The surprising Guardians

Full disclosure: I am a baseball fan. A big baseball fan. I have followed a baseball team nicknamed Indians for my entire life. The Indians are ingrained in who I am. When they won. When they lost. They were still Cleveland's professional baseball team. My team.

When they won the 1948 World Series against the Boston Braves, I as a kid rejoiced. Yep, I'm old enough to remember. And when they were swept by the New York Giants in the 1954 World Series, I was crushed. Players came and went over the years that followed, but they were still my team. 

There were some pretty bad teams. The faces and names of the players changed, but wait'll-next-year hopes kept the dream alive. The great seven-year stretch from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s (six post-season appearances) ignited those hopes. Set home attendance records, too. But no championship.

The Terry Francona era has produced exciting baseball and wonderful memories over the last decade (five more post-season appearances) as the Indians seriously threatened to finally end the World Series drought of 73 years. But again, no championship.

That brings us to the present, where the Indians are no longer. Gone. Just another Cleveland professional baseball team that managed to win only two World Series titles in 107 years. Nothing now but memories. 

That's because the owners of the Indians bowed to political correctness and changed the nickname to Guardians, cutting off my allegiance to the only baseball team I followed religiously and zealously, living and dying with them in my youth. 

They are not my team anymore. I don't know for certain, but the guess here is many others at or near my age feel the same way. The Indians are gone. Long live the Guardians. Uh, no thank you.

"You'll be back," say fans either happy with the nickname change or the die-hard fans who really don't care and enjoy the game too much to abandon it. "When they win, you'll change your tune." Yeah, right.

I still proudly wear my block C and Chief Wahoo caps in public and do not get stares. I refuse to wear a Guardians cap. That's not going to happen, Even if they win a World Series. Stubborn? Definitely.  

Being a sports fan in general, though, I every now and then check on the exploits of the Guardians. But I sometimes refer to the Indians in conversation before correcting myself. Turns out they are doing quite nicely thus far this season. 

And that's where we begin to tip a cap -- an Indians cap, of course -- at the job Francona is doing in the club's inaugural season. Time to take a look.

This a fun baseball team.  Outside of the amazing Jose Ramirez, it's a team comprised of young, eager players who find numerous ways to win games. They enter their three-game series in Minnesota Tuesday night at 34-28, just a game behind the first-place Twins in the AL Central.

They have won 15 of the last 19 games, including a 5-1 record on the current trip west. They were languishing at 19-24 and looking less than mediocre when they caught fire, winning six straight series at home (8-2) and on the road (7-2) and shaving Minnesota's lead from seven and half games to just a game.

When the season began, pitching was thought to be the club's hallmark with Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Triston McKenzie, Zach Plesac and Cal Quantrill. With few exceptions -- Civale missed some time with a glute injury -- starters pitched far enough into games where the bullpen was not worn out.

That enabled the likes of Eli Morgan, Anthony Gose, Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin, Enyel De Los Santos, Trevor Stephan, veteran Bryan Shaw and closer Emmanuel Clase to post MLB's second-best earned-run average (2.81), allow just 64 earned runs (again second-best) and an MLB best 1.09 WHIP.

Clase has been a marvel, racking up 15 saves in 17 opportunities. The last time he allowed a run was back on May 17 against Cincinnati. His four-seam fastball arrives at the plate routinely from 100 to 103 miles an hour. His 94-mph slider buckles knees. And he has walked only four batters in 30 appearances.

But it's the offense that has lifted this team time and again and made the difference with guys like Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario and Ramirez around the infield and an outfield of rookies Steven Kwan, Richie Palacios and Oscar Gonzalez, slugger Franmil Reyes returning from injury and Myles Straw. The latter is struggling this season, but has provided Gold Glove defense in center field.

Gonzalez has been a revelation since his recall from Class AAA Columbus about a month ago. He hasn't stopped hitting with at least one knock in 18 of his 22 starts. The 6-4, 240-pound right fielder is currently hitting .337.

Behind the plate, you'll find veterans Austin Hedges and Luke Maile, who don't hit much. Their worth lies in the savvy handling of the pitching staff. Quality utility play around the infield is provided off the bench by the versatile Ernie Clement and Owen Miller, who has scored 33 runs and driven in 31.

The switch-hitting Ramirez once again has a leg up on AL MVP honors (that seem to elude him) with 16 home runs, 62 runs batted in, 41 runs scored, a .304 batting average and a robust OPS of 1.036 behind just Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels and Paul Goldschmidt of St. Louis.

This team exhibits great discipline at the plate, striking out only 428 times this season, nearly 60 fewer times than the next best team. Small ball seems to be their strongest suit. They lead the AL in sacrifice flies and straddle the top in getting runners home when in scoring position.

Want stolen bases? How about a success rate of 81% (43 of 53), 11 each by Straw and Ramirez. The young kids play with infectious delight. Kwan has become a staple in left field. Palacios doesn't play much, but is batting, 500 as a pinch-hitter. 

Excited about this team? Not yet. Still too early for that. Where they are at this stage of the season, hanging with the likes of the Twins and talented Chicago White Sox,  sure got my attention. Consider me intrigued. I'd be much more excited, though, if the name Indians adorned the shirt.

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXXIV)

The Browns spent their second day of mandatory minicamp Wednesday traveling down the road to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. It was more of acquainting the 90-man roster with their teammates as well as the shrine itself. 

The workout was informal. No helmets. No pads. Just shorts, jerseys and caps. Nothing fancy. Maybe a half hour of practice inside the stadium. 

A great many of them had no idea how special this franchise was in the second half of the 20th century with 17 Hall of Famers and numerous championships in the old All-America Football Conference and National Football League. For the longest time, the Browns in the glory years correctly called themselves "The Greatest Show in Football."

All the current group knew was the misery the franchise and its fans suffered after the NFL unfairly and unjustly allowed it to be ripped it away from Cleveland in 1995 and transplanted to Baltimore before finally getting it back in 1999 as an expansion team.

It also was an historical indoctrination for them into what and who preceded them into the pantheon of greatness as they toured the Hall. The only member who did not tour was defensive end Myles Garrett, well on his way to becoming a member of the Hall five years after he retires.

The two-time All-Pro and three-time Pro Bowler (in five seasons) made news late last week when he declared he would not step inside the Hall until deemed worthy of induction. "Until I have my face (he probably meant bust) in it, I don't want to go (in)," he said.

That didn't stop him from making the trip and practicing. "I understand his feelings on that," said head coach Kevin Stefanski, who obviously rubber-stamped Garrett's absence inside. 

Perhaps this is Garrett's way of keeping his eyes focused on the ultimate reason he plays this game; a self-motivating reason to play it at the highest possible level as consistently as possible. With the exception of a helmet-swinging incident in 2019 against Pittsburgh that led to a season-ending six-game suspension, he has put up Hall of Fame numbers.

Despite getting double- and sometimes triple-teamed, Garrett has racked up 58.5 sacks in just 68 regular-season games, including a career-high and club record-breaking 16 last season. It's a pace that ranks right up there with the all-time greats.

Bruce Smith, who played 19 seasons with Buffalo and Washington, is the all-time NFL sack leader with 200 in 278 games, or 0.72 a game. The late Reggie White in 15 seasons with Philadelphia, Green Bay and Carolina is right behind with 198 sacks in 232 games, or 0.853 a game. Both are Hall of Famers.

Garrett checks in with 0.860 a game, arguably the best per-game stat in history in the category. At  this pace, he'll surpass Smith and White in about a dozen years if he lasts that long. He'll need good health and longevity to reach that territory.

Then he can finally take the trip inside. 

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXXIII)

Deshaun Watson stepped front and center with the Cleveland media for about 10 minutes for the first time in about three months Tuesday during the first day of the Browns' three-day mandatory minicamp in Berea and absolutely nothing changed.

The Cleveland quarterback steadfastly maintained his innocence regarding sexual misbehavior allegations and civil suits brought by at least 24 massage therapists that still hang over his head. Football questions were left unasked.

It was all about the civil suits and Watson, to his credit, calmly handled them all almost as though he fully anticipated the tenor of the conversation and had stock replies ready.

"Like I said (previously), I never assaulted anyone," he declared. "I never disrespected anyone. I  never forced anyone to do anything. I'm going to continue to say it until the facts come out (in court)."

His lone regret appears to be the effect all this has had on everything in his life. "I do have regrets as far as the impact (it has had) on the (Cleveland) community and people outside of just myself," he said. "That includes my family.

"That includes this organization . . . My teammates in the locker room who have to answer these (kinds of) questions. That includes the fan base of the Cleveland Browns. . . . the impact it has triggered on so many people. It's tough to have to deal with it."

Asked whether he considered countersuing, Watson said his only goal -- he called it the "biggest thing" -- is "clearing my name so I can get back to being in an environment I'm most comfortable in. . . . Just focusing on doing what's right and being honest." Assume that's a no.

He admitted the journey thus far has been tough. The hardest part, he said, was "trying to make sure I stayed balanced with my mental health and social life. When I walk into that building (in Berea), all that (other) stuff is outside. I want to be the best teammate I can be."

Until there is absolute closure to his well-tentacled situation, Watson better get used to the non-football questions. No one knows how long this will last. The National Football League has yet to render a decision on Watson's punishment.

The only certainty is the decision will be handed down eventually. When? Anyone's guess. For how long? Ditto. Because it is an unprecedented case, it's entirely possible the punishment could be unusually harsh to make certain something like this never happens again.

No one knows for certain why it's taking so long to adjudicate. Perhaps the uncertainty of whether further lawsuits will be filed against Watson has delayed it. Then again, the New York Times piece recently that revealed Watson contacted 66 massage therapists in a 17-month span got the league's attention.

Watson says he wants to be the best teammate he can be, but too many obstacles remain in his path to achieve that. Right now, there is little normalcy, so important for the good and welfare of any sports team (professional or otherwise), with Cleveland's professional football team.

Now it's time for owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam III and General Manager Andrew Berry to follow suit and step front and center, face the media and provide answers that need to be heard by Browns Nation.

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXXII)

It is time. In fact, it is high time owner Jimmy Haslam III, General Manager Andrew Berry and Chief Strategy Office Paul DePodesta of the Browns stop acting like cowards and come out from their commodious Ivory Tower offices and talk through the media to their constituents.

The fans need and deserve to know what's going on. The silence from 76 Lou Groza Blvd in Berea is deafening.

This whole Deshaun Watson thing is getting way, way, way out of hand. In case the club hasn't  noticed, its $230 million quarterback is piling embarrassment after embarrassment upon the team, reducing it to a laughingstock.

The next positive article I see about the situation in Cleveland will be the first. It has met with near universal disdain in the media. Is Haslam walking around with blinders on these days?

It was bad enough the Browns traded for and then signed Watson despite 22 female massage therapists filing civil suits for sexual harassment against him. Or bad enough when numbers 23 and 24 joined the already overcrowded docket in the last week. 

Maybe the well-documented New York Times story the other day caught Haslam's attention, revealing Watson had contacted at least 66 massage therapists in a 17-month period from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2021. It was a damning piece with specifics of Watson's personal sexual behavior sprinkled throughout.

Sixty-six!!

In rationalizing the controversial signing, Haslam and his cohorts several times initially cited "extensive" research over a five-month period when the decision to go after Watson was made. That included personal interviews with quarterback.

So much for the club's "extensive" research. I'd be surprised the Browns knew about that eye-opening total. Maybe it's my bias for strong, well-documented investigative pieces by one of the planet's most respected newspapers, I'll side with them just about every time.   

Haslam said he found Watson "humble, sincere and candid" during the interview process and declared he and his front office "confident in Deshaun and excited moving forward with him as quarterback and supporting his genuine and determined efforts."

After citing the extensive nature of the investigation, Berry curiously declined to reveal specifics at the news conference announcing the signing. He pointed out the legal and reference work "provided us with the appropriate information to make an informed decision about pursuing him."

Wonder if Haslam and his wife, Dee, feel the same way now following the NYT revelations. We don't know, of course, because the club has trotted out poor head coach Kevin Stefanski instead to face the tough Watson questions, a situation that suggests it probably isn't part of his job description.

All he wants to do is talk about his team but can't because his quarterback's story is much bigger now and dwarfs everything else. All he can do is repeatedly -- and respectfully -- decline to answer directly, preferring instead "to be respectful of the legal proceedings." It's like a broken record. And worthless.

It's all because his bosses have decided to play hide and seek, causing just about everyone with any remaining interest in this soap opera to speculate what the end game will be. It also would not be surprising if the Times story affected those fans on the fence immediately following the signing.

To his credit, Watson has been consistent in claiming his innocence as the allegations have continued. "I've never assaulted or disrespected or harassed any woman in my life," he insists over and over. "I've never done those things people are alleging."

The unfortunate part of this saga is the likelihood of it eventually going away lessens with each new revelation. And right now, given what has transpired in just the last week, we have no idea when that will be.

And that's the saddest part of all. 

Off-season thoughts (Vol. XXXI)

There are nasty rumors making the rounds the last 10 days or so that suggest Odell Beckham Jr. just might be headed back to the Browns.

Up first was free safety John Johnson III, followed by defensive end Myles Garrett, who put the rumor out there in the Twitterverse to see if it would fly. Why not? It's the offseason where just about anything goes. Voila! It grew wings.

You know the old story that if you lie enough -- or in this case, exaggerate in a semi-plausible way -- it eventually becomes the truth. Here we are just a week out for the annual mid-June minicamp for the entire club and the focus is on Deshaun Watson and his 24 civil suits and OBJ possibly returning.

First of all, that bit of nonsense -- doesn't take brains to figure out where this is going -- gives rumors a bad name. The likelihood of Beckham returning to the team that cut him loose halfway through last season is ludicrous, right? 

And then comes word from Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that the Cleveland front office is, indeed, discussing that very possibility. That the Browns have not responded to that item is curious at best, unsettling at worst.

If true, that would suggest General Manager Andrew Berry, head coach Kevin Stefanski and the rest of the Ivory Tower gang is not as sanguine about the wide receivers room as they profess. Saying it is one thing; meaning it is entirely different.

The news out of Miami spawned stories about how popular Beckham was in the Cleveland locker room. "Great teammate." "Hated to see him leave." "Come home. The fellas miss you." The love flowed. So why not bring him back? He'd be welcomed back with open arms. What happened last season was not his fault.

What has given this legs is Beckham is a free agent after helping the Los Angeles Rams knock off the Cincinnati Bengals in the Super Bowl earlier this year. He was a completely different player after leaving Cleveland, scoring all six of his touchdowns last season with the Rams before re-tearing an ACL in the big game.

Adding to the plausibility of OBJ even thinking about returning is the changed Cleveland offensive landscape with regard to the quarterback position. Baker Mayfield, with whom Beckham never really connected, is -- or soon will be -- gone. The much more heralded Watson is now the man.

Trying to make two and two equal four is the notion Beckham would have no trouble playing pitch and catch with Watson. The very thought might, in fact, intrigue him. Imagine playing with one of the bright, young National Football League quarterbacks and redeeming his poor Cleveland reputation.

He'd return as the theoretical No. 1 wideout with the Browns ahead of Amari Copper instead of heading back to the Rams as the clear WR2 behind the peerless Cooper Kupp. To those Browns fans who yearn for an OBJ return, that would make some sense. 

I personally hope -- and believe -- Beckham winds up anywhere but Cleveland. He is not even close to being the same player who burst onto the NFL scene with the New York Giants almost a decade ago. He still dazzles with his speed and ability to make the tough, almost impossible reception, but he has also become injury-prone.

He won't be available to play well into this season after his second ACL surgery. He'll be 30 by then and slowly approaching the downside of his checkered career. That, however, doesn't seem to hinder the distinct possibility of Beckham returning to . . . the Rams.

Rams coach Sean McVay has made it clear he envisions OBJ back in the huddle once he fully recovers. "We really want Odell back on our team," he said. "That's our goal. We're continuing to work toward a solution of his resigning with the Rams."

Beckham also seems quite fond of McVay, so much so that he crashed McVay's recent wedding despite not receiving an invite, which went only to team captains. McVay nevertheless said he "loved it."

The only other possibility of Beckham not landing with the Browns or Rams stems from the fact college -- and Browns -- teammate Jarvis Landry is trying to recruit him to come back home and play with him and his new team in New Orleans. 

Odds, though, favor the Rams at this juncture because Beckham finally realized his goal of being fitted for a Super Bowl with them. That right there is reason enough to re-up 

It is certain to once and for all shut down those nasty rumors of a return to Cleveland.