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.
Tribe rolls in 8th to beat Twins: “The Tribe’s lineup went dark during Masterson’s time on the hill, but an eighth-inning rally helped the Indians pull off a 3-2 victory over the Twins in the opener of this three-game set. That had Masterson smiling in the wake of what marked the 14th win this year for Cleveland in its last at-bat at home.
“They’ve shown that they’ll score runs at some point in time,” Masterson said. “Hey, I’ll take it whenever they come. A ‘W’ is a ‘W’ for the team.”
And, right now, the Indians need as many as possible. The win over the rival Twins allowed the Indians (59-57) to hold their position within the American League Central standings. The first-place Tigers defeated the Orioles on Friday, leaving Cleveland’s deficit fixed at three games for the time being.
“We have to control our own destiny,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “That way we don’t have to be worrying about what the other clubs are doing. We have to take care of what’s in front of us.”
After being handcuffed for seven innings by Twins right-hander Carl Pavano, the Indians broke through for two critical runs in the eighth. Travis Hafner singled off of Pavano, ending the pitcher’s evening with one out in the frame. Carlos Santana and Matt LaPorta followed with run-scoring doubles off of lefty Glen Perkins to put the Tribe up for good, 3-2.” [Jordan Bastian / MLB.com] [Read more...]
‘Dudes’?: “As if ‘The Decision’ weren’t brutal enough for Cavs fans, ESPN is throwing another gut punch…Scene two, labeled “Unamazing Cavaliers” and “King James no more!,” carries an image of LeBron James in a Miami Heat uniform walking away from his crumpled number 23 Cavs jersey in the garbage can. The Cavs are the only team in the preview issue not illustrated by an image of a current player or owner. Gary Belsky, ESPN the Magazine’s editor in chief, said his staff was sympathetic to Cavs fans, but when ESPN writers and editors presented story lines for the season to Marvel artists, they decided this was the way to tell it. ‘Honestly,’ he said, ‘we talked a lot about that and we didn’t see it as kicking the city and Cavs fans while they’re down.’ In fact, Belsky promised a special-edition image if the Cavs surpass ESPN’s expectations. ‘Nothing would make us happier if that would be the case,” he said. “If they get past 40 wins, I will go back to Marvel and say, ‘Dudes, we were wrong.’” [
OK Cavs fans. I’m only going to say this once. Listen carefully.
While the Cavaliers use the All-Star break to rest up (well most of them anyways) we thought it would be a good time to reflect on the season so far, and issue some grades. In addition, we will detail what the Cavaliers will need from each player in order to hoist some team hardware this summer. Next up? Jawad Williams
The Cavs were missing their first and second string PG, missed 20 of 40 free throw attempts, and had 17 turnovers yet they somehow managed to improve to 26-1 when scoring 100 points in a game with a victory over the OKC Thunder. LeBron was magnificent and carried the depleted roster in a vintage LBJ MVP performance. He absolutely dominated the last minute of each half which buoyed the Cavaliers to victory. At the end of the first half, he hustled down with about 35 seconds to play and hit a three to force a 2-for-1 exchange giving the Cavaliers the final shot – where he promptly drilled another 3 pointer to end the half. A 7 point lead was immediately extended to 13 on the perfectly executed 2-for-1. It was a crucial exchange as the Cavaliers came out asleep in the 3rd, giving up an inexcusable 35 points in the quarter which in turn gave the Thunder a 1 point lead heading into the 4th.
Boobie Gibson seemed to be coming around as a player early on this NBA season. He was shooting incredibly well. He was playing solid defense, which we all know is the only real way to guarantee yourself minutes on a Mike Brown-coached basketball team. Then, all of a sudden, Boobie Gibson seemed to just disappear from the Cavs’ rotation. And even stranger, he appears to have disappeared at a time when we all thought the Cavs would need him most, after Jamario Moon got hurt.
The calendar has recently turned to 2010 and the city of Cleveland is less than six months away from a possible doomsday occasion with the beginning of NBA free agency in July. This is arguably the last season of productivity for Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Shaquille O’Neal, meaning that even more changes will be coming next summer as well if those two players come off the books. This is the season however, where the Cavs need to step up and prove to their franchise savior that they are his best option towards winning an NBA title immediately.
