Mark Mulder: and then there were three--St. Louis, Texas and Cleveland

Mark Mulder: The Dojo continues it's Mark Mulder coverage with a report from Paul Hoynes stating that it's down to three teams fighting for the services of one Mark Mulder, with the Indians a team already offering him what he wants, as I reported yesterday. You have to wonder about the other teams in the mix. You have St. Louis, and as Lake Erie Hope reported, and he lives in St. Louis, Mulder was something less than happy there last year. In Texas, you have a team that always seems to be patchwork...but has outbid Cleveland in the past, most recently, for Eric Gagne. Then you have the Indians, playing the waiting game on 2 guys that could put Cleveland near, or in my estimation, AT the top of the free agent period. I don't know who the favorite is, although there could be a bit of insight with this comment from Mulder's agent:

"Mark Shapiro does a great job selling what the Cleveland Indians have to offer," said Clifton. "I think he's in a good spot to get Mulder to come to Cleveland."

Hoynes went on a little bit more about what Clifton was talking about:

Over the last two years, the Indians' coaching and training staff have done a good job keeping their pitchers healthy and durable. The top five starters in 2005 made 158 of a possible 162 starts. Last year, despite having trouble with the No. 5 spot, the top four starters made 124 of 162 starts. The training staff has helped Kevin Millwood, Bob Howry, Bob Wickman and Scott Sauerbeck get back on the mound after injuries. "If you look at those numbers, they're pretty incredible," said Clifton.

So the table is set. But let's look at one part of what Clifton said a bit more closely. "I think he's in a good spot to get Mulder to come to Cleveland." Most are portraying this to be a good thing. I'm not sure I'm NOT, but when I first read that this morning, the first thing that popped into my head is, MORE MONEY. Now, I think the Tribe can gamble a bit on Mulder. He's that good if healthy. But you won't see Shapiro do anything stupid. I don't think St. Louis will either. He's a known commodity there, and I think they know exactly what they are getting (without seeing him pitch since the injury). Besides, St. Louis rarely makes stupid signings. Texas, on the other hand, could be the patron saints of idiotic signings. So they throw this up in the air.

If I'm a betting man, Texas gets him, in a deal that leaves us all shaking our heads. I hope I'm wrong.

Keith Foulke: No news as of yet on Foulke. I would be surprised if he doesn't sign with the Tribe. There are no indications of another team involved as of yet, but you just never know. Foulke is waiting, and I have to admit that it appears as though HE'S waiting for something better. Hopefully, it's just the physical. The Diatribe talked a bit about Foulke today, but in a rather entrepreneurial sense. It's a great idea, but one that ESPN would definately take advantage of. I'm not a big fan of ESPN these days, in particular their internet content. The Insider stuff makes me insane, more because what's in there seems to be not quite worth the money they want you to pay. I'm sure opinions vary on this, but check it out. It's a great idea, and I'd certainly use it if it ever happened.

Lake Erie Hope: I wanted to shout out to Lake Erie Hope. Over the past month, I've noticed that we agree more than not on many issues involving Ohio Sports, and even though he's on a quest to bring me back to the Browns fold, I still think his blog is one of the best. In particular, his post today about Mulder, and more particular, about what signing him means to the Indians in the Big Picture. Most of you know that I'm a firm believer that Mulder doesn't even have to pan out, but signing him, and/or getting him and his agent to make quotes like the one above are just as important to success as actual signings. So again, check out his blog, as it's impressive (and I'm liking the lack of team colors for the blog...and thinking of a change here because of it). Apparently I'm not alone in thinking Lake Erie Hope has something worthwhile to say. In going through my blog walk today, I checked out the Plain Dealer's Tribe Tracker, by Joey Morona, and what did my blinking eyes see?

But I got an email from a Tribe fan in St. Louis who did some digging on David Dellucci. Some of you may recall I wrote that David Dellucci is another platoon player, in my opinion Jason Michaels with a little more pop. Anyway, here's a different perspective from said Tribe fan, who sees Dellucci as a solid, every day asset.

Congrats on the mention bro...well deserved. I've moved you up to Friends of the Dojo. And hey, for a small fee, I'll "say" I'm a Browns fan ;).

More later today, or as soon as I get rid of this "POJO flu" that has taken over over the past 24 hours.

Painful...