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Sunday
Pretty Girl 05.22.11 - Brandy Ledford
Saturday
I Didn't Do It
BANNED by 5secondfilms.com - watch more funny videos
But I do need to become a magician.
Friday
Tickets Punched
2. Luis Valbuena optioned back to AAA after 1 day.
3. Ezequiel Carrera and Frank Herrmann recalled.
4. Nick Hagadone from Akron to Columbus.
5. Eric Berger demoted. Not released?
Columbus continues to play one man down.
"Footprints In the Sand... How Retarded"
Kiss your loved ones folks, the whole shithouse is goin' up in flames.
Thursday
A Quest Called Tribe
Earned Runs: Vs. White Sox (18 in 8 IP) - Vs. Everyone Else (16 in 56.1 IP)
ERA: ChiW (20.25) - [Bos, LAA, Bal, Min, KC, Oak] (2.56)
W/L: ChiSox (0-2) - Not ChiSox (3-2)
OBA: Pale Hose (.405) - Other Hues (.207)
WHIP: Guillen (2.63) - Sane Managers (1.03)
Suffice to say that Fausto (4.76 ERA) had better get it together because he might have to face Chicago a few more times. It was so bad tonight that Chad Durbin was up and throwing in the 2nd inning.
Wait, why was it Chad Durbin throwing in the 2nd?
And why am I so relatively calm about an 8-2 loss and a two-game "sweep" at the hands of the StankSox?
Oh I dunno, maybe it has something to do with the fact that Justin Germano got his @$$ DFA'ed today. I all but screamed out in ecstasy. No self respecting contender can have a Germano in the pen. His departure makes all of this Fausto inflicted insanity a bit easier to swallow.
The corresponding recall is a bit odd - Luis Valbuena. Luis made it known yesterday that he was headed North, but the move is more about replacing non-DL'ed position players than adding Valbuena's talents to the major league roster. With Travis Buck a scratch with turf toe, Orlando Cabrera off in South Carolina finalizing his US citizenship and the walking bruise we call Travis Hafner still nursing an oblique strain (that kind of thing can last weeks, I smell the DL coming), the Tribe bench was seriously undermanned. My guess is that Luis makes a quick return to AAA and Mitch Talbot is activated to be used as the long man. I certainly hope that Acta does not take a page from Ozzie Guillen's playbook an try to use a six man rotation.
The game wasn't a gaping black hole. Matt LaPorta (.275) did crank out his first bomb of May. And there was this...
Oh, and the California Faith Ministry might be right, Austin Kearns (.185) had two hits, including a double. A surer sign of the apocalypse I have never seen.
That's all I got, kids.
Cheers.
P.s. Word on the street is that Ezequiel Carrera is ready to jump to the bigs should Buck or Hafner take to the disabled list, although if it's Pronk, Chad Huffman might make more sense.
Pretty Girl 05.20.11 - Emily Browning
Clip Joint Is Dripping Wet
It took three hours and the Clippers only got in three and a half innings. Still, what we did get was fun to watch. Mitch Talbot looked sharp in the four innings of work that became his second rehab start. Mitch only got to throw 54 pitches, but he did so effectively. Outside of a first inning solo dinger by Josh Reddick (it was monster), Talbot was only in trouble once, using a strike out and a ground ball to strand runners on the corners. He allowed four hits and a walk while striking out five. He induced four more outs on ground balls, including a double play, and kept the PawSox off balance by consistently changing speeds in spite of the nasty weather.
The game was suspended halfway through the fourth inning with Columbus ahead 2-1. Those runs came courtesy of back-to-back long balls from Jason Kipnis and Cord Phelps to lead off the contest. Phelps' was his 7th of the season, one short of his career high set last season.
The game resumes at 5:05p tomorrow and will be played to full nine-inning completion. The regularly scheduled game will follow, but will last just seven frames as in a MiLB double header. Only in the International League folks.
Other Minor Points of Interest --
Joe Gardner delivered an excellent start (6 IP, 4 H, R/ER, BB, 5 K) in the first game of an Akron twin bill to earn his first win in more than a month and raise his record to 3-2. Gardner (2.70 ERA), a third round pick in 2009, has stymied opponents to the tune of a .227 OBA.
Beau Mills, the #13 overall pick in 2007, made his season debut today after spending the first six weeks of the season recovering from a left Achilles injury. Mills, who is beginning his third season at AA, singled and laid down a sacrifice bunt in five official trips. Once a top five organizational prospect, Mills is now considered marginal at best following OPS seasons of .724 and .689 at Akron.
Cheers.
Pretty Girl Update! - Kate Upton
YouTube comment: "I just IMPREGNATED my computer!"
kate-upton-beach-bunny-bride by EgotasticMedia
I have some better questions for Kate.
Cheers
Wednesday
A Quest Called Tribe
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
I hate losing! I hate it when the offense looks like a pack of blind monkeys flailing for bananas.
I'll try to be coherent for a second. After a complete inability to find the plate in the first two and a half innings, Justin Masterson allowed just 3 of the last 21 hitters he faced to reach base (BB, 2 H) and two of those were erased on "strike 'em out / thrown 'em out" double plays. 19 of Masterson's first 39 pitches were outside of the zone, but he missed with just 22 more during a 115 pitch effort that rendered his 3rd career complete game (8 IP, 5 H, R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K) and first of the season. Justin has pitched more than well enough to earn his 6th victory in three of his four May starts, yet he remains winless for the month. Still, I'll take the CG in my fantasy league.
Travis Hafner sat again with yet another in a litany of injuries. He has sore ribs on his right side and will be re-evaluated tomorrow/today.
Yah, that's all I've got. This here is a nice piece on Josh Tomlin, though.
I really hate losing.
Cheers.
The Clip Joint Splits
 |
| Luis Valbuena |
The top of the lineup provided the spark on a day where no Clipper managed more than a pair of hits. Ezequiel Carrera (2-6, 3B, 2 R, 2 BB, .317) and Cord Phelps (2-6, HR, 2B, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB, .300) had nice lines, but the real hero of the game 2 victory was the Pawtucket defense. The PawSox committed two errors in the Clips five run 6th and added a third play that was a hit only because their center fielder never touched the ball. It was a sloppy set of games at Huntington.
One interesting item of note - After the game Luis Valbuena made the statement that he was "going to Cleveland on Sunday." Now, I don't know if Luis was serious, nor do I have insight into when such a player would be informed. What I can offer is utter confusion. Why bring up the retread Valbuena when Phelps is tearing the cover off of the ball? The answer must lay in Valbuena's active status on the 40-man roster. And, if Luis is to be believed, who's getting the boot from the Tribe's 25-man? Adam Everett, the bell tolls for you.
Mitch Talbot takes the hill for Columbus tomorrow in his second rehab start. I shall brave the elements to see the man live. First pitch is at 6:35p.
Other Minor Points of Interest --
Nick Hagadone seems to be back on track after a couple of rocky outings last week. Hagadone threw two shutout innings putting just one man on base (walk) and fanning a pair. Both of his last two appearances have been hitless and he has lowered his OBA back to .183. The Clippers are still playing one man down and there is a lot of conjecture that now might be the time for Nick to move on up.
The score of that Akron game was 16-6. Kelvin De La Cruz was responsible for five of those runs in his 4.2 innings and could not get the last out of the fifth to qualify for the win. Kel-DLC (3.28) was roughed up for six hits and three walks but struck out 8. The surprise hero at the plate was infielder Kyle Bellows, who homered and drove in six. Bellows, a 2009 4th round pick, came into the game hitting .185 with 9 RBI. Jordan Henry (.310) added three hits, including a triple, and scored three times.
I would be remiss if I did not mention the 50-game suspension of Aeros outfielder John Drennen. Drennen, the #33 overall pick in 2005, tested positive for a fertility drug that he was using to jump start his ovulation. No word yet as to why he would want to do that. ;-j
Another solid start from Drew Pomeranz for Kinston tonight. Pom (2.09), who did not factor into the decision, tossed six innings surrendering two runs on 5 hits. He walked 3 and struck out six. He continues to do exactly what he needs to in order to jump to AA.
Congrats to Steven Wright, who notched his first pro win since switching to the knuckleball. In his best outing of the season for Lake County, Wright (1.71) was charged with a hit and three walks over six scoreless frames. Wright struck out three as well. His command of the pitch is the main measuring stick for promotion and, judging by tonight's effort, the move should come soon.
LeVon Washington scored his first multi-hit game of the season with two singles for los Capitans. Washington (.258) also walked, scored twice and knocked in his first run. LeVon is still just 19, so there's no rush, but it is good to see him put together a line that pops off of the screen.
Cheers.
Pretty Girl 05.19.11 - Alexandra Daddario
Dear Alex, More skin = more roles. Do it. ;-j P.s. She's the coed from Hall Pass.
Also,
Number One With A Bullet
Now allow me to say that I don't give a damn. As long as the man behind the curtain is giving the Cavs a better chance to break the championship drought, he can meddle all he likes. Integrity be damned. So.... Let's just assume everything is on the up and up. ;-j
Or better yet, in true American fashion, let us completely disregard it and focus only the portion that is of personal interest. Who do the Cavaliers select with picks one and four?
As I see it the team needs to fill any two of three needs: point guard, true 5 and wing scorer. Baron Davis is old, Andy and JJ are undersized and, damn, we need to score some points. Hopefully the trade exception can help to fill the third hole, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Let's examine the amateur availability.
True Center
All of the highly rated big men (Enes Kanter, Jonas Valanciunas, Bismack Biyombo, Dontas Motiejunas, Jan Vesely) this season are foreign. Since 2000 exactly 10 foreign players of 6'10" or taller have been taken with a top ten pick. Of those ten let us excuse a couple (Andrea Bargnani, Danillo Gallinari) because they are primarily perimeter players. Of the eight remaining, only three (Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Nene) could be counted as successful on the court. Let's bear in mind that there is not a lot of wiggle room here. We are talking about top ten picks, but those who busted did so by any estimation. Darko Milicic is the most famous of course, but let's not forget about Yi Jianlian. At least you know his name. Can you recall Mouhamed Sene (exactly 103 NBA points)? Or Nikoloz Tskitishvili (2.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG for his career)? Yeah, me neither. And I would be remiss if I did not remind you all of our own DeSagana Diop (2.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG). Now this measure only accounts for those who never attended college in the US, so perhaps I am unfairly penalizing Kanter (just like the NCAA!). Still when using the #4 (there is no chance one of these guys goes first) overall pick, it might be smart to steer away from a demographic that has produced just three positive returns ever! It is more difficult to scout these players because there is both less video and an unfamiliar level of competition, so will stray to the historical.
For the sake of this discussion we shall now assume that the Cavs will seek to grab a point guard and a dynamic scorer with their two picks. It might even be possible to snag a big man with some upside (Trey Thompkins, Jeremy Tyler) at the top of the second round. Literally every mock draft I have seen has the Cavaliers selecting Kyrie Irving at the top and Derrick Williams going second and, for now, we will table any discussion of which player is "better." We need only to accept that we need two players.
The smart move is to pick Williams, the charismatic high-flyer, #1 overall to put butts in the seats and points on the board. No doubt that Irving will be long gone by pick 4, but, unless someone starts buttering their bacon, either Brandon Knight or Kemba Walker will be available. Irving is clearly the better PG prospect, drawing grand comparisons to Chris Paul, but, again, the Cavs need two exceptional players. The only way to do this is to pick Derrick Williams #1 and "settle" for point guard 1a with the fourth pick.
I will stand by this.
Cheers.
Pretty Girl Update! - Aly Michalka
Plus bonus Brenda Song! Aly should be schilling for every plastic surgeon with an advertising budget. Oh mon dieu.
Tuesday
A Quest Called Tribe
Two days after I lamented Michael Brantley's team leading batting average of .298, boy have I gotten my come uppins. After tonight's victory the Tribe boasts Trvais Hafner (.345), Brantley (.302) and Asdrubal Cabrera (.288) all in the top 22 in hitting for the AL.
It's very nice to see Carlos Santana starting to hit a bit more (3-for-6, 4 BB in the series, .325 AVG & .460 OBP over his last 11 games), although it has still yet to play out if Manny Acta's faith in him will be rewarded with true cleanup hitter production. The highlight of the day for me, however, was not his dinger, but the throw he made to pick KC backstop Matt Treanor off of 2nd base. Awesome.
Speaking of round trippers, Asdrubal Cabrera spanked his 7th of the season. That is, loyal readers, a career high. AzCab put up 6 in 581 plate appearances two years ago. Much of the credit for the power surge is owed to double play parter and fellow Cabrera, Orlando. O-Cab sat down with the younger middle infielder during spring training and explained that Asdrubal embodied more raw power than he had been showcasing. Orlando recommended that Az pick an at-bat for himself every night, as long as the situation allowed, and just let 'er rip. He has and the result has been the team lead in home runs. This is a tangible example of the leadership and experience that Orlando Cabrera brings to the clubhouse and why he will stick with this team all the way to the playoffs.
I'm still not sold on Carlos Carrasco (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB 5 K), but I have figured out a way to rationalize his presence in the rotation. Not only is he an entire shade better than Jeanmar Gomez, but Carrasco (2-2, 5.03), who came into the season as the nominal #2 starter, could now very easily be regarded as our #5 man. He's certainly the last of the bunch that I would pick to take the hill on any given day.
Lastly, I'll be surfing the North Coast this weekend and had my sights set on diggin' the Tribe/Reds game on Saturday whilst grabbing my free Shin Soo Choo jersey. Cool, right? Well, I made the mistake of putting an associate in charge of ticket acquisition. Tonight, roundabout 9:40p, he informed that the game was sold out. "No!", I said. "How is this possible?" But true it was. Scrambling, I was able to snag some cheapies off of Stubhub before even those flew off of the shelves. It will be awesome to drink in the vibe of a capacity crowd at the Jake for the first time since the ill-fated 2007 ALCS.
And I though I had nothing to say tonight.
Cheers
P.s. The Cavs pick at spots 1 & 4 in the NBA draft. They got the top spot with the pick acquired from the Clippers, which had a 2.8% chance of being selected for #1. Wow, but we'll chat about that tomorrow.
Pretty Girl 05.18.11 - Leah Remini
Minor Points Of Interest
Giovanni Soto won again on the 14th to raise his record to 2-3. Soto pitched seven shutout innings allowing 3 hits and walk as he whiffed 8. Over his last four starts (including a rain shortened one third inning appearance) Giovanni is 2-0 with 0.47 ERA. He has averaged 9.31 K/9 and has a 0.78 WHIP. Expect the 20 year old Puerto Rican to spend most, if not all, of the season at high-A Kinston.
The same cannot be said of 2010 first rounder Drew Pomeranz. Despite losing his last outing (4.1 IP, 6 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K) on the 12th, Pomeranz's numbers are quite impressive (1.93 ERA, .188 OBA, 1.04 WHIP, 13.22 K/9) and he is still on track for an early June promotion to Akron.
Lake County has not played since the 13th due to rain. What? That's like a week dude. In the two games we missed, LeVon Washington (.214) went 2-for-8 with a double and 4 K's and Steven Wright produced another gem on the mound. The neophyte knuckleballer provided six shutout innings during the Captains last game, but was robbed of a win when the bullpen blew a two run lead. Wright (2.10) allowed 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out nine. He has yet to register a decision but has shown marked improvement over each successive outing.
Before we go, let's give a shout to catching prospect Chun Chen. Chen (.271) slugged his 5th and 6th long balls of the season on Saturday and leads the Aeros in both home runs and RBI (20).
Cheers.
Pretty Girl Update! - January Jones
Flick to Click: Passion Play
Looks like a 09.10.11 release, but here's the best part...
megan-fox-angel-passion-play by EgotasticMedia
Cheers
R.I.P. Harmon Killebrew (1936-2011)
Monday
Pretty Girl 05.17.11 - Lindsay Lohan
A Quest Called Tribe
Vin Mazzaro gave up fourteen, that is 14, one four runs in two and a third. Mazzaro is the first pitcher in history to give up that many runs in fewer than 3 innings. He is the first pitcher since 1942 to allow 14 runs. Vin is the first MLB pitcher period to allow so many since 1998 (Hi Mike Oquist!) Favorite tweet: Vin Mazzaro's ERA (22.74) can now legally drink! The Royals used two starting pitchers (Mazzaro and Kyle Davies) plus a reliever and still did not get through five innings. Speaking of Davies, he took the loss after facing just four batters and walking three of them to start the game. Yowza!
Big props to Michael Brantley (.304, 2-for-4, 2 BB, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R), Matt LaPorta (.274, 4-for-4, 2 2B, R, 4 RBI, BB), and Orlando Cabrera (.287, 3-for-4, 2 R, 3 RBI). I guess O-Cab had a little something to say to all of the doubters. Welcome back Travis Buck (.286, 3-for-6, 3 R, RBI), hope you're here to stay.
Brantley did raise his team leading average back over .300. Understand that Travis Hafner is hitting .339, but between the walks and the injuries he has not put together enough AB's to qualify in the league standings. Soooooooooooooo, he does not count.
Your first-place Indians (damn, I like the sound of that more every day) are now 25-13 (4.5 ahead of Detroit) with no signs of dropping back into the pack. We saw two characteristics today that are unique to winning teams. First, the offense was advantageous. Sure Mazzaro sucked a whole dozen thousand year eggs, but the bats did not let him off the deck. From inning #1 and despite a base running blunder the boys were on point. O-Cab laced a two-out two-run single to bring home the first two walks and the rest was history, literally (that's how you use that word properly, everyone take notes). Secondly, we return to Tomlin and, more generally, to the starting pitching. With few exceptions the starting staff has been locked in this season. Blah, blah, pitching over their heads, regression, whatever. The staff has focus. There is a culture on this bench and in this bullpen that facilitates Josh Tomlin's ability to throw another quality start around 19 GD runs. And I love it. I wish we could save a few "points" for a rainy day ;-j but I'll take it.
Drink it in Cleveland.
Cheers.
P.s. For those wondering the Indians' highest scoring game was 27 against Boston in 1986.
While I Was Sminking Pt. Deux
There has been quite a bit of chatter about the Indians moving on from some of the bargain veterans that have played big roles for the team thus far in 2011. As prospects like Cord Phelps, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis continue to play well at AAA, pressure, both internal and external, has mounted for their promotions. Such moves would be at the expense of players like Orlando Cabrera and Adam Everett, like Jack Hannahan. Hannahan is hitting .172 in May with a .467 OPS, dropping his season average down to .245. He has also been a bit sloppy at third and, while, he is still certainly above average at the hot corner, his high water has likely crested and the reign of King Jack might soon be over. Cabrera started off hot with a .333 average and an .808 OPS in his first 11 games as an Indian. However, his OPS since then is .592 and his on base percentage since May 3rd in .189. O-Cab offers a great deal of clubhouse leadership and might very well stick around longer than the others in a platoon role with one or more of the youngsters. Not a lot has been asked of Everett and some might think his versatility around the infield and .333 batting average have been pleasant surprises. Understand that Adam does not yet have a hit with runners in scoring position and his kick at third last Sunday allowed the Angels to score three unearned runs en route to a 6-5 victory.
If Chisenhall (.280) and Phelps (.298) continue to hit at Columbus, we will likely see them both before the All-Star break with Cabrera hanging around as insurance. The Chiz-Kid yoked a mammoth home run during the Clippers' last home game, but it was only his third of the year. His lack of AAA power, he's slugging at just .439, may be a caveat. Jason Donald would be a nice option, but he is once again not an option after landing on the International League disabled list with a knee issue. He will be unavailable until June.
With Travis Buck ascending to the lake and Donald lingering on the DL, Columbus will need to add a bat from somewhere. Bubba Bell, the 4th outfielder as season's outset, has moved on to the Mets organization and Jordan Brown has been traded to Milwaukee. Jared Goedert, who can play left field, did homer on Friday and added two hits on Saturday to raise his rehab BA to .250, but he has not played since and will probably remain at Akron until his 20-day rehab assignment is up. The best outfield option at AA is Jordan Henry (.300) who has stolen 15 bases in Aeros' first month. Still, the organization would like to keep him playing everyday so you might see the Clippers add a free agent.
That's enough for now I guess. We'll figure it out.
Cheers.
Yes, I Will Now Start Punching Yankees Fans In the Face
Not that I have much love for the Sox, but tru dat on the fascism. I never see these on TV. Cheers.
Cheers.
Buck You, OchoCinco!
Seriously, you do have to give Chad his due. MLS, PBR, what's next? I think I hear the UFC calling.
While I Was Sminking Pt. 1
But, oops, this happened ...
Mitch Talbot made his first rehab start on Saturday, taking the loss for the Clippers in Indianapolis. Mitch looked good, two earned on six hits over five innings. He threw 49 of 69 pitches for strikes as he struck out a pair and walked no one. He's scheduled to pitch again on Thursday, this time in Columbus against the PawSox. I'll be there.
The question becomes what to do with Talbot supposing that he's healthy and able following Thursday's appearnce. After Carlos Carrasco's pitiful effort in his start off of the disabled list, is he a candidate for demotion? Maybe, but not likely. Might the Indians expose Talbot to waivers in order to get him down to Columbus? Uh, no. Is Alex White ticketed back to AAA? Not unless he royally screws the pooch in his next game. The most probable scenario is that Talbot slides into the long man role and Justin Germano gets das boot (I know, read das as German and boot as English) and good riddance.
Cheers to Corey Kluber for earning his first win of 2011 as the Clippers salvaged the last game of a four game set against the Indy Indians this afternoon. Kluber (6.94 ERA) pitched seven full, the first time this year that he has gone past 5+. Corey allowed two runs on four hits and two walks. He struck out in raising his record to 1-3.
I would give you some highlights of the Clippers at the plate, but everyone stunk it up. Not kidding. I will provide quips and clicks from the home finale against Charlotte in just a bit.
Bored now.
Back soon.
Cheers.
P.s. Michael Brantley is now the Indians' leading hitter at .298. First place with zero .300 hitters. Troublesome.
Pretty Girl Update! - Serinda Swan
Sunday
Clarity Of Purpose
Quite of bit of the time I find myself wandering in a haze of unincorporated angst and misery. Meandering without direction, I soon become truly lost and absolutely unable to attain any of the arbitrary goals that I had set for myself along the way. Every now and again I'll have an epiphany that will facilitate focus over a short term. I will recommit myself to some ideal or endgame etc. It now seems to me that I have been treating the symptom rather than the cause. Regardless of how long I might have been able to persevere, the relative unimportance of these secondary goals inevitably results in only mild success at best. The issue has been the absence of a singular primary that each and every decision could be made toward the attainment of. I'm not quite ready to tell what my raison d'etre is, but consistently making choices toward the acquisition of the all-important will lead to more tangible results.
We shall see. ;-j
We shall see. ;-j
Pretty Girl 05.16.11 - Claire Danes
Friday
Pretty Girl 05.14.11 - Heather Graham
