Chris Perez, meet gas can and match, gas can and match, this is Chris Perez. Looks like the three of you will be best of friends. At first I was ok with the trade of Mark DeRosa for a flame throwing reliever but if said flame throwing reliever is just going to hit people, throw wild pitches and fail to cover the bag on a double play opportunity, we could just stick with the stink we already have in the Tribe bullpen. At least we got to see some rare fire from Eric Wedge who got ejected in the 7th inning last night. Nice to see him finally start standing up for his guys. I don't think I can support this team much longer if Eric Wedge continues to be at the helm. I'm going to the game Friday and I'm going to the game on the 19th, but that might be it for me this season. I take that back. They are playing the Orioles in September so I'll go to one of the games against them.
It seems to me that one of the biggest problems the Indians have (I feel like I use this phrase a lot) is making adjustments. Take last night for instance. The Indians were facing Gavin Floyd. The first time he faced Cleveland this season, he gave up eight runs. Since then, he has given up one earned run (two total) in two more starts against the Tribe. Clearly, he has made the adjustments necessary. The Indians haven't...and I just checked again to make sure. This season is the definition of failure. Seriously, look in the dictionary under "Fail" and you'll see the team picture of the 2009 Cleveland Indians. A team that was supposed to make a playoff push this season should not be 16 games under .500, it's just not acceptable.
At least I have the Crushers!!! (Phone rings) What? Really? Damn it. (Click). Well, the Crushers winning streak ended at three games last night at the hands of the Traverse City Beach Bums. They took the series though and to me, winning 2 out of 3 is more important than getting on a huge winning streak, especially when you're holding on to second place in your division. The Crushers are just 4 games out of first, and have a 1.5 game lead on Florence for the #2 spot in the division. Unfortunately, I don't have a boxscore of the game so I don't know what happened but the final was Bums-6, Crushers-4. Next up for the Crushers, a Double Header today with the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti. The Sliders have won two in a row but are just 4-6 in their last ten games.
One thing that is very encouraging is the attendance figures at All Pro Freight Stadium. Through 18 home games this season, the Crushers are averaging over 2,600 fans for every game. This puts them in the top half of the league in attendance (5th place out of 12 to be exact) and they are even ahead of the defending Champion, Windy City Thunderbolts in attendance. It's great that they are doing well and as long as they continue playing well I think we will see this trend continue or even get better. It would be great if this team could keep playing strong and make the playoffs in their first season. They've just got to keep doing what they're doing and win games.
Well, I think that takes care of business for today. I'll be back with another update, hopefully on some victories, tomorrow. V-Dub, Out.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Indians=Bad, Crushers=Good, Where I've Been
Well, it turned out to be an awful baseball weekend for my at the Jake**. I witnessed two awful defeats at the hands of the Cincinnati Reds. We've got a Triple-A pitching staff and it seems that the Indians have raised the white flag on the season, especially with trading away Mark DeRosa, for bullpen help, to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was a good move but it definitely tells me, and others, that the Indians are packing it in for the season. Rumors have Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez leaving town before the trade deadline too. If they trade Cliff, I won't be too upset. It doesn't sound like he wants to re-sign with the team for next season and beyond, but if they trade Victor, I will be EXTREMELY upset. Giving up the season is one thing, but giving up one of the cornerstones of the team is a completely different issue. What they should do is get whatever they can, in the way of pitching, for Kelly Shoppach. The guy calls a great game and usually hits well, but for whatever reason, his swing has had more holes than a pound of Swiss cheese this year. It's bad. Not only will this open up playing time for Chris Gimenez, it will give Eric Wedge the opportunity to play Ryan Garko every day.
Speaking of Eric Wedge, how is he still the manager of this team? I mean, seriously, the man couldn't manage his way out of a wet paper bag. My dog, with her head stuck in the same wet paper bag, could manage this team better. Hell, her bowel movements could manage this team better. I understand the guy was a great manager down in the Minors, but this isn't the Minors. This is the show, where ego's have to be managed and every now and then you've got to yell at your team and wake them up! Enough of this rah-rah crap he's been feeding us for the past SEVEN seasons...yeah, it's been that long. Unfortunately, because the Dolan's purse stringer are tighter than my favorite t-shirt from 1st Grade, they won't pay 2 managers while only one is still employed by the team, so we're stuck with this for another year. It is so frustrating watching this team under perform.
Fortunately, here on the west side of Cleveland, we have other baseball options. The Lake Erie Crushers are playing well above what I expected from an expansion Frontier League team. The Crushers have won three games in a row and are in sole possession of 2nd place in the East Division, only 3 games behind the Kalamzoo Kings. I was thinking about going to the game tonight at All Pro Freight Stadium but I think I'm going to have to pass. Vacation is coming up and I need to make sure I'm ready. During vacation, I'll be heading to the home of the Kalamazoo Kings to see them play the Rockford Riverhawks. A couple weeks ago, the Riverhawks were in Avon to play the Crushers and I was at the game. I ended up sitting behind the visitors bullpen, chatting with one of Rockford's pitchers, Elliot Cribby. We talked for about 3 innings and have stayed in touch via Facebook since then. I contacted him about getting a Rockford hat for myself and asked if he'd bring one to the game for me to purchase. He agreed and I'll have my Rockford hat on the 10th.
I'm mostly excited about the Kings/Riverhawks game because it will be another ballpark on my list of Baseball Stadiums and Ballparks that I've Visited. So far, this is where I've been...
Cleveland Municipal Stadium - Indians
Jacob's Field - Indians
Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore Orioles
5/3 Field - Toledo Mud Hens (AAA)
Eastwood Field - Mahoning Valley Scrappers (A)
All Pro Freight Stadium - Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League)
Amanda and I are going to try to visit as many ballparks in our lifetime as we can. We'll be adding at least 3 more this summer. I'll tell you about that in a later blog, when the trip approaches. If there is anything any of you would like to me write about, drop me a line, I'll research the topic and see what I can deliver to you.
**Jacob's Field will always be just that to me!
Speaking of Eric Wedge, how is he still the manager of this team? I mean, seriously, the man couldn't manage his way out of a wet paper bag. My dog, with her head stuck in the same wet paper bag, could manage this team better. Hell, her bowel movements could manage this team better. I understand the guy was a great manager down in the Minors, but this isn't the Minors. This is the show, where ego's have to be managed and every now and then you've got to yell at your team and wake them up! Enough of this rah-rah crap he's been feeding us for the past SEVEN seasons...yeah, it's been that long. Unfortunately, because the Dolan's purse stringer are tighter than my favorite t-shirt from 1st Grade, they won't pay 2 managers while only one is still employed by the team, so we're stuck with this for another year. It is so frustrating watching this team under perform.
Fortunately, here on the west side of Cleveland, we have other baseball options. The Lake Erie Crushers are playing well above what I expected from an expansion Frontier League team. The Crushers have won three games in a row and are in sole possession of 2nd place in the East Division, only 3 games behind the Kalamzoo Kings. I was thinking about going to the game tonight at All Pro Freight Stadium but I think I'm going to have to pass. Vacation is coming up and I need to make sure I'm ready. During vacation, I'll be heading to the home of the Kalamazoo Kings to see them play the Rockford Riverhawks. A couple weeks ago, the Riverhawks were in Avon to play the Crushers and I was at the game. I ended up sitting behind the visitors bullpen, chatting with one of Rockford's pitchers, Elliot Cribby. We talked for about 3 innings and have stayed in touch via Facebook since then. I contacted him about getting a Rockford hat for myself and asked if he'd bring one to the game for me to purchase. He agreed and I'll have my Rockford hat on the 10th.
I'm mostly excited about the Kings/Riverhawks game because it will be another ballpark on my list of Baseball Stadiums and Ballparks that I've Visited. So far, this is where I've been...
Cleveland Municipal Stadium - Indians
Jacob's Field - Indians
Wrigley Field - Chicago Cubs
Oriole Park at Camden Yards - Baltimore Orioles
5/3 Field - Toledo Mud Hens (AAA)
Eastwood Field - Mahoning Valley Scrappers (A)
All Pro Freight Stadium - Lake Erie Crushers (Frontier League)
Amanda and I are going to try to visit as many ballparks in our lifetime as we can. We'll be adding at least 3 more this summer. I'll tell you about that in a later blog, when the trip approaches. If there is anything any of you would like to me write about, drop me a line, I'll research the topic and see what I can deliver to you.
**Jacob's Field will always be just that to me!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Quick Hits
The Indians won last night, 9-2. Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko homered in the game. I'm heading to the game tonight with my buddy Pat and then with my dad on Sunday for the series finale. Perhaps I'll take some pics and post them on here at some point. It will be interesting to see if Larry Dolan finds a way to justify raising ticket prices for next season after the disaster that has been 2009.
The Crushers split a double-header with the Florence Freedom, losing the first game 3-2 before pounding the home team into submission 15-4 in the night cap. The Crushers are 18-15 in their inaugural season and just 4 games out of first place in their division. They start a home series against the Traverse City Beach Bums tonight at All Pro Freight Stadium. I'll probably head to the game on Monday night. I'm thinking about purchasing season tickets for 2010. We'll see where I am financially.
BGSU released the start times for their home football games and it looks like I'll be able to make 3 of them. Their home opener is against Troy on a Thursday which is my day off. I might make the trip to see my Falcons get their party started. I'll also be trekking up for the long-awaited home game against Boise State and October 3rd against the Bobcats of Ohio University. The Falcons have a new coach this year and I think it is going to be a great change for the better.
The Orioles beat up on the Natinals (No, I didn't spell that wrong, Majestic did) at Camden last night. Nolan Reimold went 3 for 4 with a double, scored two runs and raised his average to .292. The former Falcon is looking great! I wasn't shocked when he got called up when he did but I didn't think he'd make an impact on this club like he has been. Keep it up Nolan!
Joe Jurevicius is suing the Browns because of the staph infection he contracted after surgery last season. I don't blame him one bit. Luckily, the Browns have a regime now that won't let crap like this even have the chance of taking place. I mean, how do you not clean exercise equipment after it has been used? Hopefully the Browns will get their s--- together and not lead the NFL in Staph Infections for the 2nd straight season.
That's it for today, and the weekend. I'll see you on Monday!
The Crushers split a double-header with the Florence Freedom, losing the first game 3-2 before pounding the home team into submission 15-4 in the night cap. The Crushers are 18-15 in their inaugural season and just 4 games out of first place in their division. They start a home series against the Traverse City Beach Bums tonight at All Pro Freight Stadium. I'll probably head to the game on Monday night. I'm thinking about purchasing season tickets for 2010. We'll see where I am financially.
BGSU released the start times for their home football games and it looks like I'll be able to make 3 of them. Their home opener is against Troy on a Thursday which is my day off. I might make the trip to see my Falcons get their party started. I'll also be trekking up for the long-awaited home game against Boise State and October 3rd against the Bobcats of Ohio University. The Falcons have a new coach this year and I think it is going to be a great change for the better.
The Orioles beat up on the Natinals (No, I didn't spell that wrong, Majestic did) at Camden last night. Nolan Reimold went 3 for 4 with a double, scored two runs and raised his average to .292. The former Falcon is looking great! I wasn't shocked when he got called up when he did but I didn't think he'd make an impact on this club like he has been. Keep it up Nolan!
Joe Jurevicius is suing the Browns because of the staph infection he contracted after surgery last season. I don't blame him one bit. Luckily, the Browns have a regime now that won't let crap like this even have the chance of taking place. I mean, how do you not clean exercise equipment after it has been used? Hopefully the Browns will get their s--- together and not lead the NFL in Staph Infections for the 2nd straight season.
That's it for today, and the weekend. I'll see you on Monday!
Friday, June 26, 2009
Diesel, Draft, D'OH!
Old news, I know, but the Cavs got Shaq in a great trade for the team. I could not be happier that this happened. I know Shaq is getting old, and he's nearing the end of his amazing career but you can't deny that this past season was a great one for him. This helps our team on the defensive end and on the offensive glass as well. I like that the Cavs are being proactive and not just trying to let things fall into place. They are MAKING things fall into place and that is how you win championships.
On to the NBA Draft. From a fans perspective, of the Cavs and the Heels, I am very excited about Danny Green coming to Cleveland. As for the man from the Congo the Cavs selected, I'll be interested to see just what he can do for the team. As for the rest of the draft, it seems like the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to go small this upcoming season...very small. From what I can tell, they are going to start 4 guards, if not 5. Imagine a game where Ricky Rubio, Wayne Ellington, Johnny Flynn and Sebastion Telfair are all on the floor at the same time. Wow. At least they traded Ty Lawson, who would have been the 5th Guard to start, to the Nuggets for the infamous "future considerations." I'd say another decade of Minnesota futility is in the works. And poor Blake Griffin, sorry about your "future" in the NBA.
The Indians Bullpen...again...Ugh. Tie game, going into the bottom of the ninth and we promptly blow the game. How much longer will the front office go with Eric Wedge as the on-the-field manager? Unfortunately, it will probably be the rest of the season, seeing as Eric Wedge has another year on his contract and Larry Dolan isn't going to want to pay 2 managers at the same time, one of which isn't even doing anything. One of the biggest mistakes ever made by the Indians front office was letting Mike Hargrove go. That being said, we had the opportunity to get Cito Gaston in here as manager and we blew that chance. My patience for the Indians is growing thin. I will never abandon my team, but I may stop caring as much as I do.* That's it for now. V-Dub, out.
*I will never stop caring as much as I do. It's in my DNA. Damn it.
On to the NBA Draft. From a fans perspective, of the Cavs and the Heels, I am very excited about Danny Green coming to Cleveland. As for the man from the Congo the Cavs selected, I'll be interested to see just what he can do for the team. As for the rest of the draft, it seems like the Minnesota Timberwolves are going to go small this upcoming season...very small. From what I can tell, they are going to start 4 guards, if not 5. Imagine a game where Ricky Rubio, Wayne Ellington, Johnny Flynn and Sebastion Telfair are all on the floor at the same time. Wow. At least they traded Ty Lawson, who would have been the 5th Guard to start, to the Nuggets for the infamous "future considerations." I'd say another decade of Minnesota futility is in the works. And poor Blake Griffin, sorry about your "future" in the NBA.
The Indians Bullpen...again...Ugh. Tie game, going into the bottom of the ninth and we promptly blow the game. How much longer will the front office go with Eric Wedge as the on-the-field manager? Unfortunately, it will probably be the rest of the season, seeing as Eric Wedge has another year on his contract and Larry Dolan isn't going to want to pay 2 managers at the same time, one of which isn't even doing anything. One of the biggest mistakes ever made by the Indians front office was letting Mike Hargrove go. That being said, we had the opportunity to get Cito Gaston in here as manager and we blew that chance. My patience for the Indians is growing thin. I will never abandon my team, but I may stop caring as much as I do.* That's it for now. V-Dub, out.
*I will never stop caring as much as I do. It's in my DNA. Damn it.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
More to say...
In the haste of getting my first post done, I didn't really give a history of my life as a sports fan. It all started when I was 9. I can remember attending a couple Indians game before this point in my life, but nothing life changing. Basketball was my first love. It was April of 1993 and the North Carolina Tar Heels were playing the Michigan Wolverines in the National Championship game. I can remember the previous year seeing Christian Laettner hit the shot in the Final Four to beat Kentucky and his mom with her broken neck in the crowd. Anyways, I didn't like Duke, and I HATED Michigan so North Carolina was going to be the team I rooted for. Also helping this was the fact that I really liked Michael Jordan at the time and had family living in Chicago, so my obsession for the Tar Heels began. So, there I was, 9 years old, laying on the living room floor watching every second of this basketball game. I can't explain the feeling I got when Chris Webber got called for a Technical Foul and the Tar Heels closed out U of M and won the Title. It's the same feeling I've gotten the other 2 times I witnessed them winning the championship.
As for my Cleveland sports obsessions, I think it's pretty obvious why I love those teams. When you're from a town with professional sports, you are fans of those teams. You do NOT Front Run. People try to tell me that I'm a front runner for rooting for the Heels but when you start rooting for a team when you're 9 and are still rooting for them 15 to 16 year later, even through the Matt Daugherty era, you are NOT a front runner.
Other teams I like include the Cubs and Orioles for baseball. The Cubs is easy to explain. Visit Wrigley and you'll understand. The atmosphere in that place is amazing. I've gone several times and always look forward to the next time I'll be able to go. As for the Orioles, that is a sentimental favorite of mine and only just recently. The day I proposed to my fiancee, we were in Washington D.C. and went to an Orioles game in Baltimore that night. Amanda, my fiancee, bought me an Orioles hat at the game which I love. Also, one of their starting outfielders, Nolan Reimold, is a Bowling Green Alumni, which is where I went to school.
As for Hockey, my favorite team is the Minnesota Wild. "Matt, that's really random." I know, but I can remember as a little kid seeing the Minnesota North Stars every once in awhile on ABC's Wide World of Sports or something of the sort and when Minnesota got a new team, I latched on. Other teams I like include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers - All Canadian teams. I've only been to one NHL game in my life, in Columbus, Blue Jackets and Wild. My Minnesota team lost but it was still fun, even if Nationwide Arena was crappy.
So there is a little history of my love of sports. A little bit of why I do the things I do, and root for the teams I root for. I love sports and I always will. Keep reading, and you'll learn more about me every single time!
As for my Cleveland sports obsessions, I think it's pretty obvious why I love those teams. When you're from a town with professional sports, you are fans of those teams. You do NOT Front Run. People try to tell me that I'm a front runner for rooting for the Heels but when you start rooting for a team when you're 9 and are still rooting for them 15 to 16 year later, even through the Matt Daugherty era, you are NOT a front runner.
Other teams I like include the Cubs and Orioles for baseball. The Cubs is easy to explain. Visit Wrigley and you'll understand. The atmosphere in that place is amazing. I've gone several times and always look forward to the next time I'll be able to go. As for the Orioles, that is a sentimental favorite of mine and only just recently. The day I proposed to my fiancee, we were in Washington D.C. and went to an Orioles game in Baltimore that night. Amanda, my fiancee, bought me an Orioles hat at the game which I love. Also, one of their starting outfielders, Nolan Reimold, is a Bowling Green Alumni, which is where I went to school.
As for Hockey, my favorite team is the Minnesota Wild. "Matt, that's really random." I know, but I can remember as a little kid seeing the Minnesota North Stars every once in awhile on ABC's Wide World of Sports or something of the sort and when Minnesota got a new team, I latched on. Other teams I like include the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers - All Canadian teams. I've only been to one NHL game in my life, in Columbus, Blue Jackets and Wild. My Minnesota team lost but it was still fun, even if Nationwide Arena was crappy.
So there is a little history of my love of sports. A little bit of why I do the things I do, and root for the teams I root for. I love sports and I always will. Keep reading, and you'll learn more about me every single time!
First Entry/Indians, Crushers
And now for something completely different, a sports fan starting his own blog about his thoughts on the sporting world. But you know what? I don't care. I like blogging and I like letting complete strangers know what I think about the situations that take place on the Diamond, Gridiron, Hardwood, Ice or Links.
Since this is my first ever post and it's still relevant, Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking down Hockey's evil empire, a.k.a. the Detroit Red Wings. I can't tell you how much I dislike that team. From their smug fans to their front-running "I don't really follow hockey but the Red Wings are always good so I'll root for them" fans, I just can't stand them. I don't like the city of Detroit much at all and being from Cleveland, you'll just have to be ok with that.
Now that I have that out of the way, let's talk about the National Pastime, Baseball. Baseball is by far my favorite sport and I live and die with my Cleveland Indians. Let's take a look at last night's game against the Pirates. Thank the Lord that the Indians finally got off the snide and held on, white knuckles and all, to get the victory. David Huff is looking great, throwing 8 scoreless innings and giving up just 4 hits. Once our rotation is healthy and Aaron Laffey gets off the DL, I think we might be able to pull out some games and maybe fight back to .500...but I'm getting ahead of myself because we have a bullpen...ugh. Tribe up 5-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth = Tribe winning 5-4. I do not blame Eric Wedge one bit for going to the bullpen with a young lefty having thrown 110+ pitches, but I still think the man needs to be fired. Do you really expect your most consistent bullpen guy (40 year-old Matt Herges) to keep going at the pace he's on? Where's Jensen Lewis in that situation? Where is anyone else in that situation? I don't have all the answers but there HAS to be someone out there better suited to run the Indians clubhouse than Eric Wedge. Every time they take 3 or 4 steps forward, they take 7 back and that just doesn't work in Baseball.
Enough ranting about my Tribe. I love them and I will never leave them. Let's talk Minor League Baseball, more specifically, the Frontier League. I live in Elyria, Ohio and a new team moved into Avon, Ohio called the Lake Erie Crushers. I absolutely love having cheap baseball in my backyard. I've been to 4 games this season, including their season opener. Last night, they took on the Division leading Kalamazoo Kings and took them down hard, by a 19-5 score. Their staff Ace, Paul Fagan, pitched last night and gave up 2 runs in 6 innings. I've seen him pitch a couple times now and the kid has some good stuff. In the last 2 nights, the Crushers have outscored the Kings 32-6.
Well, I think that's a good First blog...what do you think? Let me know! If you have any comments or anything to add, e-mail me at mgvanwormer@gmail.com!
Since this is my first ever post and it's still relevant, Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Thank you, thank you, thank you for taking down Hockey's evil empire, a.k.a. the Detroit Red Wings. I can't tell you how much I dislike that team. From their smug fans to their front-running "I don't really follow hockey but the Red Wings are always good so I'll root for them" fans, I just can't stand them. I don't like the city of Detroit much at all and being from Cleveland, you'll just have to be ok with that.
Now that I have that out of the way, let's talk about the National Pastime, Baseball. Baseball is by far my favorite sport and I live and die with my Cleveland Indians. Let's take a look at last night's game against the Pirates. Thank the Lord that the Indians finally got off the snide and held on, white knuckles and all, to get the victory. David Huff is looking great, throwing 8 scoreless innings and giving up just 4 hits. Once our rotation is healthy and Aaron Laffey gets off the DL, I think we might be able to pull out some games and maybe fight back to .500...but I'm getting ahead of myself because we have a bullpen...ugh. Tribe up 5-0 heading to the bottom of the ninth = Tribe winning 5-4. I do not blame Eric Wedge one bit for going to the bullpen with a young lefty having thrown 110+ pitches, but I still think the man needs to be fired. Do you really expect your most consistent bullpen guy (40 year-old Matt Herges) to keep going at the pace he's on? Where's Jensen Lewis in that situation? Where is anyone else in that situation? I don't have all the answers but there HAS to be someone out there better suited to run the Indians clubhouse than Eric Wedge. Every time they take 3 or 4 steps forward, they take 7 back and that just doesn't work in Baseball.
Enough ranting about my Tribe. I love them and I will never leave them. Let's talk Minor League Baseball, more specifically, the Frontier League. I live in Elyria, Ohio and a new team moved into Avon, Ohio called the Lake Erie Crushers. I absolutely love having cheap baseball in my backyard. I've been to 4 games this season, including their season opener. Last night, they took on the Division leading Kalamazoo Kings and took them down hard, by a 19-5 score. Their staff Ace, Paul Fagan, pitched last night and gave up 2 runs in 6 innings. I've seen him pitch a couple times now and the kid has some good stuff. In the last 2 nights, the Crushers have outscored the Kings 32-6.
Well, I think that's a good First blog...what do you think? Let me know! If you have any comments or anything to add, e-mail me at mgvanwormer@gmail.com!
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