Friday Notes

[Beanpot]

The Brewers beat the snot out of the Tribe today, 17-7.

 

A couple of notes after the game:

 

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Friday was not a good day for Indians pitchers as Milwaukee took an early lead against Cliff Lee and continued to bruise just about every pitcher that followed on the way to a 17-7 Cactus League victory at Goodyear Ballpark.

 

Lee gave up two runs on three hits in the first inning. He was scheduled to go two innings in his spring training debut, but threw 31 pitches in the first and didn't come out for the second.

 

Jeremy Sowers (three runs), Matt Herges (four runs), Masa Kobayashi (four runs) and Tomo Ohka (four runs) were victimized by the Brewers. Ohka added an exlamation point to the game by giving up a two-out, three-run homer to Mat Gamel in the ninth.

 

After manager Eric Wedge finished talking to reporters following the loss, he was signing autographs. A woman asked, "Eric, we were waiting for a comeback." Wedge said, "If you were waiting for a comeback in that game, we would have had to turn on the lights."

 

Long ball: David Dellucci, Luis Valbuena and Chris Gimenez hit solo homers for the Indians. The Indians have hit 15 homers in nine games in spring training.

 

Let it rip: Rookie third baseman Wes Hodges had three hits, including two doubles, and an RBI.

 

Exception to the rule: Vinnie Chulk (two innings), Rafael Betancourt (one inning) and Rich Rundles (one-third of an inning) were the only Tribe pitchers who didn't allow a run.

 

Four by four: The Brewers scored four runs in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings.

 

Hitting shoes: The Brewers finished with 18 hits, while the Indians had 14. Hodges three hits were the most by any player on either team.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2...nd_indians.html

 

Lee talked about his outing and the fact he didn't vomit:

 

Lee unfazed by results in spring debut

After taking to skies on Thursday, lefty pitches one frame on Friday

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

 

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Blame it on the G-forces?

 

Cliff Lee, a day removed from his ride in an F-16 fighter jet, wasn't going to go that route. His Cactus League debut against the Brewers on Friday was a dud, as he was socked for a pair of runs on three hits in his lone inning of work.

 

But it was just that -- a Cactus League debut.

 

"I have no concerns," said Lee, who was slated to go two innings but used up the majority of his pitch count in one. "I got behind in the count a couple times, so I threw strikes, and they got hits. It's a long Spring Training, so there's plenty of time for me to get where I need to be."

 

It was where Lee was a day earlier that was a little more intriguing. He was invited by retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dick Bethurem, who also happens to be his spring landlord, to fly in the F-16 Fighting Falcon at Luke Air Force Base in nearby Glendale, Ariz.

 

Of course, before he could take part in the hourlong flight, piloted by Major Dan "Dutch" Munter, Lee had to check in with his bosses. Fortunately for Lee, the Indians didn't worry about the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner making 7 G-force turns, because he was in capable hands.

 

"As long as he's not the one flying it," general manager Mark Shapiro said, "I'm OK with it."

 

Then again, this might be fodder for future considerations in the Tribe's player contracts. Teams will often write in a clause preventing players from riding motorcycles. Those clauses usually don't say anything about F-16s.

 

But Lee, for one, isn't worried about such a clause in his next deal.

 

"If I went down, I wouldn't have to worry about it," Lee said. "I'd be done pretty quick. I'd be more worried about my life insurance policy."

 

Lee didn't feel he had much to worry about Thursday. And just in case, he was subjected to some emergency training lessons before takeoff. He also took a complete physical to ensure his body could handle the intensity of the flight. In a 7-G turn, the force of gravity is seven times greater than usual, so the 190-pound Lee felt more like 1,330 pounds.

 

Not only did Lee handle those rigors, he also survived the flight's dizzying loops and twists without losing his lunch, which is more than can be said for most people who fly in an F-16 for the first time.

 

"I did not puke," Lee proudly proclaimed.

 

Now that he's back down to earth, Lee has a season to prepare for. No one's expecting the left-handed Lee to repeat the 22-3 record he put together last season, when he became the Tribe's first 20-game winner in 24 years, but Lee is certainly going to give it a shot.

 

The Indians have been careful not to overwork Lee this spring after he tossed a career-high 223 1/3 innings in 2008. That's why his first start was pushed back more than a week into the start of the club's exhibition slate. He's been throwing bullpens on the side, and he threw a two-inning simulation earlier this week.

 

"I've been getting my work in," Lee said.

 

It was a short work day for Lee on Friday. He gave up a leadoff single to Lorenzo Cain, followed immediately by a double to Craig Counsell down the first-base line. A Mike Cameron sacrifice fly brought in one run, and, after Lee hit a batter, a Casey McGehee single brought in another. Lee's inning was extended when right fielder Trevor Crowe dropped an easy fly ball off the bat of Trot Nixon.

 

"I could have done without Counsell hitting that double down the line," Lee said. "But overall, I threw strikes, and I was working on some things. I didn't walk anybody. It's still early."

 

http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/arti...sp&c_id=cle

 

Shaw wrote about Pronk's debut:

 

Any hope that Travis Hafner's first at-bat in his spring debut would result in a baseball leaving Goodyear Ballpark at roughly the same speed as a F-16 flyover lasted all of three pitches.

 

Facing Milwaukee righthander Dave Bush, the Indians designated hitter struck out in his first game action. In his second at-bat, Hafner popped up the second pitch to short right field

 

Hafner, who played in just 55 games last year due to a right shoulder injury and hit just .197 with five homers and 24 RBI, finished last season in Buffalo. He batted .318 there in seven games with no homers and four RBI.

 

He underwent right shoulder surgery on Oct. 14 in Birmingham, Ala. by Dr. James Andrews. Hafner came to the Indians' new spring training complex in Arizona in January and stayed until camp opened.

 

The Indians want to take it slowly with Hafner. They don't plan on playing him in consecutive games until he builds up his at-bats.

 

http://www.cleveland.com/budshaw/index.ssf...avis_hafne.html

 

Beanpot

[Beanpot]

Chris Assenheimer wrote a nice story about Beau Mills. Assenheimer is often overlooked when sites link to articles, but he's a must read:

 

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — A major league pedigree might get you into a big league ballpark, but it rarely gets you onto the field.

Beau Mills, the Indians’ first-round draft choice in 2007 and the son of longtime player and coach, Brad Mills, is planning on changing that.

 

Mills, 22, appears to be on an escalated track to the majors after a breakout season at advanced Class A Kinston last year and a quick start to his second big league training camp.

 

He’s already shown Cleveland manager Eric Wedge something during the first week of the exhibition season.

“A lot of power,” Wedge said Wednesday after watching Mills hit .357 (5-for-14) with a double, triple, home run and four RBIs in four games. “He’s a strong kid. He’s a good kid. He’s very mature. He’s a smart baseball player, heck, he grew up around the game.”

 

“I feel real good,” Mills said Wednesday after hitting his first homer of the spring in a 5-4 victory over the Cubs. “I’m just trying to work on my swing. I’m not really worried about the power.”

 

He needn’t be. Mills displayed plenty of extra-base capability last year with Kinston, when he hit .293 with 34 doubles, 21 homers (a Cleveland minor league best) in 125 games en route to being named Carolina League MVP.

This spring, Mills looks like a different player than the one that arrived in Winter Haven, Fla., for his big league training camp debut.

 

“Just being comfortable and knowing the guys, makes all the difference in the world,” Mills said. “(Last year) I was always feeling tight. When you’re tight, it’s harder to do things.

 

“You want to do well and you want to have a good showing, but you can’t make it happen. (The Indians have) already seen me a lot. I’m coming in here relaxed, not too relaxed, because I’m still a rookie and want to prove myself, but I’m more comfortable, and I’m just playing.”

 

Mills admits he was uncomfortable when the Indians asked the career third baseman to move to first base full time last season. He’s struggled with the transition, committing nine errors at Kinston last year, but the offensive-minded Mills sees the light at the end of the tunnel.

 

“I feel 100 percent more comfortable than last year,” he said. “I love to hit the ball, but I want to be a great defensive player, too. Being comfortable, allows that to happen.

 

“In my mind, I felt like it was a big change, so that slowed the process.”

 

“He still needs a lot of work at first base, but he’s getting better over there,” Wedge said. “With his aptitude, there’s no reason to believe he won’t have success.”

 

Wedge’s confidence is bred in part because of how Mills was bred by his big league dad.

 

Mills grew up around the ballpark with Brad Mills, who played professionally and has coached at both the minor and major league levels, serving as Boston’s bench coach since 2004 under manager Terry Francona — his college roommate at the University of Arizona. Beau, who had been drafted by Cleveland months earlier, was with his dad at the World Series in 2007 after the Red Sox had beaten the Indians in the ALCS, later going on to win the world championship over the Rockies.

 

“I’ve taken a lot of pointers,” Beau Mills said. “I loved being at the ballpark and watching the professionals, how they went about their business and how they played the game. I just soaked in how professionals do it, and now I’m a professional.”

A professional that has an old-school approach and the desire to succeed at the highest level, thanks to his big league upbringing.

 

“That’s something my dad instilled in me,” Mills said. “I don’t think you can be a great athlete if you don’t want to be up with the game on the line or you don’t want them to hit the ball to you.”

 

http://www.chroniclet.com/2009/03/06/india...eague-name_122/

 

Beanpot

[Beanpot]

And just for the hell of it, there's this:

 

Brady Anderson, a former major league baseball player, has become a house designer with his re-do of a Malibu home he listed at slightly under $9 million.

 

The 3,500-square-foot, contemporary two-story has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and ocean views. The home also has vaulted ceilings, sliding glass doors in the living room, a kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances and a terrace off the kitchen. There is an outdoor dining area with a fire pit and an observation deck with a spa.

 

Anderson was an outfielder with the Boston Red Sox. He spent most of his professional ball career with the Baltimore Orioles but ended with the Cleveland Indians. The former ballplayer, 45, spent 15 seasons playing in the majors, starting in 1988.

 

Linda and Kim Kanner of PreVue Properties, El Segundo, have the listing.

 

http://www.realestatechannel.com/featured-...-column-523.php

 

Beanpot

[rich4eagle]

Good job Beaner u are the ultimate Indians homer and that is complimentary

[Beanpot]

Good job Beaner u are the ultimate Indians homer and that is complimentary

 

Thanks Rich (or whoever took over your computer) - much appreciated.

 

Beanpot