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Two Days Until The Opener, and I’m Worried

April 3, 2012 by 56 Comments

We are just two days away from opening day in Cleveland. It is one of my favorite times of the year.

Everyone is in first place. Every team (well, not everyone, but most of them) thinks that this is their year to make some noise. Last season, our beloved Cleveland Indians shocked the baseball world when they ripped their way out to a 30-15 record and threatened to run away with the AL Central.

Reality then set in and the Tribe came back down to earth, finishing 80-82, but the 2011 season was certainly enjoyable for the fans in our fair city.

Now a new season is upon us and the Indians are hoping to build off of what you would have to deem was a successful 2011 campaign.

[Read more...]

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Brantley’s Strain Conjures Up The Sizemore Signing Pain

March 20, 2012 by 8 Comments

The elephant in the room has reared its ugly head in Wahooland once again.

During yesterday’s 4-3 Spring Training win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Tribe’s slated opening day center fielder, Michael Brantley, left the game with what has been described as “mild tightness in his right hamstring.” Manager Manny Acta said taking Brantley out of the game was “a precaution.” While the injury will most likely end up being no big deal, the thought of Brantley being lost for an extended period of time leaves me frightened, but more than that, disturbed.

Why you ask? Because the guy who was supposed to play center field will already be missing at least the first two months of the season. I of course am talking about Grady Sizemore. In top of that, the AA and AAA outfield options are almost non-existant.

I have been on record since day one that bringing back Sizemore was a mistake, and the thought of a Brantley injury certainly doesn’t make me feel any different. The Indians banked on Sizemore, figuring if he flames or gets injured, they at least could slide Brantley over to center and not miss a beat. But what was the contingency plan if something happened to Brantley? [Read more...]

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Significant Nothings: Thoughts on The Indians & Spring Training

March 5, 2012 by 15 Comments

As I continue to battle my annual case of Spring Training writer’s block,* I thought I’d just ramble a bit about some of the Tribe issues on my mind.

Left Field – I keep wondering: how was this team so ill-equipped to handle the inevitability of an injured Grady Sizemore? Had no one in the front office considered the possibility that Grady would miss part of this season? We’re currently left with no palatable options to fill our third outfield spot. This isn’t the worst thing in the world, I guess—we do have some upside offensive capability at positions that most teams employ glove-only specialists (catcher, second base, short stop). But I can’t help but think that the two easiest positions to find a bat—left field and first base—have been black holes for the team for as long as I can remember. When you pine for the days of Ryan Garko and Javid Delichaels, something is amiss. [Read more...]

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MLB Injury News: Grady Sizemore Out 8-12 Weeks

March 1, 2012 by 7 Comments

The Cleveland Indians have announced that outfielder Grady Sizemore has undergone a microdisectomy on his injured back and will miss 8-12 weeks.

The operation was performed in Miami, Florida by Dr. Barth Green. A form of spine surgery, a small portion of the bone over the nerve root and/or disc material from under the nerve root is removed to relieve neural impingement and provide more room for the nerve to heal. It is the same procedure which Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning had done, twice.

Sizemore strained his back fielding ground balls during the first week of Indians’ spring training. He was recently signed to a one-year, incentive-laden deal that would pay him a base of $5 million. Michael Brantley will move over to center field with the vacant left field position up for competition.

Sizemore has played in only 104 games over the last two season. In 2011, he hit .224 with 10 home runs and 32 runs batted in.

[Related: Grady Injury Leaves the Tribe Behind the Eight Ball]

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