A few thoughts on a Browns game that produced very little for thought …

The first-team offense provided enough positives to let everyone breathe a little easier heading into the season. Brady Quinn led the starters to a field goal and touchdown, and the unit was sharp.

Quinn should have hit Kellen Winslow for a touchdown, though. Poor throw.

The offensive line, too, finally played like it’s been expected to play.

Derek Anderson was on the sidelines. He left the locker room without addressing the media, but did give a thumbs-up signal on his way out. Expect him to return to practice next week.

Braylon Edwards got a pretty nasty cut on his foot – nobody has said how many stitches he needed, to my knowledge – but the team expects him back as well. Same with Jamal Lewis, who strained a hamstring.

It was not good to see starting guard Rex Hadnot leave with a strained knee. But if the Browns are to lose anyone up front, at least they have experienced backups in Seth McKinney and Ryan Tucker on the team.

Travis Wilson might have done enough to save his job, especially if Syndric Steptoe’s shoulder injury keeps him out any length of time.

Observers said Steptoe did not seem seriously injured as he left the locker room. The Browns will need either he or Josh Cribbs to be healthy for the opener.

It’s hard to gauge these injuries during games. The team says what is hurt, and gives the chances of return (probable, questionable, doubtful, will not return). Other than that, the media pretty much knows what everyone watching on TV knows. Details on the guys hurt in the finale will be available probably on Saturday when GM Phil Savage discusses the final roster.

The Browns finished preseason 0-4, the second time in team history they went winless in preseason. But as Romeo Crennel said: “We could've been 4-0 and if we lose to Dallas you're going to ask what went wrong."

Someday we will all look back on this date and remember it as the day that Martin Luther King gave the “I Have a Dream” speech, the night that Barack Obama accepted the Democratic nomination and the night when the Browns concluded the preseason that seemed to drag on forever.

Where is Adriana Lima when you need her?

First and 10 with the Browns –

1) Exhibition games aren’t really about results. The fact that the Browns cut a Giant deficit to a 37-34 final doesn’t really matter. These games are about impressions, approach and, for those trying to make the team, the chance to play. The Browns made a terrible impression in their second game. It was a real clunker. One team looked like a Super Bowl team, a champion, a group of professionals. The Browns looked a team of wanna-bes that did not bring a mature approach to the game. They looked, perhaps, like a team that has been given 12 prime-time games despite making the playoffs once since 1999. To me, this approach revealed itself before the game when the Browns talked about how nice it would be to be in New York and playing on Monday night. For crying out loud, it’s a preseason game. I realize the Browns may have been asked the question about going to New York to play in primetime, but it would have been OK for them to say, “Well gee it’s just a preseason game. I don’t care where it is. I do care how we play.” Instead they talked about being in the spotlight and all that kind of stuff. The immature approach then showed in silly penalties and a punch thrown (and missed). It showed in tackling a guy before a punt even got close to him and in almost 100 yards in penalties in the first quarter. Brutal.

2) I’ve been saying for a long time that Joe Jurevicius’ injury ruins the team’s receiving depth. That if Braylon Edwards ever were injured it would mean trouble. Guess what. Edwards didn’t play Monday night, and the offense looked lost. There was no flow, no timing, nothing close to precision. It’s not going to take the other teams long to recognize this fact and pretty much take Edwards away and dare another receiver – like Kellen Winslow, who was pretty much AWOL in this game — to beat them. The offense looked lost without Edwards.

3) How in the world does a team get almost 100 yards in penalties in one quarter? That’s mind-boggling. Same way, I guess, that a team gets a punt blocked by a guy trying to block for the punt, and same way a team allows a punt return for a touchdown following that blocked punt that led to a safety, and the same way a guy fumbles a handoff inside the 5-yard-line to give the Giants a length-of-the-field touchdown run. Double brutal.

4) If this game was any indication, the gulf between a true playoff team and a team that wants to be a playoff team is Grand Canyonesque.

5) Nice to see Domenik Jerry Rice Hixon get some preseason playing time. Hixon is from Akron, and he was better than any Browns receiver on the field.

6) I’m thinking if Terrell Owens was watching Hixon abuse the Browns secondary he was giggling to himself quite a bit about what he might do in the season opener.

7) The Browns pulled out brown pants for the trip to New Jersey. I think it’s time to put them away. The Browns looked like a high school team. Then they played like one.

It's kind of irritating, but here on the log every time I type the "8" for item "8" it comes up with that stupid face. … Memo to self: Write corporate about THAT one. … Brodney Pool’s concussion is a bit scary, given their cumulative effects. Pool has missed time in his career with concussions. … Anyone notice Charlie Frye threw for 209 yards in Seattle? … He also had three interceptions and no touchdowns. … Nice of Eric Wright to style the way he did on that short touchdown gift. … Cripes, the team was getting its you-know-what kicked and he pranced into the end zone, then styled after. … Wright had a brutal game – as Rice-Hixon took advantage of him. … The Browns first-team offensive line was beat pretty regularly by the Giants starters and backups. Not good. … Good to see Phil Dawson kick a 56-yard field goal. The Browns have one of the league’s elite kickers. … Who’d have thought Syndric Steptoe would be this preseason’s “Guy Who Blooms From Nowhere.” … I believe there was a Melila Purcell sighting. … Why in the world do people say that Brady Quinn is from Cleveland? Dublin, Ohio, is as much a part of Cleveland as Dublin, Ireland, is.

9) At this writing, which is 12:58 a.m. on Tuesday morning while some divers go inward-three-and-a-half and over-rotate (don’t you hate when that happens?) and do not allow their feet to separate, nobody really knows much about Derek Anderson’s concussion, except that any time there’s a concussion it’s a bit scary. There’s no telling how long these kinds of things can linger. Brady Quinn will get the chance for more playing time, but I don’t think there’s anyone in Berea who would feel good about Quinn taking the snaps in the season opener against Dallas.

10) I’ve told this story before, but I’m going to tell it again — games like Monday night always remind me of the time Joe Greene was an assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins. Greene, the former Steeler, was talking about how bad the Dolphins were in a blowout loss to Atlanta. So I asked: Well does it matter? It was only preseason. And Green flashed some very angry eyes my way. And he said in a very testy voice: “Of course it matters.” Why, I asked? “Because the guys who accept losing in the preseason are the same guys who accept losing in the regular season.” I then offered Mr. Greene a Coke and slinked my way toward the exit, but I’ve never forgotten what he said. “The guys who accept losing in the preseason are the same guys who accept losing in the regular season.”

Three and Out

First, I must point out that many of you were unhappy that First and 10 will no longer be e-mailed and will instead be placed on the blog. I’m not big on changing something that has been successful, but there are financial and other considerations for the decision of the corporate folks to make this a frog item. What can I do? Boycott writing the clog? From here on, First and 10 will be on the dog, and I really hope that it won’t be too difficult for everyone to find. Of course, if you are reading this you already found it. Which makes me like the priest at church whose sermon is about people not attending church. Get it? He’s lecturing those at church about people who do not go to church.

On to the letters …

Dear Pat,

Your Akron Beacon Journal columns on Edwards and Manny (note the insipid self-promotion with the links …) were published in the San Francisco Chronicle this week. Has this made you more famous? Have you gotten e-mails calling you an idiot from West Coast folks who couldn't name one player on the Browns? And, finally, what are the chances of the Browns playing in the Super Bowl in my lifetime? (I turn 61 next week)

Craig Weatherington
Santa Cruz, Calif.

Dear Craig,

Perhaps I should point out that you live in one of the most fabulously pretty areas of this nation, and you have yet to invite me over for a Sierra Nevada. I’m glad the Chronicle printed those stories, but given the rising price of newsprint I’m surprised they used the space. Someone must have been sick.

Craig also refers to one of our favorite features in First and 10, one I am more than willing to revive. It was called “You’re an Idiot” and it featured the most genuinely nasty e-mail I could find that called me an idiot – usually for having a meaningless opinion.

This comment from BMK in Palo Alto, Calif., about my Sunday story in the Beacon Journal discussing the Cavs' acquisition of Mo Williams would certainly qualify — if, that is, it were a letter to First and 10:

"You are without a doubt the worst writer — and most vacuous journalist — that I have ever come across."

Notice the subtlety. He never actually used the word idiot, but the point certainly came across. And he also used the word "vacuous." Any insult letter or comment with the word "vacuous" is certainly worthy of special consideration.

We’ll see how the letters go in preseason and perhaps begin “You’re an Idiot” during the season.

As for the Super Bowl question, stop asking me mathematical questions dealing with the quadratic equation. It’s confusing.

(From the online comments)
Dear Pat,

While we are lambasting John Edwards and President Clinton (for their extramarital affairs), let's not forget John McCain who had an affair while his first wife was in the hospital in critical condition from a car wreck. My how most forget this. Personally none of that is my business. That being said if you are going to smear, you must smear all or none. Distractions such as this to raise the moral outrage of those who like to be pandered to is merely par for the course.

Patrick, you don't like to be pandered to do you?

Eric Lowrey

Dear Eric,

Who likes being pandered to? Verbal insults that demean character are just not right. Dadgum it!

What? That’s not pandered? That’s slandered? OK then.

Never mind.

As to your letter, as I write early in the morning on Tuesday someone on TV is talking about a diver going past vertical. Would that also apply to John McCain, Edwards and Clinton? They went past vertical? Or would it be more appropriate when that same commentator mentioned a diver having trouble with his bottoms? Might that apply better to these politicians – they simply had trouble with their bottoms?

I shall stop.

You raise a good point about considering McCain along with Edwards.

I’d also nominate Newt Gingrich for the Philandering Hall of Hypocrisy.

Dear Pat,

I’m really going to miss the e-mails. I honestly don't know how often I'll go to a blog, but we'll see. RSS? Doohickey (Note from Pat: I refer to an RSS feed button as a “doohickey.” It’s a more technically correct term)? Stop it! You're overloading my head with this technical jargon! You teckie nerds are all alike.

OK so actually I'd already accessed the blog, without the orange doohickey. I just saved the URL into my favorites. I just doubt I'll recall frequently to access it. Whenever I do, I'll share the good news with all your legions of readers in Coshocton and surrounding metropolises.

What's the preoccupation with Adriana Lima? You remind me of a friend, living locally here but originally from Akron, who claims a close personal relationship with Akron supermodel Angie Everhart.

Glenn Mishler
Coshocton, Ohio

Dear Glenn,

Glenn was a loyal First and 10 reader and letter writer.

He’s a nice guy, but kind of confused and bit daffy.

Otherwise he’d never need to ask what he did about Ms. Lima.

If you have a comment or question you’d like addressed next week, e-mail me at pmcmanamon@thebeaconjournal.com, and put First and 10 in the subject line.

Until the next politician goes past vertical …

Best,
Pat

I would imagine if Adriana Lima could swim, she would be pretty good. But not even she could match the excitement provided by Michael Phelps in these Beijing Olympcs. To win a seventh gold medal by .001 of a second? Are you kidding me? This internet site shows what can take place in various increments of time (proving again that you can find anything on the internet). It states that one-hundredth of a second is the length of time it takes for lightning to strike. So when Phelps won that gold, it was literally lightning striking. Trite, perhaps. But there are times when sports provides moments we all remember, when we see what the Olympics are about. This swim by Phelps was one of them. So, too, was the graciousness and class shown by Mark Spitz in the interview he and Phelps did on NBC. Just think … Phelps won in the strike of a lightning bolt.

One of the loyal blog readers noticed that new Cavs guard Mo Williams has a special friend (thanks to the gentlemenly Mr. Close for the photo):

I was watching the Olympics last night and noticed they now have synchronized diving. Two folks line up side by side on the board and dive at the same moment and do the same spins and twirls and flips and try to make the same splash in the water. Really now. Is this not the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen? Much less heard of? Synchronized diving. Now, before anyone gets their spleen in a bunch, let's make it clear: Nobody is criticizing the athletic and artistic ability of the people doing these things. They are amazing, and talented. Those of us who have trouble with belly flops can surely attest to that. But where is the limit to sports. Sychronized swimming is bad enough. Hand in the air … oops … two hands in the air .. a twist left, a twist right … flip and it's two feet … pointed up … And the Russian judge gave them a 7! Can they keep these sports at some kind of real level? Tell Bob Costas and all the rest of the Olympic gang to call when they have a synchronized 100-meter dash. Then I'll watch.

For those who do love synchronized stuff, here is the baby-pool team practicing for the London Olympics:

And here is Adriana Lima synchronizing herself.

Marla Ridenour talked to the boss, and they decided it would be a good idea for me to cover the Brett Favre news conference. Sweet of her. Every reporter in the greater New York-New Jersey-New Philadelphia area was there, and he spoke in a room smaller than his walk-in closets. No matter, since Marla figured it was a good idea, I did as well. So I took the elevator down to where Favre was speaking and ran across Brett Reynolds, the Browns vice president for sales and marketing. For a second, it seemed like a good idea to interview this Brett since it'd be less crowded, but then it didn't seem like people would be that interested in Brett Reynolds. At the room, we were informed that the Jets had picked the New York and national folks who would be allowed in. The Beacon Journal did not make the cut — neither did most of the Cleveland media, or Adriana Lima. So we shuffled around outside the room until Favre appeared. When he did, it seemed like the world might be interested in seeing what we saw.

Here, Favre arrives.

Here he holds up his new Jets jersey.

Here a female photographer sits on the shoulders of another female to get the photo. The reporter in front seems a bit more concerned with what is happening there than what Favre is saying.

Finally, this is what the hallway outside looked like.

At this point, it seemed like a good time to head up to the press box.

Paul Pierce is having an interesting offseason. Celebrating his title, almost getting arrested in Las Vegas and then proclaiming himself the world’s greatest basketball player. Pierce said that in Madrid when asked if Kobe Bryant is the best player in the world. “I don't think Kobe is the best player. I'm the best player,” Pierce said, according to yahoo.com. “There's a line that separates having confidence and being conceited. I don't cross that line but I have a lot of confidence in myself." On the one hand, a person like Pierce probably should feel that he’s one of the better players in the league. He was simply outstanding in the Finals. On the other, until this season I don’t know that many people would have put him in the top three, four, five players. Finally, he misses the point. Actually, the questioner does as well. Because, well, you see the best player in the world is neither Kobe or Paul Pierce, it’s LeBron James.

Of all the many unforgettable moments provided by Heath Ledger in the Dark Knight, the best has to be when Ledger, made up as the Joker, hair askew, makeup all over, wears a nurse’s dress as he sits down to face the man he tried to murder. He looks at a man he put in a hospital bed, says hi with an impish grin and (remember, wearing a nurse’s dress) asks: “Do I really look like a guy with a plan.” Classic. Not quite, “I am shocked, shocked to learn there is gambling going on in here,” but classic nonetheless. It’s also not quite the same as Slim Pickens telling a whole bunch of cowboys “Somebody has to go back and get a (boatload) of dimes” in Blazing Saddles, but it was good. And don’t forget from Airplane — “A hospital, what is it? … It’s a big building with patients, but that’s not important right now.” Ledger ranks in there somewhere.

Devoe Torrence wound up joining Akron’s football team – after he was acquitted of charges he had sex with a 12-year-old-girl. Had Torrence had any other previous issues in high school he would not be with the Zips now. And the fact that Torrence was judged innocent enabled the team to add him. Torrence is a talented back who went to Canton South for three years, then to Massillon. But right now he’s running fourth team for the Zips. I wrote a lot about him in Wednesday’s Beacon Journal, but the thought of him sitting in court going testimony against testimony with a 12-year-old is pretty unsettling. Here’s what I wonder: Yes he may have been judged innocent, but how in the world does someone put themselves in the situation where they are charged with such a crime?

Memo to Alan T, one of my loyal readers. Appreciate the complimentary photo; it actually shows my better side. And Alan … as for Adriana … can’t we live with one unreal image in our lives? At least, can’t I in my pathetic little life? I mean, we’re just trying to have a little bit of fun here. Without a plan, of course.

“I’m like a dog chasing a car. Wouldn’t know what to with one if I caught it. I just do things.” Classic.

Next starting question on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? “Place the following in order of duration, shortest to longest.”
A) The 100 Years War
B) The time it took the British to navigate to the Falklands
C) The time I will wait for Adriana Lima’s call
D) The death of Francisco Franco
E) The Brett Favre Retirement-Unretirement Saga

Let’s see … Devin Hester signed a new contract for $40 million. It took Joshua Cribbs how long to ask for a new deal? Guess that six-year deal Cribbs signed in November of 2006 doesn’t count. In truth, Cribbs is underpaid. But the problem is it was him putting his signature on his contract, a document that is legally valid in 48 of the 50 states. The proverbial ball is the proverbial court of the proverbial team on this one.

Here’s a couple more pictures from my friend Bob, a fellow St. Ignatius alum, from his travels in Alaska, the great state of bears, glaciers, mountains and snow.

Any visit to Firestone (like this week’s to the Bridgestone Invitational) brings feelings of awe. The course is simply that great, a jewel in the nation’s obsession with hitting a dimpled ball with a metal stick. Firestone is a great, great course. No tricks, no gimmicks, no island green, no ridiculous fairway contortions. Just golf as it was meant to be played – although I wish they had not lengthened 16 and left the monster as it always was. The most entertaining 15 minutes at this tournament came Friday during an interview with Peter Lonard, an Australian who is 100 percent Aussie. Having covered tennis and golf in my pitiful existence, I’ve come to have great respect for Aussies. They are straight-up, down to earth and real. Find me a boring Aussie and I’ll show you a Brit (Hey … it’s a JOKE). At any rate, Lonard offered the following when asked what it meant that Tiger Woods was missing: “To me him not being here is usually on average probably the difference between 39th and 38th. So I don't miss him much. But I'm sure the boys up in the big money end, they definitely notice a difference.” After shooting a 66, Lonard quipped that it was better than the 74s he had averaged the past few years at Firestone. What enabled him to shoot 74? He said: “Thick trees, thick rough, hard greens to putt on, being a bad chipper. You name it, I've got it all.” When Lonard talked about the course not being as hard and tough as a year ago, Jude Coen, the young lady next to him from the Australian Tour, said “Australians aren't hard and tough, the courses are hard and tough.” Lonard could not let that go. “Well,” he said. “The chicks are hard and tough, from what I've seen anyway, from the ones that will talk to me.’’ In this nation in this day and age, that might be considered sexist. To an Australian it’s just life. Coen laughed with everyone – while also rolling her eyes just a tiny bit. I don’t know … maybe you had to be there.

Oh … Lonard did not mention Adriana Lima being hard and tough, which of course provides an excuse to post a photo of her.

So now we come to find out that Manny Ramirez asked not to be trade to Los Angeles. His agent called the Red Sox and said he would behave (my word) if the Red Sox kept him and eliminated those oh-so-onerous final two year team options in his contract worth $20 million. Problem was the call came after the trade was completed, and by this point the Red Sox were doing dances in Kenmore Square. The offer from Ramirez’s agent, by the way, does kind of bring up the question as to what Ramirez was doing – and does pretty much confirm that the Red Sox’s belief that he was faking injuries and not trying was pretty much right on the money. Call me crazy, but that’s not the kind of guy I’d want as a teammate.

And … here's Manny signaling how many are out after the leadoff hitter of an inning flied to center (thanks to deadspin.com for this photo)

Let’s see, the Cleveland Browns are a playoff-caliber team in need of an improved pass rush. They have Kamerion Wimbley, Willie McGinest and Antwan Peek to generate the “edge” rush – and when exactly did it become an “edge” rush anyway – but more pass rush is always good. There was a perennial Pro Bowl player on the market, a guy who as recently as two seasons ago was the Defensive Player of the Year. Name of Jason Taylor. Could have been acquired for less than a first-round pick. Taylor played in college at Akron, and now he plays professionally in Washington. He was traded to the Redskins yesterday.

Should the Browns have tried to acquire Taylor?

Let’s admit first that Taylor’s salary cap hit this season is $8 million. I have no idea if the Browns can fit that, but I would hazard a guess that given the increase in the cap the past two years finding the room for Taylor’s deal would not have been a major problem. We proceed here on that assumption.

Second, let’s admit that it’s easy to look back and second-guess. Taylor already is traded. It’s almost moot to discuss it now. But it’s also fun. And at various points this offseason the Dolphins made it clear they would not trade Taylor. Turns out it wasn’t that difficult a thing to do, and had the Browns wanted to acquire Taylor they might have been able to complete a deal.

Finally, it’s possible the Browns did try to acquire Taylor. They conduct their business in private and they don’t always call to solicit advice, so it’s entirely possible the team made a pitch or conducted some serious meetings to discuss the possibility and decided otherwise. I’m just pondering – and it’s a blog, and we all know what THAT means.

So let’s ponder …

Pro: Guy can rush the passer. Great pass rusher.
Con: He’s 33, and threatening to focus on his acting career after this season. Sound like another Browns great?
Pro: He’s a pro. Despite his desires to get out of Miami, he brings the right attitude to the locker room. Last year he won the Walter Payton Award as the league’s Man of the Year, which honors a player’s community activity as well as on-field play.
Con: He would fill the same role as McGinest – the elder statesman with a year or two left – and a team only needs so many of those guys.
Pro: He’s had at least 11 sacks in each of the last three seasons.
Con: How long can that last?
Pro: He leads the NFL with 117 career sacks.
Con: You want me to find a con for that one?
Pro: He can cut a mean rug.
Con: The Brown already have one dancing fool on the team in Shaun Rogers.
Pro: The Browns are close, very close, and when you’re close you should take your shot. Big risk can sometimes equal big reward.
Con: The Browns already traded next year’s third-round pick to Dallas for tight end Martin Rucker. Trading the second-round pick next year (which Washington did plus a sixth-rounder in 2010) would leave the Browns with one first-day pick – in the first round. The Browns had a zero-activity first day in this year’s draft. Line up too many of those in a row and suddenly the future is void.
Irrelevant thought: Washington gave up a second next year and a sixth the following? The only thing that would have made the deal more one-sided would have been to include a retired player doing nothing, a la the NBA.
Pro: Taylor could mean the Super Bowl!
Con: He could also tear his Achilles’ practicing a plie (how do you get that little funny mark over the “E” in Word anyway?).

The key question – is the possibility of acquiring Jason Taylor and adding 10 sacks going to make the difference in the Browns? This comes down to philosophy. Me, I believe the key to any successful defense begins and ends with the pass rush. Disrupt the quarterback’s timing and half the battle is won.

But I’m just a schmuck with a typewriter. I’m not sitting in Berea poring over films or discussing schemes. At one time in Berea “gap integrity” was a big issue. A colleague once quipped that when eating lobster he violated “lap integrity” by spilling butter on himself.

Alas, we digress.

The key fact about acquiring Taylor was his ability – which is a higher level than anyone’s on the Browns defense now, including Wimbley. Right now, Taylor is the kind of player Wimbley aspires to be.

But there’s his age. Joey Porter seemed like a decent player when Miami signed him a year ago; now he looks washed up. Things can go quick in football, and when they do there’s nobody waiting at the recliner to put the ability back in a body.

The other concern is the future, and how much a team mortgages for now. Some teams will do anything for now. The Browns don’t seem to be that kind of team. If a second-round pick were traded, that would mean the Browns would enter the 2009 draft with one first-day pick from the 2008 and 2009 drafts.

Travis Wilson excepted, these first-day picks are the lifeblood of a team, the heart and soul of the future. They are vital to maintaining any kind of consistent success. It’s hard to envision any team succeeding over time trading them all away. Too, once you make the first trade with a future pick, it snowballs because more future picks are all you have to trade as you go along.

That being said, the Browns also are a team that is pretty dadgum close. And if Taylor could make a difference, it might be worth it. Too, the Browns have a GM who is very adept at acquiring draft picks via trade, so perhaps he could recoup some lost picks in the future.

Tough call. Very tough call.

But if I were sitting in Berea, I’d have been on the phone with Miami. A lot.

On a separate matter … kinda miffed at Adriana Lima. Not only does she spurn dumpy Irish sportswriters for an NBA player, she has to rub our face in it. Could we not have done without this little “red carpet” show at the ESPYs? I mean, really now. Was this a sponsorship deal or something? Was this done because some of us couldn’t attend because we had to sort out the junk drawer? When’s the last time an NBA player sorted out his junk drawer? Or even HAD a junk drawer? Hrrmph. This keeps up she’s coming off this year’s Tupperware party list.

Ken Rosenthal of Foxsports.com reports that the Milwaukee Brewers have made a serious offer for C.C. Sabathia that includes two top prospects in the team's minor leagues. The offer could include a standout left-field prospect named Matt LaPorta and shortstop prospect Alcides Escobar. Rosenthal, a longtime and well-respected baseball writer, quoted anonymous baseball types marveling that the Indians could land those two players for Sabathia — and speculates that the Indians might have to give more than Sabathia to acquire them. The story is here. My scouting reports on the pair are incomplete. Well … I've never seen them even swing on the on-deck circle. But the tenor of this story indicates two things: The Indians are listening to offers for Sabathia, so we should probably expect him to be traded, and there are teams out there willing to give up some top talent to acquire him. If these two players are involved and they are the real deal, it might be impossible for Mark Shapiro to pass up the trade.

Several folks have asked me about Brian Windhorst, our outstanding and congenial Cavs beat writer (not many folks are called congenial these days are they?). Brian is an outstanding person, and he is presently in a local hospital recuperating. He has made progress these past 10 days of treatment, but the recovery and return to health will take time. I hope you all join me in wishing him well.

I have some thoughts on the Cavs and Indians and Browns in this Sunday's Beacon Journal, as well as the final animal count conducted by my daughters at Yellowstone. Yes, they counted each one they saw, from coyotes to buffalo to elk to moose to swans. One animal hit four figures — and it was not the wild humans stepping aimlessly in elk poop. RedHawk Rick commented on the previous Yellowstone post that this trip sounded like a wonderful opportunity to spend time with my daughters, and it was. I would not trade it for anything in the world. But I kind of think going to Borders with my daughters is a pretty good time too, and there are no buffalo or bears hanging out there. Rick also asked if Yellowstone was better than Jungle Larry's Safari Island. Really now, Rick, are we not stretching things a bit there? This would be like comparing a Pixar movie to Deputy Dawg or something. Dare we insult Jungle Larry by bringing him up in the same breath as Yellowstone's majestic mountains, roaring rivers and wonderful wildlife? Please.

Learned at Yellowstone that bison babies can actually be kind of cute. Not cute like Mikey from the Life cereal commercial or Adriana Lima (he wrote, cleverly finding a way to put her picture in again), but cute in their own fuzzy way. Apparently June is the best time to see bison babies, which makes it a good time to visit the park. Too, you're not there in September, when the male elk decide they want to … well … you know … find a female. So they get kind of aggressive and go after any human wearing a backpack (Hey … the backpack line is a JOKE — but the elk do get worked up in the fall). This time of year, the elk just walk around and eat and show off their furry butts. Elk have furry butts, you know. But you probably do know because Jungle Larry taught us all that. Alas, we digress. Here are a couple baby buffalo and part of the herd we saw the first afternoon we drove into the park.

Also learned that there really is nothing like seeing a bald eagle in the wild. Well … maybe there's a couple or few things like it … but we don't need to get into that at the moment. The day we saw the eagles, this male was hunting while the young eagle hung out at the nest. At first I thought it was the female, but a wise reader posted a comment and informed me it's the baby. (Thanks for that post … kind of saved me from further embarrassment.) I had thought the female eagle sent the male to hunt while she hung around watching The View or something, proving once again that the female of the species is wiser — no doubt she buttered up this poor schmuck male by praising his strength and hunting skills and off he went, like most dopey men. While waiting for Old Faithful to erupt one day — it's interesting, but not the highlight of the trip — a woman of American Indian descent explained that in the old days the women chose the chief, and the women of the tribe decided when the Indian nation would go to war, the thinking being that they had the most to lose. Which proves once again and through generations and cultures that no matter how much influence or power we males think we have, we only have it because the females allow us to have it. Like the guy who wanted to rearrange the living room because he was tired of how it looked. His wife said: "I let him." But since this is the baby, the joke might not be all that relevant. So … never mind.

At any rate, this is the male eagle, perched proudly on the end of this tree, from far away and then close up. And then after he flew into another tree after an unsuccessful venture into the Madison River in search of a fish.

And here is the baby. Amazing how large it gets, eh?