Fans, get out your ice packs, not only have we been slapped in the face, we just got smacked with Mark Shapiro’s backhand followed by Larry Dolan’s knockout right-handed hook to the jaw.

This is as low as it gets.

At least last year, we knew CC wasn’t coming back and we got top notch prospects.

With a full season left on Cliff Lee's contract, this was a blatant salary dump and the Philadelphia Phillies, according to my law enforcement sources, are being investigated for highway robbery.

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Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

On Sunday, Fox Sports reporter Ken Rosenthal reported the Indians and Dodgers are in discussions to pull off a blockbuster trade.

The report has the Tribe sending undoubtedly their two best players, Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee, to the Dodgers for first basemen James Loney, one of their young starting pitchers — either all-star Chad Billingsley or 21-year-old Clayton Kershaw — and a handful of top notch prospects.

I know what you are thinking: Here we go again.

I, however, would pull the trigger on this trade faster than you can say “Cliff Lee is going to New York anyway in 2010 so the faster we pull the trigger on this thing, the easier it will be to accept the facts.”

Yes Lee is an elite pitcher and V-Mart is one of the better all around hitters this town has seen in the past decade, as well as an excellent leader, but the truth of the matter is both become free agents following the 2010 season and Cliff Lee has one foot out of the door and both will be two of the most attractive free agents after next season.

I’ve seen this movie before.

The Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers will offer big contracts and the Indians will counter with an insulting offer.

Adios.

Because the two aren’t free agents after this season, their trade value is even higher as opposed to shipping them out next season, when they’d probably only land a prospect or two as the receiving team will likely only be renting their services for a few months.

Here the Indians would not only be getting major league talent, but one of the better young pitchers in baseball.

Whether it be Billingsley or Kershaw, the Indians are landing a top notch pitcher who they can build their rotation around for years to come (and then ship them out or let them walk when they become free agents in 4 or 5 years. Yes, this is a recurring cycle that will never end. Deal with it.)

Kershaw is only 8-5 for the Dodgers, but his ERA stands at an impressive 2.96 and he has 110 strikeouts in 112 innings.

Billingsley is 10-5 with a 3.72 ERA with 126 strikeouts in 133 innings. He is 25.

Kershaw is a lefty, Billingsley is a righty.

The rumored deal would also include the Dodgers no. 1 overall prospect, OF Andrew Lambo and starting first baseman Loney who is batting .285 with seven homers and 62 RBIs.

The 25-year-old Loney, although a solid ball player, is the least attractive part of this deal.

As Rosenthal’s article suggests, both teams are denying the suggested rumors but that is standard. No team executive would publicly say they are shopping their players or in talks to deal them unless bridges are already burned.

The Dodgers are also heavily pursuing Blue Jay’s stud Roy Halladay, but if Toronto refuses to part ways with him which is seeming more and more likely, expect the Dodgers, as well as many other teams, to go very hard for Lee.

If Lee and Martinez are traded, which is inevitable within the next year, no one should be surprised. This is the way it works here, but at least the Tribe would be landing some major-league talent as opposed to past trades where we were just receiving prospects that takes years to bloom.

-Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

As I continue through this summer of misery watching the disadvantaged clowns — aka the Cleveland Indians — I cannot sit here but wish to be fast forwarded to the end of October when a real professional sports organization makes its return to respectable competition.

The start of the NBA season and the Cleveland Cavaliers quest for the 2010 championship can not come soon enough.

I am officially done with the Tribe and it’s a sad day when I spend more time analyzing a Cavaliers meaningless Las Vegas Summer League game featuring rookies and players who weren’t even drafted, then keeping tabs on the Indians.

In more important news, General Manager Danny Ferry made yet another semi-impressive move this past weekend in signing Miami Heat forward Jamario Moon to an offer sheet.

Because Moon is a restricted free agent, the Heat have seven days to match the offer, although they are not expected to.

Moon is 29-years-old but has only played in two NBA seasons.

I remember the first time I saw Moon play during the 2007-2008 season and thinking that this guy can jump out of the gym.

There won’t be much expected out of Moon, but he will be a solid 8th or 9th guy on a team that has a better roster than last year’s franchise best 66-win season.

Moon is known for being an athletic freak, an elite dunker, a good rebounder for his position and a decent spot-up shooter.

He won’t cost much (likely less than $3 million a year) and doesn’t demand the ball on offense.

To get a better look at the Cavaliers newest possible addition and his athleticism, look below.



-Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

Anthony Parker isn’t a star. He won’t put be putting fans in the seats.

Not only is he not the best Tony Parker in the NBA, he’s not even the best Parker in his family.

He’s overshadowed by his sister’s success (Candace Parker) in her collegiate and WNBA careers.

But GM Danny Ferry should be applauded for the two-year $6 million deal he pulled off for the 34-year-old guard-forward.

He didn’t overpay and he didn’t give too many years for a player who probably doesn’t have all that many more years left in him.

Eric Snow, Anthony Parker is not.

For the Cavaliers, they don’t need Parker to be a star and they already have enough big name names on their roster to put fans in the seats.

Parker will be a solid role player for this upcoming season who just like Delonte West, Mo Williams and Daniel Gibson, will feed off double teams that are placed on Shaq and Lebron.

More importantly, Parker is a taller wing defender that the Cavaliers so desperately needed in last year’s playoffs.

Last year for Toronto, Parker started 71 games. Barring any injuries, Parker most likely won’t be starting any games for the Cavs and he seems to be fine with that.

He will essentially fill the role of Wally Szczerbiak, only at this point of their careers, Parker is quicker, more athletic, a better defender and can shoot just as well.

In his three-year career with Toronto, since returning from playing professional ball overseas, Parker has averaged 10.1 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.2 apg while shooting 45.8 from the field, 41.5 from threes and 81.9 from the free throw line.

All solid numbers for a guy who was essentially Toronto’s fourth of fifth scoring option. In Cleveland, he won’t be expected to do much offensively except knock down the open shot. Nothing more, nothing less.

Defensively, he’ll be called onto guard some of the bigger guards in the league that sometimes caused fits for Delonte West who stands just 6-feet-3-inches (if that).

With the addition of Parker, barring any major trade, the roster looks pretty much set with maybe another stretch forward added to the roster in the coming weeks.

-Nick Carrabine
NCarrabine@News-Herald.com

You’ve heard all along about the “Summer of LeBron” commencing next July. But, really, that might be a more appropriate title for the here and now.

That’s because right now we have no clue what the NBA’s Most Valuable Player plans to do once his contract ends next summer.

Read more here

- Brandon C. Baker