Mid Winter Meeting Report

Well, it's the Winter Meetings and all are asleep...

Shapiro's talking to all the FA infielders, but don't
expect anything till Jan/Feb. He's also not looking
at veteran pitchers yet, and may just go with the
Bere and other signings of veterans to minor league
deals to get a look-see in Spring Training.

Which is what I'd prefer.


Obsessive fan alerts.

Well, CIR's joke post about Vlad has blown up in his face,
but if anythings made his gag look like the act of a
mature person, it's the total overreaction by the fans.

Come on people, it was a lame joke! Don't get the panties
in a wad. It was stupid to do, but some of you fans are so far
overboard that Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons looks laid
back. Yeah, I was ticked off, but then I also got that it didn't
make sense.

His was a stupid mistake in judgment. Yours is a fatal flaw
in your personality. Grow up!

Now his post did have one thing of validity, that Omar, Wick,
Ricky, and Matt will be dumped as soon as the dumping is
possible. But that won't be till they are prove they are
healthy and productive.



The Players Ass. being Asses.

Supposedly, the PA have threaten the Indians with a penalty
for what they're doing with Baez. Now this comes from the
newspapers, so who knows if it's true. Wait till you see
it on a website.

I don't get it. The Indians waived a player. Legal. They
then assigned/outrighted the player. Legal. They then picked
the player's minor league contract up and put him back on the
fourty man. Legal. So what are they bitching about?

Look, if those asses in the Players Association had bothered
to use their capital on improving and protecting the minor
league players, this wouldn't be an issue! But thy neighbor
thy beggar PA only cares about the wealthy guys, not the
people who have the rough time of things. So sorry, cry me
a river, jerks. There was *NOTHING* *ILLEGAL* about what
the Indians did. There will be no penalty, unless you bribe
the arbitrator to rule illegally.

The *only* question is if the Indians have the right to
give a contract that isn't 80% of the last year of Baez's
previous contract when that contract is over, the player
waived, outrighted, and then put back on the 40 man. The
Indians claim yes, the old contracted ended when they waived
it and he was outrighted. Baez's agent says no. The only
option the player would have is the same as Jim Bibby and
Rick Manning had, to become free agents.

Seeing that the Indians haven't violated anything in the
CBA in their moves, cause the CBA says "Screw you" to the
minor leaguers not on the 40, then sorry, you can't punish
people for doing legal stuff that you don't like.

Another "Grow up!"


Is it me, or will X be loaded?

Tim Laker, Grady Sizemore, Coco Crisp, Ryan Church, Brandon
Phillips, Jhonny Peralta, Cory Smith, Luke Scott, Francisco
Cruceta, Fernando Cabrera, Jeremy Guthrie, Kyle Denney, Kaz
Tadano, Derrick Van Dusen and a whole bunch more in Buffalo.

Travis Foley, Marian Gomez, Victor Kline, J D Martin, Brian
Slocum, Rodney Choy Foo, Ivan Ochoa, Jason Cooper, JJ Sherill,
etc. in Akron.

The whole championship winning Lake County team in Kinston.

Folks, we're loaded.


Turned on KNR the other day to get a sports update, and
got the same old same old about bashing the Indians,
as Dolan's rejects or whatever. Sigh. Not a brain in sight
on that station.

Not that TAM's bursting with brains, but there are at
least a couple.

Nothing major to report, other than not sure Hoynes is
in New Orleans, since his report came straight from a
TAM interview with Shapiro.

Seeing we're at 40, the Rule 5 will only be us loosing
some spart parts. Nothing much is going to happen till
after the non-tender date Dec 20. That's when the second
fun time begins.

So go to sleep again till then.


Stephen Weick