Half-Full: Five Reasons why Jim Ingraham is the Best Beat Writer in Town

1. He's funny.
2. He's original.
3. He mixes sarcasm with substance.
4. He's not afraid to call it as he sees it.
5. He's not employed by the Plain Dealer.

Despite being M.I.A. (as most area writers have) during this terribly boring off season, we finally have an Ingraham sighting.

Of course, it is a painfully depressing and somewhat concerning article; but at least he has the courage to speak up. If you read Hoynse's responses to the lack of moves by the Tribe this off season, you'd think he was in a constant state of apology to Shapiro and Co. for predicting them to finish 4th last season. Livingston of course still thinks he is writing to a group of Harvard Law students. Shaw is, well, Shaw....boring, unclear, off base, unoriginal. Pluto is trying to make his mark and not awful. Oker, Levine, and the others....ho hum.

But enough about the writers. Jim Ingraham doesn't say much that most of us die hard fans don't know. But again...at least he says it. Here are some snippets:

Shhhh. Men not at work. So let's see. This off season, the Tigers have added
Miguel Cabrera, Edgar Renteria and Dontrelle Willis (11 All-Star selections
among them). The White Sox have added Nick Swisher, Orlando Cabrera and Scott
Linebrink. The Twins have added Delmon Young, Adam Everett and Craig Monroe, and they will be getting back stud lefty Francisco Liriano, who missed all of last
year following Tommy John surgery. Even the Royals have made a significant
addition, signing free-agent outfielder Jose Guillen. The Indians? Ladies and
gentlemen: Masahide Kobayashi! Oh yeah, and Jamey Carroll. A bullpen setup man
and a utility infielder. That's it.

Boy, you said it Jim! Hot Dogs with Masa and The Station Agent! Whooooopppddddeeeeee Freakin' DO!

You've heard of the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it?" This is more like
"If it ain't broke, don't go anywhere near it. Put it up on blocks in the
garage, lock the door and take the winter off."

I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm starting to wonder if Shapiro has actually been in the Bahamas with Tony Romo secretly text messaging some gopher of his to start a rumor that we are interested in Bedard, Haren, Rolen, Rios, Roberts, and Blanton. "Ha, ha.." he laughs to himself, "That'll get the fans excited. At least we tried, they'll think." he snickers to the bartender.

Standing pat is rarely a preferred strategy in any professional sport.
Exhibit A: the Cavaliers.

Boy, that sounds familiar.

That Indians officials think they can interrupt that parade of parity and repeat
as division champions while making only a couple minor window-dressing moves in
the off season is either the height of arrogance, a sane, rational response to a
mediocre class of free agents, or just plain foolish.

Tell em Jim! Arrogance and Foolish! Maybe if they signed C.C., I could live with the arrogant part!

The Indians came within one win of making it to the World Series last year
despite the fact Travis Hafner had an off year, they got very little run
production out of both corner outfield spots and virtually nothing from Cliff
Lee and Jeremy Sowers, two pitchers who were supposed to be key contributors in
the rotation. On the other hand, there were some unexpected positives, such as
Joe Borowski, the Plan B closer, who led the league in saves. Asdrubal Cabrera,
who wasn't even supposed to be in the majors last year, wound up being a key
second half and postseason performer. Fausto Carmona, who was ticketed for
Buffalo in spring training, won 19 games. Victor Martinez had a career year.
C.C. Sabathia won the Cy Young Award. Rafael Betancourt was the best setup man
in the majors. Rookie relievers Jensen Lewis and Rafael Perez were almost
unhittable in the second half. And there were no major injuries that kept key
players sidelined for an extended period of time. Are all those positives going
to happen again in 2008? Probably not.

There you have it folks. The Half-Full vs. Half-Empty argument found on message boards throughout the area all off season. The Shapiro lovers versus the Shapiro haters. The optimists versus the pessimists. As you know, this blog has taken the Half-Empty stance since day one and considering how you have voted in recent poles, most of you agree.

Here is the rest of the article, but as you might figure, I have summarized most of it. Overall, Ingraham delivered as usual and in a brief article, has covered all of the pros and cons of this off season admirably.

The unfortunate part is, you know the front office isn't listening.

Gooooooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: Tribe Low-Ballin' C.C. AND Considered Rolen?

Say it ain't so!

According to John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus (via mlbtraderumors.com), here are the numbers for the deal that the Tribe is "holding firm" to regarding C.C.:

Perrotto says the Indians are holding firm at an offer of four years plus an
option for C.C. Sabathia. As of a week
ago, the Indians were said to have an offer on the table for him. I
suggested that the Tribe might top out around four years, $72MM plus an option
for 2013.

Are you kidding me Dolan?

You really expect C.C. to sign that? Four guaranteed years? He was probably hoping for six! At least meet him halfway. I understand that it's all part of the bargaining process. That said, I don't think I'm alone when I say, you better not let C.C. walk because of that 5th year! Perhaps in another case, I'd understand your unwillingness to commit for a half-decade. But the fact remains that he is built like a horse and is one of the most durable pitchers in the league.

GET IT DONE!

On another note: It looks like we were interested in Scott Rolen!

According to the Belleville News Democrat (Southwestern Illinois/St. Louis Region), the Tribe considered making a move for both Rolen and Anthony Reyes. Here are the details:

The Cleveland Press said the Indians recently talked to the Cardinals about a
swap of shortstop Jhonny Peralta and pitcher Cliff Lee in a trade that would
have included Rolen. The Tribe was said also to be interested in Anthony Reyes
as part of that deal. According to Tony La Russa last night on Sports Plus, at
this point Reyes is expected to compete for a spot in the 2008 rotation.

Well thank goodness what I thought was a meaningless trade in Rolen for Glaus went through! That may have been the best trade of the off season for the Tribe. Scott Rolen and Anthony Reyes? And Rolen's salary? Are you kidding me? Any you are wavering on an additional year for C.C.?

Am I really reading this?

Half-Full: At least they are actually considering moving Peralta, which does suggest that they would (1) feel comfortable with Cabrera at short and (2) would consider adding Peralta to a package that could land a legitimate player (ehhh ummmm OUTFIELDER).

Boy I was starving for some news/rumors out there and boy did I get it. Next time, I'll be careful for what I wish for.

Gooooooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: Friday Night at the "Prague"?!

According to the Chronicle Telegram, the official rights to the Jake have been sold to Progressive Insurance.

Jacob's Field soon to be officially Progressive Field.

"CLEVELAND — Jacobs Field will be renamed Progressive Field under terms of an agreement between the Cleveland Indians and the auto insurance company, a newspaper reported Thursday night.

The downtown ballpark has been known as Jacobs Field since it opened in 1994 but will be rebranded for the 2008 season.A formal announcement was expected today, the newspaper said.

Former team owner Richard E. Jacobs had held the ballpark’s naming rights, but his contract expired at the end of the 2006 season, and the club hired sports marketing firm IMG to find a new naming rights partner.

The Associated Press left a phone message seeking comment with an Indians spokesman late Thursday night.

Progressive, based in the Cleveland suburb of Mayfield Village, is the nation’s third-biggest auto insurer, ranking behind State Farm and Allstate."

This was of course bound to happen sooner or later. I guess it could be worse. Now we just need a shortened nickname for the field. The Prague just ain't cuttin' it.

Half-Full: Maybe this will be a few more dollars in Dolan's pocket to allow him to sign C.C.?

16 Years - 58 Million: Translates to $3.625 Million Per Year! Nice. Now Pay the MAN!

Goooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: Another One Bites the Dust

Attention all optimists and Tribe hopefuls: Cover your eyes...Another stud, and perhaps the last "horse" out there worth trading for, is about to sign with...Yep, you guessed it, another American League club NOT named the Cleveland Indians.

According to Ken Rosenthal, Eric Bedard to the Mariners is getting very close.

Here are the details:

"Bedard: A trade between the Orioles and Mariners is only one player away
from completion, major-league sources say, but that one player could be
right-hander Chris Tillman, a 19-year-old that the M's would prefer to
retain.

Outfielder Adam Jones would be the centerpiece of the deal for
the Orioles, and left-handed reliever George Sherrill and 17-year-old
shortstop Carlos Triunfel are among the other players under discussion.

The Mariners also have inquired about A's right-hander Joe Blanton, but
the A's would insist upon Jones and the Mariners might not be willing to
trade their top position prospect within the division."

Someone please tell me that the Tribe couldn't afford to give up 3-4 prospects for one of the best young and available pitchers in all of baseball! Especially with so much uncertainty regarding C.C.!

I'll tell you what. Adam Miller had better turn out to be a freakin' STUD! This guy hasn't made it through an entire season in three years and he may be the x-factor preventing Danny Haren, Eric Bedard, perhaps Alex Rios from being Indians.

Of course this is not Miller's fault. It is this overvaluing of our own minor leaguers by Shapiro and Co. that is driving me crazy. We got it Mark... Hart made mistakes with Sexton, Giles, and Casey. But your gunshy reaction to such mistakes has indirectly lost us Phillips, Guthrie, and perhaps Marte as options run out.

How about meeting halfway and actually making a move when the player coming in return is a proven, cheap, and useful player (ie. Haren, Bedard, Rios)!?

2008 has regression written all over it for the Tribe thus far.

I cannot even watch the Cavs right now....please don't let it be similar for our Tribe.

Cheers!

Half-Full: We've Got News!!!

Stop the presses!

You are never going to believe it...there is actually something new developing in the Cleveland Indians off season!

Yes, those same...

...play-it-safe, cannot afford the risk, check out my super-utility guy, we are going forward with the group that we have, we expect a bounceback year from Travis and Grady, the numbers our platoon in LF are actually better than..., look at our attempt to expand in the asian market, we'll have a deal on the table for C.C. soon, Jhonny is our SS, eight starting pitchers is not enough, what a bunch of great guys we have, we're not going to panic...

...Cleveland Indians!

Okay, well don't get too excited folks.

All we have is a little smoke on a couple issues. But right now, I'll take anything over another article about us filling out the minor league coaching staff, Travis Fryman, a Brian Anderson return, or ticket packages going on sale.

So onto the news/rumors:

Tribe interested in Eric Bedard AND/OR Brian Roberts

And that is about where the news ends. Interested. Ho-hum. At first I was excited. And then I remembered we were "interested" in Dan Haren too. And then I read the article written by Ken Rosenthal.

Here is the vague and ultra-uninformative blurb on the Tribe:

"Perhaps the Indians could land one of the Orioles' stars, but it is highly unlikely that they could put together a blockbuster to obtain both, the way the Tigers did in acquiring third baseman Miguel Cabrera and left-hander Dontrelle Willis from the Marlins."

Yeah. Whoopdeefreakin'dooo! Keep the champagne on ice. For the most part the article dissects what the Mariners, who appear to be the front runners for Bedard, would have to part with for his services.

But do not fret, there is this insightful comment from mlbtraderumors.com about the same issue:

"Both Ohio teams have interest in Bedard as well, but a trade to the Indians or Reds seems less likely."

Actually, it is pretty insightful. Perhaps impossible may be a better characterization.

Yep. That's it. If you are like me, just reading the headlines of anything to do with the Tribe showing a glimmer of interest got you excited. Should we just be content with so little? Is that how we have been trained here in Cleveland? Just to enjoy it when the master dangles a Fillet Mignon over my nose with no intent to give me anything but a Steak-Em, a pat on the back, and a tilt of the head, "We tried Shawn...we really did."

Mlbtraderumors.com asked this question about the situation:

"Interesting to hear that the Tribe is quietly taking a look at both Roberts and Bedard, just as they were quietly players for Dan Haren. Bedard could fill the void if C.C. Sabathia were to leave via free agency. What would a Roberts acquisition mean? Asdrubal Cabrera to short, Jhonny Peralta to third or traded?"

Uhhhh....let me answer that for you.....HELL YEAH!

Not only would he fill the void if C.C. leaves after 2008, but wake up Shapiro! Bedard would give us the best top 3 starters in major league baseball! The Best! C.C., Fausto, Bedard! Are you kidding me?! Add Roberts to the mix and it could be argued that this would truly be our best chance to win a World Series that many have ever witnessed.

Would I take 95' Indians or the above mentioned rotation in a 7-Game Series to win it all? Hmmmm.....I'll get back to you.

Of course the big question....what would it cost?

Adam Miller
Jhonny Peralta
Ben Francisco
Trevor Crowe
A/AA Pitcher

Take Em! Now! We've got the depth! Options are sure to be running thin soon enough! Take this core you've created, add Bedard and Roberts, and go get that World Series!

Your window is open Mark. But don't forget, that window can close just as quickly as it opened and if C.C. doesn't sign, it may be much sooner than you think.

More on the C.C. contract proposal tomorrow. Gotta have something other than the Mariners beating us to the punch to write about.

Sorry about the extended time-out folks. Spring Training is only a month away!

Goooooooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: Holiday Time-Out

Unless there is some new news out there....

I'll be taking a 48-hour time out for the holidays.

Hope all have a Merry Christmas and find the joy that some good rum, homemade egg nog and fresh nutmeg can bring!

See you on Wednesday.

Gooooooooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

What They're Writing: Sunday Edition

There are a few interesting articles out there in Tribe country this Sunday before Christmas Eve. Let us take a gander and see if there are any treats in store for our stockings:

1) Worst Trades of All Time

Dan Coughlin of the Chronicle Telegram has coal on his mind as he delivers us a summary of bad trades in Cleveland sports. Ron Harper (Cavs) and Bobby Mitchell (Browns) make the list in our other sports. And, for the Indians, it's Rocky Colavito (Terry Pluto says thanks for the plug Dan). Here is what was added about Colavito:

"Two days before opening day in 1961, the Indians traded Colavito, the American League home run king, to Detroit for the league batting champion, Harvey Kuenn.

It was a trade made for one reason, to satisfy the ego of Tribe general manager Frank Lane, a compulsive trader who loved to see his name in headlines. Colavito was the most popular Indian and there wasn’t room in the teepee for both him and Lane.Gabe Paul, who inherited Lane’s mess, grumbled later that Kuenn was a singles hitter with no speed. Kuenn batted leadoff but he clogged up the bases. Colavito was even slower, but he was hitting 40 home runs a season. Nobody put a stop watch on his home run trot. In order to regain the fans’ support, Gabe Paul brought back Colavito four years later, but the price was high. The Indians traded pitcher Tommy John and outfielder Tommy Agee to the White Sox for him."

I must admit, this before my time and any personal thoughts (i.e. i remember when this happened and...) would be kindly appreciated.

Coughlin does give us a tidbit of stocking joy, by reminding us that the Tribe traded Felix Fermin to Seatle for Omar Visquel. I won't add here that as a freshman baseball player at Amherst High School, I was nicknamed Felix for a few games because of my bunting ability. Hardly the feat I envisioned as I dreamed of stardom on the ball fields. Oooops, did I just admit that. Oh well. The good ol' days.

2) What a Great Group of Fellas

Paul Hoynes takes the Christmas cheer approach and reminds us how thankful we should be to have a team such as the Indians taking the field for us Clevelanders. The long road back since the late 90s and the rebuilding efforts of Mark Shapiro are discussed. As is Wedgies love for his group of guys:

"In the locker-room celebration after the game, Shapiro, an AL Central Division championship baseball cap pulled tightly on his head to break the ever-flowing waterfall of champagne and beer, gazed at pockets of gyrating players and felt good about every one of them. "

I must admit, it certainly does make winning that much better when you like the guys. Football fans in Cinci must be embarrassed over recent years or Portland a couple years before. That said, personally I had no problem with Albert when he was here, or even Milton or Philips. They had fire and wanted to win. There are enough vets on this team now that taking a risk on say, Josh Hamilton, should not be out of the question. But I digress.

3) Will Joe Bo be the Closer?

My short answer: Yes.

But James from The Tribe Report at MVN.com is not satisfied. He immediately points to the stat we are all aware of, JoeBo's era (5.07). I would argue that this one of the least important stats of a closer and if I have to trade a high ERA for the league lead in saves, I'll take it. Did he give me heartburn on a nightly basis? Yes. Is he a younger Bob Wickman? Yes. But in the end, did he get the job done? Yes. Did he have anything to do with our success or failures in the post-season? No. Could that be a different story in 2008? Yes. But we have to get to the post-season in 2008 first, and JoeBo is our best answer to getting us there right now.

Overall, there are many more pressing needs on this team than a new closer. LF, Backend of the rotation, and 3B seem more important.

That said, James does a great job summarizing our bullpen, and quite frankly, this may be the biggest strength of our team outside of C.C. and Fausto. I particularly like that he mentions Adam Miller in the mix, as I fully expect to see him out of the bullpen at some point in the near future. Here is his blurb on Miller:

"Adam Miller (Righty): There have been arm issues, and I’ll just say that he’ll probably see some time in the pen THIS season, if his arm is sound. He’s electric, but you all know that. There’s something intriguing about a Papelbon like story. I really want this kid to be an ace, but if he came out and became that electric closer that we’ve really never had (since Mesa’s early stint as a closer), I could put aside the starter aspirations. On a team of intriguing darkhorse candidates, Adam Miller may be the most interesting of all. 100+ MPH…are you kidding me?"

Overall, the piece is a good read and I'd give it a look if you have time.

4) Hey Hoynse, I've got a Stooopid Question

What about Nick Markakis? How much money did the players get from playoff bonuses? Why are we always outbid? No one cares about roids, right? Was C.C. offered for Haren? How about Johan? Would you like it if the Indians had a payroll of 190 million? What about Matt Holliday?

Sheeeesh!

Are these really the best questions that Clevelanders can ask? Is the crack from East Cleveland spreading to the burbs?

I truly feel for Paul in having to offer up nice answers to these boneheads.

And so, there it is folks...your Sunday Morning Tribe reads.

On a side note:

I'm in my Fantasy Football Super Bowl today and am still torn between a full game of Vince Young or one half by Peyton! It could determine my super bowl fate, so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Of course, if you sell me on the decision and I win, perhaps we could arrange a kickback;)

Gooooooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: Saturday ESPN Poll - Who will win Central?

Just pluggin' along here on a Saturday afternoon, and what's this?

The poll on ESPN's homepage is Tribe related?

Which team will win the AL Central in 2008?

Tigers = 73%
Indians = 17%
Twins = 5%
White Sox = 3%

And in case you care, even in our own state, we hold a slim 55% to 43% lead over Detroit.

Here is the link, in case you wish to vote for Detroit, as judging by the poll on this page, you do.

**results as of 2:01 P.M. on 12/22

I wonder if Detroit hadn't made its monster trade.....or if Cleveland actually signed Haren or Bedard....

My guess...MUCH CLOSER!

Gooooooooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: The Station Agent is a Stud compared to These Guys

Mark Shapiro is back to his old tricks...

Searching for Diamonds in the Rough...

The Tribe signed five minor leaguers

Three infielders:

Andy Gonzalez
Aaron Herr
Danny Sandoval

Catcher:

Armando Camacaro

RHP:

Matt Ginter

No surprise here, but Kenny Loften won't be coming back to Cleveland.

According to this article, he is very close to signing with the Brewers.

In some good off the field news, it seems Juan Lara is progressing and has been moved to the Cleveland Clinic.

Best wishes go out to Juan and his family during what is surely a difficult holiday season.

Sorry that is all for today folks. Expect a few more quiet days on the news front as the holidays pass.

Goooooooooooooooo Tribe!

Cheers!

Half-Empty: Tiny Rumor Connects Tribe With Washed-Up, Broken-Down, Has-Been

My goodness...Is this what it's coming to?

I get to read an article by David Pinto of the Sporting News entitled, "Haren trade gives D-backs the bigs' best 1-2 punch"...

...instead of reading articles in every Cleveland area publication entitled, "Haren trade gives Tribe the bigs' best 1-2-3 punch!"

...or maybe, "Bedard trade gives Tribe the bigs' best 1-2-3 punch!"

...or maybe, "C.C. signing ensures Tribe has one the best 1-2 punches for years to come!"

...or maybe...this or maybe...that.

You know the routine folks....

And so, without further ado, according to mlbtraderumors.com (via Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com),

"The Padres have made an offer, but Houston, Cincinnati, Washington, the New York Mets, St. Louis, Texas, Florida and Cleveland are also in the mix."

FOR... MARK PRIOR!!!

Yeah, that guy. Might as well go after Tommy John and Bo Jackson while we're at it.

The Half-Full Take:

A Mark Prior signing would actually give Hot Dogs with Masa and The Station Agent some competition for biggest Ho-Hum signings of the year.

Can't wait for the Keith Foulke rumors to begin. And where's Paul Shuey when you need him?

Are we the Nationals or a team that was one win away from a World Series?

Cheers!