Today’s game was called in the 3rd inning due to snow. The score was tied 1-1.

Luke Carlin leads off first base with Matt LaPorta waiting for the next pitch (photo by Jim DeCamp)

Clippers President/GM Ken Schnacke tells the crowd that the game won’t continue (Photo by Jim DeCamp)

The Clippers players and staff were awarded the 2010 Championship rings during a pre-game ceremony
(Photo of Ryan Mitchell’s ring, taken by Ryan Mitchell)

The Clippers and Indians will play each other for the first time since Columbus became the Tribe’s Triple-A affiliate in 2009…

Who: Cleveland Indians, Columbus Clippers
What: Exhibition Game
When: Wednesday, 1:05pm
Where: Huntington Park, Columbus

* Gates will open to the public at 11:00am for Indians take batting practice (11:15am-12:00pm). The Clippers will hit from 10:30am-11:15am.

* This is the final tune-up for Cleveland. The Indians open the regular season Friday against the White Sox. Cleveland was 15-14-2 in Arizona, but won eight of the last eleven.

* The 2011 “Tribe on Tour” event stopped in Columbus at The Mall at Tuttle Crossing Tuesday as part of the “lead up’ to the exhibition game. Indians greats Len Barker, Joe Charboneau, and Mike Hargrove met with Tribe fans, signed autographs, and participated in various activities with the crowd.

* Mitch Talbot will be the Indians starting pitcher. Talbot is 1-1 with a 8.61 ERA in the Cactus League. He will be the Indians #5 starter in the rotation. Talbot is expected to throw three innings and then the Clippers will supply pitching for both squads for the remainder of the game.

UPDATE: Zach McAllister will be Cleveland’s starter. McAllister is ticketed to be the Clippers #4 starter this season, but he’ll fill in for the Indians today.

* David Huff gets the nod for Columbus. Huff missed out on the Indians final vacancy in the rotation. He’s 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in major league camp. He’s expected to be the Clippers Opening Day starter.

* The Clippers (and several Indians) will receive their 2010 Governors Cup Championship rings. Clippers President/GM Ken Schnacke and community VIPs will present the rings during a pre-game ceremony.

* There will be three special features on the Huntington Park video board: Tributes to Bob Feller, Harold Cooper, and last year’s Clippers championship squad will be part of the pre-game festivities.

* The Clippers Booster Club will be accepting donations Japan Relief Effort in association with the American Red Cross of Greater Columbus. There will be a Booster Club table located on the concourse, across from the NAPA Guest Services Center. 

* The Clippers are expected to wear the traditional white uniforms and the Tribe will sport their navy and red Cactus League jerseys.

* Outfielder Chad Huffman will not be available for Columbus after battling sickness on Tuesday in Arizona.

* Infielder Cristo Arnal will join the Clippers in case he’s needed for this game.

* Wednesday’s game can be seen live on SportsTime Ohio. Matt Underwood and Rick Manning will call the action.

* Free live audio is available at Indians.com. Jim Rosenhaus will be joined by Ryan and I throughout the broadcast.

* Tickets can be purchased here.

See you at the park!!!

The Indians finalized their Opening Day roster today, meaning the ink is just about dry on the Clippers roster as well…

Starting Pitchers
1. Fausto Carmona
2. Carlos Carrasco
3. Justin Masterson
4. Josh Tomlin
5. Mitch Talbot

Relief Pitchers
Justin Germano
Frank Herrmann
Vinnie Pestano
Tony Sipp (L)
Chad Durbin
Rafael Perez (L)
Chris Perez

Catchers
Carlos Santana
Lou Marson

Infielders
1B – Matt LaPorta
2B – Orlando Cabrera
SS – Asdrubal Cabrera
3B – Jack Hannahan
Uitlity – Adam Everett

Outfielders
LF – Austin Kearns
CF – Michael Brantley
RF – Shin Soo Choo
Bench – Travis Buck
Bench – Shelley Duncan

DH – Travis Hafner

Disabled List
RHP Joe Smith
INF Jason Donald
OF Grady Sizemore
OF Trevor Crowe

The Clippers roster will look something very similar to this…

Starting Pitchers
1. David Huff (L)
2. Jeanmar Gomez
3. Alex White
4. Zach McAllister
5. Joe Martinez

Relief Pitchers
Yohan Pino
Paolo Espino
Corey Kluber
Carlton Smith
Jensen Lewis
Zach Putnam
Jess Todd
Josh Judy

Catchers
Paul Phillips
Luke Carlin

Infielders
1B – Wes Hodges
2B – Jason Kipnis
SS – Luis Valbuena
3B – Lonnie Chisenhall
Bench – Cord Phelps

Outfielders
Jordan Brown
Chad Huffman
Ezequiel Carrera
Jerad Head

Disabled List
INF – Jared Goedert
OF – Nick Weglarz
RHP – Hector Rondon

We should have a finalized Clippers roster in the next few days.

In the meantime, let’s get ready for the Clippers vs. Indians from Huntington Park on Wednesday at 1:05pm.

Click here for ticket information.

Baseball is season is here!!!

The Pittsburgh Pirates have announced that shortstop Josh Rodriguez will make the Bucs Opening Day roster. There was discussion that Rodriguez, a Rule 5 draft selection in December, would be offered back to the Indians. Cleveland would jump at the chance to re-acquire J-Rod because there is very little depth at shortstop in the upper levels of the system.

Rodriguez hit .293 in 86 games last year, helping the Clippers to a Governors’ Cup and Triple-A National Championship.

So, for now, the Clippers will be without J-Rod. Which begs the question, who will be the Clippers shortstop?

It looks to be either Luis Valbuena or Adam Everett. Valbuena, Everett, and Jayson Nix are the last three remaining in the hunt for the Indians utility infielder spot. Nix is out of options and Everett would need to be added to the 40-man roster.

What are the remaining spots to be filled for Cleveland?

 Other than the utility infielder position I just mentioned, there are three bullpen jobs and the backup catcher spot.

Justin Germano, Jess Todd, Frank Herrmann, and Vinnie Pestano are the candidates for three relief roles. Germano is not on the 40-man roster. The Clippers will probably get the pitcher that isn’t chosen from this group.

Lou Marson, Paul Phillips, and Luke Carlin are fighting for one spot. The other two will go to Columbus.

Cleveland is expected to finalize the roster today.

What does the Clippers rotation look like?

New Clippers pitching coach Ruben Niebla confirmed yesterday that Alex White, the organizations top pitching prospect will start the season in Triple-A. He’ll pitch behind David Huff and Jeanmar Gomez. The other two spots seem to belong to Zach McAllister and Joe Martinez. Martinez will need to be stretched out over a few starts, but he should be ready for five innings in his first regular season outing.

Will the Clippers infield be young?

Yes, there is no question about that. If Jordan Brown sees significant time at first base and Adam Everett lands as the shortstop, they’ll be the elder statesmen of the infield. Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, and Cord Phelps will get most of the ink.

Last year’s Clippers second baseman, Cord Phelps, has been through an interesting few months. He won a championship with Columbus, moved over to third base in the winter, and now continues to bounce around looking for a place to play. Jason Kipnis will see most of the time at second and Lonnie Chisenhall has third base locked down, but I’m told “don’t be surprised if he’s at short or in the outfield”. It makes you wonder if Phelps’ future will be as a super-utility player. As long as he keeps hitting, there will be a spot for him.

Jared Goedert still hopes to break camp with the Clippers, but hasn’t seen game action since he strained an oblique muscle a couple of weeks back.

Wes Hodges is battling for another opportunity in Columbus. He has seen plenty of playing time in the Triple-A spring games and would play first base and DH with the Clippers.

Matt McBride is also competing for a spot. McBride could play first, outfield, or even catch on occasion. McBride was a catcher in the past and he’s spent some time wearing the tools of ignorance this spring, especially in drills. A media member told me “McBride’s arm is back” and he could see some time behind the dish. This scenario reminds me of former Clipper/Indian Chris Gimenez, who became a third catcher/backup corner infielder/backup corner outfielder during the Eric Wedge era in Cleveland.

Will the Clippers have lots of outfield speed?

It doesn’t look that way at the moment. Ezequiel Carrera will back leadoff and roam in center field. Indians GM Chris Antonetti mentioned yesterday that Carrera put together a good spring training and caught some attention from the big league brass. He’ll be counted on greatly in Columbus. A high on-base percentage, some stolen bases, and quick feet in the outfield will be needed for the Clippers to win on a regular basis.

Chad Huffman battled until the end for a spot on Cleveland’s roster, but he came up short. He’ll be in the heart of the Clippers order. He’s batted .333 with 3 HRs and 12 RBIs in 20 Cactus League games. Huffman was acquired from the Yankees last September.

Jerad Head is hoping to join the mix as well. The 2010 Triple-A Championship MVP has been re-proving himself in hopes of avoiding another April in Akron.

Jordan Brown and Matt McBride will be the others in the outfield platoon. Jason Kipnis, Cord Phelps, Luis Valbuena, and even Jared Goedert could be playing the outfield if called upon.

That’s all for now, but they’ll be plenty more later…. there always is.

Sunday the Indians Triple-A squad took on their Reds counterparts on field 1 in Goodyear. I had brief chats with several guys who will be on the Clippers roster.

Jared Goedert said he took a few swings from a pitching machine this afternoon and felt “ok” afterward. I’m not sure he’ll be ready by opening day, but if he continues to progress, he shouldn’t be too far behind.

Jordan Brown is feeling good physically, which is better than last year when he tore his meniscus in a intrasquad game at the beginning of the 2010 spring camp. Brown is still in Major League camp, but will be on the Clippers opening day roster.

Ezequiel Carrera seemed very excited to see the Clippers broadcast crew today, the feeling is mutual, especially because that fellow is going to have to cover a lot of ground in the Clippers outfield this season. The Clippers should hit and pitch as well as anyone in the IL, but team speed is not going to be a strength.

Jensen Lewis is eminently positive, despite the disappointment of losing his 40-man spot. He said he doesn’t know if he will be a Clipper for a month of for the whole season, but “however long it is, it will be fun.”

Cord Phelps played shortstop today and he and the Indians coaching staff had to wait through 26 outs before he finally got a chance to field his position. He acquitted himself well, making a tough play to end the game. The more versatile he can be defensively, the better his chances of finding his way to the bigs.

Tomorrow it’s goodbye sunshine and welcome back to the 40′s, but it will be good to be home as the crew gets Huntington Park ready for the exhibition game on March 30th. Call the Clippers office at 462-5250 or go to http://www.clippersbaseball.com to order your tickets.

Making use of our time out West and due to the fact that we can’t seem to shake our Eastern Time Zone biorhythms, The Clippers broadcast team decided to take in some early morning desert scenery on horseback  before the Indians campers got into action. Fear not though as we were out of the saddle in time to get back in the saddle  for our season preview duties. This is, after all, a business trip.

The Triple-A squad played host to the Milwaukee Brewers this afternoon. Cartlon Smith threw a couple of innings, looking very solid striking out the side in his first frame. Jason Kipnis continues to rake.

We met the Clippers new pitching coach Ruben Niebla as he took in the contest from behind the backstop. From out conversation, it seems like he’ll be a very solid interview from the standpoint of being knowledgeable, as well as being a fun guy to talk to. Niebla confirmed a statement from a week ago when Manny Acta stated that Joe Martinez would be in the Clippers rotation. Martinez in in the process of getting stretched out and should be able to go 5 innings by the time the opener rolls around.

That makes for a crowded rotation. Already penciled in are David Huff, Jeanmar Gomez, Zach McAllister and Martinez. Alex White, while not named officially, certainly appears Columbus-bound as well. Corey Kluber is working his way back from taking a batted ball to the head and is expected to be ready near the start of the season, so once he’s ready to go, he’ll have to slot in somewhere.

The infield in Columbus will see Lonnie Chisenhall at 3B, but who else and how often is seemingly going down to the wire. The Indians have one slot available for position players and 3 guys fighting for it. If Luis Valbuena is in Columbus, he’s the shortstop, but the possible return of Rule V pick Josh Rodriguez could muddle those waters if Rodriguez doesn’t break camp with the Pirates. Either Adam Everett or Jason Nix will be sent out as well, but their path to Columbus is more circuitous than Valbuena’s, as he has options remaining. Roster speculation is a fun part of camp, but the suppositions will end soon enough and the rosters will be set.

Be sure to check out our 1st video interviews of the season here with Lee May Jr. and Triple-A National Championship game MVP Jerad Head.

We’ll bring you more soon, so stay tuned pardners!

As you can see, the blog is taking on a new look. We are in the middle of a transition phase, so be patient if things are not where the should be. Some of the previous spring training posts are missing, but hopefully they’ll be archived again soon.

In the meantime, we are down to the final days of spring training. The Indians and Clippers will break camp on Monday, travel Tuesday, and play Wednesday in the Huntington Park exhibition game in downtown Columbus. The rosters are just about set and the fun is about to begin…

* Clippers manager Mike Sarbaugh has been away from the team for a few days because of a death in the family. He is ticketed to re-join the club for Wednesday’s exhibition.

* Josh Tomlin was announced as Cleveland’s #5 starter, meaning that both David Huff and Jeanmar Gomez will start in Columbus. Tomlin only pitched eight innings in the Cactus League, allowing one run.

*Outfielders Travis Buck and Shelley Duncan have made the Cleveland roster, so Jordan Brown and Chad Huffman will be Clippers.

* The Indians have three bullpen spots to fill. There are four candidates: Justin Germano, Frank Herrmann, Jess Todd, and Vinnie Pestano. The Clippers may get the odd-man-out to fill to fill the Triple-A bullpen.

* Travis Buck and Justin Germano are not on the 40-man roster, so the Indians would have to make a move to get them both added. The 40-man roster currently stands at 39.

* Carlos Santana’s backup catcher will be either Lou Marson, Paul Phillips, or Luke Carlin. The two that are not chosen will form the Columbus catching duo.

* The final Indians roster spot up for grabs is the utility infielder position. The candidates are Adam Everett, Jayson Nix, and Luis Valbuena. Everett seems to be the leading candidate, but he’s not on the 40-man, which could make chosing him more complicated.

* Cord Phelps was re-assigned to minor league camp yesterday, he’ll be in the Clippers Opening Day lineup.

* Third baseman Jared Goedert says he strained his oblique while facing Cincinnati Reds flame-thrower Aroldis Chapman earlie in spring camp. Goedert was summoned off the bench to bat against Chapman and injured himself swinging. He hopes to be ready for the Clippers regular season opener in Indianapolis April 7th.

* Ryan has joined the Twitter world. Follow him here. You can follow the Clippers here, our broadcast here, and yours truly here.

I’ll be back later tonight with more fun!

I was watching the movie “The Sandlot” with my son a few nights ago and remembered how much I like that movie. Benjamin Franklin “Benny the Jet” Rodriguez was a cool, smart, tough kid… and man was he fast!

My son is six and his favorite character, of course, is ‘The Beast”, the 300-pound dog that devours all the baseballs hit over the fence. James Earl Jones as “Mr. Mertle” is pretty neat too. Jones and Kevin Costner are the “kings” of baseball movies!

On a side note, did you know comedian Dennis Leary is in that movie? I forgot he played the role of Scott’s father (Scott is the main character who becomes the Dodgers broadcaster at the end).

For me, The Sandlot doesn’t compare to the likes of Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, or even Major League (my personal favorite), but it’s a good movie just before the baseball season begins, especially watching with a six year old boy who dreams of being the next “Benny The Jet” or maybe he dreams of being “The Beast”.

BaseballMovie.com has a list of the best baseball movies. Let me know if you agree with their list at sleo@clippersbaseball.com

On to other news…

* The Indians are expected to announce the fifth starter in the next couple days. Josh Tomlin is considered the favorite, but David Huff and Jeanmar Gomez are still being considered.

* The Clippers rotation will probably consist of two-thirds of the Tomlin, Huff, Gomez battle, Alex White, Zach McAllister, and Corey Kluber. There was thought that White could start in Akron, but that now seems unlikely.

* It looks like Joe Martinez will be in the Clippers bullpen along with Jensen Lewis, Josh Judy, Doug Mathis, and Jess Todd to name a few. The Indians are also close to signing lefty Jesse English to a minor league contract. English pitched mostly in Syracuse last year in addition to seven appearances with the Washington Nationals.

* Josh Rodriguez could be headed back to the Indians. J-Rod is locked in a three-way battle for the final utility spot on Pittsburgh’s 25-man roster. Rodriguez, a Rule 5 pick in December, must stay on the major league roster for the entire season or be offered back to Cleveland. The Pittsburgh media believes the Buccos will offer a trade to keep Rodriguez, but with the lack of shortstops at upper levels, it’s likely the Tribe will take Rodriguez back.

* Grady Sizemore is scheduled to suit up for the Clippers in a spring game tomorrow. Sizemore, INF Jason Donald, OF Trevor Crowe, RHP Joe Smith, and RHP Anthony Reyes are a some of the candidates to appear in Columbus on rehab assignments at some point.

* The Indians opening day lineup looks to be just about set:

1. M. Brantley CF
2. A. Cabrera SS
3. S. Choo RF
4. C. Santana C
5. T. Hafner DH
6. O. Cabrera 2B
7. M. LaPorta 1B
8. A. Kearns RF
9. J. Hannahan 3B
P – RH F. Carmona

(Please note: I decided on the first initial, full last name format in honor of Ken Griffey Jr. Baseball for Super Nintendo circa 1994, one of the best baseball video games ever created)

The bench spots are still being discussed, but Lou Marson is thought to be the backup catcher with Travis Buck and Adam Everett filling in spots as well. The last spot probably goes to Shelley Duncan. An official roster announcement could come as early as Friday.

* What does the Clippers lineup look like? Here is my latest guess:

1. E. Carrera CF
2. J. Kipnis 2B
3. L. Chisenhall 3B
4. C Huffman LF
5. J. Brown 1B
6. C. Phelps/J. Goedert DH
7. M. McBride RF
8. P. Phillips C
9. L. Valbuena SS

We should know, for sure, who’ll start with in Columbus within the next few days. Needless to say, the roster will be a VERY fluid situation…

* Last (but not least) the Clippers ticket department has announced the “Great Eight” Box Seat Plan. Get eight pre-selected box seats along with admission to the Tansky Sawmill Toyota Club for just $100. Tickets are available is sections 4 and 20. Call 614-462-5250 for more info.

The next “Clippers Mailbag” feature is right around the corner so send your questions to sleo@clippersbaseball.com

The Indians outrighted reliever (and Clippers broadcast favorite) Jensen Lewis to the Columbus roster today after he cleared waivers. Lewis is still Indians property because it’s his first time being outrighted, so he was forced to accept the assignment.

He has been tremendous as a Clipper, posting a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances last year, but has yet to solidify a spot in Cleveland’s bullpen for the long term. His ERA lowered from 2009 to 2010 (4.61 to 2.97), but allowed nine earned runs in 5.2 innings of spring action before getting bumped off the 25-man roster.

It was assumed that Lewis was locked into a spot in Manny Acta’s bullpen, but you know what happens when you assume…

The bad news is that Lewis much re-prove himself to the Indians in order to get back to Progressive Field. The good news is that we’ll soon have a Jensen Lewis interview (which is always entertaining) coming to a Clippers broadcast near you…

* RHP Joe Smith (Wright State alum) hasn’t pitched in two weeks because of a strained abdominal muscle. It looks like he’ll miss Cleveland’s opener also.

* Jason Bastian of MLB.com writes that Tony Sipp, Chad Durbin, Rafael Perez, and Chris Perez are locks for the big league bullpen with three spots open. Interestingly, we thought there was only one spot open once Durbin was signed. That was before Smith’s injury and Lewis’ demotion. My how things change…

* Indians GM Chris Antonetti recently stated that top prospect Lonnie Chisenhall (3B) is Columbus-bound, but there is a chance that Jason Kipnis (2B) and Alex White (RHP) could start the year with Akron. Stay tuned!

* Speaking of the roster shuffling, Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon-Journal recently tried to solve the mystery of Cleveland’s Opening Day bunch. He has free agent acquisitions Jack Hannahan, Travis Buck, and Adam Everett making the big club. That could throw a wrench in the plans of guys like Shelley Duncan, Trevor Crowe, Luis Valbuena, and Jayson Nix to name a few.

* It appears Jason Donald is out of the equation for the Indians Opening Day roster (bone bruise on left hand). When he returns, he’ll be the likely third baseman.

* The Indians released Ben Carlson, Andrew Shive, Nick Kirk, Matt Speake, and Alex Morales from the organization. Players battling for a Triple-A spot are not likely to get released, but it happened to 1B/OF Stephen Head at this time last year. I’m told it could happen again…

* The Lake County Captains received their 2010 Midwest League championship rings before a game at Goodyear Ballpark last week. The Clippers will be awarded the 2010 Triple-A National Championship rings prior to next week’s exhibition against the Indians. Click here for ticket info.

* The 4th Annual Clippers 5K and Fun Run is scheduled for 1:00pm on Saturday, April 16th. That’s just a few hours before the Clippers home opener! The boys at Second Sole Racing are once again handling the preparations. It’s always a good time! 

* There has been a Jason Davis sighting in Goodyear!

* Clippers Merchandise Director Krista Oberlander has one again exceeded any and all expectations with the new line of Clippers apparel at the Cargo Shop. Call the office at 614-462-5250 for hours of operation.

* The Huntington Park center field ticket booth is now open from 10:00am-2:00pm, Monday through Friday leading up to the season. Say hello to my man Kevin Daniels!

* Tickets are just five bucks to see the Clippers play the Ohio State Buckeyes in an exhibition on April 5th. Click here for tickets!

* This blog will be improving yet again! I’m told the changes involve customization, widgets, mobile posting, captions, and a commenting system that is easier for the bloggers and commenters. Are you excited yet?