Manny Acta was a wanted man. With the Houston Astros offering him their manager job, he turned down Houston and instead decided to become the next manager of the Cleveland Indians. Last season, Acta was fired as manager of the Washington Nationals after two and a half years on the job.
Considering that Acta had a record of 158-252 with the Nationals, it is somewhat surprising that he was such a hot name. But sources indicate that he was great in his job interviews and illustrated good vision for how he’ll direct teams to the promised land.
“I look forward to working …read more

The Boston Red Sox wanted another bat to put in the middle of their already potent lineup. At the trade deadline, they got that big bat in the form of All-Star catcher Victor Martinez. In return, the Cleveland Indians received three pitching prospects.
In addition to catcher, Martinez can also play first base. The Red Sox will likely play him at catcher, first base and DH.
At the plate, Martinez has had a very good season after struggling last year. He’s hitting .284 with 15 homers, 67 RBIs and 56 runs. He also has 21 doubles and an on-base percentage of .368.
Still …read more

To add a little bit of pop to their lineup, the St. Louis Cardinals have traded for Mark DeRosa. In return, the Cleveland Cavaliers received Chris Perez, a relief pitcher, and a player to be named later.
The Indians acquired DeRosa in the offseason in a deal with the Chicago Cubs. The 34-year-old DeRosa was playing third base for Cleveland. On the season, he is hitting .267 with 13 homers, 50 RBIs and 47 runs.
The acquisition of DeRosa should help the Cardinals in their fight with the Milwaukee Bucks for the NL Central title. Currently, the two teams are tied atop …read more

If Albert Pujols isn’t the best hitter in baseball, he’s right there near the top. The St. Louis Cardinals saw two more examples of his greatness on Saturday. In an interleague game against the Cleveland Indians, Pujols hit a pair of solo homers to lead the Cardinals to a 3-1 victory.
In the fourth inning, Pujols hit his first long ball. After the Indians tied it up in the bottom of the fourth, Pujols hit his second homer in his next at bat in the 6th inning. The Cardinals would never trail again.
On the mound, Brad Thompson picked up his first …read more

The New York Yankees played their first official game at the new Yankee Stadium on Thursday. For six innings, everything seemed to be going fine. Then the Cleveland Indians exploded in the seventh inning and ruined the party.
The the game tied at one, the Indians scored nine times in the top of the seventh and then held on for a 10-2 victory. The win bettered the Indians record to 3-7, while the loss sent the Yankees to 5-5.
In the seventh inning, the Indians got a solo shot from Victor Martinez and a grand slam from Grady Sizemore. Kelly Shoppach, who …read more

C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee. It’s been the talk this past weekend all over the sports blogosphere. Is Cleveland smart to trade him? Are they just glad he didn’t end up a Yankee? Whatever the reason, there’s word that the 2007 minor league player of the year for the Brewers was in the deal for the Indians.
Juiced Sports Blog is reporting that in the trade, Taylor Green was in the package for the Indians. He’s 21, out of Cypress College in California, and was selected in the 25th round in the 2005 draft. He batted .327, had 14 home runs, …read more

Travis Hafner has a fantastic nickname. It’s not one of those silly abbreviation nicknames. No, no T-Haf here. No sir, Travis Hafner is Pronk. In the minors, Hafner had two nicknames: Project and Donkey. Project Donkey already being a successful reality show on Bravo, the two names were combined to the sublime Pronk. I find Pronk to be an especially entertaining nickname because it kind of seems like a dirty verb. Pronking just sounds like something one wouldn’t do in polite society.
To my delight, the always outrageous Onion News Network has examined the versatility of the word Pronk. It’s hilariously …read more