MLB FanHouse

Footprints in the Snow: Indians

Tom Fornelli — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST

Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.

The baseball season ended in a way that Cleveland Indians fans had been dreaming it would for a few years. There starting in a World Series game were CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. The only problem was neither was wearing a Cleveland Indians uniform.

Needless to say the 2009 season was not kind to the Indians.

Last winter they hit the free-agent market to bring in guys like Mark DeRosa, Carl Pavano and Kerry Wood. By the time the season had ended, only Wood remained on the team, and he wasn't used very often since Cleveland didn't have much use for a closer.

Now they enter the winter with a brand new manager and some talented players, but if you're hoping for some kind of turnaround in Cleveland next season, then you should probably see a doctor because your dementia has taken a severe turn for the worse.

More Footprints in the Snow

Who Might Leave

Jamey Carroll, 2B

Shopping List

After reading that list of players who might be leaving via free agency this winter, you're probably thinking that it isn't much. You're right, it isn't, but that's only because the team traded everybody else away last summer. Since we're calling this section the "Shopping List" the best way I can think of to describe Cleveland's plan this winter is to go back to the grocery store and try and return everything they bought on their last visit. Then, using whatever store credit they can get, they'll go to the produce section and buy some fruit that hasn't ripened yet in hopes that one day it'll taste really good.

It's hard to come up with a list of what the Indians need and might go after since they need so many different things, and don't really have the money to buy everything they need. Odds are they'll be spending a lot of their winter trying to sell off any large contract they have that doesn't belong to Grady Sizemore to decrease a payroll that was $81 million to start last season.

Money Matters

Considering the Indians finished 26th in attendance last season and aren't likely to boost those numbers in 2010, that number is going to be coming down.

If they can somehow find a team that would be willing to take on Jake Westbrook's $11 million contract for a prospect or two, general manager Mark Shapiro will jump at the chance. Same story for Travis Hafner's albatross, though you'd have better luck finding the fountain of youth than a team willing to take on the three years and $37.5 million -- best extension ever -- left on that contract.

They might be able to find somebody to take Kerry Wood off of their hands though.

As crazy as it would have been to say it only a year ago at this time, don't be shocked at all if the Indians try and move Grady Sizemore next summer for a number of prospects if they're out of the race. Considering Sizemore's age, talent and contract (only $21.6 million through 2012) he is by far the team's best trade chip, and considering the rebuilding process that needs to take place in Cleveland, they're going to have to pull that trigger at some point.

Offseason Goals

The Indians won't be able to do too much on the open market this winter, so odds are that any move they make won't be one that makes national news. They're going to be shopping for some pitching help in the bargain bin, but really the biggest goal the team should be have is trying to win back a fanbase that has seen the organization trade away two Cy Young winners in the last two seasons. That's a goal that's not likely to be achieved until the team starts winning again, which could be a few years away.

Footprints in the Snow: Indians originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cleveland Rocks ... With Regret Over World Series Aces

Ed Price — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, Phillies, Yankees, MLB Playoffs, World Series

NEW YORK -- People in Cleveland will tune in for Game 1 of the World Series, Brian Anderson said, as a sort of masochistic ritual.

Sort of like attending a Browns game.

"Cleveland fans," Anderson told FanHouse on Tuesday, "as much as it kills them to watch things, be part of things, get emotionally involved, they do it anyway. I bet a lot of people watch it for the ironic, do-you-believe-who's-facing-each-other kind of deal."

Who's facing each other is CC Sabathia of the Yankees and Cliff Lee of the Phillies. They were Cleveland Indians teammates just 16 months ago, each winning a Cy Young Award for the Tribe and getting traded the following July.

"It paints a portrait of what could have been, right?" said Philadelphia reliever Chad Durbin, yet another ex-Indian.

But it isn't.

"Cleveland fans as much as it kills them to watch things, ... I bet a lot of people watch it for the ironic, do-you-believe-who's-facing-each-other kind of deal."
-- Brian Anderson, former major league pitcher, who grew up in Cleveland Knowing they couldn't sign Sabathia once he hit free agency last year, the Tribe dealt him to Milwaukee in July 2008. Then this year, when ownership told the front office it would not be able to add payroll over the coming winter, general manager Mark Shapiro decided to deal Lee to Philadelphia and catcher/first baseman Victor Martinez to Boston.

Thus, a team that two years ago was one win from the World Series is now in full rebuilding mode.

"It's got to be tough" for people in Cleveland, Sabathia said.

"They can't be feeling too good about" the Game 1 matchup, Lee said. "It's two guys they could have had on their team."

Anderson said he understands -- but the fans can't -- why Lee, Sabathia and the others have been traded away.

"They say, 'Hey, pay those guys. Keep a winning team on the field,'" said Anderson, a color analyst on Rays broadcasts who grew up in Cleveland, pitched for the Indians (1996-97 and 2003) and still lives there.

"But if you're Mark Shapiro sitting up in your office and the Dolans [owner Larry and brother Paul, the team president] are saying to you, 'We're not ponying up $150 million for anybody,' What are you to do? Most of the bitterness from fans here in Cleveland is more directed at ownership, more than anything."

Sabathia, Lee and Martinez weren't the only ex-Indians in the 2009 postseason. There was also Boston's Paul Byrd, the Dodgers' Casey Blake and Ronnie Belliard, Minnesota's Carl Pavano, Philadelphia's Ben Francisco and St. Louis' Mark DeRosa. Plus Phillies manager Charlie Manuel, who was the Indians manager from 2000-02.

"It's part of baseball," Francisco said. "People change teams all the time."

Lee and Sabathia remain close. When the Indians came to Yankee Stadium for its regular-season opener in April (Lee won that game for Cleveland while Sabathia got no decision), Lee went to Sabathia's New Jersey house for dinner.

"My wife cooked, and he came over and hung out," Sabathia said. "That's just how we are. We've always been pretty close, pretty cool. The conversations are really never about baseball, though."

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World Series 2009

Philadelphia Phillies' Jayson Werth raises his arms for a baseball during team workouts at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Daily News

World Series

MCT

Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard waits to enter the field before workouts at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel and catcher Carlos Ruiz walk onto the field before workouts at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins throws a ball during team workouts at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday. (David Maialetti/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Phillies' Cliff Lee, the starting pitcher against the New York Yankees for Game 1 of the 2009 World Series, talks to the media during a press conference at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins laughs after fielding a ground ball during team workouts at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

Philadelphia Phillies' Chase Utley stretches before team workouts at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, New York, on Tuesday, October 27, 2009. The Philadelphia Phillies will face the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the 2009 World Series on Wednesday. (Yong Kim/Philadelphia Daily News/MCT)

MCT

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 27: Cliff Lee #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies speaks to the media after World Series workouts on October 27, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Cliff Lee

Getty Images

NEW YORK - OCTOBER 27: Manager Charlie Manuel of the Philadelphia Phillies speaks to the media after World Series workouts on October 27, 2009 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Charlie Manuel

Getty Images

Lee said it's their "laid-back personalities" and "super-competitive" natures that helped them hit it off.

Sabathia and Lee first met after Lee was called up to the majors in September 2002. Sabathia was 22 and in his second year with the Indians; Lee, 24 at the time, had been acquired from the Expos that June in the Bartolo Colon deal.

In his debut -- 5 1/3 innings, one run against Minnesota -- Lee "went out and dealt," Sabathia said. "He was the Cliff that he is now. He went out and pounded both sides of the plate, attacking, real aggressive in the strike zone, and he's the same guy. His changeup is very underrated. I think a lot of people don't know he has a great changeup. He goes right after you. He's going to be ready tomorrow."

In the five-plus years they spent as teammates, Lee said, Sabathia and Lee pushed and boosted each other on their way to becoming aces.

"I honestly think we both helped each other out along the way and both became better from the relationship that we developed," Lee said. "I got to see him develop from a young pitcher that would ... get mad and throw the ball as hard as he can, to a guy that nothing fazed him and he was totally in control of the game. ... I'd like to think that I had something to do with it, kind of as far as helping him out here and there."

"And the same for him; just rubbing ideas off each other and bouncing ideas back and forth and stuff like that and just talking on the bench, while someone else was pitching, about certain stuff."

In recent weeks, as the Game 1 matchup became more and more possible, they have exchanged text messages frequently.

Sabathia said in recent days he has also received texts from friends in Cleveland, some of whom work for the team, saying "it's going to be weird watching us pitch against each other in the World Series."

Said Manuel: "I don't know what they're thinking in Cleveland, but I know that we're in for a good game. ... This matchup couldn't have been better."

Shapiro on Monday told reporters it would be "bittersweet" watching Lee and Sabathia match up.

"You don't work in this game without building a personal attachment to guys," Shapiro said. "So I look out there and see those two guys, and, as people, I'm excited for them. I'm excited for them to show their talent on that stage, I'm excited for them to get that type of exposure. And yet I'm bitter that they're not doing it in the Indians uniform."

He's not alone.

Anderson said when you take the Browns -- "you hope that they put up a good fight for a half" -- and combine that with "the backhand across the face of Lee and Sabathia, two former Indians from a year or two ago, both Cy Young winners, squaring off in the World Series, it's, 'Of course.' That's the Cleveland sports scene in a nutshell."

"It's a cross between anger and disbelief. It's just turning people into, 'Who cares?' ... People just shake their heads and say, 'This is so Cleveland.'"

Cleveland Rocks ... With Regret Over World Series Aces originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indians Hire Manny Acta as Manager

Pat Lackey — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:56:00 EST

Filed under: Astros, Indians, AL Central, NL Central

The Cleveland Indians announced Sunday afternoon that they've hired Manny Acta as their manager. They also interviewed Bobby Valentine, Torey Lovullo, and Ron Roenicke, while Acta also interviewed for and reportedly rejected the Houston Astros managerial position.

Acta was fired by the Washington Nationals just before this year's All-Star Game after a 26-61 start and a 158-252 record over 2 1/2 seasons in D.C. The interest shown by both the Astros and Indians seems to indicate pretty clearly that teams aren't holding his ugly record over that span against him, though, and he's quickly going to have a chance to rehabilitate his reputation now that he's got another job.

Acta has long been a favorite of the sabermetric crowd (dig out your copy of Baseball Prospectus 2008 or see here for a brief explanation of how his use of defensive shifts and matchups helped cover for his terrible pitching staff in his first season in Washington), and so it makes sense that he'd be a favorite of Mark Shapiro, who certainly has a reputation as a statistically-oriented GM.

It's hard to believe the choice will be popular in Cleveland, though, given Acta's recent history in Washington. Shapiro's public approval is pretty low after the Indians' failure to follow up on their ALCS appearance in 2007 and if Acta can't turn the ship around quickly, this hiring is probably going to be viewed in a negative light.

No pressure, Manny Acta. Just turn a 97-loss team into a contender or face the wrath of Cleveland.

Indians Hire Manny Acta as Manager originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 25 Oct 2009 15:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: Shapiro Narrows It Down

B. Thompson Stroud — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:55:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, AL Central, The Dugout

To me, the playoffs mean one thing: the wise decision-making skills of Cleveland Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro! After firing Jim Thome/snapping turtle hybrid Eric Wedge as the Tribe head coach, Shapiro has really gotten down in the dirt to find a new skipper, looking in the only place you're allowed: the big recycling bin of failed coaches who didn't do a good job somewhere else and were fired by someone else. Why they sound PERFECT!

Fun fact: That guy in the photo to the right was eating in Heritage Park and just throwing his trash on the ground. Thanks a lot for your contributions, Cy Young! Have an eighth of a hot dog!

Tonight's Dugout is after the jump.

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the ramshackle hovel being used as the Cleveland Indians Front Office Chatroom!
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Slider, c'mere. Which one of these guys should I choose to be the new manager?
	PhillieFauxnatic: /nods head, pats GM on back, reads over shoulder
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: I'm leaning toward the guy who bit the rosin bag and threw it like a grenade. I think I can contact him via Youtube. What say you?
	PhillieFauxnatic: /shrugs shoulders, puts hands over mouth
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: What, you can't talk? Since when?
	PhillieFauxnatic: /offers delicious Pizza Pan[TM] brand pizza in form of empty box
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: harumph, get out of my sight.
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Dennis, c'mere. Which one of these guys should I choose to be the new manager?
	InLehmansTerms: I'm not sure I'm qualified to advise you on that, Mark, I'm the Executive Vice President, Business.
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: What does that mean?
	InLehmansTerms: It means I point people toward the LeBron James jerseys.
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: I think we can fix this ballclub, Dennis. And if not, hey, even a broken clock shows Tribe Time twice a day.
	InLehmansTerms: you guys could sell the team to somebody who likes baseball
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: I've narrowed it down to four choices based on the only types of people left willing to coach in Cleveland.
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: My first thought was, "Hey, are there any teams in the Majors WORSE than the Indians?"
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: As it turns out, yes, there was one! So then I got to thinking... why don't we use THEIR coach?
	ActaFool: baseball is all about going out there and giving it your best!
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Ha! Isn't he hilarious? Say something else, Manny!
	ActaFool: a walk is as good as a hit!
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Oh brother! Hey Dennis, this is that "Manny" all the kids in the chatrooms love so much.. "Manny being Manny!"
	InLehmansTerms: I'm not sure that's who they're talking about
	ActaFool: mark that was a lot of coaching for one day, you got a toilet somewhere i could sleep in
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: yeah, you go down the hall out this way through the big doors and keep walking until you see a sign that says "Parma"
	InLehmansTerms: Who is your second choice?
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Question: Who would still think the Indians were gonna turn that corner and become contenders again?
	InLehmansTerms: uh... the great Cleveland fans?
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: no, seriously
	InLehmansTerms: baseball fans who haven't been in the United States for several years?
	MyBobbyValentine: BOOM! Bobby V! Comin' ATCHA!
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Bobby V just lead the Hokkaido Cheese Nips and Ham Sandwiches to a Japanese baseball championship! And I think he's that guy from NC State!
	MyBobbyValentine: I haven't been paying attention to America since 2004! Tell me, is Hoobastank still the ROCKINGEST F***ING BAND EVER?
	InLehmansTerms: I thought you were an ESPN analyst?
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: don't be naive, Dennis, being an "ESPN analyst" is like being a substitute math teacher, you just read from the notes and keep telling the kids you know what you're doing
	MyBobbyValentine: So how about that Keisha Castle-Hughes, huh? What a great little actress, I bet she's got a big future ahead of her!
	InLehmansTerms: so we have to choose between someone who just failed and someone who failed several years ago who is choice number three?
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: Travis Fryman.
	InLehmansTerms: like... actual Travis Fryman?
	MeatwadAndFryman: hey
	InLehmansTerms: Why the hell would you give the job to Travis Fryman?
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: I wouldn't have to buy another hat.
	InLehmansTerms: I don't understand how your brain ... or your face works, but managerial choice #4 had better be Mike freaking Hargrove
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: who?
	InLehmansTerms: The guy who lead the Tribe to five consecutive AL Central Division titles and two World Series appearances?
	InLehmansTerms: he wants to coach again and he wants to do it here, and right now his only job is managing a semi-professional team called the "Liberal BeeJays," a team that I'm pretty sure has Gianna Michaels on the roster
	InLehmansTerms: It's your big chance to correct the mistakes of John Hart and send the Tribe back in the right direction
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: No, choice #4 is this delicious baggie of Jo Jos potato wedges. Mmmm, Jo Jos!
	InLehmansTerms: Why would... WHY?
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: because they are goddamned delicious, that's why
	ActaFool: excuse me, I'll trade you a button I found on the floor for your bag of Jo Jos
	ShapiroAndBallyhoo: That sounds fair!

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: Shapiro Narrows It Down originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:55:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bobby Valentine, Manny Acta, Travis Fryman Named Finalists in Cleveland

Pat Lackey — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:29:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, AL Central, MLB Rumors

The Indians' managerial search has apparently whittled its way down to just three names after a round of phone interviews last week. Paul Hoynes at the Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Indians have called Bobby Valentine, Manny Acta, and Travis Fryman to Cleveland for a second round of interviews and that GM Mark Shapiro is likely to name a manager before the World Series ends.

Valentine's name is the big one that's obviously going to get people talking. He's got over 1,000 career wins and a National League pennant over his 15-year career with the Rangers and the Mets, plus a Japanese Series title in 2005 with the Chiba Lotte Marines. It's been rumored that he's made it clear there are teams he won't manage for in 2010, so presumably the Indians are a job he would want.

The other names are just as interesting to me, though. Acta was supposed to be one of the best managerial prospects in baseball when he was a coach with the Mets. His stint with the Nationals ended poorly, but he did show an ability to think about baseball in a way that would be unconventional for most managers. That might appeal to a GM like Shapiro, who's known for outside-the-box thinking in Cleveland.

Fryman played for the last of the Indians' dominant squads in the late 1990s and now manages their New York-Penn League affiliate in Mahoning Valley, Ohio. He's got considerably less name recognition than the other two names on the list, but Shapiro's familiar with his work and he must be doing something the GM likes if he works in the system and has made it this far in the process.

It's hard to imagine that Valentine isn't the front-runner here, but there certainly seem to be reasons that Shapiro would be equally interested in the other two candidates. Assuming that one of the three guys from this list is hired, we may have an answer before the World Series even starts.

Bobby Valentine, Manny Acta, Travis Fryman Named Finalists in Cleveland originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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John Farrell Not Interested in Indians Job

Pat Lackey — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:19:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, Red Sox, AL Central, AL East, MLB Rumors

It's now ten days after the end of the 2009 baseball season and the only thing the Cleveland Indians know about their vacant managerial position is that it won't be filled by Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell. That's because Farrell, who was initially seen as a front-runner for the job, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer today that while he is interested in managing some day, he's not interested in the Indians job and he'd rather stay in his position in Boston.

As the former farm director in Cleveland under Mark Shapiro, Farrell seemed like maybe the most logical choice for the job, but this isn't the first time he's turned a managerial job down. He was believed to be the frontrunner in 2007 in Pittsburgh, where former Shapiro assistant Neal Huntington is GM, but he also asked for his name to be removed from consideration then, as well.

Farrell mentions that he has a "mutual commitment" with Boston, but since Boston granted him the right to interview earlier in the week it's hard to imagine they'd begrudge him leaving for a managerial position. It could be that he simply likes being a pitching coach or working with the current Boston staff and doesn't want to give that up right now or that he feels too much loyalty towards Terry Francona to bail on his contract. Or it could be that he just doesn't want to manage somewhere like Pittsburgh or Cleveland enough to give up his job in Boston.

It is still early in the Indians' process, so Shapiro should still have plenty of time to find a suitable candidate. The Plain Dealer says that he and his staff are currently narrowing the list down to three to five names, at which point they'll begin face-to-face interviews. There are no names named, but Bobby Valentine's name has cropped up in the past week or so.

John Farrell Not Interested in Indians Job originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cleveland Wants to Interview Farrell, Houston to Interview Everybody Else

Tom Fornelli — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:36:00 EST

Filed under: Astros, Indians, MLB Rumors

While we await the winner of the last Division Series to be settled, a few teams that have already finished their season are in the process of trying to find new managers who can get them to the postseason next year. Two of those teams, the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros, have interest in a couple of coaches from the recently eliminated Boston Red Sox.

The Indians contacted the Red Sox to see if they could interview pitching coach John Farrell as it seems Farrell is Mark Shapiro's top candidate to replace Eric Wedge. Well, Theo Epstein said that Cleveland can talk all they want with Farrell, but odds are he's going to be staying in Boston.

Boston GM Theo Epstein granted the Indians permission to talk Farrell on Monday, the day after the Red Sox were eliminated from the postseason in a three-game sweep by the Angels in the AL Division Series. The feeling, however, is that Farrell is committed to stay in Boston.

Boston GM Theo Epstein told The Associated Press that Farrell would be allowed to interview with the Indians if he wanted. Epstein added that Farrell said he would like to stay in Boston.

When Farrell was asked about the possibility of interviewing in Cleveland while at Fenway Park on Monday he said he hadn't even thought about it yet. So it looks like Shapiro is going to have to look elsewhere.

If he needs help finding some other candidates, he can just take a look at the list of people the Astros are interested in, as they apparently seem intent on interviewing everybody. Possibly even you. The Astros also received permission from the Red Sox to interview their coaches, Tim Bogar and Brad Mills, but those are only two of the many possibilities.

The Astros released the names of all 10 managerial candidates and the interview times on Monday afternoon. Interim manager Dave Clark and Astros Minor League field coordinator Al Pedrique will be the first two candidates to interview on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park.

[Ned} Yost and San Diego Padres hitting coach Randy Ready will interview Thursday, [Bob] Melvin and former Washington Nationals manager Manny Acta on Friday, [Phil] Garner on Saturday and Boston Red Sox bench coach Brad Mills and Red Sox first base coach Tim Bogar on Monday.

Houston has also contacted the Phillies about interviewing bench coach Pete Mackanin, and have gotten permission to do so, but they'll have to wait until the Phillies are done playing in the postseason before they're able to sit down with him.

Cleveland Wants to Interview Farrell, Houston to Interview Everybody Else originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:36:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Indians' Eric Wedge Has Been Fired

Tom Fornelli — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:10:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, AL Central

The final six games of the 2009 season for the Cleveland Indians will be the final six games of manager Eric Wedge's tenure as manager as well. The team announced on Wednesday that they have relieved Wedge and his entire coaching staff of their duties, effective at the end of this season. A press conference has been scheduled for 1:30 at Progressive Field to make the announcement.

The news doesn't come as much of a surprise with the Indians currently battling to stay out of last place in the AL Central when the season began with expectations that they'd be contending for the division title.

Wedge took over the Indians managerial job in 2003, taking over for Charlie Manuel after he was fired in the 2002 season. In his seven seasons as Indians manager Wedge has compiled a record of 560-568 and won only one division title in 2007.

In that season the Indians went to the ALCS and had a three games to one lead on the Boston Red Sox before losing three straight and being eliminated. Since then the upward trend of the team under Wedge has gone completely downhill, as the Indians had to put on a late charge at the end of last season just to finish at .500 and they're currently 28 games under this season.

As our own Jeff Fletcher points out, Wedge is now the third manager of the four who reached the LCS in 2007 to no longer have a job, joining Colorado's Clint Hurdle and Arizona's Bob Melvin.

Indians' Eric Wedge Has Been Fired originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 30 Sep 2009 12:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Washington Won't Be Only Century City

Ed Price — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Braves, Indians, Mariners, Nationals, Orioles, Pirates, Red Sox, Rockies, Royals, MLB Injuries, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
One team has 100 defeats, two more could follow -- and there could even be a record-tying four 100-loss teams.

The Nationals on Thursday fell to 52-100 with their 7-6 loss to the Dodgers. And the Pirates are 56-95 after a 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Reds.

Anyone want to bet Pittsburgh -- 3-23 since Aug. 28 -- goes better than 6-5 in its final three series against Los Angeles, Chicago and Cincinnati?

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

The other two candidates to hit the century mark are Baltimore (60-92) and Cleveland (61-91). The Orioles have lost seven straight while the Indians have dropped 11 in a row, one off the team-record skid set in 1931.

We'd bet on both teams to reach 100 losses but for one small detail: They play each other this weekend.

Which means someone's losing streak ends tonight. And the only way for both teams to lose 100 is if Baltimore wins two of three this weekend and both teams then drop their final seven games.

Which, considering how these teams are going, isn't out of the realm of possibility.

The only time four teams lost 100 games in the same season was 2002 -- Detroit, Milwaukee, Tampa Bay and Kansas City. There have been seven other seasons with three 100-loss teams, but only once (1985) since it happened four times in five years after the 1961 expansion.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez -- who has hit .297 with a .601 slugging percentage since Aug. 7 -- has missed two straight games with a tight left hamstring.

"We are backing off," [manager Jim] Tracy said. "He will be available to hit. But I wouldn't put him out there where he has to run. The injury is near the bottom of the hamstring so we have to be very careful."

Numbers Game ...
Boston's Clay Buchholz allowed fewer than two runs for the fourth straight start, pitching 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a win at Kansas City. Since Sept. 8, Buchholz is 3-0 with a 0.70 ERA, 18 hits allowed (one homer) and 19 strikeouts in 25 2/3 innings.

In Their Own Words ...
"I'd vote for Greinke, he's doing a great job. He's tough, he's nasty." -- Seattle ace Felix Hernandez (who improved to 17-5 Thursday with a win in Toronto) on the debate over whether he or Kansas City's Zack Greinke should win the AL Cy Young Award

Advance Scouting ...
If the Braves are going to make a dramatic charge to the playoffs, this is the weekend to gain major ground. Atlanta -- 3 1/2 games behind Colorado -- opens a three-game series in Washington Friday night (7:05 PM ET), while the Rockies host the NL Central-leading Cardinals for three (8:10 PM ET). The Braves passed the Giants, who stayed four back of the Rockies with Thursday's loss to the Cubs.

Starting Five: Washington Won't Be Only Century City originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now Finale

B. Thompson Stroud — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Indians, NL West, The Dugout

The 1997 Cleveland Indians have finally been reassembled on the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers, and it is up to venerable Dugout protagonists Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez to lead them through the playoffs and to the promised land, whether they've been there already or not.

If you have not been reading our end of the season special event and want anything you're about to read to make sense, please catch up by reading the first seven parts linked conveniently below. Part "The End" is after the jump.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers Chatroom!
	KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight: I'M SOOOOO SORRY TO JIM THOME AND MANNY RAMIREZ. I TALKED TO MARQUIS GRISSOM RIGHT AFTER AND HE SAID THE SAME THING MY MOTHER WOULD'VE SAID!
	KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight: YOU GUYS ARE VERY TALENTED! i LIKE THE PART WHERE YOU TRY TO TYPE JIM AND THEN ACCIDENTALLY HIT ENTER
	KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight: MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT I WILL APOLOGIZE 2 U 2MRW, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT I AM GREAT AND POP CULTURE BUT SORRY AGAIN, ONE LOVE, PEACE OUT
	Online Host Kanye is exhausted having typed more than 140 characters in a sitting, and has left the chatroom.
	MannyTheTorpedoes: help me jim tommy
	WordUpThome: WHAT'S THE MATTER, LITTLE BUDDY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: i assidenally look at kanyay west head circles an now i know the histary of the ottobots
	WordUpThome: IT LOOKS LIKE A LONELY SATELLITE IS USING A LASER TO DRAW PICTURES OF THINGS IT REMEMBERS INTO HIS HAIR
	MannyTheTorpedoes: his hare scare me who goes outdoorse with a hairgut so dum
	WordUpThome: YEAH REALLY AND WHY IS HE TYPING IN ALL CAPS, THAT IS SO ANNOYING
	KenanAndQuel: if you guys think that is funny, I've got a great video of a cat playing the keyboard that you'd be interested in
	MannyTheTorpedoes: lol doan fall for it it is rigroll
	ProblemGiles2: Can you hurry up and tell us what we're supposed to do? I've got to pee and there aren't any rookies on this team
	CarsonCrusher: hey if you need to go, would you mind peeing in this cup for me, I need it for for no reason
	ProblemGiles2: nah I can't go right now, there are too many people not looking at me
	CriminalJustice: I could beat the piss out of you, if it would help.
	ProblemGiles2: sorry, my vagina isn't small enough, I don't think you could take me
	WordUpThome: COULD I HAVE EVERYONE'S ATTENTIONS PLEASE
	WordUpThome: IT FEELS GREAT TO BE A PART OF A TEAM DESTINED TO BRING A CHAMPIONSHIP CITY LIKE CLEVELAND TO THE SUCCESS-STARVED PEOPLES OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
	SandAndDeliver: Now that he mentioned it, I've got to go to the bathroom, too
	FernandezWarrior: I'm going to go get a drink refill. You know you can get unlimited refills on any drink you want... and it's free?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: plz hold all bladdars until the en of motorvational speech
	WordUpThome: THANKS AGAIN HANDY MANNY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: hanny manny loogs like bob builder had babby with dora the splorer
	WordUpThome: I KNOW SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HAD DIFFICULTIES ADJUSTING TO THE FAST PASTE LIFE OF L.A.
	MoralOrel: Not really.
	MyThreeDads: no I still have my hat !!!
	WordUpThome: SO I WANT TO ATOMICALLY LEG DROP YOU ULTIMATE WORRIERS WITH A STORY ABOUT MY FIRST DAY IN THE BIGGED CITY
	WordUpThome: I HOPPED OFF THE PLANE AT L.A.X. WITH A DREAM AND MY CARDGIAN. WELCOME TO THE LAND OF FAME EXCESS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: woah
	WordUpThome: JUMPED INTO THE CAB HERE I AM FOR THE FIRST TIME, LOOK TO MY RIGHT AND I SEE THE HOLLYWOOD SIGN. THIS IS ALL SO CRAZY! EVERYBODY SEEMS LIKE THEY ARE SO FAMOUS
	WordUpThome: MY TUMMY WAS HURTING AND I WAS FEELING KIND OF HOMESICK, TOO MUCH PRESSURE AND I WAS NERVOUS
	WordUpThome: THAT'S WHEN THE TAXI MAN TURNED ON THE RADIO AND A JAY Z SONG WAS ON
	BeyondBorders: The "taxi man?" You mean George Harrison?
	TheDreadPirateBip: and since when do you listen to Jay Z?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: aw come on bif jim tommy is down with the jiggor man
	TheDreadPirateBip: which Jay Z song was it?
	WordUpThome: UH HIS NEW ONE
	TheDreadPirateBip: which one
	WordUpThome: THE ONE WHERE HE MENTIONS HIS INCREDIBLE WEALTH AND INFLUENCE THE POINT IS THAT IT MADE ME FEEL AT HOME BY CAUSING MY HANDS AND HIPS TO MOVE LIKE "YEAH"
	MannyTheTorpedoes: now im bag in the go mode bag in the gogos throwin the dimond up reppin the logo rose gold rose flow im ok tho what don kill me makes me stronger than befor so
	GripSoda: if you're just arriving in LA, shouldn't you be repping a West Coast rapper
	WordUpThome: MARQUIS WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE RAP GAME, YOU LIKE THE BIG KUNTRY KING
	MannyTheTorpedoes: does he rap the song "in a big kuntry"
	WordUpThome: NO THAT IS "BIG COUNTRY"
	MannyTheTorpedoes: the song or the mans
	WordUpThome: BOTH WELL SORT OF, YOU SEE-
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: no, seriously jim, you brought us out here, what do you want us to do
	WeathersGettingWorse: Yeah, I'm not getting any better at baseball over here, you might want to hurry up and put me in
	WordUpThome: I'M GOING TO BE STRAIGHTENED WITH YOU
	WordUpThome: I CAN STILL FREEZE A ROPE BETTER THAN GLACIER, BUT I'VE BEEN IN THE BIG LEAGUES SINCE 1991 AND MY BACK IS GIVING OUT, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH TIME I HAVE
	WordUpThome: ON TODAY'S INTER-NETS, WE CELEBRATE THE MOMENTARY MISSTEPS OF SPORTS CELEBRITIES
	MannyTheTorpedoes: joe the maggio beatened his wife marlin monroe but nobody reported it so he got to win liek 1500 champonships
	WordUpThome: NOW-A-DAYS YOU CAN'T EVEN SHAKE THE SHOOT OUT OF TILA NGUYEN WITHOUT BEING CAST FROM THE LIMEDLIGHT
	WordUpThome: IN 1997 WE CAME SO CLOSE TO WINNING IT ALL, AND BY GOSH I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS EVER GOING TO HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN
	WordUpThome: BUT IT MIGHT, AND THIS MIGHT BE IT
	WordUpThome: THIS MIGHT BE ALL I'VE GOT, GUYS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: win won for the jimmer!!! !!!!
	KenanAndQuel: You know what.. he's right! We're all getting older, and whether we've won a ring or not, we've all got something left to prove!
	MoralOrel: I'm with Omar! I might not have the hair of Tim Lincecum, but I've got his gangly bad looks, and I'm sure I could at least do better than Jamie Moyer!
	MoyerBodyGirl: aw hey
	SandAndDeliver: I want to make my family proud!
	TheDreadPirateBip: I want my journey to be over!
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: i want to prove i can bat without looking like a mr. F!
	WordUpThome: THAT'S THE SPIRIT! THE TIME FOR TRIBE IS NOW... SO LET'S GO OUT THERE AND WIN THE WORLD'S SERIES!!!!
	Online Host In a joyous roar, MannyTheTorpedoes, KenanAndQuel, ProblemGiles2, FernandezWarrior, MoralOrel, CarsonCrusher, SandAndDeliver, GripSoda, CriminalJustice, MyThreeDads, BeyondBorders, WeathersGettingWorse, and BartoloCaribbeanCool have left the chatroom. Online Host The Los Angeles Dodgers have been eliminated from the playoffs by the Florida Marlins.
	WordUpThome: FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now Finale originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eric Wedge's Days Seem Numbered

Pat Lackey — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:54:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, AL Central, MLB Rumors

Back in May, Indians' GM Mark Shapiro put manager Eric Wedge on the hot seat by vaguely supporting him for an unknown amount of time. Since then, he's said that he would make a decision on Wedge and his coaching staff when the season ends. And no one's really said anything since then, but since Wedge says no one's really approached him about anything, it really seems pretty likely that the Indians will be looking for a new manager when the season ends.

Wedge has managed the Tribe since 2003 with some mixed results. He very nearly stole the AL Central from the White Sox in 2005, took the Indians to Game 7 of the ALCS in 2007, and has finished .500 or worse in his other five years at the helm. The disappointing performance of the team since that ALCS berth in 2007 is probably what's most damning for Wedge.

Of course, the other thing going against him is that Shapiro has been GM for longer than Wedge has been manager, with the same mixed results. His performance at the trade deadline this year got mixed reviews and as the linked report says, the Indians' ownership group is getting involved with team decisions for the first time. That's a bad sign for a general manager and that means he needs to do something to buy himself some more time. In general, I think that the way most GMs do that is to fire their manager.

That's not to say Wedge is blameless in this whole thing. I know there were questions about his handling of some of the team's prospects earlier in the season and he's never really been all that popular in Cleveland from what I could tell back when I lived in a semi-Cleveland market. The team's certainly disappointed this year and that blame always falls on the manager first, even if there's not much Wedge could do once things started going downhill and the trade deadline fire sale became inevitable.

I went to some Indian blogs this morning looking for some insight into the situation, and while I didn't find that directly, I will say that firing Wedge would indeed be one of the first steps that Let's Go Tribe is advocating.

Eric Wedge's Days Seem Numbered originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 7

B. Thompson Stroud — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Indians, Nationals, NL West, The Dugout

The "youth movement" continues in Los Angeles, as Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez continue their countrywide trip to reunite the championship hopeful 1997 Cleveland Indians on the championship hopeful 2009 Dodgers. If you've missed where they've been so far, check out the numbered links below. If you haven't, and you are still somehow entertained by caps lock and typos, continue after the jump to read part seven of our epic special event.

Previously on It's Tribe Time Now

1 2 3 4 5 6

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the Washington Nationals Clubhouse Chatroom!
	WordUpThome: EXQUEEZE ME THE MEAT TREE HAVE YOU SEEN MARQUIS GRISSOM HE IS THE LAST OF OUR MOHICANS
	GripSoda: fa the last time jim i told you i aint dmitri young, I'M marquis grissom
	WordUpThome: ARE YOU SURE -- YOU ARE PUDGY AND STAND ON FIRST BASE FOR THE NATIONALS THE MARQUIS GRISSOM I REMEMBER LOOKED MORE LIKE THE REPLACEMENT ANT VIV VERSION OF WILLIAM "MAYS" HAYES FROM THE FILM MAJOR LEAGUE 2: BOOK OF SHADOWS
	GripSoda: do you see me choking the hell out of a lady cop
	WordUpThome: NO
	GripSoda: do you see me whipping a bat at somebody and then using their skull as a bong
	WordUpThome: WHAT'S A BONG
	GripSoda: i told you, i coach first base now, do you see me... hey hold on a minute, ADAM. ay yo ADAM
	GitErDunn: Yes, coach?
	GripSoda: what you doin
	GitErDunn: Losing to the Phillies, coach. But I was taking tonight's game off to eat my lunch!
	GripSoda: what ya moms pack
	GitErDunn: Bologna with cheese, a mini bag of Fritos, and a tube of Gogurt!
	GripSoda: gimme da gogurt
	GitErDunn: But that's my dessert! I get to eat that if I finish my sandwich!
	GripSoda: lose tha spoon muthaf***a gimme da gogurts
	GitErDunn: /hands over Gogurt
	GripSoda: yee /sucks on tube nah jim i'm marquis grissom, dmitri young ain't even play for the team this year, i don't know where he went, might be retired
	GripSoda: last i heard the busta was tryin ta freebase dippin dots
	WordUpThome: I THINK EVERYONE IN THE MAJOR LEAGUES WOULD ENJOY A FREE BASE
	WordUpThome: THIS RECREATIONAL SWEETS USE IS ALL WELL AND GOOD, BUT WHAT ARE WE TO DO MAYBE MANNY IS HAVING BETTER LUCK
	Online Host Meanwhile, in the Nationals Park Chatroom!
	MannyTheTorpedoes: u member when you were in prank wor w/ vally an zag an slader stoled vally masgot so then they stoal u
	Screech: /makes "oh no" gesture with hands over mouth
	MannyTheTorpedoes: u member when jessy spano did drug an was so scare u member when belding wife got trap insite a elevater an zag had to give birth to babby
	MannyTheTorpedoes: how is babby formed
	Screech: /shrugs shoulders, gives high five
	MannyTheTorpedoes: /is high-fived do u know where morgeese grissom is
	Screech: /wanders off
	MannyTheTorpedoes: u member when zag morras fine out he is inian an then chief henry dies an he can go to the trag meet
	MannyTheTorpedoes: morgeese use to be a inian an we wanna fine him so he gan play for our dotchers an... oh no hole on let me esplain beter
	MannyTheTorpedoes: /searches body for pinned-on note
	Screech: /provides mild amusement
	Online Host Meanwhile, back in the Washintgon Nationals Clubhouse Chat!
	WordUpThome: THANKS FOR HEARING ME OUT, MARQUIS, WITH YOUR EXPRESSED WRITTENED CONSENT WE CAN NOW PLAY MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: yee aight say what you bring fa lunch
	WordUpThome: I PURCHASED A COOLER FROM BIG LOTS! FOR ONLY NINE DOLLARS AND FILLED IT TO THE BRIM WITH VIENNA SAUSAGES
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: gimme dem lil snausages
	WordUpThome: ALL OUT OF SAUSAGES
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: ya playin righ how bout you tip that bitch on its side and lemme drink dat sausage water
	Online Host MannyTheTorpedoes has entered the chatroom.
	WordUpThome: WELL SURE GRIP; SHARING IS WHAT SHARON LIKES, BUT CAN WE COUNT ON YOU FOR THE BASEBALL
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: what da f*** is baseball
	WordUpThome: THE SPORT, THE JOB YOU ARE PAID TO PERFORM
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: what da f*** is "performing a job"
	Online Host KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight has entered the chatroom and taken Jim Thome's keyboard.
	KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight: yo Jim I know you're doing a Dugout and I'mma let you finish, but Jennie and Jim is the best Dugout special event OF ALL TIME
	KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight: The best Dugout special event of ALL TIME!
	Online Host KanyeFeelTheLoveTonight has left the chatroom.
	WordUpThome: WHAT IN THE WINE WINE WORLD OF SPORTS WAS THAT
	MannyTheTorpedoes: old meam
	WordUpThome: HEY MANNY MAYBE YOU CAN HELP ME OUT WITH THIS, DO YOU KNOW WHAT A "BONG" IS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: bong james bong, like in spies
	WordUpThome: THAT SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL HAVE
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: aww yee thats what im talkin about, hole up, i aint marquis grissom but i'll play bench for ya team
	SteakGrowsOnDmitri: yall wait right here imma grab my sh** an be righ back
	WordUpThome: LOL BYE

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 7 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jason Knapp to Have Shoulder Surgery

Tom Fornelli — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:43:00 EST

Filed under: Indians, AL Central, MLB Injuries

When the Cleveland Indians received Jason Knapp from the Philadelphia Phillies as part of the Cliff Lee trade they knew that Knapp was on the minor league disabled list at the time. Still, after going over his medical records with the Phillies, Cleveland wasn't concerned about Knapp's biceps tendinitis. Then they had their own doctors take a look at Knapp a few weeks ago.

What they found were some "loose bodies" in Knapp's throwing shoulder. "Loose bodies" that were already in Knapp's arm when the Indians acquired him from the Phillis, and will now require him to undergo surgery on the shoulder.

Right-hander Jason Knapp, acquired from the Phillies as part of the Cliff Lee trade, will undergo surgery today in New York. Dr. David Altchek will perform an arthroscopic procedure to remove loose bodies from the 19-year-old's right shoulder.

''He's expected to make a full recovery in time for spring training,'' said Tribe head trainer Lonnie Soloff on Monday.

The Indians' doctors believe Knapp's current condition is related to the biceps tendinitis, and could have been the cause of it. Still, even after these latest discoveries there is no indication that the Indians will seek any kind of compensation from the Phillies for it because they don't believe Philadelphia was "disingenuous."

Of course, the Tribe should probably worry more about their fans. Even though all indications say that Knapp should be fine for spring training next season, the fact the team traded for a pitcher that was already hurt and now will need surgery isn't likely to go over very well. They've already got enough reasons to be upset with the team's management, and now the Indians are throwing another log onto the fire.

Jason Knapp to Have Shoulder Surgery originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 6

B. Thompson Stroud — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Indians, The Dugout

1 2 3 4 5

The Dugout favorites Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez have taken a break from danging dingers together on the playoff-bound Los Angeles Dodgers to travel the country and possibly fictional dreamscape lands to reuinte the 1997 Cleveland Indians and right the wrongs of the 97 World Series. The quest is almost complete, and now we learn what happened in the MLB Journeyman Chatroom, and where the dynamic twosome are headed next.

Part 6 of The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now is after the jump.

The Dugout

	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: hey ricky im downloaden somethen can you go onto gamef***s an boot up a fax for me
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: rickey hennerson can do that for you, kyle, all rickey is doin is starin into this ethereal wading pool, tryin to get some sustenance. what game is rickey hennerson looking for
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: batmans arkham asylum video game for xbox
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: /logs onto gamefaqs
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: this is interesting which video game character does rickey hennerson think is the best, does rickey hennerson prefer cloud strife kirby solid snake or the mega man
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: hmmmmmmm
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: select solidified snake you aged illiterate, what are you a f***en dolt, get your head out a your ass these poles are serious buisness
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: perform the gamefax to me, allowen me to resolve the hostage conflict in the aviary
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: hostages are suspended in a pair of hanging cages guarded by four henchmen in suicide collars, and rickey hennerson must locate a grate on the side of the wall to climb into and take out the lead henchman without the other henchmen seeing rickey hennerson or being alerted TO the presence OF rickey hennerson
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: wait, which one of these jokers is rickey henderson /squints at television screen am i playen the right game, did i put in rbi baseball by accident
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: now use the rickey hennerson-o-rang to incapacitate the goons
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: hold on, go back to the beginning, catarl-alt f-5 an make sure your readen about the correct batman
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: hostages are suspended in a pair of hanging cages guarded by four henchmen in suicide collars, and rickey hennerson must-
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: rickey henderson, or batman
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: rickey hennerson meaning batman
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: your sayen "rickey henderson" when you mean to say "batman?"
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: no, rickey hennerson is the batman
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: in real life or in this game
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: hostages are suspended in a pair of hanging cages guarded by four henchmen in suicide collars, and rickey hennerson must-
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: RRRRRRAAAAHHH /dumps television and X-Box into water
	Online Host Meanwhile, in the story-relevant part of the MLB Journeyman Chatroom! Online Host TheDreadPirateBip, BeyondBorders, and WeathersGettingWorse have left the chatroom.
	MannyTheTorpedoes: hey wha happen where did evrybody goe
	WordUpThome: STORIES WERE SHARED, HAND-STYLE SHAKES WERE SHOOKEN, AND OUR TEAM'S ANARCHONISTIC ROSTER ADDED THREE WANDERING JOURNEY-MEN
	WordUpThome: SOMEHOW WE ALSO ACQUIRED BASSIST ROSS VALORY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: wha did pad borders say
	WordUpThome: HE TOLD ME ABOUT HOW THE DODGERS HAD GIVEN HIM A MINORED LEAGUE CONTRACT AND INVITED HIM TO SPRING TRAINING IN 2006, BUT THAT HE COULDN'T GO ANYMORE AND HAD TO RETIRE.
	WordUpThome: I ASKED HIM IF IT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH HIS OLD TIMEY WORLD WAR ONE HELMET
	MannyTheTorpedoes: oh this is the worse looging hat i ever saw, what when you bye a hat like this i bet you get a soup chigen noodle soup
	MannyTheTorpedoes: what did davit whethers say
	WordUpThome: HE SAID HE WOULD LOVE TO JUMP OFF HIS SHIP AND LAND ON A DIFFERENT SHIP BECAUSE THE BREW CREW HAD ONLY HAD A CUP OF COFFEE IN THE PLAYOFFS
	WordUpThome: I TOLD HIM THAT COMMENT WAS AWFULLY WITTY FOR A GUY WHO LOOKS LIKE HE WAS STUFFED WITH CLOTHES THEN HE MADE THIS FACE
	MannyTheTorpedoes: las time i saw a mouth liek that it had a hoog in it
	MannyTheTorpedoes: what did bif roberts say
	WordUpThome: HE TOLD ME TO MAKE LIKE A TREE AND GET OUT OF HERE
	MannyTheTorpedoes: /pulls out EO Personal Communicator, tries to wipe "Bif Roberts" off of screen with dry eraser
	WordUpThome: ACCORDING TO JI
	WordUpThome: JIM, WE ONLY HAVE TO GET MARQUIS GRISSOM AND TONY FERNANDEZ TO COMPLETE OUR STARTING LINE-UP
	MannyTheTorpedoes: nuh uh we alredy got tony fernandez, i wen to doronto ganada an got him
	WordUpThome: WHAT
	Online Host Yesterday...
	MannyTheTorpedoes: do u wanna play 97 inians or shoul we play without you
	FernandezWarrior: Whoa, whoa, whoa. There's still plenty of meat on that bone. Now you take this home, throw it in a pot, add some broth, a potato. Baby, you've got a stew going.
	MannyTheTorpedoes: ya i know but i came all the way to doronto ganada on a tandy bike an i took a lawn time so you wan to play beisbol confirm/deny
	FernandezWarrior: Let me tell you a little story about baseball. I was playing on this team, the Padres, with Benito Santiago, never once touched my per diem. I'd go to Craft Service, get some raw veggies, bacon, Cup-A-Soup... baby, I got a stew going.
	MannyTheTorpedoes: k gona rite that down as "yes" see you in los anglees
	Online Host Back in the Journeyman Chatroom...
	WordUpThome: WOW YOU ARE REALLY HANDY MANNY WHEN DID YOU HAVE TIME TO DO THIS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: duno it was prety easy you been talkin to mlb journeymans for like five days
	WordUpThome: HOW DID YOU LOCATE HIM
	MannyTheTorpedoes: i thot i shoul look in the play where tony fernandez grow up, so i look it up on innernets
	MannyTheTorpedoes: so i lookt at teams he play for before an after the clevlan inians, an innernets says "yangees blue jay inians potrays bruers"
	MannyTheTorpedoes: it also say he play for the cinonatty reds in 1994
	WordUpThome: YOU DON'T SAY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: so i look for him where the red fern grows i foun him between 2 barried dogs
	WordUpThome: THAT IS A STRANGE PLACE TO FIND A QUALITY DEFENSIVE SECOND BASE MAN
	MannyTheTorpedoes: i knew he was gonna "flip" when i ask him to play
	MannyTheTorpedoes: but be careful it is dangerous havin such a "under handed" guy on the team
	WordUpThome: WAIT, ARE YOU MAKING PURPOSEFUL JOKES, WHEN DID YOU START DOING THAT
	MannyTheTorpedoes: i toll him to leave doronto @ six thirdy but he say he would not be good until six four three
	MannyTheTorpedoes: lol ya tryen to be like budler from fres prins

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 6 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 16:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Not a Clean Sweep, but a Sweep The Rangers Will Take

Ed Price — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blue Jays, Cubs, Indians, Orioles, Pirates, Rangers, Red Sox, Rockies, Twins, MLB Injuries, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That it took a lot of work for the Rangers to climb within two games of the Red Sox in the American League wild-card race.

Texas swept a doubleheader at Cleveland, 11-9 and 10-5, and the games took a combined five hours, 59 minutes.

"It's pretty good to get back on track and win some ballgames," manager Ron Washington said. "We'll come back tomorrow, get greedy and see if we can get a [series] sweep."

Texas has played three regular (i.e., not day-night) doubleheaders this year, most in the majors, and has swept all three.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

In Game 1, Texas led 4-0, fell into a 5-5 tie, went up 8-5, had that cut to 8-7, made it 11-7 and held on 11-9.

In Game 2, a 7-0 lead became 7-5 before getting extended to 10-5.

The pitching wasn't great, but no one had to work both ends of the doubleheader, and the batters pounded out 31 hits after coming into the game with a 15-inning scoreless streak.

From the Trainer's Room ...
Troy Tulowitzki, the Rockies' star shortstop, sat out Tuesday after leaving Monday's game with back stiffness.

"Tulo has to be right to have him out there," [manager Jim] Tracy said. "He has to be able to bend over, dive for a ball, run from first to third, score from second to home on a single. Right now he can't do those things."

Team trainers have told Tracy that once Tulowitzki's muscle spasms are gone and his back unclenches, he will be on the road to recovery. But Tulowitzki is not there yet.

Numbers Game ...
By losing 10-0 at Boston -- and allowing six homers -- Baltimore fell to 5-33 in its past 38 road division games. Since the start of last season, the Orioles have won just two of 20 road series against AL East teams, with the last series win July 28-30, 2008 in New York. (By the way, the last time the Red Sox hit six home runs in a home game was June 29, 2003 -- and four of them came off Brad Penny, then with the Marlins.)

In Their Own Words ...
"I've never really seen anything like that, but it happened. It was just one of those things where we couldn't stop it. You can't explain it. It was just bad luck or good hitting, I don't know what it is." -- Pirates manager John Russell after the Cubs tied a major league record by starting the game with eight straight hits, all off Pittsburgh's Zach Duke. No NL team had begun a game with eight consecutive hits since the 1975 Pirates.

Advance Scouting ...
Roy Halladay tries to keep intact his perfect record against the Twins as Toronto hosts Minnesota tonight (7:07 PM ET). Halladay is 8-0 in 12 career outings against the Twins, with a 2.77 ERA. He has been especially hard on Jason Kubel (1-for-12), Joe Mauer (1-for-10) and Alexi Casilla (0-for-7, four strikeouts).

Starting Five: Not a Clean Sweep, but a Sweep The Rangers Will Take originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 5

B. Thompson Stroud — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Indians, NL West, The Dugout

Welcome to part five of our apparently 30-part series about how Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez play for the same team, just like when they were part of the 1997 World Series challenging Cleveland Indians.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

Once you have caught up on the previous four parts, remember that none of this is newsworthy and that we've ingratiated ourselves enough at Fanhouse by this point to occasionally make the casual reader here to discuss how he feels about Prince Fielder's baseball-disgracing shirt tuck think we are on crack. Is this a real chat??? Part 5 of 30 is after the jump.

The Dugout

	WordUpThome: TELL ME THE FUNNIEST JOKE
	MannyTheTorpedoes: ok there was a daddy who have three daughter, one name rose one name daisy one name cinderblog
	MannyTheTorpedoes: oen day rose come up to daddy an she say "daddy why am i name rose"
	WordUpThome: UH HUH AND WHAT WAS DADDY'S RETORT
	MannyTheTorpedoes: daddy smile an he say "well when you was a baby a rose petal fall onto your head"
	WordUpThome: HEART ENWARMENING
	MannyTheTorpedoes: she wolk away so daisie come up to daddy an she say "daddie why am i name dasy"
	MannyTheTorpedoes: daddy smile an he say "because dasy when you was borned a daisy petal fall onto your head"
	MannyTheTorpedoes: she smile an wolk away... so cinderblog come up to daddy an say
	MannyTheTorpedoes: "HURRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGG"
	WordUpThome: BOY I SWEAR
	Online Host Jim and Manny have come upon a jagged, winding path strewn with rocks. There is no vegetation in sight, and a murky grey sky lurks and fades into fog above them.
	MannyTheTorpedoes: juh juh juh...
	WordUpThome: JIM THOME
	MannyTheTorpedoes: wuh wuh where are we
	Online Host Welcome to the MLB Journeymen Chatroom!
	WordUpThome: STAY CLOSE TO ME MANNY; IF YOU LET GO OF ME YOU COULD ACCIDENTALLY BE TRADED TO THE NATIONALS FOR PROSPECTS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: if we realy wan to be like Clevlan inians shoulent that hapen
	WordUpThome: NO WE WANT TO BE THE 1997 INDIANS, BUT WE WANT TO WIN. IT IS A LOGICAL CONUNDRUM OR "CATCH 22" LIKE IN THE FAMOUS NOVEL
	MannyTheTorpedoes: which novel
	WordUpThome: THE GREAT GATSBY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: clayton kershaw is 22 mabe his scream name shoul be "pitch 22"
	WordUpThome: HEY THAT IS PRETTY FUNNY WRITE IT DOWN
	MannyTheTorpedoes: /draws fighter jets in dirt with big toe
	Online Host In the valley below, a group of fanged, hairy journeyman have gathered around a pool of standing water.
	WordUpThome: SHHH BE QUITE, FOR THERE ARE MONSTERS BELOWE~
	Online Host Meanwhile, in the Valley Chatroom...
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: im not sure i belong in this chatroom, i have always been more an mlb kansasman, they're hit song "dust in the wind" birthed my prophetic nihilism
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: for my monies that an "my generation" by limped bizkit are the 2 best songs ever fordged, "if only we could fly" am i right ricky henderson
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: this pool of standing water and we demons remind rickey hennerson of a dream rickey hennerson once had when rickey was sleeping
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: rickey hennersons mama tell rickey to be careful cause its raining outside and when its raining that is when the foxes get married, and if rickey hennerson don't wanna get in trouble he will stay away from fox weddings
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: haha what
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: but that only spark interest in rickey hennerson, and while he was out wandering the woods rickey came upon a procession of costumed well wishers what turned out to be foxes, which turned out to be getting married
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: rickey hennerson watch them with cautious glee an when rickey hennerson return to his home, rickey hennersons mama tell him that she cant let him back in the house no more
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: haha whattt
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: rickey hennerson was force to ask the foxes for forgiveness an made to wander the earth as if rickey hennerson was caine from kung fu the televised program, an the imagery becomes inconsistent at best here but rickey hennerson steps through the paintings of vincent van gockhhh and at one point nearly dies on a snowy mountains side
	KissTheSheff: That's it, I am quitting this chatroom forever.
	Online Host KissTheSheff has left the chatroom!
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: hahaha jesus cripes man talken to you is like somebody put videodrome on max volume an beat me over my head with the television
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: tell me what you think about what happened with erin andrews
	RickeyAndTheHendersons: before rickey hennerson can properly express his feelings on that matter rickey has to set the stage for you. the setting: nuclear meltdown threatens the devastation of Japan. the man: rickey hennerson
	pr0FF3ss0r_F4rnsw0rth: amazing
	WordUpThome: OKAY WE DEF DON'T WANT TO GO DOWN THERE
	MannyTheTorpedoes: but standeng water look fun it is good for the splish splashen of feets /jogs down hill with arms outstretched
	MannyTheTorpedoes: airplangggg
	WordUpThome: MANNY NO DON'T GO DOWN THERE YOU'LL END UP A MET
	Online Host Behind them, a shadowy figure with a walking stick rises above the horizon. He speaks.
	Voice: Jim?
	WordUpThome: /looks around
	TheDreadPirateBip: Jim Thome? GUYS! GET UP HERE QUICK! IT'S JIM THOME!
	WordUpThome:
	Online Host BeyondBorders and WeathersGettingWorse have entered the chatroom.
	BeyondBorders: I can't believe my eyes... after all these years, it's great to see you, Jim! And is that Manny Ramirez running around in circles behind you?
	WordUpThome: YES MANNY GET OVER HERE SOME GUYS WHO ARE TERRIBLE AT BASEBALL WANT TO SAY HELLOES TO US
	MannyTheTorpedoes: yay big papi finaly comed to visit!!!! ask him if he wanna to play spies
	WordUpThome: BIG POPPA DO YOU WANT TO PLAY SPIES
	TheDreadPirateBip: I'm Bip Roberts
	BeyondBorders: We'll set up camp here for the night. We've got a lot of catching up to do. Guess what? We're trying to rebuild the 1997 Cleveland Indians.
	WordUpThome: WHERE HAVE YOU FELLOWS BEEN FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS
	WeathersGettingWorse: It was a dark, and STORMY night...

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 5 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Tue, 08 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 4

B. Thompson Stroud — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Indians, Mets, NL West, The Dugout

Not to ignore everything else that is happening in the world of baseball, but Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez are on the same team and you should be reading about it.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Part four of the quest to reunite the entirety of the 1997 Cleveland Indians on the 2009 Los Angeles Dodgers takes us places we never dared go, to a post-apocalyptic wasteland where humanity is depraved and the skies are filled with ash.

Tonight's Dugout is after the jump.

The Dugout

	WordUpThome: BREAK OUT YOUR NEWTON AND SEE WHOM WE HAVE LEFT UPON OUR LIST
	MannyTheTorpedoes: this says nothen but jibaresh /shakes Newton like an Etch-a-Sketch
	MannyTheTorpedoes: up necks is mike jackson
	WordUpThome: WE CAN'T DO THAT, THAT PARTICULAR SKELETON WAS SLAIN BY DR. JASON AND HIS PROPOFOLIC ARGONAUTS A SCANT TWO MONTHS AGO
	MannyTheTorpedoes: ok after him is terry clark
	WordUpThome: THE TRANSVESTITE COUNTRY SINGER, ARE YOU SURE
	WordUpThome: HURM... HOW ABOUT WE TAKE A BREAK AND RUMMAGE AROUND IN THIS DILAPIDATED SHACK FOR A WHILE
	Online Host Welcome to the Citi Field Chatroom!
	SandAndDeliver: okay Josh, you're the catcher, so you're gonna want to kneel there and hold your glove out
	CityOfJoshTholes: ow but my knees'll hurt what if i do'er like this?? /takes off mitt, puts mitt on ground, sits on mitt
	SandAndDeliver: hey wow, you're the best catcher we've had in a while
	WordUpThome: SANDY ALOMAR JUNIOR WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE
	SandAndDeliver: Jim! Manny! Long time no see! I'm a coach for the New York Mets now, I work with all the catching prospects!
	WordUpThome: THAT'S FUNNY I THOUGHT THE METS DIDN'T CATCH PROSPECTS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: hay sandy
	WordUpThome: DON'T YOU TALK BACK
	MannyTheTorpedoes: hay sandy
	SandAndDeliver: what, I'm busy trying to teach Brian Schneiderr how to hold a bat, what do you need?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: i think jerry simefeld is drownen to death in that luxury sweet over there, is full of wooder an he is screamin
	SandAndDeliver: What's he saying?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: "what is the deal with this drowning"
	SandAndDeliver: He's fine.
	WordUpThome: SANDY WE ARE REUNITING THE 1997 INDIANS, WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEAVE THE MEDIA CEREBI OF NEW YORK AND WIN GOLD FOR THE SMALL MARKET DODGERS
	SandAndDeliver: Yeah, sounds great.
	CityOfJoshTholes: hey coach i just sat on a piece of gum and it stuck to my pants, i think i need to go on the 60 day DL
	SandAndDeliver: Get me out of here before God turns this team into a pillar of f***ing salt.
	WordUpThome: YOUR BRO BOBBY PLAYED FOR THE GUT EATERS IN '99, DO YOU THINK HE WOULD LIKE TO PLAY ALSO
	SandAndDeliver: No, Robby's going through a tough time. He won't stop spitting on people, and he's got some dangerous stuff in his blood.
	WordUpThome: SO HE HAS BECOME LIKE THE DILOPHOSAURUS FROM JURASSIC PARK
	MannyTheTorpedoes: the dinasaur that kill newman!!!!!!!
	WordUpThome: HOW MANY CHARACTERS FROM THE SEINFELD SHOW HAVE TO DIE BEFORE WE CLOSE DOWN THE METS
	Online Host DudleyDoWright has entered the chatroom.
	DudleyDoWright: Hey guys, what's up?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: holy shti what happen to yor head
	DudleyDoWright: Aw, you guys! I was hit in the head with a baseball; now I have to wear a helmet that makes me look like Buzzy Beetle
	WordUpThome: SINCE WHEN DOES GETTING HIT WITH A BASEBALL TURN YOU INTO MTV'S THE HEAD
	MannyTheTorpedoes: lets get out of here jim tommy, the corpse of putty just washt up in the outfeel
	WordUpThome: GOODBYE FOR NOW DAVID, I CANNOT THINK OF ANY BASEBALL PLAYERS WHO DESERVE TO BE HIT IN THE FACE WITH A FASTBALL
	Online Host Later, in the Mitchell Report/Recreational Golf Outing Chatroom...
	OldLOL: so i mixed up some hgh in the blender with a bag of oxycontin and half a gallon of pibb extreme and mindy beer bonged it
	CriminalJustice: looool
	WordUpThome: OKAY, MAYBE I CAN THINK OF A COUPLE
	OldLOL: that sh** turned her into the abomination
	CriminalJustice: hey guys, what brings you to the chatroom? Aren't you a little over dressed?
	WordUpThome: NO WE STILL HAVE JOBS
	WordUpThome: WE ARE RECONSTRUCTING THE INJUNS AND WE NEED A CABOOSE
	CriminalJustice: That sounds great! All I've been doing since 2008 is blogging, and I could stand to make more than zero dollars a day
	WordUpThome: GREAT YOU HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING BAD THAT WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT, HAVE YOU
	CriminalJustice: nope, nothing I can think of
	WordUpThome: A TOTALLY CLEAN RECORD, NO BLEMISHES WE SHOULD BE MADE AWARE OF
	CriminalJustice: no, nothing at all
	WordUpThome: ROGER
	OldLOL: no, david has lived his life as a saint, and i encourage you to believe every word that comes out of my ass
	CriminalJustice: /nods
	WordUpThome: ....
	HoldItAndPettitte: He did steroids and beat his wife
	CriminalJustice: OH SON OF A BITCH
	HoldItAndPettitte: aw but I feel so bad for telling you guys about that. SEE YA WOULDN'T WANNA BE YA
	Online Host HoldItAndPettitte has left the chatroom.
	OldLOL: argh I hate that guy so much it makes my butt wet
	MannyTheTorpedoes: o no dave justice say it ain so you beat you wife
	CriminalJustice: ... maybe
	MannyTheTorpedoes: o noes how coul you beat up hally barry
	CriminalJustice: I don't know, did you ever see the movie BAPS?
	WordUpThome: GOOD POINT

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 4 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sun, 06 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Starting Five: Halladay Cools Off Yanks

Jeff Fletcher — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST

Filed under: Blue Jays, Cardinals, Indians, Phillies, Royals, Starting Five

Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.

You Oughta Know ...
That Roy Halladay stopped his his cold streak and the Yankees' hot streak in one night. The Blue Jays ace had not pitched well, losing three consecutive starts for only the third time in his career. On Friday night, though, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and finished with the second one-hitter of his career.

"He's just a cut above a lot of other people," Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston said.

The Yankees came into the game having won seven in a row, but Halladay didn't give them much of a chance. Halladay improved to 17-6 against the Yankees. That is by far the most wins against the Yankees of any active pitcher. Pedro Martinez is next with 11.

More Coverage: Scoreboard | Standings | Statistics

From the Trainers' Room...
Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore saw his season ended on Friday. Sizemore will be out until next year, recovering from a pair of surgeries. He'll first have an operation on his left elbow, followed by a procedure on his left abdominal wall. It is the end to an injury-marred season for Sizemore, who once played 382 consecutive games. With Sizemore out, it allowed top prospect Michael Brantley to get in the lineup to pick up his first big-league RBI.

By The Numbers...
The Phillies have scored just three runs in their past four games (winning two of them, remarkably). According to FanHouse's Ed Price, that's the Phillies' worst four-game offensive stretch since Sept. 1-4, 2000. Don't bet on the Phillies from Sept. 1-4, 2018.

In Their Own Words...
[Wainwright] is having a great, great year, nobody's getting anything off him and all of a sudden, there's the one big inning. He just looked like he ran out of gas ... But I liked it because sometimes he picks us up. It's a good team thing." -- Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa, on Adam Wainwright's rare outing. Wainwright had gone 13 consecutive games without allowing more than two runs before the Pirates scored six runs against him in the fifth inning. The Cardinals rallied quickly from the 6-5 deficit to get Wainwright his major league-leading 17th victory.

Advance Scouting...
Zack Greinke gets another chance to convince Cy Young doubters that he's the guy for the award, even though his 13 victories rank eighth in the league. Greinke will pitch against the Angels (7:10 PM ET), who have one of the highest-scoring offenses in the league. Unfortunately, the Angels will counter with John Lackey, so Greinke is likely to continue getting criminally poor support. Greinke has a had a one-hit shutout and a 15-strikeout game in his past two outings.

Starting Five: Halladay Cools Off Yanks originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Sat, 05 Sep 2009 06:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 3

B. Thompson Stroud — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Giants, Indians, NL West, The Dugout

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez suddenly find themselves playing for the same team again. Their mission: to travel the United States on a tandem bicycle and reunite the 1997 Cleveland Indians AL Championship team in Los Angeles. Will they succeed, or will I stop when I get to like, Chad Ogea and run out of jokes? Only time will tell. Part 3 of the Dugout special event is after the jump.

The Dugout

	WordUpThome: "TRENIDAD HUBBARD WENT TO HIS CUPBOARD TO FEED HIS POOR DOGS AND PETS"
	WordUpThome: "WHEN HE GOT THERE, THE CUPBOARD WAS BARE, AND THEY TRADED HIS DOG TO THE METS"
	WordUpThome: THAT IS LITERALLY EVERY POSSIBLE JOKE I HAVE FOR YOU, DO YOU WANT TO BE ON OUR TEAM
	MyThreeDads: yes very much so
	MannyTheTorpedoes: when he go sleddeng for winter he is trenidad an toboggan
	WordUpThome: SON OF A BI
	Online Host Later, in the Former San Francisco Giants Disgraced By Allegations of Steroid Abuse Chatroom!
	MannyTheTorpedoes: barry bons!!!!!
	WordUpThome: I CAN SEE HOW YOU WOULD THINK THAT BUT NO WE ARE NOT HERE TO OFFER BARRY BONDS A JOB
	WordUpThome: DON'T YOU REMEMBER WHEN BUD SELIG PUT ALL OF THE OWNERS IN A ROOM AND MADE THEM SWEAR NOT TO OFFER BARRY BONDS A JOB
	MannyTheTorpedoes: o ya sry
	MannyTheTorpedoes: kevin mitchell rapport!!!!
	WordUpThome: HE'S NOT IN HERE, HE'S IN THE STEROID CHATROOM QUEUE WITH BRADY ANDERSON AND 3/4THS OF A HOUSEDCAT
	MannyTheTorpedoes: marvin bernard
	WordUpThome: NOT AN INDIAN, BUT I'M PRETTY SURE THAT GUY WAS MY TEAM IN MANIAC MANSION
	MannyTheTorpedoes: mark carreon
	WordUpThome: HOW DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO THAT IS
	WordUpThome: NO, MARK CARREON IS NOT ALIVE ANYMORE HE DIED CROSSING THE DESERT AND WAS EATEN BY VULTURES
	MannyTheTorpedoes: ummm who else
	CarsonCrusher: Hey guys, what's going on in this chatroom?
	WordUpThome: MATT WILLIAMS YOU OLD D-BACK HOW ARE THEY HANGING
	CarsonCrusher: really small and tightly clenched to the body. What have you guys been up to?
	WordUpThome: NOT MUCH WE JUST GOT BACK FROM TRENIDAD AFTER GETTING OREL, WHERE OUR CHIPS WERE DIGESTED BY COLON
	CarsonCrusher: were ... wait, what
	WordUpThome: WE ARE REPURPOSING THE 1997 INDIANS AS 2009 DODGERS IN AN ENMADDENED QUEST TO FINALLY GET A WORLD SERIES RING
	MannyTheTorpedoes: um jim i got a worl series ring with boson red sogs
	CarsonCrusher: Yeah, and I already won one with the Diamondbacks in 2001.
	MoralOrel: wait, is that what we're doing? I've already got one of those too, I won with the Dodgers back in-
	WordUpThome: HEY EVERYBODY WHY DON'T YOU SHUT THE F UP FOR A SECOND I AM TRYING TO HAVE A CONVERSATION
	CarsonCrusher: sorry
	MoralOrel: sorry
	MannyTheTorpedoes: /earmuffs
	WordUpThome: SORRY PALS I DIDN'T MEAN TO GET ALL FUDGICLE ON YOU, TIMES ARE TOUGH ALL OVER
	CarsonCrusher: how much does this pay?
	WordUpThome: HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
	MannyTheTorpedoes: millon dollar man an vurgal
	CarsonCrusher: that's good, 'cause I've got to pay off this debt I've incurred importing this gross palette of hammerhead shark testosterone from Indo-China.
	MannyTheTorpedoes: that loogs good can i try soem
	CarsonCrusher: Sure! You into drugs?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: alegendly
	WordUpThome: I WILL GIVE YOU MY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TOO PENDING YOU KEEP YOUR LEARNED-IT-BY-WATCHING-YOU MARIO BROTHERS POT-BOX AWAY FROM MANNY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: i used a vagnal shampoo on my head by aciden an it say i did strds
	CarsonCrusher: alright, I'm in
	Online Host Matt Williams has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers!
	CarsonCrusher: But before I head out, would anybody be interested in buying a googol of green and orange DNA mutagens in plastic I.V. bags from me?
	MoralOrel: Hm, what do they do?
	CarsonCrusher: if you chase them with propaganda films they turn you into Blanka from Street Fighter
	MoralOrel: What does that mean? Do I want that?
	MannyTheTorpedoes: do u have a lady version that turn you into chum li

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 3 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Thu, 03 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 2

B. Thompson Stroud — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST

Filed under: Dodgers, Indians, White Sox, NL West, The Dugout

As you may have read yesterday, Jim Thome was awarded to the Los Angeles Dodgers like so much sassy Sapphire, reuniting him with former Indians teammate Manny Ramirez. In the Dugout universe (which is the real universe, because we are somehow still convincing people that these are legitimate transcripts) this is big news, and in yesterday's episode the two realistically-portrayed superstars took off across the country on a bicycle built for two to rebuild the 1997 Cleveland Indians in 2009 Los Angeles and reclaim the World Series ring that was rightfully theirs.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Part 2 is after the jump.

The Dugout

	Online Host Welcome to the Chicago White Sox Chatroom!
	MannyTheTorpedoes: hey jim were in chicago isnt this where u play in riggaly field
	WordUpThome: NO MANNY THAT IS WHERE THE NORTH SIDE GUYS PLAY, WE WERE THE SOUTH SIDED GUYS
	WordUpThome: WE ARE THE WINDY CITY BOHEMIANS, REFUSING TO PERFORM AS JESTERS AT THE WHIM OF A BOURGEOISIE CHEWING GUMS MAGNATE
	MannyTheTorpedoes: do the why sogs play at
	WordUpThome: BEAUTIFUL "IRIDIUM SATELLITE LLC BASEBALL FUNCTION AT DESIGNATED LAND TRUST"
	MannyTheTorpedoes: souns beautiful
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: hey guys whats going on
	WordUpThome: HEY OTHER GUYS NOT MUCH WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN UP INTO
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: ohh same old same old, bein' fat, bein' the dominican sidney ponson, holding the fat part of the bat and swingin at balls with the skinny part
	MannyTheTorpedoes: were gettin the 97 inians back to gether accept as dodgers do u wan play
	WordUpThome: NO LONGER WOULD YOU HAVE TO LIVE IN CONSTANT FEAR OF SOUTHPAW
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: AHHHH he looks like frank thomas drank greedily from the tree of life and sprouted into a big ass dandelion
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: do the dodgers have a mascot
	WordUpThome: YES -- A SAD CLOWN WHO HAS BEEN DEAD FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: that... that's still not as scary as southpaw. i'm in
	Online Host BartoloCaribbeanCool has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers!
	BartoloCaribbeanCool: hey do you guys have any corndogs or chips or anything, i haven't eaten in the last 20 seconds
	WordUpThome: OH GREAT HE'S GOING TO EAT ALL OF OUR G*D DANG CHIPS
	Online Host Later, in the ESPN Analysis Chatroom...
	MoralOrel: What do you guys think about this hand? /shows cards
	LandPhill: uh, well, what do you think about those cards
	MoralOrel: two queens, that's pretty good
	LandPhill: that's right, Orel, and in MY opinion, I'd have to say that your hand is looking pret-ty good, especially those two queens. But the real wildcard is going to be that 4 of clubs.
	MoralOrel: What?
	CaptainMorgan: definitely
	Online Host WordUpThome and MannyTheTorpedoes have entered the chatroom.
	LandPhill: MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: helo
	CaptainMorgan: MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY
	MannyTheTorpedoes: lol i liek this chatrom
	WordUpThome: RELAX EVERYONE, WE HAVE COME TO RECEIVE ORAL
	MoralOrel: What's going on, fellas?
	WordUpThome: THE DODGERS ARE BECOMING THE INDIANS AND YOU ARE THE BEST DODGER THAT BECAME AN INDIAN EVER
	WordUpThome: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BECOME A DODGER WHO BECAME AN INDIAN WHO BECAME A DODGER THAT REMINDS YOU OF INDIANS
	CaptainMorgan: did you say that was Manny? That man is Manny Ramirez? The white one? What is going on, who is that /looks down at table does anybody have any twos
	MoralOrel: Sorry guys, my playing days are long behind me. Right now I've got a busy schedule of baseball analysis to worry about.
	LandPhill: at the beginning of the season they ask you who will be good, and you go "uhhh, the reds!" and they give you money
	MoralOrel: I would not be a good Christian if I ignored my obligations here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to my INCESSANT GAMBLING
	MannyTheTorpedoes: come on oriole be a fren
	MoralOrel: Can't you just dress up John Olerud in a Dodgers uniform and say he's me?
	WordUpThome: YOU KNOW AS WELL AS I DO THAT JOHN OLERUD WAS BRUTALLY SHOT IN THE HEAD
	WordUpThome: WHAT IF WE MAKE LIKE JOHN CARSON AND WOO YOU WITH A GENTLE HYMN
	MoralOrel: oh come on, that wouldn't-
	WordUpThome: I MAY NEVER MARCH IN THE INFANTRY RIDE INTO CALGARY SHOOT THE ARTILLERY I MAY NEVER SLEEP WITH THE ENEMY BUT I'M IN THE LORD'S ARMY
	WordUpThome: MANNY HELP ME OUT DO YOU KNOW ANY HYMNS THE ONLY OTHER ONE I KNOW IS ABOUT GOATS BLOOD AND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE
	MannyTheTorpedoes: wade in the water
	MoralOrel: okay i'm in
	Online Host Orel Hershiser has joined the Los Angeles Dodgers!
	LandPhill: ESPN can now report that Orel Hershiser has agreed to terms with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
	WordUpThome: NICELY DONE MANNY BUT SAVE SOME OF THAT MAGIC FOR ERIC PLUNK
	MannyTheTorpedoes: im sorry to here abou the passing of jon olaroot
	WordUpThome: JOHN OLERUD DIDN'T DIE, NO BULLET CAN PENETRATE HIS PLASTICINE EXOSKELETON
	WordUpThome: JOHN OLERUD CAN NEVER DIE, WHAT ARE YOU, NEW
	CaptainMorgan: excuse me, can one of you boys give me a lift home, i have been lost and confused for several years
	MannyTheTorpedoes: no sry tandam bike only seats 2 byeeee

Photos link to player info. (Photo Credit: Getty Images) WordUpThome.com

The Dugout: It's Tribe Time Now, Part 2 originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:30:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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