A BLOG POST

Browns still suck. Can we please throw the ball downfield. I'm sick of this 5 yard passing crap. I've seen Quinn throw downfield. He does it nicely. Why isn't he? Perhaps the receivers aren't getting open? That certainly wouldn't stop shit-for-brains DA from throwing downfield.

Certainly I don't want Quinn to force passes. But, seriously, this inability to throw downfield has to change. Now. Read the rest of this article

Winslow Trade Thoughts

From my recent trip across the internet message boards it looks like Browns fans are split on the Kellen Winslow trade. Now that the previously undisclosed draft picks have been disclosed to be a 2009 second rounder and a 2010 5th rounder, I'll give my take on the first big move of the new era. And that take is overwhelming support of the move.

Honestly, I think anyone who is against this trade is letting there emotions get in the way of reason. There are two main concerns about this trade. One is that people feel Winslow is our best player and trading him is a sure sign of rebuilding. Two is that Brady Quinn is a young "dink and dunk" passer who needs a great tight end like Winslow to be effective. Let me explain why both of these opinions are incorrect.

First, trading Winslow does NOT mean we are rebuilding. Sure he is the best receiving tight end on the planet. Yet he still managed to drop Quinn's 4th down, game ending pass versus Denver just as if he was any other Browns receiver. Come to think of it, he also dropped a touchdown pass from Quinn against San Francisco in 2007. Winslow's one great ability, to catch passes, is therefore not perfect. And for every drive that Winslow does extend with a great grab, he repeatedly stalls another one with mental errors. I can't count the number of times I lost my voice screaming at the television following a personal foul or false start on Winslow. Not to mention his little problems blocking and staying healthy.

Then there is the depth at tight end on this roster. Steve Heiden could be starting almost anywhere in the league. He seemed more than adequate against the New York Football Giants last season when Winslow was in the hospital. Also, last season we drafted arguably the top receiving tight end in college, Martin Rucker. The drop in talent at tight end will not be noticed in the win-loss column next year.

And for those who think Quinn can only dink and dunk, I say to you that you only think that because you watch DA play, and the only thing he could do was heave it long. If the deep ball is there, Quinn will throw it up and give our guy a chance to make the play. But a qb has to be able to move the chains with long drives to give a defense the chance to rest. Just because Quinn can do something DA couldn't, throw with touch and accuracy to a receiver, doesn't mean it's a bad thing. But I digress. The point of this paragraph was supposed to be that Quinn doesn't need Winslow. As stated above, Heiden is a very gifted tight end and I am fully confident that he will be more than able to fill Winslow's shoes.

This team has too many holes. To trade from a position of strength to acquire assets to fill the weaknesses is exactly what a good GM should do. Winslow's trade value is higher than it will ever be. Obviously ManKok learned from the mistake of the Savage regime when it failed to get value for DA when it had the chance.  On the Tampa Bay message boards, many posts indicated there would be hell to pay if the Bucs gave up more than a 3rd or a 4th rounder.  To get a second and a fifth rounder for this injury prone, penalty prone, malcontent is a steal. The move does not represent a complete rebuild. It is a way to fill the holes on this roster by getting rid of a guy who is injured half his career and is replaceable on the roster.

Now the daunting task of convincing Mr. Rogers to shut up and play ball lies ahead...



PS: I am stunned by the results of the current CMCR poll. The results should have been 100% for trading LeBron for Kobe, Gasol, and Bynum. These are two legit all-star centers and the man LeBron refers to as the best player on the planet. Please, loyal readers, explain to me how you could vote for anything else.

Until next time this is Barry Lakin sayin all the world is schlach.

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Knowing When to Cash In

Earlier this week on Mike and Mike, there was a discussion about knowing when to "cash in" on a player - trading him when his value was highest in the eyes of other teams, but right before his performance falls off the proverbial cliff. The discussion focused on the San Diego Chargers' decision to allow RB Michael Turner to leave as a free agent and sign with the Atlanta Falcons this season, in light of his superior performance to LaDainian Tomlinson. Also addressed was the New England Patriot's upcoming decision with super-sub Matt Cassel and the pending return of All-American dreamboat, Tom Brady.

While I detest the concept of dealing in hypotheticals, what-ifs and revisionary history, in light of the Browns Derek Anderson/Brady Quinn decision last year (rinse and repeat this offseason) and the Kellen Winslow/Martin Rucker situation brewing, I felt that this was something worth examining.


Initially, any argument that could have been made in keeping Turner and moving LT seems laughable at best. LaDainian had over 1900 total yds last season, averaged more than a touchdown per game, and was the consensus number one fantasy pick in almost every neighborhood draft. Turner, on the other hand, rushed for only a little more than 300 yds and 1 Td last year, mostly against defenses in the 4th quarter worn out from missing tackles against Tomlinson earlier in the game. To guess that Turner would do well this season wouldn't have been a stretch, but to predict that Turner would out-LT LT this season would have required Marty McFly's Gray's Sports Almanac from Back to the Future II. Not to mention that had Chargers GM A.J. Smith even entertained an idea of trading LaDainian prior to the season, he would have been torn to shreds by both the fans and the media. Though it has now become the trend, rather than the exception, for star running backs to start breaking down as soon as they hit 30, keeping LT and letting Turner walk was the right decision.

The Brady/Cassel situation is not so clear cut. The Patriots mantra to this point has been that no one player is bigger than the team. Gone are Deion Branch, Asante Samuel and Ty Law, all replaced with cheaper alternatives. But now that Tom Brady, face and leader of the Patriots, has been forced to the sidelines for the season with his knee injury, Matt Cassel has emerged from the shadows in a Bradyesque fashion. In fact, Cassel in his first season starting (3,615 yds, 21 tds and 11 ints through 15 games) has outperformed Brady in his first season (2,843 yds, 18 tds and 12 ints in 15 games). Granted, Brady did not have the benefit of throwing to Randy Moss and was taking over a vastly different team. But the question remains, would it make sense to try to move Brady for "hypothetically" two number first round draft picks, while signing Cassel to a contract at a much reduced rate than what Brady is currently getting?

Knowing that the same people who would chastise a GM for trading LT would be about ten times more upset for trading Brady, the idea of clearing cap space and filling several holes at once has
to appeal to a coach like Bill Belichick (who seems to believe he put any player into any role and have it succeed). While it's just as likely that Cassel is a product of the Patriots system (a la any Denver Broncos running back), and is more likely to turn out to be the next Scott Mitchell than Brady - GMs are paid to pull the trigger and make decisions in the best interest of the team winning both presently and in the future, even when potentially unpopular. Mark Shapiro knew this when he made the widely hated move to trade Bartolo Colon for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee and Brandon Phillips - now considered to be the pinnacle acquisition of his career.

Phil Savage had the opportunity to make such a splash and cash in on Derek Anderson's success last season - trading him after his surprising performance and handing over the reigns to Brady Quinn. While the difference between Anderson and Quinn is not nearly as big as the difference between Brady and Cassel - Savage had the chance to move Anderson when his value was as high as it ever was going to be - filing several holes at once. Instead, Savage made the decision to keep Anderson (which I agreed with at the time - and still do to some extent - perhaps why I'm not the GM) forcing the Browns into uncomfortable situation of having gone from a team with two potential solid quarterbacks, to a team unaware of the full capabilities of either at the position.

Even worse, it has become almost impossible to move Anderson during this offseason unless the team is willing to receive 50 cents on the dollar, accepting a far inferior pick than what they would have received for Anderson last year. Essentially, Savage has taken his giant stack of chips, cut it an half and now has to decide if he's willing to go all-in and pick up Anderson's pricey $5 million dollar option in March.

Ironically, Savage has the opportunity to learn from his past mistake and move Kellen Winslow during the offseason (assuming Savage remains as GM). Despite playing below his Pro Bowl level of last season, Kellen remains an attractive option to other teams looking for a play maker at tight end. His value remains nearly as high as it ever has been. When healthy, Kellen has shown that he is among the leagues elite at the tight end position. Teams see the strife that has arisen between Winslow and the Browns and know that they have the potential to "steal" a quality player from us.

However, these teams might be blinded to the fact the Winslow might have already fallen off the cliff. With the combined effects of the motorcycle accident, the broken leg and this year's staph scare, one has to wonder how much longer Kellen has in him. Added with Kellen's desire to get a new contract - moving Winslow now might be the best thing for the team for the long term. Even if Kellen has one or two more standout years in him - the tight end position remains among the deepest on the Browns, with Heiden, Rucker and Dinkins. Turning Winslow's perceived value into several other valuable players benefits in the Browns more so in the long run. Especially if Rucker turns out to be the pass catching tight end he is advertised to be. (I also don't think the drop between Heiden and Winslow would be as drastic as some might think).

While, trading Winslow would not be as unpopular move as trading LT or Brady would be, it obviously could result in fan backlash (like during the Colon trade). Winslow plays hard whenever he's actually out on the field and he makes big receptions. However, if a team were willing to give us a second and a fifth rounder for Winslow, like the Saints gave up to acquire Shockey, I'd have to think long and hard about making such a move. While it might not be Sizemore and Lee - the Browns need to think about filing some holes on the defensive side of the ball.

In a league like an NFL, when stars turn into veterans who cannot latch on to a team in the span of a season (Shaun Alexander) and nobodies step up to become MVPs (Kurt Warner) - pulling the trigger at the right point can be the difference between a 10 win season and a 4 win season. Savage, or whoever is the GM of the Browns next season needs to maximize our stack - multiply our chips and make the moves to get us to the top. Read the rest of this article

Rock Bottom

For my first post on the new blog, I wanted to write something memorable. With that in mind, my logical first instinct was to opine on the Cavaliers' record setting start. But, after thinking about it, I realized two things: 1) Its the NBA in December...calm down there cowboy; and 2) the Cavs are a really good team that is in prime position to challenge for a title this year. Truthfully, there isn't that much more to be said about them right now. There will be plenty of time to talk about the Cavs when they hit a rough stretch or prepare to make a move at the deadline.

The Indians? Sure, there's plenty to talk about after some very good moves at the winter meetings; however, keeping in mind that my goal is to make my first post memorable, waxing poetic about minor league second basemen and 30 something closers doesn't seem like the right thing to do.

So, that leaves me with the Browns. Wait a minute, that can't be right. How can I write a memorable post about the most loathsome, disgusting, vomit-inducing team to hit Cleveland in the last decade? Well, after some thought, I have realized that now is the perfect time to write about the Browns. I think of this post as a time capsule. If I really explore my feelings about the Browns now, one day, long into the future when the Browns are a respectable organization, I will be able to go back to this post and remember just how bad things were and how much the good times shouldn't be taken for granted. So, here goes . . .

The Cleveland Browns are an embarrassing organization. And I'm not even just talking about the players. I'm talking about the entire organization, top to bottom. I'm talking about the entity.

When most people talk about the Browns, the begin by talking about the players or the coaching staff. To me, that's missing the point. When a business is failing, you don't look first to the employees or middle management. You go right to the top. The same rule should apply to the Browns. So, with that in mind, lets look from the top down.

The man at the very top is Randy Lerner. The cliche' thing to do when discussing Lerner would be to prattle on about English Football and spout off a bunch of platitudes about commitment and dedication. Truthfully, however, I'm not sure at this point that there is really that much blame that can be placed at Lerner's feet. He spends tons of money and he lets his football people run the organization. At most, he is guilty of being naive and putting his faith in the wrong people, or perhaps more specifically, the wrong person.

That's a nice transition into a discussion of the man that I view to be the main culprit in the continued atrociousness of the Browns: Mr. Phil Savage. I despise Savage. I think he's a smug little weasel. I think he rode into town on Ozzie Newsome's record and has done nothing but destroy the Browns ever since. But, when I say he's destroyed the Browns, I'm not even really talking about his crappy draft record or mostly disappointing free agent signings. I'm talking about his mismanagement of the people below him and the toxic culture he has fostered within the organization. Honestly, I have too many grievances with Savage to write in detail about all of them so I will just list a few of my favorites:

1. Allowing Romeo to retain Carthon 7 games into the 06 season;

2. Being a condescending little penis to the local media while pretending to be Jesus in front of national writers like Peter King;

3. Purposely antagonizing his tight end in the media because he was too childish to be the bigger man;

4. Mediocre overall drafts;

5. Mediocre overall free agent signings;

6. Extending an overmatched coach after one decent season against a bad schedule;

7. And last but not least, telling a Browns fan to fuck off and then letting his head coach handle the press conference discussing it.

Savage is a cancer. You can't build a great organization when the man running it is a self-aggrandizing unaccountable childish asshole. It just won't work, and that is why even though I don't directly fault Randy Lerner for this shitstorm, he takes some of the blame for Savage. He should've never extended Savage after last season. There is no rule written anywhere that says that coaches and GMs are not allowed to come close to the end of their contracts, especially when their performance has been a mixed bag at best. Then, even after extending Savage, Lerner should have fired him "for cause" the day he sent the now famous fan e-mail. If Lerner retains Savage after this season, my opinion of him will tank. It has been well documented that Lerner is fond of Savage, but if he lets that friendship prevent him from making a change that is absolutely necessary to improve the organization, he will essentially be telling the Cleveland fans to fuck off in his own subtle little way. Ok, enough on those two.

Romeo. Does anything even need to be said? In a way, it's funny that he's managed to coach this team for this long but in truth, it's just an embarrassment. The fans and the rest of the world have known he's a joke for several years. How the Browns have not yet figured this out is just beyond me. Either they're blind or they just don't care. Whatever the reason, it's not worth talking about anymore because he's out.

So, those are the figureheads of the Browns as an organization. It's pathetic. In the NFL, more than any other professional sport, it's the quality of the organization that really determines the number of wins and losses year in and year out. That's why teams like Indy, Pittsburgh, and New England are usually winners while bad organizations like Cleveland, Cincinnati, Arizona, and Oakland are usually terrible despite the fact that the draft should make things cyclical. A quality organization manages to field a quality team. If you have a bunch of hacks on the sidelines and in the front office, the product on the field will almost always bear a striking resemblance.

Last but not least, the players...and oh what a special day it is to talk about the players in light of Braylon's little rant today. Now listen, I'm not stupid enough to believe that you can't win titles with thugs and primadonnas on your team. Teams do it all the time. But, what I do believe is that you can't have these guys in key positions leading your team, and you have to have enough high character guys and a strong enough head coach to negate their impact (See Giants, New York). The Browns have amassed a nice little collection of turds, shitheads, and worst of all, mental midgets on this roster. Yet, that fact alone shouldn't be enough to make this team this bad. The problem is that not only are these people on the team, they actually "leading" it. That is a perfect recipe for the type of disaster that has taken place this year.

A few noteworthy individuals:

Braylon Edwards: The sad thing about Braylon is that he's going to have at least a few more great seasons before it's all said and done. The guy has too much talent to be bad forever. He's got the football version of the shanks right now but it won't always be that way. He's going to have more pro-bowl seasons, but unfortunately, my guess is they will be in another city. It's a shame that Braylon had to put the finishing touches on his master plan to get out of town after a season in which he had Browns fans pining for the sure hands of Dennis Northcutt. His has lost a significant amount of value. With his talent, he's probably still worth a late first rounder (Roy Williams anyone?) but this is just a huge blow to the future of the team. He's a cancer and they have to get rid of him but man, with the right head on his shoulders, he could've been a great piece for the new regime to build around.

Derek Anderson: Savage botched this one. He was scared that if he traded the Browns first "Pro Bowl" quarterback in forever and Quinn flopped, he'd be massacred. The truth is that the handwriting was on the wall last year when Anderson was terrible in the second half of the season. Instead of working out a trade with one of the numerous quarterback desperate teams this summer and giving the team to Quinn, Savage probably just took a first round pick and turned it into a 4th rounder and a nice little accellerated cap charge. Well done sir. As for Anderson himself, the guy can seriously blow me. Anyone who tells Peter King that the team "got its swagger back" after beating the Bengals is obviously a jackass. Worse, in spite of his laser arm, the fact that he's such a mental midget will prevent him from ever being an upper echelon starter. Anderson's favorite pastimes include disappearing from games in which he starts poorly and loses his confidence and crying to the media about being unloved. Ah, just what I'm looking for in my starting quarterback. Get him out of my life.

K2: I'm sorry....I know he plays hard but I want him out of my life too. He was 100% right in his war with Savage this season but I still want him gone. He can't keep his mouth shut, he doesn't block anyone, and he's got the body of a 50 year old. The Browns should move him while he still has value.

Overall, the Browns are just a sad sad organization in a city in which the fans live and die with their football team. The wounds these guys have inflicted on the fanbase this year will take a long time to heal. Its hard to believe that less than 4 months ago, I was thinking about playoff games after watching the team march down the field and score in their first preseason game. What a sad disgusting season. What a sad disgusting team. God, I want them all to disappear.

This completes my Browns time capsule post. I vow not to speak of them again until the draft.

Now, about those Cavs...

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KenBot?

Introducing the starting quarterback for your Cleveland Browns-Ken Dorsey.

The man on the team to be more of an assistant qb coach than player is now under center for the remaining games of the regular season thanks to injuries to both Brady Quinn and Derek Anderson. This is like the Cavs throwing Eric Snow into a ball game because Mo, Delonte, and Boobie all get hurt, only Snow was actually decent at one point in his career.

I guess Phil Savage may have been correct to keep two "starting caliber quarterbacks" on the roster this year instead of letting DA go for a 1 and a 3. Both quarterbacks are now out for the year. If we had been in playoff contention, as expected, it would have mattered. In fact, maybe we should keep both qbs again next year and draft Tim Tebow in the first round in case they both get injured again. We already know Tebow looks great in an orange helmet. Maybe Tebow can coach, too. He certainly brings more enthusiasm to each game than Romeo has brought in his entire career.

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Quinn's In

At first I was angered that the Browns throw Quinn into the fire on a short week, with the Broncos game on Thursday night. It's like Romeo is trying to make Quinn fail by giving him such little preparation time.

Then I began to see another side of the picture. The Broncos are a bad defensive team. If DA played Thursday and succeeded against this bad defense then we couldn't get Quinn in the next game. Also, the short week provides a built in excuse if Quinn does perform poorly this week. It is a way to protect both Quinn, and the decision of the franchise in making the switch, in case it doesn't work out right away.

After this early game Thursday, Quinn will have 10 days to prepare for his second game.

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Back To Reality

image from www.waitingfornextyear.com

14-11. Same story as always. Lousy coaching. Lousy DA. Lousy Braylon. No need to keep rewriting the same problems after each game. Everyone sees them. Nobody in the organization is willing to make a change. Only in Cleveland would an organization be so inept. Nothing more to say. Read the rest of this article

That was exciting

I started this game rooting for the Giants. I did that because I am a Browns fan. The best thing that can happen to the Browns is for Romeo to get fired. And even in a blowout over the undefeated Giants, Romeo continued to show why he is not head coach material. 10 dumb mostly presnap penalties is inexcusable. It shows the team was not prepared and that is the head coaches responsibility.

On the other hand, 35-14. Football is a quarterback's game, and no game reflects that more than tonight's. Get ready for a week of talk of the "Eli of old." Pre-winning-streak Eli Manning showed up tonight and tossed 3 interceptions, including one Eric Wright returned 94 yards for a touchdown.

More importantly, I just heard an espn commentator describe Derek Anderson as an incredibly accurate passer. I suppose that is true if you watched only this game, and ignore the spurts of grass passes early. That being said, Anderson had a fantastic game. 18-29, 310 yards, 2 tds, 0 ints. Those numbers were no fluke. He played like a pro bowler. He had time to throw, and he even had some good short throws. I was also impressed by a couple of smart intentionally under-thrown balls. All this was without our best receiver, Kellen Winslow, who remained home, nursing his testicles back to health.

Derek Anderson had the best game of his career tonight. And it comes on the heels of the NFL trading deadline on Tuesday. Now is the time Mr. Savage. Take whatever is offered, before it is too late to get anything.

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Cripple Fight

A win is a win and the Browns needed this one badly. In what amounted to a slapfest between two 0-3 teams, the Browns swung it's crutches right into the jaw of the Bungles. And it wasn't pretty.

For about 3/4's of the game it looked as if DA "Jack McCoy" needed to be put out to pasture. Perhaps the low point of his afternoon came at the beginning of the 3rd quarter with the Browns driving down the field. Missing a wide open K2, DA giftwrapped another interception in enemy territory, forcing the ball towards the well covered Josh Cribbs, right into the arms of Chinedum Ndukwe.

But, against all logic, Battletoad Crennel left DA in, rode the legs of Jamal Lewis, finally got K2 involved in the passing game and good prevailed. Braylon also finally hit pay dirt, breaking out perhaps one of the best touchdown celebrations performed by a Browns player in history.

There are several positives to take away from this game. DA appears to have gained back some of the confidence of last season, allowing for something to build upon over the bye week. I still believe DA has a chance to turn this season around once the offensive line has fully healed and Donte Stallworth takes off his skirt and decides to justify his 35 million dollar contact. Alex Hall had a nice sack, forced fumble and appears capable of making a necessary big play. The Ghost, Jerome Harrison, finally got several touches on offense. Mike Adams and Eric Wright actually came away with interceptions, though Eric Wright, the Human 5-yard cushion, promptly gave the ball right back on a fumble.

The Browns are still making far too many stupid penalties. Four offsides calls in one game is inexcusable. Louis Leonard managed to lineup in the neutral zone twice and yet failed to make one tackle. Maybe against the Giants, King Louis needs to lineup on the bench. Additionally, allowing speedster, Ryan Fitzpatrick, he of the career 58.2 QB Rating, which by the way tops DA's rating of 43.5 on the season (coming into the game) two third down scrambles (one a 3rd and 6; one a 3rd and 7) of 11 and 13 yards is disgraceful.

This bye week calls for some serious self-reflection for the Browns and Romeo Crennel. Beating the Giants on Monday Night Football at home would go a long way to ease the pain of these early season losses. Romeo needs to show that he can make adjustments necessary to install confidence in him as a head coach. DA needs to gain back this team. Now is the time to figure out who we are. The Giants lost their first two games last year and won the Superbowl. Who says this team can't turn it around and do the same. Read the rest of this article

Worst Win Ever

I have never been more disappointed by a win in my life. This win sets the organization back a ton. Romeo stays. DA stays. Terrible team stays.

What is worse is that Romeo all but guaranteed that DA would be pulled at half time if he stunk. Romeo is a big FAT liar. If that performance in the first half didn't get DA pulled, nothing will. DA was good in the 4th, but he never should have been in there in the first place.

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Casey Blake? Really?

As I sit here beginning to write this, the Indians are "beating up" on the second place White Sox. I use the term "beating up" loosely, only because the White Sox pitcher's inability to throw strikes is hardly grounds for the Indians delivering a whuppin. This post will pop my proverbial cherry as a writer for this site, and to begin I will touch on a few things that stick out from a lost season. First and foremost, while its fresh on my mind, last night after the Dodgers clinched, Joe Torre said something like "It all started to come together when Casey Blake arrived here..." Casey Blake? Really? you just landed Manny Ramirez... and Casey Blake is the difference maker? maybe Eric wedge was onto something when he kept him in the lineup all those years when Blake was hitting .210...



Buster Olney did a piece this week for espn.com about the end of the Yankees dynasty, noting that their neglect of the draft ultimately led to their downfall. while only 10 position players drafted by the Yankees from 97-05 made it to the bigs. Who was second "worst"? The Indians, with 11. You may say to yourself, yea but Shapiro has placed an emphasis on depth at pitching in the organization so we must have had a bunch of pitchers come through the system over those nine years... The real number is 14. Good enough to be tied for last in the league. Has there ever been a more astute GM at making trades for prospects and signing international talent, while being so terrible at drafting. Of course this falls on the GM but trickles down to the scouts who give their opinions on these players. One last thing about this, those who did not want Sabathia traded, if CC walked after the year and the Tribe received a few compensation draft picks, would you be confident Shapiro would land a Laporta type player? or even a PTBNL type player?



One player who Shapiro should take credit for is drafting Ryan Garko. While he has been mired in what seems like a season long slump, and everyone seems to be down on him, he has actually turned it around and will at the very worst finish with 89 RBI. In what can be considered his sophomore season, Garko's actual power numbers have dipped, his OPS is down almost 100 points from last year. But it is his second year when pitchers typically make adjustments. Hitters make adjustments in their third year. Garko, a third round pick out of Stanford, certainly has the pedigree to make intelligent adjustments. I have always been a Garko fan, ever since watching him mash his way through the College World Series.

This seems like a good time to talk about the ground rules for the posts on this blog. I have a few laws I must follow as set forth by the Commander in Chief. I must write about the Indians. If I don't write about the Indians it must be baseball. And if I don't write about baseball it must be about sports in general. A little confusing you say? Just know that unless something outlandish happens (and by outlandish I mean the Buckeyes open up the offense, the Browns do anything right, or Todd Lowber plays a snap in a real NFL game) this will be a baseball column.

My rules are as follows:

1. Eric Wedge game management is donkey-like. This needs to be read into a little bit, because I do respect the clubhouse he keeps and the way players will run through walls for him. But he routinely puts the wrong guys in the wrong place in the games. If we could keep Wedge as the manager but surround him with a very good bench coach we would be in business.

2. Derek Anderson Sucks

3. Todd Boeckman is the Derek Anderson of Cbus

4. Platoons are not fun

5. Jacob's Field will always be Jacob's Field

6. List is subject to change at any point

There you have it. I will touch on all levels of Indians baseball. I do follow the draft closely every year. There is a player the Indians passed over in the draft this season who played for me over the summer, and I tell you he very well could be the next Grady Sizemore. We will touch on that at a later date. Currently I live in New Jersey and am surrounded by Yankees and Mets fans. And fake Yankees and Mets fans. Which is nice this year because they have not been out in full force. You will catch some comparisons on here between the Cleveland fan base and the NY teams. You will also catch me bitching about these people. My next post will most likely be an end of season wrapup on Monday or Tuesday. I know you'll be looking forward to it... Read the rest of this article