The year ahead at ttfc

Thanks everyone.  There has been sooo much e-mail that I may to have to have e-mail Thursdays. Monty, you and your family are in my thoughts.  Again, thanks for the out pouring of support.  Most of you have been great.  A few of you will be hearing from my attorney about restraining orders.  But I love all feedback.  Keep it coming.

Okay, maybe I am exaggerating things.  Hehehe, I am not.  Ttfc hasn't quite hit Beiber-esque popularity.  But, it is pretty close, and I being completely serious.  The response to this blog has been amazing.  You are all beautiful people.  I am hearing your cries to go worldwide.    But people remember that keeping it real comes at a price.

Nevertheless, there are exciting things are happen here at ttfc.

[The Tribe Daily]

First, I'd like to encourage you to bookmark and check out The Tribe Daily.  Once upon a time, I tried to write daily recaps of all things Cleveland baseball.  But you know what?  Why do the same thing that others are doing better?  I was, eh, okay.  But if you want a daily rundown of baseball events from ttfc, throw your computer out of the window.  Throw it now. 

You want to know what is happening with the Tribe check out The Tribe Daily.  Ttfc is about fun, facts, and .... (you know I am looking for another word starting with 'f') ... friction ... too dirty ... failure .. too self-revealing ... fandango ... too confusing.  Screw it.  ttfc is about fun, facts, and baseball. 

This year, you will be getting some of my careful work over at The Tribe Daily.  You know, stuff that is proofred.  *rolls eyes*  There is a series on the Tribe starting staff in works.  (The B-material will be kicked to ttfc or ESPN.)  So, look forward to that.

[ttfc, reaching the unconverted]

I love baseball.  When I write serious pieces about it, I spend real time researching, organizing, and formulating.  I make no claims to be a baseball expert, but I care and give it an honest effort.  With some pieces, I have a clear vision from the beginning.  Others are a labor of love.

What I realized as a struggled through a particular tough piece is that I can kick out crazy shit on the side, no problem.  I sensed such a feeling a freedom.  It was Shawshank freedom, where the truth is the shit and filth you need to crawl through to get to creativity.  You emerge with a blog ready piece. 

My personal introduction to The Tribe Daily is a piece that I like.  If you want more pieces like this, I am am happy to oblige.  I feel a daily urge to push out writing like this.  I've forced out another piece like this, the Breaking Bad's Jesse meets Cleveland baseball blog.  It is okay, but I can do better. [Most of the shit I write is for lemmings, family, and the two friends I have remaining/more lemmings.  Edit out later.]  That was my first run, and I was all blocked up.

Anyway, if the teaming, steaming masses want it, I will oblige.  It will be things that I was thinking about while writing about baseball.  I have a special place each morning.  I think hard about baseball.  Sometimes, I really strain.  And I have had more than one revelation there, but not something that will win your fantasy league.

Comment, if you are interested. 

[Life is just a fantasy ... ]

I  am researched up and ready to go.  I feel very comfortable with points league questions about any player in baseball.  But I have no clue how many stolen bases Miguel Cabrera is likely to get.    But, pick a player and I'll give you movie cowboy comparables.

 [I am who I am]

This is still the same blog that called the emergence of both Masterson and Brantley.  Would have helped your fantasy team that year, huh?  I know it did mine.  (Ignore all LaPorta articles.  I repeat.  Ignore all LaPorta articles on ttfc.)

Of course, you and everyone else read my post comparing Tomb Raider the movie to results batters get by not swinging, fouling, or walking.  People seemed to love that post.  I just can't seem to recapture the magic of Angelina Jolie, NSFW.  I didn't think it was my best work, but obviously the people have spoken.

I'll make no apologies when I do hardcore baseball analysis.  And I will make no apologies when I do weird stream of consciousness stuff.  I hope some baseball people stick around, because I put a bunch of effort in those pieces.  I hope some non-baseball people stick around for the wacky stuff.  I enjoy and care about those pieces as well.

But if not, jokes on you. 'Cause no one is reading anyway.  Muhahaha..  

The Cleveland baseball fan, scientifically....

Why should you be a Cleveland baseball fan?  Are you like Liz, Floyd and all good people that simply love the Cleve?  Maybe you egged Albert Belle's house as a kid, he chased you down in his SUV, and now you feel nostalgic?  Maybe you're just a fan of SCIENCE?

You're totally freaking now, right?    

That is right, science.  'Cause devotion to the Tribe is all about science.  You know moneyball, yo!  Like when, you have all sorts of formulas, equations, and stuff and use them to like prove stuff.  And moneyball proves that it always makes sense to love Cleveland baseball.  If you haven't seen Moneyball, you totally should cause it'll change things, man. 

To totally get it, you'll need a little like astrophysics.  'Cause complex shit is going down.  And don't give me that I am sooo smart.  Ohhhh you get Pere Ubu?  Yeah right, poser.  Why don't you try listening with your ears?

You see I saw this special on PBS.  In astrophysics, there are these black holes that like entrap stars.  All they do is drain the stars that are like forced in their orbit, a one way suck.  All light, hope, and heat is drained into their abyss.  It's a one way street towards disappointment and depression, if we are speaking scientifically.  (And we are definitely talking about science and not my own feelings.)

I won't bore you with numbers, because it's science.  But last August was like a baseball black hole.  Again, and I can't stress this enough, my continual crying last August played no role in this number-crunching science.  Cleveland baseball could bring like Einstein to tears, scientifically speaking.

And don't be all, but Bryan, that doesn't sound like a reason to love the Tribe.  Maybe you don't learn because you don't stop talking.   


'Cause like that black hole went all Nova on your ass this off season.  Boom.  Swisher signed.  We got Stubbs.  We got Reynolds.  We got Aviles.  And other shit went down. Then double boom.  Super Nova!  Bourn signed. 

Cleveland soooo improved its team in the off-season.  If you look at complex formulas involving improving power, speed, and defense you totally get how much better the Tribe is.  That is, science says we are better.  I won't bore you with the details.  'Cause it's all blah, blah, blah.  But the numbers prove it. 

Then I had this total revelation.  Black holes, numbers, super nova, moneyball.  And I am like Bryan you fucking genius.  I am like that lady that died from radiation and discovered shit.  Cleveland baseball is like the cosmos.  And what?  You're not going to believe in the cosmos?  Huh?  You gotta love the cosmos. 

So take that bitches.  Proof.

So hurray science!  Hurray, Cleveland!

A quick word on the WBC

Watched some games last night. 

It was interesting baseball.  The players clearly cared.  The stadiums looked packed, and the fan were into it.  I love baseball.  It try to get to as many minor league and major league games as I can.  These games are more meaningful and exciting than any minor league game.  And again, I love minor league baseball. 

And growing the sport internationally will lead to a better MLB.  It will increase the player pool.  Plus, it will only improve the leagues financial stability.  A model for the sports world is the English Premiere league.  Imagine growing baseball into South America (Brasil, Argentina, Chile, Peru, etc.)  South America is experiencing economic growth.  There baseball would be in our off-season.  Unlike Asia leagues, MLB would not compete with a robust South American league. 

P.S.  Injuries can happen anytime.  Thank goodness Chris Perez didn't hurt himself as part of the WBC, cause the vitriol would be through the roof. 

Chris Perez Injury and Evolving Expectations

Why didn't Cleveland simply state that Perez was injured when they scratched him from the lineup?

The way it was handled caused a speculation frenzy. Cleveland basically said Perez is scratched and the reason is a mystery to be revealed later.

Social media flashes are uninteresting in themselves. Yes, someone was speculating on Twitter that Perez had a PED suspension. But I wasn't. No one on my Twitter feed was. So, the fact that someone was my making wild guesses about Perez leaves me cold. You can rant about modern life, but yawn.

As we waited roughly an hour to get the straight story, I realized that if Perez were traded, I'd be disappointed. Even if the trade were a good one for the team in the long term, my expectations have changed since December. I want to see how this season plays out. Let's see if Detroit is going to be healthy. Let's see how the various piece on the Tribe fit together.

This team has me intrigued. That wasn't true in December. I thought this team has no chance of playing meaningful games in September. If they made a decent trade in December, I would think, "Gotta get value when you can."  Now, let's roll the dice with this bunch.  While Detroit is still the on paper favorite, my expectations have evolved. I want to see this team play for awhile. Cause, maybe, just maybe...

Ohio band spotlight: Bethesda

Two roads diverge in a yellow wood (NSFW)

Sure, Robert Frost's poem is easily the most over-quoted poem in human history.  But fuck, if it isn't pretty.  I reread it today as prep for the post.  If you haven't read it in awhile, do so.  I tend to like things dark, abstract, absurd, or ironic.  But there is value in occasionally pausing and glimpsing the earnest beautiful.

....Anyway...Two roads diverged for Cleveland this off season...And I'll go from beauty to vulgarity.....

They were coming off a terrible season.  Let's not relive it, but the god damned plane has crashed into the mountain.  The toe was in the envelope, they didn't make the hand-off, and they're gonna to kill that poor woman.  It was bad. 

Cleveland was a crossroad.  They could tear it down and rebuild.  This is a well worn path.  We have been down it a time or twenty.  Houston and Miami are going down that path this year.  The Cubs, Pirates, and Padres have worn their souls bare traveling down that road. 

Cleveland came close to going down rebuild road.   Francona did not start us down the road of contention.   Terry Francona signed to the Tribe out of friendship.  He has an out-clause in his contract, if his friends, Shapiro and Antonetti, are fired.  If you needed one more reason to love Terry Francona, he was on board when rebuilding was a real possibility. 

The path diverged with Arizona trade.  Arizona needed a shortstop.  They had soured on Bauer, and we really liked him.  Asbrubal is approaching free agency.  The fit was there.  We signed Mike Aviles, giving us a major league replacement.  The Cleveland brass was readying for the rebuild.

It didn't happen.   

But go back to that moment.  Look down that path.  Asdrubal Cabrera for Trevor Bauer.  Mike Aviles is a major league short stop but he isn't Asdrubal.  So, we were downgrading a 94 loss team.  Do we sign Swisher?  Not likely, right?  But we do trade Choo.  Boras is his agent and wants him to test the free agent market.  Cleveland had to move him now if they hoped to get any value him.  And Bourn?  Forget about it. 

The path most traveled was question marks in left, right, and DH.  Want to look down that path?  See Ben Francisco and Chris McGuiness. 

Not to belabor the point, but Francona signed on to a 94 loss team that might lose both Choo and Cabrera.  (Francona showed us Kosar love.)

Instead Cleveland is trying to thread the needle.  Be competitive now and try to build for the future.  That is the path less traveled.  Maybe there is a reason for that.  This might not work.  But for a moment look down the well worn path and be glad for the road less taken.   

AMC presents their hit series CLE LF 2012

I'm a fan of AMC's Walking Dead. 

Yep, it's zombies.  But my interest stems from the real human responses to catastrophe.  For example, multiple characters lock away zombie, former-loved ones, hoping for a cure.  They know better.  But human nature, what it is, they hold out hope.  Maybe the walking dead can live again.  Ultimately, this proves tragically pointless. 

You want to know the difference between being a Cleveland fan now and last year?  Last year, we prayed that zombies could live.  

Last spring, we had an open competition for the left field spot.  Everyone failed.   Failed bad.  Duncan .759 OPS.  Cunningham .544 OPS.  Spilborghs .472 OPS.  Canzler .626 OPS.  ... There were more and all failed to mimic a MLB left fielder.  They say don't trust spring statistics.  But common sense said, rub your eyes and look at the corpses.    

Just like characters in the Walking Dead, former major leaguers were stored in our left field.  There is nothing dignified by pretending the dead will live again.  The climatic end of this charade was when we had to put down zombie Johnny Damon. 

No one wanted to see that. 

This year, we are not praying on zombies.  Dice-K, Kazmir, Giambi, and Raburn aren't going to win spots on a farce.

2013 differs from 2012, because only the living need apply.