May 20, 2013

Tribe Weekend Recap: Two Walk Offs and a Shutout – What More Could You Ask For

May 20, 2013 by 52 Comments

Jason KipnisMagnificent weather. First-place baseball. Hot Dogs.  Walk-off wins. Shutout Sunday. Beating down another Cy Young Award winner in front of the home fans. I mean, honestly, could it get any better down at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario this weekend?

I vowed not to discuss the attendance at Progressive Field, but after a night where 34,282 came out to support the Tribe, two weekend afternoon games drew a combined 37,000 plus. The weather was perfect. The Indians were coming off a walkoff win. They are in first place. Seriously, folks, what were you doing this weekend? Most interesting to me is how immensely popular $1 hot dogs and fireworks are here in Cleveland. Regardless, the Indians continued their unbelievable hot streak, taking all three games this weekend against Eric Wedge’s Seattle Mariners. The wrap around of the series takes place this afternoon where the Tribe goes for a four-game streak, but the series has already been clinched. It is the 10th consecutive series that the Indians have either won or split.

Think about that for a second: It was just three weeks ago that the Tribe got smoked in Kansas City in that first game of a Sunday doubleheader. Since then, they are 17-4, the best record in baseball. This weekend provided a ton of highlights, so let us look back at the weekend that was in Wahooland. [Read more...]

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Now an Angel, Omar Vizquel shares favorite Indians memories

January 31, 2013 by 24 Comments

omar vizquelHe wished he could have announced how proud he was of his return to Cleveland. He wished he could do this type of event right there again and again. He wished he could tell the Indians staffers in attendance that he’d see them shortly in Arizona. But it wasn’t meant to be, or at least not yet.

Omar Vizquel, now 45 years old and retired, was the main speaker at the Akron Shaw Jewish Community Center’s sports dinner on Tuesday night. He wined and dined while sharing stories with the ecstatic fundraiser crowd of over 200 people. He seemed genuinely thrilled to be back in Northeast Ohio.

“There is no other team I love more than the Cleveland Indians,” he said. “Believe me.”

Vizquel, who played his final Major League season in 2012 with the Toronto Blue Jays, also unveiled during the night that he will be working for the Los Angeles Angels in 2013 as a roving infield instructor. His first choice was Cleveland. They didn’t have any openings. [Read more...]

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Report: Indians in the market for OF Michael Bourn

December 21, 2012 by 6 Comments

A bit of surprising news on the free agency trail today: The Indians are reportedly on the short list of teams “in the market” for OF Michael Bourn, according to a tweet from ESPN and XM analyst Jim Bowden.

Tony Lastoria, writer for the newly rebranded Indians Baseball Insider, followed up to Bowden’s tweet to say that the Indians reportedly were interested in trading for Bourn at the deadline in 2011. This is the first his name has been connected heavily to Cleveland this offseason, as the Tribe usually has been related to their courting of OSU alumnus Nick Swisher.

But, Bourn is significantly younger and likely a better fit for a possible long-term deal than Swisher. A soon-to-be 30-year-old speedster, he batted .274/.349/.391 with 26 doubles, 10 triples, 9 homers and 42 steals in 155 games for Atlanta in 2012. The 6.0 WAR was the best of his career, but he notably also produced a 4.7 and 5.3 in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

The Phillies, Rangers and Mariners, also on Bourn’s short list, have been rumored to be in the market to spend money on a marquee outfielder this season. So the Indians are likely a long-shot for now — especially if Swisher’s power is indeed their preference — but it’s no doubt intriguing to see they’ve thrown their hat in the race.

[Related: The Pitch To Swish]

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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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Mariners 5 Indians 3: Speechless in Seattle

August 21, 2012 by 11 Comments

Yesterday, I uttered the phrase “I didn’t know what to say anymore” about this Indians team. 24 hours later, once again, they have left me speechless in the way they lost yet another game, their sixth in a row, this time to Eric Wedge and the Seattle Mariners. The days of good pitching, great defense, and timely hitting are long gone at this point. Now it’s essentially becoming borderline painful to watch this team. The exciting moments are few and far between with this group.

The game started locally here in Cleveland at 10:10, so I can’t blame you if you weren’t watching. I mean, after all this was a matchup of Ubaldo Jimenez and Kevin Millwood. Not to mention the Indians sputtering bats against a Mariners offense that isn’t exactly the New York Yankees. Somewhere, Albert Belle, Kenny Lofton, Ken Griffey Jr, and Edgar Martinez were looking at this one and shaking their heads.

The two sides of Ubaldo were in full effect in this one. He was actually hitting 95 on the radar gun, walked just one, and struck out eight Mariners. You see that and you say to yourself “wow, Ubaldo must have actually pitched pretty well.” Then you take into account the two, two-out homers he gave up to Griffey Jr and Jay Buhner….. errrrr…..Michael Saunders and Eric Thames. Jimenez was lifted after five and two-thirds. [Read more...]

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Indians 6 Mariners 5: Beating The Grinder With Some Progressive Field Magic

May 18, 2012 by 7 Comments

When Eric Wedge was the manager of the Indians, I have to admit, I was a fan. I know I was in the minority, but I always liked the fact that he never got too high or too low. He was the same guy, win or lose. I look back at his time here now differently. He made the playoffs just once (2007) and had a winning record twice (2005, 2007) in seven years. He wasn’t exactly Rex Ryan with the media, and Indians fans never really took to him. So when he returns to Cleveland with his Seattle Mariners, it is always fun to watch him squirm.

Let us put it out there – his team is not good. Between the Minnesota Twins Monday and Tuesday and the Mariners Wednesday and Thursday, the Tribe has seen the soft underbelly of the American League and they have liked it. Actually, they have loved it. But torturing their old manager is twice the fun.

Just a quick 14 hours after dispatching King Felix Hernandez, the Wahoos took their shots at Hector Noesi. It seemed like a relatively easy task, considering how they handled Hernandez a night earlier. For the first six innings however, the Tribe offense looked like they normally do on these getaway day, putrid. Since the beginning of last year, the Indians had lost nine of their 10 weekday afternoon home games and were outscored 65-26. Their lone win was a 1-0 shutout of the Red Sox last April. [Read more...]

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Indians 2, Mariners 1: The Griticism of Clutch: Where Hannahan Wins One for the Dipper

April 20, 2012 by 49 Comments

Well, somehow every time TD makes me write these recaps, the games have a 75% chance of being exciting.  I hope he never figures this out, because I seriously can’t stay up this late all the time.

Let’s do our recap in three pieces.

Josh Tomlin is becoming a sneaky good pitcher.* What if I told you that Tomlin pitched eight innings, threw only 95 pitches and somehow racked up seven strikeouts with ZERO walks?  Yes, it’s against the lowly Mariners, but on the young season, Tomlin’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is now sitting at 14.00!  Which, fine, is ridiculously unsustainable.  But it also demonstrates that Tomlin is somehow—against all odds—still doing the exact same thing he’s been doing for two years: walking no one.  And it’s just insane how effective that can be when you start paying attention.

*I’ve decided to call Tomlin “The Dipper”.  You should be able to figure that out.  And you’re going to have to deal with it.

[Read more...]

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Box Score: Indians 2, Mariners 1

April 20, 2012 by 10 Comments

Classic pitching dual until the ninth inning. Hernandez mowed down the Indians, striking out 12. The Indians finally broke through against Brandon League. Tomlin pitched well, using the biggest part of the park to get a few outs. He was saved in the second by some great defense by Kotchman and Donald. Perez closed the door shut on Tomlin’s win.

Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
M. Brantley cf 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 0 0 .209
J. Kipnis 2b 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 .178
S. Choo rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 .214
C. Santana c 3 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 .256
T. Hafner dh 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 .314
    A. Cunningham pr-dh 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .231
C. Kotchman 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 .182
S. Duncan lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 .265
J. Hannahan 3b 4 0 2 2 0 0 1 0 0 .312
J. Donald ss 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 .238
 Totals 33 2 7 2 0 4 13 0 15
 Batting
2B – C Santana (2, F Hernandez); T Hafner (2, F Hernandez).
S – C Kotchman.
RBI – J Hannahan 2 (8).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – J Kipnis 2, S Choo 2, T Hafner 1, C Kotchman 1.
Team LOB – 9.
 Fielding
E – J Kipnis (1, field).
DP – 1 (J Hannahan-J Kipnis-C Kotchman).

 

 Seattle
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
C. Figgins lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .241
D. Ackley 2b 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 .259
I. Suzuki rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .263
J. Smoak 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 .231
K. Seager 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 .292
M. Saunders cf 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .225
M. Olivo c 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .143
J. Jaso dh 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 .273
B. Ryan ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .200
 Totals 31 1 5 1 0 0 8 0 7
 Batting
2B – D Ackley (3, J Tomlin); K Seager (5, J Tomlin); M Saunders (4, J Tomlin); M Olivo (2, J Tomlin).
S – M Olivo.
RBI – J Jaso (5).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – C Figgins 1, K Seager 1, J Jaso 1.
GIDP – M Olivo.
Team LOB – 4.

 

 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Tomlin (W, 1-1) 8.0 5 1 1 0 7 0 1.14 4.86
C. Perez (S, 4) 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.76 4.76

 

 Seattle
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
F. Hernandez 8.0 5 0 0 1 12 0 1.02 2.76
B. League (L, 0-1) 0.2 2 2 2 2 1 0 1.17 2.35
L. Luetge 0.1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.88 0.00
WP – J Tomlin.
IBB – M Brantley (by L Luetge).
Pitches-strikes – J Tomlin 95-70; C Perez 10-6; F Hernandez 125-75; B League 20-10; L Luetge 9-4.
Ground balls-fly balls – J Tomlin 9-7; C Perez 1-1; F Hernandez 10-3; B League 1-0; L Luetge 1-0.
Batters faced – J Tomlin 29; C Perez 3; F Hernandez 30; B League 6; L Luetge 2.

 

 

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Mariners 4, Indians 1: Lowe Wild, Offense Sinks Back to Earth

April 19, 2012 by 12 Comments

When the Indians took the field in search of their fifth straight win to take on the Seattle Mariners, things immediately looked different. First and foremost, The Grinder Eric Wedge sent lefty Jason Vargas out to the hill and as we know, left-handed starters, no matter how good they are, have been known to give the Wahoos problems. Acta countered by using as right-handed heavy a lineup as he could. Without Asdrubal Cabrera available and with Michael Brantley given the night off, you had a top two of Jason Donald and Jason Kipnis. Also getting the start were Jose Lopez and Aaron Cunningham. Hey, why not give it a shot. Its early, everyone could use the at-bats, and over the last four games, no matter who Acta put in the Tribe nine, they were delivering the goods. [Read more...]

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Box Score: Indians 1, Mariners 4

April 19, 2012 by 2 Comments

The Indians didn’t have many highlights in this one. A Carlos Santana throw from his knees to cut down a runner and a rare 8-3 double play were about it. Cunningham missed a home run by an inch or two. Shelley Duncan left the bases loaded in the sixth with just one out. That about sums it up. Derek Lowe battled, but did not have good stuff.

 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
J. Donald ss 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .235
J. Kipnis 2b 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 .200
S. Choo rf 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 0 1 .237
C. Santana c 4 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 3 .250
T. Hafner dh 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 .281
S. Duncan lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 3 .290
J. Lopez 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 .231
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .195
A. Cunningham cf 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .231
 Totals 29 1 4 1 0 4 9 0 12
 Batting
2B – A Cunningham (1, J Vargas).
S – J Donald.
SF – J Kipnis.
RBI – J Kipnis (8).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – C Santana 1, J Lopez 2.
Team LOB – 7.
 Fielding
Outfield assists – A Cunningham.
DP – 2 (J Donald-J Kipnis-C Kotchman, A Cunningham-C Kotchman).
 Seattle
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
C. Figgins lf 3 1 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 .260
D. Ackley 1b 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 .260
I. Suzuki rf 3 1 1 1 1 1 0 0 2 .283
J. Montero dh 3 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2 .262
K. Seager 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 .295
M. Saunders cf 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 .189
M. Olivo c 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .125
M. Kawasaki 2b 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 .154
B. Ryan ss 3 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 .219
 Totals 29 4 8 4 2 7 3 0 15
 Batting
2B – K Seager (4, D Lowe).
HR – C Figgins (1, 1st inning off D Lowe 0 on, 0 Out), I Suzuki (1, 1st inning off D Lowe 0 on, 1 Out).
RBI – C Figgins (6), D Ackley (5), I Suzuki (7), J Montero (6).
2-out RBI – J Montero.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out – K Seager 2, M Olivo 1, B Ryan 1.
GIDP – J Montero.
Team LOB – 8.
 Base Running
CS – M Kawasaki (1, 2nd base by D Lowe/C Santana).
 Fielding
E – M Olivo (1, field).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Lowe (L, 2-1) 4.1 8 4 4 6 0 2 1.72 3.50
J. Asencio 1.2 0 0 0 1 0 0 1.34 4.66
N. Hagadone 1.0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.43 0.00
D. Wheeler 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.62 6.23
 Seattle
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Vargas (W, 2-1) 7.0 4 1 1 3 7 0 0.99 2.84
T. Wilhelmsen 1.0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0.80 0.90
B. League (S, 5) 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.71 0.00
Pitches-strikes – D Lowe 113-63; J Asencio 21-13; N Hagadone 15-9; D Wheeler 17-11; J Vargas 107-65; T Wilhelmsen 18-9; B League 5-4.
Ground balls-fly balls – D Lowe 6-7; J Asencio 2-1; N Hagadone 0-1; D Wheeler 2-0; J Vargas 8-5; T Wilhelmsen 0-1; B League 1-1.
Batters faced – D Lowe 25; J Asencio 5; N Hagadone 3; D Wheeler 3; J Vargas 28; T Wilhelmsen 4; B League 3.

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Indians 9 Mariners 8: Showing some grit on the road!

April 18, 2012 by 22 Comments

While you were sleeping, the Indians pulled off another doozy. Since they decided last week to bring Johnny Damon aboard, the Indians have entered the bizarro world. Up is down, left is right, the starting pitching has been shaky and the bats haven’t stopped hitting like they were a Tribe team from the mid-90s. All of a sudden, no deficit is too great to overcome. Here they are, seven days since they were bombed by the Chicago White Sox at home, and the haven’t lost since.

Maybe all they needed was to hit the road and catch a breather. Maybe it was the threat of losing playing time to Damon. Whatever it is, the Wahoo Express continued to roll last night in Seattle against old friend Eric Wedge and the Mariners. The 9-8 victory tasted so sweet, despite the fact that crazies like me stayed up past 1 AM to witness it.

It is still very hard to believe they were able to pull this one off.

At the start, you saw a pitching mismatch (or so we thought) with Tribe ace Justin Masterson taking on the on-his-last-legs veteran Kevin Millwood. The Tribe got one in the top of the first off of Millwood when Travis Hafner went the other way an on 0-2 count to bring in Michael Brantley with an RBI single. Meanwhile, Masterson was mowing  Mariners down through the first two innings. In the third inning, it was as if a different pitcher took the mound. [Read more...]

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Milton Bradley’s Tumultuous Career Could Be Over

May 16, 2011 by 7 Comments

On March 17th when all pre-season stories are still exceptionally rosy, I wrote about Eric Wedge having to, once again, deal with Milton Bradley since signing on to manage the Seattle Mariners.  At the time, the quotes were all positive from both sides of the equation.  As the Seattle Mariners leave town after this weekend’s rain-soaked series in Cleveland just under two months later, Milton Bradley is gone.  He was designated for assignment on May 9th.   The Mariners, meanwhile, face the very real possibility of having to cough up the roughly $10 million remaining on Bradley’s gaudy deal.

One would have to think that this might finally signal the end of a tumultuous career for Bradley.  At 33, he would seemingly have enough gas left in the tank physically.  Mentally, it’s a completely different story.  I don’t say that lightly or with humor, either.  The lasting impression of Bradley will probably be of him getting ejected, fighting with umpires, or his actions when the Indians visited Seattle earlier this season. [Read more...]

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WFNY Exclusive – Eric Wedge’s Résumé

April 11, 2011 by 14 Comments

Some WFNY sources emailed us this weekend that they were privy to the résumé that Eric Wedge was shopping in MLB circles this past off-season while searching for a new job.  As we all know after this weekend, the former Tribe manager ended up getting the job managing Ichiro and the Seattle Mariners.  Previously this season we also discussed the awkward reunion between Wedge and former Indian Milton Bradley.  Normally at WFNY we try not to publish the rumors and information that come through our emails on a weekly basis, but we had to make an exception after we saw this one.  So check out it out below.

Eric Wedge Resume

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Eric Wedge and Milton Bradley Co-existing Fine in Seattle (So Far)

March 17, 2011 by 3 Comments

One of the strangest parts of Eric Wedge getting hired in Seattle was the reunion between the mustachioed grinder and the volatile outfielder, Milton Bradley.  Bradley and Wedge’s history began in Cleveland in 2003 and spring training 2004.  After a reported altercation during that spring, Bradley was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Franklin Gutierrez and Andrew Brown.

The major problems that Eric Wedge and Bradley had were over things like running out fly balls.  You will remember that Eric Wedge was like a little league coach – not that he was wrong – in that regard.  Bradley was also reportedly seen wearing a t-shirt that said “<blank> Eric Wedge.”  So, yeah.  He was traded. [Read more...]

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Eric Wedge: Unintentionally Hilarious Quote Machine

March 12, 2011 by 13 Comments

Mike Brown was in the media this week for being the strong favorite to land the Indiana Pacers head coaching job.  Eric Mangini, an attendee at the recent Sloan Sports Analytics Conference, was in the news this week giving his thoughts on analytics and how that could have helped him with the Browns.  The other Eric, Wedge, had to be feeling left out.  Thankfully, Paul Hoynes caught up with the former Tribe skipper after the Mariners-Indians spring training game yesterday.  And while not specifically citing “the grind,” Wedge did deliver a few classic lines which require mockery.

Hoynes sought comment on his days with the Tribe, prompting Wedgie to respond thusly: [Read more...]

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Indians Sign Free Agent Jack Hannahan

December 4, 2010 by 6 Comments

The Tribe made a minor move today in signing free agent first baseman/third baseman Jack Hannahan. A lefty hitter with a total of 290 career MLB games in Oakland, Seattle and Detroit, he received a minor league contract from Cleveland with an invitation to spring training.

The 30-year-old Hannahan, who spent all of last year in Triple-A with Seattle then Boston, has a career .224 batting average and .658 OPS in his big league career. Drafted in the third round in 2001, he has wavered back-and-forth between the majors and Triple-A since 2005. He has a career .269 average and .781 OPS in 405 Triple-A games.

Expect Hannahan, if he stays with the team past spring training, to compete with Jayson Nix, Jared Goedert and Cord Phelps for a third base/utility position in Columbus or Cleveland. Meanwhile, in more exciting baseball news, the Boston Red Sox are close to receiving San Diego Padres slugger Adrian Gonzalez in a trade. Hooray parity!

Photo above via Aaron Harris/AP

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New Grind in Seattle; Milt Bradley Packs his Bags

October 16, 2010 by 10 Comments

After one year out of the game, Eric Wedge has landed on his feet and will be bringing his grindy style of managing to the Pacific Northwest.  Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported last night that the Seattle Mariners had chosen Wedge to be their new manager.  With an emphasis on defense and UZR, the Mariners were a trendy preseason pick to win the AL West in 2010 but finished with the worst record in the league at 61-101.  Wedge’s name had come up throughout the season for other positions with fellow cellar dwellers in Pittsburgh and Baltimore.  While no official announcement has been made, it appears the Mariners have the man that they believe can lead them out of the abyss.

[Read more...]

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After One Start in 2010, Cliff Lee is Already Talking Free Agency

May 3, 2010 by 3 Comments

After one appearance on the mound for the Seattle Mariners, Cliff Lee stands with a record of 0-0.  In seven innings, Lee has struck out eight batter, allowed three hits and has not allowed a base on balls.  And per his agent, Lee is already looking forward to the off-season.

Lee, the winner of the 2008 Cy Young award, had been sidelined to this point thanks to an abdomen strain that landed him on the 15-day disabled list.  Yet on Saturday, Lee’s agent, Darek Braunecker, told ESPN that there have not been significant discussions with Seattle about an extension, and free agency is ultimately the likely option.

The 31-year old left-hander confirmed he had not been approached with contract discussions to this point, but claims that he does not want to talk about his contract during the season.

[Read more...]

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Shin-Soo Choo Reaches 20 HR/20 SB Plateau

October 4, 2009 by 3 Comments

shin-sooThe most productive player on the Indians roster this season reached a milestone last night amidst yet another loss against the Red Sox. RF Shin-Soo Choo, who just happens to be the team leader in almost every single offensive statistical category, hit his 20th home run of the  season to go along with 21 steals he already has. Per the Indians press release from Bart Swain last night:

SHIN SOO CHOO is the first Asian-born player in MLB history to hit 20HR and steal 20 bases within the same season. He is the 12th Major Leaguer to do it this year.

Remember how Choo even ended on the Indians in the first place? Just like his former Seattle Mariner minor league teammate , Cleveland nabbed him for a forgotten first baseman. On July 26, 2006 the team traded away Ben Broussard and minor league pitcher Shawn Nottingham to the Mariners for their 24-year-old South Korean prospect.

[Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Elam Talks Camp, Admiring Script Ohio, Ranking Delonte’s Lines

August 5, 2009 by 24 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 in the sidebar.

abe-elam-browns-minicamp 

Open field tackling?  Quite the concept: “We start every day with an open field tackling drill. It gets you going early in practice, there’s no sluggin’ around, it’s uptempo, guys are talking trash. It’s definitely a good thing. [...] I can already tell that all those sprints, all the hard lifting I did in the off-season is coming in handy now. I feel like I’m getting there, getting better each and every day. I’m working hard to try to push myself.” [Abe Elam/AbeElam.com]

[Read more...]

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