Rick Reilly as Commish

Here is his latest.

Mistake at the Jake

This is a copy of the Indians lineup for their Friday evening win over the Rays. Cliff Lee pitched, bringing his record to 12-2. Have a look:
You cannot be serious that this represents an actual professional baseball team. Wow. How in the world does a lineup have a DH that bats .226? Isn’t that supposed [...]

Sabathia to Brewers and Rejected Offers

In response to a free-falling season, the Cleveland Indians have traded C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers. Matt LaPorta is believed to be the emergent star that the Wigwam will receive in exchange. LaPorta is a slugging outfielder whom Tribe executives believe will be a valuable piece for the future. Naturally, North Coast sports fans [...]

There’s Always This Time

Speculation is high relative to the status of incumbent Cy Young pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Surely many teams would love the services of the 290 lb. southpaw down the stretch. Indians brass will wait and see how much these teams covet these services.
When I was in Ohio during a snowstorm in March, locals bailed themselves out [...]

Actual Retirement: Julio Franco

Word is that Julio Franco may not be returning to a major league lineup this spring, at least Jayson Stark seems to believe. Early in his career, Franco was noted for his unorthodox batting stance (barrel nearly facing shortstop). Later he became known as the guy who used to play in Japan. Then he transitioned [...]

What a Babe

Sorry for the slowness. Really quick thought on Bonds and 756 (now 757). I am really hesitant to crown whoever happens to hit the most career home runs the best slugger of all time. Just me maybe. Does it factor into the conversation at all that the person Babe Ruth surpassed as all-time leader hit [...]

Monday Notes

Congrats to Tony Gwynn and Cal Ripken Jr. on their respective inductions into the MLB Hall of Fame. Certainly they are two of my favorites.
The reason people like Gwynn and Ripken better than Bonds? It is not because they are steroid free, it is because they don’t treat people like garbage. Fans and sponsors are [...]

Welcome Back, Kenny

The Cleveland Indians have acquired Kenny Lofton. Well, actually, they re-acquired him. Umm, that’s not right, either. For they traded him in 1995 for Marquis Grissom and David Justice-only to sign him back at the end of the season. So it is probably appropriate to say they re-acquired former re-acquisition, Kenny Lofton…also the best CF [...]

Winning at the Jake

Thursday Andrea and I caught a day game at the Jake. The Tribe won 8-3. Carmona pitched great, then let the pen come in and send KC away feeling better about themselves. It was a real picnic crowd at the park. A good number of the people were sporting jerseys typically worn by basketball players. [...]

Cavs-Nets (3-1)

This series has been blasted by writers and commentators for its lack of appeal. This, when compared to the Suns-Spurs melee, is a legitimate argument. Yet the other series have not been much better. The other Eastern 3-1 series has the Pistons running over the Bulls, further throwing salt into the wound of Shaq and [...]