Detroit Tigers showing interest in reliever Luis Ayala

Even though Dave Dombrowski said the Detroit Tigers were done spending for the offseason, he's still looking to improve the team and do it in an affordable way.

The Tigers have shown interest in right handed veteran reliever Luis Ayala. Ayala spent most of last year with the Atlanta Braves after pitching in two games with the Baltimore Orioles. He went 1-1 with a 2.90 ERA in 37 games with the Braves.

In three years with the Atlanta Braves Ayala has made about 157 appearances while posting a 2.58 ERA. Ayala, 36, must have himself a top agent if he’s able to get the attention of almost every organization in the league. The Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners are also said to be courting the well traveled veteran.

Overall Ayala has a career record of 38-47 with a 3.34 ERA and 367 strikeouts in 554 1/3 innings for the Montreal Expos, Washington Nationals, New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Florida Marlins, New York Yankees, Orioles and Braves.

Report: Jhonny Peralta to sign with Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals are keeping busy in the offseason. After trading third baseman David Freese to the Los Angeles Angels for outfielder Peter Bourjos, the Cardinals are reportedly making a slight splash in free agency.

According to reports the Cardinals are closing in on a deal with former Detroit Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta.

The team is looking to upgrade from the tandem of Peter Kozma and Daniel Descalso. Peralta will do just that, but if he's signing in the neighborhood of the reported $50 million or more that he had on the table the Cards would be better served taking a pass.

Peralta ,31, served a 50 game susupension for his involvement Major League Baseball's Biogenesis scandal. He's a two time All-Star and .268 career hitter with 156 home runs in 11 seasons with the Cleveland Indians and Detroit. He came back from the suspension to help the Tigers reach the American League championship series and had a very solid playoff performance.

Due to the suspension I figured Peralta might come a little cheaper. Terms of the deal have not been announced.

Charlie Manuel expresses interest in managing Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers manager job is an attractive one right now.  The team is coming off it's third straight appearance in the American League Championship Series and have made two World Series appearances (2006, 2012).

There have been a lot of names thrown out there and there should be no shortage of managers currently on the sideline that would like to take the Tigers job.

Former Cleveland Indians and Philadelphia Phillies manager Charlie Manuel has 'expressed his interest' in taking over the Tigers gig that Jim Leyland recently stepped down from. Leyland said he didn't have much left in the tank but Manuel, who is 70, says he still has the fire during an interview with Detroit Sports 105.1.

 "My agent will definitely call some teams and feel them out," Manuel said. "He talks to me before he does it. He chats with me regular."

"Condition-wise, I feel tremendous," Manuel said. "I've still got the fire. I've got a full tank. I'm still very much in the game."

Manuel managed the Indians from 2000-2002 and won the AL Central in 2001. He managed the Phillies from 2004-2013, winning a World Series title in 2008, reaching the World Series again in 2009 losing to the New York Yankees.

Manuel won 780 games in Philadelphia, including five consecutive National League East titles from 2007-2011.

Browns beat out Bills for Kevin Costner movie

Two of the more snakebit franchises in the NFL went head to head off the field recently. But for once it was the Cleveland Browns that came out on top.

The Browns reportedly beat out the Buffalo Bills for the right to be the franchise in the Kevin Costner movie, Draft Day.

The movie, which was to depict Kevin Costner as a fictitious Buffalo Bills general manager trying to restore his team to past glory, will instead be shot in Cleveland, with the actor portraying the Cleveland Browns GM.

Like most reasons for anything related to business decisions, it all came down to the money. Shooting in Cleveland was cheaper than shooting in Buffalo therefore the Browns will get the nod.

“At the end of the day, it was a money thing. I think Mr. [Ivan] Reitman really wanted to shoot here, but it just came down to the cost factor. What we were told is that the Cleveland incentives were better,” said Tim Clark who heads the Buffalo Niagara Film Commission .

“I feel the worse for the Buffalo Bills, because they worked real hard to convince the film company that Buffalo was the place to shoot this, and that Buffalo was America’s team.”

Buffalo Bills being America's team. Since when? I guess I missed the memo on that one.

This will be the second time a movie will be based on a Cleveland sports franchise as Draft Day hopes to be as successful as Major League. I guess the silver screen is the only place where a Cleveland franchise gets to be a winner.

Damon hoping the Yankees give him a call

With Curtis Granderson out for 10 weeks with a broken forearm the New York Yankees are exploring options for a replacement until Granderson is back in action.

One of the options probably won't be the well traveled Johnny Damon who looks like he's trying to hang on in the majors.

Damon has shown interest in coming back to the Yankees and is hoping to get a call from the team. But he is a realist and knows that the Yankees won't 'reach out' to him.


“I don’t think it will,” Damon told The Post tonight. “They’ve had plenty of opportunities since 2009 and it hasn’t happened. But if they call, I’m ready to go.”


“I would play for the minimum [$490,000 per year, prorated] for six weeks,” he said. “If Granderson, returns I would leave. If there’s no room for me, I am gone.”

Last year Damon played in 64 games with the Cleveland Indians but was released after compiling a meager .222 batting average.

Damon believes going back to New York would help invigorate his game.

I don't believe that anything will help Damon right now. He needs to hang it up and call it a career.  

Minor League Flame Out Wins $1 Million

Usually a dream ends after being cut from a minor league baseball team. Just don't tell that to Joel Torres.

Torres, a 21 year old outfielder, was recently cut from a Cleveland Indians minor league affiliate, won $1 million on a scratch off lottery game.

Torres bought the "Sweet Millions" ticket February 24th, while staying at his mom's house in Queens, New York. Imagine the joy he felt after realizing he won a quick million. Especially after being cut from a team.

Torres says he plans to buy his mom a new home and continue his dream of playing professional baseball.

"The first thing I plan to do with the money is buy my mom a new house," said Torres. He said the money will allow him to pursue his hopes of playing ball in the major leagues.



"My dream, since I was a kid, is baseball. That's what I'm going to continue doing. I'm going to keep swinging, swinging for the fences," Torres said.







  

Champagne Dreams Gone In The Wind

For the Cleveland Cavaliers organization and their fans their championship dreams are LeGone. Gone down to Miami, with the dozens of fans and thousands of others that have jumped on the bandwagon in South Beach. Right now is a desperate time for Cleveland and their fans. A group of people that have had the dagger in their heart over and over. The champagne dreams they had had with LeBron are now replaced with thirst and the taste of Steel Reserve.

From way back in 1954, when Willie Mays robbed Vic Wertz in the World Series, sports in Cleveland hasn't been the same. Sure they still can hold on to the black and white footage of Jim Brown running over the Colts back in 1964, but that's about all they have to hold on to. Let's see, there was 1981 when Mike Davis picked off Brian Sipe on that cold day in Municipal Stadium. How about The Drive and The Fumble in consecutive years, the latter which the fans of Cleveland ran Earnest Byner out of town. Never mind he was the reason the Browns were in the position they were because of him. There also was another AFC title game loss to the Broncos. There was The Shot, which brought Craig Ehlo into kids' bedrooms across America (posterized). Brad Daughtery's bad back, Danny Ferry being a bust. Art Modell moving the Browns franchise out of Cleveland. The city to reap the benefits of a Super Bowl winner, Baltimore. There was 1994, when the Indians finally righted the ship only to have a  the rug pulled out from a possible World Series winning team due to a strike/lockout. There was World Series loss to Atlanta. The memory of Joe Table (Jose Mesa) not being able to close the deal against the Marlins in 97. Or was it 98? The playoff loss to the Steelers in which the Browns wasted a sizable lead. The ALCS where the Indians blew a 3-1 lead against the Red Sox.

Cleveland's luck looked to change for the better when the Cavs drafted LeBron James. He led them to the brink of the playoffs, then went on to crash the big stage,dethroning the Detroit Pistons as kings of the East. He never made it back to the Finals,as the last two years proved to be disappointing, bowing out to the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics in six games both years. Which leads us to this. Owner Dan Gilbert says that the "curse" will go down south with James. Sorry Dan, this ain't the Bobby Layne Lions curse here. The champagne will be replaced with Steel Reserve and Cleveland fans will remain thirsty for another 50 plus years, because as I see it right now there is no hope with the Browns, Indians, or Cavaliers. Hey Clevelanders, at least you have the Buckeyes and old Jim Brown footage. How about this, you guys can come up here and pull for our perennial losers, the Detroit Lions.