This trade makes perfect sense for the Indians. The Braves are paying $10 million of the $15 million left on the 38 year old’s contract. This gives the Indians a solid five-man rotation for the first time in recent memory.

With Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Derek Lowe, Josh Tomlin, and Fausto Carmona, the Indians have one of the best rotations on paper in the American League. The number five starter was expected to be a toss up between David Huff, Jeanmar Gomez, and Zach McCallister, but the addition of Lowe ends all questions about the rotation.

Lowe is coming off the worst season of his career as a starter, going 9-17 with a 5.05 ERA in Atlanta. Since becoming a starter in 2002 with Boston, he had at least 12 wins in every season before this past season.

The best part about Lowe is his durability. The Indians lost Fausto Carmona, Josh Tomlin, and Carlos Carrasco to injuries last year, with Carrasco’s requiring Tommy John surgery that is holding him out for the 2012 season. Lowe has started at least 32 games in every season since he became a starter in 2002. He has also pitched at least 182.2 innings over this span.

Lowe is joining a team that lost three pitching prospects in the 2011 season, with Alex White and Drew Pomeranz being traded to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez, and Carrasco being lost to injury. Lowe’s early acquisition helps the rotation be set before it is too late and the team runs out of options on the market.

Fausto Carmona’s future with the team was uncertain before the team exercised his option on Monday. The team has decided to pay the $7 million dollars owed to Carmona and keep him on the rotation.

The move makes sense as Fausto has proven that he can be a dominant pitcher; he just needs to piece everything together for an entire season. It might benefit him to be near the bottom of the rotation and not have the pressure of being the Opening Day starter as he was in 2011. He will most likely be the fifth starter, which shows how much the Indians rotation has improved since Opening Day of last year.

The other player whose future in Cleveland has been in question was Grady Sizemore. The team held a $9 million dollar option, but they decided not to exercise it, leaving Sizemore a free agent.

Grady has not been healthy since the 2008 season, and he has only played in 104 games over the past two seasons. He was the face of the team from 2005-2008, and had 33 home runs in 2008. The center fielder was a key piece of the 2007 AL Central champion Indians, but letting him go at this time is a smart move.

The Indians can pursue Sizemore in free agency and possibly get him back for much less than $9 million. Due to his recent injury problems, few teams might actually offer him enough money to compete with the Indians, assuming it is less than $9 million.

The Indians appear to be poised for a playoff run in 2012 and should be making a few more moves before the season begins.

Fortunately, Carlos has progressed nicely during his second season and is actually having a better season then you might think.

Yes, I know that he is only hitting .239 and he has struck out 106 times, but what some people haven’t noticed is that Carlos has a solid OPS, slugging percentage, and OBP for a catcher.

Sure, Santana isn’t having a season like Alex Avila of the Tigers, but he still has done very well.  Santana is second among AL catchers in OBP (.347), SLG (.437), and OPS (.784).  He is third among AL catchers for home runs (19) and he leads all catchers in walks with 76.  Also, Santana has played in 125 of 130 games, so last season’s knee injury hasn’t been an issue.

As mentioned earlier, one of the biggest criticisms of Santana is he strikes out too much, a propensity credited to his big swing.  If Carlos tried shortening up his swing with two strikes and focused more on hitting singles or just putting the ball in play, you would see his batting average increase and his strikeout total wouldn’t be as high.

Now that Travis Hafner and Michael Brantley are probably done for the season, and Grady Sizemore is still on the DL, Carlos Santana’s power is needed now more than ever if the Indians ever plan on doing the impossible and stealing the AL Central crown from the Tigers.

I figured I might as well do monthly updates on these “predictions,” so as to capriciously praise or condemn myself.

Underrated

Miguel Cabrera

Here is a real superstar. Top 10 in the three major offensive categories, and as a bonus, only 72 strikeouts in 123 games. Cabrera is second in OPS, the most telling category in baseball, and second in On Base Percentage thanks to 80 walks (also 2nd in the AL).

That’s what makes a great ballplayer: consistently good all around. And still, few notice him amongst the Jose Bautistas, Paul Konerkos, Adrian Gonzalezes, Mark Teixeiras, Robinson Canos and Curtis Grandersons of the AL world who garner our attention. Cabrera’s a legit MVP contender again. {Grade so far on my prediction: PASS }

Paul Konerko: 

Pauly continues to be under-appreciated, even in his own city considering Carlos Quentin has reverted back to stellar 2009 form. I will keep praising Paul — even though I despise the ChiSox — because there are people who actually think Ryan Howard is a better player, despite Konerko being better in nearly every category, and by a long shot in most.

Howard will never get 2000 hits, and 400 HRs is questionable. Konerko, just three years older than the Philly first baseman, will likely roll past that first milestone this weekend, and the other next month. And unlike Howard and most others, the White Sox first baseman somehow gets better with age.  He’s now top 5 in all major offensive categories, sans average and RBIs, where he’s 6th. {Grade: PASS}

Adam Dunn:

I often compare the media love for Ryan Howard to Adam Dunn, as I feel they’re basically equal players (same age, same style, Howard higher average, Dunn better power numbers, etc), but if I’m to call out Ryan, Adam needs the same treatment.

You can’t spin this anymore now than you could a month ago: he’s been a disaster! 

Adam’s still hitting well under .200; just 11 homers and 40 RBIs in 102 games; leads the league in strikeouts (149), and a startling 3 for 80 versus left-handed pitching. Yes, that’s a .038 clip! {Grade: FAIL}

Ryan Zimmerman and Shin Soo-Choo have missed too much time for evaluation right now. Neither have been extremely productive, though Zimmerman is hitting .300; and Choo, fresh off the DL this week, shall be a necessary contributor if Cleveland wants a shot at the playoffs. He had five hits in three games during the Indians’ just-completed series win in Chicago.

Overrated:

Ryan Howard:

The “centerpiece” of my article was the Phillies’ big first baseman, who’s been at the top of my list (and emails, texts and tweets) of overhyped ballplayers for years. I’ve see absolutely nothing in 2011 to change my mind; in fact, no matter what ESPN or the media says, I’m more confident in my views than ever.

There was a devastating critique of Howard’s absurd $25 million/year salary and declining stats in Yahoo Sports last month. It hit every angle statistically and factually. While some commenters applauded, most called the writer names and used profanity. It was classic to read his backers getting so desperate.

Though his RBI and home run numbers remain relatively high, vital categories (and overall power categories like slugging, OPS and OBP) continue to fall, while his strikeouts remain 2nd in the National League (on pace for over 180 again).

Ryan has TWO homers off a lefty in 143 at bats this season, and no clutch hits that anyone can recall. (I won’t get into past postseason futility since I covered it last fall)

Howard’s OPS — the most relevant category for a power guy — is an abysmal 23rd in the NL. Despite his power numbers, he’s still a distant 20th in Slugging. His On Base Percentage barely cracks the top 50 on the Senior Circuit. Very telling.

Unless you’re looking for a player on the back-end of his career; less durable than in the past; is quite replaceable; who doesn’t get on base enough; whiffs a lot; is slow; suspect with the glove, but will get you 30-35 HRs with 100 RBIs and a .250 average, he’s not your man.

{Grade so far on my prediction that Howard is overrated: PASS}

Carlos Pena:

The Cubs first baseman has 23 bombs, but that’s around his career average. He’s still at his customary .225 and a putrid .141 off lefties; yet this overpaid 33-year old is a lifetime .239 hitter, so what do we expect? Losing player, losing teams. He doesn’t strikeout quite as much as Howard or Dunn, but that proves little. He’s still overrated. {Grade: PASS}

BJ Upton: Upton rightly doesn’t get the love he once received, but still, when you think of the Rays, after Longoria, BJ’s name comes up. Why?  You like .230 hitters who strikeout WAY too much (5th in AL), with mediocre power and bad attitudes? Until his average improves…{Grade: PASS}

Jeff Francoeur:

Has expectedly cooled considerably after a surprisingly hot start. Jeff’s still at .275/15/66, but he’s not an old player; KC expected him to produce, which is why they extended him through 2013 yesterday. That said, I don’t expect him to get hotter as the summer winds down. Twelve of his 15 dingers and 56 of his 66 RBIs were pre All Star Break. {Grade: MIXED}

Mark Reynolds:

His average has dropped back down to .214, which is apparently impressive for a guy coming off a .198 season. “Only” 142 whiffs in 120 games, but Reynolds is technically on pace for close to 40 homers and 100 RBIs. The Orioles aren’t winning at all, so I’m really not sure what he brings to Baltimore, but I could say the same about Pena, Dunn and many others right now. {Grade: PASS}

So I’m looking at decent grades (80% or so)…

Agree/disagree? Bring facts, not conjecture nor ad hominem attacks. Thanks.

During that time Ohio has suffered like few other states have.  In addition to almost total futility on the field, the state has had to endure more than its share of off the field problems as well.

One of its football teams left town (only to win a Super Bowl within 5 years in their new city) and then returned and has been mostly terrible since.  The other football team became notorious for poor draft picks and criminal activity as well as being the worst team of the 1990s in the standings.

Of Ohio’s two baseball teams, one has choked away two chances at a World Series crown in the past 15 years, while the other has only two playoff appearances since 1990.  Even the Kid, Ken Griffey Jr. suffered a string of debilitating injuries once he returned to play in his home state, potentially costing him a run at the most hallowed of individual achievements, the career home run record.

The only NBA team in the state was largely irrelevant from 1990-2003, with only a couple of heartbreaking losses to Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to show for their troubles.  Then, perhaps even more gut wrenching, Ohio watched the franchise’s homegrown meal ticket flee the state and head to Miami to chase championships and parties, leaving them nothing more than a lottery-bound mess.

Finally, Ohio’s pro hockey team, established in 2000, has had the worst points record in the NHL during the span of their existence.  They have settled into a state of relative failure, in a league that has struggled to maintain its status as one of the premier associations in sports.

Given this bleak (but somewhat recent) history, it’s difficult to imagine one of these star-crossed teams bringing a professional championship home to the Buckeye state.  In considering all 6 teams, we can see that there are varying levels of likeliness that each of them will win a title.  Let’s rank them, from least likely to most likely to reach the promised land of their respective sports.  Keep in mind that this is not a declaration that one of these teams will win a title, just my take on the likelihood that one will, relative to the others.

6. Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals have been a complete disaster for almost all of the last 20 years.  Currently, they are pinning their hopes on rookies Andy Dalton (QB) and A.J. Green (WR).  It’s hard to say how good Dalton can be, but the consensus is that Green is a star in the making.  Of course, just a few years ago the Bengals had a star receiver at the peak of his ability (Chad Johnson), and they still couldn’t make it out of the first round of the playoffs.

Unfortunately for the Queen City, Mike Brown’s reluctance to spend the necessary money on scouting and facilities will prohibit the team from getting to the elite level in the NFL.  When your star quarterback decides to retire healthy at 31, you know your team is a long way from winning it all.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets

As I mentioned earlier, the Blue Jackets have been pretty dreadful since their inception.  They do have star center Rick Nash locked up for the next 8 years under a very rich contract, but barring some extraordinary upgrades on the rest of the roster they will not find themselves competing for a Stanley Cup any time soon.

It’s simply too tough to contend in the superior Western Conference, especially with Detroit, Chicago and Nashville, all formidable powerhouses, residing in their own division.  I’m afraid Columbus had better stick with the Buckeyes and their impending NCAA punishments.

4. Cleveland Browns

The poor Browns.

As an Ohio resident I can tell you that there are drastic differences between Bengals fans and Browns fans.  Bengals fans are convinced every year that this will be their year.  They ceaselessly envision their beloved purveyors of Who-Deyism beating out Pittsburgh and Baltimore on their way to the playoffs.  And they are almost always wrong.

Browns fans, however, are almost always pessimistic.  They expect the worst, and who can blame them?  They’ve been force-fed the equivalent of a turd sandwich for the better part of 50 years.

I’m convinced that Mike Holmgren will at least make the moves necessary to return the Browns to respectability, but that’s their ceiling as far as I’m concerned.  It seems doubtful that Colt McCoy will be the savior they need at quarterback, and the NFL has taught us that until that position falls in line, everything else is baseless.

3. Cleveland Indians

Baseball is a game in which, despite the gaps in spending between the haves and the have-nots, all teams seem to have a decent chance at success.  The Indians have made themselves a (surprising) contender by building around pitching and defense.

For many small market teams, winning is cyclical.  I expect the Indians to stockpile prospects and keep building a smart, sabermetric-friendly club until they are ready to make a big splash for the pieces they need to go for it all.  Then they will blow it all up and start over again while sandbagging money.  Such is life for the have-nots.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers

Given the total debacle that the last 12 months have been for Dan Gilbert’s Cavaliers, it may be surprising to see them this high on the list.  But if we have learned anything in the NBA (coincidentally from this team and that famed 2003 top draft pick) it’s that one player can make the difference in a team winning a title and failing to even make the playoffs.

Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson were the two players the Cavs chose to build their future on in this year’s draft.  Looking at their roster, they still appear to be a lottery team, so we could be looking at a team that is able to mature together much like Oklahoma City has in the last couple of years.  Maybe the NBA landscape will become one in which stars all join up to party and win together, but it seems that any team with three or four elite young players should have a chance to contend no matter what the new NBA looks like.

1. Cincinnati Reds

The Reds made the playoffs last year behind a potent offense and quality pitching from the top three starters in their rotation.  Their management team, led by Walt Jocketty, has made it clear that they are willing to spend more than previous regimes, and they have done a good job of developing talent (see Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Homer Bailey, Johnny Cueto among others).

As I mentioned above, baseball allows teams to compete as long as they make sound decisions and are able to spend a little (although it certainly helps if they can spend a lot, right AL East?).  The Reds must address issues in their pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen.  If they can upgrade a few arms they have an excellent chance to bring a World Series back to the state of Ohio.

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Twitter: @keithmullett

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Image Credits:

mancavesports.org

one4theotherthumb.com

Jared Wickerham/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com

Joe Robbins/Getty Images North America via zimbio.com

Even though I was born and raised in Indiana, baseball was my favorite sport for most of my youth. It was the sport at which my dad played and excelled. I didn’t own a basketball hoop yet, so it was the sport I played the most. Every year, my parents bought me more and more books about America’s Pastime. If it had to do with baseball, I soaked it up like a sponge.

Cooperstown was the first Hall of Fame my parents ever took me to visit. Just in case you were wondering how obsessed I was, I saved the bag from the bookstore that held my mementos from the day.

I was the annoying kid on the block that knew all the stats. Whether it was playing, watching, or studying, I was obsessed with the sport.

Then, something happened. Well, actually, a few things:

First, I realized that the Cubs would probably never be good.

Secondly, and more importantly, I outgrew it.

When I turned 13, I entered Junior High, and my school didn’t have a baseball team. In order to continue to pursue baseball, my parents would’ve had to pay a lot of money to get me onto one of those travel teams. Since I could play soccer and basketball for free, baseball ended up taking a backseat.

My parents bought me a basketball hoop, sent me to basketball and soccer camps, and the rest was history.

As I grew older, I started to becoming antagonistic towards baseball.

It’s boring.
It’s too slow.
It’s unfair when the Yankees and Red Sox can spend so much more than everyone.
It’s unfair that the Cubs will never be good.
Etc… (every cliche imaginable)

I lost track of everything that made me love the game. Until this past Saturday.

If you know anything about me, you know that I absolutely love the game of basketball – especially the NBA. I am constantly crusading for people to “give the NBA a chance.”

I have especially spent a ton of time trying to convince one of my friends, Ari Kaufman (co-editor for MSF), of the beauties of the game. Finally, during this past June, he somewhat begrudgingly admitted that the NBA was in a much better place than it has been for years. Dirk and the Mavericks broke through, LeBron lost, and beautiful, team-oriented basketball was showcased for two straight months.  While he still likes the college game more, he eventually came around…a little.

Meanwhile, Ari started chipping away at my disinterest in baseball.  I decided since he was so patient with me, I would humor him a little bit and pretend to be interested in baseball again.  I even started participating in MSF’s Trivia Challenge and listening to all of the podcasts – which I actually enjoyed quite a bit. Finally, he convinced me to attend a game with him.

We arrived a Jacobs Field on Saturday just in time to watch the Indians battle it out against the Blue Jays. I’m not a die-hard Indians fan like Ari, but considering my wife is from Cleveland, I have sort of “adopted” them as my American League team.

I went to the game, expecting to argue with Ari about why basketball (and football…and soccer…and maybe even hockey for that matter) were far superior sports. I never in a million years expected to fall in love with the game again.

Maybe you are like me and have lost a little bit of your love for the game. Maybe you think the game is too slow and boring. Maybe you are sick of the horrible umpiring. Maybe you lost interest because you had to stop playing like I did. Maybe you think that steroids killed the game. Maybe you just think that football is better. Maybe you think all of the above, and are like me of five days ago.

Well, here are five reasons why, just maybe, you should give the sport one more chance.

1.  It’s the perfect game to watch in today’s world.

For the longest time, I have been anti-baseball because it just takes too long.

“Four hours? Are you kidding me? Who has that kind of time?”

In all actuality, most games don’t take anywhere near that long. While it’s true that Yankees/Red Sox games often last for an eternity, the average baseball game lasts for only 2 hours and 53 minutes. That’s shorter than an NFL game, much shorter than an NCAA Football game, and only slightly longer than the average NBA game (Soccer games are done in less than two hours and don’t have commercials…but I understand that America will never be ready for that…unless the NFL and NBA both lock out…in which case…I have a lot to write…and you will all hate me…I’ll just move out before I run out of ellipses).

All that to say, length of time is really not a good excuse. But you were already ahead of me on that one because I can hear you saying right now, “It’s not the length, it’s the boredom! The game just seems to drag on and on!” Well, if you think about it, that’s exactly true either. More time elapses between plays on the football field than pitches on the baseball diamond. Also, there are no fifteen-minute-long halftimes to break up the flow of play.

Instead, baseball is full of several half-innings that are five to ten minutes long, followed by brief, 2 minute intermissions. You know what that is perfect for? TODAY’S WORLD!

Be honest…when was the last time you sat down to watch a sporting event without your cell-phone, laptop, or remote control (to flip channels) close by. It’s hard for me to watch five minutes of a basketball/football game without wanting to tweet about it, or see what others are saying about the game. Unfortunately, those sports happen so quickly that it’s often much too tough to watch the game intelligently and do anything else.

That’s actually the beauty of baseball. As Ari and I sat there watching the game, we were able to carry on normal conversations, make fun of Ryan Howard, tweet our thoughts to our followers, and still watch the game at the same time.

I know a lot of the old-timers out there will probably hate what I’m saying, and may disagree with most of this. They will say I’m not a true baseball fan, and possibly that people like me that represent what is wrong with our country.

But for the rest of you Americans that live everyday doing three or four things at once, baseball is the perfect sport for you.

2.  Jose Bautista.

The dude is just ridiculous.

I think that Babe Ruth is the greatest baseball player of all time, and I don’t think it’s even close…the guy had more home runs than the entire rest of the American League one season. (How would you react if A-Rod hit 1400 homers this season?)

I can’t even imagine what it must have felt like to watch him in person. According to the legends, he basically beat the Cubbies by himself in the 1932 World Series when he “called his shot.” Fans of the opposing teams must have felt completely helpless when cheering against him.

Jose Bautista will never be Babe Ruth, but right now, he is causing a lot of similar feelings among fans across the American League. He’s turned into Barry Bonds of 2001, minus the suspicion of PEDs.

Bautista hit not one, but two dingers in Saturday Night’s game, and I have never seen something quite like his tenth-inning blast.

After battling back to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, Cleveland had all the momentum. The Jake was rocking and their All Star closer Chris Perez had just entered the game. All the guy had to do was get Jose Bautista out. As I sat in my seat, trying to get a sense of the emotion of the crowd, I realized something. Everyone was scared to death. I even tweeted, “Let’s be honest. Everyone around me is scared to death right now of Jose Bautista…”

Before the tweet had even been sent, the ball was in the left field bleachers.

I’ve watched a lot of baseball games in my life, but I’ve never legitimately called someone’s shot.

Bautista is just on a whole other level right now. He just set the Blue Jays record for “Most home runs in a two-year span” with 85. And oh by the way, he did that in one and a half years.

3.  The fans are real, knowledgeable, and know how and when to cheer.

Anyone who has watched an NBA game recently knows that most of its fans are hypnotized by the jumbo-tron. Even in football, it’s hard not to be distracted by how your fantasy team is doing and the endlessly updating replays of other games throughout the day (I think this has something to do with the fact that most of its games are on Sunday…its like taking a drink of water out of a fire hydrant…we go six long days with no football, and then we try to suck it all in on Sundays, even though we know that there is no real way to actually process it all…it can’t be healthy).

But Saturday, I saw old men at the game holding radios to their ears and keeping their own score at their seat. Did I feel a slight urge to make fun of them? NO!!!! It was awesome! Baseball fans, especially those in Cleveland, are one of a kind. How many other sports can you say the following about:

So yeah, there’s this crazy guy that has gone to like 24,000 straight home games and he brings a drum to every single game and beats it to death during every big moment as the entire rest of the 27,000 people in the crowd clap along with him and get in the head of the opposing pitcher in the most important moments of the game!

4.  Nothing beats a good old-fashioned baseball announcer.

Again, this one doesn’t need much explanation. Vin Scully. Ernie Harwell. Jack Buck. Bob Uecker. The Legendary Harry Caray. Besides Marv Albert calling NBA games, it simply doesn’t get any better.

5.  It lends itself to the best debates.

To me, this one is my favorite. In my opinion, the best part of sports is the fact that it lends itself to conversations (read: arguing and debating) with friends. Sure, we love watching the game, but we love talking about it later just as much.

When it comes to football, most of us just quite frankly don’t understand the game enough. I mean, I feel like I have a pretty good grasp of Peyton Manning, but ask me to explain what the right guard is doing on a given play and I’m a lost cause.

Basketball is fun, but most of the arguments are settled. Jordan is the greatest. Russell was the fiercest. Shaq is the funniest. Etc… It’s so cut and dry, that writers have to create incredibly ridiculous and specific scenarios just to come up with a unique angle on something (like, say, if a guy was picking the best players of all time as a GM that was able to look at everyone’s entire career as a whole and not just pick people at their peak).

But baseball? My, the possibilities.

• How do you feel about the DH? (I think it’s fantastic.)
• Is Jeter a Top-Five Yankee of All-Time? (I say no. Ruth, Gehrig, Joe-D, Mickey, and Yogi. Jeter will have to settle for a tie for sixth with Mariano.)
• How many home runs would Griffey Jr. have hit if he stayed healthy? (He would be the “Home Run King” right now.)
• Is Ichiro incredibly overrated, underrated, or properly-rated? (Underrated. He could very well be the best hitter of All-Time, and nobody has even noticed.)
• Why do managers pull pitchers that are pitching well in order to get to a reliever with a better matchup? (I have no idea! This ticks me off more than anything. Why not send the starter back in to start the inning? You can still take him out if he gets in trouble…but if your reliever walks the first two guys, then what do you do? I hate baseball managers…)

The best part about all of the previous subjects is that the other side can be argued logically, coherently, and intelligently. If you hate the DH because it ruins the “purity” of the game, that’s a legitimate gripe. We could talk about that for days!

Look, I don’t know if I’ll ever like a sport as much as I care about basketball. But this past weekend, I gave an old love a chance, and it didn’t let me down.

If you are one of the thousands of fans across the country who has given up a little on baseball, I encourage you to give it another shot.

It’s possible that you just have just “matured” as a sports fan, and have moved on from your childish ways. But maybe, just maybe, you will revisit a little piece of your past, and rekindle a love for the sport you once had.

Give America’s Pastime one more chance. You just might like what you see.

American League

Cleveland Indians

The Tribe started the season 30-15, and are currently at 39-33 after going through a rough patch during the end of May and beginning of June. The team is full of many surprising stories that explain their success.

The most popular is that of the bullpen, known as the “Bullpen Mafia”. The “Mafia” is made up of Frank Hermann, Chad Durbin, Tony Sipp, Rafael Perez, Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano, and closer Chris Perez. They recently had a scoreless inning streak of over 22 innings snapped on an error. Their success is key to that of the Indians.

The other pitchers who have impressed are Josh Tomlin and Carlos Carrasco. Both are very young, but are pitching like veterans. Tomlin is 8-4 and Carrasco is 7-3. Rookie pitcher Alex White was 1-0 before he went to the DL, and will surely be back in the rotation once he returns.

The hitting of the Tribe is part of what helps make the pitching so effective, and when the offense stops producing runs, it shows. During the recent June slump, the offense was shut out four times, and the pitchers were under pressure to try and be perfect. Their best hitter, Travis Hafner, has only played in 36 games this season, but in those he is hitting .341. When he is in the lineup, the entire team plays better. This includes Asdrubal Cabrera, who is a sure All Star at the shortstop position. He is hitting .296 with 12 home runs, and is frequently seen on SportsCenter’s Top Ten plays nearly every night.

The Indians are currently in first place in the AL Central, with a slim lead over the Detroit Tigers. They will need everyone, the pitching and the offense, to continue at their current pace if they want any chance of reaching the postseason.

Seattle Mariners

For the past few seasons, the Mariners were mainly known for two players: Felix Hernandez and Ichiro Suzuki. However, this season there is a new star and one who should be one in the near future. The star is rookie pitcher Michael Pineda and the future star is second baseman Dustin Ackley. Ackley made his debut this past week, but Mariners fans are already excited about what he can bring to the team.

Michael Pineda is currently the team’s best pitcher, even better than reigning Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez. Pineda has an ERA of 2.64, while Hernandez’s is at 3.34. He has a record of 7-4 with 85 strikeouts. He and Hernandez create a 1-2 punch that is tough for any team to face. Once they come out of the game, Mariners closer Brandon League is there to save the game. He currently has 20 saves on the season.

The Mariners are currently two games behind the Texas Rangers in the AL West. The contribution of players such as Ichiro, Ackley, and Justin Smoak will be key if the Mariners want to reach the playoffs.

National League

Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers are a team filled with talent, but have underachieved over the past few seasons. They finished last season at 77-85 but are on pace to finish much better this season. They are led on offense by Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, and Rickie Weeks. Their home run totals are 15, 20, and 14 respectively, and the lowest average out of the three is .291, which is held by Weeks.

The Brewers pitching staff features the three headed monster of Yovani Gallardo, 8-4 with an ERA of 4.11, Shaun Marcum, 7-2 with an ERA of 2.85, and Zach Greinke, 6-2 with an ERA of 5.23. They are all backed up by closer John Axford, who has 19 saves on the year.

The Brewers currently have the best home record in baseball at 26-10 and have a .5 game lead in the NL Central over the Cardinals. The six team NL Central is always a tough division to win, and the Brew Crew will need to take advantage of the recent injury of Albert Pujols, and gain some ground on the Cardinals.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The D’Backs currently have a .5 game lead over the San Francisco Giants in the NL West. They are definitely the NL’s biggest surprise as they finished last year at 65-97. They are a very young team, and their best player, Justin Upton, is only 23 years old.

Upton is hitting .305 on the year with 12 home runs and 39 RBI. The D’Backs lineup also features a 15 home run hitter in Chris Young, and another 12 home run hitter in Kelly Johnson. Other hitters in the lineup include Miguel Montero, who has 37 RBI, and Stephen Drew, who has 39 RBI.

The starting rotation features two dominant pitchers in Ian Kennedy, 7-2 with an ERA of 2.98, and Daniel Hudson, 8-5 with an ERA of 3.56. They also have a great closer, a common theme in this article, in J.J. Putz, who has 18 saves.

The NL West is always an unpredictable division, so the D’Backs will need to stay close to the Giants all year. They must also be aware of a late season surge by the Rockies or Dodgers, given that they are still in contention once September rolls around.

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* – Carlos Carrasco image source: Sully Baseball

Gary Carter diagnosed with four brain tumors

This is very sad news. Hall of Fame Catcher Gary Carter is now awaiting word on how bad the tumors actually are. Doctors have not yet determined whether the tumors are cancerous or not, so hopefully Carter will receive good news in the next few days.

Carter spent 19 seasons in the MLB, playing for the Mets, Expos, Giants and Dodgers.

Mike Brown among candidates for Lakers Head Coach

Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown is among the many who will be considered for the Lakers head coaching position. He is remembered for his time with LeBron James in Cleveland, and for leading the team to the Finals in 2007.

Brown is also being considered for the job in Golden State, which seems a more realistic possibility for him. Many agree that the Lakers position will go to assisstant coach Brian Shaw, but that has not been confirmed as of yet. Other candidates include current ESPN analyst Jeff Van Gundy and former Rockets coach Rick Adelman.

Cleveland Indians sweep the Reds

The Cleveland Indians are the best team in baseball and they proved it over the weekend. They swept the Reds and won two games in the 8th inning.

• On Friday night, recently called up Ezequiel Carrera laid down a drag bunt that brought in the winning run. He evaded the tag while nearly going out of the baseline to reach safely and bring in the game winning run.
• On Saturday Travis Buck his a game-winning two-run home run in front of a sold out Progressive Field.
• The Tribe followed up these wins on Sunday with a commanding 12-4 win in which Asdrubal Cabrera went 5-5 with two home runs.

The Indians now face the Red Sox in a 3 game series starting today.

Shackleford win Preakness Stakes

Horse racing fans will have to wait another year in order to have the chance of seeing a Triple Crown winning horse. On Saturday, Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom finished second in what was the second part of the Triple Crown chase. He ran a great race, but Shackleford held off Animal Kingdom’s late charge. The last leg of the three major races will be the Belmont Stakes which is on June 11th.

The French Open is underway

The second Grand Slam event in the tennis season began on Sunday with the beginning of the French Open. The tournament will feature Novak Djokovic who will try to extend his current 37 match win streak in 2011.

In May’s edition, I regale you with tales and photos of my journey to Round Rock (Texas) to watch the Express on a lovely Saturday night with my wife. I’ll also update you on the progress of the Indianapolis Indians.

Dell Diamond and Nolan Ryan’s Round Rock Express

At the time of this publication, the Express are off to a franchise best start at the Triple A level (24-14) — which goes back to 2005. The Rangers affiliate is comfortably perched atop the Pacific Coast League’s American Southern Division.

We took in a game on Saturday, May 7, on a warm but pleasant night, from the comforts of their spacious press box. The stadium sits about four miles east of I-35 — adjacent to farmland and, naturally, railroad tracks — on the outskirts of Round Rock. Roughly 20 miles north of the state capital in Austin, and basically equidistant from Houston or Dallas, Round Rock was the second fastest-growing city in America as of 2009.

The Dell Diamond itself, as expected, was a beauty, and Round Rock runs a first class operation to match. The fixed-seating capacity of the stadium is just under 9,000 with room for more than 3,000 more on the grass berm beyond the outfield wall.

A left-field upper deck — extremely rare in minor league facilities — similar to that of Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, with room for 600, was added for the move up to Triple A in 2005.  It’s only 370 feet from home plate, and Round Rock’s Chad Tracy hit one up there during the contest. Right field is open air with a sprawling view of the central Texas plains.

There was a large weekend crowd of over 10,000, which was quite enthusiastic, especially when the Express came back from a 6-2 deficit against lowly Nashville to win 9-8 on a walk-off single by former Texas Longhorn Omar Quintanilla – on  ”Longhorn Night” at the ballpark, no less.

The Diamond has 30 private suites, a 20 by 50 foot swimming pool, hot tub, basketball court, a 26-foot high rock wall, and a 500 person capacity conference center along the right field line, among other amenities.

But folks meandering the ballpark didn’t interfere with the bulk of the crowd that was focused on the game. A few between inning games are performed along with some clever TV/movie clips, however the staff certainly does not go overboard — which is a plus.

The Express spent five seasons as members of the Texas League (2000 to 2004), attracting nearly 3.5 million fans, good for the most successful five-year stretch in Double-A history. In the inaugural season as a member of the Triple-A Pacific Coast League in 2005, Round Rock drew over 700,000 fans, or about 10,000 per contest. At 8,000 per game, they lead the PCL in attendance so far in 2011.

Round Rock’s ownership group is led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan, while his sons (Reid and Reese) hold executive positions. Reid, who designed the ballpark as well the even-newer Whataburger Field in Corpus Christi (named best venue in North America over the last two seasons), was in the box this night, and my wife enjoyed hanging out with his daughters inside the air-conditioned press lounge.

As we departed southward back toward San Antonio, there was no doubt this was one of the finer minor league properties in America.

Indianapolis Indians Update

When I last updated you, the Indians were struggling a bit at 2-9, but also enjoying short-term progress; well, 30 days later, much the same can be reported. The team was a brutal 8-19 when they left Circle City for Norfolk and Durham on May 4, but after a 4-4 road trip — including a “Back in Time” game at Durham Athletic Park, the 85-year-old ballpark made famous by the movie Bull Durham — the Tribe stood at 12-23, coming home to face Columbus, the best team in all of Minor League Baseball. (The Clippers lead the International League in batting average, runs, hits, home runs, RBI and walks.)

So what did the erstwhile “lowly” Tribe do? Indy responded by taking three of four from the first place squad in the just-completed series, allowing only 14 earned runs over 36 innings.

The Clippers had previously defeated the Indians in seven straight contests entering the four game set that wrapped up Monday afternoon before a season high crowd of 12,168 at Victory Field. Indianapolis is drawing about 5,500 fans per game over 21 dates, good for middle of the pack in the International League.

Indian pitching has been solid of late, but not top prospect Rudy Owens so much as starter Justin Wilson and the bullpen, led by Nebraskan Tony Watson and Cesar Valdez. Brian Burres, who spent parts of the past five seasons in the Majors, has also had three quality starts after struggling early on in 2011.

Indianapolis is still running like crazy, easily pacing the IL in steals with 53. Hitting has come along with guys like Alex Presley, who leads the IL in hits and stands third in average. Speedy Chase d’Arnaud, serving as the lead off man of late, is 11 for his last 21.

A huge help came in the form of John Bowker, who joined the club on May 8. Tribe play-by-play man Scott McCauley said the outfielder, who split last season between San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Indy and Fresno, ”immediately becomes the Tribe’s best power hitter.” Indy is currently near the bottom of the IL in homeruns.

On his MLBlog, McCauley added, “The hard-working Bowker has an incredible work ethic and it will be important for the young players to see how you properly go about your business.”

Media Relations Manager Brian Bosma deems this “The Bowker Effect,” as John’s bat has shifted the lineup around to aid others as well. First baseman Matt Hague, who moved down from 4th to 5th in the order, has responded by going 9 for 20 in his past five games.

Overall, the Tribe has a 6-3 record with Bowker in the lineup, and the offense has averaged over five runs and ten hits per game during that stretch.

Indianapolis still sits in the cellar at 15-24, but they’re also 7-5 in their last 12, and just had a season-best four game win streak. The Indians may trail Columbus by 11 and a half games, but they won’t see the league’s best team until mid-July. Indy welcomes Buffalo (17-22) to Victory Field this evening.

His return should help the team, but at the same time it could mess up their current chemistry.

Grady has been out of action for nearly an entire season due to his knee surgery. Upon his return, he will most likely return to center field. This will send Michael Brantley to left, which will also result in reduced playing time for both Travis Buck and Austin Kearns, who have split time in left field to start the season. It could even result in one of the being sent to AAA in Columbus. Luckily for them, Shelley Duncan will probably be the one to be sent down, as he has only appeared in a handful of games this season.

The problem with Grady deals more with offense than it does with defense. Manny Acta will have to decide where to put Grady in the lineup without messing up the current success of the offense. For most of his career he hit leadoff, but during his shortened 2010 season he saw time in the third spot.

Michael Brantley is the current leadoff hitter and has a .302 average this season. I cannot see Acta inserting Sizemore into the leadoff spot upon his return. The likely decision, and one that many fans and analysts agree on, is to put Grady in the seventh spot in the lineup. This would replace the spot currently held by both Buck and Kearns. It is logical because Grady will have a chance to reacclimate himself at the plate, without the pressure of leading off the game.

Editor’s note: Sizemore is in the lineup today (Sunday, April 17th) and is hitting leadoff. Michael Brantley is out of the lineup.

It will be interesting to see how Grady does in his first action in nearly a year. His addition to the lineup can help boost the Indians to a legitimate contender, assuming that the pitching continues to dominate opposing hitters. He can provide a big bat at the bottom of the lineup, and have a chance to steal many bases.

When Grady was a leadoff hitter he had a strikeout problem, which is mitigated if he is hitting in the the #7 spot in the order. This will even allow him to possibly make his first plate appearance each game with runners on base, or runs already on the board. It can increase his confidence during his return.

An Indians lineup with Grady at seventh would be:

1. Michael Brantley
2. Asdrubal Cabrera
3. Shin-Soo Choo
4. Carlos Santana
5. Travis Hafner
6. Orlando Cabrera
7. Grady Sizemore
8. Matt LaPorta
9. Jack Hannahan

On paper, this is a very strong lineup. The only weak spot is Hannahan, who is currently hitting .237. He is an asset on defense though, which helps him stay in the majors. If he continues to struggle, he could easily be replaced with Lonnie Chisenhall, who is currently in AAA Columbus. He is the Indians third baseman of the future, and it is only a matter of time before he is in Cleveland.

A huge reason why the Tribe had two straight seasons with less than 70 wins was of lack of power in the middle of the line-up. From 2009-2010 Cleveland had only two players that hit more then 20 home runs in a season.

DH Travis Hafner’s absence from the line-up was the major reason for the lack of power. From 2004-2006, (Hafner’s prime) he played in 406 games, hit 103 home runs, and had .303 batting average. Over the last three years he had only played 269 games, hit 34 home runs, and batted .259.

Hafner, just like the Indians is having a tremendous start.

After three injury-plagued seasons Hafner seems to have his groove back. Pronk is hitting .370, he has a on-base percentage of .433, and he has crushed two home runs – including a bomb vs. Seattle on Friday night.

Unfortunately Travis is prone to injuries. As mentioned earlier he has only played in 269 games during the last three seasons. Travis’ shoulder has been a major problem for him during most of his career, and as he gets older I don’t expect it getting any better.

Just as in the previous years, I expect Hafner to spend some time on the DL. But there are some steps Manny Acta can take to get the most out of Pronk before he begins to wear out.

First, sit Hafner against lefty pitchers. Obviously don’t sit him versus every southpaw, but like most left handled hitters he struggles hitting against lefties. Giving him an extra day off will keep him fresh. Also, this gives right-handed hitting Shelly Duncan and Austin Kearns, both solid backups, more at bats. Cleveland sat Hafner vs. Seattle on Sunday and Shelly Duncan had one hit for an RBI.

Cleveland should also rest him during long road trips. Long plane rides and bus rides could do some damage on that shoulder.

At this point of his career, Travis Hafner probably won’t have another 150 game season or 40 home run year. But, if he could play in 130 or more games, hit 28 home runs and hit .290 it will be very beneficial for the Tribe, as their fast start this season has shown.

AL East

The AL East standings look as though the person who typed in the information does not watch baseball. It shows the Orioles in first place with a record of 6-2. At the bottom of the division the Red Sox and Rays are both tied at the embarrassing record of 1-7.

The Rays have struggled to find offense, and are now dealing with the unexpected departure of Manny Ramirez. The Red Sox are having trouble with their pitching, both starters and those out of the bullpen. They have only scored 29 runs and have allowed 53 for an American League low -24 run differential. The Red Sox and Rays begin a series this week, so one of them has to improve their record by default.

The main surprise out of the AL East is the Baltimore Orioles. They are 6-2 and are first in the divison. They handed the Rangers their first loss of the season yesterday in a doubleheader. Their success can be attributed to the new atmosphere introduced by manager Buck Showalter. He left his comfy analyst job at ESPN to take over the perennially losing Orioles. Since he took over last year, the O’s have the best record in the East.

Baltimore is a primarily young team that is led by a few veterans. Derrek Lee and Vlad Guerrero were signed to help mentor the young players and produce on offense, which they have done. If they keep up this consistent play, they can give the Yankees a good run for the division crown.

AL Central

The Cleveland Indians are in first place for the first time since 2008. My hometown team is currently on 6-game win streak. Three of those wins came in a sweep of the Red Sox in Cleveland. The Indiana are in Seattle today looking for a sweep of the offensively challenged Mariners.

The rest of the divison is very much still in it, of course. It is very early, though starting with a record such as that of the Red Sox can ruin the rest of the season. The worst record in the Central is 3-5, which is held by the Twins and the Tigers.

The race for the divison should be an intersting one to follow over the course of the season. The Royals have yet to begin their annual collapse, which might be a good sign. Having all five teams in a competitive pennant race would be very exciting to watch.

AL West

The division is led by the defending AL champion Texas Rangers. They suffered their first loss of the season yesterday in Baltimore. Even with the loss they are 7-1 and in control of their division. Many doubted that the Rangers could repeat as AL West champs, but I see no reason why they shouldn’t win the division.

The Angels are their greatest competition, and they are currently 3-4. The A’s struggle to get their record over .500 while the Mariners need to solve their problems on offense. Look for the Rangers to keep winning, and have a chance to defend their ALCS in the playoffs.

“Rapid Robert” was born and raised in the 300 person town of Van Meter, Iowa, 20 miles west of Des Moines. He strengthened his young arm not with weights, but by doing chores on the family farm. At just 16, he signed his first professional contract (a grand total of $1), and by age 17 “The Heater from Van Meter” made his mark, striking out 17 Philadelphia Athletics, an American League record at the time. 

At age 21, he tossed the only Opening Day no-hitter in baseball history, and had three total to his career credit.  Feller threw a major league record 12 one-hitters, including his first career start. He was the youngest pitcher to win 20 games when he did so at age 20 in 1939.

Robert William Andrew Feller was literally the first major-league ballplayer to volunteer for combat service in World War II, enlisting on December 8, 1941, in his baseball prime, to become a gun captain aboard the USS Alabama, pulling the trigger when kamikazes were in sight.

Major Leaguers were offered a deferment by President Roosevelt, but the time Feller spent in the Navy would become his proudest achievement.

He didn’t mind the nearly four seasons  – and likely 100 wins — he ‘lost’ due to his military service. “That was the war we had to win,” he said in an interview last year. “I know in my heart I would have ended up a lot closer to 400 than 300 if I hadn’t spent four seasons in the Navy. But don’t take that as a complaint. I’m happy that I got home in one piece.”

Feller also refused to deem himself a hero, noting that “heroes don’t come home from wars. Survivors come home from wars. I’m a survivor.”

When Bob did return to the diamond in April 1946, he promptly tossed his second no-hitter, this time at Yankee Stadium. In what was arguably Feller’s best season, he struck out a then-record 348 batters that season, while starting 42 games, completing 36, and winning 26. The eight-time All Star ended his career with 266 victories and 2,581 strikeouts, leading the American League in strikeouts seven times.

Feller was part of Cleveland’s last World Championship team in 1948, and needless to add, he spent his entire playing career with one team.

“Bullet Bob,” as he was also known, was the greatest pitcher of the greatest generation, and this icon served as an ambassador to the game for nearly six decades after his retirement.

Feller was a first-ballot Hall of Fame selection in 1962, and when baseball celebrated its 100th anniversary at the All-Star Game in 1969, he was honored as the game’s greatest living right-handed pitcher.  The proud midwesterner attended the Indians’ fantasy camp in either Florida or Arizona every winter, and at age 90, he donned a Tribe jersey and pitched in the Baseball Hall of Fame Classic in Cooperstown.

“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again.” — Bob Feller, American Patriot.

God Bless You, Sir. Rest in Peace.

First, the Indians were awesome then. You might recall that from 1995-2001 they never won fewer than 86 games and won the AL Central all but one of the those seasons (finishing 2nd the other). They made to World Series twice (’95, ’97, losing both) and reached the ALCS another time. The dominance of these Indians kept my White Sox from doing anything of significance other than our out-of-nowhere 2000 season.

The second reason I hated the Indians was a man named Frank Dorazio. Frank worked with my dad when I lived in West Lafayette and could actually watch every White Sox game, which is when I really became a die-hard. Unfortunately this coincided with the Indians’ run, and since I saw Frank often I could never escape his wrath. He was (and I assume still is) a big Indians fan and was never bashful about rubbing it in my face that the Indians always had the leg up on the White Sox.

I’m sure that Frank has watched in amusement over the past decade as, one by one, all of those former Indians from the mid-1990s have made their way to Chicago during the latter stages of their careers. The latest example is Manny Ramirez, who is expected to join the White Sox later today.

Because I apparently feel like torturing myself with the White Sox hanging by a thread at 4.5 games out, here is the roster of players I used to hate with every fiber of my being that I later was forced to cheer for once they donned White Sox black.

Sadly, it would make a pretty nice starting lineup, especially during interleague play.

Kenny Lofton – CF

Roberto Alomar – 2B

Manny Ramirez – LF

Albert Belle – RF

Jim Thome – 3B

Sandy Alomar Jr – C

Julio Franco – 1B

Omar Vizquel – SS

Bartolo Colon – P

I suppose we could bring back The Milkman Herbert Perry to play 3rd and bump Thome over to DH in AL parks. See…how White Soxian is this? I’m assembling a team built for the NL first, as opposed to the league the White Sox actually play in. Kind of like how Ken Williams has gone about building this year’s Sox team.

Oh well. The White Sox have Manny now. Nothing was harder than learning to cheer for Jim Thome so I’m sure it won’t be a problem. Let’s just hope Manny can get a little bit of that late-90s feeling back. The White Sox could use down the stretch.

Oh, and by the way Frank, if you have Google Alerts on your name and somehow find your way to this article: laugh and make all the jokes you want. You may have owned an entire half decade, but you never finished the job like the White Sox did in 2005. Damn it feels good to finally have the trump card.

[Editor's note: It is a day of writer debuts!

First, Kurt Allen debuted with his analysis of Brett Favre's retire-or-not history. Now, Patrick Suley makes his debut with a new feature, the Unjustly Obscure Player of the Week (which fits in perfectly with the content I announced yesterday). I'll let him explain how the series will work.

Enjoy his first piece below.]

———-

I’m Patrick Suley, longtime baseball fan and first time writer for Midwest Sports Fans. Like any sports fan, I have been enamored with and enraged by players that get very little press or recognition. Time passes and these players drift off into the ether of baseball lore.

I feel it is my mission to give a different player his due each week. This is hardly a new concept. SharapovasThigh.com has done a similar thing with “Random Retro Baseball Player”. VeteranPresence.com too has it’s “Forgotten Player of the Moment”. But hell, I love these articles and figure I can add to the memories.

I still remember the first time I was unfaithful to my own team. It was back in 1993. I was an avid Toronto Blue Jays fan, and like all good nine-year-olds, I refused to cheer for anyone not destined to help the Jays repeat as World Series champs.

But then I saw him.

And on that date, July 30, 1993, I became a Travis Fryman fan.

I only know this date (thanks to BaseballReference.com) because I remember Fryman hitting a homerun, it being a game at the Skydome, and the fact that it was in the middle of summer. I wish I could remember what it was about his play, or what I heard on the commentary that made me initially take notice, especially since I would usually vilify anyone who would dare besmirch The Blue Jay’s record; but unfortunately I don’t.

I just remember thinking he was really cool, manly, and the type of third baseman I wished Ed Sprague was for the Jays. I also remember feeling incredibly guilty about this fact.

The Blue Jays and Tigers were rivals in the AL East and having my second favorite player (you can look forward to reading about my man crush on Pat Hentgen in the future) on another team just felt wrong. This was a fact I was compelled to keep a secret from all my friends. I never told anybody I liked Fryman, but I would always check the Tiger’s box scores to see what he did the night before.

How could I not like him? He wasn’t overly big or small, but he was obviously the toughest person out there. He tried to castrate every second baseman in the league on double plays. He would charge home plate like a linebacker to get catchers to drop the ball.

Fryman was a very good third baseman and shortstop by early 90s standards. He was rarely spectacular, but could be counted on to hit at least .270 with 20HR and 90RBI. These used to be and are again becoming impressive numbers. His defensive play was always very solid after the 1993 season (though he was rather sporadic before that).

Following the 1997 season, Fryman was traded twice in a span of two weeks, first going to Arizona for two piles of nothing and a year of Joe Randa (who was later dealt by the Tigers for Baseball Superstar Willie Blair), and then getting dealt to Cleveland in exchange for Matt Williams.

I was pretty happy at this point as Fryman had a great shot to be in The World Series with a great Indians team. Fryman hit .287 with 96 RBI and a career-high 28 home runs, helping the Indians to their fourth-straight AL Central title. Fryman reached the postseason for the first time in his career before Cleveland did what they do in October. Ugh.

The only saving grace of that season was that Fryman was my third baseman in the first ever fantasy baseball league I took part in. 1998 led to a love affair with Roto Baseball as well as an intense burning hatred of Bernard Gilkey.

Fryman would have only one more great season, in 2000 (.321/.392/.516 22HR 106RBI and a Gold Glove), as 1999, 2001 and 2002 were all plagued with injuries that even my scraptastic forbidden baseball hero could not play through. By this time though, Fryman had already helped me learn a valuable life lesson. I was finally admitting my love of Fryman to family and friends and felt comfortable being a fan of players on any team.

Except the Phillies.

If you have any suggestions for future Obscure Players, drop them in the comments.

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* – Travis Fryman photo source: Photobucket

But we are not front-runners here at Midwest Sports Fans, and both Cubs and Indians fans are among our readership; thus I pledge to you that we will not forget about you during the dog days of August and September. (Keep in mind, I am an Indiana basketball fan that has had to suffer through three straight years of depression and disappointment. I feel a small fraction of your pain Indians and Cubs fans!)

That is why I decided to launch this contest. I wanted to find a way to give suffering Cubs and Indians fans something to smile about over the next two months. And in my experience as a baseball fan, few things make baseball fans smile like old and often goofy pictures of retro ball players.

If you don’t believe me, go to Sharapova’s Thigh and look through their list of Random Retro Baseball Players, like this one (complete list in sidebar). That’s entertainment.

So our goal is simple: let’s sift through the litany of unintentionally entertaining retro Cubs and Indians to come up with the greatest retro Cub and the greatest retro Indian of all time.

What does “greatest” mean? Who knows. It’s totally open to interpretation; you the reader will decide with your votes. And you’ll surely be voting on guys like these two classics (assuming someone nominates them):

Here is how this will work:

• For the next three weeks, I will accept nominations for the greatest retro Cub and the greatest retro Indian. You can submit your nomination using the form at the bottom of this post. (If you have any problems, just email me: jerod [at] midwestsportsfans [dot] com.)
• Be sure to include the goofiest picture of the player that you can find, along with a description of why you are nominating that player. (And make sure you include your correct email address so I can get in contact with you if you win.)
• Three Saturdays from now, on August 28th, I will post all of the nominations with some sort of system in place for readers to vote on a winner. That system will be determined based on how many nominations there are. It could be a bracket or it could be some other method. But you will get to choose the winners.
• Once winners are chosen, the nominators of the 1st and 2nd place finishers on both the Cubs side and the Indians side will receive T-Shirts, courtesy of our friends at Alternative Hero. Below is what the shirts look like. Click on the image to go to the Alternative Hero site to buy one:

So that’s it. Pretty simple huh? And I think it will be fun. There are A LOT of goofy former Cubs and Indians who could be nominated, so I look forward to seeing who you come up with.

Here’s the nomination form:

[gravityform id=3 name=ContestSubmission Form]