The Tribe Daily

On Belcher, Rest of the Staff and Free Agents

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:00:00 +0000

"As I mentioned, I think it was just a matter of him making the commitment to be on the field. It was not just the Cleveland Indians, but the whole baseball industry waiting for the moment to have a guy like him because we think he is a special guy."

That was Manny Acta on Tim Belcher, the newest pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians.

According to Mark Shapiro and Acta, Belcher comes well recommended, well respected, well known and well equipped.

Just read some of those quotes courtesy of Prospect Insider.

Let's tackle some questions though. I raised the concern about him having experience as a coach.. Well even though he was a special assistant, he did plenty of teaching as Shapiro will explain in this one.

"He was a pitching coach at I want to say at almost every level in the minors. He filled in at Triple-A, Double-A and A-ball, but throughout the eight years being here he has been a pitching coach both at Instructional League and spring training and filled in at almost every level throughout the farm system."

So yeah, he's done it before. Not in a full-time role, but he isn't walking into something blindly.

Alright so let's here from the man himself.. How is he going to help?

"I am familiar with this staff. I have been involved heavily in spring training with the big league side each of the last eight years. In varying degrees I have a relationship with really every pitcher in our organization from Kinston up, and some significant relationships."

And what is his philosophy as far as the position is concerned?

"I am not a guru. I think one of the things that too many people make the mistake about is I think that coaches at all levels in all sports get way too much credit when things go well and way too much blame when things don't. It is essentially the players on the field that have to perform and to have success in order for your team to be successful. Coaches in all sports in my mind are there to facilitate. If there are changes that need to be made you facilitate by providing the right information, enough information, and timely information for a particular player to get better."

I'm big on the hire so far. I'm reading nothing but good things. Of course it is all from the Indians, but with all the talk of how other teams wanted him at different points, you know there is mroe than just the Indians liking him there. This is someone who's patiently waited for the right situation as well. He's not just some guy who is getting thrown into the fire and taking the first good job that came his way.

Look at John Farrell. He was in a front office-type position before taking the job in Boston and now look at him.

Let's see if Belcher can follow down that path.

What's next though?

Well according to Mark Shapiro and Manny Acta, they're closer to names on the rest of their staff than "We all think." And as for the bullpen coach goes, it sounds like they're aiming for someone who's had experience in the pen... Which fits Scott Radinsky.

481 innings all out of the pen in Radinsky's career. Scott would be a nice guy to have in the pen as it would essentially be two pitching coaches on one staff as, this guy was in consideration for the pitching coach job and some believe he'll be there one day.

That's still unknown though, so we'll back off.

Acta is a busy man lately. He's everywhere... It sounds like he'll be in Cleveland soon and that's probably when they'll finalize the rest of the staff in that period.

"I am going to spend a couple of days here at home and will interview some more people and then I will fly up to Cleveland and spend about a week over there. Then I have to fly to some other places. I will probably go see some of our players in Venezuela, probably go see Jake Westbrook in Puerto Rico, and some of our players in the Dominican, so it is non-stop until Goodyear."

I'm sure a lot of his travels has to do with him getting to know his players now that he's their new manager, but I don't even know if there is another manager that would take this much initiative this quickly.

For the next three months, the guy is going to be going everywhere, it's amazing.

The Indians made another move yesterday that went by the wayside with the hiring of Tim Belcher.

They hired Ramon Pena as their new Director of Latin American Operations, replacing Lino Diaz.

“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of Ramon’s experience, track record and influence join our organization,” said John Mirabelli, Indians director of scouting, in a statement. "We are excited to add Ramon and feel he could impact our organization in a very positive way.”

Pena has been with the Mets, under GM Omar Minaya and you can bet with Shapiro's relationship with him, he comes well recommended and Shapiro respects that. Before his three years as special assistant to Minaya, Pena spent many many years in the Tigers organization and he has a track record.

He's signed studs such as Jair Jurrjens and Francsico Cordero. This guy has some good influences.

As for the guy he's replacing, Lino Diaz, brother of former Tribe catcher Einar Diaz, he's still in the organization. He will be, what is being described as someone who is "helping transition the Latin Players to playing in the United States."

Finally....

This happened yesterday... With it being really the first big day of the offseason, trades happening, free agents filing, all sorts of fun stuff.. The Indians had two players file for such.

One is Jamey Carroll, who we all know and the other is Tomo Ohka. Bahaha.

Shapiro says that Carroll will be under consideration for that open utility role the Indians have, but they seem to be fixed on going internal and young with that.

However, I don't think Carroll will come as expensive was we originally thought.

Let's remember this economy sucks and last year, baseball felt that.

Players like Orlando Hudson and Orlando Cabrera signing late and for one year deals. What is Jamey Carroll going to garner? Certainly not the millions he would have a few years ago. If the Indians did want to get Carroll back, I don't think he'd come at a steep price. However I don't think the Indians are in a position to bring back a veteran at that spot.

While this team needs a veteran, one like Carroll may not be the answer.

Tribe Hires Tim Belcher as Pitching Coach

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:49:00 +0000

The first surprise of the Cleveland Indians new coaching staff was it's first one.

Tim Belcher has been hired as the new pitching coach of the Cleveland Indians.

Most assumed that Scott Radinsky and Dave Miller were the favorites to fill the pitching job in Manny Acta's staff. While both still could get a crack at the bullpen job, Belcher's hiring as the pitching coach is a bit of a surprise given the talk, even if he was a candidate listed.

Many people don't know where this guy comes from, but they may remember his name. For the record, he's actually coming right from under your nose. Belcher's former position as of today, Special Assistant to Baseball Operations for... you guessed it, the Cleveland Indians. He's held that position for eight years.

Belcher is a 14 year major league veteran that accumulated 146 wins over his career. He spent his career in many different locations, including Los Angeles (Dodgers to start his career, Angels to end it), Cincinnati, Chicago (White Sox), Seattle, Kansas City, and Detroit. so in other words he's played for three AL Central teams and has been in the organization of a fourth and you may not know this, but he he was drafted by the fifth, the Minnesota Twins first overall in 1983, but refused to sign.

Many know him for a variety of reasons... Here are some of those reasons.

- He gave up the first major league hit to a shortstop who just recently won another World Series ring... I think his name is Jeter.

- He won a World Series game for the Dodgers in 1988, the year they won the World Series.

- His best season was a year later in 1989, when he led the NL in shutouts and complete games and placed sixth in the Cy Young voting.

- He led the AL in loses in 1994 for Detroit, and yes that was a strike year.

- And of course, the Chan-Ho Park incident. Love that flying kick sort of a thing from Park. What was that all about?

So a little shocking? To me it is.. His name was out there, but everything looked like if it was coming from inside the organization, it was going to be Radinsky or Miller.

He's certainly have the major league credentials..

Here is a quote from Ross Atkins from Minor League camp a few years ago. Blecher may have been in the Front Office for the past few years, but when Spring Training would roll around, it's clear he's been someone who's done some instructing.

"Every day, there's a different topic," Atkins said. "The importance of routines, the importance of getting guys out on three pitches, keeping your body in shape and making 30 starts a year ... Tim Belcher's voice is certainly loud in those settings."

It's not like this guy is foreign to instructing, but he hasn't done it full-time as a pitching coach for even a minor league team. I can see this getting met with disdain from some people, but let's wait and find out more before we judge and go crazy.

According to Hoynes, some of Blecher's duties included: Working with players in the development system, evaluation of pitching talent, advanced scouting of other teams for the major league pitching staff.

If you can believe the Indians Insider tweet, than he knows this organization in and out and that's something that is important, but realize it doesn't make him the best choice. We'll soon see what the Indians see in him, because there is definitely more to it.

It's all going according to plan....so far

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:34:00 +0000

Remember when I suggested Sandy Alomar Jr. for this coaching staff a few posts ago?

That as purely speculation and wild hope.

But it turns out that there may be some ideas from the Indians to do this.

ESPN's Buster Olney broke the news that the Indians are working on Alomar for their staff, and Hoynes says it might be in a catching instructor/bullpen coach role.

Which would be a slight upgrade to his catching instructor/bullpen catcher role.

However New York has made changes on their staff and could easily promote him to keep him around. However they did fire his Dad.

So it's going to be interesting to see if we can pry him away. A catching instructor/bullpen coach role would be perfect for Sandy. He'll get to potentially work with Carlos Santana.

Now there is a chance the Indians still go with someone like Scott Radinsky or Dave Miller as their bullpen coach, if they hire one or neither as their pitching coach. The first two coaches that Acta is aiming to get: Pitching Coach and Infield Coach (Torey Lovullo would probably do that if he was hired, seem coincidental?)

Manny has been doing some things while the World Series has been going on, but now that it is officially over, he can probably ramp up the search and get into it.

And Hoynes throws in this tidbit at the end of the last link.. The staff may be split 50-50 on in-house hires and outside hires. I don't know how accurate that is, because Acta and crew are going to hire who they want to hire, regardless of where they came from. We have no clue.

Anyway, like I said, this is the point when things will start to accelerate as far as the coaching staff. All of Acta's time will now be devoted to finding people for his staff, so expect a flurry of activity in the next week or so.

Let me end this by saying Grrrr to the Yankees and their World Series win. Why do we hate the Yankees? Because it's fun. I will say this though.

I seriously undercut CC a lot. I said it was going to be a mistake just like it was for many star players (mostly pitchers) who went to New York and their careers took a nose-dive. We all know the CC that gets over-emotional and starts to overthrow and get all uncontrollable. Well we didn't really see that from him this year in the postseason and in a way, I'm proud of him.

I thought it was a decision he was going to regret and I thought it was going to end in disaster. It didn't and in a way, as much as I don't like the Yankees and have a little loss of respect for C after those comments he made a few weeks ago, I'm glad it worked out for him.

But that's enough about that. The real reason I was cheering for the Phillies.

This hilarious shirt.

Philly fans are awesome.

Can anyone here throw a shuuto pitch?

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:39:00 +0000

I twitted (tweeted) yesterday about the signing or possible signing of Japanese right hander Takafumi Nakamura.

What?

That's Hiro Nakamura, from Heroes.

Relation? No, but that doesn't mean we can't speculate he has the ability to stop time. Or say that Ole Sheldon is related to Sheldon Ocker or Sheldon Plankton. Or say that Rick Bauer isn't related to Jack Bauer.

Anyway, the report came out through MLB Trade Rumors through the NBP Tracker site that deals with all the Japanese player movement.

Prospect Insider has picked up on it and says the Indians have confirmed interest, but no contract has been reached. We'll know soon enough if this is a deal or not though.

So who is Takafumi and why do I love his name?

Well he's a 21 year old from Chuo University, he's about 6'5, 195 pounds.. 6'5? Damn son.

HBP Tracker says he wasn't a high-profile prospect for what I'm guessing is, the Japanese Professional League draft.

But he throws four pitches. A fastball that varies from anywhere between 86-91 (which tells me he probably sits at 88, or at least has to and he very rarely reaches 91.. so he's a high eighties fastball pitcher that relies on speed changes and his delivery, he has to.), a curveball and a forkball.

Now I love anyone who throws the forkball. Anytime I created a pitcher on the show, I'd give him the forkball.

Why? Because the forkball rules and no one really throws it.

Now there is another pitch that is called a "shuuto".

I don't know what this is or why he referred to it so casually. But it may be a common pitch over in Japan.

So I gave it the good old google effect and learned all about the shuuto.

I now know enough about the shuuto pitch to last me a lifetime.

It's basically a screwball and Daisuke Matszuaka threw it. I don't know if he still does.

Remember the famed Gyro Ball though? Dice-K was supposed to throw this mythical pitch that leaked gyro sauce all over the hitter, distracting them as the ball curved down.

Not really, but that sounds about right.

Anyway apparently the Gyro Ball is a shuuto pitch, which is a fancy Japanese way of saying modified screwball.

And let me tell you my friends.. I'd have the fastball, the forkball, a generic pitch like a change or a circle change and then the screwball.

This guy is essentially the pitchers I'd create on the show.

How terrifying does shutto sound compared to Gyro ball though? I'm going to shuuto you to death right now... Here comes the shuuto!

SHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTO!

Anyway... It looks like if they end up signing him, he'll be sent to the minors, deep into the minors. Even further down than CC Lee, who started at Kinston. Could be in Single A at some point in the season though.

So last season we signed someone from Tawain and sold Tom Mastny to Japan.

This year we've signed a Japanese prospect.

By the way how is Tom Mastny doing? I don't know, I couldn't find stats, but here is his Japanese Baseball Profile.

That's a fantastic lego rendering of Tom.

As you can tell, this is the only piece of news I have, or else I wouldn't be rambling on about shuuto pitches and Tom Mastny. The truth is my first class got canceled (beautiful day) so I have time to kill and energy to waste.

Shuuuuto Mastny!

It's going to be a long week if we don't get any news about Acta's staff.

Sunday Chatter: Acta's Potential Staff, Arbitration, Winter Leagues, Rule V Discussion and More

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:05:00 +0000

You would think with Manny Acta doing his thing for covering the World Series for the FOX Spanish broadcast, that we wouldn't have much news to divulge into.

But there is plenty to get into about Acta's staff that he'll start putting together once his commitment to World Series coverage ends.

We're starting to get some names though and while all of them have been internal candidates from the Indians organization, one has not been.

The name being floated around by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as a possible coach for Acta's staff, Tim Tolman.

Tolman was a third base coach for Acta in Washington during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. He was fired last year and spent this year in Seattle's minor league system. Now Tolman actually has ties to the Indians organization, so with ties to Acta and the Tribe, there is some sense there.

Tolman was with the Indians from 2003 to 2006 as the minor league field coordinator. What he really did, who knows. But with the Nats, he was the third base coach. I've made it clear I'd give that spot to Torey Lovullo, but as long as he's on staff, I don't care.

I don't think Tolman would be brought on as the bench coach, I think Acta would want a more established name, but this is someone he obviously trusts. As for his playing background, he was a corner outfielder slash first baseman with Houston and Detroit from 1981 to 1987. 132 total games through seven seasons in the big leagues with a career .168 average.

Now I brought up Lovullo and he definitely has interest in being on the staff, as anyone in his position would. Lovullo is already working the right angle, continuing to show how bright of a thinker he is.

"I'm not sure exactly what direction they're going in," Lovullo said. "But I would be honored if I did have that opportunity."

"I could probably fill a lot of gaps, as to what Manny might not know at this point," Lovullo said. "In time, he's going to know the players well, but I could give him a little insight about their strengths and weaknesses. That might be the biggest thing at this point."

Loves was just grateful for the opportunity given to him by the Indians. But this guy is going places, so why not elevate him? He's motivated to do so and he's ready.

Should be noted that both Torey and C-Bus pitching coach Scott Radinsky live in California, where Acta is for FOX's coverage. Acta is going to be conducting interviews for coaching positions, if he'll do or has done any while in Cali is another story.

Chris Antonetti said they've asked teams for permission to talk to some people.

Two guys who will not be on the staff or be interviewed, as we've mentioned already, Derek Shelton, who is with Tampa Bay now. Congratulations need to be sent out to Jeff Datz now as well, who was hired as bench coach for the Baltimore Orioles. Big Daddy lands on his feet in Baltimore, congrats to him.

Could Luis Rivera be in the mix? He interviewed for the first base job in Pittsburgh but lost out. He said he felt he had unfinished business with the infielders, so you know he'd be interested.

The Hoynes link above says the Indians are making the pitching coach their first order of business.

Terry Pluto has some interesting things about Acta. He makes the comparison, or at least shares an e-mailers comparison with Terry Francona. We've seen baseball people already make the comparison and it is very close.

Pluto touched up on two of the Indians fallen stars in Carmona and Peralta though. He mentions how Acta will have to get JP back on track. He also unveils how the Indians offered to give Carmona the winter off, but he chose to partake in Winter Ball.

So far, I don't believe he's pitched. You can see a full list of players who've played and their statistics in their respective leagues here.

Jordan Brown is ripping it up still. Carlos Rivero led the Peoria Saguaros (whooo Saguarooooo!) to a win over Phoenix the other day. Rivero is working on his hitting and defense, the defense as something he's always had to work on, the offense as something that struggled in 2009.

Now that Acta is the man, we're starting to see the names that were also considered come forward.

It turns out Ron Roenicke was not a finalist, but rather just a top ten finalist. Turns out the Indians did just get permission to speak with him over the phone and they weren't thinking of bringing him in for a sit down.

Other names mentioned.. Clint Hurdle, who was thought to be a back up plan if things didn't go right, Bob Melvin, and Ned Yost, all former NL managers.

So the top ten: Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, Torey Lovullo, Don Mattingly, Clint Hurdle, Ron Roenicke, Ned Yost, Bob Melvin, and two unknown? John Farrell if he wanted to.. I think we have an idea now of what the Indians were looking for. Experience.

Here's the only gem worth visiting in Hey Hoynsie.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do you know if GM Mark Shapiro will be throwing out the first pitch in Game 1 of the World Series? -- Frank Jacketty, South Euclid.

I lied.. This unrelated to the Indians one, which makes absolutely no sense.

Hey, Hoynsie: Why is Andy Pettitte allowed to have the ball in his glove and nobody can see if he's spitting on the ball before every one of his pitches? Is there some rule I don't know of? -- Bob Hofelich, Berea.
Hey, Bob: The plate umpire may not be able to see what Pettitte is doing to the baseball when he puts it in his glove and holds it close to his face as he comes to a set position, but the first-, third- and second-base umpires would be able to see if he was putting a foreign substance on the ball.

Not to mention the TV cameras.

Really? Just Really?

In preparation for the Rule V draft, the Indians have cleared up a few more spots for their roster so that they can add players to protect. I doubt they take a chance on anyone this year, but we'll have to wait till we see the player pool that is formulated first after the November 20th deadline.

The Indians out-righted Mike Gosling, Niuman Romero and Scott Lewis to Columbus.

Potential players up for Rule V Protection: Carlos Rivero, Chuck Lofgren, Frank Herrmann, Jeanmar Gomez, Jordan Brown, Josh Rodriguez, Josh Tomlin, Kelvin De La Cruz, Matt McBride, Nick Weglarz, Stephen Head, Wes Hodges.

Two spots will be needed for Anthony Reyes and Jake Westbrook who are on not on the 40 man because they are still on the disabled list. So that leaves five spots for offseason acquisitions and prospect protections.

Nick Weglarz is a lock. There is seem to be the thought that De La Cruz is as well, especially after they protected Rondon last year. Too valuable to risk. Will Jordan Brown get protection? Who knows..

It's up in the air, but there isn't anyone that is a lock like Weglarz outside of De La Cruz. Hodges looked like one last year, but now, not so much.

I've updated all the charts. The offseason one especially. The 40-man roster and salary is up to date. I've switched over to 2010 mode with salaries and option years fixed. There are four arbitration eligible players for Cleveland. Kelly Shoppach who is in year two, Rafael Perez, Anthony Reyes, and Jose Veras.

They could non-tender Kelly and he should have Type B eligibility, meaning he'd get you a draft pick if you play your cards right. Veras seems like someone the Indians might want to hold onto, but I wouldn't hesitate to let him go if the roster spot was needed.

Anyway, all that stuff is updated. Have at it.

David Huff Q and A. Have at it.

Finally.. A tweet I must share with you... Don't click on the link, because who knows if it actually leads to that..

eBay: Indians Masa Kobayashi Signed OML Baseball PROOF COA $114.99 http://tinyurl.com/ykkggtu

114 bucks for a Kobayashi autograph? Who'd be drunk enough to do that?

And it turns out, this is all true... The link directly to what they are talking about.

Seriously!? Is there anyone that crazy of a collector to buy a Kobayashi signed baseball for 114 bucks?

Love his signature though... Masa 30

Hahaha Shin-Soo Boo.. You serious?

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 16:19:00 +0000

Happy Halloween out there to everyone who gives a damn.

To me, this is just another Saturday. The novelty of Halloween wore off the year after the last time I went out to get candy door to door, which I believe was eighth grade. And If I remember right, I only went that year (after two years where I didn't) because me and my friends all wanted to do it one more time before we were forced to grow up and go to High School.

I was Jerome Bettis/Alien/Backwards Baseball Cap Guy that wielded a machete of sorts.

And now as a college student, I probably should get into the whole dress up as something silly and go out partying, but I believe I'm above that for some reason.

Okay that's not the reason, I hate Halloween.

And I blame it on people for ruining Halloween.

You see last week is the week our neighborhood did Trick Or Treating. To me that's stupid. Who does that a week before from 2 to 4 in the afternoon?

I mean today, it sucks outside, it's windy and cold... So last week's weather was perfect, but it's the principle of things.

Anyway, I won't bore you with my hatred for how the world has screwed up Halloween. In fact I don't really have anything much to say in this post. I just wanted to share with you something that I found mildly amusing and wish you a Happy Halloween. Just because I'm a Scrooge doesn't mean you have to be.

Shin-Soo Boo.

That was done by some dude from Toledo and it was voted the winner of the Indians pumpkin carving contest. For his great skill of carving Cleveland Indians right fielders into a pumpkin and giving it a clever name, this guy won an autographed Grady Sizemore bat and Shin-Soo ball.

So if you wanna win something like that. When winter comes, just build a snowman in the shape of Jhonny Peralta and call it Snowman Jhonny. It isn't a clever name, but it has as much lateral movement as the real Jhonny Peralta.

Best comment on facebook towards this pumpkin... "If that's our best pumpkin, why haven't we traded it yet?"

I really need to stop reading that stuff, but I can't help it. It's entertaining.

Facebook Reactions Part II: Acta Hired

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 12:50:00 +0000

And now the second part of Facebook Reactions to the Manny Acta hiring.

I think this would conclude Manny Acta week here.. Certainly I think we've killed this to death.

There's some more news floating around, we'll get that to it later today or tomorrow. For now, enjoy more commentary on ridiculous comments.

Part I can be seen here.

----

Man, I wish Cleveland baseball fans knew something about baseball. Manny is a good baseball man. Don't judge him by what happened in DC. Give him a chance.

As do I, as do I.

Unbelievable! When I got the email announcing this, I was absolutely stunned. Eric Wedge has to be wondering why he was fired after this move. Talk about a slap in the face. Monumental Fail

You must have not been paying too much attention to things then. It's quite alright though, not many others did.

This is a pathetic team. You suck!!!!!!

Who sucks? The guy who wrote the article? That's a big no no then, AC is the one thing that does in fact, not suck.

HORRIBLE. I LEFT MY SEASON TICKET GROUP TODAY.

Oh well...

You guys are nuts... who was a better option... guys like torre and francona managed bad teams to start their careers... I'm not saying he'd going to be great but give the guy a freakin chance.

I just like highlighting the few comments that are actually sensible.

Are you kidding me?!?!?! Maybe now we can call the California penal league and get a pitcher!!!!

Major League Reference, 3.

should anyone be surprised really?!??! since 97 what goods decisions have been made by the Tribe??

You really want me to count them out?

Can you say CHEAP

Cheap... What was supposed to happen?

For those who missed the fine print, the Indians weren't the only team to choose Acta as their manager. Houston also wanted him but he decided to go to Cleveland for the longer deal.

Fine print? It didn't even need to be in fine print, people don't like to read, especially Indians fans after they read a headline.

what hhappened to eric wedge?

Talk about living under a rock....

God Damn it I think it's time to find a new favorite baseball team

What is that like four or something? Oh well, I don't think we're missing much.

@fairweather fans: I'm sure there will be seats on the bandwagon the next time it rolls through town. Go Tribe!

Oh there will be, but I'll be at the end of the Bandwagon with a blowtorch fending off these numskulls that want back on.

Shoulda hired Mangini.

I know man, really.

I give up on all Ohio sports teams

Even the Cavs and Buckeyes? Wow, sorry to hear that.

wow time to fire mark shapiro... the bum hires a BIGGER bum than wedge... I think he is trying to make the Indians such a huge loser that they move the team...

How does that benefit him in anyway? Sometimes I wonder if people realize what they say.

Not happy with this choice. should have kept Wedge then if they are going with this guy. Horrible Dolans Horrible. They are making it very hard for me to remain a fan.

I'm sorry they are being so hard on you.

donny baseball didn't even get an interview?! cheap ass dolan, I'll give the guy a chance but until we get a better owner and gm, the future looks grim

At least you are giving the guy a chance. Some people have some hope.

The Indians are quickly finding out the power of social media.

Hahahaha. Yeah really..

You guys (read: the majority of people who have posted here) really don't get it? Do you?

No, they don't..

Everybody is jumping on this as a bad hire. I really like it. The guy's got major league managerial experience. He is from outside the organization (something I think we need). All I've read about him indicates that he's got a good baseball mind. He'll be able to easily relate to the Latino players on the club. Just because he was let go by DC doesn't make him a bad candidate. He was the victim of circumstance there. To dismiss the guy like has been done here, to me, is stupid.

This guy reads some things.

WOW!! It's like the 70's all over again. And the 80's. Poor talent, poor manager, poor GM and poor ownership. What is the city going to do when 'Bron 'Bron leaves next year? Manny Acta? Seriously? How could you really be happy about this unless you're a front office bean counter. Congratulations Dolan/Shapiro, you've successfully ruined a once proud franchise.

I told you they we're talking about LeBron. I'm happy about this and I don't count beans in their front office. But if anyone knows how I could get into a job like that. Let me know.

were suppose to give this guy a chance because he managed a bad team in DC to a bad record....what kind of team do u think the Indians have...A BAD TEAM

Ahh boy..

Horrible hire.

You know that sir?

I'm going to trust Shapiro's judgement because he was able to do a quick rebuild from 2002-2004. It just seems odd that some of these prospects have average numbers in the minors and that the new manager had no success with his prior team. I won't bash it until after next year, but I just don't know.

Neither do a lot of us, at least you will wait before you call it bad.

I am not sure about this hire. I am willing to give the man a fair chance though.

Wow there is hope for this fan base after all.

Brendan, have you looked at his record? I wish I could be less cynical, but the man hasn't won squat. He never played in the bigs; his record sucks.

How many current good managers were good major leaguers?

I'm moving away from cleveland!!! I HAVE HAD IT!!!

Wow this person is actually moving from Cleveland. Amazing

Some coaches do better in their second stint. See Bill Belichek.

Not baseball but good point.

Great, they hired a manager who was fired and has a horrible record and no experience with success in baseball. Great.

No experience of success? Just because he was with the Nationals doesn't mean he hasn't been on a winning team.

I think they just don't want to win...Cliff, Ben, Victor, & CC....the organization should be ashamed! It should be real fun watching CC vs. Cliff in the World Series.

Yeah they don't want to win... That's what it is.

WHY NOT BOBBY VALENTINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MANNY ACTA SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You must have not watched his press conference. I'll give you a pass.

What? Do we hire the first guy that walks in the door? Oh, wait, WE JUST DID!!!!! I am very disappointed with this choice, especially when we had a proven winner like Bobby Valentine interested in the position.

Yeah they hired the first guy they interviewed, but it isn't like they hired him right after the interview. Child Please.

Wow the amount of ignorance posting on here is unbelievable. Acta had no talent in Washington, it was like trying to win in Pittsburgh. He was the best choice. Go Tribe!

Ignorance is bliss, unless you are a Cleveland fan.

With the hiring of the former manager of the worst team in baseball, Larry Dolan has once again proven he is not interested in competing or winning. But getting by on-the cheap. Under Dolan, the Indians have become a joke and Indians fans the punch line. I urge all Indian fans to NOT buy tickets or merchandise until this man sells this "Team". DO NOT put a single red cent in his pocket for his subsatndard product.

This is the irrational Cleveland fan that is different from typical people. This one actually has some sort of an idea what he's talking about, or at least he thinks he does. And his brilliant solution is to tell everyone to not buy tickets or contribute to the team. This is worse than typical irrational fan.

absolutely stupid. i guess larry dolan is commited to losing even tho he says he wants to win. i predict this team will not be in cleveland in 10 years, and we cal all thank mr. dolan for that.....*******

Yep that's exactly what he's doing. Again, do people think about what they say?

What a joke... I'm losing my loyalty.

Ouch, you must have not had much to begin with.

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME.. Manny Freaking Acta, seriously WTF is this.. Don't kid yourself, Valentine was never going to get this job. He made 4 mil in Japan, Dolan would never pay that to a manager, especially when he's still paying Wedge 1.3 mil for this year. So Shapiro really only interviewed 2 guys, is Randy Lerner consulting for the Tribe now? At least Acta showed he could get the most out of his talent in D.C. oh wait THEY SUCKED! Come on Shapiro you don't even interview Mattingly? Did this move have to be made today? I DOUBT IT. If Houston really wanted Acta then why didn't they hire him last week? I hope I'm wrong but I think this move blows. With Dolan saying he's not spending money in the offseason, this was the one chance to generate some interest in his pathetic team..FAIL

You feel better? I hope so, just so you didn't say all that for nothing.

ACTA HAD NO TALENT IN DC TO GET ANYTHING OUT OF IT. Valetine was a joke and he admitted himself he knew nothing about the Indians or the Central Division. You shouldn't try to talk Baseball if you know nothing about it.

Again just counting the good beans.

wow you guys passed up Bobby Valentine and Don Mattingly for a guy that got cut from the nationals? LOL cleveland is perhaps cursed who knows.

Yep, because he was the better choice.

Dolan isn't the problem. Market imbalances is destroying MLB. There are 20 farm teams, for the top ten market teams. I am through with MLB, till they fix their game.

There really only was one comment like this. The high road was taken here.

Goodbye, Indians. Your constant ineptness, continued crapping on the fans, and obvious role as developmental team for the rest of the league have worn on us too thin. You can have my tickets back. They will now match all the other empty seats around them. Shapiro + Dolans = Losers.

Just keep crying....

The new promotional calendar for 2010 is "1982 theme night" all year. There will be a crowd of 3,000 people each night, and the Indians will stink.

This is thoughtful.

**** DOLAN, **** SHAPIRO **** LERNER AND **** MANGINI! GO CAVS!!!!!

Feel Better?

YAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!..........Nope...BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOO.

How old was this person?

Valentine was never really an option, this isn't the right situation for him. So you have Acta who is basically a Wedge clone or Tory Luvullo who is a Terry Francona clone. They basically replaced Wedge with a bilingual Wedge.

Bilingual Wedge.. That's funny. I've heard the opposite in terms of comparison though. Acta was the new Francona and Lovullo was the new Wedge.. I guess people really don't know, which brings us back to the point that, no one knows right now.

It's all about the $$. Acta comes cheap! I don't like the choice, BUT it's better than Tory Luvallo!

Please at least spell the names right.

ask the nationals what kind of impression he left, 59-103, and couldn't sign their 1st round pick, great move dolan's you set us back at least 2-3 more years!!!!

Actually they signed their first round pick, but Acta has no bearing on that.

They say he made a lasting impression. Ya he told tight ass that he would pay him to coach

Hahahaha, wow I love some people.

I'm a life long tribe fan and I will reserve any judement until I see how this evolves... I guess call me a "glass half full" kinda guy... However I do think Dolan needs to sell the team...

Yeah I'm a glass half full kind of guy, but they should really sell the team. Hahaha. Good one

Acta=Spanish for cheap
The Tribe and the Dolans went the affordable route...how surprising, lol.
Oh well, at least the Cavs start Tuesday!

You know my name is Spanish for boy?

OMG BEST DECISION EVARRRRRRRRRR The worst team in Baseball fires it's manger and you hire him.... So let me guess.... Next big free agent pitcher the Indians sign will be Charlie Sheen? Oh and since Victor is gone ya might as well pick up Kevin Kostner on waivers but you'd probably just trade them all away for prospects huh?

Did anyone ever think they are the worst team in baseball for a reason and that's why they fired him? Because they are stupid? Major League Reference is up to four I think.

I really dont know what to say. I love the Tribe. Why does this **** happen to us, LOYAL Tribe fans that are forces to watch two or our pitchers start game one of the biggest game in baseball on wednesday. Heart is hurting, I am going to leave my tribe hate in Baghdad this time. Go Cubs

LOYAL? You just said Go Cubs.. I'm sorry sir but you are not loyal.

At least the new manager is used to being around players without talent.....He'll fit right in with the Tribe......

Hahaha again, if you are going to make fun, at least be funny.

This is just The Indians being Manny!

And I think that is a fitting way to end things.

Facebook Reactions Part I: Acta Hired

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:30:00 +0000

In case you are new to the internet, Facebook is one of the roots of all evil and as I like to mention, I'm on it along with the other root of all evil twitter.

As a fan of the Cleveland Indians on Facebook, I see their postings and so do many many other fans of the Indians. Well people on Facebook that claim they are fans at least. Some people like to comment and this is what happens.

I like to make fun of those people, so I've brought that practice here. I haven't included every comment, because sometimes they make no sense and often the same comments are repeated. I've deleted names and times but have not edited the posts in anyway.

If you've made one of these comments and I've made fun of you, I apologize, but you probably have it coming if you opinion doesn't have any argument behind it. The simple fact is that I'm awesome and I can rip apart a flimsy argument.

As always, my comments are in bold below each individual comment from the Facebook...er...

As for a collective reaction. As you can imagine, more typical Cleveland fans that settle on Facebook are against this in some way. A lot of people are yelling at Shapiro and Dolan though, which I am sort of fine with in a way. But the "Acta sucks" and not giving him a chance thing bothers me so much I can sort of go easy on the Shapiro/Dolan haters.

Anyway.. Let's get to it, Part I up today, Part II up tomorrow.

----

DISLIKE - 15 Times

About 15 people had the word “dislike” or some form of wanting to dislike the story instead of “like” which is the only button Facebook has.

What?....Who

This isn’t a surprise.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Yeah we will.

Nooooooooooooooo!

Wow you are really upset about this. Like fifteen extra o's.

I hate this guy!

Do you even know this guy?

You've got to be a tried and true DUMBASS to sign a manager that led the worst team in baseball for the past two seasons... SmFh...

I didn't know what SmFh means until I typed it into Urban Dictionary. Go ahead and shake your head. This is casual fan's typical response. Blaming the record he had with the Nationals.

Just like the Browms, made a hire to quick!!!!

I actually think the Browms made a good hire with Mangini, but again people in Cleveland want to win now, never mind the fact the Browns had cruddy talent before he got there and he's trying to fix it.

Sweet- the price is right!

No this is actually the Indians hiring a manager, not the game show.

I can't believe they would not interview Hargrove. At least throw the fans a bone with that.

Now this is what angers me. Throw the fans a bone by interviewing him? And then when he's not hired and they just do it for publicity, you get all pissy that they didn't hire him. Seriously, throw me a bone and stop these ridiculous thoughts.

Can't be any worse than Wedge!!

Actually you could be, but I get what you were going for.

Manny Acta is a horrible hire. You guys realize he suked with the Nationals right

No I didn't realize that, thanks for the observation genius.

get rid of alll the damn managers......

I like this thought. One less thing for everyone to complain about

This is the worst move Dolan has made. This will ensure even less people go to games next year. They better have dollar dog and fireworks every night to get anyone there.

You know what, maybe they will... And every night they don't do that, it will be Grady Sizemore give away nights.

this is probably not the best decision

Probably? Not too confident in that comment.

Brilliant!! Lets hire the manager from the worst team in baseball and keep him until 2012. I suppose Bozo the Clown was occupied at the moment. DISLIKE DISLIKE DISLIKE!!!

That's the plan. Bozo the Clown was actually occupied. He's over in Chicago. /OzzieGuillenBurn

i was hoping they would have tried to get hardgrove. that wouldve been cool

Really now? You think so?

are lerner and dolan the same person? they seem to make the same type of moves.

You gotta love the way some people continue to compare the Browns and Indians, just because they are both horrible.

ya lets get the skipper from the worst team in the league now they look like the browns

You also have to love the way some people continue to compare the Browns and Indians and also bring up the fact Acta managed the Nationals. It's the most common crazy irrational reasons meshed into one. It's one giant ball of crazy.

What, they couldn't get Mangini so they got the next best thing? Why not at least talk with someone else first??

They talked to Bobby Valentine and Torey Lovullo. I bet Eric Mangini didn't want to deal with two messes in Cleveland at this time.

Fire Acta
Thank you Tribe for finally cementing in my decision to like another team besides your dumb asses. You've got to be kidding me. When the Dolan's and Shapiro are both gone. I'll check back! Until then.. Peace

Peace Bro. Don't come back anytime soon.

THIS TEAM BLOWS....SELL THE TEAM *******S!!!!!

I can only imagine what he starred out.

Nice! Hire someone elses garbage. Sound familiar Browns fans? Time for the owners of the Browns & Indians to sell the teams to poeple who want to spend money to field a competetive team.

First they have to find people who have the money to actually buy something that won't make them much money at the outset. Well the Browns may make money because this town is obsessed, but the Indians sure as hell won't.

Thank God for the Cavs and Lebron for now. Oh! the state of Cleveland sports. Wedge may be better then Acta.

This is the third or fourth most common type of response. At least we have that 0-2 Cavs team! And the more sorrowful people mention how they better hold onto LeBron or all hope is lost.

Lets get an owner that wants to spend money...lets get an owner that has money to spend

I don't think you can find a single solitary owner that would love to actually spend money. I know what you mean, but you sound very bitter and I had to own you.

awful........way to interview everyone and take your time!!

So they didn't interview one candidate. Oh well, it happens, get over it.

Lets get a GM that knows whats going on

Are you implying we have a GM that doesn't know what is going on?

are we trying to be the worst team?I guess I am now NOT in the Tribe.

You too? Well that's two more fans we don't need.

as they should cuz he could get it done with Washington which is apparently the same skill level so nice call Tribe front office. once again we put money before a championship

This is why the Yankees are bad for baseball. Not because they buy the good players to try and gain a competitive advantage unlike most other teams, but because our casual fans get this kakamami idea that the only way to win is spend money.

this is a fantastic move. All of you who don't like this, please bookmark this thread and save it.

Hahaha.. I wouldn't go calling it fantastic now, but this is pretty much a bookmark I'd say.

Who owns this team anyway? Some stripper that wants to move it to Fla?

Major League Reference, 1.

He was fired as the NATIONALS Manager! The worst team in baseball. This is ridiculous! Of the four finalist he was my LAST choice - but they obviously didn't ask me...lol. Mattingly never even got his interview.

lol.. yeah... He was my first choice, so that's where we differ I guess.

Why do you hire a manager that has one of the worst records over the past 50 years of at least two years of manager experience???? Stupid!

Because records aren't everything pal.

Wow!!! I think I'm a Tigers fan now. That was a horrible hire! You just got the Mangini of Baseball.

You think? Make a decisions so I can cross you off the list of loyal people in the world. I guess this guy hasn't watch either Mangini or Acta, because they couldn't be more not alike.

Fail. Eric Mangini with a Dominican accent.

Hahahaha.. If you are at least going say something like "Yeah he's just another Mangini!" At least make it funny like this one. I give this bonus points.

Does this mean there is extra money to spend on good free agents to help the team in 2010?

Sure, but do you want to help this team place in second rather than third? Or in everyone's eyes, fourth instead of last.

Lets see, in 2 1/2 years Acta lost 100 games more than he won, The Tribe blames that on the Nationals having young, inexperienced players. WOW. What do they think he has to work with here? Please, Mr Dolan, sell this team to someone who gives a rats a$$.

Correction. The Nationals did have young and inexperienced players. But not all of them were very good. They also tried bringing in lousy veterans and headcases.

Couldn't wait for Donny Baseball?

Nope, gotta get going since Donnie Baseball wasn't going to manage here anyway.

Way to go Shapiro and Dolan, you guys suck!!!!
Mattingly would have been better then this bum

How are you so sure about that? That's what gets me. How do people really know this?

If the Indians were so worried about getting someone who could relate and speak to the Spanish speaking players, then they should have considered hiring Mike Hargrove and a TRANSLATOR!!!! HELLO

Hahahahaha.. HELLO!

Thome should retire and take over the manager spot of the indians...

I actually started to respond to this with more than three lines then I realized what I was responding to.

Oh come on! You fire Wedge and replace him with a coach that had an even worse record for the last several years with the Nationals. WTF?!

Like I said, this was a common occurrence.

Somewhere the Astros fans are thanking us. DISLIKE!

Brad Mills and they are thanking us? Yep.

BOOOOOOOOOO x 1,000,000,000,000

Nice work here, even more upset than the Nooooooooooo guy. Believe it or not, a female did not make this comment.

This is an absolute slap in the face of Indians fans....what a joke.

I did not feel a hand smack my face.

Ugh. And Ch ch ch Charlie Manuel is in the World Series FAIL!

What are you stuttering?

dolans make another damn mistake and lets think he is the one that jumped the gun who said he got the job so he is ready to mess up our team.. bring back Charles Negy as a pc

I have no clue what that first sentence means or says. Charles Negy eh? If you guys like these old players at least take the time to spell their names right.

He must have been the cheapest of the finalists. It's all about who will fill the vacancy for the lowest price, not who's most qualified to put wins back on the books. Glad to see Mattingly even got a chance.

Torey Lovullo would have actually been the cheapest if you ask me, then I think Mattingly considering another team wanted Acta.

Dave is right... this sounds like the script from the movie, "Major League". Are they trying to ruin attendance even more??? trying to move??? what in the world are they doing??? Do they not use any brains in hiring the worst manager in baseball today? Between trading my favorite players and now this... I am going to give up my loyalty to the Indians... and, maybe I will switch to the Pirates.

Yes, the Cleveland Indians are intentionally trying to lose more money and alienate their fan base. That's exactly what they are doing and congratulations, you figured their plan out. Enjoy the Pirates and their 900 consecutive losing seasons and horrid ownership.

Many of you are saying you don't know much about the guy and thats why you don't like the hire? He's the one I wanted all along. Shapiro didn't just go for the big name, he was smart and went for someone who fit our team and could actually help us win. He did his homework, not just look at Acta's record while he managed a team that had no talent and should have, and did finish last.

Wow someone that is actually logical. You don't even need to be smart to realize this. People complain about the hiring, yet they also admit they have not much background on the guy. Logic is all I ask sometimes.

What do we expect from Cleveland? Sell ALL of the good players then fire the coach's & Managers. Why not? He'll sign for peanuts!

What is he, an elephant?

i like this hire. The guy was only with Washington for 2 and a half years! I mean come on......Give the guy some time to develop his talent cause the talent that was in Wash. wasnt his! And who would u guys have rather had????? Another triple A manager.....or a has been who has been in Japan the past 5 years? Thats what i thought! Stop all of the whinnig and call the whambulance fair weather Indians fans!!

I support this statement and no I didn't make it, or else I would have spelled whining right and used proper punctuation. Still, mega bonus points to you.

he doesn't need someone to fit the team until 2012, when then become competitive again (his words after the Martinez trade). A name would have been good to get fans in seats, make the team some money and afford us to go buy some talent. Who cares about Acta?

You twisted his words buddy.

Are the Indians nut's? Tis is not a good hire mark my words

Tis not? I'm marking your words now.

I liked Wedge.

Didn't we all?

another 10 years of a sorry team. GO CAVS!

Go Magic.

they could have brought in the greatest manager in the world....we still would have those terrible players. Let the suckyness......continue..........

This isn't a popular comment, but it was when Eric Wedge was fired if you remember. They were disguised as "Fire Shapiro" comments.

Boooooo! Not what I wanted to hear.

I don't know if Mark Shapiro and company were aware of what you wanted to hear. Could you please tell them next time.

Painfully Pleasant is Cliff P. Lee

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 12:14:00 +0000

I've decided to delay Facebook reactions a day because of what we witnessed last night.

I wanted to avoid talking about this here because of how painful it is.

And it really is painful.

But after what we saw last night.. Wow.

It didn't really hit me until I saw Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia in the pre-day of game press conferences as is the norm for starting pitchers in the Playoffs.

Then it really hit me when I actually watched the game.

Two former Indian Cy Young award winners that were just on this team last year, now pitching in the World Series against each other.

Mass attention. Mass praise. Mass everything.

None of us are shocked by this right?

Everyone in the world is like, oh my god Cliff Lee. Well guess what, I expected nothing more from that guy. After 2008 we were all believers of Lee. And If we weren't, we were convinced after a few starts this year.

Cliff Lee is pitching on another planet.

And now he's a cult hero.

My contribution to #cliffleefacts?

Cliff Lee doesn't throw his curveball. He dares his fastball to curve.

People keep saying he's in the zone. Dudes, he's been in the zone since the start of 2008. I'm starting to think there is no zone, he's just that good.

This all being said...

As painful as it is, I'm getting sick of ESPN and FOX reminding us all about that pain. "Boy I'm sure Cleveland feels good right now."

Shadddddup!

Of course it sucks to watch.

We don't need your confirmations of that.

How are we feeling this morning that all aside? CC Sabathia did well, I still think we feel a little bitter towards him more than Cliff because of the team he ended up with. But Cliff Lee dominated and I think us Tribe fans all feel a little proud this morning that he did that. And also a little pleasant, even with a little pain, that he did it against the Yankees.

Oh and how about someone asking him if he was nervous?

He struck out ten Yankees. He stood there and just caught a ball like it was nothing. He casually reached behind his back to catch a Robinson Cano grounder up the middle.

That man is not nervous. That man is special. And for anyone that thinks Cliff Lee is fibbing by saying no he isn't nervous, I'll speak up for him as will most of us. That is Cliff Lee, not changing a bit.

More things to consider: Acta's Cultural Impact and Coaches

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 12:21:00 +0000

With Acta now fully on board and the flurry of madness that was his arrival sort of over, I think it's time to settle down a bit.

First off, read my plea to Cleveland Fans everywhere about Acta. It was my formal here is why he is a good hire for Cleveland right now post and I came to this conclusion while writing the piece.

Out of the list we had to choose from, Acta was the best choice. Is he the best choice to run this situation? We all hope he is, but that is simply something we do not know right now.

I think any sensible Cleveland fan can come to that conclusion.

And with that, we move on, at least until I unleash Facebook Reactions on you tomorrow. Oh trust me, there are some real gems in there.

Let's just talk a little bit more about this.

And let's start with the impact Acta is going to have on this club based on his Latin roots and bi-lingual...ness.

I think people are taking for granted how big of a deal this is. I stated it myself in my case for Manny Acta and some people thought I, and everyone else that was bringing it up, was making too much of a big deal about it.

But I think I didn't do it justice. You need to read Tony Lastoria's latest post on Prospect Insider.

And let me just emphasize the three names he brought up that are central to this team.

Rafael Perez, Fausto Carmona, Jhonny Peralta.

When the Indians went to the ALCS in 2007, Rafael Perez was a dominant relief pitcher. When the Indians went to the ALCS in 2007, Jhonny Peralta had one of his best years and was clutch in the playoffs. When the Indians went to the ALCS in 2007, Fausto Carmona won 19 games and was a stud.

If you don't think those three players are important to this team, you are crazy.

I myself, like others, have had enough of Peralta. I will say it right now, the guy better do something that tells us he deserves to be on this team because the guy is on thin-ice as far as I'm concerned.

But perhaps this manager is one Peralta can better relate to.

All three of these guys are Domincan, as is Manny Acta. Not just from a Latin country but from Acta's Latin country.

It also appears he has a prior relationship with Fausto Carmona.

I think it is absolutely HUGE that this guy can sit down and just talk with these players and the fact that he is the manager, he is the guy putting them in the lineup, or deciding their roles, or where they slot in the rotation.

It's huge and I think it needs to be mentioned till it is actually overblown.

Then you factor in all the Latin prospects and young players this team has and their best one is from the Dominican?

I'm glad Tony talked at length about it because it made even me realize that it is a bigger deal than even I thought, and I thought it was a big deal. Tony also talks about some interesting offseason moves or possibilities that we won't get into today, but certainly will once the coaching staff is in place and this free agent market kicks off.

I know for one thing, I do buy the idea of signing some sort of impact player, but waiting till the very end when they come cheap. As pointed out, the economy still sucks and teams like Oakland and Los Angeles made a killing off getting veterans for cheap at the end on one year deals. There will be a pitcher out there for the taking.

Hey Sheldon Ocker is alive and talking... I think he stole the premise to my article though. Probably not, but a boy can dream.

(I'm just kidding, please don't think I'm serious.. If you didn't get the joke: I actually agree with Ocker's opinion for once, which means he isn't crazy like he usually is. Therefore, he stole my opinion.)

Let's talk coaches though.

I was tweeting yesterday while I was bored in Astronomy class about coaches and possibilities.

BENCH

I tweeted this and I've seriously been thinking about this stuff when I'm bored so this wasn't a little heyyyy crazy thought.

But Acta should bring in someone, all on his own, that he trusts. It would be nice if he had major league managerial experience, but that is a tough qualification to find. Hey I wonder if Eric Wedge is available?

Haha wow, okay too soon. But really, Acta said he wants someone that is thinking at all times. Someone that is managing along with him that he can turn to and ask for an opinion. That screams someone who's managed before. It would be nice to have two guys that have been mangers at the big league level on staff.

Possibilities that I can throw out: Ned Yost, Clint Hurdle.. Etc.

Should let this one up to Acta though as it will be his main source to rely on.

PITCHING

Over at IPI Tony posted that Scott Radinsky (no shocker there) and Dave Miller (some are saying, who?), are two of the top candidates based on their familiarity with the pitchers in the organization.

Radinsky has probably been on the top of everyone's minds for awhile now. Some credit him as "fixing" guys when they get sent down. The case was stated no better in that post. Radinsky is the favorite in my eyes. I don't know if Acta has a guy, but Randy St. Claire, the guy that Acta had with him at Washington, was hired by Florida yesterday.

Not sure I would have wanted him anyway. Let's go internal for this spot unless there is a better choice, but I like Radinsky a lot and so do others.

HITTING

Jon Nunnally is at the tip of everybody's tongue after Paul Hoynes mentioned him specifically in one of his news postings and there was the quote that some believed he was "the best hitting coach they've ever had."

Well we don't know who is saying that so who knows really. But if Nunnally can solve Andy Marte somewhat, that may be somewhat for real.

I really have no clue. Nunnally seems nice, but I'd like to avoid having the entire Columbus coaching staff promoted. Still if there is no better choice.

LOVULLO

The guy has to be on staff, right? I mean what else can he prove in the minor leagues? Get him up, put him at third or something. Get him on the staff someway, somehow.

SANDY ALOMAR JR.

Yeah I did it.

Alomar is with the Mets right now. He isn't a third base or a bench coach, but he's on staff. I don't know what his position is, if he has any interest long term with New York, but I'd go after him. Acta used to be the third base coach for the Mets but I don't believe he was actually on staff with Sandy.

Alomar was playing for the Mets for awhile, so I'm thinking they might have at least overlapped in "acquaintances" but Sandy played for them a year after Acta left.

Still, go after him and here is why.

Fans are still bent out of shape about this. They wanted guys like Omar back, which is unrealistic because those days are long gone. They wanted someone like Fryman because he played her.

Sandy makes sense! And what even more of a boost to Santana would that be if they brought him in long term.

You don't need fifteen catchers on staff, but you need one and I'd make Sandy that one.

Here is your fan suck up move, go do it and do it right now.

OTHERS

I have no more names in my memory bank. Of course Sal Fasano would be awesome though.

On that thought though. With Lovullo moving up, Sarbaugh should which means others should, which means there should be plenty of openings in the minors for someone. Get the mustache!

Acta should have free reign beyond that to just bring in guys he's qualified. If Shapiro and crew have suggestions or guys they really like, they probably should get consideration.

Breaking Down Acta: The Press Conference

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:15:00 +0000

HOLY CRAP

Has this guy been in the organization longer than one day or something?

He talked as if he's been here for awhile.

He dropped a Hector Rondon mention! I mean, who does that?!

He even dropped Nick Weglarz!

Um he was asked about Fausto Carmona specifically and he narrowed in to his final two starts as if he was in the dugout for them.

I mean, does this guy do his homework or what?

Let's start going over things... I'm going to talk quotes, but I'm just going through the presser and giving you my opinion as I hear it, I've pretty much listened to this thing twice now. I'll throw in specific quotes from Hoynes and AC's articles.

He recognizes a lot of things: the history of this franchise for the most part (the 455 sellout streak), the passion of the fan base, the weaknesses of the team (the starting pitching), the effort is going to take and the division they play in. He was sort of kind on it though calling it the "most balanced."

"These people over here are very good poker players." Got a chuckle out of me. It would hard to not be aware of you not being a favorite. I think this directly speaks to how aware he is, but only of the things that matter. He cares about Aaron Laffey taking the next step, but not necessarily the media reports that he himself is the favorite for the job. Sure he could be aware of that, but I think it just says a lot about what he values. Baseball is first with this guy.

He talked about not being a Youtube highlight. This isn't going to go over well with the people that wanted Wedge to show fire. Acta sounds like he is just like Wedge in the instance that he's a competitive individual, but not one to wear his emotions on his sleeve. I think a manager needs to know when to speak up and I think Wedge didn't do the greatest job at this.

Acta comes off as someone and given what he's said, as having that quiet competitive spirit that Wedge did. We'll have to see if he has the knack to know when to speak up. Shapiro called him an elite communicator, so remember that.

"If you give people the opportunity to choose between, say, Joe Torre after his first three years with the Mets or the Joe Torre now, I believe everyone would pick the one from now," Acta said. "I think we have to look back and know that not everybody who is a big shot now was a big shot when they started. I think big shots are just little shots who keep shooting, and I'm not willing to quit shooting until I become a big shot."

The response to his question about the record with the Nationals was brilliant. He made it all about the Indians and not about the Nationals. Yeah it was a rebuilding process and whatever, but this is where I'm at now and that's what I'm focused on. Then he referenced Joe Torre specifically as you can see above and gave this funny thing about big shots and little shots. I loved it. It shows he realizes this is his second chance to prove what happened in Washington happened in Washington and that he's far better than what that showed. Brilliantly handled.

He talked about the influence of Frank Robinson. That is not a bad guy to learn from.

"I battled this organization for years in the Minor Leagues," Acta said. "This is a place where a lot of people want to be. In 2007, I worked as an analyst during the playoffs [for Spanish-language FOX Sports] and fell in love with the Indians back then."

It really sounds like this guy eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. He talked about the 2007 stint as an analyst and how he fell in love with the team. He talked about seeing it from the other side when he was in the minors. So he is aware of some of the current guys just from that perspective.

The point when he starts naming players. Jake Westbrook, Peralta, Laffey, Carmona, Huff, Rondon, Santana, Weglarz, Mills. Just floored me. Okay he knew Jake Westbrook was good and needed him to get back and that Fausto and Jhonny have struggled. But to pull out Laffey and Rondon and Weglarz! WEGLARZ!

The lineup discussion is interesting. We'll get to that later, but it sounds the normal run of the mill perspective. You want a lineup but if changes need to be made, changes need to be made.

Big on pitching and defense was something he mentioned specifically as "big." You know I like that.. At this point he mentioned for the second time how athletic the team was.

With that he talked about the starting rotation and he fielded a question directly about Fausto Carmona. I mentioned it above, but he sounded like he was with Fausto with the two starts when he looked better. It's good to know they have a prior relationship though.

He tackled his favorite stat, which seemed to be OBP. Big on getting on base because that provides you chances to score. He threw in a little OPS love for Shapiro, but he was big on getting on base.

I loved when the woman in the press said the "1997 Indians" and he immediately corrected her. I don't even want to address what she said though because it wasn't really a question worth anything.

He isn't even waiting till winter to reach out to his players. He said it starts tomorrow. Beautiful, beautiful. He follows it up with his first joke about how he sucks at golf, so why do that? Again he eats baseball.

"It was very tough day for me emotionally," said Acta, who grew up in the Astros organization. "That being said, we have to do what's best for us. I felt Cleveland was perfect for me."

Acta confirmed he made his decision Saturday night and talked a little bit about making the decision between his "dream job" and the Indians. I think he made it clear this was a better situation.

Tackled Peralta. He said he has a higher ceiling and that he's going to reach out to him, which makes me happy if he's going to be around. He realized how important Peralta is to the success of this club offensively.

Acta said he will use the first few weeks of spring training to get a feel and take a look at guys, but that the last few weeks, it is "all out." You gotta love that Anti-Wedgeites.

Ah the Grady leadoff question... Knew that was coming... Of course Acta said he'll look at things. He keyed on LaPorta though saying it might rely on him and where they put him.

Acta said what I've been thinking.. Things aren't totally bad if this rotation is fixed. The problem is the rotation is really lacking that it really hurts. You put together a rotation you can do some things.

Um wow he's reference two reporters (David and Terry Pluto) by name. Seriously has this guy been around?

"People are always going to say the same things when things don't work out," said Acta. "I really don't worry about my reputation. Reputation is only what people think and say about you, and I can't control that."

Terry Pluto by the way brought up the discipline issue with Washington. Again, Acta said the right things. Things were said, by Washington of course and he's moving on. He mentioned how nothing was said when they exceeded expectations and he isn't worried about what went down.

I love the fact that he has that same sort of demeanor. It's what I liked about Wedge. Yeah I don't care about my reputation. I'll take the brunt and the blame, I can't control it. Let the players do the work type of mentality. Wedge protected his guys, I think Acta will do the same. He did it in Washington.

Mark Shapiro chimed in... At that point he laughed and said "this has been the best press conference ever."

Anyway Shapiro mentioned the elite communicator thing and said there was an "ease" talking to him. Shapiro wouldn't comment on Valentine specifically when asked. He made a general statement about insights gained from the guys they brought in to talk to and the ones they talked to on the phone.

"Every decision in life is tough," Acta said. "I wanted to come to a place where I can grow with the front office and the good group of young, talented players we have here, and become good for a long time. ... I consider myself a blessed human being. Both jobs were offered. It was a very tough day for me, emotionally. But that being said, you have to do what's best. And I felt that Cleveland was best."

Back to Acta... He was up front about not knowing much about the city itself. He said fans want to win just as much as everyone else and they don't come to see him, but the product on the field. But he did realize the passion and how could you not? Every city has it. He just might not know that this fan-base is a little crazy.

Manny wants someone in a bench coach that is managing with him, someone who is thinking and he can turn to and ask.

If Jamey Carroll returns, he'll have to pick yet another new number as Acta is taking 11. 14 was retired (Uh Doby!!!) so 11 it is after his birthday.

Okay.. Now Acta did a follow up with Bruce Drennen on STO. You can view that video here.

My impressions, because of course Bruce has to be nice and ask about his family.

Lefty/Righty... He used that "common sense" guy thing. He's a stats guy of course, so yeah he'll do what he needs to do. I loved his "bikini" comparison, brilliant.

Acta clarified a comment he made in the press conference when talking about the lead-off spot. I was kind of confused but he did say Choo was like LaPorta that he could change who does hit there based off where he hits.

Let's revisit the coaching discussion because this is something big that Bruce brings up. Acta said nothing will be forced on him and that they will make the decision as a team. They've already begun the process and according to Hoynes, they hope to have a staff finalized in the next two to three weeks.

Bruce brought up Luis Isaac specifically. Yaaaa.

Acta went back to the athletic point when Bruce brought up the national league style of ball. Acta seems like a guy who is going to manage to what his team's skill set is. I don't think he's a guy set on some sort of approach or mindset. He goes with what his team can do and I like that.

And because I didn't even bring it up, the whole thing with his 800-word English book. That's just fantastic.

And that would do it.

Overall.. I was impressed, just as much as I was with the initial media session. The guy has a way with words. He may be from the Dominican but he has a good grasp on the English language and knows his way around it, perhaps better than some Americans even do.

It all comes down to the field though. This is all well and good and I can sit here and praise him for his press conference and his interviews. But we're about to get into the testing of Manny Acta. Let's see what he's got. It was a good day for the Cleveland Indians right now and hopefully when we look back on it in a few years, it turns into a fantastic day.

Watch (part of) the press conference here.

Listen to the entire press conference here.

Following Acta... Isn't that a clever pun

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Clever ain't it?

Everyone is doing it though.

Second Act(a) or Re-Opening Acta.

Whatever..

It's been a bit of a whirlwind since yesterday when the Indians named Manny Acta their new manager. Everyone wants to chime in.

But make no mistakes about it. This is the beginning of a new era and it is bringing a bit of joy to the situation. There is hope and optimism and whether general Cleveland fan wants to admit it or not, there is cause to feel good about this club.

As is the case with anyone making an exciting new hiring. Sure you don't want to be in this situation, but the fact that you are means things have been really bad and there are just hopes for not feeling really bad.

So your joy in this new process comes out.

From my perspective, a lot of reasonable fans are either A) For this hiring or B) Aren't really disappointed.

A large portion of the fans that are ready to chop Shapiro's head off are irrational.

You can tell who's irrational and who's not just by reading their reasoning.

If they make clear of Acta's flaws, then they've got a point and are actually thinking and their opinion deserves to be considered.

If they are shouting random things in vain about the Nationals sucking, Shapiro being a dolt, or just bringing up Eric Wedge, then they have no clue what they are talking about and are just a casual Cleveland fan that doesn't take the time to educate themselves.

That is what really bothers me, for the most part.

Cleveland has many irrational fans, many fan bases do. But you combine irrationality with the collective impatience and pessimistic traits this fan base has and you have a bunch of overreactions, shouts of anger that make no sense and things blown completely out of proportion.

This isn't about that though, so let me get back on topic. It just frustrates me to no end to see fans losing faith before they have a right to even do so. You have no clue how this is going to work out, so stop being such a uneducated negative fan and giving Cleveland fans a bad rap. Who I'm talking to, I have no clue, but if you say "Yeah that's me" when reading this description, I'm talking to you.

Let's go around the web and iron this whole situation out and then pick up on some opinions that are informed.

Okay so this happened this way.

Houston had come to the conclusion that Manny Acta was their guy. They offered him a two year deal. Acta wanted a three year deal. Probably hearing that Acta was being offered the job from Houston, Mark Shapiro and Cleveland decided that Acta was too good to let slip away, so they offered him a three year deal.

Better situation, better contract, better everything if you ask me.

Houston would not budge on the two years, which made Acta's decision even easier. He's coming to Cleveland.

Now what made Shapiro and the Indians do this?

First with Valentine.. It became apparent he still wasn't quite sure if he wanted to do this or not. The Indians apparently were ready to bring him in for a second interview until the developments with Acta came around. That is probably when they scrapped the idea of Valentine and said forget it.

Torey Lovullo was the in-house candidate and considering there are only three jobs open and he was only in the running for this one, there is little doubt of him going anywhere this year. Still that wouldn't have effected their opinion. Shapiro wanted major league experience and Lovullo didn't have that. I still think he ends up on this staff though.

Don Matttingly, the final candidate, at least so we thought. He was expected to get scheduled for an interview this week, but again with Acta getting the offer the Indians had to speed this process up. Either they had to feel really good about one of the other three taking their job or they had to offer it. Mattingly's position may have been key because it appears he was only using Cleveland and Washington for leverage with the Dodgers. As if he was the heir apparent to Joe Torre and he wanted that commitment from them.

Why would the Indians risk not getting any of their men, including their favorite, just to interview Mattingly? It wasn't worth it, even if Lovullo was a fall-back option. Mattingly was a combination of Lovullo and Valentine. He had major league experience unlike Lovullo but he also didn't have an interest (according to rumors) in the Indians, like Valentine.

So I believe that's how this all unfolded and why Acta was hired on Sunday like that. The Indians loved him from the start and they didn't want to lose him to another team because they wanted to interview someone that doesn't actually want the job and badger someone else who didn't really want the job.

Acta wanted the job, he was the candidate they liked the most, so it was simple. Offer him a deal and don't let him go to Houston.

So here we are, like it or not, Manny Acta is the guy. Let's see what the world is saying this morning.

Scott Miller is one of the ones that doesn't get it.

The Indians have hired Manny Acta as manager, which clearly means one of two things:
Either Cleveland knows something Washington didn't.

Or the Nationals were more of a bottomless pit than even they knew.
----
Acta, 40, under-managed an already hopelessly over-matched team?

Or Acta has enough managerial chops to overcome even the Nationals' taint?

The Indians have committed themselves to finding out.

And one way or the other, I have a feeling, in the end, there won't be much middle ground here, either.

So while Miller isn't directly saying he thinks this is a bad hiring, he is leaving the door open to what everyone really is thinking. This is either a really brilliant move or a really stupid one. Fair enough for me.

Sort of the same position Terry Pluto is taking, but Terry is more of an insider to this team than Miller is and he knows what's up.

Here's what think of the Indians hiring Manny Acta -- I just don't know.
He certainly belongs on the all-interview team, as Houston also wanted to hire him. That's a lot of attention for a guy who was fired at mid-season with a 26-61 record in Washington. Other than the Nationals, his former franchise, the only teams looking for a manager were Houston and the Tribe.
-
Several successful managers had rocky starts to their careers, including Torre and Terry Francona. That's why it is a mistake to simply write off Acta based on what happened in Washington. Now, Acta gets another chance to manage, and the Indians are counting on him to make the most of it.

Just remember that last paragraph, something I'll harp on for awhile. The general theme seems to be unknown and unsureness. Tony Lastoria's turn.

There are sure to be several detractors because of his poor record with Washington or because they wanted Bobby Valentine or some other name manager. But looking beyond all that, and looking at Manny Acta himself and how I really feel about his being named as manager, I honestly have no idea if I like the hiring or hate it.

Most of this is because I know almost nothing firsthand about him other than that 158-252 win-loss record in Washington. And you know what? About 99.9% of us are probably in the same boat. We just don't know anything about this guy.

That said, I do think out of the final four candidates or all the guys they talked to throughout the interview process, that Acta was probably the best option available. That is not necessarily a pat on the back to Acta as this is mostly because it overall was a less than appealing crop of managerial options available to the Indians.

And I think Tony's last paragraph is the general consensus of the rational fans. We don't know what to think, but out of the group we had, as crazy as it sounds, he might have just been the best option for this team right now. Paul Cousineau's turn.

Truthfully, like any coaching hire, nobody really knows what to expect as Acta was unquestionably in control of his press conference with the assembled media and said all of the right things about all of the right people at all of the right times. How he goes about achieving all of those things - like fixing Fausto and getting some consistency out of Peralta - is where his baseball acumen will have to show, and quickly.

Getting a read on him and making a snap judgment about whether he's the right man for the job borders on folly, but some clues about him and his strategies should begin to emerge with the first order of business - naming a coaching staff. The construction of the staff (according to the Front Office when this process started) is up to the newly named manager, and Acta has made it clear that he would have no problem bringing along coaches that are familiar (and successful) with the current batch of Indians - a category that the AAA troika of Columbus manager Torey Lovullo, Columbus hitting coach Jon Nunnally, and Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky all fall under.

Which is the central reason I want to bring in the final voice, for now.. Okay Hoynes, you can talk. For informational purposes only though.

Internal candidates for the coaching staff include Class AAA Columbus manager Torey Lovullo, pitching coach Scott Radinsky and hitting coach Jon Nunnally. Others include Dave Hudgens (field coordinator), Dave Miller (pitching coordinator), Class AA manager Mike Sarbaugh, Bruce Fields (hitting coordinator) and Gary Thurman (outfield/base-running coordinator).

As Paul stated though.. This is where it all begins for Acta. Hiring the coaching staff. We've really had a fun time in Cleveland debating about coaching staffs and getting on Wedge for firing Eddie Murray and all that fun stuff. Complaining about Luis Isaac being let go. All that stuff. This is Acta's first attempt to impress the fans. While I don't think it will be just him putting this staff together, he has a large say in it and that's going to really help or hurt his outlook for many people.

It isn't just about you but who you surround yourself with.

Now as this week gets on, we'll probably be discussing that. But today is a day to take in. Manny's press conference will be at 4:00 PM ET and it will most definitely be on STO. I have class during that time so I'll miss it, but you can no doubt bet I'll watch it and take it in.

This is the choice Shapiro has made. You can either get over it and support the guy, even if you disagree with the decision, or you could pout and act like the Indians suck. If you do the latter, don't be the first one to jump back on the bandwagon if things pan out. That is the worst.

This guy is bringing a lot to the table. More than some people are willing to admit. Some people just can't move past the fact that the managerial record with Washington was bad. He had a good first year and then it went down hill.

Look at some of the bozos that organization brought in. Elijah Dukes? I mean really? How is someone supposed to enforce discipline and hard work when management is bringing in a head case like Elijah Dukes? That organization was a train wreck under Jim Bowden and there is a reason that guy is fired now.

If all the things we've heard about Manny are true and he does what he believes in, this has the potential to be the perfect fit. Shapiro wants nothing but good-hard working players with high character. Step one already achieved before he walks in the door. No Dukes, no crazy people, just high character guys that will listen if you talk to them.

All he needs to do is win the team over and there's no telling what can be done. If Eric Wedge can win this team over, so can Acta. Just look at how he won over everyone at his media session. He is a fantastic communicator and given the quality of this organization and the beliefs they have, this could potentially be a match made in heaven.

Give it a chance. Take an open mind. I wanna go over more later, but let's take in the press conference. Approach this with an open mind and stop looking at the Nationals. This is a new day for Indians baseball and let's hope it is the start of something good.

Manny Acta named Cleveland Indians Manager

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:57:00 +0000

Final Update: Okay Acta is the guy as everyone and their mom has confirmed it and now we found out that the Astros did indeed press the Indians to make this move.

The Astros no doubt played a part in that time frame, as they offered Acta their manager's job. Acta spent 16 years in the Astros' Minor League system, so it had been expected that they might be his first choice. But he turned down the Astros to accept the Indians' offer.

Houston offered him the job, the Indians clearly wanted him from the beginning, so they did the same. He realized this was a better opportunity and took the job and the Indians have their man earlier than expected.

That's how it's shaped out if you ask me.

Shapiro wanted Acta and he got him. He now better make sure this was the right choice or the entire city will be ready to take him out behind the house and rough him up like a big brother does his little brother on Sunday afternoons.

Jon Heyman said that the Indians might have hired Valentine if he was more committed to them which goes back to that "I don't even know if I want to manage" bit. Did he take that stance in the interview? Maybe, and if he did, it should have been clear to Shapiro that Valentine was just trying to get his name out to the public again and wasn't totally into the idea of coming to Cleveland.

Here is the press release...

“We are very excited to have Manny Acta as our Major League manager,” said Executive Vice President and General Manager MARK SHAPIRO. “After speaking with an impressive array of candidates, we feel that Manny is a very strong and experienced leader who possesses great energy and enthusiasm along with tremendous communication skills and a positive mindset that will command a presence in the dugout, clubhouse and with our fans.”

“I am very excited to become part of the Cleveland Indians family,” said Cleveland Indians Manager MANNY ACTA. “I look forward to working with this talented group of young men who seem to possess a lot of energy and passion for their work. I believe we will grow together as a team with the ultimate goal of bringing a championship to Cleveland and its fans.”

Buckle Up Cleveland... This is going to be interesting...

Edit 3:05 PM ET: Anthony Castrovince is confirming it...

I'm thinking they completely bought into Acta right from the start and that nothing was going to change their mind, especially after visiting with Lovullo and Valentine. I'm also thinking something has developed with Mattingly to the point where interviewing him would be pointless. Hence the quick stab to get Acta before Houston could.

Edit Again: Paul Hoynes chimes in and says it's going to be a three-year deal. Three years plus a team option for a fourth. They're going to officially announce the hiring today. Press-Conference Maybe?

Original Post, 2:57 PM ET: Jon Heyman is breaking news via Twitter.

He is saying that the Indians are going to hire Manny Acta as their manager.

More on this as it develops, but what's causing this if it happens to be true?

Was Houston making a press for Cleveland's current favorite? Did Bobby V tell the Indians Thanks but no Thanks?

Did something happen with Don Mattingly that has effectively ended the interview process?

Only time will tell, but if Heyman's report is true, Manny Acta will be the next manager of the Cleveland Indians.

Sniff Sniff Boom... Uncovering Manager Tidbits

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 14:13:00 +0000

Sniff Sniff Boom is me for the past few days.

My immune system is as strong as a defense as the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2008 squad.

I never get sick unless something tricks me.

The last time I was actually sick was when Taco Bell gave me food poisoning. But as far as the last time I actually had the flu or a bad cold, I don't even remember.

That being said, I had a little bit of a cold this weekend. I could chalk it up to allergies though because I feel much better today.

Who's ready for this week? I am. The last week of October is good news. I can't wait til November. It's going to be fun.

The last week of October also means that we're going to get some more headway in the Indians search for a manager.

As we went over yesterday, we may have two more candidates in the fold and that means we may have three more interviews to witness. The Indians in my eyes are still ahead of schedule as far as getting a manager before the World Series ends, but even if they don't, who cares?

Washington and Houston are really the only other teams looking to make moves right now and who's Washington going to steal from us? Houston might take Acta, but that really is the only common candidate the two teams have.

My head is spinning though and it isn't because of this little cold.

There is so much interesting information and little bits about this manager search that are being uncovered that make this situation more intriguing by the minute.

I'm not sure where to start.

Let me get this out of the way.

Bud Shaw had quite the interesting outlook on Valentine's session with the media. Almost as if Valentine's outside opinion and the fact the has absolutely no clue about the Indians may work.

Wait what? As crazy as that sounds, it has a lot of sense within it.

Maybe the fact that Valentine has no opinion or idea of what has been going on here, he can come in with no prior slants or influences and do what HE thinks is the best.

That may be starting Chris Gimenez at catcher..

Would it work? Who the hell knows.. But if it does, Valentine would be a genius.

This bring us all back to Valentine's curious interview. What the hell was he trying to accomplish? Was he mailing it in for the media and if so why? Was he just jet-lagged and tired after sitting through an interview already? Given some of the things he said about "Gee I didn't know how thorough this would be" maybe that was the case. But he met with the media longer than any of the other candidates have so far.

It's just... Weird and no one knows what to think because according to Terry Pluto, Valentine impressed Shapiro and company in his interview. I can't imagine he did so by saying some of the same things he did to the media.

On his visit, he had a knack for remembering names and getting a sense of what the Indians are about, despite his public claims not to know much about the Tribe or the Central Division.
3. That's why the Indians should invite Valentine back for another interview, and suggest he do some homework on the team. This is a way for them to find out how serious he is about the job. Valentine makes sense only if he sees this as a real opportunity to re-establish himself as a big-league manager and take a team near the bottom of the American League and lead it back into contention in the weak Central Division within a few years. If Valentine passes on another interview, then he really doesn't want the job.

Boom Terry Boom. That's right on point.

If Valentine really want this job. He's no doubt the best choice. He's a bit of an evil genius. Like I said earlier. He's a risk that would pay off big-time if he bought in. But is the risk of him buying in worth taking?

And then there is this guy we've got.

7. Class AAA Columbus manager Torey Lovullo is selling himself as the anti-Valentine, the manager who has paid his dues in the Tribe farm system and knows everything about the young players and the organization. But this team cries out for a different view and some new ideas, which brings us back to Valentine or Acta.

My oh my...

What a mess... What a lovely mess we have.

What do we want for the Tribe?

At this point, I have absolutely no clue.

And whatever concerns there were with Manny Acta, they seem to be given a curious excuse.

His backers say the front office stacked the roster with several difficult personalities and did not back Acta when the manager wanted to impose some discipline. Houston also is very interested in Acta, meaning he is a finalist for two jobs after being fired in Washington with a 162-254 record in 21/2 seasons.

He Sucked with Washington > Oh yeah, the talent sucked, who wouldn't?

He wasn't discipline enough > That was all the management not letting him do that.

We are nuts for hiring this guy when another team fired him > Houston also wants him and it appears now that if he doesn't get hired by either, Toronto would love to have him in some capacity.

Can we make as many excuses for Bobby Valentine?

Actually we can, we can make many many more. But that is only because there are many many more questions about Valentine.

Why though? Maybe because he turned the media session into his own playground rather than a caged cell where the Cleveland media could get an accurate read on them.

Again, more of the genius and maybe more excuses.

I encourage everyone to take a read of Paul Cousineau's latest at The DiaTribe. Two of them. One in response to Valentine's first interview the other in sort of a review as a part of his lazy Sunday.

Some of the same topics I've brought up here are ones that Paul has initiated or expanded upon.

As I said earlier.. We've got a mess on our hands.

Is it a good mess?

I don't know but it certainly is interesting to think about.

And something I totally missed was brought up by Paul in those posts... Lovullo pretty much distanced himself from Eric Wedge with everything he said. Which wasn't a bad move. Sure he may have created a little bit of a drift between himself and Eric Wedge if they ever cross paths again. But he put a lot of confidence into the minds of everyone else who was looking at him as just another Wedge in the pie.

One note about coaches to add...

It appears that Jon Nunnaly is in line to get serious consideration for the position of hitting coach, regardless of who gets the manager's spot.

According to "whoever played for him this year in Columbus" he is "the best hitting coach they ever saw."

So Trevor Crowe, Matt LaPorta and Andy Marte's opinion are enough reason to elevate him?

Look he may be the best hitting coach ever, but according to a few Indians minor leaguers that don't exactly have long track records?

Is this coming from the likes of Tony Graffanino? If so I might buy it more.

Results speak for themselves though, so I have no problem with Nunnally getting the job. The Columbus Clippers were one of the best in the IL for team batting average. He's doing something right.

Finally...

Shapiro said it's bittersweet watching CC and Cliff doing what they are doing in the postseason. To me, it's frustrating.

In response to what CC would say to the fans of Cleveland about him and Lee now pitching for postseason contenders.

"I don't know what to tell them," he said. "It's not our fault."

Ohhhhhhhh REALLY?

It isn't?

It isn't your fault that we lost the ALCS?

"Don't take anything for granted," Sabathia said. "We were in the best position possible a couple years ago in Cleveland, but you've got to finish it off. We weren't able to do it. But we've got the guys here who have been through this before."

I still have a soft-spot in my heart for CC.. But this rubs me entirely the wrong way.

It was SABATHIA that mucked up game five in the ALCS. It was CC that gave up eight earned runs in the first game of the ALCS.

With this team needing just one win, you provided NONE in two chances.

"The only guy I know over there is Grady [Sizemore]," Sabathia said. "And Jake [Westbrook], when he comes back [from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery]. That's it."

Errmm.. The entire team didn't die CC.. You were here last year. Sure a good portion of the team is young and players that you did not play with, but there is more than just Grady and Jake Westbrook.

It seems as if the bright lights of New York has gotten to our much loved Carsten Charles. How quickly has he forgotten the team and organization that gave him so much.

"You don't have to," he said. "You've got Derek Jeter, you've got Alex Rodriguez, you've got Robinson Cano, you've got Johnny Damon and all these guys behind you. You don't have to do too much. You just have to be yourself, and let everything else take care of itself. It definitely helps to have this great team behind you."

Are you serious? Is that the excuse you are giving us for sucking?

I still have a little love for CC, but with these stupid quotes, I'm starting to lose it. This is sickening in a way to read this garbage. It's as if we no longer know the big guy. It really as if New York has changed him.

When I talk to my grandparents, in Youngstown, they ask me if it's cold outside.

They ask it as if I'm in California and they are in Ohio. I'm 45 minutes away in Kent, of course it's cold outside. Just because I'm not where you are doesn't mean it isn't cold.

Sure you could ask me if it's raining, that would differ.

But the weather is relatively the same, so don't bother asking the question.

CC Sabathia is basically my grandmother asking if it's cold outside. Don't forget where you came from. You only got traded in 2008, not ten years ago.

Jhonny Peralta, Travis Hafner, Kelly Shoppach, Asdrubal Cabrera, Shin-Soo Choo, Aaron Laffey, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis and the two you just mentioned were all there when you played.

Stop acting like you left ten years ago and things have completely changed. Just because things move two miles a minute instead of a mile a minute in New York, doesn't mean the world was leveled and Cleveland is a new place.

Please... Ignorance...

Enjoy your Sunday.

BBA AL MVP Award

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:37:00 +0000

So the Cleveland Indians haven't had a legit MVP candidate since Travis Hafner's awesomeness a few years ago.

If Grady Sizemore is healthy and this team can contend, he'd be up there.

But I can't really make any Indians comparisons here, so let's just get into the voting.

Here is the final award for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance award voting.

In a landslide, Zack Greinke took home the AL Cy Young Award. As if you didn't see that coming.

The MVP voting is a different animal as we get ten slots. I'll keep the remarks brief.

PS.. Despite my want, I did not put Franklin Gutierrez in my top ten. But you know I wanted to.

-

10. Alex Rodriguez, NYY

Ugh... I didn't want to, but the team did suck before he returned from an injury. I made peace with giving him a vote, but giving him the tenth place vote. You don't think the writers do this kind of stuff?

9. Asdrubal Cabrera, CLE

What? I have ten votes, why not spend one on an Indian? This team would realistically suck even worse without Cabrera.

8. Miguel Cabrera, DET

Despite getting drunk and getting into an argument with his wife, he really was the Tigers core player on offense.

7. Bobby Abreau, LAA

You know this team really took on a different sort of identity with his addition. I'll throw him a bone.

6. Aaron Hill, TOR

Dude went from having a concussion and possibly a lost career to being an absolute mammoth. And he's some shrimp that plays second base? How does someone like him hit 36 home runs? Makes me think I'm almost good enough to make a minor league roster somewhere, anywhere. I love baseball.

5. Ben Zobrist, TB

I wouldn't be surprised if this kid could play three-ways in football (my guess is QB, Safety and Kicker), be a successful two guard in basketball and make a mean left winger in hockey as well as play baseball.

4. Jason Bay, BOS

There was one point in the season that J-Bay was hitting everything insight and knocking in all the runners ahead of him.

3. Kendry Morales, LAA

Who saw this coming? Apparently the Angels as they had the balls to let Tex walk and replace him with this stud for a way cheaper price.

2. Mark Teixeira, NYY

Offensively and defensively he really changed the Yankees. Perhaps his offensive presence also has enabled A-Rod to be the jerk he has been in the playoffs.

His defense though has boosted that team way up.

1. Joe Mauer, MIN

I might riot if this guy doesn't win the real MVP award. He missed a month and still managed to lead the free-world in average, OBP and hit his career high in home runs and RBI.

-

There is way too much I want to talk about for the manager job, so check out the other post.

Lovullo States Case, Roenicke Now a Candidate

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:15:00 +0000

Let's talk...

Yesterday before Torey Lovullo faced the media, we had a bit of news break about another candidate being in the running.

When Acta interviewed and Mark Shapiro spoke to the media, he noted that there could be two more candidates added to the process..

He also mentioned that one of the four had current obligations.

Everyone assumed that was Don Mattingly. (And by the by, it appears ever so much that LA has intent on keeping him so he can take over for Torre after 2010 if that's the case.)

But now that Ron Roenicke has been included into the discussion, who really knows?

The general thought to be believed is the three that have interviewed (Acta, Valentine, Lovullo) are candidates with Mattingly, who has yet to schedule an interview or even be confirmed by Cleveland, and now Ron Roenicke. It's also believed to be that Clint Hurdle is the other unnamed candidate.

The LA Times report has the Indians have asked and been granted permission from Los Angeles to speak with Ron Roenicke.

There is still some uncertainty if Roenicke is actually a finalist or if that permission was from when the Indians first had a list of 10 candidates they wanted to speak to over the phone.

Let me just say right now that I had Ron Roenicke in my top five guys to go after. In fact, if you remove Gonzalez and remember I had Bobby V at the top of my list, Roenicke is someone I'm very high on.

I wanna know more though. Acta and Lovullo were so impressive in their media sessions. I want to see what Roenicke brings to the table because he's a bit of an unknown. We've got three interviews down and if the Indians are in fact considering both Roenicke and Hurdle, they'll have three more left.

Three down because yesterday, Torey Lovullo interviewed.

And damn.

If he was anything like he was with the media, the Indians are going to have a bit of a tough decision to make and an even tougher decision to tell Lovullo, You are probably the best candidate, but we're going somewhere else.

If Lovullo had an ounce of major league experience, I think he'd be a slam dunk. It seems as if there would be a backlash and a "Eric Wedge 2.0" cry if the Indians made this hire, that it doesn't matter what Lovullo says.

Everyone just hears Wedge 2.0.

Not the case in the least bit.

The guy killed his media interview. He did... Let's go.

You can see five or so minutes of his session in Hoynes' article.

I'll look for the full audio, which is something I had earlier but the Plain Dealer has replaced it. I listened to the whole audio and damnit he rocked.

Familiarity was the key I highlighted in my pre-interview case for Lovullo and that's obviously something he knew was an advantage and he used it. Smart man.

"I've had almost everyone of these guys," said Lovullo, the third man to interview for the Indians manager job in the last four days. "That's a built-in advantage I may have over other candidates. When that's all said and done, how much that impacts their decision, that's up to them."

"I'm familiar with what motivates these players," said Lovullo. "There won't be a feeling-out process. They understand my beliefs. I think that initially will help us get off on the right foot."

While he may be managing in the big leagues for the first time, he may have an adjustment period in that sense. But he's adjusting to being a major league manager as compared to a manager. It will be a learning process, but given some of the success guys like Don Wakamatsu have had recently, is it really that big of a deal?

He's got something all these other guys don't. He's got a bond with the team. He doesn't have to earn as much trust and respect as someone like Acta or Valentine would.

That's huge.

"One might say I was groomed in this system," Lovullo said. "I was groomed by the people who just sat with me and talked baseball with me. There's a great level of comfort in a lot of different areas."

What I came away with in this is how... Assertive Lovullo was. The best part of the whole thing was when someone would ask him a question and he would take it on as if he was the only one that had the answer. The question would get asked, he'd say "certainly," pause and then answer the question.

The media used his as a spot to ask him a lot of questions about the team and about last season. Where as someone like Acta and Valentine weren't asked about Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta. That is what happened here and Lovullo did great. Along with that, they asked him about certain things you could tell was directed at some of the flaws Wedge had.

Some of the qualities and ideas that Lovullo would bring to the table.

"What I think I'll bring to the team is some young, enthusiastic energy," he said. "I enjoy the art of teaching. I enjoy the idea of going out and being a leader. All managers possess the same qualities and have the same ideas. There are certain things you can do in the structure of being that leader that can help a ballclub. That's what my intentions are."

When asked about someone he looked up to as far as being a manager, he named Terry Francona.

When asked about what he would do to try and eliminate the slow starts, he went back to spring training and proposed an idea that I thought was absolute brilliance and something we should do anyway.

He said he'd take the team on the road three days before the season, as so many other teams are starting to do. End the idea of spring training coming to close and sort of implying that the team might feel a little bit more of a "oh man spring training is finally over!" attitude rather than one that would better prepare them for the season to start.

I loved that answer and idea. He hit it.

He was asked about lineups and bullpens. He was strong on establishing roles for pitchers in the pen, players on the bench, and establishing a set lineup. There isn't a better answer than that. He wants players to know where they are in the lineup or if they are in the lineup on a daily basis and he almost sort of poked at Wedge's misuse of Jensen Lewis in a way. I don't know if he did this knowingly, but he said he thinks some of the relievers last year might have struggled due to being taken out of a position they were comfortable in.

That's Jensen Lewis being turned into a long reliever. Pretty much on point.

Alright sum it up for us Torey.

"I'm a manager that's been in the system for eight years," Lovullo said. "I'm somebody who has dreamed of this opportunity and has prepared for this opportunity. I want the fans of Cleveland to understand I'm ready for this opportunity should it arise."

That is a determined individual that is ready to go. Don't tell him the other candidates have major league experience. Don't tell him possibly three of the other candidates are former major league managers. Don't tell him he's an afterthought because he is looked at as another Eric Wedge.

He isn't Eric Wedge, he is Torey Lovullo and he's bringing something new to the table. Mark Shapiro is going to have to be really convinced to pick Lovullo because of the circumstances and if he does, he'd be making one hell of a move. But Lovullo gave him plenty of reason to do so.

If anything, if anything at all. PUT HIM ON THE STAFF! Not much left to prove in Triple-A. Whoever you hire, you tell them, this guy is going to be on the staff, because he has way too much promise to continue to be at Triple-A. He's going to be a major league manager someday and he would be an asset to us.

Valentine Press Conference Impressions

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:59:00 +0000

I think I'll say this right off the bat.

Terry Pluto put it best... It's hard to imagine, but it is fun to think about.

I read initial quotes and was sort of dismayed.

An out of touch, former-MLB manager that stepped off the plane from Japan a week ago, went right to work for ESPN and admittedly didn't study for his test.

For one, I can admire someone who doesn't study for the test and does well on it.

I've done it plenty of times.

I've also not studied for a test and have done horrible.

I've also studied for a test and done horrible, but that's beside the point.

But if you don't study for a test, and you want me to buy it, you better damn well pass the test.

I'm not really sure if Valentine did that.

Let's go over some of these quotes. I would love to watch the 35 minutes press conference in it's entirety, but apparently I can only get snippets.

First off Bobby, why do you want to manage Cleveland? That's the question on everyone's mind.

"I've managed 3,500 games," said Valentine. "If you count the ones in Japan, I have about 1,600 victories. I love the fact that I had that opportunity. I cherish the thought that I have another opportunity.

"This is an opportunity to manage a major-league team with a group of major-league class people. I'd almost have to ask why wouldn't I want the opportunity? . . . It's one of the best ballparks in the world. They asked me at ESPN, "Why do you want to go there?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

I can buy it. He seems genuine. He wants to manage again and he doesn't care where it is. He went back to Japan a second time after a not-so-awesome outcome the first time. I think he really looks at it as an opportunity to get back in the game and as long as what's going on around is right, he's ready to go. He spoke highly of Shapiro and the organization and I'm guessing that's enough of a reason.

Why wouldn't he? I can buy it. I can buy it.

"I don't know if it's exactly what I want to do. I'm not sure. But again, I haven't been offered the job so I don't have to decide if this is what I want to do."

Oh for the love of jingle bells, what is this?

Oh yeah I wanna manage Cleveland... Why wouldn't I? Oh maybe because I don't know if I want to manage at all!

I'm willing to cut this guy some slack because of sleep deprivation and that fact that he's been on a six year honeymoon in Japan doing nothing but managing a baseball team.

That tells me, in order for Valentine to be considered seriously, for him to seriously consider this, we have to offer him the job?

This is something I dislike. I want him to take the attitude that he wants to manage here and he said that. But he went ahead and cast doubt about that when he went ahead and said "Yeah I'm not sure I want to do this though."

I can understand, yeah if he wanted to manage, he wouldn't mind managing Cleveland. But by saying he doesn't know if he wants to manage period, he's throwing that point out of the window and I dislike that.

Moving on...

"I don't know as much about Cleveland as someone interviewing for their manager's job probably should," said Valentine. "I could have crammed for the last six days, read every article and called every friend to get every bit of information just in case one of guys asked me who the starting third baseman is going to be next year. I didn't do it."

Oh dear... This is the part about studying for the test I was talking about...

I can admire the honesty. I can respect the fact that this guy just got back into the United States a few days ago. I can understand the fact that he was in Japan for the past six years, so he doesn't exactly know who Andy Marte is and why Cleveland fans want to kill themselves every time his name is mentioned.

Did anyone really want him to cram for the past six days and learn every bit of information he possibly could? Personally, I don't care. I'm cool with the fact that he has enough respect to step off a plane from Japan after six years, get a job at ESPN immediately and become a finalist for a managerial job in the major leagues.

"I can tell you that I don't know about the American League. I don't know about the Central. I don't know about the Indians. But I sure as hell am willing to learn, and spend 28 hours a day if necessary, to know everything that I could possibly know."

And I can sure as hell respect that as well. Who wouldn't? But it goes back to what he said earlier. Does he want to do it or does he not want to? If he would have qualified all these statements he's made with saying "YEAH I WANT TO MANAGE DAMNIT AND I WANT TO MANAGE THE CLEVELAND INDIANS!" With or without the caps lock, then I'm on board with everything he's saying.

But he's already cast doubt into my mind with that first comment. He's got me. He's got me with everything he's said so far, until I remember he is still unsure about even wanting to manage.

"I have to catch up on at least four years of the new statistical information and abbreviations that are out there," Valentine said. "I have to brush up on six years of players who have entered the league that I have only seen on TV. I have to catch up on a whole generation of major league players."

This is sort of understandable. But from another aspect, it sounds like we'd be better off hiring Torey Lovullo than Bobby Valentine. Its as if Valentine is the in-experienced one here and Lovullo is the one who has all the experience.

However let's not get wild with that point and let's remember. It wouldn't take long for someone like Valentine to learn it all over again and quickly remember what it's all about.

"I really am a lousy loser," he said. "As a matter of fact, we talked about that in the interview process. If, in fact, all I was going to do was sign up to manage a losing team and all I was going to be hired for was to get one more win than another guy, I don't think I'd be here. I think I'm being asked to be part of a process that might be lasting and might be special. I like special things."

Again... Another winning point for me.

But again, how much of that does he mean? I love the fact that he's a lousy loser. Anyone would want someone who doesn't enjoy losing.

We all like special things Bobby.

Alright Bobby, make one more pitch for me brother.

"Only because I'm a manager who does a pretty good job at being a manager," he said. "In Japan, the guy (manager) is called 'tantoukachou.' The definition isn't a manager, it's a director. I really think I am more of a director. I can put things in place well. I can adjust the volume of the orchestra. I can put the right sounds and instruments in the right places to make something that is really pleasing to the ear, the eye and hopefully the baseball community.
"That's what I do for a living. Hopefully, it's good enough."

Bobby said a lot about Japan and how he had a six year love affair. How it was a magic carpet ride and how emotional it was to leave there because he doesn't know if that experience will ever be duplicated.

This is a different guy. Okay this isn't Manny Acta or anything else. Look it's Bobby Valentine. He's going to be different and as I said earlier to Terry Pluto's point. It's fun to think about, but after this, it's hard to imagine.

It's hard to imagine because it is so different and we aren't used to different.

In the end, Pluto again hit home with it. It would be a risk. It would be a risk the Indians are taking. It could pay off big time if Valentine is everything he says he is. Or it could be a complete disaster if the "I don't know if I want to manage and I have absolutely no clue what's going on in the MLB these days" rings true.

This is a risk. We have no clue. I have no clue. If Mark Shapiro wants to go big or go home, he's going to hire Bobby Valentine.

If he doesn't want to assume the risk that is Bobby Valentine, you can cross his name off the list right now.

Let me just say this is why though. This is why the Indians are putting all their candidates in front of the media. They want this.

If Bobby Valentine blows.. They want everyone to know.. They want us to know that he blew.

Fans: "Why didn't you hire Bobby Valentine?"

Shapiro: "Trust Me.. That would have been a mistake."

Fans: "Says who? The guy who traded Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez for two bags of balls?"

Shapiro: "Whatever, Irrational."

Now it goes like this,

Fans: "Boy that Bobby Valentine... I can see why you didn't hire him."

Shapiro: "Yeah he's really out of touch."

Look... I can't possibly attach myself to Valentine. No one can. I know what is in Shapiro's mind if he hires this guy though.

I don't really believe the Indians are in a position to take this sort of risk.

You hire Valentine and you just hope that his lackadaisical attitude about not knowing anything is just the product of six years in Japan and being a little sleepy. But you are taking that risk.

And I'll say that and leave it at that.

We still have two more guys to get interviews and possibly two more if what we are hearing is true about Shapiro having two more candidates.

Oh this is just so interesting though.

This is fun isn't it?

Jon Heyman of SI.com reports that the Indians could go as high as $2.5 million for Valentine. Which is $1.5 million less than his Japan contract that was not renewed.

Just something to keep in the back of your mind.

Read this though. It was my Pre-Valentine media-fest and interview. It was my case for Bobby V before I read and saw what he had to say. It's fun to have these sort of ideas and then see what he has to say and then go to all this.

But yeah.. That went up yesterday morning. This went up a little while ago. Torey Lovullo goes today and I'm excited to see him get in front of the media and dazzle us all. What's unfortunate, as I pointed out in the article.

It's almost as if he's out before it gets underway because he has no experience.

He may be the perfect fit for this job. He may be the best candidate. But because Shapiro has made such a big deal about experience, it would take a lot for us and him to say, ahhh forget experience, he's the answer.

We'll get on with Lovullo when he says more today after his interview, but man.. Again, If he doesn't get the job, I think it's almost a necessity to get him up in the big leagues and make him a part of any staff you put together. He would be an asset to this club in any capacity.

Lovullo today, we'll talk tomorrow.

Edit 11:55 AM: Tony Lastoria is ever great.. Listen to Bobby V's entire presser here.

Offseason Chart, Acta Impressions, Shelton Gone, Manager Chat

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:45:00 +0000

Well we have a lot of ground to cover males and females.

Let's start with the site.

The Offseason Outlook Chart has returned. You can view it here, or click the Offseason Outlook button on the side under Indians Corner.

If you forget what it's all about, check out last year's final version and refresh yourself with some of the things we did with it.

By this time last year, we were well into the organizing the offseason aspect and going over free agents. This year it won't be that much of a rapid process because A)We've got serious news right now and B) We aren't signing free agents, or at least any rather quickly.

So gander that, it will be updated regularly, unlike the other boards which are a bit out of commission right now thanks to the offseason. Familiarize yourself with this though and try to understand my weird color coding, I will explain more when the time comes.

We have manager news to go over though and as you can see at the bottom of this chart there is a spot for the manager search and that is the most up to date info we've got.

Obviously the news yesterday was the final four was pretty much announced and confirmed.

It's Torey Lovullo, Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine, and Don Mattingly.

I guess the Travis Fryman thing was a leaky pipe or something like that, because it was in fact not true and it continues to go along that thing I've been screaming about. TRAVIS FRYMAN IS HAPPY DOING WHAT HE'S DOING!

Which anyway you look at it, has an impact.

That being said, we've got our four candidates. Now it's time to scrutinize..

Up first was Manny Acta, who faced the media yesterday. You can watch the video on that link. I watched a good snippet from the press conference and came away impressed. Here are some thoughts from things he said.

He said the Indians to things right as far as an organization and was clear they were very thorough about this process. I'd say that's accurate considering we all though Travis Fryman was in and it was actually Lovullo. He also said he had no clue who he was up against, but for a guy who's very in-tuned to the media, I find that hard to believe.

He made it a point to say he thought rebuilding was necessary and that situation was one for him to have to take on because the Joe Torre's of the world have paid their dues and they don't have to be brought in to those situations. He is also thankful that the baseball people don't go on wins and losses and are giving him another chance after Washington, basically. He has no regrets from his time in Washington though.

He did say the Indians have more pieces in place than his former team and actually brought up a few names. He clearly did his homework on the team which is good to see. He also used that "core" term that Shapiro so fondly uses when describing things and Acta used it in reference to the Nationals.

He called himself a "Common Sense Manager" and he brings communication skills and a positive attitude to a club. He's about execution and fundamentals, but he knows everyone pretty much knows the ins and outs of baseball. He knows the job is more about being a good communication than it is being able to make the right baseball moves, because everyone knows that.

He did address coaches and he said he looks for guys with personality and good social skill. He did say he wants balance, which is something Shapiro said he was going to want in terms of someone who can instruct catching, someone who can instruct infielders, and someone who can instruct outfielders. He wants all the bases covered so to speak. Remember three of the coaches on Wedge's staff were former catchers.

He said he wants to bring in a few people he trusts but he sounded like he was also willing to bring in a few guys within the organization because of their knowledge of the team. That doesn't mean guys like Carl Willis or Joel Skinner, but it could mean a Torey Lovullo or Mike Sarbaugh. This makes me happy.

Overall though, I was really pleased with what I heard from Acta. He has a good head on his shoulders and really if he doesn't get hired, I think I'd want him on the staff anyway in some capacity. He'd be an asset to any coaching staff and if this was the choice they would end up making, I'd be okay with it.

I'm attempting to make long drawn out cases for each managerial candidate on Bleacher Report. Here was my article on hiring Manny Acta. He brings a lot of positives to the table and what upsets me the most about the fans of Cleveland is their quick trigger.

Their immediate thought when they think Manny Acta is "Oh my god the Nationals guy? They sucked, we don't need that garbage!" And hey I'm guilty of it too sometimes, but do a little homework before you start going nutso.

Acta brings a lot of good credentials to the table, give it some thought before you go off spouting how he'd suck.

Another thing is.. Stop comparing him to Wedge. Sure he's got a lot of the same personality traits, but that doesn't mean he's "just another yes man" for Shapiro to bully around.

Shapiro didn't bully Wedge around to begin with, so your thoughts are just lunacy.

Anyway, I came away pleased with Acta. I still want to see the others before I make a stand, but if Acta ends up being the guy, I would not have a problem with it.

Now there are three other guys in this race and we are expected to get something done by the end of the World Series.

However Shapiro did talk to the media and it also appears he'd be willing to go past that to find the right guy. So he's doing his homework, he wants to cover all his bases and makes sure he gets who he wants.

To me, that says he wants to interview Don Mattingly. But I don't think he'll have to wait for the end of the World Series to do that, because I'd be shocked if the Dodgers come back. They were my pick and it ain't over till it's over, but a 3-1 hole is going to be tough.

Mattingly is of course the other candidate, even if Shapiro is not going to name him. He is the only one that has other commitments going on right now.

Today I made my case for Mattingly on Bleacher Report. Torey Lovullo's will be up Friday the day he is scheduled to interview with Shapiro and company. Valentine's will come sometime next week, unless he interviews tomorrow, in which case I better get moving.

I did catch a few parts of Shapiro's address to the media as well. The main things I took away from that though were the points about Fryman and Mike Hargrove.

He made it clear Hargrove wasn't a fit for him right now. Which tells me they did phone interview him. But like expected, this just isn't what is needed right now. He did have an interesting tidbit in saying Hargrove still has the passion to manage again. That is interesting.

He talked to Travis Fryman as well and they didn't phone interview him, but rather sat down with him in Arizona. He did have high praise for Fryman saying he came away impressed and that Fryman has a desire and will eventually make an impact. But it does sound like the fact that he has no major league experience worked against him there, which is something I agree with.

Terry Pluto chimed in on the Acta conference. A good point he made was in relation to the coaching staff, saying that if the Indians are taking a different approach to a manager, they most certainly will in a coaching staff. He is big on the fact that Acta has a lot of Latin pull and so am I. That's a huge thing in my eyes. While it isn't the whole thing, it is a nice check mark in his column.

He also brought up the idea of Hargrove being the bench coach to any of the four candidates if they get the job. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that right now, but if it ever becomes a real possibility, I'll have to think about it harder and evaluate the circumstances.

With that though there is only one more bit of news before I depart for the day.

There is one coach that will most definitely not be back with Cleveland next year. As you know the Indians haven't shut the door on any of the coaches from last year, it sounds like that will be up to the new manager. But one coach has shut the door on them.

Derek Shelton, according to Tony Lastoria, is headed to Tampa Bay in an unknown role, and will not be back with Cleveland next year. St Pete times now has this confirmed that he will in fact be their major league hitting coach.

Not really shedding a tear here. Shelton did some good and I've made clear in the past my opinion on him and his style, but I wasn't really begging to bring him back. Hopefully we can get a hitting coach in here that has a little more experience.

Sounds like Tampa is happy to have him though, specifically Joe Maddon. Which makes sense because Shelton is a lot like Maddon as far as his personality goes... But it goes to show you he wasn't complete trash like everyone (and myself at times) thought he, and everyone on Wedge's staff, was.

And for those of you just thinking about bringing up the name Rudy Jaramillo. Forget it, he already signed with the Cubs and even if he didn't, there was no shot of that happening. $2 million for a hitting coach? Yeah right.

The First Annual All-Daily Team

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:25:00 +0000

This year I decided I wanted to take an organizational look at everything and produce something that represented that.

I wanted to look over the entire organization and compile some sort of team that took every team into consideration.

However it's bland doing the All-Indians team by picking the best player at every position.

So I went ahead and made up this idea. It's called the All-Daily Team.

I have my own criteria, it doesn't have to make sense, but I generally like to pick the players who go unnoticed or play hard. Good reputation players that sort of define the word "Daily".

But there are picks there that probably aren't fully descriptive of that ideal, however that was my main basis.

So without further reasoning, the first ever All-Daily Team. Nicknames used, for sure.

FIRST TEAM
Catcher - Carlos Santana
Sweet Sounds just hits the damn ball. I don't care if he's a top prospect.

First Base - Jordan Brown
The biggest pro this organization seems to have.

Second Base - Cord Phelps
Cord gets on base, period. His average may suck but he's always on base. He's the definition of this team.

Third Base - Lonnie Chisenhall
Like Santana, he's a top prospect, but he just hits. Plus it was kind of hard to find anyone else that matched his awesomeness.

Shortstop - Asdrubal Cabrera
Drubes may be a budding superstar on this team, but he's shown a ton of maturity and growth in the past year.

Left Field - Matt McBride
Switching positions like a banshee and he is still managing to hit the cover off the ball.

Center Field - Michael Brantley
Like Cord, Mike is the ideal fit for this team. He plays hard, does small things and is freakin' awesome.

Right Field - Shin-Soo Choo
The fans love him for a reason.

Designated Hitter - Ole Sheldon
Dude... He's my new favorite player with an awesome name.

Left Handed SP - Chuck Lofgren
Is there anyone who's overcome more in the past year? Chuck is a total gamer and I defy you to find one person not happy about his turnaround.

Right Handed SP - Brett Brach
Marty Popham and Clayton Cook get a lot of the attention from that feared Scrappers Rotation, but Brach was the workhorse.

Set-Up Man - Frank Herrmann
I've praised Frank The Tank over and over again. No respect.

Closer - Vinnie Pestano
Vinnie the Gangster has been doing it for years. He keeps moving on up and keeps closing games.

SECOND TEAM
Catcher - Wyatt Toregas
Defense is something I value and Toregas is probably overall the most sound among Catchers in the system.

First Base - Nate Recknagel
"Recking Ball" nickname alone, he's on this team.

Second Base - Casey Frawley
All this guy did at every level was hit people's faces off.

Third Base - Jeremie Tice
He missed time due to injury, but he's still one of my favorites.

Shortstop - Jesus Brito
A guy named Jesus born on 12/25? You call it a coincidence, I call it a sign.

Left Field - Jordan Henry
Kipnis gets attention but Henry was there from the start and he produced.

Center Field - Donnie Webb
Some label him an organizational player. I label Donnie unstoppable.

Right Field - Johnnie Drennen
His legend grew when he homered off Roger Clemens. It started to die shortly after. He's back friends!

Designated Hitter - Greg Folgia
This guy was a 40th round draft pick and he's kicking more ass than anyone in the history of ass-kicking among 40th round picks.

Left Handed SP - Ryan Edell
Rondon, De La Cruz, Gomez, Huff, blah blah, blah blah, blah blah, Ryan Edell. Workhorse, reliever or starter. Give him love.

Right Handed SP - Justin Masterson
He was only here for half a season but he left his mark.

Set-Up Man - Zach Putnam
How could I not put "The Mascot" on the team?

Closer - Steve Smith
Everyone thinks oh yeah the fifteen wide receivers that were in the NFL, or the NBA player. No this guy throws a baseball and he's awesome at it in the ninth inning.

End of the Year Feathers: 2009

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:30:00 +0000

Here we are again, 2009, a year removed from the first time I handed out feathers.

I like to take this post as an opportunity to wrap the Cleveland Indians season in a bow. This is where we say goodbye to 2009 and move forward. Last year, there was some optimism if you go back and read what happened. I awarded a lot of five feathers and even called the season a good one.

This year... Not so much...

I also like to take this time out to thank the readers. Last year, I believed there wasn't much of an audience. This year, I'd say the readership has grown and I thank you all. Hopefully, this will continue with this impending move by gaining a wider audience so more people can enjoy my ridiculousness. Again. Thanks out there to everyone for everything and hopefully, we'll be able to have more of a jovial season in 2010, instead of this mess.

The Offseason officially begins now for this site. We move into offseason mode and you can bet the search for a manager will take attention like the search for new additions did last year. If you forget how it went down, go look in the archives for 2008. It's going to be a blast.

These are the End of the Year Feathers. I give out ratings for each player/person on this team and this is the scale, sort of like Five Stars, ya know? Five Feathers is the best of the best that the Tribe had. One is not the worst, but the players who didn't get the job done this year. Okay, it might be the worst. Three is average, two is below average and four is exceptional. At the end I'll give out two special feathers, gold and silver. A gold feather is to our Team MVP. A silver feather is the unsung hero of the team.

With that, let's end 2009's season right and get on with it. I've set the standard that traded/released players are not eligible for this, so Victor, Cliff, Ryan, everyone else.. Not included... Last year, I included statistics and team leads and all that fun stuff. This year, I have no time and we're ridiculous off schedule. So here they are, plain as they can be, the End of the Year Feathers for 2009.

150 ABs (Or Half a Season) to be considered for Feathers
30 IP (Or Half a Season) to be considered for Feathers

Shin-Soo Choo

One of the few bright spots of this team's horrid season was the progression of Shin-Soo Choo into a bonafied Major League corner outfielder.

For years this has been a weakness of the Tribe. They had no corner outfielder that had some pop.

Choo has some pop and it will only get better. He became the first Asian-born player to reach the 20-20 mark in MLB history, showing he brings a little bit of everything to the table.

He also made strides defensively and has no doubt built up the reputation of having an arm in the outfield. He still has some work to do on his routes to the ball, but he's progressed.

Offensively he was a guy that showed the potential to get hot and carry a team. But when he is in his ruts, you don't really notice because he's still finding ways to get on base.

Yes he led the team in strikeouts, but he also led them in walks and carried a .394 OBP, which was eighth in the entire AL. That is the sign of a good hitter, someone who hits in the middle of the order.

Someone you can rely on to still be productive in some way, even if he struggles to hit.

And when he was hot, boy was Choo hot.

I can't even begin to imagine how much better he can get with a full-year now under his belt. It also looks like the Indians and Choo are simply going to ignore this Korean military requirement and Choo will cross that bridge, if he ever has to.

Choo is one of the few Indians that deserves all five feathers this year. Congrats Chooster.

Asdrubal Cabrera

Where would we be without Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera?

Just a poor year for five-feathers, but Cabrera is one of two that receives them.

The team leader in average, Cabrera made HUGE strides. Wedge had the opinion, as did I, if he just carries a decent stick at the bottom of the lineup and steals a bunch of runs with his defense, I'll stick him in the lineup 160 times a year.

But if he's going to hit .308 at the top of the lineup... No complaints.

Quite honestly, that's the stuff of All-Stars.

42 doubles led the team, 52 extra-base hits in total. This is all with an injury thrown in in the midst of one of his hot-streaks too.

Cabrera had to go down to Triple-A last year for a bit of a lesson. It just is something necessary with some young players and Cabrera is better for it.

I'm so pleased with the progress he's made and now that he's entrenched at short, he's gold-glove bound year after year.

If Cabrera can be a bonafied two hitter for this team for years to come, hit .300 year in and year out and play good defense. I will take that.

Jamey Carroll

Does anyone really have an issue with the job Jamey Carroll did?

I mean for the second straight year, he just went out there and played and played well at all times. He's just a rock solid contributor.

Unfortunately, Carroll was brought in here because he was a championship caliber utility man, however he came at a championship caliber utility man price, which means he's far too expensive for the Indians.

Its nice not having to worry about someone coming off the bench and being able to play defense and at least hit a lick. That's the luxury of Jamey Carroll.

He's as good as always. Last year he was the unsung hero of the team. This year he was yet again a solid contributor. Unfortunately, next year he'll be helping out someone else.

It's been great though Jamey... A solid 2009 makes you a two-time four-feather recipient.

Travis Hafner

I would expect nothing more than a little bit of strange looks and groans for this one.

But can anyone honestly say they are disappointed with Hafner's 2009?

For one, people need to get over the fact that he's isn't Hafner of old. Once that is done, you can fully in-take his 2009 and say, damn, at least he contributed.

For missing some time, 16 jacks and 49 ribbies is something good. But his mere presence and the .355 OBP is all a part of the effort.

I know the next argument though.

But for all that money, he needs to do more!

I know I know. I get it.

This season though... There is slim pickings as far as good things and just a little production from Hafner is something to feel good about.

Tony Sipp

It is down right shocking to have put a relief pitcher in this space.

But I can't argue with the numbers Tony Sipp put up as a ROOKIE!

With all the options, it was unexpected that someone would even need to come up and step into the role Sipp did, especially with another supposed dominate lefty on the team.

But he did and he did well.

A 2.93 ERA in 40 innings is nothing to sneeze at. His best growth was getting time as one of the prime set-up men for this team. With guys like Perez and Betancourt sucking or gone, Sipp was needed to take on more of a late-inning role.

He struggled but he also has success.. If anything that experience will go a long way for the future. It's alright to feel good about Tony Sipp's 2009 becuase it was extremely valuable for the future.

Grady Sizemore

It's almost unfair to classify Grady Sizemore as a three-feather player with those injuries he was playing with.

But it has to be done as he still played and was still sub-par.

I maintain that this team goes better if Sizemore is in the lineup. They do even better if he's healthy and doing his normal things. They do their best and are unstoppable if he's hot. He can carry this team, but when he isn't, he's doing things that help the other players.

He is a catalyst for this offense and it was ever so apparent this year when he was not at his best and this offense was highly inconsistent.

For those of you that wanted to move Grady Sizemore from the leadoff spot. That is a glimpse of what you would have gotten had that been a full-time thing.

Now that this team has a guy that can leadoff and do those sorts of things Sizemore did atop the lineup, we can safely start to think about moving Grady down to the three spot.

Jensen Lewis

I still hold a spot for Jensen Lewis in my bullpen.

And I tell you why.

For one... New Manager, New Life...

Lewis was painfully mistreated by Eric Wedge, something that was probably the biggest flaw Wedge had that I despised.

J-Lew was inconsistently used after he had a few bad outings and a few bad strokes of luck. Mashed together, it downright awful for him and Rafael Perez to start the season.

However, where as Perez plain out sucked, Lewis still showed what makes him a good relief pitcher.

In the end, Jensen pitched in 66 innings and carried a 4.61 ERA. Not incredible, but after the way he started things out, very surprising. He also still showed he can strike people out and even give you some length if you are dead in the pen.

Something I wouldn't do and again, something Wedge insisted upon doing that I hated.

While I'm not absolving Jensen of all his 2009 struggles, I do expect better results in 2010, not just because of Lewis taking upon himself of doing better, but because the new guy won't be, hopefully, using Lewis in a role that just doesn't suit him.

Matt LaPorta

Well it was an up and down year for Matt LaPorta...

He gets three feathers because of what I saw when he got regular playing time, I liked.

But I can't go much beyond that in the small sample size we saw him.

He got mistreated early when he was brought up and the Indians said they'd make a strong effort to play him at least four times a game. But Eric Wedge let the desire to get out of a bad hole over come that idea and he went upon guys he trusted more.

LaPorta got his shot later in the year and at times, he was a dominant hitter.

He shows the potential to be a middle of the order bat and next year I think he'll be the starting first basemen with a prominent spot in the lineup to drive in runs behind Hafner, Choo, and maybe Peralta.

It was encouraging to see the centerpiece of the CC Sabathia deal come up and at least show something immediately, unlike what happened with Marte when he came up and immediately showed absolutely nothing.

Perhaps that drug on and started some bad karma. LaPorta's bright flashes give us some hope and maybe some reinforcement that we've got a good one in return and we might just be all right, so there is nothing to totally freak out about.

Trevor Crowe

For what Trevor Crowe is, he's good.

Look he's nothing more than a fourth outfielder at this point. He can hit a little, but his game is based off speed and defense. That's a fourth outfielder and I think that's how he'll get used.

Let's not take his numbers or talent and think anything else of him. Let's take it at face value and go from there.

He had a good debut in 2009 and he's much more valuable than David Dellucci. He isn't flashy or spectacular, but you can do far worse than Crowe as a fourth outfielder.

Luis Valbuena

A lot of these feathers are based off the fact that expectations and all that are very low for some of these guys.

Baby Louie is one guy, another rookie, who I'm just pleased produced something.

It was a rough going for Valbuena at one point. But Wedge decided that he was going to actually give him a chance. Instead of a quick yank like he did in the past, he liked what he saw in the gritty Louie and kept him in the lineup to work through his issues.

Valbuena did.

He didn't have a great full-season, but he showed great flashes of brilliance, especially with his glove.

He and Cabrera seem to take well to being a double-play combo. He has a good glove, that is for sure.

And he can hit the double. He was a top rookie in the AL in extra-base hits. At one point all he was hitting was doubles.

When all was said and done, Valbuena was fifth on the team in at-bats. He got a lot of time and for a rookie, a .250 average ain't half bad, especially since it was very poor for awhile.

After the all-star break, Valbuena hit .272 with six homers and 20 RBI.

If he can do that over a season. As a second baseman, play good defense, hit .270ish at the bottom of the lineup, hit 10 homers, a bunch of extra-bases, score 60-some runs.

Yeah I'll take that.

Andy Marte

I'm just glad I had the opportunity to scream.

MARTY COME AND PARTY!

And do it one more than one occasion.

You can groan all you want about Marte, but he showed strides he didn't in the past. He ripped it up in Triple-A (In which he got a Columbus Feather for) and then got his shot at the majors.

In the end, he hit six homers and knocked in 25 runs. The .232 average sucks, but he, like LaPorta, had a streak at one point in which he was un-touchable. He and LaPorta carried the offense for a few weeks at one point and Marte showed some of that flash that once made him a grand prospect.

Is he anything though?

I don't think he's much more than a bench player, if he can learn how to come off the bench and hit. But that's the issue. Marte needs consistent playing time to hit consistently. Especially since it seems like he's convinced himself of this mentality.

He's fixed some issues with his swing, that's a positive. What the future holds for him on the club is unknown to all. Only one can imagine what Mark Shapiro is thinking. But for 2009, and all the strides he made, and all the games against the Orioles he won, I give him three feathers. Marty, Thanks for the Party!

Justin Masterson

When Justin Masterson made his debut as a relief pitcher, I was salivating.

Eventually, J-Mast made his transition to the rotation, where the Indians would love him to be next year and beyond.

It was rough, but there was also bright spots.

We know he CAN do it. It's just a matter if he can do it consistently enough to be a starter.

He's resembled Jeremy Sowers in an instance he struggles after the first few times through the lineup. He's Jeremy Sowers with a fiercer attitude and better stuff.

Masterson ended up 1-7 with a 4.55 ERA for the Tribe in 11 games, 10 starts.

I really love the bald mastard. He's got a great personality and he fits in well with Cleveland. I think with a full-year in the big leagues under his belt as he did last year, the adjustment period of a new team over, and a full-spring as a STARTER under his belt like he will have next season... It can only be beneficial to him.

His last game of the year was a sight to see as he struck out 12 in a complete game. We know he has it in him and that's part of the reason he got three feathers.

Joe Smith

It is hard to take anything that Smith did this year and judge it, either way.

For one, he dealt with injuries at several points this year. He got behind from the start by getting sick during spring training. It just was never a full-year for Joe Smith in his first year with the Tribe.

However he showed some good things at times and in the end, he had points in which, like Sipp, Eric Wedge had to lean on him late in the game.

What he did for New York is something to continue to keep in the back of your mind.

Because of the injuries, it just becomes hard to fairly judge Smith's year, so I'm going to stick him at average, three feathers, and chalk this one up to a bit of a lost-season. The good news is he's now acclimated to the team and he can go into next year, hopefully healthy.

He's going to be a big part of this bullpen next season if that is the case.

Chris Perez

After his first game with the Tribe... We all thought, oh god.

My thought was... Great, we ruined a great young arm by bringing him into the place where relief pitchers go to die.

But Benz turned it around.

His long flowing hair grew and so did his confidence with his new club.

In August, he was lights out, going 10-for-10 in his games, not giving up a single run in all 10 appearances. He picked up a streak that was the best for an Indians relief pitcher since Rafael Betancourt's a few years ago.

He showed flashes of why he was regarded as a future closer for St. Louis.

Oh and his July was very good as well.

That two month stretch was fantastic for Chris Perez. He had some issues September, but I've seen enough to feel confident about him in 2010. So far, there are three arms in that pen you feel a little good about, and Perez is one of them.

Now it's just a matter of them producing.

David Huff

David Huff ended up leading the team in wins when all was said and done.

His ERA didn't reflect that of an 11-game winner. But towards the end of the year, you could start to see Huff putting it all together.

I think he'll have a rotation spot in 2010 and from there he only gets better. He has nothing left to prove in the minors and had nothing at the point of his call-up. He's gotta sink or swim and given his maturity, I think he's going to take it in the offseason and come back with everything, from last year's end, the offseason, the confidence he'll gain knowing he's got a spot, and put together a good year.

Huff gets a three feathers from me. He more than anyone showed flashes that make you upbeat about the rotation not being as grim as it looks. The numbers will get better, hopefully, but if he wins four more games next year, I think we'll take that.

Aaron Laffey

I think Aaron Laffey deserves more, but this team doesn't. Laffey had many positives in this season. However he still needs to take that next step.

It looked like he was doing so, until the Indians moved him to the pen out of desperation. He took to it, quickly, however he got hurt. He came back, had his moments as a starter, but then also threw in his clunkers.

If Laffey is ever going to be more than a bottom of the rotation starter, or another Jeremy Sowers, he'll need to take that next step in 2010. He's likely to have a rotation spot, and he needs to do something with it!

I applaud the selflessness he had when moving to the pen and doing a good job out of it. Aaron can be a bit of a bulldog, so to see him take it in stride was awesome. And again he had his moments back when he was a starter.

I give him three feathers for falling somewhere in between, but extra bonus points for adjusting, the injury and being a good teammate.

Jhonny Peralta

Jhonny... Jhonny... Jhonny.

The man who follows the "H Before O Except after J" principle when spelling his name.

Wrong.

Just as wrong as he was in putting up a fight about third base.

Perhaps the Indians should have made it sooner. To make the transition a little more rocky. However the way Peralta handled it, was unacceptable in my eyes.

Add in his poor performance at the plate to start the season for the second straight year.

I had faith in him after what he did in 2008 in the middle of the order. He was the guy and he was doing fan-freaking-tastic. Then 2009 comes and he's the Jhonny of old. He picked up in the second half, but that type of consistency doesn't work on a winning team.

I applaud the transition he made to third, he's really taken well to it, even if he doesn't want to do it. That is something I cannot bash him for because he's actually done a good job after the initial move.

Really his offensive numbers as a whole, don't look awful. But the hole he put himself in made it what they were. For that, I cannot in faith give him higher than two feathers, despite the effort he put in defensively at third. It came, but it came with a fight.

Kelly Shoppach

I would like to painfully point out the fact that I called this coming a mile away.

I said, I'd love to trade Kelly Shoppach while his value is high and move on because he's destined for a drop-back.

He did...

His swing wasn't made to do that type of stuff year around. His plate discipline is just down-right horrid and now his defense is starting to fall off. What was once the hallmark of his game has dropped off considerably and its concerning.

The beauty of this all is that the Indians are probably going to move on and they've been given a second chance to do so.

Shoppach will earn too much as an arbitration eligible player. They could non-tender his ass and offer arbitration and let him walk as a free-agent and get B-Player compensation in return.

That's an option.

Or they could just trade him for whatever they think they can get for him, but it won't be as much as last year.

Either way, Shoppach was not very good this year. He did knock in 40 runs and hit over 10 homers and for a semi-back up catcher, that was okay. But he is what he is and he isn't someone we can afford for the production he's going to give.

Tomo Ohka

But maw... Do I have to?

Seriously this is one of those guys I didn't think I'd be giving a single feather to, but look where we are.

I gave Ohka two feathers because he was actually very helpful. Instead of sending some guys out there to get crushed, we sent out the wasted arm of Tomo Ohka to get crushed.

And he managed to throw out a few good games or appearances. Thanks for being a punching bag Tomo, you weren't as horrible as I thought you'd be.. However the fact you even made the roster makes me very angry inside.

Mark Shapiro: Traded Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco for Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, and Jason Donald; Traded Victor Martinez for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price; Traded Ryan Garko for Scott Barnes; Traded Rafael Betancourt for Connor Graham; Traded for Mark DeRosa in exchange for three pitching prospects, then traded DeRosa for Chris Perez and Jess Todd; Signed Kerry Wood to two year deal; Signed Carl Pavano to one year deal and traded for Yohan Pino; Traded Franklin Gutierrez for Joe Smith and Luis Valbuena.

Oh this is always fun...

Mark Shapiro, for my money, is probably the guy irrational Cleveland fan is upset with the most.

He's also the guy just about every rational Cleveland fan is upset with the most as well.

I'm not so upset.

Some of Shapiro's bad moves in the past few years: David Dellucci, Jason Johnson, Masa Kobayashi, Roberto Hernandez.

Really, there are a few more but it's not like he whiffed and was the guy that oversaw the drafting of Luke Hochevar... Or the nimrod that signed Barry Zito to a 100 million dollar deal.

Compared to some of the moves GMs have made that could be considered "bad," Shapiro's made some minor boo-boos.

However the problem with that is minor boo-boos in Cleveland, if made within a short span of each other, can add up and cause one big injury.

This is about 2008's offseason and the 2009 season though. Last winter was the the most active period the Indians have had in a long long time. They made a trade for a veteran to start at third and gave up prospects to do so. They signed a high-priced closer to fill a major void. Hell they even got involved in a three-way blockbuster that many thought Shapiro did well in.

To most, Franklin Gutierrez was just a fourth outfielder and the Indians received a major league reliever and a second base prospect from an organization we've robbed blindly before.

To me, Franklin Gutierrez was more, but again, different time for that, I'm past it.

When it comes down to it. Shapiro isn't the best signing free agents to deals that involve money.

This man has a knack for signing Carl Pavanos though. He's jumped on guys like Bobby Howry, Pavano, Millwood, and gotten what he's needed to get.

The moral of the story here... Let Shapiro sign whatever low-risk high-reward pitcher he wants. Let him organize the trades of superstars. Keep him away from free agents in which he has to shell out money for.

Last year it was easy to give Shapiro high marks for capitalizing on the impending free agency's of CC Sabathia and Casey Blake, regardless of the return (even though at the time, that return brought highly regarded prospects, such at this year's did).

To give him a grade would be impossible due to the fact we have no clue how half of these trades he made are going to turn out. So Lee, Martinez, everyone else aside... His Free Agent Deals and everything else taken into account. Shapiro gets two feathers. Not horrible, but not average.

Last year he was getting rid of something that he wasn't getting back. This year it isn't a slam dunk case.

Kerry Wood

A lot of slack was cut all year by me towards Kerry Wood.

However the end results are not desirable.

Kerry Wood was brought in to close games and in the end of the things, he didn't close as many as he should have.

The bullpen leading up to him was shaky, as was the starting pitching. That led to sporadic appearances and rust. Kerry Wood doesn't deserve a complete failing grade for his first year in Cleveland because a lot of it was out of his control.

But he gets an A for effort. He took to the leadership role early, which is great and with a year under his belt and one of the few veterans left, he'll need to do so even more in 2010.

But 2009 was forgettable. Hopefully he gets enough opportunities to justify the 10 million dollars the Indians are paying him per year, because I think we all know Wood is capable of much more.

No.. I know he's capable of much more.

Jose Veras

I don't even feel like talking about Jose Veras. He met the requirements though.

No really, this is stupid. If this guy is on the roster next year.... I don't care what he showed at the end of 2009. It's just.. BLEHK!

It's Jose Veras. He's a journeyman.. That's all

Jeremy Sowers

Jeremy Sowers is a relief pitcher.

At least in this stage of his career, he's a long reliever.

He cannot, I repeat, he cannot, I repeat... Wait no that's one too many. He cannot go through the lineup more than two times on most nights.

He's fan-freaking-tastic the first few innings, but he sucks at making adjustments.

It just sucks that Eric Wedge and company, Shapiro included, don't take to this and just move him to the bullpen.

Sowers is a far cry from the guy he was as a rookie. The jig is up and hitters know what he's about. He either needs to learn how to make adjustments (he went to Vanderbilt, how does he not know how?) or get moved to the pen or else he should no longer be on this roster.

Eric Wedge: 65-97 Record; Fired

Well this will probably be the last formal farewell to Eric Wedge.

He gets two feathers because we all know that this wasn't totally his fault. I think that's something I've tried to establish for awhile now.

However he deserves to have his hand slapped in this situation.

This year and this year only..

I think Wedge did what he could do with the injuries that happened. You have to remember at one point, a good portion of the team was on the disabled list. Reyes, Westbrook, Scott Lewis, Laffey, Betancourt all were hurt, Jensen Lewis, Rafael Perez, and Fausto Carmona all sucked. So he was left with... Cliff Lee, Kerry Wood, and a bunch of Vinnie Chulks and Greg Aquinos.

No one can win with that.

Injuries are a part of the game, great teams overcome them, but sometimes you don't have enough to overcome. The Indians did not.

Wedge's glaring weaknesses as a manager appeared this year in a way.

His bullpen management was spotty. Again, he didn't have a lot to work with, but I think he severely misused Jensen Lewis, trying to stretch him out into a longer relief pitcher just for the sake of getting innings.

I will say I love the fact he finally put some pressure on the young guys, like Tony Sipp, however it was as if he had no choice. I would have liked to see him push younger guys earlier.

The Matt LaPorta situation... That was a bad thing for him.

The "versatility" thing. And this isn't just Wedge, but Shapiro. Look I love having a ton of players that can play different positions, but that doesn't mean you play Mark DeRosa at third one day, second the next, right field the third unless you have to.

Playing them in different positions just to do it is stupid.

As much as I hate to say I was wrong, I think I was. In hindsight, we probably should have just had Peralta at third, DeRosa at second and Cabrera at third from the get-go. I said we could always just change midseason, but really, Wedge just did too much mixing and matching and by that time, it was just a disaster.

The lineup thing as well. I know when things aren't going good, you have to switch it up, but he did it too much. One of the things the Rockies said when Jim Tracy took over for Clint Hurdle was that they were relaxed knowing who was in the lineup in what spot and at what position on a daily basis. Not too much shifting.

The Indians did way too much shifting when they had no reason to. Injuries again played a part, but there was no need to do some of the stuff Datz and Wedge did. I throw Datz into this mix because he should be saying stuff like, hey you dumbass, let's settle this down a bit.

Anyway, those are my beefs with Eric Wedge as a manager, and particularly this year.

He does a lot of good things though. One of his positives is the fact that he can learn from past experiences, provided he is willing to. I've seen him do it in cases before and if he can do it here, maybe he'll get another managerial shot down the road and maybe he'll turn out better.

Carl Willis

With the firing of Eric Wedge, the dismissal of every one of his coaches looks very likely. Which means Carl Willis will not return.

You can't fault him for ALL the pitching woes, just as you can't praise him for ALL the success he had with CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee winning back to back Cy Young awards.

However you need to give him credit for having a hand in that, just as you need to hand him a little blame for what happened to the pitching.

Carl is a good pitching coach. He isn't a miracle worker as he was beginning to look like after CC, Carmona, Lee, and what we hoped would be Anthony Reyes. Or at least I hoped.

But he got the job done in some cases.

The development of the young pitchers like Jeremy Sowers is something you have to wonder about. How someone like Sowers could benefit so much from having a guy like Sal Fasano on the team, yet just steadily decline since he entered the majors under Willis' watch.

But again, you take the good with the bad.

Willis wasn't perfect and this season specifically he had A LOT to deal with. Constant bullpen changes, rookies left and right. He had a mashed up rotation of Carl Pavano, Cliff Lee, a brutal Fausto Carmona, and just prospect and young guy after young guy and Tomo Ohka.

He worked with what he had. We would have liked to see better results, but you can't fault him for what good he did do. Hopefully the plan that he and the management have etched out for Fausto Carmona continues its course and we can stick one more feather in the cap of Willis. For now though, he gets three for this season to go along with the five he got last year. Good luck C-Train, we'll miss ya and your Tar Heel-love.

Rafael Perez

Prepare for the worst killing you'll ever see..

If there was one guy I was disappointed with the most in 2009, this would be the guy. Rafael Perez is on my poster for disappointment, the 2009 Cleveland Indians motion picture.

Holy crap how awful did Perez look at times?

After completely dominating international play for the Domican Republic, the guy was a complete turn around for the Indians.

Was it the WBC-curse that got to Rafael Betancourt years ago?

I really hope so. Maybe 2010 will be a new day and I HOPE it is. This was one of the most dominant left-handed relief pitchers in the game for the past two years and now he looks like junk.

Here's to hoping 2009 was just a horrible glitch and some of the old Raffy Left returns in 2010. He may start a little slow but even half of a 2009 next year is unacceptable.

Derek Shelton

There was a point in the season in which the head of Derek Shelton was wanted on a sliver platter.

Was there not a point last year in which that same instance came around as well?

Look, Derek wasn't the best hitting instructor. I disagreed totally with his perspective, but not with his approach. I liked the approach of waiting for your pitch. But there are times do to that and times to not.

He needed to preach more versatility to his hitters. He made too many of them stand-stills in doing one certain thing. Against certain pitchers, especially ones like Justin Verlander who have three very good pitches that he only uses, and throws strikes very early in the count, you can't sit around and wait.

Is it any wonder the Indians had no success off the guy this year?

He was the kyrptonite to Derek Shelton.

He was the type of pitcher that the Indians cannot hit.

The guys who nibble, the guys who try and set you up and use off speed more than they do fastballs right early in the count.. Yeah those are the types of pitchers the Indians have more success against because that approach works.

Which is awesome, Shelton is a good instructor in some ways.

But he's awful in others and that others included being more than a one-trick pony.

It's good to be patient and have good discipline. But sometimes it can be death for a lineup if they sit there and stare at the first three pitches.

I will not miss Derek Shelton much. He was the source of a lot of frustration. But he does have a part in the game because he does have good knowledge of what to do. He just needs to learn from what doesn't work.

Fausto Carmona

Dear God....

No really, Dear God, please tell us what you've done with the real Fausto Carmona.

And please do not tell me this is the real Fausto Carmona.

What has happened here is an absolute train wreck. He's gone from deer in the headlights closer crawled up in the fetal position of the clubhouse after being exposed to the Boston Red Sox, to Cy Young contending tamer of Bugs and the New York Yankees in the ALDS to awful starting pitcher exiled to Arizona.

The next curve has to be up, right?

It can't possibly get worse, right?

Again.. Dear God, please.

Carmona was awful and at one point it felt like the Indians had no clue what to do with him. I think it was at that point they threw their hands up and said, alright let's just start over.

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.

Basically that was what happened and we are witnessing this sort of, rebuilding.

Not the franchise, hold your horses.

But Carmona is going through a transition into an actual pitcher. And again, Dear God, I hope it works. And if he's bionic, fantastic.

Asdrubal Cabrera
Last year, Cliff Lee was awarded the gold feather in honor of being named the Team MVP. This year there is two choices for this award and it was super tough. But Asdrubal Cabrera takes the cake. Cabrera was probably the most clutch player when all was said and done. His .343 average with runners on base just shows how good he was when you put him in a position to better the team. Of course his defense goes without saying, as always, he was untouchable and now that he's at short, the team is only that much better. Cabrera gets this year's nod for Golden Feather. Congrats Drubes!

Travis Hafner
For those of you who need a reminder, the silver feather goes to the team's unsung hero for the year. The pickings are slim and after my little speech earlier, I feel the need that Travis Hafner is worthy of this award. In any other season, there would be better options, but Hafner, despite being ridiculed by a lot of people, still put up some healthy numbers when it was all said and done. I pin-point one game, that I was at even, in which Hafner's presence was huge. Shin-Soo Choo had a career game, but Hafner had set it all up by scaring the bajesus out of Trevor Cahill and the A's bullpen. Because of that, they avoided him like the plague and it set up Choo beautifully to do HUGE damage. That type of stuff goes unnoticed with Travis, but it really shouldn't.

As noted yesterday, we officially start offseason mode here. This post signifies it all. Tomorrow the All-Daily Team and Wednesday the board debuts. Let the offseason begin!

BBA AL Cy Young Award

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Two down, two to go.

After voting for Manager of the Year and Rookie of the Year, here comes the big guns.

In the third award for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, it is now time to select a AL Cy Young Award winner.

Mike Scioscia won manager of the year and now Andrew Bailey was named Rookie of the Year. Bailey came in third on my ballot.

Andrus was my pick, and the top three was my ballot basically, just in reverse.

Now comes the hard stuff.

Well I guess this isn't hard.

There are three-five people I'm only considering for votes. Which I guess makes it easy.

Here we are though, Indians fans without a Cy Young contender for the first time in a few years. We were kind of spoiled winning the last two and now not even having a horse in the race. We'll we did, but we traded him.

Pitching was horrid this year. Starting pitching especially. Some crazy people, in other words, ME, thought that Fausto Carmona could bounce back and be all crazy and make it three in a row.

Slight chance.. Slight... Like I said, I'm a crazy person.

But of course, that was not the case. In fact, Fausto Carmona is probably the last person who would win the award. If you gave the award to the person who sucked the most, it would probably be Carmona's hands down.

What if Cliff Lee stuck around and put up those fantastic numbers (the NL switch probably helped and the Indians sucked, so I'm guessing he wouldn't have, but hang with me here) for the Indians in the AL?

His record ended up being 14-13, with a 3.22 ERA. The record sucks, but look at one of the main contenders now, he plays for the Royals!

Ahh like I said though, he wouldn't have had the same numbers, probably would have had a record beneath .500 given how much we sucked.

Also wouldn't have pitched all those awesome complete games.

How cool is it to see Cliff Lee studding it up for the Phillies in the postseason though? I know in a way it hurts, but to know that had we made it with him in our rotation, we could count on him to continue to be awesome is good. If only the whole rebirth thing happened before 2008. :sigh:

Enough didly daddle, let's talk AL Cy Young.

-

3. Roy Halladay, TOR

It's great to see Roy Halladay healthy and in this battle year after year. He's such a stud. If you put like two runs on the board on any given night, he can go the distance and make sure the Blue Jays win.

Guaranteed, bank on it, chance for a win 33 times out of 162 games a year if he's healthy. Just find four more guys that can give you a combined 60 more and you are golden, things will even itself out.

Oh and despite missing games, Doc still manages to lead the league in innings pitched. How badass is that?

In an era that protects arms and has pitch counts, Halladay is old school. He gets hurt sometimes, but he still goes out and throws till his arm falls off.

Man I'd love to have him on my team.

2. Felix Hernandez, SEA

I thought about it given his 19 wins, but I'll explain why he didn't get my first place vote in a second.

The King has finally grown up though. King Feliz is a monster and every time we face him, I fear for my life and I'm not even playing.

Seattle better just hold on to this dude because he's going to be stud-like for the next eight years or so.

1. Zack Greinke, KC

Even the Royals deserve some love every once and awhile.

And seriously, how does this kid not deserve it?

A 2.16 ERA is just unreal.

As good as Felix and Doc were, and any other year, they'd probably win the damn thing, Greinke was THAT much better.

He gave up 17 and 18 less runs than the other two. His run support sucked or else he'd have won 900 games. He had very few clunkers thrown in this year.

Not only did he place second in the AL in strikeouts, out of all the pitchers that pitched 30 games in the top 30 in ERA, only a few, Scott Baker, Mark Buehrle, Roy Halladay and Carl Pavano had fewer walks.

And those guys are control pitchers (Doc is legendary though), who predicate their game off being in control and not walking hitters.

Greinke is a guy who cans strike you out and not walk a ton of people.

He's a magician with the baseball and when he's focused and puts his mind to it, there are games when he's untouchable.

MAN this kid is good. How could he not be the AL Cy Young? Wins? Come on, forget it, he owned people and it isn't even close. Even though King Felix and Doc Halladay had fantastic years and were kind of close, it still isn't even close. Greinke is the man.

-

Man how about that stupid Yankees game... I'm pulling so hard for the Angels because of that Nick Adenhart story. Okay the Yankees also play a role in this.

But that stupid A-Rod. Since when did someone allow him to be clutch like this? It's just not fair to all of us who get enjoyment out of the struggle.

Anyway...

The manager search added a new candidate. Terry Pluto's been confirming people. He's got the list that I've laid out from all the other sources I've read (his being one of them). Fryman, Lovullo, Valentine, Acta have all had phone interviews. It's believed Clint Hurdle had one as well and Dave Clark was at least on their radar. Whether he interview or not is unknown.

A new name appeared though. Don Mattingly. Over at Bleacher Report, someone brought up his name in response to my candidates article and it sort of intrigued me. However I didn't think it was a possibility at this juncture. Well good old Terry Pluto said the Indians have interest, but it would have to wait until the Dodgers are eliminated.

Pluto did confirm the ruling out of Tony Pena, Yankee coach and former Royals manger and Indians hero. Mike Hargrove DID speak with Mark Shapiro, but since nothing came out of that as far as it being an interview, I'm almost positive it was more of an "advice" thing. I don't think the Indians are interested in Grover and Pluto said he is not on their list.

Pluto did say however Grover could be a bench coach if the Indians go the young route. Would he really do that?

I'm warming up to the idea of Manny Acta, but I'm even warmer to the idea of him just being a coach instead. As Terry mentioned, it would be great to have more of the Latin flavor on the staff. One reason I wanted us to keep Luis Rivera.

Tomorrow I post the end of the year feathers, they are just about complete minus one particular fellow. At that point I'll post a link to the offseason board. We'll do the first ever All-Daily team on Tuesday and on Wednesday, start diving into this year's board as the manager search is expected to heat up.

Whittling Down the Candidates

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:35:00 +0000

Well the search is going by with very little information.

Mark Shapiro and company are being very closed off in terms of what's going on so far.

The people that have been confirmed from one source or another to have at least been on the list of 30 candidates the Indians were targeting.

The list has been narrowed down to 8 or 10 names though.

Manny Acta
Bobby Valentine
John Farrell
Torey Lovullo
Travis Fryman.

That's all I've been able to dig up.

We've learned yesterday that John Farrell has pretty much re-confirmed his disinterest in the team. Theo Epstein gave the Indians permission to do what they wanted to do, yet Farrell has oddly maintained that he doesn't want the job? That confuses me, but whatever, if he's happy, he's happy.

I personally don't want someone who shows this much disinterest, so cross him off the list and move on. I said we should go after him until he was interested, but yeah, never mind. He wants to manage, but he wants to fulfill a one year commitment to Boston? I can respect that, but I don't understand it in this day and age.

Manny Acta on the other hand, wants the job very much. He is one of the few candidates that has been confirmed. He'll probably receive a phone interview rather soon.

Bobby Valentine has spoken out and said he very much would be interested in Cleveland, which is surprising to me. I'm sure a phone interview will take place rather soon if there is mutual interest on both sides, and I'm sure there is.

Terry Pluto has brought up Travis Fryman's name, but color me not-believed. Fryman has stated before on different occasions he has no intent on managing at a higher level or with any other organization. Mahoning Valley suits him for this point in his life. He's enjoying his family and if he really does, he won't be pulled away.

It would be an injustice to him to not only pull him away from that, but throw him into the fire of being a major league manager with just two years of short-season ball under his belt. If anything, him, like Lovullo, should have a few years of major league experience as a bench or third base coach before doing something like that.

Anyway, I phone interview Bobby Valentine just for the heck of it. If you can at least get his insight that would be fantastic. He will obviously be interested in the job, so he's going to say stuff that would get him the job. He'd give you his opinion on what he'd do you and you take those ideas and think about them, even if you don't hire him. Because Bobby Valentine knows baseball and what he says should carry some weight.

Some international news on the Indians... It looks like they've got an interest in Yusei Kikuchi.. I'd rather just call him Keith. If we sign him, that's what he'll be called. But look he's comparable to the Tazawa kid the Red Sox signed last year. He's young and expected to go number one overall in the Japanese draft, however could ask teams not to draft him so he can pursue a MLB contract.

So there's that. I've never heard of the kid until now. So this is a bit of a surprise.

Finally.. Matt LaPorta undergoes surgery and is going to need 4-6 months to recover.

For those of you who can count, six months from now is Mid-April.

Hopefully though, it won't take that long. I jinxed things the other day when I said "I think all the surgeries are over," and also went on to type awesome things about LaPorta's future in the forthcoming End of the Year Feathers.

Oh boy... Anyway, LaPorta's situation was compared to Hafner's by Castrovince, so hopefully he can get ahead of that and only be slightly off with his teammates. If he does play in the spring though, I'll be happy.

I've continued to watch for manager news like a hawk. But man it is slow and there is very little. Anyway, I've put a big dent in the End of the Year Feathers and I'm hoping to have it up Friday, because the offseason chart is ready to go and that can't go up until I officially begin the offseason with the Feathers.

So I'll work at my best to get that up Friday and then get the chart going for Saturday.

BBA AL Rookie of the Year

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 12:19:00 +0000

Here I am again ready to submit my ballot for the rookie of the year.

If you haven't caught on yet, I'm helping represent Cleveland in the BBA, which is the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. We vote on all the awards just like the media does, only we do a far better job. Mike Scioscia was named manager and I can't say I totally disagree, even though I didn't have him on my ballot. He did a fantastic job.

Because we're an Indians blog though, you have to give it up to our Rookies. We had plenty, which you would think would give us a good shot to have someone in contention, the odds are high.

But of course, they all sort of were just something and the one who did kick ass for the entire time he was here, was only here for a month, Michael Brantley.

We never have a rookie candidate, mainly because bring them up in September, play their asses off and they're ineligible next year.

It happens.

We had quite a few though...

David Huff - 11 wins, 65 strikeouts, but a 5.61 ERA. He was pretty good down the stretch though.

Tony Sipp - A fabulous 2.93 ERA in 40 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts. At this point, I'd consider him for a vote. However, there were two veteran relievers that were way better than him for much longer periods.

Luis Valbuena - A .250 average and 31 RBI on the year. Not bad, but wildly inconsistent. Trailed only Gordon Beckham in extra-base hits among rookies.

Matt LaPorta - I'm going to exclude his early season call-up and call a mulligan. These were his numbers in the second stint. .273/.315, 6 HR, 17 RBI in 139 AB.

Trevor Crowe - Hit .235, stole six bases and wasn't caught once, knocked in 17 RBI. He's established himself as a suitable replacement to Franklin Gutierrez as a fourth outfielder. To bad Gutierrez is starting caliber.

Michael Brantley - In just 112 at bats, Brantley hit 3.12, knocked in 11 runs and scored 10. He was 4/8 on SB attempts, but he's a burner and as he learns the big leagues, he'll improve that. He already got the green light from Eric Wedge.

Wyatt Toregas/Chris Gimenez - Oh boy... I like them both, but there is a reason they aren't starting caliber.

Lou Marson - Now here's a rookie of the year candidate for next season. I really like Lou Marson and I believe he didn't accumulate enough time or plate appearances to register this year. The .346 OBP is encouraging for the small sample size.

Jess Todd - He's a favorite of ours here, but the high ERA is discouraging. Love his tuff though and he should get better.

Without further hesitation though, here are some rookies that didn't suck for a majority of the year.

-

3. Andrew Bailey, OAK

I decided I didn't want to give a first place vote to a relief pitcher, but Andrew Bailey was as good as you get. Lights out all season. Where do the A's find these guys as of late and why do they have one huge year and then suddenly disappear?

2. Rick Porcello, DET

What happened in the 163rd game won me over in a way. He was doing awesome for awhile...

Really though it was a tough call between him and Jeff Niemann. A few factors that made me pick Porcello: higher strikeouts, lower run support, contending team to the very end.

Niemann is sort of getting overlooked despite his similar statistics to Porcello. Let's not forget him in the mix here.

1. Elvis Andrus, TEX

If you know me by now, you know I'm in love with defense. So Andrus could have hit .190 and I'd probably still give him a vote.

Well not really, but seriously... This kid is sick and he had Omar Vizquel teaching him stuff? What did he teach him that he didn't already know? He was making plays from day one. He's a bonafied stud with the glove and the Rangers knew that.

With all their offense, they figured if he could just hit .230 and save more runs than he knocked in, they'd win. Well I don't know if he saved 40 runs, but he knocked in that man and scored 72. He hit .267 with a .329 on base percentage, which is not bad for a rookster.

Oh and he stole 33 out of 39 bases. Jango.

-

Why I didn't vote for...

There really wasn't anyone past four managers that I'd consider casting a ballot four, so I didn't do honorable mentions, but perhaps I should defend not voting for a few of the players that I ended up leaving off.

Jeff Niemann

Again, LOOK AT HIS STATS! He was just as good as Rick Porcello was. Porcello was probably a little bit better and the fact that he's fresh out of Double-A helps him. But Niemann was the guy that beat out David Price and that dude they traded to Colorado (I know his name, Jason Hammel, whatever) and everyone was like WHAIUFHDSFFHS WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? And look he did good.

Gordon Beckham

Eh, he plays for the White Sox.

No, he played good for the White Sox though. He led all AL Rookies in RBI and was pretty damn fantastic for awhile. Didn't play the entire season though, which isn't a bad thing, but he really had to light it up to get a vote and not play the entire year.

Nolan Reimold

I don't know how many votes he'll garner, but I like him. Matt Wieters will probably get more, but he Reimold was the Rookie HR leader.

Tony Sipp

One more Tony Sipp stat.. Among the AL Rookie Relief Pitchers that logged 40 games pitched

Sipp was third in ERA with 2.93.. I did not count Matt Palmer as he was a part time starter.

He was also fifth among AL Rookies with 10 holds. To honor Sipp's decent rookie year, we go back in the vault from this past season and show you this post... The day Sipp was called up to the majors.

-

While we're on the subject of rookies and prospects.. Check out the Indians Prospect Insider for the updates about instructional leagues. Tony Lastoria is down in Arizona and if you want more, check out his youtube profile for videos he's been posting on players.

BBA AL Manager of the Year

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:18:00 +0000

As I mentioned yesterday, I have the honor of being included in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance, a network of bloggers representing every team in the MLB and then some from all over the internet. We vote on all our respective league's awards, just as the writers covering teams do.

The first award coming up is the Manager of the Year. The last time I checked, Cleveland was in the AL, but I'm sure we all wish they were in the NL in a division with the Pirates, Nationals and the Mets. So yeah, I'm voting for the AL Manager of the year.

My first inclination is to give Eric Wedge a vote.

I'm kidding! Seriously... Wow.. Don't start groaning about how I suck.

Here's my official ballot. Yankee and Red Sox managers excluded, because, they are. Since we are an Indians blog and we are looking for a manager and we just fired ours and I'm really really sarcastic, it makes perfect sense to throw Tribe commentary in here. Enjoy.

3. Ron Washington, TEX

So you've got Ron Washington here and quite honestly, if he wins the award, I believe he should share it with Mike Maddux. The smartest move the guy did was to bring in the brother of the future hall of fame pitcher Greg Maddux to finally get some semblance of a rotation down in Texas.

Things really didn't change for the Rangers. Same group of names as the past few years with Scott Feldman moving from the bullpen. Tommy Hunter, Kevin Millwood, a crapp Vincente Padilla. It was all there and Maddux made it work.

But Washington still had a lot to deal with. It seems like their best player was always hurt with something new. Josh Hamitlon must have missed at least three periods of extended time. Ian Kinsler had his issues, Michael Young was out of the lineup at one point, and he had a rookie who wasn't supposed to hit a lick in at shortstop.

Give that man some credit for being the best team to not make the playoffs in the AL.

2. Ron Gardenhire, MIN

I resisted not giving my first place vote to Ron Gardenhire because the AL Central is complete garbage. But he deserves a vote for being awesome at his job and never getting the respect.

Especially this year more than any other. Okay so the Central sucks, but someone has to win it and give credit to the Twins for making the push they did despite missing Justin Morneau down the stretch. It wasn't just at team getting hot, it was a team that believed in whatever message was being fed to them.

Throwing guys like Anthony Swarzak and Jeff Manship (Manship? really? What is that?) into the rotation and still managing to win a division is good. I envy the Twins for they can find someone as good at his job as Ron Gardenhire is.

1. Don Wakatamsu, SEA

I have the utmost respect for anyone that can take an absolute ball of crap, spray paint it gold, and pass it off for a kings ransom.

The Mariners were probably not as crappy as we all thought they were. This was a team a few years removed from a decent run for a playoff spot that fell short. It was more of them playing below their talent level last year than it was reflective of how good they actually were.

But no one expected Don Wakamatsu to come in with a somewhat rebuilt team and do what they did. The Mariners were supposed to be Cleveland and Cleveland was supposed to be Seattle.

Is it any freakin' wonder they've got a former Indian rocking his ass off in center field?

I'll go back to it again. I screamed bloody murder when this team traded Franklin Gutierrez. All he needed was some confidence instilled in him. A guaranteed spot in the lineup and a consistent spot in the batting order day in and day out.

Wakamatsu should earn the award just based on the fact he used Gutierrez correctly. In other words, he used him period.

Anyway, enough about our misery. Wakamatsu is my pick. I keep using him as the comparison as to who the Indians should go out and get. Not someone exactly like Wakamatsu, but someone that can make an impact to the effect he did in Seattle. There is talent here, young talent, but talent that can do something.

Just come in and guide it in the right direction.

-

So there's my top three. Joe Girardi does not get any sympathy for a 100 win team that shelled out nine-thousand million dollars in free agent acquisitions, even if he got A-Rod to be clutch. Eric Wedge in a way does deserve a vote. Just winning a single game with a bullpen of Vinnie Chulk, Luis Vizcaino, Greg Aquino, and Matt Herges deserves a ton of praise.

In honor of this occasion, I reach back into the vaults of this ridiculous blog and pull out one of the better images I've shared with the masses.

The Eric Wedge Gray Hair Watch... Now that he's fired and we'll probably be no more than a bench coach for whatever team he ends up with, his rate of hair going gray will no doubt slow down. But it was startling how fast his entire goatee went from original color, to a gray clump of sadness and aging.

And that picture was most recently in 2008.. One can only imagine how many white hairs he's sporting now that he's undergone a season even worse than 2008. In the most recent picture I can find from his last game, it looks as if his entire beard is turning gray. Ouch.

This playoff thing... Kind of depressing

npcpronk29@gmail.com (Nino) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:42:00 +0000

I love the playoffs.

But in a way, I'm sort of depressed.

I'm a regular viewer of First Take on ESPN2 and fellow Indians-commiserator Jay Crawford had a graphic put up of former Indians in the playoffs.

It's stunning.

LF- Manny Ramirez
CF- Ben Franciscp
RF- Ryan Ludwick
SS- Mark DeRosa
3B- Casey Blake
2B- Ronnie Belliard
1B- Jim Thome
C- Victor Martinez

SP- Cliff Lee, CC Sabatha, Carl Pavano, Paul Byrd
RP- Rafael Betancourt

Manager- Charlie Manuel

Am I forgetting someone here?

This is just insanity in a way.

We can field an entire nine man lineup with former Indians in the postseason. We can field 4/5ths of a rotation with former starters in the postseason.

Why can't we field a bullpen?

That's right... Our bullpen's have sucked.

Anywayyyyy.

In a way... Who was glad to see CC Sabathia prove he isn't a playoff fluff the other night? I'm rooting for the Twins and I despise the idea of ever rooting for something in YANK pinstripes.

But for one game, I'm glad CC could go out there and show that he's not one that succumbs to postseason pressure. He's better than that. I just wish he showed it in 2007 instead of 2009.. Grr..

Couple end of the year surgeries going on.

Asdrubal Cabrera had surgery on his elbow to remove loose bodies. Those damn loose bodies! Dr Chicken Dance did this one.

Chris Perez had something done with his ankle. Dr. Chicken Dance and someone else did the surgery.

Both will be doing stuff by the end of this calender year.

I think that should pretty much cover our end of the year surgeries. Grady Sizemore all that crud done, you got Cabrera and Perez fixing things. I think everyone else is good to go.

Unless Travis Hafner pulls something moving boulders in the offseason when he visits the family in North Dakota.

I just scared a bunch of people.

It's been a straight neglect of the Minors since I ended the minor league reviews.

Coming soon, the Indians end of the season review and we're going to hand out some hardware. I know, not the season to be rewarding people, but the entire organization didn't suck and we need to establish more tradition. The annual feathers will be given out and I'll name my first All-Daily Team.

The All-Daily team will be just that. Sure it's the name of the blog, but it's not just the best players. It's the players that are day in and day out, awesome. I pride this blog on being as daily of an update as possible (when I'm not exhausted of course), so reward the guys who play hard.

There's a story on the Indians main page about Scott Barnes, who was acquired in the Ryan Garko trade.

All minor league news though, make sure Indians Prospect Insider is in your daily reading selection. I shouldn't have to tell you. Instructional League recaps are being posted and that's nice to keep an eye on. I'll be honest though, what much can I say about that after Alex White made his debut?

Kelvin De La Cruz is back?

Yay.... I keep up with the instructs stats, but won't bother with the boring details.

Tony Lastoria did hand out his Tony Awards, which is the minor league awards, Pitcher, Hitter, Etc. Check em out.

While I'm not posting every day, I'm working hard. I've begun to make a serious effort on the Prospect Overview board which has been something I wanted to put together for awhile. I've finally decided the best course of action and so far, I've got just about every name put down and just about every piece of information I need.

What I'll have on it is vitals: How Acquired, Year, B/T, DOB, and then Rule V eligibility. Then starting next year when prospect rankings start to come out, I'll tally up the various sources for a quick reference. I'm hoping that I can find a way to work it so it's interactive where you can sort by name, year, rule v, etc. That's my ultimate goal. If anything, it will be a useful reference tool.

I'm hoping also to work out a way where I can add up all the prospect rankings and make some sort of logical composite ranking for everyone. I'm also working out a system that I'm going to call "D Points" if I can ever work it out, where I have a points system worked out for awards/recognitions that prospects will tally up in their minor league careers. Why? I don't know, I get bored sometimes.

My other project is the official move to Fan Huddle. As you may have remembered, I committed to moving my blog to the Fan Huddle network. That means a move from Blogger to Word Press and basically just a complete change as far as what you see visually. The domain remains the same.

Right now, I want everything to be perfect before I make the full move, so for now, you still see what you see. But eventually, you'll see this.

Only, with content.. Dah-hoy..

But yeah that's what I'm working on now. I'm planning on working on the season wrap up next week and either have it posted for next week or the week after.

I'm thinking the managerial search will start to kick in.. So this weekend I'm working on the offseason chart, it will be pretty bare as far as free agents go.. But hey.. That should be ready to go for the next week.

FYI. I've started actually using twitter for what it was intended for. Being totally ridiculous and silly. I've been commentating on the MLB Playoffs regularly, so if you enjoy my ridiculousness, follow on twitter. I found a free twitter birdie and put an Indians cap and Jersey on him. Doesn't he look so cute?

Also coming next week...

I've had the privileged of being asked to being in the Baseball Bloggers Alliance. What this has done is assembled blogs, at least two, hopefully, of each team, that will vote on all the major league awards, just like the real media votes on them. Chapters and all that fun stuff.

The Manager of the Year award is coming up and I'll have my vote this weekend posted here. So you'll be seeing that throughout the month of October. I'm honored to be a part of the BBA, which is a great assembly of blogs and love that I'm sharing the Indians representation with the wonderful Steve Buffum of the always brilliant "The B List" on Cleveland Fan.

AND FINALLY..

REPRESENT!!!!!!!!

The Tribe Daily's first official sponsored Fantasy Baseball team took home their first Championship this week. After the Twins officially beat the Tigers, The Tribe Daily officially became the Champions of the Philadelphia Rotisserie Wars League. A league assembled of fellow bloggers around the interwebs, I was able to maneuver myself to a win in this auction league.

This was my first ever auction league, so how I pulled it off, especially I drastically underspent in the draft, I'll never know. But I won by a whole 12.5 points.. That's bananas.

I'm honored that I was able to bring home a championship to the city of Cleveland. I know it wasn't quite what you all wanted.. But I did it, even if it was with Miguel Cabrera, Joe Mauer. At least Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, and even Matt LaPorta had a part in it.

MVP was Chris Carpenter by far though. I bought him for ONE DOLLAR! One Dollar! One Stinkin dollar!

Wooo! Victory!

So keep an eye out and let's commiserate about the former Indians in the postseason. It's quite fantastic.