Excellent Article On Shapiro

[srg]

Shapiro is well aware what people think of his decisions
TRIBAL WRITES By Andy Call Repository sports writer
Mark Shapiro went out to dinner last week. No casualties were reported.

?It was my wife?s idea,? the Cleveland Indians general manager noted dryly.

Nearly two weeks have passed since Shapiro sent future Hall of Fame second baseman Robbie Alomar to the New York Mets for, depending on one?s interpretation, (a) a box of fungo bats; or, (b) a solid outfielder and relief pitcher as well as three young players who could be the foundation of a team that will contend for years to come.

Shapiro?s approval rating has climbed a bit since that trade, at least leapfrogging NFL referees and LTV management in the minds of Cleveland fans. Shapiro has appeared in public several times (sans Groucho Marx disguise), and no plastic beer bottles have whizzed past his noggin.

?I didn?t do it for my public opinion rating,? Shapiro said. ?It was a tough choice. I chose, rather than to ride out the vestiges of our championship teams, to do something to infuse some young talent into this organization.?

The shift in organizational philosophy from former General Manager John Hart?s regime to Shapiro?s doesn?t consist solely of developing younger, cheaper players and placing an emphasis on pitching, however. It also includes an emphasis on character.

Hart was the most amoral of general managers, a man whose player evaluation process began and ended with raw physical talent. Clubhouse chemistry was the manager?s problem. Media availability, fan friendliness, work habits, criminal record ... those also were others? problems.

Shapiro is different. When named Cleveland?s farm director in 1994, one of his first orders of business was to commission a psychological evaluation process for every player in the Tribe?s minor league system. If there was a problem, Shapiro wanted to know about it long before that player reached the big leagues. If that player needed help, he got help.

The changing of the moral guard at Jacobs Field never was as evident as last week. Shapiro traded away troublesome John Rocker and signed a respected veteran, outfielder Matt Lawton, to a four-year contract. Hart, meanwhile, was importing two of baseball?s most despised miscreants in Rocker and outfielder Carl Everett.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram columnist Randy Galloway wrote, ?With any luck at all, Everett and Rocker will have a personality conflict (imagine that) in spring training and strangle each other before the Rangers leave Florida.?

Hartford Courant columnist Jeff Jacobs referred to the new teammates as ?Rocker and Off His Rocker.?

While Hart was inviting clubhouse Armageddon, Shapiro was doing his homework before signing new arrivals Lawton and Ricky Gutierrez.

?When you look at character and makeup, you talk to the player, the managers he?s had, the guys who have lockered next to him ... if you make an effort, you can find out about a guy,? said Shapiro, who actually did call Cubs catcher Joe Girardi, the player who dressed next to Gutierrez last summer.

?As far as talent and character goes, I want both. But I will trade off a little talent for character and the desire to win. Look at Seattle ? three superstars left, and they still won 116 games this year because they had the right guys in there. I am not trying to emulate them, but they are living proof.?

The change in organizational outlook has Shapiro eager for spring training ? 54 days, for those of you crossing off your calendars.

?In the past, we?ve gone into spring training with a team we hoped would just get through it without getting injured,? Shapiro said. ?This year, we have a lot of guys competing for jobs and a lot of young talent. We think this team will have a little more bounce in its step. We?re hoping some new blood and some new energy can lessen the gap in talent.?

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Cleveland?s payroll has dropped from $93 million last year to about $80 million, which still ranks the Indians among baseball?s salary leaders. In reality, however, Shapiro has only about $65 million to spend.

The club has nearly $14.5 million tied up in three players whose contributions to the 2002 club likely will be few. Pitchers Charles Nagy ($6 million) and Jaret Wright ($4.25 million) may be injured beyond repair and outfielder Wil Cordero ($4.2 million) no longer can hit effectively enough to play every day.

If Nagy and Wright are deemed physically unable to pitch, an insurance policy could pick up 70 to 80 percent of their salaries.

The Indians also will pay $5 million to aging Chuck Finley in 2002 and $1.8 million to backup catcher Eddie Taubensee. If Finley pitches well in spring training, another more well-heeled club might take him off Cleveland?s hands.

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The Chicago White Sox are feeling a bit euphoric about Cleveland?s entry into the rebuilding mode.

Chicago Manager Jerry Manuel had just arrived at baseball?s winter meetings in Boston when he was told of the Alomar trade.

?That was great news,? Manuel told the Chicago Tribune?s Phil Rogers. ?I could have gotten right back on the plane. I didn?t need to do anything else.?

The White Sox did trade for pitcher Todd Ritchie to bolster their rotation. He joins a staff in which 117 games were started by pitchers age 25 and under. Slugger Frank Thomas also is slated to return after missing last season with a torn biceps tendon. Chicago likely will begin the season as the division favorite.

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If the Indians are planning on doing it with pitching and defense, well, they?d better. Here are the career batting averages of Cleveland?s projected everyday batting order.

Omar Vizquel .274, Ricky Gutierrez .267, Matt Lawton .275, Jim Thome .285, Ellis Burks .292, Russell Branyan .231, Travis Fryman .278, Einar Diaz .274, Milton Bradley .222.

So, for the first time in recent memory, Cleveland will take the field without a hitter who has been able to bat .300 consistently. It should be pointed out, however, only Alomar and Kenny Lofton entered the 2001 season hitting better than .300 for their careers.

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The Indians have yet to put single-game tickets on sale. The club is awaiting the final settlement of the contraction issue and, thus, finalizing the 2002 schedule.

Neither Shapiro nor Dolan expect a new sellout streak to begin next summer.

?We probably won?t sell as many tickets,? Dolan said. ?But I?m still convinced this is the way to be a winner ? to have good pitching, depth and a balanced team.?

?If the fans don?t buy tickets, we will be over budget, but not enough to have to cut a core player to compensate,? Shapiro said.

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The Jacobs Field playing surface may not be plastic. New outfielders Lawton and Brady Anderson, however, both said the field is nearly as favorable to line-drive hitters as artificial turf.

?I love hitting at Jacobs Field, and that definitely factored into my decision to play there,? Anderson said. ?I love the outfield, and the footing for base stealing. It is a great park to hit in. The infield is fast, and ground balls go through the middle a little faster.?

?If I had to play on a grass field, this is the one,? Lawton said . ?It plays more like a turf field. When I played in New York, the grass at Shea Stadium seemed to just suck up the ball.?


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[Alex]

Lawton's comments were interesting...the ground balls at Jacobs field seem to go up he middle faster....hopefully Rickey G will be up to the challenge.

Lawton also said at Mets stadium the infield seemed to delay the ground balls from getting through. A year earlier, the mets led both leagues in least errors allowed.

I wonder how Robbie will do in those confines. Will every grounder look routine, or will he be able to get to balls previously unreacheable at Jacobs Field.

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Alex

[BuckeyeDanny]

I really do appreciate the fact that John Hart built a winner here in Cleveland, but I think he wore out his welcome these last few years. The Yankees proved that you don't need .300 hitters at every spot in the lineup to win - they had good character guys at all the positions (not to say that they weren't talented). It's refreshing to see that Shapiro understands you need decent chemistry to win it all, not a bunch of a-holes who can bash the ball.

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Hillary Clinton is a stupid, ugly bitch.

[the teacher]

What happened to Cordero, anyway? Suddenly he simply can't hit effectively enough to play every day? I'm no fan of his, he fits right into "bad attitude" mold, but he's only 29, and before last season he was a dependable .280, 25-30 doubles, 15 HR guy.



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The Teacher

[the teacher]

thanks. great news that shapiro is aware of the character issue. he's not in an easy position and I'm glad that he has the stones to have a plan and execute it.

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The Teacher