Randon Thoughts Aug23'07

Dolan Concerns
The Dolan family has to be nervous right about now.

Their baseball team (Cleveland Indians) is in the middle of a division race for the third time in the last four years and it looks like, at the moment, the direction they are headed seems all too familiar.

The team contended in 2004 and faded late.

Fans were told by management the 2004 squad was ahead of schedule and too young to be expected to win the Central Division.

At least that’s the excuse used in early August by Mark Shapiro when questioned about not adding any help for the stretch run at the trading deadline. That and “everyone wanted our top prospects (i.e. Grady Sizemore) when we talked.”

Most fans gave the Tribe a pass that season because there was light at the end of the tunnel after several seasons of rebuilding. In other words, they bought the company line.

The team contended in 2005 and again management did nothing of consequence at the trading deadline. Indian fans are all too familiar with what happened in the final two weeks of the season – the team turned the same direction as the autumn weather – cold.

Most of Mark Shapiro’s off-season moves prior to the 2006 season didn’t pan out and the Tribe struggled all season all. In a mid-size market like Cleveland, the general manager has a much smaller margin for error than the GM in Chicago, Boston, LA or New York.

If the GM doesn’t hit for a high batting average in the off-season, there aren’t enough resources (aka: money) to make amends during the season and correct most team flaws. Such was the case in 2006.

To date, this season has looked a lot like ‘04 and ‘05 with one noticeable difference – many of the key components aren’t kids anymore.

C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, Jhonny Peralta and Cliff Lee, for example, have been around and have established themselves as solid to outstanding major leaguers. They have also been rewarded with some semblance of financial security by ownership.

In other words, the payroll is up and youth is no longer a crutch to lean on when times are bad.

More should be expected, right?

The bad news is, since the all-star break, the team has stumbled – especially the bats. A lack of hitting, especially in the clutch, has everyone who follows this team worried once again.

Now the good news - The Tigers have been just as bad and the Tribe is still in the hunt with the final stretch run (September) right around the corner. All will be forgotten if Martinez, Sizemore and company get hot down the stretch and the pitching holds up.

But if you are Paul Dolan, you have to be worried.

He needs a playoff run to recoup some of his financial investment in the team, appease the fans and help build his season ticket base and excitement for 2008.

His general manager went out on the limb and signed the manager (Eric Wedge) to a contract extension before the final report card was in.

And fans aren’t likely to be so forgiving this time around if the Tribe narrowly misses out on post-season play for the third time in four years..

After the dismantling of the team post new millennium, fans were told the building process would lead to “contention” in 2005. Shapiro, Dolan and company delivered on their promise.

Unfortunately, fans didn’t read the fine print – “contention” means just that – nothing more, nothing less.

Unless the players finally deliver, “contention” might be all you get wirth this group.

Romeo’s Six-Week Window

Coaches all have honeymoon periods in their new environments. In the case of Romeo Crennel, he's gone from his honeymoon period in 2005 to a six-week window to show he can lead this football team beyond 2007.

The Browns have four of their first six games at home, with all three divisional opponents coming to town during that stretch. It is imperative they are sitting a 3-3 or better if Crennel hopes to coach this team when the Browns play the St Louis Rams coming off a bye week on October 28.

While a.500 early start gives him a reprieve, a 2-4 mark puts him in serious jeopardy and anything worse will likely lead to a bye week change at the helm.

Crennel is the type of person you want to root for. He is a class act with several Super Bowl rings to his credit. Unfortunately, in today’s instant gratification society, patience is lacking – especially in Cleveland, where the team has produced just one short playoff appearance since its return.

Crennel knows full-well he’s on the hot seat.

What makes that seat even warmer is the potential Hall of Fame coaching talent that is currently available in the open market.

Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer are currently unemployed (in terms of coaching), have outstanding resumes and serious Cleveland ties.

It won’t take long for rumors to swirl if the Browns start the 2007 like they did in 2006. There will be immense pressure on Browns’ ownership to finally hire a former head NFL coach with a proven track record.

In Cowher and Schottenheimer, we are talking about two guys with 349 NFL wins between them. And no one believes these two coaches will stay off the sidelines for more than a year – at best.

The problem is other teams will likely be making the same phone calls – much to the delight of their agents I’m sure. The asking price may reach $10 million a year or more. The bidding war will likely start in October, with teams that fall flat on their face in September.

Romeo Crennel knows his window of opportunity is small. He understands the business he’s in. For his sake, the sake of Browns’ fans and ownership, here’s hoping this team isn’t part of that upcoming discussion when the leaves turn brown.

It will mean they will perhaps have started to turn the corner.