Betty White tongue-in-cheek (we think, anyway) offer may help LeBron James in town.
But he sure as HECK can't ignore Betty White who, along with her castmates from the new hit show "Hot in Cleveland," implores him to remain with the Cavs. But the kicker is pure Betty White (that's not what your girlfriend said).
Browns off-season may provide some hope ... and some concern.
Cleveland, Ohio -- The tenet in journalism is that if you steal from one person, it's plagiarism; if you steal from two or more, it's research. One is ethical – sort of, anyway. The other is a firing offense, as it should be.
We professionals circumvent this via attribution. Soooooo, since Starting Blocks didn't hear this from two or more people and is accustomed to the benefits of a regular paycheck (i.e. eating on a daily basis) we're going to attribute this account to the proper author, Christopher Maher of bleacherreports.com.
Maher correctly noted that this time of the year in the NFL is like the "silly season" in NASCAR: "the period between Homestead and Daytona" when nothing happens. In football, organized team activities are done; training camp is still a few weeks away. The biggest concerns are all pretty much conjecture.
This time, Maher goes into full "Six Points" mode, discussing everything from whether the Browns improved their secondary to Jake Delhomme's chances for success to the chances (slim) that coach Eric Mangini will be fired.
(On a side note, Starting Blocks notes that this could be the only time this year when "slim" and "Eric Mangini" appear in the same sentence, however out of context.)
Want Eric Mangini fired yesterday? Don't hold your breath.
Mangini walked into a train wreck of a team and an organization, weeded out the divas, and began building the foundation.
In 2009, the Browns eliminated the exasperating penalties of the (Romeo) Crennel era, going from one of the NFL's most-penalized teams to one of the least-penalized.
The special teams, once mediocre at best, were one of the NFL's premier units.
That's just a small sampling of what really is a pretty nice little piece of writing and/or analysis.
Silly or not.
Ready ... aim ... shoot yourself in the footand Shaun Rogers could be facing suspensions for carrying loaded weapons into airports. Oh, listen to us. COULD be? Commissioner Roger Goodell has shown a tendency to rule with an iron fist (and good for him for it, unless, of course, he reduces Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's suspension for conduct unbecoming to a decent man to four games).
That said, it's likely that Smith and Rogers (not to be confused with Smith & Wesson), will start the year on the suspended list. Rumor has it that their contrition could limit those suspensions to as little as one game, but a three-gamer is more likely.
NFLshare.com noted that the absences of either or both defensive linemen will require some others to step into the breach (so to speak).
If suspensions are handed down before the season begins, the Browns may face playing without two starting defensive linemen. That means some young players will have to step in and step up.
The Browns did select a late-round defensive end in Clifton Geathers, and even though he has good size and arm length to succeed in the NFL, he is still a green rookie.
Even greener is defensive tackle Kwaku Danso, who hails from Africa. He's been playing football for only three years.
The wild card of the Browns' possible final roster candidates who could make the biggest impact is Brian Schaefering. He played in only five games in 2009, but still registered one-and-a-half sacks.
Looks like it could be a, um, crapSHOOT.
Will Turner become the first former Buckeye from the Thad Matta era to enter the league and find true stardom?
Evan Turner makes his NBA debut tonight as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers summer league team. Is this Turner's first step toward stardom - or at least becoming the most productive pro from the Thad Matta era at Ohio State? Turner's first game in the Orlando Summer League against the New Jersey Nets will be shown on NBA TV tonight at 7 p.m.
Matta's five previous first-round draft picks were freshmen and the only player in that group who was truly ready for the NBA, and not drafted on potential, was Greg Oden, whose career has been scuttled by two major injuries that have cost him basically two full years.
The picks before the Sixers took Turner No. 2:
* Greg Oden, No. 1, Portland, 2007: He has been in the NBA for three seasons, though his entire first year was lost to injury. He played just 21 games this past year after fracturing his kneecap. So in three years, he has played the equivalent of one full NBA season - 82 games. He averaged 9.4 points per game, 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks.
* Mike Conley, No. 4, Memphis, 2007: In three NBA seasons, he has started 187 of 215 games. This season he started all 80 games he played in, averaging 5.3 assists per game, which tied for 25th in the league, with an assist-to-turnover ration of 2.5, which was 45th in the league.
* Daequan Cook, No. 21, Miami, 2007: Has played in 179 games, with 26 starts. Averaged 8 points per game off the bench this season. He's an NBA 3-point champion and 36 percent 3-point shooter in his career, but his scoring average last season was the lowest in his career. Last month, Cook was traded to Oklahoma City.
* Kosta Koufos, No. 23, Utah, 2008: In two seasons, Koufos has played in 84 games, averaging 3.3 points and 8.8 minutes. His NBA production and playing time declined significantly in his second season, though he did average 19 points per game in the NBA Development League.
* B.J. Mullens, No. 24, Oklahoma City, 2009: Averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds in his rookie year in the NBA Development League while playing just 13 games and scoring 14 total points with the Thunder.
Before this group, the most recent Ohio State first-rounder had been Jim Jackson, who went No. 4 in 1992 to start a 14-year NBA career in which he made more than $31 million and averaged more than 14 points per game. That's probably the low end of Turner's expectations.
I expect Philadelphia fans will love Turner, and his easy-going personality and all-around game should gain him some patience in a town that can be very impatient.
But will Turner be a star? I'm not sure. I think he'll be a fabulous teammate, make those around him better and be exactly the kind of guy you want on your team. But I'm not sure he has the elite athleticism to be a perennial All-Star. Not that he has to be in order to be a success.
More than any Ohio State player in recent times, though, I'm intrigued to watch him as a pro and see how his game translates. Maybe he'll be able to dominate like he did in the Big Ten, as a creator and a scorer.
What do you think? Will Evan Turner be an All-Star?
Finally, a few rays of sunshine in this Indian summer.
UPDATED: 9:23 p.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It began when the Indians finally promoted Carlos Santana, and Mr. Line Drive came exactly as advertised.
Suddenly, I could really watch the Indians out of something more than a sense of duty.
This is not a story about how all is right with the Tribe, or that the Indians are suddenly a contender -- even next year.
But let's not stare into the rear-view mirror of Cy Young award winners traded, free agents lost, deals gone bad. There are some good things happening at Progressive Field, at least if you're a baseball purist.
Santana's big-league debut (.300, 1.038 OPS) is just as sensational as Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg, only few are playing attention to the Tribe's catcher -- even in Cleveland. Heading into Monday's game at Texas, Santana had more walks (18) and nearly as many extra base hits (13) as strikeouts.
The Indians finally traded Russell Branyan, and handed first base to Matt LaPorta. He's not going to hit three homers every week, as he's done recently, but he's hitting .310 with seven RBI in 29 at-bats since returning from the minors.
When the Indians picked up LaPorta as part of the C.C. Sabathia deal in the summer of 2008, he was leading all of the minors in home runs while playing for Milwaukee's Class AA Huntsville team. The other part of that deal is Michael Brantley, who hit .353 in June at Class AAA Columbus and is now with the Tribe.
These are the Indians. When something good happens, so does something bad -- Shin-Soo Choo's thumb injury that has the team's best all-around player on the disabled list for at least two months.
Can the Indians have a pretty good lineup once Asdrubal Cabrera is healthy and back at short?
Because he's been out since early May, it's easy to forget Cabrera is a .307 hitter with a .350 on-base percentage in 853 at-bats since the 2008 All-Star break. Manager Manny Acta loves Cabrera, insisting the shortstop has that special "it" in terms of confidence that makes him a productive hitter and a bold fielder who is not afraid to make a big play -- or risk a mistake.
Just as Santana and LaPorta have added some fire to the middle of the lineup, Cabrera could be a spark at the top.
Yes, second base remains a mystery. Jason Donald (.258, .702 OPS) looks like he can at least be a utility infielder, and is a major upgrade over Luis Valbuena. But a starter at second? Who knows?
Third baseman Jhonny Peralta is slogging through his final season, as free agency looms. So far, there has been no trade interest in him. Travis Hafner? Hard to know what to say about him.
The Indians like to talk about how it wasn't that long ago -- 2007 -- when they won 96 games and were within one game of going to the World Series. That's accurate. But the truth is only these players remain from that team: Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, Grady Sizemore, Rafael Perez, Aaron Laffey, Cabrera, Peralta and Hafner. That's eight guys, and only six have been playing lately because Sizemore and Cabrera have been injured.
That's why they were 32-49 heading into Monday's game.
They have turned over the team to a new group of prospects, hoping find enough diamonds in all the minor-league rough. The Indians have superb prospects in third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis at Class AA, who may be in Cleveland at some point in 2011.
Then there's 25-year-old Jared Goedert, who suddenly emerged as a third-base option at Columbus.
There have even been some bright spots in the rotation. It was hard to imagine Fausto Carmona (7-7, 3.69) pitching like this after being 13-19 with a 5.89 ERA and looking like he forgot how to throw strikes the previous two seasons.
At the very least, Justin Masterson could be dominant in the bullpen. As a starter, he's 3-7 with a 4.85 ERA. In his last six starts, he's 3-2 with a 3.51 ERA. Stat freaks grouse and gripe because Mitch Talbot doesn't strike out many hitters, but he doesn't walk many, either. I'll just say he's 8-7 with a 3.86 ERA for a last-place team, so he must be doing something right.
Jake Westbrook (5-4, 4.69) has been respectable, but he'll be a free agent at the end of the season. He may not be back, so the Tribe will have holes to fill in the rotation. The bullpen will always need work, although it has been effective recently.
Acta has been a reliable rock as the manager, exactly what this team needs right now.
I know, they are a losing team. I know, they are a low-spending team. I know, it's not been any fun since 2007. But I also know that lately, I like some of what I've seen.
While one writer tries to quantify the value of James' decision, others are conceding that Cleveland may have the inside track.
(Chasing down rumors about LeBron James' basketball future is my full-time job. Just call me The Rumor Monger. Just remember these are just rumors, not necessarily facts. It's been a long and rough ride, Cavs fans. -- Mary Schmitt Boyer)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- OK, this barely counts as either news or a rumor, but John Schuhmann wrote on NBA.com about the 25 NBA players, coaches, executives and owners who have the most to lose or gain by the decisions of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is No. 1 on the most-to-lose list if James leaves, with new general manager Chris Grant No. 5.
Wrote Schuhman, "Of the teams looking to sign James, the Cavs have the most to lose by not getting him. Gilbert has spent a lot of money (player salaries, luxury tax, new practice facility, upgrading Quicken Loans Arena) trying to keep James happy over the last seven years. And if James leaves this summer, the value of the franchise would drop considerably."
Of Grant, he wrote, "Grant has been the man in charge in Cleveland for exactly one month. He hired Byron Scott, but his second act as GM (re-signing James or losing him) will be much more important and have an effect on every move he makes afterward. If James chooses to stay, Grant must find a way to get him more help with a lack of roster flexibility. If James chooses to leave, Grant will be forced to rebuild without many young assets."
• ESPN Insider Chad Ford has done a series on James options, and here's why he thinks James could stay:
"If LeBron picks up and moves to New York or Chicago or Dallas, his new fans and the local media will be more critical than Cavs fans would ever be," writes Ford. "He'd have a huge target on his chest every night. And if he didn't deliver a championship, he'd be seen as a failure.
"In Cleveland, if LeBron agrees to stay, he'll have chosen loyalty. And for that, win or lose, he'll always be loved."
• ESPN's Marc Stein says Cavs fans should not worry about the fact that James hasn't made an announcement yet.
"Many folks around the league connected to the teams chasing LeBron believe, more and more, that staying with the Cavs is a far bigger possibility than many prognosticators believed going into the frenzy," he wrote. "If he's going to leave Ohio now -- and subject himself to untold scorn for the rest of his life when he goes home -- James naturally wants to be sure he's making the right call. It's understandable, at least to me, that he wouldn't want to rush that choice after cramming six visits into three days."
• Bill Madden in the New York Daily News writes about how George Steinbrenner in his prime would have wooed James:
"I understand your feeling of allegiance to Cleveland, LeBron. I started out here too. But look what New York did for me. You know what the song says -- Frank's song, not Jay-Z's -- which I'll get to in a minute. 'If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere?' Well, I'm proof positive of that. I was just another businessman shipbuilder in Cleveland, but when I came to New York after buying the Yankees and restored their greatness, not once but twice, I became one of the most recognizable people in the entire world. That's the difference between winning in Cleveland or Chicago and winning in New York.
"Now I know Jay-Z is your pal and that Prokhorov has kind of adopted him as an adjunct to the Nets. But ask Jay-Z where he got 'Empire State of Mind' its biggest exposure at Yankee Stadium, before the first game of the World Series last year! The last time I looked, that was New York, not New Jersey. You come to the Knicks and Jay-Z will own the Garden. The both of you will."
Noting that Steinbrenner's birthday is July 4, Madden concludes:
"Having you with me, LeBron, will be the greatest birthday present of them all. There's only one thing, though. You're gonna have to lose that beard."
• From Mike McGraw in the Arlington Heights (Ill.) Daily Herald, "According to sources familiar with the presentation made by the Bulls on Saturday in downtown Cleveland, James still is torn by the idea of abandoning fans in northeast Ohio, who have been counting on him to end their 46-year run of misery. Cleveland hasn't won a major professional championship since the Browns in 1964, and James feels the pain more than most of the city's athletes, since he grew up in nearby Akron."
• From Rick Morrissey in the Chicago Sun-Times, on all the media speculation:
"Somebody is wrong. Actually, a lot of somebodys are wrong.
"People who are speaking for James likely are ill-informed or partially informed or in for the shock of their lives. The folks who are in James' small, tight circle surely are taking their lead from him -- and he's not talking with media members, at least publicly.
"We're left to analyze the raw intelligence, and, so far, there hasn't been enough to fill a shot glass.
"What it looks like from here is that Wade, Bosh and most of the others are paralyzed while they wait to see what LeBron does. Wherever James goes, Bosh is likely to follow -- yes, sources have said.
"Wade could join them too. Or not.
"My best guess is that LeBron stays in Cleveland, where Bosh will join him, and that Wade will stay in Miami. That, friends, is based on a hunch, nothing more."
• New odds on where James lands from sbrforum.com. Based on the second Knicks meeting, and the two meetings of Dwyane Wade in Chicago, the Cavs and Heat have been downgraded, while the Bulls and Knicks have been upgraded.
If James is stressing at all about his free agency decision with six teams attempting to sign him and much of the NBA hanging on his move, it didn't show on Monday.
AKRON, Ohio -- A shake of the head and smile is all the waiting world got from LeBron James Monday when he was asked about his future as he left his Nike camp at the University of Akron.
James made a bit of a surprise appearance for a workout on the first day of the LeBron James Skills Academy at Rhodes Arena. If he's stressing at all about his free agency decision with six teams attempting to sign him and much of the NBA hanging on his move, it didn't show.
He looked relaxed during the two-hour workout and after an another hour of stretching and icing he left without directly answering reporters' questions about his decision or his timetable. As is commonplace, James wore a Yankees cap in and out of the building.
James' manager, Maverick Carter, also declined to comment before James' group left in a motorcade led by James in a white Bentley coupe.
It is believed James won't make an announcement on where he plans to sign at least until after the three-day camp ends on Wednesday. He is expected to make another appearance at the camp on Tuesday. Players can officially begin signing with teams on Thursday.
The Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are believed to be the most serious contenders for James' services. But Monday the New York Knicks reportedly came to the brink of a deal with forward Amar'e Stoudemire, which would be the biggest signing of the summer so far and could increase their visibility to James.
The only drama during the afternoon came when James and close friend Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets teamed up to play in a pickup game against some of the college stars in attendance. Paul was taking it a bit easy as he recovers from ankle and knee injuries but he and James had all eyes on them when executing some fast breaks.
James did not play at full speed but looked to be in excellent condition, perhaps having lost some weight from the end of the regular season. He did not show any signs of lingering problems with a right elbow injury that bothered him off and on during the last several weeks of the season. After the workout, however, James iced the elbow and forearm.
Joining James at the workout was Cavs 2009 first-round draft pick Christian Eyenga, who is in town working out with the team and is expected to take part in summer league in Las Vegas starting next week. Eyenga made several athletic plays during the pickup game, including an alley-oop dunk off a pass from James.
Current Cavs free agent forward Jawad Williams also took part as did former team guard Damon Jones and former James high school teammate Romeo Travis.
James was stretched and treated before and after the workout by Cavs assistant athletic trainer Mike Mancias, who works heavily with him in the off-season.
The pickup games virtually stopped all action in the gym so the college and high school stars could watch the two All-Stars play together. James went up against several different players, including Chris Wright of Dayton and Kyle Singler of Duke.
A camp full of wannabes enjoyed their chance to absorb some up-close time with The King himself, LeBron James.
AKRON, Ohio -- It was real and surreal all at the same time. A Lebron James Skills Camp full of wannabes, in the same Rhodes Arena with The King himself, LeBron James.
While the camp's college players lined up on one court Monday afternoon to do their pre-workout exercises, beside them on a second court, with still cameras above him and TV cameras a court-length away, LBJ stretched. All the face people, from ESPN's Shelly Smith to WEWS' John Telich, to several print media members were sprinkled among a crowd of NBA scouts that included a pair of former Cleveland State basketball coaches, Ray Dieringer and Kevin Mackey.
There was a former Cav, Ron Harper, on hand as well.
Cleveland basketball's past, present, and perhaps somewhere on the court, it's future.
Sorry, no admittance: The LeBron James Skills Academy is not open to the public, although family and selected guests can be on hand. That changes Thursday when the players move to Cleveland State for the two-day King James Classic. Fans can attend the sessions for $5.
Who's here: The selected roster of college players includes guard Shelvin Mack from Butler, forward Chris Wright from Dayton, forward William Buford from Ohio State and forward Kyle Singler from Duke. While the NBA scouts littered Rhodes Arena, the one thing they covet was not on hand among the collegians. There was not a legitimate center in the bunch.
That wasn't the case on the prep roster, however. Three true post bodies stood out in 6-9, 280-pound DaJuan Coleman from Syracuse, N.Y., 6-10, 220-pound Deng Leek from High Point, N.C. and 6-11, 233-pound James (also known as Zach) Price, 6-11, 233 pounds out of Cleveland's St. Edward High.
They're off! Tuesday is the first official day of two 10-day NCAA's summer evaluation periods. A 10-day quiet period will begin July 15, then another 10-day evaluation period. By definition, an evaluation period is when coaches and assistant coaches are allowed to assess the athletic and academic ability of prospective student-athletes, but cannot conduct off-campus (personal or one-on-one) visits. In other words they can look, but they can't talk.
A quiet period is when recruiting is limited to on-campus contact as part of an official or unofficial recruiting visit. In other words, a student-athlete can go check out a coach and/or a school, but the coaches can't leave their campus to talk with a student-athlete.
Indians' third-base prospects deliver key hits to propel Columbus and Akron to victories.
AAA Columbus Clippers
Clippers 5, Mud Hens 4: 3B Jared Goedert (.321) doubled in two runs in the top of the ninth inning to lead Columbus to an International League victory at Toledo. Goedert's one-out hit scored DH Cord Phelps (.366), who had walked, and CF Jose Constanza (.315), who had singled. Reliever Jensen Lewis (2-0, 1.20) pitched a scoreless inning for the victory, while Vinnie Pestano (2.38) pitched the ninth for his fifth save.
AA Akron Aeros
Aeros 9, Thunder 3: 3B Lonnie Chisenhall (.278) homered, and 2B Jason Kipnis (.310) and DH John Drennen (.313) each had two RBI in Akron's Eastern League home victory over Trenton. Reliever Bryan Price (3-2, 4.38) pitched two innings for the win.
Advanced A Kinston Indians
Keys 11, Indians 3: Frederick (Md.) roughed up Kinston starter Joseph Mahalic (3-3, 3.92) for five runs and seven hits in 3 innings as the Indians lost the Carolina League game at home.
A Lake County Captains
Captains 3, Lugnuts 1: Clayton Cook (4-4, 3.51) pitched six strong innings as Lake County won a Midwest League game in Lansing, Mich. Tyler Sturdevant (0.83) pitched three innings with six strikeouts to earn his second save.
A Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Scrappers 8, Tigers 3: 1B Jonathan Burnette (.308) homered and RF Carlos Moncrief (.182) knocked in three runs as Mahoning Valley won a New York-Penn League game in Norwich, Conn. Alex Kaminsky (3-1, 2.14) gave up two runs in six innings for the victory.
Independent Lake Erie Crushers
Crushers off on Monday: Lake Erie will be in Florence (Ky.) to play the Freedom in a Frontier League game Tuesday night at 7:05.
Jayson Nix homers twice as the Indians beat Texas for their seventh win in the last nine games. The Tribe finished with a season-high four homers.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Manager Manny Acta said before Monday night's game against Texas that Jayson Nix has some fans in the Indians organization.
These aren't the kind of fans who collect autographs. These are the kind of fans who scout and track a player because of his talent. When the White Sox put Nix on waivers last month, the Indians put in a claim and brought him straight to the big leagues to help fill their seemingly bottomless hole at second base.
The native Texan didn't disappoint his fans Monday night as he hit two homers in the Indians' 9-3 victory over AL West-leading Texas at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Indians have won seven of their last nine games.
Nix's second homer of the night, a booming two-run shot off Alexi Ogando in the seventh, provided the game's final runs. It was the first time that the Indians' lead actually seemed secure.
The Indians hit a season-high four homers. Carlos Santana and Matt LaPorta joined Nix in the power parade.
How good a night was it for the Indians? Manager Manny Acta protested a three-run homer by Nelson Cruz in the seventh. The umpires went to their instant replay station and agreed with Acta. Crew chief Tim Tschida waved off the homer when replays showed that it veered outside the right-field foul pole.
It's the first time that argument has gone in Acta's favor this year. He argued it at least three other times and the replay verdict went against him.
Frank Herrmann may have gotten the two biggest outs of the game. He relieved starter Aaron Laffey in the fifth with two on and one out and the Tribe leading, 6-2. Laffey's 101st pitch was Ian Kinsler's RBI single and Acta wanted Herrmann with the heart of the Rangers' lineup due up.
Herrmann gave up a single to Vladimir Guerrero to load the bases, but threw called third strikes past Josh Hamilton and Nelson Cruz to end the inning. The Rangers have lost five of their last seven games.
The Indians took a 6-1 lead on Michael Brantley's sacrifice fly in the fifth. Trevor Crowe walked, went to third on Jason Donald's double and scored on Brantley's fly ball to center.
Donald led the Tribe's 12-hit attack with a 4-for-4 night.
The Indians, ranked 11th in the American League in home runs going into Monday's game, hit three through the fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Santana, LaPorta and Nix went deep. Santana and LaPorta homered off rookie Omar Beltre in the third. Nix homered off Dustin Nippert in the fourth.
It was Santana's fifth homer in 23 games. It was Nix's second homer since the Tribe claimed him on waivers on June 24. LaPorta's two-run homer was his fifth, four coming since he was recalled on June 28 from Class AAA Columbus.
LaPorta's homer was a two-run shot in the third. Santana started the inning with a long drive into the upper deck in right field. LaPorta has nine RBI since being recalled.
In the third, LaPorta was clipped in the head at first base by shortstop Elvis Andrus, who crossed the bag after beating out an infield single to short. LaPorta leaned back to take a bouncing throw from Jason Donald and Andrus clocked him in the head with the left side of his body.
LaPorta went down flat on his back. Julio Borbon, who reached on walk, scored from first and Andrus went to second as Donald's throw rolled behind first base. LaPorta stayed in the game, but was replaced by Andy Marte in the fourth as the Indians announced he had a contusion to his head.
Laffey allowed two runs, one earned, on five hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out three. Beltre allowed four runs on four hits in three innings in his second big-league start for the Rangers. He walked three and struck out three.
Center fielder Michael Brantley says he learned a lot at Class AAA Columbus. Now he has to put it to use for the Indians in the big leagues.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- It's too early to say mission accomplished, but Michael Brantley feels he did a lot of good things in the 59 games he spent at Class AAA Columbus before getting recalled Sunday following Shin-Soo Choo's right thumb injury.
"The work that I put in down there paid off," said Brantley.
Playing mostly center field at Columbus, Brantley hit .315 (76-for-241) with 47 runs, nine doubles, two triples, three homers and 26 RBI. He stole 11 bases in 16 attempts and drew 29 walks compared to 27 strikeouts.
The Indians wanted Brantley to work on was driving the ball more.
"The last two weeks were phenomenal," said Brantley, regarding his ability to reach the gaps. "I did a lot of work in the cage and came to the park every day with a clear head."
Brantley, who lifts his front foot at the plate as a timing device, worked on getting it down on the ground faster.
"I wanted to get down a little earlier than I was so I could use my legs more and rotate through the ball," he said. "It allowed me to see the ball coming, recognizing what pitch was coming and get a better swing all the way through the ball.
"I also moved my hands away from my body. That produced a little more power."
Last year, Brantley stole 46 bases in 51 attempts for Columbus to lead the International League. He started this season with the Indians, but didn't steal a base in nine games before getting optioned to Columbus.
The Indians wanted to see him use his speed more at Columbus. While he may have caught the IL by surprise last year, the opposition was ready for him this time around.
"I went down there and base-running was absolutely tough," said Brantley. "Guys were [throwing] over three or four times. They were slide stepping. They had a good idea of what I like to do and how I like to run.
"Basically, they threw some new stuff at me. I was excited. I learned from it. I did a good job stealing bases last year, but they made it a little tougher for me this time around. It was a good challenge."
The Indians' outfield has been redrawn since opening day. Center fielder Grady Sizemore is out for the season following microfracture surgery on his right knee. Choo will miss six to eight weeks with his sprained right thumb. It could be season-ending if Dr. Thomas Graham, who will examine Choo Tuesday, decides surgery is needed.
Manager Manny Acta said Brantley will be playing center and leading off almost every day in the new outfield. Austin Kearns will be in right, Trevor Crowe in left and Shelley Duncan coming off the bench.
"Getting an extended shot would be nice," said Brantley. "Hopefully, that's what I'm here to do. If not, that's their call, too. I'll be ready to play when they want me to play."
Eyes have it: Atlanta had a scout at Monday night's game. They had a scout in Cleveland during the Indians last home stand.
The Braves, atop the closely-bunched NL East, are reportedly looking for a right-handed hitter.
Name to remember: One day this season, Carlos Carrasco is going to be in the rotation.
"The plan is in place for Carrasco to come up at some point," said Acta. "When he does, he'll start."
Carrasco, who started for Class AAA Columbus Monday night, is 7-3 with a 4.22 ERA in 15 starts. He has 79 strikeouts and 34 walks in 91 2/3 innings. The opposition is hitting .267 against him and he has a WHIP of 1.37.
"Right now we're concentrating on the five starters we have here," said Acta. "And those guys [in Columbus] are working on what they have to work on. When the time comes to make a decision, Carrasco is going to get his shot ... no matter what."
Finally: The Indians are carrying six rookies. Only the Orioles and Tigers, with seven each, have more in the AL. ... The Indians have an extra-base hit in their last 31 consecutive games. It's the longest current streak in the league.
Uruguay or the Netherlands will be in the World Cup final by the time Tuesday is over, while Germany's harmonious campaign may just have hit its first note of discord.
Could the Knicks' new free-agent acquisition convince LeBron James to join him in New York?
Will it be the Heat or the Bulls? Dwyane Wade, like his pal LeBron James, is keeping quiet for now.
Will one of the top free agents join Amare Stoudemire now that he will sign with the New York Knicks? LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have yet to make their decision on which team they will sign with, but it is likely at least two of these players will play for the same team. So which pair of top free agents...
Will one of the top free agents join Amare Stoudemire now that he will sign with the New York Knicks? LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh have yet to make their decision on which team they will sign with, but it is likely at least two of these players will play for the same team.
So which pair of top free agents are most likely to play for the same team?
Get your questions ready and join Terry Pluto today at noon as he talks Cavaliers, Indians and Browns. We'll get the latest on LeBron's free agency decision, the Indians and their play of late and we'll talk Browns as training camp approaches.
We'll get the latest on LeBron's free agency decision, the Indians and their play of late and we'll talk Browns as training camp approaches.
You can jump in the chat room and ask your questions as well as interact with other users and respond to Terry's remarks, or you can just listen. The chat will also be made available shortly after its completion in mp3 format.
You can jump in the chat room below to ask your questions or just listen. An mp3 of the chat will be made available shortly after its completion.
"This team is starting to remind me of the 2004 Indians that were bad but had some hot streaks and gave us a preview of their young talent. The question is will we be to compile enough talent before its time to trade these new guys and rebuild again?" - mosescleaveland
In response to the story Santana, LaPorta provide two reasons to keep an eye on the Cleveland Indians: Terry Pluto, cleveland.com reader mosescleaveland is hoping the Tribe's youngsters are laying the foundation for a good run next season. This reader writes,
"This team is starting to remind me of the 2004 Indians that were bad but had some hot streaks and gave us a preview of their young talent. The question is will we be to compile enough talent before its time to trade these new guys and rebuild again?"
"This is a win-win situation. If he plays well, he will get paid, either in Cleveland or elsewhere. He will be extremely motivated in his contract year to prove he is worth a multi-year deal." - d3dawgpound
In response to the story Cleveland Browns safety Abe Elam: 'There will be no hard feelings', cleveland.com reader d3dawgpound thinks Elam and the Browns ended up in a good situation for both. This reader writes,
"This is a win-win situation. If he plays well, he will get paid, either in Cleveland or elsewhere. He will be extremely motivated in his contract year to prove he is worth a multi-year deal."
Plain Dealer reporter Elton Alexander, today's guest, checks in from the second day of the LeBron James Skills Academy for premier high school and college players at the University of Akron.
Welcome to today's edition of Starting Blocks TV, our Web video show about what's going on in Cleveland sports. Today's show is hosted by Bill Lubinger and Chuck Yarborough. Today's highlights:
• In the summer of NBA free agency, vote in today's Starting Blocks poll that asks which of the many big-name free agents are most likely to end up playing together next season.
• Plain Dealer reporter Elton Alexander, today's guest, checks in from the second day of the LeBron James Skills Academy for premier high school and college players at the University of Akron. Alexander also talks about James' surprise early appearance Monday and how James and Cavs 2009 first-round draft pick Christian Eyenga looked playing pickup games.
Starting Blocks TV will return Tuesday. Tuesday's guest is Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff. Do you have a question for Manoloff? Post it in the comments below and we'll try to ask Manoloff during the show.
New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has only owned his team for a short time, but his short time in the NBA doesn't mean he doesn't know about the league where he owns a team. Prokhorov says Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will play for the Miami Heat next season. ESPN's Chris Broussard writes that Prokhorov has another belief....
New Jersey Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov has only owned his team for a short time, but his short time in the NBA doesn't mean he doesn't know about the league where he owns a team.
Prokhorov says Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will play for the Miami Heat next season.
ESPN's Chris Broussard writes that Prokhorov has another belief.
Another of Prokhorov's beliefs is that if LeBron James joins Wade and Bosh in Miami, The King could win "two or three titles" but "diminish the LeBron brand" because he'd be winning with such a power-packed lineup.
Those are two of the convictions the New Jersey Nets' billionaire Russian owner shared with his inner circle of executives before boarding his private jet and leaving the United States over the weekend.
After meeting with The Big Three of this summer's free agent class -- James, Wade and Bosh -- last week, Prokhorov held a conference call with some of his top executives from the Nets and Onexim, his holding company, to discuss his strategy and impressions.
The Nets were the first of six teams to meet with James last week. Prokhorov hopes the Nets made enough of a lasting impression.
Prokhorov, writes Broussard, says becoming a member of the Nets, would give James the best opportunity to build a dynasty, become a champion and emerge as a global icon. To assure James of winning, Prokhorov said the Nets would pursue a trade for Chris Paul. He admits it could "take a year for the young roster to grow" but that after adding the right pieces around James, the Nets could win the NBA title two years from now.
Miller time?
ESPN's J.A. Adande writes how free agent Mike Miller could possibly become teammates with LeBron James.
Miller has sat down with the Heat, Clippers and Knicks, three teams with an abundance of salary cap space. But Miller could settle for the mid-level exception on a good team.
That would include the Cavaliers if LeBron returns. Not only is Miller tight with James he’s also friends with Antawn Jamison, who was traded to Cleveland by the Wizards last season in the post-Gilbert’s Guns breakup of the team. Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant put in a call to Miller at the onset of the free agency period, and Cleveland remains a viable option for him.
Delay
LeBron James has not made a decision on where he will play next season, but neither has Chris Bosh nor Dwyane Wade.
So much has changed since the free agency period began last week. There was talk that Wade wanted Bosh and James to play with him in Miami. Now it doesn't appear that is likely.
Reporter John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times writes:
The only certainty with any of the three aforementioned free agents is that Bosh in not returning to the Toronto Raptors. After that, it's nothing more than a guessing game.
Still, the longer it takes Wade and James to make a decision, the more likely it becomes that they'll stay put. That's just a feeling I have.
LeBron James and Chris Bosh could play together, and it could be in Cleveland, writes ESPN's Chris Broussard. Broussard writes that everything is in line for this happened, except Bosh's approval. The Toronto Raptors have told the Cleveland Cavaliers they will do a sign-and-trade with them for Bosh, according to several league sources. The exact details of the potential trade...
LeBron James and Chris Bosh could play together, and it could be in Cleveland, writes ESPN's Chris Broussard.
Broussard writes that everything is in line for this happened, except Bosh's approval.
The Toronto Raptors have told the Cleveland Cavaliers they will do a sign-and-trade with them for Bosh, according to several league sources.
The exact details of the potential trade have not been solidified, but Toronto likely would get Anderson Varejao and/or J.J. Hickson, Delonte West and perhaps Anthony Parker. A draft pick could be involved as well.
Broussard writes that James and Bosh are aware of such a trade, and James has tried to recruit Bosh to the Cavaliers several times in the past few weeks, according to sources. But right now, Bosh remains cold to the idea of playing in Cleveland.
