Written by Brian McPeek

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Not a bad week on the North Coast as far as sports goes. There was Cleveland State tightening their grip on the Horizon League regular season race, the Buckeyes hoops team beating Wisconsin and Super Bowl XLVI to watch. But the biggest stories for me were Kyrie Irving, the likely end of Matt LaPorta at first base and the ridiculous reactions to Urban Meyer’s first recruiting class at Ohio State. And I’m talking about Brett Bielema, Mark Dantonio AND Buckeye fans.

There’s the Door, Matt

If one more person tells me that Matt LaPorta had more HRs and RBI last season that Casey Kotchman in fewer plate appearances, I swear to God I will tie their tongue to my bumper and hit the gas pedal.

I cannot for the life of me figure out what some Tribe fans want from this team or this front office.

Do nothing? The Dolans are cheap.

Get some bench depth or utility infield experience to battle for roster spots? Shaponetti has a hard-on for mediocrity and for platoon players.

Go out and get Casey Kotchman, a super defensive first baseman who put together a complete year offensively in 2011? Matt LaPorta has more power.

This is why I hate people. Because many of them are fools who refuse to look at the entire picture the Indians are trying to paint as they approach the 2012 season.

Matt LaPorta has not earned anyone’s undying loyalty or a starting spot in his 1,000 MLB plate appearances. That’s right, he has 1,000 plate appearances in the big leagues and his splits are .238/.304/.397. That equates to an OPS of .701 and OPS+ of 93 (with 100 being average production for the league).

That’s the guy some people are going to war over? He’s below average offensively and he’s mediocre defensively. Aside from being mediocre or worse on either side of the ball he’s terrific. I’m not saying the switch can’t be flipped and LaPorta might have the light go on in time to be a productive Major League hitter, but he’ll be 27 this season and his minor league prowess simply hasn’t translated to the Major Leagues. Unfortunately for LaPorta that’s where the Indians play. If the Major Leagues were full of International League pitching LaPorta might be carving out a Hall of Fame career.

But lack of talent and injury has combined to limit what we’re getting from LaPorta. He hasn’t made natural adjustments that make him a better (much less more dangerous) hitter. And when he hurt his hip a couple seasons back I think it finished the possibility of ever seeing him be versatile enough to play the outfield again, much less effectively use the lower half of his body in his swing. Anything thrown on the outer half to LaPorta brings back nightmarish memories of Andy Marte trying to hook every damn thing he saw away to the left side of the field. LaPorta’s either swinging through those same pitches or he’s rolling them to 3B or SS.

I was desperate enough with the LaPorta situation that I actually entertained opinion from others on signing Johnny Damon to play 1B this season. Damon is still looking for a team and, despite being 38 years old with 12 big league innings at first base in his lifetime, would have been a better option there than LaPorta. Damon put up better numbers across the board last season offensively than LaPorta. That includes all of his splits as well as HRs and RBI. He also stole 19 bases.

I have so little faith in LaPorta that I’d take Johnny Damon in a heartbeat as my opening day first baseman. It was but hours later (literally) that the Indians signed Kotchman. And despite his numbers from last season being ‘flukey’ (and they were definitely a departure from his career stats that I’m not sure are the result of his much publicized eye surgery) he’s still a better option than LaPorta in the lineup. He’s superior defensively and even without last season he’s better offensively than LaPorta has been.

The Indians are building this team on pitching. Specifically, the Indians are building this team on ground ball pitchers and having the best possible defenders out there every day makes sense if that’s your approach. Kotchman makes you better there. And his hands and ability at the bag probably save Asdrubal Cabrera 3-5 errors this year as well on balls Kotchman scoops or picks up that LaPorta does not.

Combine the fact that Kotchman is superior defensively and at least comparable (at worst) offensively with the fact that the Indians signed Kotchman for a year at just $3million and this deal simply can’t be bashed. It was the right move to make for this team at this time. Prince Fielder isn’t emerging from that dugout to run out to 1B on opening day. But neither is Matt LaPorta. And the Indians are better for that fact.

Keeper

I watched Kyrie Irving, a 6’2” PG, own the two most important possessions in the Cavs win over the world champion Mavericks Saturday like a certain former Cavalier from Akron never seemed to do. I recall any number of mornings when the topic of conversation was LeBron getting into the lane with the game on the line and dishing the ball off to an open teammate who missed the big shot. “LeBron’s unselfish and those guys have to knock those open looks down” was the argument on behalf of James relinquishing the ball in that situation.

“LeBron doesn’t want to take that shot or the accountability for it” was what the other side would say.

Well, time provides us all with perspective (unless you’re a Dolan hater or LaPorta supporter I guess) and it sure looks like that second group was a lot more dialed in than those who praised LBJ for dishing off the game winning attempts. History shows us James doesn’t want the responsibility.

But it sure looks like Kyrie Irving is perfectly fine with it.

Irving went to the rim twice in the final two minutes of Saturday’s win. Twice he shook Delonte West, a terrific on the ball defender, navigated through the tall trees and bodies of the Dallas interior defense and finished with lay-ups that gave the Cavaliers an unexpected win over Dallas. It’s similar to what Irving did in Boston a week ago and what he did in Indiana a month ago, though the lay-up against the Pacers simply didn’t fall and the Cavs lost in OT.

But if you were at all concerned that the moment might be too big for Irving, worry not. The kid is perfectly comfortable with the ball in his hands and the game on the line, despite the fact that his high school teammates are still college underclassmen and despite the fact that Irving’s still not in NBA basketball shape right now.

And you know what I enjoyed almost as much? The post game interview with Irving. Look, there’s still plenty of time for him to become jaded and big-time but right now he’s not. It was refreshing to hear the Cavs star utter not a single “myself” or dishonestly and improperly use the word “humbling” to describe the game or the big baskets. Honestly, has there ever been a guy who used the word humble, humility or humbling more often than James who possessed less humility? Ever?

Kyrie says his teammates trust him to have the basketball in his hands and make the right play, whether it ultimately is for him or one of his mates. And they do. Not only because he’s the best option and threat on the floor but because he legitimately sees plays forming and developing before they take place and they have faith in the kid to find them or the rim.

This Cavs team is starving for talent. Irving’s about the only one with an above average amount of that. But you can’t help but root for this team to get wins like they did against Dallas even if it means that long term they suffer with a worse pick in the next draft. They’re too much fun and they work too hard to begrudge them big wins like Saturday night’s.

I’m not trusting that Irving will be here for a period of time longer than LeBron. I’m not trusting that he won’t ultimately become as big an asshole or as selfish a prick as LeBron. I’m not getting myself that close again because I KNOW that with the way the NBA is set up and the direction it’s heading that the greatest likelihood is that Irving spends his prime somewhere other than here in Cleveland.

But it’s sure as hell fun to watch that kid right here and right now. He’s the perfect tonic for the LBJ hangover and I’ll at least let myself enjoy that for however long he’s here.

STFU, All of Ya’s

My God. What an embarrassing display of whining, crying and bitching from Wisconsin’s Brett Bielema and Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio. These guys aren’t stupid but they are petty and vindictive and they knew exactly the reaction that using words like ‘illegal’ (Bielema) and ‘unethical’ (Dantonio) would bring in describing Urban Meyer’s recruiting practices over the past eight weeks.

That’s especially true coming off the year that Ohio State brought upon itself with the Jim Tressel resignation, player suspensions, a shitty season and a one year bowl ban for the 2012 season that served as the bitter cherry on top of the shit sundae.

Bielema and Dantonio had to be rubbing their bony hands together and dreaming of Buckeye recruits that would forsake OSU in favor for their schools. And early on they had some success getting verbal commitments from some of those kids who would have clearly headed to OSU if not for all the turmoil. But then Wyatt Earp showed up in Columbus and not only chased the likes of Bielema and Dantonio out of his saloon but he also fired a few warning shots over their heads as they ran off crying. And those shots screamed out: things are different now, ladies.

Bielema and Dantonio just had their relevance revoked. Sure, they can take solace that next year is basically one, big spring practice for OSU because of the bowl ban, but the days when anyone other than OSU and Michigan were battling for B1G supremacy are over. Again. They had hoped that they’d have a spot at the grown-ups table for college football season but they surely understand now that they’re once again relegated to maybe spoiling a Michigan or Ohio State party with an occasional win in Madison or East Lansing.

Order has been restored in terms of OSU and Michigan reigning supreme not only in recruiting (both the Buckeyes and Wolverines had top ten classes) but likely on the field as well. Bielema can go back to being the fat asshole that runs up the score on Indiana but can’t find a way to knock down a couple of Hail Mary passes and Dantonio can suck up OSU’s and UM’s sloppy seconds or thirds until Penn State is relevant again and then he slides further back in the pack.

So their bitching and complaining is understandable, if not pathetic and sad.

But equally as bad is the glee that some Buckeye fans and bloggers took in the Meyer recruiting success. I don’t say that because Meyer didn’t do a great job or because I’m against OSU signing as many talented kids as possible. I loved the class and the Meyer effort too. But I’m sure not going to be like a lot of Buckeye fans and bloggers who bitched and hated on Meyer and his evil SEC ways a few years back who have apparently forgotten about all of that or assumed that because Meyer now resides in Columbus that his approach is now cleaner and more tolerable.

Meyer is a relentless and tremendously effective recruiter. He always has been. He was when he was compiling the team that kicked the shit out of Ohio State in the national title game a few years back. But back then the folks here painted him with the same SEC brush that many of them painted Alabama and Auburn with.

You can’t have it both ways. Is he aggressive or does he work on the edges of legality and ethics as you alluded to years ago. I guess if he works for the Scarlet & Gray those edges are dulled and ‘aggressive’ wins out.

That’s fine. But let’s have enough self respect to admit to ourselves we’re really no better than anyone else as far as forming a fan base goes. We looked down our noses for years at the SEC with their over signing and their questionable recruiting tactics, assumed all of their coaches were guilty by association and we told ourselves that at least Jim Tressel and the Buckeyes were doing it the right way.

Well, that myth blew up in our faces and now time and the Gods of Irony have dropped Urban Meyer in our laps.

I hope the man rings up ten titles in the next 15 years. But even if he doesn’t I’ll be thankful he came to Columbus just for the laughs and the delightful lessons in human behavior his arrival presented.

 

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