Around The 'Land

This column was first published on LandLoyalty.com on February 28, 2011.

Music to our ears: When I dialed in for Sunday’s opener between the Tribe and the Cincinnati Reds, it felt so good to hear Tom Hamilton again. While I heard him call some Big Ten basketball over the winter, that merely served as a check-in so I was assured his pipes were healthy and he would be ready to go this baseball season.

He’s been ready to go each of the past 21 seasons, and he’s brought us a lot of GREAT baseball, as well as some dark, dark days. The mark of a consummate professional is doing your job at a high-level all the time, and Hamilton consistently is at the top of his game during the dog days of summer.

I think most people in Cleveland have a memory or two of sitting in their calls while listening to Hamilton call a particular game. The truth is, we’re so blessed in this town to have great play-by-play men in Jim Donovan and Joe Tait. People have their disagreements on television commentators, but I don’t see many in opposition of Donovan, Hamilton or Tait.

Wish They Could Have That Back: Being the nerd I am, I was reading stuff about Miguel Cabrera for my fantasy baseball draft when I stumbled across this gem from December of 2007:

“For Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins asked for Asdrubal Cabrera, Adam Miller, and then some. Obviously the Tribe said no thanks.”

Ouch.

Alcohol problems and all, Miguel Cabrera can flat out hit. Asdrubal Cabrera is obviously a solid shortstop, but he’s not a player that sells tickets or changes a franchise. Miller, the “can’t miss prospect” … missed. Much of that can be blamed on injuries, but it brings up the debate about trading prospects for proven commodities. Potential often gets front office executives fired.

We’ve all heard about the Indians refusing to include Jaret Wright in a deal for Pedro Martinez, and while Wright went 8-3 with a 4.38 ERA as a 21-year-old in 1997, Pedro Martinez was entering his prime – a prime that would include two Cy Young Awards after being traded to Boston.

Hindsight is always 20/20, but having the chance to do it is a LOT different than proving, consistently, that you can do it.

No Quit? No Duh.: In last week’s Sports Illustrated, Joe Posnanski wrote a small piece titled ‘No Quit in Cleveland’ where he talked about Cleveland fans still standing by the Cavaliers despite the team’s recent struggles. The writer is a Cleveland native so he knows how things go around here, which is why I’m surprised he thought quitting was even an option.

Shorts the next Garcon? Not so fast.: Collinwood High School Cecil Shorts III is a great story of a guy being passed over by Division I college coaches and excelling at a small school like Mount Union. ESPN NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. ranked Shorts as the fifth best wide receiver in the draft before the NFL Combine. Shorts is a smaller wide receiver, so the 4.59 second 40-yard dash he ran on Sunday morning could hurt his stock. Garcon, who is about the same size as Shorts, ran a 4.48 40-yard dash back in 2008.

Earlier in the week, Shorts told National Football Post, "I've been running 4.3, 4.4. My trainer is a very tough timer."

That 4.59 is going to hurt a small school product. Perhaps he's someone the Browns look at in the later rounds.