Cleveland Indians Wiretap

Pressure On White Sox To Pull Trigger On Griffey Deal

"Try harder?" asked Ken Williams. "I don't think that's possible.

"This has not been a case of our unwillingness to take a hit on the prospect front or on the financial front. But you can't force anybody to make a deal they don't want to make."

That seemed to be a veiled reference to talks with Cincinnati for Ken Griffey Jr., a deal still believed to be on the table but not acceptable to Reds ownership.

Kansas City's Mike Sweeney reportedly has cleared waivers but probably doesn't excite Sox management much, considering he would be owed $25 million for the next two years and the Royals are asking for big-time players.

The Mets' Cliff Floyd also is believed to have cleared waivers, but the Mets don't want to trade him because they are in the wild-card race.

Williams appears to be hard-pressed to make a move, despite the growing number of impatient boos and calls for "Griffey" at U.S. Cellular Field.

Asked if he felt he absolutely had to do something to get his team's lackluster offense going again, Williams replied:

"If I say no, that means I'm satisfied with what's going on, even if I answer it in a supportive mode. And believe me, I'm behind these guys 100 percent.

"If I answer yes, then I'm disrespecting [these players] and what they've accomplished. While I definitely know the question has to be asked, there is no answer to give that is conducive to us having harmony, for lack of a better word."

Via Chicago Tribune

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Meltdown In Kansas City; Royals Give Up 11 9th Inning Runs

Kansas City took a five-run lead into the ninth and was on the verge of snapping a 10-game losing streak, but the Indians sent 14 men to the plate and scored 11 runs to rally for a 13-7 victory Tuesday night over the bumbling Royals.

Jhonny Peralta's three-run homer capped the inning after Angel Berroa, Chip Ambres and Emil Brown all made errors. Eight of the runs in the inning were unearned.

"They kind of gave it to us," said Casey Blake, who led off the ninth with a double. "Obviously, they cut their own throats. You won't see that too often, big-leaguers dropping a ball, let alone two in one inning.

"Any time you get some big hits and the defense is giving you more outs, things like that can happen. It looked pretty bleak when you're down five runs and their closer comes in."

The Royals are one loss shy of the longest skid in franchise history, set from June 28-July 13, 1997.

"It was a crazy game," Indians manager Eric Wedge. "It was really two different games. That's the reason you play all the way through."

Via ESPN

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Aaron Boone Will Be In Cleveland In 2006

Aaron Boone will be back with the Indians next season. The Indians have restructured and exercised the 2006 club option on their third baseman. The deal also includes a mutual player/club option for the 2007 season.

After a rough first two months, in which he hit below .200, Boone has regrouped at the plate.

"He's been the person we wanted and, the last two months, he's been the player we wanted," said Indians general manager Mark Shapiro.

Boone's ability to handle adversity is a big reason why Shapiro thinks he's a part of the Indians' future.

"I don't think you tell much about people and how they handle a situation when things are going well," said Shapiro. "It's when things aren't going well that you tell about a person. Aaron has handled things very well."

Via MLB.com

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