32.3 seconds left, down by one, LeBron goes to the line for two.
Missed the first.
How many times have we seen him miss these late, clutch freebies?
Author: JEC (Page 8 of 46)
The Indians signed reliever David Riske to a one-year, $1.8 million deal Monday.
I know, big news. Still, Riske figures to be a key guy again in the middle of the ‘pen, though if the Indians have a hard time settling on a right-handed set-up guy, Riske could occassionally find himself in for some eighth-inning duty. Fernando Cabrera looks like the best fit for that role right now, and Matt Miller and Rafael Betancourt also could get a shot. Of course, the key is for Wickman to stay healthy so that our biggest concern this year will be who his set-up man will be and not his replacement.
The Indians missed out on Trevor Hoffman. They missed out on Nomar Garciaparra. Their big free-agent acquisitions? Paul Byrd, Jason Johnson and Eduardo Perez. Oh wait, Steve Karsay, Danny Graves and Todd Hollandsworth too. Can’t forget those monster signings.
I guess it’s too easy to blame the Indians for all the free-agency failures. Check that, it’s too easy to blame Mark Shapiro for those failures. There were big holes on this team that needed to be filled, and while guys like Byrd, Johnson and even Perez will help fill those holes, those aren’t the names we all envisioned heading into the offseason. Shapiro says the Perez signing likely will be the last major move before the start of spring training. Aside from questioning his definition of a “major move,” that statement tells Tribe fans that this is it. Don’t look for an out-of-the-blue signing of Frank Thomas or Mike Piazza. This is the team, at least until the trading deadline.
The unfortunate thing is, the Indians actually have some money to spend, with the coin from the Hoffman and Nomar offers still jingling in their pockets, not to mention the added cash they’ll see with this new TV deal. You’ve got to credit Shapiro for not throwing that money into a high-risk guy like Preston Wilson just because he’s got the extra cash. At the same time, I’m tired of having to settle for guys like Byrd and Perez when there were so many better options available. Maybe that means Dolan and Shapiro need to be much more aggressive earlier in the process and perhaps even overpay for someone who represents a clear upgrade in an area of significant need.
All I know is, the White Sox got better this offseason and the Indians did not. Granted, they could improve this year simply because their young talent will continue to mature, but as nice as it is to rely on all of that home-grown talent, you’ve also got to be able to supplement that with some key free agent signings. And I’m not talking about Eduardo Perez.
Talk about out of the f’ing blue.
The Cleveland Browns plan to fire senior vice president and general manager Phil Savage, NFL sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen on Friday. The split is over “philosophical differences,” primarily salary cap management. The announcement could come as early as Friday, Mortensen reported. Savage could not be reached for comment.
Wow. I mean, WOW. The ESPN article lists Atlanta Falcons chief administration officer Ray Anderson as a possible replacement. I wonder what these “philosophical differences” are, and who he’s in disagreement with: Romeo, Lerner, or both.
When I first wrote about Ron Artest’s desire to be traded and his statement that he’d love to back up LeBron James, I said there was very little chance that Artest would wind up in Cleveland. Not only did I doubt that Indiana would be open to trading the league’s most dominant one-on-one defender within their division, let alone their conference, I didn’t think they’d be open to trading him to anyone.
Now, Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh is trying to accomodate Artest’s trade request:
Walsh said Artest’s desire to move on wasn’t the only factor in the team’s decision.
“This is kind of the last straw of a lot of issues, and it’s at the point where we should look for a trade,” Walsh said.
So now that he’s available, do you want him? Do you think the Cavaliers even have a shot at landing him? I still say there’s no way the Pacers will shoot themselves in the foot by dealing Artest to a Central Division rival. The talk right now is coming out of Sacramento, with a Peja Stojakovic/Artest rumor floating around. That makes much more sense. I’d be shocked if Indiana didn’t deal him to a Western Conference team.
But for argument’s sake, let’s say the Pacers would be willing to talk to the Cavaliers. I love the idea of having a player with Artest’s skill set, but I don’t think I’d want the headache. You also have to wonder what Mike Brown’s opinion of Artest is, after spending the last two years as Indiana’s associate head coach and witnessing The Riot first hand.
Of course, beyond all of that, the most significant question is, what would Indiana want in return for Artest. He doesn’t make much money, so the Cavs would have to eat some salary in the deal, and who would they have to give up? Certainly, Luke Jackson would probably catch Walsh’s eye, but they’d need some immediate help too, perhaps in the form of Donyell Marshall or Drew Gooden. Larry Hughes, on the other hand, most likely makes too much money.
Still, it’s an extreme longshot but, if given the opportunity, I’d say the Cavs would be forced to pass on Artest.
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