10 things

Lockout or no lockout, the Cleveland Browns STILL have the worst receiver corps in the NFL dating back since I started following the sport - circa 1970.


If John Hart had Antonelli’s balls, the Tribe would have had a World Series Championship or two in tow already. I have no idea if their big trade was a good one – I have never seen the dude from Colorado pitch – but I give the front office an A for effort. Unfortunately, they are likely to get no more than about 8 starts out of this guy the rest of the way, and with those bats, it likely won't matter. In a week's time, they might not be smelling .500. The one upside for the remainder of the year is the fact that the pitcher has the advantage the first time he faces you. You would think the large majority of the 8 starts are good ones if he's truly healthy and doesn't have a "2 cent" brain like Carmona.


Although, I would have chased a big bat or two instead of a potential #1 starter, I understand what the thinking process is – if they get to October, they have a potential true #1 for game #1, Masterson at #2 and Tomlin pitching game #3. The problem is the offense is so anemic, the Indians are likely to be out of it before we get to September. The only way they avoid falling out of it is if they can somehow survive this week’s road trip to Boston and Texas. I don’t see how with that offense.


Isn’t it time for the Matt LaPorta experiment to end? The guy hits for a mediocre average, has mediocre power (for a corner infielder) and is at best, a mediocre defensive first baseman. Yea, I know he’s young. But we are two years in now. How much longer do I need to wait? I never thought I’d say this but where is Nick Johnson when you need him?


We were wrong on Justin Masterson. He is turning into a very good starter. I still think he would have been lights out toward the back-end of the bullpen, but they got this one right – it seems. I never thought he’d consistently get out lefties the second and third time around.


Here's one we nailed early - DA is available now that the Cardinals picked up the Eagles' back-up? Any takers? Morons!!!


Speaking of "Right" - Eric Wright recently signed a one-year deal with that powerhouse Detroit Lions football team. What that tells you is there were NO takers for a multi-year deal! None. Nada. This reinforces what we had been saying for nearly three years - he ain't no good! And the best part is I heard a couple local scribes bemoan the fact that EW will be missed by the Browns because the team now lacks depth at that position and he might be a "decent nickel guy." And here I thought he was bordering on All-Pro a couple years back. Right. If some coach tells you the sky is yellow, are you going to believe that too? Another reminder why I follow this stuff less and less every year.


Grady Sizemore went from being one of the game’s 15 best players to a .230 hitting/injury-plagued talent. Those are facts. And no, I don’t want to hear the injuries are because he “throws his body around.” Who doesn’t? This should worry the Indians’ brass. Granted, it’s hard to tell what kind of numbers he would put up in the post-steroids era, but the fact that he hasn’t played a full season since, tells us a lot. The up-side is he can’t ask for billions when his contract is up since he’s damaged goods. This is sad. We never liked his approach at the plate (free swinger even with two strikes), but this team clearly misses his defense, 20+ steals and 25 bombs a year. And if he ever gets healthy, what kind of player remains?


Some high school coach in Cleveland wants to honor Jim Tressel by having all the area coaches wear ties on opening night in Ohio HS football this fall. Nice. I have a better idea – Why not have all the coaches write books on “integrity/doing it right” all the while acting like a deaf/mute while your players run wild, then follow it up by lying to your superiors and the NCAA when they ask what is going on, only coming clean when they have video of you hovering over the dead body with smoking gun in hand. Coaches, as a group, aren’t the brightest lot – you can quote me on that.


Hey, I heard some NBA players are going to play in Europe during the lockout. Right. Any moron who risks injury playing against plumbers in Tikrit deserves a high ankle sprain or worse. And any agent who recommends it just to get a paycheck should have his head examined.


The Patriots are at it again - trading near worthless future draft picks for talented, yet high maintenance pro talents. You can do that when you have a hallway full of Super Bowl memorabilia to show off in your complex - complete with a handful of Super Bowl trophies on display.