Cavs Load Up on 'Bigs' - Possible Trade Bait?

OK, so it’s J.J. Hickson.

Message boards and talk radio shows are loaded with folks crying “foul” over Danny Ferry’s decision to select the power forward out of North Carolina State. Everybody needs to calm down. It’s one player, and, no matter who the Cavs selected with the 19th pick, they weren’t going to get someone who would instantly elevate the team to championship caliber.

There’s still work to be done. Seeing a scorer like a Michael Redd in a Cleveland uniform next season would be cause for excitement. But don’t give up hope, Cavs fans. A couple of moves that Ferry made later in the night may yet pay dividends. He sent a 2009 second round pick to Miami for the draft rights to Kansas forward Darnell Jackson, and then purchased the rights to Kansas center Sasha Kaun from Seattle. Both were second round picks.

Jackson is intriguing. He’s 6-8, 250, and averaged 11 points and almost seven rebounds a game (tops on the team) for the NCAA champion Jayhawks. More important, he put up those numbers on the national stage, and was part of the pressure-cooker that is the NCAA tournament, all the way through the Final Four and the title game.

Kaun (6-11, 250) averaged seven points and four rebounds as a reserve center. He’s apparently headed to Moscow to play, but could develop into a long-term project. Or, he could be trade bait. So could Jackson. So could Hickson.

Assuming Hickson stays with the Cavs, however, he’ll be expected to be a solid "rotational" player, as Ferry put it. And that may be why Cleveland passed on selecting GlenOak and Ohio State product Kosta Koufos, who later went to the Utah Jazz. Rather than have Koufos intern behind Zydrunas Ilgauskas for a few years, Ferry apparently felt a player like Hickson could establish himself in the rotation and make a contribution right away. Hickson led the Wolfpack in scoring (14.8 ppg), rebounding (8.5) and blocked shots (1.5) as a freshman, so I’m not sure what more fans would ask him to do at age 19. He's an athletic player with basketball skills and strength who the Cavs had rated very highly.

Regardless of who was drafted, it’s not likely that Ferry’s offseason activities are finished.

If You're Gonna Wear Throwbacks, Wear the Right Ones

While we learned the stunning news of Tiger Wood's physical condition requiring him to have more surgery and sit out the remainder of the season after winning the U.S. Open in a 19-hole playoff. . .and that Fausto Carmona and Travis Hafner will have to sit out even longer than expected. . .and that the Indians dropping another game leaves them 7-1/2 games out (and closer to last place than first). . .we turn our attention to one of the really crucial aspects of sports: throwback uniforms.

Recently when the Indians and Padres donned their oldies during their weekend series, they matched 1978 garb. Well, the Tribe simply couldn't compare to the Pads on that score. Cleveland trotted out in their very ordinary solid blues with boring block letters, while San Diego got jazzed up again in those old yellow and brown combinations. Nasty, those Padres jerseys, but memorable. I was living in the L.A. area in those days, and when Steve Garvey left the Dodgers for the Padres, he never looked quite right in that taco combination.

I know the Indians have worn them before, but if you're going to pull out something that recalls the '70s, there's nothing like the '75 attire. The stylized lettering, the blue and red versions, and, of course, the all-red uniforms worn, memorably, on opening day when Frank Robinson hit a home run in his first at bat as player-manager, were unlike anything else worn in team history. Boog Powell said the all-red version made him look like "a giant tomato." Not a bad assessment. But hey, it was the '70s. They weren't alone in their garishness, however. The Oakland A's were best known for the trend with their all-yellow and all-green combinations in 1971 (actually adapted from the franchise's uniforms in 1963, when they were located in Kansas City). The A's were joined in '71 by the Baltimore Orioles' bizarre all-orange outfits. And the Pittsburgh Pirates donned all-yellows and all-blacks in the late '70s.

The Chicago White Sox, not to be outdone, had all-blacks among their many combinations in the late '70s and early '80s, which, memorably, featured shirt collars and, for one game in August 1976, shorts (left). It was the ultimate sandlot softball look, which is pretty much what all the multi-colored major league uniforms recalled during that era. And let's not forget the baby blue road uniforms favored in those days by the likes of the Phillies, the Rangers, the Royals and, yes, the White Sox. What a time.

Still a topic of hot debate, however, is the multi-colored jersey worn by the Houston Astros for 12 seasons, from 1975 through 1986. They're symbolic of that entire era, and were certainly unique among all the brazen color combinations sported by MLB teams in the '70s and '80s. Personally, I was never bothered by them, and I lived in Texas during part of that stretch and was subjected to images of the Astros in those uniforms perhaps more than most people. But a lot of people hated them, and they eventually disappeared.

I've never been much of a Yankees fan, but they still wear the most distinctive uniforms in baseball. The Dodgers are right there with them, of course. And, I have to acknowledge the Tribe for their return to the classic Indians script jerseys in 1994, when they moved to Jacobs Field and began their resurgence as a championship franchise.

Want a fun way to waste some time? Check out the "Dressed to the Nines" section of the Baseball Hall of Fame Web site. You can view renderings of every uniform ever worn by any team. Some cool ones, and some terrible ones. But an enjoyable trip down memory lane.

Grady Being Grady, and Tiger Being. . .Well, You Know

One of the mysteries of the first two months of the baseball season was the inability of Grady Sizemore to get things rolling. The Indians' centerfielder is widely regarded as one of the finest players in the majors, and, with a batting average hovering around .250, he was performing at a level far below expectations.

That's changed of late, and, with it, so have the Tribe's offensive fortunes. He's not alone in picking things up, of course. Ryan Garko, Jamey Carroll and Casey Blake have shown important signs of life as well, to go along with the solid hitting of Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo.

But as Grady goes, so goes the Tribe, and his hot streak continues of late, just as -- no coincidence here -- the Indians have won two consecutive series. His batting average has gradually climbed to .266, and his 17 home runs (five in his last five games) rank second in the American League.

Baby steps, to be sure, but Sizemore must continue to sizzle if the Indians are to climb back into contention in the A.L. Central.

Playoff classic

When we last wrote about the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods had just climbed back into contention after a remarkable finish to Saturday's third round. It's no surprise that he sank a putt to tie Rocco Mediate and force an 18-hole playoff, and no surprise that he won that playoff to claim his 14th major victory.

But what a great story. Mediate was Everyman for a day, if not for a weekend, and twice almost pulled out the victory -- once on Sunday, and again on Monday. His engaging demeanor and the way he handled the spotlight with such optimism and grace made the golf world fall in love with him, and, truth be told, root for him to win the first major of his career. Mediate has 15 PGA Tour victories, so he's no slouch, but he's also 45, and only the Nicklauses of the world won majors that late in their career. Well, maybe until Tiger is that age.

Mediate battled Woods tooth-and-nail throughout the day and actually led the playoff by one stroke heading to the 18th hole. But he drove his tee shot into a bunker and opened the door for Woods to tie it up, which, of course, he did. No one handles the pressure of the big stage better than Tiger Woods. One extra hole was all that was needed for him to wrap up his 65th career win, which, oh by the way, moved him past Ben Hogan for third place on the all time list, eight behind Jack Nicklaus and 17 behind Sam Snead.

An honor for C.C.

Amidst all the contract talk -- will the Indians trade him or keep him? -- C.C. Sabathia was honored as the A.L.'s Player of the Week Monday, after winning a 1-0 complete game victory over Minnesota last Wednesday and outdeuling Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres on Sunday. He issued only one walk in 17 innings in the two games, while fanning 15 to pass Charles Nagy on the team's all-time strikeout list. Sabathia leads the A.L. with 97 strikeouts in 99-1/3 innings pitched (also a league best).

Unparalleled Excellence

Saturday's amazing finish by Tiger Woods to Round 3 of the U.S. Open was stuff of legend, yes, but in some ways not surprising, because it's the kind of thing we've come to expect from this giant of sport. Certainly in my lifetime no athlete has risen to transcend his sport over such a prolonged period of time as has Tiger, and Saturday's superhuman display just added to his legacy.

First came a ridiculous 70-foot eagle putt on the 13th hole to put Woods back in the running. Four holes later he one-hopped a chip on 17 for a birdie, and then he drained a 30-foot eagle putt on 18 to give him the outright lead heading into today's final round. Who does this stuff? Only Tiger, year after year after year. Michael Jordan certainly set the bar high during his playing days, but even basketball players have to admit they're only as great, ultimately, as the teams they play on. Golf is an individual sport, and the mental grind can be overwhelming. To witness what Tiger does, and the way he rises to the occasion on the sport's biggest stages, is simply breathtaking.

That he pulled off Saturday's tour-de-force on a bum knee that buckled on him on the 15th tee and caused him to wince in pain and use his driver as a cane was even more surreal.

"The stuff he does, it's unreal," said Rocco Mediate, who watched his once-comfortable lead over Woods evaporate from the group right behind Tiger's. "It's just the most amazing display of athletic, mental power that there is, that there ever was."

Maybe Tiger will win the Open today, maybe he won't. It matters to him, of course, but it doesn't matter to us. There are dozens of phenomenal athletes in sports today, and there have been thousands over the years, but Tiger is the best, plain and simple, and the most dominant in a particular field that sports has ever seen.

Witnessing LeBron James is cool, but to witness Tiger Woods is to witness history.

Charlie Jones

Last weekend the sports world lost one legendary broadcaster -- Jim McKay -- and later in the week it lost another. Charlie Jones, long-time announcer of the American Football League and countless other major assignments on ABC and NBC, died Thursday night in his home in La Jolla, Calif.

Jones' first major assignment was covering the AFL for ABC in 1960, and he followed the league to NBC in 1965. Like McKay, he contributed to ABC's "Wide World of Sports" and later did similar assignments for NBC's "Sports World." His resume also included the Olympics, the World Cup, and more than 25 college football bowl games.

Jones, like many of his era, had a distinctive, one-of-a-kind voice that became synonymous with major sporting events. Like McKay's, his was a comfortable, reassuring delivery that transcended the events he covered. And, like McKay, he exuded joy in his on-air style, making the broadcasts he anchored even more enjoyable to watch.

The Big Hurt of 2008

Along with the news Thursday of Victor Martinez heading to the disabled list came the double-whammy item of Josh Barfield, he of the Monday call-up from Buffalo, heading to the DL as well. Barfield sprained the middle finger on his left hand trying to check his swing Wednesday. Poor guy couldn’t even last a week in his latest audition as the Tribe’s second baseman. So Jamey Carroll (left) takes over, and the honest truth is he’s been as dependable as anyone else in the infield. Carroll had four hits in Thursday’s drubbing of the Twins and was 8-for-9 in the three-game set to raise his season average to .273. Stephanie Storm of the Akron Beacon Journal recently wrote a nice article about Carroll that’s worth a read.

Martinez’s faulty elbow came as news this week, although he’s apparently been plagued by it much of the year. Why he and the team weren’t more forthcoming about the problem earlier in the season is anybody’s guess. Has it affected his hitting? “Just look at the numbers and you’ll see,” he said Thursday. Trainer Lennie Soloff said Martinez has been playing in pain and didn’t want to come out of the lineup. Nobody does, but doesn’t there come a time when you have to pull a guy for his own good?

The Beacon Journal’s Sheldon Ocker quoted manager Eric Wedge in today’s edition as saying that “whether you shut a guy down depends on whether he is better than the alternative.” Wouldn’t the player’s overall health and well-being be more of a factor? One presumes Wedge considers that a given, but, the way the team kept sending the likes of Martinez and Travis Hafner onto the field with injuries this season, one also wonders.

Meanwhile, it comes to this: Called up from Buffalo to replace Martinez and Barfield were -- wait for it -- catcher Yamid Haad and infielder Jorge Velandia. Haad was hitting .159 with the Bisons, although he did hit .301 in 35 games last year. He’d previously been to the majors with San Francisco. Velandia, shown here wearing a Pirates hat when he was in their minor league system in 2005, was signed last month after being released by Toronto and was hitting .235 in 16 games at Buffalo. He’s also suited up for San Diego, the Mets, Oakland and Tampa Bay in his career. (Question: Should the fact that Asdrubal Cabrera was left in Buffalo be interpreted as a statement by Tribe brass about this season?)

POLITENESS AWARD: Referring Thursday to the absence of Hafner and Martinez, Ben Francisco said, “We have to be tough with our two biggest hitters out of the lineup.” It was a nice thing to say, considering Francisco has actually been the biggest hitter in the lineup.

ENCOURAGING NEWS: Grady Sizemore has been swinging a hot bat of late. He’s batted .342 (13-for-38) with three homers and six RBI during a nine-game hitting streak. . .Jake Westbrook had Tommy John surgery Thursday in Los Angeles to repair his right elbow. See you in 2010, Jake. . .Fausto Carmona is expected to make a rehab start next week. . .Aaron Laffey picked up his fourth win last night in the 12-2 shellacking of Minnesota. His ERA is 2.83. If Jeremy Sowers can make a strong showing tonight in the series opener against San Diego, perhaps the pitching will hold things together yet this season. . .Still, you have to wonder how long C.C. Sabathia will be in a Tribe uniform. Despite three straight losses by the White Sox, the Indians are 6-1/2 games out, and the spate of injuries doesn’t bode well for the stretch run. As Tribe fans learned with Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome, there’s no hometown discount when it comes to star players and contract negotiations. If the Indians can get value for Sabathia as they look to 2009, you couldn’t blame Mark Shapiro for pulling the trigger on a deal that brings some solid prospects or experienced big leaguers to get things back on track.

Random Notes

The LeCharles Bentley era in Cleveland ended before it started. A mysterious tour with the Browns came to an abrupt halt Wednesday when he asked for, and was granted, his release. Go figure on this one. Bentley didn't say much, and neither did the Browns. What was said was rather cryptic, on the part of all parties. GM Phil Savage called it "a chapter that finally comes to an end," said the team had "some closure" and acknowledged that it "just didn't work out." Asked by the Plain Dealer's Marla Ridenour if he had requested his release, Bentley replied, "Why would I do that?" OK, we get it, everybody's saying the right things. But this had to be one of the weirdest odysseys in Browns history. Well, it's over. Good luck to Bentley, and Go Browns. . . .

2008 has gradually shaped up to be a season that Victor Martinez would rather forget. A .278 batting average, with no homers and 21 RBIs? Hardly Martinez-like numbers. He strained a hamstring on Opening Day, and it's clear he's never been 100 percent since. Now he's scheduled to have an MRI on a right elbow inflammation that forced him out of Wednesday's loss to Minnesota. It flared up after an awkward swing in the first inning. Manager Eric Wedge later revealed that the elbow has been an issue for Martinez for a while. The question now is whether the combination of the hamstring and the elbow might land Martinez on the disabled list. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, a tip of the cap to Aaron Laffey. The young lefthander moved into the starting rotation when Jake Westbrook was lost to injury. Laffey was honored as the AL Rookie Pitcher of the Month for May, when he was 3-2 with a 0.79 ERA. Opponents hit just .220 against him over 34 innings during the month. Overall he's now 3-3 with a 2.98 ERA, and has most likely cemented his stay in Cleveland. . . .

Apparently Stark County's Kosta Koufos made a wise decision when he chose to leave Ohio State for the NBA after just one season. Word is his stock continues to rise and that he's looked good in personal workouts for NBA teams. Winning the MVP while helping lead Ohio State to the 2008 NIT Championship was a stroke of timing genius. Todd Porter of the Canton Repository recently wrote that NBA teams are focusing on wingspan more than height when it comes to big men in the draft. In other words, the fact that Koufos is a shade over seven feet tall is one thing; but the fact that his wingspan is almost 7'6" is more significant. Koufos has excellent skills for a post player, including his ball handling and his outside shooting ability. A number of mock drafts have Koufos going in the first round -- in at least one of those, to Cleveland. He'd be an intriguing pickup for the Cavaliers, who will need to groom a replacement for Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the next couple of years. If he falls to them in the draft, it could be another gift from the basketball gods for the franchise. . . .

An interesting side note to the NBA Finals is the presence of Ira Newble on the Lakers' roster. The former Cavalier, traded to Seattle in the deal that brought Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak to Cleveland, later signed with the Lakers and is enjoying a second consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. He's mostly a practice player and has logged a grand total of one minute in the postseason for L.A., but he's admittedly got the best seat in the house for the grand stage, and, if nothing else, he can boast of playing with the two best players in the league -- LeBron James and Kobe Bryant -- over the last two seasons. And Newble isn't alone as a former Cavalier enjoying the ride -- Chris Mihm is still with the Lakers, also in a benchwarming role. The two were teammates in Cleveland during the 2003-04 season.

Who'da thunk it? Barfield Back, Cabrera Gone

The merry-go-round continued for the Indians Monday, as Josh Barfield returned to the fold from his exile in Buffalo. Although hitting only .255 as the Bisons' leadoff hitter, Barfield will get the chance to win back the second base job that eluded him after a disastrous start in '07. Back to Buffalo, meanwhile, goes Asdrubal Cabrera, he of the sparkling glove and, this year, the .184 bat. It's simply a reversal of roles from a year ago, when the two switched places in the other direction and Cabrera sparked a late-season surge by the Tribe, both in the field and at the plate.

One wonders, though, if the tandem won't be together in Cleveland someday -- Barfield at second, Cabrera at short. Both have a long way to go before that scenario even hits the radar screen, however. For now, Barfield joins Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo as former Bisons now trying to lift the Tribe offense.

Cliff Lee did just enough to get the win Monday night in Detroit, earning the Indians a split of their four game series with the Tigers. Lee pitched around a one-hour rain delay to get in the required five innings and run his A.L.-leading record to 10-1. His excellence continues, as evidenced by his 2.52 ERA.

That's two series splits in a row, to Texas and Detroit. That's better than the awful 3-12 mark the Tribe posted while losing five consecutive series in the three preceding weeks.

Griffey belts #600

It was about time -- that's all I could think. There was a time when I, and just about everyone else, expected Ken Griffey Jr., not Barry Bonds, to challenge Hank Aaron's lifetime home run record. Fate had other ideas, as an injury-plagued Griffey watched the enigmatic Bonds pass him by. Still, 600 is 600, something only five other players have done, and Griffey's arrival in the club is long overdue. He's a sure first-ballot Hall of Famer, and one of the all-time greats, a member of the All-Century Team at age 29! By that time he had already amassed 398 home runs in 11 seasons with Seattle. Since then he's hit only 202 homers in nine years with Cincinnati. Who thought he would average only 22 home runs a season over that span? But it is what it is, as they say, and 600 home runs is certainly a cause for celebration, and a tip of the cap to one of the best ever.