An online conversation …
Posted July 16th, 2008 by Pat McManamon
So I crossed paths with my friend Frank. Online that is. This is an example of journalism of the zeroes. Instant messages, that kind of thing.
Anyway, Frank is quite the sports guy. He probably knows more than I do about this stuff, which really isn’t saying much. He’s also a top-notch smart aleck, which you’ll find out soon enough. Frank’s not his real name. It’s been changed to protect the innocent.
At any rate, we both watched a healthy portion of the All-Star game (not together), and we had this conversation online Wednesday about the Game. For some reason I found it interesting.
In addition, there’s really not a lot going on in sports right now. It’s that midseason baseball lull, when there are no games, football has yet to start and ESPN is close to showing the ESPYs, the greatest waste of time in our generation.
Me: Quite the midseason classic eh?
Frank: I was hoping for a tie
Me: Game 7 (of the World Series) on a neutral site?
Frank: Could have it here
Me: Sure.
Me: League Park?
Frank: Rubber bowl. It would be a sellout with CC pitching for the Brewers.
Me: He'll pack 'em in … and probably win with 14 Ks
Frank: Game winning homer too.
Me: Second and third RBIs.
Frank: Whiffs Manny to end game
Me: After knocking him down.
Me: In his postgame he does an Art Modell and thanks the city of Cleveland.
Frank: Modell blows. … A friend of mine wants to know why you hate CC so much
Me: I don’t hate him. I like him. He just wants the money. His words that he loved it here were a sham. And … I don't believe you have a friend.
Frank: Well, this guy isn't really a friend. Let's say he's a guy I know. … I don't remember CC using the words ‘I love it here.’
Me: He said it in spring training … ‘Everybody knows how much I love it here.’ Something like that. So there.
Frank: I must have been sleeping when he said that
Me: That’s not surprising … I heard some talk show guys last night saying that the Indians can get back in the race … be down five by end of August .
Frank: Five behind KC?
Me: Matt LaPorta will be on the Olympic team
Frank: He'll be the star
Me: Until he tears his Achilles.
Frank: He'll still be back before Hafner
Me: I’d like to talk with Jake.
Frank: Westbrook?
Me: Yea. The pitcher who got hurt.
Frank: He'll be back before Hafner, Time to go cut the grass
Yes, it may be lame. But For some reason that conversation seems to sum up the feeling of the fan base these days.
July 16th, 2008 at 11:08 pm
[...] unknown wrote an interesting post today and shared it with the world.Here's a quick excerpt [...]
July 17th, 2008 at 9:09 am
For the record, I don't recall ever hearing C.C. say "I love it here in Cleveland," either. He would always say something about how he likes his teammates, having grown up and played with them, yada yada. But "love" Cleveland? Never heard it. When pressed for even a glimmer of hope in spring training of 2007 (that's a year and a half ago), he wouldn't budge. Mark Schwab of WTAM continually prodded and pressed the issue, saying Cleveland had the advantage in negotiations, because they could "up his salary" for '07 and '08, plus offer the extension, which no other team could do.
C.C. was completely noncommittal. I knew instantly, "This guy is lonnnnnng gone." He just played the P.R. game until he didn't have to anymore. Any fan who believes the Tribe had a snowball's chance of signing C.C. is delusional. Even if the Tribe had the very best offer, C.C. is heading WEST and to the N.L. It's been his plan all along, whether Tribe fans want to believe it or not. Watch it play out.