Kuzul

Spring training games offer much for the baseball world.  They offer knowledge; they offer glimpses of the upcoming season; they offer looks at minor league up-and-comers; and they offer first looks at those recovering from injury.  

Spring training games are not your average games—they do not feature a team’s starters all the way through for the most part—but they do offer looks and lessons to be learned.

The first few days of spring training are in the books, and baseball teams and fans have already learned much.  T

he Yankees have learned that Bartolo Colon can still pitch, but he is very, very heavy on the mound. The Braves have learned that Chipper seems to be recovering fairly well from his knee surgery. The Twins have learned that neither Mauer, nor Morneau are completely healthy.  

The Rockies have learned that even spring training games can result in injury as a collision between Ian Stewart and Carlos Gonzalez showed. The A’s learned that Michael Choice is a baller.  The Padres and Mariners learned that minor league pitchers in spring training games can have some very, very bad showings that lead to massive run production—a total of 25 runs scored.  

The Phillies learned that their aces are on point, but Chase Utley has knee tendonitis. The Marlins learned that Mike Stanton has a strained right quad.

Spring training can also lull teams and fans into a false sense of success.

Teams get a good spring win/loss record, and everyone starts to see visions of the post season dancing in their heads, only to come crashing back to earth when the regular season begins.  

Spring training games have to be taken with a grain of salt—especially early on.  

While there is much to be learned from spring training games, the real story only starts to develop as opening day approaches; but that is still several weeks away.  

In the meantime, teams and fans can enjoy a little bit of what they might see in the regular season, and a lot of what they might see in the future from minor leaguers who get playing time.  

All in all though, every bit of knowledge is to be absorbed like a sponge for all those winter starved baseball lovers.

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Most of the questions the New York Yankees have this spring training surround their starting rotation. Will A.J. Burnett show signs of bouncing back, and who will win the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation?

One of the pitchers trying to win one of the spots in the Yankees’ rotation is Bartolo Colon. Colon, who didn’t pitch in a single game in 2010, got the first shot to impress Joe Girardi and the rest of the Yankees’ coaching staff on Saturday.

The Yankees played their first preseason game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday, and Colon got the start. Let me rephrase that: The Yankee starters were playing the Phillies’ ham n’ egger squad. The only regulars to make the trip for the Phillies were Ryan Howard, Raul Ibanez and Domonic Brown.

It was determined before the game that Colon would go two innings or throw 35 pitches. Remarkably, he did both.

Colon pitched two innings and gave up two hits, one walk and one run and didn’t strike out a batter. He threw 36 pitches, and 23 of them were for strikes. The damage could have been worse, but Howard just missed a HR off a mediocre fastball by two feet in the first.

While I understand it was just the first spring training game and it was Colon’s first appearance, every appearance counts for him, and I came away unimpressed with Colon’s performance.

Colon was consistently throwing 88-89 mph, only induced a couple of swings and misses and failed to show major league-quality secondary pitches. He did let one go at 93 mph to Ross Gload in the first but never hit that mark again in his two innings of work.

A pitcher can get away with throwing 88-89, but he needs those secondary pitches to be successful. Colon did throw a couple of cutters and changeups, but neither of those pitches had any bite to them. Developing a successful secondary pitch might be difficult for Colon because even in his prime Colon was throwing 80 percent fastballs.

Colon is competing with Ivan Nova, Sergio Mitre and Freddy Garcia for the final spots in the Yankees rotation. If he plans to beat any of those guys out, he is going to have to show more in his future starts than he did on Saturday.

You can follow The Ghost of Moonlight Graham on Twitter @ theghostofmlg

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Quick, check your calender. OK it’s still 2011. Yes, that was the theme of this offseason for your usual big spending, aggressive New York Yankees. I’m not sure if Hank and Hal Steinbrenner know what year it is, because they sure as hell don’t know how to construct a team. If I didn’t know any better I would of thought Tommy Boy was running this organization.

After being shunned by Cliff Lee, the Yankees looked elsewhere for help. They would take the time machine back to the early 2000s to reload for this up coming season

Acquisitions such as, Bartolo Colon, Mark Prior (still pitches apparently,) Eric Chavez, Rafael Soriano, Russell Martin, Andruw Jones, and David Cone (OK, kidding)  would headline the key signings of this year’s offseason class for a team that is generally noted for signing the best free agents that become available.

Against Brian Cashman’s wishes, Hal Steinbrenner signed Rafael Soriano to a three-year, $35 million contract, while surrendering the teams first-round pick in this June’s amateur draft. Mixed feelings on this because even though the Yankees signed one of the best closers in the game, and presumably will be the heir apparent to the great Mariano Rivera, he’s going to be their set-up man for at least the next two years.

First-round pick vs set-up man? I’m not so sure I’m sold on this. The Yanks will undoubtedly have the best bullpen in the league. I also like the move in the form of weakening your divisional opponent that has an abundance of youth and talent, to go along with successful seasons the last few years including a World Series trip in 2008.

It’s hard not to think that a couple of 22-year-old basement dwellers playing MLB “The Show” 2011, couldn’t do a better job then Hank and Hal putting together a team. I’m not sure if it’s good for baseball having a couple of knuckleheads in charge of arguably the most popular organization in all of sports.

In fact George Steinbrenner choose his son-in-law to run the organization over Hank and Hal. I can’t help but picture Hank and Hal being thrust into the role of Commodus in the movie Gladiator when George told them the news about how they will not be taking over as owners of the New York Yankees:

George: Hank and Hal,are you ready for your duty of the Yankees?

Hank/Hal: Yes, father.

George: You will not be owners of the New York Yankees.

Hank/Hal: Who will take our place?

George: Stephen Swindal (Son-in-law)

Hank/Hal: You wrote to me once, listing the four chief virtues: wisdom, justice, fortitude and temperance. As I read the list, I knew I had none of them.

I’m not ruling out some kind of botched divorce case between Hank and Hal’s sister Jennifer and Stephen Swindal, so they could take over the reigns! In all seriousness though, what state are the Yankees in moving forward with this duo at the helm?

I’d like to think the Yankees will be in the thick of things come the trade deadline and nab a pitcher another team is willing to dump for prospects, but I have a feeling that that pitcher will be in the mold of a Kevin Millwood type. Point is this, don’t rule out anything.

The Yankees will be in the wild card race due to their offensive prowess, but unless they can trade for a legit pitcher come the trade deadline their ceiling isn’t that high. The loss of Andy Pettitte will sting as well. Best case scenario is Pettitte comes back later in the season, and the Yanks trade for a legit number two starting pitcher.

Yankee fans, get ready for an interesting year. Hank and Hal haven’t had to push the panic button yet and it may be scary when they are pushed into the situation. Somewhere George is turning in his grave.

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The New York Yankees lost their first spring training game to the Philadelphia Phillies, 5-4, after a late rally opportunity was wasted.

Trailing by what would prove to be the final score, New York had the tying run on third and the winning run on first with only one out in the bottom of the ninth inning. However, Brandon Laird struck out, and then Kevin Russo grounded to shortstop to end the threat, and the game.

Bartolo Colon started for the Yankees, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk in two innings of work. Joba Chamberlain and David Robertson followed with scoreless innings before prospect David Phelps was knocked around in his lone inning of work, allowing a pair of runs on three hits.

Another of the Yankees pitching prospects, Hector Noesi, allowed two hits in two shutout innings before Eric Wordekemper allowed a pair of runs and the loss for New York.

The Yankees offense came alive primarily from the bats of Jorge Vazquez, Mark Teixeria and Fransisco Cervelli. Vazquez hit the Yankees only home run, a two-run shot that gave New York the lead in the seventh inning. Teixeira and Cervelli each provided RBI doubles.

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“Athlete” and “in shape” are often thought of as going together. It’s part of the requirement, right?

You can’t be one without the other.

Unless, of course, you are a major league baseball player. Then being fat is okay.

Maybe it’s part of the appeal millions of Americans still have to what was once the national pastime, but baseball is a sport that can be played by the short or tall, fast or slow and in-shape or out of shape.

However, some players have taken the inherent advantage of being able to coast to a whole other level. There are some diamond stars that believe it’s not just about what you do on the field, but how much you can eat off of it.

Maybe it’s the constant travel, or the need to unwind before and after the games, but these 25 players could use a little more time at the gym.

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C.C. Sabathia, Phil Hughes and A.J. Burnett are the only current locks in what looks to be a very shaky rotation for the Yankees in 2011.

Assuming that Andy Pettitte retires, the Yankees could be in for a long season in the Bronx.

The Yankees entered the New Year thinking that their rotation would be rounded out by the likes of Ivan Nova and Sergio Mitre—far from a solid back of the rotation. It’s difficult to gauge how Nova will pitch, as it’ll be his first full season in the league and Sergio Mitre has never really been a productive starter.

To combat the shakiness of the rotation, the Yanks have signed both Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia. The team hopes that Colon and Garcia can regain some of their early to mid-2000’s form, where each starter won his share of games.

Colon’s first full season was in 1998 and he was a very consistent hurler up until the 2006 season. Through 2005, he had won 20 games in a season twice, 18 games four times, 15 games six times and had an ERA under 4.00 six times.

The two seasons since 1998 that he didn’t win 15 games were in 1998 and 2001. 

Guess how many games he won in those campaigns: Fourteen.

Colon enjoyed his best season in 2005 with the Angels, when he pitched to a 21-8 record with a 3.48 ERA in 222.2 innings. He racked up 157 strikeouts. Colon won the American League Cy Young Award that season, beating out Mariano Rivera by a whopping 50 points.

To say there was a drop off after 2005 would be a significant understatement.

Since his award winning campaign, Colon has earned just 14 wins with an average annual ERA of 4.89; to go along with his 14 wins, he has compiled 21 losses.

His struggles in 2006 came after missing most of the season after right shoulder soreness and inflammation, resulting from a partially torn rotator cuff that he suffered in a playoff game against the Yankees in 2005.

In 2007, his last season with the Angels, Colon took a few trips to the disabled list and started just 18 games. In 2008 with the Red Sox, he started just seven games and was cut from the team after attending to “personal matters” in the Dominican Republic and deciding to stay. 

After starting 12 games for the White Sox in 2009, he sat out the entire 2010 season.

Freddy Garcia burst onto the scene in 1999, compiling a 17-8 record in his rookie season with the Seattle Mariners. He achieved varying levels of success through 2006, winning 14 or more games five times, pitching over 200 innings seven times and compiling an ERA under 4.00 four times.

Garcia, a pitcher who has been prone to giving up the longball throughout most of his career, has always had a reputation of being a pitcher who can win games while also giving up a moderate amount of runs.

His highest ERA, through 2006, was 4.53. Despite the high ERA, Garcia was successful; he won 17 games that season and pitched 216.1 innings.

After his strong showing throughout most of the decade, Garcia dropped off the face of the baseball world until last season. From 2007-2009, he won just five games in 23 starts. His average annual ERA during that stretch was 4.83.

He spent much of the 2007 season on the disabled list with a shoulder injury; he sat out the 2008 season until August and didn’t receive a call to the bigs in 2009 until June.

Garcia essentially resurrected his career last season. He started 28 games for the Chicago White Sox and earned 12 wins with a respectable ERA of 4.64.

The Yankees hope to maximize production from the back end of the rotation, and having Colon and Garcia can’t hurt. The signings are low-risk, high-reward and didn’t cost the Bombers much money. 

If either of them should falter, the Yanks will have Nova and Mitre waiting in the wings. Plus, there is always a possibility that GM Brian Cashman pulls off a trade.

The Yankees are expecting more from Garcia this season, so anything received from Colon will be a huge bonus.

If Pettitte returns, then the Yankees rotation suddenly gets rather deep. Pettitte would slide into the third spot, then a healthy and effective A.J. Burnett would give the Yankees a deep front four. Any level of production from the fifth spot would then be a bonus. 

If such is the case, then the team would be thrilled if Garcia could match his 2010 level of production. 

We’ll just have to wait and see though, and thankfully we won’t have to wait too long.  Spring Training is just around the corner.

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New York Yankees GM Brian Cashman signed another ex-superstar to a minor-league deal, ex-Angels–White Sox–Red Sox pitcher Bartolo Colon.
 
Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that Colon will earn $900K in the majors and has the right to be released if he isn’t on the team after Spring Training.
 
Is Cashman really this desperate?
 
In 2005, Colon won the AL CY Young award, but has since completely imploded, both physically and mentally.
 
The following three seasons, 2006-2009, Colon had 14 wins in 47 starts, one complete game, allowed 44 balls to go yard, only had 172 strikeouts and pitched a total of 226 innings.
 
You might remember Colon back in 2008, when the Red Sox were the only ones interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11″ and tipped the scale at 245 lbs.

Making seven starts for Boston, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.
 
Colon then left Boston for his home in the Dominican Republic to tend to personal issues and never returned. The reason given was, “He didn’t feel like it.”
 
Colon’s attitude is why no team wanted him in the first place; add that to all the injuries and that, my friend, is the definition of being unreliable.
 
By no means am I trying to erase how talented Colon used to be, but since he took home pitching’s biggest honor, he has been a mess.
 
The last time Colon pitched on a major league mound was back on July 24, 2009.
 
The reality is that acquiring a self-proclaimed reformed hazard is the last thing the Yankees should want to waste their time on.
 
It would seem like Cashman’s on some ego filling mission by trying to look like a genius GM coming out of Spring Training.
 
Cashman is banking that one of the smug, injured, either mentally or physically, washed-up players he signed for pennies will become legitimate player again.
 
Well, this makes me officially question Cashman’s intentions for the 2011 Yankees. Spring Training is going to look like Old Timers Day.
 
What is Cashman’s next move?
 
Rumor has it Cashman is interested in re-signing Skipper Joe Girardi to play and manage, killing two birds with one stone.
 
That is a joke, but in all seriousness GM Brain Cashman might need a head-check.
 
What strikes me as odd is that MLB teams repeatedly fail to learn from others’ mistakes.

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The name Bartolo Colon and the New York Yankees should never be linked in a sentence again this offseason.
 
Yes, Colon won the 2005 American League Cy Young Award, but that is not what resonates in my memory.
 
Back in 2008, the Red Sox were the only team interested in signing the overweight pitcher, who stood at 5’11″ and tipped the scale at 245 pounds. Making seven starts as a member of the Red Sox, the injury-prone Colon found himself back on the DL again.
 
At the time, Colon left Boston for his home in the Dominican Republic to tend to personal issues and never left. The reason was he didn’t feel like it.
 
Colon’s attitude is why no team wanted him in the first place. Add that to all the injuries and that, my friend, is the definition of being unreliable.
 
By no means am I trying to overlook how talented Colon used to be, but since he took home pitching’s biggest honor, he has been a mess.
 
In 2005, Colon had 21 wins in 33 starts and two complete games, giving up 26 home runs, striking out 157 and pitching a total of 222 innings.
 
Then, from 2006-2009, Colon had 14 wins in 47 starts and one complete game, allowing 44 balls to go yard, recording 172 strikeouts and pitching a total of 226 innings.
 
Need I say more?
 
Actually, I forgot to add last season, but Colon didn’t pitch in 2010, making his last Major League start July 24, 2009. That was when the White Sox took a chance on Colon even after he went AWOL as a Red Sox.
 
Reality is, acquiring a self-proclaimed reformed hazard is the last thing the Yankees can afford to do.

A person’s behavior at 37 years old doesn’t ever disappear completely. Colon is already running his mouth, as he is the voice behind this Yankee rumor.
 
Nothing has come from the Yankees regarding interest in Colon and no vis-à-vis has taken place. This leads me to think it is just Colon being Colon, no matter how much weight he has lost.
 
 
“Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.”- Franklin P. Jones
 
Hopefully, the Yankees have learned enough by now, but in New York, anything can happen.

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Go ahead, read that title over a few times and let it settle in. It appears that the Cleveland Indians are not only trying to sign Bartolo Colon, but they may end up in a bit of a bidding war for the services of the 37-year-old righty.

While nothing has been confirmed as of yet, Colon told reporters prior to a start during yesterdays Dominican League playoffs that there were three teams interested in potentially signing him. Of course, the team that’s already been talked about all winter are the Indians. That’s not a surprise. What is a bit of a shocker are the other two teams.

Who are the other two teams? As hard as this is to believe, it appears as though the Texas Rangers and the New York Yankees have been scouting Colon. The Rangers and the Yankees were both the rumored winners in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes at one time or another during this past offseason. Now, they apparently decided to find another Tribe starter.

Rumors were abound that both teams were fishing around Ontario and Carnegie to see if Fausto Carmona was available in a deal. When that door was politely closed, they apparently decided that it was imperative to sign anyone that used to wear Chief Wahoo on their jersey.

I seriously couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried.

Colon was fairly dominant in his seven starts for Águilas Cibaeñas, going 2-1 with a 1.47 ERA. The Indians, in need of a veteran starter, were known to be interested in their former ace. While Colon being a factor in free agency is somewhat jokeworthy, it may turn out that the joke is on the Indians after all.

The culprit of this potential battle for Colon’s services is former ace Cliff Lee. While I’d like to think that Lee didn’t do this on purpose, I’m starting to wonder. Is there some greater conspiracy at work here? Did Rocky Colavito bury an old jersey under home plate at the Jake? Is Jaret Wright somehow involved?

When Lee spurned both the Yankees and the Rangers by signing with Philadelphia, the move certainly took the Yankees by surprise. There’s no doubt that the Yankee-ego had all but assured itself that Lee was a lock. Nobody spurns the Yankees when they throw around that kind of cash. Oops.

Both the Yankees and the Rangers teams have been actively seeking players that can add depth to their rotation. The Rangers have been more active. The Yankees, well, haven’t. They seriously didn’t have a back-up plan in place, until now of course.

After the Lee debacle, the Yankees have been hoping that Andy Pettitte would return for one more season, but with retirement seeming more and more likely for the lefty, the Yankees may be ready to turn in another direction. Apparently, Bartolo Colon may be at the top of their list.

Seriously, that’s hard to say with a straight face.

The Rangers weren’t as stoic and whiny as the Yankees after losing Lee. They went out and signed Brandon Webb to a one-year, $3 million incentive-laden deal. Webb has only made one start since the start of 2009, so the gamble is obvious for the Rangers, but they have contingencies in place.

It’s believed that the Rangers would like an alternative to Webb should the lefty not pan out, and since they only dropped three million, they had money for another insurance policy. Enter Bartolo Colon.

Both teams seem set for return to the playoffs, and at the very least, are a lot closer to the playoffs than the Tribe. If that’s important to Bartolo (and that’s questionable), the Indians may not have a chance in this fight.

Cleveland is the one team that can guarantee Colon a sure-fire spot in the rotation. I’ve read some stuff saying that Colon would be the #5 starter, but the number by his name doesn’t matter. As long as he’s healthy, he’ll start for the Indians.

The Yankees and Rangers would likely spot start him unless someone didn’t pan out. In other words, he’d end up in the same situation that he walked out on in Boston and Chicago, his last two major league destinations. So perhaps these three teams are on some even ground.

Still, you have to find the ironic humor in all this. Cleveland needs a starter, and they’ve been universally panned for even considering Colon. The former Cy Young winner is believed to be long past his MLB prime, has spent the better part of the past ten years eating (although he’s supposedly in great shape), and seemed to be an easy get for the Tribe, should they decide to go that route.

Now, Bartolo Colon has not only managed to become relevant, but has potentially placed himself in the middle of three teams looking for a starter. Only in Cleveland.

The ultimate irony in all of this is Cliff Lee. He was acquired by the Indians many moons ago through a trade with the now-defunct Montreal Expos. Who did Cleveland give up to get Lee, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips and Lee Stevens? How about Bartolo Colon. So Colon left because of Lee in 2002 (which was a good thing), and now, perhaps he’s done it all over again (perhaps another good thing).

So, what does all this mean?

I’m still not sure that I even want the Indians to sign Colon. There’s nothing that indicates he can be effective at 37, or 47, or however old he may be. I can tell you that having the Yankees and Rangers interested sure makes me want the Indians to sign him all the more.

I know that it’s not very Sabr of me, but such is life. It may be the only win the Tribe can get against the Evil Empire and the World Series runner-up Rangers this season, so I’ll take what I can get.

The real humor in all this is that it’s distinctly possible that Colon has made these comments with the direct intent to garner more cash with whomever he ultimately signs with. It’s a common ploy for most agents and players to let it be known that they are wanted somewhere else, and Colon has been around the block a few time.

For some reason, this all makes some sort of strange, ‘you have to be kidding me’ sense. The New York Yankees and Texas Rangers outbidding the Indians for Bartolo Colon.

Shhhhh, I hear Jamie Moyer is available.

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There’s something strangely fitting that former Tribe starter Bartolo Colon is rumored to be a potential free-agent target for the Indians during the 2010-2011 hot stove season. 

No, I’m not talking about Colon now “fitting” into his old Tribe jersey now that he’s allegedly lost 50 pounds, I’m talking about how he could fit on this team as a relevant starter.  Seriously, I know you all are chuckling.

I know most of you think that Colon is long past his prime.  I know that you think this rapid weight loss is bogus, or some sort of Oprah-Winfrey like rubber-band diet.  I know that you all think he’s really a grandpa.  I know you think he’s past his prime.  But c’mon, you’ve got to open up your mind a bit here.

I’m going to assume that the five of you that read my sad excuse for a blog are seated in front of your computer while viewing this exquisite and well thought out piece, and while you are likely dedicating the next ten minutes of your life into a wonderful retort about how insane I am (you’d be correct), please try and remain calm for a few more moments. 

Give me some time here people,  so please take this moment to relax, get nice and comfortable, close your eyes, and think back to the good ole’ days of 1998.  Don’t worry, if you can’t remember back that far, I’ll help you along a bit. 

Ah, yes, 12 years ago when the Indians were one of the upper echelon.  Back then, Mr. Colon was a 23-year-old ace-in-waiting.  He had helped the Tribe along to their second World Series appearance in three years back in 2007, and had really emerged as a plus pitcher in ’08.  He would win 14 games that year, and would then go on to win 10 or more games in his next four seasons with the Tribe. 

He was good…really good.  So good, in fact, that the Indians dealt him away for a net return of Lee Stevens, Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips.  While Stevens turned into an afterthought, Lee and Sizemore became extremely valuable pieces to the Tribe cause, and Phillips did the same, just not for the Tribe (you’re welcome Cincinnati). 

Colon continued to pitch well for a variety of teams before winning the Cy Young with the Angels in 2005.  It was his last relevant season.

Okay, now open up your eyes.  I wanted to be fair to the former ace before we took a look at the reality of the “fit.”  Yeah, I know, you thought I was being serious.  You thought I really thought that Colon was a perfect fit.  Please let me rephrase a bit.  I don’t think he’s a good fit, but the Tribe brass does.  No, I’m not kidding. 

For once, I’d like to believe Paul Hoynes, who stated on his twitter account a few days ago that the “Indians have no interest in re-signing Bartolo Colon, who quit on his last two teams.”  Tonight, during Bart’s start with his Dominican team, sitting in the stands was one Manny Acta.  Of course, he could just be taking in a game…right?

Colon is nothing if not interesting.  “Manny being Manny” is a popular phrase, but there was also Bart being Bart.  Remember when I said that he was 23 years old back in 1998?  It turns out that a birth certificate showed up in 2002 with a birth date of 1973, instead of 1975.  So, as it turns out, Colon wasn’t as promising a prospect as he was.

Granted, a 25-year-old winning 14 games is still fairly outstanding, but it’s just not the same as a 23-year-old.  Like many players from the Dominican, questions to this day remain about Colon’s age.  Is he really 37?  Is he 40?  Is he 50?  Is he still alive?  It’s hard to tell.

There’s also the issue of Colon’s weight.  With the Tribe, Colon consistently struggled with his weight.  While he was never a svelte starter, Colon did manage some eating restraint.  Over the years, however, Colon’s food demons had seemingly caught up with him.  Of course, once they did, Bart actually ate them too. 

I remember seeing some listings of Colon’s weight back in 2006 and 2007 as somewhere around 185 pounds.  Now, I could believe that he was 185 pounds back then, perhaps if he was filled with helium, and not the better part of the Golden Corral buffet. 

Colon hasn’t pitched for the Tribe since June of 2002, and hasn’t pitched for any major league team since 2009.  In 2008, the Red Sox signed Colon, and he pitched fairly well.  Still, Colon wasn’t considered a starter with the Sox, and after making seven solid starts, Boston manager Terry Francona planned to meet with Colon about moving him to the pen.  Colon allegedly never showed up to the meeting…twice. 

Then, Colon headed off to the Dominican for “personal matters.”  While I can’t speak to what those matters were, it’s generally believed that Colon was ticked off about relieving, and spot starting.  Apparently it’s better to not pitch at all, or in this case, pitch in the Dominican.

Colon then signed with the White Sox.  After his initial signing, it took the White Sox three days to locate Colon to talk to him.  He’d again pitch fairly well.  He’d go 3-6, but he had a respectable 4.19 ERA before going on the DL on June 9. 

Colon would rehab in Arizona, but in late June, he disappeared again.  Manager Ozzie Guillen speculated that Colon was “depressed a little bit” because of his affinity for Michael Jackson.  He would turn up, but injuries derailed his season.

Is there anything that’s fitting about this potential signing that isn’t some two-cent joke about his weight?  There is a certain amount of nostalgia, but it’s not like the masses of Cleveland are clamoring for a reunion with the former enigmatic starter.  He was good, bordering on great, but wasn’t nearly as beloved as some of the other members of those great teams.

There is the Cliff Lee factor.  Lee was the young pitching prospect in that deal I mentioned before that sent Colon to Montreal.  Unless you live under a rock. Lee just signed a five-year, $120 million deal with the Phillies, managed by Charlie Manuel, Colon’s last Tribe manager. The Phillies, a relevant, big-market team are signing relevant, marquee baseball players. 

In this case, Cliff Lee, the pitcher the Indians hoped to help take Colon’s place, which he did, and then some.  Perhaps signing Colon to a minor-league, sub-million dollar contract is some sort of karmic balance to Lee’s massive deal.  While Lee fits himself in a staff of aces, Colon could himself in a staff of players half his age.

In a bit more serious tone, Colon is a low-cost option to come onto this club and potentially fill a hole as a veteran starter.  Of course, there’s that thing about him quitting on his last two teams.  There’s also a bit of an injury issue.  There’s also that bit about not having pitched in an important game in over a year.  There’s also his weight problems.  Of course, there is all that nostalgia! 

Maybe the plan is to sign Manny as well, and create some sort of quirky Cleveland sitcom.  I’m sure we could get Betty White involved, and maybe Cerrano as well.  I’m sure we could work some sort of Allstate tie-in.  Wait a second, what are we talking about again?

My guess is that there are better options that bringing back Bartolo.  Of course, if he does sign, and it pans out for the Tribe, I could always change the name of my blog…

For those wondering at home, Colon got lit up a bit tonight, giving up six runs, three earned.  The three unearned came on a throwing error by Colon on a bunt.  Overall, Colon is a respectable 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA in six starts, and 35 innings pitched.  He’s struck out 29 and walked only 3.

Check out Bringing Back Boudreau for more Tribe info!!!

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