Photoshop Off-Day: The Sour Pitch Kid

I’ve called him this before.. But this Photoshop Off-Day will establish and revolutionize the nick name for Jeremy Sowers here on out.

There he is! The Sour Pitch Kid. The play on words is un-canny. Just one letter difference.. Thankfully he is still just a kid. The Sour Pitch Kid.

It is sour watching Jeremy pitch. He had the great rookie year and then boom. He hasn’t gotten it back. Can he not adjust? I’m not sure.

There is the Sour Pitch Kid.. Enjoy him.. Also take note that is the Warheads logo on his mouth. I know it doesn’t exactly fit but the lips work for me.

If he ever turns this around.. We can put the sour mouth on a batter instead of him. Then Sour Pitch Kid will take on a different meaning.

For now.. It is a bad one.

Mark Shapiro should go nuts…. GO GET K-ROD

I wanna bring this up.. Because well it was brought up.

“A lot would have to happen with the people we have down there now for us to not go out and get somebody,” Wedge said. “Somebody would have to grab the role, really lock into it and prove that we can count on them. That’s a lot to happen in two and a half months.” (Indians.com)

That is Eric Wedge talking about the closers role. Now when he says “Go Out and Get Somebody, he means some lower level jerky. Someone like Brian Fuentes(which isn’t at all bad), or Brandon Lyon.

Well there is a free agent out there that talks to the sky.. I brought him up last night to a friend when I saw Peter Gammons on ESPN talking about it.

I think his name is Francisco Rodriguez. Gammons mentioned that the Angels probably won’t pay him the money he wants because of that young stud Jose Arredondo and Scot Shields.

Well.. Your top 15 pick that you’ll probably have if you continue to suck is going to be protected.

Go Get K-Rod?

What could it hurt?

Shell out the dough.. It won’t happen but this is one free-agent that I would pay money too. If were Shapiro. He is a bonafied closer who throws gas and gets people out. He would be well worth every cent you pay to him.

Who is going to pay him this off-season? I’m sure many teams would love to. The Yankees have Rivera, you can throw them out.. The Red Sox? They got Papelbon. The Dodgers? Saito is hurt but they got a cheaper and younger guy named Jonathan Broxton.

What team can offer him a chance to close? I could see Detroit eying him and also paying him, but you have to wonder if they want to give that job to Zumaya and save some money.

What would he run you? 12 million a year for how many years? 4-5? He’s 27.. That takes you till hes 32-33. That’s a good year for a reliever.

I’m taking a risk this off-season. Forget CC and any other free agent. This would solidify the pen. I’m not too excited about what we have in there now closing a game.

Of course there are many fall-back options this year if they become available. But go for broke. This is an important part of your team.

It isn’t often I throw out things like this. But I feel K-Rod is the one guy you should do this for. You have at least 25 million coming off the books that you had to spend this year that you won’t next. Invest it in a closer. If he wants 15 million, you can forget about it.. But if his price could be had at around 10-12 million for four years. You have to make a run at him.

I’d let K-Rod talk to the sky, the ground and even the baseballs if he came here. I’d even volunteer myself as his traveling assistant. If he didn’t want to talk to the sky. I’d run out on to the field and do it for him. I don’t mind looking like a jackass to improve the team.

Morning Update: Choo’s Military Problem Could Halt Career

Hey quick news to pass along. Scott Elarton’s season is effectively over. He got moved to the 60-day disabled list. Sounds like something is really going on with Elarton or his family. I hope everything is okay with Scott and nothing too serious is going on. He’s a stand-up guy and he worked hard to get back to where he was with the Tribe. Best of luck to Scott and the Elarton family.

It’s looking more and more likely that Shin-Soo Choo will be factored out of the Tribe’s equation by a greater beeing. As we’ve chronicaled on here before. Choo can avoid this military obligation that he has to start serving by 2010 if he wins a gold-medal at the olympics or the Asian Games in 2010. He can’t partake in the Olympics beccause South Korea won’t take players on the 25 man roster away from the MLB. Choo can’t go to the minors because he’s out of options.

So.. Problemmmmm.

This has Choo really upset from what I can read.

“The Indians couldn’t send me to the minors [to be on the Korean team] because I’m out of options,” said Choo, who added “There’s too much stress to worry about it now.” (Plain Dealer)

I really feel for the guy.. He can become an American citizen and avoid it, but I’m not sure how long he’s been here and been living in the states and if he’ll have enough time under his belt before 2010 rolls around.

We’ll see how this goes. This is like the Caleb Campbell thing with the Detroit Lions. These guys have a dream.. The only thing different here is Caleb Campbell choose to go to a school where he’d have to serve. Choo didn’t, this is a requirement of every South Korean. If Choo doesn’t do it, his country will probably have some hostile feelings towards him and he probably won’t be able to ever go back. Not to mention whatever family he has there will probably get frowned upon.

Chinese basketball player Wang Zhi-Zhi went through that same type of thing.

Aaron Laffey’s struggles have prompted the sudden question that maybe they should send him to the minors come Saturday. that’s relief for Matt Ginter. It is a serious possibility at this point, Laffey has really struggled to find himself in these past few games. They want to work some things out in Buffalo and get him back up later. You never know.

Starting Pitching News All Around. Jake Westbrook’s check up went well.

“It’s stable,” Westbrook said of his elbow. “I’m pleased with it. It’s still a little achy and a little sore. Now it’s a matter of letting it heal and doing some rehab.” (Indians.com)

We talked about Casey Blake yesterday… Heres the thing though..

Hoynes suggested that Blake could garner a first or second round draft pick.

The problem is this.. If you offer Casey Blake arbitration money.. He might just take it.. Casey Blake isn’t looking to go nuts. He will foil your plan ala Greg Maddux if you hold onto him and offer him arbitration. I tried to do some research on what Blake would yield us, but there simply isn’t anything out there, YET. Coincidentially MLBTR brought it up today.

Let me say this though.

Trade Casey Blake. HIS VALUE WILL NEVER BE HIGHER THAN IT IS RIGHT NOW!

Thank you..

Tim Brown has a nice little thing on Paul Byrd and his continued struggle with his tumor. I really feel for the guy. He isn’t a cheater and I believe him in this whole thing.

I’ll be back shortly with a little bit of Closer Talk..

Minor League Update: Why you don’t have to vote for Jeremie Tice

Brad Snyder hit his 8th home run of the year in the Herd’s 8-5 loss to Norfolk. Jeff Weaver got punched in the face for 7 runs in six innings with 12 hits and a walk. Jordan Brown went 3-5 with an RBI.

Akron put together a solid game, but couldn’t pull off a win against Altoona. Ryan Edell pitched six solid innings, giving up three runs off eight hits, but Tony Sipp who is in Akron to rehab gave up three runs and took another loss. He needs to put together something before he goes to Buffalo I believe. Wes Hodges had a three-run home run and Trevor Crowe went 4-4.

T.J. Burton is gettting an early start on his olympic quest with Team Canada.

“It’s good to know your country has that confidence in you to put you in there with the game on the line, could be a medal on the line, and you’re the guy they want to go in there, but I’ve got to keep that behind me and go one out at a time,” Burton said. (Aeros.com)

It wasn’t the dominance he showed in Lake County for Kelvin De La Cruz’s debut with the Kinston Indians, but he did pick up a win. De La Cruz went 5.1 innings, giving up three runs on just five hits and two walks. He did strick out six. Fellow Former-Captain Vinnie Pestano closed it out for De La Cruz to earn his third save. Johnnie Drennan sighting as he hits his first home run of the year. Jared Goedert went 3-4 with 2 RBI.

The Captains dropped ANOTHER one run game to Augusta last night. Rob Bryson with two perfect innings of relief with three strikeouts.

Mahoning Valley Lost… But, Jeremie Tice plays for the Scrappers and we like him. So here is a new piece by Tony Lastoria on Tice.

You can vote for Jeremie and another favorite of ours, not just because of his name but because he is good, Isaias Velasquez for the NY-Penn League All-Star Game. I already voted for each 5 times.. That should be enough to get them in… I got ya’ll covered, don’t worry about it. Tice will also make it as a short stop because I accidentally submitted a few votes with him at SS. Damn Scrolling Mouse.