Filed under: MLB Waiver Wire

Seattle's Jason Vargas was able to start September out with a quality start, giving up three runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings of work. The quality home outing continues a stark trend for Vargas this year of dominance in Seattle's park. His teammate Doug Fister is next up for the Stream Team on Thursday.

On Friday, we're shifting gears and streaming against Seattle. In August, the Mariners scored over three runs in just nine of 27 games. The team's road games last month were played in several hitters' parks, and if you take just home games into the equation, Seattle scored four runs or more in only two of 14 games, with both those high-scoring affairs coming in the first few days of the month.

As such, we're streaming Fausto Carmona against the Mariners in Seattle on Friday. Carmona has dropped five straight starts, seeing his ERA shoot up from 3.78 to 4.19 in the process. One of those losses came against Seattle in Cleveland, where Carmona allowed two earned runs in six innings of work. We can expect about the same from the Cleveland pitcher on Friday.

 

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La Habana.- El preso político cubano Próspero Gaínza Agüero llegará mañana a España, según confirmaron a Efe fuentes de su familia.

Así, Gaínza, que cumplía una condena de 25 años, será el primero de un nuevo grupo de seis disidentes cubanos cuya excarcelación fue anunciada hace una semana por el Arzobispado de La Habana.

Gaínza, de 53 años y miembro del ilegal movimiento de resistencia cívica "Pedro Luis Boitel", salió directamente de la prisión "Combinado del Este" de La Habana, al Aeropuerto Internacional José Martí, donde se encontró con su esposa, María Esther Blanco, y un hijo, quienes le acompañan en el viaje directo entre La Habana y Madrid, de 9 horas de duración.

El Arzobispado de La Habana anunció el pasado 24 de agosto la próxima liberación de Víctor Arroyo Carmona, Alexis Rodríguez Fernández, Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares, Alfredo Domínguez Batista, Próspero Gaínza Agüero y Claro Sánchez Altarriba, quienes aceptaron "la propuesta de salir de la prisión y trasladarse a España".

Mañana, en el vuelo de la noche (hora cubana) está prevista la salida de otro de los afectados con sus familiares (hasta un máximo de siete), según dijeron a Efe fuentes cercanas a la operación, mientras que el resto tendrán que esperar probablemente hasta la semana próxima, según la disponibilidad de plazas en los aviones.

Con la salida de Gaínza suman 27 los prisioneros políticos cubanos que han viajado a España siguiendo el proceso de excarcelaciones resultante del diálogo abierto en mayo pasado entre el Gobierno del general Raúl Castro y la alta jerarquía de la Iglesia católica en Cuba, que es apoyado por el Ejecutivo español.

De acuerdo al compromiso del presidente Raúl Castro serán liberados en un plazo de cuatro meses los 52 presos que quedaban en los centros penitenciarios de la isla del Grupo de los 75 disidentes condenados en la "Primavera Negra" de 2003 por delitos contra la independencia e integridad del Estado, conspiración con Estados Unidos e intentos de socavar los principios revolucionarios.

El último que había salido y viajado a la capital española hasta el pasado día 20 de agosto fue Juan Adolfo Fernández Saínz.

La excarcelación de este nuevo grupo ha coincidido esta semana con la visita a Cuba de una delegación del gobernante Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE), integrada por las secretarias de Organización, Leire Pajín, y de Relaciones Internacionales, Elena Valenzuela, que han venido para interesarse por la marcha de ese proceso, entre otros asuntos.

En este proceso de liberaciones, que comenzó el pasado 12 de julio, sólo han sido excarcelados los presos que aceptan irse inmediatamente a España junto a sus familiares, pero hay un grupo de unos seis presos que hasta ahora se niegan a ser trasladados a España.

Is there anyone that irritates you more in delivering the game-winning blow than A.J. Pierzynski?  Buff thinks there is, but it took him a while to come up with the list.  He also addresses Justin Masterson's present and his future, distilling it down to a simple black-and-white test.  Does he address the quality of the pitch Frank Herrmann threw?  He does not.  He does take a moment to congratulate Shelley Duncan on a milestone, opine on the 2011 middle infield, and take a last cheap shot at Andy Marte.
 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
White Jerx (72-60)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	4	5	2
Indians (53-79)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	3	8	1

W: E. Jackson (3-0) L: J. Smiff (1-2)  S: Jenks (25) 

Shoot me. 

1) The Comprehensive List of Players I would Less Like to have Beat Us than A.J. Pierzynski 

Jonathan Papelbon 
Ben Roethlisberger 
Glenn Beck 
Colin Cowherd 
Sean Avery 
Dr. Doofenschmirtz 
Mr. Noodle* 
Stewie Griffin 
Any Teletubby (but especially Po) 
Draco Malfoy 
Edward Cullen 
Swiper the Fox 
Osama bin Laden 
Any AIG Executive 
Elmo Monster 
Jokey Smurf 
Jack Spicer 
Steve Jobs’ pancreas 
Justin Bieber 
Billy Ray Cyrus 
Kim Jong Il 
The inventor of pop-up ads 
Pete Campbell 
Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear 
A zebra mussel 
Pia Zadora 
Gorgonzola cheese 
The fungus that killed all the grass in my front yard 
Mike Rouse** 

* Don’t get me wrong, I love Mr. Noodle, but you can’t let Mr. Noodle beat you 
** as far as I know, Rouse is not what killed the grass in my front yard 

2) Case Closed? 

Last night’s start is being held up as evidence that Justin Masterson has shown enough and “deserves” to be considered a full-time starter going into the 2011 season. 

Make no mistake: this was an excellent start.  Masterson tossed seven shutout innings, giving up 3 hits and ZERO walks while striking out 7.  He posted a typical GO:FO ratio of 8:5 (ended the game at 9:5) and struck out the heart of the ChiSox order (Rios, Konerko, Quentin) a total of 5 times (Rios and Quentin twice each).  He ended up giving up a smallball run in the 8^th on a walk, sacrifice, and single, but it’s disingenuous to say he should have been pulled before that.  He was dominant in this start and had every reason to go into the 8^th (heck, he was at only 82 pitches through 7 IP!).  This marks his third Quality Start in his last four outings, and in five of his last eight starts he’s yielded strictly fewer than a hit an inning. 

Here’s the thing: striking out those guys in the heart of the order is really nifty, in that each of them slugs over .470 and Konerko is having a borderline MVP-level season.  But these are three right-handed power hitters.  These are the guys that Masterson has ALWAYS struck out.  That’s a whale of a skill to have. 

For example, let’s apply this skill in the 9^th inning: 

Alex Rios (walked) 
Paul Konerko (K’d) 
Carlos Quentin (walked) 

Had Masterson been pitching that inning, the likelihood of A.J. Pierzynski hitting a three-run homer would have been very low, in my opinion. 

Now, while this is brought into stark relief (as it were) by the Epic Fail of Cleveland’s nominal right-handed matchup guy(s), this is not a new topic or post hoc analysis.  Masterson’s platoon splits are still high, and the three hits he allowed in the first 7 innings were by left-handed hitters.  By Juan Pierre and Mark Teahen, no less.  The fact that they are hitting .284 and .270 respectively surprises me a great deal.  The fact remains. 

Here’s my perspective, which has shifted a bit over the years, but isn’t altogether new, either.  Just as I don’t think any player is LITERALLY “untouchable,” I don’t think anyone should LITERALLY be “guaranteed” a role on the team.  Would it make sense to trade Carlos Santana?  Well, he’s an immensely valuable player who is a great hitter, dirt cheap, and plays a premium defensive position.  Yet if you offered me a large-enough package, I would trade him.  The thing to keep in mind is that my definition of “large-enough” would probably cause you to asphyxiate on your own saliva.  Evan Longoria, Jeremy Hellickson, and Rafael Soriano would probably do it, for example. 

How does this apply to Masterson?  Well, I think he should be in the starting rotation for exactly as long as there are no more than four better starters in the system.  As soon as he is the sixth-best starter (and how that is evaluated can be a tricky thing: is Carlos Carrasco better or worse?  What criteria are you using to measure this?), he should not be in the starting rotation. 

Consider Sept. 1, 2010.  Justin Masterson is, in my opinion, one of the five best starting options for the Cleveland Indians.  I think Jeanmar Gomez is better.  I think Fausto Carmona is better.  I don’t see anyone else I would DEFINITELY say, “Yeah, that guy’s better.”  Tomlin and Talbot might be, but Tomlin frightens me with flyball stuff and Talbot is filled with chocolate pudding.  At least Masterson has a K:BB ratio and a K/9 rate I can live with.  Talbot’s scare the hair off my head, which I cannot afford at this point.  Is Alex White?  Is Jason Knapp?  Is Youthful McGillicuddy I’ve not really heard of?  Sure, they might be in 2011.  On Sept. 1, 2010, they are NOT. 

There could be some very interesting developments in the off-season.  I am no scout, and cannot tell you how close any particular guy is to being a major-league pitcher.  Heck, I might be wrong about Gomez and Carmona being better than Masterson.  From where I sit today, though, I have to agree with Masterson that he should prepare this off-season as if he’s a member of the 2011 Opening Day rotation.  Because right now, he’s one of the top five. 

To be explicit, though, I have no loyalty to Justin Masterson.  As soon as he drops to 6, I want him out.  Out, out, out.  And if he never does, this will either be great (because Talbot teaches him the changeup to get lefties out and he improves dramatically) or horrendous (because nobody younger than Masterson is able to advance). 

3) Dunk smash! 

Congratulations to Shelley Duncan, who hit his career-high 8^th home run last night to give Cleveland a short-lived 1-0 lead in a real pitcher’s duel. 

I know that 8 homers is not a lot in a vacuum, but Duncan’s a nice story, getting regular playing time for the first time.  I could see him carving out something like the career Marcus Thames has.  Pair him with Matt Stairs and you’d have a wonderful pairing that plays some really amazing defense. 

4) Captain Clutch 

Nice piece of hitting by Jason Donald in the 9^th: that was a solid single, stroked to center.  Fittingly, it was the first time in 9 tries that a Cleveland hitter got a hit with a runner in scoring position: the team ended 1-for-10 after Mike Brantley grounded out to end the game. 

I would like to believe that Jason Kipnis will be ready to rip the reins of second base out of Donald’s hands sooner rather than later, but for now, I see Donald as a perfectly acceptible option there for the time being.  I certainly believe he has left Luis Valbuena in the dust: depending on how you feel about Cord Phelps being “for real,” Donald is “it” until Kipnis arrives. 

Caveat: never, ever, ever let him play shortstop again.  Not once.  No. 

5) Managerial Head-Scratchers 

Omar Vizquel is a great story.  At age 43, his bat has slowed, but objectively, he only had one brief stint as a truly valuable offensive performer.  Still, he’s been hitting right-handed pitching at a .297/.369/.342 clip, while struggling from the other side of the plate to the tune of .250/.306/.341.  His double off Raffy Perez the night before notwithstanding, Vizquel is better when hitting left-handed against a righty. 

But still … he’s Omar Vizquel.  He slugs .342.  There is a runner on first base.  And the next three hitters are Rios, Konerko, and Quentin, a group you DEFINITELY want a right-hander to face. 

So why are you burning Tony Sipp (remembering that Raffy Perez threw a lot of pitches the night before, and also Satruday, so he is de facto unavailable for this game) on Omar F&#*ing Vizquel? 

Is some of this hindsight?  Sure, some.  But not a LOT.  Burning your only lefty on Omar Vizquel seems profligate. 

(For completeness, A.J. Pierzynski hits .219/.265/.323 off lefties this season.) 

6) Guest commentary: Marlon Brando observes Frank Herrmann’s “slider” 

The horror … the horror … 

7) One bad pitch because of eight bad pitches 

Of course, Herrmann’s atrocious hanging gravyball isn’t nearly as devastating if Joe Smiff throws anything resembling decency against two of the three hitters he faced.  Sure, it’s nice to strike out Konerko, the most dangerous hitter in the lineup.  But dude!  You walked Alex Rios on FOUR PITCHES!  You walked Carlos Quentin in FIVE!  You have walked at least two hitters in THREE of you last SIX appearances!  Your K: BB ratio over that span is 1:7!  One to seven!  Are you hurt?  Are you insane?  Has someone replaced the vestibular center in your middle ear with Pop Rocks?  You have a 21:21 K:BB ratio on the SEASON.  That is simply AWFUL. 

I don’t care if he’s throwing harder since coming back up.  His command is shit. 

8) Port Bip! 

Matt LaPorta, sore hip and all, delivered a pinch-hit single off Fat Bobby J to extend the 9^th inning.  Let’s see how it goes, but frankly, if he has to be shut down, shut him down.  September call-ups, bay-bee! 

9) Things you did not know 

Tofu Lou Marson has ten doubles.  Ten! 

Chris Gimenez is a valid choice to pinch-run. 

Andy Marte is a stale cranberry muffin.

Outside of watching the bullpen blow a couple of games against the South Siders and making sure that my Carlos Carrasco jersey (he’ll still wear #59, right…where can I get a confirmation on this) arrives in time for his Wednesday start, there is not much happening at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. Nevertheless, there’s a number of links with quick thoughts that I’ve been meaning to get to, as well as a bit of a final look at some of the numbers for the Minor Leaguers as those seasons are nearing their ends.

With that in mind, let’s get a few Tomahawks in the air, if only to remove the taste of the Tribe’s recent performance from my mouth…
__________

Just to put a bow on the idea (from the weekend) that the Indians were unable to sustain the success that 2005 and 2007 seemed to promise, there’s a fascinating piece in the print version of SI, where Tom Verducci takes a look at the “surprise” teams in MLB this year. He points out that “in the 15 seasons under the wild-card format, 30 teams—one of every four playoff teams, including seven World Series clubs—have made the postseason a year after a losing season”, but lays the sustainability idea out with the numbers to back it up, starting out with a terrific quote from a GM:
“There are surprise teams that are built on high draft picks and planning,” says one G.M., “and others that just have a special year. I love San Diego, but it could be one of those special years. Like the Brewers [in 2008], most of these teams get one year, then it’s five or six waiting for another window. Don’t kid yourself. The large markets still have a huge advantage. The small markets can’t sustain it.”
--snip--
Of the 30 teams that morphed from losers to elite, only six returned to the postseason the following year, and those six were flush with money, ranking no worse than ninth in payroll.

Check this line again - “Most of these teams get one year, then it’s five or six waiting for another window” because “the small markets can’t sustain it”. Can somebody check to see if this “one GM” is coming to you live from the corner of Carnegie and Onatario…
__________

As for that “sustainability”, with the Minor League seasons finishing up, now might be a good time to take a look at the composite leaders in the Indians’ organization. Realizing that many of the farmhands end up playing on multiple teams at multiple levels, here are the top OPS for players on the farm for the Indians, with their age indicated appropriately.

For the purposes of my sanity, I’m including only guys above Lake County:
C) Carlos Santana – Age 24 – AAA/MLB - .967 OPS
OF) Jerad Head – Age 27 – AA/AAA - .919 OPS
C) Chun-Hsui Chen – Age 21 – A/A+ - .918 OPS
IF) Jared Goedert – Age 25 – AA/AAA - .909 OPS
OF) Nick Weglarz – Age 22 – AA/AAA - .893 OPS
IF) Jason Kipnis – Age 23 – A+/AA - .893 OPS

Those are the players with OPS over .850 and, while extenuating circumstances apply for a lot of names that you don’t see here (like The Chiz, who battled through an injury), you can see which of those players are the most exciting and figure most prominently as potential impact players in Cleveland.

While we’ve all seen Santana in Cleveland (and hope to see him again very soon), Weglarz putting up that line in Akron and Columbus as a 22-year-old and Chun-Hsui Chen thriving in Lake County and Kinston as a 21-year-old are head and shoulders above the rest, in terms of age and advancement. Kipnis comes in as a close third while Head (as a 27-year-old who spent time in Akron) is far from a prospect and Jared Goedert has been discussed in most corners, particularly given the…um, issues at 3B for the parent club.

If you’re looking for impact position players for next year, Weglarz, Kipnis, and Chisenhall (.797 OPS in Akron) FAR outpace any other position prospect in Columbus or anywhere else, based strictly on age and advancement. Given that the aforementioned troika figures in at LF/DH, 2B, and 3B, any or all of them may find themselves on the fast track to Cleveland at some point in 2011.
__________

As long as we’re taking that look down on the farm, how about the arms that have limited damage in 2010, with the EXTREMELY unscientific (and perhaps useless) metric of OPS against being used to measure what pitchers experienced the most success in 2010.

Again, age and level of advancement are indicated and I kept it to pitchers at Lake County or above, with at least 40 IP on the season as the only other requirement…as much as I wanted to include Jason Knapp’s .448 OPS against because he’s only pitched 24 innings. Regardless, here are the pitchers who have started more games than they’ve relieved, even if Hagadone has been moved to the bullpen:
SP) Joe Gardner – Age 22 – A/A+ - .584 OPS against
SP/RP) Matt Packer – Age 22 – A+/AA - .591 OPS against
SP) Alex White – Age 21 – A+/AA - .625 OPS against
SP/RP) Nick Hagadone – Age 24 – A+/AA - .658 OPS against

That’s it for “starters” with OPS against under .675 (which IS an absurdly low number), but interestingly the two 2008 draft picks (Gardner and White) have moved quickly and have thrived in their first professional year, but the lack of names on this list goes back to the idea that the Indians are going to have to sort through a number of arms who are already in Cleveland, or who are not far away, in 2011 as they attempt to build this rotation from within as well as they can. Gardner and White may get looks at a certain point in mid-to-late 2011, depending upon what happens with each, but the likes of Masterson, Carrasco, Gomez, Tomlin, McCallister, Kubler, and (even) Huff are going to get extended looks before the Indians dip this deep into their pitching depth.
__________

Moving on, AC had this suggestion for a possible solution for 3B in Cleveland next year in most recent Minutiae…Omar Vizquel:
Though the Indians weren’t able to woo Vizquel last winter, they’d be remiss not to try again this offseason. He’d be a practical addition to this team, particularly now that he’s proven himself to be an asset at third base, too. And not that people come to ballgames to see utility infielders, but at least Vizquel would provide some measure of marketability in what should be another tough year for attendance.

I can’t believe I’m saying this as a staunch believer that this organization should be looking forward and not back (and trust me, I’ve sat at the ballpark and had to endure “conversations” in my section about how the team should see if they could bring Wayne Kirby back), but…I think I can get behind this.

Perhaps part of it comes from the fact that I’d be rallying for support of Brooks Robinson’s return to MLB if it meant that I wouldn’t be subjected to the 3B-butchery that we’ve seen all year…and particularly recently, but Vizquel is actually a compelling option. He’s put together his best offensive season since 2006 at the age of 43 (yeah, really) and while that equates to a .701 OPS being his best offensive season, I can’t get the idea of Vizquel and Cabrera patrolling the left side of the infield in front of Carmona and Masterson out of my head.

Obviously, it takes two to tango and the Indians were rebuffed in their attempts to add Omar last off-season while Omar continues on his voyage around the league, charming as many Hall of Fame voters as possible before he finally hangs them up, but the premise of Vizquel playing 3B (even if it is just for the first half of the season) certainly has merit.

Given what we’ve seen (or rather, haven’t seen) at the turnstiles this season, perhaps the Indians do pursue Vizquel…for more than Box Office reasons, but to play a competent 3B and to return to the place of his greatest glory. While the 2011 Indians may not offer Vizquel the chance to play on a contender or to meet and greet with more HOF voters, if the Indians are looking for a defensive-centric 3B to serve as a stop-gap in 2011, they could do a lot worse than Vizquel.

Now, about that Manny as DH complement to Hafner idea…
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Finally, I may be late on a couple of these, but for your entertainment, here is a conversation between Chris Perez and his Twitterian alter ego as well as Cleveland Frowns hilariously (and accurately, I think) taking aim at the only Sports Radio in town, something I can only speak to marginally as I've long since moved on from the blood pressure-rising level of rhetoric that pollutes the airwaves in our fair city...but Frownie nails it.

The News Fausto Carmona has been "blocked" on waivers, according to Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman. Our View More than likely, Cleveland was hoping he would clear waivers, then enabling them to trade him to any team in the league. Now with the Indians only able to negotiate with one club, Carmona is very unlikely to be dealt.

18 Vote(s)

Eleven hours remain until tonight's waiver trade deadline. A year ago today, Jim Thome, Jose Contreras, Ronnie Belliard, and Jon Garland were dealt. But two years ago it was pretty much just David Eckstein, and three years ago we only had deals for Steve Trachsel and Russell Branyan. So SI's Jon Heyman may be right in passing along the prediction from baseball executives that only "a couple of bullpen and bench pieces" will be moved today. More from Heyman: Almost all productive players have been blocked by claims already, even well-paid ones. Kevin Gregg, Scott Downs, and Fausto Carmona are...

There has been so much national media coverage of the Dodgers today, no doubt as the nation prepares for the home debut of Rod Barajas. The Phillies come to town atop the wild card race, with the Dodgers several games behind. The Dodgers really need to sweep, perhaps not only the Phillies, but the Giants as well this coming weekend.

I like really obscure baseball statistics, especially for things that aren't the easiest to track (even more if I'm not the one doing the tracking), so this stat from today's Dodgers game notes blew my mind: tonight's starters, Hiroki Kuroda and Roy Halladay, are the top two pitchers in baseball over the last three seasons when it comes to breaking bats.

Fewest Batters Faced Per Broken Bat Since 2008
Pitcher	BF per Broken Bat
Roy Halladay	18.8
Hiroki Kuroda	20.8
Fausto Carmona	22.5
Cole Hamels	22.9
CC Sabathia	24.0
minimum 1,000 BF; Source: STATS LLC

Broken bats is one of those things that you don't think much about, let alone think they are being tracked somewhere, by someone.

Halladay thew a perfect game in Florida earlier this year, and is the first pitcher to face the Dodgers in the same season of a perfect game since Randy Johnson, who pitched against the Dodgers three times in 2004 after his perfect game against Atlanta.

Deconstructing Kemp

You will never find a more detailed and thorough breakdown of a player and his performance than Chad Moriyama's analysis of Matt Kemp over at Memories of Kevin Malone. An excerpt can't possibly do it justice, but here is one:

Now going back to my original hypothesis, I believe Matt Kemp’s contact struggles stem from his inability to hit fastballs rather than curves and sliders, and as far as I can tell, the statistics back me up on this.

In 2009, he was worth 23 runs above average against fastballs and -4.3 runs above average against off-speed pitches. In 2010, he is worth 2.6 runs above average against fastballs and -3.8 runs above average against off-speed pitches.

If you only read one article on the Dodgers this year, it has to be this one. Except for everything ever written at True Blue LA of course.

Notes

• Ramon Troncoso, who has allowed 10 home runs in 40 1/3 innings combined between LA and Albuquerque since the beginning of May, is back with the Dodgers, taking the roster spot of one Manuel Aristides (Onelcida) Ramirez
• Ryan Theriot has a 10-game hitting streak, the fifth double-digit hitting streak by a Dodger this season
• Today is the one-year anniversary of the acquisition of Ronnie Belliard from the Nationals. In his time with the Dodgers, he has hit .265/.335/.435 in total, which is pretty much what you would expect
• Vicente Padilla will pitch on a rehab assignment for the Class A Inland Empire 66ers tonight. The game, the finale of a homestand in San Bernardino, starts at 7:05pm, and you can listen here.
• I don't have the legal expertise nor the desire to write about the McCourt divorce trial, which started today, but if you want updates, you should follow Josh Fisher (@DodgerDivorce) and Molly Knight (@molly_knight) on Twitter.

Get your guesses in for Xeifrank's game simulation here.

Game Time: 7:10 p.m.

TV:Prime Ticket

Baseball Reference Preview | Box Score | Gameday

After a week in which they averaged -0.6 runs per game, the Indians broke out for 15 runs Friday night and took two of three from the Royals.  Between the 15-run outburst, the walkoff home run by Asdrubal Cabrera, a multi-hit game for Chris Gimenez, and two errorless games for the Tribe, this weekend series was truly one for the Unexpected.  Buff looks at the amazing base-clogging ability of the Royals, strange decisions with respect to Fausto Carmona and Frank Herrmann, and the amazing Justin Germano. 
 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Royals (54-74)	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	1	4	16	0
Indians (52-76)	0	6	0	1	3	0	0	5	X	15	17	0

W: Tomlin (2-3)  L: Bullington (1-3) 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Royals (54-75)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	3	10	2
Indians (53-76)	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	9	0

W: C. Perez (2-2) L: J. Chavez (2-2) 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Royals (55-75)	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	1	2	6	10	3
Indians (53-77)	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	6	3

W: Chen (9-7)  L: Carmona (11-13) 

I am looking forward to September callups, because somehow, 25 mooks is not enough mooks. 

1) Everybody hits!  And scores!  And tapdances! 

Josh Tomlin weaselled out of trouble the first couple of innings, while the Tribe went down meekly in order to the powerful presence of Bryan Bullington, who has won a game in the majors.  Then a funny thing happened en route to yet another discouraging loss: 

The Indians began pounding the ball with authority. 

Consider this: after the three-run homer by Matt LaPorta, which after all isn’t completely shocking, Jason Donald followed with an opposite-field single that was one of his FOUR hits on the night.  Chris Gimenez drove him home with one of his TWO EXTRA-BASE hits on the night.  Mike Brantley drove in Gomenez for one of his two RBI … and he scored on Shin-Soo Choo’s two-out double. 

While most of the North Coast spent Saturday night debating whether to make Peyton Hillis their 1st or 2nd Round Pick in their Fantasy Draft, the scene on the Reservation was decidedly more hectic as we tended to two sick boys and, while my rank in who the boys want to see when sick ranks well below Big Bird or any other fictitious character, my time wasn’t completely wasted as I took the opportunity to explore what paperwork needs to be filed to nominate The DiaBride for sainthood. After realizing that it is not an easy process, I figured that sending her off to the Outlet Mall with carte blanche and an instruction to buy anything that she wants is enough to keep my end up of this matrimonial/parental arrangement.

Nevertheless, with the boys on the mend and with the Indians threatening to…wait for it…pull out of last place thanks to Asdrubal Cabrera and a bunch of pile-jumpers, let’s get off on a Lazy One while “Cars” has the undivided attention of four very forlorn eyes that currently occupy my house.

And with that, we’re off…
In case you missed it, GM-in-waiting (in name only, as he’s been the GM for about a month now) Chris Antonetti sat down with Pat McManaman, formerly of the ABJ and now with AOL Fanhouse, to talk about minimizing the “window of transition” and numerous other bits of rhetoric that we’ve heard for some time now. The interview definitely has some interesting points and is well-worth the read, although the responses could have come from any number of occupants in the current Tribe Front Office, or the Polo Shirt Mafia (or LaCoste Nostra, if you prefer), where the vocabulary, the diction, and the talking points must come out in some sort of morning memo with afternoon practice to sound alike. If large words and circular explanations annoy you, it might be best to avoid it, although the logic and merit is not lacking in what Antonetti has to say.

Regardless, it is worth reading (even if it will raise your blood pressure), if only to see how Antonetti answers some excellent and very pertinent questions by McManaman, even if the answers are things that we’ve heard before and lack depth. Contained within the interview, there is one line of questioning that McManaman attempts multiple times that has to do with how quickly the Indians have been torn down as he poses the question multiple times in various forms. Given what 2010 has evolved into, with 3 positions contributing a WAR higher than 1.0 and how far away 2007 seems on certain days, the multiple questions and responses represented the most compelling part of the Q & A, to me at least:
FH: I guess what I’m saying is if you keep some guys longer rather than get rid of them sooner, and that is my phrasing, you could be .500 and in this division you could be within range in September and drawing more people.

CA: But those guys were free agents at the end of the year. Those guys we wouldn’t have been able to retain for the following year. CC Sabathia no matter what ... We made an earnest effort to extend CC at different junctures in the past while he was still under his last contract. We weren’t able to align values. I think it became clear to us at that point with the way things were playing that he was going to become a free agent at the end of the year. We aren’t going to win bidding wars with the Yankees’ or Red Sox’ primary target. Or large markets. If it’s a primary target for a large market in the free agent period, or candidly even on a trade scenario, that’s not the best places for us to compete.

The one thing that’s important to note is we want to be in the position and have the team to warrant acquiring guys that are in the last year (of their contracts). We want to be on the other end of these trades. If we had the team we envisioned in 2008 and we were competitive, we would have played it out with CC and Casey. We would have been perfectly happy. That would have been a great outcome for us.

Same thing had we been competitive this year and a contending team this year, we wouldn’t have traded Jake Westbrook even though he was at the end of his contract.

I think that’s the same thing we look to going forward. Just because a player is in the last year of his deal it doesn’t mean we necessarily have to trade him. If we have a competitive team and that player is a productive player contributing to our competitiveness, it’s a great scenario for us to keep him. It’s more when we have the years that don’t go as we’ve expected or where we're not as competitive as we want to be, that’s where we have to make the difficult decisions. That’s where there’s a little bit of a difference in our market vs. some other markets.

It is interesting the way that Antonetti references specifically dealing Sabathia and how the team was not in a position to contend when he was dealt (and please let’s all remember that the team was 37-51 when CC was traded, so it isn’t as if that team was justifying him staying with their play), but specifically mentions only CC and Casey Blake in this explanation of how players were dealt in the FA years, avoiding the fact that Lee and Martinez were dealt the following year with 1 ½ years on their deals. Of course, the performance of that 2009 team (with Lee and Victor on the team) did nothing to justify keeping Clifton Phifer or El Capitan around for the remainder of the 2009 season, while the issue as to why they were dealt, essentially punting on the 2010 season, remains a bit of a mystery. In other words, it is still not known whether the decision to trade Cliff and Vic came about as a result of an ownership mandate or simply from the Front Office asking serious questions about the club, as it existed in July of 2009, and concluding that the team wouldn’t contend in 2010, without or without those two players.

Regardless, McManaman goes back to the well of performance and frames it as it relates to attendance, putting forth the idea that the two are intrinsically related and gets back to the idea that the organization should be concerned about yearly performance, in that it feeds interest, optimism, and attendance,and conversely so...using the “death spiral” idea:
FH: That gets back to the spiral question. It just seems like – and there are reasons why the revenues are what they are and there are reasons why the expenses are what they are – but it seems like one feeds the other and it leads to a spiral.

CA: In order to reverse the course, we need to first transition and develop a strong nucleus of players to build around. Once we have that nucleus in place, we can then look to strategically add to it through external sources. The Dolans (the Indians’ owners) have demonstrated in the past that they are willing to provide the resources necessary to add to the core group of guys and we anticipate we will again be able to do that at the appropriate time.

Think back to Kerry Wood. We thought going into 2009 that we had a good team and had the nucleus in place to be a competitive team. We went in and invested in Kerry Wood thinking that a strong closer may have been the difference for us. In the end it wasn’t, but the Dolans demonstrated that they are willing to invest in the team when the talent has dictated it. I have no reason to think that we will operate any differently moving forward.

This is something that has been discussed ad nauseum on the North Coast, but it is important to frame the discussion in the context of the economics of baseball as teams can be built in various forms, with most teams in markets similar in size to Cleveland not really having the opportunity to simply build through Free Agency and attempting to build through the draft and international signings, with astute trades bringing in more talent, with the complement of veteran talent filling in the gaps once (or if, in some cases) that young talent matures, congeals, and begins to win.

If you think back to the early 90’s, the Indians drafted well (Belle, Ramirez, Thome, Nagy, etc.), made astute trades (Alomar, Baerga, Lofton, etc.), and complemented their young talent with veterans (Murray, Hershiser, El Presidente, Williams, Fryman, Robbie, etc.) until the core group had aged and departed, as the Indians were left with the ancillary pieces who could not win on their own, although that transition took the team into the next decade.

In the early 2000’s, the Indians acquired young talent through the draft and internationally (CC, Victor, Peralta, etc.) made astute trades (Sizemore, Lee, Westbrook, Cabrera, Choo, etc.) and filled in the gaps with veterans (Millwood, Byrd, Borowski, etc.) until Free Agency, injuries, and regressions reared their ugly head (in short order), prompting the decision of the Front Office to tear it down and attempt to build it all back up once again.

Now, entering a new decade, they’ve assembled some players via the draft and internationally (Chisenhall, White, Weglarz, Kipnis, etc.), have accumulated young players via trade (Santana, LaPorta, Brantley, Perez, Donald, Carrasco, Knapp, Masterson, Hagadone, Price, etc.) and have yet to see that talent do much of anything by way of maturing and congealing as they certainly haven’t started to win.

While this is all fairly rudimentary, the disconnect for most fans, particularly in the context of the last two years, comes from the fact that the success from the mid-1990’s was not fleeting and was sustained through the arrival of talent from the Minors, as well as the Indians operating in a different financial reality than the one that exists today. The issue that most fans have is that they look at the team today and wonder how things fell so far so fast as the build-up that took place from 2002 to 2004 was supposed to provide the Indians with the pieces for a contender at the MLB level, but also with the support throughout the system to sustain that success…as sustenance that never took root.

If there is one main failure of this current Indians’ regime (and remember, I’m saying “main”), it is that the promise of the Indians maintaining a core and augmenting it from within simply fell apart (for a variety of reasons) and the Indians fell hard and fell fast back to being among the mediocre (and now sub-mediocre) teams in MLB. If you look at the timeline of the attempts by the organization to fill particular holes (and Andrew Humphries and Tyler Chirdon start to do that for 2B over at LGT in the first of two parts), you start to see how the best-laid plans went awry before more best-laid plans went awry before…well, you get the idea.

Regardless, there are a variety of reasons for that as players headed for FA (namely Sabathia) and SEVERE regressions from supposed “core” players (notably Carmona and Hafner) as well as injuries (a variety to Victor and a complete loss of Westbrook) was exacerbated by the organization’s inability to produce their own stable of players, even those who would only be complementary pieces.

That inability is something that is well-known and is quite absurd if you figure that the EVERY SINGLE POSITION next year could very well be filled by a player acquired via trade (Santana, LaPorta, Donald, Fill in a 3B, Choo, Brantley, Sizemore, and Hafner), but let’s get back to this line of questioning that McManaman continues to go back to, in terms of keeping the team together in an effort to maintain fan interest and to perhaps get a look at the divisional lead by hanging around the .500 mark for much of the season.

Looking past the fact that neither the 2008 or 2009 teams came close to hanging around .500 into August, it brings up a more pertinent question, one which should be raised to the crowd that feels that the 2007 team was torn apart prematurely. McManaman seems to intimate is the better course of action would be for the Indians to try to ride out the storm year after year if they would (as he says), “keep some guys longer rather than get rid of them sooner, and that is my phrasing, you could be .500 and in this division you could be within range in September and drawing more people.”

However, which would you rather see, a team that flirts with .500 every year with an outside shot at making the playoffs (during which they’ be bounced in the first round) or a team that is built to compete with the “haves” of MLB when (actually “if”) they’re able to make it to the playoffs?

Just to go jump into the way back machine, look at the Opening Day lineup for the Indians in 2008 (when they were picked by many to go to the World Series) and tell me which players are truly missed here. Sabathia and Martinez, right?

Factor in what Santana’s production figures to be and that Sabathia (and Lee) weren’t sticking around, and what was the alternative for the Indians when the die was cast in 2008 and 2009?

Because of their own player development deficiencies, the Indians tore it down and cut it to the bone while attempting to re-stock a farm system that had proven to be wildly overrated and bereft of impact players. Could they have attempted to re-tool on the fly and be “within range” with the mix of players that were left?

Sure, but what guarantee do the Indians have of success with that group and, given their own player development deficiencies (which is the real issue here, not the trades), should the Indians have attempted to be “within range”, so they could win a AL Central pennant only to be bounced in the first round of the playoffs?

Let me put this in tangible terms as the Twins have made the playoffs 5 times since 2002 and yet have not made it to the ALCS since they won the World Series in 1991 while the Indians have made the playoffs once since 2001, but have more playoff series wins than the Twins in that timeframe. Granted, it’s merely one playoff series win against zero and given what we’ve seen this year, it’s hard not to dream of a .500 team or a pennant race but isn’t chasing mediocrity or that chance to “be within range” what gets small-market teams into trouble in the first place?

For as much as everyone is up in arms regarding the Pirates “pocketing” money, at least they’re not spending money any more on what Shawn Hoffman of Baseball Prospectus calls “ridiculous (but media-appeasing, at the time) contracts for Kevin Young, Jason Kendall, Pat Meares, Derek Bell, et al.” and are investing in building a team the only way that a team in a market that is their size can be built into a winner – from within.

To that end, here is a marvelous piece from Slate that throws the idea that the Pirates should be spending every last penny (and more) in an effort to win under the bus and offers this conclusion in terms of how baseball economics work for small-market teams.
Before throwing up the quote that I found to be most pertinent, I would encourage you to read it in its entirety…I’ll wait…

Got it?
OK, here’s where the interest comes in as it relates to other small-market teams:
How can you be so successful while spending so little money? Basically, you have to rely on young, cheap players. The Pirates appear to be moving in this direction; they have a significant minor league player development budget, and they don’t appear to be shy about spending money to sign their draft picks.
A little luck helps, too. Statistically, in any given season, one out of every six teams will be lucky enough to exceed its talent level by six wins or more. And one team per season, on average, will exceed its talent by as many as 11 wins. (Admittedly, if you're waiting for that team to be yours … well, it could take a while.)
So if you’re a little bit smart, and very, very lucky, you could wind up with a few young, cheap players that could lead you to a playoff berth. But it would seem that for small-market teams like Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, established stars cost too much to pay for themselves.
It would be nice for the fans if the Pirates were willing to lose millions of dollars in order to bring a competitive team to their loyal supporters. But even superrich owners are looking for some kind of return on their investment. In the end, the Pirates can spend a lot of money on player salaries, or they can turn a profit. They can’t do both.

Just to re-iterate, the whole piece is worth a read, if only as it attempts to put the money issue into perspective while taking the logical angle of wins versus losses against a backdrop of spending. Read that line again above that, “if you’re a little bit smart, and very, very lucky, you could wind up with a few young, cheap players that could lead you to a playoff berth”...and think about 2007. This is not rocket science, but knowing that to be the strategy and employing it effectively are two entirely different things, as every team has that blueprint, but few are able to see it come to fruition with much regularity.

If you don’t think that luck plays a role here, realize that the Nationals (the “feel-good” story of the first half) are about to see Strasburg go in for Tommy John as he will likely miss all of 2011 ($2.5M salary) and could miss part of 2012 ($3M salary) before he enters his arbitration years (2014-2016) as a National while Adam Dunn figures to leave in Free Agency. For as much as the Nationals seemed to have their fortunes turning, the effect of these types of events are simply too much for nearly all of MLB to overcome as they attempt to build a consistent winner…or even an inconsistent winner.

Go back to that piece from Slate piece and realize that the Indians are attempting to once again “rely on young, cheap players” and are attempting to take “luck” out of the equation as much as possible by simply loading as much similarly-aged talent up as possible to factor in attrition and injury and ineffectiveness.

When the Indians realized that the “core” of players that they thought they would rely on into the 2010’s had turned into a bit of a rotting “core”, they moved decisively to turn that page. There’s a lot that can be said about the Indians' Front Office since the end of the 2007, but indecisiveness is not something that remains in question after the past couple of years. Perhaps at times that decisiveness comes at the expense of taking the best path, but this Front Office has (once again) made their bed, so they’re the ones that are going to be lying in it as they attempt to finally augment the talent that they’ve brought in via trades with the talent that they HOPE will come from internal avenues, the recent draft being one of them.

On that most recent draft, MLB Trade Rumors had a piece that identified the Indians as one of the “big spenders” in the draft, with Brad Grant comments to MLBTR explaining the Indians’ draft strategy thusly:
“A year ago we sat down and decided that we wanted to be aggressive in the draft and try to add as much talent as we possibly could,” Indians amateur scouting director Brad Grant said. “Knowing that where we are right now as a major league organization, we need to infuse as much talent into our organization as possible.”
At that point, the Indians didn’t know they’d end up drafting Drew Pomeranz, their eventual first-round selection. They ranked potential picks based on talent, with players’ demands in mind - but only to an extent.
“We were ready to react,” Grant said. “We knew the players that we liked. We had a breakdown solely by ability and we tried to take the player we liked best.”
The Indians are prepared to spend on elite amateurs because they aren’t able to spend on elite pros.
“Especially with our market, we can’t afford to sign some of the higher-end major league free agents,” Grant said. “That gets out of our spectrum, so the best way to infuse talent into our organization is to acquire it, whether that be through the draft, whether that be through international signings, whether that be through trades, those are routes we have to take in order to acquire top talent.”

Again, these words sound like they could have come out of any number of mouths from the Indians’ Front Office (while likely wearing a Polo Shirt), but there is no gray area as to how the Indians feel they need to build this team back up again. While some teams attempt to live in that middle ground to “hang around there” and perhaps “get a look” at the division, the Indians are going back to their blueprint of building from within and through trades with the idea that they will eventually supplement that to-be-determined new “core” with veterans (whose usefulness and price tag would be related to how close/far away the team is from contention) and attempt to fortify with re-inforcements from within.

The blueprint has been attempted before and fell apart as quickly as it seemed to take hold as the major factor to sustain that competitiveness (the continued player development) forced the organization to make hard decisions and tear down the team that had just been built. If the first stage of any construction job involves following the blueprint and laying the foundation, the Indians find themselves in that first stage once again.

Hopefully, the blueprint will be followed through to completion this time and won’t have a half-finished entity torn down prematurely because of structural deficiencies or because of faulty assumptions made when executing those blueprints.

While most of the North Coast spent Saturday night debating whether to make Peyton Hillis their 1st or 2nd Round Pick in their Fantasy Draft, the scene on the Reservation was decidedly more hectic as we tended to two sick boys and, while my rank in who the boys want to see when sick ranks well below Big Bird or any other fictitious character, my time wasn’t completely wasted as I took the opportunity to explore what paperwork needs to be filed to nominate The DiaBride for sainthood. After realizing that it is not an easy process, I figured that sending her off to the Outlet Mall with carte blanche and an instruction to buy anything that she wants is enough to keep my end up of this matrimonial/parental arrangement.

Nevertheless, with the boys on the mend and with the Indians threatening to…wait for it…pull out of last place thanks to Asdrubal Cabrera and a bunch of pile-jumpers, let’s get off on a Lazy One while “Cars” has the undivided attention of four very forlorn eyes that currently occupy my house.

And with that, we’re off…
In case you missed it, GM-in-waiting (in name only, as he’s been the GM for about a month now) Chris Antonetti sat down with Pat McManaman, formerly of the ABJ and now with AOL Fanhouse, to talk about minimizing the “window of transition” and numerous other bits of rhetoric that we’ve heard for some time now. The interview definitely has some interesting points and is well-worth the read, although the responses could have come from any number of occupants in the current Tribe Front Office, or the Polo Shirt Mafia (or LaCoste Nostra, if you prefer), where the vocabulary, the diction, and the talking points must come out in some sort of morning memo with afternoon practice to sound alike. If large words and circular explanations annoy you, it might be best to avoid it, although the logic and merit is not lacking in what Antonetti has to say.

Regardless, it is worth reading (even if it will raise your blood pressure), if only to see how Antonetti answers some excellent and very pertinent questions by McManaman, even if the answers are things that we’ve heard before and lack depth. Contained within the interview, there is one line of questioning that McManaman attempts multiple times that has to do with how quickly the Indians have been torn down as he poses the question multiple times in various forms. Given what 2010 has evolved into, with 3 positions contributing a WAR higher than 1.0 and how far away 2007 seems on certain days, the multiple questions and responses represented the most compelling part of the Q & A, to me at least:
FH: I guess what I’m saying is if you keep some guys longer rather than get rid of them sooner, and that is my phrasing, you could be .500 and in this division you could be within range in September and drawing more people.

CA: But those guys were free agents at the end of the year. Those guys we wouldn’t have been able to retain for the following year. CC Sabathia no matter what ... We made an earnest effort to extend CC at different junctures in the past while he was still under his last contract. We weren’t able to align values. I think it became clear to us at that point with the way things were playing that he was going to become a free agent at the end of the year. We aren’t going to win bidding wars with the Yankees’ or Red Sox’ primary target. Or large markets. If it’s a primary target for a large market in the free agent period, or candidly even on a trade scenario, that’s not the best places for us to compete.

The one thing that’s important to note is we want to be in the position and have the team to warrant acquiring guys that are in the last year (of their contracts). We want to be on the other end of these trades. If we had the team we envisioned in 2008 and we were competitive, we would have played it out with CC and Casey. We would have been perfectly happy. That would have been a great outcome for us.

Same thing had we been competitive this year and a contending team this year, we wouldn’t have traded Jake Westbrook even though he was at the end of his contract.

I think that’s the same thing we look to going forward. Just because a player is in the last year of his deal it doesn’t mean we necessarily have to trade him. If we have a competitive team and that player is a productive player contributing to our competitiveness, it’s a great scenario for us to keep him. It’s more when we have the years that don’t go as we’ve expected or where we're not as competitive as we want to be, that’s where we have to make the difficult decisions. That’s where there’s a little bit of a difference in our market vs. some other markets.

It is interesting the way that Antonetti references specifically dealing Sabathia and how the team was not in a position to contend when he was dealt (and please let’s all remember that the team was 37-51 when CC was traded, so it isn’t as if that team was justifying him staying with their play), but specifically mentions only CC and Casey Blake in this explanation of how players were dealt in the FA years, avoiding the fact that Lee and Martinez were dealt the following year with 1 ½ years on their deals. Of course, the performance of that 2009 team (with Lee and Victor on the team) did nothing to justify keeping Clifton Phifer or El Capitan around for the remainder of the 2009 season, while the issue as to why they were dealt, essentially punting on the 2010 season, remains a bit of a mystery. In other words, it is still not known whether the decision to trade Cliff and Vic came about as a result of an ownership mandate or simply from the Front Office asking serious questions about the club, as it existed in July of 2009, and concluding that the team wouldn’t contend in 2010, without or without those two players.

Regardless, McManaman goes back to the well of performance and frames it as it relates to attendance, putting forth the idea that the two are intrinsically related and gets back to the idea that the organization should be concerned about yearly performance, in that it feeds interest, optimism, and attendance,and conversely so...using the “death spiral” idea:
FH: That gets back to the spiral question. It just seems like – and there are reasons why the revenues are what they are and there are reasons why the expenses are what they are – but it seems like one feeds the other and it leads to a spiral.

CA: In order to reverse the course, we need to first transition and develop a strong nucleus of players to build around. Once we have that nucleus in place, we can then look to strategically add to it through external sources. The Dolans (the Indians’ owners) have demonstrated in the past that they are willing to provide the resources necessary to add to the core group of guys and we anticipate we will again be able to do that at the appropriate time.

Think back to Kerry Wood. We thought going into 2009 that we had a good team and had the nucleus in place to be a competitive team. We went in and invested in Kerry Wood thinking that a strong closer may have been the difference for us. In the end it wasn’t, but the Dolans demonstrated that they are willing to invest in the team when the talent has dictated it. I have no reason to think that we will operate any differently moving forward.

This is something that has been discussed ad nauseum on the North Coast, but it is important to frame the discussion in the context of the economics of baseball as teams can be built in various forms, with most teams in markets similar in size to Cleveland not really having the opportunity to simply build through Free Agency and attempting to build through the draft and international signings, with astute trades bringing in more talent, with the complement of veteran talent filling in the gaps once (or if, in some cases) that young talent matures, congeals, and begins to win.

If you think back to the early 90’s, the Indians drafted well (Belle, Ramirez, Thome, Nagy, etc.), made astute trades (Alomar, Baerga, Lofton, etc.), and complemented their young talent with veterans (Murray, Hershiser, El Presidente, Williams, Fryman, Robbie, etc.) until the core group had aged and departed, as the Indians were left with the ancillary pieces who could not win on their own, although that transition took the team into the next decade.

In the early 2000’s, the Indians acquired young talent through the draft and internationally (CC, Victor, Peralta, etc.) made astute trades (Sizemore, Lee, Westbrook, Cabrera, Choo, etc.) and filled in the gaps with veterans (Millwood, Byrd, Borowski, etc.) until Free Agency, injuries, and regressions reared their ugly head (in short order), prompting the decision of the Front Office to tear it down and attempt to build it all back up once again.

Now, entering a new decade, they’ve assembled some players via the draft and internationally (Chisenhall, White, Weglarz, Kipnis, etc.), have accumulated young players via trade (Santana, LaPorta, Brantley, Perez, Donald, Carrasco, Knapp, Masterson, Hagadone, Price, etc.) and have yet to see that talent do much of anything by way of maturing and congealing as they certainly haven’t started to win.

While this is all fairly rudimentary, the disconnect for most fans, particularly in the context of the last two years, comes from the fact that the success from the mid-1990’s was not fleeting and was sustained through the arrival of talent from the Minors, as well as the Indians operating in a different financial reality than the one that exists today. The issue that most fans have is that they look at the team today and wonder how things fell so far so fast as the build-up that took place from 2002 to 2004 was supposed to provide the Indians with the pieces for a contender at the MLB level, but also with the support throughout the system to sustain that success…as sustenance that never took root.

If there is one main failure of this current Indians’ regime (and remember, I’m saying “main”), it is that the promise of the Indians maintaining a core and augmenting it from within simply fell apart (for a variety of reasons) and the Indians fell hard and fell fast back to being among the mediocre (and now sub-mediocre) teams in MLB. If you look at the timeline of the attempts by the organization to fill particular holes (and Andrew Humphries and Tyler Chirdon start to do that for 2B over at LGT in the first of two parts), you start to see how the best-laid plans went awry before more best-laid plans went awry before…well, you get the idea.

Regardless, there are a variety of reasons for that as players headed for FA (namely Sabathia) and SEVERE regressions from supposed “core” players (notably Carmona and Hafner) as well as injuries (a variety to Victor and a complete loss of Westbrook) was exacerbated by the organization’s inability to produce their own stable of players, even those who would only be complementary pieces.

That inability is something that is well-known and is quite absurd if you figure that the EVERY SINGLE POSITION next year could very well be filled by a player acquired via trade (Santana, LaPorta, Donald, Fill in a 3B, Choo, Brantley, Sizemore, and Hafner), but let’s get back to this line of questioning that McManaman continues to go back to, in terms of keeping the team together in an effort to maintain fan interest and to perhaps get a look at the divisional lead by hanging around the .500 mark for much of the season.

Looking past the fact that neither the 2008 or 2009 teams came close to hanging around .500 into August, it brings up a more pertinent question, one which should be raised to the crowd that feels that the 2007 team was torn apart prematurely. McManaman seems to intimate is the better course of action would be for the Indians to try to ride out the storm year after year if they would (as he says), “keep some guys longer rather than get rid of them sooner, and that is my phrasing, you could be .500 and in this division you could be within range in September and drawing more people.”

However, which would you rather see, a team that flirts with .500 every year with an outside shot at making the playoffs (during which they’ be bounced in the first round) or a team that is built to compete with the “haves” of MLB when (actually “if”) they’re able to make it to the playoffs?

Just to go jump into the way back machine, look at the Opening Day lineup for the Indians in 2008 (when they were picked by many to go to the World Series) and tell me which players are truly missed here.
Sabathia and Martinez, right?

Factor in what Santana’s production figures to be and that Sabathia (and Lee) weren’t sticking around, and what was the alternative for the Indians when the die was cast in 2008 and 2009?

Because of their own player development deficiencies, the Indians tore it down and cut it to the bone while attempting to re-stock a farm system that had proven to be wildly overrated and bereft of impact players. Could they have attempted to re-tool on the fly and be “within range” with the mix of players that were left?

Sure, but what guarantee do the Indians have of success with that group and, given their own player development deficiencies (which is the real issue here, not the trades), should the Indians have attempted to be “within range”, so they could win a AL Central pennant only to be bounced in the first round of the playoffs?

Let me put this in tangible terms as the Twins have made the playoffs 5 times since 2002 and yet have not made it to the ALCS since they won the World Series in 1991 while the Indians have made the playoffs once since 2001, but have more playoff series wins than the Twins in that timeframe. Granted, it’s merely one playoff series win against zero and given what we’ve seen this year, it’s hard not to dream of a .500 team or a pennant race but isn’t chasing mediocrity or that chance to “be within range” what gets small-market teams into trouble in the first place?

For as much as everyone is up in arms regarding the Pirates “pocketing” money, at least they’re not spending money any more on what Shawn Hoffman of Baseball Prospectus calls “ridiculous (but media-appeasing, at the time) contracts for Kevin Young, Jason Kendall, Pat Meares, Derek Bell, et al.” and are investing in building a team the only way that a team in a market that is their size can be built into a winner – from within.

To that end, here is a marvelous piece from Slate that throws the idea that the Pirates should be spending every last penny (and more) in an effort to win under the bus and offers this conclusion in terms of how baseball economics work for small-market teams.
Before throwing up the quote that I found to be most pertinent, I would encourage you to read it in its entirety…I’ll wait…

Got it?
OK, here’s where the interest comes in as it relates to other small-market teams:
How can you be so successful while spending so little money? Basically, you have to rely on young, cheap players. The Pirates appear to be moving in this direction; they have a significant minor league player development budget, and they don’t appear to be shy about spending money to sign their draft picks.
A little luck helps, too. Statistically, in any given season, one out of every six teams will be lucky enough to exceed its talent level by six wins or more. And one team per season, on average, will exceed its talent by as many as 11 wins. (Admittedly, if you're waiting for that team to be yours … well, it could take a while.)
So if you’re a little bit smart, and very, very lucky, you could wind up with a few young, cheap players that could lead you to a playoff berth. But it would seem that for small-market teams like Tampa Bay and Pittsburgh, established stars cost too much to pay for themselves.
It would be nice for the fans if the Pirates were willing to lose millions of dollars in order to bring a competitive team to their loyal supporters. But even superrich owners are looking for some kind of return on their investment. In the end, the Pirates can spend a lot of money on player salaries, or they can turn a profit. They can’t do both.

Just to re-iterate, the whole piece is worth a read, if only as it attempts to put the money issue into perspective while taking the logical angle of wins versus losses against a backdrop of spending. Read that line again above that, “if you’re a little bit smart, and very, very lucky, you could wind up with a few young, cheap players that could lead you to a playoff berth”...and think about 2007. This is not rocket science, but knowing that to be the strategy and employing it effectively are two entirely different things, as every team has that blueprint, but few are able to see it come to fruition with much regularity.

If you don’t think that luck plays a role here, realize that the Nationals (the “feel-good” story of the first half) are about to see Strasburg go in for Tommy John as he will likely miss all of 2011 ($2.5M salary) and could miss part of 2012 ($3M salary) before he enters his arbitration years (2014-2016) as a National while Adam Dunn figures to leave in Free Agency. For as much as the Nationals seemed to have their fortunes turning, the effect of these types of events are simply too much for nearly all of MLB to overcome as they attempt to build a consistent winner…or even an inconsistent winner.

Go back to that piece from Slate piece and realize that the Indians are attempting to once again “rely on young, cheap players” and are attempting to take “luck” out of the equation as much as possible by simply loading as much similarly-aged talent up as possible to factor in attrition and injury and ineffectiveness.

When the Indians realized that the “core” of players that they thought they would rely on into the 2010’s had turned into a bit of a rotting “core”, they moved decisively to turn that page. There’s a lot that can be said about the Indians' Front Office since the end of the 2007, but indecisiveness is not something that remains in question after the past couple of years. Perhaps at times that decisiveness comes at the expense of taking the best path, but this Front Office has (once again) made their bed, so they’re the ones that are going to be lying in it as they attempt to finally augment the talent that they’ve brought in via trades with the talent that they HOPE will come from internal avenues, the recent draft being one of them.

On that most recent draft, MLB Trade Rumors had a piece that identified the Indians as one of the “big spenders” in the draft, with Brad Grant comments to MLBTR explaining the Indians’ draft strategy thusly:
“A year ago we sat down and decided that we wanted to be aggressive in the draft and try to add as much talent as we possibly could,” Indians amateur scouting director Brad Grant said. “Knowing that where we are right now as a major league organization, we need to infuse as much talent into our organization as possible.”
At that point, the Indians didn’t know they’d end up drafting Drew Pomeranz, their eventual first-round selection. They ranked potential picks based on talent, with players’ demands in mind - but only to an extent.
“We were ready to react,” Grant said. “We knew the players that we liked. We had a breakdown solely by ability and we tried to take the player we liked best.”
The Indians are prepared to spend on elite amateurs because they aren’t able to spend on elite pros.
“Especially with our market, we can’t afford to sign some of the higher-end major league free agents,” Grant said. “That gets out of our spectrum, so the best way to infuse talent into our organization is to acquire it, whether that be through the draft, whether that be through international signings, whether that be through trades, those are routes we have to take in order to acquire top talent.”

Again, these words sound like they could have come out of any number of mouths from the Indians’ Front Office (while likely wearing a Polo Shirt), but there is no gray area as to how the Indians feel they need to build this team back up again. While some teams attempt to live in that middle ground to “hang around there” and perhaps “get a look” at the division, the Indians are going back to their blueprint of building from within and through trades with the idea that they will eventually supplement that to-be-determined new “core” with veterans (whose usefulness and price tag would be related to how close/far away the team is from contention) and attempt to fortify with re-inforcements from within.

The blueprint has been attempted before and fell apart as quickly as it seemed to take hold as the major factor to sustain that competitiveness (the continued player development) forced the organization to make hard decisions and tear down the team that had just been built. If the first stage of any construction job involves following the blueprint and laying the foundation, the Indians find themselves in that first stage once again.

Hopefully, the blueprint will be followed through to completion this time and won’t have a half-finished entity torn down prematurely because of structural deficiencies or because of faulty assumptions made when executing those blueprints.

Aplaude a Zapatero por convocar primarias y entender que "la primera lealtad de Gómez era con los militantes y afiliados del PSOE de Madrid"

MADRID, 29 (EUROPA PRESS)

El secretario de Economía del PSM-PSOE y miembro de la Ejecutiva regional, Antonio Miguel Carmona, ha otorgado al presidente del Gobierno, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, su aplauso por "haber hecho oídos sordos a aquellos que le susurraban que forzara a la organización a que sólo hubiera maquinalmente una candidata" y ha destacado que "lo peor no es decirle alguna vez que no al presidente, sino decirle siempre a todo que sí".

En un artículo titulado 'Tomás', publicado en el diario digital elplural.com, Carmona defiende la candidatura del secretario general del PSM, Tomás Gómez, y muestra su reconocimiento hacia Zapatero por no dejarse llevar por "aquellos que de nuevo deseaban que apareciera por ensalmo un inexistente caballo blanco, para que meses después, con aire contrito", tuviesen que reconocer que se habían "equivocado de paracaidista".

"Zapatero entendió que la primera lealtad de Tomás Gómez era con los militantes y afiliados del PSOE de Madrid: lo peor no es decirle alguna vez que no al Presidente del Gobierno, sino decirle siempre a todo que sí", señala Carmona después de que el ministro del Interior, Alfredo López Rubalcaba, defendiera que el ex alcalde de Parla debería haber seguido la orden del secretario general del PSOE de retirarse de la batalla por Madrid. "Nosotros no hemos querido hacer el cambio para tener más democracia, sino tener más democracia para poder hacer el cambio", subraya.

"Pero necesitamos una democracia no sólo formal sino también de fondo. En el Partido Socialista Europeo, tras el debate de los dos aspirantes a Secretario General, fueron a votar los delegados. ¿Por qué no podemos tener también un debate entre los dos candidatos socialistas tal como ha propuesto Tomás Gómez?, ¿es que acaso somos menos que los socialistas europeos? Unas primarias no son sólo un vacuo propósito de sonrisas", manifiesta, pese a que Jiménez haya rechazado llevar a cabo un debate con su contrincante.

VIRGINIDAD, PATOS Y GANSOS

En su artículo, lleno de intención y paralelismos históricos, Carmona también hace referencia a la cascada de apoyos de ministros y altos cargos a favor de la ministra de Sanidad, Trinidad Jiménez. Su "neutralidad es la misma que la virginidad de Aspasia de Mileto", asegura irónicamente, recordando a la mujer de Pericles, conocida por su estilo de vida libre en la Grecia clásica. Y es que, a su juicio, "un hombre feliz es aquel que lamentablemente ha dejado de pensar".

Pero Carmona da un paso más en esta cuestión y explica que la expresión "hablar por boca de ganso" proviene de que, en la antigüedad, "ganso" significaba "maestro", la persona que instruía a los hijos de las mejores familias que "repetían enciclopédicamente lo que decía el primero".

Y siguiendo con la historia como espejo, también alude a las aspiraciones de determinadas personas sin citarlas: "Joseph Fouché, ministro del Interior de Napoleón, duque de Otranto, diligente funcionario con la misma pasión al servicio de los girondinos, de los monárquicos moderados, de los jacobinos más tarde, de Bonaparte, de Luis XVIII y hasta de los austriacos, fue cesado por Napoleón cuando éste se dio cuenta que aspiraba al mismo trono y quiso también ser... ganso", plantea sin evocar nombres.

También responde en sólo tres frases, también sin citarles, al ministro de Fomento, José Blanco; al portavoz de la Plataforma pro Trinidad Jiménez, David Lucas, y al alcalde de Getafe, Pedro Castro, en sus argumentos de las últimas semanas. "Alguien ha podido decir este largo agosto que los afiliados han de decidir en estas primarias en función de lo que piensen los ciudadanos, como si los militantes fueran patos, como si no fueran ciudadanos, como si fueran piedras o hiedra o aire", lanza contra el consejo dado por Blanco a los militantes.

"Se habrán dado cuenta", prosigue este miembro del equipo de Tomás Gómez, "que hacemos oídos sordos a las imprecaciones de algunos cuyo paroxismo y extática admiración les lleva al insulto del adversario, a decir con el censo en la mano que les falta el mismísimo censo, a montar páginas web con el fin de degradar al compañero, a acusar de derechismo con la misma mirada que Lavrenti Beria" (responsable de la inteligencia soviética en tiempos de Stalin) . "Ninguno de estos deben pertenecer al equipo de ninguno de los dos candidatos", sentencia.

"LAS IDEAS NO SE HEREDAN"

El responsable de Economía del PSM destaca que Tomás Gómez "es uno de esos políticos de raza que entiende la política como servicio a los demás". "Ajeno, como tantos otros, a colocar la diana por donde pasa la flecha, ha sido capaz de crear un equipo que mira fijamente la línea del futuro. Honesto en ideas, trabajador incansable, soy uno de esos privilegiados a los que les suena el teléfono a las ocho de la mañana y es Tomás contándome cómo lograr que el pueblo más alejado de nuestra región pueda tener financiación para que sus ciudadanos puedan disfrutar de una Casa de Niños o de una residencia pública de ancianos", explica.

"Para el logro del triunfo siempre ha sido indispensable caminar por la senda de los sacrificios. Hay políticos cuyos pasos han requerido del esfuerzo y la constancia para construir una sociedad más justa: las ideas no se heredan, no existe el peculio de la sabiduría, ni la prudencia reside ajena al trabajo diario", sostiene este colaborador de Gómez.

Así, destaca que el ex alcalde de Parla "deplora a los políticos profesionales": "no es uno de esos hombres públicos donde ser natural es la más difícil de las poses". "No quiere, en numerosas reuniones con asociaciones y colectivos, que la prensa esté presente con el objeto de que los ciudadanos no piensen que estábamos aprovechándonos de ellos", recuerda.

En este sentido, Carmona sostiene que el paso dado Tomás Gómez para que haya primarias en la elección de candidato a la Presidencia "ha llenado de esperanza a los militantes". "Aquellos que estamos cerca de él no sabemos, confieso, cómo organizar el aluvión de militantes, ciudadanos y ciudadanas, que quieren trabajar con él y que se revuelven cada vez que alguien utiliza su cargo para arremeter contra la libre decisión de la democracia", sostiene.

Respecto a la polémica suscitada por Jiménez sobre el uso por parte de Gómez de un autobús del PSM que recorre los municipios de Madrid mostrando a los ciudadanos los errores e incumplimientos de la "presidenta saliente de la Comunidad de Madrid", Carmona se pregunta: "¿Alguien en su sano juicio puede pensar que hagamos un paréntesis en nuestra labor de oposición?, ¿nos han elegido los ciudadanos para que hagamos oposición sólo un ratito?". "Nuestro objetivo no es otro que ganar en unas elecciones limpias a Esperanza Aguirre, cuya imaginación de aguadora le proporciona mentiras en abundancia", añade.

Pese a todo, "que sepan que acabarán estas primarias y, entonces, pondremos nuestro empeño en seguir trabajando juntos con el fin de ganar Madrid : la reconciliación será más hermosa que la victoria", asegura Carmona.

It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  

The AL West saw a major change in their closing duties, with Brian Fuentes dealt in a waiver wire deal.  Let’s take a look at their updated situation, as well as the other three teams in the division:

 

Los Angeles Angels

Closer: Fernando Rodney

Waiting in the Wings: Kevin Jepsen/Francisco Rodriguez/Jordan Walsen

Closer of the Future: ?

Brian Fuentes had been fine in his role, but did anyone truly have faith in him?  He went 23-for-27 in save opportunities thus far, but he struggled a bit with control (4.2 BB/9) and home runs (1.2 HR/9), while benefiting from some luck (.250 BABIP). 

Now, he’s a setup man for the Minnesota Twins, being traded yesterday.  Rodney has had his own problems this year, with a 1.45 WHIP due to a 4.7 BB/9.  In fact, his WHIPs the previous two years had been 1.59 and 1.47.  He’s going to get save opportunities, so he’s a low-end option, but that’s about it. 

Clearly, at 33 years old, he is not a long-term answer in the closer’s role.

The Angels don’t have a specific solution past 2011 (Rodney is signed for another year), though Michael Kohn and Ysmael Carmona have potential and any of the guys who are “waiting in the wings” could emerge if they can put a positive streak together. 

Kohn posted a 2.15 ERA over 46.0 innings between Double and Triple-A, while also posting a 3.27 ERA in the Majors. 

Carmona posted a 2.60 ERA over 55.1 innings at Double-A.  Unfortunately, both have struggled with control. 

Of course, a starter like Fabio Martinez Mesa could ultimately transition to the bullpen, but he’s impressed at Single-A (3.92 ERA, 141 K in 103.1 innings), so at this point it’s tough to predict that.

 

Oakland Athletics

Closer: Andrew Bailey

Waiting in the Wings: Michael Wuertz

Closer of the Future: Andrew Bailey

Bailey suffered from injuries this season, but that seems to be the only thing that can stop him.  He’s gone 20-for-23 in save opportunities while posting a 1.52 ERA and 0.97 WHIP. 

That comes after a rookie year in which he posted 26 saves with a 1.84 ERA and 0.88 WHIP.  If you want to nitpick, his strikeouts are down, but you’d expect that to rebound. 

At this point, the 26 year old is entrenched for the long haul.  Wuertz did fine in his short stint while Bailey was on the DL, but he’s not likely to get many opportunities moving forward.

 

Seattle Mariners

Closer: David Aardsma

Waiting in the Wings: Brandon League

Closer of the Future: Brandon League

Aardsma was one of my least favorite closers entering the year, and he hasn’t disappointed with a 4.14 ERA.  I know, it hasn’t been all bad (24 saves, 43 K in 41.1 innings), but he’s not long for the job. 

League, who was acquired for Brandon Morrow, has the potential to grab hold of the job and possibly hold it long-term.  While he’s not an elite strikeout artist (6.1 K/9 this season, 6.7 for his career), he has good control (2.8 BB/9), which certainly helps.

Couple that with an elite groundball rate (62.9% this year, 62.2% for his career) and you get a pitcher with the potential to excel.  It wouldn’t be surprising to see him assume the role full-time in 2011.

Texas Rangers

Closer: Neftali Feliz

Waiting in the Wings: Frank Francisco

Closer of the Future: Neftali Feliz

Feliz has been fantastic since taking over for Francisco, saving 32 games in 35 opportunities with a 3.44 ERA and 0.98 WHIP.  The biggest question is if the Rangers decide to leave him in the bullpen or ultimately transition him back to the rotation. 

While Francisco is no longer the long-term answer, the system is stocked with young arms who could step into the role at some point, like Tanner Scheppers for example.

Still, with the success Feliz has shown, it would appear likely he is going to be there for a while (much like the situation the Red Sox had with Jonathan Papelbon).

What are your thoughts on these situations?

Make sure to check out our look at the other divisions in baseball:

• NL East
• AL East

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

Brasília – Pouco mais de uma semana depois de anunciar a libertação de seis dissidentes políticos, a Igreja Católica de Cuba informou que o mesmo número de presos (políticos) serão soltos. Em nota divulgada pela Igreja, os detidos aceitaram deixar o país e seguir em direção à Espanha. No total, já são 32 dissidentes que trocaram Cuba pela Espanha.

Exatamente como no último dia 17, o assunto não foi mencionado por autoridades cubanas nem há informações no jornal oficial de Cuba, o Granma. A ideia é libertar um total de 52 presos até novembro. Portanto, ainda é esperada a liberdade de mais 20 pessoas.

De acordo com a nota da Igreja, os presos que serão libertados são: Victor Arroyo Carmona, Alexis Rodrigues Fernandez, Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares, Alfredo Domínguez Batista, Agüero Gainza Próspero e Claro Altarriba Sánchez.

Em julho, o presidente de Cuba, Raúl Castro, negociou com o primeiro-ministro da Espanha, José Luis Zapatero, e autoridades da Igreja Católica cubana a libertação de 52, dos 75 dissidentes políticos, mantidos em prisões de diferentes locais do país.

Os presos políticos deixaram Cuba e ao chegar à Espanha participaram de entrevistas coletivas, nas quais fizeram várias queixas. Muitos deles reclamaram que foram obrigados a deixar o país. Outros disseram ter sofrido maus tratos e pressão psicológica. Não houve reações do governo cubano sobre as reclamações dos dissidentes.

A Anistia Internacional informou que os dissidentes foram presos em 2003 durante o episódio, conhecido como Primavera Negra. Na ocasião, 75 pessoas foram detidas. A Anistia Internacional recomenda ainda que os dissidentes tenham condições de optar, se querem permanecer em Cuba ou deixar o país.

El chileno que dejó una buena impresión a nivel internacional tras su gran actuación en el mundial de Sudáfrica 2010, jugará la próxima temporada en la...

In reply to The Lee-Ramirez-Zambrano Cubs:

this article is more critical of GM Shapiro but thought this was interesting regarding Tribe fans take on Wedge and his coaches particularly about developing young talent:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/332995-a-q...

Shapiro can also be held accountable for maintaining an underachieving coaching staff for too long. The recently fired Eric Wedge and his staff proved time and again both that they could not win when it counted (see the team’s collapse at the end of the 2005 season or its inability to beat Boston one more time in the 2007 ALCS) and that they were incapable of effectively utilizing and further developing young talent (players such as Fausto Carmona, Josh Barfield, and Andy Marte come to mind here). Yet Shapiro stayed committed to this staff year after year.

MADRID, 27 (EUROPA PRESS)

La Embajada de Estados Unidos en Madrid ha pedido a los 25 ex presos políticos cubanos que han llegado en las últimas semanas a España tras ser liberados por el régimen de Raúl Castro que le hagan llegar un listado de los familiares con los que les gustaría poder trasladarse a territorio estadounidense, si bien no les han dado ningún plazo para que esto ocurra, han relatado varios de ellos a Europa Press.

"La Embajada nos ha pedido un listado de los familiares que quieren viajar con nosostros a Estados Unidos", explica Manuel Ubals, uno de los ex prisioneros, que esta semana se trasladó a Sigüenza (Guadalajara) con su familia. Según Normando Hernández, "no nos han dado ningún plazo" ni han puesto ningúna limitación en cuanto al número de familiares que podrían acompañarles a Estados Unidos.

Este lunes, el Departamento de Estado norteamericano había informado de que estudiará "caso por caso" la posibilidad de que algunos de los ex presos llegados a España puedan trasladarse a Estados Unidos. Su portavoz, P. J. Crowley, reconoció que "algunos de los que han realizado el viaje de Cuba a España se han informado sobre la posibilidad de venir a Estados Unidos". "Nosotros evaluaremos cada situación caso por caso", puntualizó.

De acuerdo con la información que ha podido recabar Europa Press serían más de la mitad de los 26 ex prisioneros de la Primavera Negra llegados a España los que quieren poder trasladarse con sus familias a Estados Unidos.

Según Normando Hernández, que llegó en el primer grupo y desde entonces ha permanecido en el Hostal Welcome de Vallecas (Madrid), además de él --que ya tiene un permiso para viajar a Estados Unidos para él, su mujer y su hija, pero no para otros familiares--, otros dos de los tres ex disidentes que siguen allí, Julio César Gálvez y Mijail Bárzaga, también han elaborado un listado de familiares.

PÉREZ DE ALEJO ESPERA VIAJAR EN SEPTIEMBRE

En una situación similar se encuentra Arturo Pérez de Alejo, que ya tiene autorización para viajar a Estados Unidos con su mujer y su hija y que, según ha explicado, espera poder hacerlo "en la primera quincena de septiembre" gracias a los billetes de avión que le pagará la Organización Internacional de Migraciones (OIM), ha explicado a Europa Press. En su caso, ha enviado una petición a la Embajada para que en el futuro puedan trasladarse a Estados Unidos su sobrino, esposa e hijo, que han venido con él a España, han solicitado la protección internacional asistida y actualmente están en Málaga.

Según los datos que han dado algunos de los ex presos, querrían poder viajar en un futuro a Estados Unidos Jesús Mustafá Felipe, Antonio Díaz Sánchez, Antonio Villarreal Acosta, José Luis García Paneque, Omar Ruiz Hernández, Jorge Luis González Tanquero y Blas Giraldo Reyes.

También varios de los seis ex presos llegados la semana pasada a Madrid desean poder viajar a Estados Unidos con sus familias, según ha explicado a Europa Press Efrén Fernández. Se trataría de Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta, Fabio Prieto Llorente y Juan Adolfo Fernández Sainz además del propio Fernández.

Para este ex preso, el hecho de que sean tantos los que quieren viajar a Estados Unidos se explica porque "muchos tenemos familiares allí". No obstante, ha asegurado que desde que llegó a España ha recibido un "trato maravilloso, nunca había conocido nada igual", si bien ha admitido que ha sido "un cambio muy brusco para nuestras familias y nosotros, que salimos de celdas inmundas".

En su caso concreto, ha explicado que si no puede viajar a Estados Unidos, donde tiene varios tíos, no le importaría poder trasladarse a Canadá, si bien por el momento no tiene constancia de los trámites que serían necesarios para ello.

Hasta la fecha han llegado a España 26 ex presos de la Primavera Negra de 2003 tras ser liberados por el Gobierno cubano gracias a la mediación de la Iglesia Católica de la isla, si bien uno de ellos, José Ubaldo Izquierdo, se ha trasladado con su familia a Chile desde entonces.

Este martes, el Arzobispado de La Habana anunció la próxima liberación y traslado a España de otros seis de los 52 presos que el presidente Raúl Castro se comprometió a liberar en el palzo de cuatro meses el pasado 7 de julio. Se trata de Victor Arroyo Carmona, Alexis Rodríguez Fernández, Leonel Grave de Peralta, Alfredo Domínguez Batista, Próspero Gaínza Agüero y Claro Sánchez Altarriba.

Meditating using chocolate is a sweet way to experience bliss. Kew East [Victoria, Australia] author Janet Etty-Leal has been using chocolate mindfulness meditation to help teach children awareness and relaxation techniques. “They come to their senses, they feel it, smell it, taste the flavours and notice all the sensations,” Etty-Leal, 55, said. Etty-Leal uses novel props, visual aids and games to help children master their minds. “We don’t just sit or lie down, we do walking meditation, feeling fabrics under our feet,” she said. “If you’re going to teach it in a dull and serious way, you’re not going to capture their hearts and imagination. When you make it fun and use things they’re not expecting, then they become still and focus.” Etty-Leal said meditation was helpful for students, including children with ADD, aspergers and hyperactivity. She has written Meditation Capsules: A Mindfulness Program for Children to help adults who want to teach children the skills of mindful meditation. [Bianca Carmona, Progress-Leader] Related posts:

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Yesterday I got to meet my Congressman Jeb Hensarling at a meet & greet that was hosted by Rick Carmona at his restaurant in Terrell, Texas. I appreciated the opportunity to be able to discuss my views with Mr. Hensarling as regards HR 5786 , known as the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010.

Trasladan a La Habana a algunos de los presos políticos y sus familiares que viajarán a España

MADRID, 26 (EUROPA PRESS)

Laura Pollán, portavoz de las Damas de Blanco, se ha desmarcado de las críticas que ha hecho la disidencia dentro y fuera de la isla sobre el papel desempeñado por el clero en la liberación de los presos políticos y ha considerado que "en Cuba no hay mejor mediador" que la Iglesia Católica por ser una institución "que no responde a ninguna tendencia política".

En declaraciones a Europa Press, Pollán aplaudió la gestión que ha encabezado el arzobispo de La Habana, el cardenal Jaime Ortega, que intercedió ante el Gobierno de Raúl Castro, no sólo para lograr la liberación de 52 presos políticos de la llamada Primavera Negra de 2003, sino también cuando las Damas de Blanco estaban siendo asediadas por las fuerzas de seguridad del Estado.

"En Cuba no hay mejor mediador que la Iglesia Católica porque los demás organismos están al servicio del régimen (castrista). Por ejemplo, ¿qué pueden hacer los CDR (Comités de Defensa de la Revolución)? Nada, y de eso somos conscientes", afirmó en conversación telefónica.

Pollán, que desde hace 7 años asiste todos los domingos a misa en una iglesia en el este de La Habana en compañía de otras damas de blanco, definió a la Iglesia Católica como una "institución milenaria" que ha "intercedido hasta en conflictos armados, en hechos importantes y determinantes en la historia del mundo".

Un total de 165 disidentes cubanos, entre ellos algunos presos políticos, enviaron la semana pasada una carta al Papa Benedicto XVI en la que critican el "lamentable" papel que ha jugado la Iglesia Católica en la isla en el "destierro" de prisioneros de la Primavera Negra a España y le piden que cese el "apoyo político" que está dando ésta al régimen castrista, al que equiparan con los "comisionados de Satanás en la Tierra".

El clero cubano rechazó de inmediato el "contenido ofensivo" de esta misiva y dejó claro que su mediación con el Gobierno de Castro para la liberación de 52 prisioneros políticos "no se ha apoyado en tendencias políticas", aunque reconoció que "sabía que esta mediación podría ser interpretada de las más disímiles maneras".

A este respecto, Pollán consideró que "las familias de los presos políticos" que han sido liberados o que forman parte del grupo de los 52, "sí le agradecen a la Iglesia Católica lo que ha logrado porque ahora son hombres libres o serán libres pronto".

DESTIERRO

Pero las negociaciones entre el arzobispado y el régimen castrista "no han sido como hubiésemos querido", admitió la portavoz de la organización que integran los familiares de los prisioneros de la Primavera Negra de 2003.

Así, Pollán volvió a denunciar el "destierro" de los 26 disidentes que han sido liberados en las últimas semanas y que viajaron a España a cambio de su liberación. "Ellos aceptaron la propuesta del cardenal Ortega y eso se lo tenemos que respetar, pero nosotros no hubiésemos querido que los dejaran libres en Cuba, no fuera".

De los 52 presos de la Primavera Negra que quedaban en prisión y que el Gobierno de Castro se ha comprometido a liberar, 26 ya han viajado a España --uno de ellos se fue posteriormente a Chile-- y otros seis podrían viajar en los próximos días, por lo que todavía restan 20, de los cuales cinco rechazaron la propuesta de Ortega.

La preocupación de las Damas de Blanco es el futuro de estos cinco opositores que se negaron a viajar a España y que, por tanto, no fueron excarcelados. Por el momento, se desconocen cuándo serán liberados porque "ni el Gobierno ni la Iglesia Católica ha sabido dar una respuesta" sobre este asunto, comentó Pollán, esposa de Héctor Maseda, preso político que aún no ha sido contactado por el cardenal.

TRASLADO DE PRESOS

El pasado lunes, el Arzobispado de La Habana anunció la liberación de otros seis opositores que viajarán próximamente a España. Algunos de ellos ya han sido trasladados a la prisión Combinado del Este, en La Habana, mientras que sus familias están siendo concentradas en las instalaciones de una antigua institución militar a las afueras de la capital.

Alexis Rodríguez Fernández, Alfredo Domínguez Batista y Víctor Arroyo Carmona son los tres presos que Pollán pudo confirmar que han sido trasladados a La Habana, al igual que sus familiares. Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares, Próspero Gainza Agüero y Claro Sánchez Altarriba serían llevados al Combinado del Este entre hoy y mañana.

Pollán ha informado de que a los familiares ya les están realizando los respectivos chequeos médicos, por lo que estima que los primeros disidentes estarían partiendo para España la semana próxima, "aunque todo eso depende de muchos factores" como la emisión de las autorizaciones de salida y conseguir los boletos aéreos.

Según comentó la dama de blanco, Alfredo Domínguez Batista viajaría con ocho familiares, mientras que Alexis Rodríguez Fernández lo haría acompañado de seis personas.

Natalie Carmona is going to Girls Night Out Miami - Fall 2010

Comments: 0

It is one thing to give up a homer to Jack Cust: Cust is a Three True Outcomes All-Star and does this sort of thing.  It is embarrassing enough to give up a homer to Covelli Crisp, but Crisp is currently outslugging Shin-Soo Choo this season, which is excessively embarrassing.  To give up a homer to Jeff Larish, Tigers castoff, called up from AAA and with an OBP of .235, is simply absurd.  In today’s B-List, Buff outlines an innovative plan to get Gio Gonzalez the Cy Young in 2011. 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Athletics (62-62)	0	2	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	5	10	3
Indians (50-75)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0

W: G. Gonzalez (11-8) L: Carmona (11-12) 

The concessions stand at Not Jacobs Field is now selling “Oatmeal on a Stick,” because it combines the three things that remind you of Indians Baseball: a useless piece of wood, blandness, and Fail. 

1) The Brett Favre Plan 

At the height of the absurdity in the Brett Favre Comeback story last season (or, at least, what we THOUGHT was the height, but turned out to be but a foothill), my wife and I discussed the idea that the NFL was handling this all wrong.  Brett Favre is obviously a huge commodity in the NFL, and to limit him to one team per season seems like a waste of a valuable resource. 

Now, when I was young, we would play a lot of Nerf™ football in the back yard.  Mostly it was two-on-two or three-on-three, but you’d have the 3-Mississippi rush plan and “two-below” touch and poorly-defined sidelines and really it was just an excuse to run and throw things.  But sometimes you’d have an odd number of guys, which necessitated the designation of an “All Day Quarterback,” picking the guy with the most accurate arm and letting him throw all the time for both teams.  If you had five guys, it would be Joe and Tom vs. Nick and Jeff, and Rob would throw passes to whomever was on offense at any given time.

As the dog days of summer have Indians fans feeling tired and lethargic (and not just from the humidity) and the Indians attempt to plant their feet on the bottom in the midst of their descent down the abyss, the 2010 season has slipped into nearly unwatchable territory. For most, the Indians’ season became unwatchable on the night that Santana was carted off of the field, and if that is the case…consider yourself lucky as the team has gone 5-15 since that night in Boston. Interestingly, the Indians were 23-36 before Santana’s promotion, were 22-25 with him on the team, and have been the aforementioned 5-15 since his injury, but let’s not chalk up the misery of this season to one play on one night as the reasons are too numerous to count.

Instead of reaching into the depths of our minds to count them, we spend our nights fighting the urge to catch up on episodes of “Mad Men” or “Entourage” from the DVR or watch “The Dark Knight” on whichever directional HBO is playing it that night, and subject ourselves to the remainder of an Indians’ season that rolls on in earnest as hope is sapped from even the fullest of glasses.

With the mood suitably set and with you likely pouring a drink after that little intro, let’s get some Tomahawks in the air…
__________

One of the most frustrating aspects of the last month has been the lack of young players asserting themselves into the teams’ future plans, with LaPorta, Donald, and a whole gaggle of pitchers being among the most disappointing. While this makes it awfully difficult to find silver linings, I continue to hold out this irrational hope that Carlos Carrasco is able to place himself into the mix for the 2011 rotation with the opportunity that is likely coming his way in the next week or so.

With full realization of just how bad Carrasco looked last year in Cleveland and knowing that Carrasco’s promotion has been a hot topic as of late, I bring this up because of something that Kevin Goldstein wrote about Kyle Drabek in a recent piece at Baseball Prospectus. Goldstein wrote of Drabek:
While a 2.98 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 154 innings is good; it’s not the kind of numbers one gets from an elite prospect, but a quick run through his game log shows no bad night. Drabek has gone at least five innings in all but one start, when he went four, and to find a pitcher like that is at times as hard as finding one with those elite numbers.

The idea of consistency is certainly something that has eluded Carrasco and is well-worn territory in these parts. However, let’s not forget the ages, levels, and performances of the two players to date in MiLB:
Carrasco AAA – DOB 3-21-87
3.77 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 127 K, 45 BB in 143 1/3 IP

Drabek AA – DOB 12-8-87
2.98 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 123 K, 63 BB in 154 IP

Admittedly, that bolding is done by yours truly, but it needs to be pointed out at every possible moment that Carrasco is 8 ½ months older than Drabek...you remember, the pitcher the Indians SHOULD have targeted in the CP Lee deal. Given that Jason Knapp has returned to pitching and could find his way up to Kinston as a 20-year-old, it will be interesting to see how the careers of Carrasco and Drabek compare going forward in the context of the Lee/Halladay deals made months apart from each other.

Back to Carrasco and the youngsters asserting themselves, given what Carrasco has accomplished in AAA and given his pedigree (plus the fact that he was part of the Lee deal), one would have to think that if Carrasco is able to show any type of consistency in the month of September, he’s going to have the leg up on a rotation spot for 2011, which seem to be wide open after Carmona and Talbot. If Carrasco can inspire any kind of confidence, the Indians could conceivably approach their 2011 rotation with Carmona, Talbot, and Carrasco, going after a vet, and using the 5th spot to allow the rest of the arms to shake out of their own volition.

Who those arms would be remains to be seen for 2011, but the list would seem to include Gomez, Tomlin, and (now) Zach McCallister with Alex White probably coming into the mix at some point. Perhaps I’m looking too deeply into this, but I think that the Indians are positioning Laffey as a long man/swing man and the likelihood of Huff being on the team next year is questionable at best.

Why is Huff being an Indian in 2011 “questionable at best”?
Well...there’s this little nugget from the ABJ on which arms might see some starts in September with Acta being about as dismissive of a player as is possible:
David Huff presumably might be a candidate for September promotion, but Tribe officials, including Acta, are not high on him. when asked about Huff, the manager said, “”Yes, he’s down there, too.”

If there’s been a more telling quote regarding the future of a particular player in an organization, it doesn’t immediately jump to mind and if anyone can see this Huff thing is going to end anything but badly at this point?

The Indians will have decisions to make on Masterson’s future and what to do with Laffey, but if there’s one thing to watch through the month of September, it is the performance of Carlos Carrasco.
__________

If you want a look at where the Indians would LIKE to be in terms of their pitching rotation, look no further than across the diamond this week, as these are the arms that have populated the Oakland staff that are 26 or younger:
Trevor Cahill (Age 22) – 22 starts, 161 ERA+
Brett Anderson (Age 22) – 11 starts, 144 ERA+
Gio Gonzalez (Age 24) – 26 starts, 126 ERA+
Dallas Braden (Age 26) – 22 starts, 117 ERA+
Vin Mazzaro (Age 22) – 15 starts, 115 ERA+

For some perspective on this, the starters on the Indians with the best ERA+ on the year with more than 10 starts are Carmona (Age 26, 94 ERA+) and Talbot (Age 26, 93 ERA+)…so yeah, that’s pretty impressive. What’s happened in Oakland is that consistency finally arrived for a number of these ballyhooed young pitchers in 2010 and, while Anderson is obviously injured this year, the A’s built this stable in a manner which should make the Indians green with envy as Anderson and Gonzalez came via trade while Cahill (2nd Round, 2006), Braden (24th Round, 2004), and Mazzaro (3rd Round, 2005) all came via the Amateur Draft.

Whether arms like White, Pomeranz, and Knapp can eventually fill into the Indians’ rotation as effectively and at such young ages remains to be seen, but what they’ve accomplished in Oakland (or are accomplishing) should provide some semblance of a blueprint.
__________

While there has been much (justified) discussion over what the Indians should be doing at 3B for the remainder of 2010 and into 2011, can a simple suggestion be made that defense be one of the most important aspects of identifying that “stop-gap” to fill the hot corner?

Given what we’ve seen at 3B and since it seems as if Marte has fumbled away his (albeit limited) opportunity, perhaps the best course of action is for the Indians to find a player, who has played 3B for the majority of his career (or is unusually adept at fielding the position) to serve as the bridge to Lonnie Chisenhall, whose ETA is still TBD. Although defensive metrics remain suspect to me, here are the Ultimate Zone Ratings for 3B this year from FanGraphs, which are only moderately helpful if you look where Jhonny Peralta ranks in these ratings.

If you think that the Indians are going to attempt to find an answer via FA, the most compelling names belong to Brandon Inge and Pedro Feliz (if you’re talking about defensive 3B) and a bunch of older players whose better days (offensively and defensively) are likely behind them. To wit, how does a list that includes the names of Melvin Mora, Bill Hall, Garrett Atkins, Geoff Blum, Wes Helms, and Mike Lowell strike you?

All of those names might be recognizable to a degree, but Inge and Feliz are the only ones who really stand out as defensive upgrades and while Brandon Inge presents a name of some interest, one would think that Inge is going to generate some interest from some corner on the FA market, something that the Indians likely aren’t going to be able to compete with on the open market.

With that in mind, what direction could they go and could past serve as prologue in this matter? By that I mean, the Indians could go in the same direction that they did back when Casey Blake won the 3B job in Spring Training, inviting a number of late-20’s/early-30’s career minor-league 3B/MLB journeyman to fill the 3B position until a better alternative emerged.

If you don’t remember (or even if you do), the “competition” in 2003 Spring Training consisted of Blake, Bill Selby, Greg LaRocca, Zach Sorenson, and probably some other players I’m not remembering being given a legitimate chance to be the 2003 Opening Day 3B. Of course, Blake “seized” the opportunity to create the MLB career he currently enjoys, but in light of the internal alternatives that we’ve seen and with the knowledge that the Indians probably aren’t going to be bringing in a high-profile FA 3B on a multi-year deal, perhaps that is the path they tread once again.

Certainly, the current cast of characters can be thrown into the mix (although Nix looks more like a fill-in at multiple positions more than a straight 3B and Valbuena is simply not a viable defensive 3B while Andy Marte is simply living on borrowed time), but maybe the Indians should be asking their scouts to find the best defensive 3B in the Minors that they can find who will be a Minor League FA at season’s end and throw them into the gauntlet.

While this isn’t going to quicken any pulses, there are guys in the Minors who fit that Blake/Selby/LaRocca profile, whether it be Dan Johnson of the Durham Bulls, who is blocked by Longoria in Tampa (if a 31-year-old can be “blocked”) or players like Wes Timmons of the Gwinnet Braves, Cody Ransom of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and Ed Lucas of the Omaha Royals, in that these players could probably be had in the off-season to simply provide (hopefully) a solid glove at 3B until Lonnie Chisenhall is ready to emerge.

Given the way Lonnie Chisenhall is absolutely crushing the ball in AA recently and since his defense is purported to be among the best in the organization at 3B, a placeholder is all that is really needed so the Indians should concentrate on finding a slick glove at 3B to help out their pitching staff before worrying about production from 3B (which has been largely absent with the questionable gloves there), because that production from 3B is eventually coming.

The production will come from The Chiz, whose numbers since June 1 are awfully impressive in AA:
.272 BA / .341 OBP / .494 SLG / .835 OPS with 12 2B and 14 HR in 261 AB

Don’t take that impressive line as an assertion that he’s going to be ready by the middle of 2011, just compare it to what Carlos Santana did last year in AA:
.290 BA / .413 OBP / .530 SLG / .943 OPS with 30 2B and 23 HR in 428 AB

Certainly, Santana’s numbers were better across the board (and I’m cherry-picking numbers for Lonnie), but Santana was also 23 years old last year while Chisenhall is still 21 this year in Akron. His arrival may not be imminent and his impact may still be a couple of years away, but in finding a stop-gap at 3B until he arrives, perhaps they should follow a path they’ve already taken and let the glove do the talking in the process.
__________

Though the baseball world is atwitter with news that the Pirates turned a $34.8M profit over the last 3 years, a simple question keeps coming to mind for me - aren’t these teams SUPPOSED to make money or not necessarily break even or deficit spend year after year?

Let’s be very real about this, all of these teams are making money in some fashion, although the profits are going to be as wildly disparate as the revenues that fuel them. While people in Pittsburgh may be up in arms over the Pirates “pocketing” money instead of spending every…single…solitary…dollar to win 75 games instead of 60, wouldn’t it be more concerning if some of these small-market teams were losing money hand over fist?

This is the most relevant fact for me as this great fear exists in the recesses of my mind that Cleveland is going to have two professional sports teams ten years from now (or sooner) and that the Browns aren’t going to be going anywhere (again) any time soon. Given the fragile states of the Indians and the Cavaliers and the shrinking population base that lines their pockets, it would concern me if the Indians were to come out and say that they had lost X amount of money over the course of X amount of years because I think that it would bring serious questions about the future of baseball in Cleveland, competitive balance or not.
__________

And with that thought ruminating, pour me another before this glass starts to look half-empty…

As the dog days of summer have Indians fans feeling tired and lethargic (and not just from the humidity) and the Indians attempt to plant their feet on the bottom in the midst of their descent down the abyss, the 2010 season has slipped into nearly unwatchable territory. For most, the Indians’ season became unwatchable on the night that Santana was carted off of the field, and if that is the case…consider yourself lucky as the team has gone 5-15 since that night in Boston. Interestingly, the Indians were 23-36 before Santana’s promotion, were 22-25 with him on the team, and have been the aforementioned 5-15 since his injury, but let’s not chalk up the misery of this season to one play on one night as the reasons are too numerous to count.

Instead of reaching into the depths of our minds to count them, we spend our nights fighting the urge to catch up on episodes of “Mad Men” or “Entourage” from the DVR or watch “The Dark Knight” on whichever directional HBO is playing it that night, and subject ourselves to the remainder of an Indians’ season that rolls on in earnest as hope is sapped from even the fullest of glasses.

With the mood suitably set and with you likely pouring a drink after that little intro, let’s get some Tomahawks in the air…
__________

One of the most frustrating aspects of the last month has been the lack of young players asserting themselves into the teams’ future plans, with LaPorta, Donald, and a whole gaggle of pitchers being among the most disappointing. While this makes it awfully difficult to find silver linings, I continue to hold out this irrational hope that Carlos Carrasco is able to place himself into the mix for the 2011 rotation with the opportunity that is likely coming his way in the next week or so.

With full realization of just how bad Carrasco looked last year in Cleveland and knowing that Carrasco’s promotion has been a hot topic as of late, I bring this up because of something that Kevin Goldstein wrote about Kyle Drabek in a recent piece at Baseball Prospectus. Goldstein wrote of Drabek:
While a 2.98 ERA and 123 strikeouts in 154 innings is good; it’s not the kind of numbers one gets from an elite prospect, but a quick run through his game log shows no bad night. Drabek has gone at least five innings in all but one start, when he went four, and to find a pitcher like that is at times as hard as finding one with those elite numbers.

The idea of consistency is certainly something that has eluded Carrasco and is well-worn territory in these parts. However, let’s not forget the ages, levels, and performances of the two players to date in MiLB:
Carrasco AAA – DOB 3-21-87
3.77 ERA, 3.89 FIP, 1.25 WHIP, 127 K, 45 BB in 143 1/3 IP

Drabek AA – DOB 12-8-87
2.98 ERA, 4.01 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 123 K, 63 BB in 154 IP

Admittedly, that bolding is done by yours truly, but it needs to be pointed out at every possible moment that Carrasco is 8 ½ months older than Drabek...you remember, the pitcher the Indians SHOULD have targeted in the CP Lee deal. Given that Jason Knapp has returned to pitching and could find his way up to Kinston as a 20-year-old, it will be interesting to see how the careers of Carrasco and Drabek compare going forward in the context of the Lee/Halladay deals made months apart from each other.

Back to Carrasco and the youngsters asserting themselves, given what Carrasco has accomplished in AAA and given his pedigree (plus the fact that he was part of the Lee deal), one would have to think that if Carrasco is able to show any type of consistency in the month of September, he’s going to have the leg up on a rotation spot for 2011, which seem to be wide open after Carmona and Talbot. If Carrasco can inspire any kind of confidence, the Indians could conceivably approach their 2011 rotation with Carmona, Talbot, and Carrasco, going after a vet, and using the 5th spot to allow the rest of the arms to shake out of their own volition.

Who those arms would be remains to be seen for 2011, but the list would seem to include Gomez, Tomlin, and (now) Zach McCallister with Alex White probably coming into the mix at some point. Perhaps I’m looking too deeply into this, but I think that the Indians are positioning Laffey as a long man/swing man and the likelihood of Huff being on the team next year is questionable at best.

Why is Huff being an Indian in 2011 “questionable at best”?
Well...there’s this little nugget from the ABJ on which arms might see some starts in September with Acta being about as dismissive of a player as is possible:
David Huff presumably might be a candidate for September promotion, but Tribe officials, including Acta, are not high on him. when asked about Huff, the manager said, “”Yes, he’s down there, too.”

If there’s been a more telling quote regarding the future of a particular player in an organization, it doesn’t immediately jump to mind and if anyone can see this Huff thing is going to end anything but badly at this point?

The Indians will have decisions to make on Masterson’s future and what to do with Laffey, but if there’s one thing to watch through the month of September, it is the performance of Carlos Carrasco.
__________

If you want a look at where the Indians would LIKE to be in terms of their pitching rotation, look no further than across the diamond this week, as these are the arms that have populated the Oakland staff that are 26 or younger:
Trevor Cahill (Age 22) – 22 starts, 161 ERA+
Brett Anderson (Age 22) – 11 starts, 144 ERA+
Gio Gonzalez (Age 24) – 26 starts, 126 ERA+
Dallas Braden (Age 26) – 22 starts, 117 ERA+
Vin Mazzaro (Age 22) – 15 starts, 115 ERA+

For some perspective on this, the starters on the Indians with the best ERA+ on the year with more than 10 starts are Carmona (Age 26, 94 ERA+) and Talbot (Age 26, 93 ERA+)…so yeah, that’s pretty impressive. What’s happened in Oakland is that consistency finally arrived for a number of these ballyhooed young pitchers in 2010 and, while Anderson is obviously injured this year, the A’s built this stable in a manner which should make the Indians green with envy as Anderson and Gonzalez came via trade while Cahill (2nd Round, 2006), Braden (24th Round, 2004), and Mazzaro (3rd Round, 2005) all came via the Amateur Draft.

Whether arms like White, Pomeranz, and Knapp can eventually fill into the Indians’ rotation as effectively and at such young ages remains to be seen, but what they’ve accomplished in Oakland (or are accomplishing) should provide some semblance of a blueprint.
__________

While there has been much (justified) discussion over what the Indians should be doing at 3B for the remainder of 2010 and into 2011, can a simple suggestion be made that defense be one of the most important aspects of identifying that “stop-gap” to fill the hot corner?

Given what we’ve seen at 3B and since it seems as if Marte has fumbled away his (albeit limited) opportunity, perhaps the best course of action is for the Indians to find a player, who has played 3B for the majority of his career (or is unusually adept at fielding the position) to serve as the bridge to Lonnie Chisenhall, whose ETA is still TBD. Although defensive metrics remain suspect to me, here are the Ultimate Zone Ratings for 3B this year from FanGraphs, which are only moderately helpful if you look where Jhonny Peralta ranks in these ratings.

If you think that the Indians are going to attempt to find an answer via FA, the most compelling names belong to Brandon Inge and Pedro Feliz (if you’re talking about defensive 3B) and a bunch of older players whose better days (offensively and defensively) are likely behind them. To wit, how does a list that includes the names of Melvin Mora, Bill Hall, Garrett Atkins, Geoff Blum, Wes Helms, and Mike Lowell strike you?

All of those names might be recognizable to a degree, but Inge and Feliz are the only ones who really stand out as defensive upgrades and while Brandon Inge presents a name of some interest, one would think that Inge is going to generate some interest from some corner on the FA market, something that the Indians likely aren’t going to be able to compete with on the open market.

With that in mind, what direction could they go and could past serve as prologue in this matter? By that I mean, the Indians could go in the same direction that they did back when Casey Blake won the 3B job in Spring Training, inviting a number of late-20’s/early-30’s career minor-league 3B/MLB journeyman to fill the 3B position until a better alternative emerged.

If you don’t remember (or even if you do), the “competition” in 2003 Spring Training consisted of Blake, Bill Selby, Greg LaRocca, Zach Sorenson, and probably some other players I’m not remembering being given a legitimate chance to be the 2003 Opening Day 3B. Of course, Blake “seized” the opportunity to create the MLB career he currently enjoys, but in light of the internal alternatives that we’ve seen and with the knowledge that the Indians probably aren’t going to be bringing in a high-profile FA 3B on a multi-year deal, perhaps that is the path they tread once again.

Certainly, the current cast of characters can be thrown into the mix (although Nix looks more like a fill-in at multiple positions more than a straight 3B and Valbuena is simply not a viable defensive 3B while Andy Marte is simply living on borrowed time), but maybe the Indians should be asking their scouts to find the best defensive 3B in the Minors that they can find who will be a Minor League FA at season’s end and throw them into the gauntlet.

While this isn’t going to quicken any pulses, there are guys in the Minors who fit that Blake/Selby/LaRocca profile, whether it be Dan Johnson of the Durham Bulls, who is blocked by Longoria in Tampa (if a 31-year-old can be “blocked”) or players like Wes Timmons of the Gwinnet Braves, Cody Ransom of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, and Ed Lucas of the Omaha Royals, in that these players could probably be had in the off-season to simply provide (hopefully) a solid glove at 3B until Lonnie Chisenhall is ready to emerge.

Given the way Lonnie Chisenhall is absolutely crushing the ball in AA recently and since his defense is purported to be among the best in the organization at 3B, a placeholder is all that is really needed so the Indians should concentrate on finding a slick glove at 3B to help out their pitching staff before worrying about production from 3B (which has been largely absent with the questionable gloves there), because that production from 3B is eventually coming.

The production will come from The Chiz, whose numbers since June 1 are awfully impressive in AA:
.272 BA / .341 OBP / .494 SLG / .835 OPS with 12 2B and 14 HR in 261 AB

Don’t take that impressive line as an assertion that he’s going to be ready by the middle of 2011, just compare it to what Carlos Santana did last year in AA:
.290 BA / .413 OBP / .530 SLG / .943 OPS with 30 2B and 23 HR in 428 AB

Certainly, Santana’s numbers were better across the board (and I’m cherry-picking numbers for Lonnie), but Santana was also 23 years old last year while Chisenhall is still 21 this year in Akron. His arrival may not be imminent and his impact may still be a couple of years away, but in finding a stop-gap at 3B until he arrives, perhaps they should follow a path they’ve already taken and let the glove do the talking in the process.
__________

Though the baseball world is atwitter with news that the Pirates turned a $34.8M profit over the last 3 years, a simple question keeps coming to mind for me - aren’t these teams SUPPOSED to make money or not necessarily break even or deficit spend year after year?

Let’s be very real about this, all of these teams are making money in some fashion, although the profits are going to be as wildly disparate as the revenues that fuel them. While people in Pittsburgh may be up in arms over the Pirates “pocketing” money instead of spending every…single…solitary…dollar to win 75 games instead of 60, wouldn’t it be more concerning if some of these small-market teams were losing money hand over fist?

This is the most relevant fact for me as this great fear exists in the recesses of my mind that Cleveland is going to have two professional sports teams ten years from now (or sooner) and that the Browns aren’t going to be going anywhere (again) any time soon. Given the fragile states of the Indians and the Cavaliers and the shrinking population base that lines their pockets, it would concern me if the Indians were to come out and say that they had lost X amount of money over the course of X amount of years because I think that it would bring serious questions about the future of baseball in Cleveland, competitive balance or not.
__________

And with that thought ruminating, pour me another before this glass starts to look half-empty…

Gio Gonzalez extended the Oakland Athletics' strong streak of pitching with seven solid innings in a 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez pitches in the first inning in a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta watches in the eighth inning in a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics' Coco Crisp points toward the dugout after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona in the fifht inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics shortstop Cliff Pennington fields a ball hit by Cleveland Indians' Shelley Duncan in the second inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Duncan was out at first base.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona pitches in the first inning in a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics' Jeff Larish (19) is congratulated by Rajai Davis (11) after Larish hit a two-run homer off Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona in the second inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Davis also scored.

Oakland Athletics' Jack Cust (32) is congratulated by Coco Crisp after Cust hit a two run homer run off Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Tony Sipp in the seventh inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Crisp also scored.

Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis tries to avoid Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald in the fifth inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Donald was out at second base on a fielders choice. Asdrubal Cabrera was safe at first base.

Gonzalez, 2 Oakland relievers shut out Indians 5-0 CLEVELAND ? Gio Gonzalez extended the Oakland Athletics’ strong streak of pitching with seven solid innings in a 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night. Jeff Larish had a two-run homer and Coco Crisp a solo shot off Fausto Carmona (11-12) as Oakland snapped its streak without ... Original article on : Athletics hit 3 homers as Gio Gonzalez, 2 relievers shut out Indians 5-0.

Gio Gonzalez extended the Oakland Athletics' strong streak of pitching with seven solid innings in a 5-0 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez pitches in the first inning in a baseball game against the Cleveland Indians, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Cleveland Indians manager Manny Acta watches in the eighth inning in a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics' Coco Crisp points toward the dugout after hitting a solo home run off Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona in the fifht inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics shortstop Cliff Pennington fields a ball hit by Cleveland Indians' Shelley Duncan in the second inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Duncan was out at first base.

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona pitches in the first inning in a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland.

Oakland Athletics' Jeff Larish (19) is congratulated by Rajai Davis (11) after Larish hit a two-run homer off Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Fausto Carmona in the second inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Davis also scored.

Oakland Athletics' Jack Cust (32) is congratulated by Coco Crisp after Cust hit a two run homer run off Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Tony Sipp in the seventh inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Crisp also scored.

Oakland Athletics second baseman Mark Ellis tries to avoid Cleveland Indians' Jason Donald in the fifth inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010, in Cleveland. Donald was out at second base on a fielders choice. Asdrubal Cabrera was safe at first base.

El Arzobispado de La Habana ha anunciado la liberación de otros seis presos políticos, del grupo de los 52 detenidos durante la Primavera Negra de 2003 que serán excarcelados en los próximos meses que, al igual que 26 de sus compañeros, "han aceptado la propuesta de salir de la prisión y trasladarse a España".

Los prisioneros de conciencia son Víctor Arroyo Carmona, miembro de la directiva del Movimiento Todos Unidos, condenado a 26 años de cárcel; Leonel Grave de Peralta Almenares, bibliotecario independiente, sentenciado a 20 años; Próspero Gainza Agüero, delegado del Movimiento de Resistencia Cívica Pedro Luis Boitell, con una pena de 25 años; y Claro Sánchez Altarriba, periodista independiente, condenado también a 20 años.

En este grupo también se encuentran los miembros del Movimiento Cristiano de Liberación --del disidente Oswaldo Payá-- Alexis Rodríguez Fernández y Alfredo Domínguez Batista, sentenciados a penas de 15 y 14 años, respectivamente, informó el Arzobispado en un comunicado.

Con este anuncio sumarán 32 los disidentes excarcelados que viajarán a España después de que el Gobierno comunicara a finales de junio --coincidiendo con la visita a Cuba del ministro de Exteriores español, Miguel Ángel Moratinos-- su intención de poner en libertad a los 52 presos políticos del grupo de la Primavera Negra de 2003, una de las mayores oleadas represivas contra la oposición.

Estas liberaciones son fruto del diálogo que inició la Iglesia Católica de Cuba, a través del arzobispo de La Habana, el cardenal Jaime Ortega, para flexibilizar la postura del régimen hacia la disidencia interna y permitir la excarcelación de, al menos, los presos políticos más enfermos.

Fausto Carmona will be starting for the Indians next year, but after him, there's a lot of uncertainty in Cleveland's projected rotation. The team's 2011 options are generally young, promising and unproven; here's a more detailed look. Mitch Talbot has probably pitched well enough to earn a rotation spot for 2011 and the early returns are good for Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin. Both Gomez and Tomlin have ERAs under 4.00, but neither pitcher has started more than six games, so manager Manny Acta can't pencil them into his 2011 plans quite yet. David Huff has started regularly for the...

Darío Carmona García, reveló que tiene información referente a que Puebla quedará ubicada en el sitio ocho a nivel nacional

Deyu Agriculture Appoints Three New Independent Directors, Chief Scientist PR Newswire (press release) Deyu Agriculture appointed Messrs. Timothy C. Stevens, Al Carmona, and Longjiang Yuan as independent directors and appointed Dr. Wei Zhong Cai as Chief ... Deyu Agriculture Expands Grain-Food Distribution NetworkPR-CANADA.net (press release) all 8 news articles »

Western coach Fernando Carmona will take the blame for what happened with his team last season. Western went 1-8 and lost six of those games by 29 points or more. Carmona promises the Warriors will be more unified this season and it starts with the coaching.

"La conductora de TV":http://elcomercio.pe/tag/1716/gisela-valcarcel alabó las cualidades de danzarín de su ex pareja y también gerente de Bolivisión

TORRELAVEGA, 20 (EUROPA PRESS)

La concejala del PP de Torrelavega María Luisa Peón ha acusado al PRC de "mentir" para tapar su "vergonzosa" ayuda para la disolución de la Feria de Muestras de Cantabria (FMC).

En un comunicado, Peón ha denunciado las "mentiras" vertidas por el portavoz del PRC, Pedro García Carmona, respecto a la posición de los grupos políticos sobre la disolución de la feria y le ha acusado de "urdir una versión absolutamente falsa" del proceso, con el "sólo objetivo de tapar la vergonzosa ayuda" que el PRC ha prestado al consejero de Economía, Ángel Agudo, en su "estrategia de aniquilar" la FMC.

Peón ha recordado que el único órgano competente para acordar la disolución del consorcio, -tal y como recogen sus estatutos-, es su asamblea general, y que el PRC "votó favorablemente" la propuesta de liquidar el consorcio planteada por Agudo, como "fácilmente se puede comprobar en el acta de la reunión", dice.

Ha añadido que esa decisión, tomada en el mes de octubre de 2009, era "irreversible", algo que Carmona "estaba obligado a conocer", y "sin ninguna posibilidad de ser enmendada por el pleno municipal, como a toda costa trata de inventarse ahora" el portavoz regionalista.

"Por tanto, Carmona con su voto ha disuelto el consorcio, liquidado la feria, se ha opuesto a la recuperación del inmueble de La Lechera y a que el Gobierno Regional se responsabilice de sus trabajadores", ha resumido la concejala.

Según Peón, en el pleno municipal "en ningún momento" se ha sometido a votación la decisión de la disolución del consorcio y "por desgracia, jamás ha tenido la posibilidad de deshacer el estropicio generado por el Gobierno Regional, el PSOE y el PRC".

La concejala ha acusado al portavoz del PRC de "cobardía", al no querer "ni asumir ni explicar" porqué votaron a favor de la disolución del consorcio de la feria y de adoptar una actitud "miserable", al pretender trasladarle al PP una responsabilidad que "no tiene".

Para Peón, la disolución del consorcio es una "estrategia" diseñada por Agudo y que Carmona "se ha prestado a ejecutar", algo de lo que a su juicio "no debe estar siquiera arrepentido" si se tiene en cuenta que en el último pleno defendió a Agudo "hasta el sonrojo".

Para el volante Luis ‘Manzanita’ Hernández, "la llegada de Reynoso al cuadro chiclayano":http://elcomercio.pe/noticia/625393/juan-reynoso-nuevo-tecnico-juan-aurich le dará mayor nivel al campeonato local. El defensa Giancarlo Carmona le deseó suerte

La construcción del almacén de gas más importante del país y uno de los mayores de Europa, que se levanta a 22 kilómetros de la costa de Vinaroz (Castellón), se ha convertido en la mayor de las que actualmente se ejecutan en España, con el objetivo de que entre en funcionamiento en mayo de 2012.

Esta infraestructura, que forma parte del Proyecto Castor autorizado por el Ministerio de Industria el pasado mes de junio, tiene un presupuesto que ronda los 1.350 millones de euros y utiliza el fondo marino del Mediterráneo como almacén de modo natural, situado a 1.750 metros de profundidad y con una capacidad para 1.300 millones de metros cúbicos.

Las previsiones apuntan que podría abastecer la demanda de gas natural de España durante aproximadamente 50 días, según ha explicado hoy a EFE Luis Carmona, director general de Escal UGS, la empresa encargada de llevar a cabo el Proyecto Castor, durante una visita a las inmediaciones de las obras de la plataforma marina, donde trabajan actualmente unas 500 personas.

Escal UGS es la empresa concesionaria del Proyecto Castor, cuyos accionistas son el Grupo ACS y Castor Limited Partnership (CLP), a los que se sumará Enagás cuando entre en funcionamiento la infraestructura.

Una grúa marina considerada como la segunda de mayor tamaño del mundo -de 198 metros de eslora y una manga de 87-, que puede llegar a levantar hasta 14.000 toneladas (el equivalente a una fragata de guerra), trabaja desde esta semana en la colocación y sujeción de la plataforma en el mar.

"Una vez fijada la plataforma comenzarán los trabajos de perforación de los doce pozos que, junto a una planta terrestre, forman el Proyecto Castor", ha señalado Carmona.

Por su parte, el presidente de Escal UGS, Recaredo del Potro, ha explicado que este proyecto ha sido "completamente respetuoso con el medio ambiente y ha contribuido a los intereses locales, regionales y nacionales".

Según el subdelegado del Gobierno en Castellón, Antonio Lorenzo, la empresa que realiza estas obras "es un ejemplo de eficacia, de tener voluntad y de generar confianza y expectativas en estos momentos", y ha valorado también "el papel importante que tiene este proyecto dentro de la política energética de España".

Los trabajos de instalación y ensamble de la plataforma marina de pozos que forman parte del Proyecto Castor comenzaron el pasado lunes.

El denominado "jacket", una estructura de acero que supera los 75 metros de altura que se apoya en el fondo marino y sobre la que se apoya la parte superior de la plataforma, se ha construido en Cádiz, mientras que la parte superior de la plataforma de pozos (el "topside") procede de Kiewit (Texas) y ha llegado a Vinarós vía Rotterdam en una barcaza especial.

El "topside" es una estructura que alcanza las 1.200 toneladas de peso y 800 metros cuadrados que se distribuyen en dos plantas. En su interior alberga los equipamientos necesarios para llevar a cabo las tareas de perforación de los pozos.

La empresa Escal UGS asegura estar cumpliendo los plazos estimados en la construcción del almacenamiento subterráneo de gas: "Incluso diría que las operaciones están yendo mejor de lo previsto y se acabará incluso antes del tiempo estimado", según Del Potro.

Actualmente en España hay dos almacenes de gas, ambos de menor envergadura que el de Vinaroz: uno en Jaca (Huesca) y otro en Bermeo (Vizcaya).

La elección de esta costa viene dada porque en el lugar hubo hasta 1990 un yacimiento de petróleo del que se llegaron a extraer "57 millones de litros de petróleo", recuerda Carmona, por lo que "se ha aprovechado la misma zona geológica para este nuevo almacén".

Los responsables del Proyecto Castor lo consideran de "máxima utilidad" para el sector energético de España debido al considerable incremento de demanda de gas que se ha producido durante los últimos años en nuestro país, donde se consumen al día 100 millones de metros cúbicos de gas.

Join some of Chicago's finest stand-up comics tonight for a benefit show to raise awareness and funds for Nepal. For only $25, all the food you can eat and all the beer you can drink is yours, in addition to a show featuring a veritable who's who of the Chicago stand-up scene. Tonight's show features "Prince of Bronzeville" Brian Babylon, the Visitors Locker Room's CJ Sullivan, producer of Chicago Magazine's Best Open Mic of 2010 Adam Burke, funkmaster Ricky Carmona (HBO Latino), and Boystown darlings and all-around lunatics The Puterbaugh Sisterz. This roster is hosted by Chad Briggs, most recently featured in the Just for Laughs Chicago Comedy Festival this past June.

The fundraiser is the brainchild of Alex Montgomery, who explains a little about S.E.E.D.S, the organization your dollars will be benefiting: "The organization is dedicated to developing rural Nepal through various methods like creating health clinics, supporting schools and sponsoring advanced education for rural children," she says. You can find out more and donate at www.nepalseeds.org.

TONIGHT, August 19, at Mystic Celt, 3443 N. Southport Ave., $25

"¿Cómo se atreve Calderón a hablar ahora de movilización social?", se pregunta García Carmona

TORRELAVEGA, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)

El PRC en el Ayuntamiento de Torrelavega ha calificado este jueves de "servilista" la actitud del Partido Popular, al facilitar con su abstención la liquidación del consorcio de la Feria de Muestras de Cantabria (FMC), tal y como proponía el PSOE en el Pleno de la pasada semana. "¿Cómo se atreve ahora Ildefonso Calderón -el portavoz 'popular'- a hablar de movilización social?", se ha preguntado el portavoz regionalista Pedro García Carmona.

En rueda de prensa, García Carmona, quien ha explicado que el objetivo de su grupo con el voto en contra a esta propuesta era "oponernos a liquidar el consorcio sin asegurar previamente la continuidad de la feria", se ha centrado en criticar tanto la abstención del PP como la actitud del PSOE en todo este proceso.

Sobre los 'populares', el portavoz del PRC ha calificado de "incomprensible" su voto en el Pleno, "que sólo puede obedecer al servilismo del PP al partido socialista", ha dicho. Especialmente crítico se mostró con Ildefonso Calderón, "único concejal de Torrelavega que es a la vez diputado regional", del que ha dicho "se le llena la boca con un discurso de defensa de esta ciudad pero vota una cosa en el Parlamento y dice y hace lo contrario en Torrelavega".

Para García Carmona, tanto las preguntas que el PP pretende plantear al presidente regional, Miguel Ángel Revilla, y a la vicepresidenta, Dolores Gorostiaga, en el Parlamento, como la iniciativa que han anunciado los 'populares' de promover una movilización social contra el cierre definitivo de la FMC presentando alegaciones masivas durante el mes de plazo que permanecerá el informe de inviabilidad de la institución en exposición pública (el plazo finaliza el 12 de septiembre) son "ejemplos de demagogia e incoherencia" porque "con su voto cerró la Feria de Muestras".

"Su discurso -el de Ildefonso Calderón- y sus hechos son el colmo del despropósito o de la incompetencia", ha concluido el portavoz del PRC en sus críticas al PP.

Pero para García Carmona el PSOE municipal "no se puede tampoco ir de rositas" en este asunto, ni recurrir a "su habitual discurso de que la culpa es de otros", ha dicho. Por ello, ha acusado a los socialistas, y en especial al concejal de Hacienda, Aurelio Ruiz Toca, de "dejar pasar el tiempo" y, como último recurso, "proponer el cierre".

LLAMAMIENTO A LA CÁMARA Y ALEGACIONES

Por todo ello, el PRC ha vuelto a hacer un llamamiento al sector empresarial y comercial de Torrelavega para "que se implique y defienda este activo que es la feria". En este sentido, García Carmona ha explicado que ya el pasado mes el grupo regionalista se dirigió por escrito a la Cámara de Comercio e Industria de Torrelavega para que canalizase y coordinase las iniciativas empresariales "que sabemos existen", ha dicho, para continuar la actividad ferial.

"Por nuestra parte, estamos preparando la presentación de alegaciones que esperamos sirvan para reconducir el actual futuro incierto de la Feria de Muestras y sus trabajadores", ha concluido.

The News Fausto Carmona got roughed up by the Royals on Wednesday evening, as he allowed nine hits and seven runs in just five innings of work in Cleveland's 9-7 loss. Our View He's now just 1-3 with a 5.33 ERA in August. His lack of innings the past two seasons looks to finally be catching up with him.

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VALLE DE SANTIAGO,GTO , MONTERREY,NL TOLUCA,EDO. MÉX.- MÉXICO

Un grupo de al menos 50 jóvenes se plantó esta mañana frente a las instalaciones del Centro Permanente de Derechos Humanos, CPDH, para pedirle al mediador de las elecciones primarias interpartidarias, Marcos Carmona, que excluya al ex presidente Arnoldo Alemán de...

Last Night Rewind

• Chase Utley and Dustin Pedroia returned to their respective lineups after missing time with injuries. Pedroia went hitless in four at-bats, but he did immediately give the Boston lineup a bit more respectability. He will need to get his timing back and could struggle for a week. The same would be true for Utley. Utley's hand injury could take longer for him to fully be ready to go despite being in the lineup. He went 0-for-5 last night.
• Staying in Boston, there are multiple reports indicating that Jacoby Ellsbury could be done for the season. The outfielder is on the DL for the third time this season with a rib injury. Terry Francona indicated that it is going to be a matter of how much he can tolerate, as being 100 percent this year is likely out of the question.
• Colby Rasmus was not in the lineup last night for the Cardinals. In comments made, he indicated that it is likely he could miss the next four games with a strained calf muscle. If that is the case, daily leagues should certainly get him out of the lineup for Wednesday and consider him a question mark straight through the series against the Giants.
• Justin Morneau took batting practice yesterday before the Twins had their game against the White Sox. Batting practice was initially to be seen as the final step before a rehab assignment, but Morneau continues to battle symptoms upon completion of any activity. Look for an update on his condition today. Fantasy owners are certainly waiting on this return.
• Seven days ago, Curtis Granderson was not in the lineup as the team looked to change his swing. It certainly seems to be doing the job. In his last 22 at-bats, Granderson is hitting .364 with two home runs and two doubles. Over that stretch, he has raised his average nine points up to .248. Not stellar, but a step in the right direction.

Wednesday Notes

• Victor Martinez is 7-for-13 against Scott Kazmir with a home run. He has the best numbers on the roster, with Marco Scutaro checking in at .286. David Ortiz is 9-for-44 and Mike Lowell only 10-for-43, but he does have four home runs against the lefty. Adrian Beltre struggles to a 3-for-20 mark against Kazmir as well.
• Casey McGehee has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last two weeks, but he is only 1-for-12 against Adam Wainwright. The bulk of the Brewers struggle as well. Ryan Braun is only 7-for-38 and Prince Fielder is just 6-for-35. Even Rickie Weeks is sitting at 4-for-24. Craig Counsell is a .304 hitter in 23 at-bats and is the only Brewer with an average better than .265 against Wainwright.
• Gavin Floyd was roughed up for the first time in a long time in his last start against Minnesota. Floyd is now 0-2 against them on the year, surrendering seven earned runs on 17 hits in 11.2 innings pitched. Denard Span is 10-for-21 and Jason Kubel has four home runs in 32 at-bats to go with a .344 average against him.
• Tim Hudson has been on a bit of a roll lately. Hudson has allowed just two earned runs over his last 36.2 innings pitched covering five starts. Josh Willingham is just 1-for-20 against Hudson while Ryan Zimmerman is only 5-for-31. Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Dunn both have solid numbers and should be in your lineup here.
• Alex Gordon has owned Fausto Carmona, going 8-for-16 against him overall. Mike Aviles cracks .300 as well with his 4-for-13 mark. Billy Butler is not stellar at only 5-for-20 without a home run. Carmona has lost three of his last four starts but is 6-3 on the road with a 3.30 ERA.
• Francisco Liriano is 2-0 in three starts against the White Sox this year, including a win in his last time out against them. While he may have a tired arm, Liriano has still allowed just five earned runs in his last 31.1 innings pitched. He is 6-3 at home this season with a BAA of .226 and 2.32 ERA. Avoid the 2-for-15 of Alex Rios, but look to use the 7-for-14 of Alexei Ramirez.
• You will want the 11-for-33 of Carlos Beltran and maybe even the .279 mark of Jose Reyes in your lineup against Brett Myers, but the rest of the Mets have struggled. David Wright has four home runs against Myers, but is only 6-for-28 lifetime. Jeff Francoeur is 7-for-38 and Luis Castillo is only 6-for-38.
• There should be reason for cautious optimism on Jeremy Guthrie. The Orioles pitcher is 3-0 in August with a 1.71 ERA and .171 BAA. In 21 innings this month, he has allowed five walks and 13 hits. He has won four of his last five starts overall and worked into the seventh inning in five of his last six appearances.
• It could be an even better welcome back for Chase Utley today. Utley is 6-for-12 against Matt Cain with three home runs. Cain has not necessarily been dominant of late, but he continues to pitch better than his record shows. He is not as good on the road as he is at home, posting just a 3-6 record away from San Francisco.
• Spot Starts: Hammel, Richard, Guthrie

Thursday Notes

• Josh Beckett has had nothing but struggles, largely stemming from a lack of command in his fastball. The Angels have hit him well overall. Keep Torii Hunter, Howie Kendrick, Maicer Izturis, and Hideki Matsui in your lineups. Look to avoid the 2-for-15 of Alberto Callaspo and the .179 of Bobby Abreu where possible.
• While you should look to avoid Alexi Casilla and the 4-for-20 of Jim Thome against Mark Buehrle, the rest of the Twins have very good numbers against the lefty. Cuddyer, Span, and Delmon Young are all well north of .300 and each have two home runs against him. Buehrle is just 5-7 on the road this year.
• Miguel Olivo should get the start against Ted Lilly. Olivo is 5-for-11 against the pitcher with three home runs. He has the only numbers worth noting in this one. Lilly is 3-0 since being acquired by the Dodgers and has posted a 1.89 ERA in those outings.
• The bats that you would actually want to have in the lineup against Derek Lowe have not done particularly well against him. Adam Dunn has just a .179 average and no home runs in 31 at-bats against him while Josh Willingham is only 5-for-27. Ryan Zimmerman has a .263 mark and Ivan Rodriguez is at .250. Adam Kennedy is the best of the bunch at .371 in 35 at-bats. Lowe is 0-2 against Washington with a 6.75 ERA this season.
• Paul Maholm has lost four of his last five starts and has watched his ERA climb nearly a full run in those outings. Batters are hitting .362 against him in August and he is only 5-7 at home on the season. Dan Uggla is only 3-for-16 against him, but Hanley Ramirez is 6-for-16 with two home runs and Cody Ross is 4-for-11.
• Spot Starts: West, Lannan, Wood

SEVILLA, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)

Efectivos del servicio de Bomberos de la Diputación de Sevilla tuvieron que realizar este martes 170 salidas por diversos puntos de la provincia como consecuencia de las fuertes lluvias registradas en esa jornada.

Según informó la Diputación en una nota de prensa, las precipitaciones no causaron daños personales, aunque el servicio de Bomberos sí tuvo que evacuar a numerosas personas que habían quedado atrapadas en sus casas y vehículos.

En ese sentido, cabe destacar el rescate de dos personas atrapadas en un vehículo por la subida del río Carbones en el kilómetro 17 de la A-378, la carretera que une los municipios sevillanos de Osuna y Martín de la Jara.

Las salidas de los Bomberos se repartieron por toda la provincia de Sevilla, acudiendo a municipios de la Sierra Sur --El Saucejo, Martín de la Jara y Los Corrales--, Vega Alta del Guadalquivir --Cantillana y Villanueva del Río y Minas--, Aljarafe --Mairena del Aljarafe, Bormujos, San Juan de Aznalfarache, Castilleja de la Cuesta, Sanlúcar La Mayor, Benacazón, Pilas y Albaida del Aljarafe--, Bajo Guadalquivir --Los Palacios y El Cuervo--, Sierra Norte --Aznalcóllar-- y Campiña --Carmona--.

Las mismas fuentes indicaron que los daños materiales se produjeron principalmente en viviendas, garajes y locales comerciales, debido a la gran cantidad de agua caída en poco tiempo y a la imposibilidad de poder evacuar la totalidad del agua a través del alcantarillado.

Entre los lugares donde se produjeron inundaciones leves figuran el Centro Comercial Metromar, el Hotel Andalusí Park, la residencia de ancianos de Aznalcóllar (Sevilla), Aldea Divina Pastora de Cantillana (Sevilla), Parque Central de Bomberos de Sanlúcar La Mayor (Sevilla), Hotel Solúcar, así como múltiples garajes.

Durante toda la jornada de este martes, la diputada de Área de Sostenibilidad y Ciclo Hidráulico de la entidad provincial, Rosa Moreno, estuvo en contacto permanente con los alcaldes de los municipios más afectados, valorando y planificando las acciones que se llevaban a cabo.

Asimismo, en la subsanación de incidentes participaron los parques provinciales de El Saucejo, Osuna, Cantillana, Parque Central, Mancomunidad del Aljarafe, Lora del Río, La Rinconada, Aznalcóllar, Los Palacios, Coria del Río, Pilas, Dos Hermanas, Estepa, Carmona y Lebrija, movilizándose en total 80 efectivos de bomberos y 25 vehículos.

El jugador, procedente del Recreativo de Huelva, reforzará el centro del campo azulgrana para la temporada en la que debutará en segunda división.

Jornada Deportiva - Edicion digital 08:08

El centrocampista mallorquín Carlos Carmona Bonet ha firmado un contrato por tres años con el filial del FC Barcelona, después de haberse convertido el año pasado en el goleador del Recreativo, ha informado la entidad catalana.

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Last Night Rewind

• After leaving in a game against Boston over the weekend with a hamstring injury, the Rangers officially placed Nelson Cruz on the DL yesterday. Cruz pulled up lame heading into third base on Saturday night after legging out a triple. Fill in with Luke Scott out of Baltimore, who continues to hit home runs without people paying attention.
• Alex Rodriguez and Nick Swisher both left last night's game for the Yankees against the Tigers. Rodriguez was pulled after the fourth inning with what is being called a tight calf. He had hit twice and showed no apparent signs of an injury. Nick Swisher left with a forearm injury in the sixth inning. Lance Berkman was unavailable last night with an ankle issue. Look for all three to miss tonight's game as well, according to reports.
• Derrek Lee will miss the next two or three games after receiving an epidural in his back to relieve the pain caused by a bulging disk. Lee has been dealing with back issues most of the season, but does not believe that has hurt him offensively. Leave him on your bench until their weekend series starts.
• Shaun Marcum fired a one-hitter last night in securing a 3-1 victory over the A's. Marcum allowed only a leadoff home run to Conor Jackson in the seventh inning. Marcum has seemed to shine when the competition is less than stellar. He had allowed 13 runs in 10 innings over his last two starts against the Yankees and Red Sox but had one his three prior starts against Cleveland, Baltimore, and Detroit.
• Francisco Rodriguez has a torn ligament in his thumb that is believed to be the result of the fight that caused his suspension last week. Rodriguez does require surgery that could end his season. Hisanori Takahashi is expected to get shots at closing games, and should be the first waiver grab. Still, with Jerry Manuel running the ship, it will definitely be a combination effort.

Tuesday Notes

• Miguel Cabrera is 7-for-11 with two home runs and nine RBI against C.C. Sabathia while Gerald Laird checks in at 7-for-15 with a home run. Carlos Guillen is close to .300 in 44 at-bats. Ryan Raburn may only be 3-for-15 against the lefty, but he is hitting .314 in his last 51 at-bats with five home runs and 14 RBI.
• David Ortiz, J.D. Drew, and Mike Lowell all check in at better than .300 against Jered Weaver. Ortiz has two home runs and nine RBI in 23 at-bats while Drew checks in with the best average of the three at .353. Adrian Beltre has had his struggles against Weaver, going only 8-for-39 against the Angels starter.
• While you should avoid the 1-for-10 of Jayson Nix against Zack Greinke, he is the only major issue. Look to get Asdrubal Cabrera in your lineup. Cabrera is 11-for-24 against Greinke, the best numbers on the Indians. Travis Hafner has a solid .314 average in 35 at-bats too. Batters overall are hitting .294 against Greinke at home this season.
• John Danks is 2-1 against the Twins this season and is coming off a spectacular eight inning performance against them last time out. Danks is 5-3 on the road this season, holding batters to a .234 average against him. Danks has historically struggled against the Twins, though. Michael Cuddyer is 20-for-41 lifetime with five home runs against him and Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, and Denard Span are all better than .290 against Danks.
• Scott Baker is 2-0 against the White Sox this season and is 7-3 at home in 2010. Alexei Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, and Mark Kotsay are all hitting only .167 against Baker, but otherwise the numbers for the White Sox are good. Paul Konerko, Mark Teahen, and A.J. Pierzynski are all better than .300 against Baker.
• Yadier Molina is 5-for-18 against Dave Bush. That may only be a .278 average, but three of those five hits have gone for home runs. Skip Schumaker is 7-for-18 against Bush and your regular Cardinals are going to be good to go as well. Bush is 2-5 this season on the road with a 5.00 ERA.
• Brad Hawpe is 4-for-13 with two home runs against Clayton Kershaw, Chris Iannetta is 4-for-13, and Dexter Fowler is 3-for-10 as well. They have the best numbers to go on here. Troy Tulowitzki is 4-for-20 and Ryan Spilborghs is 4-for-19. Kershaw is 2-0 against the Rockies this season and has given up just two earned runs in 13 innings against them this year.
• Jeff Francis is listed as the probable starter for the Rockies, but he has been placed on the DL with tendinitis in his left shoulder. The injury is believed to be related to the shoulder surgery that he had last season. Jhoulys Chacin will replace Francis in the rotation, but he is not worth a start in this matchup against the Dodgers.
• Zach Duke has given up 12 runs on 23 hits in his last 17 innings of work covering three starts. Duke has simply been pounded, with opponents hitting .322 against him at home this season. The Marlins are hitting the ball well and this lines up as a solid matchup for them to exploit.
• Spot Starts: Minor, Wells, Gomez

 

Wednesday Notes

• Victor Martinez is 7-for-13 against Scott Kazmir with a home run. He has the best numbers on the roster, with Marco Scutaro checking in at .286. David Ortiz is 9-for-44 and Mike Lowell only 10-for-43, but he does have four home runs against the lefty. Adrian Beltre struggles to a 3-for-20 mark against Kazmir as well.
• Casey McGehee has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball over the last two weeks, but he is only 1-for-12 against Adam Wainwright. The bulk of the Brewers struggle as well. Ryan Braun is only 7-for-38 and Prince Fielder is just 6-for-35. Even Rickie Weeks is sitting at 4-for-24. Craig Counsell is a .304 hitter in 23 at-bats and is the only Brewer with an average better than .265 against Wainwright.
• Gavin Floyd was roughed up for the first time in a long time in his last start against Minnesota. Floyd is now 0-2 against them on the year, surrendering seven earned runs on 17 hits in 11.2 innings pitched. Denard Span is 10-for-21 and Jason Kubel has four home runs in 32 at-bats to go with a .344 average against him.
• Tim Hudson has been on a bit of a roll lately. Hudson has allowed just two earned runs over his last 36.2 innings pitched covering five starts. Josh Willingham is just 1-for-20 against Hudson while Ryan Zimmerman is only 5-for-31. Ivan Rodriguez and Adam Dunn both have solid numbers and should be in your lineup here.
• Alex Gordon has owned Fausto Carmona, going 8-for-16 against him overall. Mike Aviles cracks .300 as well with his 4-for-13 mark. Billy Butler is not stellar at only 5-for-20 without a home run. Carmona has lost three of his last four starts but is 6-3 on the road with a 3.30 ERA.
• Spot Starts: Hammel, Richard, Gonzalez

The Indians continue to limp through August by losing their third consecutive series 2-1, and the B-List considers the return of Mitch Talbot, the continuing, festering presence of Hector Ambriz, the power at the top of the lineup, some very bad defense from each bad team (that is, both), an excellent job of closing the barn door after the horse has hopped a jet to Majorca by Frank Herrmann, the amusing blunderbussery of Justin Masterson, smashing “smashing” by Pronk, and glovework by … Matt LaPorta?   
 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mariners (45-71)	1	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	3	10	0
Indians (48-68)	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2	8	1

W: Pauley (1-4)  L: Carmona (11-10) S: Aardsma (23) 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mariners (46-71)	1	0	0	1	5	2	0	0	0	9	13	0
Indians (48-69)	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	3	6	2

W: Vargas (9-5)  L: Talbot (8-10) 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mariners (46-72)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	1
Indians (49-69)	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	2	X	9	11	0

W: Sipp (2-2)  L: F. Hernandez (8-10) 

So, the Little League World Series is going on, and word is, all players were forbidden from watching this series. 

1) The best worst game, or the worst best game? 

So, I’m gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that walking 6 guys in 6 innings while throwing fewer than half of your pitches for strikes is just flat-out excremental.  Unless you are learning to throw a knuckleball or it’s Bobby Witt Appreciation Day, there’s just no way to spin that into anything resembling a worthwhile exercise. 

Unless, of course, you give up 0 runs on 1 hit in those 6 innings. 

There are a couple of conclusions to draw from this performance by Justin Masterson: 

a) he throws pitches that have an exceptional amount of movement 
b) he is not very good at controlling or predicting the movement of his pitches 
c) Seattle hits .236/.302/.338 as a team and had one guy in the lineup hitting over .251 

I would take more notice of Masterson’s unusual 7:7 GO:FO ratio (he is normally a much more severe groundball pitcher), but I don’t think that anything that happened Sunday was, strictly speaking, actually intentional on Masterson’s part. 

Pide que "nadie tenga miedo de la decisión que tomen los militantes socialistas" ni a "la democracia"

RIVAS VACIAMADRID, 16 (EUROPA PRESS)

El secretario general del PSM, Tomás Gómez, ha recordado hoy al "aparato federal" de su partido que los militantes socialistas en Madrid son "ciudadanos" que tienen "los mismos problemas" que el resto de vecinos de la región, y ha pedido a sus compañeros de partido que "no tengan miedo de la decisión" que tomen los afiliados del PSM ni de "la democracia".

En declaraciones a los medios durante una visita a Rivas Vaciamadrid, en la que Gómez estuvo acompañado por algunos de sus colaboradores como Antonio Carmona o Rosa Alcalá, el máximo responsable del PSM respondía así a las palabras del ministro de Fomento y vicesecretario general del PSOE, José Blanco, quien el sábado pidió a los militantes madrileños que pregunten a la gente "en el supermercado, en el trabajo, en su lugar de ocio" quién les parece mejor candidato antes de votar en las primarias.

"El ministro y otras (personas) del aparato federal que se han manifestado en ese sentido deberían conocer bien lo que es un militante del PSOE en Madrid, porque ni son cargos públicos, ni son personal de ministerios, ni diputados, ni concejales... La inmensísima mayoría son ciudadanos que sufren el paro, los problemas sanitarios, educativos... son ciudadanos de esta comunidad que sufren los mismos problemas que los 6,3 millones de habitantes de esta región", ha recomendado Gómez.

Así, ha recordado que quienes el próximo 3 de octubre elegirán al cabeza de lista socialista en las elecciones autonómicas de 2011 entre Gómez o la ministra de Sanidad, Trinidad Jiménez, ya "hablan con sus compañeros de trabajo, con la gente que ven en la fila del INEM, con sus vecinos en el supermercado" porque "son ciudadanos normales y corrientes".

Además, ha pedido a la cúpula del PSOE que "no tenga miedo" de la decisión que tomen los afiliados socialistas de Madrid, que "como, ciudadanos que son, tomarán la mejor decisión, no sólo para el PSOE, sino para esta comunidad autónoma". "Que nadie tenga miedo a la democracia, a la decisión de los militantes, que son ciudadanos de esta comunidad", ha insistido.

Arte Sacro

Una mirada a las Glorias de la provincia. San Teodomiro de Carmona Arte Sacro Recientemente se ha conocido que la imagen de San Teodomiro, patrón de Carmona es obra de José de Arce y policromado y estofado por Juan Valdés Leal, ...

Cada vez que llega un Mundial todo aficionado del fútbol vuelve sus miras hacia Brasil, que se está mostrando muy sólida en Sudáfrica. Más alejado del 'jogo bonito' que en otras ocasiones, el equipo sudamericano se mostró en la primera fase como un equipo rocoso, más pendiente del resultado que del espectáculo, bien armado para retornar al trono planetario.

A partir de un potente doble pivote formado por Gilberto Silva y Felipe Melo, que será duda por lesión, Dunga ha construido un equipo muy competitivo que empieza en la seguridad de Julio Cesar y concluye con el afilado colmillo de Luis Fabiano. Las abrumadoras cabalgadas de Maicon, la solvencia de Lucio y Juan o la fantasía de Robinho son armas de diferente naturaleza, pero todas puestas al servicio del equipo.

La guinda en ataque es Kaka, que sigue persiguiendo aquella versión de su juego que le llevó al Balón de Oro en 2007, casi inédita en su primer año en el Real Madrid. Extrañamente expulsado frente a Costa de Marfil, el mediapunta vuelve al equipo descansado y con ganas de mostrar al mundo que sigue jugando al fútbol de maravilla.

También retornará al equipo otra pieza importante para Dunga, el centrocampista Elano, que no jugó contra Portugal por una lesión de tobillo. El seleccionador brasileño contará con su equipo en plena forma, ya que frente a los lusos tampoco jugó Robinho por descanso.

LA PIZARRA DE BIELSA PARA DAR LA SORPRESA

Pese a su aura de favorita, Brasil no lo tendrá fácil frente al equipo chileno, teledirigido con maestría por la hiperactividad táctica de Marcelo Bielsa. El 'Loco' ya demostró ante España, que pasó muchos apuros para vencer en el último partido de la primera fase, que conoce la fórmula para frenar las virtudes del rival.

La asfixiante presión de Chile sirvió para superar a Suiza y Honduras antes de darle un buen susto al equipo de Vicente del Bosque. La entrega de los chilenos roza la legalidad y no extraña que el equipo sudamericano sea el más tarjeteado del Mundial con diez cartulinas amarillas.

Ese juego intenso, su mejor arma, se ha convertido esta vez en su peor enemigo, ya que Bielsa tiene sancionados a Ponce, Medel y Estrada, por lo que está obligado a permutar piezas. En principio, Carlos Carmona ocupará el papel de Estrada como sostén del equipo en el medio campo y Matías Fernández entrará para jugar detrás de los delanteros.

Además, el técnico argentino podría dar la alternativa al 'Chupete' Suazo, que no ha llegado en su mejor momento a Sudáfrica. El hábil delantero del Zaragoza podría ser la baza para acabar con la racha de seis derrotas seguidas de los chilenos contra Brasil. Sería la gran sorpresa del Mundial, con permiso de Francia e Italia.

Posibles alineaciones:

Brasil: Julio Cesar; Maicon, Lucio, Juan, Bastos; Gilberto Silva, Felipe Melo, Elano, Kaka; Robinho y Luis Fabiano.

Chile: Bravo; Isla, Contreras, Fuentes, Vidal; Carmona, Millar, Matías Fernández, Beausejour; Alexis Sánchez y Suazo.

Árbitro: Howard Webb (ING).

Estadio: Ellis Park de Johannesburgo.

Hora: 20.30 horas/Cuatro.