Tales From the Teepee: Scott Bailes

Special to the TTO

He was the Tribe’s premier lefty in the mid to late ‘80s, a man who set the Indians’ record for wins for a rookie reliever (8 in 1986) and who threw 5 complete games and 2 shutouts as a starter in 1988. At the same time, he never had an E.R.A below 4.28 and, in that aforementioned 1988 season, he finished with a losing record and was demoted to the bullpen before the end of the season.

“Almost Never Fails” Scotty Bailes dumbfounded Indians management and the fans alike, at times showing flashes of averageness and, at other times, looking absolutely god-awful. Bailes had a whopping 13-year Major League career, and if that doesn’t say anything about the lack of quality left-handed pitching at the Major League level, I don’t know what does.
Bailes pitched at Southwest Missouri State and was drafted in the 7th round of the 1982 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He came to the Indians in 1985 as the “player to be named,” and made his Major League debut the next season.

In 1986, Bailes had a perfectly average season. In 62 appearances, most out of the bullpen, he finished 10-10 with 7 saves and an ERA just under 5.00. As I mentioned, all but 2 of those wins came in relief – maybe it’s just me, but that seems like an awful lot of decisions for a guy who made most of his appearances in relief. The 1986 Indians weren’t even that bad—sure they finished in 5th place in the AL East, but they won 84 games and all signs pointed to a team on the rise.

Bailes split his time between the rotation and the bullpen in 1987, making 17 starts and 15 relief appearances, compiling a record of 7-8 with a 4.64 ERA – the definition of an “Even Steven.” Due to the Tribe’s financial struggles, and the fact the Bailes made only $80,000—just above the league minimum, he was forced to take an off-season job as a nanny for a New Jersey family under the pseudonym “Charles,” disclosing his secret only to his best friend, Buddy.
In his breakout year in 1988, he had 2 shutouts and 5 complete games, but his record slid to 9-14 and he was demoted to the bullpen before the end of the season. The 1989 season brought more of the same, despite his career-low ERA of 4.28 he finished with a losing record, and the Tribe, facing yet another rebuilding process, dealt him to the Angels in the off-season for future International League Hall of Famer Jeff Manto.

Scotty 2 Hotty threw a few years with the Halos, remarkable to me only because he was only the second Tribe player I remember from my youth playing for another team after being dealt/discarded by the Indians, the first being Pat Tabler who was traded to the Royals the previous year. He was released in 1992, and kicked around the minors for a few years before retiring in 1995.

Shockingly, he made his comeback to the Majors in 1997 with Texas, where he pitched for 2 years before finally hanging it up for good after the 1998 season. He currently is a color analyst for the St. Louis Cardinals AA affiliate, the Springfield Cardinals.

by J-Neg

Tales from the Teepee: Julio Franco

Special to the TTO

Back in the day at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium, you could count on three things while sitting in the stands: John Adams’s drum, the troughs in the bathroom, and the “Juuuuuuuu-liiiiii-ooooooooo” chants whenever the Tribe shortstop/second baseman came to the plate.

Franco came to the Tribe in 1982 in a whopping 5 for 1 trade with the Phillies. The woeful Indians gave up prized prospect Von Hayes for Franco and future has-beens Manny Trillo, George Vukovich, Jay Baller, and Jerry Willard. Little did the Fightin’ Phils know, that only years later would Hayes abandon baseball altogether for a career in the World Video Boxing Association .

Franco had a solid, yet unspectacular, stint with the Indians from 1983 through 1988. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year race, losing to future Tribe DH Ron Kittle. In his Indians career, he hit for average, hitting over .300 three times in six seasons, including .319 in 1987, but had little power. He was perhaps best known for his sweet man-perm and his bizarre batting style, in which he held the bat high, almost at eye level, and parallel to the plate before unleashing a long, uppercut swing. Rumor has it that Hayes, bitter about being traded by the Indians, was inspired by Franco’s swing when training his protégé, Don Flamenco, after he hung up his gloves in the WVBA.

Franco’s long swing caused him to lead the league in GIDP twice during the 1980s and finishing in the Top 10 in the category a whopping 7 times in 10 years. He would finish his career having hit into over 300 double plays in his career.

After the 1988 season, Franco was traded by the Tribe to the Texas Rangers for journeyman 1B Pete O’Brien and washouts Odibe McDowell and Jerry “The Governor” Browne. In Texas, Franco would find his greatest professional success: he was named to the All-Star team 3 straight years (1989-1991) and was named the MVP of the All-Star game in 1990. In 1991, he hit .341 and won the American League batting title.

After an injury-plagued 1992 season, a disappointing 1993 season where saw time mainly as a DH, and the strike-plagued 1994 season, Franco bounced around the Majors and played in Asia for the remainder of the 1990s, including a second stint with the Indians in 1996 and 1997.

Franco again came to prominence in 2001 with the Atlanta Braves, where he played 1B for several seasons. He would become the oldest regularly-playing position player in Major League Baseball history, as well as the oldest player ever to hit a home run and a grand slam, as well as the second-oldest ever to steal a base. He played briefly with the Mets before finishing his Major League career with the Braves at the end of the 2007 season. Franco attempted yet another comeback in the Mexican League before announcing his retirement in May 2008.

In the late 1980s, no one in Cleveland would have ever imagined that Franco would end up having the career that he did – multiple All-Star appearances, an AL batting title, four Silver Slugger awards, and over 4,200 hits (including the minor leagues, and the Japanese, Korean, and Mexican leagues) in 26 professional seasons. Franco himself attributes his success late in his career to his strict diet and exercise regiment as well as to being on the juice—the Jesus juice.

by J-Neg

Check out Julio Franco's career statistics here and see how ageless he really was by the years. A little website also sponsors the page as well.

Cardboard Fuzzy Memories

special to the TTO

When I was a little kid, you always knew that spring was around the corner when the local Convenient Food Mart put out the first box of Topps baseball cards.

There was usually still snow on the ground when we'd stop at the store on our way to church so my dad could grab a cup of coffee and pick the three of us up a package of those little chocolate doughnuts that John Belushi famously kept on his training table to fight over while we made our way to our Lakewood parish.

The day he'd come out with a pack for each of us--warning us not to even think about putting the gum in our mouths until after mass--was a big treat. Usually, I'd find a way to cheat or steal the best cards of my brothers' packs to get a leg up on my collection.

I collected for 7 or 8 year stretch, covering what I consider to be the Golden Age of card collecting (1987-1990), until I found more important things to do with my time and money.

Back in the day, you had three choices: Topps, Donruss, and Fleer. We collected only Topps; even after the glut of sports cards hit the market in the late 1980s, we were strictly a Topps household.

During that stretch, my dad, brothers and I embarked on an ambitious plan to put together a complete Topps set for every year that my brothers and I had been alive (1979 and later). We were pretty much successful, missing only a few cards that were out of our price range from some of the early sets.

Now, with Baby-Neg due to make his Major League Debut this summer, I decided that I'd get a leg up on the collecting and start putting away a complete set for every year of his lifetime. Later, when he's older, we can collect them together and when he decides he's too cool for me, he can do it on his own.

I started off at Target. I grabbed two packages of plastic pages and took in the chaos on the baseball card racket--I was shocked.

First of all, there are only two brands of baseball cards left--Upper Deck and Topps. It figures that once the market hit rock bottom in the mid to late 90s that only a few companies would be left, and Topps and UD were always among the best. But, each brand had several different varieties of cards.

From what I saw on the shelf, Topps has at least 5 varieties cards on the shelf this spring: Topps Series 1, Topps Series 2 (due May 2008), Topps 2007 Updated and Highlights, Topps 2008 Opening Day, Topps Bowman Heritage, etc. It's ridiculous.

With a little help from the Internet, I figured that I'd stick with the Topps Series 1 and, later, the Series 2. They seem to be the most "basic" of the card sets--the closest thing to the ol' 792 card sets of our youth.

However, the Series 1 cards come in two separate types of packs: hobby packs and flow packs. Hobby packs are the easiest to find. Each pack (10 cards) comes in at a whopping $3--a lot different from the $0.40 per pack that 1987 Topps went for. Not to mention that there are about 104 different subsets and special cards that you can find in the Hobby packs. I think that you can even pull a card with a piece of A-Rod's jock strap built into it.

The flow packs are the way to go. The packs come in at 7 cards and a piece of gum for about $1-$1.25. Better, though, is that they only come with the basic cards--you cannot pull any of the special subset cards from the flow packs. Sure, I might miss out on a one-in-a-million gold leaf Daisuke Matsuzaka "Elite" card, but really, with all of the special cards out there, haven't these lost all meaning?

The worst part about the flow packs is finding them. You can buy them by the box online, but the shipping charges make them even more expensive than the Hobby packs. The only local store where I've found them so far is Dick's Sporting Goods, and they only had a few packs on the shelf. According to the guys and gals on the Topps Message Boards, though, that the packs "repeat" themselves, leaving you with tons of doubles and lots of holes in your collection.

So, I've bought a few packs and I'm off to a pretty good start. I'm short on Indians players (I've got Wedge, Barfield, Byrd, and a Sizemore ALDS card), but I've got some other big names. I think that I should be able to put together a complete set of the 330 Series 1 cards by June without dropping a ton of cash. I suppose I could have waited until August and bought a complete set for a fraction of what I am paying for trying to collect the set, but what's the fun in that?

by J-Neg

Tribe's Bats, Bullpen Cost Byrd a Victory

special to the TTO

Unlike his two previous starts of the season, Paul Byrd pitched well enough to get the W tonight.

Byrd gave up one unearned run--thanks to a bobbled ball in right by Franklin Guitierrez and a late, low throw from Cabrera to Garko while attempting to turn an inning-ending double play--over 6 innings tonight against the defending world champs. But the Tribe's failure to protect a lead late, as well as their failure to make the most of their offensive chances, cost the Byrd Man the victory.

Just like last night, the bullpen faltered late and gave up the lead. This time it was Jensen Lewis's turn to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by giving up a pinch hit homerun to 576 year-old Jason Varitek.

Don't get me wrong--I'm a big Lewis fan. I think he's really got the stuff to be a go-to guy in the 'pen this year. But he was in trouble in the 8th, with the bases loaded, 1 out, and the score tied at 3, until he got a fantastic play from Cabrera to turn an inning-ending DP. Yet Wedge didn't even have anyone else warming up for the 9th.

At least, we're spared Joe Blow for at least 15 days and perhaps as long as a month. He's on the DL with a strained triceps. He's actually lucky I couldn't jump through my TV screen, otherwise he'd be on the 60-day DL with a broken tailbone from me kicking him in the ass for that 82 mph fastball he threw Ramirez last night.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Indians brass has been keeping this injury on the down low since sometime in Spring Training. Way to go, Shapiro & Co--Borowski walks a fine line between success and failure as it is, yet you kept him out there even though he wasn't at 100%. Brilliant.

You've got to be happy with the starting pitching and long relief as of late. Byrd's 6 IP and zero earned runs are a dramatic departure from his first couple of starts of the season. Jake Westbrook looked great last night on a tough night to pitch and Cliff Lee was nearly perfect on Sunday--even after CC crapped the bed on Friday and Fausto's meltdown on Saturday night, the bullpen pulled together several good innings to give the bats a chance to get them back in the game.

We've got to hope that warmer weather will bring hotter bats. You can't expect to complete when you've got three guys in the starting lineup--four if you count BOTH halves of the Michaels/Dellucci dynamic duo--hitting right around $1.25. I don't have the official production numbers for the season on our 3rd basemen (Blake/Marte) and left fielders (Michaels/Dellucci), but I'd be willing to bet that even with all of their BAs added together, they're barely hitting .400. Combine that with Cabrera and Guitierrez, and that's almost half of our lineup that's not hitting.

And that's not going to get the job done.

For years in the 1990s, we had all the hitting in the world, but we just didn't have good enough starting pitching to get the job done. Now, with the best starting rotation Cleveland has seen since 1954, we're not holding leads or scoring enough runs to win games.

What a waste.

by J-Neg

Cardboard Flashback: Ramon Romero

special to the TTO

Since the days of the Babe and Sweet Lou, baseball players have been at the forefront of fashion. Like the guy who I stole this picture from said, “Oh man, look at those jive ass shoes!”

From Barry’s pimpstache to CC’s crooked bill, ballplayers love to try to be at the center of the fashion universe. Hell, weren’t A-Rod and Derek Jeter once named some of People’s “Sexiest Men Alive?” And I swear Thome’s high socks set off a fashion craze and inspired this pop sensation of the 1990s—not that I’m complaining.

However, one ballplayer who dared to blaze his own trail never quite gained the fame he deserved. I’m talking about a man who laughed in the face of tradition, a man who dared to go left when everyone else went right.

I’m talking about Ramon Romero and his blue glove.

Back in the Tribe’s “Mistake on the Lake” heyday of the mid 1980s, the Sons of Geronimo went through mediocre pitching like Barry Bonds went through hat sizes. We’re talking the crème de la crème of some of the worst pitchers ever to put on stirrups and a cup. And Ramon Romero stands alone atop this mountain of suckitude.

A string bean of a player, standing 6’ 4” tall and 170 lbs soaking wet, this crappy…er, crafty southpaw intimidated no one, especially while wearing that ridiculous glove. In 11 career appearances, all for the Tribe in 1984 and 1985, Ramon el Azul went 2-3 with a remarkable-for-the-era 6.28 ERA.

The Tribe must have had high hopes, at least at some point, for Romero. In his lone appearance in 1984, he showed a glimmer of promise, giving up no runs over 3 innings, striking out 3 and hitting a batter. Needless to say Gabe Paul and the Indians penciled him in for a shot at the team after the season.

However, 1985 turned out to be a disaster for Big Blue. He somehow found a way to scrounge up 2 wins despite giving up 69 hits and 48 runs, 47 earned, in just 64.1 innings pitched. Counting his 38 walks and 5, count ‘em, 5 hit batsmen, that’s an average of almost 2 baserunners per inning.

Seriously, why did they keep throwing this jobber out there? Couldn’t Tom Waddell or Vern Ruhle chew up a few extra innings to keep this guy in AAA? Christ, I’m pretty sure that Jose Canseco had a better WHIP in his pitching career than Romero.

Romero does have his own place in Indians history for being part of the trade that brought the legendary Ken Schrom and former first round pick Bryan Oelkers, the first player to be born in Spain to make it to the Majors, to the Tribe.

He would have been allowed to return to the Dominican Republic lick his wounds and fade into baseball obscurity if he wouldn’t have stood in that ridiculous beer league softball pose with that goddamn blue glove for the Topps photographer sometime in 1985. But, despite Romero’s piss poor stats, at least we remember him for something. Only one question remains—what kind of jive-ass shoes do you wear to match a blue glove?

by: J-Neg