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Beside the Point: The Blog by Patrick McManamon

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Cleveland Indians

Manny Acta's an impressive guy

October 21, 2009

Manny Acta conducted an interesting interview with the media following his interview with the Indians on Monday. He clearly sounded like he’s the guy for the Indians, though there are others who will interview.
Or it could have just been the way Acta talks.
He used the imperial “we” and “our.” A lot. He said he’d been [...]

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Oh say can you CC

October 21, 2009

How is that CC Sabathia struggled so much in Cleveland when the Indians were in the playoffs, yet with the Yankees he’s 2-0 with a 1.13 ERA in the AL Championship Series and 1-0 and 1.35 in the Division Series? Shouldn’t he have been just as unhittable when he won the Cy Young Award for [...]

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The new Steve Carlton used to pitch in Cleveland

October 19, 2009

That guy who pitched the shutout for the Philadelphia Phillies last night was some guy named Lee. Said Pedro Martinez of him: “Cliff is some kind of phenom.  It’s just something beautiful to watch. From the outside, especially, when you can see the little details. See, pitching is like an art. And Cliff is actually [...]

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News bulletin

October 19, 2009

The Indians will be interviewing Manny Acta tomorrow, the first in a series of interviews to hire a new manager.

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Best to be honest about this Edwards trade

October 8, 2009

It's interesting how the Indians are ripped for trading an established star who is going to be a free agent or who can't be retained and get young prospects in return.
The Indians do it, they're folding the tent, giving up, etc.
People are ready to march on Washington.
Yet when the Browns did the same thing with [...]

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Words from Wedge

October 2, 2009

You may continue with the Ted Wiliams cracks if you like, but I'm trying to raise the level. Yesterday I said I'd include some of the transcript from Eric Wedge's news conference the day it was announced he would not be back. He was never better. Here's some excerpts:
Did he get a fair shot?
"I'm the [...]

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What Pittsburgh's futility says about the Indians

September 10, 2009

Occasionally you stumble across a story or column that prompts thought. So it was with Joe Posnanski’s story on SI.com about Pittsburgh’s 17 consecutive losing seasons. Maybe I’m prejudiced toward Posnanski, because he’s a Cleveland guy. He and I also sat next to each other a few years back while covering a Ryder Cup in [...]

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Yet another complaint about Eric Wedge

September 10, 2009

Let’sgotribe.com has a pretty thoughtful rant on the Indians lineup yesterday. Its main issue: Eric Wedge had no business starting Niuman Romero at first base when Andy Marte needs at-bats.
They have a point. Anthony Castrovince of Indians.com points out that Romero was surprised to find himself starting, that he feels better at second or shortstop [...]

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What is Fausto Carmona's future?

September 10, 2009

Is there a future for Fausto Carmona in Cleveland?
I’m starting to wonder after Carmona gave up five runs in two-thirds of an inning in Wednesday’s game. Carmona now has a 6.48 ERA, which follows his 5.44 ERA of a year ago, which makes his career ERA 4.64, which means that in three of his four [...]

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Look who's been hitting for the Indians

September 3, 2009

After a slow start, Andy Marte has his batting average up to .264. In his last 13 games, he’s gone 16-for-47 (.340), with four home runs and 13 RBI. That’s a nice stretch of hitting.
Could Marte be the Indians third baseman next season? Perhaps. The Indians have to keep him on the 40-man roster after [...]

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An Indians question

September 3, 2009

So Carlos Carrasco got roughed up pretty good in his first start. Well … he got roughed up real good. Eric Wedge said he was nervous, and Carrasco did not disagree.
This is what I wonder. Many times I recall the Indians hitters flailing away when they saw a new pitcher just up from the minors.  [...]

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It still hurts to see Victor in Boston

August 18, 2009

ESPN.com did an interesting story on Victor Martinez in Boston.
Of all the trades the Indians made, that's the one I get the least. The guys they acquired may be fine, but I just ask myself: Did the Indians really have to trade Martinez? Especially when he wanted to be in Cleveland?
As the story states: "Martinez [...]

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More Indians on the block?

July 7, 2009

The latest Indians on the trading block? Carl Pavano, Kerry Wood and Jhonny Peralta, according to SI.com.

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Another in-depth look at the Indians, with the same conclusions

June 30, 2009

A pretty in-depth study of the Indians blames the team's woes this season on poor pitching and high draft picks that missed. Then it states: "The (Mark) Shapiro-(Chris) Antonetti tandem gets more love from national media outlets than, say, White Sox GM Kenny Williams, who is perceived as arrogant and overly blunt. Is it because [...]

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One of those studies that sounds great but wasn't that involved

June 23, 2009

Forbes studied attendance in major league baseball to gauge the economy's effect on teams. Well, studied is one way to put it. It merely compared attendance to a year ago, and determined the percentage gain or loss. The results? Philadelphia had a 3.4 percent gain from 2008. Boston and Milwaukee were essentially unchanged. Every other [...]

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The Indians and their woes

June 18, 2009

The boss asked me to come up with something about how the Indians got to the point they're at, so I did.
Fox's Ken Rosenthal looks ahead, writing that Cleveland seems "cooked." And certainly not medium rare.
But he also supports the team's position that getting Asdrubal Cabrera, Grady Sizemore, Aaron Laffey, Rafael Betancourt and Jake Westbrook [...]

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Indians: Too many similar personalities

May 20, 2009

The News-Herald's Jim Ingraham had an outstanding view of the Indians that matches something I've been saying for a while: The Indians lack a leader who will grab people by the throat when needed. It's not a matter of yelling and screaming, it's a matter of leadership. "Indeed," Ingraham writes, "if there is one thing [...]

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The Indians non-stop revolving door

May 20, 2009

What does a team do that struggles but has no ready solutions? It makes moves. Lots of them. Waitingfornextyear.com details the Indians constant flux thus far, stating: "Good teams don't change their roster like they change their underwear."

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Why not let Cliff Lee go nine?

May 20, 2009

Classic second-guess: Should Cliff Lee have started the ninth last night? Now that we know Kerry Wood was not going to succeed, we can yes it should have been Lee. But the problem nowadays is managers are so programmed. The closer pitches the ninth, so he starts the ninth. Me, I don't know what's wrong [...]

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That loud THUD is the Indians

May 20, 2009

Well perhaps last night was the low point for the Cleveland Indians. Rock bottom.
Cliff Lee pitched outstanding, but Kerry Wood – the guy brought in to solve the late-inning problems of a year ago – blew a save and the Indians dropped to 14-26, worst in the American League and better only than the miserable [...]

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A creative idea for the Indians

May 14, 2009

The Indians like to bat Grady Sizemore in the leadoff spot. Well, they don't like it. They love it. For good reason. Sizemore gets on base a lot, drives in runs, runs well and is a pretty good leadoff hitter.
Too, Eric Wedge seems to really stick with some convictions.
But this year Sizemore is struggling and [...]

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Shapiro meets the media

May 13, 2009

I listened to an interview with Indians GM Mark Shapiro on tape – gimme a break, I was on a plane back from Atlanta as he was sitting in the dugout – and it struck me that the team really does not believe it has a lot of options to change things. I don't know why [...]

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We interrupt the NBA playoffs to opine on the Indians

May 11, 2009

Noticed from afar that the Indians are 11-21. That would not seem to be good.
Let's do the math. The Indians have lost nearly twice as many as they've won, and if they want to win 90 games they'll have to finish the season 79-51. That's 28 games over .500, and a .607 pace. It can [...]

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An Indians thought

April 30, 2009

Isn't Grady Sizemore too good a hitter to be hitting .239? That's what we're told at least. Or have been told. This was a guy projected to be an AL MVP. He also has 23 strikeouts, second-highest on the team to Jhonny Peralta. When was the day we thought we'd see Sizemore's strikeouts up with [...]

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A few notes on Indians attendance

April 30, 2009

One year ago, Major League Baseball sent the Red Sox to Cleveland for a Monday and Tuesday night series in April. Attendance was 21,802 and 25,135, an average of 23,458 and ½ of a human being (he or she did not get in for half price, though). This year, MLB sent the Red Sox to [...]

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