Tuesday, June 20, 2006

Chasin' Johnson

Today, the Indians finally proved that they can do more than stand around and chew their fingernails a la LeBron James when things go wrong.
Jason Johnson has been designated for assignment after going 1-8 with a 7-plus ERA over his last nine decisions.
I said the release of Scott Sauerbeck was a start. This is another step.
Johnson fell out of favor with me the instant he blamed the media for putting him "under a microscope" because he was struggling.
When you are slated to make $4 million for a year's work, and you constantly put your team behind the eight-ball every time you take the mound, you deserve to be under a microscope. Spend less time whining and more time working on your mechanics. I don't think Johnson ever got that memo.
Since we all know how things like this tend to work in Cleveland, it should surprise no one if Johnson is picked up by a contender, piggy-backs his way to a World Series title and gets the last laugh. But this was a necessary move. Johnson was doing nothing but dragging the Indians down.
Cutting Johnson clears space for Jeremy Sowers, who was pulled after five innings of work in Buffalo tonight. He will make his major league debut Sunday against the Reds.
Sowers' start is easily the most-anticipated pitching debut for the Indians since C.C. Sabathia first toed the rubber in 2001. Hopefully, he'll be as (or even more) successful.

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