Random Thoughts Sept9'07

Kudos To Wedge & Shapiro
Let me be the first one to officially congratulate the Indians' organization, especially its architects, Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge, on winning the Central Division. One must give credit where credit is due.

Yes, I know there are still games to play, but the Tribe would have to collapse like a cheap tent in order to blow this lead this late. Their pitching is simply too good to let that happen.

It has been a very strange season getting to this point however.

If someone said back in early June this team would win the division based on strong pitching - that prediction would have looked foolish. After 50 or so games, the Tribe was among the league-leaders in runs scored and home runs, but the overall pitching was in the middle of the AL pack at best. Since that point, the pitching has been outstanding while the offense has been average to woeful at times.

Speaking of pitching, that's what won it for them in the end. It all starts and ends there. The Tribe's two big horses - Sabathia and Carmona - have been outstanding all year long. That kept them (Tribe) away from extensive losing streaks - even when the offense faded in the middle of the season.

Couple that with the fact that Bird has a been solid at #3 and Westbrook got himself straightened out after coming off the DL, and you have a starting staff that carried them to contention.

What put them over the top however has been the dominance, and there is no other word for it, of Perez and Betancourt.

The Tribe's set-up men both have ERAs under 2.00, and amazingly neither one has struggled for any length of time in 2007, giving Eric Wedge a hammer any time the Tribe led or kept it close after seven. Set-up men do not bring huge stats to the table, but intelligent baseball people know how truly important they are. The Indians of the late 90s did it with a big-time offense and an even deeper bullpen than the Tribe possesses today.

Strangely, this team, has we have pointed out in previous entries, is better suited for a deep playoff run than the all-star teams the Tribe fielded 10 years ago.

Having Sabathia and Carmona on the hill in as many as five of seven games in a seven-game series gives the Indians more than a fighting chance. In the past, the Indians, with their big bats and power bullpen, were built for the long haul - the regular season.

In 2007, unlike in the past, they will have the advantage going into post-season with arguably two #1 starters - their achilles' heel 10 years ago.

Of course, they have to officially win the Central first. Relax, those of you who have been through "Red Right 88," "The Drive," "The Fumble," and "The Shot." The glass is half full this time.

The only warning we raise is this team is not fundamentally sound in terms of putting the ball in play consistently, moving runners over, bunting, etc...

In the playoffs, games are often decided by those who does the little things well. The Tribe simply hasn't and doesn't. Eric Wedge deserves credit for bringing this team this far, but this fact has to worry him and GM Mark Shapiro.

We will be watching this closely. This corner has harped for several years about this team's aparent lack of fundamentals. That has to change to some degree come October for a deep run to occur.

Finally, we stated on these pages one week into his call-up that Asdrubal Cabrera was perhaps the best pick-up any team made for the stretch run this season. We haven't seen anything to change our minds, one month later. He has a plan at the plate, gets quality at bats, even against good pitching, and he's been solid defensively.

Again, we credit Mark Shapiro for making the move and inserting him into the line-up. It was easier to let Josh Barfield play through his season-long woes. But Shapiro and company saw fit to put the kid in the line-up. He's rewarded them by giving the Tribe a shot in the arm.

As we stated back in August - in Cabrera, you are seeing the Tribe's starting shortstop for 2008 and well beyond. That doesn't mean we are giving up on Peralta. It will simply give the Tribe options. That's always good.

Savage Possibly Pressuring RC
This will be the last time we say it - PLAY QUINN.

The Browns' hierarchy is taking the safe route by playing Charlie Frye and using him to absorb the pounding the team is likely to take playing against some of the league's better defensive units early in the season.

We get it - they don't want to overwhelm the kid (Quinn) this early.

I don't buy it - never have and never will. That strategy possibly cost the Titans a playoff spot last season when they sat Vince Young until week #4. And the pounding he took his rookie year, didn't seem to affect Troy Aikman's development, nor Peyton Manning's.

The point is, using the "we don't want to ruin the kid by putting him out there too early" line is often a cop-out and nothing more. Unfortunately, the media often buys it hook, line and sinker.

There is a reason so much attention is paid to the QB. He's crucial to your success - often the face of the franchise. Choosing the right QB often makes a coach's career (Bill B. in NE/i.e. Tom Brady) or gets one fired (Sam R. in Cleveland/i.e. Paul McDonald). Choosing the starting left defensive end or center doesn't have the same effect.

If this goes according to past history, he'll (Quinn) be in there soon enough anyway. As we state back in July - every snap taken by Frye, Anderson or Spergon Wynne, and not taken by Quinn, slows down this team's development.

But will it be in time to save RC?

There is no better way to learn the job unless you are out there making mistakes and learning from those mistakes. Holding a clipboard doesn't allow you to adjust to the speed of the game as much as taking snaps.

I understand what they are doing, but I don't like it. Furthermore, I wonder how much pressure Phil Savage is putting on his coach, RC, not to play Quinn this early. All his (Savage) pre-season comments, dating back to when Quinn was drafted, gave indication the kid would not play day #1 and the GM thought it was a bad idea to throw him to the wolves this early.

If I were RC, I would privately tell Savage -"You pick the players and I decide when they play. That's how it works."

Savage is going to show RC the door if they get out of the gate slowly - regardless of what he says publicly. If RC's instincts are to play Quinn sooner rather than later, and the team shows steady improvement under the first year signal-caller, it will make it harder for Savage to can the third-year coach.

If Crennel agrees with the company line that Frye gives them a better change of winning now - and this plan fails, then he's gone. RC will take the fall for this organizational decision - not Savage.

Of course, there is always the chance Frye plays well and the Browns are sitting at a respectable 3-3 or better at the break. For RC's sake, I hope that's what happens.

Otherwise, Crennel takes the fall, Savage brings in Cowher or Marty, and gets the credit for making a great hire. Life's not fair, is it?

Cavs' Plan For 2007-08
I'll make this one simple - The off-season inactivity speaks volumes.

I get it, Danny Ferry is expecting the 2007-08 Cavaliers to stay relatively healthy as they did a year ago, ride 23 to the playoffs, face a first round opponent with its best two players out with injury, advance, face a .500 second round opponent, advance to the semis, then have #23 score the team's final 25 points in crucial game #5, carrying them to the Finals.

Good plan.

We all know in the East, #23 can probably carry a good intramural team to the playoffs - especially if a couple of those weekend warriors can knock down open 18 footers.

That's no the point. The job of a GM is to improve the squad. Ferry has done absolutely nothing to do that since being swept by the Spurs back in June.

If you stand pat - you lose ground. Period.

Ferry must be working off a different playbook. This isn't the Spurs, a team he worked for, that had three All-Star players, and you tinkered around the edges putting together the rest of the roster from year to year.

This is the Cavaliers. It's 23 and as we stated back in November - "and 11 role players."

Again, inactivity won't work here. Playing it safe isn't the best way to get back to the Finals Danny.

The way I see it Danny - if you've been cashing Dan Gilbert's checks this past summer, you should blush some when doing so.