NFL Draft Notes

What can be better than the NFL Draft? It is the greatest draft of all of the big three.

It is a spectacle that brings together some of the best athletes in the world on a grand stage in the Big Apple. Each of the teams that are present have nothing but enthusiasm for what alot of these players will do for NFL franchises.

So far, the big surprise of the draft this year was the top pick of Reggie Bush.

The next one is the Vince Young went third with the Tennessee Titans. Perhaps the Titans brass are looking to replace Mcnair. The Titans may be a good fit for Young, a mobile quarterback who has size and a good arm. Although he only threw at a 58% completion percentage all year at the University of Texas, this can be improved.

My thought is that Leinert is probably the better NFL prospect, that fits the mold of the prototype quarterback. He has the size, 6'4 7/8" and 223 lbs. He has a strong arm and most importantly the consistency, having won at a high level against quality Division I opponents. This three time All-American will make a franchise successful eventually. The only question mark, one that was on the minds of the Jet organization, is whether Leinert's intentions are to pursue a Hollywood career. If this were the case, it could take away from the potential to move New York forward to playoff wins.

D'Brickashaw Ferguson, 6'6" 310lbs, was the fourth pick in the draft. This pick will help to further the protection around Chad Pennington. Pennington, who spent most of last year on the disabled list, looks to come back this year to a Jet team with many needs to be a winner in the 2006 campaign. Offensive tackles are a premium in this league. With the athleticism that Ferguson possesses for a man of his size, he should be a cornerstone for the Jet franchise for years to come.

One of the only risk that this team is taking, is whether Pennington who injured his throwing arm last year, can withstand a 16 game schedule. These questions will be addressed in training camp and beyond.

Certainly, Leinert will go before Ohio State's A.J. Hawk. Hawk, the imposing leading tackler for the Buckeyes last year, looks good to the be the pick after Leinert. His speed is great and aggressivness is legendary. The only question with Hawk is that he may not be tall enough. In the land of the NFL, 6'3" or 6'4" are good stature for the linebacker position.

What about the Browns?

My prediction is that the Browns do not need to address receivers, quarterback, or running back. What the team needs is a quality linebacker, defensive lineman or a defensive back. More news on that to come. Let's see what is in store for the next few picks.

Indians Progress Report

So the Indians are three games out the AL Central, but it is a marathon, not a sprint.

What is amazing is that the Tigers are hanging on as well, 1.5 games out. This is due in large part to the young bats on our small market counterparts.

As far as the Tribe, its success or consistency has kept the campaign in auto pilot for the first month of the season. The offense has been there this year headed by Hafner, Martinez, and surprisingly, Blake. Blake has contributed with a .371 batting average and a .451 OBP. Hafner has fit seven homers with a .731 slugging percentage.

The big question mark for the Indians has been the play of the bullpen. Who are these guys? Okay, I am familiar with Guillermo Mota, the former Dodger. He is the setup man for the most part. We all know the big galoot, Wickman, our closer.

After that you have a bunch of guys who hang out in the bullpen, waiting to come in, if needed. When Matt Miller, went out for the year, the Indians management had to make some quick decisions, but have they made them yet? Danny Graves, Scott Sauerback, Brian Slocum, and on and on...

Well, this is the time for injuries to happen.

Shelton tearing up the AL

Chris Shelton is making quick work of the American League this year. No one would have known who this guy was last year. Shelton has homered a Major League leading nine times in just 13 games this year.

This 25 year-old first baseman was not even sure he would be on the starting roster this season this year. The difficulty was figuring out where to play this young prospect. He had already proven that he could hit well, but could he play a position was another question. Shelton is not the most athletic player on the field, not very fast or quick.

You're probably wondering why I care. He is on my fantasy baseball team, "Mouth Off."

But I digress.

Check out these statistics amassed by Shelton.

• Batting Average- .471
• OPS- 1.716
• Slugging percentage- 1.216
• Nine homers

When Jim Leyland was quoted as saying that the Tigers stunk after the Indians routed 10-2 today. The Tigers seem to be dedicated to losing in recent years. It is difficult to fault Leyland, when he does not want to see his club get soft. Maybe what would have been better, if he would have said, "We stunk, but Shelton didn't."

Charger Linebacker with Off-field Woes

The focus in this blog is mainly to focus on Cleveland sports. This story I found particularly interesting, when players just do not live up to potential, allegedly.

Shaun Phillips, a 24 year-old backup linebacker, was charged with resisting arrest when he was allegedly involved in a struggle with a patrol officer.

The Associated Press reported that at around 2 a.m. Phillips was seen with a woman in a local neighborhood in the San Diego area. According to the patrol officer, Phillips had the woman in a headlock and seemed to be in pain.

Allegedly, the officer came over to approach the 6'3", 262 lb defensive player and tapped him on the arm. After this, a struggle started.

This fourth round pick from Purdue saw significant action in 2005, starting in three games. Phillips finished with seven quarterback sacks, second on the team.

Indians head to the Motor City

The Indians open a four game set in Comerica Park. It will be a daunting task when having to face sluggers like Chris Shelton, Magglio Ordonez, and Dmitri Young.

Shelton has been hitting the tar out of the baseball this year with a whopping 1.835 OPS and a 1.297 slugging percentage in 37 at-bats. With his seven homers in the Tigers's nine games, he seems to be the temporary young leader for this team with a fair amount of promise, at least offensively.

Magglio Ordonez, also called "Maggs," has been a force offensively and the Tigers have high hopes for this 31 year-old slugger. He has hit three home runs and seven RBI's this year. Maggs proved himself with his tenure with the Chicago White Sox, where he was able to hit at least thirty home runs from 1999-2002.

Jake Westbrook will face Kenny Rogers, the roughian who punched that camera guy, in a battle tonight in Detroit. Westbrook, with a record of 2-0 and a 1.98 ERA, will hopefully show him who the real star of the show is tonight.

The Indians have been able to produce runs in recent outings, knocking in 19 runs in the three games against the Mariners.

Indians Win 6 straight

The Cleveland Indians are atop the AL Central after winning six straight. This is the Tribe's best start since going 11-1 in the beginning of the 2002 season.

Back to back homers from Jhonny Peralta and Travis Hafner highlighted the offensive surge in the fifth inning. Later in the seventh inning, the Indians came through with three more insurance runs.

Cliff Lee, who did not give up a hit until the fifth, got the win. This was his debut start of the 2006 campaign. Lee is expected to put up great numbers this season and was picked by some to be one of the best left-handers in the Majors.

The Indians are showing quite a bit of composure so far into the season. An early start is only going to make the imminent playoff race in July and August that much easier to handle.

In April, the Tribe will face Detroit, Baltimore, Kansas City, Boston, and Texas. Eleven of the next 13 are on the road. Go Tribe!

Tribe dominates Ring Bearers

The Indians got a chance to taste victory over the White Sox today. It was a game highlighted by extraordinary offensive play from Aaron Boone.

After the on-field festivities dedicated to Chicago's World Championship culminating in the presentation of the World Series rings, the Indians played loose and let the bats swing freely. Aaron Boone, a .243 hitter last year, had a career day with a homer, four hits, and four RBI. Boone scored on one play in which he exchanged shoulder contact with the 235 pound Pyrzynski. Neither player exchanged any unpleasantries after the contact.

Westbrook had a good outing giving up only two runs and six hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Run support was in effect for the Indians with Victor Martinez homering. Casey Blake and Grady Sizemore contributed with RBI singles for each of them knocking in Ronnie Belliard, who doubled with two outs in the fourth inning.

Thome hit a homer in the fourth for the White Sox, adding to his total of two, both against his former team.

One down, 161 to go

The Indians folded under the pressure of new season and even more from staring the World Champs in the face and backing down.

Runs were in high supply at a rainy U.S. Cellular Field last night. Too bad they were coming from the boys in black and white.

Sebathia pulled out of the game early after just 37 pitches. His status is still in question, but will more than likely be back before Tuesday's game.

The game was delayed for almost three hours due to rain. The game did continue late on ESPN2, making for a downer for one of the few games seen on this national network for the Wahoo faithful.

Thome hit a two-run shot in the fourth inning that hasn't landed yet. He is expected to make a splash in the lineup, if he can stay healthy. The former Indian devotes one hour each day before baseball drills to core exercises to prevent further injury complications to his back problems that have plagued him for most of his career.

Chicago scored three runs in the fifth inning, mostly off of Fernando Cabrera, a right hander that appeared in 15 games in 2005. The fifth inning, a six run flurry, is one that Cabrera would surely like to forget.

Three scoreless innings was pitched by Brandon McCarthy, a 22 year-old flame-thrower, got the unlikely win after the rain stopped and is hoping to fight his way into a talented pitching rotaion.

The Indians need to focus on the games in April as equally as the ones in the summer. They all count, right?

Indians Fever

The Cleveland Indians have built itself a solid group of core players that it will have over the next couple of years. Within the scope of the budget that it has to go around, it has a shot to compete this year again. If anything, it is a team that improved slightly over the roster that it put on the field in 2005.

The starting lineup will look like this

• 1st base- Ben Broussard
• 2nd base-Ronnie Belliard
• 3rd base- Aaron Boone (hopefully he will improve from last year)
• Shortstop-Jhonny Peralta
• Catcher- Victor Martinez (perhaps the best offensive catcher in the AL)
• Right- Casey Blake
• Left- Jason Michaels (somewhat of a question mark as a player)
• Center- Grady Sizemore (my prediction is that he will hit .300 with 32 homers and 100 rbi's this year, an improvement from last year)

Pitching rotation

• Starters are: Sebathia, Byrd, Lee, Westbrook, and Jason Johnson; in that order.
• Wickman will close and if he stays healthy shoudl close our about 40 games.

The pitching is pretty solid. The only question mark is the strength of Wickman to endure a whole season. Conditioning is something that Wickman does not come through with.

My Prediction

The Indians will stay consistent with last year. The results will be 90-72, a slight decrease from last year. The reason that the wins will decrease is due to the fact that the rest of the American League has improved.

If you look within the AL Central, the White Sox have strengthened a team that was already better than most of the other teams. The Yankees have improved with the addition of Johnny Damon. If Randy Johnson can stay healthy, look out. Whether the Red Sox or the Yankees win that division that will put increased pressure on the Indians to win the Wild Card this year.

Oh and there are still the Angels and the A's to deal with. The Athletics look like they will win the division, but the Angels are going to be a force in the Wild Card chase.

I feel as though the Indians will compete and will not win the Wild Card this year. It is difficult to make this prediction because I am pulling for the Tribe every year. But let's let the season start and find out.

Oh well, I am ready for the home opener this Friday. Tonight the Indians start the season against the White Sox. It should be a great matchup with good play-by-play with the ESPN2 crew.