It’s all here in Cleveland, LeBron

Jul 03, 2010

By: The Morning Journal

Let’s see if I can get through a column without mentioning LeBron James.

Sorry, it is not possible. We are all tired of hearing about this saga, but it is impossible to ignore. It might quite possibly be the most bizarre offseason story we have ever witnessed in the history of Cleveland sports, and we can’t take our eyes off of it. The most interesting part of the coverage frenzy is watching the “experts” do their little dances as decision time draws near. A few of them said they were hoping LeBron would remain in Cleveland, but none, that I know of, actually predicted that would happen.

And, now as signs point to that as a real possibility, some are starting to say they knew it all the time. If James decides to stay, perhaps he can find a way to keep the soap opera going every year so that Cleveland can continue to become one of America’s great destination cities.

While we don’t know the details of the sales pitches that were given by New York, New Jersey, Miami, Chicago or the Los Angeles Clippers, it is hard to believe any of them can beat Cleveland’s sales pitch. If James, in fact, is only interested in winning, is there a guarantee that would happen with any of those franchises? What have we seen regarding the recent history of the ownership of any of those teams that would indicate they would be capable of doing more than Dan Gilbert has done, putting together NBA-best regular season records two years in a row? What has new Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, Nets coach Avery Johnson, Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra accomplished as a player/coach that Cavs coach Byron Scott hasn’t done?

Does LeBron really want to play with Dwyane Wade? Isn’t Michael Jordan’s legacy too big to overcome? Is Joakim Noah that good that he could help LeBron get seven titles? Is Newark the center of the Mecca of basketball? Would he lose his friendship with Jay-Z if he doesn’t go to the Nets? How many more endorsements can he get in New York that he can’t get here? What have these franchises done in recent years other than make salary cap room? Has it been that long since LeBron saw More Than a Game or noticed his own 330 area code tattoo? And, most importantly, if he leaves, can he “really go home again”?

It has been tough to be very positive about what we have seen with the Cleveland Indians this year. Even when there has been something to be hopeful about, there has been a caveat attached to it. Carlos Santana has given us something to look forward to, but it is natural to wonder why he wasn’t here from Day One. Manny Acta didn’t hesitate to put him in the third spot in the lineup, and hopefully he will be just as willing to install Michael Brantley in the leadoff position when he comes back sometime after the all-star break.

Matt LaPorta has been swinging a big bat lately, but all that does is remind us that the organization chose to sign Russell Branyan before spring training began, not seeming to acknowledge, or care, that the already dwindling fan base would totally be turned off by that move. Obviously, the team was worried that LaPorta hadn’t fully recovered from off-season surgery, but there had to be a better backup plan that Branyan.

That being said, there are some bright spots in this otherwise dismal season. Shin-Soo Choo is the obvious all-star candidate from this team, but there is more to him than that. There have been many great players in the game who never earned the reputation as a five-tool player, but it looks like Choo qualifies in that department. A five-tool play can do it all, hitting for average, power, exhibiting speed and baserunning skills, as well as playing good defense, and having a good arm. Choo won’t be a Hall of Fame caliber player along the lines of five-toolers (in their prime) such as Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Ken Griffey, Jr, Barry Bonds or Alex Rodriguez, but it is not a stretch to say he ranks up there with any other Indian player from the past or present.

Grady Sizemore was touted to be a five-tool player but his career average of .272 leaves him short. In addition, his appearance in the leadoff spot for most of his career hurt his power numbers.

Roberto Alomar should be elected to the Hall of Fame next year based on his seventeen year career, but, while hitting .300 in that career and stealing an average of 32 bases a year, he only averaged fourteen home runs per season. Defensively he was the best second baseman I ever saw.

Joe Carter had a great sixteen year career, averaging 29 homers, 107 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases, but only hit .259. He did hit .302 with the Indians in 1986, but just anywhere from .243-.275 in his other five years on the lakefront.

Then you have go all the way back to Larry Doby to find another potential five-tooler. Doby came up as an infielder in 1947, but quickly was converted to being a center fielder. Doby had big power numbers, hitting 20 or more home runs in eight seasons, and had six seasons with double-figure assists. But Doby only had a .283 career batting average, and his biggest stolen base seasons were 1948 and ’49 when he stole 9 and 10, respectively.

But Choo is on his way to a career with very respectable numbers in each of the five categories. Last year he hit .300, with twenty homers and 21 stolen bases. Going into last night’s game against Oakland, Choo was hitting .286, with 13 home runs and 13 stolen bases. He has one of the best arms in the game, although he needs to take a better path to balls hit into the gap, and has been known to drop a routine fly ball or two.

Although it will not be reflected in the attendance figures the rest of this season, Choo, Santana, LaPorta, and Asdrubal Cabrera, along with starters Fausto Carmona and Justin Masterson do represent hope for the future. If Brantley can be the leadoff batter they hope he can be, the lineup has the potential to ‘be stretched out’ to present problems to the opposition. And if the pitchers received in the Cliff Lee deal with Philadelphia can get here and can produce fairly soon, there might be something worth looking at in the next year or two.

How Come …

• David Stern’s dress code apparently only applied to the guys who were trying to convince the sweats and tee-clad player to accept multi-million dollar offers this week?

•Home town discounts don’t exist in the NBA?

•If LeBron doesn’t go to New Jersey, whose team is owned by a Russian businessman, they may change their name to the ‘Nyets’?

•If Red Auerbach had coached in Dallas, when victory was assured, he would light up a Cuban cigar?

This entry was posted on Saturday, July 3rd, 2010 at 10:09 pm and is filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.