It’s kind of confusing what’s happening in Green Bay with Brett Favre. Not his teenage I won’t-I will stances toward football, mind you. But the Packers attitude toward Favre. A few months ago Favre had led the Packers to the NFC Championship Game and he was the greatest thing to happen to upper Wisconsin since the invention of the heater. Now he decides to unretire and the Packers tell him he’ll be a backup if he plays. Huh? How does that work? A guy is a Hall of Famer and has his best year in a long, long time and because he didn’t take part in offseason workouts he’s a backup? Apparently Favre made the Packers mad by changing his mind, so they’re going to show him and make him take second-string snaps in training camp behind Aaron Rodgers. Because he missed offseason workouts. You just can’t make this stuff up. I swear, the more you hear about the NFL way of thinking, the more it seems that sometimes their minds are affected by the fact they are so insulated from thinking about nothing but their sport 74 hours a day. Think about this: Brett Favre decides to unretire and he’s a backup to a guy who’s never played. Rocky and Bullwinkle made more sense.

The other day a story broke about the dwindling population in cities of Northern Ohio. Cleveland has taken a real hit; more people have left the city than any other city in the country except New Orleans – and that exodus was caused by a rather large natural disaster called Katrina. What did our governor, Ted Strickland, have to say? This: “Perhaps in the not too distant future, people are going to be leaving arid areas of this country, the New Mexicos and the Arizonas. They'll come running back to Ohio, because we have water, and they're going to be thirsty." Thirsty. There’s a slogan: “Want a drink? Come to Ohio.” And we wonder why our economy is in trouble?

Complaining about the Indians financial situation is kind of like complaining about gas prices. What good is it going to do? The Indians will never be a team that spends $150 million on salaries. It’s just not going to happen. Best to accept that reality and enjoy our lovely water. It’s not going to change. I took a look at the team’s finances in our Sunday paper; you can read that here if you like. But one thing that struck me was that during the halcyon glory days of the 1990s, the Indians were in fact among the highest in payroll. But they were at or about $60 million while the highest spending teams were at or about $70-$75 million. Now the highest spending team, the Yankees, is at $209 million, while they Indians are projected to be at $85 million. If that disparity does not illustrate what a big-market team can do and a mid-to-small market team cannot, then nothing will. Everybody wishes the Indians could just write blank checks to players. They can’t. Someday the folks in the dry, arid southwest will realize this.

Sheldon Ocker, our outstanding baseball writer, got in touch with his feminine side in this story about the CC Sabathia trade. And don’t tell him I said feminine side and Ocker in the same sentence, either.

I’m not so sure I’d trade Casey Blake. Yes, he’s in his 30s, but he’s hitting .282 with nine home runs and 52 RBI and has played third and first base. The guy has a lot of value for a non-superstar player with oodles of drinking water flowing from his spigot.

ESPN.com says the Cavs are out of the James Posey hunt. No word on the accuracy of that statement, or when or where Posey will sign. Or where he will find water if he’s not with the Cavs.

This is what new Browns receiver Donte Stallworth said in the Boston Globe: “I've been kind of joking with Randy [Moss] and some of the guys that the road to the Super Bowl goes through Cleveland."

Finally … back to Yellowstone …

Anyone out there know what kind of birds these are. They nested in the crook of a .. well … a bathroom in the Lamar Valley, one of the vast valleys where animals love to roam in this great national park. These birds flitted in and out like crazy, and seemed to enjoy peeking out to pose for the camera. Any wise birders out there know what kind they are?

Travis Hafner talked to the media for the first time since he went on the disabled list in May, and he said his right shoulder is at 50 percent strength. That doesn’t sound too promising, but Hafner actually said his shoulder has improved a good amount the past couple weeks.

“It’s been getting stronger every week,” he said. “Ten or 20 percent every week in the strength tests. Right now we’re pretty hopeful that we can start swinging the bat in a couple weeks.”

It would have been nice to hear Hafner say the shoulder injury went back to last year’s playoffs because it might have explained his struggles, but he said it started first in spring training. Things became intolerable in May. At that point, he could not use his right arm for anything. He called it “helpless.”

The injury itself sounds pretty weird, a word even Hafner used. He said there is no structural problem, but that weakness and instability in the shoulder caused his rotator cuff and scapula muscle to just shut down. It would seem like a nerve problem led to this difficulty, but Hafner said determining the cause would be speculation. He said he hopes to return this year – for some part of the season.

Manager Eric Wedge, meanwhile, addressed the media pretty directly about the pregame meeting he held with his team. My translation of Wedge’s words: Grow up, forget what’s happened, play like a professional. He might have been kinder, of course, but the 10-game winning streak the Indians brought home obviously indicated the team had a bit of a hangdog approach.

Here are some of Wedge’s comments:

On the team: “They’re the ones that have to go out and play. They’re the ones that have to go out and execute. They’re the ones that have to come here with the attitude and the approach that we’re accustomed to, and that’s a winning attitude. That’s a winning edge.”

On being down about the trade of C.C. Sabathia: “I understand it. I do. But that’s done. Now we move on and play baseball.”

On the losing streak: “It weighs on you. You wear it. You’re supposed to. You wear it individually and you wear it as a ballclub. But you can’t let it get you down. You can’t.”

On the team, again: “I don’t assume anything, but I don’t worry about the effort of this ballclub because I know they’re going to show up and get after it. I know they give a damn. I know they care about each other. I know they respect the game. Because those are things we just wouldn’t put up with. And they know that. So I don’t worry about that. But, I don’t want their heads down, I don’t want them thinking about things they shouldn’t think about.”

It almost seems like the Indians should wipe the slate clean, tell the team to mentally approach the games like the record is 0-0. It’s lame, but it’s what the Indians have at the moment. A team has to hang its hat on something, right?

And … if Wedge wanted to see a different approach and attitude, Thursday’s big win over Tampa was a good start.

As for Yellowstone, here are some random shots .. including an elk staring at the silly humans, a couple scenes taken by my 12-year-old daughter and a pronghorn adult and child.

I've seen a few comments here and online and I got a few e-mails related to my opinion that C.C. Sabathia didn't really love it in Cleveland and that all he wanted was the money. One said I was a hypocrite, that I would never turn down more money if offered somewhere else. This is a relative statement. If we're talking a difference of, say, $40,000 and $4 million, yes I would take the money. Candidly, I admit that fact. But if the difference were totals that would still allow me to live a decent life and take care of my daughters, there would be other factors. Lifestyle, location, climate, the schools … all enter into it. Fact is I did just that once in my career. I took a pay cut to return to journalism, to work for a newspaper, because that was better suited for me. I loved the job I left, and was treated extremely well by good people. But this was a better fit — even with less money. Now, this does not make me a hero. In fact, in some eyes it might make me dumber or dumpier than I think I am. It's just a fact; we all make decisions at one time or another and they're not always based completely on money.

But … when comparing our personal situations let's be honest and state that there's a big difference between comparing jobs that pay, to throw out numbers, $80,000 and one that pays $65,000, and jobs that pay in the millions. Sabathia's contract extension offer from Cleveland was worth $91 million. That's $91 million dollars. Count the zeroes — 91,000,000. OK, he gets taxed. Let's say after tax he takes home $55,000,000 — and I have no idea, I'm just guessing. If we went out to spend $20,000 per day, it would take us 2,750 days to spend that $55 million. That's 7 1/2 years of spending $20,000 per day every day. Can't be done. At least not in my world. I suppose you could buy a Prius every day, but even then you'd get tired of all the cars. (Figure it with $91 million and it's 4,550 days.)

Sabathia has an opportunity the rest of us can only dream of. He can handpick where he wants to live and play baseball — and it was because of the amount of money he will make. No matter where he signs, his contract will be huge. And I would submit that in that instance things like quality of life and a place where you are happy gain importance — because the more the money increases the less relevance it has on your lifestyle. Sabathia will have more money than he will ever need. No matter where he plays, he will be able to do whatever he wants. Unless he's the kind of guy who likes to buy a Porsche every day. So the money mattered, but where he made the money might matter more.

Which is why I say that though he may have meant it when he said he loves Cleveland, he really didn't love it as much as he loves the idea of the big contract. He loved it as long as the Indians offered him the most money. The money and the total deal was more important than anything. I don't know where that pressure comes from — maybe he wants to be baseball's highest paid player. Maybe he's waited for this his whole career. Maybe the Players Association put amazing pressure on him (A Players Union official once told me that doesn't happen, and a baseball exec said: "That's what they want you to think. The sky is purple and things like that.") I don't know. But the money clearly meant more to him than the fact he could stay in Cleveland, a city he said he loves.

This certainly is Sabathia's right. He can do whatever he wants as far as his contract. My only quibble is that he shouldn't try to tell us that his feelings for the Indians and Cleveland matter. Because they don't. Or more correctly they don't seem to matter (we'll find that out in free agency). If it's the money you want, that's fine. Just don't tell us it's about other things.

Back to Yellowstone …

There's something about buffalo, one of the true American animals. Hard to fathom that they almost went extinct after there were 100 million roaming our plains. They wander free at Yellowstone, and as one friend said: "They think they own the place." They pretty much do. To the point that they'll stop traffic for hours if they feel like crossing the road and standing there. I'm not going to mess with a buffalo. And my daughters and I think they may be in cahoots. At one point, two or three were standing in the road, blocking our car. Another buffalo was faced away from us on the side of the road. At one point he turned his head and stared right at our car, then turned back away from us and … well … let loose with a No. 2. Almost seemed schemed. Course my daughters laughed hysterically.

Here are some more pleasant views of buffalo roaming the Yellowstone ranges. And there were a lot. My daughters counted in excess of 1,100 in a week. Too, one advantage to visiting when we did is the buffalo babies are roaming as well. And they're actually kind of cute — unlike the rude one we encountered on the side of the road:

Well, C.C. Sabathia is Milwaukee-bound. Everyone and their uncle was reporting Sunday night that the Indians and Brewers had agreed on the trade, and it would see big-hitting outfielder Matt LaPorta come to Cleveland. The other two names are not known, but if one is Taylor Green it's a good thing. These two guys are highly regarded prospects in the Brewers organization. And we all know how Milwaukee spews out the stars. I opined on this for Monday's Beacon Journal, and I'll be at today's news conference (assuming there is one) but here's some quick thoughts:

—The Indians had no choice but to trade Sabathia. Cleveland has seen enough free agents leave for the highest dollar, with the Indians left with nothing but future draft picks in return. Those are nice, but in this case they would have been in the June 2009 draft, and who knows how long it would take the drafed players to produce. LaPorta could/should be ready next year.
—Sabathia may profess to love Cleveland and say he wanted to stay, but he was determined to test the free agent market. Letting him go that way was too high a risk.
—The guys acquired had best be able to play. A team does not trade a reigning Cy Young winner without getting legitimate talent in return. None of this "we think he can play" stuff. The Indians need the players acquired to be able to play, period. The last thing we need is another deal for Charlie Spikes.
—If Sabathia gives it the "I really loved Cleveland" line I may barf. Just be honest and say, "Hey, it was a nice place to play but this is my chance to make big-time money and I'm going to see what I can get."
—I'm sure Sabathia has already made arrangements to have his Jhonny Peralta Bobblehead shipped to Milwaukee after the Indians give them away in August. If not, it's got to be high on his list.
—Sabathia's case is unprecedented. He weighs 290 pounds, and will be 28 later this month. Pitchers enter their prime at 27. It stands to figure he should command a huge deal, but in five or six years he'll be 33 or 34 … and he won't get smaller. The team that signs him will take a risk.
—This is why the Indians offered a four-year extension. It's just too large a risk to give a pitcher those long-term deals. See Barry Zito. Sabathia is a fine pitcher, but he is also a risk.
—Good thing the Indians did not have to throw David Dellucci in the deal. There is a limit to what a team gives up after all.
—What in the world will the Indians rotation look like next season? Sabathia is gone (presumably). Jake Westbrook is out. Jeremy Sowers is struggling. Fausto Carmona is hurt. Wow.
—If Green is included in the deal, the Indians may have their third baseman of the future. That's a need that needs to be filled.
—A 2009 outfield of LaPorta, Grady Sizemore and Ben Francisco does not sound too bad. The Indians have to hope, though, that Francisco does not do a Franklin Gutierrez next season and drop off the planet.
–Has any other team lost a Cy Young winner like this? Once, when Frank Viola was traded from Minnesota to New York in 1989.
—Folks must be camping out to get ducats for that first start by Jeff Weaver.
—What a turn south this season has taken. Amazing.

Looking for information on LaPorta? Here's some of what I wrote for tomorrow's Beacon Journal:

"LaPorta clearly is the key – a bat for a lineup that needs one. He’s 23, plays at Class AA Huntsville and is hitting .288 and has 20 home runs and 66 RBI in 82 games.

"On July 3, he was named to the Baseball America midseason Minor League All-Star team. In February the publication called him the 23rd-best prospect in baseball and called his arrival date 2009. Which would be next year.

“'LaPorta may not be smooth in the outfield, but he more than makes up for it with his bat,' Baseball America wrote in its midseason assessment. 'He leads all Double-A batters in home runs, and ranks fifth in slugging, fourth in RBIs and second in extra-base hits (44).'

"SI.com ranked him 31st and wrote: 'The best college hitter in last year's draft, the Brewers are taking a risk by trying to teach him how to play left field, but all he needs to do is become adequate there, because at the plate, he's a monster.'”

And here are some links to information about him. I take no credit for finding them, though. Indians fans who participate on the forums at the scout.com Indians site found them. They get all the credit. Here are some stats, including his outstanding college stats at Florida. This is an online scouting report. And another online report.

The pros and cons will be discussed the next few days. Me, I'm going to ponder how a team can be within one game of the World Series one year, then the next cut their closer, trade their Cy Young winner and drop to last place.

Does this stuff happen in any other sports town in America? How about in the world? Does it happen to … say .. Real Madrid or Manchester United?

Before we get too depressed, let's remember nature can be beautiful. The Yellowstone sky produced some of the more amazing colors and rainbows I've seen.

Wonder if C.C. will find his personal pot of gold at the end of that rainbow?

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?

So you come back after eight days away and see that the Indians are in last place. Guess now we know how that Big Brown horse felt in the Belmont. Last place. What in the world is THAT about? Did this team overachieve a year ago, three years ago? Did the Indians brass misjudge the talent that poorly? And what will this team look like a year from now? That’s the hard part of Mark Shapiro’s job. The emotional side might lead to some drastic reactions that would totally change this team. He’s got to decide if guys are just having off years, or if he needs to do more than tinker. No matter, there are many questions to be answered for the future — starting with the starting pitching. Who’d have thought that when the year started? In fact, very few of the experts and media (note the differential) thought this team would suffer like it has. Think I’ll muse on this some more in Sunday’s Beacon-Journal.

As for the week away … it’s rare that the buildup to a place can be so positive, but that’s all we heard before going to Yellowstone. Rare place. Unbelievable. Amazing. You’ll love it. It changed my life. And on and on and on. Know what? Every word is true. Yellowstone is a place that not only lives up to but exceeds expectations. Between the wildlife and the geysers and the sculpture pits and the mud volcanoes (hoooo-weeee, do not inhale if you’re too close to THAT one) it’s a different, unique and special place.

First night we arrived, we drove by two bears, two bald eagles in a nest and several buffalo babies (and they’re kind of cute). Add elk and buffalo grownups and it was quite a first 90 minutes. It got better from there. Wolves, elk, pikas, bears, coyotes and many wild humans (they’re the oddest to watch, really) run free in Yellowstone. The air is clean, the sunsets breathtaking and the rains bring rainbows more colorful than Disney can produce.

It’s hard to put into words what it’s like, but after seeing the Grand Canyon it seemed like nothing could be as uplifting. Yellowstone is every bit the same feeling. I could not recommend it more – for adults and kids. My daughters loved it – every minute of it. To the point that they asked – asked, mind you — to be awakened at 5:30 one morning to see the animals at dawn (one of the two best viewing times). Try to get that accomplished on a rainy Thursday at Dollyworld.

Yes … I’m aware this is a sports blog. But by definition a blog literally stands for "Bellowing Loquaciously Over Gomorrah" — loosely translated, though, it means "whatever the stinking writer wants it to be." Here’s a couple photos of the wildlife from the park. If it seems like folks are interested, we’ll post a couple a day for, oh, the next 38 years. Hard to say what is interesting about seeing animals in their true environment – though one woman was heard to say the animals couldn’t be wild because they weren’t in pens … whatever that means – but it is fascinating. These are the first two bears we viewed.

More on sports … and the park … as the week progresses … and please, these photos are for momentary enjoyment only, not for commercial or gambling purposes. Besides, my daughters may have taken them — you want to rip them off? …

Spent the past couple days packing up to take my daughters on vacation. The destination: Yellowstone. Now, I'm not a camper, or an outdoors type. Civilization has come too far, in my estimation, to go back to share space with bugs. That being said, we visited the Grand Canyon last year — stayed in a cabin — and had a great time. This year, it's me and two 12-year-olds heading to Yellowstone.

Didn't know much about the park except that it existed, but once I started talking to folks, the trip became more intriguing. For one, it's the home of Yogi Bear, the bear who loves pic-a-nic baskets. Also, friends who went last year said it's unlike anything they've ever seen. One said so much steam is coming out of the ground in the morning from a thermal underground that it looks the entire park is on fire. Another said we'll think we're on a different planet. An older gentleman I met at Washington said he worked in many different countries — Africa, Asia, Europe, Central America — and lived all over this country. The one trip he said he remembered most? When his grandmother took him to Yellowstone when he was 16.

So we're off to share space with geysers, buffalo, eagles, wolves, elk (did you know they have furry butts) and other different wildlife. They say the buffalo act like they own the place; this picture indicates that might be a true fact. We'll find out. We'll take pictures, and if there's a way to post any we might put a couple online here. Alas, though, no "Bean" in Yellowstone. Barring a buffalo attack or unhappy encounter with a bear — it does happen — we'll be gone until early July

Check back for wildlife photos or other interesting/goofy stuff — but the in-depth sports stuff will be put on hold for a bit. Until then, take care and … there you have it.