Just In From the Desert

Wow.  Awful day.  I don't really want to talk about it.

The Good:  Tony Sipp pitched a clean 8th.  Seriously, that's as good as it got for the Tribe hurlers today.

The Bad:  Fausto Carmona (7.88 ERA) got shelled to the tune of 6 earned including 2 dingers in 3 innings.  Despite throwing mostly strikes, Fausto left the ball consistently up in the zone, a problem that plagued Indians pitching all day.

The Ugly:  Corey Kluber's ERA is 108.00.

Utility OF Battle:  Travis Buck (.474) remains my front-runner.  Buck doubled in a run in the 9th and came around to score.  Shelley Duncan (.333) played some at first then switched to left, adding an RBI single.  Poor showing by Ezequiel Carrera (.333) who whiffed and popped up, but Grover is in his corner.

Who's Got Third?:  Lonnie Chisenhall (.550!) continues make the brain trust's early declaration that he will begin at AAA look foolish.  The Chiz Kid played all 9 innings collecting 4 hits (including a standing triple) and scoring a run.  Diametrically opposed was Jayson Nix (.077) who chalked up another 0-for-3 (1 K).

It was enlightening, if not wholly enjoyable, to listen to Mike Hargrove attempt to interject commentary.  Hargrove has a tendency to mumble, so I didn't catch several of his anecdotes.  I did come to the realization that Grover is, like many of us, worn and beaten down by the heartbreak of '95 and '97.

Michael Brantley's injury?  Lower half soreness.  I bet there's chaffing, too.  And hairy palms.

Pitchers for 03.08 (Why do they hide this information from me?): Carlos Carrasco (starter), David Huff, Zach McAllister and Joe Smith.  STO will again carry the game live at 3p.

For MLB's Consideration

Essays, as submitted to MLB.com for the "Dream Job" application --

(1)  Why do you love baseball?

In my best moments, as I flutter awake or asleep, I can feel it. Rolling through my body like high tide in a tsunami, the sensation is silent, colorless. Radiating across my form, I feel the impact of the ball on the bat. I recall those perfect instants when the two bodies remain in contact. I pause the world and allow the visceral grace to echo through me, exploding from my center to the top of my head and the tips of my fingers.

I’m 12 years old and the soft sunlight of a late summer Sunday has just begun to fade toward twilight. My father, having completed the lawn’s weekly manicure, stands, fungo bat in hand, as I crouch and stare in at him. The smell of the grass lingers on the periphery and I hear, in the distance, a child’s shrieking exclamations of joy. I tense my left hand, opening and closing the glove that has enveloped it and pound my throwing hand into the pocket. The crack is followed by a quick, sharp inhalation. Then my feet begin to move and I’m sprinting to meet the ball in mid-air.

There are moments in history that people recall with crystal clarity. They know where they were, what they were doing and how much change jingled in their pants pockets. Some recall this for the moon landing or the Miracle on Ice, other for less joyous occasions. For me it is October 26th, 1997. I pace. The mantra running through my head is “You gotta have faith. You gotta have faith.” The dorm’s kitchen holds a flickering television, the only one that I could get to, and I am bouncing a rubber ball. I am alone. On the screen Charles Nagy comes plateward with an 0-1 pitch to Edgar Renteria. The rest is merely history.

I love baseball because it embodies everything that I love about the world. A rare balance of intellect and physical skill, baseball is the ultimate fraternity. Each brief inning is a gift to be cherished, though the innings will run forever. There is always next year, always another ball to rub between calloused hands to get the grip just right. There will be another walk-off, another swinging third on a high hard one, another magical 8th inning when the midges descend off of Lake Erie and the unimaginable occurs. Perhaps not the last and therein we find the other side of the coin. Never again will the stars align to bring such an unlikely scenario to pass. Baseball is fantasy incarnate. Dreams come true on every pitched ball.

Regardless of whether I am sliding headfirst into third, screaming myself horse in the bleachers, arguing who should play left field or having a catch with my dad, baseball is simply good. Each February when the trucks roll out and the players report, it feels as if a weight has been lifted. My smiles are broader and my steps lighter because, once again, baseball has returned.

(2) What will the biggest story of the 2011 MLB season?

Major League Baseball chooses to exist without the restriction of a salary cap. Thus, the team with the highest payroll (Yankees, $202 million) is able to spend almost five times as much as the team with the lowest (Padres, $44 million). While there are positions on either side of the salary cap issue, I shall take neither. More relevantly, the biggest MLB story of 2011 will be the New York Yankees, and their $200 million payroll, missing the playoffs. In a vastly improved AL East, the Steinbrenners’ aging roster will face a host of hurdles as spring summers to autumn.

I do not assert that the Bombers have a poor team. Their collection of offensive talent remains impressive and CC Sabathia is a top tier ace. The “shock and awe” factor, though, is gone from the Bronx. A perfect storm of age (Posada, Jeter, A-Rod), inconsistency (Burnett, Granderson, Chamberlain) and departure (Pettitte, Berkman, Wood) has exposed a severely depleted farm system. Given, also, the lack of any significant off-season acquisitions, the Yankees will be hard pressed to match 2010’s results.

The more serious issue is that their AL East fellows have become more formidable. The Red Sox’ upgrades (Gonzalez, Crawford, Jenks) are well documented. Boston is the pick of many experts to win the AL pennant. In addition, the Baltimore Orioles have infused a great deal of talent since season’s end. While the O’s are likely not in the mix for the wild card, if their young pitching (Arrietta, Matusz, Tillman) develops alongside the production of the new faces (Guerrero, Lee, Reynolds, Gregg, Hardy), Baltimore will take wins away from the Yankees. The unbalanced scheduling leaves New York particularly susceptible. Similarly, while they lost key offensive pieces, the Tampa Bay Rays’ rotation remains one of the best and they have retained, arguably, the most talented third baseman in the league. So, the Yankees are losing series instead of winning them, taking two of three rather than sweeping. All of this synthesizes to a season with too few wins.

The question becomes, “What can the Yankees do about it?” The answer is very little, outside of crossing their fingers. The aforementioned farm system offers little in the way of either trade bait or immediate assistance. Although they have an unprecedented three catchers (Jesus Montero, Gary Sanchez, Austin Romine) ranked in the Baseball America Top 100 prospects, at least one of them projects as a designated hitter and they need to keep another as their own backstop of the future. Outside of this bevy, the pickings are slim, limited to a handful of pitchers that the Yankees will hang onto unless they’re betting the farm on 2011. Hank and Hal will likely steer clear so early in their tenure.

Simply put, the Yanks could make the playoffs in 2011, but absolutely every card would have to fall their way. Barring such a turn of luck, the Yankees will be on the outside looking in for only the second time since the strike.

Cheers.

Suicide Squeeze - Ryan Drese ('92 Upper Deck)

Pretty Girl(s) 03.08.11 - San Diego State Cheerleaders

I could barely pay attention to the basketball game, these gals were on screen so much.

Just In From the Desert

Um... a lot of runs.  The final was 16 all.  Seriously, is it 1937?  Are we playing football?  Supposedly, there was some wind.

Mitch Talbot (27.00 ERA) lasted just 5 outs while giving up NINE earned runs.  To qualify just how awful the start was, Talbot was roughed up for 6 hits and 2 walks, that is 8 baserunners, and let 9 of them score.  No HBP, no error.  Wow.

Several other irrelevant relievers contributed to the shellacking, but Vinnie Pestano was not one of them.  Vin continued an impressive spring with a perfect 9th that featured a K.

Much more good news from the bats, where virtually everyone had a good day.

Utility OF Battle: Ezeqiuel Carreras (.364) got on base 5 times (3 hits, 2 walks) and scored a pair (+1 RBI).  Shelley Duncan (.375) doubled twice and scored both times.  Nick Weglarz (.286)?  If he puts up a few more like Monday, he warrants consideration.  Nick jacked his first tater of the spring, added a double and drove in 3.

Who Wants Third?:  Luis Valbuena (.188) was the offensive star after getting the start at the hot corner.  Louie hit two long balls, drew a walk, scored 3 and drove in 5.  Jayson Nix (.100) doubled for his first hit and also took a walk.  Jason Donald reports that the swelling has gone down on his hand, but I would not expect him in the lineup for a couple of more days.

Most dissapointing in a game like this was the production of two men that are supposed to be big run producers come April.  Travis Hafner (.313) did single twice and drive in a run, but he stranded 4.  Manny Acta has gone on record stating that Hafner will not be an everyday player and that everyone should be ready for a few games at DH.  Worse today than Pronk was Matt LaPorta (.174), who managed just an RBI one-bagger in 4 trips and left 5 on base.

Expect Carlos Santana to start at 1B on Wednesday.

Pitchers for 03.08: Fausto Carmona (starter), Justin Germano, Josh Judy, Corey Kluber, Tony Sipp, Bryce Stowell and Alex White.