Blog 20: Baseball Players Should Stop Fighting

Jeff Schwartz

Blog #20: Baseball Players Should Stop Fighting

August 4, 2010

Last night there was a sort of fight between a sort of Major League Baseball team in the Cleveland Indians and the broken down Boston Red Sox. There were no punches thrown but there was a lot of yelling, finger pointing, and half shoving. For the life of me I will never understand baseball fights. In very few cases are these fights ever legitimate fights. The last good baseball fight was Richie Sexson and Kason Gabbard. Sexson grabbed a headlock and put Gabbard into the ground. That was two years ago. In the mean time, there have been slap-fests and arguments but no legit fights. In last evening’s bench clearing shout-fest three people were tossed from the game. It was not because they were in the middle of the brawl either. There might as well have been a couple of podiums, a moderator, and decorum. I’ve seen civilized debates with more fury.

When Izzy Alcantara got hit, he super-kicked the catcher and charged to the mound looking for someone’s face to introduce to his fist. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHNhtiONEqQ

When Tim Belcher tried to bunt against Chan Ho Park, Park responded with a kick straight out of the original Karate Kid series of movies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m412VUkqqwM

When Nolan Ryan drilled Robyn Ventura with a fastball, Ventura had enough and charged the mound. That didn’t end well for the former 3^rd baseman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNETI5Abx0o

The fight last night featuring baseball luminaries like Jensen Lewis, Steve Smith, Shelley Duncan, Jordan Brown, of the Cleveland Indians was yet another pathetic display of on field behavior for this “Professional” baseball team. I realize there are injuries and that Rachel Phelps would be a better owner than Larry Dolan but if you’re going to charge the field and fight the opposing team throw some punches. Get fired up! Show some fire, passion, heart, and some balls. The apologists that run this baseball team have ruined baseball in Cleveland for far too long. I want to see these guys get excited to defend their manager, their team, themselves, and most importantly THEIR CITY. Thank God, Pure Rage Chris Perez wasn’t involved in this, he may have killed a Red Sox player. Cleveland’s a tough town, we’ve endured such heartache, the least these players could do is fight like we have on the field.

Random Acts of Commentary: Some People Are Just Completely Stupid

Jeff Schwartz

Random Short Commentary: Some People Are Just Completely Stupid

July 29, 2010

Some people just like to make a statement. That’s cool. That’s also respectable. But there are always lines drawn in the sand where the person making a statement comes off as an idiot. Maybe this guy missed the memo or “The Decision.” Maybe he’s just a tool looking for attention but Matt Bellamy you’re going to become my victim after this blog. Why you chose to show up to an Indians vs. Yankees game in a #6 LeBron James Miami Heat jersey I will never know. Are you an idiot? Are you looking to get killed? The Self-Titled King doesn’t even have the stones to do that. Art Modell hasn’t been back here since 1996. Not only did this buffoon put himself in harm’s way, he also put his girlfriend in harm’s way. Buddy, if you’re stupid enough to put yourself out there, you should at least consider protecting your girlfriend.

Per http://www.clevelandfrowns.com/2010/07/too-soon-cleveland-frowns-exclusive-guy.html Matt Bellamy is from Sandusky, he’s been pistol whipped before and sports a scar from it. Matt, you’re a loser. You’ll be a loser for the rest of your life. Based upon the pictures and videos I’ve viewed at the Cleveland Frowns link, you’re just a loser. It’s amazing the fans last night were as kind to you as they were. You’re lucky you made it out of there with your life. You’re lucky your girlfriend was not victimized more than she was. Had this been a Cleveland Browns game, your fate would have been a whole lot different.

Blog #18: The Curious Case of Jhonny Peralta

Jeff Schwartz

Blog #18: The Curious Case of Jhonny Peralta

July 28, 2010

In all of my years watching the Cleveland Indians there has not been a player who has confused me as much as Jhonny Peralta has. He’s the infield version of a conundrum. How could I possibly not want to keep a guy who hit 35 doubles, 18 home runs, and 80 RBI's a season, while maintaining an average of .264? How could I possibly want to trade, cut, waive, send down a guy who hit .300 in his lone year of playoffs, 2007? Am I nuts? But the more I thought about it, the more I smiled because finally after being a part of the Indians organization since 1999, Jhonny Peralta was no longer able to call himself a Cleveland Indian. He was never a locker room cancer or a bad guy. In fact Jhonny Peralta was a really nice guy. He signed autographs, he took photos, he cut really funny commercials, but I’m happy he’s gone. Jhonny Peralta is in fact a really good person, and for once I feel bad that I’ve buried an athlete on the field. But again, I’m so thrilled he’s not part of the Cleveland Indians team anymore.

So, as I was thinking back about the last seven years Jhonny Peralta spent on the Indians big league roster I thought of five solid reasons why I’m excited to see Jhonny Peralta move on. First and foremost the man had steel feet. He may have had worst defensive range as a shortstop in Major League Baseball from 2003-2009. I saw him have more balls go up the middle and between third and short in six years than I did from 1994-2003 with Omar Vizquel.

Secondly, his glove work was downright embarrassing. Peralta had more balls stick to his glove than any type of glue could have helped. Any great shortstop that is dead is currently rolling over in their graves. The third issue I have with Jhonny Peralta is that he always seemed lazy. His numbers at the plate seem to refute that claim most of the time however his carefree attitude seems to come off as lazy. Lazy running the bases, lazy in the field, lazy in the way he carried himself. Jhonny just looked like he didn’t care.

My fourth issue with Jhonny Peralta is one that he can’t take all of the blame for. Mark Shapiro, who I’ve got a lot of anger toward signed Peralta to a five year, thirteen million dollar contract. When the deal went through, many fans seemed to be thrilled. After a year of that contract those same people who were excited could not wait to be rid of that deal. Peralta’s agent Bill Rego may have collected that contract with a ski-mask and gun because he robbed the Indians. There was no reason Bill Rego and Jhonny Peralta should have said no that contract, but it still said Jhonny Peralta on the deal and that’s reason enough to be bothered.

The fifth and final issue with Peralta is what he represented. Jhonny Peralta represents an era of Cleveland Indians baseball that promoted laziness, “grinding out wins,” no homeruns, no World Series appearances, and a whole lot of spin control. In fifty years Peralta’s name will appear amongst losers like Eric Wedge, Grady Sizemore, Larry Dolan, Paul Dolan, Jason Michaels, David Dellucci, and the biggest representation of all the bad Casey Blake. When you do not win, and you look lazy on the field, all the while people are making excuses for you, there is celebration when you leave town.

Make no mistake about it, Jhonny Peralta is a good human being. He’s represented The Cleveland Indians very well in public. There were no code of conduct issues with him. He was just lazy, unmotivated, and represented an era of really sad baseball for Cleveland fans. This trade is not like moving C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and Victor Martinez, nor is it like Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, or Jim Thome leaving. The trading of Jhonny Peralta today, to the Detroit Tigers is a positive in every way, shape, or form. Today is the start of the resurrection of the Cleveland Indians infield.

Blog #13: My Tribute to the Greatest Manager in Cleveland Indians History

Jeff Schwartz

Blog #13: My Tribute to the Greatest Manager in Cleveland Indians History

July 17, 2010

In the modern era of such incredibly awful managers like Eric Wedge and Manny Acta who did/do their job with such little legitimate emotion, I can’t help but be really sad over the death of the greatest baseball manager in the history of the Cleveland Indians franchise. It was 1989, and the Cleveland Indians and owner Rachel Phelps had a really awful baseball team. Ms. Phelps had no qualms about wanting the worst of the worst so she could move the franchise to Florida. Why anyone would want to pack their bags and move to Florida, I’ll never know but that’s a different story for a different day. Phelps and General Manager Charlie Donovan needed a patsy, for one year. After being rejected by several candidates, they settled on Donovan’s old friend the great Lou Brown.

Lou Brown was a tire salesman from Toledo, but he was also the best man for the job. Brown initially refused the job. "Let me get back to you, will ya, Charlie? I got a guy on the other line asking about some white walls.” But soon enough Brown was managing the Tribe with such luminaries as Ricky “Wild Thing” Vaughn a hard throwing right hander who spent time in the California Penal League the year prior, Willy Mayes Hayes, a guy who “Runs like Mayes but hits like shit,” Roger Dorn, a perennial underachieving soft minded, pompous jackass who didn’t even bend over to receive ground balls at third base, and Jake Taylor, a veteran who was at the end of a career rope that was disintegrating.

It was Brown who got the Indians to win games when they had no right to. It was Brown who sacrificed his own health to help guys like Outfielder Pedro Cerrano and Pitcher Ed Harris get the Indians into the playoffs. Lou Brown supported even the biggest bums on his own team, with motivating comments like “Come on Dorn, get in front of the damn ball! Don't give me this "olé" bullshit! Every time you play one off of your hips, you owe me forty sit-ups.” Roger Dorn never bent over to field the ball that way again.

When the Indians slumped Brown, fired back at his team. He wasn’t afraid of them, like an Eric Wedge or Manny Acta is. Brown didn’t care about being politically correct like a Mark Shapiro. The truth was the truth. There was to be zero spin control. “You guys won last year just to spite her. Maybe, she's what we need. Taylor, it's not your job to make excuses. That's all you guys do good! It's either a "leg thing" or a "spiritual thing" or a "psychological thing" or a heart attack!" It was Lou Brown who gave himself a heart attack because he wanted to help his team win.

So with today’s passing of the great Lou Brown, I’d like to eulogize him with the following speech, that he made; “All right people, we got 10 minutes 'till game time, let's all gather 'round. I'm not much for giving inspirational addresses, but I'd just like to point out that every newspaper in the country has picked us to finish last. The local press seems to think that we'd save everyone the time and trouble if we just went out and shot ourselves. Me, I'm for wasting sportswriters' time. So I figured we ought to hang around for a while and see if we can give 'em all a nice big shitburger to eat!” The previous comments are the exact message I’d deliver to every team on opening day. It’s time Cleveland gave this country a nice big shitburger to eat. When that happens, not if, but when that happens, it’s going to be a celebration that will require the National Guard to step in and end the fun. “Burn on Lou Brown, Burn on.”

Blog #12: Competitive Balance In Baseball, Say What?

Jeff Schwartz

Blog #12: Competitive Balance In Baseball, Say What?

July 15, 2010

Indeed, there is competitive balance in baseball. It’s 2010; The New York Yankees are still leading the way with the best record in the game. However, their lead is not safe. In fact, nobody’s lead is safe. There is not a division in baseball with a lead over four games. The Yankees at 56-32 have a two game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. As Major League Baseball kicks off the second half tonight, I thought I’d explore why the game of baseball has find competitive balance.

My gripes with the game are well known. The All Star Game is terrible. It’s full of Alleged Stars, but not All of the Stars. The Commissioner is more like the guy you’d find hawking stolen merchandise on the streets of New York City as opposed to being the leader for America’s Past Time. He’s about as credible as LeBron James mother right now. I also don’t like the notion of having two sets of rules in each league. That’s absurd. Bud Selig has been a facilitator of over-spending by owners from big markets, forcing teams like Pittsburgh, Kansas City, and Cleveland to spend the majority of the time way out of the race for the playoffs.

That’s different this season. Division leaders include, the Texas Rangers, Cincinnati Reds, and San Diego Padres. That’s pretty crazy. All of those teams have last place finishes in the previous ten years. The New York Yankees are currently two games up on the Tampa Bay Rays, a team with a payroll that is the size of Alex Rodriguez and C.C. Sabathia combined in one season. That’s impressive.

In the American League Central there’s a shot for a three team tie to end the season. This would be the first time in the history of the game that has happened. That’s impactful drama that can make people care. Arguably the Central is the worst division in baseball, but there’s still three teams competing like never before to win which makes for a compelling watch. Out West, The Padres, Dodgers, & Rockies are all within two games of each other. That’s very impressive when you consider the Padres were projected as the worst team in the National League by many of the so-called experts at ESPN this year. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Colorado Rockies were expected to compete for the division crown but at the half way point find themselves behind Adrian Gonzalez and the San Diego Padres. The San Francisco Giants were also expected to compete for the Western Division Championship but currently find themselves four games out of first.

That brings me to the American League East, home of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Tampa Bay Rays play. Five games out sit the Boston Red Sox, a team with amazing pitching and a soft lineup. The Tampa Bay Rays, who confuse me because I’m not sure what I like more their pitching or their lineup are currently two games out and open the second half of the season with a three game set at Yankee Stadium. Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, & BJ Upton are very good, but so are Matt Garza, All Star Starter David Price, and James Shields. The Rays will make the playoffs this year; no way they come up short. Lastly, you’ve got the first place New York Yankees. The Yankees currently have a 200 plus million dollar payroll, yet they are not a supreme team. They’ve got a shaky middle relief corps, and a lineup that has a lot of high spots but some low-spots as well.

The game of baseball finally seems to be competitive, but is it a fluke? It’s very possible that it is in fact just that. There’s no way the San Diego Padres have a better team than the Colorado Rockies or Los Angeles Dodgers. Same goes for the Cincinnati Reds being better than the St. Louis Cardinals. In the American League, the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers are all essentially the same team, so there’s no clear cut winner there any season. The only team never to win a Central Division Title in the American League is the Kansas City Royals, so even The Cleveland Indians have seen the playoffs once in the last few years. I also am convinced the Red Sox are just as good as the Rays and Yankees but seem like they are a step off this season.

Bud Selig could not stop bragging about competitive balance during the All Star break in Anaheim. He’s right though, this is something to be thrilled with this year after all of the drama Major League Baseball has seen over the last six years. In the end, however, The Yankees will still outspend everyone for players, The Indians will still over-spend for terrible players, and the same players will still be viewed as steroid users. One year of competitive divisions and intriguing races for the playoffs will not change the horrid perception Major League Baseball and Bud Selig have earned.