Yardbarker: Rafael Perez

Skinner to Akron, Sarbaugh Promoted to C-Bus

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:25:00 -0500

Tribeinsider's twitter account delivered this piece of information around 10:30 today. Announcing that Mike Sarbaugh has been promoted to Columbus. Very deserving. Sarby has done great things in just a few seasons with Akron and at every stop he's been to.

Taking his place is not another promotion, but rather a re-hiring. I talked about the idea of Joel Skinner managing the Columbus team because I didn't know if we could keep him by putting him in Akron, but apparently, that worked. Skinner will take over the Akron squad. A fine decision if you ask me. Joel is a good guy and he's had tremendous success in the minor leagues as a manager. And if Sarbaugh gets to a point rather soon where he's in line for a big league staff job in a year or two, Skinner can always move up.

So congrats to Mike Sarbaugh for being promoted. He's going to do a great job and like Lovullo, he's got a major league future. Not much is known about Sarbaugh like Lovullo since we didn't get to see him talk to the media and display his ideas, but just based off what he's done, he's in the same boat of Lovullo as far as his potential. With Lovullo I see managerial potential waiting to emerge. Hopefully Sarby has the same.

Can't argue with what he's done so far. Manager of the Year twice, including last year. An EL Championship, a Carolina League Championship, and a NY Penn League Championship.

Tony at IPI also has more coaching news. Ruben Niebla, another cog of that Akron coaching staff is getting a promotion as well. He's been named as an Assistant to the Major League Coaching Staff. Niebla was Akron's pitching coach for the past season when he got his hands on players like Hector Rondon, Chuck Lofgren, Jeanmar Gomez (EL Pitcher of the Year), Eric Berger and Zach Putnam.

Jeff Desjardins, who was Columbus' trainer last year is also getting a promotion to the major leagues. He'll work under Lonnie Soloff. This means if Jon Nunnally receives the hitting coach position, Columbus will have an entirely new staff starting with Sarbaugh at the top.

The hitting coach position is still the one major position on Acta's staff that has not been filled.

Alright... Yesterday almost no baseball was discussed. In fact, no baseball was discussed, because we we're busy with this whole Grady Sizemore thing.

Well let's just drop in on it real quick before we do get to the baseball discussion. I had not realized that Deadspin was one of the original sites that posted the pictures, but it appears as if they were not the original one. Editor A.J. Daulerio said he did not pay for the pictures and that he got them from another site that had already posted them Sunday morning.

I should also correct myself yesterday as Sizemore actually didn't Shiancoe us to death. Still, pretty radical if you ask me. Still, thank you for the censored pictures whoever had them, I didn't want to take the chance of seeing what Sizemore was equipped with. I still want to look at him playing baseball and not have the image of his personal equipment.

As Hoynes points out though, those images aren't going away at this point. This is not an Erin Andrews type thing where ESPN and Andrews lawyers went nut-job on any site that dared post these images. Not only are these images still up on Deadspin (despite that letter from the MLB telling Mr. Daulerio to take them down), but every site and their mom has them now.

Brittany Binger has a twitter account (that can't be good). While her tweets are protected, you have to be granted access to follow her basically, that doesn't stop some people from unprotected them. Anyway, she is claiming that this is the work of a stalker that Grady and herself have been dealing with. And that there may be even more pictures that this stalker has gained access to.

Oh and in case you ladies care, Binger and Grady are still together. You'll have to take these pictures as a consolation prize. I just have to question why Grady is with this girl in the first place. Myspace, Twitter. She's very public. He's very private (he does not have a twitter account, those ones out there are fake. Matt LaPorta is the only Indian with Twitter) and she's very public.

Then again, we didn't think Grady was capable of taking photos of himself, some nude, and e-mailing them to his girlfriend, so who knows.

Anyway, like I said, let's move onto actual baseball stories that have been neglected.. Heehaw.

Not too much from Terry Pluto this weekend, but he did touch up on Omar Vizquel. However I point you to a very revealing post from the IPI forums by Tony Lastoria.

"Vizquel was offered more to sign with the Indians... I don't know how much, but that's what I have heard... but he chose the White Sox because they simply had a better chance to win in 2010. He's not only hanging around to pad his stats and make a little more money, but he also wants to go to the best situation possible to win."

Further showing the point that Vizquel wanted to go to a winning situation THIS YEAR and I think they offered him the best combination of that, money, position, and the fact they have Ozzie Guillen as their manager is just icing on the cake.

So the Indians clearly made an effort for him, but Omar wanted no part of it.

Pluto also informs us that Sandy Alomar Jr. asked the Indians for tapes on their catchers, before they had a chance to ask him. Sandy's the man.

Jake Westbrook made his first start for Ponce on Saturday in Puerto Rico. Jake's line...

1.2 Innings, 3 H, 1 R, BB, 0 SO, 22 Pitch First inning on 35 Pitch Limit.

"It was an interleague game for us," said Ponce manager Eduardo Perez, Westbrook's former teammate with the Indians. "It's a big thing to our fans with Gigantes being from the Dominican. Jake just said 'Oh, my,' but he pitched well for not being in a competitive situation, at least at this level, for a long time."

Kind of weird because these games mean something down there. They're fans are most likely very into it and Jake was basically thrown into a competitive situation. So that's a positive going forward, at least he has that and not some meaningless spring training game or game for Akron. There's some energy there.

Perez said his cutter looked good, he had good velocity and that he thought Jake was around the plate, despite the walk of Luis Durango as his first hitter. All five outs were groundballs by the by, typical Jake.

He'll make another start for Ponce later, but it's good he's gotten one go around under his belt.

Hey Hoynsie needs to be addressed, because the leadoff question was rather infuriating.

Hey, Hoynsie: Are you concerned that it appears GM Mark Shapiro is selecting manager Manny Acta's coaching staff? He may be a good talker, but his baseball decisions have created this mess. -- Bob Paulsen, Cleveland

Hoynsie is going to say hey look, they hired three outside guys. Who cares!

They didn't hire Torey Lovullo, which means they basically were letting him walk to another organization. Shapiro loved Lovullo. Why else would he have made him a finalist for the mangers spot?

If Shapiro was picking this staff, Lovullo would have been on it.

Acta picked this staff. There was some collaboration involved, but this is Acta's work. Stop being naive.

Rafael Perez is not moving to the rotation despite the fact that he's been starting with the Dominican Republic. Perez is putting up good numbers in the starters role though, which is being done to get him more consistency with his delivery.

A New Indians Inbox is up go ahead and check it out.

Finally.. Masahide Kobayashi has returned to Japan. He has signed on with Yomiuri. Good luck to him back home in a league he was very good at. It just didn't work here.

On a side note.. I urge you to check out a new Indians blog. James Pete, formerly of the MVN's Tribe Report has started up his own digs over at Bringing Back Boudreau. James knows his stuff and if you ever need it, his link is on the side under Fellow Tribe Blogs.

Lynn Henning: Don't Rule Out Trading Cabrera

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 08:00:14 -0500

by Tony Dejak - AP 2 months ago: Detroit Tigers' Miguel Cabrera hits an RBI double off Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Rafael Perez in the eighth inning in a baseball game, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2009, in Cleveland. Placido Polanco scored. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak) View full size photo » The big question surrounding the Detroit Tigers this offseason is whether or not the collapse of the local economy might prompt ...

Minor Improvements: Pitching

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:34:07 -0500

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP Maybe Rafael Perez should talk to a few of these guys in preparation for 2010. Browse more photos » Just like my previous post on positional prospects, I will try to highlight a few of the seasons by pitchers which showed the most improvement on the 2008 season. Here we have a combination of guys. Once again, top prospects show up prominently. But we al...

More Mgt. Moves; Former GMs, Backman, Perez...

Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:35:00 -0500

Several other tidbits that came out today in reference to management...The two GMs who lost their jobs this week received phone calls to see if they'd be interested in a position within the organization. This isn't the first time that this has happened, Wayne Krivsky was hired as a special consultant after being let go by the Reds but he only finished out the year with the Mets. Towers has a chance to quickly find a new GMs position but this might be a good chance for Ricciardi...Mina...

Game 162: Red Sox 12, Indians 7

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 16:59:39 -0500

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP Travis Hafner hit .321/.424/.500 over the last two weeks of the season. Browse more photos » It's over. Finally. Tomo Ohka got burned for for seven earned runs in five innings, but I guess that's besides the point, for if he starts another game for the Indians, the team is heading for another season like this one. Rafael Perez, in what may have been his last app...

How is this fair?

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:48:00 -0500

Regardless what you feel about Eric Wedge..

This is below the belt if you ask me.

As someone who's going to school to become a member of the media, I've now taken more of a outlook on what others write.

And you mean to tell me Dennis Manoloff is a professional journalist?

I have no problems with Manoloff, I've never really had much of an issue with what he's put out there on CPD. I made fun of him for that tidbit about Rafael Perez that no one should give a damn about, but that's been it.

I've constantly made fun of Hoynes for being, silly, and Sheldon Ocker for being weird. I've always sung the praises of Terry Pluto, disagree with him or not, and Anthony Castrovince for being the hardest working beat-reporter on the Indians.

But this was a low blow at Eric Wedge if I've ever seen one.

The story is supposed to be about Eric Wedge calling a meeting between his players. THAT'S THE NEWS.

Yet, the last time I checked, this wasn't an opinion piece. Since when is Dennis Manoloff supposed to throw in his opinion in a spot where he is supposed to be telling us about this players meeting that Wedge called?

Why does he say the following at the beginning of the story.

Hours before the Indians played host to the Tigers on Thursday night, manager Eric Wedge called a meeting with his players.
A farewell speech did not follow.

Wedge simply hoped to boost the spirits of a reeling club. The rebuilding Tribe entered having lost 10 in a row to sink to 61-90.

A farewell speech did not follow?

How is that relevant to anything?

If that isn't a shot at Wedge, I don't know what is.

Whatever think of Wedge and the job he has done, that to me, is unacceptable as someone in the media. If this was Manoloff's opinion and labeled "D-Man's World" or whatever the hell his opinion column is called, then fine, go nuts boy.

But this is Indians Insider and I don't appreciate Manoloff throwing this type of nugget out at us in this context.

Reading the comments of this story, there weren't many positive thing said toward Wedge, which is fine. Not one person even brought up the point about Manoloff. That too is fine. They even got on him for the OPPOSITE, of protecting Wedge. That's not how I read it.. But whatever..

But please people... Enough piling on Wedge.

Am I saying we should bring him back next year?

NO!

But the man deserves way more respect than what he's being given right now. HE'S DOING HIS JOB AND YOU CANNOT, I REPEAT, CANNOT FAULT HIM FOR THAT!

And these pleas of "Let's tell the management were pissed by 'voting with our wallet' and not going to the games!"

You do that...

I love Cleveland fans for their passion, but I also hate them for their passion. It's sick to see some of the comments I've seen towards Wedge.

The man is managing a baseball team, he isn't operating on you! I take baseball serious as much as the next guy, but there is taking it serious and taking it too far.

Wedge may have guided a disappointing team to a bad baseball record this year and you might not like him for what he's done for the Indians.

But to result to some of the comments I've seen is just low as you can get and it downright disgusts me.

You don't have to like Eric Wedge, but respect him as a human being and someone who cares about the game, because despite your absolutely wrong opinion about that, he CARES ABOUT THE GAME.

I've got a story up at Bleacher Report that is central to this idea, and about Eric Wedge in general. Check it out.. But I felt that wasn't the venue for this type of a topic, which is why I brought it here. That story isn't about what Manoloff said, but rather what Eric Wedge did, what the story SHOULD HAVE been about. Read that if you want more on Wedge and want to avoid this crap about Manoloff.

So check out the story. I'm sure more on Wedge has the next few weeks advance. I'm getting kind of antsy to see what happens here.

Another Heartbreaker as Tigers Sweep Tribe

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:00:58 -0500

A somewhat old version of Fausto Carmona came to play Thursday afternoon, unfortunately so did the bad old Rafael Perez. This was yet another game in which the Indians had plenty of chances to win, but came up short as they ended their stay in Detroit by getting swept. This loss was a 4-3 extra [...]

Game 113: Rangers 5, Indians 0

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:33:39 -0500

More photos » by David Richard - AP Rafael Perez (anterior not pictured), made yet another poor relief appearance tonight. Browse more photos » The nice takeaway from this game was Fausto Carmona's start. He was still wild at times, but if the Indians can get these types of outings from him, next year's rotation looks much better. Rafael Perez's outing was on the other side of the spectrum. Li...

Laffey Called Up; Rafael Perez Sent to Columbus

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 11:04:04 -0500

The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has activated LHP AARON LAFFEY from the 15-day disabled list. To allow room on the 25-man roster the Indians have optioned LHP RAFAEL PEREZ back to AAA Columbus. Laffey, who will start tonight’s game against the White Sox, has been on the disabled list with a right [...]

Morning Update: Perez Gone, Ohka Era Not Over?

Wed, 08 Jul 2009 07:56:00 -0500

Well it looks like reports of Tomo Ohka's demise have been falsely figured.

The Indians are adding a starter, but sending out a bullpen option to Triple-A Columbus.

That bullpen option is Rafael Perez.

But they aren't losing a bullpen option because someone is moving to the pen.

And it isn't Tomo Ohka.

No, it looks as if Ohka will make the start on Sunday.

Which means Jeremy Sowers is the odd-man out and that means he's going to the bullpen or Triple-A.

Have the Indians finally wised up to what Jeremy Sowers is?

Nothing more than a four-inning pitcher?

He goes five innings last night, doing very well by giving up just the solo shot to Paul Konerko.

He's got a 3-1 lead and then.. Hit, hit, walk, it's time to take him out.

And he only threw 83 pitches. Pathetic.

He needs to be moved to the pen. That's where he'll be the most effective. It sounds like Wedge is at least considering a move like that.
"We're going to have to see what our options are with Jeremy," said manager Eric Wedge, following the Indians' 10-6 loss to Chicago on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field. "Normally, in that situation, you give a guy a chance to get through it. But time and time again he's struggled to get through that so you go to the bullpen and that doesn't work either."and at least Jeremy is receptive to the idea if it's a possibility.
"Whatever they tell me to do, I'll do," Sowers said. "I'll try to get outs and help the team win."
And of course Perez came in and made things look bad for his numbers, but you can't deny the fact that Jeremy got through five and then immediately loaded the bases in the sixth. Whether those runs score or not, he still put those guys on.

Whatever...

Offensively, it was a good night. Everyone had a hit but Cabrera and Martinez (wow what is up with Vic?).

Good nights for Mr. Sizemore, Choo, and Pronky.

Anyway...

The talk about the rotation is just nuts. We've got three lefties going in this series against the White Sox, but Willis says things will be put back together after the break.

"We looked at different options," said Willis. "We were coming off a couple of extra days off, and were trying to get a couple of guys some extra time off. It just fell this way.

"At the break, we'll put the rotation back together."

Right-O.

Carmona will be back and the rotation will probably look like this.

Cliff Lee, Carl Pavano, Aaron Laffey, Fausto Carmona, David Huff.

I don't even know or care what the bullpen will look like.

You thought I'd forget at this point didn't you?

Well I didn't.

WINSTON ABREU SUCKED

What a freakin' joke of a pick-up that was.

The rest of the links because that pisses me off.

Choo isn't upset about not making the All-Star team.

Laffey ready to start tonight.

Carmona will make one more start for Columbus, at least.

Tribe Trade DeRosa to Cards for RHP Chris Perez

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 05:44:00 -0500

Well the move that I've been silently waiting for finally happened.

I've been expecting Mark DeRosa to be traded for a few weeks now. Part of me was hoping it wouldn't happen, another part was okay if it did.

I feel the same way this morning.

I also figured that it would be the Cardinals that he got traded to. With the Cards not having Troy Glaus, DeRosa fits. If Glaus comes back, he can fit somewhere else, like second base, letting Schumaker go back to the outfield.

The trade...

Indians Trade: IF/OF Mark DeRosa
Cardinals Trade: RHP Chris Perez, Player to Be Named Later

Now.. Before we talk about what we are getting, let me say something about Mark DeRosa.

What a professional. I wasn't surprised that the Cubs fans loved him as they did, but I was shocked at HOW MUCH they did when the Tribe came to Wrigley and he was just as celebrated as Kerry Wood was.

The guy really leaves a mark wherever he goes. It's a shame a guy like him has been around to different teams as much as he has. If anything that says how popular he is and how many teams would love to have him. He just does it all and there is no better type of player than a Mark DeRosa.

A guy who's willing to move to any position and not complain, and when you say any position, you really mean any position. If he could pitch or play center field, I'm sure he'd do it.

Not only that, but guys, his numbers this year were awesome.

.270 AVG/.342 OBP, 13 HR, 50 RBI, 47 R

When we got him back in the season, I think everyone was like, okay if he it's around .270 (career average of .278), hits about 15 home runs, knocks in some runs, provides stability at the two hole, we got ourselves a solid third baseman.

He already hit 13 homers, he was definitely going to hit 20 for this team if he's with it all year. He was a little off and on in the beginning but as he said after the trade, he was just starting to get comfortable and settle in and while he wasn't ideal as far as the two hole, he was productive.

And as I said, DeRosa was disappointed because I think he thought what all of us did. This team was going to contend from start to finish, and then even after the rough start, like us all, DeRo thought we'd be able to make a huge run.
"You're disappointed, because you want to hit the rewind button and start over here," DeRosa said. "I was just starting to get comfortable and get to know the guys. That's the toughest part. But I have a chance to play for a division title again and put myself in a great situation with a new team. I'll say my goodbyes and move on."

"I came here with the opportunity to help a ballclub," DeRosa said, "and we weren't able to get it done up to this point. I stress that, because this team went on a huge run in the second half last year."If you click the link at the top, you can watch Mark Shapiro's reaction as the deal was completed during the game. DeRo didn't start, but that wasn't a clue that he was being dealt. You can watch the reaction of Baseball Tonight and some words from Cards GM John Mozeliak at this link here.

One thing the BBtN guys pointed out was the Indians effectiveness with the Player to Be Named Later. We'll get to that in a second, but let's talk about the guy we know in the deal, Chris Perez.

So far this year, he's pitched in 23.2 innings with a 4.18 ERA, 1/2 SV/SVOPP, 30 K, 15 BB, 3 Holds, and a 1-1 record.

Perez is just 23 years old and the Cardinals really had gotten him through the system rather quickly. He was tabbed as the closer of the future at one point and this spring he battled Jason Motte for the closers job. He's been down to Triple-A at one point this year, but he'll report to the Major League club bullpen on Monday.

Last year in 41 games for the Cardinals, he went 3-3 with a 3.46 ERA and 7 saves. So... coming into the year, he was still considered a prospect and he was rated third overall in the Cardinals organization as far as prospects go.

Obviously he's only 23, so he's young and he's got some room to go. But here is what Baseball-America has to say in a nutshell.

He's got a fastball that sits in the mid-90's and he can get it up to 97ish. His main weapon is his slider and we all know how dangerous a Perez can be with a slider if he's on. He's got that bulldog attitude you want in a closer, so that's where the closer of the future thing comes from. His two downfalls according to BA: inexperience, which is fixable, obviously, and command. Which is troubling considering we can see how a guy like Rafael Perez can fall a part with no command.

Now, what about this player to be named later?

Oh the important PTBNL...

It's netted us Jeff Stevens, Michael Brantley, Coco Crisp, just to name a few in the past few years.

But it's also a term you think of when the prospect isn't that significant, like a Shawn Nottingham.

Not the case here.
"It's an important piece for us," Shapiro said. "That's a structure that we've felt has worked well for us in past trades, in times where we've acquired guys like Coco Crisp and Michael Brantley. It's a piece that adds significant value for us." You can't argue that when the trade is for someone of signficiant value as Shapiro put it, he's made it count.

So we're going to assume here that it could be someone within the Cardinals top 30 prospects. Will it be another arm or a bat?

The other question is, how far along is this prospect/player? Perez is obviously major league ready, Brantley was ready for Triple-A, not too far away from the majors.

Right now, we've got nothing from Shapiro or Cards GM John Mozeliak in terms of what the parameters might be for this PTBNL. Last year there was all sorts of rumors involved in how we got Brantley. In the end it was a choice between two players, Taylor Green and Brantley and who got to pick was all up to the fact that the Brewers made the playoffs.

I don't think we'll see something like that, but I'm sure there is a list of players and I'm sure it's rather small if this is for a significant player.

For this deal to be successful though, Perez needs to be a man. Not just this year, but in years to come.
"He has swing-and-miss stuff," Shapiro said. "His fastball is consistently in the 93-95 [mph] range and has reached 98. He has a swing-
and-miss slider. He has the potential to be a core contributor at the back end of our bullpen." The deal as a whole tells me that Shapiro hasn't given up on the year, considering they got a major league piece and traded someone who was of "expendable value" you could say. You will know when this team has packed it in, trust me. While this is a pre-cursor to that, it isn't the final straw.

Perez will probably take the bullpen spot of..... Mike Gosling maybe? How about Tomo Ohka for the time being? I think we're done with the Ohka train, especially since we are done with the NL now. With Laffey coming back, we can go with an extra pen arm for a few days and then make a move with someone like a Gosling.

For now, Asdrubal Cabrera will take Mark DeRosa's spot on the roster, meaning Josh Barfield is safe and maybe in line for some more playing time for the time being. The lineup will have Peralta, Cabrera, and Valbuena at third, through short, to second in that order. It does create mroe playing time in left for Ben Francisco, but I believe it's only a matter of time before Matt LaPorta gets the call and is the everyday left-fielder, or at least 5 times a week left-fielder.

Grady Sizemore is going to DH today, with Ben Francisco in center. So who's playing left field? Ryan Garko will probably have to do outfield duty today, unless Eric Wedge decides to put Chris Gimenez out there instead.

GONE GONE GONE GONE GONE! DAVID DELLUCCI IS GONE!

Fri, 29 May 2009 12:45:47 -0500

GO GO GO GO GO GO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!

David Dellucci is GONE!

No you aren't high or anything like that.

He's really gone!

I've felt tired, exhausted, like I really really really didn't want to do anything.

and I haven't.

Until I saw this fantastic piece of news.

Celebrate! He's finally gone!

Rafael Perez is back!

Dellucci is gone!

AND WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

About Time: Rafael Perez to Triple-A Columbus

Wed, 06 May 2009 15:34:29 -0500

A little more than a week ago, Eric Wedge said that he was willing to ride out the funk that was Rafael Perez. We discussed his issues using a little pitch f/x, and crossed our collective fingers that one of the only left-handers in the bullpen would get his act together. However, after the last week [...]

Morning Update: Shapiro Speaks

Tue, 21 Apr 2009 08:43:27 -0500

Ahh Morning Update....

After a day with no game.. It's boring.

I have to work tonight, so I'll have to miss the first hour and a half or so of the game. But I can't complain, this is one of the very few times I'll have to miss part of an evening game because of work.

The real trick is setting my eat schedule.

I'm waiting to eat breakfast so I don't eat lunch so soon. This way I can last till I get home.

Meh, you don't care, but these are things I plan out on a daily basis.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I don't know where to start.

I guess with Mark Shapiro because he talked to the reporters on a conference call yesterday. And well they have to grill him.

Let me see what we got here.. Lots of quotes.. Might as well start with CastroTurf. A-Team your up. Roster Moves:
"We'd consider any move that would make our team better. No one at Columbus has made themselves a clear, better alternative to the guys up here. We need to balance the importance of making us better and understanding there's some urgency with also understanding the long schedule and respecting what players have done and giving them the opportunity to get on track."Who would you call down? Offensively this team is going good. They've got several guys on the DL.

Pitching wise, what are you going to do with the starters? Laffey earned another start, everyone else.. I mean Pavano's latest start gives you hope. Reyes has been okay.

The bullpen isn't a problem if the starters just go deeper. But I'm guessing this was a stem off someone asking about Rafael Perez. He has an option left, but Shapiro says there isn't anyone at Columbus that is pitching well enough to take his spot. Wedge wouldn't use that player right anyway.

As for making an actual move for trades or whatever.. Way too early.
"We're not locked into any date to make a decision. We're not going to be passive. We clearly understand the expectations. We're not resistant to making moves, but we've got to feel confident those moves will make us a better team."April Starts:
"It's certainly something we're aware of and don't want. It's something Eric's taken a lot of time to try to look at and examine in the past. It's not something we're happy about and something we like. But we've been the best team in baseball the last four years in August and September."That is a reassuring fact, but we need to be in the race when those months roll around or it won't matter.

Really though it seems the central theme was talking about that replay on Sunday, which I could care less about on Tuesday, even after a hissy fit on Sunday and Monday.

"It certainly appeared the ball went over Crowe's glove and into the stands," Shapiro said. "I can understand the umpire's ruling."

"Focusing on that play would be an excuse," he said. "We didn't execute situationally [on offense], and our bullpen didn't execute. That play was influential, but to use that would be an excuse, and that's not how we play."

I'm with him on the excuses part, but it still is not excusable for the umps to blow a call like that. I don't know if Shapiro was just saying that about agreeing with the ruling or not, but I don't agree.

So why is Eric Wedge the right guy for this team?

Well you may not agree with it, hell I hate it when he doesn't get pissed. But his players like his personality.
"He's always the same," outfielder Shin-Soo Choo said. "I like that. [Whether] we're doing good or bad, it doesn't matter. He has the same personality." You are only as good as your players, Wedge has said that, and your players are only as good as they play. If they aren't happy with you, they aren't going to play. Most of that locker room, hell probably that entire locker room love Wedge and his personality.

Slow April, maybe. But Shapiro had a good comment.
"[Wedge] doesn't panic," Shapiro said, "and he stays strong and consistent to what he believes makes championship teams and players. It's not something we look to test by having these types of Aprils. But whenever we hit a rough spot, I think Eric's strengths shine even stronger than they do at other times." A lot of people aren't in the Wedge fan club, I'm not a member, but I support our manager for what he is because I think he's the right guy for this team right now.

A few opinion pieces fly out here. Dennis Manoloff assesses... assesses hehehe... the Cleveland Indians so far.

Terry Pluto... I mean really I feel like this sometimes.

I'm not in agreement with him in his concerns with the bullpen. I think Perez is just a slow starter, he'll get himself out of it. They NEED THE STARTERS TO GO DEEPER..

Ahhhh blarf...

What’s Wrong with Rafael Perez?

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 11:22:04 -0500

During the recap yesterday, I started going off on a tangent about Rafael Perez. However, after a few paragraphs that dove into different aspects of his game, I opted to edit it out and stick only to things that had an impact on the final score in general instead of going pitch by pitch. But [...]