Inside Pitch

Alex Ramirez named MVP in Japan

Here's a blast from the past: Former Bisons star Alex Ramirez was named MVP of the Japanese League for the second straight year on Wednesday. Now 35, Ramirez led the Yomiuri Giants to their first Japan Series title by leading the league with a .322 average, 31 homers and 103 RBIs. He has become an icon during his nine-year career in Japan

The 35-year-old Ramirez hit .322 in helping the Yomiuri Giants to their first Japan Series championship since 2002. He had 31 homers and drove in 103 runs in 144 games this season, his ninth in Japan. He's the fastest American in history with 1,500 hits in Japan and he has 287 career home runs

"A-Ram" as he was known here, played in Buffalo from 1997-99 and was a key member of Buffalo's 1998 International League champions . He hit .299 with 34 home runs and 103 RBIs that season to earn the club's most valuable player award. His home run and RBI totals, and his 28-game hitting streak still stand as modern-era records for the Bisons.

Check out Ramirez's official Web site (you can click on the Japanese tab for the Japanese version if you so choose). Here's his year-by-year stats in Japan

Here's a story on Ramirez that ran during the Japan Series.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Coaching carousel

Back from a post-World Series vacation and keeping an eye on the smoldering hot stove, which will heat up next month at the Winter Meeetings in Indianapolis. Here's some moves in the dugout I found interesting: 

---New Indians manager Manny Acta made three more additions to his staff today, including the hiring of former Bisons pitching coach Scott Radinsky as his new bullpen coach. Acta went with an outsider, Steve Smith, as his third base/infield coach, a post some thought could go to Torey Lovullo. The first base coach slot is still open and Lovullo probably has a chance for that.

---One I missed during the chaos of the Series: The Orioles named Jeff Datz, former Bisons manager and deposed Indians bench coach, as their new bench coach under Dave Tremblay. Here's more from Datz on how the interview process went down.

---Also today: Ex-Met Wally Backman, exiled to independent ball after a misdemeanor assault charge and DUI ended his four-day stint as Diamondbacks manager in 2004, was hired by the Mets to manage Class A Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League

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Elsewhere, have you seen the new national AT&T ad featuring a fictional Bison getting called up? The ad was filmed in Lake Elsinore, Calif., and not at Coca-Cola Field but it prominently features "Buffalo" on the player's jersey and his phone. Why the Bisons? AT&T has long been one of the team's top national partners. Check it out here:

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Torey Talk: Hear Lovullo's press conference in Cleveland

Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo had his official interview with the Indians today for the manager's post and then met the Cleveland media to discuss his candidacy. Lovullo is banking on his familiarity with the organization as one of his major attributes.

"When I walked out of there, I was excited," Lovullo said of the interview. "For the first time really with this group, I got a chance to express myself and some of my philosophies."

Lovullo is in a quartet of candidates that includes Manny Acta, Bobby Valentine and Don Mattingly for the post to replace Eric Wedge. Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke has just climbed into the mix and so may ex-Rockies manager Clint Hurdle.

Click the arrow at the left side of the box below to listen to the audio from Lovullo's session with the media. (The first 35 seconds or so are sound tests. Watch for the loud beep the first three seconds).

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

10.23lovullo

 

Angels escape to New York

So the ALCS goes back to the cold and rain of New York -- where there's a 90 percent chance of showers and the Yankees are suddenly and nervously trying to ward off the ghosts of 2004 after Thursday's did-you-see-that 7-6 loss.

New York Daily News columnist John Harper says you can blame it on A.J.

Joel Sherman of the Post says you can blame it on Joe Girardi. Here-here. The Yankees were coming off and off day and had another one scheduled today. Once they took the lead, I would have gotten Burnett out of there and tried to get the last nine outs with some combination of Joba Chamberlain, Phil Hughes and Mariano Rivera. Yes, Hughes got hit. But he came into the game with men on base. I would have started the seventh fresh with Hughes.

Still can't figure out which was the more bizarre move: The Angels walking A-Rod with two out and no one on in the ninth -- or the Yankees pinch-running for A-Rod with Freddy Guzman. A-Rod runs OK and were you really going to go into extra innings without him in the lineup after all that he's done this October?

You still have to like the Yankees' chances. They have Andy Pettitte and CC Sabathia lined up for Games Six and Seven. In 2004, they had Jon Lieber and Kevin Brown in 6-7. The Red Sox, remember, had bloody-socked Curt Schilling and Derek Lowe.

I know one guy probably rooting for a Game Seven: Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro. If Sabathia needs to pitch in an ALCS finale, Shapiro won't have to endure the indignity of a Sabathia-Cliff Lee matchup in Game One of the World Series, featuring the back-to-back Cy Young winners that cheapo ownership forced him to trade away the last two years.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

AP Photo: Bobby Abreu and Reggie Willits celebrate after the final out.

Torey's time to talk in Cleveland

The Indians' managerial search continues and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo, left, has his interview Friday. The Tribe has already talked to ex-Washington skipper Manny Acta and former Mets manager Bobby Valentine was in Cleveland Thursday. Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly is still on the docket.

No secret to longtime readers that I'm a huge Lovullo booster. But the fact is I can't see how the Indians could possibly hire him at this time. It seems more like a token interview for Lovullo's eight years of service as a Tribe minor-league manager. He was terrific in Class A and Double-A and pretty mediocre in Triple-A with four straight non-playoff seasons (three in Buffalo, one in Columbus). Eric Wedge, meanwhile, got the top job in 2003 coming off two bangup seasons in Buffalo, including a 91-win campaign in 2001. Don't think Indians fans want to go the minor-league route again.

But the big-name route can be rife with potholes too. Mattingly would sell tickets but he's never managed. Valentine would sell tickets but his interview Thursday sounds downright bizarre. He admitted to not knowing a lot about stats such as OPS, which are bible to the folks running the Tribe. And admitted to other sins as well.

"I don't know as much about Cleveland as someone interviewing for their manager's job probably should," said Valentine. "I could have crammed for the last six days, read every article and called every friend to get every bit of information just in case one of guys asked me who the starting third baseman is going to be next year. I didn't do it.

"I can tell you that I don't know about the American League. I don't know about the Central. I don't know about the Indians. But I sure as hell am willing to learn, and spend 28 hours a day if necessary, to know everything that I could possibly know."

Game over if I'm running the Tribe. At least come prepared, dude.

There's talk of maybe the Tribe reaching out to Clint Hurdle. Acta would be a popular choice with the team's Latin players but good luck selling his dreary tenure with the Nationals. All this with the backdrop of Cliff Lee vs. CC Sabathia in the World Series Wednesday night. Tough times in Cleveland

And putting it even more in perspective: Thursday was the 12th anniversary of the Tribe's last World Series home win, the 10-3 victory over the Marlins in Game Four of the '97 Series that evened things at two wins apiece. The gametime temperature was 38 degrees (coldest ever in Series play) and there were snow flurries. Jerry Sullivan and I were sitting in the auxiliary press box in right field. By the second inning, we were inside watching it on TV. Brutal conditions but a neat memory of a completely different time for the Tribe.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Indians clean house; Wedge, coaches are gone

Eric Wedge was officially whacked as Indians manager today and so was his entire coaching staff. That means fellow ex-Bison managers Jeff Datz and Joel Skinner and ex-Buffalo pitching Carl Willis are also gone at the end of the season.

In large part, today's announcement marks the final split between the Bisons and Indians. The staff and so many players that took the Bisons to two titles and six playoff berths from 1998-2004 and the Indians to within one game of the 2007 World Series are now gone.

Wedge's Cleveland teams suffered from a rash of poor starts and this year was no different. What was different was the way the Indians, who claim to be losing $16 million, unloaded key players. Cliff Lee's trade marked two straight Cy Young winners gone and there were several other pieces dealt like Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco, Rafael Betancourt and Mark DeRosa. With essentially a Triple-A team the last two months, Wedge & Co. had no chance.

The Indians would have loved to hire ex-Bison John Farrell, now Boston's pitching coach, but he has a clause in his deal that he can't take a managerial job until 2010. So it looks like an open hire. Should be interesting.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Embattled Wedge gets unlikely neighbor

The Indians have lost 11 straight for the first time since 1931 so Eric Wedge's days in Cleveland are almost certainly numbered. At this point, he'd probably like to stay under the radar as he likes to say. Gonna be tough to do that now with all the rubbernecking that will be done in his neighborhood, near where the old Richfield Coliseum once stood. That's because Wedge has a new neighbor. You might have heard of him.

Shaq.

Check out this odd couple, courtesy of MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.

---Mike Harrington

Wedge in final days with Tribe?

It was an off day and his team is mired in a 3-16 September and eight-game losing streak but Indians manager Eric Wedge kept his commitment for an appearance at a suburban Cleveland elementary school on Monday. At least he can't get heckled there. After the assembly, Wedge told Associated Press reporter and big friend of Inside Pitch Tom Withers that he'd like to serve the final year of his contract in 2010 but understands the realities of the team's collapse this year may not allow that to happen.

The Indians have a hand in the pennant race as they open a three-game series with the first-place Tigers Tuesday in Progressive Field. Wedge has nurtured Cleveland prospects through the organization for 13 years, including his 2001 and 2002 playoff teams in Buffalo. But even before their fire sale, no one expected the Tribe to be this bad in 2009.

"I know that sometimes change has to be made for change's sake," Wedge said. "You've got to be professional about it. You've got to understand it and I do."

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

poll by twiigs.com

Around the horn: Ratings roulette

A reminder that my weekly power ratings are done through Thursday's games (on the theory that a new series starts on Friday). I give you that once-in-a-while reminder because I would have certainly put the Twins a little higher up this week if I was doing them at, say, midnight on Saturday.

Whereas it looked like every division race was basically over at the start of the week, we suddenly have a hot one in the AL Central as Minnesota is just two games behind the suddenly skidding Tigers after back-to-back victories over Detroit. A fly ball lost in the Metrodome roof (what else?) keyed a five-run fifth Saturday in the Twins' 6-2 win. And this is all happening wtih Justin Morneau and Joe Crede apparently gone for the year with injuries.

As for the rankings, it's certainly easy to put the Yankees at No. 1. But Nos. 2-6 remain quite a mess. This week, it went Dodgers, Angels, Red Sox, Phillies, Cardinals and only the Halos were in the same spot as last week. Pretty unusual for this time of year.

In other diamond doings:

---No Inside Baseball column just for this week due to a double dose of Bills chats and Sabres training camp. We'll be back starting next week and running all the way through the World Series.

---If you didn't stay up to see the Yankees' 10-1 victory in Seattle, they got a huge scare when CC Sabathia took a Franklin Gutierrez line drive to the chest. He was OK but it was a couple inches here or there from a potentially dramatic turn to the Yankees season and some serious damage to their big-money ace. Check out the video here.

---It's Durham (Tampa Bay) vs. Memphis (St. Louis) in Tuesday's Triple-A National Championship Game in Oklahoma City. Formerly known as the Bricktown Showdown, the game will be televised at 7 p.m. on ESPN2.

---Cleveland's Double-A team, the Akron Aeros, won the Eastern League title in four games Saturday with a 10-6 win over Connecticut (San Francisco). Lots of nice prospects going up to Triple-A next season for the Tribe. Too bad they're still not coming to Buffalo.

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)

Plan your MLB trips -- 2010 schedules out!

MLB gave teams the go-ahead to release their 2010 schedules Tuesday and most of them took advantage of an earlier-than-normal marketing opportunity to do just that. The minors do it (the Bisons' 2010 schedule has been out for a while), so this is a good move.

The Yankees and Red Sox will open the season at Fenway Park on April 5 -- but I wonder if that becomes the Sunday night, April 4 ESPN opener. The Yankees also end the season in Fenway Oct. 1-3 -- but don't play there at all in June, July, August and September!

Other highlights: The Twins take it outdoors to open Target Field on April 12 against the Red Sox, the Mets come to Cleveland for an interleague series June 22-24, the Blue Jays have a blockbuster nine-game block June 18-27 against the Giants, Cardinals and Phillies and the Yankees play Joe Torre's Dodgers in Chavez Ravine from June 25-27 (will it be a World Series rematch?). The Yankees will also be in Toronto in the final week, Sept. 27-29, before heading to Fenway.

The 2010 rotation for interleague is AL East vs NL West, NL East vs. AL Central, NL Central vs. AL West.  You can start thumbing through the day-by-day schedule here. You can also go to the links below for team-specific slates of the clubs near Buffalo. Each link takes you to April and you can then choose the month you want at the top of the page.

Yankees   Red Sox    Blue Jays    Indians   Pirates  Mets  Tigers   Phillies    Reds

---Mike Harrington

(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)