...a tradition of hope, passion, and misery
Heard our buddy Les at Shapiro’s press conference the other day. Thought we’d check in to see what he is ranting about these days…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5pCBOHFzmE[/youtube]
Yeah, let’s not forget that the success of the Marlins came at our expense! Likewise the immediate success of the Jaguars and Panthers made NFL owners change some of the expansion rules, making life tougher on the Browns. Then again, drafting losers didn’t help either.
Les discusses a series with playoff implications and here’s a hint- it doesn’t involve the Indians…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89yk8sec3Tk[/youtube]
Count me among the surprised by the Tampa Bay Rays. I’d love to see the Rays win the East. That would be the first time since 1997 that someone other than Boston or New York won the East. In fact, since the six-division format came into play, Baltimore is the only other team to win that division, and they did it only once.
Les takes us down memory lane in comparing these Indians to the great Cleveland teams of the past…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkzbALSAK3g[/youtube]
Sandy Alomar gets a raw deal when those teams of the 90′s are mentioned. He was my favorite player, and helped start the turn around in Cleveland baseball. Dennis Martinez was another one that deserves credit for the Tribe success. Talk about a big game pitcher. Who was your favorite?
Les on offensive woes…quick, is he talking about the Cavs or the Indians?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk7gT-S4Pkc[/youtube]
The sad part…he’s talking about both. Sigh.
Les gives his opinion on who should close out games for the Tribe…his answer may surprise you.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75bW4F9zWRA[/youtube]
None of the above? I’m just not comfortable with any of these three to be honest with you. How about you? Who do you want to hand the ball to in the ninth?
Les Levine has a great take on David Stern’s comments about the pyrotechnics used in NBA arenas…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9VMbvXirHw[/youtube]
David Stern after his recent visit to the Q for game 4 of the Cavaliers/Celtics series-
“I’m going to get into trouble for this: I think they’re ridiculous. I think that the noise, the fire (and) the smoke is the kind of assault that we should seriously consider reviewing whether it’s really necessary, given the quality of our game.
“It may be these are the maniacal rantings of a fan from a different era, and I recognize that. [Read more...]
Attention K-Mart Shoppers We Have A Lost Child, Would Devin Brown Please Report To The Customer Service Desk, Thank You…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSh-Zi27vBI[/youtube]
Did the Cavaliers miss a chance to ‘steal one’ on the road? Absolutely. Looks like they will have to ‘earn one’ in order to win this series. Maybe they need a shot in the arm from a good friend…
Go English.com lists Beating a Dead Horse in between He Lost His Head, and Can’t Cut the Mustard. So, with that in mind here’s Les on the offensive woes of the Tribe…
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=po2pvxDBcNs[/youtube]
I’m not sure what more can be said. The offense sucks, hasn’t performed to expectations and fans are ticked off, voicing their displeasure. Of course, if we listen to Rick Manning during the game, we will be enlightened by hearing that all players and teams go through such slumps, and our boys will be just fine. Of course, Manning is paid by the Indians…
Les discusses the biggest disappointment from Washington’s win…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mt-jDyDcEbo[/youtube]
This was my point at the end of the game recap on Wednesday. Detroit took care of the 76ers last night. They will now face a rested Magic team. Boston has a chance to finish off their series in Atlanta on Friday. Who has the better shot at winning on the road- the Cavs in Washington, or the Celtics in Atlanta. The Hawks have played above their heads in this one already. Nobody would say Cleveland has the better shot of ending a series on the road.
So the Cavaliers could potentially be facing a game 7, while Boston sits and rests from a strangely tough series against the Hawks. Which team needs more rest? The one that ran up and down the court with Atlanta, or the one that got a constant beating from the Wizards’ thugs? (Yeah, I’m sure I’ll hear about that comment, thanks Les.)
Les asks what type of team the Indians are trying to be…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8BUCzkFFbY[/youtube]
Les, this is not one of your better points. The Indians are obviously built around pitching. With the exception of Paul Byrd, our starters are capable of shutting down any opponent for 7 or 8 innings. The bullpen has struggled somewhat, but it’s not because they threw a bunch of untested guys out there, come on Les.
Everyone can see that the offense is the weak spot of the team. They were last year as well, [Read more...]
Les rants on about the Indians struggles (again)…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BauxwDWjarA[/youtube]
Hafner, Peralta, Cabrera are all struggling, and even though Martinez is hitting for average, our clean-up man hasn’t hit a homer yet. He has nine RBI. Do they have enough offense to get the job done? Will anyone be available for trade?
Les blames Wizards for losses…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50JFbYyLvm0[/youtube]
Les and I talked about this the other week. Some players thrive when ‘extra motivation’ is given. You would think that Brendan Haywood would have learned that lesson by now. You would think that seeing LeBron continue to dominate DeShawn Stevenson would be a clue. One might think that after going down 3-1 in the best of seven that maybe the Wizards would have a little team meeting and agree to cool it on the LeBron trash talk. You’d think so wouldn’t you?
So this afternoon when the story came out that Haywood called LeBron a crybaby, I couldn’t believe it. But there it was- [Read more...]
Les Levine on Washington’s game plan
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uChfMFwv1NE[/youtube]
This video was obviously recorded before last night’s game. It’s funny how nobody that followed this Cavalier team expected them to win last night. The question I have from this segment- does Mike Brown really fight too hard for his players to get calls? Personally I wish he’d get a little more animated and verbal. He’s too nice to refs if you ask me. What’s your take?
We were saving this for a later post, but Les spills the beans on the newest Buckeye…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YqvJlC3QBg[/youtube]
More fuel for the OSU/UM fire. Talk about complete reversal though, this is the kind of thing that used to fire up Buckeye fans, now it is bulletin board material for the woodchucks. Does MGoBlog have a point? Does Les? Do you care about this former woodchuck?
Count Les Levine impressed with the play of LeBron James, but…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iczi5PDUj08[/youtube]
LeBron isn’t going to buckle because of the pounding he’s taking in this season. You have to wonder though, Mike Brown says all the time that LeBron gets the same punishment that teams used to give Shaq. At this rate, what will his body look and feel like when he’s 30 or 33? Michael Jordan changed his game later in his career to stay on top, will LeBron be able to do the same? What do you think? Is it a concern?
Les Levine on the struggles of the Tribe’s offense…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVkE0TLu_dQ[/youtube]
I have to say I agree with Les on this one. Grady, Victor, Garko and the hitter formerly known as Travis Hafner. The only other that I would add, only on potential is Cabrera. He had some solid at bats last season, and so I’m willing to cut him some slack. But what about the rest? If the Indians want to win it all, this line-up won’t get it done. Not in the American League. They need a minimum of 2 more near all-star level hitters. One of them had better be an power hitter. I’ve said it over and over, Dolan promised that when the team was ready to contend he would spend money to bring the pieces in that the team needs. WAKE UP!!!
Enough about me, what do you think?
Les Levine on those who called for C.C. to get a blank check…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iX3dOcvaPMg[/youtube]
Alright, time to fess up. In the winter did you want the Indians to pay Sabathia whatever he wanted? Do you still feel that way?
Finding problems with the Indians might be too easy…
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxDGHWXRGBo[/youtube]
I was stunned to discover yesterday that this is the only opportunity to see the Red Sox in Cleveland this season. And we don’t go to Boston until the last week of the year? Are you serious? Well, then again….maybe we don’t want that many games against the Red Sox. What do you think?
In the wake of Fausto’s deal, Les Levine calls for an end of the ‘Dolans are cheap’ talk.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwIyuOI_yiM[/youtube]
The contracts are being signed. Westbrook, Hafner now Carmona. It’s funny, but now instead of being upset that the Indians wouldn’t sign Travis Hafner, we are beginning to hear rumblings that they shouldn’t have. Truth is, the Indians are still near the bottom of the league when it comes to payroll, and we were told by the Dolans themselves that they would spend money when the team was ready to contend for a championship. Well Mr. Dolan, this is what a contender looks like. Now, can we get a left fielder please?!?
WFNY Podcasts
