May 20, 2013

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

May 20, 2013 by 46 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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Tribe Weekend Recap: How Does First Place Sound To You?

May 13, 2013 by 11 Comments

Nick SwisherSay it loud. Say it proud. Your Cleveland Indians are a first place baseball team. Sure, you can tell me how two years ago they were 30-15 and how last year they spent time on top of the AL Central during the first two months of the season, but this just feels different, doesn’t it?

Manny Acta’s clubs were fools gold. They won a lot of low scoring, one-run games thanks to a fantastic bullpen and timely hitting. The roster was not exactly loaded. The Terry Francona version play with a different sense of urgency and confidence. This is a group that expects to be good and plays like it. Of course it helps Francona to have veteran additions like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and Mark Reynolds to go along with the maturation of Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley, and Carlos Santana. Having that deep and solid bullpen certainly doesn’t hurt.

Francona and his Wahoos ended their 8-1 homestand with a four-game sweep of Oakland and headed to Detroit for a measuring stick series with the AL Champion Tigers, who entered the weekend in first place. The pitching matchups for the most part weren’t going to favor the Tribe, but all weekend they battled and came out with a series win and a move into a tie for first with the team from that state up North. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…Browns rookie camp, Fixing Ubaldo, and Hurricane Reynolds

May 12, 2013 by 3 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com

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Dawgs by Nature breaks down day 2 of Browns rookie mini camp.

“More Miraculous Mingo: Other than the fact that he looks like he could add some weight, the early reviews for Barkevious Mingo continued to be positive on Day 2. Some of the media reviews included, “he flew through the drills, showing impressive change of direction” and “he is very quick and fly’s throughout whatever obstacle he is working against.” [Pokorny/Dawgs by Nature] [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting…Ranking Kyrie’s value, the Tribe’s rotation, and Browns rookie camp

May 11, 2013 by Leave a Comment

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


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“Let’s see … Irving missed 26 of 37 games at Duke, then 15 of 66 games as a Cavs rookie and 23 of 82 games this season. In three years, he’s played 121 games and missed 64. So far he’s torn ligaments in his big toe; sprained one shoulder; broken his hand; suffered a concussion; broken a finger on his non-shooting hand; broken a bone in his jaw; hyperextended a knee; and sprained the other shoulder.

Was that a series of fluke injuries … or a more ominous pattern that spells out the words, “KYRIE CAN’T STAY ON THE COURT”? Durability is really 25 percent luck and 75 percent DNA. You can’t do anything about Patrick Beverley slamming into your knee as you’re calling a timeout; that’s in the 25 percent. Mike D’Antoni playing you too many minutes until your 35-year-old body breaks down; that’s in the 25 percent. But grinding out 36 to 38 minutes a game for six to eight months per year, fighting off nagging injuries and bringing it year after year after year? That’s in your DNA. That’s the 75 percent.

My favorite example for this topic: John Stockton and Kevin Johnson. Before he saved the Kings and turned himself into Seattle’s Archenemy, KJ was an absolutely devastating offensive player; nobody could stay in front of him. He’s one of the few guards I can ever remember who made good defenders start backing up just by making it seem like hemight make a move. Stockton didn’t have that first step or KJ’s power around the rim, but he mastered everything that went into playing point guard — specifically, setting up teammates, running fast breaks, picking his spots and doing everything in the most efficient way possible. [Read more...]

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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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Indians 7, Athletics 3: Ubaldo & The Long Ball Sink A’s

May 7, 2013 by 23 Comments

oakland-athletics-v-cleveland-indians-20130506-164922-900The mark of a good team is always how they respond to adversity. The Terry Francona led Indians have had plenty of it thus far, thanks to slumps, shaky starting pitching, and a whole host of injuries. But when things were at their low point, they turned things around in a hurry.

Sunday brought the end of the six-game winning streak where they hit everything in sight and pitched better than they had all year. So how would they respond to their first loss in a week, coupled with the bad news that their set-up man Vinnie Pestano would indeed ned to go on the disabled list with his sore elbow. Nick Hagadone was recalled from Columbus and everyone in the pen would move up a spot.

The Tribe welcomed the Oakland A’s into Progressive Field, fresh off of their series win against the New York Yankees. Ubaldo Jimenez would get the ball from Francona. As we know with Ubaldo, you never know what you are going to get. The last time out, he threw seven shutout innings. However, he entered that start with an ERA over 10. So which guy would show up?

[Read more...]

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Indians 9 Royals 0: UBALDO!!! UBALDO!!! UBALDO!!! I’m Sorry!

April 30, 2013 by 18 Comments

Ubaldo JimenezUbaldo Jimenez is so funny. He spends weeks and even months convincing us all that he doesn’t deserve to be in the Indians rotation. He frustrates. He makes us want to boo. Some of us even wrote an entire piece calling for his ouster from the roster. But here is the thing. The options for the Indians in terms of starting pitchers are dwindling by the day. Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t get rid of Ubaldo. Not with injuries to Brett Myers and Carlos Carrasco. Corey Kluber is already here. Trevor Bauer, Wednesday’s spot starter, is essentially the last remaining realistic choice for GM Chris Antonetti to call on. So Ubaldo has to perform.

My neighbor has told me for years “if you go in with low expectations, then you usually come out pleasantly surprised.” That was exactly where I was last night, and where I am at this point every single time Ubaldo takes the mound. The Indians truly have no idea which guy is going to show up. Will he last two innings, have zero command, walk everything in sight, and give up the big hits? Will he last five innings? Would he dare surprise everyone and actually make it past the sixth, something he had done just twice since June 16th of last year? Would he actually win a road start for the first time in 11 months?

With the opportunity to come way from this three-city, week and a half long road trip with a winning record, Jimenez would have to show out. He did that last night and more. I would be hard-pressed to find a better Ubaldo performance in Wahoo Red, White, and Blue than what I witnessed last night. The line speaks for itself.

Seven Innings. No Runs. Three Hits. Two Walks. Four Strikeouts. [Read more...]

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Tribe Weekend Recap: Getting Healthy in Houston

April 22, 2013 by 20 Comments

Carlos SantanaThe Indians were a reeling bunch heading to Houston this weekend. They had just been swept by the Boston Red Sox and were essentially dominated for three games on their home field. Thursday night’s loss was a microcosm of the series; it was one missed offensive opportunity after another. Hitting the road sometimes is a good thing, especially for a team like the Indians who are still attempting to find themselves early in the season. Their next opponent, it seemed, was just what the doctor ordered – the sad-sack Houston Astros.

However, despite the optimism, the Tribe started the series without the DL’d Michael Bourn and with their three back-end starters slated to go. Brett Myers, Scott Kazmir, and Ubaldo Jimenez are not exactly Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Roy Halladay. But this is what the Indians rotation is in its current state. Naturally by the end of the weekend, the rotation picture has gotten even more cloudy. The Tribe did end up taking two of three in Houston, which you will take all day. But make no mistake, it was a struggle against an Astros team that resembles a AAA ball club. But hey, a series win is a series win.

So let us dig right in as we do every Monday morning with the weekend that was in Wahooland. [Read more...]

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Sunday Indians Notes: Beau Mills, the rotation and prospects

April 21, 2013 by 1 Comment

beau mills and tuve

Beau Mills and his bucking bulls: The Indians scoring 19 runs was not the strangest news I saw yesterday. No, not even close. It began with a pair of tweets from @Indians (here and here) sharing pictures of a young bucking bull named Tuve (after Astros infielder Jose Altuve) that happens to be owned by Indians third-base coach Brad Mills and his son Beau, Cleveland’s 1st-round pick in 2007.

I couldn’t believe it. The Mills family just owns a bull, named it after a Houston player and had it in front of Minute Maid Park on Saturday? So I Googled. And found the Plain Dealer‘s Paul Hoynes’ report from Friday night: It was true. Mills, the 26-year-old first baseman who the Indians pitched away to Cincinnati in June 2012, officially has retired from baseball and is raising several young bulls for a living. [Read more...]

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While We’re Waiting… Draft day trades brewing?

April 21, 2013 by 3 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 at tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

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Connecting the dots between a possible Kansas City-Miami trade that might affect the Browns’ plans with the No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft: “The connections between the Chiefs and the Dolphins, with regard to [Branden] Albert, have been present for awhile. Now, they possibility could be coming closer to being a reality. On Thursday, Arrowhead Pride passed along the information that the Chiefs had given permission to the Dolphins to speak to, but not meet with, Albert.” [Chris Pokorny/Dawgs By Nature]

[Read more...]

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MLB News: Michael Bourn hits the 15-day disabled list

April 17, 2013 by 2 Comments

The Cleveland Indians have placed center fielder Michael Bourn on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to April 15, due to a lacerated index finger.

Bourn suffered the injury sliding into first base in the 8th inning on Sunday versus the Chicago White Sox. This is just his second career stint on the Major League disabled list (the first since 2007). On the young season, Bourn is hitting .333 (14-45) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and two runs batted in. He is currently tied for 10th in the American League in extra base hits (seven) and 15th in OPS (.975).

Taking Bourn’s place on the 25-man roster is right-handed pitcher Corey Kluber who is recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Kluber has made two starts with Clippers this year (12.1IP, 14H, 9R/ER, 1-1 record) and was with the Indians last week (April 10-12), but did not appear in a game due to multiple rain-outs.

Presently, Scott Kazmir and Ubaldo Jiménez are scheduled to pitch on April 19 and 20, respectively. Jiménez recently allowed seven earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings and is a candidate to be skipped if needed. Kazmir is returning from an abdominal injury and could be skipped if he is not 100 percent. Kluber will slot in as the long man in the bullpen given the work they received on Tuesday night untilneeded in the rotation.

[Related: The Diff: Baseball attendance in April, sellout streaks]

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Booooo-baldo – It is time to cut the cord

April 17, 2013 by 68 Comments

Ubaldo JimenezThe Indians series with the Boston Red Sox certainly didn’t lack for storylines. First and foremost, you had the Boston Marathon bombings, which took place just after the Red Sox Patriots day game with the Tampa Bay Rays. The Sox came to Cleveland with heavy hearts to face their old manager Terry Francona. Tito did put it out there right away – this series isn’t about him. But he has to want this one just a little bit more than the others. Then there is Ubaldo….

All spring long, the Indians brass would tell you how well Ubaldo Jimenez was throwing. Few believed it. Then in his first start of the season Jimenez bobbed and weaved his way through six innings for a win. He got the ball from Francona on Opening Day in Cleveland and reverted back into the Ubaldo we all know and…well I won’t say love. He couldn’t make it out of the fifth inning, giving up seven earned runs in front of 40,000 plus at Progressive Field. With the back to back rainouts last week, the Indians smartly moved Ubaldo back in the rotation, giving him a couple of extra days to work out the kinks with pitching coach Mickey Callaway. Again, we were told by the Indians that Jimenez had a “great side session” and would be ready for his next start. [Read more...]

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WFNY Podcast – Scott Raab talks Tribe, Mike Rice and Roger Ebert

April 9, 2013 by 5 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoBig news in the podcast world. Scott Raab has agreed to be a regular weekly guest. So other than a few exceptions, I’m sure, we will have Scott’s perspective on a weekly basis. I can’t tell you just how happy it makes me that he wants to contribute every week. Please consider subscribing on iTunes.

  • Indians home opener
  • Ubaldo Jimenez
  • Travis Hafner
  • John Sterling
  • Free agency and MLB
  • Swisher and now appreciating his “bro dude” attitude
  • Replacing the guy who replaces the guy
  • First Energy Field
  • Making money on bad teams
  • Byron Scott and silence from Chris Grant and Dan Gilbert
  • Shaq and his bloated contract
  • Rutgers and Mike Rice’s firing
  • Putting a mic in front of the mother of a player
  • Roger Ebert and the online reaction to him
  • Journalists worshipping journalists
  • The meaninglessness of apologies
  • The word police send Scott a letter

[Read more...]

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Yankees 11, Indians 6: Home Opener interrupted by the Pronk Show

April 9, 2013 by 17 Comments

Travis HafnerOpening Day is all about the pageantry of the grand old game. Fireworks and balloons. A fresh start with fresh faces. It is a chance for a team to capture the city’s imagination for at least one day. Here in Cleveland, with a new era of baseball upon us, the Tribe welcomed a packed house of fans decked out in Wahoo Red, White, and Blue.

With a city full of apathetic baseball fans, you get one chance to make your mark in front of a sellout crowd. There were 41,567 people inside of Progressive Field yesterday. Of those, probably a third of them will go to this game and make up their minds if they should go back based on this one game. Right or wrong, the Tribe gets that one opportunity to bring in that casual fan.

With that chance, manager Terry Francona turned to Ubaldo Jimenez, the team’s number two starter in name only. Look, we all know what Ubaldo is at this point, yet here we are on year three of hoping that he finds his old Colorado form. His first start in Toronto last week was encouraging, but then again, so was his first start in 2012 where he had a no-hitter going into the seventh. The problem with Ubaldo is that you never know which guy is going to show up. Fausto Carmona post-2007 was the exact same way. But when you are counting on a guy to be a top of the rotation starter yet he really is a fifth starter, it is going to present issues from time to time. Sometimes it is there, sometime it isn’t. [Read more...]

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Indians 3, Blue Jays 2: Ubaldo’s alive, Reynolds shows why he’s here

April 4, 2013 by 55 Comments

Mark ReynoldsSometimes when you go into something with low expectations, things work out in your favor. For the second consecutive season, arguably the most important pitcher on the Indians is right-handed starter Ubaldo Jimenez. His success or lack there of is a gigantic key in the success of this team in 2013. If we get the 9-17, above five-ERA guy we saw in 2012, the odds that the Tribe will be contending for a playoff spot are just about slim to none. So it was with a huge grain of salt that I took the reports of how “well he threw” this Spring in Goodyear. Last night in Toronto, Jimenez got his first chance to translate this into real game action that counted.

For six innings, Manager Terry Francona got the kind of start he would love to see on a regular basis from Ubaldo. Sure, he got himself in a couple of jams, but for the most part, Jimenez was in control. His six innings of one run, three hit, ball was a far cry from his last start in Toronto last July where he couldn’t get out of the third inning.

“I remember the last time I was here,” he said. “I want to forget about it, but tonight was a really good game.” [Read more...]

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WFNY Podcast – 2013-04-02 – Terry Pluto talks Twitter, Facebook, tailgating culture and more

April 2, 2013 by 5 Comments

WFNY Podcast LogoFeeling very fortunate for a day like today where I get to start it talking to Scott Raab and finish it talking to Terry Pluto. Hope you guys feel as fortunate listening as I do asking them questions and talking.

  • Access to Twitter and Facebook changing the way writers do their job
  • Browns culture of tailgating
  • Protecting drunkenness
  • Keeping comments sections clean and family friendly
  • Colt McCoy getting shipped to San Francisco
  • The Browns roster moves cutting Chris Gocong and Usama Young
  • The Indians’ off-season and whether it will work
  • Ubaldo Jimenez’ different Spring from 2013 compared to 2012
  • Approach to writing about sports and longevity [Read more...]

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WFNY 2013 Tribe Predictions

April 2, 2013 by 16 Comments

WFNY_roundtable

It is Opening Day! Rejoice! Terry Francona! Nick Swisher! Michael Bourn! Do you believe the Dolan Family Ownership ponied up for free agents? Do you believe not one, but TWO big name free agents signed long term deals here in Cleveland? The offseason was as exciting as any we have seen in the long history of the Tribe. The organization wants to get the fans back and they everything they could to do so. So here we are.

As we get set for another season of Cleveland Indians baseball, I got the WFNY group together and asked them some simple questions regarding the 2013 season. What do we expect for this club? Can they contend? Who will step forward? Who will disappoint? Lets take a look and if you would like, answer along with us in the comments section. [Read more...]

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Tribe Season Preview Part Two: The Pitching Staff

April 2, 2013 by 13 Comments

Justin MastersonTerry Francona’s re-made Indians will take the field full of confidence and excitement, ready to turn the page on the debacle that was the close of the 2012 season and the Manny Acta era. ActaBall is no more. Long Live TitoBall. Ownership had seen enough. The hiring of Francona signalled a new day was upon us. It was time to turn the page and move forward. There was an enormous amount of negative energy surrounding the franchise. Things had to change. We just had no idea how quickly and how massive the changes would be.

Gone (for now) are the days of seeing a band of merry-4A players rotating in left field, third base, and the utility spots. GM Chris Antonetti, with the help of Team President Mark Shapiro and owner Paul Dolan, added not one, but two big name, big money free agents. Between Francona, Nick Swisher, and Michael Bourn, the Indians want you all to know that they mean business. A once barren farm system is getting stronger with the addition of top prospect Trevor Bauer in the Shin-Soo Choo trade. Bauer joins Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Tyler Naquin, Ronny Rodriguez, and Shawn Armstrong as names to know down on the farm.

But it is no longer about the future. It is about the NOW.

[Read more...]

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The Ubaldo Problem

March 20, 2013 by 30 Comments

Ubaldo JimenezThe Indians currently have at least nine starting pitching candidates for their rotation, depending on how and whom you count.  There are the three guys pretty much guaranteed a solid rotation spot out of the gate, in Masterson, Jimenez and Myers.  There are the two at the back-end who have considerable chance of being bounced around as the season develops in McAllister and Kazmir.  And then there are at least four more guys who could be in the picture this year in some fashion, depending on need and injury, in Carrasco, Bauer, Matzusaka, and Kluber.  1

I’m not sure how exactly this compares to other teams or across other years, but to me, this feels like more starting pitching depth than we’ve had going into any season I can remember.  All nine of those guys have started games in the Major Leagues, so it’s not like I’m reaching deep into the depths of the farm system to come up with names.  We have quite a few arms to mix and match throughout the year, and that’s never a bad thing.  There will be injuries and sub-par performances that will have to be negotiated, and it’s always better to have more options than fewer. [Read more...]

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  1. I’m not counting David Huff or Josh Tomlin for obvious reasons, but I guess in a sense they’re part of this depth too. [back]

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The 2013 Tribe and jWAR

March 10, 2013 by 4 Comments

mastersonstA few weeks ago when Jon wrote this article, talking about expectations for the Tribe in 2013 and how they may be a little too high, I immediately conveyed how I thought that article rained on my potential parade of writing about how this team with its flurry of additions in the offseason should be above .500. That led to the conversation that sparked this Jacob piece about our discussion on the Tribe’s amazingly bad starting rotation in 2012. I still want to go through my exercise, using one metric, Jon’s newly fashioned “jWAR” to see how many wins it could potentially get the Tribe to in 2013. Now, before we begin, I realize that this is just ONE metric, a metric that is not without its flaws, but in the new stats revolution, WAR is certainly something that has garnered its fair share of respect. So, take this article as more of a fun piece and not a hard and fast prediction that the Tribe is going to the playoffs or anything like crazy like that. [Read more...]

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