World Series Buried Lead: The Cleveland Factor

(The Big Dead Sidebar will try to provide readers with a buried lead before each and every World Series game.  This is the first in a series.)

Unless you're totally oblivious to playoff baseball, you know that former Cleveland Indians pitchers CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee are the Game 1 starters for the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, respectively.  The fact that they are no longer members of the Tribe could be one of the primary reasons Manny Acta has a job in Cleveland and Eric Wedge is somewhere in an unemployment line.

Lee went 22-3 with a 2.54 earned run average in a little more than 223 innings en route to a Cy Young.  In eight seasons with Cleveland, Lee posted an 83-48 record including 14-win seasons in 2004 and 2006, sandwiching an 18-win season in 2005.

Then there's Sabathia, who wile he was in Cleveland was known as C.C. Sabathia.  (Yes, he took out the periods after being traded to Milwaukee.)  Watching Sabathia start a World Series in a Yankees uniform has to be painful for fans of the mistakes by the lake.  It would have been different had Sabathia returned to Milwaukee, gone west to be closer to home, stayed in the National League or went west and stayed in the National League.  Instead, he took the money and pressure that comes with playing in the Bronx.  And he performed.

Sabathia went 106-81 in his eight year career in Cleveland, but really didn't put it all together until his 2007 Cy Young season.  He went 19-7 with a  3.21 ERA while making a league-most 34 starts and pitched a league high 241 innings.  Those numbers aren't eye-popping enough for you?  How about the ridiculous amount of hitters he faced, 975 in total.

After struggling in the playoffs, and out of the gate in Cleveland, Sabathia regained the magic touch in Milwaukee (I'm convinced it was the bratwurst) and went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA while racking up 128 strikeouts in a little more than 130 innings.  Sabathia single-handedly carried the Brewers into the playoffs.

Honestly, how often does a team develop two true aces who end up bringing home Cy Young Awards in consecutive seasons and then are traded away in consecutive seasons?  Not often?  How about not ever.  But if was going to happen anywhere, it would be in Cleveland.

But it doesn't stop there.  The Tribe could field a team of players they've cut ties with that happened to reach the playoffs this season.

The Indians could have had Manny Ramirez (Dodgers) in left, and Ryan Ludwick (Cardinals) in right field.  Casey Blake and Ron Belliard (Dodgers) could have been playing third and shortstop, respectively, with Mark DeRosa (Cardinals) at second.  Jim Thome (Dodgers) could have handled first with Victor Martinez (Red Sox) at catcher.  Out of the bullpen, Acta Wedge could have called upon Rafael Betancourt out of the bullpen.  Heck, they could have thrown Ben Francisco as the designated hitter.

Did I mention a healthy Grady Sizemore would have made the Indians an elite American League team?  It would have. 

Instead, Cleveland is back in rebuilding mode, even though they probably shouldn't be.

Making Sense Of Nonsense: Indians Hire Manny Acta

I'm not sure which of these is more of a head scratcher: the Cleveland Indians hiring Manny Acta or the Astros being upset with not hiring Acta.

All this over a manager with a career 158-252 record, a .385 winning percentage and a 26-61 record before being fired by the Washington Nationals.  Meanwhile, the Indians just came off a season in which they fired Eric Wedge, a manager who posted a 561-573 record and a .495 winning percentage.

Tell me how hiring a guy with a .385 career winning percentage to replace a guy with a career .495 winning percentage is an improvement?  Sure, Acta received the Washington job and didn't get much support from baseball's version of the Detroit Lions.  But don't be too sure the Tribe won't be too far off from the Nasty Nats.

Cleveland's 2009 bunch was a shell of its former self, which was up 3-1 in the 2007 ALCS against the Boston Red Sox before suffering a classic Cleveland collapse.

CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, the last to AL Cy Young award winners will square off in Game 1 of the World Series on Wednesday night, with reserve outfielder Ben Francisco watching from the dugout.  Victor Martinez was shipped off to Boston and helped push the Red Sox into a Wild Card berth.  While former Indian role players Mark DeRosa, Casey Blake, Rafael Betancourt and Carl Pavano each enjoyed postseason runs in cities not named Cleveland.

Grady Sizemore must feel like Benny "The Jet" Rodriguez from "The Sandlot" because he's the only legit star among a rag-tag group of kids.  What is there to be excited about in Cleveland?  Crazy Fausto Carmona?  Jeremy Sowers?  Aaron Laffey?  Chris Perez?  Heck, the team's big-ticket free agent signee from a season ago, the much-beloved Kerry Wood, struggled in his first season with the Indians.

I can name five things I would like about managing the Nationals (Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Nyjer Morgan, Stephen Strasburg, John Lannan) before I could name five I liked about Cleveland.  After naming Grady Sizemore, the only things that could have been used to entice me to be the leader of the Tribe would have been courtside seats to Cavs home games, free admission for my friends and me to Cedar Point, Ohio State-Michigan football tickets and a studio session with Bone Thugs & Harmony.

Then there's the Astros, who low-balled Acta by only offering him a two-year deal, as reported by the Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice.  And by his account, the 'Stros really screwed the pooch as they turned away a long-time fan and someone who worked 16 years in the organization.

And if you look at it objectively, the gig in Houston looks more appealing than the one in Cleveland.  There are heart-of-the-order thumpers in Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee, speed at the top with Michael Bourn and a budding star in Hunter Pence.  Roy Oswalt and Wandy Rodriguez anchor the rotation, and the back of the bullpen has the potential to be nasty if the Astros would be willing to re-up with Jose Valverde.

A change at the top step of the dugout might be worth something for the Indians.  But not it won't bring the kind of change Tribe fans are looking for, especially when considering they will be watching two of their former aces square off in the World Series.

Unless the Cleveland LeBrons are on.

BREAKING: C.C. Sabathia To The Brewers!

In an attempt to channel former Pittsburgh Pirates GM Dave Littlefield, the Cleveland Indians GM Mark Shapiro has sent 2007 AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for two truckloads of Miller Lite, three cases of real Wisconsin cheese and a tub full of bratwursts.

Even though the deal strips Wisconsin of its three biggest assets, it gives the Brewers a formidable one-two punch at the top of the order with Sabathia and Ben Sheets, both of whom are in their contract years.

Is it time for the Cubs (53-36, 1st) to counter the Brewers (49-39, t-2nd, 3.5 GB) acquisition of Sabathia?