Thursday, September 22, 2005

Wild Thing!

FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager has concocted an idea so good and so obvious, I am kicking myself for not thinking of it first.
Who would win if we pitted the roster of the 2005 Indians against the Indians from the movie "Major League?"
You will notice that the real-life Indians win in some very obvious categories, like pitching. But the fictitious Tribe also scores some points, particularly in right field.
Pedro Cerrano vs. Casey Blake? Come on. That's no contest.
It got me to thinking, if we could combine the rosters of the "Major League" Indians and the real-life Indians, we just might have a team that is a World Series lock.
Think of the places we could shore up...

My combined roster, if I was general manager and could put my hybrid roster together as I see fit:
(Note: I am limiting this to players from Major League. Major League II add-ons like the Japanese guy "You have no marbles!!" are ineligible.)

Lineup
C: Jake Taylor
1B:Victor Martinez
2B: Ronnie Belliard
SS: Jhonny Peralta
3B: Aaron Boone
LF: Grady Sizemore
CF: Willy Mays-Hayes
RF: Pedro Cerrano
DH: Travis Hafner

Pitchers
SP: C.C. Sabathia
SP: Cliff Lee
SP: Kevin Millwood
SP: Jake Westbrook
SP: Scott Elarton
RP: Bob Howry
RP: Bob Wickman
RP: Rick Vaughn

Sure, Jake Taylor has creaky knees and is way past his prime, but the man is the epitome of leadership and can call a great game. Martinez and his bat will be moved to the far-more-suitable first base.
Coco Crisp doesn't really deserve to lose his starting job to Mays-Hayes, but I can't resist the one-two punch of Willy and Grady at the top of the order. Plus, that left-center field gap will be well-covered with their speed.
The starting pitching is 100 percent real-life guys, but can you imagine the current Cleveland bullpen with Ricky Vaughn at the back? All you fans who want a lights-out fireballer for a closer, as opposed to sweating through Wickman's saves, would get your wish.
The toughest call I have is the manager. Eric Wedge cetainly has his share of critics, but I'd be inclined to let him keep his job and make Lou Brown, the grizzled, owl-wise old veteran, Wedge's bench coach. Wedge has formulated a successful clubhouse chemistry, and maybe Brown could help him with his shortcomings in game strategy.
Plus, Brown isn't in the greatest of health, as Major League II showed. Save some wear and tear on the old guy's ticker. Let Wedge make the decisions.

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