A2Z in Sports

Baseball and Reality TV: A "Natural" Fit

2010-05-25T10:32:00.001-04:00

By: Tony Lastoria

The reality TV circuit has covered just about every genre of the entertainment industry imaginable. From singing and dance competitions, to former rock stars looking for love, to boxers looking to be contenders and so on, just about everything you can think of from an entertainment perspective has been covered.

Everything that is except for one. Baseball.

All that is about to change with a new reality TV show currently in the pipeline which may soon get the green light to start shooting this fall in old Dodgertown, the former spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Vero Beach, Florida.

The new reality TV show is called "The Natural" and is being produced by 108 Stitches Productions and is the brainchild of executive producer and creator Rick Marzan, who some may know as the actor who played the superstitious first baseman Jose in the baseball classic “Bull Durham”.

“I was in Sweden and my wife and I were expecting our first child, and I was just doing some walking and it was all right in front of my eyes,” says Marzan. “I know the camera and I know baseball. Things have just snowballed and people want to be on board [with the project]. We are happy about it and just crossing our fingers.”

Like its name, the show is about unearthing baseball talent from all across the nation and giving them a chance to showcase their natural abilities and see if they can land them a pro contract and maybe someday become a baseball star.

Every week pitchers will be put through new tests to see how they fare in things like agility, training, and mental stamina, and over the course of several weeks their progress with their pitching mechanics, pitch mix, control, command, and so on will all be charted. Viewers will see all the anxiety that comes along with being in a competition and them fighting to stay on the show, and like with any reality show this will lead to lots of in-fighting, escalating tensions, and accusations between the contestants as the pressure continues to mount.

Through all of this, the true makeup and character of the player will be brought out which is a key component in evaluating a baseball player. Their decision making, planning, performance, relationships with other contestants, and how they handle conflict will all be put to the test in front of the cameras. Ultimately, some will become friends, while others will become enemies.

“Everybody wants that shot,” says Marzan. “We consider ourselves an extension of major league scouting. Most baseball tryouts are by invitation only, so you get those kids who never had a shot. Maybe the kid’s parents died and they had to take care of their brothers and sisters, or a guy had to join the military to make some money. You just don’t know. A lot of players had that dream and never had a chance.”

How It Works

Only pitchers are being considered for the first season of the show, though in future seasons hitting and defense may be featured. To be eligible for the show, players must be ages 16-30 and sign a waiver that they are in good physical health. Contestants must also be an amateur as no former minor leaguers will be accepted. Another hard line stipulation is the player must sign an agent contract, and the real kicker is they must be able to throw at least 85 MPH.

Thousands of pitchers will be auditioned all over the country at three sites in Dallas, Los Angeles, and Boston. Auditions will take place over the course of two days from 6:00 am in the morning to 6:00 p.m. or later in the evening at each site.

On the first day of auditions, pitchers will sign in and then receive a colored card indicating which one of seven stations they are to report. At each station will be a portable pitching mound and a professional pitching coach where every pitcher will get a chance to throw five pitches which will be recorded by a computerized target for speed and accuracy. The pitching coaches will write notes about what they see in regard to the pitcher’s mechanics and how they throw. At the conclusion of the first day of auditions, the pitching coaches will get together and select 25 players to come back the next day.

On the second day the 25 pitchers will get ten pitches to better show their stuff, and likely will mix in some breaking balls and offspeed stuff to show their entire repertoire. Once all the pitchers have thrown, the coaches will deliberate and choose the four best pitchers to send to the next stage of the competition in Dodgertown. In all, four pitchers from each of the three sites will make up the 12 contestants who will compete for the title of “The Natural”.

From there, the competition will heat up once things shift to Dodgertown as viewers will get all of the on-air drama as the baseball players and show staff - including trainers and coaches - get to know each other over the course of six to seven weeks of shooting in front of the camera. To help create some of that drama, the 12 pitchers will be split into two groups of six each living in one of two townhomes loaded with hidden cameras located on the Dodgertown campus.

Several episodes will be shot in Dodgertown where at the end of each episode a contestant will be eliminated. In each episode a different kind of pitching challenge will be featured where the winner of the challenge is given a save for that week and cannot be sent home. Challenges will target such skills as pitching speed, technique, accuracy, fundamentals, and so on.

A panel of three judges will decide who to send home each week. Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson, former player and now broadcaster Al Hrabosky, and former Major League Scouting Director and now Florida Marlins scout Mickey White are expected to be a part of the judging panel. With the assistance and input from several professional pitching coaches on the show, the judging panel will decide on one pitcher to eliminate each week.

Once the field is whittled down to three pitchers, the final episode will be shot in Cooperstown, NY, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame. The three pitchers will take part in a nine inning game played on the field at Cooperstown where each pitcher will throw three innings. At the end of the game the judges will pick the winner, and the winner will get a one year guaranteed minor league baseball contract.

Making It Happen

The availability of Dodgertown was a unique opportunity that Marzan and show producers just could not pass up. They have been given free reign to the entire complex which includes all of the outdoor and indoor facilities, cafeterias, hotels, and two town homes former Dodger owners Walter and Peter O’Malley used at the site.

Lots of other places in California and Arizona were considered, but no site had it all like Dodgertown, not to mention the history and nostalgia it brings.

“Dodgertown was there and it is empty because the Dodgers moved to Arizona,” said Marzan. “They need to make money and we needed to find something pretty inexpensive. Everything is there. It is a resort and it is a perfect place and unbelievable.”

The show currently is not sponsored by or affiliated with Major League Baseball in anyway, though they have already received a verbal commitment from the Golden Baseball League, an independent minor league baseball league. The show itself should be a good vehicle for promoting the sport and Major League Baseball is always looking for new ideas to help connect itself with younger fans, so the addition of an intriguing player into any team’s farm system would make for an intriguing draw. That said, Major League Baseball and executives of teams are aware of the show and there has been some strong interest on that front in being involved with the show in some capacity.

During the show’s trek across the country to find candidates the focus will always be about baseball, but of course it will have the twist of drama that TV can provide through the raw emotions and comments caught on camera. Yet, everything will be “natural” and the performance of the players and what is shot on camera will do the talking.

“It will be a great show now and for the future,” says Marzan.

Through all the heroic performances and arguments, the fantastic and poor pitching, only one will be declared, The Natural.

Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James

2010-01-31T15:47:00.002-05:00

For the past few years, there's been a big debate about who's better: Kobe Bryant or LeBron James?

For argument sake, let's statistically break it down:

Kobe Bryant – Age 25
37.6 MPG .438 FG% .327 3P% .852 FT% 5.5 RPG 5.5 APG 1.7 SPG .4BPG24.0 PPG
Team mates: Karl Malone, Shaq O'Neal, Gary Payton, Devean George
HOF Count: (4) Malone, O'Neal, Payton, Bryant

LeBron James – Age 25
38.5 MPG .502 FG% .348 3P% .769 FT% 7.20 RPG 8.0 APG 1.5 SPG 1.1 BPG 29.4 PPG
Team mates: Shaq O'Neal, J.J. Hickson, Anthony Parker, Mo Williams
HOF Count: (2) O'Neal, James

Analysis: At age 25, Kobe Bryant's Lakers made it to the NBA Finals, but came up short, losing to the Pistons. He was surrounded by three future Hall of Fame players, not including himself. In contrast, LeBron James' Cavs currently have the best record in the NBA and only has one future hall of fame player on the team, not including himself. Bryant averaged about a minute less of playing time at age 25, but only holds two statistical category advantages over James: free throw percentage and steals per game.

Now, let's take a look at this season.

Kobe Bryant – Age 31
38.4 MPG .462 FG% .314 3P% .828 FT% 5.4 RPG 4.7 APG 1.7 SPG 0.3 BPG 28.2 PPG
Lakers record against the Cavs: (0-2) .000
Lakers record on the road: (13-8) .619
Lakers overall record: (36-11) .766

LeBron James – Age 25
38.5 MPG .502 FG% .348 3P% .769 FT% 7.20 RPG 8.0 APG 1.5 SPG 1.1 BPG 29.4 PPG
Cavs record against the Lakers: (2-0) .1000
Cavs record on the road: (19-8) .667
Cavs overall record: (37-11) .676

Analysis: Currently, LeBron James leads Kobe Bryant in every statistical category, except free throw percentage and steals per game (barely), while both are playing the same amount of minutes per game. LeBron's team also holds a better record than the Lakers and also have beat the Lakers head to head twice this season.

Edge: LeBron James
While Kobe Bryant has more rings than LeBron James, that doesn't prove that he's the better overall player today. Three of the four rings Kobe has were won with the likes of Shaq. Kobe has always been surrounded by great players. LeBron makes his team mates better and is more of a complete player than Bryant. LeBron still has many years to play in this league, in which he will earn his fair share of rings, so let's not hold ring count against him. King James is the best basketball player on the planet over Kobe Bryant.

Week 7 NFL Picks

2009-10-25T12:45:00.004-04:00

Green Bay over Cleveland CORRECT

San Diego over Kansas City CORRECT

Indianapolis over St. Louis CORRECT

Pittsburgh over Minnesota CORRECT

New England over Tampa Bay CORRECT

Houston over San Francisco CORRECT

New York Jets over Oakland CORRECT

Carolina over Buffalo INCORRECT

Cincinnati over Chicago CORRECT

Atlanta over Dallas INCORRECT

New Orleans over Miami CORRECT

New York Giants over Arizona INCORRECT

Philadelphia over Washington CORRECT

10/13

Week 6 NFL Picks

2009-10-18T11:51:00.008-04:00

Cincinnati over Houston INCORRECT

Green Bay over Detroit CORRECT

Minnesota over Baltimore CORRECT

New York Giants over New Orleans INCORRECT
Pittsburgh over Cleveland CORRECT

Carolina over Tampa Bay CORRECT

Washington over Kansas City INCORRECT

Jacksonville over St. Louis CORRECT

Philadelphia over Oakland INCORRECT

Arizona over Seattle CORRECT

New England over Tennessee CORRECT

New York Jets over Buffalo INCORRECT

Atlanta over Chicago CORRECT

Denver over San Diego CORRECT

9/14

Fire Jim Tressel Petition

2009-10-17T15:35:00.003-04:00

This is the official "Fire Jim Tressel" petition.

Ohio State's performance in big games over the past four years has been unacceptable. Jim Tressel's conservative play calling has cost Ohio State numerous games by playing not to lose, rather than playing to win.

It's time to hire a coach who can develop players, as well as win the big game.

The goal is to receive 1,000 names. Feel free to add comments with your name, as long as they are appropriate. Let the search for a new coach at The Ohio State University begin!

-------------------------------------------

1. Andrew Zajac - Struthers, OH

2. Frank Zajac - Poland, OH

Week 5 picks

2009-10-11T12:40:00.004-04:00

Buffalo over Cleveland INCORRECT

Pittsburgh over Detroit CORRECT

Dallas over Kansas City CORRECT

Minnesota over St. Louis CORRECT

New York Giants over Oakland CORRECT

Philadelphia over Tampa Bay CORRECT

Carolina over Washington CORRECT

Baltimore over Cincinnati INCORRECT

Atlanta over San Francisco CORRECT

New England over Denver INCORRECT

Arizona over Houston CORRECT

Jacksonville over Seattle INCORRECT

Indianapolis over Tennessee CORRECT

New York Jets over Miami INCORRECT

9/14

Top 8 Mahoning Valley Prospects from 2009

2009-10-07T14:40:00.000-04:00

1. Jason Kipnis – This pick may come under a lot of critcism, but let’s face it: The guy was a second round draft pick and has high expectations. While many scouting reports say he’s average in nearly every category, I saw a lot of potential from him. He’s a very patient hitter and finds ways to get on base. He was a hitting machine in the New York Penn League. Sure, he should have performed well in the league because of his age/college experience, but he didn’t disappoint. I’m very interested to see how he performs in his first full season next year. This will give us a true scope of his potential.

2. Clayton Cook – While he’s still a bit of a project at a young age, if he can continue to improve each year, he’s going to be a scary prospect to watch out for. He’s not going to blow you away with a mid-90s fastball, but when he can control is off speed pitches, look out. That’s one thing I did notice about Cook while seeing him five times this year – when he was on, he was lights out. But, if he didn’t have good command of his off speed and had to rely on his fastball, the wheels came off fast. If he can develop another pitch, have better command and consistency, and gain maybe 2 MPH on his fastball, Cook will be moving our prospect rankings fast.

3. Marty Popham – While talking to Marty on various occasions, I’ve come to see that he’s always looking for ways to get better and is a hard worker. He dominated this year, finishing second in the league with 83 K’s, while only allowing 10 walks, 1.13 WHIP, 2.76 ERA, while going 6-1. However, towards the end of the year, he was losing some gas in the tank. He did allow 75 hits in 75 IP, so take that for what it’s worth.

4. Jordan Henry – Jordan is what I’d like to call a “diamond in the rough”. He proved to be a solid lead off hitter for the Scrappers this season. He lead the team with a .286 AVG, but for most of the season, it was above .300, but like some of his teammates, began to run out of gas towards the end of the season. He’s also a patient hitter, who walked 49 times and only struck out 37 times. He’s a great base stealer; stealing 22 and only being caught once. He had a .408 OBP, which is great. Henry also needs to add some muscle, but he’s someone to watch out for.

5. Kyle Bellows – Bellows was injured towards the end of the season, so I only saw him during the beginning and middle of the season. He has a great glove all around; good range and strong throwing arm. The Indians attempted converting him to third, but it seemed to me he was more comfortable at short. He still needs to improve at the plate, so we’ll see how far it carries him.

6. Greg Folgia - For how late he was drafted, he certainly opened a lot of eyes. He had a good season with the Scrappers, though I'm not completely sold on him just yet.

7. Jason Smit – Smit is a very interesting prospect, in my opinion. He’s still young and needs to build more muscle, but the ball explodes off his bat. One of the problems I’ve noticed is his swing is still a bit long at times, which causes him to strike out a good number of times. He got off to a great start and towards mid to late season, he slowed down a bit and was injured. Once he came back from his injury, he looked the same way he did at the beginning of the season. Smit also has a pretty good glove; covers a lot of ground in the OF and on numerous occasions, made some phenominal diving catches. I’m not really sure what to make of Smit yet.

8a. Cory Burns - It was tough making a decision here, so I'll put it as a tie for 8th. Burns was lights out all season long. He was easily the most reliable late inning reliever the Scrappers had. Hitters only hit .157 off him, while managing to have a 1.93 ERA. The true stat that backs up my claim of "lights out" is 18 hits in 32.2 innings. A reliever in my top 8 seems silly, but I think Burns has some big time potential.

8b. Brett Brach - This may come surprising that I ranked Brach so low. He had one of the best ERAs of the league (2.19), and held hitters to a .215 AVG against him. I'm very high on Brach, don't get me wrong, but, like I mentioned with Cook, Brach is also young and has some quarks to work out in order to be successful moving forward.

Honorable mention goes to Jesus Brito. He doesn’t have the best plate discipline yet and isn’t a future gold glove winner. His bat gives him a lot of potential, but I’m not ready to consider him a true prospect just yet. On a side note about Brito, pre-game for game three of the championship, a few children wanted Brito’s autograph and he kept walking. When he gets closer to the dug out and a woman asks for his autograph, he stops and gives it to her. That ticked me off. He’s not going to earn many fans by doing that.

Athletes Salaries v. Average Joe

2009-09-29T21:05:00.002-04:00

In today's day in age, the economy is on a very slow rebound from the recent economic downturn we've been experiencing since 2008. Each month, the national unemployment rate continues to rise, currently standing at 9.7%, which represents 14.9 million Americans out of work.

According to statistics supplied by PayScale which publishes online compensation data for individual employees and businesses the average salary for American workers is $52,000. Normally, the average age for retirement is 65, so assuming someone works from the age of 23 straight to 65 with no salary flux, it would take the "average Joe" 42 years to make approximately $2.2 million dollars, without paying taxes, bills, expenses, etc.

The minimum salary for a FIRST year NFL player is $285,000 (which would take "average Joe" 5.5 years to make), minimum salary of FIRST year NBA players make $473,000 (9 years for "average Joe"), and minimum FIRST year MLB players make $380,000 (7.3 years for "average" Joe). Are we seeing something wrong with this?

The top five most rich athletes are as follows: Tiger Woods - $100 million (approx. 1,923 years for "average Joe"), Oscar De La Hoya - $43 million (approx. 827 years for "average Joe"), Phil Mickelson - $42.2 million (approx. 812 years for "average Joe"), Kimi Raikkonen - $40 million (approx. 769 years for "average Joe"), and Michael Schumacher - $36 million (approx. 692 years for "average Joe").

The system in which athletes are paid is broken. While nearly 15 million Americans are out of work and are only looking for jobs that'll put food on the table, athletes are making millions of dollars for providing a type of entertainment to the American public. In the coming years, athletes salaries will likely increase, while more Americans find themselves out of work.

In the society we live in, many will complain how rich athletes are becoming, but do nothing about it. By not going to games, purchasing sports networks, and going without buying memorabilia, revenue for teams will go down, forcing them to cut back on salaries. While it sounds too simple and critics will say "it's much more complicated than that," it really isn't. If there are large groups who follow this, see what happens.

Take a stand for once.

2009 Cleveland Indians Organization All-Star Team

2009-09-25T14:11:00.004-04:00

2009 Cleveland Indians Organization All-Star Team

* Please note that no prospects that were included that were acquired via trade. This excludes: Jason Donald, Lou Marson, Jason Knapp, Bryan Bryce, Scott Barnes, and Nick Hagadone.

First Team

C Carlos Santana

1B Jordan Brown

2B Cord Phelps

SS Carlos Rivero

3B Lonnie Chisenhall

OF Jose Constanza

OF Michael Brantley

OF Matt McBride

LHP T.J. House

LHP Matt Meyer

RHP Hector Rondon

RHP Josh Judy

Second Team

C Wyatt Toregas

1B Beau Mills

2B Casey Frawley

SS Niuman Romero

3B Jesus Brito

OF Tim Fedroff

OF Nick Weglarz

OF Jordan Henry

LHP Eric Berger

LHP Vidal Nuno

RHP Jeanmar Gomez

RHP Zach Putnam

Honorable Mention

C Adam Abraham

1B Chris Nash

2B Argenis Martinez

SS Kyle Bellows

3B Abner Abreu

OF Jason Kipnis

OF Jason Smit

OF Bo Greenwell

LHP Russell Young

LHP Nick Kirk

RHP Marty Popham

RHP Cory Burns

2009 MLB Award Predictions

2009-09-03T11:45:00.002-04:00

All stats are reflective of Sunday September 2.

Most Valuable Player

American League: Joe Mauer

Stats: .367 BA, 153 H, 26 HR, 80 RBI, 80 R

Runner-Up: Mark Teixeira

National League: Albert Pujols

Stats: .321 BA, 148 H, 42 HR, 113 RBI, 105 R

Runner-Up: Hanley Ramirez

Cy Young Award

American League: Roy Halladay

Stats: 13-8, 3.13 ERA, 165 K, 190.0 IP, 1.15 WHIP

Runner-Up: Zach Greinke

National League: Tim Lincecum

Stats: 13-4, 2.33 ERA, 222 K, 193.1 IP, 1.03 WHIP

Runner-Up: Chris Carpenter

Rookie of the Year

American League: Gordon Beckham

Stats: .272 BA, 79 H, 10 HR, 52 RBI, 42 R

Runner-Up: Rick Porcello

National League: J.A. Happ

Stats: 10-4, 2.77 ERA, 104 K, 149.2 IP, 1.18 WHIP

Runner-Up: Tommy Hanson

NFL Predictions

2009-08-29T16:33:00.004-04:00

While it's still early, here are my pre-season playoff favorites in the NFL. Note that I will also post mid-season playoff favorites as well, once the time comes.

AFC

AFC North

Steelers (12-4)
Ravens (11-5)
Browns (6-10)
Bengals (5-11)

AFC East

Patriots (12-4)
Jets (8-8)
Dolphins (7-9)
Bills (6-10)

AFC South

Colts (10-6)
Titans (10-6)
Texans (8-8)
Jaguars (5-11)

AFC West

Chargers (11-5)
Chiefs (5-11)
Broncos (4-12)
Raiders (2-14)

NFC

NFC North

Vikings (10-6)
Packers (9-7)
Bears (8-8)
Lions (3-13)

NFC East

Eagles (11-5)
Giants (10-6)
Cowboys (8-8)
Redskins (6-10)

NFC South

Falcons (11-5)
Saints (10-6)
Panthers (9-7)
Buccaneers (3-13)

NFC West

Cardinals (9-7)
Seahawks (8-8)
49ers (6-10)
Rams (5-11)

Playoffs

AFC Division Winners: Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Chargers
AFC Wild Cards: Ravens, Titans
AFC Championship Game: Patriots vs. Steelers
AFC Champion: Patriots
NFC Division Winners: Vikings, Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals
NFC Wild Cards: Giants, Saints
NFC Championship Game: Eagles vs. Falcons
NFC Champion: Eagles

Super Bowl XLIV: Patriots 31; Eagles 27

Game Recaps: Thursday 8/20

2009-08-20T23:28:00.002-04:00

Akron was rained out on Thursday.

Toledo dominates Columbus
Toledo again used the homer to beat the Clippers 10-1 at Huntington Park in front of a record-setting crowd.

Scott Lewis took the mound for the first time in Triple-A this season, trying to work his way back to full health, but got through only two innings. Toledo touched him up for four runs in the second, three of them scoring on Dusty Ryan's home run.

Mike Gosling came on for Columbus and gave up a home run to Don Kelly, the first batter he faced. Gosling then settled down to throw four quiet innings. The Clippers scored a run in the third when Triple-A rookie Ryan Blair tripled and scored on a Niuman Romero base hit.

Toledo got to Gosling in a big way in the seventh. Gosling allowed four runs on six singles to put the Clippers in a 9-1 hole. R.J. Swindle took the ball and got out of the seventh, but he would allow an unearned run in the eighth when Jesus Merchan dropped a pop up on the infield. Zack Jackson pitched a clean ninth.

Nate Robertson started for Toledo and needed just 54 pitches to get through five innings, allowing one run on five hits. Jeremy Bonderman mowed down the clippers over two perfect innings and Clay Rapada pitched a 1-2-3 eighth. Josh Rainwater closed it out for the Hens.

Myrtle Beach beat K-Tribe
Myrtle Beach hit four home runs on their way to a 10-6 win Thursday night at Historic Grainger Stadium. With the loss, Kinston split the four game series with Myrtle Beach.

The Pelicans jumped all over Kinston starter Bryan Price, with home runs in each of the first three innings. Ernesto Mejia hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, capping off a four-run frame. Myrtle Beach would extend their lead with three more runs in the second inning, capped off by a two-run home run from Donell Linares. The Pelicans extended their lead to 8-0 with a solo home run from Cody Johnson, his Carolina League leading 29th home run of the season.

Kinston mounted a comeback in the bottom of the third, thanks to an RBI single by Cord Phelps and a two-run home run by Ole Sheldon. The big hit was the tenth home run of the season for Sheldon, cutting the Pelican lead to five.

Bats on both sides would stay silent until the bottom of the eighth inning. Kinston cut the lead to two with RBI’s from Ronald Rivas, Alex Castillo and Roman Pena, making the score 8-6. After a 17 minute delay in the top of the ninth due to a lighting malfunction, Myrtle Beach would get the power going again with a two-run home run by Gerry Rodriguez, putting the Pelicans up 10-6.

Welty belts Captains
Ron Welty belted a two run home run off of Captains starter T.J. House in the bottom of the first inning and that was enough as the Delmarva Shorebirds held on to defeat the Lake County Captains 2-1 on Thursday.

The Captains lone run came in the top of the ninth inning when Mark Thompson scored on a fielding error.

House (5-9) took the loss going five innings and allowing two runs on five hits, walking two and striking out two. Anillins Martinez (2-3) came on in the sixth inning and went three scoreless, innings allowing one hit and striking out two. Shorebirds starter Cole McCurry (5-8) got the win working 5.1 scoreless innings four hits, walking three and striking out three. Brett Bordes pitched the ninth inning to get his fourth save.

Scrappers win
On Thursday night, the Mahoning Valley Scrappers played game two of a six game road trip and defeated the Hudson Valley Renegades 6-3. With the Scrappers win and a Williamsport Crosscutters 8-5 loss to the Oneonta Tigers the Scrappers lead has increased to five games in the Pinckney Division.

Scrappers starter Preston Guilmet pitched the first six innings and allowed three runs, two of which were earned. Guilmet, walked one and struck out four while recording his team high sixth win of the season. Nick Kirk then pitched the next inning and a third, while allowing two hits. Cory Burns then tossed the final inning and two thirds recording his ninth save of the season.

The Renegades took an early lead on Friday night scoring two in the 2nd and one in the 3rd before the Scrappers recorded their first base hit. The Scrappers began their comeback in the fourth, when Chen Chun doubled home the first run, Ben Carlson's single to left drove home the second Mahoning Valley run and the third run of the inning was added when Rafael Vera lifted a sacrifice fly to right field. In the 7th, the Scrappers took the lead for good when Casey Frawley delivered an RBI single that scored Juan Aponte. Mahoning Valley added two insurance runs in the 9th and went on to the 6-3 victory.

More wins or a divided locker room?

2009-08-20T22:26:00.000-04:00

For what seems to be the hundreth time now that Brett Favre has "retired" and then returned to the National Football League (NFL) the next season, the 39-year-old quarterback says that this turn around, it's about winning and has nothing to do with "revenge" against the Green Bay Packers.

I tend to think the contrary. This has everything to do with sticking it to the Packers, no matter what "Brat" Favre, the hypocrite that he is, says. How long ago was it that Favre was saying he wouldn't be able to go through the grind of the season?

Not only will Favre intentionally attempt to stick it to Green Bay, but is also creating a mess in the Vikings locker room. You may hear many Vikings players say, "I'm down with whatever is best for the team and makes us better," but you have to wonder what this move is saying to them. Brad Childress has preached

Vick vs. Stallworth sentence

2009-08-06T23:32:00.005-04:00

This topic is a little out of the realm of my normal posts, but a friend and I were discussing the situations and I'm going to share my take on the situations. Feel free to chime in with your thoughts because I'd actually greatly appreciate them.

***

Let's start off with the Donte Stallworth incident. He was driving under the influence when a pedestrian ran out into the street with no cross walk and Stallworth struck him. While Donte is at fault for being under the influence, it is also illegal (believe it or not) to cross without a cross walk. It was out of his power that the pedestrian did this. A sober person was just as likely to hit him. Both persons are at fault, not just Stallworth. He's a first time offender and typically, a first DUI offense receives little to no jail time. The family also settled for millions of dollars in retribution in this case, which also lessened his sentence. Like it or not, money talks and b.s. walks. Prosecutors and judges are very responsive to the wishes of the victims family in these cases. The victims family wanted this sentence for Stallworth, and the victims family is very likely to get what they want in these types of cases.

After his 30-day jail sentence, he's now on FELONY probation for ten years. Under felony probation, they're required to have someone in their lives for every aspect of their life: where they are, what they're doing, counseling, substance abuse counseling, etc. Plus, he can never have a driver's license again AND must contribute 1,000 hours of community service. By no means is this a slap on the wrist.

There was also no malicious intent on Stallworth's part. While driving under the influence is illegal, there are some things you can't control: such as a person running in front of your car. Stallworth, in my books, is still a murder.. yes.

Thirdly, Stallworth cooperated with law enforcement officials at all times. He called the police on spot and admitted to everything. He was also remorseful and apologetic from the very beginning, which can mean a lot when negotiating a plea deal with the prosecutor. This makes him look less like a criminal and more like a man who made a mistake, in which no message needs to be sent with a length prison sentence.

In Michael Vick's case, there are a number of differences. The first, and most obvious, difference is that Vick had a federal case, in which the judge decides the sentence, not the prosecutor. A person is much more likely to receive a more length jail sentence in federal court than state court.

Secondly, Vick vehemently denied the charges initially, while Stallworth was up front from the get-go.

Thirdly, Vick showed more of a criminal intent than Stallworth did. While Stallworth was irresponsible for drinking and driving, he didn't intend to kill someone, while Vick intentionally took part in a bloodsport, in which he showed more malice in his heart. This is much more likely to incur a punitive prison sentence as opposed to a rehabilitative probation sentence.

While both actions are unacceptable and irresponsible, both punishments fit the crimes. As much as people may argue, "A dog murderer received more jail time than someone who drove drunk and murdered someone," you have to look at all the facts. Had the pedestrian been in a cross walk and not run out in front of Stallworth's car, I'd be all for a life sentence. But, it wasn't all his fault and the family CHOSE to take the millions of dollars and only let Stallworth serve 30 days in prison.

It's unfortunate that we have a society that makes wrong decisions, such as the ones Michael Vick and Donte Stallworth made. Unfortunately, millions of Americans partake in illegal dog fighting rings and drunk driving every year, many of whom aren't caught.

I do support tougher DUI laws, in which a first offender is given a 30-day jail sentence, while second time offenders receive a year and prison and a suspended license for four years. Third time offenders receive a five year jail sentence and permanent loss of a driver's license.

Let both of these stories be a lesson to all of us, and lead us in the right direction in life.

Top 30 Cleveland Indians Prospects

2009-08-02T23:07:00.002-04:00

Now that the trading deadline has passed, here is a new list of MY top 30 propsects in the organization, as of today.

1. C Carlos Santana

2. 1B/OF Matt LaPorta

3. RHP Hector Rondon

4. 3B Lonnie Chisenhall

5. RHP Jason Knapp

6. OF Nick Weglarz

7. LHP Nick Hagadone

8. LHP Kelvin De La Cruz

9. RHP Carlos Carrasco

10. RHP Jeanmar Gomez

11. LHP T.J. House

12. RHP Alexander Perez

13. INF Jason Donald

14. OF Michael Brantley

15. RHP Alex White

16. 1B/OF Jordan Brown

17. 1B Beau Mills

18. RHP Jess Todd

19. OF Abner Abreu

20. 1B/OF Matt McBride

21. RHP Bryan Price

22. LHP Scott Barnes

23. OF Delvi Cid

24. RHP Zach Putnam

25. SS Carlos Rivero

26. LHP Eric Berger

27. RHP Connor Graham

28. C Lou Marson

29. RHP Marty Popham

30. 3B Wes Hodges

Looking Ahead

2009-07-24T03:11:00.002-04:00

RHP Rafael Betancourt has been traded to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Class A RHP Connor Graham.

Graham is 23-year-old pitcher who's a native of Bowling Green and a Miami of Ohio alum, who possesses a big 6'7", 235 lbs. body. He is 7-4 with a 3.14 ERA, 87 strikeouts and 41 walks in 80 1/3 innings pitched (16 starts). His ERA is the sixth-best in the league, and he's limited the opposition to a .225 average against, with just two homers allowed. He is 3-0 with a 0.59 ERA over his last three starts.

Following the '08 season, Baseball America named him the 12th-best prospect in the Rockies' organization.

My take on this trade is so-so. In a season where we're hard pressed for pitching as it is, especially in the bullpen, all signs point to selling, selling, and more selling. As far as Graham goes, he will report to Akron and is still at least a year away from the bigs. He possesses a dominating fastball that sits about 95 mph and a slider. His command can get wild at times and he's still working to develop a third pitch (changeup). It's something in return since the Tribe were unlikely to pick up his option at the end of the season.

The rumor mills are flying wild and the Indians are in the thick of the rumors. Several teams, such as the Rays, Dodgers, and Brewers have contacted the Tribe about Cliff Lee, while the Rays and Red Sox have had serious interest in Victor Martinez. I would suspect that neither of the two get traded at the deadline. The more likely two players I see getting dealt at the deadline are Carl Pavano and Ryan Garko, but no word on those two quite yet.

**

Now that it seems imminent that Jamario Moon will be joining the Cavs, here's an early look at the 2009-2010 depth chart.

C
Shaquille O'Neal
Zydrunas Ilgauskas

PF
Anderson Varejao
J.J. Hickson
Darnell Jackson

SF
LeBron James
Jamario Moon

SG
Delonte West
Anthony Parker
Danny Green

PG
Mo Williams
Daniel Gibson
Tarence Kinsey

Moon, Barnes, and more!

2009-07-21T00:58:00.002-04:00

F Jamario Moon has signed an offer sheet with the Cleveland Cavs and the Miami Heat have a week to match the offer. Sources have told me that it's unlikely that the Heat will match, in pursuit of F Lamar Odom and F/C Carlos Boozer. This is a great move for the Cavs if Moon can stay healthy. If you put their off-season in perspective, they dump off F Ben Wallace, G/F Sasha Pavlovic, G Wally Szczerbiak and add C Shaq O'Neal, F Anthony Parer, and F Jamario Moon. Talk about some serious upgrades.

To counter this move, Orlando is close to reaching a deal with F Matt Barnes, which is also a great move. The East is going to be a great battle this season and I cannot wait to see how it plays out.

Early NBA Power Rankings:
1. LA Lakers
2. Cleveland
3. Boston
4. San Antonio
5. Orlando
6. Denver
7. Atlanta
8. Portland
9. Miami
10. Dallas
11. Detroit
12. New Orleans
13. Chicago
14. Philadelphia
15. Houston
16. Utah
17. New Jersey
18. Phoenix
19. Indiana
20. Charlotte
21. Golden State
22. Memphis
23. Milwaukee
24. Oklahoma City
25. Toronto
26. Minnesota
27. LA Clippers
28. New York
29. Washington
30. Sacramento

More Updates

2009-07-17T21:36:00.002-04:00

Since I last chimed in, G/F Anthony Parker signed with the Cavs. It's a step in the right direction as we get a shooter with length. He's a bit older than I would have preferred, but nevertheless, provides the Cavs with some much needed depth. We still need to sign one more piece for my satisfaction. Someone along the lines of a Matt Barnes or Sean May (if he can keep the weight off). There's also been a lot of speculation that Lamar Odom will be headed to Miami. If indeed that transpires, that's a huge blow to the Lakers. They'd still be the team to beat, no questions asked. But, it definitely narrows the gap and hurts their depth. There's also talk of a possible trade with Boozer headed to Miami. Boozer, Odom, and DWade in Miami would put the Miami in an interesting spot in the East. I don't think they'd be in the same talk as the Celtics and Cavs, but they may take fourth in the East, with Orlando third. We'll see what happens.

I have also updated my top ten Indians prospect list:
1. Carlos Santana
2. Matt LaPorta
3. Hector Rondon
4. Nick Weglarz
5. Lonnie Chisenhall
6. Michael Brantley
7. Beau Mills
8. Kelvin De La Cruz
9. Jeanmar Gomez
10. Jordan Brown

Check back for more updates soon!

NBA Free Agency

2009-07-02T02:00:00.002-04:00

NBA free agency has officially begun and already, the Detroit Pistons made a splash signing both Gordon and Villanueva. They're good moves and makes them more competitive next year. However, I don't think the moves make them a SERIOUS contender in the East. With teams like Cleveland, Orlando, and Boston, Detroit still does not have enough to compete with the big three.

Anderson Varejao opted for free agency, leaving the Cavs without a 4. They have been in talks with Ariza, which I find intriguing. However, he's only 6'8" and plays the 3 and does not solve the problem of the 4. If you can't resign Varejao, who would you put at the 4 if you're Cleveland? LeBron? Z? Food for thought.

FA Hedo Turkoglu would be a nice fit in Toronto. The reason why I say Toronto and not Portland is because Portland has some big man depth with Fernandez.

My top 5 power rankings for next season:
1. Lakers
2. Cavs
3. Boston
4. Spurs
5. Magic

Stay tuned!

Updates

2009-06-27T13:30:00.002-04:00

Alright, I have a lot of making up to do in the world of sports.

Let me start off by saying I really like the Shaq trade for the Cavs. First off, I think he will be coming to down more motivated than ever to win another title. Kobe just won another ring and you know that Shaq wants one more. Also, the Cavs virtually gave up nothing to get Shaq. They gave up Sasha Pavlovic and Ben Wallace, two players who didn't contribute largely to the Cavs success, and also a second round pick. Cleveland was a very good team without Shaq and can only get better with him. His numbers will clearly be better than the contributions that Sasha and Ben gave. He also provides a big man who can guard the likes of Dwight Howard. Shaq gives the Cavs another all-star prescence, while posing as another offensive threat for Cleveland. He can split time with Z and I really do believe it can be a great combo. However, this CANNOT be the only move the Cavs make. They MUST find another player who can shoot, and is length, who can play the 4. I'm not in favor of resigning Anderson Varejao. I'd rather see the Cavs go after someone such as Carlos Boozer or Rasheed Wallace. Varejao does not provide the offensive fire power we need. While he plays with a lot of heart and passion on the defensive end, he is a one dimensional player.
Grade: A-

Now to the Vince Carter trade .... I've thought a lot about this one and have gone back and forth with my opinion on the trade. For one, I believe this was a panic move on Orlando's part and they gave up way too much for him. Courtney Lee will be a star in this league, and like many experts have been saying, I, too, would not have even traded Lee for Carter straight up. They also gave up Alston, who was a BIG reason why the Magic made it to the Finals in the first place. Also with this move, they cut ties with Hedo Turkoglu. You knew what you were going to get with Turkoglu and he also provided so many mismatches on both sides of the ball because of his size. Carter is a lot shorter than Hedo and he may actually match up BETTER with players in the East. With the game on the line, the ball would be in Turkoglu's hands and he was solid. With Carter, it's more of an unknown what you're going to get. Everywhere Vince Carter has went, he's been labeled as a "cancer" in the team's locker room and has not been able to lead a team to the promise lands. Orlando gave up depth, something that you need in the East. However, Carter still can pose as a great offensive threat and gives Orlando many shooting options when "Superman" is double teamed.
Grade: B+

A trade that hasn't been receiving as much attention as the other is the Richard Jefferson trade to the Spurs. If it's one trade that will make the biggest impact, this is the one. Now, if Manu can stay healthy, you'll have a dangerous combo with Parker, Manu, Duncan, and Jefferson. This trade moves the Spurs back to the two or three seed in the West. The Lakers are still clearly the best team in the West... and in the league.
Grade: A+

On to baseball.

With the Tribe sinking lower and lower of late, I am calling, now more than ever, for skipper Eric Wedge to be fired. I have great respect for the man, but he is not the man who can lead this team to where we want it. I'd rather see this move done in the off-season though because firing him now will not accomplish anything. No interim manager we find will be better than what we have now and will not suddenly lead the Tribe to the playoffs.

The bullpen must be cleaned out following the season. As far as I'm concerned, we can just start fresh. Our hitting has shown signs of life lately, which is encouraging. We're starting to get guys healthy and getting a true sense of how we should have been performing all year.

Some players I've been encouraged with this season include: Cliff Lee, Asdrubal Cabrera, Mark DeRosa, Victor Martinez, and Shin-Soo Choo.

Some players I haven't been encouraged with include: Kelly Shoppach, the bullpen, Carl Pavano, Jeremy Sowers, Ben Francisco, and Jhonny Peralta.
Team Grade: D

Check back for more updates!

Blog Vacation

2009-06-17T12:53:00.002-04:00

Much apologies for the unexpected blog vacation, as it's been a hectic and busy week.

2009 MLB Draft

2009-06-08T20:44:00.001-04:00

Over the next three days, I will be covering the MLB Draft, so check for updates, when available.

I will be posting updates frequently on the Indians Prospect Insider, as well as on here.

Stay tuned.

Around the Minors

2009-06-05T13:15:00.006-04:00

Every week, I will take a look at some of the Tribe's top prospects and how well they're doing. I will also be predicting when they should be ready to contribute in Cleveland.

COLUMBUS CLIPPERS
Matt LaPorta 1B/OF
.324 AVG 33 H 6 HR 18 RBI .402 OBP .588 SLG ETA: 2009
Michael Brantley OF
.253 AVG 50 H 10 2B 15 RBI .332 OBP .343 SLG ETA: 2010
Jordan Brown 1B/OF
.327 AVG 55 H 7 HR 26 RBI .370 OBP .560 SLG ETA: 2009
Chuck Lofgren LHP
0-1 9.00 ERA 1 K 3 BB .313 AVG ETA: 2010

AKRON AEROS
Beau Mills 1B/DH
.261 AVG 53 H 4 HR 19 RBI .303 OBP .379 SLG ETA: 2011
Carlos Santana C
.284 AVG 42 H 9 HR 37 RBI .417 OBP .547 SLG ETA: 2010
Nick Weglarz OF
.234 AVG 36 H 7 HR 34 RBI .356 OBP .429 SLG ETA: 2011
Carlos Rivero SS
.205 AVG 39 H 7 2B 21 RBI .277 OBP .268 SLG ETA: 2011
Hector Rondon RHP
6-4 3.31 ERA 52 K 12 BB .258 AVG ETA: 2010
Jeanmar Gomez RHP
4-2 2.27 ERA 33 K 5 BB .204 AVG ETA: 2011
Zach Putnam RHP
1-1 6.75 ERA 12 K 6 BB .281 AVG ETA: 2010
Josh Tomlin RHP
5-4 4.75 ERA 51 K 9 BB .299 AVG ETA: 2010 ('pen) 2011 (starter)

KINSTON INDIANS
Lonnie Chisenhall 3B
.303 AVG 59 H 9 HR 42 RBI .379 OBP .513 SLG ETA: 2011
Cord Phelps 2B
.282 AVG 49 H 15 2B 24 RBI .425 OBP .397 SLG ETA: 2012
Eric Berger LHP
3-3 2.37 ERA 49 K 22 BB .221 AVG ETA: 2012

LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS
Abner Abreu OF
.298 AVG 57 H 6 HR 25 RBI .338 OPB .482 SLG ETA: 2013
T.J. House LHP
1-5 3.10 ERA 42 K 19 BB .228 AVG ETA: 2013
Alexander Perez RHP
4-2 3.02 ERA 52 K 16 BB .225 AVG ETA: 2013

*Please note that Wes Hodges and Kelvin De La Cruz are not listed due to injury.

If you wish for another player to be listed, please let me know.

A few updates

2009-06-04T22:56:00.003-04:00

Randy Johnson earned his 3ooth career win tonight. Could be the last 300-game winner we see in a while. The only pitchers that I could potentially see winning 300 would be: Sabathia, J. Santana, and Halladay.

LeBron James was fined $25,000 for not talking to the media after his loss in game six to the Magic. What a joke.

Pens tied up the series with Detroit, as the series heads back to Detroit 2-2.

OF Nate McLouth was traded to the Atlanta Braves for prospects.

Small Vacation

2009-06-04T20:08:00.001-04:00

Apologies for no updates for the past few days. I will post regularly tomorrow and Saturday. The blog will take another brief vacation on Sunday.

DeRosa deal in works?

2009-06-02T12:36:00.002-04:00

Anthony Castrovince, a contributor to mlb.com, and blogger of "CastroTurf" is reporting that the St. Louis Cardinals have serious interest in utility man, Mark DeRosa.

The Indians would like Major League-ready pitching in return. It is rumored that RHP Mitchell Boggs could be available in the trade, but also many relievers, such as: P.J. Walters or Chris Perez.

Personally, I think we should hold on to DeRosa a little longer and see if better offers come about. Other teams, such as the Mets, could become interested. We need as much value as we can possibly get.

Memphis finds no proof of cheating

2009-06-02T12:33:00.001-04:00

ESPN.com news services

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Memphis was unable to find proof that a former player cheated on his SAT exam in its internal investigation of NCAA allegations against the men's basketball team.
The investigation report, released to The Associated Press and other news outlets Tuesday under a public records request, details Memphis' internal investigation into allegations that a former player -- widely reported to be Derrick Rose -- allowed a stand-in to take his SAT test and of grade tampering.
Memphis was first notified by the NCAA by e-mail in May 2008, one month after the Tigers lost to Kansas in the NCAA championship game, that star freshman point guard Rose had an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School, multiple sources with direct knowledge of an e-mail told ESPN.com.
Most names in the report released Tuesday were redacted by Memphis because of privacy concerns, but an attorney for Rose has acknowledged that Rose cooperated with an investigation of similar allegations while still a student, and multiple sources have told ESPN.com that representatives of Rose did tell Memphis he took the SAT in question.
Memphis will present its findings to the NCAA Committee on Infractions on Saturday.
Rose helped the Tigers to an NCAA-record 38 wins in the 2007-08 season and appearance in the NCAA final. Last June, Rose became the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft by his hometown Chicago Bulls.
On Monday, Bulls executive vice president for business operations Steve Schanwald said the team stood by Rose.
"Where the truth lies, who knows?" Schanwald told Comcast SportsNet Chicago. "But Derrick says it didn't happen, and I take him at his word."
A source told ESPN.com that former Memphis coach John Calipari was floored to think Rose could have been ineligible as a freshman. So, too, was the university's legal counsel, which is fighting the NCAA over finding out about the "student-athlete's" invalid test score, after the season concluded and after he had been ruled eligible by the NCAA clearinghouse to compete the previous fall.
Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson has said throughout the past week he doesn't anticipate the case will affect new coach Josh Pastner's program, either in scholarship reduction or any kind of postseason ban.
Calipari left Memphis in April to become the new coach at Kentucky.
Information from ESPN.com senior writer Andy Katz and The Associated Press was used in this report.

Sipp called up

2009-06-01T21:01:00.000-04:00

LHP Tony Sipp was recalled from Columbus today to take the roster spot of RHP Rafael Betancourt, who was placed on the 15-day DL.

Derrick Rose Update

2009-06-01T15:19:00.000-04:00

Article courtesy of Andy Katz of ESPN:

One month after Memphis lost to Kansas in overtime in one of the most thrilling national championship games in recent memory, the Tigers were rocked by an e-mail from the NCAA.
It was then that Memphis was first notified that star freshman point guard Derrick Rose, who helped the Tigers to an NCAA-record 38 wins and was soon going to become the No. 1 pick in the 2008 NBA draft by his hometown Bulls, had an invalidated standardized test score the previous year at Chicago's Simeon High School, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the e-mail.
The University of Memphis' legal counsel, Sheri Lipman, would not identify the student-athlete as Rose, but said Monday, "for the student-athlete, whoever that was, the first indication that we got was in early May [2008] that his score was being invalidated."
Memphis' administration knew that if this were indeed true, then coach John Calipari's team rode the superstar exploits of an ineligible player to an extraordinary season that was stopped just short of the program's first national title.
"It certainly came as a surprise," Lipman said of the e-mail.
Was it odd to be notified of a test score after the "student-athlete" played his freshman season? "Absolutely," Lipman said. "That's when we started with the NCAA, looking into the case."
Details of Memphis' investigation into the alleged fraudulent SAT are in the school's response to the NCAA's notice of allegations received Jan. 16, Lipman said. The response of Memphis, which was requested by various Tennessee media outlets through a Freedom of Information Act request, could be forthcoming as early as Monday night or Tuesday morning, according to Lipman. The NCAA committee on infractions has a hearing in Indianapolis on Saturday.
Lipman said the response would add more depth to the Rose report and "put more paint on this canvas."
Rose's attorney, Daniel E. Reidy, issued a statement last week that said, "Mr. Rose is aware of the allegations recently reported in the press. Mr. Rose cooperated fully with the University of Memphis athletic and legal departments' investigation of this issue when he was a student and that investigation uncovered no wrongdoing on his part. At this time, Mr. Rose sees no reason to engage in further discussion regarding this matter and will instead focus on his career as a professional basketball player."
According to multiple sources, Rose's camp did tell Memphis that he took the SAT in question. The NCAA's notice of allegations states that "it is alleged that [redacted] prospective men's basketball student-athlete failed to deport himself in accordance with the generally recognized high standards of honesty and sportsmanship normally associated with the conduct and administration of intercollegiate athletics for his knowing fraudulence or misconduct and administration of intercollegiate examination. Specifically, on [redacted] an unknown individual completed [redacted] SAT, with [redacted] knowledge, which was used to obtain his admission into the institution and to certify his NCAA eligibility. [Redacted] subsequently competed for the men's basketball team through the 2007-08 season, which included his participation in the 2008 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship."
According to a source, Calipari was floored that Rose could have been ineligible as a freshman. So, too, was the university's legal counsel, which is fighting the NCAA over finding out about the "student-athlete's" invalid test score, after the season concluded and after he had been cleared by the NCAA clearinghouse to compete the previous fall.
Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson has said throughout the past week he doesn't anticipate the case affecting new coach Josh Pastner's program, either in scholarship reduction or any kind of postseason ban. There is a possibility that Memphis' 38 wins and its national championship appearance could be vacated by the committee on infractions if Memphis is not able to provide enough evidence to refute the charge that Rose was ineligible during the 2007-08 season.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com.

37-6?!

2009-06-01T00:44:00.001-04:00

While most of us are use to seeing the Ohio State football team lose in BCS games and the basketball team lose in the Big Dance, who would have saw the 37-6 beat down that the Buckeyes baseball team got handed by Florida State coming? Wow.

That score was also a record.

Wings clip Pens and take 2-0 series lead

2009-05-31T22:46:00.001-04:00

Team	Shots on Goal				Faceoffs		Power Plays
	1st	2nd	3rd	Total	Won	Lost	Converted	Total
Pittsburgh	11	9	12	32	26	24	0	1
Detroit	7	16	3	26	24	26	0	2

Pittsburgh
Goalies				Shots		Saves
M. Fleury				26		23

Skaters	TOI	G	A	+/-	SOG	PIM
C. Adams	07:37	0	0	-1	1	0
M. Cooke	13:59	0	0	0	1	0
S. Crosby	19:36	0	0	0	5	0
P. Dupuis	11:05	0	0	-1	0	0
M. Eaton	20:32	0	0	-2	0	0
R. Fedotenko	17:44	0	0	-1	3	0
H. Gill	17:17	0	0	-2	0	0
S. Gonchar	23:14	0	0	0	1	0
B. Guerin	17:12	0	1	0	0	0
T. Kennedy	11:45	0	0	-1	2	0
C. Kunitz	16:09	0	0	0	3	0
K. Letang	22:01	0	1	-1	3	0
E. Malkin	20:23	1	0	-2	6	7
B. Orpik	18:56	0	0	0	4	0
M. Satan	09:09	0	0	-1	0	0
R. Scuderi	17:22	0	0	-1	0	0
J. Staal	18:48	0	0	-1	1	0
M. Talbot	14:48	0	0	-1	2	2

Detroit
Goalies				Shots		Saves
C. Osgood				32		31

Skaters	TOI	G	A	+/-	SOG	PIM
J. Abdelkader	08:55	1	0	+1	1	0
D. Cleary	17:13	0	0	+1	3	0
J. Ericsson	16:29	1	0	+1	1	0
V. Filppula	18:19	1	0	+1	1	0
J. Franzen	19:42	0	0	0	2	0
D. Helm	16:06	0	1	+1	2	0
T. Holmstrom	12:38	0	2	+1	1	0
M. Hossa	18:15	0	1	+1	5	0
J. Hudler	13:01	0	1	+1	0	0
N. Kronwall	21:36	0	0	+1	1	2
B. Lebda	11:28	0	0	+1	0	0
V. Leino	10:37	0	0	0	1	0
N. Lidstrom	23:20	0	0	+1	3	0
K. Maltby	08:58	0	0	0	0	0
B. Rafalski	21:05	0	0	+1	1	0
M. Samuelsson	11:59	0	0	+1	1	0
B. Stuart	24:44	0	0	+1	0	0
H. Zetterberg	23:18	0	0	+1	3	5

LeBron offers some answers

2009-05-31T22:33:00.002-04:00

In an interview with reporters this morning, here are a few excerpts of what King James had to say following the defeat to the Magic:

"I'm great. I feel great about this situation that's going on," James said. "You want to continue to get better, that's all you can ask. We got better and I feel this team will be better next season. You don't want to take a step backward. I think we went forward from the Boston series [a Game 7 loss in the semis] last year."

"Hopefully we can go forward next year."

"I don't know," James said when asked if he'll sign. "I haven't thought about it just yet. I'm just going to take time off from basketball and not think about contracts or the game period. I'll relax with my family we'll figure out once it comes from them."

"It's hard for me to congratulate somebody after you just lose to them," he said. "I'm a winner. It's not being a poor sport or anything like that. If somebody beats you up, you're not going to congratulate them. That doesn't make sense to me. I'm a competitor. That's what I do. It doesn't make sense for me to go over and shake somebody's hand."

Betancourt headed to DL

2009-05-31T17:17:00.002-04:00

The injuries are piling up for the Tribe.

After throwing three pitches in the eighth inning of Sunday's game, Rafael Betancourt was removed from the game with a strained right groin. He is expected to hit the DL Monday with the corresponding roster move not yet known.

Indians 5 Yankees 4

2009-05-31T17:13:00.002-04:00

Box Score

NY Yankees
	AB	R	H	RBI	HR	BB	K	SB	LOB	Season Avg
D. Jeter ss	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	.306
J. Damon lf	4	2	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.301
M. Teixeira 1b	4	1	2	4	1	0	0	0	0	.281
A. Rodriguez 3b	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.260
R. Cano 2b	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.314
H. Matsui dh	3	0	1	0	0	1	1	0	1	.263
R. Pena pr-dh	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.246
N. Swisher rf	3	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	1	.229
B. Gardner cf	4	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.270
F. Cervelli c	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.286
J. Posada ph-c	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	.310
Totals	34	4	10	4	1	1	4	0	10

Batting

2B - D Jeter (12, C Pavano); J Damon (12, R Perez); M Teixeira (12, M Herges).

HR - M Teixeira (16, 6th inning off C Pavano 1 on, 2 Out).

S - N Swisher.

RBI - M Teixeira 4 (44).

2-out RBI - M Teixeira 2.

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Rodriguez 1, R Cano 1.

GIDP - B Gardner, J Posada.

Team LOB - 5.

Base Running

CS - R Cano (2, 2nd base by C Pavano/K Shoppach).

Cleveland
	AB	R	H	RBI	HR	BB	K	SB	LOB	Season Avg
A. Cabrera ss	4	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	0	.318
B. Francisco lf	3	1	2	0	0	2	1	1	0	.275
J. Peralta 3b	4	0	3	3	0	0	0	0	2	.269
S. Choo rf	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	4	.296
M. DeRosa dh	2	0	0	1	0	1	1	0	1	.266
R. Garko 1b	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	.256
K. Shoppach c	4	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	1	.211
L. Valbuena 2b	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	.188
T. Crowe cf	3	2	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	.184
Totals	29	5	9	5	0	4	9	1	11

Batting

2B - T Crowe (2, P Hughes); A Cabrera (13, P Hughes).

S - R Garko , A Cabrera.

SF - M DeRosa , S Choo.

RBI - J Peralta 3 (21), M DeRosa (33), S Choo (31).

Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - S Choo 1, R Garko 2, L Valbuena 1.

Team LOB - 9.

Base Running

SB - B Francisco (9, 2nd base off C Wang/F Cervelli).

CS - L Valbuena (1, 2nd base by C Wang/F Cervelli).

Fielding

E - A Cabrera (3, ground ball).

DP - 2 (A Cabrera-R Garko, L Valbuena-A Cabrera-R Garko).

NY Yankees
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	WHIP	Season ERA
P. Hughes	5.0	5	4	4	1	6	0	1.50	5.45
C. Wang	3.0	3	0	0	1	3	0	2.86	16.07
P. Coke (L, 1-3)	0.1	0	1	1	1	0	0	1.21	4.79
D. Robertson	0.0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1.36	2.45

Cleveland
	IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	WHIP	Season ERA
C. Pavano	7.1	7	3	3	0	4	1	1.37	5.29
R. Perez	0.0	1	1	1	0	0	0	2.49	14.66
R. Betancourt	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1.39	3.71
M. Herges (BS, 1)	0.2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0.69	1.12
K. Wood (W, 2-2)	1.0	1	0	0	1	0	0	1.67	6.00

News

2009-05-31T11:51:00.003-04:00

As I speculated in my game notes yesterday, Grady Sizemore was placed on the 15-day DL. Chris Gimenez was called up to take his roster spot.

LeBron did not speak to the media last night and it should be interesting to see what the Cavs do this off-season to try and put a better supporting cast around King James. They need a big man who has the ability to start from day one, they need a capable big man coming off the bench, and they need another shooter (a sixth man of type) to come off the bench. Big Ben is highly considering retirement and Joe Smith and "Wild Thing" will be free agents.

Red Wings took game one of the Stanley Cup finals beating the Pens 3-1.

Cavs at Magic game notes

2009-05-30T20:30:00.027-04:00

Game 6: Cavs at Magic - game analysis

UPDATE #1 (10:53 Q1): Magic win the tip and they go to Howard in the paint for the first points of the game. Mo misses his first shot and it looks like the Magic want to run. Nice pass to "Wild Thing" to tie the game up.

UPDATE #2 (10:32 Q1): Two quick fouls for Anderson. Personally, I think the second foul call was bull.

UPDATE #3 (9:00 Q1): LeBron connects for his first two points of the game. The offense is just standing around, though.

UPDATE #4 (7:03 Q1): Cavs need to stop settling for jump shots and need to get the ball in the paint. Players just aren't moving.

UPDATE #5 (5:46 Q1): Two fouls each for the Cavs big men. They're letting Howard in the paint way too easy.

UPDATE #6 (3:58 Q1): Still no answer for Howard. Cavs need to go out and get another big man. Z just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

UPDATE #7 (1:23 Q1): Cavs are in trouble, plain and simple. They need someone else to score other than LeBron and right now, they have no one else they can rely on.

UPDATE #8 (End of Q1): Nice play by LeBron to end the quarter. Cavs just aren't playing good defense and aren't hitting shots. Can they afford to rest LeBron? Should be interesting to see how they respond.

UPDATE #9 (11:10 Q2): You would think the Magic would start cooling down from the three point line, but they can't miss. Z misses both free throws and just proves my point further.

UPDATE #10 (9:36 Q2): I'm not sure I can count how many Cavs players have two fouls right now. At this rate, the reserves better get warmed up.

UPDATE #11 (7:14 Q2): Call me a pessimist, but if the Cavs continue to play this way, they're finished.

UPDATE #12 (4:2o Q2): Cavs just can't find the bucket. They're not hitting shots AND free throws. Wally hasn't been the answer, so far. Put Sasha in, can't hurt any. 49-34? This is just bad.

UPDATE #13 (1:4o Q2): Bad call by the refs with possession.

UPDATE #14 (End of Q2): LeBron held scoreless in the second quarter. Bad no call foul to end the quarter and Magic are up 18 at the half. As far as I'm concerned, this game is over.

UPDATE #15 (11:04 Q3): Cavs on an 8-0 run and come out hot.

UPDATE #16 (8:21 Q3): Mo's on fire. Unfortunately, no one is moving!! Mo makes the and one and Cavs down 11.

UPDATE #17 (6:36 Q3): Cavs need to stop settling for jump shots. As I typed that, Mo hits a three. These refs are unbelievable. NBA officials are the worst of the major professional sports, without a doubt.

UPDATE #18 (4:31 Q3): Magic still can't miss from three point land. Cavs need some stops.

UPDATE #19 (3:52 Q3): Good things happen when you get inside the paint. Cavs need to continue to pound it inside.

UPDATE #20 (End of Q3): I reiterate, this game is over. Cavs are settling for too many jump shots and aren't playing defense.

UPDATE #21 (11:00 Q4): LeBron is making some costly mistakes, including three turnovers.

UPDATE #22 (9:39 Q4): Magic open on 9-0 run. LeBron isn't stepping up and Cavs are down 21. Cavs haven't stood a chance in this game.

UPDATE #23 (7:52 Q4): Where's Sasha? Wally hasn't played well all game. Unless there's something I'm not aware of, Sasha needs to be in his game.

UPDATE #24 (4:23 Q4): Someone remind me again why Wally is in the game. We miss free throws, we're going to lose. Plain and simple.

UPDATE #25 (3:53 Q4): I love the Magic fans who are attempting to chant MVP to Dwight Howard and they can't chant in rhythm together. Hilarious.

UPDATE #26 (3:08 Q4): As they chant MVP, Howard misses the free throw.

UPDATE #27 (2:44 Q4): So now Sasha is out there? With so little time left? Are you kidding me? After Wally misses how many shots, Mike Brown finally gets the hint? This is why the Cavs will be watching the finals instead of playing.

The Orlando Magic defeat the Cleveland Cavs 103-90.

Side note: The Orlando Magic just wanted this a lot more than Cleveland did, plain and simple. That's why they advanced.

Yankees at Indians game notes

2009-05-30T19:06:00.017-04:00

Game 2: Yankees at Indians - game analysis

UPDATE #1 (7:16 PM EST): After getting the first two batters out in the inning, Fausto got himself in some trouble, but worked his way out of it with a nice strike out. He needs to keep the ball down, he's leaving pitches up in the zone. Nice to see the boo's to "A-Roid". I'm interested to see how the fans will welcome CC back to Cleveland.

UPDATE #2 (7:19 PM EST): No real reaction from the fans to see CC. Quite interesting. We'll see how this plays out throughout the game.

UPDATE #3 (7:22 PM EST): Grady's offensive struggles continue with another strikeout. I think he'll be headed to the DL within the next week.

UPDATE #4 (7:25 PM EST): This is not good to see Victor go down like a ton of bricks. Talk about the last thing Cleveland needs right about now. He's in a lot of pain. Looks like he's going to play through it. What a class act.

UPDATE #5 (7:30 PM EST): Vic will be coming out. He can barely run. Cross your fingers that this is minor.

UPDATE #6 (7:34 PM EST): What a shot by Posada. Has it come down yet?

UPDATE #7 (7:38 PM EST): Carmona's struggles of this early season continue, also. Swisher takes him deep (literally) and it looks like the 'pen may be in for a long night.

UPDATE #8 (8:07 PM EST): Seven ground ball outs so far for Fausto, which is encouraging.

UPDATE #9 (8:16 PM EST): Things are beginning to unravel for the Tribe. Two costly errors in the inning, one by Choo where he just completely misses the ball. 5-0 and only one out.

UPDATE #10 (8:19 PM EST): And that walk will put the bases loaded for Cano. And a base hit in the ally.. A-Roid out at third to end the inning, but score two more and bat around, now lead 7-0.

At 8:30 PM EST, when the Cleveland-Orlando game begins, updates between the Yankees-Indians game will become periodic.

UPDATE #11 (8:34 PM EST): CC is looking like a true ace thus far, leaving Cleveland hitters puzzled. Don't look now, but after four, he has a no-no going.

UPDATE #12 (8:52 PM EST): Indians get their first hit off the game from Choo. About time!

UPDATE #13 (8:56 PM EST): Nice hit by Garko. Indians need to continue this momentum.

UPDATE #14 (9:05 PM EST): 7-2 is better than 7-0, I suppose.

UPDATE #15 (9:44 PM EST): Tomo Ohka hasn't pitched a bad game. 8-3. Fan runs out on the field.... Dumb move. Idiot.

Indians fall to the Yankees 10-5.

Game Lineup: Saturday 5/30

2009-05-30T15:14:00.001-04:00

I will be covering the Cavs-Magic game tonight regularly tonight, while providing periodical analysis from the Indians-Yankees game, and the Pens-Wings finals game. Stay tuned!