In the year that the Tribe was supposed to “contend,” they’ve dropped 12 out of their first 20 games after Wednesday’s 10-3 loss to Detroit. It’s not like they’re losing dramatically — they’re losing without any passion, without any fire, without any sense of urgency whatsoever. After the game, Wedge will say his usual crap…”We’ll start hitting”…”it’s early”…”can’t get too down or too high”…. I have no desire to buy a ticket to see this uninspired baseball. Spare me this “what does Wedge have to do with it” crap. This guy needs to start sitting players who can’t even bat their playing weight. Do something — sitting on your ass waiting for things to happen isn’t why you’re paid the big bucks, Wedge.

The Indians have already signed Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner to long-term extensions this season, and now it looks C.C. Sabathia is on the verge of inking his own deal. The Plain Dealer reports that Sabathia and the Indians are closing in on a contract extension that’ll keep the lefty in Cleveland at least through 2007 and pay him between $8 to $10 million during the first year of the deal.

Hmm…. I’m all for locking Sabathia up long-term but that dollar figure seems pretty high for a guy with a somewhat sketchy injury history, has battled weight problems throughout his brief career and has yet to develop into the legitimate #1 starter that his skill set suggests he should be. He won 17 games as a rookie (with a 4.39 ERA), but since then Sabathia has never topped 13 wins, bottoming out at 11-10 last year. His career 4.07 ERA is solid, at least in this day and age, but for a kid with so much promise he just hasn’t been able to take a pronounced step forward in his development. Granted, he’s still only 24 years old, he’s got one hell of an arm and he’s a lefty, all of which make him more valuable than his career numbers would indicate. It just seems like an awful lot of cash to throw at a guy who’s basically underachieved the past three years. Then again, we haven’t seen the contract’s official numbers — it may very well be heavily front-loaded, which would certainly make me feel better about the signing.

Update:
MLB.com is reporting that the deal has been agreed to and that the extension will run through 2008, worth $17.75 million. Sabathia reportedly will earn $8.75 million in 2007 and $9 million in 2008 while his 2006 option for $7 million also is now guaranteed. Since he’s still making less than $10 million per year throughout the contract, these are definitely reasonable numbers and, if this really is the year C.C. becomes a true staff ace, he’ll be a bargain.

It seems inevitable that Phil Jackson will be back on the NBA sidelines in 2005, but what team he’ll be coaching is very much still in question. Jackson has already met with Lakers owner Jerry Buss and, reports say, Knicks president Isiah Thomas, and now a meeting with the “uncoachable” Kobe Bryant is next. Although it has yet to be reported, you’ve got to think Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is somewhere on Jackson’s list as well, with several NBA analysts saying the former Lakers and Bulls head coach will ultimately have to decide between LA, New York and Cleveland. ESPN’s Mark Kreidler, meanwhile, sets Jackson’s asking price at a steep $10 million per year.

So where’s the Zen Master going to end up? Call it wishful thinking if you want, but I honestly see the Cavaliers coming out on top in this one. The Knicks are a mess — no cap room, a selfish point guard and an absolute train wreck of a roster. I just don’t see it happening. And while I’m sure Jackson’s interest in the Lakers is genuine, considering his familiarity with the franchise (not to mention his familiarity with the owner’s daughter, Jeanie Buss), I have a hard time believing that Jackson’s turbulent relationship with Kobe, whom Jackson called out in his tell-all book “The Last Season,” can so easily be repaired. He called the kid uncoachable, for crying out loud, and gave the Lakers an ultimatum: trade Kobe or I’m gone. We all know how that one turned out. So what’s changed in the last year? The Lakers are a mess, sure, which no doubt strokes Phil’s ego, but if he couldn’t make it work with Kobe before why would he assume he could make it work now?

And why even take on that headache when you’ve got someone better than Kobe waiting for you in Cleveland? LeBron’s unselfish. LeBron doesn’t come with the baggage that Kobe brings. LeBron won’t give Phil nightly migraines. LeBron actually makes his team better by getting his teammates involved in the offense rather than trying to be the offense. LeBron is the best young player in the game and in another year or two, he may very well be the league’s best player period. How could Phil pass that up? Some say Gilbert stands as a potential deterrent, but if he was able to land Jackson he’d keep his trap shut and let his new Hall-of-Fame coach run the team. Plus, the Cavaliers have the kind of cap room that’ll allow them to make a much-needed splash in free agency. ESPN’s Michael Wilbon and Tim Legler, among others, say Jackson will choose LeBron over Kobe. Let’s hope they’re right.

An earlier rumor had new Browns RB Reuben Droughns ready to hold out for a new contract. Mary Kay Cabot from the PD is now confirming this story, reporting that Droughns left the team’s off-season conditioning program and won’t return until he’s got a new deal.

Unfortunately for Droughns, who’s set to make $950,000 in 2005, he doesn’t have much leverage. Sure, he ran for more than 1,200 yards last season for the Broncos but with Lee Suggs and William Green currently on the roster, the Browns aren’t going to rush to give Droughns a raise. They want him to prove himself this season before they throw more cash his way, and for a guy who’d spent his entire career as a fullback before last year, that sounds pretty reasonable.