Well, the Indians are now in trouble.
After losing 1-0 to the Devil Rays Wednesday, the Tribe’s third-straight loss, the team is now three games behind the White Sox in the Central and, assuming the Red Sox don’t overcome a 7-2 ninth-inning deficit, they’ll be tied with Boston for the Wild Card lead.
Hey, I’ve got an idea: Aaron Boone, lay down a friggin’ bunt!
The only problem I had with last night’s game was how Wedge used his bullpen. Bobby Howry had pitched two nights in a row and got hit pretty hard the night before. I don’t necessarily have a problem with running him out there in the eighth last night — he’s probably your best reliever, especially with the loss of Rhodes — but I have absolutely no idea why Howry was still out there in the ninth with an 8-0 lead.
Fine, they’ve got an off day today, which will give Howry an extra day of rest. Whatever. You’re still talking about a guy with a history of arm problems who right now is probably the most important guy in your bullpen (yes, more than Bob Wickman). He’s now pitched three nights in a row. You’ve got an eight-run lead. If anything, the off day is even more of a reason to sit him for the ninth rather than running him out there for another 13 pitches. You’ve got to keep these guys fresh, not run them into the ground, especially when the game has already been decided.
Then again, maybe Wedge figured his ‘pen wasn’t going to get much in the next few days with a weekend trip to KC slated next.
After the way Elarton pitched last night, and after watching the Indians take two of three from the Sox, this may seem like a foolish question but should Wedge consider adjusting his rotation a bit so that C.C. and/or Lee can go in next weekend’s Sox series? As the rotation currently stands, the Indians will be running the same trio of starters out for that series (Millwood, Westbrook and Elarton), and while each starter pitched well enough to win (or well enough for the Indians to win, anyway) this time around, this scenario just makes me nervous.
Sabathia and Lee are arguably your two best pitchers, but at the very least Sabathia, Lee and Millwood are your three best — how you slot them is up for debate. C.C. may be the hottest pitcher in baseball right now and Lee, on some writers’ scorecards, has vaulted into Cy Young contention in the AL. With a series that potentially is going to have so much riding on it, you almost hate to have two of your best starters on the bench watching the drama unfold.
Of course, the argument against juggling the rotation would be two-fold. First, why mess with success? Millwood, Westbrook and Elarton led the Tribe to a series victory this time around, so why couldn’t they do it again? And second, adjusting the rotation could have a negative effect rather than a positive one. These guys are used to a routine, and taking them out of that routine by moving starts up or back could take them out of their rhythm and cause the move to backfire on the Tribe. Plus, if you adjust the rotation for the Sox series, how does that affect your potential playoff rotation?
These are, of course, valid points, but what if that weekend series rolls around and the Indians need a sweep to get into the playoffs? Or what if they need to win two of three but split the first two games? Who do you go with Sunday? You could always have C.C. and Lee ready to go in the bullpen if needed, but will that be enough? Would they even be effective in relief? These are all questions Wedge needs to consider now because, if he is going to make some changes, now’s the time to do it in preparation for next weekend. Most people would probably elect to stand pat and go with what got you here, and I certainly wouldn’t be surprised if Wedge did just that, running Millwood, Westbrook and Elarton out there next weekend. But it would be such a shame to see this team miss out on the playoffs by a game or two while their two best pitchers are riding the pine.
After missing out on Lithuanian free agent Sarunas Jasikevicius earlier this offseason, the Cavaliers filled their need for an offensive-minded point guard by signing Damon Jones to a four-year deal worth between $15 and $16 million. Jones, who set Miami’s single-season record by hitting 225 three pointers last season, gives the Cavs a much-needed outside presence to go along with fellow free-agent signee Donyell Marshall. Jones hit 43% of his three-point attempts last year and ranked third in the league in threes made, while Marshall hit 42% of his attempts from downtown and ranked 13th in total threes made.
What makes this such a solid move for the Cavs is, while Jones isn’t great at running an offense from the lead guard position, the Cavs don’t need him to be. Eric Snow will start because he’s more of a traditional point guard, a guy who looks to pass before he looks for his own shot, plus he can play some D. But when the Cavs need a jolt off the bench, they can bring Jones in and let Larry Hughes or, occassionally, even LeBron run the point.
This kind of versatility will make the Cavs dangerous. Marshall can play either forward position and, in a pinch against a smaller lineup, could even play some center. Hughes can play either guard position. LeBron can play PG, SG or SF. And now Jones can also fill either role in the backcourt.
Now if the Cavs could only find some healthy big men….
Most Browns fans will agree that Butch Davis did very little for the Browns during his tenure as head coach, but the one thing he did right was deal Quincy Morgan to the Cowboys for Antonio Bryant last October. Morgan occassionally flashed some skill and potential while he was with Cleveland but his inconsistency was maddening. So when Butch swapped Morgan for Bryant, the Biletnikoff Award winner in 2000 as college football’s best receiver, I was estatic.
Now, nearly one year later, the trade looks even better for Browns fans. Bryant seems poised to have a breakout year as the team’s #1 receiver while the Cowboys, after signing free agent Peerless Price, cut Morgan Monday. Buried on the depth chart as the fourth or even fifth receiver, Morgan’s $750,000 base salary was too much for the Cowboys to swallow.
So, perhaps for the first time and certainly for the last, I say: Thank you Butch Davis.
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