Sunday Grazing: It's Raining Seeds, Kip's Music, and Valuable Tickets

Whoa! What's this? A post? A post!

I guess I should start this episode of Sunday Grazing (I think of it as a show, not a written piece of work) with an explanation for my absence this past week and a bit of a warning moving forward.

Remember when I got my wisdom teeth out less than two months ago? You don't? Well I did, and all seemed like it was fine a few weeks after as I healed. Then something happened. I don't know what, but as a result of the surgery or just something else that was purely coincidental, I was diagnosed with TMJ. If you don't know what it is, you can Google it if you care to know more. It is painful and not fun.

Bottom line, I took a week off. I probably could have pushed, but you would have received a sub-par performance from me and I'm not about to phone it in just to get something up. I was kind of already running on fumes the week before.

The good news is that I'm going to give this a go again and start it off with a new episode of Sunday Grazing and hopefully the Rundown falls into place as usual. The bad news is, TMJ is not something that is fixed in a few days with some medication. I'm essentially trying to rehabilitate my jaw. I have bad moments, sometimes in the evening. If you don't hear from me on a certain day, you should now know why.

And now that I've spent nearly too many words on my problems, let's get to more pressing matters.

Sunday Grazing, a little bit of an outside the diamond look at the Cleveland Indians.

Morning Rundown: Tribe Win Another Series, But Drop Finale to Twins

You know starting pitchers are funny funny beings. Following them is very much a fluid situation, especially with the Indians and the way this year's rotation has gone.

This weekend we saw Scott Kazmir go out and pitch well against Minnesota. There were some doubts creeping in about Kazmir and if he was really going to be able to get the job done consistently as a member of the rotation.

Yesterday, Cookie Carrasco went out to face the Twins coming off an excellent start against the Royals. His outing made you think that he was getting it and that he could really slot in and be an impact piece.

Oh how things change from start to start, in either case. I guess if the Indians can get 90 manageable starts from their starters, they'll be in good shape. It doesn't matter how they get them or who they get them from.

If You Buy It: Has the Dolan Family Renewed their Contract with Indians' Fanbase?

If you build it, they will come.

Right right right. Field of Dreams, it's actually "If you build it, he will come," but let's not split hairs. We've all heard the term before.

In real, present day baseball though, it goes along the lines of something like this.

If you buy it, they will come.

The Indians definitely purchased more than they purged this past offseason. Their idea was that if they bought it, maybe the fans would come. They also thought they'd win a few more games and better contend for the playoffs, but that alone would create some interest and fan support.

The number one criticism with the Dolan family has always been the same. Why do they not spend any money?

Let's be clear, the Dolans spend money, they just leave it up to the management to utilize what their allowed to spend in what way they want. Management knows they can't compete with the "Buy it and they will come teams" in Boston, Los Angeles, and New York. So why do that?

Morning Rundown: Tribe Make Their Own Rally Sauce Over Royals in Eighth Inning

Morning Rundown: A Bloop and a Busted Play Does Indians In

Photo - Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports

Sometimes I have no words to describe my reaction to a game. This is one of those games. So I'll just ramble incoherent nonsense.

I'll skip the incoherent nonsense.

ROYALS - 2 | INDIANS - 1
W: Aaron Crow (3-2)
L: Bryan Shaw (0-1)
S: Greg Holland (15)
[BOXSCORE]

No wait, I gotta get it out.
ErrrrrrrrrrrrrrrmahgrerrrrrrrrddddddddddFORTHELOVEOFBRUCECHEN!

Told you it was nonsense. As was all two runs the Royals scored on Monday in their win.

Morning Rundown: A Kluber Summer? Corey Does It Again

Remember a few years back when Stephen Strasburg was being called up and he made one of his first starts in Cleveland? The Indians countered with their stud-call up of Carlos Santana and the two went head-to-head on Sunday. It was called Strasburg-Santana Sunday and honestly, I barely remember that the Nationals won or if the Indians even won that series.

What I do remember is that Travis Hafner hit a home run of Strasburg. It was the lone run the Indians scored in the game off Strasburg. The game turned into more of a slug-fest from there, with part of the problem being that David Huff started for the Indians. This game on Sunday, in which Strasburg made his return to Progressive Field, and from the disabled list, was yet another one-run effort. This was a bit of a different type of game, and of course, outcome.

NATIONALS - 0 | INDIANS - 2
W: Corey Kluber (5-4)
L: Stephen Strasburg (3-6)
S: Vinnie Pestano (1)
[BOXSCORE]

Sunday Grazing: Rally Sinkhole, AJ Peersenskii, and Alright!

A Happy Father's Day out there to you and your Dad today. Give him a hug today for all the cool things he's ever done for you. Father's Day is a Baseball Day in my eyes. MLB celebrates it with the blueing of everything ( Tobias! ) of everything.

Dad's typical give the gift of baseball. Whether it's having a catch in the backyard ( GOB just wanted to play catch with his dad ) or what my dad did. Take me to a bunch of game. With that though, the gift of baseball comes what really is the most special part of it all. Spending time together. So, thanks to all the dads out there that give baseball, but with it, time spent with their sons.

I was in Arrested Development sort of mood, sorry to ruin the moment. Come on!

Sunday Grazing, a little bit of an outside the diamond look at the Cleveland Indians.

Morning Rundown: Tribe Settling Into a New Klube

Photo - Getty Images via Yahoo! Sports

It sure wasn't easy. When you are just starving for a win, and are so close to it, that's when it seems to be the toughest. Once the game got to the seventh inning, it seemed as if the Indians had to work extra hard to keep the Rangers at bay and hold onto their lead, even though it was a 4-0 lead.

With a team like Texas though, in their own ballpark, a 10-0 lead isn't safe.

INDIANS - 5 | RANGERS - 2
W: Corey Kluber (4-4)
L: Derek Holland (5-3)
[BOXSCORE]

But there was absolutely no denying Corey Kluber on this night. That guy was incredible. And the Indians are going to need more of that, especially with Zach McAllister down. Kluber stepped up to the plate and did something not a lot of Indians pitchers have been able to do.

Morning Rundown: The Coldest Team In Baseball

Just a few weeks ago, this was the hottest team in baseball. Now they're the coldest. Ice cold.

Photo - Getty Images via Zimbio.com

When it rains....it turns into ice, freezes over, and gets cracked open with a sledgehammer and shattered to pieces.

Okay, that's a little dramatic. But, Terry Francona did call a team meeting after the loss on Sunday and while it wasn't "rah rah let's turn this around" type of stuff, it was probably a necessary thing to do to get the team together and give them a pep talk. Unfortunately, it didn't result in a win.

INDIANS - 3 | RANGERS - 6
W: Robbie Ross (3-1)
L: Scott Kazmir (3-4)
S: Joe Nathan (20)
[BOXSCORE]

Has Scott Kazmir been pitching out of this world? Heck no, but he's been pitching well enough to keep his team in the game. As was the case on Monday when he took a 3-3 tie into the seventh inning. Kazmir, if anything, got stronger as the game went on, despite surrendering a 4th inning home run, Kazmir had retired all but one hitter following the home run he gave up to Jeff Baker .

Sunday Grazing: Wronged Wahoo, Bro'in It Up, and Brody Baum

Remember? Threes-a-trend. Here we are, three weeks in a row. You want to know what four times is? Four times is, I stop mentioning it, and finally write a new introduction that pulls you into reading this.

Ahh, who am I kidding? You're going to read it anyway, because it is your new favorite feature on this website.

Sunday Grazing, a little bit of an outside the diamond look at the Cleveland Indians.

Positive Swish: What's a SWOON Anyway?

The last time Positive Swish came rolling around, he didn't really have a big impact. So maybe a double-dose of Positive Swish is just what we need right now. Before we get too far into June, Swish is here to swoosh in and save us.

Anti-Tiger Karma... Let's go!

MLB Draft: Indians Select Clint Frazier with 5th Overall Pick

I used to do a little homework on the MLB Draft. And around here, we followed the minor leagues a little more closely. That was when I had time to devote to that area of the organization. Now a days, I've heard of Mark Appel, but that's because he was drafted last year, but anyone else in this year's draft?

Nope.

Which is why we're going to rely on everyone else to tell us all about the Indians pick this year. If you believe what most people who follow this closely are saying, the Indians made their only pick of the first day count. Having lost both a second round and a supplemental pick due to the free agent signings this winter, the fifth pick was all the Indians had to worry about on Thursday.

Photo - Baseball America

And here is the man that they drafted.

Introducing: Clint Frazier
Position: Outfielder
From: Loganville High School (Georgia)
Age: 18 (September 6th, 1994)
Height: 5'11" Weight: 190 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Notable: Won Gatorade National High School Player of the Year Award (2013)
Twitter: @ CJF19

Morning Rundown: Lost in New York, Tribe Swept Away

I can't decide what is more painful right now. Trying to watch this Indians team, knowing that they just can't seem to get it going or my mouth. The Indians are not playing horrible baseball. Are they playing well enough to win though? Not on most nights. This three game series has been rough, because they've shown glimmers of hope that the game isn't over, but the glimmer lasts about one minute, or one inning. Whatever.

And then you have my mouth, which is exactly one month removed from having my wisdom teeth extracted. So can anyone tell me why I'm still experiencing pain and discomfort, that is even worse than when I originally got them removed?

Alright, a little bit of a personal note that I used to relate to the Indians, but you get how I feel right now. I'm writing about an Indians loss, while the side of my mouth is throbbing in pain. Why? I couldn't tell you, I guess I'm a glutton for punishment. I enjoy the misery. Which is more painful? I don't know, because right now they're both headaches. But here's the good news in it all.

I have a doctor's appointment today. And the Indians? They have an off day. So not only do they not lose today, they get to recharge their batteries, which I'm just going to assume is something that is much needed after 20 straight games, including one that ended at three in the morning. Ya know, just a little.

Morning Rundown: Late Rally Can't Find Footing for Indians

They're not... look, they're not playing bad baseball by any means. This is a team right now that's catching some bad breaks, having a few costly lapses, be it defensively, offensively, whatever, and running into good performances.

If it's not one of those things, it's another one of them. A combined effort by all. Not bad baseball being played. Not excellent of course, because if that was the case, they'd be winning games. They're not winning very many games. But they're not horrific, so, silver lining...yeah.

INDIANS - 3 | YANKEES - 4
W: David Phelps (4-3)
L: Scott Kazmir (3-3)
S: Mariano Rivera (21)
[BOXSCORE]

Morning Rundown: Ughhhh Masterson!

Write your own introduction from this one. I got no words left.

Photo - AP via Yahoo! Sports

INDIANS - 4 | YANKEES - 7
W: Shawn Kelley (3-0)
L: Justin Masterson (8-4)
S: Mariano Rivera (20)
[BOXSCORE]

Perhaps because I've become exhausted trying to figure Justin Masterson out.

Look, I love the guy, I want him on my staff, but it has become incredibly clear that the Indians need a guy ahead of him. He has been ace-like this year, but he has also been, crud-like. In the instance of last night against the Yankees.

Morning Rundown: Soaked and Unlucky, Rays Take Two from Tribe

You win some, you lose some. You win more, you lose more. You are forced to play a game having lost your starter at 1 in the morning, you.... Yeah I got nothing there.

Photo - AP via Yahoo! Sports

What another annoying weekend. The Indians came away with a big win on Saturday, thanks in part to the gem from some dude that I'm going to continue to ignore (it helps when he pitches on weekends!), but it really felt like that was a two games series with the Rays always having a game in their favor.

RAYS - 11 | INDIANS - 3
W: Jeremy Hellickson (3-2)
L: Zach McAllister (4-5)
[BOXSCORE]

Sunday Grazing: Hammy's Words, Bauer's Rap, and Bobbleheads

One time is just something tried. Twice is a coincidence. Three times a trend. That isn't the exact phrase, in any way a person would say it, except for me. But you get the point. Or maybe you don't, because like always, I haven't made it quite yet. You should know I NEVER make a point within the first paragraph of a post.

Which is why I'm telling you that this is the second edition of Sunday Grazing, thus making this feature a coincidence. I mean, it isn't really a coincidence that this happened, considering I planned to write this, but you get the picture right. Next week, if it happens, Sunday Grazing will officially be a trend, a thing, a regular occurrence that you can count on.

And it will be that fourth week that I have no material for it, thus making that trend an adoration.

Sunday Grazing, a little bit of an outside the diamond look at the Cleveland Indians.

Bro of the Month: May 2013

For the past few years, we've done this little thing around the blog were we've voted for the player of the month, every month.

It had a fancy title, because Manny Acta, the former manager, wore fedoras. It was a play off the idea of the "golden sombrero" only this was something you were okay with being saddled with.

Manny Acta is now gone though, so to continue the tradition of having a Manny Acta Golden Fedora of the Month would be really, weird. And awkward.

So the search began for months after Acta's dismissal as to what would happen. Would we abandoned the concept completely? Would we choose a new person and unique trait about them to represent the award? Would we just call it Indians Player of the Month?