The Second Indians Uprising... A Cleveland Indians Dynasty

[Xero]

After OOTP Developments released OOTP 8 for free, I finally got my hands on a full version of OOTP and finally can start a dynasty. (I don’t have a credit card and can’t convince my parents to buy me any game) So after reading the great dynasties written by TavesSoul, Ryan008, NYY #23, Sparrow and Loeffle (and some more that I have forgotten) I been waiting a long time for the day I can start my own. Injury Frequency is low, Trading difficulty is set to hard (Wondering if I should also have AI favouring prospects), AI trading is set to to low and everything is set to default. Where I end my post is where I stopped playing so readers can have an impact on my dynasty. I'm playing with the 2007 roster of the Cleveland Indians and I hope to have the success as the '07 Indians of real life. Looking at my roster, I have a lot of decent players, but not a lot of elite ones as well as a couple of good prospects. Am I going to morgage the future for success now or build a mountain of prospect and start from the ground up. The only way to find out is to read on so let the story begin.

Cleveland’s long serving GM Mark Shapiro has stepped down from his GM role of the team and has taken the full responsibility of the Vice-President’s role. With this move coming out of the blue, owner Larry Dolan is forced to find another capable GM to replace Mark only two months away from the start of Spring Training. The hiring of the new GM would be controversial to say the least. To say that GM Chris Xero is a relatively unknown GM is putting it very mildly. The fact that Chris Xero has no management experience is not what makes him an unlikely choice for a GM. It’s the fact that Chris Xero hasn’t even existed before the hiring that has left fans scratching their heads at the move. In face, a search of the federal database has shown that Chris Xero has no taxes record, no job record, no education record, no insurance record, no relative, no nothing, not even a birth certificate. The only thing that shows up is that Chris is indeed a person and an American citizen. When it was announced that there will be no press conference for the hiring only fueled more conspiracy theories. Some are saying that “Xero” is simply a made up last name to cover up for a person’s real name, some are saying that he does even not exist or is a puppet for the Indian’s stockholders. Still the fact remains that there are no pictures of Xero or information as to who he is. Well, there is one thing about him that everyone knows. He IS the current GM of the Cleveland Indians.




On another note, does anyone know how to host the OOTP HTML reports. Also can you make spoilers in this forum.

[William Foster]

Good luck! I'll be reading! I hope you turn the sons of the Cuyahoga into a dynasty. I myself always like going for a rebuild when playing a 2009-type MLB Dynasty but we'll see what works for you.

[Xero]

Originally Posted by William Foster

Good luck! I'll be reading! I hope you turn the sons of the Cuyahoga into a dynasty. I myself always like going for a rebuild when playing a 2009-type MLB Dynasty but we'll see what works for you.

Thanks, I got my first reader. Lol.
I guess Cleveland would qualify as a decent or borderline good team. I thought about managing the Rays, but though better of it when I saw they has a only budget of 30 million. Maybe that will be a challenge for another day. I also like managing the AL better because they got the DH rule. Huge fan of homers and RBIs. Sad to see your Oakland Dynasty end prematurely. As for a rebuild why not do the '09 Padres. I always wanted to manage them, but can't get OOTP X.

[NYY #23]

Thanks for the compliment, and good luck with the Indians. I'll be following along.

[Xero]

Xero makes two huge trades.


GM Chris Xero did not wait long before making his mark on the Cleveland Indians. On the day of his hiring, he announced two blockbuster trades involving no less than 14 players and 12 players, respectively, to change teams. This also marked the first time Xero has made a public appearance. The fact that the trade was announced during the day of the hiring caused suspension that the dealings were done by the owner and not the GM.

This first trade massive 14-player trade had the Indians deal to the Atlanta Braves 26-year old shortstop Hector Luna, 42-year old reliever Roberto Hernandez, 23-year old starting pitcher Jeremy Sowers, 35-year old reliever Joe Borowski, 30-year old left fielder Jason Michaels and 30-year old third baseman Keith Ginter in exchange for 31-year old shortstop Edger Renteria, 31-year old starting pitcher Tim Hudson, 27-year old second baseman Pete Orr, 24-year old reliever Macay McBride, 26-year old minor league reliever Phil Stockman, minor league second baseman Eric Campbell and $2 000 000 in cash.

The other 12-player deal had the Tribe trading with the Marlins. Going to Florida are 36-year old starting pitcher Paul Byrd, 26-year old catcher Kelly Shoppach, 29-year old starting pitcher Jake Westbrook, 26-year old first baseman Ryan Garko, 27-year old left fielder Jonathan Van Every and a pair of 24-year old minor league right fielders Brad Snyder and Ryan Goleski. Coming to Jacobs field are 24-year old starting pitcher Dontrelle “D-Train” Willis, 22-year old starting pitcher Scott Olsen, 26-year old first baseman Mike Jacobs, 30-year old catcher Matt Treanor and a trio of minor leaguers: 24-year old third baseman Grant Psomas, 22-year old starting pitcher Brett Sinkball and 20-year old starting pitcher Sean West.

Trade Breakdowns:

Leaving Cleveland:

Hector Luna (.274, 10, 78, .327)*
Hect was going to be our starting shortstop had we not have done this trade. I felt that Hector was very overrated. He’s playing second base instead of shortstop at Atlanta since he is a much better defender at second. Hector has good speed, but his lack batting skills meant he was going to be our ninth hitter. I guess Atlanta really needed

Roberto Hernandez (65-68, 3.33, 1.35, .295) and Joe Borowski (17-26, 3.90, 1.35, .282)
These are two veteran relieves that I felt were overpaid. I could get relieves that we just as good or even better in the free agent for much less. These two will bolster the Brave’s bullpen for the stretch drive.

Jeremy Sowers (7-4, 3.57, 1.19, .257)
We defiantly did not want to include Sowers in any trade. He was going to be our fifth starter and could possible move turn into a third or fourth starter in a few years. However Atlanta was adamant that we had to include this guy in the deal so now he’s pitching for the Braves.

Jason Michaels (.282, 30, 155, .360)
J-mike is another decent veteran player that was on our roster. The problem is that he is making 2 million a year for warming the bench. Guess Atlanta felt that their left field situation was not secure and needed to bring him in.

Keith Ginter (.243, 38, 140, .329)
Ginterwas going to come off the bench for us this year. He is a great defensive player who could field both second and third and has a decent bat. Atlanta asked for him to be included in the trade so I put him in there.

Paul Byrd (82-73, 4.34, 1.32, .283)
Paul Byrd was going to be our fourth starter. But the fact that he is 36 and in the twilight of his career combined with his two year 14 million dollars contract that made him a must trade. Thankfully the Marlins took him and now he is Florida’s problem.

Kelly Shoppach (.221, 3, 16, .269)
Kelly is a great defensive catch, but I think he is overrated offensively. Plus with Victor Martinez as our starting catcher, Shopach wasn’t going to get a chance at the starter’s role anytime soon.

Jake Westbrook (56-53, 4.37, 1.39, .302)
Jake Westbrook was going our third starter and he has good command and sink. Even with a 5.6 million dollars contract I still felt that he was part of our team. But because his contract goes up to 10 million next year, we had to deal him at some time this season for our financial future. He will become the new Marlin’s Ace.

Ryan Garko (.284, 7, 45, .351)
The fact that Garko was going to be our starting first baseman really scared me. This guy is not ready to start at the major league level and his defense is even worse than his bat. However, he scouts to be a very good starting 1B/DH in the future. He’ll probably be part of the Marlins ongoing rebuilding process.

Jonathan Van Every (No stat)
Jonathan was another back up hitter on our roster. Florida wanted him in the trade for some reason. Van Every has 20 home run potential, but he simply loves to rack up the Ks, which isn’t good if you’re not a pitcher.

Brad Snyder (No stat) and Ryan Goleski (No stat)
Two great minor league defensive left fielders. If they can figure it out offensively, they’ll be major league starters. It’s the fact that they are 24 and haven’t shown offensive talent that tells me that they’ll probably be bench players if they make it to the bigs.

Coming to Cleveland:

Edger Renteria (.288, 105, 705, .346)
We needed to upgrade our shortstop situation and Edgar provided the solution. Being a nature shortstop and having a much better bat, Edgar was much better than Hector in most aspect of the sport. We were also willing to take Edgar’s two year contract with 9 million dollars per season. Eddy will be bat second in our line up providing a right much needed right handed batter. Edgar hits for a good average, but lacks the power that I always love. Thanks to the weird rating done by OOTP, Edgar is as slow as a catcher, but can steal bases like Grady Sizemore.

Tim Hudson (119-60, 3.53, 1.27, .294)
Since we gave up Sowers, we needed to get another starting pitcher back in the trade and the only decent option available was Tim Hudson. This is probably what the Braves loved most about the deal since they are able to unload an overpaid veteran. Timmy would be paid 6 million a year as our new fifth starter. Still he is a former 20 game winner and two-time all-star, though him being able to achieve either milestones this season is very unlikely. What even worse is that his contract will go up to 13 million a year next season so Hudson shouldn’t expect to be in an Indian’s uniform for long.

Pete Orr (.276, 2, 16, .304)
An add-in from the Byrd trade. I feel that Pete Orr is a very underrated player and we kinda need him on the bench since we got rid of all of our bench players. Pete has some decent pop, good speed, can field second and third, a great work rate and is only paid $400 000 a year. Plus our scouts say that Pete still has some room to improve which is an added bonus. Also did I mention that he is a Canadian!

Macay McBride (No stat) and Phil Stockman (0-0, 2.25, 1.75, .333, 4.0 IP)
Two minor league relievers that are almost or already major league ready. We got these guys to fill the end of the bullpen or to replace injured players. Plus they have some room to improve.

Eric Campbell (No stat)
My scouts are really loving this guy! According to them this 21-year old has all-star capabilities with the ability to hit for average, gap and power. However, this guy needs to improve on his defense, but he has a lot of time to do it.

Dontrelle “D-Train” Willis (58-39, 3.49, 1.31, .302)
Is this guy really the Marlin’s ace? Since we got rid of Jake Westbrook and his contract, we needed to find a replacement starting pitcher and Dontrelle is our man. Despite earning 6 million this year, which is more than Westbrook, the D-Train is up for arbitration and we expect that he will earn less next season. He’ll be our new their starter.

Scott Olsen (13-11, 3.99, 1.33, .308)
We also needed a starter to replace Paul Byrd and we aquired Marlin’s second starter Scott Olsen. He has some good stuff, but should really be a back of the rotation starter. He’s only 22, but scouts say that he already reached his peak. Well at least he is really cheap option as our fourth starter.

Mike Jacobs (.271, 31, 100, .332)
Yes, you heard right! We have brought Mike Jacobs to Jacobs field. This guy is a much better option than Ryan Garko. With MJ you know your going to get a lot of extra base hits and 20+ homer seasons. Our scouts say that this guy actually has 30 home run power. Like Garko, MJ is a horrific defender. Will fill the role of the number 5 batter behind Travis Hafner.

Matt Treanor (.220, 2, 28, .315)
The wife of Misty May now takes his act to Cleveland. He’s here just to back up Victor Martinez until a prospect can take over.

Grant Psomas (No stat)
Grant scouts as a future starting third baseman with an offensive upside and plays solid defense. He still needs a year or two in AA or AAA to be major league ready. However, with Andy Marte sitting in AAA pretty much major league ready, Psomas will have to battle for the starting role should we decide to let Casey Blake go.

Brett Sinkball (No stat) and Sean West (No stat)
Two young starting pitchers with high ceilings. Both of them are very raw and will need time in the minors to reach their potential. Also both need to get their velocity up.

Overall summary of the trade: We were able to dump a couple of overpaid veterans on other teams and gave up some starters, bench players and prospects. We are now over 5 million under the budget and I feel that we improve the current roster and brought in player that could help a few years down the road. The most important thing is that we able to free up salary room next season so that we can resign C.C. Sabathia and Travis Hafner.



* In the brackets are the player’s career ML average, home runs, RBIs and OBPs for batters and wins-loses, ERA, whip and BABIP.

[Xero]

Major Transactions: January 1^st to April 1^st

The Los Angeles Dodgers sent 36-year old third baseman Olmedo Saenz and 20-year old minor league left fielder Scott Van Slyke to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 25-year old center fielder Reggie Willits and 20-year old minor league first baseman Mark Trumbo.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have traded 32-year old minor league third baseman Augie Ojeda and 23-year old minor league first baseman Javier Brito to the San Diego Padres. In return, the Diamondbacks will receive 27-year old minor league right fielder Jack Cust player and 22-year old minor league shortstop Luis Cruz.

The Detroit Tiger has signed veteran pitcher Roger “I think he misremembers” Clements to a two-year deal worth a total of $20 140 000! Crazy!

The Philadelphia Phillies have parted ways with 27-year old right fielder Jayson Werth sending him to the Arizona Diamondbacks for 26-year old reliever Brandon Medders and 21-year old reliever Bryant Thompson.

The Atlanta Braves have traded 30-year old minor league catcher Corky Miller to the Houston Astros. In return, the Braves will receive 28-year old starting pitcher Chris Sampson and 18-year old catcher Max Sapp.

The Colorado Rockies have sent 33-year old second baseman Jamey Carroll and 21-year old minor league second baseman Eric Young Jr. to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 32-year old center fielder Darin Erstad.

The Minnesota Twins have finalized a deal with the St. Louis Cardinals for the services of 29-year old left fielder John Rodriguez and 23-year old minor league left fielder Cody Haerther. In exchange, the Cardinals will receive 35-year old catcher Mike Redmond.

The San Diego Padres have reached a contract settlement with Mike Cameron and which will keep the 34-year-old center fielder at Petco Park for at least 2 years.

Chicago White Sox have reached an extension with the 28-year old starting pitcher Mark Buehrle. Terms include a $38,000,000 salary distributed over 4 years.

The Yankees and Bobby Abreu have come to terms on a $65,840,000 package that will keep the right fielder in town another 4 years.

A contract extension between Juan Rincon and Minnesota was reached worth $4,720,000 over 1 year.

Also, it’s all quiet on the injury front as all almost all teams are 100% healthy for Opening Day.

Update: I also dipped into the free agent market and signed both MR Steve Langone and MR Travis Minix to 1-year $500 000 deals. I also claimed SP Basilio Alvarez off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[Xero]

Sorry for the delay, but this was really hard to write in a short time. Posts will be more frequent from now on. So here is the breakdown of our team. I feel we got a good team, but too many decent players. I simmed up tell opening day and I let my manager take over spring training.


Starting Pitchers

#1 LHP C. C. Sabathia
Last Year Stat: 12-11 192.2 IP 3.22 ERA 1.17 WHIP .325 BABIP
Contract: 2 year 17,750,000 (8,750,000 9,000,000)
My Opinion: This guy is simply the sabbatical of our pitching staff. With good stuff, good movement and great control, C. C. is easily one of the best southpaws in the game. We’re expecting great things from C. C. as he tries to live up to his real life counterpart and win a Cy Young Award. Looking at his contract only makes me smile more. I will try to extend this guys contract as early as this year.

#2 RHP Fausto Carmona
Last Year Stat: 1-10 74.2 IP 5.42 ERA 1.59 WHIP .335 BABIP
Contract: 1-year 387,000*
My Opinion: If C. C. is our ace, then Faust is a very close second. This 24-year old is a very well rounded and could be the ace in a lot of other pitching staffs. He had a really bad rookie season last year, but we’re expecting Faust to have lot of success this year. In a couple of year this guy might be our ace.

#3 LHP Dontrelle “D-Train” Willits
Last Year Stat (with Florida): 12-12 223.1 IP 3.87 ERA 1.42 WHIP .320 BABIP
Contract: 1-year 6,450,000**
My Opinion: Right now, Don is a decent pitcher with some good movement, but he has the tools to be really good starter. He had a good season last year as the Marlins ace, now I want to see if this guy can pitch in a competitive market. His contract is a bit much, but I expect it to go down this season. Still, this guy could move to another team if there’s enough interest.

#4 LHP Scott Olsen
Last Year Stat (with Florida): 12-10 180.1 IP 4.04 ERA 1.30 WHIP .313
Contract: 1-year 380,000*
My Opinion: A lefty with good stuff. Scott is only 22 and he could defiantly be a cheap opinion as an inning eater in the back of our rotation. I would really like to see Scotty-O improve and be a dominant pitch in the majors.

#5 RHP Tim Hudson
Last Year Stat (with Atlanta): 13-12 218.1 IP 4.86 ERA 1.44 WHIP .320 BABIP
Contract: 3-year 32,000,000 (6,000,000 13,000,000 13,000,000)
My Opinion: Uh oh! Timmy is still an Indian on Opening Day since no sane AI manager would take this guy’s contract. Did I screw the team up with the Braves trade? This guy is a must go as he is way too overpaid to be sitting at the bottom of our rotation and his contract only gets worse after this season. I hoping this guy show signs that he is a former all-star and that there is enough interest in him so that I can move him.

Overall Feel: I really like our one-two punch up to in our rotation. I am a bit worried about our 3,4,5 guys. I think they are adequate to keep us in ball games, but won’t do much else.

Relievers

CL RHP Rafael Betancourt
Last Year Stat: 3-4 3 SV 56.2 IP 3.81 ERA 1.11 WHIP .281 BABIP
Contract: 1-year 840,000**
My Opinion: A good closer, but not an elite one. Bent has great control so he’s not going to pitch himself into trouble in the ninth inning. We see him as a guy who can go out game-in, game-our and just do his job. I might want to sign Bent to an extension if I don’t want him to go to Arbitration.

SU1 LHP Aaron Fultz
Last Year Stat (with Philadelphia): 3-1 71.1 IP 4.54 ERA 1.51 WHIP .335 BABIP
Contract: 1-year 1,650,000
My Opinion: Not exactly the best setup man in the league. Actually Aaron might be close to being one of the worst setup man in the league. But he is our setup man and we are going to entrust him with the role of being the bridge to Bent. An upgrade would be really nice.

SU2 RHP Travis Minix
Last Year Stat (with Scranton-Wilkes Barre): No ML Stat
Contract: 1-year 500,000
My Opinion: A cheap opinion who can do a decent job out of the pen. Like most of my bullpen, he’s not great or overly bad, but just a decent reliever.

MR1 RHP Jason Davis
Last Year Stat: 3-2 55.1 IP 3.74 ERA 1.46 WHIP .293 BABIP
Contract: 1-year 670,000**
My Opinion: I thought this guy is going to be our setup man. Apparently he had a bad Spring Training (not that I would know) and got demoted to middle reliever. JD has good control and movement and might be one of the few members of the bullpen that will comeback next year.

MR2 RHP Steve Langone
Last Year Stat (with AA Reading): No ML Stat
Contract: 1-year 500,000
My Opinion: Another cheap free agent signing by yours truly. We’re hoping that this guy isn’t like his last name and the pitches he throws won’t be long gone. Still he has a history of giving up too many long balls in the minors.

MR3/LR LHP Macay McBride
Last Year Stat (with AAA Richmond & AA Mississippi): No ML Stat
Contract: 1-year 380,000*
My Opinion: Pretty much a guy who is going to be in during blowouts. M&M can pitch a good 3 or 4 innings when one of our starters has a bad outing. Got some replacements for this guy in the minors so I may bail on him at the first sign of trouble.

Overall Feel: Not the best bullpen in the league, but not the worst either. I will probably try to get a proven setup man if we are in a playoff race.

Batting Order RHP/LHP

1/1 CF LHB Grady “Spiderman” Sizemore
Last Year Stat: .290 .375 28 HR 76 RBI 22 SB
Contract: 5-years 21,450,000 (750,000 3,000,000 4,600,000 5,600,000 7,500,000)
My Opinion: Grady can do it all. From making contact to hitting the ball to the gaps, to driving the ball out of the park and combine that with great speed on the base pads and a knack for climbing the wall to make unbelievable plays (hence the nickname) and you have yourself a five-tool player. I really think he is underrated, as I believe Grady can hit .300 along with 30 long ones a season. I would actually much rather have him bat 3rd in the order and use his abilities to drive in runs than leading off, but I have no other suitable lead off hitter. His contract is not great since I could have signed him to a better one. He is going to start a lot of games, since no one else can play center on our roster.

2/9 RF LHB Trot Nixon
Last Year Stat (with Boston): .268 .373 8 HR 52 RBI
Contract: 1-year 3,000,000
My Opinion: The first of my many decent hitters. Trot has a very good eye and can hit balls to the gap. He is also solid defensively. He wants a lot of money to resign so all signs are pointing to a one year stay at Cleveland for Nixon.

3/3 C SHB Victor Martinez
Last Year Stat: .313 .392 16 HR 93 RBI
Contract: 3-year 12,950,000 (3,000,000 4,250,000 5,700,000)
My Opinion: V-Mart is a borderline elite hitter. I’m expecting him to hit over .300 with 20 HR and 90+RBIs. He is also a converted catcher so he is not where we want him to be defensively. Also I would like to compliment the previous GM for signing one of the better offensive catchers in the game to a very nice contract.

4/4 DH LHB Travis Hafner
Last Year Stat: .308 .439 42 HR 117 RBI
Contract: 1-year 3,750,000**
My Opinion: The prototypical number 4 hitter. Hafy has got power to all fields with a very good eye and can hit for a very nice average in the process. We're expecting 35+ HR and 110+ RBI and a boatload more of walks. I also feel that Hafy’s ability to make contact is underrated since he’s hit over .300 the last three seasons. Avoiding the strikeout is a problem for his as it is for most of my team and most power hitters. I really don’t like the fact that he is up for arbitration this year. Re-signing Hafy to a manageable contract is a priority.

5/8 1B LHB Mike Jacobs
Last Year Stat (with Florida): .262 .325 20 HR 77 RBI 3 SB
Contract: 1-year 380,000*
My Opinion: I feel a lot better having MJ starting at first and hitting behind Pronk. With MJ you know your going to get 20 HR and a boatload of doubles every season. Scouts say he can develop 30 HR power in the future. His defense can be problematic. Wait, did I say problematic? I actually meant his defense is downright awful. Not making a lot of money which is great news for me. He is in a similar situation as Grady since we got no back-up first basemen other than our DH Hafy.

6/6 LF LHB David Dellucci
Last Year Stat (with Philadelphia): .292 .369 13 HR 39 RBI 1 SB
Contract: 3-year 11,500,000 (3,750,000 3,750,000 4,000,000)
My Opinion: Another decent hitter, D&D combines decent power with some decent defensive abilities at left and he is equally effective hitting lefty and righties. His contract is not great, but manageable. Strikes out too much though.

7/5 3B RHB Casey Blake
Last Year Stat: .282 .356 19 HR 68 RBI 6 SB
Contract: 1-year 3,750,000
My Opinion: This guy is basically the right-handed version of David. Last year of his contract and unless things change, I will let Casey walk. Plays 1st, 3rd and (surprisingly) right.

8/2 SS RHB Edgar Renteria
Last Year Stat (with Atlanta): .293 .361 14 HR 74 RBI 17 SB
Contract : 2-year 18,000,000 (9,000,000 9,000,000)
My Opinion: Is this guy overpaid? Sure, but I really did not want Hector to be our starting shortstop. As a hitter ER is good at everything except hitting the ball out of the park. Again, another decent defender. Apparently can steal some bases despite not having any speed.

9/7 2B RHB Josh Barfield
Last Year Stat (with San Diego): .280 .318 13 HR 58 RBI 21 SB
Contract: 1-year 395,800
My Opinion: A well-rounded hitter. A decent defender. Just the same old, same old for Barf.

Bench

C RHB Matt Treanor
Last Year Stat (with Florida): .229 .328 2 HR 14 RBI
Contract: 1-year 380,000*
My Opinion: Matt is basically our back-up catcher until one of our prospects can take over. There is no other reason he is on the roster except to back up V-Mart

2B/3B LHB Pete Orr
Last Year Stat (with Atlanta): .253 .277 1 HR 8 RBI 2 SB
Contract: 1-year 400,000*
My Opinion: The lone Canadian content in our line-up. Pete brings a very underrated left-handed bat with some decent pop, plays two positions and also has speed. If this guy stays cheap, we’ll keep him.

SS RHB Jhonny Peralta
Last Year Stat: .257 .323 13 HR 68 RBI
Contract: 4-year 11,000,000 (750,000 1,250,000 3,400,000 4,600,000)
My Opinion: Seriously, what idiot gave this guy a 11 million dollar contract? JP is a career back up and he is going to be paid like a starter in two seasons. Another must move.

LF SHB Trevor Crowe
Last Year Stat (with AA Arkansas & A Kingston): No ML Stat
Contract: 1-year 350,000*
My Opinion: Trevor is the top player prospect in our organization. He is already a gold-glove caliber left fielder with a lot of speed. Our scouts predict he will be able to hit .300, drive balls to gaps with ease and walk a ton. He also hits switch which is another plus. Trev is probably still a couple of years away from being able to start.

RF RHB Ben Francisco
Last Year Stat (with AAA Buffalo): No ML Stat
Contract: 1-year 350,000*
My Opinion: The lefty specialist on the bench. Not a lot of teams need a lefty specialist, but we’re one of them. Decent all around hitter and has a great arm on the field. Is already well developed so he is most likely our starting right fielder next season, should Trot leave.

Overall Feel: Some good power all around is something that I like. We don’t have any really weak hitters in our line-up which is another plus. Avoiding the K is a problem with this team. I can see myself getting another lead-off man, but that’s pretty much all that’s going to change this season. Too many left handed batters in the top of the other though, I predict we’re going to struggle against lefties.

[Xero]

Cleveland Indians @ Chicago White Sox


Game 1

Starters:
CLE: C. C. Sabathia
CHI: Javier Vazquez

It’s the start of a new season! Just smell that fresh pine tar. Apparently Sabathia didn’t smell it and was still in off-season mode as he only went three and two-thirds while giving up 5 earned, walking 1 and K-ing 3. Despite some quality relief, the Chi Sox exploding for 5 in the fourth, us only driving in 4 despite 13 hits and a MJ error (uh oh) all lead to an Indian’s defeat. Vazquez gets the win Jenks gets the save and Dye gets his first homer of the year. Great way to start the season guys, with a road loss.

Monday, April 2nd, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland Indians	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	1	0	4	13	1
Chicago White Sox	0	0	1	5	0	0	0	0	X	6	11	0

Cleveland Indians @ Chicago White Sox

Game 2

Starters:
CLE: Fausto Carmona
CHI: Mark Buehrle

A much better offensive game for us. Every starter had a hit except for Casey Blake, but he walk twice so it’s all good. Mark Buehrle went six, but got ranged up for six runs also. We really put this game to bed when V-Mart went deep off Buehrle for a two run shot in the seventh on route to a three run inning. The homer was he first of the season and the first home run hit by the Indians in the new campaign. Faust had a soild outing going seven, striking out 2, walking 5 (Geez) and giving up only two. First win for Cleveland. YAYY!

Wednesday, April 4th, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland Indians	0	0	0	1	1	1	3	2	0	8	16	0
Chicago White Sox	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	4	10	0

Cleveland Indians @ Chicago White Sox

Game 3


Starters:
CLE: Dontrelle Willis
CHI: Jose Contreras

It’s the rubber match at US Cellular Field and it did not look good early, as we were down by 1 in the first and 2 runs in the second. The D-train could only carry us one and a third innings and gave up 6 runs. Our bullpen stopped the bleeding as McBride pitched two scoreless innings. But we took the lead in the fifth when V-Mart, once again, hit a three-run big blast (Second). After that our bullpen took over and shut out the White Sox. Or at least that’s what would happen if we live in a perfect world. Langone came out of the pen and managed to cough up the lead and get the lead to the opponent in consecutive innings. Our offense was blanked out by the White Sox bullpen in the last four innings and we lost. *sigh* Jermaine Dye had a four RBI game and Grady Sizemore hit his first of the season.

Thursday, April 5th, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cleveland Indians	1	2	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	6	13	1
Chicago White Sox	2	4	0	0	0	1	2	0	X	9	16	0

Seattle Mariners @ Cleveland Indians


Game 1


Starters:
CLE: Scott Olsen
SEA: Horacio Ramirez


Today’s our home opener as we welcome the Mariners to Jacob’s field. A sold out house saw 43436 fans enter the gate and they were treated to a pitching duo between the starters. Travis Hafner got us on the board in the bottom of the fourth with a solo shot (Numeral Uno of the season). Raul Ibanez was not impressed and said “whatever you can do, I can do better”. So he promptly went out in the top of the fifth and hit a two-run shot (also first) giving the Mariners the lead. In the bottom of the seventh Mike Jacobs came on to bat, and perhaps feeling the magic of the ballpark with the same name as him, was able tie the game and give us the lead in one swing of the bat (you guessed it, first of the season as well). Its crazy how two-run shots work! Langone had a much better outing from the pen and Betancourt got his second save. Ramirez when eight in a losing cause and our starter went six and a third. All runs scored came via the big fly. Indians are now back at .500!

Friday, April 6th, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle Mariners	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	0	2	5	0
Cleveland Indians	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	X	3	7	1

Seattle Mariners @ Cleveland Indians

Game 2


Starters:
CLE: C. C. Sabathia
SEA: Felix Hernandez

Today we faced one of my favourite pitchers, King Felix. And he proved why he is so good by going six and a third giving up no runs and striking out 8. Seattle drew first blood in the seventh as “The good” Adam Jones doubled and scored on a Jose Lopez ground ball fielder’s choice. The problem is that it is the only scoring that would be done tonight as we did not manage a run despite seven hits. We hit into the dreaded DPs twice with men in scoring position, had men on the corners with no out and did not convert, in the process wasting a soild seven innings from our ace.

Saturday, April 7th, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle Mariners	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	6	0
Cleveland Indians	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0

Seattle Mariners @ Cleveland Indians

Game 3

Starters:
CLE: Tim Hudson
SEA: Brendon Morrow


The game started very shaky for Tim Hudson as he gave up a single to Ichiro Suzuki to start off the game and a double to Ben Broussard to score Ichiro from first. In our half of the second inning, Casey Blake retook the lead on his first homer of the season, a three-run shot, and gave the lead back to the tribe. Timmy was not impressed by Casey’s effort and believed the offense could do better, so he promptly went out the next inning and gave up the two-run lead on a RBI single and groundout. Thankfully, the offense could do better as they explode for 8 runs in the fourth, capped of by a solo bomb by D&D, a bases clearing double by Casey Blake and three RBI base on balls (What!?). That will be all the scoring done in this game, as Cleveland takes the rubber match in this series. Timmy got his first win going 7 strong giving 10 hits and 3 earned, Casey had a big day getting 6 RBIs and C. C. is wondering where was this offense when he was pitching.

Sunday, April 8th, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle Mariners	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	11	0
Cleveland Indians	0	3	0	8	0	0	0	0	X	11	11	0

Around the Major League:

Colorado Rockies signed 28-year old starting pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim to a four-year $31,120,000 contract extension.

The New York Yankees gave their closer Mariano Rivera a two-year deal paying him 6,190,000 a season. A great deal for New York considering Mo is the best closer the game has ever seen.

The other New York team, Mets, gave their setup man 28-year old Aaron Heilman a 1-year 3,130,000 deal to stay a Met.

Minnesota Twins also locked their closer, 32-year old Joe Nathan, the next four years for 8,970,000 per season.

Jeremy Bonderman Blanked the Jays 6-0.

Adam LaRoche had three homers against Cincinnati in a 4-3 loss. (Jeez, the pirates just can’t win)

Both Joe Mauer and Garrett Anderson had 5 hit games.

Brewers Ace Ben Sheets is out 1-2 weeks with Dead Arm Syndrome.

Phillies Ace Cole Hamels is DTD with a tender elbow.

[Xero]

Seattle Mariners @ Cleveland Indians

Game 4


Starters
CLE: Fausto Carmona
SEA: Miguel Batista


Apparently I forgot that this was a four game series, so tonight the Mariners are going for a series split. This is probably why the Mariners looked so motivated coming out of the dugout and it showed as in the first inning as the first two batters get on and then Ben Broussard parked a Carmona offering into the stands for a three-run shot and his second of the season. The Indians also came out firing as we had cut the lead to 1 in the bottom of the first lead of by a Grady Sizemore bunt single. We retook the lead on two RBI singles in the fourth and fifth. Like Timmy in the last game, Faust thought the offense has more to offer and he gave up a no doubter to Johjima and the lead to the Mariners. Fourtunately, our offense answered with a two-run inning of their own to take the lead again. Then Steve Langone came on relief and lived up to his last name as he gave up two 2-run home runs, a wall scrapper to Broussard for his third and a monster shot to Sexton for his first. In the bottom of that inning we had men on the corners and 1 out and our manager got Grady Sizemore to bunt again and for some reason did not send the runner at third home. Seattle extended their lead to 4 in the top of the eight. BUT WAIT! Do the Indians have enough to over come a 4-run lead? In the bottom of the eight Eric O’Flaherty came on to pitch and loaded the bases getting only one out. So next Seattle brought up Mark Lowe, their setup man, and he decided to walk FOUR batters straight to tie up the game. The Seattle manager was so impressed by Lowe’s lack of control that he kept him in the game so that he could give up a 2-run single to Ben Francisco. So the Seattle manager finally has seen enough and brought J.J. Putz in the game and he struck out the next two hitters. (Great AI!) Bent came out and saved a wild game for us. Sizemore went four for four and in a game where we scored twelve runs, none of them came via the big fly.

Monday, April 9th, 2007
	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Seattle Mariners	3	0	0	0	0	2	4	1	0	10	13	0
Cleveland Indians	2	0	0	1	1	2	0	6	X	12	16	0

Around the Major Leagues


Angels’ 3B Maicer Izturis and Phillies’ 1B Ryan Howard are the AL and NL player of the Week.

Oakland Athletics signed 28-year old CF Milton Bradley (Bradley a CF?) to a four-year deal worth a total of $ 40,240,000.

Astros signed their closer Dan Wheeler to a one-year $4,040,000 extension.

Roger “I think he misremembers” Clements won his 350^th game against the Baltimore Orioles 7-3.
San Fran Giants LF Dave Roberts, who is apparently born in Japan, is out 2 weeks with fractured ribs.

27-year old 2B Bill Hall had five hits and hit for the cycle in Milwaukee’s 11-8 lose to the Marlins.

[Xero]

Okay, so this is what happened between the last time I posted. So I backup my files regularly, but that does not save your files when you entire CPU crashes, but I managed to save the files into a USB in safe mode. But when I was restarting my computer, I left my USB in there and now the entire USB is corrupted so this dynasty will end prematurily. Anyways, I am now taking suggestion for a new dynasty, and please take in mind that I have OOTP8 and only have the rosters of 1901-2007.