The B-List Lite: 5/5

The Tribe blows a 2-run lead in the 9th on an error and a bomb, and today's game recap features:

• Why Fausto's walks weren't as bad as you think
• Why Luis Valbuena's error doesn't invalidate his game
• Why Chris Perez' gopher ball doesn't invalidate his game
• Why Matt LaPorta's two singles don't validate his game
• A cheap shot at Mike Redmond's advanced age
• Dept. of Not Surprise
• Why two bad plays don't invalidate the five-out save

There are lots (and lots and lots) of places to watch Russ Branyan strike out AGAIN, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 5/4

Extreme Blunderbuss Action does in the Tribe, and today's game recap features:

• Sage advice for Jake Westbrook he already knows
• Sage advice for Jensen Lewis he might not already know
• Grousing about the bullpen in general
• Except Chip Ambriz
• Credit Where Credit is Due
• Dept. of Not Surprise
• Two-out RBI sighting!

There are lots (and lots and lots) of places to watch Russ Branyan strike out, but only one place to read The B-List.

The B-List Lite: 5/3

Brett Cecil retires the first 19 in a row as the Tribe loses 5-1, and today's game recap features:

• Mitch Talbot and a lesson from archaeology
• Tony Sipp's quiet emergence
• Jhonny Peralta's golden eye
• Manny Acta's continuing Manny Acta'ing
• A snide comment about John Buck's neck
• Irrational disdain for Mark Grudzielanek continued
• Very little else

There are lots of places to watch your team lose on a bunt, but only one place to read The B-List.

Poaching

The Cleveland Indians are at a point in their developmental history where we have to resign ourselves to the truth that there are four ways in which we can hope to have talent:

1) Draft (or otherwise sign, as in Latin America) & develop

2) Trade for prospects & develop

3) Trade for or sign second-tier-salaried major-leaguer

4) Sign an NRI and get lucky

We've had some recent success with (1): Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, and Cord Phelps are performing well enough in the minors, and recent successes like Jhonny Peralta, Fausto Carmona, and the recently-departed Victor Martinez show we have had success in non-draft-elligible players in the past.  (Tony Sipp is a draft product who is actually useful in the majors.)  Most people accept that (2) is actually one of Mark Shapiro's strongest suits, yielding (for example) Grady Sizemore, Shin-Soo Choo, and Luis Valbuena.  It's also resulted in some busts (Andy Marte) and guys of questionable value (Tofu Lou) and the jury's out on a bunch of last year's haul (LaPorta, Hagadone, Knapp, Carrasco, Barnes), but it's been one of the things Shapiro has done well at times.

The B-List Lite: 4/30 - 5/2

A three-game set with the Twins ends as most Indians three-game sets do, and today's game recaps feature:

• A lack of concern for Fausto's bad outing
• An expression of concern for Grady's bad start
• A managerial head-scratcher
• An acknowledgement of Justin Morneau's demigoddery
• Jhonny Peralta's hot streak
• Tofu Lou's hot streak
• Raffy Perez as Fredo Corleone
• Welcome to the club, Man Named "Chip!"

There are lots of places to watch your team lose a 4th consecutive series 2 games to 1, but only one place to read The B-List.