By the time the Cleveland Indians get
around to putting Johnny Damon on the field, the Browns will be
starting training camp, or so it seems anyway. Did he sign? Didn't
he sign? Do you really care?
When the Indians were struggling to
score runs at the season's outset, their front office sprung into
action in the only way it ever does: slowly and desperately. But
then the Indians went to Kansas City to face the Royals, the American
League's version of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and found their hitting
stroke, or so it seems anyway. So the slow and desperate chase of
Damon grew slower though still on track, or so it seems anyway.
I don't have any particular problem
with Johnny Damon. Indeed, just as Keith Hernandez became a poster
boy of sorts for pathetic free agent signings of a previous era,
Damon has a real chance to serve that purpose for today's more urbane
fan. Indeed, by signing Damon, the Tribe’s front office ticks off
nearly box on the their prospective free agent checklist: uneven
history; vagabond; mercenary; no viable other options. If he were
coming off major surgery, he'd be the first 5 tool free agent signee
of the Mark Shapiro/Chris Antonetti era.
Again, though, I don't have any
particular problem with Johnny Damon. Ok, I have one particular
problem with the signing but it's not actually with Damon. It's the
fact that the Indians are reportedly paying him well in excess of $1
million on the if-come. For a team that's as frugal at the Indians,
they sure know how to throw around the small money, don't they?
The minimum salary for a major leaguer
in 2012 is around $500,000. The Indians reportedly signed Damon for
almost triple that amount. Given that Damon had no interest from any
other clubs or, perhaps more accurately, no interest from any other
club willing to pay him over $1 million, the Indians essentially bid
against themselves for a player that had he not signed would be
selling autographs at county fairs this summer just because he needed
something to do.
If you want to understand what an
awesome agent Scott Boras really is, don't consider the multi-year
multi-million dollar contracts he gets for superstars. A 12-year old
could negotiate those. Selling any major league team on Damon for
almost triple the league minimum is an accomplishment of the first
order. All I can think is that the sound of Boras' voice on the
other end of the phone when Antonetti inquired about Damon's
availability must have made Antonetti wet himself before getting out
the checkbook and writing in whatever figure Boras told him to.
Supposedly the Damon contract contains
an out clause so that Damon can leave Cleveland once Grady Sizemore
is healthy, a phrase that’s turned into an oxymoron. Damon should
probably unpack his bags. Sizemore is the very definition of
unhealthy which is why, exactly, the Indians re-signed him in the
first place.
There's some chance that Damon can help
offensively. The only real question is whether he'll produce more
runs then he'll cost since his defense, to use a nice baseball
euphemism, is suspect. It's a nice way of saying that Shelly Duncan
is a more reliable outfielder. Damon at this point is somewhat of a
professional hitter and would slot in nicely as a designated hitter,
assuming that slot was available. Alas it’s not. The Indians have
an overpaid designated hitter that can't play the field in Travis
Hafner, so on that level the signing of Damon makes perfect sense,
assuming George Kostanza is your general manager.
I do give the Indians credit for making
a move. I also give them credit for making it entertaining. Now if
they could make it productive, that would be change we could all
believe in.
**
The Browns, meanwhile, slide into a
two-month off season workout program that's been tremendously altered
by new rules that are part of last year's collective bargaining
agreement.
The new rules limit contact and drills
in favor of strength and conditioning. The intent is to enhance
player safety by keeping the players' bodies from breaking down over
such a long season. No doubt Browns' linebacker Scott Fujita is
smiling at this accomplishment at the bargaining table as he defends
himself in front of league officials for allegedly actively
participating in the New Orleans Saints' bounty program designed to
do the opposite.
The collective bargaining changes make
sense because injuries are already too big a part of the NFL's
season. We’ve seen that for years with the Browns because of a
lack of depth. They can barely compete with a healthy starting
lineup. Injuries from about the 8th game on is what tends
to send them careening toward 4-win territory every year.
Don’t expect much news out of the
conditioning portion of the offseason workout program unless a player
gets a bit mouthy and decides not to show up because he’s pissed
about something. A player that could have been in that category but
is not is quarterback Colt McCoy.
With various Browns’ officials
talking out of both sides of their mouths all offseason about whether
or not McCoy is or isn’t the future quarterback of this team, McCoy
had a right to at least question the direction of the team. McCoy,
however, hasn’t embraced that fray and neither has head coach Pat
Shurmur, who told the media that he didn’t seek out McCoy
specifically to assuage any potentially hurt feelings.
There’s an argument that could be
made for having Shurmur reach out to McCoy, as a matter of courtesy
if nothing else. I’m also pretty sure more then a few conspiracy
theorists will see Shurmur’s approach as evidence that the Browns
are indeed pursuing a new franchise quarterback through the draft.
Perhaps.
But then you have to remember that the
only profession in America with less job security at the moment than
professional athlete is Republican presidential candidate not named
Mitt Romney. Coaches use the “you can be replaced anytime” line
as their main source of motivating player performance. The churn in
professional sports is tremendous because there’s always someone
younger and cheaper willing to take your job.
That is the bargain these players buy
into when they enter the profession and it does them no good to whine
about it when they actually experience it. Besides, if McCoy's
feelings are hurt, then that would say something about his ability to
lead the team anyway.
I think McCoy has much more to show
this team and will perform better when there are better players
around him, mainly because that’s true of any quarterback. Whether
McCoy is a transformative quarterback is less certain and thus
pushing him by pursuing other alternatives isn’t a negative.
Neither is failing to smooth any hurt feelings he might have as a
result.
**
Browns’ general manager Tom Heckert
held his annual pre-draft press conference, a ritual repeated in
every NFL city at just this time of year. In some ways it’s my
favorite press conference of the year because it represents the
largest net difference between the excitement generated by it and the
newsworthiness of it.
Let me save you the time of reading the
transcript and just summarize it here: There are a lot of players the
Browns like. They may trade down but may stay at number 4. They
could go defense or perhaps offense. Every player they're
considering is really good. They have no concern about any character
issues of any players.
If within that summary you can find
some news or even a clue as to what the Browns will do then you
deserve a Pulitzer. Heckert is no more going to reveal anything of
substance about the Browns’ draft plans then would you if you were
in his shoes. There’s nothing good that can come from tipping your
hand unless you have the number 1 pick in the draft.
My best guess, using past performance
as a predictor of future events, is that even if he were so inclined,
Heckert has nothing yet to reveal because he hasn’t yet decided
what the Browns will do. So much depends on what teams around him
want to do. Draft day tends to send panic through the veins of
general managers, though the drawn out way it’s now conducted
actually works counter to some of that drama. Still, without knowing
until draft day how desperate a team can be (e.g. Atlanta last
season) it does make it a tad difficult to plan for every
contingency.
If the draft is clean, the Browns will
stay at the fourth slot and pick an impact player on offense,
probably a receiver. It’s such a glaring need that almost anything
other than that would invite another fan insurrection. But if teams
around the Browns begin to panic, I won’t fault Heckert if he uses
it to the team’s advantage. The Browns don’t just have one need,
they have at least 18. Almost anything Heckert does will serve the
team eventually.
The only concern is if Heckert panics,
though I don't see that happening and for much the same reason. The
Browns' needs are vast and almost any direction they go outside of
left tackle they can credibly say they drafted the best player at
their most pressing need.
**
A few words about the Bruce Springsteen
concert at Quicken Loans arena earlier in the week. It should have
been required viewing for every player on every Cleveland sports
team. They would have learned something about how to approach
professional entertainment in a way that recaptures the passion and
glory of their youth—you know, the reason they got into it in the
first place.
Springsteen is 62 years of age and is
as good now at his craft as he ever was. The secret, I believe, is
the pure joy he gets from his chosen pursuit. It's never a job but a
passion. He then takes that passion and translates it into an
experience that makes every crowd in every city feel like they got a
special, one of a kind performance. I've seen him perform well in
excess of 100 times over the last 30+ years and can tell you
definitively that he never mails in a performance. Never. Ever.
Every professional athlete on every
Cleveland team could certainly take some lessons from Springsteen
even if they don't care for his music. Keep yourself in shape (hear
that, Chris Perez?). Approach each performance like it's the last
one you may give. Respect your fans because they're the ones paying
your salary. Don't play because you have to. Play because you want
to. Don't be afraid to smile once in awhile.
The crowd at the Q on Tuesday night was
electric, responding to Springsteen in ways unimaginable at any
Cleveland sporting event. That's not a criticism of Cleveland sports
fans, either. I've been to all the playoff games at all our local
venues. Cleveland fans know how to make noise. Ultimately, though,
they are no match for a Springsteen crowd in any city and they won't
be until they have teams that approach their professions like
Springsteen approaches his.
Another great show by the greatest rock
and roll artist the world has ever known.
**
With the NFL draft approaching, a
question to ponder: Is there any bigger waste of your time then
reading someone's mock draft?
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