Free Andy Marte! and Other Spring Training Thoughts

Some Pre-Opening Day Thoughts

Free Andy Marte!

Andy Marte is on the 25-man roster to open the season. He's out of options. If Eric Wedge's past trends are any indication, Andy Marte won't play much - maybe once or twice a week. Wedge has proven himself smitten with the league average production of Casey Blake, Super Utility Mountain Man. The problem with this is two-fold:

1. Andy Marte has been a notoriously slow starter at every level.
2. If he doesn't produce right away, fans who don't know any better will be screaming for his release or trade.

Therefore, I declare that it is time to Free Andy Marte! Play him every day or trade him. We've never seen what he can do at the major league level because he's never had enough at bats to make the adjustment propertly. Let's find out what we have. He's not going to adjust to the majors playing a couple times a week, because when he does get in, most likely he will be pressing.

Left Field

One of my co-workers, a lifelong Indians fan, had a discussion with me this week about how he was upset that the Indians optioned Ben Francisco and kept Dellucci and Michaels to platoon in left field. I can't really say I blame him too much. Francisco lit up spring training like a Christmas tree. However, given the Indians' proclivity to stick with veterans (see Blake, Casey), as well as Francisco's status (with options), it is not surprising that the Indians would send him down. Also complicating things - Shin Soo (Big League) Choo, who is out of options, and will likely be ready for the bigs after a month or two on rehab at Buffalo.

So, the bottom line here is that something will happen in the next couple months to straighten this mess out. When Big League Choo is ready, someone will go. So, relax and enjoy the fun, because there will be some dealing coming down the line.

Spring Training Mojo Watch:

Ben Francisco: Ben's ben en fuego.

Andy Marte: Marte has looked tentative in the field, and has shown flashes of power, but his spring average has been hovering near the Mendoza line.

Starting Pitching: Sabathia, Carmona, and Westbrook have all looked dominant at times. Byrd looks like Byrd. Cliff Lee has pitched just well enough to win the 5th spot, but that is as much a testament of how poorly Laffey and Sowers have pitched.

Pronk: He had occasionally looked Pronk-like this spring.

Grady Sizemore: Grady is ready. Hide the women and children, because Grady is going to set fire to the American League.

Aaron Fultz:

Pronk's Mojo

Pronk's Mojo appears right now to be busy with the Davidson Wildcats, after helping the New York Giants pull off an amazing Super Bowl upset. With any luck, Pronk's Mojo will come home in time for Opening Day. Remember, as always, if you see Pronk's Mojo, please nudge it in the general direction of Cleveland.

Travis Hafner is Lord of the Flies

A pest in baseball is typically one of those annoying players like David Eckstein who seems to bother the opposition. Yesterday, the pests were really pests - midges swarming Jacobs Field in the 8th inning. Forces of Evil and Darkness in the Baseball Universe (FEDBU) uber-phenom Joba Chamberlain got rattled and uncorked two wild pitches - the first of which put the tying run in scoring position, and the second of which scored the tying run from third- and the Indians came from behind to beat the FEDBU 2-1 in 11 innings.

The Indians had many opportunities to put the Yankees away - they were ultimately 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position, but could not do wo until the 11th inning, when Pronk (remember him?) laced a bases-loaded full-count two-out single to right centerfield to score Kenny Lofton with the winning run. They left 14 runners on base. The other hit with RISP was a single by Kenny Lofton in the second, on which Jhonny Peralta was thrown out trying to score from second. It is worth noting that the stas had aligned earlier in the inning to allow Peralta (Slowest.Shortstop.Ever) to steal second off Andy (Best.Balk.Move.That.Never.Gets.Called.Ever) Pettite, and that to expect him to score on a single to shallow center was probably pressing their luck a bit too far. Pettite also threw out Lofton trying to steal third base to end the fifth inning.

It is worth noting that although the FEDBU appeared noticeably disconcerted by the midges, the Indians did not. Fausto Carmona appeared completely oblivious to the midges, and he was spectactular, going 9 complete innings, giving up only 3 hits, walking 2 and striking out 5. Unfortunately, 1 of those hits was a home run by Melky Cabrera (yeah, go figure). He got 18 ground ball outs. His last pitch struck out Alex Rodriguez with the potential winning run on second base. Rafael Perez shut down the FEDBU in the 9th and 10th.

Other heroes for the Tribe include Kenny Lofton, who went 2 for 3 with 2 walks and scored the winning run, and Grady Sizemore, who scored the tying run, tripled, and beat out a high throw to first base after striking out in the 10th to help make Mariano Rivera sweat. Rivera required 38 pitches to make it through two innings of relief after the Indians loaded the bases off of him in the 10th. As a result, the FEDBU were forced to bring in Luis Vizcaino in the 11th, who gave up the winning run.

A few words about Thursday's game while we're here.

Batting practice, baby! 12-3 Tribe. With both pitchers being squeezed by a small strike zone, a more mature Sabathia was able to cope with it, while Chien-Ming Wang was not. After a tired Sabathia worked out of a bases loaded with one out situation in the fifth inning by blowing fastballs by Jorge Posada and getting Hideki Matsui to pop out in what was then a one-run game, a tired Wang allowed a two-run shot to Victor Martinez to make the game 6-3. Then the FEDBU bullpen came in and pitched batting practice, while Perez, Lewis and Betancourt shut the FEDBU down.

So, now the series goes to the Big Apple with the Indians up 2-nil. Sunday's game is Westbrook vs. Clemens, whom the FEDBU have been saving for the playoffs. We'll see if Clemens is still worth $4.5 million per month after not pitching since September 16.

FEDBU fans will whine about how the game should have been stopped because of the midges. Let them. Both teams had to play through the bugs and umpire crew chief Bruce Froemming said after the game that he had no intention of calling the game. Mickey Mantle would have played through the bugs. Joe DiMaggio would have played through the bugs. Yogi Berra would have played through the bugs. Fausto Carmona wasn't bothered by the bugs at all. Man up, FEDBU fans. If you would have played better during the season, you would have won your division and this game would have been in your house. Get over yourselves.

Sometimes, it's better to be lucky...

The Tribe got outlucked by the Red Sox last night, 1-0, wasting a fine pitching effort from CC Sabathia. The Red Sox lone run was scored on two bloop hits, and Matsuzaka had the Tribe helping him out by swinging at bad pitches all game. The Indians appear to be pressing at the plate in this series, and it won't help that they face Josh Beckett tonight.

Pronk, meanwhile, is 0 for his last 16, and his Mojo appears to be taking a midsummer vacation. Some speculation as to where his Mojo may or may not be:

• He may have loaned his mojo, in a fit of altruism to Jon Lester, lymphoma survivor.
• Lindsay Lohan does not have Pronk's Mojo
• Nicholas Sarkozy may have used Pronk's Mojo to release some Doctors Without Borders medics held captive by Libya
• Jumbo squid do not have Pronk's Mojo
• Maybe Karen Holbrook used Pronk's Mojo to get herself a nice parting bonus
• Perhaps the nude motorist in Germany has been using Pronk's Mojo.
• Oprah! might have Pronk's Mojo
• Maybe, Pronk has been trying to get his rest in Berlin where his rest is being interrupted by amorous hedgehogs.

Come back, Pronk's Mojo! We implore you. It is up to you, Indians fans, to help find Pronk's Mojo and restore it to him before this team falls any further behind the Tigers.

Not Quite

After spotting the White Sox an 11-2 lead, the Tribe made it close before losing 11-10.

Cliff Lee pitched poorly, but the Indians were in the game 5-2 when he left with 1 out in the sixth. Unfortunately, Fernando Cabrera came in and pitched batting practice, letting in 2 more charged to Lee and giving up 4 more runs charged to himself in 1/3 of an inning. Jensen Lewis came in and acquitted himself reasonably well in his major league debut, getting out of the 6th and pitching a tightwire 7th, where he was saved by an amazing wall-hugging leaping non-catch in deep centerfield by Grady Sizemore that was ruled a catch.

The Indians came back with 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th on a Franklin Gutierrez 3-run home run, and then put up 5 in the bottom of the 8th, with the rally capped by a 2-run single to right by Pronk.

After Rafael Perez struck out the side, the Indians managed to rally in the 9th against closer Bobby Jenks, when Gutierrez singled and stole second to put the tying run in scoring position for Josh Barfield, who popped up weakly to the catcher.

The Good: This team is never out of any game. Pronk went 2 for 4, with 2 RBI, 1 run scored and a walk.

The Bad: Cliff Lee is inconsistent, especially when he can't or won't throw the curve. His fastball is eminently hittable.

The Ugly: Fernando Cabrera is out of options and is rapidly becoming the latest incarnation of Jason Davis. Just when you think he's got things figured out, he comes out in a high leverage situation and lays an egg like this. Don't be surprised if we hear this afternoon that he has been DFA'd and that Matt Miller has been called back to the Indians from Buffalo. After this performance, we might finally be able to slip Cabrera through waivers and get him righted in Buffalo, which would be the ideal solution.

Indians 4, Braves 5

Pronkwatch: 1 for 4, 1 run scored, 1 GIDP. No BB, No Ks.

Pronk has been moved to fifth to accommodate an en fuego Casey Blake in the 3 hole. While Blake did hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth, he also struck out with the game on the line in the ninth.

Pronk's Mojo - Still AWOL

For the Mighty Pronk Struck Out

"Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright;
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout;
But there is no joy in Cleveland—for mighty Pronk struck out."

(with apologies to Ernest Thayer)

With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, the Indians down 4-3 after Ryan Garko led off the inning with a smash that left the park, and Pronk representing the tying run, the Mighty Pronk watched strike three sail over the outside corner without waving the bat in the ball's general direction.

Totally, on the evening, Pronk went 1/4 with a walk, and scored a run in the first after singling and then being doubled home by Victor Martinez. Uber-prospect Homer Bailey received the victory in his first major league start, primarily because he was lucky enough to be starting against Cliff "Here, Gopher, Gopher" Lee, who gave up three long balls and four runs. Note to Cliff: Chicks don't dig the guys who give up the longballs.

Pronk still needs us, folks. After last night's disappointing ending, he needs us more than ever.

Cleveland 8, Kansas City 3

Pronkwatch: 1/3, a single, with 2 BB.

Another theory on Pronk's Mojo - Perhaps he has loaned it to Casey Blake, who has been en fuego lately.

Among the people who do not have Pronk's Mojo:

• Chauncey Billups
• Scooter Libby
• The country of Oman
• The Ottawa Senators
• Andrew Speaker
• Stray-Rod
• Daunte Culpepper
• Bjarne Riis

Weekend Pronkitude

Pronkwatch:

Friday, June 1: 0/3, 2 runs, 2 BB
Saturday, June 2: 2/4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 1BB, 2K
Sunday, June 3: 0/3, 1BB, 2K

The spirit of Pronk was very evident all weekend of Cleveland, even if Pronk himself was only using a limited portion of his mojo. The comeback win on Friday night was helped by a 9th inning Pronk free pass, and while the Indians lost the next two games, Pronk went 2 for 4 on Saturday with another walk. Sunday, well, the team, clearly fatigued, ran into the buzzsaw named Jeremy Bonderman, who is either very good or very bad against the Tribe. This time, he was very good. The Tribe gets a free day today knowing they are 2.5 games up on the Motor City Kitties.

And speaking of the Motor City, the free ranging Pronk Mojo was fully in evidence Saturday night. The Cavaliers made good use of the Pronk Mojo that was lent to them to Beat Detroit at the Q. This time, it was Daniel Gibson who made full use of the Pronk Mojo to clog up the Pistons.

With the Cavaliers putting the Pronk Mojo to good use, it is entirely possible that it may take another couple weeks to see the Full Pronk back at the ballpark. Most of Cleveland will accept that tradeoff, as long as the rest of the team keeps hitting.

Note: my wife and I were in Cleveland this last weekend at the Saturday game, and without Internet access - hence the full weeked Pronkwatch summary. Downtown Cleveland was crazy after the Cavs game.

Pronk Still Needs You!

Pronkwatch: Yesterday (5/30, v. Red Sox) 3 for 5, 2 RBI, with 2 doubles.

Pronk made a big stride forward yesterday, and your positive energy helped. But it's just one day, and until Pronk makes an extended display of continual Pronkitude, we cannot assume that he is fully back.

Woody Hayes used to ask his team, "What have you done today to beat Michigan?" With the series with the Tigers starting tonight, I ask you, "What have you done today to help Pronk beat Michigan?"

Pronk is counting on you.

Pronk Needs You, Tribe Fans!

Pronk, aka Travis Hafner, is in a deep, deep funk right now. Why?

Theories abound. Among the possible explanations:

• Dr. Evil has stolen his mojo, and Austin Powers is busy right now.
• Standing in as a stunt double for Shrek in Shrek 3 has zapped his energy.
• The Cleveland Curse (you know what we're talking about, Cleveland fans).
• Back troubles from carrying this team for so long.
• The other teams have been strategically deploying Kryptonite.

Regardless, right now, Cleveland fans, Pronk Needs You!

Right about now, you're probably asking yourself, "What can I do to help Pronk?" Well, here are some things that you can do to help Pronk:

• Find His Mojo! His mojo might be anywhere. It might be at your office. It might be at your school. It might be in your back yard. It's out there, somewhere, and it is incumbent on you to help Pronk find it. If it's out there, TribeNation can find it!
• Send Pronk your positive energy. Think nothing but good thoughts about Pronk - send him good vibes. Light candles. Do relaxation exercises - Pronk will feed off your sense of inner calm and it will manifest in productive at bats. If you are happy and relaxed, Pronk is happy and relaxed.
• The best way that you can help is by going to the games. Becauase, believe me, Pronk knows when you're there. He knows if you're slacking off in your game attendance. Pronk can sense these things. He is Pronk, for crying out loud.