Castro at Camp

[Beanpot]

The latest from Castro. If you at all care about the Tribe, check out his blog every chance you get:

 

http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/

 

It's a low-key Sunday at the PDC.

 

Oh, for the record, I'm taking the advice of one reader and, from this point forward, referring to the Cleveland Indians Player Development Complex as the PDC. I figure over the course of a seven-week spring camp, this little abbreviation will save me two minutes and one second of typing time, and I plan to spend that 2:01 doing something much more productive - like, say, watching this.

 

(Quick digression: Did you know they've sold more than four million Snuggies? Recession? What recession?)

(Quick digression No. 2: My buddy Tobin, however, rails against the Snuggie as a blatant ripoff of the Slanket, which he purchased about four years ago... for $70! When I teased him about the price, he made the astute comment that the first guy to buy a CD player probably didn't care about the price, either. He simply had the foresight to know a great product when he saw it. Hard to dispute that.)

 

Anyway, position players officially reported today -- even though virtually all of them were already here. On the back fields, pitchers and catchers held their second workout.

 

Now, I know some of you might someday visit the PDC, so I've been trying to look at this new place from a fan's perspective. Anyone who visited Chain of Lakes Park knows what a special spot that was to get up close and personal with the team. You could hang out by the weight room, you could walk amongst players headed to the practice fields and you could wait by the Tribe's bullpen during and after games to get easy access for autographs.

 

The Goodyear facility, as expected, isn't nearly as accommodating. But there is an area to the side of Field No. 6 where fans can meander freely. A few of them were hanging out there yesterday, and several players stopped to sign between drills. I'm not sure what kind of access fans will have at the ballpark. We'll see when the games start.

 

EXCRUCIATING MINUTIA OF THE DAY...

 

*More PFPs and bullpen sessions today. I get paid to watch baseball, and, believe me, I know this is a privilege. But the list of things I'd rather watch than PFPs includes a wide variety of eye-sores, including but not limited to "Weekend at Bernie's II" (I did that just to satisfy the handful of you who still e-mail me about "Weekend at Bernie's II," three years after the joke went cold... not that it was ever warm.)

 

*As for the bullpens, 13 guys threw this morning, including Kerry Wood and Carl Pavano, who made what I'd guess you'd call their first official appearances in front of the Tribe brass. Wood is listed at 6-foot-5, 211 pounds, while Pavano is listed at 6-foot-5, 240. Sometimes the media guide listings are exaggerations, but not here. They both look healthy and strong. "You put Wood and Pavano together," Eric Wedge said, "and you've got two big-league bodies right there."

 

*Speaking of healthy and strong, Adam Miller threw today, and he also looked good. He said the only restriction he'll probably have in camp is throwing on back-to-back days at the outset.

 

*I'm no scout, but I know a sweet swing when I see one, and Carlos Santana has got one.

 

*Left-hander Ryan Edell threw today. He's a guy who has flown under the radar a bit, but he spent all of last season in the Double-A Akron rotation and went 7-8 with a 3.80 ERA in 26 starts. What's most impressive is that he struck out 99 and walked just 21 in 144 1/3 innings. His ability to paint the plate with strikes is considered his greatest strength, and he can work it in to right-handers. He'll remain in a starting role, but if he has a big-league future, it's probably in the 'pen.

 

http://castrovince.mlblogs.com/archives/20..._the_jails.html

 

Beanpot