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May 9, 2008 - By Steve Buffum
Paul Byrd's performance against the ... wait, there goes a homer ... Yankees was not particularly sharp ... wait, there goes another homer ... but Buff can still find things in yesterday's loss ... wait, there goes another homer ... to write about, including some nice offense from improbable sources, an update ... wait, there goes another homer ... on the bullpen, and a categorization of Mike Mussina's new pitching arsenal. The B-List recaps the game ... oops, false alarm ... while wondering if the upcoming 4-game set against Toronto will feature double-digit runs ... by either team ... all together.
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May 9, 2008 - By Tony Lastoria
You know the drill by now. Tony Lastoria spends each baseball season visiting all the Indians minor league affiliates, talking to players and coaches and watching ball games. He then cranks out Minor Happenings for us each week, by far the most comprehensive compilation of information on the Cleveland Indians farm system, and a huge asset to this website. This week, Tony hits on the great starts to the season for Jeremy Sowers and Chuck Lofgren and talks about the guy he sees as the Indians future third baseman.
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May 9, 2008 - By Jesse Lamovsky
The Cavaliers played about a half-quarter of outstanding basketball on Thursday night. The other three-and-a-half were a pit of relentless suck, a pit as deep as the 0-2 hole they’re in as they go back to Cleveland, having absorbed an 89-73 thumping at the hands of the Celtics. It was another horrific night for LeBron James, the second leg of probably the worst back-to-back performance of his career. Will things improve at the Q? They’d better. Or this series will be over, quickly.
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May 8, 2008 - By Steve Buffum
Buff does not do justice to Cliff Lee in today's B-List, because no one can. However, he does discuss how the Indians can actually score runs, how relief pitchers named Raffy are handy, and addresses a topic no man should have to: Travis Hafner and the Worst Plate Appearance in the World. The Indians go for the sweep today in the Battle of the Old: go Tribe!
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May 8, 2008 - By Jesse Lamovsky
When it comes to Tuesday's game one heartbreaking loss to the Celtics, some fans have taken the optimistic view, some the pessimistic. But the bottom line remains ... if we lose tonight, we need to win four out of five against the winningest team in basketball this season to avoid going home. It's a big game this evening Cavs fans. 7 PM on ESPN. And Jesse Lamovsky previews tonights tilt for us in this excellent column. GO CAVS!
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May 8, 2008 - By Mansfield Lucas
If you've been reading Mansfield Lucas here at TCF these last couple years, you know that fans don't come anymore diehard than this cat. And today, he gets loose on the frontrunning Clevelanders that show up at games to cheer against the home team, and for the flavor of the month teams that visit. The Yankees fans at The Prog, the chumps that we'll see in Garnett jerseys this weekend at The Q. You know the lot. Good stuff from Mansfield ...
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May 7, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
Never let it be said that professional sports has no bearing on real life. LeBron James, through persistent tormenting of the Washington Wizards and their fans, scored you a nearly-free Thursday dinner. LeBron's response to the Papa John's crybaby t-shirts? 27, 13, and 13 in leading the Cavs to a rout over the Wizards in their own crib to finish them off in game six. Now, coming off a 2-18, 10 turnover performance ... can the King respond again?
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May 7, 2008 - By Bob Fergus
The Pittsburgh Steelers surrendered the sixth most sacks in football last year, and lost seven time Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to free agency. Coach Mike Tomlin was on record heading into the 2008 NFL Draft with one clear goal: improve the offensive and defensive lines. That's not what happened though. Rashard Mendenhall and Limas Sweed slipped to their slots in the 1st and 2nd round, jumbling their draft strategy. Will it pay off? Bob Fergus takes a look at the Steelers draft.
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May 7, 2008 - By Steve Buffum
Last night's game was one of those where the emotion shifts from despair to joy in one swing of the bat. The swing came courtesy of David Dellucci, and Buff addresses this, the quality of the bullpen, why players with arms are valuable, and much more in today's B-List. Can't wait for tonight's pitching matchup: Go Tribe!
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May 7, 2008 - By Nick Allburn
What a weird basketball game. The Cavs hold Ray Allen SCORELESS, Paul Pierce to 2-14 from the floor, force 21 Celtic turnovers, and hit 22-26 from the foul line. And lose. How you ask? The Cavs shot 30% from the floor. LeBron was 2-18 with 10 turnovers. And KG just killed us, scoring 28 of the Celtics 76 points on a dizzying array of jumpers and bank shots over Ben Wallace and Joe Smith. The Cavs fell, 76-72, and Nick Allburn checks in to tell us about it.
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May 6, 2008 - By Jarad Regano
With pretty much everyone returning from an AL contending team that took the Red Sox to a seventh game in the ALCS, there was plenty of reason for hope and optimism that the Indians would finally win a ring this year. However, the start of the 2008 season has been rough for the Indians and for many fans those feelings of optimsim have disappeared right along with the Indians hitting. With a little over a month of the season in the books, Regano takes the half full and half empty approach to assess ownership, the front office, the coaching staff and players.
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May 6, 2008 - By Tony Lastoria
With all three teams in Cleveland now contenders all at once, for Cleveland to win a championship over the next few years in any sport that road will have to go through....Boston. A rivalry is being born between the two cities, which was kickstarted last October when the Indians and Red Sox squared off in the ALCS. Now, the Celtics arguably are the best team in the NBA after a 66-16 regular season and are poised to make an NBA Finals run, but the Cavaliers stand in their way. With that, another war between Boston and Cleveland gets set to tip tonight, and our panel of writers offer up their predicitions.
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May 6, 2008 - By Paul Cousineau
Heading into the 2008 season, the Indians' offense was thought to be a decent offense built around a few exceptional hitters with the rest of the lineup filled with young projectable hitters or role players. Instead, through the first week of May the Indians' offense has fallen flat on their collective face with no obvious turnaround and a lineup full of players not meeting (much less exceeding) expectations that were held for them as 2008 dawned. Paulie Couz breaks it down in his latest.
May 5, 2008 - By Gary Benz
It's reasonably accepted in baseball circles that good pitching tends to beat good hitting. It's why general managers build teams from the pitching mound out. But following the Cleveland Indians this season, particularly in the last seven days, what we've learned is that it's equally true that bad pitching also beats bad hitting. Gary makes the case that after manager Eric Wedge's comments on Sunday that hitting coach Derek Shelton may be on the hot seat.
May 5, 2008 - By Steve Buffum
The Indians' best game of the three-game series against Kansas City came Friday, when they were rained out. In today's B-List, Buff touches on a second straight excellent performance by Aaron Laffey, the return of the Inning of Crap, and an offense even a mother would not love, but would consider leaving on a hilltop to die of exposure. Remember to mail Buff those contest entries as soon as you remember them.
May 5, 2008 - By Brian McPeek
It's time once again for The Weekend Wrap here at The Cleveland Fan. And this week, it would be much more enjoyable were it only the Friday Night Wrap, but Brian McPeek is bound by some funny contract language to actually report on the entire weekend. So that means some Indians offensive offense commentary. For his sake, maybe we can change his contract to only require the number of words dedicated to the Indians in "The Wrap" to equal Indian hits over the weekend.
May 4, 2008 - By Mitch Cyrus
The Summer Blockbuster Season has begun with a Bang, as "Iron Man" totally destroyed at the box office, raking in more in its first weekend than any non-sequel movie other than the first "Spider-Man". Box Office is one thing, but was the non-traditional choice of Robert Downey Jr. a hit or a miss? The critics say "yes", but what does Mitch think?
May 4, 2008 - By Bob Fergus
Great little series we continue today from Bob Fergus. In it, he takes a team by team look at the 2008 NFL Draft efforts of the Browns three division rivals in Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. Part one covered the STD capital of America. Today, the organization that wishes its biggest problem was some STDs. When you talk Bengal football, there are only two topics: How many points did they allow, or how many days of community service are the about to perform. Marvin Lewis set out to fix both issues in the 2008 Draft. How does Bob think he did?
May 4, 2008 - By Erik Cassano
After three home routs over the Hawks in games 1, 2, and 5, the Celtics are big favorites to win and advance to play the Cavs in the second round tomorrow afternoon. But seventh games do not fall under the umbrella of death, taxes or any of the other guarantees in life. So the Hawks, who have done so much to frustrate the more-talented Celtics over the past two weeks, have at least a fighter's chance on Sunday. It begs the question, if you're a Cavs fan, who should you be rooting for on Sunday? Don't utter the knee-jerk response of "Atlanta, of course" just yet. Let's take a look at this in more detail.
May 3, 2008 - By Gary Benz
It's a popular debate these days. The old print sports media versus sites like this, bloggers, and the new online sports media. Bob Costas, on his usually insightful HBO show, Bob Costas Now, took the debate front and center this past week with a variety of panels and commentators, which included Browns reciever Braylon Edwards. Gary Benz watched it, and has his own thoughts on the matter, which he lays out in his latest column for us.
May 3, 2008 - By John Hnat
We came. We saw. We kicked their ass. WHAT A GAME last night in D.C.! LeBron was LeBron with a ho hum 27, 13, and 13 triple double. And Wally and Boobie ... the duo combined for 48 points, including 10 of the Cavs 11 three pointers on the night. Capping off an already great night for Cavs fans, the Hawks did the Celtics in game six, sending that one to seven games and giving the Cavs a couple extra days to rest. The Anti-Branson, John Hnat, gives us the good, the bad, and the summary on last nights win.
May 3, 2008 - By Paul Cousineau
April is in the books. It was a disappointing month mostly for the Indians, yet a poor start to the month for the Tigers and a poor close to the month for the White Sox still have the Indians right in the thick of things. As we change the calendar, Paulie's got a mixed bag of tomahawks to hurl at our readers. Paul hits on Betancourt's entry music and the Indians dominant starting pitching ... and shockingly suggests the potential return of Trot Nixon and the post game rally pies.
May 3, 2008 - By Dan Wismar
Coach Tressel has always managed to keep most of Ohio's best talent at home to play for the Buckeyes, and now any doubts that remained about his ability to recruit out-of-state talent in competition with the other national powers have been convincingly put to rest as the Sweater Vest is putting together a 2009 recruiting class for the ages. Landing Terrelle Pryor and four other Parade All-Americans in 2008 has given the Buckeyes some momentum, and so far the Buckeyes are enjoying the ride. Dan Wismar takes a look at how the '09 class is shaping up for us in his latest.
May 2, 2008 - By Mitch Cyrus
It's Mitch Season. After his winter of discontent at the theaters, we will dispatch the trusty Mitch to the theaters 13 times in the next 13 weeks to review all the spring's hottest movies for us. And what a start ... as Mitch will hit the theaters this weekend to see "Iron Man", which is getting ridiculously good reviews. Look for Mitch's thoughts on it in the next couple days here on our front page. In the meantime, it's The Crystal Ball.