Wild Card Scenarios

as of today here are the possible outcomes:

IF INDIANS SWEEP CHICAGO

Indians are wild card, regardless of New York-Boston outcome.

IF INDIANS ARE SWEPT

Yankees sweep, Red Sox and Indians play Monday in playoff for wild card.

Any other result, Indians are eliminated.

IF INDIANS WIN TWO

Yankees sweep, Indians are wild card.

Yankees win two, Indians are wild card.

Red Sox win two, Boston and New York play Monday in AL East playoff, with loser playing Cleveland for wild card on Tuesday.

Red Sox sweep, Indians are wild card.

IF INDIANS WIN ONE

Yankees sweep, Indians are wild card.

Yankees win two, Indians play Red Sox in Boston on Monday for wild card.

Red Sox win two, New York is the AL East champion by better head-to-head record, and Red Sox are wild card.

Red Sox sweep, Yankees play Indians on Monday in wild card playoff.

6 games, 3 centers, and another missed game

And we are back..this is quite an exciting time for an Ohio Sports fan.  We are in the midst of a crazy playoff race, which like the Red Sox vs Yankees, is going to come down to the last series of the baseball season.  I know most people don't really enjoy baseball or rather follow it all season, but you can't help but be excited now.  Only 6 games left people..6 games. 

Hopefully the Tribe enjoyed their night off last night and ready to take on a very hot hitting Tampa Bay.  I know the Tribe were just a fun loving, I just want to play kind of team, but with all this press and hype, they have to be gettin nervous now.  We need to continue our solid pitching and putting runs on the board early.  If we can do this and avoid the sun in the outfield, we can pull out a Wild Card birth.  On the other side, the WhiteSox continue to battle Detroit and I am hopin for some more outcomes like last night (oh and I also appreciate the support of Mr. Tiger Talk).

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On to the Cavs..well because we could not settle on a backup center, Ferry & Co. have signed Jahidi White, Obinna Ekezie and Zendon Hamilton to non-guaranteed contracts and the three will battle it out in training camp starting next week.

We did pick up Henderson to backup the PF and C position, but these 3 will aim to backup the big man Z.  What about Martynas Andriuskevicius you ask..well he is just going to learn this year..let's just call him a red-shirted Center.

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And while I could not watch the Buckeye game (once again) due to attending a Gatsby type wedding in NY, I will refer you to Buckeye Commentary.  He knows his stuff and has some great analysis on the game as well as highlights. 


That's it for now.  This week is massive and we need to pull out some victory's.  If your asking whether the Tribe can handle the pressure..I tell you this..  Like a great man once told me, we might not be as talented, strong, or experienced, but we have heart..and heart gets you..well it only got Rudy 27 secs in a football game. 

Screw that..we have the talent and will win. 

He's everywhere

Even though the Tribe dominated the WhiteSox last night and Pronk is seriously the man, there is something else to discuss. 

So I am driving along the only toll road in the DC area on the way to work today (lucky me) and all of a sudden..dead stop traffic.  Around here this is no surprise, but as I creep closer I noticed no lanes are closed.  But what I do see up ahead is an accident.  As it turns out the accident was in the airport access road (so not even connected to the 4 lanes I am in).  So why were the lanes dead stop.  Well a freakin truck flipped over on its side.  As I pass along with the fellow rubberneckers, I noticed only one thing.  The truck driver was wearing a Bron tshirt.  Initially, I didn't notice the cargo spillin out of the top, I didn't notice the 10 cops, my eyes just saw the blue L23 tshirt.  Is that normal..no.  But hey, my mind only cares about Cavs basketball and more importantly the most dominant figure from Akron living in the world today.

Then as I am walking into work, I get a call from my Dad saying The King will be on Oprah today so try and find a TV.  Oprah..damn..damn.  So today I learned that not only does Bron attract a fan base of overcaffinated white kids or inner-city ballers, but now we have truck drivers and housewives.  Wow..you know this kid really is one of the Most Influential People in the World. 

 the most important man in Akron and his sidekick

This kid is still 20 years old and already considered the best rookie of the past 5 years and well on his way to...nah I won't say it. 

Completely Absurd

are you freakin kiddin me.  Take a peak below at the TOP headlines on ESPiN  (hint - look at the last link).  This is total nonsense, but yes I did click on it hence the shade of grey.  I didn't link to this cause it's too absurd, but let me share this quote:

Chris Orton, who heads the hospital's cardiac surgery team, performed the valve replacement operation on Rex.   Orton said the puppy is through the most critical stages of the procedure, but will remain on blood thinners for the next three months.

Now that is some SI (stupid information).   Not only this, but earlier in the day the main picture was of the WhiteSox celebrating like they won the World Series..just to clarify, it was their first victory in a long while. 

Oh Snap

look what just arrived at my doorstep..ok fine I don't get this magazine but whatever. 

The King is not only a pimp, but a good guy too. 

Now that was a weekend

no joke kids..in the eyes of a CLE fan it doesn't get much better than that.  Tribe with a sweep, an OSU win, and folks..even a Browns victory.  Not bad..not bad at all. 

Even though this is primarly a Cavs blog, the Tribe deserves center stage given their insanely hot streak in the month of Sept.  Our hitters have been on fire and the media is recognizing.  ESPiN is actually giving us props as we are ranked #2 in the power rankings.  Damn..for a team that is 1/5 the payroll of the Yankees, we are provin that being young & scrapy with a nothing to lose attitude is the way to go.  Does this sound familiar..well it is..it was the plot line for a movie.  MAJOR LEAGUE.  yep..we shall see though as the season is far from over.  But tonight is huge as we take on the AL Central leading WhiteSox (and hopefully I can find a bar with the game on).  But as of today, we are 3.5 games out of the Central and 1.5 up on the Yanks for the Wild Card Race.  Insane..

So the Cavs have been quiet in terms of the news minus the one-year signing of Alan Henderson who will help fill the gap de Anderson.   In case you aren't aware, our new thug Henderson just got his loaded gun charge dropped last week.  Yea he is ready for the CLE. 

So yeah..Browns win but I can't possibly comment on that.  Buckeyes win, but I didn't see a freakin play as I was at a wedding..but check out my pics from the OSU vs Texas game.  Oh yea and the Family Guy episode last night was a Grade A.  Nice weekend indeed. 


P.S. As you have noticed, LeBlog hasn't been updated too much as of late given life is crazy and work is well up in the air. Once everything is squared away, I and a few contributors will be updating LeBlog on a more consistent basis. Oh and I figure I owe you all a totally random link so here you go..Mrs. Eric Wedge. 

Not So Beautiful..

So yea..I feel it's time now I can finally speak after the OSU game on Saturday.  After a long trek to Columbus, I knew I had made the right choice.  Seeing old friends, feeling the city just raging with anticipation..I was reminded once again why OSU football is so special.   The scene was packed, the day was perfect, and the 105k inside the Shoe were intense as I've ever seen.  OSU football was in full effect. 

Well..except for a few things..I was nervous from the start concerning this 2 QB offense.  Were we that good we could seriously run 2 offenses?  The answer as we found out was no.  Personally, I am happy Smith will be our QB vs San Diego State as he played a better overall game than Zwick.  Granted Smith felt he had to match Vince by running 1-2 downs every possesion, but Smith is just an additional weapon to throw off defenses.  Something our traditional white bread QB's at OSU could never do (minus Stanley Jackson).

But beyond the QB situation, this game was full of missed opportunities and poor, poor hands...damn you Hamby.  How could you drop the ball twice...that was so painful.  Anyways..Huston played great and missing a 50 yarder is nothing to be ashamed of.  But missed opportunities..that was our problem.  As my buddy Clery and I sat there watching FG after FG, we knew something wasn't right.  You could feel it in the stadium.  People got more worried as we hit more and more Field Goals.  Points usually are good, but when your average starting field position is the 44 yard line, 3 points is not acceptable (especially with the best receiving core in college football). 

That brings me to my next point..the inability to use our weapons.  Now, I am sure all of you have read this diagnosis somewhere else, but honestly I haven't watched or read anything on this game.  I didn't need to see SportsCenter to know we couldn't convert and that we had to pick one QB.  So our weapons..Ginn..2 dropped balls, but double and triple teamed all night.  So watching the game, you're like oh well we have an equally as dangerous weapon in Holmes as Ginn so let's launch him the ball.  Well..that only happened once and Holmes was basically in single coverage all night.  Honestly, it was a shame the way we used our offense.  Pittman was stellar, but when Smith came in, Pittman took a back seat.  Now, in my opinion if Smith was the full time starter (and we will see this Sat) then Pittman would get plenty more carries.  But given Smith had 4 downs to prove himself at any time, sure he is going to take matters into his own hands.  This 2 QB offense was an admiral idea in theory and it was a nice attempt to showcase our talent, but it didn't work..fans became more frustrated with each possession not knowing who we are going to see..or more importantly what offense we were going to run.

So that's it...I can't talk anymore.  Friday night was amazing seeing old friends and being in college once again..and Saturday day brought perfect weather, an expected hangover, and the best sports atmosphere you could ever ask for..but Saturday night around 11:30pm it all ended.  Post game, Clery and I sat for 15 mins in shock of what had just transpired.  Columbus was silent..not a word leaving the stadium.   It hurt..it really hurt. 

But in true sports fashion, especially Ohio sports, you do your best to forget the pain and look ahead to the future.  Bring on San Diego State..

O-H...

So beautiful..

You know there is something about college football that just strips down all the layers and allows one to truly get passionate about a game.  Now, granted people get excited for pro football (*cough* fantasy) and that first crack of the baseball season, but college football brings out the die-hards.  This sport is no joke.  It's all about pride and for those that can truly enjoy the game..well you know what I am sayin.  

I mean after reading this blurb below from Kirk Herbstreit, I couldn't help get pumped for my 7 hour drive to Columbus on Friday:  

Outside of Michigan, I would compare Saturday's game to Ohio State-Notre Dame in 1995 in terms of the excitement this game has generated. You can't find a ticket. People have been waiting for this game for a year, and it has been the buzz of the community. When Young beat Michigan with his performance in the Rose Bowl, people in Columbus started tailgating for this game. This will be one of the best atmospheres -- if not the best -- in college football this season.

hell yes..and if you want to hear a preview from the man who wrote the recent SI cover story on OSU, check out this interview on SBL..(notice the Goon/LeBlog reference). 


Oh yeah..and it looks like there won't be any 'F*** Trev Alberts' chants after this game. 

Baam...

What's up Damon Jones...

PG:  Jones
SG:  Hughes
SF:  Bron
PF:  Donyell
C:   Z

oh yeah..and for the first time a Cleveland franchise pours REAL dollas into a team. 

Oh boy..

So maybe I wasn't nuts in thinking that Cavs should sign the Worm as now we really do need a backup for the Brazilian sensation.

Anderson will be out of the first half of his sophomore season, probably until February, after undergoing surgery on his dislocated right shoulder.  The surgery was successful and the doc said it's realistically gonna take 5 months to heel.  I mentioned this injury last week, but given the pathetic play of Brazilian ball, I highly doubted this was more than a minor playground type injury. 

In more injury related news..Tractor has a heart problem and it seems surgery won't be too far down the road for the big man.  What's this mean..well, I am not sure now if the Cavs will be interested in Tractor as a backup C...something we still need.  I wish him the best of luck in getting healthier, but the 04 fan favorite of the Cavs might be retiring early. 

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It seems the Cavs are looking to add one more Brazilian star in guard Marcelo Machado, who received an offer from the Cavs.  And for those of you who can read Portuguese, well go ahead and check out that link.

"I'm very happy with Cleveland's offer," Machado said. "They have recognized my effort."

A friend in Brazil (from LeAkron) has been watching Machado on Brazilian TV and had this to say:

I am still not sure he can dominate in the NBA like he did in that tourney but he was really awesome.  He also looks more like a 1/2 guard instead of a pure point guard, but here he had the luxury of playing with another NBA 1 player, Leandro something from Phoenix, and didn't have to be a real 1.  He shot the three, went to the hole without fear, and got his shot off almost anytime he wanted.  I am excited.  Keep an eye on him and let me know what you guys think.

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The Cavs will round out the coaching staff with the hiring of assistant coaches Michael Malone and Melvin Hunt. 

Malone, the son of former Cavs assistant and interim head coach Brendan Malone, spent two years as an assistant with the New York Knicks. Hunt will join the Cavs after serving one season as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and five years as a scout and videographer with the Houston Rockets.

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And of course..LeBron rumors are flying a plenty.  This time on SI.com.  Apparently, one random quote from Hoopsworld.com can justify front page placement on Sports Illustrated.  C'mon now..  Here is the quote if you care about rumors 2 years down the road. 

Though the Lakers have a number of players in mind, sources have indicated for a number of months that LeBron James is indeed their primary goal in 2007.
-- Hoopsworld.com

So anyways...

uhh...Crap

So Finley is going to the Spurs which is just what that team needed...

Now, the odds are doubtful we get Damon Jones unless he decides to play for the love of the game rather than cash..so yea he's gone as the Heat have all of their $5 million mid-level exception to use.  Basically, they can match or beat the Cavs offer..crap.

So it comes down to this..Eric Snow is our starting PG and we look to pick up Jannero Pargo, Steve Blake or Earl Watson as our backup, none of which were full-time starters in the NBA.