Cleveland Deserves Better

What we missed during our Cavs United Hiatus.. Happy New Year Cavs Fans

2011-01-01T09:22:00.000-08:00

We took a little bit of a break, but we're back.

The Cavaliers are in the midst of another significant losing streak, and officially ended the month of December with 1 win. We've lost 14 of 15, and there's not a whole lot to cheer for as we lose to the likes of Charlotte, Minnesota, Sacramento, Detroit, and Philadelphia to name a few.

The franchise that won 66 games last year is now 8-24 on the season, on pace for close to a 20 win season. Yikes.

As Antawn Jamison put it, everyone in Cleveland can now put 2010 behind us and focus on the New Year. 2010 might prove to have been the most destructive, tumultuous year in the history of the franchise. Our best shot at a championship disappeared overnight, and effectively ended the LeBron James era.

That's not to say we haven't had some great moments this season; there have been a few.

For one, Cavalier-legend Darius Miles showed up to Quicken Loans Arena as a training camp invite of the Charlotte Bobcats. Although he was missing the trademark dreadlocks and double-head head bump, it was still a joy to see D-Miles grace us with his presence.

We also managed to take down the Boston Celtics opening night, in a playoff atmosphere that left you feeling good about our chances for this season (note: this was a false alarm).

We watched one of the most anticipated spectacles in all of sport took place in our arena, as the now-maligned James made his return to the city scorned. We booed him as loud as we could, chanted obscene and vulgar things directed at him, and watched as he destroyed our team defense en route to a 38 point beatdown that will forever be dubbed, "The Return".

More recently, we watched Mo Williams hit a game-winner over the Bucks' Brandon Jennings, a much needed shot that lifted the spirits of a team in desperate need of anything resembling a win.

Antawn Jamison hit an 80 yard heave, (forget it was after the 1st quarter buzzer had sounded) in front of friends and family and a hostile Charlotte crowd of about 10 thousand.

Later that same game, Ramon Sessions provided us with what might have been the highlight of the season: A power throwdown over Nazr Mohammed. Dunks are a rare sight this season, unless you count J.J. Hickson getting dunked on by James Harden in an old-fashioned Oklahoma City beatdown.

We've also "witnessed" the emergence of a future star, Manny Harris. Manny's defensive intensity combined with offensive prowess will serve as the backbone of a Cavaliers rise to prominence in the years to come.

No one can be sure how the roster will change this season; Jawad Williams has already gotten the axe, and Alonzo Gee has made a favorable first impression. Byron Scott has made it clear that he prefers a few more post-players.

Many are speculating that the team will attempt to trade away higher-salary contracts (Jamison) and play for next year's draft. This franchise is already stockpiling draft picks and hope to make a big splash by landing some big-name players.

If you're still not a fan, then you never really were. The Youth Movement is upon us. This, is Cavaliers basketball.

Discover a great degree at certificate paralegal

Football vs. Futbol

2010-12-07T09:56:00.001-08:00

Source:Sports
Management Colleges

2010-12-01T14:20:00.001-08:00

Ben Jackson does a backflip

2010-11-24T18:58:00.001-08:00

Austin Carr and Campy Russell discuss the new jerseys

2010-09-03T06:54:00.001-07:00

Preseason Recap #1: Browns 27, Packers 24

2010-08-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

The Browns first game of the 2010 preseason has to be viewed as a success. This was the start to the season that we needed, and although these wins don't matter.. this one has Browns fans feeling good about this team and this year.

Jake Delhomme looked crisp, and ran an efficient offense down the field for a touchdown against Green Bay's first team defense. On his only drive, he completed 6 of the 7 passes he attempted, connecting with Massaquoi on a 4th and 1 that eventually led to Jerome Harrison's 4 yard rush into the endzone.

I don't think anyone could have predicted such a smooth go-round for Delhomme, who quieted the doubters and looked downright fluent with the new offense. Although he had a rough year last season in Carolina, this is a new year and a fresh start for Jake. He seems to have control of this team and is the veteran leader our locker room needs. It's a good feeling going into the season actually knowing who the quarterback will be.

"It's preseason, it doesn't count. But hey, everybody has a smile on their face," Delhomme said.

Seneca Wallace came in and picked up right where Delhomme had left off, throwing two touchdown passes including a nice throw on the run that landed in the hands of Robiskie in the back of the end zone.  Wallace is sure to be used in some wild-cat packages, as he deserves the opportunity. He came in and showed that he has a lot of potential, and if Delhomme goes down this year Seneca will prove to be a valuable back-up.

The defense definitely showed up last night, and Green Bay running back Ryan Grant felt the force as he was hit in the head and had to leave the game.  On his first touch, he fumbled the ball leading to one of our touchdowns.

Our secondary looked solid, and the linebacking core looks primed to keep the big hits coming.  When you can rotate Joe Haden in with Sheldon Brown and Eric Wright, you definitely have a chance to stop the passing threat other teams will pose. T.J. Ward also showed his potential; The free-safety out of Oregon is an instinctive, hard-hitting defensive back who definitely can drop the hammer.

Colt McCoy made his debut in a Browns uniform, and showed why he shouldn't be the starter. He threw two costly interceptions, and looked like he was not ready for the speed of the NFL game. Colt had to leave the game when he banged his throwing hand off the back of an offensive lineman's helmet. The injury was reported to not be serious.

After McCoy left, it was the Brett Ratliff show and he did exactly what we needed him to. In a tie game, with the clock winding down, he led us into field goal position and set up Phil Dawson with a game winning attempt. Of course Phil didn't miss, and the Browns are officially 1-0 on the year.

Everyone leaves with a smile on their face, and fans look forward to seeing what Delhomme can do with a full game. Josh Cribbs didn't even touch the ball and we still beat Green Bay. I know it's just the preseason, but this game definitely has me excited for the rest of the year. Do the Browns have enough pieces to make a run at the division?

This Just In.. Christian Eyenga is a URD (Unreal Dunking Machine)

2010-08-11T19:09:00.000-07:00

In case you aren't up on Cavalier news, we signed our draft pick Christian Eyenga this summer after he put together an impressive Summer League and showed exactly what impact he could have on the team this year. That impact is one of the most crucial aspects any player can have: The ability to throwdown an unbelievable dunk whenever he gets a wide open lane. He literally has some of the most ridiculous ups you will see in the NBA this year. At only 6 foot 6", the awe-factor he has when you watch him dunk is priceless.
Exhibit A: Summer League Throwdown

Okay, that was just nasty. What makes it even more legit is that he did it in the middle of a game. As any real fan of dunking swagger should know, the Windmill is one of the most aesthetically pleasing dunks to watch. Eyenga's windmill might be his signature, and hopefully we should get to see it on countless fast breaks this year. Exhibits B and C: the "Warmup Windmill" followed by the "Insane Pump"

I know right? This guy is playing for the Cavaliers this year.. I'm down. Eyenga is going to be a human highlight reel, and maybe just maybe he'll help us get over the loss of one, "Akron Traitor". This is probably the best video of him dunking you will find. I present you Exhibit D: "Slow-motion through the Legs." Can't wait to see this guy play in the preseason. LeBron who?

Turning my attention to the Cleveland Browns, and then the Cavaliers

2010-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

The Indians lost to the Orioles last night by a count of 14-8. The Baltimore Orioles are 39-74 on the season. What does that say about us? We're losing 3-1 right now, and it's painfully obvious that the Indians season is a wash, and has been for a long time.

On a postitive note, we are not in last place anymore in the division, (at this point I'm holding out hope that we simply end with a better record than the Kansas City Royals.) Anyways, the Indians are quite pathetic at 47-66, possibly because the front office has yet again traded away key players capable of making an impact when it counts.

For all these reasons, my coverage of the lowly Indians will diminsh significantly over the next several weeks as we turn to two teams that actually has a chance of being somewhat respectable; the Cleveland Cavaliers and of course the Browns. I'm stating right now that I think both teams have a decent chance at making the playoffs, and if you look at both rosters that statement is not too far of at stretch.

The Cleveland Browns might surprise some teams this year, as they drafted well under the brilliance of new team President Mike Holmgren.

Cornerback Joe Haden is going to be another shutdown corner alongside an impressive secondary that includes Eric Wright and newcomer Sheldon Brown. Expect Sheldon to be the hard-hitting force the defensive backfield has sorely missed over the last several seasons.

Don't forget we added stud linebacker Scott Fujita who played with the New Orleans Saints last year, and all of these players play behind monster lineman Shawn Rogers.  Rogers might be the most underrated player on the Browns; His ability to demand double-teams and disrupt the running game must be considered, not to mention he has an incredible ability to block field goals which can determine football games. You also have to love our Coordinator on the defensive side of the ball, Rob Ryan. He's passionate and quite frankly a mad-man, and he knows how to coach an NFL defense. I'll take him anyday over a Romeo Crennel.

Running back Montario Hardesty will also prove to be a great pick, as he will be featured as our downhill bruiser-back and the tandem of Jerome Harrison and James Davis will be more than enough for teams to handle.  That could potentially become a three-headed monster that could become a solid group of running backs.

The Offensive Line will be solid this year, as Joe Thomas is the anchor and he has high expectations. The 6 foot 6", 312 pounder out of Wisconsin is a force in this league, and should clear a lot of space for our running backs to get loose in the secondary.

Of course, the most important position for the offense is the quarterback, and Jake Delhomme has a lot to prove. Coming off what Delhomme considers himself to be an awful season, he must manage games and not throw the ball away like he did last year. Even though Browns fans should be excited to see what Colt McCoy can do for this franchise at some point in the future, Delhomme is the starter and thus we must hope he succeeds if this team has a chance to do anything this year.  I don't think Holmgren will want to have a quarterback switch, because this team saw instability at the quarterback position last year and that always hurts a team's level of confidence.

Delhommme will be throwing to a group of young but talented receivers. Cribbs, Mohamed Massaquoi, and Brian Robiskie should be a formidable group of receivers. Robiskie has impressed in training camp, and I expect him to have a breakout season. (Brian played his high school football at Chagrin Falls, where I happened to graduate from) Buckeye fans remember his big-play capability; Hopefully Delhomme targets him frequently. Another important piece of our offense will be the emergence of tight-end Ben Watson, who is talented player we acquired from the New England Patriots.

Arguably the most exciting time during a Browns game is watching our Special Teams ace, one Joshua Cribbs. He has what I would call RFV, (ridiculous field-vision) to go along with breakaway speed. Thus every time other teams make the mistake of kicking deep to him, Cribbs poses a threat to take it to the house every time. The other players on the Special Team go all-out because they know if they can hold a block or even get a good chip on a player they might see Cribbs sprint by them on his way to the endzone. Josh Cribbs is a unique talent and the Browns are lucky to have him. He has the capability of completely changing a game on one play.

Even as President, Holmgren has the ability to get the most out of players. The Browns will be competitve this year, and although we're in a tough division I feel like we can still win on Sunday's even in the division. The Ravens will be tough, and the Bengals have a solid team. Pittsburgh will be without Roethlisberger for likely 4 games, and his return should be against the Browns which I'm sure will be a national story. We will get to see what the Browns are made of on Saturday, as we travel to Green Bay for our first preseason game. Hopefully we win the opening toss and Cribbs takes it back for 6.. then we'll know it's our year.

Cleveland Browns training camp: Offensive line workout

The "Larry Dolan Effect" and Trade Deadline Implications

2010-08-04T08:31:00.000-07:00

The Tribe has experienced a roller-coaster effect in the last several days. After beating the Yankees 4-1 last Tuesday, we lost a few straight in massacre-fashion. Between the last two games of the Yankees series and the first game against the Blue Jays, the Tribe lost all 3 games, getting outscored 27-5. Not exactly our best effort, and the Trade Deadline certainly had an impact on the team's morale.

Larry Dolan continues makes a strong argument as to why he should be considered amongst the worst owners in professional sports. When the trade deadline approaches in baseball, they consistently make moves that make you scratch your head. This year's edition was no different, as the Indians traded away proven veterans in Jake Westbrook, Jhonny Peralta, and Austin Kearns. Don't forget about Kerry Woods, who was shipped to the Yankees who just beat us down 19-4 in the last two games of the series.

It's hard to keep your hopes up for a team that trades away any talent we actually have. Let's start with Jhonny Peralta. Granted, some fans never really appreciated Jhonny and thought he didn't deserve a spot in our infield. When you actually look at his numbers, you realize he has one of the highest fielding percentages at 3rd base in all of baseball.

Not to mention he at least provided the threat of power, which is more than can be said about most of our players. Peralta proved the ignorance of this trade by the Indians when he blasted two home-runs in his first game with the Detroit Tigers.

Jake Westbrook was next to go, as he was essentially given away to the St. Louis Cardinals. I guess the one thing we can hang our hats on is that players who have never seen success with the Indians are at least getting a chance to prove themselves on teams that actually have a chance of winning. Westbrook is an impressive talent; His sinker is one of the hardest pitches to hit in baseball. Through 7 innings vs. the Yankees last week, he had only given up 2 hits. Westbrook is a pitcher who has a lot left in the tank. Why did we trade him?

How long before Grady Sizemore gets traded for a "prospect" or Asdrubal Cabrera gets swapped for a "player to be named later"? That's what is so aggravating and bewildering about our current front office. When have they actually traded our top-talent for a player who can actually come in right away and make a difference? The trades we make are so dumb, because we always receive a prospect who will start in the minors and if we're lucky we'll see him in 2 years. While we do have a bright future in those two as well as Choo, Santana, Donald, and Tomlin, there is no guarantee they won't play their way out of Cleveland.

Generally speaking, Larry Dolan is too cheap to keep players that actually make a difference. My proposal is that Larry Dolan resigns, and allows Dan Gilbert to run the Cleveland Indians. He should be ashamed to be the owner who orchestrated trading away Cy-Young winners back-to-back years in Sabathia and Cliff Lee. What really gets me is that we had a $7 million dollar option on Cliff for this year. It's pathetic that Larry Dolan can't afford that. This is professional sports, where the best players make well over that number each year. Lee was recently dealt from Seattle to Texas, where he has continued to prove that he is one of the best pitchers in the league. Philadelphia has got to be living in regret over not keeping him alongside Halladay.

Regardless, the Tribe faithful will always remain.. but we certainly deserve better than what our current ownership is providing. No amount of PR can spin the fact that Larry Dolan can't afford to run a team that can win on a nightly basis.

Dolan is content with simply owning a team, he's not too concerned with how they actually perform on the field. He's the guy who bought a Porsche, then let it sit in the garage for 20 years because he couldn't afford the premium gas. It takes money to run a Major League Baseball team. Stop screwing Indians fans out of a respectable franchise.

The standings back up this claim - The Indians are 15.5 games back in the divison, and have a stronghold on last place; We're even looking up at the Kansas City Royals. It's a mockery of what this team should be.

Jhonny Peralta traded to Detroit?

2010-07-28T16:53:00.000-07:00

Guess I didn't see this one coming. Today the Indians traded Jhonny Peralta along with cash to the Detroit Tigers, for a Single A pitcher Giovanni Soto. Cleveland gives up a good player for an unknown prospect, and within the division?

One of the main reasons this deal probably happened is because the Tigers have lost a ton of players to injury recently and were pretty desperate to make a deal. Detroit has been hit with the injury bug at the wrong time in the season, losing 3rd baseman Justin Inge, Magglio Ordonez, and Carlos Guillen along with several pitchers.

Cleveland had a love-hate relationship with Peralta. Last year he was inconsistent, but this year he had really started playing well. He had a high fielding percentage at 3rd base, and was batting .246 with 23 doubles, and 7 home runs. I can't say I'm happy to see him go, but at least this will allow our younger players a chance to develop this year.

Even though the Tiger are 4 games out, they still have the possibility of making a run to the playoffs this year.

Jhonny will likely get a chance to see some playing time in the immediate future. I'm still pretty surprised about this move and don't think we should have traded him, but we do add a pitcher who is a talented prospect.

Soto is a 6 foot 3" left-hander who has a 6-6 record in Single A but a low ERA and a high strike-out to ball ratio. The Indians are trying to build for the future in this move, with the hope that Soto can work his way through the minors. You don't trade a player like Peralta unless you think it will help you long-term.

With Carmona, Westrbrook, Masterson, and the emergence of Tomlin, the front office should feel good about our future pitching prospects. Soto could be a piece but he is still largely unproven; Single A is far less competitive than AAA. It remains to be seen if he can pitch against the elite hitters. Tomlin proved that last night.

Getting our young players valuable experience this season will benefit us next season where we can hopefully more competitive than 13.5 games out of 1st place within the division. We've proven that we can beat the Twins in a series in Minnesota and the future of this team looks better everyday. Hopefully this transfers to the rest of this series with the Yankees, and we take take the series 3-1. Tomlin proved the Yankee hitters are extremely overrated, and last night wasn't an abiration. This team is going to be good in the near future, and I'm disappointed Jhonny Peralta won't be a part of it.

Josh Tomlin impresses in his Debut against Yankees, Tribe wins 4-1

2010-07-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Josh Tomlin made his Major League debut last night for the Indians, and he did not disappoint. Derek Jeter picked up right where he left off and flied out to center, and Tomlin had officially retired his first major league hitter. Maybe it was just me, but it looked like Tomlin couldn't help but smile as he worked through the 1st inning. Swisher followed suit, and Teixeira popped up as well. Tomlin looked impressive and cruised through the inning only throwing 9 pitches. Pretty good start for a pitcher facing the Yankees in his first appearance.

Shin-Soo got the Tribe's 1st hit, muscling a ball over the head of Rodriguez. He wasted no time stealing 2nd, and then Kearns followed with a hit of his own which should have scored Choo. Unfortunately, Gardner threw a beautiful one-hop to the catch Cervelli who did a great job blocking off the plate. Choo was called out, but at least the Indians were showing early signs of life.

Alex Rodriguez led off the 2nd for the Yankees, and after two whiffs he grounded out to Cabrera. His 600th home run has eluded him in his last 21 bats and counting, and it would not come against Tomlin. The new Tribe pitcher relies on location and his change-up, as opposed to over-powering hitters. He did however challenge A-Rod with some fastballs throughout the game, and Alex whiffed on almost every one. Josh Tomlin retired Cano and Granderson after that, and the rookie had a no-hitter through two innings.

Gardner struck out to end the Yankees 3rd inning, and the mighty Pinstripes still didn't have a hit against Tomlin. Yet again, Sabathia put the Indians batters down in order, and after 3 we still had a scoreless game.

Jeter broke up the no-hitter getting the lead-off hitter in the 4th, but Swisher and Teixeira again would pop-up. Trying to make something happen in the middle of A-Rod's second at-bat, Jeter was caught stealing 2nd on a great throw by Giminez and the inning ended.

Cabrera singled to left to start the 4th and the Tribe had their first lead-off batter aboard. Shin-Soo hit a tough pitch from Sabathia down the left field line, and all the sudden we had men on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. On a Kearns grounder to 3rd, Rodriguez decided to come home and the throw easily beat Cabrera.

However, Asdrubal made a heads-up play, kicking the ball out of Cervelli's glove after the tag was applied. Cabrera was called safe, and the Tribe took an early 1-0 lead. Shelley Duncan popped up to the 1st baseman, and the Yankees got their first out of the inning. Jhonny Peralta hit what should have been a routine double play for the over-paid Yankees infield, but Robinson Cano pulled his foot off the bag and everyone was safe. I'm not quite sure why manager Joe Girardi came out to argue, Cano clearly made a short-bus play by stepping off the bag before he turned the DP. That gave LaPorta a chance with the bases loaded, and he hit a ball deep enough to serve as a sacrifice fly, scoring Choo. Donald struck out but the 2 errors cost the Yankees both runs, and we took a 2-0 lead.

A-Rod hit another weak grounder to 1st and still couldn't hit the elusive 600th home-run of his career. Another impressive inning by Tomlin who retired the Yankees in order for the 4th time so far.

To start the bottom of the 6th, Austin Kearns felt the need to smash a ball to deep center. Granderson was on his horse and almost made a great catch, but after he collided with the wall, the ball was jarred loose. Kearns made it all the way to 3rd base. Duncan took a couple massive cuts but eventually struck out swinging. After Peralta reached first, LaPorta finally came through and doubled, scoring Choo. With runners on 2nd and 3rd Sabathia intentionally walked Donald to get to Giminez. CC couldn't have thought he would walk Giminez to force another run in, but that's exactly what happened. The Tribe took a 4-0 lead and then Crowe hit into a double play to mercifully end the inning for Sabathia.

This whole time, Tomlin was making a solid case to be in the Indians rotation. Through 6 innings, Tomlin had faced the minimum of 18 batters, and had only given up 1 hit to the Yankees. Not bad for your first big-league outing. Jeter grounded out to start the 7th and yet again proved why he is over-valued. Swisher hit a 1-out double and then Teixeira grounded out on a nice play by Cabrera. A-Rod was next, hoping to get the 600 Monkey off his back. He did hit a ball pretty deep to right, but not dep enough. The whole time I'm thinking, "Is Tomlin really shutting out the Yankees in his MLB debut?" And , "Has CC really not lost a game since May?" That streak was about to come to an end.

After Tomlin gave up a lead-off double in the 8th, Manny Acta made the move to the bullpen, and Josh Tomlin walked off the mound to a standing ovation from the Cleveland crowd. 3 hits, 0 walks, simply beautiful shut-out baseball by Tomlin.

Chris Perez came on to shut the door in the 9th, but it wouldn't come easy. The Yankees started off the inning with back-to-back singles by Gardner and then Jeter. Swish popped out for the 1st out, and then Teixeira did the same. Alex Rodriguez would appropriately be the final batter, representing the tying run at the plate. Would 600 finally come to fruition, on his 35th birthday? Nope, groundout to Cabrera and the game is over, and Rodriguez is 0-8 in the series. That's what you get for taking steroids.

A-Rod's Hitless Night keeps him at 599, Yankees win 3-2 at Progressive

2010-07-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Three* years ago from yesterday, the Indians traded Ben Broussard for Shin Soo Choo.. a great day in Tribe history. The Yankees came to town for a 4 game series last night, and everyone wanted to know if Rodriguez would send his 600th homerun out at Progressive Field.

Derek Jeter started off the game with an out, confirming my belief that he is the most overrated player in baseball. Swisher might be the only player that I have any respect for on the Yankees, and he flies out as Westbrook cruised through the 1st inning.

You have to question Manny Acta's decision to bat Michael Brantley leadoff, I mean he's batting .157 on the season.. personally I'd sit him on the bench. Regardless, Cabrera walks and then Shoo hits a screamer right to Teixeira, who steps on 1st and doubles up Cabrera. Lucky break for the Yankees.

Travis Hafner keeps his ridiculous hot-streak going and absolutely demolishes a pitch over the right field wall. That was his 5th straight hit in as many plate appearanaces. LaPorta struck out after though, what's new. The Indians took a 1-0 lead into the 3rd inning.

Jake Westbrook was looking as good as he ever has, and he kept sitting down Yankees hitters. After 3 innings against baseball's best offensive lineup, the Yankees had exactly 0 hits. The Tribe unfortunately went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 3rd, I blame Michael Brantley.

Swisher got the Yankees first hit, a monstrous jack to right field; He even posed for a second to watch it go out. I wasn't mad about it, Swisher is the man. Teixeira walked, and then Alex Rodriguez came up to the plate for his second appearance. Alex hit a ball into left field that was sinking fast, and Trevor Crowe either caught the ball or it short-hopped into his glove, either way Rodriguez was called out. Teixeira gets doubled up, and Joe Girardi came out to argue but to no avail. It was a pretty close call but it goes the way of the Indians.

Fast-forward to the Top of the 5th when the speedy Curtis Granderson tried to get to 2nd off a hit to the right field wall. Choo threw a laser directly to Asdrubal at 2nd and he's called out. Replay showed Granderson was actually safe on the play but the Tribe catches another break. Asdrubal did catch some spikes on the play but it appeared he would be alright.

At this point the Indians only hit so far was Travis' home-run, but that quickly changed when Jhonny Peralta ended the nonsense by doubling to right field. LaPorta stepped up to the plate and surprise.. another strike-out. Trevor Crowe grounds to 2nd and Peralta's leadoff double goes to waste.

My personal highlight of the Yankees batting in the 6th inning was Derek Jeter striking out. It is quite a beautiful site; Jeter and A-Rod combined to go 0-8 on the day. Westbrook was still extra crispy and was working fast. Jake struck out Swisher after that, Westbrook had 5 strike-outs. Yankees go 1-2-3 again.

Yet again in the Top of the 7th, another leadoff double for the Indians came from Jason Donald. Our first 3 hits were all of the extra-base variety. Unfortunately poor base-running lead Donald into a rundown after he tried to go to 3rd on a grounder to the pitcher. I blame Brantley for not hitting it out of the infield.

After that, it was about time for the Choo-Choo train to make an appearance. Like clockwork, Shin-Soo doubled and Brantley scored all the way from 1st. The Indians took a 2-1 lead, and all is well at Progressive. Stat of the day: Shin Soo ranks 5th in the American League in On-Base Percentage.

After Pronk struck out in the bottom of the 7th, LaPorta finally got a hit to left field. But time after time, we didn't capitalize having runners in scoring position. The Yankees came up to bat and Westbrook made one critical error serving a pitch up to Granderson.

Curtis certainly made him pay, obliterating a pitch to deep right field. Yankees take a 3-2 on the game-changing 421 foot home run. This has been a common theme for the Indians as of late: Play well for most of the game but make one big mistake in the form of a multi-run HR. Westbrook was visibly upset and justifiably so, he had been pitching a gem. Jeter ended the inning with a grounder to Asdrubal.. Why do people think this guy is good?

The Indians bats stayed quiet for the rest of the night and the Yankees held on to win 3-2. Westbrook was not about to allow Rodriguez to get #600 off of him last night. He might have a better shot tonight, when the Tribe sends out Josh Tomlin for his major-league debut. It's also A-Rod's birthday tonight, so maybe it will happen for him. Let's say he does hit 600 tonight, how much will that ball go for? Cleveland's economy could certainly use the boost. CC Sabathia will be pitching for the Yankees, fans here still have respect for him. Should be an interesting night, Tomlin will certainly have his hands full with the Yankees lineup. It's time for the Tribe to start a new winning streak right about now.

Cleveland Cavaliers trade Delonte West to Minnesota for Ramon Sessions

2010-07-27T10:37:00.000-07:00

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Cavaliers shipped out the shotgun-in-the-guitar-case guy, Delonte West. What did surprise me was that they included Sebastian Telfair in this deal, who in my opinion has the potential to be a solid point guard in this league.

In return, the Cavaliers received guard Ramon Sessions, 7-footer Ryan Hollins, and a future 2nd round draft pick. This was the first roster move the Cavs have actually completed following the LeBron-debacle; It was time the Cavaliers sent Delonte out of Cleveland, who had some serious issues while he was here. Sessions will be a better fit with the team.

Earlier this month D-West was sentenced to 8 months of home detention with electronic monitoring. There's a chance he will face a suspension early in the season after the NBA reviews his guilty plea on weapons charges. Seriously, who passes police cruisers on the highway, on a 3-wheel motorcycle strapped with a shotgun in a guitar case? How is this guy still in the league? Apparently the T'wolves don't even want Delonte, and they plan to waive him by September.

Ramon should see significant playing time in Cleveland this year, as opposed to the season-low 21 minutes he received backing up Jonny Flynn in Milwaukee last season. He did average 8.2 points and 3.1 assists, and shot 45.6% from the field.

"In Ramon, we're excited to add a young, multi-dimensional guard, and with Ryan, we're adding a young, athletic center," new Cavaliers GM Chris Grant said in a statement issued by the team. "We think both Ramon and Ryan are really good fits for this team. We're also happy to add another asset for the future with the additional draft pick.

Ramon was drafted out of Nevada in the 2nd round by Milwaukee in 2007. Sessions is considered to be a very good ballhandler and decision-maker. He signed a 4 year deal worth $16 million in September 2009, a deal that the Bucks chose not to match. He and Mo Williams know each other well from their days in Milwaukee and our backcourt now consists of Mo Gotti, Boobie G, and Sessions. We definitely have some talent and with the departure of Delonte, we should have some stability. Don't expect too much from Ryan Hollins, even though the 7 footer is now the tallest player on our roster. Sessions should be fun to watch and I'm hoping for big things from him. Ramon Sessions might even be Underrated

The Tampa Bay Rays start a different kind of streak in Cleveland

2010-07-26T16:10:00.000-07:00

The night after they ended their 18 game losing streak in Cleveland, the Tampa Bay Rays felt entitled to take another one before they left town. Justin Masterson vs. Wade Davis was the match-up. The Tribe came out strong. Mastterson cruised through the 1st, and the Indians took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice by Carlos Santana. However, similar to the night before, the Rays would answer quickly.

Reed Brignac stepped up to the plate with two on, and 2 outs. Masterson threw the one pitch he regrets and Brignac made him pay, hitting a 3-run homer. The Indians showed some of their new-found resiliency, and got one of those runs back in their half of the inning, make it 3-2 Tampa.

Sanatan reaches 2nd in the bottom of the 3rd, but Matt LaPorta strikes out to end the inning. LaPorta did not have his best day, at least offensively.

A leadoff walk to start to the 4th inning did not end up helping Masterson. After a single past the outstretched arm of Nix put runners on 1st and 3rd, LaPorta made his one good play of the day. For an inexperienced 1st baseman, Matt made a heads-up move when the ball was hit to him, looking the runner back at 3rd and still turning the double play. At that point in the game that was a huge play, because the Rays didn't end up scoring in the inning and the Tribe was still within one run.

Hafner stepped up to the plate in the 4th and crushed a nice double to the gap in left field, and Nix gets hit by a pitch vegas-style.. right in the kneecap. After a textbook sacrifice by Trevor Crowe that moved Hafner and Nix to 2nd and 3rd respectively, Andy Marte couldn't hold up on a check swing and strikes out. Michael Brantley does what he usually does and makes another out, and we squandered one of our many chances to put some runs on the board.

Bartlett started things off for the Rays in the 5th by hitting a routine grounder to Marte who came up with an ugly error, allowing Bartlett to reach 1st safely. That would come back to haunt us after he stole 2nd soon thereafter, and reached 3rd on a groundout. Carl Crawford did what Marte should have done the inning before, and hits a ball deep to left that serves as a sacrifice to get Bartlett home, making it 4-2 Rays. Epic fail by Andy on multiple fronts.

The Indians went in order and then in the top of the 6th the Rays followed suit; Masterson started to work quickly and looked like he had settled down. Yet again, Travis "Pronk" Hafner tried to keep us in the game by getting his 3rd straight hit, making him 3-3 on the day so far. Other than Pronk, the Tribe's bats were unusually quiet, and we headed to the 7th still down 2 runs.

Fast-forward to 2 down in the bottom of the 7th, where Brantley and Cabrera advanced to 2nd and 3rd after a Choo groundout. After a questionable first pitch strike, Santana sent a rocket in between 1st and 2nd base but got robbed by Brignac. 6 outs left for the Tribe batsmen, and it's still 4-2 Tampa.

Tony Sipp picked off Evan Longoria (who has a pretty legit Mullet going) to end the top of the 8th, and we're thinking it's time to get at least one of those runs back. Travis Hafner must have been seeing the ball well, because he hit his 4th hit of the game right after LaPorta predictably flied out. Nix followed Travis by flying out as well, but Crowe got a 2-out hit up the middle of the infield to keep the inning alive. Manny Acta decided to pinch-hit Shelley Duncan for Marte, good move. Considering that Duncan has the highest batting average for pinch hitter appearances this season at a .417 clip, there was still some hope left at Progressive.

Unfortunately, Duncan popped up to right field, and it's all but over. Choo made it interesting by knocking a 2-out double in the bottom of the 9th, and yet again the game was up to the bat of Carlos Santana. With one deceiving crack of the bat it looked like he maybe had tied it up, but his drive to center field was not deep enough. The Indians left 8 runners stranded which would explain why we're now on a 2-game losing streak.

The New York Yankees come to town tonight for a 4-game series; Westbrook will take on Javier Vasquez in the series opener. The real story of this series is clearly Alex Rodriguez, who is sitting on 599 career home runs. Alex suffered a hand injury last night after being hit by a pitch, and it's unclear if he will even play tonight. If he does, will A-Rod become only the 6th player ever to hit 600 home runs, and will he do it at Progressive Field? Does it even matter, considering he's a self-confessed steroid user? Is Derek Jeter the single most overrated player in the League? Likely. Did I mention I hate the Yankees?

The Tampa Bay Rays end their streak of futility in Cleveland

2010-07-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Since the All-Star break, the Tribe was 7-1 and had been playing great baseball. After one hiccup in Minnesota, the Indians beat Tampa Bay 3-1 last night in a game called off because of rain in the 7th inning. Carmona pitched solid, and Cleveland looked impressive.

Until tonight, it had been 18 games in a row the Rays had lost in Cleveland. Talk about a drought. Tonight featured Mitch Talbot vs. David Price, a great pitching match-up. Talbot was facing his former team; He was traded for Kelly Shoppach last year so you knew he was going to come out throwing some heat.

After Talbot retired the Rays in order to start the game, David Price tried to do the same thing. Not so fast. Trevor Crowe walked, and then Shin Soo Choo doubled down the left field line; Crowe scored all the way from 1st. As a result, Price gets pissed and throws four straight pitches at 99 mph. The 1st inning ends, and the Tribe has a 1-0 lead.

Mitch Talbot continues his dominance, and strikes out the side in the 2nd inning. Give him 5 straight strike outs. He honestly looked unhittable. After a solid drawn-out walk by Matt LaPorta, Shelley Duncan steps up to the plate and sends a bomb into the left field bleachers on the first pitch he sees. Duncan hits his 6th home run of the year, and has really been swinging the bat well as of late. The Tribe takes a 3-0 lead on a pitcher who started the All-Star game, with a 12-5 record and a 2.84 ERA. I'm starting to love this new-found Tribe Swagger.

Talbot sits BJ Upton down to start the 3rd inning for his sixth straight strikeout. Former Indian Kelly Shoppach (who looks like he's been to Burger King a few times since his days in Cleveland) lays off a 2-2 pitch that was clearly Strike 3, and Talbot now has to share the Indian record of 6 consecutive K's with the likes of Bob Feller and Bartolo Colon. Bartlett gets the Rays first hit but Ben Zobrist grounds out to end the inning.

Fast-forward to the top of the 5th, where BJ Upton gets real ignorant. After arguing a few strike calls mid at-bat, he tosses his bat towards the dugout after what was Ball 3. Sorry BJ, you need 4 of those to get a free pass. Uptown sheepishly has to return to the batter's box where he subsequently thinks he has a hit but is robbed by Choo on an unreal sliding catch. Shin-Soo seems to make at least one spectacular catch every night out.

Unfortunately after that, the Rays rattled off 2 hits and then Ben Zobrist crushed a home run to the same spot on the top of the railing in the left field bleachers that Shelley Duncan hit his. After the umpires confirmed with the use of instant replay, the game was tied at 3-3.

In the top of the 6th, Carlos Pena hits a solo jack to center field to give the Rays a 4-3 lead. Uptown follows that with a deep ground-rule double and knocks in another run, make it 5-3 Rays.
The Tribe's bats remained quiet, as Price settled down and started mowing down the Indians batters.

Frank Herman (who?) comes in for relief and immediately drills Bartlett to start the top of the 7th. Surprise surprise, Carl Crawford doubles to left field and Bartlett scores making it 6-3. The Indians go 1-2-3 in the 7th and as we head to the 8th, and we start wondering if the Rays might actually win a game in Cleveland.

Of Course the Indians would make things interesting; in the 8th inning David Price walked Luke Donald on 4 straight pitches to put our lead-off batter on 1st base. Trevor Crowe was up next, and after an intense battle he struck out on a nasty splitter. My boy Asdrubal flies out to center field and after that, we could only hope Shin-Soo would come up with some magic. Like clockwork, the Korean comes through with a hit to right field, and it was up to Carlos Santana to keep the inning alive. Santana battles to a full-count and strikes out on what would have been Ball 4.

Just for good measure, we drill Bartlett in the same spot, on his left bicep, in the top of the 9th but the Rays don't make it count this time. We head to the bottom of the 9th and hope for some late 90's Tribe Magic.

Jhonny Peralta was safe on his infield grounder to 3rd base that Evan Longoria bobbled, but true to the form of the terrible umpiring in the MLB this season, he is called out. Austin Kearns follows suit by striking out, and we’re down to our last batter, Matt LaPorta. LaPorta battles tough as well, but strikes out to end the game.

After 18 games in Cleveland, the Rays finally head back to the Cleveland Ritz-Carlton a winner. David Price gets his 13th win and Mitch Talbot wonders why he fell apart in the 5th inning. His 8 strike-outs would not end up being enough. Look on the bright side; The Tribe is 7-2 since the All-Star Break and have won 10 out of their last 13 games at home. Hopefully we can take the series tomorrow at 1:05 pm. This new-look Cleveland Indians team has been resilient and hasn't lost two straight games since the All-Star break. It was about time Tampa won a game here.

The Cleveland Indians are on a Roll.. what up 6 game win streak

2010-07-20T19:19:00.000-07:00

Things are finally starting to turn around for the Cleveland Indians. Since the All-Star break, the Tribe has reeled of 6 straight wins. That's a pretty decent turnaround for a team that was 33-54 at the break. Manny Acta has finally started to put together lineups that work, and the Tribe is in the process of beating the Twins for a second straight night.

The emergence of several role players has been very important for the Indians. Since losing Grady Sizemore, the Tribe had struggled to find the pieces that could win on a nightly basis. Enter Trevor Crowe, and Nix. These players have made an impact and have allowed the Indians to turn around their season.. somewhat.

Tonight, Asdrubal Cabrera returned to the lineup and his presence was felt. Not only did he rip a single into left field, he made a great diving play to throw a runner out at first. Asdrubal is without a doubt the best shortstop the Indians have in their system, and his return was welcomed. Manny Acta immediately re-inserted him into the starting lineup, and had him bat lead-off. It must have been a confidence boost for Asdrubal to see his first Big-League action in over 2 months.

Justin Masterson has been pitching pretty well tonight. After a shaky start, he calmed down and started striking out a bunch of Twins including former-Indian Jim Thome twice. Masterson gave up a run in the 1st inning but settled down and really showed his ability to pitch in this league. He sometimes can throw a wild pitch or two with his intense delivery, but that also throws off hitters some of the time.

It was also nice to see Shelley Duncan continue his hot streak, as he has now hit safely in a few straight games. The Indians organization was expecting him to be a major piece this year, and he struggled to find his swing early in the season. Personally, I think Duncan just needs to keep building his confidence and he can continue to help the Indians succeed this season. His power is something that is missing in this lineup.

Are the Cleveland Indians poised to make a run or is this just a lucky streak we have going? I feel that the Indians are finally starting to find out what works for them, and some players we didn't expect to have an impact are starting to make their presence felt. The only thing that is missing is a consistent bomb from Travis Hafner every now and then. However, after the Twins tied up the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the 7th, Travis came up big for a clutch double in the top of the 8th that knocked in the game winning run.

With the emergence of LaPorta, Nix, Crowe, as well as Carlos Santana, the mid-level Indians have a chance to turn this season around and potentially compete late in September. Who knows, maybe if we still had Cliff Lee this team could be competing for the playoffs? The Tribe is starting to be fun to watch again, and I hope we can keep this streak going. Let's do this.

Dan Gilbert's Open-Letter to Cavs Fans

2010-07-09T08:48:00.000-07:00

Dan Gilbert did not take LeBron's "Decision" to leave sitting down. He fired back immediately. Below is a copy of his rant. This blog is for Cleveland, because Cleveland Deserves Better.

Dear Cleveland, All Of Northeast Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers Supporters Wherever You May Be Tonight;

As you now know, our former hero, who grew up in the very region that he deserted this evening, is no longer a Cleveland Cavalier.

This was announced with a several day, narcissistic, self-promotional build-up culminating with a national TV special of his "decision" unlike anything ever "witnessed" in the history of sports and probably the history of entertainment. Clearly, this is bitterly disappointing to all of us.

The good news is that the ownership team and the rest of the hard-working, loyal, and driven staff over here at your hometown Cavaliers have not betrayed you nor NEVER will betray you.

There is so much more to tell you about the events of the recent past and our more than exciting future. Over the next several days and weeks, we will be communicating much of that to you.

You simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal.

You have given so much and deserve so much more.

In the meantime, I want to make one statement to you tonight:

"I PERSONALLY GUARANTEE THAT THE CLEVELAND CAVALIERS WILL WIN AN NBA CHAMPIONSHIP BEFORE THE SELF-TITLED FORMER ‘KING’ WINS ONE"

You can take it to the bank.

If you thought we were motivated before tonight to bring the hardware to Cleveland, I can tell you that this shameful display of selfishness and betrayal by one of our very own has shifted our "motivation" to previously unknown and previously never experienced levels.

Some people think they should go to heaven but NOT have to die to get there.

Sorry, but that's simply not how it works.

This shocking act of disloyalty from our home grown "chosen one" sends the exact opposite lesson of what we would want our children to learn. And "who" we would want them to grow-up to become.

But the good news is that this heartless and callous action can only serve as the antidote to the so-called "curse" on Cleveland, Ohio.

The self-declared former "King" will be taking the "curse" with him down south. And until he does "right" by Cleveland and Ohio, James (and the town where he plays) will unfortunately own this dreaded spell and bad karma.

Just watch.

Sleep well, Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a new and much brighter day....

I PROMISE you that our energy, focus, capital, knowledge and experience will be directed at one thing and one thing only:

DELIVERING YOU the championship you have long deserved and is long overdue....

- Dan Gilbert
Majority Cavs Owner