That’s one thing we like to do is talk.  It’s the hardest thing about being away from home, the part where I can’t just talk about the Browns.  People get fed up, people wonder what’s wrong with me, and there’s the obvious bottom line that people just don’t care.  I wear blinders and cover my ears as much as I can to avoid reality; it’s not just the reality of everything related to the Browns in the present tense, but my own private reality, where I will soon have existed longer outside of Cleveland than I ever did as a local.

Some Browns thoughts are still rattling around my brain- because hey, it’s not my fault they are done playing by January… Every. Single. Year. And to borrow the name of a semi-recent Steely Dan CD, everything must go!

All Browns fans ‘know’ stuff about the team. While it seems true that the fan base is dwindling due to the wanton mismanagement of the franchise, it has been common for generations that we become infused with Cleveland Browns information, almost by osmosis, throughout our lives. The brainwashing starts when we are small children. (“Look both ways when you cross the street!” “Don’t talk to strangers!” “Paul Brown’s T formation offense helped replace the single-wing formation in professional football!”)

Give me a ticket for next year,

And a towel to dry my tears,

Losing days are done,

Time to go back home,

The Owner, he wrote me a letter.

I don’t care how much money he makes me spend,

Glad to do it, just say when

Losing days are done

Time to go back home,

The Owner, he wrote me a letter.

It’s always great when the guy who just moved in down the street and then set the neighborhood on fire when a batch of crystal meth got away from him drops you a line to let you know how his search for a new garage door is going. But this was something special.

As the Browns stagger toward another ill-fated and disastrous head-coaching decision, I, for one, appreciated Mr. Haslam taking a moment from his busy schedule of visiting county courthouses and lawyers’ offices across the Smoky Mountain region to let us all know he’s thinking of us.

And while his letter was both gripping and emotional, I couldn’t help but feel we wound up with an edited version. I mean, to fit it all on one page, some things had to be cut, right? So, as a seasoned editor, I took a swing at adding in the parenthetical comments that bring out the true message Jimmy Haslam was trying to deliver.

Giovanny Urshela, 3B-CAR: 4-4, 2B, R.

Going into yesterday's action, Urshela was hitting just .211/.277/.263 for high-A Carolina. What a difference a day makes, as the 20-year old 3B is now up to .262/.319/.348 overall after his 4-4 outing yesterday evening. Urshela is still young for the league, having been promoted from Lake County despite hitting just .238/.262/.347 with 9 HR and 46 RBI last season. The main reason he's considered a prospect is not his bat, it's his glove. Like Kyle Bellows at AA Akron, Urshela has the potential to win a Gold Glove at 3B someday, and his glove is way ahead of his bat at this stage of his development. There's a lot to like here, as he's been playing in very difficult hitting environments as one of the younger players in his respective league for the past two seasons. He added some muscle in the offseason and should continue to fill out as he matures, but is now a solid 6', 200lbs at the hot corner. If his bat improves, then worst-case he could be a Jack Hannahan type in the show. If his bat ever catches up to his glove, then he could end up being something special.

Jeremie Tice, 1B-CAR: 3-4, 2 HR (4), 4 RBI, 2 R.

@BigOleChunkyBoy has been feasting on opposing pitchers of late, recording at least one hit in 9 of his last 10 games and putting up a blistering .389/.476/.833 line (1.310 OPS!) with 4 HR and 11 RBI in that timeframe. Overall, Tice has worked his season line all the way up to .310/.420/.621 after a slow start, which has him 5th in the Carolina League in OPS. He's a 25-year old who is pretty much limited to DH in the field, so he has to flat-out rake to be considered a prospect, but he's holding up his end of the bargain so far. There's not a lot of room above him in Akron, so he's really going to have to force the issue if he's going to get called up to AA this year. A couple more weeks like this will be awfuly hard to ignore though, so if he can stay hot then the Indians will have to see what he can do against competition more his age and experience level.

• David Huff, SP-COL: L (0-1), 4 IP, 5 R (4 ER), 7 H, 2 K, BB. Huff's 1st AAA start after beginning the year on the DL didn't go so well, but wasn't a total disaster either. He's still a depth option at the major league level, or a throw-in trade chip.
• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 K. Hagadne has still not allowed a run in AAA, and has struck out 7, walked one and allowed 4 hits in 7 1/3 IP for the Clippers. Anyone who wached Raffy Perez work last night has to wonder if Hagadone will be back with the Indians sooner rather than later.  
• Matt LaPorta, 1B-COL: 2-2, 2 RBI, 2 BB. LaPorta is hitting .364/.427/.667 (1.093 OPS) with 5 HR and 12 RBI in 17 games for the Clippers. He has also struck out 17 times and walked just 7, showing a little of that major league LaPorta is still there. With Casey Kotchman hovering around .150, it's only a matter of time before someone decides that LaPorta should get another shot to not hit major league pitching.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 2-4, 2B, R. Both of Chisenhall's hits came off a lefty, and he's now hitting .250 (9-36) off of LHP this year. Not spectacular, but not such a horrible platoon split that he can't be left in the lineup against lefthanded pitching. Supermannahan is going to turn back into Clark Kent at some point, and Chiz will be ready to step in when that day comes. 
• Andy LaRoche, SS-COL: 1-4, HR (1), 2 RBI, R. LaRoche has dealt with some injuries after having a solid spring with the big club, and has only played in 7 games for the Clippers. He's hitting just .150/.320/.300 overall
• Steven Wright, SP-AKR: 7 1/3 IP, 2 R (1 ER), 8 H, 5 K, BB. The knuckler was dancing again yesterday, as Wright pitched well in an extra-inning victory for the Aeros.
• Cody Allen, RP-AKR: 2/3 IP, 2 K. Following up the soft stuff of Steven Wright with Allen's heat almost isn't fair. He struck out the only two Baysox hitters he faced.
• Rob Bryson, RP-AKR: W (1-0), 2 IP, ER, H, K, 3 BB. Bryson blew a save opportunity, but limited the damage despite three walks and ended up the winning pitcher. Exhibit A as to why pitcher wins are next to meaningless as far as determining performance
• Chun Chen, DH-AKR: 3-6, 2B, 2 RBI, R, 3 K. Chen has been on fire of late, posting a .405/.444/.524 line in his last 10 games. His power generally comes in spurts, so I'm expecting a 2 HR game any day now.
• Adam Abraham, 1B-AKR: 2-2, 4 BB, R. Abraham has hit in 6 of his last 7, and the 25-year old needs to keep hitting if he wants to establish himself as more than an organizational guy.
• Thomas Neal, RF-AKR: 2-5, RBI, 2 K. Back-to-back multi-hit games for Neal, who has gone for a .324/.405/.378 line in his last 10 games. Still waiting for the power to materalize though.
• T.J. House, SP-CAR: W (2-0), 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 4 K, 3 BB. Remember yesterday when I suggested a #FreetheTJs movement on twitter? House backed me up, following up the strong T.J. McFarland performance with a win of his own. Let's get Mac up to Columbus and The House up to Akron sooner rather than later, please.
• Shawn Armstrong, RP-CAR: 2 IP, H, 4 K. Armstrong's next run allowed in 2012 will be his first, as he's thrown 12 shutout innings between Lake County and Carolina, striking out 16 (and walking 8).
• Jose Flores, RP-CAR: S (4), IP, 2 K, BB. Flores is a perfect 4-4 in save opportunities, and has allowed just one earned run in 9 2/3's innings of work this season, striking out an impressive 12.
• Tyler Holt, CF-CAR: 2-4, 2B, BB. Holt continues to provide a spark at the top of the Carolina lineup, and the leadoff man is hitting .348/.430/.478. He's scored 15 runs in 17 games, which is a good sign for a leadoff hitter.
• Jake Lowery, C-CAR: 2-4, 2B, R. Another day, another Jake Lowery sighting. That makes it 4 games in a row that he has collected two hits, and he's accomplished the feat in 7 of his last 10 now. That's impressive no matter how you look at it. He's another guy who is pretty well blocked at AA by Roberto Perez and Chun Chen, but he's also doing his best to force the issue with the bat.
• Cody Anderson, SP-LCC: W (2-0), 2 R (1 ER), 6 H, 6 K. Anderson is a bit of a sleeper, but he's a big righty with a big arm who could end up being a breakout prospect this year. He's 2-0 with a 2.70 ERA and has struck out 20 hitters in as many innings of work for the Captains.
• Cole Cook, RP-LCC: 2 IP, 3 H, K. Hopefully Cook can build on this outing and put together a few scoreless appearances in a row.
• Mason Radeke, RP-LCC: 2 IP, ER, 4 K. Radeke's only blemish was a solo HR.
• Luigi Rodriguez, CF-LCC: 3-4, 2 R, SB. The race for the stolen base title on the Captains is going to be interesting. Rodriguez now has 6, but both Lindor and Myles are nipping on his heels with 6, and if #WASHTIME can come back healthy, he'll no doubt throw his hat in the ring as well. Folks, this is an exciting team to watch, and if you're in the Cleveland area and not taking advantage of that, I feel for you.
• Francisco Lindor, SS-LCC: 2-3, 2B, BB, R. Lindor has hits in 7 of his last 9, and is 8 for his last 36. I keep having to pinch myself to remind me that he's still just 18.
• Robel Garcia, 2B-LCC: 1-3, HR (1), 3 RBI, R, BB, 2 K. Remember yesterday when I said Garcia's power would come around? He made me look good (not easy to do) with his first bomb of the season yesterday.
• Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 1-3, RBI, K.  Lavisky has been running hot and cold this year, but looks like he's back to a hot streak as he's now 8 of his last 30. More importantly, he's walked 4 times in his last 5 games, which is an encouraging sign that his approach is improving.

It was a walk-off kinda day throughout the system yesterday. The Clip Show keeps on rolling, with a walk-off win on a wild pitch in the 10th. Akron lost to Altoona on a walk-off  single in the bottom of the 9th, and the Captains lost a 1-run lead on a walk-off 2-run single in the bottom of the 9th against Dayton. Meanwhile, Kinston won with a three-run rally in the top of the 9th inning on the road against Frederick. So they didn't walk-off, but they won in their last AB which is the closest thing to it.

Casey Frawley, SS-KIN: 1-5, HR (4), 3 RBI, R, 3 K

Baseball can be a funny game. Frawley entered the 9th inning yesterday having a miserable day, going 0-4 with 3 K up to that point. Funny how one at bat can change that in a hurry.  Frawley hit a go-ahead, 3-run HR with 2 out in the top of the 9th inning to give the K-Tribe a 6-5 lead that they would hang on to in the bottom of the 9th to seal the win against Frederick. Frawley is only hitting .222 overall on the season, but has now homered in back-to-back games and has hit in four straight.

• Nick Hagadone, RP-COL: W (1-0). IP, K. Clean inning for Hagadone in his 2nd AAA appearance after giving up a run in his first outing.
• Stephen Wright, RP-COL: 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 5 H. 2 K. The knuckleball tour was called up to Columbus all the way from Lake County yesterday as the injury dominos fell throughout the org.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 2-5, HR (4), RBI, 2 R. Hopefully this wakes up Lonnie's bat, as he's been on the cool side lately. He's put up just a .243/.333/.432 line in his last 10 games with 2 HR and 3 RBI.
• Cord Phelps, SS-COL: 2-5, RBI, R, 3 K. Phelps was at bat when Durham's Elkstron uncorked the wild pitch that ended the game. Fear the Phelps.
• Jerad Head, CF-COL: 2-4, HR (6), 2B, RBI, 2 R, K. Head is leading the team in all of the triple-slash categories this season with an impressive .350/.415/.573 line so far this season. But he's not really seen as a CF option in the big leagues, so Zeke Carrera got the call when Sizemore went to the DL and Buck was banged up.
• Chad Huffman, RF-COL: 2-5, 2B, RBI. Huffman is putting up a solid .278/.391/.472 line with 6/26 for Columbus that is a little better than his usual minor league #'s.
• Josh Rodriguez, LF-COL: 2-5, R, SB, 2 K. Rodriguez is hitting .231 since being re-aquired by the Indians, but does have 2 HR and is slugging .410. Honestly, I'm not sure why we didn't just work out a deal to let the Pirates keep him and have a guy like Tim Fedroff get a shot at the AAA OF.
• Matt Packer, SP-AKR: 6 IP, 2 ER, 6 H, 5 K, BB. Packer left the game with the lead, but the bullpen couldn't preserve his win. He's just 1-5 on the season, but has solid peripherials with a 4.30 ERA, 31 K, 8 BB and a 2.15 GO/AO rate in his 46 IP for the Aeros.
• Tim Fedroff, LF-AKR: 1-4, R. Hitting streak now at 15 games, and still leading the Eastern League in hitting with his .376 average.
• Beau Mills, 1B-AKR: 2-3, 3 RBI. Yup, that Beau Mills. Trying to get his career back on track after innefectiveness and injury issues, Mills is hitting .294 (5-17) since being activated to Akron's roster from extended spring training. Remember when he won the Carolina League MVP back in 2008?
• Matt McBride, RF-AKR: 2-4, HR (7), RBI, R. McBride smoked a game-tying HR in the top of the 9th, only to see his heroics wasted when the Akron bullpen again faltered and allowed a walk-off winner in the bottom of the inning.
• T.J. House, SP-KIN: 6 IP, 5 ER, 6 H, 3 K, BB. House left the game on the short end of a 5-1 score, but the bats bailed him out late in the game to get him off the hook for the loss. House is now 2-3 with a 5.03 ERA on the season after finishing last year with a 3.91 ERA for the K-Tribe.
• Chris Jones, RP-KIN: W (1-0), 2 IP, BB, K. Solid outing for Jones, who has been struggling this year. He brought his ERA down to 5.06 on the season.
• Preston Guilmet, RP-KIN: S (8), IP, H, K. Guilmet now has 14 straight scoreless appearances spanning 15 2/3 IP to start off 2011.
• Justin Toole, 2B-KIN: 3-4, 2 2B, R, CS. Toole has been battling Tyler Holt for the team lead in hitting, and currently leads the K-Tribe with his .298 AVG. Over his last 10 games, Toole has hit .344/.364/.500.
• Mike Rayl, SP-LCC: 6 IP, 3 H, 5 K, BB. Rayl's strong start was wasted when the Lake County bullpen couldn't hold on to a 1-0 lead for him late in the game. He's been outstanding for the Captains on the season, allowing more than 2 ER in just one start, and posting a 1.96 ERA with 44 K and 10 BB in 41 1/3 IP.
• Trey Haley, RP-LCC: 1 2/3 IP, ER, 2 H, 4 K. Haley has thrown 9 2/3 innings for Lake County, striking out 13.
• Gio Urshela, 3B-LCC: 2-4, 2 1B. Urshela was one of only 2 Captains with more than one hit yesterday. His bat has been showing increased signs of life lately, as he's now hit in 6 straight games.
• Dwight Childs, C-LCC: 2-4, 2B, K. Childs is up in Lake County from extended spring training, hitting .375 in limited action with the Captains.

Good day for the kids yesterday on a scheduled off-day for the big club.  Columbus swept a doubleheader, Lake County won a nailbiter and Akron was rained out. Kinston was the only affiliate that came up on the short end, dropping a 7-3 decision to Salem.  A fun day throughout the system though, as three of the five guys who could be making up the 2014 rotation were all on display. 

Kyle Blair, SP-LCC: W (2-0), 5 IP, ER, 5 H, 4 K

Blair is now 2-0 on the season, and has given up more than 1 ER in just one of his four starts. He has 16 strikeouts and 6 BB in 19 IP, but hasn’t walked a batter in his last 2 starts (11 IP). The only run he gave up last night was on a solo HR, and there he was in good company (see below). The book on Blair coming out of college was that he was an advanced arm with good command, but not an incredibly high ceiling. Last year’s 4^th round pick out of San Diego is living up to his scouting reports, and is in line for a move up to Kinston this year, likely sometime before the all-star break.

Jesus Aguilar, 1B-LCC: 1-3, HR (5), 2 RBI, R

Seen as more of an organizational guy coming into 2011, Big, Bad Jesus Aguilar was a player with plus raw power but little else. After nearly a month of games, he’s tied with Chad Huffman for the organizational lead in HR with 5 and is even 1-1 in stolen base attempts. His 2-run HR was all the offense the Captains needed last night, as they secured a 2-1 victory despite just 4 hits. Aguilar has been playing 1B for the majority of the season rather than DH, which is a good sign because his defense was seen as a weak point in his game going into this year. His power ranks with anyone in the organization, and he won’t be old enough to legally buy a drink in the U.S. until the end of June. Combine the age with a .281/.365/.578 line, and you’ve got a guy who I am thinking I may have overlooked when putting together my top 50 this offseason.

• Alex White, SP-COL: W (1-0), 5 2/3 IP, ER, 8 K, 5 H, 2 BB. White’s only blemish on the scoreboard was a solo HR in the 1^st. Now1.90 ERA, 28 K in 23 2/3 IP; being allowed to throw his splitter has done wonders for his ability to miss bats.
• Josh Judy, RP-COL: S (2), IP, K. Saves on back to back nights for Judy, both without allowing a baserunner. Has 13 K in 8 1/3 IP on the season for the Clippers.
• Jensen Lewis, RP-COL: W (2-0), IP, H. Lewis still sporting that 0.00 ERA, although his peripherals aren’t quite as pretty. He’s allowed 7 hits and walked 4 while striking out 4 in 7 2/3 IP.
• Jordan Brown, 1B-COL: 3-7, HR (3), 5 RBI, 2 R. Big DH for Brown, as his grand slam in game 2 powered the Clippers to a sweep.
• Chad Huffman, RF-COL: 2-6, HR (5), RBI, R, K. Huffman homered in game one of yesterday’s DH, giving the reigning IL Player of the Week 4 in his last 3 games.
• Drew Pomeranz, SP-KIN: 3 IP, ER, 3 H, 5 K. No walks for Pomeranz, who gave everyone a scare when he landed awkwardly in the 1^st after throwing a pitch. The K-Tribe training staff checked him out and he remained in the game, but only threw the 3 innings. Only run he gave up was on a solo HR.
• Casey Frawley, SS-KIN: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K. Frawley with his first appearance here on ATF, hitting just .226 on the season.
• Tyler Holt, CF-KIN: 1-3, 2B, RBI, BB, SB. Holt leads the system with 9 stolen bases.
• Alex Lavisky, C-LCC: 1-3, K. Starting to heat up a little? Lavisky has hits in 5 of his last 7 and 6 of his last 9 games.  Still hitting just .214 on the season though.

Chad Huffman, 1B-COL: 4-5, 3 HR (4), 10 RBI, 5 R, BB

Um…wow. Huffman came into last night’s game on a modest 4 game hitting streak, and then exploded for one of the biggest offensive night’s I can remember for any Indians prospect in a 19-3 win over the Louisville Bats. Even after last night’s offensive outburst, Huffman is hitting just .261.  But he’s now leading the team in HR and RBI, and he’s 2^nd in runs scored. Overall, Huffman is not an elite prospect by any means, but he sure had a good week at the plate last night.

Nick Hagadone, RP-AKR: 2 IP, H, BB, 4 K

Hagadone with yet another dominant relief outing last night. The big lefthander has been carving up the Eastern League so far in 2011. He has made 5 appearances, pitched 10 2/3 innings, and struck out 14 while walking just one. For a guy who struggled with his command last year in both starting and bullpen roles, that’s an incredibly encouraging sign. He’s also given up just 6 hits and has yet to allow a run.  Opposing hitters are batting .162 against him. The 25-year old power lefty is positioning himself for a serious run at the big league bullpen this year, and personally I believe he makes it to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario at some point in 2011.

• Cord Phelps, SS-COL: 1-2, 4 BB, 3 R. Another error-free day at SS for Phelps, and he was on base 5 times to boot. His OPS is up over 1.000 on the season.
• Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B-COL: 2-5, RBI, 4 R. 1^st multi-hit game for Chiz since April 12.
• Travis Buck, RF-COL: 4-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI, R. Buck not sulking with his demotion to AAA.
• Jordan Brown, DH-COL: 2-4, HR (2), RBI, BB, 2 R, K. Brown got in on the action as well, homering of a rehabbing Johnny Cueto in the 2^nd inning.
• T.J. McFarland, SP-AKR: 4 1/3 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 5 K, 3 BB. McFarland was called up to replace Scott Barnes in the Akron rotation, and did a nice job missing bats and keeping the ball on the ground with a 2.00 GO/AO #. He doesn’t turn 22 until June, and is a guy to keep an eye on in AA.
• Eric Berger, RP-AKR: W (1-0), 1 2/3 IP, 4 K, 2 BB. Berger walked a couple, but the guy with the coolest mustache in the org struck out four without allowing a hit to pick up the W in relief of McFarland.
• Cory Burns, RP-AKR: S (6), IP, K.  Yawn. Another save for Mr. K. Last night was his only outing with fewer than 2 strikeouts. Maybe he had the flu or something.
• John Drennen, RF-AKR: 2-4, 2B, RBI, K. Drennen just keeps on hitting, and now has hit in 8 of his last 9 games with 3 HR, 3 2B and a triple. Putting up an impressive .318/.434/.636 line on the season.
• Clayton Cook, SP-KIN: W (1-1), 6 IP, ER, 3 H, 5 K, 2 BB. Cook has a 2.25 ERA and 14 K in 16 IP for Kinston.
• Toru Muratu, RP-KIN: S (1), 3 IP, ER, 2 H, 6 K, BB. Muratu earned the save with three solid innings in his first official professional appearance stateside.
• Bo Greenwell, LF-KIN: 3-5, RBI, R, SB. Greenwell is 5-13 over his past 3 games, with a pair of walks to boot.
• Abner Abreu, RF-KIN: 2-5, 2B, 2 RBI, R, SB. Abreu with a modest 4 game hitting streak, and has pushed his average up to .264. Just one K in his last 14 AB as well, which is pretty good for him.
• Justin Toole, 2B-KIN: 2-3, 2B, BB, 2 R, K. Toole is a scorching 7-12 in his last 3 games, and is hitting .433 on the season

Art Schlichter?  Swindling people to support his gambling habit? Say it ain't so!

From a Columbus Dispatch report:

Former Ohio State quarterback Art Schlichter, already known as one of the nation's most compulsive gamblers, is the target of an investigation by local and federal authorities that centers on a sports ticket scheme that has swindled dozens of people out of millions of dollars, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Sources said Schlichter began soliciting people for money as part of an "investment opportunity" involving brokering and selling tickets for Ohio State football games and other prominent sporting events to various people about two years ago.

[...]

Since 1994, Schlichter has served time in 44 prisons or jails, mainly for fraud and forgery for having swindled people out of money or writing bad checks to feed his addiction to gambling on sports and horse races. Those close to him estimate Schlichter has flushed away millions while gambling.

[...]

The big payoff in the ticket-selling operation was supposedly to come around the Super Bowl, when Schlichter was going to sell dozens of the prized tickets for hundreds of thousands of dollars. But Schlichter wasn't able to deliver the Super Bowl tickets, sources said, and some people promised tickets to the game have been left in the Dallas area without any way into the game.

Update 2/5: More details in the latest Dispatch story

When he decided to take his talents to South Beach, his main rationale for making the switch was that the Cleveland Cavaliers management team was not surrounding him with enough quality impact players to win an NBA Championship. So far, his current Miami Heat have statistically done no better than his last two Cavalier teams. What's a person to make of that?

To date, the Heat have won 72.5% of their games this season. During the past two regular seasons, the Cavs won 74.4% and 80.4% of their games. The Heat's offensive efficiency rating is 116.4. During the past two regular seasons, the Cavs' offensive efficiency was 118.4 and 115.5. The Traitorous Scuzball is averaging 38.3 minutes per game with the Heat; in the past two seasons, he has averaged 39.0 and 37.7 MPG. (See chart for a more complete comparison of the Scuzball with the Heat in 2010-2011 and with the Cavs in the preceding two seasons.)

No, the only thing we can conclude from the statistics is that the Traitorous Scuzball must have made the jump for totally personal and selfish reasons -- not because the Heat offer him a better chance to win a championship than the Cavaliers did. Of course, we knew that all along. South Beach is just more fun than Cleveland. He can be worshipped just as much in South Beach as he was in northern Ohio, while bathing himself in much more decadence.

Look up "selfish" and "turncoat" in the dictionary. You'll find pictures of the Traitorous Scuzball.