Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Contractural Obligation and Chanelling the Stooges in the N.L. West

No fun to hang around
Feelin' that same old way
No fun to hang around
Freaked out for another day
-- J. Osterberg et al, "No Fun"

This seemed like such a reasonable thing.

In retrospect, I should have targeted say, five teams and looked at who was blocked.  Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Zimmerman, David Wright, Evan Longoria, maybe Kung Fu Panda.  But since I've given every other Division a comprehensive look, I guess it seems silly to stop one short.

In any event, there are teams in the N. L. West, one of which actually won the World Series.  I go to bed before N. L. West teams finish playing a lot of the time, and Cleveland's in the A. L., so my familiarity with these teams is ... dilettantish (meaning 1).

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Ordering a Short Stack in the A.L. West

From the majors' only 6-team division to its only 4-teamer, the move to the A.L. West would be 33% easier to write, except that the N.L. Central was so paltry that it doesn't work out that way.  At least in terms of third base targets, that is.

As an administrative note, I will not be writing over the holidays, so this is my last post until November 29th.

In any event, in looking around the A.L. West, we see a variety of ... gunk.  Do you realize that the Very Best Starting Third Baseman in the Division was Michael Young ... who is a third baseman in name only?  Defensively, Chone Figgins could play third, but his bat was well and truly execrable in 2010.  He is back on the ESPN "Depth Chart" as a 2B for 2011.  His replacement will be Matt Tuiasosopo, who was converted to 3B from QB.  The Angels boast any number of horrifying choices at third (although they're rumored to be a prime suitor for Adrian Beltre), and the A's feature the kind of cast-offs and patch jobs you expect from a team like ... well ... the Oakland A's, I suppose.

And these guys are the STARTERS.  Maybe they have some hotshots on the way?

Maybe not.

Monday, November 22, 2010

Snipe Hunting in the N.L. Central

Look, someone who roots for a team in the A.L. Central should probably not be throwing Wasteland Rocks™ at another Division.  I understand this.  There are more good teams in the N.L. Central (and a higher proportion thereof) than in the A.L. Central.  The Indians' Division features one truly good team (Minnesota), two average-but-flawed teams in Chicago and Detroit, and two crummy teams in Cleveland and Kansas City.  Of course, KC's farm system looks like it will produce a pretty good team in a couple-three years, Cleveland may join them, and Chicago and Detroit have innovative general managers, but in 2010, it wasn't a very good Division top-to-bottom.


In the N.L. Central, Cincinnati won the crown with a good young team that looks to stay in contention for the foreseeable future (in baseball, this is two years), and St. Louis still has the finest player on the planet and some excellent pitching when healthy.  Chicago and Milwaukee have what chicken magnates one termed "pieces-parts," while Pittsburgh and Houston ... well ... look, let's not mince words.  They stink.  Those are bad baseball teams.  Projecting the next playoff run by the Pirates or Astros is truly an exercise in "asteroid hits Earth" probability theories.  Still, the N.L. Central has two good teams making up 33% of the Division, while we have one good team making up 20%.  Of course, you could argue that St. Louis isn't REALLY an order of magnitude better than the Sox or Tigs, or that the N.L. is a Silly Place from the start, but the point remains: my Division is bad, so who am I to complain about the quality of someone else's?


I dunno ... a sentient biped?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Objects in Mirror May Be Closer: the A.L. Central

You remember how we found a bunch of minors league third basemen in the Eastern Divisions?

Yeah, that's not gonna happen here.

There are a variety of reasons for this: some guys that started in the minors already arrived.  Some guys are pretty much untouchable.  Some systems are laughably void.  But the fact is, if you want to find a third baseman from another team in the A.L. Central, you're better off just opening up the major-league rosters.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

Beating the Bushes in the N.L. East

You know where they have some good entrenched third basemen?  The N.L. East.

Consider this: for whatever abuse he takes for being "non-clutch" or "too tight" or "looking like the Great Gazoo," David Wright is a very good third baseman who is likely to be a very good third baseman for the New York Mets for a very long time.  He is not going anywhere.  And down I-95 from there, Ryan Zimmerman is in some ways and even better third baseman who is even more likely to be in Washington for a very long time.  Chipper Jones is an icon in Atlanta, but he is not as mobile now that his legs have fallen off.  Philadelphia has Potato Head and Wilson Valdez, and Florida ... well, let's face it: it's kind of hard to tell what Florida is doing at any given time.  Suffice it to say that if you're looking for an inexpensive player, he's likely to be hoarded with clawlike covetousness in South Florida.

So surely there are some hidden gems and blocked prospects (or even veterans!) lying around the Division, right?

Well ...

Monday, November 15, 2010

Beating the Bushes in the A.L. East

This was supposed to be pretty straightforward.

The original idea was pretty simple: identify a team with a long-term solution at third base and see if they have someone "buried" in the minors (or on the bench) who could be targeted as a worthwhile acquisition.  For example, Tampa Bay is pretty set at third base for a while with Evan Longoria.  We are not going to trade for Evan Longoria.  Tampa is not going to replace Evan Longoria with a minor-leaguer any time soon.  Of course, they have to have SOMEONE in case Longoria is seriously injured, but predictably, the "someones" Tampa has are not players I want the Indians to pursue.

In walking through the teams in the A.L. East, though, I hit any number of potholes, not the least of which is that MILB.com is a horrific site to navigate.  The rosters don't come up fully.  It's hard to work organizationally.  Maybe I'm overlooking some simple navigational tools, but I found dealing with the site to be extremely frustrating.

Nevertheless, here's what a few hours of high-level digging found:

Friday, November 12, 2010

Reframing the Debate

At this point, I'd like to take a break from a solo harangue and check in with readers.  Some nice comments have come across the blog recently, and I'd really like to encourage that.  In addition, I'd like to recognize a column that used my columns as a jumping-off point to make a very interesting suggestion.

"rrhunter" has made two salient points:
Why not bring back Casey or do you figure he'll end up in Seattle with his buddy?
Why not indeed?  I just said in the body of that post that Blake was likely to outperform anyone we had in the slot, and although he's on the wrong side of the aging curve, I stand by the assessment.  My guess is that Blake does not want to relive his formative years with a rebuilding squad (one on which he was, in fact, one of the rebuilding blocks, as it were).  And there is something to the idea of Blake playing in Seattle, given that Jose Lopez is likely to leave and this would allow Chone Figgins to move back to 2B, where he appears to have been more comfortable.  But let's hold onto the thought for a moment.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Establishing the Baseline

I think a few things are perfectly obvious about the Indians' probable "solution" to the issue of who would make the greatest positive impact by playing third base:

1) We're not going to spend a lot of money
2) We're not going to treat it as Top Priority
3) Any solution for 2011 must be viewed in light of Lonnie Chisenhall being ready no later than 2013
4) We don't actually have a very good idea of what we already have

Point (1), for example, rules out signing an Adrian Beltre.  I lobbied for Beltre when he was with the Mariners, thinking we could get a year or so out of him if only for the defense, and I thought he'd hit better than he did in Seattle.  It turned out I was right, but it was a lot more expensive than I'd expected, so I can hardly fault anyone for what was kind of a half-baked idea in the first place.  (We'd have had to trade something to Seattle when he was still under their control, and I don't know if we had "enough" to get him without paying 1.6 buttloads of cash.)

Shoot, (1) probably wouldn't have gotten us Brandon Inge.  (Full disclosure: I am relieved we did not get Brandon Inge.  His "plus defense" seems to be all arm, not range, and he hits like a sack of wet Lou Marsons.)

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

The Excitement Cannot Be Contained!

Have I sponsored Tofu Lou Marson's BB-Ref page?  I most certainly have.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/marsolo01.shtml

Did I wait for the price to drop to $5?  I would rather not comment on that.

Chasing the Ghost of Casey Blake

You can't spell "Blake" without a K and an E, and then all you're left with is "bla."
-- me, taking the Cheapest Shot Imaginable for comic effect, 2008


If there was ever a good case study for Confirmation Bias, it would have to be Casey Blake.  Sure, there have been other memes over the years, but few players ellicited the raw, naked emotion that Blake did in the middle years of his stint with the Tribe.  Blake appeared to be the kind of "free flyer" (that is, a flyer who was free, not some kind of wacky hippie) in the vein of Shelley Duncan or Paul Sorrento when he arrived in 2003, and surprisingly played virtually every day as a 29-year-old rookie in 2003.  He didn't hit very well (.257/.312/.411), but it was his rookie season, and he'd hit well in the PCL the previous three seasons:

2000: .317/.406/.529 (342 PA)
2001: .309/.376/.485, 10 HR in 417 PA
2002: .309/.383/.492, 19 HR in 546 PA


Sure enough, 2004 was a bit of a breakout season for Blake, in which he hit a robust .271/.354/.486 with 28 homers.  Oddly enough, he played kind of lousy defense at 3B after playing well as a "freshman," but that seemed like a fine tradeoff.  Without going into a long story:

Monday, November 8, 2010

A Statement of the Problem

Every year I take a month off at the end of the season to decompress.  This is necessary because I write awfully long game recaps and my team is awfully bad.

Anyway.

Baseball Prospectus does a series in the off-season in which a staffer is chosen to be "GM For a Day."  Many of the series' posting are quite illuminating, especially for teams I don't follow very closely.  The Brewers, for example, probably have some players who are neither Ryan Braun nor Prince Fielder.  I accept this on faith.  I would have to look it up to be certain, though.  In any event, this year's was written by Tommy Bennett, and it says basically, "Because hope is not a plan, the Cleveland Indians have no plan, because my strategy boils down to 'hope a lot'."

Monday, October 4, 2010

The B-List Lite: 10/1 - 10/3

The Indians drop 2 of 3 to the White Sox to end the season, and the game recaps feature:
  • Fausto Carmona's strong finish
  • Carlos Carrasco's streak-ender
  • The Thumper Rule applied
  • Relief pitching, mayonnaise frequency, and John Updike's letter distribution
  • Shin-Soo Choo and base ten bias
  • Mike Brantley as Juan Pierre
  • My flawless record of karma de-hancement
  • The lineup as a game of "Telephone"
There are lots of places to see it rain on the Tribe, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, September 30, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/29

The Indians sweep the Tigers to even the season series, and the game recaps feature:
  • Mitch Talbot's season-ending gem
  • Josh Tomlin's last start of ordinariness
  • Pronk smash!
  • Smash-Soo Choo & the Golden Sombrero
  • The Best Bunt in the World
  • Raw steak and live shrews
  • Chris Perez: no longer on Lou Marson's Christmas list
  • Shelley Duncan's career steal percentage raises 1000 points
There aren't many places to see Shelley Duncan steal a base, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/27

The Indians take the opener from Detroit, and the game recap features:
  • The dominance of Armando Galarraga
  • The shelling of Armando Galarraga
  • The comparison for Armando Galarraga
  • Triple Smash Action!
  • Carlos Nagy
  • The bullpen in action
  • Where has Luke Carlin been all my life?
  • Where Luke Carlin has been all my life
There are lots of places to see the home team win a DET-CLE matchup, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, September 27, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/24 - 9/26

The Indians sweep the Royals into the basement, and the game recaps feature:
  • Josh Tomlin's first major-league complete game
  • A treatise on cut fastballs
  • Ordinary starts by ordinary starters
  • An impressive bullpen showing
  • Shin-Soo Choo voodoo dolls on sale in KC
  • Even bad teams are capable of magic
  • A disturbing comparison involving Jayson Nix, a Royal, and Muppets
  • Blue Moon Specials!
There are lots of places to see home runs on fat hanging curves, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/21

There is no pithy list today.  No set of bullet points, no teasers, no snidely-worded jabs.  There is no mention of what the Indians did well, or did poorly, or in fact, did at all.

Instead, I will point you to the recap with the caveat that last night's loss squashed what little sense of hope I had about this team next season.  Yes, a meaningless (to Cleveland) late-inning road loss to a superior team has emotionally wiped out the entire concept of 2011 success.  This is probably an overreaction.  I do not care.

There are lots of places to see Cleveland Fail, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/20

The Indians drop the opener in Minnesota after going 2-1 in KC, and the game recap features:
  • The Purpose of September
  • Jeanmar Gomez' focus
  • Andy Marte's special night
  • The author admits his ignorance
  • Drew Sutton and the nickel-plated schmoes in Clumbus
  • Compare and contrast: Tony Sipp v. Joe Smiff
  • Notes from the weekend: Choo & Lou, Yoon steals home, rain delays of death
  • Happy 8th birthday, Isobel!
There are lots of places to see an inability to get the third out, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, September 17, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/16

The Indians take the sesaon series from the Angels on a bloop single by Christopher Lloyd, and the game recap features:
  • Fausto's newfound command
  • Raffy Perez rights the ship
  • Over the bullpen's collective heads
  • Trevor Crowe's hitting prowess
  • Unfair derision
  • Managerial Second-Guessers!
  • Very, very, very* bad  September offense
There are lots of places to see an error by a third baseman cost a team a win in a Cleveland game, but only one place to read The B-List.

* very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very

Thursday, September 16, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/15

The Angels bore the Indians to death, and the game recap features:
  • Jeanmar Gomez' inability to win without stuff
  • Gomez' silver lining
  • Justin Germano, tomorrow's Jamey Wright
  • Frank Herrmann, tomorrow's Frank Herrmann
  • Jensen Lewis, today's Eddie Moo
  • Every interesting plate appearance after the second inning
  • Welcome to the club, Drew Sutton!
There are lots of places to see the Indians offense get throttled, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 9/14

Shelley Duncan single-handedly beats the Angels, and the game recap features:
  • Duncan's magical night
  • Duncan's long-term value
  • Josh Tomlin's high-wire act
  • Mike Brantley, leadoff hitter
  • Walks for fun and not fun
  • The Bob Wickman Commemorative Save
  • The silver lining of Travis Hafner's AB
There are lots of places to see the Indians ride homers to a victory, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, September 13, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/10 - 9/12

The Indians drop two of three to the Twins despite 1 ER allowed by starters in over 23 IP, and the game recaps feature:
  • Fausto Carmona's changeup
  • Carlos Carrasco written in pen
  • Mitch Talbot's Dead Cat Bounce Redux
  • Justin Masterson, ersatz swingman
  • Today's Science Lesson!
  • Schmuckoglobin
  • The highly-productive duo of ... catchers?!
  • Luis Valbuena's errorless game (singular)
There are lots of places to see more low-scoring games, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/7

Tofu lou Marson's grand slam (yes!) leads the Tribe past Caliheimgeles, and the game recap features:
  • Tofu Lou's golden bat
  • Tofu Lou's golden arm
  • Tofu Lou's most surprising stat
  • Justin Masterson makes an adjustment
  • Travis Hafner looks familiar
  • Jayson Nix' Tinfoil Hat
  • Mike Brantley, one-man Terror on the Basepaths
  • Walks for fun and profit
There are lots of places to see the Indians ride homers to a victory, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/3 - 9/6

The Indians finish a split with the Mariners and take the Labor Day opener from the Angels, and the game recaps feature:
  • Felix Hernandez is very good
  • Getting no-hit by Luke French is very UN-good
  • Mitch Talbot's Dead Cat Bounce
  • Secretary of State Jessica Simpson
  • Live weasels
  • The invention of Punyball
  • Chris Perez: still awesome
  • Raffy Perez: a bit less awesome
  • Terror on the Basepaths!
  • Red Flag Carrasco
There are lots of places to see low-scoring games, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, September 3, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/2

The Shin-Soos Choo take the opener in Seattle, and the game recap features:
  • Josh Tomlin's Inning of Crap™
  • A comparison you'd probably I didn't make
  • Double Gloating Action
  • Tony Sipp's key skills
  • Chris Perez, strike-thrower
  • A drunken colobus monkey
  • Familiar faces doing familiar things
  • Tofu Lou is not impressed
There are lots of places to see an Inning of Crap™, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The B-List Lite: 9/1

The White Sox finish sweeping the Tribe with another late-inning win, and the game recap features:
  • Carlos Carrasco's start
  • Fundamental difference
  • Goofus and Gallant
  • The root of much evil
  • New Math
  • Jayson Nix: Not Jhonny Peralta
  • Shin-Soo Choo: Still Good
  • How hard is it to find a left fielder who can HIT?
There are lots of places to see homers play a pivotal role in an Indians game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/31

The Indians make a furious comeback to convert a 4-1 deficit into a 4-3 loss, and the game recap features:
  • A list of players more odious than A.J. Pierzynski
  • Justin Masterson's role
  • Justin Masterson's performance
  • Marln Brando watches Frank Herrmann pitch
  • Botching the comeback
  • Joe Smiff's vestibular region filled with Pop Rocks
  • Gorgonzola cheese
  • Shelley Duncan's milestone
There are lots of places to see homers play a pivotal role in an Indians game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/30

The Indians make a furious comeback to send a 6-3 game into extra innings, then make fans furious by blowing it 10-6, and the game recap features:
  • A brief treatise on the internal combustion engine
  • Mitch Talbot is filled with chocolate pudding
  • Wild Chris Perez
  • Joseph Conrad watches Raffy Perez pitch
  • Botching the comeback
  • A pterosaur in a Snuggie™
  • Travis Hafner's value
  • Jayson Nix' future and ejection
There are lots of places to see the White Sox bullpen stink, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, August 30, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/27 - 8/29

The Indians take two of three from the Royals, and the game recaps feature:
  • The fifteen-run deluge!
  • Amazing Adventures in Base-Clogging (by the other team!)
  • Josh Tomlin's ordinariness
  • Jeanmar Gomez' encouragingness
  • Second-guessing for fun and no profit
  • Managerial Back-Patter
  • Digging the Long Ball
There are lots of places to see the Indians lose, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, August 27, 2010

The B-List: 8/25 - 8/26

Family illness forces a delay of columns about splitting a pair with Oakland, and the game recaps feature:
  • Lucky Mitch and Unlucky Mitch are the same Mitch
  • Justin Masterson's adequacy
  • The disappearing Ks
  • Chris Perez: Manly Man
  • A lack of pan-frying
  • Port Smash!
  • Tofu Lou and the Smallball of Doom
  • Jayson Nix as Tomorrow's Casey Blake
  • Trevor Crowe, One-Man Squander Squad!
There are lots of places to see the Indians score infrequently, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/24

The Tribe is throttled for a third time by Gio Gonzalez, and the game recap features:
  • The Brett Favre Plan to get Gio Gonzalez the 2011 Cy Young
  • A flurry of Sad Trombones
  • Pointless Bonus Fausto
  • Jack Cust v. Tony Sipp: Mano a Failo
  • Oatmeal on a Stick
  • Tofu Lou Marson's unique achievement
  • Scouting reports filed by the wind
There are lots of places to see the Tribe get shut out again, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 8/20 - 8/22

The Indians get swept by the Tigers, and the game recaps feature:
  • Very bad offense
  • Very bad offense
  • Very, very bad offense
  • Lousy starting pitching
  • Good relief pitching
  • But so what?
There are lots of places to see the Indians lose, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, August 20, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/19

The Tribe salvages a game after making five errors, and the game recap features:
  • The Future of Third Base: Not Jayson Nix
  • The Future of Third Base: Not Andy Marte
  • The Future of Third Base: Not Luis Valbuena
  • Mitch Mitch Mitchy Mitch Mitch
  • The Bullpen of Doom ... to the opponent
  • Comical baserunning
  • Matt LaPorta, foul ball machine
There are lots of places to see Cleveland player make an error, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/18

The Indians drop a second straight to the Royals, and the game recap features:


  • Green Eggs and Hector
  • Fausto Carmona's Simple Fail
  • Don't swing, batter!
  • Ducks on the pond!
  • Everybody hits!
  • Travis Hafner, man of class
  • Frank Herrmann's fake goodness
There are lots of places to see a home run in an Indians game (yeah, again again), but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/17

The Indians drop the opener to take sole possession of fifth place, and the game recap features:


  • Jeanmar Gomez: same as it ever was
  • The strike-throwing bullpen
  • The strike-taking power hitters
  • The fact the pitches they took weren't strikes
  • Hustle by the Fat Guy
  • Questionable lineup construction
  • Asdrubal Cabrera's warmth
There are lots of places to see a home run in an Indians game (yeah, again), but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, August 16, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/13 - 8/15

The Tribe drops two of three to the Twins, and the game recaps feature:
  • Justin Masterson's worst best game
  • Justin Masterson's best worst game
  • Mitch Talbot's rust
  • Fausto's improved control
  • Pronk smash!
  • The Top of the Order
  • A brief discussion of Hector Ambriz
  • (not really: it's not brief, nor a discussion, but rather a lengthy rant)
  • Also, Andy Marte
  • Things we once had but probably don't really miss
There are lots of places to see the Indians post a scoreless last three innings, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 8/12

The Indians avoid the sweep, and the game recap features:


  • Jeanmar Gomez: 4 gems in 4 starts means ... what?
  • Raffy Perez and the Dropping Shoe
  • Chris Perez and the strike zone exclusivity
  • Mike Brantley proves I'm an idiot
  • Things I Did Not Know: Doubles Edition
  • Lou Marson's Arm of Doom
  • Shin-Soo Shoo's Hand of Pain
There are lots of places to see a home run in an Indians game, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 8/11

The Indians succumb again to the Magic of Buck Showalter, and the game recap features:


  • Josh Tomlin's morphing type
  • Brett Bergesen's dominance (?!?!?!)
  • The offense in a nutshell
  • (a very small nutshell)
  • Shelley Duncan's Hidden Play
  • The infield's Hidden Play
  • Defense: on hoses and flashed leather
  • The third baseman of the future better not be a third baseman of the present
There are lots of places to see a home run in an Indians game, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 8/10

The Tribe drop the opener to Bal'mer, and the game recap features:


  • Justin Masterson's suggested future role
  • Michael Brantley, leadoff hitter
  • Jordan Brown, any hitter
  • Frank Herrmann's 23rd minute
  • A short treatise on the efficacy of Rule 5: "It's dumb"
  • Homers!
  • Winnie the Pooh and One Fish, Two Fish
  • Managerial Head-Scratcher
There are lots of places to see a home run in an Indians game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, August 9, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/6 - 8/8

The Tribe drops two of three to the Twins, and the game recaps feature:
  • No Decision on Jeanmar Gomez
  • Fausto's out-of-character start
  • Two proposals for a new role for David Huff
  • Mike Brantley's leadoff success
  • Port smash!
  • Three-hit wonders
  • Justin Germano: Brian Sikorski II or something better?
  • Third base woes
There are lots of places to see the Indians post a scoreless last three innings, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, August 6, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/5

The Red Sox split the series on one bad pitch, and the game recap features:


  • Josh Tomlin's success
  • Flyball pitchers in general
  • Frank Herrmann's misunderstanding
  • Shin-Soo Choo's strength
  • The Reverse Doughnut Lineup
  • Disparaging comments about leadoff hitters
  • ... including one who wasn't even on the roster yet
  • Tofu Lou's bad judgement
There are lots of places to see a home run in an Indians game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/4

The Indians destroy the clown-shoes-wearing Red Sox, and the game recap features:


  • Justin Masterson's revenge
  • Justin Masterson's potential fade pitch for lefties
  • Justin Masterson's inaccuracy
  • Tony Sipp's maturity
  • Relievers who throw strikes
  • Jensen Lewises who don't
  • Chicks digging the long ball
  • Indians fans digging the clown shoes
There are lots of places to see bad defense in a Cleveland game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/3

The Tribe loses the beanball war and the game, and the game recap features:


  • Josh Beckett as pot, Indians as kettle
  • The Fairness Doctrine applied to David Huff
  • The Fairness Doctrine applied to Tofu Lou
  • Obligatory cheap shot
  • Justin Germano making an impression
  • Grasping at straws looking for positives
There are lots of places to David Huff give up a home run, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The B-List Lite: 8/2

The Tribe wins a game and dodges a bullet, and the game recap features:


  • The injury
  • The implications, long and short-term
  • Fausto rebounds
  • Shelley hammers
  • Jord Brown gets hit first hit
  • The bullpen fails ...
  • ... but the closer succeeds!
  • A very, very, very unlikely box score line
There are lots of places to see a Boston Red Sok get hurt, but only one place to read The B-List.

What exactly did we lose here?

The Indians were said to have gutted their team, trading away every short-term veteran and leaving the team short-handed for the rest of the season.

Does the first part really imply the second?

Consider left fielder Austin Kearns.  Kearns was a revelation in April, getting off to a fast start and saving the team from a truly horrendous offensive start, lifting them up to "merely bad."  I've argued that he might be the best NRI signing of the year, except that I think Joaquin Benoit was an NRI.  I don't know the details, but Benoit's season is a lot better than Kearns' (or most other humans).  In any event, Kearns was a good signing that paid off, and good for him (and us).

But realistically, since that hot start, Kearns has been kind of a schmoe.

Monday, August 2, 2010

When trades open doors

Pinch-writing for a traveling Rob Neyer, I wrote this piece for ESPN.

The overall point is that sometimes a trade will open a slot for regular playing time for a guy who's more important to your long-term success, but the main example is Matt LaPorta being "acquired" as part of the Russ Branyan Dump Trade.  It was pointed out in the comments that I missed an obvious case when San Francisco traded Bengie Molina to make room for Buster Posey, but I cite some other examples as well.  Hope you enjoy the piece.

The B-List Lite: 7/30 - 8/2

The stripped-down Indians are better than the originals and take two of three from Toronto.  The game recaps feature:
  • Justin Masterson taking one for the team
  • Two unbeaten sub-2.00-ERA rookie starters
  • On short rest!
  • The bullpen redeems itself
  • Chris Perez as Really Big Bob
  • A surprising home run
  • Managerial Head Scratchers
  • A misuse of resources
There are lots of places to see the Indians field AAA callups, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, July 30, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/29

The Tribe pitching staff appears on "Top Chef," and the game recap features:


  • Mitch Talbot!
  • Raffy Perez!
  • Frank Herrmann!
  • Tony Sipp!
  • Joe Smiff!
  • Jess Todd!
  • A special guest contestant!
  • A shoe, bromine, and a ham sandwich
There are lots of places to see a Tribe pitcher walk a batter (and I mean LOTS), but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 7/28

The Tribe drops another to the Yanks, and the game recap features:


  • Really, really, really, really ...
  • ... really, really, really, really bad Fausto
  • Farewell to Jhonny Peralta
  • Hector Ambriz' enticing K stuff
  • Hector Ambriz' horrifying performance vs RHB
  • Jess Todd peeks around the corner, may turn it
  • 0-for-10 with RISP?  0-for-10 with RISP.
  • Crowe taking advantage of an opportunity
There are lots of places to read about Jhonny Peralta going away, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 7/27

Josh Tomlin repeats Jeanmar Gomez' debut feat, and the game recap features:


  • Josh Tomlin, sooper awesome!
  • Josh Tomlin, pretty ... um ... lucky
  • One last cheap shot at David Huff
  • Who am I kidding, it won't be the last
  • Confidence from unexpected sources
  • The Bob Wickman Commemorative Save
  • Matt LaPorta's emergence
  • Tales from the Wazoo Zone
  • Our best-hitting infielder
There are lots of places to see the Indians DFA a guy and have no one care, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 7/26

The Indians blow a game late against the Yankees, and the game recap features:


  • Jake Westbrook's tremendous 7-inning start
  • The unfortunate fact that Westbrook's start wasn't only 7 innings
  • Curtis Granderson's platoon split
  • More ducks, same pond
  • Vintage 2006 baserunning
  • Carlos Santana's platoon split
  • Trevor Crowe's excellent throw!
  • Trevor Crowe's taking advantage of a bad call
There are lots of places to see the Indians blow a lead, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 7/23 - 7/25

The Rays finally beat the Indians in Cleveland, and the game recaps feature:


  • Squander Ball and an examination of approach
  • A hit with a runner in scoring position!
  • Twenty outs with a runner in scoring position!
  • Dominant Fausto, Sub-dominant Talbot, Non-dominant Masterson
  • Tony Sipp's zero-pitch outing
  • Travis Hafner's adjustment and poor timing
  • Shin-Soo Choo and Jhonny Peralta meeting expectations
There are lots of places to see the Indians lose a series, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 7/21

The Tribe lost to Frank Liriano again, and the game recap features:


  • Jake Westbrook's five good innings
  • Jake Westbrook's one awful inning
  • Ducks on the pond
  • Ducks erased via double plays
  • Hector Ambriz, still on the roster
  • Jess Todd, still not ready
  • Jason Nix' terrible approach
  • Chris Gimenez!
There are lots of places to see the Indians get shut out, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/20

The Tribe wins six straight while I'm on vacation, and today's game recap features:


  • Justin Masterson's improved approach to lefties
  • The theory and practice of bunting for a hit
  • Raffy Perez: back from the dead
  • Joe Smiff: back from the even more dead
  • Carlos Santana: still good and not dead
  • A surprising note from our best domestic outfielder
  • Asdrubal Cabrera Returns!
There are not many places to see Joe Mauer sacrifice bunt, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, July 12, 2010

Trade Deadline Primer



I have teamed with a number of other bloggers to produce a Trade Deadline Primer for fans. I have written several Indians-specific essays for the book, including report cards for all players (note: my submission deadline was early-mid June, so some notes are ... um ... less accurate now than I would have liked), a description of the season to date, and a discussion of what players we should be trading and what we should target.

Because I've teamed with other bloggers, you can see what players THEY see as reasonable and relevant targets from THEIR systems and perspectives as well. It's a nice, comprehensive guide to the July 31st Trade Deadline, or as Cleveland Fans know it, "The most relevant time of the year."  The book is in PDF format, and costs $9.95 to download from the folks at TwinsCentric.  (It's okay: I know they're evil, but they did all the editing.)


Here are some excerpts from the book:
How would I describe the Cleveland Indians’ 2010 season? I would probably start with the story of the three-run error.

The B-List Lite: 7/9 - 7/11

The Indians drop two of three to Tampa, and today's game recaps feature:


  • The functional difference amongst the starters was tiny
  • Tandem starting pair: Laffey & Masterson
  • Suggestions for Andy Marte
  • Mike Brantley should drop in the order
  • (Eight slots)
  • Santana, Kearns, LaPorta, and Peralta hit
  • Hand-buttering relievers
  • Jayson Nix: all or nothing machine
  • (Mostly nothing)
  • Welcome back, Chris Gimenez!
There are lots of places to watch Indians pitchers walk batters, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, July 9, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/8

The Tribe loses opener in Tampa despite several Apocalyptic Signs, and today's game recap features:


  • Jake Westbrook's excellent K:BB ratio
  • Jake Westbrook's execrable home run pitches
  • Signs of the Apocalype: Mike Brantley
  • Signs of the Apocalype: Andy Marte
  • Signs of the Apocalype: Carlos Santana bunts, Jason Donald fields
  • Signs of the Ordinary: Most everything else
  • Salient observation about LeBron James
There are not many places to see Mike Brantley hit a home run, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/7

The Tribe loses the rubber match of the Texas series 4-3, and today's game recap features:


  • Mitch Talbot's great and terrible movement
  • Jayson Nix cannot be contained
  • Carlos Santana: still good
  • Bottom of the order: still bad
  • Tony Sipp: good once again
  • Manny Acta's objectionable baldness
  • Managerial Head-Scratchers
There are lots of places to see the Tribe hit a home run and have it matter not one iota, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/6

The Tribe drops a heartbreaker 12-1, and today's game recap features:


  • Live weasels
  • Coked-up Gila Monsters
  • Very bad foul-catching technique
  • Anderson Hernandez' 16th minute
  • Michael Brantley, jack of no trades
  • Nice hose!
  • Pointless butchery
There are lots of places to see the Tribe hit a home run and have it matter not one iota, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/5

The Tribe takes the opener in Texas 9-3, and today's game recap features:


  • Aaron Laffeybuss
  • Clutch relief strikeouts
  • A proper application of replay
  • Matt LaPorta's soft head
  • Chicks dig the long ball
  • Middle infielders with sticks
  • Poor Austin Kearns' body
There are lots of places to see the Tribe hit a home run, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, July 5, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/2 - 7/4

The Indians drop two of three to Oakland through feeble hitting, and today's game recaps feature:


  • Shin-Soo Choo's injury
  • The Replacement Players Plus Three
  • Variant-free starting pitching
  • Run-free relief pitching
  • Jason Donald: steel glove, or stone hands?
  • Clutch LaPorta
  • Mike Redmond: not fast
  • Fausto Carmona, All-Star!
There are lots of places to watch low-scoring games, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, July 2, 2010

The B-List Lite: 7/1

Justin Masterson completes the 4-game sweep of Toronto, and today's game recap features:


  • Masterson's improved approach
  • Masterson's improved luck
  • Back-to-back jacks!
  • Carlos Santana's amazing stamina
  • Is Mike Redmond dead?
  • Trevor Crowe's last week at leadoff
  • We hope
There are lots of places to see the Tribe hit a home run, but only one place to read The B-List.

Why we whipped Russell Branyan

Paul Cousineau laments the loss of Russell Branyan in an SBNation post. Actually, I should say he laments the perception that Indians fans treated Branyan unfairly, considering him a “whipping boy” for all the Indians’ problems, when in fact Branyan did pretty much what could reasonably be expected from him. This isn’t an unsupportable position, as shown by Cousineau’s excellent support. Yes, Russell Branyan struck out. Yes, Russell Branyan played subpar defense at first. But Branyan also hit 10 homers and finished the Cleveland portion of his stint hitting .263/.328/.491, good for an .819 OPS that was 3rd-best on the team at the time. In terms of reasonable expectations, it could credibly be argued that Russ actually exceeded them.


Of course, this is part of the problem. The expectations for Branyan were that he would add value, but not a LOT of value. Which is exactly what happened: he added some value. But the team was still bad, and in terms of what fans wanted to see, there were basically two plausible camps:

1) The Indians are rebuilding and need to make every move in accordance with the Posnanski Treatise
2) The Indians might compete in a weak A.L. Central if they exceed expectations

Well, Branyan doesn’t serve EITHER of those purposes. He sure as heck isn’t a long-term solution to ANYTHING: the man is 34 with a balky back, and not really an everyday player despite what hard-core wishcasters would have you believe. Branyan hit 3 homers in 45 ABs against lefties, leading to a .467 SLG. That’s good. He also drew 2 walks and hit .222, leading to a .255 OBP. That’s nauseating. And in terms of competing in the Central, well, Branyan would have had to add a LOT of value QUICKLY, and instead added SOME value TOO LATE.

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/30

Cleveland wins its third straight, all saved by Kerry Wood, and today's game recap features:


  • Matt LaPorta's sustainable approach
  • Afterthought Laffey
  • Flyballs and first pitches
  • Carlos Santana's amazing gap
  • The bullpen streak
  • No Break for Choo
  • Speed and power from ... Jason Donald?
There are lots of places to see the Tribe hit a home run, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/29

Cleveland wins its third straight, all saved by Kerry Wood, and today's game recap features:


  • The "Fausto Fade"
  • The bullpen glass three-quarters full
  • Still-comical defense and pitching location
  • Kerry Wood's giant neon sign
  • Jayson Nix: miscast at 3B, or simply miscast at MLB?
  • Matt LaPorta's extra-extra-base hit
  • Lineup Construction for fun and no profit
There are lots of places to see the Tribe give up unearned runs, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/28

Cleveland wins back-to-back games and the first while scoring 2 runs since last year, and today's game recap features:


  • Jake Westbrook's bad start
  • Jake Westbrook's good recovery
  • Travis Hafner, flashing the wheels!
  • Kerry Wood's continued audition
  • A new suitor
  • Jayson Nix taking the bull by the ... ear, probably
  • Matt LaPorta's extra-base hit
  • The ol' Santana-Kearns one-two punch
There aren't many places to see Travis Hafner score on a suicide squeeze, but only one place to read The B-List.

Monday, June 28, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/25 - 6/27

The Indians snap a 7-game losing streak after a winless last week, and today's game recaps feature:


  • The sub-umphant return of Aaron Laffey
  • Justin Masterson's regression to the Cleveland K:BB ratio
  • Mitch Talbot's smoke & mirrors
  • Smash-Soo-Choo
  • Carlos Santana, Two-sided Terror
  • Russ Branyan's exit, stage inevitable
  • Second Basemen of Death
  • Trade for Kerry Wood, or you will die!
There are lots of places to watch three runs score without a hit, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, June 25, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/24

Philadelphia completes its sweep with a nine-run rain-delayed gorefest, and today's game recap features:


  • Responsibly assigning responsibility for Fausto's runs
  • (to Fausto)
  • Long-winded ranting on Jayson Nix
  • (who stinks)
  • Farewell to Jensen Lewis
  • (who was bad, but is not the worst relief pitcher on the roster)
  • The dumbest rain delay in the world
  • A good day for Jason Donald
  • Flying monkeys
There are plenty of places to see more bad defense ... and offense ... but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/23

The Indians snatch Defeat from the Jaws of Victory, and today's game recap features:


  • Jake Westbrook blah blah blah
  • Smash-Soo Choo!
  • The quality of a leadoff hitter
  • Tony Sipp does not fold
  • Useless relievers and Chris Perez
  • Ducks on the Pond!
There are plenty of places to see the Indians give up homers, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/22

The Indians lose to Jamie Moyer's Fountain of Old, and today's game recap features:


  • Jamie Moyer v. Mitch Talbot: Compare and Contrast
  • Similar pinch-hitters
  • Similar scoring opportunities
  • Similar closers
  • Similar offensive ineptitude
  • Managerial Second-Guessing
There are plenty of places to see the Indians not score runs, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/18 - 6/20

The Indians drop 2 of 3 the the N.L.'s worst team, and today's game recaps feature:


  • 2/3rds of a ¡Fausto!
  • The Demise of David Huff
  • Kicking men when they're down
  • Infield Defense of Derision
  • Justin Masterson's excellence
  • Justin Masterson's self-inflicted wound
  • The good bullpen vs. the League of Chuckle Heads
  • Carlos Santana >>>>>>>>>>> Tofu Lou Marson
There are lots of places to watch two evenly-matched teams suck, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/16

The Indians lose another one to the Mets with comical defense, and today's game recap features:


  • A seemingly-pointless personal anecdote
  • Life to Flying Things
  • Doubles Night at the Prog
  • The Least Successful Twitter Campaign Ever
  • Two Sides of One Shelley Duncan
  • Surprising sources of heat and cold
  • A cheap shot involving Jamarcus Russell
There are plenty of places to see the Indians play wretched defense, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/15

The Indians lose the opener to the Mets with comical infield defense, and today's game recap features:


  • Help us, @MorganEnsberg, you are our only hope!
  • Justin Masterson's "Better than it Looks" start
  • Chicks dig the long ball some more
  • J. Useless Donald
  • X-Treme Comically Bad Defense
  • Infield singles of Doom
  • The Worst Bunt in the World
There are plenty of places to see bloop singles win the game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/11 - 6/13

The Indians take 2 of 3 from their favorite team, and today's game recaps feature:


  • Jake Westbrook's doughnut start
  • Fausto Carmona > Steven Strasburg
  • David Huff is boring
  • Pronk smash!
  • Austin Kearns is great ... and thus should be traded
  • Frank Herrmann, your fifteen minutes have passed
  • Tony Sipp, the worst pitcher in the world
  • Carlos Santana > Tofu Lou Marson
There are lots of places to watch a pitcher have trouble on Cleveland's pitching mound, but only one place to read The B-List.

Friday, June 11, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/10

The Indians win a wild game to split the series with Boston, and today's game recap features:


  • Mitch Talbot, foot-shooter
  • Mitch Talbot needs a cutter
  • Andy Marte's return and subsequent (hopefully) departure
  • Adieu, Tofu Lou
  • Russ Branyan's mighty Circus Peanut Swing Redux
  • Jensen Lewis' surprising durability
  • The Rally
There are plenty of places to see bloop singles win the game, but only one place to read The B-List.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/9

Justin Masterson thoroughly throttles the BoSox, and today's game recap features:


  • Three things about Masterson's outing that may carry over
  • The Paper Cut Offense
  • Boof Bonser's infinite ERA
  • Joe Nelson takes his place on the list of Nelsons
  • Russ Branyan's mighty Circus Peanut Swing
  • Sympathy for Tofu Lou
  • Heads-up Jhonny Peralta (really!)
There are plenty of places to see Shin-Soo Choo walk three times, but only one place to read The B-List.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

The B-List Lite: 6/8

The Indians drop another game due to Tim Wakefield's dominance, and today's game recap features:


  • David Huff's five good innings
  • David Huff's one atrocious inning
  • Confirmation Bias
  • As positive as "worthless" can be
  • Shin-Soo Choo's continuing lawsuit
  • Chris Perez with a mower
  • Russ Branyan didn't strike out!
There are plenty of places to see a the Indians not score runs, but only one place to read The B-List.