When an unprepared student gets called to go to the blackboard in a group activity and isn’t sure what to do, they write anything they can to get close.  Usually, the student is not very lucky, and is asked to return to their respective seat.  A good teacher will not make an example of the bad student but rather call on a prized pupil to come up and erase the board.  Once the slate is clean, the good student is then given repeat directions and comes through.

In Cleveland, they are running out of students.  Eric Wedge was the most recent student to bomb the visual demonstration.  In this case, the teacher (Mark Shapiro) let the student (Wedge) struggle longer than he should have.  Shapiro should have taken the chalk away from Wedge around Memorial Day and handed it to another student.  Unfortunately, Shapiro figured he would let his understudy try to work it out and get it right.  The sad part is the teacher knew the student was on the wrong track so long ago that he made the mistake of letting this student dig himself into a deeper hole.

Eric Wedge is a nice guy.  That may be the whole problem.  You never turned on Sportscenter and saw Wedge throwing a tirade about his team’s heartless play.  Yet everytime Lou Piniella batted an eyelash toward a player for not hustling, it was news.  Wedge is too passive to be the head guy.  He knows the game but lacks the firepower to motivate a team struggling to win.  This was obvious at the beginning of the season when the Tribe lost a bunch of games to start the season and dug a hole that they ultimately could never climb back out of.

When Shapiro saw the writing on the wall but opted to keep Wedge around until the end, he failed to establish future leadership which may cost Cleveland at the beginning of next season.  Why not bring in the new guy to have some game experience with his future instead of making an unnamed student wait until after recess to get to the board when they already may know the answer?

Maybe it is the teacher who should be evaluated for competence for leaving a struggling student at the board for so long.  Not only did Shapiro screw that up, but he traded his three best pupils to gifted classrooms for a larger quantity of special needs students.  Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia have improved at addition since leaving Shapiro’s classroom.  They are able to add larger numbers (wins, strikeouts, and payroll potential), subtract smaller numbers (ERA and WHIP), and have really taken a true understanding to greater than and less than quantitive equations.  They even got a couple of merits for excelling (Cy Young Awards).  Victor Martinez won a spelling bee and is the new steady pitcher for his classes kickball games. 

In all reality, Cleveland ownership needs to sweep the whole room, not just the corners.  If I owned the Indians, Mark Shapiro would be dealing cards at Mountaineer Casino (owned by the Jacobs family).  There is no reason to constantly do the wrong thing and not be punished. 

If the students keep failing, isn’t it time to evaluate the teacher?

What a horrible year Cleveland Sports fans have had to endure.  The Cavs could have done better.  The Indians started and are ending the season with disgraceful heartless performances.  The Browns are lucky if they win six games this season.  When will it end?  Doesn’t matter what team or season, the result for over 50 years has been disappointment. 

I applaud Cleveland fans for hanging in there and staying true to the teams they root for.  However, after attending a recent Indians game with about 25% of the stands at Progressive Field full, I have to wonder when fans will get disgusted enough to either switch teams or just put Cleveland sports as a whole on the back burner.  Again, there are diehards, but Chicago has tasted victory with the Bears, Detroit with the Pistons, Boston with the Patriots and Red Sox, etc… 

Let me start my story with the team that provides the greatest chance of winning something soon – the Cavs.  With the recent addition of Shaq and departure of Ben Wallace one of two things can happen.  1)  Everything will click, no one will be injured, and the Cavs will make a strong showing for an NBA Championship.  OR.. 2) Shaq will only play about half the year putting LeBron James back into the ‘I have to do it all myself’  mode, or worse yet, James could get injured.  I still argue that he isn’t going anywhere at the end of the season, but watch how that debate rages through the entire season and playoffs and becomes a bigger issue than the Cavs actually winning.

Move to baseball.  Eric Wedge should have been fired on Memorial Day or shortly after.  Wedge’s admitted pal and BFF Mark Shapiro stuck his neck out for Wedge to at least be given the end of the season to present his capabilities as a manager.  He has failed to do so.  Shapiro traded Cliff Lee to Philadelphia this season, even though he had another year on his contract, for pitching prospects like Carlos Carrasco (0-2, 9.64 ERA).  Last year CC Sabathia was pushed away instead of being offered a new contract and he didn’t do too bad in Milwaukee.  Both guys (Shapiro and Wedge) need to go and a true rebuilding process needs to take place, otherwise expect more Pirate-like boneheaded moves followed up by the financial weeping of a money-hungry front office. 

Question: Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson?   Answer: Neither.   Browns fans are truly some of the most loyal people who follow sports.  The defense looked rather good in the first half against Minnesota in the opener.  In the second half, they looked dismal.  There is no consistency on this team.  They will jump up and win a few games, they always manage to do that much.  The problem at quarterback is not the individuals who play that position.  Quinn OR Anderson will be running for their lives as the line is still weak.  When they do have time, who do they throw to?  Braylon ‘drop ‘em’ Edwards?  Josh ‘Wildcat’ Cribbs?  They need help at receiver bad.  Cribbs running the Wildcat Offense on Minnesota’s two-yard line was comical, for two plays.  Drew Brees would struggle with this team.

Sorry Cleveland fans.  Mad respect for the loyalty to these three franchises, but if the Cavs don’t do it this year it’s gonna be awhile longer in any sport.

Please comment if you think I am right or wrong, I am anxious to hear what others think about this.

What a horrible weekend for the nationally covered Ohio sports teams!  It’s football season, but they are still playing baseball.  Didn’t matter which level, didn’t matter which sport, all that matters is that my home state, in a 24-hour span, was 0-5 against teams from other states.

The fun started Saturday night when Ohio State hosted USC.  I excitedly watched the Buckeyes dominate the trenches, field position, and play the Tressel ‘three yards and a cloud of dust’  brand of football.  That worked, for three-and-a-half quarters.  Pete Carroll found a way to call a 90+ yard drive to doom the Buckeyes as they went on to lose 18-15.

Sunday, a whole new grouping of ways to lose at various sports came into play.

The Cleveland Indians managed to get only two hits in losing to the Kansas City Royals.  They also gave up seven runs in losing 7-0 to a team with a winning percentage of under .400 at the time. 

The Cincinnati Reds were a little better in losing to the Cubs.  They managed to score a couple of runs, but the Cubbies managed to score five. 

The Cincinnati Bengals probably gave the home loyalists the biggest stomach ache.  A deflected pass lands right into the hands of a Denver receiver who has absolutely no one around him because two Bengals defensive backs and a linebacker had fallen like dominoes.  Brandon Stokley = Hero.  Knock the ball down… DOWN… not up.  12-7 Broncos.

The Cleveland Browns played with purpose for a half.  They basically took away Adrian Peterson and dared Brett Favre to beat them.  A few coaching adjustments at halftime solved the problem and Peterson ran like a deer in a vacant field.  Vikings 34-20.

Remedy?  Musical coaches.  Let’s put Mangini in a Reds uniform.  He can develop a wildcat bunt or something.  He has that chubby baseball look anyway.  Jim Tressel can go coach the Indians.  What would be the odds of him playing the lines with a one run lead to take away extra-base hits?  Eric Wedge would look good in the Bengals stuff.  He is used to dealing with injury-prone lefties who can’t throw anyway.  Marvin Lewis can go to Ohio State.  And by default, Dusty Baker would coach the Browns.

0-5. 

I wanted to do a profile piece on Ben Carlson about a month and a half ago.  When I asked him about it after a Scrapper game in July, he simply told me “we’ll see”.  Today Carlson admitted to me that he was reluctant to do a profile piece back then because he was not playing well and thought others on the team may have deserved the attention more than he did.  It is because of that attitude that today, I am happy to be doing a feature piece on Ben.  Carlson gives the words ‘team player’ and ‘wise beyond his years’, believability.

 Carlson and I have been linked closer since last Wednesday.  A line-drive foul ball off of his bat struck Luke Holko.  Having an idea of what kind of a person Ben was, I knew that he would be devastated.  After every game, I would talk to Travis Fryman.  Our conversations have been pretty structured lately.  My first question has always been, “Any news on Luke?”, followed by, “How is Ben doing?”, followed by, “Tell me about the start that Clayton Cook provided and how long are Kyle Bellows and Greg Folgia hurt?” 

I met Chad and Nicole Holko on Wednesday, a week after the incident.  The Scrappers played Brooklyn that night and I waited until after the game to talk to Ben and Travis about my visit.  Ben told me, “I gotta get up there and see him.”  The next morning, Ben and I were on our way to Akron Children’s Hospital.  Ben brought a bat to give to Luke.  We had about two hours to talk, so this profile piece is done with more than the usual amount of information.

We met at 9:00 AM at Eastwood Field.  I learned that this early time of nine was a sacrifice in itself for Carlson who said he usually sleeps until 11.  It sounds bad, but when you weigh the normal day ahead of a Scrappers player, it seems that isn’t enough rest.  These guys got home at 6:00 AM from one of their unpopular eight-hour bus rides.  On a gameday, which is pretty much every day, the players are required to be at the field by 2:00 PM for meetings and stretching followed by batting practice.  Then they hit the field for the game.  After showering and sometimes short post-game meetings, a player can expect to get home between 11:00 – midnight.  That’s a long day.

One of the first things I talked with Carlson about was “home”, both growing up and here.  The growing up part was in Kansas.  Carlson has loyalty to the Kansas City Royals and Kansas City Chiefs, two franchises which have not been lighting it up as of late.  We talked about George Brett and Christian Okoye and if the Chiefs were capable of winning even three games this season.  Carlson has three brothers, all playing baseball at some level.  His oldest brother is in the Detroit Tigers system, and recently needed surgery on his wrist.  Ben attended Missouri State for a bit, but once you get drafted, college ends up on the back burner.  After this season with the Scrappers, he will go to an instructional league in Arizona on September 30.  His father runs a car auction back in Kansas.  His parents recently made a trip to Ohio to see Ben play and because it was Labor Day Weekend, the car auction was delayed until Tuesday.  “My father hasn’t missed an auction in 24 years.” 

Nick Kirk and Brett Brach live with the same host family as Carlson.  He claims that it is nice to have some teammates around but was quick to point out that pitchers are pretty much on a different schedule, so they go to the park at different times.  “We pretty much have an area of the house to ourselves.  There is a nice setup with a big screen when we have time to watch it.”  Carlson said his host father leaves for work at 5:30 in the morning and he went a stretch of about two weeks without even getting to see him.

Once we got to the hospital and parked, the reality of our trip started to settle in.  We agreed that it is tough to see Luke on the machines as we had both already been there once.  Walking to the room, a million things race through my mind, the most important being some sign of improvement or some good news.  Our unannounced visit was well-received.  Nicole and Chad and Nicole’s parents were all there.  Nicole told us about Eric Wedge’s wife coming yesterday and showed us all of the nice stuff she brought with her including a two-foot card signed by the entire team, some autographed bats, and even a Jamey Carroll glove.  Nicole then talked with us about improvements.  There is something caled an ICP count which is monitored on a screen.  Luke’s ICP count rises when he gets annoyed.  I was fixated on this single monitor for most of the visit.  We had to leave before 11:30 because Carlson had to be back in Niles by 12:30 for practice.

One of the things Carlson and I talked about was his music that he picked when he comes up to bat.  Most of the Scrappers pick R & B stuff, or newer music.  Casey Frawley has a country song.  Ben Carlson has Ted Nugent.  Yep, the Motor City Madman.  I asked Carlson if the music gets assigned or if they get to pick it. He told me that they get to pick what they want.  I then asked how he ended up with ‘Stranglehold’.  He told me he loved the song as a teammate of his in college used it when he came to bat.  Once he got to Niles, he picked the song to use for himself.

Carlson is still getting used to hitting with a wooden bat.  Having used aluminum bats his whole career, it is a big change.  He is also learning to play first base.  He had played there before, but very sparingly.  “You go where they put you and make the most of it,” remarked Carlson whose primary world was the outfield.

Moises Montero, Jesus Brito, and Argenis Martinez do not speak much English yet.  From what Carlson told me, Rafael Vera should draw an additional check from the Indians organization for being a full-time interpreter.  The language and communication problems don’t end there.  Carlson’s roommate on the road is Chun Chen.  I asked him what they could possibly do or how they communicate.  “Chen knows a little English and is learning, we get through it.”

Carlson is very complimentary of the coaches and trainers.  He has much respect for Travis Fryman and Phil Clark and said nothing but good stuff about both guys.  Nothing but praise for the Scrappers organization and not a bad word about a teammate.  Carlson said in some ways it has been a very long Summer.  He is looking forward to going to his brother’s wedding in Las Vegas in November.  “He is 6’4″, she is 6’3″ and used to play basketball at New Mexico, they are going to have some tall kids.”

Carlson and the Scrappers will be competing for the NYPL championship this weekend.  He was quick to point out that the Scrappers lead the NYPL in team batting, yet no Scrapper player is even in the Top-10.  “We are a true team, everyone has been contributing all season.  When someone gets hurt, someone else has been able to step in and get the job done.”

I enjoyed my time with Ben Carlson.  He is a refreshing person who contradicts the young pro athlete stereotypes.  If he doesn’t make it in baseball, he will succeed in some other avenue his path may drive him to. 

Mark Shapiro is the Cleveland Indians general manager.  Eric Wedge must be his buddy.  Shapiro declared Sunday before the Oakland A’s – Indians game that Wedge would remain at the controls for the rest of the season.  I am not sure I understand why.

By firing Wedge and getting a new manager in place now, the Indians can realistically look to next year optimistically.  By waiting until the end of the year to do the obvious thing – firing Wedge, you are stalling that true rebuilding process. 

When the Indians traded Mark DeRosa last week, it signified the white flag.  We surrender.  I fear many core players are going to be traded for prospects over the next couple of weeks.  Not if, but when, Victor Martinez gets sent somewhere, I will go completely over the edge with this team.  True, the Indians are loaded at catcher at every level of their farm system.  Carlos Santana in Akron, could be called up by the end of the year.  But lets face it, trading DeRosa for Ryan Franklin, a 12-pack of St. Louis grown Budweiser, and a couple of pictures of a clydesdale aren’t going to do much in the present or the future for Cleveland.

Wedge needed to go last month.  I have been adamant about firing him since the “ultimate motivator” watched quietly as his team raced out to an 0-7 start this season.  The team needed a spark and he failed to provide one.  It is his job to win.  With the talent pool Cleveland had going into 2009, there is no excuse for the shoddy product being displayed every other game by the lake.

If Mark Shapiro thinks for one minute that Eric Wedge is going to better prepare this year’s team for a run next season, than the powers that be should really consider Shapiro’s future with the team.  If you are going to paint the house, paint the whole house, not just the front.

I’m not sure anyone involved has a clue.  Maybe we should just promote the entire Single-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers team to Cleveland for a three-game series, what would it hurt at this point? 

I got to meet Dave Smith, the GM of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers.  I learned that a GM in minor league baseball worries more about what happpens outside the lines than a major league GM.  Mr. Smith was gracious enough to grant me some interview time and I met a very special person who many know nothing about.  His role with the Scrappers is paramount to the success of the organization.

Paneech: What do your day-to-day operations and duties consist of?

Dave Smith: Our responsibilities here are to handle everything outside the lines.  The Indians are responsible for drafting the players and they have a whole player development department that works with the players and coaches.  That leaves our responsibilities to sales, marketing, promotions, the media relations, accounting, and operating the facility.

Paneech: You are involved with Youngstown Goodwill and the Regional Chamber of Commerce as a member on the Board of Directors.  How did you get so involved with the community?

Dave Smith: It was something that was pushed on us when I got here.  The organization was always stressing the importance of getting involved with the community.  When I first became involved with the Warren Rotary Club at the age of 27, I didn’t even know what a rotary club was.  To actually be involved in the community became rewarding.  I was meeting new people, getting involved in lots of projects and really started to enjoy giving something back to the community. 

Paneech:  Are you happy here or are you waiting to perhaps be promoted to another level?

Dave Smith: I think that is another misconception, where from a players standpoint you go from Single A to Double A which is the goal.  From a front office standpoint, promotion isn’t the same for me as it is for a player.  I have 15 years in the industry, and if I were to realistically look for a job in a major league city I would go from having the entire operations of a team to, say, just doing promotions.  Some people may want the glitz and glamour that come with a major league promotion, for me it would be a regression to move up.  I met my wife here and now have roots in this area, I have grown used to it and don’t think I would want to leave here right now.

Paneech: Do you have contact with the Indians despite not being involved with the players and coaches much?

Dave Smith:  Indians Director of Player Development, Ross Atkins, basically oversees the talent portion of their minor league system.  We have real good relationships with that staff and communicate with them through the Winter.  Everything starts to pick up on June 1.  Our situation here is that more than half of our players come directly out of the draft each year.  This year there were ten days between the draft and the start of our season.  That’s a very short window to draft these guys, sign them, get them under contract, get them where they need to be, get them physicals, get them uniforms,  which turns into a constant line of communication with their administration.  We then work with the players who get sent here to set them up with host families where they will reside during the season.

Paneech:  Who was the most talented Scrapper you have seen in your time here?

Dave Smith:  In terms of when they were here, not when they moved on, Ben Francisco was the most talented guy I saw here.  The year he was here he led the Penn League in batting average, hit about .349.  He didn’t have a lot of power at the time, but he just attacked the ball, in terms of a pure hitter, it was Francisco.  Ryan Church was another guy that was here that had a monster year with HR and RBI, but I just didn’t get the feeling watching Church as I did Francisco.

Paneech:  Out of the current group of Scrappers, who can you see wearing an Indians uniform in a few years?

Dave Smith:  If you would have asked me a week or so ago, I would have said Bo Greenwell, son of former Red Sox great Mike Greenwell.  Bo was promoted to Lake County, so he’s not with the team anymore.  John Allman, one of the best average hitters in the league and in RBI’s, was not drafted, so there wasn’t all of the hype with him and he is doing a great job.  The Indians are close to signing their second round draft pick, Jason Kipnis, an outfielder out of Arizona State.  His season was extended due to the fact that he went deep into the College World Series.  Reports are that he will report to Mahoning Valley once he signs.

One Word Answers:

Paneech: Favorite meal of the day?     Smith: Dinner

Paneech: Favorite Music?        Smith: Country

Paneech: Favorite TV Show?         Smith:  All Three CSI Shows

Paneech: Favorite Current MLB player?       Smith: Chase Utley

Paneech: Best GM in baseball?     Smith: Theo Epstein

Paneech: Browns or Steelers?     Smith: Eagles

Paneech:  On a day off, I …            Smith: Relax and do work around the house

Paneech:  All-time favorite athlete?     Smith:  Mike Schmidt

Paneech:  Favorite Restaurant?         Smith: Springfield Grille in Boardman

Paneech:  Will Eric Wedge finish 2009 in an Indians uniform?     Smith: Yes, he will.

In a move that can only signify forfeiture of a season, the Indians traded away Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for a player to be named later.  Anytime a player is traded away to a contender for a player to be named later, it usually signifies the team getting the player later doesn’t need him yet because they quit.

Coming off of the heels of a 7-3 loss to the Reds Saturday night, the trade was announced immediately after the game.  Personally, I am suprised this move came before the firing of Eric Wedge.  See if the team can make a move with new any leadership.

DeRosa is batting .270 with 13 HR and 50 RBI in 278 at-bats.  He will be a good fit for St. Louis, probably seeing a bulk of the action at third base. 

So-long Mark, it was nice to have you here for a little while.  You are a versatile player who does what it takes to win. 

For Cleveland, failed closer Chris Perez and a “player to be named later” are coming.  Maybe DeRosa will outhit Albert Pujols and he will be the player we get in return..  haha fat chance.

Way to go… Go Pirates.

Eric Wedge relied on one of his battered bullpen converts to perhaps save his job.  Speculation that Wedge will be canned soon barring a miracle turnaround took a backseat to one of the Indians best all-around showings this season as the Tribe rolled past Cincinnati, 9-2. 

Cleveland scored all 9 runs between the 3rd and 6th innings.  Ryan Garko and Victor Martinez homered for Cleveland in the rout.  Grady Sizemore opened the Cleveland offensive outburst with an RBI double in the third. 

Cleveland starter Jeremy Sowers pitched into the eighth inning and was constantly ahead of hitters throughout the game. 

Jensen Lewis did his best to keep the Cleveland bullpen in a funk by walking the first two hitters he faced to open the ninth inning.  Tony Sipp was called upon and promptly struck out the side to end the game.

For Wedge, at least in my opinion, another bullet was dodged in saving his job.  The end is near.