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July 2, 2009 - By Paul Cousineau
When you suck the life out of Paul Cousineau as an Indians fan, you know you have issues as an organization. And that's about where Paulie's at right now. Tired of the team's "consistent approach" of playing middling players at the wrong position, capturing defeat from the jaws of victory, and overwhelmingly sucking the life out of any optimism we may feel for the team ... Paulie takes some time out to hurl some tomahawks at our readers, hitting on a slew of different issues surrounding the team.
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July 2, 2009 - By Dave Kolonich
Whether you view the Browns current quarterback situation as incompetent, or simply incomplete, it probably is much too early to speculate on how either Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson will perform in 2009, considering no one outside of Eric Mangini's office knows exactly what the Browns offense will look like in 2009. However, in the spirit of early July 4th celebrations, and in the bloody embrace of independence that gives us all a forum to shout our idiot ideas and opinions, let's take a look and see what we actually have at the quarterback spot. Dave K breaks it down for us.
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July 2, 2009 - By Dan Wismar
Trying to get Buckeye Dan Wismar's head in some condition to objectively evaluate the Buckeyes is an annual exercise that he's not sure he will ever really accomplish completely. But with the 2009 season fast approaching, we coerced Dan to give our readers his thoughts on how this season will play out for the Bucks. And he relented. So, without further adieu, Buckeye Dan gives us the best damn Ohio State preview in the land as we get ready for the start of the college football season.
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July 1, 2009 - By Steve Buffum
Well, at least we didn't have to watch all nine innings of this one last night. Thank you Mother Nature. Cliff Lee got shelled ... and the Tribe was pounded, 11-4, losing their 12th game in their last 14 tries. Not a pretty picture in the wigwam right now, and in today's B-List, Buff soothes the masochists and tells us how Cliff Lee was platypus-like, why Matt Herges should never pitch again, and ... why he never wants to see Matt Herges pitch again.
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July 1, 2009 - By Paul Cousineau
While it's technically true that more than half the season still awaits us (HOORAY!), the real truth lies in the fact that prior to the Trading Deadline at the end of July, the seeds for 2010 and beyond may be sown in terms of management, players, and organizational approach. The tone of the moves (or non-moves) that occur over the next month then, will go a long way in determining whether contending in 2010 is remotely feasible and what players will be involved in next season, as well as who will be filling the names of said players into the lineup card. Paulie talks about what we might see in his latest piece.
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July 1, 2009 - By Tony Lastoria
It has been a difficult and frustrating season for the Tribe. The team has used up just about every bullpen option they have available to them in the system, and have looked under every rock and in every dark corner outside the organization for a solution to the bullpen mess. While all this has been going on, it has been puzzling why Triple-A Columbus right-handed reliever John Meloan has yet to get a call to Cleveland. Tony had a chance to talk to Meloan in a recent trip to Columbus, and gets to the bottom of it for our readers.
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June 30, 2009 - By Adam Burke
For the first time in franchise history, the Blue Jackets did not pick in the top eight of the National Hockey League Entry Draft. That did not keep General Manager Scott Howson from having an active draft day. The Blue Jackets, slated to pick 16th overall, traded down and then traded back up adding a second rounder in the process. In Adam Burke's latest, he takes a look back at the NHL Draft, and ahead to free agency, which begins tomorrow.
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June 30, 2009 - By Steve Buffum
The Indians may have squandered a very solid outing by Carl Pavano ... they may have squandered a pair of ninth-inning homers ... they may have caused Eric Wedge to burst several capillaries in his eyeballs ... but the 6/29 game will heretofore be remember as Chris Perez' Cleveland Debut Game. That ... was ... AWESOME!!! in the B-List, Buff shifts his salesmanship away from Mark DeRosa, talks about why Ryan Garko's timing stinks, and wonders why people are surprised when Jhonny Peralta plays in a Jhonny Peralta fashion.
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June 30, 2009 - By Gary Benz
For a team that relies heavily on attendance for revenues, the Cleveland Indians sure don't act like it. Speaking to the media last week, general manager Mark Shapiro more or less shrugged his shoulders at the team's fate and said that this may just be one of those years. And a million Indians fans shrugged with him. Gary talks about the Indians disastrous 2009 season in his latest column for us.
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June 30, 2009 - By Jesse Lamovsky
It is an annual rite of summer, and the NBA's own version of 'Midnight Madness.' At 12:01 AM on July 1st, General Managers across the land will start ringing doorbells, calling cell phones, and firing off e-mails ... all in the hopes of landing the free-agents on the top of their wish lists. In Jesse's latest, he offers up a comprehensive look at all of this year's free agents, and which ones may be of interest to the Cavaliers.
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June 29, 2009 - By Steve Buffum
Well, after several weeks of pining for a Mark DeRosa trade, Buff got his wish this weekend, as DeRosa was sent to the Cards for Chris Perez and a player to be named later. While the trade excited many Indians fans, there was little to be excited about on the field this weekend. After a Friday night gem from Sowers, the Tribe was battered badly by the Reds Saturday and Sunday, led yesterday by former Indian Brandon Phillips, who was celebrating his 28th birthday. Buff recaps the weekend set, Transformers 2, and his lawn in today's B-List.
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June 29, 2009 - By Jesse Lamovsky
Jesse Lamovsky first became a fan of Ohio State football at the tender age of nine, back in the autumn of 1984. It was a good year to jump on board - Earle Bruce's Buckeyes went to the Rose Bowl that season- and he's been hooked ever since, through lean times and fat. It's been a quarter of a century since he gave his college football loyalties over to the Scarlet and Grey, and in honor of this, um, "momentous" occasion, he's ranked the twenty-five seasons of his Buckeye fandom in order, from worst to first.
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Successful poker players may lose many small pots and still be totally happy, for their goal is to win the occasional big ones. The same thinking comes naturally in football. When the "Browns are in a fourth down, "moving all in", in the meaning of going for it, is worthwhile only if the odds for success are good enough. In most other cases, it’s probably wiser to just "fold" the hand, as in punting the ball away. In the same way, winning or losing a single yard means nothing as long as they manage to get a first down.
June 29, 2009 - By Brian McPeek
A couple of trades have dominated the headlines on the Cleveland sports scene these past few days. Of course, there was the big news from Thursday, when the Cavs pulled the trigger on the blockbuster that brought The Diesel here to the north coast. And then on Saturday, the Indians dealt Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for relief pitcher Chris Perez and a player to be named later. In the Weekend Wrap, Peeks hits on both trades, the NBA Draft, and the latest project he's working on.
June 28, 2009 - By Sam Amico
The draft is over and the NBA's summer has officially begun. And no team is yet complete. Enter Sam Amico for his team-by-team look at the needs of each team in the Eastern Conference (the West is coming later this week), and three suggested free agents for each of them.
June 28, 2009 - By Paul Cousineau
Paulie C has been all over the newest Indian Chris Perez, invoking his name for several weeks now when talking about the players he's like to see come to Cleveland in a potential Mark DeRosa trade. In this week's Lazy Sunday, Paulie fills us in on Chris Perez, talks about the return the Tribe got for DeRosa, and also hits on the "Wedge Watch" and what it would likely take for the Indians to entertain dealing Clifton Phifer Lee.
June 28, 2009 - By Dave Kolonich
The following is Part Five in a series profiling the most essential positions that will determine success for the Browns in 2009. After beginning the series by looking at the team's traditional weaknesses at linebacker and along the defensive line, Dave Kolonich profiled the team's drama drenched shortcomings at wide receiver before focusing on the intriguing situation developing along the offensive line. Today he takes a look at the players who may most benefit from the improved O-line depth, as our spotlight turns to the Browns' current collection of running backs.
June 27, 2009 - By Tony Lastoria
Busy week for Tony. Wednesday, he was in Mahoning Valley, watching and talking with members of the Scrappers. Thursday, 2009 first round pick Alex White joined Tony and Paulie on "Smoke Signals", right here on The Cleveland Fan Live. And today ... he is off to Columbus to see the Clippers in action at their gorgeous new ballpark. Where he finds time to put together this ruthlessly thorough column each week, I'll never know. But I ain't complainin'.
June 27, 2009 - By Gary Benz
I always love seeing what topics Gary Benz sets his sights on each Saturday morning in Lingering Items, and this week, he's chosen three compelling stories. First he talks about the retirement of MLB Players Union Chief Don Fehr, who Gary is glad to see go. GB then turns his attention the vultures circling around the head of Indians skipper Eric Wedge and the growing displeasure with Indians GM Mark Shapiro. Finally, Gary talks about Danny Ferry, who he felt showed both courage and bravado in acquring Shaquille O'Neal.
June 27, 2009 - By Jerry Roche
You knew the naysayers would come out. Most national, very few here on the north coast. But they're out there. Saying Shaq is over the hill. Shaq will clog the lane. Shaq's ego isn't compatible with LeBron's. Shaq's too slow. Shaq's a one-year bandage. Jerry Roche has a message for the haters. Don't tug on Superman's cape.
June 26, 2009 - By Steve Buffum
In a game in which Cliff Lee goes seven strong innings (yawn) and Victor Martinez hammers a home run (ho hum), was there any doubt that the Indians would lose a close game in which the bullpen was handed a major role? Of course not. In today's B-List, Buff has a prescription for the bullpen, considers Lee quite the outlier in the 2009 rotation, and congratulates Victor for telling the author to mind his own business.
June 26, 2009 - By Paul Cousineau
The wheels are officially starting to fall off the wagon. The Tribe has lost eight of nine, is now 30-44 on the season, and has the worst record in the American League. Only the hapless Nationals are preventing them from having the worst record in all of baseball. Paulie C says there are several changes that need made with this team. And he's broken it up into things that should be done today, things that need to happen in the next month and things that need to happen as the season winds down for the Indians.
June 26, 2009 - By Nick Allburn
It happened about four months too late, but Shaquille O'Neal was finally dealt from the Phoenix Suns to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The deal, finalized in the wee hours of Thursday morning, brings the Big Diesel to the North Shore in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, the Cavaliers' second round pick in the 2010 Draft, and $500,000. In Nick Allburn's look at the Shaq deal, he says that this is likely the first of many dominoes to fall this off-season.
June 26, 2009 - By Mitch Cyrus
Since its debut almost three weeks ago, Todd Phillips' raunchy buddy-comedy "The Hangover" has gone on to be The Shock of the 2009 Summer Movie schedule, raking in over $150 million so far domestically, far outpacing other anticipated blockbusters like "Terminator Salvation", "Angels & Demons", and "Land of the Lost". At the rate its going, it will easily blow past the $200 million mark, which would make it the highest grossing comedy since 2005's "The Wedding Crashers". Mitch reviews the film for our readers in his latest.
June 25, 2009 - By Sam Amico
Christian Eyenga and Danny Green? Not what most of us were expecting. After lots of rumors of trading up, buying picks, the Cavs stood pat and took two totally off the radar names off the board at picks #30 and #46. Sam Amico was at Cavaliers headquarters last night in Independence for the draft, and in his latest piece for us, gives us his thoughts on the Cavs selections as well as the draft as a whole.
June 25, 2009 - By Steve Buffum
Carl Pavano takes his turn on the comedy tour, giving up 11 hits and recording 11 outs and taking the loss. The Tribe tried to make it interesting, but failed, and Buff outlines why Pavano is hilarious, how Tony Sipp has taken lessons from one pitcher but not another, and wonders if maybe Victor Martinez (not to mention all Indians fans) might need some actual days off.
June 25, 2009 - By Tony Lastoria
Back in 2002 when Indians Owner Larry Dolan and General Manager Mark Shapiro implemented "The Plan", the idea was to build from within with a focus on pitching that would "come in waves". Seven years later those waves have been reduced to barely a ripple in what has been a sea of disappointment that has been "The Plan". Many people have pointed the finger at Wedge and Shapiro and blamed them for the failures this season, but the seeds for the struggles this organization is going through were planted several years back in John Mirabelli's first four drafts as Scouting Director.
June 25, 2009 - By Erik Cassano
The grandest of grand Cleveland sports experiments will start to play out over the summer and into the fall. Shaq is coming to the Cavs, courtesy of a trade completed in the wee hours of Thursday morning -- a trade that reportedly sent Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and the Cavs' second round draft pick, No. 46, to Phoenix. Now, we get to see if the potentially-volatile concoction of two legitimate superstars can flourish in Cleveland and end this city's title drought, which will almost certainly stretch to a 46th year. Erik Cassano talks about The Shaq Factor in his latest.
June 25, 2009 - By Chris Hutchison
Well how bout this. Hiko has gone and outed himself. That's right folks, he's no longer Hiko. He's Chris Hutchison. While the name may be different, the column is the same. And in this week's Outsider, Chris gets us caught up on the last several weeks of Cleveland Browns football news. Included are his thoughts on Donte Stallworth, the importance of developing a consistent pass rush, the secrecy of the Mangini regime, and media complaints about that secrecy.
June 24, 2009 - By Jason Green
Daniel Jacobs, one of Golden Boy Promotions top young fighters, returns to the ring June 26th on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights against veteran middleweight, fellow New Yorker, and former Academy Award Nominee George "Blaze" Walton. Walton, a former New York Golden Gloves champion whose once promising career was featured in the 1999 documentary, On the Ropes, is a fighter on the comeback trail. Jason Green talks about the fight, and also ablout Jacobs next potential opponent.
June 24, 2009 - By Sam Amico
Chances are, folks in Cleveland won't be talking about the NBA draft today. Chances are, they'll be talking about their renewed faith in the team with the league's best regular-season record. Chances are, the topic will be LeBron James' new teammate, a 37-year old mammoth of a man with four championship rings. Shaquille O'Neal is a Cav ... and Sam talks about the trade, which just developed late tonight. And says that the Cavs are not done tinkering.