Time to:

[cavalier1968]

1....make a trade (Byrd for some bats)
2....get rid of wedge (seems to always bunt w/runners on 1&2 and no out)
3....kick back some players down to minors (Hafner)
4....Grady and Vic to step it back up
5....or perhaps wait for our team to start playing again

Cav

[cavalier1968]

hello

Finally, Wedge and Shiparo are talking about changes.

Typical of idiotic Indians baseball...tied 1-1 late.......runner on no outs.......Peralta CANNOT even get a bunt down. MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYER Peralta cannot even get a bunt down....strikes out. Then Dave Deloony promptly grounds into inning ending double play. This is a no hitting, no fundimental team with a manager that does not teach simple bunting???????????? I say get rid of Wedge and Shiparo.

Cav

[BoofBonser26]

3....kick back some players down to minors (Hafner)

Hafner cannot be sent to the minors. He'd have to okay an assignment, and there's no way he'd ever do that.

I think suggesting we fire Shapiro is patently absurd.

For a good take on Eric Wedge, here's an excerpt from a brilliant writeup by Jay over at the fantastic Tribe forum letsgotribe.com.

Oh, hell, where to begin.

Since my buddy Jason moved to Maryland several years back, we've caught a few games at Camden Yards when the Red Sox or Indians have been in town. When it's the Red Sox, sometimes we'll sit out in left field, often in the front row, the better to observe all the mirth and magic that is Manny Ramirez, Defender. I'm talking about pretty much the exact seats where Manny jumped up and high-fived that guy a few days ago.

Watching Manny the Defender live and in person is different than watching him on TV, because you're watching him all the time, not just when he's making a play or for a few seconds in between. And when you're watching Manny the Defender live and in person, what jumps right out at you is that he doesn't seem to be paying much attention to what's going on — at all — very much like a little league corner outfielder. He's bored, he's looking around, chewing gum or something, he's listening to music through his little earbuds.

Most amusingly, most of the time, he's not even wearing his glove. At the end of a play, the glove comes off, and again, he doesn't seem to be paying too much attention to when the play is about to start. Many times, when the pitcher is in his windup, Manny is still not wearing his glove.

So we would start shouting: Hey, Manny! Manny! Ballgame! Manny! Ballgame! Manny, there's a ballgame going on! Right now! Glove! Put your glove on! Ballgame!

Just to be clear, Manny was absolutely close enough to hear us doing this — although who knows how loud the music is blasting in his ears — and we found the whole situation deeply amusing of course. It wasn't long before we had several other people joining in the fun of helping Manny pay attention, and the most we ever got out of him was a quick grin. Like all ballplayers, Manny must be well accustomed to fans shouting who-knows-what at him at any given moment.

But watching the game last night, I had that same funny feeling — except it was a sick feeling, since it involved the Indians — and I just couldn't help thinking, does Eric Wedge realize that there's a pennant race going on?

Hey, Wedgie! Wedgie! Pennant race! Wedgie! Pennant race! Wedgie, there's a pennant race going on! Right now! Brain! Put your brain on! Ballgame!

And then ... ballgame.

Here's the full article.

[cavalier1968]

Hafner cannot be sent to the minors. He'd have to okay an assignment, and there's no way he'd ever do that.

I think suggesting we fire Shapiro is patently absurd.

For a good take on Eric Wedge, here's an excerpt from a brilliant writeup by Jay over at the fantastic Tribe forum letsgotribe.com.



Here's the full article.

Your right BOOF...(as we have 4 hits in 7 innings at powerful KC) Shiparo should just sit back and watch the most woeful Indians offense ever... just melt before our eyes. I have been watching Indians for 34 years......I have never seen this kind of underperformance........Its getting to the point where Im actually watching other teams because I KNOW we're prolly going to score 1 or 2 runs a game.... If Im watching a game and we're down in the first or second....I expect us to lose.

Remember 1994-2000 Indians teams? If we were losing I EXPECTED us to come back and win. Its a big difference.

Cav

The Indians, the defending AL Central champs, have lost five straight series.

[NineWorldSeries]

For all of you dissatisfied with Wedge, how about a trade with your neighbors down south?

Eric Wedge for Dusty Baker? Straight up? How do I make this happen? :o

[RuthMayBond]

I think the lineup needs a catchy new nickname.
The Yankees were Murderer's Row. I think we are . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
PURSE SNATCHER'S ROW

[BravesFanForever]

Wait a second, hold your horses! Are you serious about firing Wedge. I believe he is a great manager. About the bunting issues, a lot of major league players have that problem sadly, they focus too much on hitting and not enough on bunting if needed. Although, I would much rather see Paralta hit because he is a great hitter, but although he cannot bunt, don't go straight to blaming Wedge. He expects his MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS to already know how to bunt before they get to the majors. Do not forget that Wedge guided the Indians to a 96 win season a year ago and a 93 win season in 05. As a Braves fan, I still support the Indians because I like them, I really don't think cutting Wedge loose would be the answer. As for Hafner, I don't know what the heck is wrong with him, but I really don't see him as more than a .250 hitter. He almost reminds me of Andrew Jones. Power, RBIs (most years), but low average. Stick it out Indian Fans, I really think they will turn it around.

[cavalier1968]

hi

Wait a second, hold your horses! Are you serious about firing Wedge. I believe he is a great manager. About the bunting issues, a lot of major league players have that problem sadly, they focus too much on hitting and not enough on bunting if needed. Although, I would much rather see Paralta hit because he is a great hitter, but although he cannot bunt, don't go straight to blaming Wedge. He expects his MAJOR LEAGUE PLAYERS to already know how to bunt before they get to the majors. Do not forget that Wedge guided the Indians to a 96 win season a year ago and a 93 win season in 05. As a Braves fan, I still support the Indians because I like them, I really don't think cutting Wedge loose would be the answer. As for Hafner, I don't know what the heck is wrong with him, but I really don't see him as more than a .250 hitter. He almost reminds me of Andrew Jones. Power, RBIs (most years), but low average. Stick it out Indian Fans, I really think they will turn it around.

Not bad with your points but peralta OPS+ is 99........which means he is not as good as the league AVERAGE, so "great" is ......well....misused here

Cav

[BravesFanForever]

Alright, so maybe calling Paralta a great hitter is a little off, but his two best seasons where he hit .270 with 24 HR and 78 RBI and .292 with 21 HR and 72 RBI ironically came in the seasons with 96 (2007) and 93 Wins (2005). Looks to me if you get him going, then maybe the rest of the team will go; I mean it could just be coincidence though. But with Sizemore, Victor, and CC (if you dont trade him) and with Fausto when he comes back, I think they will get it going. I think the division is up for grabs still. I don't see the white sox as def keeping it up. Their bullpen depends on Dotel who is injury prone, their offense is awful most of the time (as well as old), their pitching is up and down (with the exception of Mark B); I just cannot say that it is a guarentee that the white sox will run away with the division.

[ACrank]

For all of you dissatisfied with Wedge, how about a trade with your neighbors down south?

Eric Wedge for Dusty Baker? Straight up? How do I make this happen? :o

Please. No.

[Imgran]

Actually for all purposes 99 OPS+ is average. No idea whether it's position adjusted, if it isn't than no one should complain about Peralta.

Indians mortgaged their souls for the 2007 run, and actually did very well, they just ran headon into a rotation led by two legendary playoff pitchers, old warhorse Curt Schilling and legend-in-making Josh Beckett.

2008 consists of trying to scrape enough talent together for a last gasp.

1....make a trade (Byrd for some bats)

How many teams can you think of that would actually be desperate enough for the immortal legend that is Paul Byrd to trade any level of offensive talent for him? He's a very, very smart pitcher, but he's also a marginal one who's perfectly capable of throwing up stinker after stinker. Think Brian Bannister without the upside.

2....get rid of wedge (seems to always bunt w/runners on 1&2 and no out)

Unless your lineup is loaded with power and speed, and CLE's isn't, it's not the stupidest move in the world to sac bunt with 1&2, 0 out. At the very least it prevents the GIDP and sets up a sac fly. A far worse problem is Cleveland's fairly mediocre infield defense, especially combined with the sinkerballer Carmona being expected to play a big role in the Indians' future.

3....kick back some players down to minors (Hafner)

You can pretty much forget about that. Pronk is far more likely to be benched than released or DFA'd.

4....Grady and Vic to step it back up

Grady can't carry a baseball team on his back. He's good, but he isn't quite that good. VMart is pretty much marking time until his next contract at this point.

5....or perhaps wait for our team to start playing again

You're poised to lose a number of key players soon, specifically VMart and CC. Shapiro needs to look at blowing it up now or there will be nothing left to blow up in a couple years. This core of players, obviously less Sizemore who it wouldn't pay you to get rid of, has about run its course and it's time for some serious rebuilding IMHO, hopefully around Sizemore and Carmona.

Garko, CC, VMart, etc. should probably have an eye open for real estate in LA, Chicago, Boston, New York and Seattle, depending on where the latest trade rumor seems to send them.

[sschirmer]

I don't understand what Shapiro was doing this off-season. He let Ass-Dribble Cabrera keep them from getting Danny Harren, which I totally don't understand. He should have had a pretty good idea that signing CC wasn't going to happen, once he cut off talks. Hell, the Giants had Lincecum on the block, and he did nothing. I would think that CC would have welcomed and chance to go to the Bay area (where he's from) and a chance to hit. Lincecum is young and cheap, at least for the time being. Am I the only one who thought about these things?

[cavalier1968]

I love JOE B

You know your team sucks:

when 9.00 ERA Joe Bookstinkski is your best option at closer
when your 3rd batter has 0 HRs
when your front office does nothing
when your manager is clueless
when your team is LAST in the league in batting




CAv

[cavalier1968]

well

3 runs in the first inning, and then NO hits till the 9th??????? What a sad bunch of inept hitters......

Cav

[TheTribe48]

At least it's good to see Grady starting to transform into the player we want him to be. The defense is amazing, he's turned into one of the better power hitters in the AL, he's got the speed, his arm isn't the greatest but it's at least average - all he needs now is to hit with some consistency.