I first want to apologize to all my readers. I had a cable modem connection problem last night and couldn't get online to blog about last night's game. OK on to today's game, the Indians beat the A's 6-3 today in the second game of a three game series. Here are my thoughts on today's victory:
- Fausto Carmona really picked the ball club up today with another solid start. It was good too see Fausto pitch well after getting into trouble in the first inning. I think we found out more about how good Fausto is today.
- I thought Eric Wedge did a good thing in giving Pronk a day off, he really looked bad last night and hopefully this will help him get back on the right track.
- Nice game today from Josh Barfield with two triples and two RBI's. He seems to finding his stride and even while he was slumping his defense has always been solid the whole year.
- I want to give props to a pitcher who doesn't bet much accolades but I think Aaron Fultz has been the most consistent pitcher in the bullpen and has been a great signing by Mark Shapiro. You can bet Charlie Manuel and the Phillies sure do miss him.
- Also Casey Blake and Jason Michaels had solid games today. I even criticized Blake for his lack of clutch hitting but he now seems to have found his stride and really looks comfortable at third.
- Tomorrow's game is big in the fact that with a win the Tribe finishes their road trip at .500.
The Indians finished up their road trip with the rubber game of the three game series with Oakland at 4:05 with Cliff Lee facing Chad Gaudin.
comments welcomed
ctownsportsfan.blogspot.com
1 comment:
Some Vignettes From The First Day At Camp
May 12, 2007
So many things are the same with the football team from last year, even from the season before that. And so many things are different. The changing tides of the NFL tell you that there are always going to be new faces and that nothing is a given.
And so on Day 1 of the Eagles' 2007 post-draft mini-camp, many things caught my eye.
I spent most of the first day trying to see as much as I could, and at the end of two practices I realized that there are just too many stories and sub-stories to take it all in at once.
You want change? Consider this: None of the three quarterbacks taking repetitions on Saturday -- in order, A.J. Feeley, Kelly Holcomb and Kevin Kolb -- were on the roster last season. And the Eagles have parted ways, in the last two years, with all four defensive tackles who played in the Super Bowl in February of 2005 (Corey Simon, Hollis Thomas, Sam Rayburn, Darwin Walker).
Change, change, change.
The first-practice blog is here for you to enjoy, but the bigger picture is what happened over the course of the entire first day. Here are some vignettes from two practices at the NovaCare Complex ...
THE BUNKLEY REPORT
Do not overreact. That is something everyone -- players, coaches, personnel men, media -- must remind themselves right now. There are no pads. There is no tackling.
What you are looking for is how a player uses his technique, what kind of conditioning his body is in, his ability to process and make good decisions in a two-a-day practice environment.
So I watched Bunkley a fair amount on Saturday. He appears to be extremely fit, first and foremost. A year ago, Bunkley came into this camp after spending a few weeks sweating out the NFL draft, and he wasn't as mentally relaxed and as physically on cue as he is now.
I am not an expert on what line coach Pete Jenkins teaches and on what he asks of his players. But Bunkey looked, to borrow a line in Nacho Libre, good. He looked really good.
We, of course, will see how this all plays out. So much is riding on Bunkley, who started Saturday at right defensive tackle alongside Mike Patterson.
Bunkley hustled to every drill. He took a lot of reps. He played with a tremendous amount of energy. He seemed to use his hands well.
All in all, I would say Bunkley is off to a good start. To my untrained eyes, Bunkley had a good day on Saturday.
SEE TAKEO RUN
Newly-acquired Takeo Spikes is the starter at the WILL linebacker position. One thing you notice at linebacker is that with Spikes, Jeremiah Trotter and Chris Gocong on the field, the Eagles are much bigger at linebacker. Maybe, if all goes according to plan, that added bulk will help the Eagles against the run on the edges, where they were gashed at times last year.
LB Takeo Spikes
And I know that size doesn't always equal better players -- as Andy Reid said on Saturday, good feet is also very important -- but the Eagles have a much different look at the position.
What I looked at with Spikes on Saturday was the way he ran. Is he fast enough to play WILL? I don't yet know the answer to that question, but Spikes appeared to run very well on Saturday. He swarmed to the football. He was in the right place at the right time. He got out and covered the flat area quickly.
I have no doubt that Spikes will learn the defense quickly and that he will be a physical presence. If he runs well, Spikes is going to be in position to make a lot of plays this season.
Spikes said he feels a "night and day" difference from a year ago. That is totally understandable. He looks like he fits in, like he is thrilled to be here, like he can't wait to get it all started.
The defense is better off with Spikes, who should only get better and better as he settles into the scheme.
FOCUSED ON THE WIDE RECEIVERS
Reggie Brown went down with a leg contusion in the morning and did not practice in the afternoon. My attention was focused on a few receivers -- Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant and Jeremy Bloom.
Let's start with Bloom. He has a ton of quickness and he appeared to get a good release most of the time outside. Bloom gets down the field and he caught the ball well. He seemed to get to the spots on time, which is the most important aspect in this offense.
Avant had a terrific day. He worked out of the slot a lot in the afternoon and made a bunch of catches, at least one of them of the spectacular variety. Avant runs good, sharp routes. He catches the ball confidently with his hands and he is a strong young man.
Curtis was brilliant all day. He is a little guy, so be prepared. Curtis is muscular and fast and quick off the ball. He caught everything thrown his way, a couple of them with only one hand.
Curtis, I suspect, is going to be just fine here. He showed this great knack on Saturday of finding openings in the coverage and he plucks the ball easily.
Nice start for the big ticket in free agency.
SPECIAL TEAMS: PAYING ATTENTION
No offense to John Harbaugh, who ran great special teams practices, but most of the media kind of walked away when the special teams portion of practice started in the recent past. Where was the sizzle? What were the stories?
Well, this year, under Rory Segrest, there are plenty of stories on special teams, and none is more riveting at the moment than the one at punter. Both Dirk Johnson and Saverio Rocca had excellent days on Saturday. It was, as someone said, a "home-run derby" kind of feel when the two punted. Rocca got the edge on my scorecard. The ball explodes off his foot. Johnson was good, and it is clear that he has added some leg since last year. Johnson is healthy and he is opening up.
But Rocca unleashes rockets. He had a couple of 60-plus-yard punts with incredible hang time. He showed some good directional skills.
Considering that Rocca had never even worn a football helmet before Sunday, he made a very good first impression.
This is not a competition that will be decided in a day, or two or even a couple of weeks. But make no mistake: It is a competition, one that should bring out the best in both punters.
And those who normally would not pay a lot of attention are hanging around to take notes. That says something about the battle.
KOLB'S POISE AND PATIENCE
Kevin Kolb made some good throws, and he made some not-so-good throws. He took a lot of reps as the third quarterback and -- yeah, I'll say this -- I understand why the Eagles like him so much.
Kolb has good mobility, a strong arm and he knows what he is seeing when a defense lines up.
He posed for a draft-class photo shoot following the afternoon practice and then answered more questions from a few reporters. The kid has not flinched in the big-city media spotlight.
"This morning was pretty good. I think we all kind of struggled in the afternoon just trying to get the conditioning part of it down," said Kolb. "I think we all got a little tired, a litle fatigued. For me, it just started to swim around my brain a little bit. I need to get back, settle down and re-focus on what comes tomorrow.
"I think there is a transition. I think at first you're going out and saying, 'Alright, look at this. Bam. I'm throwing here.' You're trying to make it simple for yourself because it's your first day. Then you're trying to actually learn it and you're trying to look at different things. So it's a transtion that I'm sure will take me a while and I think that is where I am right now."
Kolb said he didn't feel he was pressing. He felt like was getting good support from the veterans and, yes, he and Donovan McNabb have met and have talked and McNabb has been "pitching in the whole time," said Kolb. "He just came up to me right off the bat and said, 'Hey, look. I'm here for you. We're working through this together.' Just like I knew he would and just like I was told he would."
All in all, Kolb was pleased with his first baby steps.
"My biggest fear was relaxing a little bit after this morning's practice, because I had a decent workout this morning, for my first one," said Kolb. "I don't think I did that, but today will help me re-focus for tomorrow. It's just study and preparation. That's what the best ones in the league do."
POST-PRACTICE: THE WORK CONTINUES
The afternoon practice ended, but some of the players remained. Cornerback William James worked with former Eagle -- and long-time NFL cornerback -- Otis Smith on some technique. Smith is here as a coaching intern. I remember when Smith was a rookie. That's how long I have been around this team ...
James, who remains behind Sheldon Brown at cornerback on the right side, is taking this I-want-to-start now stuff very seriously. James seemed to have a good day.
And there were young linebackers Tank Daniels and Stewart Bradley working with linebackers coach Sean McDermott and defensive assistant Bill Shuey, lining up over the tight end and shedding him (Shuey) to get into the backfield.
These are the little things that add up as the days go by. Day one is gone, in the books and on film.
Post a Comment