The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Thome in rare air with first-ballot induction
As a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer, Jim Thome had a shorter wait than many of baseball’s greatest players. Plus, Jeff Schudel weighs in on the Browns’ offensive line and the Cavaliers’ defense.
Being elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot, as former Indians slugger Jim Thome was on Jan. 24, needs some perspective to realize how great the accomplishment is. Joe DiMaggio, the legendary Yankees’ center fielder whose 56-game hitting streak is still a record, was elected to the Hall of Fame the fourth time he was on the ballot.
Former Dodgers pitcher Don Drysdale, with a lifetime record of 209-166 and a remarkable 2.95 ERA, was on the ballot nine times before finally gaining the required 75 percent of votes.
Harmon Killebrew, who played 22 seasons (exact number Thome played) with the Senators, Twins and Royals, was elected the fourth time he was on the ballot.
Thome as a first ballot Hall of Famer is part of an elite group of 54 that includes Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Bob Feller, Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Jackie Robinson, Nolan Ryan, Ken Griffey, Jr. and Frank Robinson, to name a few.
Thome is expected to go into the Hall of Fame as an Indian, the team he played with for 13 seasons. He is undecided about whether he should be shown with the Chief Wahoo or the Block C cap for his plaque.
Thome hammered 612 home runs in an era in which players like Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire and Manny Ramirez used performance-enhancing drugs to gain power. The PEDs tainted their accomplishments, and obviously the Hall of Fame voters noticed by boycotting the three on their ballots. Ramirez received 93 votes (22 percent). Sosa received an embarrassing 33 (7.8 percent) votes.
“I’m at a loss for words,” Thome said at his home in Burr Ridge, Ill., during an interview conducted by Indians director of baseball information Bart Swain. “It’s every kid’s dream to play in the major leagues, but you never imagine a call like that.
“When Jack O’Connell (secretary/treasurer of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America) said his name, and I knew it was from New York, the emotion and vibe was like no other. A call from the Hall of Fame is one of the most special things a player can receive. You don’t do it alone. I’m so blessed to be in this situation. It’s just incredible. Words can’t describe what a guy feels when the Hall of Fame calls and says you’re a first ballot Hall of Famer.”
Thome played with the Indians from 1991 to 2002 and 22 games in 2011. He played three full seasons and part of another with the Phillies, plus three full seasons and part of another with the White Sox. He also played for the Twins, Dodgers and Orioles.
“Looking back, I’ve been so fortunate to have played in the major leagues for 22 seasons with great players, with great organizations that cared about baseball and truly wanted the best for their guys,” Thome said. “I think I reaped the rewards of all those organizations that really cared about their players.”
Thome talked about the honor of playing with the Indians in the 1990s and predicted Omar Vizquel, named on 37 percent of the ballots in his first year of eligibility, will be in the Hall of Fame some day soon.
“I love Omar,” Thome said. “He stood out for me above everybody else because he could do so many things. He was a smart player, great defensive player and made himself into a tremendous hitter. Even more than what he did on the field, he electrified the clubhouse every day.”
Thome thanked former Indians hitting coach and manager Charlie Manuel, who was also Thome’s manager in Philadelphia. Thome also thanked his father, Chuck, who saw his son’s first game and last game as a major leaguer.
Cavs have trust issues
It’s one thing when guard Isaiah Thomas after just seven games on the active roster says the Cavaliers don’t trust each other well enough to play defense efficiently.
It carries more weight when the center of the Cavaliers universe, LeBron James, says the same thing.
Thomas made the observation after the Cavs lost, 148-124, to Oklahoma City on Jan. 20. They followed that with a 114-102 loss to the Spurs in San Antonio on Jan. 23.
A special emphasis was placed on defense during a Jan. 25 practice in preparation for a game with the Pacers on Jan. 26. The Cavs squeezed out a 115-108 victory, but still allowed the Pacers to hit 47.3 percent (43 of 91) of their shots. That is not going to result in winning every night.
“I do (agree),” James said. “That’s been the topic of conversation for us the last few days; let’s get back to if a guy drives, being able to defend him — communications and all those things.
“It’s been on. It’s been off. It’s been on. It comes from us not experiencing much as a team with seven new guys. We’ve had lineup changes, guys have been out with injuries and coming back. … We’ve had to learn a lot on the fly to trust each other defensively. We’ve had good quarters and bad quarters, good months and bad months. The trust is the only thing that’s going to get us over the hump at some point.”
James said the tough times the Cavs are going through now will harden them for the grind of the playoffs when the postseason begins in mid-April. Fans might be worried. James isn’t.
“We’ll be fine,” James said. “It’s not going to be as easy as we’d all like it to be, but at the end of the day, nothing’s ever come easy for me. I actually like where we are. I don’t like losing. I don’t like the way we’ve been losing, but I think it’s going to help us out in the long run.”
Left tackle hunting
The Browns need a quarterback, they need a running back to replace Isaiah Crowell and they need a cornerback who can cover a wide receiver.
But since General Manager John Dorsey is fortunate to have picks one, four, 33, 35 and one of the last picks in the second round (depending on how Philadelphia fares in the Super Bowl), he better think hard about spending one of those prime second-round picks on a left tackle.
Joe Thomas might return for a 12th season in 2018. Even if he does, as Thomas himself said, the Browns better start planning for the future without him.
“Some positions that are a little more difficult to patch in free agency,” Thomas said at the Greater Cleveland Sports Awards dinner on Jan. 17. “A lot of times quarterbacks, left tackles and cornerbacks don’t hit the market.
“No matter what I decide to do, this is the last year of my contract in Cleveland. I’m also 33 right now. They need to be planning for somebody else pretty soon down the line whether it’s this year or next year.”
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com ranks Orlando Brown, Jr. of Oklahoma 31st overall and Brian O’Neill of Pitt 44th among 2018 draft prospects.
Brown, 6-foot-8, 345 pounds, is the son of the late Orlando Brown, former tackle of the Browns.
“Brown is an enormous left tackle,” Jeremiah wrote. “In pass protection, he lacks ideal foot quickness and knee bend. However, he’s effective because of his size, strength and length. He plays upright, but has quick hands to keep defenders away from his chest. He runs speed rushers around the quarterback and anchors against power rushers very easily.”
O’Neill is 6-foot-6, 290 pounds.
“O’Neill is a very intriguing left tackle prospect,” Jeremiah wrote. “The former tight end has good size and outstanding quickness. In the passing game, he’s very quick out of his stance. He displays the ability to kick out wide and cover up speed rushers. When he shoots his hands on time, he can steer and control defenders. He needs to improve his knee bend/leverage. If defenders get into his chest, he struggles to sink his weight and settle vs. power rushers. He’s very aware vs. twists and blitzers. In the run game, he is at his best on pulls and combo blocks. His quickness is his best asset.”
Thomas, a 10-time Pro Bowl player, was picked third overall in 2007. He is rehabbing from a torn left triceps.
I didn’t know that
… Until I read my Snapple bottle cap
Alaska has more caribou than people. … Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside…A ball of glass will bounce higher than a ball of rubber…The last year that reads the same upside down was 1961. That won’t happen again until 6009…The only cactus plantation in the world is in Mississippi…Wisconsin has points located farther east than parts of Florida.