No-hitter rules

Two Angels pitchers combined to hold the Dodgers without a hit last night -- but it's not officially a no-hitter, according to Major League Baseball, because the Dodgers were the home team and went into the bottom of the ninth with a 1-0 lead, so they didn't have to bat. So Jered Weaver and Jose Arredondo held them without a hit for eight innings, in a game that went the regulation nine, but do not get credit for a no-hitter.

I think that's wrong. It might not matter terribly much to Weaver and Arredondo, because they lost the game anyway, but it seems to me that if a team fails to get a hit in a nine-inning game, that's a no-hitter. When Matt Young went the distance in a loss to the Indians in 1992, it was considered a no-hitter at the time, even though the Tribe didn't bat in the bottom of the ninth. But baseball tightened up its no-hitter rules after that, and Young's was taken away, along with a few others.

I know there were a few no-hitters in games that got rained out after five or six innings, and I understand taking those away. There were also a few games in which the starter held the other team hitless in a game that went into extra innings, then gave up a hit in the 10th or later. Those were considered no-hitters for years, but no longer. I understand that too, even though it strikes me as a bit inconsistent. (Is nine innings the magic number, or isn't it?) But this is a game that went exactly nine innings. I say it's a no-hitter.

Omar's Hall of Fame chances

I don't have a whole lot of time this morning, but I wanted to post this link, in which aspiring sportswriters debate the Hall of Fame credentials of Omar Vizquel, who of course had his best years in Cleveland (and is here right now, with the Giants).

My own view? I think Omar will eventually get there. He's no first-balloter, and it might take him a few years, but I think he's in. The closest approximation I can think of is Bill Mazeroski, widely considered the greatest defensive second baseman of all time. Maz was first eligible in 1977, but it took until 2001 before the Veterans Committee finally gave him his Hall pass. Mazeroski was a lifetime .260 hitter with 138 home runs -- plus the only walk-off World Series-winning home run in a Game 7. Omar is a .277 hitter with 77 dingers, so he's got a better average with less power. But he's an obvious parallel with the glove.

Does he deserve to get in? I honestly don't know. The sophisticated defensive metrics that have evolved over the last few years seem to indicate he's no longer a great glove man, and hasn't been for 10 years or so. I don't have time to look them up, because I've got a job, but that's what I've read. I've also read, however, that he was the best in the game in his 20s, by any measure. And he's done things defensively that I've never seen anyone else do. So I think he'd get my vote, were I lucky enough to have one. But I make no pretense of being unbiased.

USA! USA!

Big surprise: Our man LeBron is on the Olympic basketball team. Other notables selected to play include Kobe Bryant, making his Olympic debut; Carmelo Anthony, who, like LeBron, was on the 2004 team that brought home a bronze medal; and Dwyane Wade, who missed the end of the NBA season due to injury but is apparently feeling better.

Rounding out the team are Dwight Howard, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Michael Redd, Tayshaun Prince, Chris Bosh and Worthless Loser.

You know, when the "Dream Team" hit the floor in Barcelona in 1992, it looked like the USA couldn't possibly ever lose another Olympic basketball game. Heck, we'd won most of the gold medals available over the few decades prior, using college players. But the rest of the world caught up a lot faster than we could have expected, and the USA has been hurt by the fact that many of our top players have chosen to sit out.

But if this group doesn't win gold, I'll eat my hat. All right, I'm bluffing, but you know what I mean.

A sad, sad day

This post is only tangentially about sports, though it involves one of the greatest athletes Newbury High School has ever produced. He rushed for more than 1,000 yards his senior year, was a starter on the Black Knights basketball team that went to the Ohio Division IV elite eight that year, was a fine pole vaulter on the track team, and in his younger years, was a pretty fair baseball player in summer leagues.

His name was Mike Gerber, and he was a classmate of mine. I'm proud to say I was one of the offensive linemen who opened those holes for him in that 1,000-yard season of 1988, and I'll never forget some of the plays he made for that great basketball team. But Mike was more than a great athlete. He was a bright, talented guy in many areas, and he was friends with everyone who knew him.

Most of you undoubtedly can figure out where this is going, as I keep referring to Mike in the past tense. And you're right. Mike died on April 24, after a decade-plus-long struggle with drug addiction. It was a heroin overdose that got him. I attended a memorial service yesterday for Mike, and it was so very sad. I heard dozens and dozens of stories about him, both from the days when I knew him, and from the years since graduation. He apparently took a lot of fellow addicts under his wing, helping them to beat the demons that he himself ultimately proved unable to overcome.

There are two lessons in this tragic tale. The first is obvious and has been illustrated over and over again by all the famous people who have suffered fates similar to Mike's, but it bears repeating: Stay away from the drugs. They can kill you.

The other lesson is also an important one. I'm sorry to say I hadn't seen him or spoken to Mike since graduation, 19 years ago. When you're in your 30s, you always think you'll have more opportunities to see the people you grew up with. So I guess that's the second lesson. You just can't take that for granted.

At the memorial service yesterday, and at a subsequent impromptu gathering last night, I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen for a long time, and it was really great to be able to catch up with them. Eleven of us from Newbury's class of 1989 sat up into the wee hours, sharing memories of our high school days and chatting about our lives since then. It was fantastic. But I'd trade it in a second for the opportunity to see Mike Gerber, alive and well, at our 20-year reunion next year.

Mediation required

I don't have a whole lot to say about the oddly named Rocco Mediate -- many others have that subject covered pretty well. But I do have a little bit to say about him. This is a 45-year-old man with chronic back trouble, who has won exactly five PGA Tour events in his career, and four non-PGA events. He hasn't won a PGA event since 2002 (the much-heralded Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classic). And over the past weekend, he matched the great Tiger Woods stroke-for-stroke for 90 holes in the U.S. Open, one of the PGA's cornerstone events. It wasn't until the 91st that Tiger finally got the better of him.

What better David-and-Goliath story is there? Mediate would have been the oldest U.S. Open champion of all time. Even Tiger admitted he would have been rooting for Rocco, had he been a fan instead of a participant. It would have been golf's upset of the century.

Rocco seems to be a likable guy, too. Boos were heard when someone's cell phone went off in the gallery as Tiger got ready to tee off on the first hole. Rocco was asked about it later, and said: "It wasn't mine."

He'll probably never get another opportunity like this. But we can all remember this one.

Bring on the replay

It seems Major League Baseball is trying to implement an instant replay system to ensure that every ball that's a home run is called a home run, and every ball that isn't a home run isn't called a home run.

My response: What the *#^& took them so long?

Baseball is the only major North American professional sport that doesn't have some sort of replay system. I'd like to see it used for close calls on the bases, fair vs. foul, fly balls that may or may not have been caught before they hit the ground, etc., but this is a good start. I'm very surprised that it's apparently going to happen in the middle of the season, but also very pleased.

Indians' MASH unit

My friend John Arthur Hutchison and I were discussing the Indians' disappointing season yesterday, and we pretty much agreed that it's time to start entertaining offers for C.C. Sabathia. Our guys are only 6 1/2 games out of first place, but seem to keep adding guys to the disabled list on a daily basis. Yesterday, it was Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield (which especially stinks for Barfield, since he just got called up from Buffalo a couple of days before). Jake Westbrook won't pitch again this year; Fausto Carmona, who was pitching very well, is out for at least a couple of weeks longer; and Travis Hafner might go on a rehab assignment soon, but wasn't hitting at all before he got shelved.

But there is some cause for optimism. Even not counting injuries, the Indians have been somewhat unlucky this year. Despite their 31-36 record, they've outscored their opponents 301-282 on the season, and as any sabermetrician can tell you, that's a sign that they're likely to turn it around going forward. The starting rotation is still very strong, judging by the recent strong outings by Mr. Cy himself, along with the brilliance of Aaron Laffey (pictured) since his call-up, and of course Cliff Lee's All-Star-starter-worthy numbers. And the offense has started to pick it up again. They absolutely battered Livan Hernandez in last night's 12-2 win. But can we count on guys like Jamey Carroll, Shin-Soo Choo and Ben Francisco to carry the offense going forward? I'm not saying we definitely can't, but I'd rather be counting on the guys who got us there last year.

All that said, the White Sox are clearly a better team right now, and as much as I like Kelly Shoppach as a backup catcher, I don't know if we can turn it around without Victor. I'm not saying Mark Shapiro should take the best offer he can get right now -- there's still more than six weeks before the trading deadline -- but he should at least start sniffing around. And he is. The man knows what he's doing.

Let's not fool ourselves into thinking C.C.'s not going to walk after this season. So the only question is whether we're going to contend this season. It's too soon to give up completely, but it sure looks like the answer's going to be no.

Congratulations, Junior

Last night, Ken Griffey Jr. became the sixth player in major league history to hit 600 career home runs. Congratulations to him; it's no small accomplishment, even though Griffey came along in the biggest home-run-hitting era in baseball history.

But I think it's likely that we've been underestimating Junior's career for a long time. Because he's only the third player of his era to get to 600 -- which doubles the size of the 600 club -- the number seems to have lost a bit of its luster. But look at the top five guys who have played the bulk of their careers in the last 20 years or so. The list includes Barry Bonds (762), Sammy Sosa (609), Griffey (600 and counting), Mark McGwire (583) and Rafael Palmeiro (569). What do all those guys have in common, but for Kenny-boy? That's right: They're all at least strongly suspected of steroid use. Palmeiro was actually caught at it, and if anyone thinks Bonds, McGwire or Sosa innocent of juicing, they're fooling themselves. Especially Bonds.

Obviously, we don't know for sure that Griffey hasn't shot up either, but we have very little evidence that would support such a theory. Unlike the Testosterone Bunch, Griffey's career has followed the same type of progression that players have followed for decades. He first came up in his early 20s, took a while to find his power, but hit 45 home runs at 23, on his way to peaking in his late 20s (with back-to-back 56-HR seasons at 27 and 28). After hitting 48 at age 29, he left Seattle for Cincinnati (probably my two favorite cities outside of Cleveland, by the way), and immediately started to struggle with injuries. He's retained pretty good power when he's been healthy, but he's only topped 140 games twice: in 2000, at age 30, when he hit 40 HRs; and in 2007, at age 37, when he hit 35. But he'll never threaten 50 again, unlike certain other aging hitters I could name.

So if Griffey is clean, that makes him probably the fourth guy to get to 600 legitimately. So I say, let's celebrate his accomplishment in those terms.

Bless you, Brian Brennan

I listen to WTAM-1100 on my way to and from work every day, at least a little bit, because I live on the East Side and now work on the West Side, and I need to hear the traffic reports every ten minutes. This means I hear Mike Trivisonno every afternoon, which is a mixed blessing at best. He and his cast of characters are often entertaining, but he has something of a jackass streak too. He's very opinionated, which can make him hard to take when he's wrong. But I think he has a good heart, as the following story will illustrate.

On Thursday afternoon, a gentleman called to tell Triv that he had recently met a man from Tampa whose brother happens to be named Brian Brennan. It seems this Brian Brennan is a U.S. serviceman, and lost both his legs to a land mine in Afghanistan. The fellow who was telling this story to Trivisonno says he didn't tell the guy he was from Cleveland, but he did say "Brian Brennan, Cleveland Browns." Brian's brother said he was, in fact, named after the former Browns' wide receiver. The caller, knowing that Triv has connections with the Browns, wondered if he might be able to reach that Brian Brennan on the phone -- and he was.

The Brian Brennan who played for the Browns is still in the Cleveland area, and is now an executive at Key Bank. He seemed genuinely appreciative to hear that a young man from Florida had been named after him -- particularly one who would go on to serve his country in the Army -- and expressed willingness to go visit him as he recovers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington.

Bless you, Brian Brennan. You too, Brian Brennan.

Incidentally, the photo above is from Brennan's days at Boston College. It's surprisingly difficult to find one from his Browns years. And there is apparently a man named Brian Brennan who directs gay porno movies, so some stuff comes up on a Google image search for Brian Brennan that I'd just as soon have not seen. Fair warning, if you feel the urge to go looking for a Brian Brennan photo.

Mayor?

Quick: Which former Cavalier is leading the mayor's race in a major American city? No, it's not Shawn Kemp, surprisingly enough. And no, it isn't World B. Free, though that would be a great name for a politician.

It's Kevin Johnson, who has 47 percent of the vote in Sacramento. Apparently, if the absentee votes can put him over 50, he'll avoid a runoff election in November, but it's pretty unlikely that he'll make up three points. Any statistician will tell you that. Still, though, he's leading incumbent Mayor Heather Fargo by seven points. So as long as he doesn't accidentally decapitate a baby while driving drunk, or something along those lines, he's probably golden.

For those who may not remember, the Cavaliers drafted Johnson out of California-Berkeley in 1987, and as Mark Price's backup at the point guard position. At that time in his career, Price looked like a potential future Hall of Famer -- and he might have been, had he not struggled with injuries as his career wore on. Still, Price is the Cavaliers' all-time greatest point guard, and probably one of their three or four greatest players of any position. When he was at the top of his game, he could just about rule the court. That Price-Daugherty-Nance team was something else. (More on Larry Nance in just a moment.)

Johnson would go on to NBA stardom, of course, but not in Cleveland. The Cavs traded him to Phoenix midway through his rookie season. And it was that rare trade that actually benefited both teams. Johnson, backup power-forward center Mark West and backup swingman Tyrone Corbin went to the Suns in exchange for two guys who would be starters for the Cavaliers: Mike Sanders and Larry Nance. Nance was an established NBA starter -- and a champion of the slam-dunk competition at a time when that actually meant something -- but it wasn't until he got to Cleveland that he became a star. And Johnson would immediately excel as the starter in Phoenix. Both would be key players on teams that went deep into the playoffs, though of course, both teams would fall short. This was the Jordan-Olajuwon era, after all.

Kevin Johnson always seemed to me like a personable, intelligent man, but I never dreamed he would ever run for mayor of a major city -- though I would have thought it more likely than Jesse Ventura or Arnold Schwarzennegger being elected governors. And yes, Sacramento IS a major city. Its current estimated population is about 475,000. Cleveland's is about 478,000. So if Cleveland's a major city (which it is), then Sacramento is too.

I have no idea what Kevin Johnson's political leanings are, but regardless, I wish him well, and as a Cavalier fan, I'm proud of him.

Incidentally, it seems a tree branch fell on Heather Fargo's election-night gathering last night. One of her supporters had to be taken to the hospital. Were one the sort to take that as a sign, one would have to conclude that it bodes ill for Fargo.

We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat.

Following is a complete list of Cleveland Indians who have had two 7-RBI games in the last fifty years:

Casey Blake

On July 5, 2003, Casey Blake went five-for-five in a 13-2 defeat of the Minnesota Twins. Two of those hits were home runs, his 9th and 10th of the season (one in the seventh off Grant Balfour, the other in the ninth off J.C. Romero). Of the other three hits, two were doubles. I have no doubt you can do the math, but allow me to save you the trouble: That's 13 total bases. He scored three runs, and yes, he knocked in seven.

That game was never in doubt; the Tribe scored four in the top of the first off starter Joe Mays (thanks in part to a Matt Lawton round-tripper), and later scored four in three innings against a young reliever named Johan Santana. Brian Anderson was the winner, and Milton Bradley also got four hits, one of which left the yard. Besides Blake, the only other Indian who played that day and is still on the team was rookie shortstop Jhonny Peralta, filling in for the injured Omar Vizquel.

Incidentally, the above information was all obtained quite easily from Retrosheet. If you've enjoyed reading this and have not yet visited Retrosheet, you've got to click that link RIGHT NOW. Well, after you finish reading this. The depth and breadth of statistical information there is mind-boggling.

Blake had never been a regular in the majors before that '03 season, and had spent most of the previous four-year period in the Twins' organization. So the Indians gave him the opportunity his former employer never did, and he took advantage of the chance to stick it to that former employer. God bless him for it. It had to feel pretty good.

Fast-forward to June 2, 2008. Casey Blake is in the lineup as the Indians' third basemen again, but only after spending a couple of years as a right fielder/first baseman in the interim. He moved off the hot corner to make way for Andy Marte. But Marte has shown few signs of being able to hold down a job in the major leagues, and so Blake has returned to his former position.

He has always been one of those guys who will do whatever his manager asks of him. Want me to play third? Fine, I'll play third. Oh, you want to put me in right? OK, who wants to fungo me some fly balls? Need a shortstop? I can do that. Want me to sit for two weeks and then pinch-hit? Hey, it's still the major leagues.

Casey Blake is a yeoman ballplayer, and I appreciate that. And wherever you put him in the field, he will do a yeoman's job. He's an above-average third baseman, he's an above-average first baseman, and he's an above-average right fielder. Check out the fielding stats. I'm not going to go to the trouble of looking them up right now, but trust me.

Blake has never been thought of as a great hitter, however. That's because he's not a great hitter, and I'm sure he'd be the first to tell you that. His career batting average is .261, and he has hit 113 home runs. So he's one-seventh of the way to breaking Barry Bonds' record. Blake entered last night's game hitting .225 with four home runs in 2008. Could he be declining, at age 34? It's possible. I know I started declining around age 34.

But last night in Arlington, Texas, Casey Blake was Barry Bonds, without the steroids and the surliness and the weak knees. And this time, the Tribe needed his heroics, as he was the key to a 13-9 victory. He hit a pair of two-run homers and a three-run double to post his second career 7-RBI game.

And that, my friends, is why I love baseball.

For the gol-dern of it, these are the Indians who have done it once in the last half-century:

Toby Harrah (7, 1980)
Chris James (9, 1991)
Manny Ramirez (8, 1999 -- the year he drove in 165)
Victor Martinez (7, 2004)
Ben Broussard (8, 2006)

The major-league record is 12, shared by two St. Louis Cardinals, decades apart. Sunny Jim Bottomley did it in 1924, and Hard Hittin' Mark Whiten did it in a four-homer game in 1993. But you knew that.

Congratulations, Manny

One of the greatest hitters ever to wear an Indians uniform, Manny Ramirez, reached the 500-homer club yesterday. He did it in his 16th major-league season, eighth with the Boston Red Sox. Most of the Indians fans I've talked to in recent years have come to hate the Red Sox, which is understandable considering they've become the team that outspends everybody but the Yankees, and many of us still resent the way Manny left. Personally, I've long since forgiven him, and I generally wish him well, though I do almost always root for the Red Sox to lose these days. (I think you Red Sox fans can understand that, as your team has become a kind of Yankees Jr. And I know you guys are reading this, because every time I post something about a Boston team, I get about 10 times as many hits as when I stick to the Browns, Cavs and Indians. Which makes me think I should just make this a Boston blog. But I can't do that, so forget it.)

When Ramirez signed with the BoSox, I told some friends that I just hoped he would be wearing an Indians hat on his Hall of Fame plaque. But I think we all know now -- as some of my friends told me then -- that's not going to happen. And that's OK. I can't speak for all Tribe fans, but I'm content with the memories of Manny's years in Cleveland. His bat was one of the main reasons the Indians won five straight AL Central titles, reached two World Series in the '90s, and scored 1,000 runs in 1999 (still the only team that's done that since 1950). He hit 236 home runs for the Tribe, good for third on the team's all-time list, behind former teammates Jim Thome and Albert Belle. All three of those guys left Cleveland because someone else offered them more money. And I can't blame any one of them.

So congratulations, Manny. I know I don't speak for all Indians fans on this count, but I'll always love you, in a platonic baseball kind of way.