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.

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.

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.

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.

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.