The Cleveland Indians today won the final game of their four game series with the Baltimore Orioles. Here are my thoughts on today's win:
- Another outstanding performance by Fausto Carmona today. The kid has electric stuff and its a very good thing that he was almost unhittable against the same team two games in a row. I personally think Carmona is in the starting rotation for good now.
- Trot Nixon continued his hot hitting today with two hits and Pronk added a grand slam. Pronk had started to struggle on this road trip and it was good to see him get back on track. Beware that Pronk has routinely hit well in Anaheim so this is a very good thing.
- The Indians made two roster moves today with putting Jake Westbrook on the DL and declaring Jason Davis for assignment. In turn they recalled Fausto Carmona and Edward Mujica from AAA Buffalo. It was a little sad to see Davis lose his gig with the Tribe and I for one always found him to be a very nice person and wish him nothing but the best on his next stop in the big leagues.
- A lot of fans have knocked Jhonny Peralta for his lack of range and defense but he deserves a lot of praise for his great defensive play at short in the game today. It should be noted that this play totally changed the game because right after that the Indians took the lead and never looked back.
- With today's win the Tribe goes right back into the top position in the AL Central with a half game lead of the Tigers. The Tigers also suffered a big blow with phenom reliever Joel Zumaya tearing a tendon in a finger on his pitching hand. Zumaya will be out for about three months. This is a huge blow to the Tigers bullpen.
The Tribe will now fly west to Anaheim to play the Angels in a three game series with the first game being tomorrows night at 10:05 against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Cliff Lee will face Jered Weaver.
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The Mini-Camp Picture: What To Look For?
By Dave Spadero
May 7, 2007
Has there been an Eagles team in the last couple of seasons with as many intriguing scenarios as this team heading into a post-draft mini-camp?
Sure, 2004 with the additions of Terrell Owens and Jevon Kearse. No chance the teams from 2005 and 2006. There were stories, yes, and there were sub-plots, of course, but nothing like this.
The Eagles have a lot of stories to follow starting with Saturday morning's practice, and here are some of them.
NEW FACES IN NEW PLACES ON DEFENSE
A model of very little change in recent seasons, the Eagles defense is officially in a transition period. The new starters from this time a year ago that we know for sure: Sean Considine at strong safety, Trent Cole at end, Brodrick Bunkley at tackle, Takeo Spikes and Chris Gocong at linebacker.
There could be more when this whole thing shakes out, of course, but you get the idea. The defense rarely re-arranged personnel in the last handful of seasons and so communication was never a problem. When the Eagles gave up big plays, they did so because teams beat them, not because they had blown assignments.
Jim Johnson knows this, and he will test his defense like in no other post-draft camp. He will stress the mental aspect and make sure to run plays again and again to hammer home the X's and O's portion of things.
Don't take the mental part lightly. We'll all be watching the individual pieces, but the truth is that the collaborative performance is what is going to be most important to Johnson.
CHANGE AT WIDE RECEIVER
Kevin Curtis is just one change here, but he is extremely significant. Curtis comes in as a starter, a player who is, on paper, a great fit for what the Eagles want to do offensively.
Curtis won't have the opportunity to work on his timing with Donovan McNabb, who will not throw in this camp, but he will work with the other quarterbacks to get a good feel for the route running and timing of the scheme.
You could argue that the other changes at wide receiver have to do with maturity. Hank Baskett wasn't an Eagle at this camp a year ago. Jason Avant didn't know where he was going as a rookie. Reggie Brown had not yet shown that he could play well over a 16-game season.
Now the group has more maturity and, thus, the expectations have grown. The wide receivers have the chance to be really, really good. They've grown up quickly.
KEVIN KOLB: CHARTING EVERY THROW
While it won't be the least bit fair, some who watch rookie quarterback Kevin Kolb are going to pass a judgment on him after three days of practice.
Remember that he is going to see the offense for the first time on Friday night and will practice on Saturday morning for the first time in an Eagles uniform. He is going to throw to spots and he is going to be throwing to reserve receivers.
Kolb should be given some reps in this camp and it is going to be fun to watch him drop back and launch. McNabb was raw and excited the day he started at the post-draft camp at the old Veterans Stadium practice fields. I remember the reaction when he threw: He was a little bit wild, but the arm strength was incredible and McNabb had a presence about him. That is what we should look for from Kolb. Asking him to throw like he has been here for five years is unfair.
Then again, who said anything is fair ...
SPECIAL TEAMS: NEW GUY IN CHARGE
Rory Segrest takes over and his job is to elevate the Eagles back to the top of the rankings in the NFL. Last year, the Eagles lacked explosiveness in the return game and they gave up too many big plays in coverage.
Segrest figures to have a lot of new players with whom to work. The Eagles appear to be banking on either Bethel Johnson or Jeremy Bloom to return kicks. And while David Akers is back as the placekicker, Dirk Johnson faces competition from Saverio Rocca in the punting game. Who holds for Akers? Johnson is the leading candidate, but the Eagles went in the Koy Detmer direction for the post-season last year.
Segrest is a no-nonsense guy who trained well under John Harbaugh. It is going to be a day-to-day development for the special teams this year.
ROOKIE CLASS GETS IT FEET WET
In addition to Kolb, the rest of the rookie class gets its first taste of Eagles football. There is no tackling in this camp, so it will be tough to gauge the performance of Victor Abiamiri and Tony Hunt and Co., but the coaches will get a good feel for how the kids work in mentally.
How much of an impact can this rookie class make? The answers won't come this weekend, but it is a good way to begin to build a series of case studies. Shawn Andrews walked in three springs ago and handled everything thrown his way, and started at guard right from the start. That's how these things can work out in a perfect-cast scenario.
SECOND-YEAR EAGLES: READY TO PUSH?
Yes, Bunkley and Gocong are being counted on to fill huge roles as starters on defense, but what about the rest of last year's rookie class?
Winston Justice has a couple of huge obstacles in front of him in William Thomas and Jon Runyan, but the Eagles need him to show a year of growth. Same with Max Jean-Gilles and the other young linemen. Jason Avent is hoping to push for some playing time at wide receiver.
This is the year we will begin to get an accurate gauge of last year's draft. The Eagles think it has a chance to be special.
Bunkley and Gocong are gigantic keys, of course, but the rest of the second-year class is going to have to take a collective step forward starting this weekend.
ANDY REID AND HIS FOCUS
The head coach has been remarkably focused and professional since his return from a leave of absence. This is the first time he will have addressed the entire team since the end of the 2006 season.
It appears to be an issue handled very well by Reid and the organization, so maybe it is no longer a story worth discussing. But with all the media gathered for the the weekend, you never know what will become a headline.
McNABB AND HIS REHAB AND MORE
McNabb is not scheduled to hold a press conference during the weekend -- he is not taking part in practice, although he will be on the sidelines -- and the media is bound to record every facial tick and interaction McNabb has with the rest of the quarterbacks.
Nobody around the Eagles is making much of a deal about what people outside the organization insist is a big story. Surely, without saying anything, McNabb will remain a headline, if for no reason at all.
McNabb prefers to focus on his recovery from the knee injury he suffered last season and he would like to not be a distraction to the rest of the team. When he next addresses the media is an unanswered question, so the speculation from the outside is going to continue.
McNabb is scheduled to return to the field for training camp. It may be that we don't know what he is thinking until then.
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