Were there no photos before the change over or were they lost?

Here's the following information in order to join the league. League
ID # is 63427 and the password is 5748. The league can take a maximum
of 20 teams so join quick if you wish to play. As soon as the league
fills up I will set off the autodraft feature so check the rankings
of the players and disperse those you wish to take high or exclude
from your team. The league needs to be ready to go on opening day.
Good luck and let's have some fun. Michael.

The transition must have taken place today as we have moved over.
Hopefully we can have a get-together and i'm willing to set up a free
private fantasy league if anyone is willing. Let me know as the
public league has already had a draft and I'm trying to position my
team through picking up those players that are left over. Michael.

I'm not writing off Finley. I said he could be a
solid starter if he's healthy. But I wouldn't expect
him to be much better than average even if he is
healthy. The last time he posted an ERA under 4.00 was
1998. His skills have deteriorated and he is getting
old. But I still think he could have something left.
An ERA in the 4.00 to 4.50 range is not out of the
question. In previous years that would mean 15+ wins, but
with the Tribe's new offense, it will likely mean a
.500 record somewhere in the neighborhood of
10-10.<br><br>Think good thoughts, then drink good beer.

I think it's a little early to give up on Finley.
Sure, he's getting old (who isn't) but he has a great
record of being healthy his whole career and I wouldn't
be surprised if he bounces back this year.

Hi, I just joined this group and it seems like a
good one. I'd like to pitch (no pun intended) in with
my take on the status of Cleveland
pitching.<br><br>As for the rotation, with Colon, Sabathia and Baez
the Tribe should have a strong top 3. I am a believer
in Ryan Drese, and I think he will have a very good
year as the #4 or 5 starter. Finley is a question
mark, but the Indians do have options should he
struggle again. Wright or Nagy could return to form, with
Wright having the better chance. Drew is a long shot.
We'll have to see how the back end of the rotation
plays out.<br><br>That being said, the future looks
extremely bright in this area. Billy Traber, Brian Tallet,
and Jason Stanford, 3 precocious lefties, aren't that
far away and you could see one or all three before
the year is out. Shane Wallace, another lefty, was
blowing away the Carolina League last year at the age of
20 before being derailed by Tommy John Surgery. They
must be getting quicker results from that surgery now,
because he will pitch in Spring Training. He most likely
will return to Kinston to at least start the year, but
if healthy he could quickly move up to
Akron.<br><br>If you look down the road further, the Indians are
loaded with solid prospects. Nick Moran, our 3rd round
pick last year, should open at Kinston.Then you have
Denham, Martin, Foley and Dittler from last years draft,
and they are all super prospects who could rapidly
shoot up the farm system. Martin some of you may recall
is the Greg Maddux clone who, in his 4th start at
Burlington after being drafted, struck out 14 of the 16
batters he faced. There are some other really good
prospects coming, but these are the real high profile guys
right now.<br><br>The Indians bullpen should be special
this year. Radinsky is reportedly throwing very well
and that would give us another lefty to go with
Rincon. And just around the corner is flame throwing
lefty Alex Hererra, who was unhittable last year at
Kinston, posting an ERA of 0.60 in 59+ innings with 83
K's. He finished the year at Akron and could be in
Buffalo this year at some point.<br><br>So the present
looks very good and the future looks bright

Welcome, Alex!<br><br>I seem to be hearing so
much negativity about this year's club ... it's nice
to get a good mix from this group!<br><br>I think
Timmy Drew and Chuck Finley are useless ... i HOPE i
will be wrong -- but i doubt it.<br><br>If "Daily Dan"
(as he was billed in last year's second half) is
anywhere close to the SP as he was in the bullpen, we will
have another "piece" to our rotation. By 2003, we
could have the AL version of the Atlanta Braves.
Optimistic? UH - YEAH!<br><br>But regardless, i'm just happy
that we are NINE DAYS away from the start of official
spring training games!<br><br>Win or lose ... Baseball
is Back!

Wright and Nagy are going to be two very
forgettable pitchers this year. It would behoove them to fail
Nagy on his physical and let their insurance policy
cover his salary. They've already hinted at it. They've
also commented that Wright will, if healthy, spend the
season in the bullpen. They rushed him back far too
quickly last year and may have ended his career. This
year they plan on taking it very slowly. He'll start
by facing one batter at a time and perhaps will be
able to work an inning or two by the end of the year.
Most likely he'll be at Buffalo all or most of the
season.<br><br>They kept Finley because they couldn't give him away.
No one wants to give up anything for him or even to
have to pay his salary. He's too much of a risk. With
Chuck, the Tribe has a potential third starter. He could
be solid and eat innings in the middle of the
rotation if he is healthy. Remember, he had a nagging neck
injury last year. If he's recovered, he could earn his
keep. If not, then one more of the youngsters will have
a chance to show what he's got.<br><br>Think good
thoughts, then drink good beer.

Welcome aboard. I think you'll find several
people in here are knowlegeable about baseball,
especially the Tribe. We have some varying points of view as
well.<br><br>I don't know what people see in this year's Tribe
that they like so much. The future looks fairly bright
with the prospects they were able to pick up, but this
year looks to me to be rather mediocre.<br><br>A
rotation of Colon, Sabathia, Finley, Baez, and Drese (or
whoever) could be exciting. But Bartolo has never really
stepped up to be an "ace" and he'll have to do that to be
successful this year. C.C. should improve, but there's
always the possibility of the "sophomore jinx." Still, I
would look for him to get his ERA down and possibly to
emerge as the leader of the staff. Chuck is a mystery.
He could be washed up or he could be decent. No
telling til the season starts. The injuries he had last
season aren't the kind that end a career, but he is old
and he's probably not going to be much more than
average. I agree with you, Baez would be better out of the
pen, but the Tribe needs starting pitchers and Danys
is their best shot. Ryan Drese doesn't have enough
experience and neither does Westbrook or Drew. Any one of
them could step up or they could all be busts. Hard to
say, but I liked what I saw from Drese last year. I
haven't heard any talk of Riske in the rotation and agree
that he shouldn't be. Olivares was signed as an
insurance policy. He'll only step in if someone gets hurt
or everyone else flops.<br><br>My biggest complaint
over the last two seasons is the failure to bring in
at least one decent starter. There were several
available this year and despite all the talk from Dolan
about getting pitching and then getting more pitching,
he and Shapiro failed to get it done.<br><br>Think
good thoughts, then drink good beer.

Well lets not forget Jarred Wright, and Chucky
Nagy. Who knows what they will bring to camp this
season. Nagy is done I think, and Wright, just can't seem
to get it together. Why they kept Finley, I'll never
know...Yankee killer??? Big deal!! We need to beat other teams
than the Yankees!

I've been looking for a forum to talk about the
Tribe, and this looks like a good place.<br><br>First
off, I am completely opposed to Danys Baez going to
the rotation. Last year, he was almost unhittable. He
showed his prominence by working his way from long
reliever to setup man in a month! He has the heart, nerve,
and the stuff to be a dominant-Mariano Rivera-type
closer. You can tell he doesn't crack under pressure.
But, he cannot handle the long innings required to be
a starter. He couldn't even take 4 innings of
relief last year, that makes me nervous. He definately
started to wear down at the end of the year and in the
playoffs. Also, Baez has three pitches, a great fastball,
curve, and a split under development. A good starter
needs at least 4 (unless you're a knuckleballer). So,
Baez does not have the stamina or pitches to be a
great starter; but does have the pitches and heart to
be a dominant closer.<br><br>On the side, I love Bob
Wickman, and I understand why we resigned him. I wouldn't
argue that it was bad to resign him. I just think Baez
has more of a future at closer than Wickman. It's a
tough situation the Indians have put themselves
in.<br><br>Everyone in the national media is talking about how the
Indians have a good rotation. I wouldn't be so sure.
Colon is always going to be a mystery, Cy Young or
.500? Sabathia has the stuff, but we don't know if it
was just run-support. Finley is so terrible! He gets
overpaid ridiculously, and pitches 4-5 innings an outing,
it's unbelievable! Does having a good September of
2000 (!) really make eveyone forget that you're a
dinosaur? Hopefully the John Hart sentiment that "well,
he's a lefty, so he's got to be good" leaves us very
soon.<br><br>Now onto the "prospects": I really like Ryan Drese.
He showed great command at the end of last year in
the rotation when we needed him. He is obviously not
overpowering, but he does what it takes to win games. Tim Drew
has been absolutely awful so far. I really don't know
what his problem has been. The only things going for
him is that he's young and his brother [J.D. of St.
Louis] is really good. Jake Westbrook is interesting. He
was a great long reliever, but not so good in the
rotation. I guess he just can only make it 4 innings
effectively, which is fine considering we might have Chuck
Finley and Omar Olivares in the same rotation (ouch!).
Riske should not be in the rotation, almost for the
same reasons as Baez. He's a good reliever,
period.<br><br>Feel free to respond, I can never find anyone
competent to talk about stuff like this with!<br><br>-Alex

No satisfying some people. The Tribe, and every
other team in the league not named Yankees needs
pitching more than anything else. When he trades away a
postion player and doesn't get pitching the move gets
questioned. When he DOES get pitching for a postion player
the move gets questioned.<br><br>Ridiculous.

"I'm not sure I like the sound of a script "I" on
the cap. Is Dolan doing away with Chief
Wahoo?"<br><br>I hope so. I actually already have a cap that has
that script 'I' on it. It looks pretty sharp.

I think you're going to get your wish for the new
uniforms. Here's an exerpt from Sheldon Ocker's
column:<br><br><a href=http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/docs/024653.htm
target=new>http://www.ohio.com/sports/indians/docs/024653.htm</a><br><br>"A NEW
LOOK -- The Indians will unveil a new uniform
Feb. 9 to be worn at home on weekends. The uniforms
will feature a sleeveless vest with blue undershirt
and a blue cap with a script "I.""<br><br>I'm not
sure I like the sound of a script "I" on the cap. Is
Dolan doing away with Chief Wahoo?<br><br>Think good
thoughts, then drink good beer.

Wood has had elbow problems, so I'm not so
certain that he's the answer. As an FA, they'd probably
have to offer him at least 5 years. He's young enough
that he'll want a long term deal, probably for at
least double what he'll make with the Cubs this year.
There's just too much potential for him to end up like
Charles Nagy. Nixon or Kapler could be good additions if
the price is right. I keep hoping that they will be
in the market for Rolen. His price could be too
high, though. He will likely be one of the premium FAs
on next year's market and I don't think Dolan will
be willing to spend the money on one guy since he's
talked about staying away from premium FAs. But we can
hope he'll make an exception for Rolen since they
really have very little alternate at 3b. <br><br>I think
next off-season will say an awful lot about whether
Dolan will build a contender or not. He's going to have
a lot of salary money freed up so he'll have a lot
of opportunity to bring in FAs or make deals for
more experienced players. If he does that, I think
we'll know he wants to win. If he decides to make
further payroll cuts, then we know we're in for many more
years of mediocrity.<br><br>I've rather liked the
Indians uniforms over the last few years so I don't see a
need to change, but wouldn't mind if they did. I
haven't seen the Angels all red uniforms, but have heard
that's the way they are going. I sure hope they look
better than the Indians all red uniforms back in the
70s. Those were some of the most hideous things I've
ever seen. I guess I'll get a first hand look at them
on opening day. I should be in Anaheim for both
series with Clevelnad this year.<br><br>Think good
thoughts, then drink good beer.

CW,<br> It would be nice to trade Finley for
Kapler since the Rangers are still looking for pitching
help. I know some people would like to wait till July
to see where were at before unloading Finley, but I
say get rid of him while he's not hurt and get
something for him. You could see how Branyan develops this
year at the plate, if he doesn't we could go after
Rolen and trade Branyan.<br>It would be nice to be able
to get Wood and Rolen.<br>I would be thrilled to get
either of them, but I don't think the Cubs are going to
let Wood leave.

Kerry Wood, Trot Nixon, and Scott Rolen have all
been offered one year contracts by their teams to play
out this year. That means next year they are all free
agents.<br><br>Texas may be looking to unload Gabe Kapler since they
landed Juan Gonzalez.<br><br>Pokie Reese has only been
offered one year contracts so far by interested
teams.<br><br>How nice would some of them look in an Indians unifom
next year? Kerry Wood joining CC and Bartolo in the
rotation? Scott Rolen taking over for Travis would look
pretty nice. Kapler can both hit and run. Nixon has
shown he can hit.<br><br>And the kicker...they all will
be under 29 years old next year! After unloading
Finley, Nagy, and Fryman's contract the Tribe can afford
at least two of them. If at least one of our young
pitchers can develop this year the team could be in great
shape.<br><br>On a side note, check out the Anaheim Angels new
uniforms. They have gone back to a traditional all red
look. I think now may be the time for the Tribe to
freshen up their look. Maybe play with the lettering or
go back to a sleeveless jersey. This team is not
going to be the same as we have known so I think it
should sport a different look. I like Anaheims new ones
and the D-Rays new look wasn't bad either. It may be
time.

Follow this link:<br><br><a
href=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news/ap/20020116/ap-indians-cabrera.html
target=new>http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news/ap/20020116/ap-indians-cabrera.html<\
/a><br><br>Think good thoughts, then drink good beer.

Here's a link to the article that I saw where the
team requested that he come to Cleveland to get
checked out,
CW.<br><br><a
href=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news/ap/20020111/ap-indians-cabrera.html
target=new>http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news/ap/20020111/ap-indians-cabrera.html<\
/a><br><br>Hope he does so to allay any fears they might have on
whether he'll be ready come Feb. 19 when the position
players are to report to spring training. It came from a
list of stories for the team that you can choose to
have posted on your My Yahoo! page. Michael.

I heard that somewhere too.  He is said to be in good shape and probably won't
miss any time.  I don't know if he is due this week, but I know the Indians want
him here to check him out some more.

Isn't he coming to cleveland this week to be checked out at Cleveland Clinic? I
thought I saw that reported somewhere. Michael.

This may be old news to everyone, but it was
always mentioned in passing on news reports so some of
you may not have heard.<br><br>Jolbert Cabrerra was
shot in the butt during a failed carjacking in
Columbia last week. He was driving with his wife and
daughters in the car. The bullet was removed in surgery and
he is expected to be back in time for spring
training.<br><br>So the question is...How much crap is he going to
take from his teammates this spring? How many
hemmoroid pillows are going to be hanging in his locker?
How many ass jokes are out there? Considering he is
OK and his family wasn't hurt I see the guys having
fun witht this.<br><br>But the serious question is
what is he doing in Columbia? I understand he is from
there and has family, but why would you go and spend
time in probably the most violent country in the
world? The wars between the drug cartels, the mobs, and
the government who is trying to clean it up make it
the worst place on the globe. Both he and his brother
make hundreds of thousands of dollars so I think they
may be able to purchase a house where they can bring
their family to the USA to escape that. Between Jolbert
and Orlando I am sure they could find a nice $100,000
house in Brookpark or Shaker Heights or Berea to get
their loved ones the hell out of there. I love
Cleveland, but if people were being shot dead on the streets
daily and there was a gang war throughout the city, I
would move. Maybe there is something I am missing, but
hearing the stories of what is happening in Columbia, I
couldn't imagine anyone with the means to get out not
getting out.

"Let's all pray Wholers doesn't go "Nuke"
LaLouche again"<br><br>I hear he's breathing out his
eyelids ok. I live in Cincy, so I witnessed the return of
Wohlers to the majors. He's not what he was in his prime,
but I think he'll be a pleasant suprise as the set up
man.<br><br>Ace.<br>Hey! I launched my Indians/Reds fan site!<br>Check
out:<br><a href=http://www.ohiobaseballfans.com/
target=new>http://www.ohiobaseballfans.com/</a><br>Help me get it up and going!

Let's all pray Wholers doesn't go "Nuke" LaLouche
again and it will be a good signing. He was dominant
before he had the mental blocks. Both he and Rick Ankiel
have not fully recoverd from this. As long as the club
didn't risk millions it's OK. I hope they did not
guarentee much, but knowing baseball contracts they
probably did. Getting him on an incentive laden contract
would be the way to go. Pitch like the Atlanta closer
you were-here are your millions, but pitch like a
blind man where the guys in the TV booth need to duck
and you get league minimum and released. Time will
tell.

<a href=http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news/20020109/clewohlers.html
target=new>http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news/20020109/clewohlers.html</a><br>Sign\
ed Wohlers to a two year deal.

Just what did you expect. CW? Juan went back to a
park, team, and fan base where he felt comfortable. The
lower taxes mean more money in his pocket. It sounds
pretty damn good to me. Perhaps his chances of winning a
pennant would be better with the Mets, but who's to say
he won't with the Rangers? That offense is gonna be
able to make up for a lot of bad pitching. And yes,
quite likely it will have to. But I don't blame Gone
for heading back "home." He gave up a lot more money
two years ago than he'll ever get back in order to
play somewhere he feels appreciated. Now he's got the
best of both worlds, a place he likes playing and the
best paycheck he could find. Maybe a trip to the
Series, maybe not. With his bat added to their lineup,
the Rangers are only a couple decent starters away.
<br><br>Hart's never shown the willingness to do it, but he is
now in a good position to trade for a pitcher. Frank
Catalanotto just became a lot more expendable. The White Sox
showed they were willing to deal Jon Garland (remeber
the failed Erstad deal?). They could be even more
willing to deal him for Frank now that they've acquired
Ritchie. The Twins could use a bat like his in their
lineup too. So could the Angels. Both of those teams
have plenty of pitching. I could see the cost-cutting
Angels making a deal for Appier.<br><br>Think good
thoughts, then drink good beer.

So it is all about the money. Juan Gone is a
Texas Ranger. He could have gone and played for the
Mets and probably won the ring he will never get in
Texas, but the state of Texas has no income tax so he
took the Rangers' offer. Another obvious example of a
player looking to his wallet first. Personally I would
rather make a few hundred thousand less and
win.<br><br>John Hart has built a clone of his Indians teams
throughout his reign here. And unfortunately for Ranger fans
I am not talking about the young, early 90's team
with hope and potential. I am talking about the old,
highly paid vetrean teams with HUGE bats and no arms.
Juan Gone, Pudge, ARod, Everitt, and others will look
good at the plate in Arlington. But the mound will not
look as good. Here is who Hart has put
together:<br><br>Chan Ho Park - Good pitcher. A could-be ace. But he
was called out 3 times last year by both management
and teammates for lack of effort and heart. He will
NOT lead a staff.<br><br>Dave Burba - ERA's
1999-4.25, 2000-4.47, 2001-6.21 - I see a trend and
Arlington is a hitter's park.<br><br>Kenny Rogers - ERA's
1999-4.19, 2000-4.47, 2001-6.19 - See Dave Burba<br><br>Doug
Davis - ERA's over his two years 5.38 and 4.45. Young
pitcher who improved, but it isn't hard to improve on
5.38.<br><br>Rob Bell - ERA's 5.00 and 6.67. Cincinatti's supposed
savior gets traded away. If Cinci gives up on your arm
you can't be all that good. They could have been
wrong, but Bell has not looked good.<br><br>Aaron Myette
- 7.14 ERA last year. Ouch.<br><br>It looks like
Hart has put together another softball team. 1000 runs
scored - 1000 runs given up. Thank God that a**hole is
gone.

The Juan Gone to the Mets rumors seem to be
running hot and cold depending on who's column you're
reading and when. The column I read this morning said
they may not have the money. But it sure would be one
awesome lineup. If it happens my money will be on another
"subway" series.<br><br>Think good thoguhts, then drink
good beer.

Reports have the Mets putting a two year
$25,000,000 offer in front of Juan. Hitting in that line-up
with Cedeno, Robbie, Edgardo Alfonzo, Mo Vaughn, and
Mike Piazza is any man's dream. Not to mention their
pitching isn't bad so that team will win and win often.
The only way Juan doesn't sign there is if Jeff Moron
(oops..Moorad) wants Juan to break the bank. I say take the
$25,000,000 and the rings they probably would win.<br><br>I
see the Mets bringing in the walls at Shea and
letting their line-up bomb away the competition. They
have enough pitching and a good defense. Thay would be
the team to beat as soon as the ink dries on Juan's
contract (they may be anyway).

Reese did OK in 1999, but considering that in '01
the AL average for players with 502 plate appearances
in BA was .279 and HRs was 20, Reese is a well below
average hitter. His speed would help, but at the plate
he's a pound of potential and an ounce of
production.<br><br>My understanding is the the Tribe is at or above
Dolan's budget now. So spending an additional $4M for a
player who would add little benefit (replacing
Gutierrez) wouldn't be too bright. On the other hand, if
there is a deal in the works for Omar and they are
looking for a replacement, then adding Pokey could make
sense. I thought Fryman would be FA after next year, but
wasn't sure, if that's the case, then adding Reese
wouldn't be a problem towards next year's payroll. But I
would still question why they need him unless they are
going to deal Vizquel.<br><br>All in all, picking up
Reese wouldn't be a bad move under the right
circumstances. A sign and trade deal sending Fryman or Finley to
Boston wouldn't be bad even if they kept Omar this
season.<br><br>Here's a thought, it's not too likely for several
reasons, but with Gone having trouble finding a home,
dealing Fryman or Finley for Reese, then dealing Vizquel
for prospects could possibly motivate Dolan to open
the checkbook for another 1 year deal with Gone. Such
a move could catapult the team back into a
contender. Just a random daydream.<br><br>Think good
thoughts, then drink good beer.