Links for the first of August

Fernando Cabrera Thoughts
* Let's Go Tribe: Transactions (August 1)
Aside from a wink-wink rehab stint in early 2006, Cabrera's been in the majors because he had to be. Yes, if he had pitched well, this wouldn't be an issue. But Cabrera is just 25 years old, and could still be reasonably classified as a young, promising pitcher.

* Indians.com: Notes: Delving into Cabrera decision
"We really did, and still do, like the arm and respect the person," Willis said. "Every so often, we'd see him start to find it. But when we'd try to use him in a more meaningful situation, he wasn't able to repeat the same stuff, control and command."

* Baseball Think Factory: Indians DFA Cabrera
The kid can throw a baseball through a brick wall and he's got a ridiculous slider, but there was no indication that he's anywhere close to being a good major league pitcher right now. You can't play the rest of the season, in the middle of a pennant race, with a 24-man roster. And that's essentially what they were doing carrying Cabrera.



Buddy Bell Resignation:
* Royals Review: WHB 810 speculating on Buddy Bell Firing, Press Conference at 4:30 today.
Well, there will no longer be a need to fire Buddy Bell. Sounds like he is gonna step down at the end of the year ---- Press Conference at 4:30. They are trying to speculate on whether he is being forced, whether he is still ill, or whether he was looking for a long term security offer (contract) and they said no.

* Kansas City Star: Posnanski: In many small ways, Bell made Royals better
When Bell was hired as Royals manager in the middle of that spectacularly awful 2005 baseball season, I wrote that it was a colossal mistake. At the time, the Royals were about as low as a sports franchise could be. They were the worst team in baseball, of course. But the problems dug much deeper. Their manager had quit under curious circumstances. The owner was widely regarded throughout the game as a cheapskate. The face of the franchise, Mike Sweeney, was injured again. At the time, it seemed pretty obvious that, no matter what question you were asking, Buddy Bell was not the answer.

* Baseball Think Factory: Buddy Bell to quit at season's end
Buddha: Man, the next thing you know the Royals are going to be all competitive again.


Other Links:
* The DiaTribe: Comparitively Speaking
...here’s a little analysis of the moves that were made that some fans probably would have liked to been in on and how the players given up for that “one piece” compare to players currently in the Indians’ organization.

* Slate: Parsing the increasingly bizarre sayings of Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro may just finally be letting down his guard for the American media, indulging their appetite for personality over a detailed accounting of on-field performance. It's also possible, however, that he has had an ulterior motive for exhibiting the weirdness of the last few months.

* Ballhype: 2007 Ballhype Sports Blogger Survey Results
Hold onto the edge of your seats for this last finding … Sports bloggers are predominantly white males in their mid-to-late twenties.

* AOL Fanhouse: Gay athletes come out in high school
I think it's more likely that the first openly gay player in one of the major leagues will be someone who grew up in a setting that allowed him to come out in high school. He won't have a press conference to announce he's gay because everyone will already know.