Category Archives: Indians

Be thankful for meaningful baseball in Cleveland (and Terry Francona)

October 4, 2015 Ai Leave a comment

Your Cleveland Indians will wrap up a thoroughly disappointing 2015 campaign against the Boston Red Sox this afternoon. After last season’s this:

and this:

on top of this,

we hoped that a little bit of this:

would help make this come true:

It didn’t. And that sucked.

But for the third year in a row, Terry Francona had the Indians battling for a playoff spot until the bitter end. There’s something to be said for that.

Put away all your disdain for Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, the Dolans, Mark Shapiro and any other of your go-to scapegoats when it comes to Cleveland baseball for a second. The goal of every team in baseball at the beginning of the year is to make the playoffs. Every game you play counts towards your record, which ultimately decides whether or not you will reach your goal. Therefore, every single game you play has the potential to determine whether or not you do reach your goal, until you’re mathematically eliminated from playoff contention.

The Indians were finally mathematically eliminated from the American League Wild Card on Wednesday, September 30th this year. They had four games left to play. So four of the 162 games in their 2015 season were pointless. They had a chance to try and reach their goal of the playoffs 98% of the times they took the field.

In 2014, the Indians were eliminated from playoff contention on September 23rd, with four games left to play. 98% of their games were meaningful.

And they obviously reached their goal in 2013 when Terry Francona led them to a Wild Card berth in his first year at the helm. So in three years in Cleveland, Francona’s team has played a total of 8 meaningless games. I know missing the playoffs is disappointing. I’m as pissed about this year as anyone. But look at the three years before Tito:

2012 – Eliminated on September 15, 16 games left
2011 – September 19th, 11 games
2010 – September 3rd, 28 games

(don’t check those)

The goal is to make the playoffs, and we failed. But believe it or not there are a couple steps in between the throne of success and the pit of failure. And number 12 is standing on Tito’s shoulders with one hand touching the top.

KEEP THE CHIEF

Baseball, Indians

Nothing gets Minnesotans angry like Jose Ramirez bat flips

October 1, 2015 Ai Leave a comment

Full Video from MLB.com

GIF: Jose Ramirez's bat flip against the Twins. #Indians #Twins pic.twitter.com/11yfrcXG14

— Hayden Grove (@H_Grove) October 1, 2015

https://twitter.com/TJZuppe/status/649429644916170752

What a week to be an unwritten rule in baseball, eh?

On Sunday, probable NL MVP Bryce Harper didn’t run out a popup so Jonathan Papelbon decided to choke him out. Pap was later suspended for the rest of the season and the team even pulled his jersey off of the racks in the team shop.

Then on Wednesday, Padres pitcher Bud Norris dropped this bombshell of a paragraph in a USA Today article about racial tensions in baseball:

“I think it’s a culture shock,’’ Norris said. “This is America’s game. This is America’s pastime, and over the last 10-15 years we’ve seen a very big world influence in this game, which we as a union and as players appreciate. We’re opening this game to everyone that can play. However, if you’re going to come into our country and make our American dollars, you need to respect a game that has been here for over a hundred years, and I think sometimes that can be misconstrued. There are some players that have antics, that have done things over the years that we don’t necessarily agree with.”

I’ve always sat somewhere in the middle with these things. My dad is about as old-school as it gets and most of my coaches from tee ball through college were as well. So I understand that side of it. But I also appreciate the HELL out of a good bat flip. They’re part of the game guys. And yeah, so is some sweet chin music for the next batter or for the bat flipper later in the game or in the season. Sure. Players understand that. If they rip off a monster pimp job and get a fastball in the ass the next AB, they might give a quick glance towards the mound but most guys know it’s coming. Hence Jose’s quote after the game:

Jose Ramirez, asked if he was worried if Twins would throw at him Thurs: "It's my bad. If they hit me, I'll take it." (Salazar translated).

— paul hoynes (@hoynsie) October 1, 2015

Side note, it’s certainly not just the Latin American players doing it, Bud. Even if it was, I’m sure you wouldn’t mind it if it was a go-ahead dinger during one of your starts.

As for this specific situation last night, I wish I could say I wouldn’t have been chirping Jose as he crossed home plate if I was in the visitors dugout but I definitely would have. Long day, second game of a double header, your team is getting pounded, a kid hitting .220 hits his eighth career homer and sends his lumber to the moon right in front of the bench.

Then again, the Twins had intentionally walked Kipnis to face Ramirez, so I can see why he might have been a bit fired up to make them pay for that.

As long as people hit monster home runs and baseball still self-governs itself with rules that aren’t recorded anywhere, you’ll have these tiffs. And I, for one, can’t get enough of them.

Baseball's Top 10 Unwritten Rules:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)

— Casey Fisk (@FiskPT) September 30, 2015

KEEP THE CHIEF

Indians

Dr. Smooth done seeing patients in 2015

September 30, 2015 Ai Leave a comment

#Indians shutting down OF Michael Brantley for remainder of season with shoulder inflammation.

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) September 30, 2015

https://twitter.com/MLBastian/status/649285342307188736

Brantley began season with back issue, had trouble with left shoulder and then recently hurt right. Still had very solid year. #Indians

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) September 30, 2015

Well that’ll do it folks. We’re still not mathematically eliminated but you and I, and apparently the team, know the 2015 Cleveland Indians campaign is all but over. Shutting our best player down with just six games to go might be a reward more than anything for Brantley, who played through multiple injuries all year. And he deserves it. His ranks among all big-league outfielders:

Hits – 164 (T-10th)
Doubles – 45 (1st among all players)
RBI – 84 (T-9th)
Strikeouts – 51 (3rd)
Avg – .310 (10th)
K% – 8.6% (1st)
OBP – .379 (4th)
wRC+ – 136 (7th)

He also chipped in 15 bombs and 15 swipes.

Not bad for a player-to-be-named-later. Thanks, Mark Shapiro! (And Dale Sveum)

Below are some clips and highlights from Smooth’s 2015 season. In Northeast Ohio, nothing is given. Everything is earned. But one thing is certain – when I stumble up to the bleachers in 187 days to watch the Tribe take on the Boston Red Sox on Opening Day, #23 will be taking the field in front of me and hitting third in the lineup.

Also h/t to YouTube user JLTRAIN233 for doing the lord’s work all year with his video highlights featuring Tom Hamilton’s calls.

HR on 5/5