COREY KLUBER: A YEAR IN MEMES

I'm not sure that the Indians have another miracle in their sleeves.  But the real silver lining has come in the form of Corey Kluber.  As far as my Indians season has went he has undoubtedly been the star.  So here is my Corey Kluber year in review...

WHY WE SHOULDN'T FEEL SO BAD ABOUT THE TRIBE

The 2014 Cleveland Indians were an unlikely team.  A big batch of likable guys that just one season ago perpetrated a minor miracle to get into the post season.  Despite fizzling out in the wild card game last year, many fans were excited to see what this season was going to offer.  Unfortunately this season hasn't quite lived up to expectations.  But I really don't think that is very fair, because this team hung around in the playoff race much longer than they probably should have.  Here is my list of reasons that we shouldn't feel like this season was a waste, because we shouldn't even have been .500.

Corey Kluber:
In April our ace was Justin Masterson, and very quickly we realized that Masty was no ace.  In fact in the first couple weeks of the year it looked like we didn't have anyone that could even be close to considered an ace.  Then along came Corey Kluber.

The man who never smiles managed to continued to improve all season long.  And responded to an All-Star snub by becoming an elite Major League pitcher.  While I'm not going to bore you with his amazing stat lines from this season, you can see above that his efforts will not go unnoticed during the offseason awards.

We are among the bottom 5 payroll in all of baseball:
The Dolans are cheap, and where we stand in the rankings of baseball payroll doesn't exactly lump us in with the contenders, it barely qualifies for a team around .500.  To make matters worse most of that said payroll was used on Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn.  Bourn did a good job when he was out there, but spend a good amount of time this year on the DL.  And Nick Swisher was abysmal before his season ended due to knee surgery.  So the old saying, "You get what you pay for," doesn't seem to apply to this year's team.  We should be extremely proud that this team was able to keep themselves in it for so long.

So here's to hoping for maybe a little effort in the offseason combined with a healthy Bourn next year.  And a rebuilt Nick Swisher...

We didn't even have a left hander in our rotation to start the year:
No offense to the team, but the offseason wasn't exactly world beating.  We signed David Murphy, who really showed up during clutch situations, and John Axford who was essentially given to Pittsburgh.  But outside of that we were probably most hurt by not being able to get Scott Kasmir back in an Indians uniform.  Instead we went with five right handed arms, which is a dream come true for most major league hitters over the course of a three game series.

The bright side came in the form of T.J. House a young lefty, who was able to solidify his spot in the rotation at the season progressed.  Here at the end of the season he has almost done a better job than Kluber.  House provides us with a bit more stability in the rotation heading into this next offseason.

We were the worst fielding team in the MLB:
Not that is something to tip your cap on, but it is a testament to the pitching staff.  No team that is as bad at the fundamentals of defense should have won as many games as us... period.

We didn't hit well:
Once again a feather in the pitching staff's cap.  We were inconsistent at best on the offensive side of the ball.  In fact we scored less runs than even the last place Twins... let that digest.  Remind me again how we stayed .500.

We traded our ace and one of our veteran bats for prospects:
This was an issue that I probably caused the most people to lash out me for my opinion on.  While I agreed with many people that Justin Masterson wasn't performing well enough to stay in the rotation, I simply took the side that teams that contend don't make trades that don't improve the current roster.  It just doesn't happen that way.  Contenders buy veterans, pretenders sell them for prospects.

That is what made it crazier when the Indians traded mainstay Asdrubal Cabrera for a young prospect.  Once again a bizarre move for a team still in the playoff hunt.  Considering we didn't trade for any veteran help and just plugged in prospects to their spots, the team rallied time and again keeping them very much in the hunt for postseason.

We discovered Jose Ramirez because of the bizarre roster moves: 
In a year that had many people clamoring for minor league phenom Francisco Lindor to step up and take over the shortstop duties, when the job came available it was given to Jose Ramirez.  After a slow start he soon became a very solid player at the position.  In fact several of the prospects have come in and done a great job.  Again something you won't normally see out of a team in the playoff hunt.

So I'm not going to cry for the Indians.  I am going to sit back and see what happens to this roster in the offseason.  But I'm proud of this year's team, let's face it... they really shouldn't have been so interesting.

ALL-STAR GAME OR RIDICULOUS DEREK JETER COMMERCIAL?

Once upon a time the All-Star Game was called the "Midsummer Classic."  It was supposed to be a showcase of the best players of each league facing off in an exhibition game, so the fans could see their favorite players all in one place for one night only.  The process isn't perfect.  Allowing the fans to vote for the starters have created some curious choices over the years.  But it also ensured that players that fans want to see play there get to see action, regardless of how much or little they actually deserve the honor.

This year I thought things got a bit out of hand.  Derek Jeter's season long farewell tour made its final stop at the All-Star Game on Tuesday.  The fans certainly did their part in getting them there, because his 2 HRs and 25 RBIs certainly weren't among the leaders at his position.  While I'm not trying to diminish what Jeter accomplished in his career, he certainly wasn't the ideal candidate in 2014.

Just because he wasn't totally deserving of an All Star role this year isn't my issue, that certainly isn't unprecedented.  What bugged me was how this game was turned into some bizarre Derek Jeter drool fest.  While I don't mind admitting that Jeter had a good career, blatant player worship isn't something I am prepared to give a guy who never did a lick of good for any of my teams.

People were telling me that I "have to like Jeter," no offense but no I don't.  Some people told me that I must respect him because he is a Yankee.  Saying that I don't like the Yankees may be the understatement of the year.  I can't stand the team, its fans, the way they rob the small market teams of their talent.  Just because suddenly I live in the bandwagon capital of the world doesn't mean I am going to start liking the Yankees because they are perpetually stocked with stars.

I've been told I have to like him because he "did things the right way."  That being a reference to the fact to played for one team his entire career.  That again I can't get behind because you will never be able to convince me that if Jeter came up through the Indians organization that he wouldn't have left for New York the first chance he got.  So you can also shove that theory as well.

Finally I was told that I had to like him because he was a great player.  And finally thank you again for attempting to impose your Yankee bandwagon spirit on me.  Sorry I require the players I like to have done something positive for one of my teams.  Rooting for Jeter in my eyes would be the same as rooting for the Steelers in the Super Bowl, it wont happen.

I had one All Star at Minnesota, and his name is Michael Brantley.  And to be honest the part about this All Star Game that made me the maddest wasn't the demand for Jeter respect, but the lack of respect for the other players in the game.  As much as the MLB pisses and moans about attendance and lack of interest in the game these days, they seriously dropped the ball.

The Jeter hype certainly overshadowed this game.  The All Star Game is typically used to be a platform for showcasing the league's top talent.  And instead of hyping up the league's future, they simply celebrated a closing chapter from the league's past.  If we were going to pine on the past where were the tributes to guys like Tony Gwynn, Don Zimmer, and Jim Fregosi who we lost in the past year?

So I am very disappointed in the MLB for completely ignoring the players that are carrying the league forward into the future.  Derek Jeter's legend will live on well past his playing days, so I really didn't need him crammed down my throat at the All-Star Game.

What do you think about it. Tell me on Twitter @BrownsMemes 

       

INDIANS DANCE PARTY!

Maybe Nick Swisher really is a good cheerleader, Carlos Santana actually broke out of his slump a little.

Michael Brantley knows that the Indians offensive woes can't be pinned on him.

Good Guy David Murphy is getting his goodness back.

Corey Kluber is joining in the fun!

The last thing Yan Gomes needed was another nickname, but I couldn't help myself.

Of course Old Man Atchison is going to disco.

And I don't know what Jason Kipnis and Asdrubal Cabrera are doing.

MY NICK SWISHER CONUNDRUM

Very early on when I started posting my jokes on Cleveland Sports I was asked about what I was going to do when one of our teams was successful.  It made sense, because at the time I had Brandon Weeden and Greg Little to provide me with all of the jokes I could handle.  So yes most were negative, and I assured him that in due time I felt that the negative jokes would be aimed at the other team.

But as baseball season rolled around I realized that there was an issue with the 2014 Cleveland Indians, they are too likeable.  I love these guys.  There is Kluber and his serious face, Good Guy David Murphy, Tony Plush, Old Man Atchison, Yanimal, Carlos Santana, Lonnie Baseball, and Swisher himself.  What would I do if they didn't finish the business this year?  I can be more lenient to a baseball team.  Each game isn't as important as a football game.  It is much easier to give up on a football team's season 4 weeks in than it is a baseball team 4 weeks in.  But if it got bad, how rotten could I get?

I hate ragging on pro athletes.  I am not a pro caliber athlete in any sport, so when I pick on a guy it doesn't mean that I am saying that I could do any better.  But it is important to remember that us fans make professional sports possible.  We have to pay for tickets to see them perform, we buy overpriced food, drinks, and merchandise to keep the train rolling.  It is an entertainment industry that feeds on passion for winning and disappointment in losing.  So in my eyes that if I am going to praise our players for doing well, not commenting on failures would render that meaningless.  Being a fan means being there for the good and bad times. 

My first post of this blog explained why I was so hard on Brandon Weeden.  The Browns were easy to rag on, they won 4 games and looked horrible.  And I guess I haven't been totally nice to the Indians.  I got Carlos Santana this season...

I let Asdrubal Cabrera represent the horrible defense the Indians have played... 

But then there is Nick Swisher.  I love Swisher.  He gets the whole entertainment aspect of the game.  His attitude towards the fans is awesome.  He says the right things, his energy is infectious.  And as of the time I write this he has the 2nd worst batting average among league qualifiers.  He's not hitting for power, driving in runs, or contributing very much at all.  

The Bro-hio army is dwindling fast.  He's putting up numbers like he's a shortstop from the 80's.  He is perhaps the most obvious guy to be blowing up at on a team that can't stay about .500.  He has spend a fair majority of the season below the "Mendoza Line" 

In my eyes he is still below it... 

But all that isn't even ragging on him, those are just facts.  You can find facts on most other people's blogs. You come to me for my jokes, and I can't pull the trigger on the guy.  I'm getting soft I tell you.

Follow me on Twitter @BrownsMemes  

LONNIE BASEBALL

I love Tom Hamilton, part of it is his brutal honesty.  I remember last season when Tom really began letting Lonnie Chisenhall have it.  He wasn't alone, at times it looked like the MLB might be a little overwhelming for the former 1st round pick.  That's why this year feels great!

Lonnie Chisenhall came into the 2014 season with some purpose.  And now with his batting average approaching the coveted .400 mark this deep into the season, and a new found talent for hitting lefties Lonnie has been dubbed "Lonnie Baseball."

Now if he could only play defense he would be the "Goodest Guy" ever...

But when you are hitting like Lonnie is, who really cares?  All I know is that he has been scaring the tar out of pitchers.

Unfortunately, while he has been a standout, he has been overlooked on the All-Star Ballot.  So you may want to do your part and go give him a write in vote HERE.  I did, and since the Padres did their part in making me laugh I may have went a bit overboard...

So lets get this kid in the All-Star game!