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.

Meanwhile, Cleveland Indians owner Larry Dolan can’t figure out why the Indians’ attendance has plummeted since the Dick Jacobs days.

Here is a hint Larry: you have only paid Grady Sizemore, and that is it.

The Indians produce a mediocre team year in and year out, and the fans day by day miss Dick Jacobs more and more.

The title, “If You Pay Them, They Will Come” means that if you pay the players you let go, your fans would appear in groves to Progressive Field. With the talent you let go and that is currently stretched across the eight teams that made this year’s playoffs, you too would be contending for a World Series title.

Think about the revenue that you would be raking in having playoff games at the Jake, sorry, Progressive Field. It would be insane. Look back at the mid-90s numbers that the Jake was bringing in.

The numbers are staggering.

From 1995 through 2001, the Cleveland Indians averaged over 41,000 in attendance per game.  From 2002 through 2008 your average game attendance plummeted to a dismal 22,800, nearly a 50% reduction!

Game one of the 2009 World Series appears headed for a matchup of Cliff Lee versus C.C. Sabathia. Does that not make you sick!?

Your back-to-back Cy Young award winners that you let waltz out the door.

It is no coincidence that these two aces helped carry their respective teams to the playoffs and beyond, and you had them both!!!

Click here for the remainder of the Cleveland Indians currently playing in the playoffs and sound off your frustrations!!

Kurt Fraschetti / ProFootballinsight.net
Kurt@ProFootballinsight.net

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* – C.C. Sabathia photo credit: AP via Newsday

* – Cliff Lee photo credit: The Zo Zone

Has the advent of the baggy pants (pajamas) in baseball caused the strike zone to change?

My perspective on this is that once the players started to wear loose fitting pants the umpire was no longer able to see exactly where their knee began.  While it is comfortable for them, they are putting themselves behind the eight ball from the umpire’s perspective.

One player that I noticed tried it both ways was Jermaine Dye earlier in the season.  While he only wore the pants in the traditional fashion for a couple of games, to me it was obvious that his strike zone was different.  It would be nice to sit down and discuss this with him.  I wonder if he saw the same thing that I did while I was sitting on my couch?

It is obvious that taller players with long legs are at the biggest disadvantages.  I also think that it has to have some impact on their ability to run.  Just look at Manny Ramirez’s pants.  How can he run in those things?

I guess the bottom line for me is that if you take away the umpires’ point of reference, then don’t complain.  I really wish the players all would go old school and wear their pants in the traditional sense.  Just for arguments sake it would be interesting to see if the strike zone were to go back to the official rule definition of the strike zone.

* – Jermaine Dye photo credit: Getty Images via Daylife

The report does not identify the substance that they tested positive for.

I have a feeling that the level of surprise at this report among baseball fans will be the equivalent to what most of us feel each morning when the sun rises: something along the lines of same $hit, different day.

Anyway, here is your link of the day, and then some other links for your daily perusal.

Ortiz and Ramirez Said to Be on 2003 Doping List — (New York Times)

Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz, the sluggers who propelled theBoston Red Sox to end an 86-year World Series championship drought and to capture another title three years later, were among the roughly 100 Major League Baseball players to test positive for performance-enhancing drugs in 2003, according to lawyers with knowledge of the results.

…

The information about Ramirez and Ortiz emerged through interviews with multiple lawyers and others connected to the pending litigation. The lawyers spoke anonymously because the testing information is under seal by a court order. The lawyers did not identify which drugs were detected.

Unlike Ramirez, who recently served a 50-game suspension for violating baseball’s drug policy, Ortiz had not previously been linked to performance-enhancing substances.

Scott Boras, the agent for Ramirez, would not comment Thursday.

Asked about the 2003 drug test on Thursday in Boston, Ortiz shrugged. “I’m not talking about that anymore,” he said. “I have no comment.”

Here is some other relevant reading on the topic of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz reportedly testing positive for PEDs in 2003, including an old Bill Simmons column that looks even more prescient now.

• Confronting my worst nightmare — (Bill Simmons, May 9, 2009)
• NYT: David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez Tested Positive for Performance-Enhancing Drugs in 2003 — (The Big Lead)
• Big Cheat, or Is He? — (My Sports Rumors)
• David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and the Bloody Sock on 2003 Steroid List — (Deadspin)

Quick excerpt from the Deadspin post by Dash:

As everyone will gladly point out, 2003 was Ortiz’s first season in Boston. It was also the season he saw a significant improvement in his stats. He set then career highs in HR and RBI and saw his .OPS jump about 130 points. 

And some other links:

• Label me a Favre skeptic — (NFL.com blog)
• Happy Birthday Jaime Pressley — (MoonDog)
• Splain it: lazy children — (Straight Pinkie)
• 10 hilarious celebrity impersonated prank calls — (Hail Mary Jane)
• New blog: Jay Cutler Superstar
• Big Ten Media Days Signal That Football is Almost Back — (Not Qualified to Comment)

* – Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz photo credit: MLBToday.net

Manny Ramirez has reportedly tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs

And here’s a quick update on the Manny Ramirez suspension from The Big Lead:

Manny didn’t test positive for steroids according to his agent, Scott Boras. So far, the story is that Manny went to a doctor in Miami who prescribed him something (for personal use), which triggered the positive test. Gammons: “Manny was absolutely devastated by this.”

And apparently the suspension will cost Manny $7.7 million, so that answers one of the questions in the comments about the suspensions being without pay.

So let’s see here…

• Boston Red Sox legend begins to enter expected twilight of career and sees numbers drop.
• Said legend is unceremoniously bounced from Boston with bad feelings all around.
• Legend goes to new team and suddenly experiences a career renaissance and is again considered among the very best at his particular craft.
• The legend then signs a huge contract, becomes rich, and is talked about among the greatest who ever played.

Anyone else notice any parallels between Manny Ramirez and Roger Clemens?

Unbelievable. But you know what? I’m not the least bit surprised. Another baseball legend linked with steroids. Ho hum, just another day in baseball. True, Ramirez is the biggest star to be caught since the MLB instituted testing, so that provides some shock value, but I can’t imagine any seasoned baseball fan being truly taken aback by this.

Who knows when Ramirez started using PEDs, but when he left Boston I think a lot of people assumed that his best days were behind him. Then he goes to LA and magically has one of the greatest runs of his illustrious career. RED FLAG!!! Then, this offseason, he parlayed it into a huge contract. Well played Manny, and all you have to do is sit out 50 games and suffer a little bit of shame…but does anyone think Manny Ramirez is really capable of shame?

I need to stop writing this. I’m starting to get pissed off and I’m sick of being pissed off about steroids in baseball. What a bunch of cheating, f’ing liars:

Manny Ramirez picture courtesy of the Baltimore Sun.

Here are Manny Ramirez’s comments about a possible return to Cleveland, from the original USA Today article by Bob Nightengale:

Manny Ramirez will be back in Los Angeles Monday to renew his love affair with the city, but before his career ends he hopes to be reunited with his first love: the Cleveland Indians.

“I would like to play for Cleveland one more time, to go back where I started,” said Ramirez, with the Dodgers playing their home opener Monday against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. “I have so many good memories there, why not?

“I think to go back where you started is everyone’s dream.”

The article goes on to discuss how Ramirez discussed the possibility during the offseason with former Indian and current White Sox DH Jim Thome. Thome says that Ramirez was “very sincere” when talking about rounding up all of the old school Indians for one more run in the AL Central.

“Me and Thome back in Cleveland?” Ramirez said. “That would be sweet.”

Apparently Albert Belle was not available for comment.

But before Indians fans get all excited and start packing Travis Hafner’s bags for him (if they are not doing that already), our buddies over at Waiting For Next Year provide a Lee Corso-style not-so-fast-my-friends.

From the WFNY story on the Manny Ramirez back to Cleveland comments:

Well, I can tell you what won’t happen: Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez coming back to Cleveland. It’s not saying that I wouldn’t welcome them both back; they would put a ton of fans in the seats, and a few baseballs in the bleachers. But to say that this team has moved on without Manny and Jim Thome would be an understatement.

Among the many reasons cited by WFNY for why Ramirez and Thome coming back to Cleveland won’t happen are the youth of the Indians and the fact that their future currently resides in Columbus with promising youngsters Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley.

Click here for great deals on Cleveland Indians tickets

I obviously don’t know the Indians inside and out, but I certainly cannot see something like this happening. While I’m sure Manny Ramirez would love to return to Cleveland, he certainly would not do so for free, and I cannot see the Indians shelling out significant money to get him — or they would have done it this offseason when Ramirez was available. In regards to Thome, the Indians would have to pull the cord on the Travis Hafner career life support and eat a huge chunk of change to open up the DH slot. I just cannot see that happening either.

And I will say this about Jim Thome: I wouldn’t want to see him go. Up until last year, I would have gladly shipped him back to the Indians. For whatever reason I always hated Thome, and I was not excited when the White Sox signed him. But he has grown on me the more removed he becomes from his Indians career, and the more I open my mind up to the value he brings to the South Side, both as a lefty power hitter and a clubhouse leader. Now that I’ve finally fully embraced Thome as a true South Sider, I hope he retires with the White Sox. I sure as hell don’t want to have to go back to hating him again if heads back over to Cleveland.

So while I’m sure it’s fun for Indians fans to think about a Ramirez-Thome reunion, much as it would be for White Sox fans to consider Frank Thomas and Robin Ventura reuniting at the corners, I think the chances of it happening are slim to none. At least Ramirez and Thome are still highly productive players, unlike the injured Thomas and retired Ventura, but it would signal a complete shift in organizational direction for the Indians. A shift that, I agree with WFNY, will not happen.

Now, maybe if they could bring back, say, Jaret Wright to replace Cliff Lee in the rotation we might actually be talking about something plausible…

The sweep was the Cub’s first since June 27-29 when they lost three straight games to their cross town rivals Chicago White Sox in Interleague play.

Ironically the Dodgers avenged an earlier sweep at the hands of the Cubs at the Friendly Confines back in May. The only difference is that the Dodgers are advancing to the National League Championship Series and the Cubs are looking to 2009 where they will hopefully find a way past the first round.

The Dodgers face the Phillies for the right to be called NL champs, with game one set for Thursday. The Dodger Blue return to the NL Championship round after a 20-year absence since the fatal blow by Kurt Gibson propelled them to the World Series in 1988.

The Fighting Phills return to the playoffs after 15 years of futility since the Phillies took centre stage in 1993 boasting a 97-65 mark. It was the only time in the 1990’s that the Phillies enjoyed a winning record making the best of it.

Since the Cub’s sweep of the Dodgers this season, first year manager Joe Torre has added slugger Manny Ramirez to the fold which has more than revamped a struggling lineup before the trade. The difference has been Night and Day for the struggling Dodgers.

Despite being one game out of the NL West race and one game below .500 and struggling for power due to injuries the Dodger Blue signed Ramirez just hours before the July 31^st deadline.

“If we didn’t have him, I don’t know what our chances would have been,” said third baseman Casey Blake, acquired five days earlier.

With Ramirez, the Dodgers went on an 18-5 tear to clinch the NL West and put Ramirez in the postseason for the 10th time in his illustrious career.

[tags]chicago cubs, los angeles dodgers, mlb, mlb playoffs, baseball, manny ramirez[/tags]