Indians Need to Learn From the Past

Since even before the Indians acquired Ubaldo Jimenez last season, he was already struggling...And so far during his time in Cleveland, his delivery has constantly been changing...


Repeatedly the Indians staff have talked about Jimenez's mechanics being all mixed up...Everyone knows he has the ability to be an elite pitcher...He showed the potential in Colorado...If a pitcher can make it there, he can make it anywhere...

So why is he struggling in Cleveland...


Clearly the Indians staff isn't working with him enough, or the right way...It's time for the Tribe to look into their past, to help their future...

In 2007 Indians starter Cliff Lee started the year on the DL...When he returned, he struggled...And struggled...Finally the Indians made a bold move...They sent him down to the minors to work out his problems, and get his mechanics together, and consistent...Even after putting it all together, and looking great, the Indians didn't bring him up for the playoff roster...Lee has said it was the toughest season of his career, and going down was hard to swallow...But he will also tell you, it was the best thing that happened to his career...

What happened next...2008 Lee was lights-out, and won the AL Cy Young Award...And even though he's no longer with the Indians, every year he's on the short list of Cy Young candidates...

The Indians need to remember this, and consider sending Jimenez down...Work out the kinks...Build up his confidence..Get him back on track...

History does repeat itself...

Later, The Beeze.

Where Did The Indians Go Wrong?

I was talking with my Dad today about the Cleveland Indians...As a lifelong Clevelander, he's a huge Tribe fan...He taught me all about Baseball, and I'm now trying to pass that on to my son...One thing the boy and I are going to have to talk about, is not making stupid trades...I love the Tribe, but they have made some bone-head moves over the last 5 years or so...

Today my Dad and I were talking about the Cliff Lee deal...It wasn't actually where it all went wrong...The C.C. Sabathia trade may have got it all rolling...We'll get to that one another day...

The Indians still had another year on Lee's contract, when they had decided to trade the Cy Young winner in 2009...To me, it was way too soon to pull the trigger, especially since they had another year...But GM Mark Shapiro thought that he was getting a major haul...But really, as he has before, he got pushed around in the deal...He wanted top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, and outfielder Domonic Brown...The Phillies said no, no, no, no!

After some haggling, The Indians landed three AAA players...SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, and SP Carlos Carrasco...And a 19 year old Rookie Ball pitcher named Jason Knapp...

Carrasco was pretty much major league ready...In his first year he looked like a young stud, and was one of the most consistent arms on the staff...Then elbow issues slowed him down...Surgery has followed, and the Tribe will be without for all of this year...

Jason Donald, has become a good glove, light hitting utility infielder...This Spring he's also working in Center and Left field as the Indians try to find their every day man in Left since Michael Brantley has moved to center after another Grady Sizemore injury...

Then there is Lou Marson...Boy did they really try to sell what a solid defensive Catcher Marson is...This was partly because they were also moving Catcher Victor Martinez, who also still had another year on his contract...(another day for that trade as well)...Sadly, while Marson may have a good relationship with pitchers, he also was good at letting balls go right past him, and through his legs...There are still people who say he's really good defensively...They're blind! He's a below average Catcher, who can't hit righties even if his life depended on it...

Then there was Jason Knapp...When the Indians acquired Knapp, the hard throwing 19 year old, had already had a shoulder surgery...NOT A GOOD SIGN! Since he's been with the Indians organization, he's had two more shoulder surgeries...I'm guessing he'll never make the majors...

So let's recap...Cy Young winning, All-Star, Work-horse, Left-handed, pitching stud Cliff Lee was traded for a stiff Catcher, a utility fielder, a good pitcher with a bad elbow, and pitcher who has seen the operating room more then the baseball field...Phillies win...

I'm not saying the outlook would have been better if the Tribe got Drabek and/or Brown...Brown has had a couple looks with the Phillies, but is still in AAA, and Drabek was traded to Toronto for Roy Halladay, and has been up and down so far...But the Indians may have done better had they waited, and talked to more teams...

On a side note...The Indians acquired Cliff Lee when they Traded Bartolo Colon to Montreal...The Primary pieces in that trade were Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore...Lee was a throw in...Funny how these Baseball trades work out.

Later, the Beeze.

Farewell Victor...

We won't be seeing this again....Good luck Cliff...Good luck Victor...


I know that last night I said I was done with the Cleveland Indians and baseball...But I have to get a little more off my chest...

I hate this salary dumping crap the Tribe is doing, and the never-ending rebuild...I didn't like the Betancourt trade...I hated the Garko trade...I hated the Cliff Lee trade...And now today's trade made me sick...Yes, I'm a bit of a Red Sox fan...So if Victor Martinez had to go anywhere...that would be the best place I could think of...

That said...The Indians traded away the heart and soul of this team...Martinez was one of the few players on this team, that they found and developed...Most everyone else the Tribe has acquired by trading away their best players at the prime of their career...Victor did everything that was asked of him...And then some...He took on a leadership role at a younger age then most...Why? Because there was no one else to do it...He worked to improve his defense behind the plate...then he learned to play first...All the time, hitting the sh!t out of the ball...

He has always been a first class guy...And then today we saw a little more of him then we ever expected...We saw just how much he loved the organization that brought him up...We saw how much he loved the fans of Cleveland...As he took questions from the media, just after the news broke that he would be a member of the Boston Red Sox...Victor Martinez fought-back tears as he talked about how this was the toughest day he's had in his baseball career...He talked about he hoped to only play for one team in his career...This team...He spoke about how much his teammates meant to him...How the organization had done so much for him...How great the fans are, and how thankful he is for them...

I've never heard a athlete who was on a sh!tty team...Sound so upset about being traded to one of the top franchises in the sport...He truly sounded crushed by the news...He wanted to see this thing through...Not many players in today game would have reacted like this...That's why he was the heart and soul of the Cleveland Indians....Boston, you are lucky to be getting him...And I know I'm not alone when I say that Cleveland is truly saddened to be losing Victor Martinez...

To add insult to injury...Saturday night is Victor Martinez bobble head giveaway night...WTF!?!

And next week there is a Victor Martinez backpack giveaway for the kids...Unreal...

I personally will not spend another dime on The Cleveland Indians...I've had enough with the bad ownership...Go Screw Mr. Dolan....

I've had enough with GM, Mark 'Never-Ending Rebuild' Shapiro...Go Screw!

I've had enough with hack, manager, Eric Wedge and his p!ss poor coaching staff...Made up of a bunch of below average ex-catchers....Go Screw!

I've had enough of a team that keeps asking fans to be patient...Then turns around and starts rebuilding all over again...

I've had enough of the Cleveland Indians....

GO RED SOX!!!

Later, The Beeze.

Baseball Has Lost a Fan....

Baseball may not give a damn, but I'm done...I'm tapping out...My Father taught me about the game when I was young...My Mom was my Tee-Ball Coach, and we kicked ass...So many of us have so many fond memories of Baseball and are youth....

Of the sports I love...And I love Hockey the most...But Baseball was the first...And you never forget your first...But I can't do it anymore...The bad memories, and bad feelings have finally overtaken the good memories, and those special moments...I'll never forget listening to Len Barker's perfect game on the front porch with my Dad, and neighbors, and people passing bye, stopped and listened with us...

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I'll never forget watching Ryne Sandberg play, and realizing...I want to play like him...

I could go on all day about the good memories...But the more I watch, listen, and read about Baseball...The more I feel like all that was good with the game is gone...Steroids and a juiced ball may have saved Baseball when Sosa, McGwire, and Brady Anderson were hitting everything out of the park...But then when Barry Bonds was hopped up on the 'roids, everyone got up on their high horse...Then people wanted to clean up the sport...Too little, too late douche bags...

Then, asshole, Rafael Palmeiro waves his finger and denies ever using any P E Ds...A couple months later...Positive test for Palmeiro...And there has been a slow, steady, trickle of names of players who have tested positive...

Big Sloppi David Ortiz got outed today...Another guy who has denied it in the past, and sat on his high horse...Screw you Ortiz...Go find you buddy Man Ram and compare who's balls have gotten smaller....

Then there is the business side of Baseball...The game desperately needs a salary cap...The the Palyers Union is stronger then the Teamsters ever were...And they'll fight it until the end...This has smaller market teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates constantly trading off their best players, because they can't afford to keep them around...

The bad economy hasn't helped the smaller market teams either...But this week, my hometown team...The Cleveland Indians not only admitted defeat on this season...Which , they were done a couple months ago...But they also gave up on next season...

For the second year in a row, they traded a Cy Young Award winning pitcher...Cliff Lee was sent to the Phillies yesterday for 4 minor league prospects...Mark Shapiro loves his prospects...Funny thing is...He never drafts "top prospects"...He has to keep trading the teams best players to get "top prospects"....One of these stellar prospects from the Phillies is a 18 year old single-A flame throwing pitcher...Who by the way is on the Disabled List with a sore arm...Nice move douche...I'm willing to bet he doesn't step on a Major League field...

Then there is the "slick fielding" Shortstop Shapiro had to have...He's coming off of a knee surgery...

The Indians did get a highly rated catcher...Which is good, because Kelly Shoppach sucks ass, and the buzz going around town, and everywhere else is...That teh Tribe will be trading Victor Martinez next...One of the best hitters in the game, with another year left on his contract...'But let's dump that salary and get some more prospect, because we'd rather continuesly rebuild, instead of actually competing.'

Good luck selling tickets assholes...You're gonna dump all these salaries and still lose money...Why? Because people aren't gonna support a shitty team...And they really aren't gonna come out to watch crap when they're struggling to pay their bills...I'm willing to bet that this franchise will be up for sale within five years....

Hey Shapiro...Do me a favor...While your trading all your best palyers away...Why don't you trade that overrated douche Grady Sizemore...Then I want have to see those stupid twats with their "Grady's Ladies" shirts anymore...

I gave up on the Indians when they traded Ryan Garko...Now the more that I look at things...I'm done with Major League Baseball...

With everything that's gone on...This is the only baseball player I want to see for awhile...

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Later, The Beeze.