Hey. Hi. I'm writing again 'cause boredom has reached an all time high in my life. I have many reasons why I haven't written in this blog for well over a year. I'll start off by saying that I am the laziest human ever. I know many a lazy persons, and I have put myself high on the throne of laziness, so that kind of covers the lack of posts. Along with my do-nothing attitude that I have finely tuned over the years, I have also been one to doubt myself at an incredible rate. I'll see a friends writing and think to myself "I am nothing compared to this spectacular human who has written this flawless piece of art". Obviously that mind-set is troubling.
So I made the decision to stop writing. For some reason my Dad actually enjoys my writing. I'm anti-social. Even with my parents sometimes. So I think being able to read my thoughts allows him to enter in to my world for a few brief paragraphs. This is a reason I am blogging again. There are others but one is enough. Now is the part where I share a few of my thoughts on what is going on in the trenches of a Cleveland sports fan, I guess.
The Indians are chasing a playoff spot. In September. With a very friendly remaining schedule. This is all good news. Over the past few weeks it has become painfully apparent that; although we are so close to a playoff berth we can almost taste the champagne on our lips, not one person in the greater Cleveland area gives a shit. We are currently in sole possession of the 28th spot in attendance. This is depressing. Why is this happening? The answer to this question is usually that our fans cannot rally behind a team that has let them down year after year. But it's September. Half a game out of a playoff spot. My twitter timeline is filled with fellow Tribe fans who love nothing more than to see our beloved team win. So what gives? I have no idea. All I know is that once we make the playoffs, the Jake will be full once again. I can't wait.
Hey Browns fans! You mad? Don't be. Trent Richardson wasn't the second coming of Jim Brown and we all know that. Some of you may not want to except that very real evaluation. Too bad. He's gone now and Willis McGahee, Bobby Rainey and Chris Ogbannaya are now our rock carriers. We are going to be very painful to watch the remainder of this season. I have a suggestion for you. Stop watching. Anger is sure to find you and no one likes an angry person. So save everyone the annoyance of endless tweets about how Hoyer just threw an interception or how Phil Taylor was on the receiving end of a personal foul penalty. Give up for now. It's for the best.
K. Bye.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Kyrie. Grady. Griffin.
With baseball season fast approaching, I just felt the need to get back into the blogging game. It's been too long. Today I'm going to hit on all the major Cleveland sports. Did Kyrie seriously just do that last night? Really, again Grady?? RGIII?
When the Cavs selected Kyrie with their first pick I really wasn't that excited. Yes he was the best player available, but was he really that great? His one year at Duke showed some promise but it was so brief myself and many others really didn't know what to expect. Well now he's 28 games in to his rookie season and looking nothing like a rook. Rookies are supposed to be inconsistent. Rookies usually don't takeover games. This isn't your ordinary rookie. Kyrie is averaging 18.1 ppg and 5.1 assists, those kinds of numbers usually don't come this early in a players career. He's shown his confidence throughout the season and his teammates have shown their own confidence in him. With the game on the line Kyrie wants the ball in his hands. Sometimes it's been easy to forget that he's only 19 years old. As I'm writing this he is two years younger than me, already the star of not only one basketball team but he's quickly showing why he is one of the stars of the league.
I didn't get a chance to watch the rising stars game last night but I did follow along on my phone. Every couple minutes I would check in to see how Irving and Thompson were doing. It seemed like everytime I looked, Kyrie had scored 5 more points and hit another 3. I sat at a friends table playing cards not able to comprehend what was happening. When his night was over he had tallied 34 points and 9 assists. Shooting a perfect 8 of 8 from deep. Yes I understand this is an all-star game where players don't play defense, but you can't deny the fact that Kyrie was clearly the best player on the floor for most of the night. It was no 11 of 11 performance like Boobie, it was better. The difference between Kyrie's game and Boobie's game is that Kyrie is no just a role playing spot up 3 ball specialist. No, he is the face and future of this franchise and I think it's safe to say we're in good hands.
Grady Sizemore. There are probably better comparisons to make but this one just came to me and I'm going to use it. Grady is the Greg Oden of baseball. Or for some of you older folks he's the Sam Bowie of baseball. While Grady actually got his career off to a fast and promising start, unlike Oden whom never really had the chance to showcase his talents on the big league level, the similarities are there. Both very talented players in their respective sports, both major disappointments due to injury. The patience has just about ran out for me and I really don't know what to think about this current situation the Tribe are in. His injury will most likely keep him out of opening day and who knows what other setbacks he'll have. The thing about this whole ordeal that really boggles my mind is that the Indians could have just parted ways and let another team deal with this. Instead they renegotiated his contract and signed him for cheap. But for what? The injury headlines? It is pretty safe to say Grady will never be as good as he once was. Here is to hoping he makes for a good story in major league baseball this year.
Robert Griffin III. Everytime I turn on sports radio I hear something about RG3. If the Browns are smart they'll do whatever is possible to get him. Sure we can build up our defense or receiving core or maybe pick up Trent Richardson. But why would we pass up a guy who could change the face of this franchise? If we do pass him up and he goes on to have a hall of fame career, we will all be left saying what could have been. Ever since Tim Couch, this city hasn't been so abuzz over a QB before. At least since I can remember. Yes no matter what through the draft we'll get players that make us a better team. But which player can elevate us from the laughing stock of the league to a team who can be respected and showcased throughout the league. We've all seen what Kyrie has done for the Cavs. He's given the fans something to be excited about and something that the media outlets have been talking about. RG3 can do the same. Get it done Browns execs. This may be your last chance to keep your fans hanging around.
Now that I can write posts from my phone I think I'll be making this at the very least a weekly thing. That'll be part of my Lenten resolution.
When the Cavs selected Kyrie with their first pick I really wasn't that excited. Yes he was the best player available, but was he really that great? His one year at Duke showed some promise but it was so brief myself and many others really didn't know what to expect. Well now he's 28 games in to his rookie season and looking nothing like a rook. Rookies are supposed to be inconsistent. Rookies usually don't takeover games. This isn't your ordinary rookie. Kyrie is averaging 18.1 ppg and 5.1 assists, those kinds of numbers usually don't come this early in a players career. He's shown his confidence throughout the season and his teammates have shown their own confidence in him. With the game on the line Kyrie wants the ball in his hands. Sometimes it's been easy to forget that he's only 19 years old. As I'm writing this he is two years younger than me, already the star of not only one basketball team but he's quickly showing why he is one of the stars of the league.
I didn't get a chance to watch the rising stars game last night but I did follow along on my phone. Every couple minutes I would check in to see how Irving and Thompson were doing. It seemed like everytime I looked, Kyrie had scored 5 more points and hit another 3. I sat at a friends table playing cards not able to comprehend what was happening. When his night was over he had tallied 34 points and 9 assists. Shooting a perfect 8 of 8 from deep. Yes I understand this is an all-star game where players don't play defense, but you can't deny the fact that Kyrie was clearly the best player on the floor for most of the night. It was no 11 of 11 performance like Boobie, it was better. The difference between Kyrie's game and Boobie's game is that Kyrie is no just a role playing spot up 3 ball specialist. No, he is the face and future of this franchise and I think it's safe to say we're in good hands.
Grady Sizemore. There are probably better comparisons to make but this one just came to me and I'm going to use it. Grady is the Greg Oden of baseball. Or for some of you older folks he's the Sam Bowie of baseball. While Grady actually got his career off to a fast and promising start, unlike Oden whom never really had the chance to showcase his talents on the big league level, the similarities are there. Both very talented players in their respective sports, both major disappointments due to injury. The patience has just about ran out for me and I really don't know what to think about this current situation the Tribe are in. His injury will most likely keep him out of opening day and who knows what other setbacks he'll have. The thing about this whole ordeal that really boggles my mind is that the Indians could have just parted ways and let another team deal with this. Instead they renegotiated his contract and signed him for cheap. But for what? The injury headlines? It is pretty safe to say Grady will never be as good as he once was. Here is to hoping he makes for a good story in major league baseball this year.
Robert Griffin III. Everytime I turn on sports radio I hear something about RG3. If the Browns are smart they'll do whatever is possible to get him. Sure we can build up our defense or receiving core or maybe pick up Trent Richardson. But why would we pass up a guy who could change the face of this franchise? If we do pass him up and he goes on to have a hall of fame career, we will all be left saying what could have been. Ever since Tim Couch, this city hasn't been so abuzz over a QB before. At least since I can remember. Yes no matter what through the draft we'll get players that make us a better team. But which player can elevate us from the laughing stock of the league to a team who can be respected and showcased throughout the league. We've all seen what Kyrie has done for the Cavs. He's given the fans something to be excited about and something that the media outlets have been talking about. RG3 can do the same. Get it done Browns execs. This may be your last chance to keep your fans hanging around.
Now that I can write posts from my phone I think I'll be making this at the very least a weekly thing. That'll be part of my Lenten resolution.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
How 'bout Them Browns?
As the Indians season winds down to just 18 games left, I'll reflect a bit on another "disappointing" season.
The Tribe this year had everyone reliving the glory days. Which was a good thing. Whenever I watched the Indians this year, they had me reminiscing about the good days with guys like the Alomar brothers, Omar, Manny, Kenny and so many other great players of the 90's Indians. I don't know how many times I watched Asdrubal make a great play at short and say to myself "Wow!! He's a chubbier version of Omar!!". This team had me thinking they could do something special. As the season progressed, the great plays still came, but the winning ways were left behind. After the All-Star break we could not get anything going offensively and winning was hard to come by. As the months past and play-off baseball drew closer, the Indians were falling behind. As of right now the Indians are tied for 2nd place in the Central with the Sox and 11.5 behind Detroit for first place. Barring a miracle, the Indians will be headed to another disappointing off-season.
As depressed as I am about the Indians, I have things to look forward to. Next season the Tribe will (hopefully) bring back the core of this young team and expectations will certainly be higher then they were to start this season. Instead of being looked over, we'll be looked at as contenders. Something to look forward to. Finally.
Just as the regular season is coming to a close for the Tribe, the Browns start their new season with fresh faces and a new head coach. While the first game left many people, including myself, saying "here we go again" don't count the Browns out...yet. The defense looked good just about the whole game except for the biggest play of the game. In what baffled fans and seemingly everyone else in the world, the Browns hung out in the huddle just a bit too long and let the lowly Bengals fool them. Had Joe Haden simply been beat on a route, okay, we can deal with that. That was not what happened. They pulled a "Cleveland" and let Cinci steal the game.
In a way I should have expected this kind of performance. Just like every season though, I am brainwashed as a Cleveland sports fan to think that this years team will be different. Still too early to tell but things are not looking good. Colt McCoy is too short for his own good and our O line is pitiful. Not to mention their punting game was atrocious. Luckily the Browns just signed a new punter whose name I've already forgotten. In a way Reggie Hodges affected the game the most on Sunday. Those first two scoring drives the Bengals had started inside the Browns 50. Why? Because of awful punts by Richmond McGee.
We can only hope that the Browns fair better against the Manning-less Colts this Sunday. Although I'm not counting on it. The optimism quickly fades after week one for me. 1 game and I'm already doubting if we can finish the season ahead of Cinci. Time will tell.
GO BROWNIES!!!
Tweet of the Day:
The Tribe this year had everyone reliving the glory days. Which was a good thing. Whenever I watched the Indians this year, they had me reminiscing about the good days with guys like the Alomar brothers, Omar, Manny, Kenny and so many other great players of the 90's Indians. I don't know how many times I watched Asdrubal make a great play at short and say to myself "Wow!! He's a chubbier version of Omar!!". This team had me thinking they could do something special. As the season progressed, the great plays still came, but the winning ways were left behind. After the All-Star break we could not get anything going offensively and winning was hard to come by. As the months past and play-off baseball drew closer, the Indians were falling behind. As of right now the Indians are tied for 2nd place in the Central with the Sox and 11.5 behind Detroit for first place. Barring a miracle, the Indians will be headed to another disappointing off-season.
As depressed as I am about the Indians, I have things to look forward to. Next season the Tribe will (hopefully) bring back the core of this young team and expectations will certainly be higher then they were to start this season. Instead of being looked over, we'll be looked at as contenders. Something to look forward to. Finally.
Just as the regular season is coming to a close for the Tribe, the Browns start their new season with fresh faces and a new head coach. While the first game left many people, including myself, saying "here we go again" don't count the Browns out...yet. The defense looked good just about the whole game except for the biggest play of the game. In what baffled fans and seemingly everyone else in the world, the Browns hung out in the huddle just a bit too long and let the lowly Bengals fool them. Had Joe Haden simply been beat on a route, okay, we can deal with that. That was not what happened. They pulled a "Cleveland" and let Cinci steal the game.
In a way I should have expected this kind of performance. Just like every season though, I am brainwashed as a Cleveland sports fan to think that this years team will be different. Still too early to tell but things are not looking good. Colt McCoy is too short for his own good and our O line is pitiful. Not to mention their punting game was atrocious. Luckily the Browns just signed a new punter whose name I've already forgotten. In a way Reggie Hodges affected the game the most on Sunday. Those first two scoring drives the Bengals had started inside the Browns 50. Why? Because of awful punts by Richmond McGee.
We can only hope that the Browns fair better against the Manning-less Colts this Sunday. Although I'm not counting on it. The optimism quickly fades after week one for me. 1 game and I'm already doubting if we can finish the season ahead of Cinci. Time will tell.
GO BROWNIES!!!
Tweet of the Day:
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Two Games. What If?
Today is August 2nd, just 2 months of regular season baseball left. Only 2 games behind the first place Detroit Tigers. At this point last season the Indians had a record of 45-61 and were 15 games in back of first place. A lot can change in a year. What exactly has changed? Everything. Most importantly the mindset of not only the team and it's players but of the fans. This year the Indians haven't given up and broken down. Just when it looks like they might be heading into a downward spiral of no return, they surprise us. Down but not out.
The "What If?" slogan chosen for this 2011 season was chosen to fire up the fans. It has not disappointed. When i first heard and saw the What If? commercials i was taken aback. First they are so well done. Second, they mix together the old with the new. They bring back memories I've shared with friends and family. They honestly gave me chills listening to them. So when the season started i was not only hopeful, i was pumped. However this really was no different than any other year. Before the start of every season i am generally full of excitement for Tribe baseball. I expect them to win and am most certainly disappointed when they lose. But when i listened to that What If? commercial, i knew something was different.
The Tribe have now played a total of 106 games this year and are just 2 games out of first place. That What If? slogan has been playing through my mind all season and i can't even count how many times the word playoffs has come to mind. Am i setting myself up for another Cleveland letdown? No, that would be too easy. Expect the unexpected. Expect the Tribe to make a big push and separate themselves. If we fall short, well so be it. One thing i can say about this group of Indians though is that they don't give up. They can't. It's easy for me to get down about a lose or a couple of loses, but i have to stay positive. Tribe fans have to stay positive and hopeful.
So it was about a month since my last post. I'm not gonna let that happen again. These last two months of baseball will be too exciting and too much fun not to write about. So expect more. GO TRIBE.
Tweet of the Day:
The "What If?" slogan chosen for this 2011 season was chosen to fire up the fans. It has not disappointed. When i first heard and saw the What If? commercials i was taken aback. First they are so well done. Second, they mix together the old with the new. They bring back memories I've shared with friends and family. They honestly gave me chills listening to them. So when the season started i was not only hopeful, i was pumped. However this really was no different than any other year. Before the start of every season i am generally full of excitement for Tribe baseball. I expect them to win and am most certainly disappointed when they lose. But when i listened to that What If? commercial, i knew something was different.
The Tribe have now played a total of 106 games this year and are just 2 games out of first place. That What If? slogan has been playing through my mind all season and i can't even count how many times the word playoffs has come to mind. Am i setting myself up for another Cleveland letdown? No, that would be too easy. Expect the unexpected. Expect the Tribe to make a big push and separate themselves. If we fall short, well so be it. One thing i can say about this group of Indians though is that they don't give up. They can't. It's easy for me to get down about a lose or a couple of loses, but i have to stay positive. Tribe fans have to stay positive and hopeful.
So it was about a month since my last post. I'm not gonna let that happen again. These last two months of baseball will be too exciting and too much fun not to write about. So expect more. GO TRIBE.
Tweet of the Day:
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th Of July. Can We Get Some Fireworks Tonight?
Happy 4th everybody!!! Hope you all enjoy this day of independence! I'll be at the game tonight and Wednesday so I'll be doing some live in-game tweeting. I've been wanting to do it all year I just haven't gotten around to it. Jeter is supposed to be back in the lineup for the Yanks and needs just 6 hits to reach 3,000. Back to back years now I have had the opportunity to witness some pretty amazing milestones in the careers of two Yankees, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod didn't pull through last year when they were in town so we'll see if Jeter can come up with those 6 hits by Wednesday. In no way am I saying I want Jeter to get 6 hits this series but it would be something cool to tell my kids.
So the Tribe come up short yesterday after falling behind early and end up losing 7-5 to the Reds. We couldn't get that season series sweep but we definitely owned the other Ohio team this year. In the six games played against the Reds, we outscored them 35-19. It was obvious early on that Mitch Talbot did not have his stuff going and he was pulled after just 4 innings giving up 10 hits and 6 runs. Our bullpen kept the Reds in line for the rest of the game but they had what proved to be too big of a lead even with our offense getting some runs back. Not a great way to finish interleague play but overall the Indians held strong and finished with a 11-7 record against NL teams. I know that Manny Acta, Tribe fans, and Travis Hafner are happy to finally get through the long stretch of games in NL ballparks to get back home and get Pronk back in this lineup. His presence will be greatly needed in these next two series against the Yanks and Blue Jays.
Alright that'll do it for the Tribe but someone asked my thoughts on the Cavs yesterday and I said I'd put it in my next post so here goes. First I'll start off with the draft. Kyrie Irving and Triston Thompson will be immediate impacts for the team in the 2012. Here's why; Irving is a legitimate PG. He's quick and can get to the basket and finish. Yes we have Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions but who really thinks Davis will be with us very long? We'll see what happens in the off season with the lockout but get ready for Sessions and Kyrie to battle it out for that starting spot. It may be closer than you think. Let's get to Thompson now. I think I probably saw him play once or twice and was quite surprised that the Cavs picked him up. While he is more proven than Irving it'll be tough to say what kind of impact he will have, but he will have one.
J.J. Hickson is a goner. Cavs fans have been expecting this for some time now, and if you weren't then you should have. It'll be sad to see J.J. go but he was simply inconsistent and never reached his full potential with the Cavs. However, keep an eye on him. He is still young and could make the Cavs front office regret this trade. Now what did we get? We got another unproven potential starter at the small forward position. While we don't have a small forward and we needed one, I don't think Casspi will flourish with the Cavs this first season. All together I think the Cavs will have a competitive team next year but in no way do I believe they will be competing for a playoff spot. That is about as optimistic as I will get about the Cavs this early in the year. Expect the worst so if we do good we can be happy and if we're bad then you can say you expected it. Better to be safe than sorry and embarrassed.
Hopefully that wasn't too long and boring for you but I had a lot to write. That's two posts in two days. Be happy. Be grateful. Who knows when I'll get the chance again but hopefully it'll be soon. That's it for today. Everyone have a safe and enjoyable 4th. GO TRIBE!!!
Tweet of the Day:
So the Tribe come up short yesterday after falling behind early and end up losing 7-5 to the Reds. We couldn't get that season series sweep but we definitely owned the other Ohio team this year. In the six games played against the Reds, we outscored them 35-19. It was obvious early on that Mitch Talbot did not have his stuff going and he was pulled after just 4 innings giving up 10 hits and 6 runs. Our bullpen kept the Reds in line for the rest of the game but they had what proved to be too big of a lead even with our offense getting some runs back. Not a great way to finish interleague play but overall the Indians held strong and finished with a 11-7 record against NL teams. I know that Manny Acta, Tribe fans, and Travis Hafner are happy to finally get through the long stretch of games in NL ballparks to get back home and get Pronk back in this lineup. His presence will be greatly needed in these next two series against the Yanks and Blue Jays.
Alright that'll do it for the Tribe but someone asked my thoughts on the Cavs yesterday and I said I'd put it in my next post so here goes. First I'll start off with the draft. Kyrie Irving and Triston Thompson will be immediate impacts for the team in the 2012. Here's why; Irving is a legitimate PG. He's quick and can get to the basket and finish. Yes we have Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions but who really thinks Davis will be with us very long? We'll see what happens in the off season with the lockout but get ready for Sessions and Kyrie to battle it out for that starting spot. It may be closer than you think. Let's get to Thompson now. I think I probably saw him play once or twice and was quite surprised that the Cavs picked him up. While he is more proven than Irving it'll be tough to say what kind of impact he will have, but he will have one.
J.J. Hickson is a goner. Cavs fans have been expecting this for some time now, and if you weren't then you should have. It'll be sad to see J.J. go but he was simply inconsistent and never reached his full potential with the Cavs. However, keep an eye on him. He is still young and could make the Cavs front office regret this trade. Now what did we get? We got another unproven potential starter at the small forward position. While we don't have a small forward and we needed one, I don't think Casspi will flourish with the Cavs this first season. All together I think the Cavs will have a competitive team next year but in no way do I believe they will be competing for a playoff spot. That is about as optimistic as I will get about the Cavs this early in the year. Expect the worst so if we do good we can be happy and if we're bad then you can say you expected it. Better to be safe than sorry and embarrassed.
Hopefully that wasn't too long and boring for you but I had a lot to write. That's two posts in two days. Be happy. Be grateful. Who knows when I'll get the chance again but hopefully it'll be soon. That's it for today. Everyone have a safe and enjoyable 4th. GO TRIBE!!!
Tweet of the Day:
Sunday, July 3, 2011
The Rise And Fall..And Rise Of The Cleveland Indians.
It has been a roller-coaster of a season so far for the Tribe and I'll give you 2 reasons as to why. Although the Tribe hold a game and a half lead over the Tigers with just 8 games left to play before the break, one can wonder how much longer we can hold this slim lead.
First I'll start off with injuries. With a healthy club at the start of the season (excluding Sizemore) the Tribe was fresh and energetic. Since then Mitch Talbot, Carlos Carrasco, Travis Hafner, Vinnie Pestano, Matt LaPorta, Shin-Soo Choo, Travis Buck, and Fausto Carmona have all spent time off the field with injuries. While those four pitchers listed above were missed (Fausto is out but if anything that was a blessing in disguise) our pitching staff has been excellent all season long. Without the run support from guys like Pronk, LaPorta and Choo, our pitchers have been wasting starts. For example; you have a guy like Justin Masterson who started the season with 5 wins in 5 tries. Since then he has started 11 games with only one win. In those 11 games he lost 5 and had no decisions in 5. He gave up a total of 22 earned runs in those 11 starts, which averages out to be 2 runs per game in that span. In only two of those starts he gave up more than 2 runs. If he would have gotten the run support from just those injured guys alone, he had the potential to have over 10 wins before the break. You would think a guy would have more than 6 wins through 22 starts that posts an ERA of 2.85.
Moving right along we'll go with the month of June. 17 loses in 27 games. The Indians were lucky to get off to a great start because not to many teams would be sitting atop first place in their division with a month like they had. 5 out of the 17 loses were shutouts and 10 out of those 17 we failed to score more than 4. In 4 of the 17 loses we were blown out but you'll have that. What is more frustrating is how many games we lost by one run (5). The blame game can be played to multiple sides with that last stat. Some of those close loses were due to blown saves, blown chances with RISP, or dumb management. Altogether you have to look at the general trend in that month which can be categorized by one word. SLUMP. The Indians went through a huge slump in the month of June in every category there is. While some of this was due to the aforementioned injuries, some was due to guys tapering off.
While July has gotten off to a better start (2-0) I can see these same problems popping up the rest of the season. As long as our guys are able to weather the storm and stay confident, playoffs are in the future for this young team. With Choo out Michael Brantly has stepped up and been a huge contributor and will continue to help during the time Choo is out.
Well that'll do it for today's post. Sorry for the lack of posts in the past couple months. Job and Girlfriend take up almost 100% of my time. I had almost forgotten how much fun writing was so it feels good to be back. Check back soon for more.
GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!
Tweet of the Day:
First I'll start off with injuries. With a healthy club at the start of the season (excluding Sizemore) the Tribe was fresh and energetic. Since then Mitch Talbot, Carlos Carrasco, Travis Hafner, Vinnie Pestano, Matt LaPorta, Shin-Soo Choo, Travis Buck, and Fausto Carmona have all spent time off the field with injuries. While those four pitchers listed above were missed (Fausto is out but if anything that was a blessing in disguise) our pitching staff has been excellent all season long. Without the run support from guys like Pronk, LaPorta and Choo, our pitchers have been wasting starts. For example; you have a guy like Justin Masterson who started the season with 5 wins in 5 tries. Since then he has started 11 games with only one win. In those 11 games he lost 5 and had no decisions in 5. He gave up a total of 22 earned runs in those 11 starts, which averages out to be 2 runs per game in that span. In only two of those starts he gave up more than 2 runs. If he would have gotten the run support from just those injured guys alone, he had the potential to have over 10 wins before the break. You would think a guy would have more than 6 wins through 22 starts that posts an ERA of 2.85.
Moving right along we'll go with the month of June. 17 loses in 27 games. The Indians were lucky to get off to a great start because not to many teams would be sitting atop first place in their division with a month like they had. 5 out of the 17 loses were shutouts and 10 out of those 17 we failed to score more than 4. In 4 of the 17 loses we were blown out but you'll have that. What is more frustrating is how many games we lost by one run (5). The blame game can be played to multiple sides with that last stat. Some of those close loses were due to blown saves, blown chances with RISP, or dumb management. Altogether you have to look at the general trend in that month which can be categorized by one word. SLUMP. The Indians went through a huge slump in the month of June in every category there is. While some of this was due to the aforementioned injuries, some was due to guys tapering off.
While July has gotten off to a better start (2-0) I can see these same problems popping up the rest of the season. As long as our guys are able to weather the storm and stay confident, playoffs are in the future for this young team. With Choo out Michael Brantly has stepped up and been a huge contributor and will continue to help during the time Choo is out.
Well that'll do it for today's post. Sorry for the lack of posts in the past couple months. Job and Girlfriend take up almost 100% of my time. I had almost forgotten how much fun writing was so it feels good to be back. Check back soon for more.
GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!
Tweet of the Day:
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
30 Wins, 30 Reasons To Love The Tribe. Part II
Well as promised here are the final 15 reasons to love the Tribe.
16. Sandy Alomar.
16. Sandy Alomar.
-I just love that I can turn on a Tribe game and still see Sandy in that Indians uni.
17. PRONK.
Travis Hafner might be one of the more surprising players this season.
18. Jacobs Field (AKA The Prog)
-John Adams, Slider, Sugardale dogs, Lines for the bathrooms. All things to love about going to the Jake.
19. 15 Games Above .500
-Tied for the best start in club history.
20. 7 Game Lead Over Detroit in the Central.
-Getting off to a fast start will be what helps the Tribe the most this season.
21. +67 Run Differential.
-The second best run differential is +50. Looks like some teams have some catching up to do.
22. Top Ten In Team Batting, Pitching and Fielding.
-One of the many reasons why the Tribe are the best team in baseball.
23. Manny Acta.
-Picked by the Rangers manager Ron Washington to be one of the 3 coaches on this years AL All-Star coaching staff.
24. Grady Sizemore.
-After missing the start of the season, he returned looking refreshed. Just a couple weeks later though and he's back on the DL. Don't know how much longer he'll be able to keep this up.
25. Dollar Dog Nights.
-1 dollar hot dogs. Doesn't get much better than that.
-1 dollar hot dogs. Doesn't get much better than that.
26. ESPN Web Gems.
-Asdrubal Cabrera has already had 2. They just add to the fun and excitement of Cleveland Indians Baseball.
-Asdrubal Cabrera has already had 2. They just add to the fun and excitement of Cleveland Indians Baseball.
27. Pretenders To Contenders.
-Though the first 10-15 games there were many skeptics. Now 46 games in, the Indians are looking like real contenders.
-Though the first 10-15 games there were many skeptics. Now 46 games in, the Indians are looking like real contenders.
28. #1 In Power Rankings.
-I may be wrong (don't really feel like checking the truth of this) but this is the Indians first time back at the top of the power rankings since 2007. Last time I checked 2007 was a pretty special year.
-I may be wrong (don't really feel like checking the truth of this) but this is the Indians first time back at the top of the power rankings since 2007. Last time I checked 2007 was a pretty special year.
29. 17-5 Home Record.
-About to be 17-6 with the bludgeoning the BoSox are putting on right now, but even so the Tribe are winning at home. With or without a sellout crowd.
-About to be 17-6 with the bludgeoning the BoSox are putting on right now, but even so the Tribe are winning at home. With or without a sellout crowd.
30. This Blog.
-Without the Tribe I would be bored. They give me something to write about, something exciting to write about.
Well that concludes this post. I might just make a set day for posts just so I can make time to write. Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook and tell me what day you think. Maybe I'll even put up a poll? Who knows. GO TRIBE!!!
Tweet of the Day:
-Without the Tribe I would be bored. They give me something to write about, something exciting to write about.
Well that concludes this post. I might just make a set day for posts just so I can make time to write. Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook and tell me what day you think. Maybe I'll even put up a poll? Who knows. GO TRIBE!!!
Tweet of the Day:
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