BrownsDid you see Jeff Garcia dumping on Matt Millen of the Lions? Hehe, that is nice to see. Millen certainly deserves it. But not from Garcia, who was himself SIGNED BY MILLEN. This all seems strangely familiar.... and just proves that Garcia is a guy you bring in when you want to go from bad to worse. I don’t know how that guy lives in his own skin anymore. Sure, he’s got millions of dollars and a Playmate girlfriend, but what he really needs is some discipline.
Wow, I was stunned to read that Brad Johnson was signed by the Vikings for 4 years. It’s enough to make be (again) wish Johnson was the guy the Browns went after this past offseason.
Arlen Specter is a jackass for suggesting the Eagles could have anti-trust issues around the whole TO thing. What a joke. Talk about a politician getting in volved in something he should definitely not get involved with. Next: Specter will propose Philadelphia start an Adopt-A-Garbage-Can program.
Michael Irvin is going down in flames. Kind of like Pete Rose had a shot at getting into the Hall of Fame a few years back before he acted like, well, Pete Rose with that whole book and all, Irvin gets so close to the Hall only to self-destruct. We should be thankful, really, that Irvin decided to show all his cards before the HOF vote.
One thing from ProFootballTalk that I think deserves repeating:
"Why ESPN did not fire him on the spot is beyond me," the source added. "Yes, you are innocent until proven guilty but let’s get real. This was drugs. They got rid of Rush Limbaugh for having an opinion, something that you are allowed to have in this country. Yet they keep [Irvin]. Sounds like a very poor business decision to me. They lose a lot of credibility.
"What I really think is they are afraid to fire him because he is black," the source said. "All I have to say about that is they got rid of Limbaugh for much less. I am hoping that the league puts some pressure on ESPN to fire him."
And it’s true. The whole Limbaugh thing was kind of dumb, and I don’t blame ESPN for canning him if that’s not what they wanted out of the guy. Now, in keeping Irvin on the payroll they are implcitly saying that this _is_ the behavior they want out of Irvin. The contrast makes ESPN look lame, lame, lame.
Personally, I think they should have kept Limbaugh then and should keep Irvin now. It’d be damn entertaining, perhaps even compelling. And I for one would enjoy hearing those type of guys discuss football, race, and drugs. It’d probably be some of the most honest and revealing discussions even aired on national tv. And no one could predict the outcome, which is why it’d be great.
Somewhat related,
PFT asks: "How many black coaches must there be in the NFL before the league realizes that its conscious regard of race only makes people consciously regard race?" It’s a valid question. There are now six black head coaches. I think the fact that most of these six have been pretty successful makes it a safe bet that race is much less a factor in a head coach than, say, a decade ago. And since winning is indeed the most important thing in the NFL, you can be sure worthy mninority candidates will continue to get a look. It’s hard to imagine that the argument for requiring interviews of minority candidates will hold much water in a couple years. Heck, it doesn’t hold much water even now. And that is great. It will be interesting to hear Tagliabue address by what measure the league will determine if black coahces are getting a fair shake. From here, it looks like the tide has already turned decisively.
Roger Brown has some hilarious stuff going on today. First he, er,
they claim that Kelly Holcomb would have been a better choice than Trent Dilfer in off-season maneuvers. Here’s what
they said: "But, right now, we’d take Holcomb over Dilfer in a minute: Holcomb played well for Buffalo before getting injured." That was almost enough to spit out my chili dog. Roger (+ staff, whoever they are) did you not get the memo that Holcomb CAN NOT stay healthy? And if you did in fact take Holcomb over Dilfer right now you’d have an injured starter on your hands? Why don’t you ask the Buffalo Bills which QB they’d prefer right now? And isn’t the real question why didn’t the Browns pursue Brad Johnson?
CavsBrownie fallows that up with the revelation that he and Cavs guard Damon Jones "had a frank, lengthy and somewhat intense discussion" in the locker room the other night. YOU GO DAMON!!! Roger writes "No, Jones didn’t change our minds about what we wrote. And no, we didn’t change his mind, either." Arrrrghh. Roger, WHO THE F*** IS "WE"??????
Does anyone think it is truly worth the price to buy decent seats at a Cavs game? They cost a fortune! And the Q (and basketball in general) is a place where the cheap seats are about worthless. The argument that you can get a better viwew from home definitely applies. Really, I struggle to see how the NBA sells as many tickets as it does, particularly for mid-week games. Don’t get me wrong, I love to go to a game when the place is jumping. But paying 30, 40, 50 bucks for a merely decent seat to see a so-so opponent during the not-always-intense NBA regular season is too rich for my blood. I’d rather sit on the couch with my baby daughter and watch the game, and save the $50 for beer at Browns stadium.
TribeGiles back in Cleveland? Say it’s so!!! Brian Giles has been my favorite current/former Indian of the past decade or so. And the thought that he could be back in Cleveland is great. However, it should be noted that Giles is not the big right-handed bat that the Indians appear to need. And if I can see that then I’m sure Shapiro does too, which probably means any offer from the Indians is not going to blow Giles away. Which means the Indians either won’t sign him, or it may take a while. Still, it would be damn cool. [NOTE -- since I wrote this, Giles resigned with San Diego. What are you gonna do...]
Should the Indians more seriously have considered the Phillies offer to deal Thome? I don’t think so. Thome would be a nice story and could have a good season, but acquiring him would have created a ton of lineup problems starting with decidiing how to deal with two power-hitting DH’s on the roster. No thanks.
Players being considered. Almost all these guys are old. All are big risks. Just about all of them are worth having at the right price.
Starters
- Millwood. Sure, it’d be great. All indications are that Millwood won’t sign fast, so the Indians can’t count on him. But I don’t see any starters out there that are comparable. I’d venture to say that the Indians need Millwood if they want to improve on last year’s recoord. And this might be Dolan’s make or break deal -- if he’s gonna pony up, this might be the only player out there worth doing it on.
- Adam Eaton. Supposedly can be had in a trade. For the right price Eaton is a nice piece. He’s still getting better. And he’s a good middle of the rotation guy.
- Scott Elarton. He was great as a battler last year, and I think he can keep up the performance because he’s one of those guys who has learned "how to pitch" after injuries took something off his fastball. And he’s competitive. I’d take him at the end of the rotation and like it.
- Paul Byrd. He’s kind of been the Angels’ Elarton, though his numbers have been better. I’d be thrilled with him.
- Shawn Estes. If he hangs out there deep into the offseason, a very modest deal would get him and he’d be an okay fifth starter.
Relievers
Danys Baez. I’ll take him over just about all the closers on the market. He’s still young, and the way this year’s closer market is going he might be affordable.
Trevor Hoffman. The guy still has it. But not for long, right? I’m not sure a three-year-deal is a wise investment.
Bob Wickman. If we get him back prepare for more anxiety. And hopefully he’s not the only potential closer on the roster.
Tom Gordon. Would be a nice "other potential closer" the way Howry was. But I am not at all sold that he can close all season.
Antonio Alfonseca. Old six-finger is starting to bounce around a lot. But aging, veteran relievers are worth having more times than not.
Julian Tavarez. He can’t close but I still like him as a late inning reliever.
Hitters
Garciaparra. Why not? This would be kind of an Aaron Boone signing. And, despite what a lot of grumpy fans might say, the Aaron Boone signing was an unqualified success in 2005. Garciaparra is not a dominant player anymore, but he’s still a threat and perhaps he could fill the role of experienced veteran in the outfield. And if I were Garciaparra I’d view the Indians as a perfect team for him.
Juan Gonzalez. Gonzo would be dirt cheap to attempt yet another comeback. It would probably have the same result. But it is still low risk/high reward. A bigger concern to me is that Gonzo is not a winner. Please don’t.
Carl Everett. Another guy that I am very much not a fan of. But Everett is still a good hitter and maybe he gets a look. But I can’t imagine Shapiro or Wedge would consider him their type of guy. I know he’s not mine.
Jeromy Burnitz. probably looking for his last good contract, Burnitz could have a nice season in Jacob’s Field. But he’s not the most disciplined hitter, and after last year I don’t think this is the type of power-hitter the Tribe wants. I could be wrong.
Juan Encarnacion. talented and still in his prime, Encarnacion could be a nice fit.
Robert Fick. the one-time catcher is more of a DH now, but if he can be used occasionally in the field he’d be a nice signing because he’s a good hitter. Even better if he can still catch. Didn’t he play a little left field?
Rondell White. the type of guy to sign if the guy we really want is gone. And if I am White, I want to go to a team like the Indians.
Preston Wilson. what happened to this guy once he left Colorado? Depending on how you answer that, he might be an option.
Daryle Ward. If he can still play the outfield... and is dirt cheap... and we are desperate... he’s been known to have a hot month here or there.