Bleacher Report - Articles by Owen Wilson

How to Fix the Cleveland Indians for 2010

Owen Wilson — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:35:00 -0400

The 2009 season has not gone at all as planned for the Cleveland Indians.

They have struggled, at one point or another, in every aspect of the game, losing because of starting pitching, the bullpen, blown saves, bad defense, bad managing, a lack of situational hitting, a lack of hitting period, and even some blown calls (when a fan reaches over the fence to snatch a ball away from a fielder it's interference, not a go ahead home run, even for the Yankees, but I digress).

And to top it off, the Indians have been hit especially hard by the injury bug, with nine players currently on the DL, including their best player, Grady Sizemore; their most consistent player in 2009, Asdrubal Cabrera; their cleanup hitter, Travis Hafner; their No. 2 starter Jake Westbrook; and their go-to reliever, Rafael Betancourt.

The calendar has now turned to June, and as much as it hurts me to admit, the Tribe, at 10 games under .500, has no shot this year, even in the weak AL Central, so why do Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge continue to stand by and watch this team lose day after day?

It is time to admit defeat for 2009 and start building for next year. To do that, Shapiro needs to have a mini fire-sale, and it needs to start now. Start unloading DeRosa, Carroll, Pavano, Garko, Francisco, etc. for as many quality young arms a year or less away from the majors as possible.

Hell, even entertain offers for Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, and everyone else but don't pull the trigger unless you get a king's ransom for them.

Then proceed to shake up the big league club even more. Start today by sending Fausto Carmona back to Columbus until he learns to throw strikes (as this looks less likely to happen every day, you may as well just assume he will never be back with the club and be pleasantly surprised if he does somehow regain his control/confidence, which would be a huge boost to the rotation when/if it ever happens as 2007 prived how good he can be) and just go ahead and throw Tomo Ohka into the rotation for a turn or two.

Then, as pitchers like Westbrook, Aaron Laffey, and Scott Lewis get healthy, replace the likes of Jeremy Sowers, David Huff, and Ohka in the rotation and hope that Hector Rondon and/or Huff are ready to contribute by 2010.

The bullpen, which was atrocious at the outset is a solid, if makeshift, group right now. The bigger thing here is to get some good young arms to fill out the pen for next season.

This should be done mainly through the aforementioned trades as well as by making sure that minor leaguers like Zach Putman progress and are ready to at least compete for a spot next spring.

The offense has been up and down all year, but if Sizemore and Hafner can get healthy by opening day, the lineup will have plenty of firepower. The biggest thing here is to give some young prospects a shot to play in the majors this year. Everyday.

Let Matt LaPorta, Jordan Brown, Luis Valbuena/Josh Barfield play everyday and see if they can help you next year.

It would be so much more beneficial to lose with your future stars (hopefully) in there gaining experience than to watch Jamie Carroll, Kelly Shoppach, Trevor Crowe, David Dellucci...fail over and over.

It would be one thing to play your veterans if you had a chance to win this year, but this team is going nowhere regardless of which players strike out with runners in scoring position.

As with many bad teams, the Indians are not a very well-run club, and Wedge should definitely be on his last legs as manager. I mean, why the fuck would you call up your top prospect LaPorta, and then sit him for weeks in favor of David Dellucci (who, it should go without saying, sucks) and Trevor Crowe, another, less talented rookie?

It's just another or the thousands of examples Wedge has given everybody that he has no idea what he is doing and that, when in doubt (which for him is almost all of the time), play favorites.

However, I have long since accepted the fact that as long as Shapiro is GM, Wedge will never, ever, ever, get the axe. And Shapiro himself is safe for the foreseeable future as Larry Dolan is asleep at the wheel.

There's really no hope for an improvement in management as the incompetence runs all the way up through the organization, so the best we can hope for is some serious changes to the actual roster.

Even with Wedge and Shapiro still in control, it is possible that, with the right moves, the Indians can be contenders again in 2010 with a lineup something like this:

CF Sizemore

SS Cabrera

C Martinez

DH Hafner

RF Choo

LF LaPorta

3B Peralta

1B Garko/Brown

2B Valbuena/Barfield

with a Beau Mills and Carlos Santana knocking on the door at AAA and a rotation of:

Lee

Westbrook

Laffey

Rondon

with Carmona/Lewis/Reyes/Huff/Putnam and some young arms acquired through trades in the mix for the fifth spot and to fill out the pen.

It may not be a championship team, but it is markedly better than what is on the field right now and could easily compete for the 2010 AL Central crown.

Throw in a couple good free agent signings (especially a high character, clubhouse presence ala Trot Nixon) and the team will be looking pretty good.

But right now all I can do is hope that dumb and dumber have a stroke of genius and start to overhaul this team radically because 2009 is a lost cause, and, as of right now, 2010 isn't looking a whole lot better.

Lions Looking To Trade Up in Draft

Owen Wilson — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 22:40:45 -0400

The latest news out of Detroit has the Lions looking to trade up in the last week before the draft so they can get Michael Crabtree, who is apparently at the top of their board.

From what I've been hearing, the Lions are currently in the process of working out a trade to move up to the top of the draft. The latest rumors have them offering a package including their two first round picks as well as last year's team MVP, little Stevie Bartfield, ball boy. It seems as though the deal has been agreed to in principle and should be completed within the next few days.

As the draft has drawn closer, the Lions have slowly come to the conclusion that Crabtree is the best player in the 2009 Draft, a true game-changing, and they hope franchise-changing, receiver. Due to Crabtree's "special" skills, Lions' GM Martin Mayhew stated that this draft would be a failure if they are unable to add a game-changing receiver, and most analysts agree that Crabtree is the only one in this draft class that fits the bill.

When asked why he wanted to move up and when exactly he was hoping to be picking come Saturday, he responded simply, "As high as we can get, you can never be too high." Indeed, insightful words from one of the top young GM's in the game.

Most scouts agree that Crabtree is a top five talent and will be able to have a huge impact on his future team, from game one. His prodigious skills have led some to mention him in the same breath as other such luminaries as Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams, Mike Williams, and Charles Rodgers. Only time will tell, but Crabtree has a real chance to be something special, and according to Mel Kiper Jr., he could not hope for a better situation than to be drafted by the Lions. "It would be an absolutely perfect fit, a match made in heaven."

Many have been expecting a move like this for some time now, as Detroit, coming off of a perfect 2008, is set at nearly every position. In fact, many experts believe that a quality number one wideout is all that has stood between the Lions and a Super Bowl the last few years. With both lines in tact, a solid secondary, and a 1000 yard rusher in second year running back Kevin Smith, all that QB Dante Culpepper lacked was a dominant receiver. Sure Calvin Johnson is solid, but the Lions have been without a great deep threat since the prolific passing offenses of the Charlie Batch era.

The deal, although not official yet, is all but done, and when it goes through, the other 31 teams will cower in terror. Although many critics were speculating the Lions' demise after the departure of longtime GM Matt Millen, I think it is safe to say that these fears were unfounded, as Mayhew seems to have already mastered his mentor's knack for talent evaluation.

2009 NHL Playoff Predictions: Will the Red Wings Repeat?

Owen Wilson — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:10:55 -0400

Before the NHL Playoffs get into full swing, I thought I would run through the matchups and make some picks. I'll admit, I do have a slight bias as I am a Red Wings fan, but I'll do my best to be objective with my picks.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Round One

(8) Montreal Canadiens vs. (1) Boston Bruins

The Bruins plowed through the East in the regular season, won the season series 5-1, and after winning a battle in Game One, came back in Game Two to take a commanding 2-0 lead in this series. I would love for this to turn into a long series, but I have a feeling that the Bruins may have already taken the Canadiens' best shot in Game One and will consequently cruise through this series.

Bruins in four

(7) New York Rangers vs. (2) Washington Capitals

The Caps won the season series 3-1 and obviously were the second best team in the East, beating out the Devils in the last week of the season. They also have the best player in the game in Alex Ovechkin, along with a slew of other talented players featuring a power play with an absurd amount of firepower.

That being said, they have been outplayed in almost every facet of the game and find themselves down 0-2 and playing in the Garden for Game Three. I have to think the Caps will pull it together, that Ovechkin will find the back of the net with one of his 13 shots, that the Rangers won't be able to keep up this level of play...but they are in quite a hole.

Because I picked the Caps to make a run this year, I will stay with them, but if they don't come out with some serious fire in Game Three, then it will be on to round two for the Rangers.

Capitals in seven

(6) Carolina Hurricanes vs. (3) New Jersey Devils

I'm not going to lie, I like the Devils in this one. More specifically, I like Marty Brodeur in this one. There's no need to explain that Brodeur is one of the best goalies in NHL history—his 557 wins show that—but this year he is also rested as a result of his injury earlier this season and has been excellent in the playoffs (three Cups in four trips since 1995).

In addition to Brodeur, the rest of the team is not bad either, as they were among the top four teams in the East all year, even as Brodeur was out of the lineup, and they have plenty of veteran experience, including Brendan Shanahan, for a playoff run. The Canes are a solid team and actually won the season series against New Jersey, but I just can't see them winning this series.

Devils in six

(5) Philadelphia Flyers vs. (4) Pittsburgh Penguins

This didn't set up as a very good series from the get-go, and the Pens' domination of the first two games has done nothing to change that. I see the Flyers putting up a better fight at home, especially against their bitter rivals from across the state.

That being said, I think that, with the way Sidney Crosby has been playing (especially since Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin came over midseason) and with the fact that they also have the NHL's leading scorer in Evgeni Malkin, I just can't see them losing this one, although I do see a possibility for some interesting extracurriculars later in the series.

Penguins in four

Round Two

(4) Penguins vs. (1) Bruins

This is one of the series I am looking forward to this year, and I'm not quite sure who I like in this one. You've got the big, bullying Bruins against the quick, immensely skilled Penguins in a great Eastern Semi matchup.

As much as I like the Penguins, and even though the Bruins have been known to choke in the playoffs, I just see the Bruins beating up Malkin and Crosby while Tim Thomas shuts them down (to an extent), leading to a Boston win. This should be a long and entertaining series that is just about a toss-up, but...

Bruins in seven

(3) Devils vs. (2) Capitals

This is yet another great second round matchup, pitting the game's best goal scorer against the best goalie, and as in every sport, defense wins in the playoffs. Therefore, I look for Martin Brodeur and the Devils to advance to the conference finals with a win over Ovechkin and the Caps.

Both teams will be coming off of hard-fought series in round one, and both have solid all-around teams, but I think the goaltending of Marty, along with the Devils' postseason experience, puts them over the hump.

Devils in six

Eastern Finals

(3) Devils vs. (1) Bruins

In the Eastern finals we have another good matchup featuring teams that split the regular season series 2-2. I love the Bruins' style of play and think they have a great collection of talent this year, but on the other hand they have not done well in the playoffs recently.

Also working against them is Martin Brodeur. Not to keep repeating myself, but he is a beast, and I just have a hard time seeing the Bruins (yes, the same Bruins that were second in the league in scoring) putting the puck past Marty enough to advance. At the other end of the ice, Tim Thomas has been amazing, but he just isn't Brodeur.

This is a long, hard-fought, low-scoring series, but I see the Devils squeaking by and into the Finals...just barely.

Devils in seven

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Round One

(8) Anaheim Ducks vs. (1) San Jose Sharks

This is just horrible luck for the NHL-best Sharks. Although they are the top seed, they have to feel as though they are in a four vs. five matchup, as the Ducks are one of the hottest teams in the league and are definitely not the team you want to be seeing in the opening round.

As hot as the Ducks have been, the Sharks were the best team in the NHL all year and took the season series from the Ducks 4-2. Although I could easily see the Ducks stealing this series, I think the Sharks, battered and bruised, will escape with this series after taking a beating at the hands of the Ducks.

Sharks in seven

(7) Columbus Blue Jackets vs. (2) Red Wings

I want to be objective, I really do. I could point out that the Jackets have Rick Nash, one of the game's best players, they infused their roster with a ton of veteran experience (especially with playoff experience), and Steve Mason was otherworldly for much of his rookie season—but it just doesn't matter.

This is the absolute most perfect possible first round matchup for the Wings. They have next to no travel time, are facing a rookie in goal, have players with more playoff experience than the entire Jackets roster, have the best offense in the game right now, have been playing well the last month or so (Chris Osgood especially has stepped it up), and so on...all I'm saying is that even an objective observer couldn't say that this series will go more than five games.

Wings in four

(6) St. Louis Blues vs. (3) Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver is a very dangerous team and should have no problem with the Blues. Yes, they split in the regular season 2-2 and yes, Brad Boyes is solid and Chris Mason had a nice year, but I just can't see the Blues having any kind of a shot at this series. The Sedin brothers are an absolute treat to watch, and Roberto Luongo is a man in net. Throw in Mats Sundin's experience and home ice, and I've got to call this a TKO.

Canucks in four

(5) Calgary Flames vs. (4) Chicago Blackhawks

Another Western matchup that I just don't think will be that good. Again, the Flames have had a solid year, and with Jarome Iginla, Craig Conroy, and Miika Kiprusoff you can't rule them completely out of the series, but they're just not as good as Chicago. With Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, along with the Bulin Wall in goal, I look for them to advance easily.

Blackhawks in five

Round Two

(4) Blackhawks vs. (1) Sharks

The Sharks come into this game beat up from their grueling first round matchup with the Ducks, while the Hawks come off of a fairly easy win over Calgary, and in this matchup that could be the difference. Although the Sharks are the better team, I just see this all setting up against them this series. The Sharks are at an immediate disadvantage because of their first round series, and this should only be exacerbated by their cross-country trips for this series with Chicago.

On top of that, the Sharks have not had the best track record in the postseason as of late and will be facing a very formidable Hawks team with Nikolai Khabibulin at the back end and Toews and Kane with Patrick Sharp and Brian Campbell attacking the goal all series. I think the Hawks pull out the upset, knocking out the top seed.

Hawks in six

(3) Canucks vs. (2) Red Wings

I think this will be an absolutely wonderful series to watch. Detroit's skill players, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Marian Hossa, Johan Franzen...matched up against Roberto Luongo, and at the other end, Vancouver's talented front line against an Osgood that looks to be back to his 2008 Cup-winning form.

That being said, I think that Detroit's offense is just too much, and Ozzie steps up just enough to win the series.

Wings in six

Conference Finals

(4) Blackhawks vs. (2) Red Wings

Again, I admit that I am a Wings fan, and therefore am no fan of the Hawks. This being said, I do not see the Hawks winning a series against Detroit. Chicago has had a fair amount of success against the Wings in the last few years and have had a wonderful season, but they are going to have to wait at least one more year for a chance to play for their first Cup since 1961.

Wings in five

STANLEY CUP FINALS

Devils vs. Red Wings

In a rematch of the 1995 Stanley Cup Finals, we have the Devils going for a fourth Cup against the defending champion Wings in search of a 12th triumph for Lord Stanley. As far as I can tell, this series will come down to which Osgood the Wings get in net.

With Brodeur, who is capable of singlehandedly winning a few games in a series, on the opposite end of the ice, there is not much room for error from the veteran netminder. As good as Brodeur is, he will need to be on top of his game to cancel out all of Detroit's numerous offensive weapons, and trust me, he is well up to the task.

If Nicky Lidstrom stays healthy all the way through the playoffs, I think he (along with the rest of Wings' solid defensemen) will be able to protect Ozzie enough to bring home another cup to Hockeytown.

Your 2009 NHL Champion Red Wings in six

Travis Hafner: The Return of Pronk

Owen Wilson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 17:20:39 -0400

In 2008 the Indians' Travis Hafner struggled through the worst year of his career.

Limited by a shoulder injury, Hafner appeared in only 57 games, hitting .197/.305/.323 with only 5 HRs and 24 RBI while striking out almost twice as much as he walked.

These numbers were a far cry from the Hafner of 2004-06 who averaged .308/.419/.611 with 34 HR, 111 RBI, 96 R, and 38 2Bs a year as one of the league's most best hitters.

However, his injury-plagued 2008 coming on the heels of a sub-par 2007 (.266/.385/.451, 24 HR, 100 RBI) have led many to question whether he can regain his old form, or even his diminished 2007 output. However, through the first week and a half of the season, it is becoming clear that he is capable of hitting like the Pronk of old.

Although the Indians have been cautiously giving him a day or two off each week to avoid re-injuring his shoulder, Hafner's play in 2009 has given hope to Tribe fans that he can again be a force in the middle of the lineup.

Although he has struck out a bit too much and his average has only been between .250 and .290 for most of the year, he already has three homers, three doubles, and seven RBI in his first seven games.

More importantly, he has been driving the ball all season, including a number of hard-hit balls to left, something he did well through 2006 but has been missing from his game the last two years. He has yet to look like the continually locked-in Pronk of old, but he has been consistent all year, getting a hit in six of seven games, a walk in five, and a RBI in four.

Although it's early, and it would be foolish to say that Hafner is again one of the best hitters in the game, the early returns are promising, and I look for the big man from North Dakota to have a big year as the Indians try to make it back to the playoffs in 2009.