Interview with Mike Stein,
Cleveland Rocks

Biggest Daddy: Mike Stein, it's been eight years since your last interview, and the last time we talked it was in regard to how a team with Roberto Alomar, Ben Grieve, Ivan Rodriguez, Steve Finley, and Adrian Beltre could suck so much.... And yet, here we are, eight years later, and your team with Chipper Jones, Jim Thome, Gary Sheffield, Russell Martin, Freddy Sanchez, Pat Burrell and Troy Tulowitzki sucked once more. What's the deal? Did anything change between 2000 and 2008?

Mike Stein: The one constant has been me. Hmmmmmmmmm ... Actually, those guys didn't suck as much as these guys -- Derek Lowe, Carlos Silva, Edwin Jackson, Julian Tavarez, and Paul Byrd. They weren't supposed to be world beaters, but I didn't think they'd be eggbeaters either. Our hitters couldn't do enough to overcome them.

BD: On that note, can your team compete in 2009? At the moment, your rotation seems to be comprised of Cliff Lee and a bunch of no-namers. Since Lee only has one more year left on his contract, wouldn't it make more sense to deal Lee for a bunch of young studs at the brink of a blossoming MLB career? Or is Scott Olsen and Edwin Jackson enough to get your team by?

MS: Ever see those commercials where they show the kid talking about the best Christmas present ever and then he morphs into an adult who has just received one of those Lexuses with the bow on top? That's the Rocks for every one of Cliff Lee's starts next season. If this isn't the year the Hrbek plays the the Butler, can we change the schedule? No reason to jump off the Cliff before the season even starts. If we're out of it by midseason, we can still get someone's farm system for Cliff Lee. I don't think we'll be out of it, though.

BD: How will you approach the draft this year?

MS: When is it??

BD: How would you say that your team-building approach has changed over the years?

MS: I've tried to learn from the masters and get that prospect thrown in "just to make it even."

BD: Ok, the Eck League has this ill-fated reputation that they don't play live head-to-head series. What is your perception of this point-of-view? What goes on with the Rocks franchise? Of the 160 games, how many are the Rocks playing live?

MS: I want to play all my games head to head even when the Rocks suck. If others are afraid of the challenge, what can I do? I figure they just don't want to be publicly embarrassed, so they hide in the dark, play my MP, and quietly send in the results of a Rocks victory. That will probably happen even more in 2009 as we take over the Hrbek.

BD: Is there anything that you like about DMB?

MS: You mean don't like? Tt gets repetitive with the supposedly dramatic play-by-play calls. Outfielders stumbling around and then catching the ball anyway. All the "exciting" drives to the fence that are caught. The cutesy descriptions of the throws to first where the announcer thinks the guy is out but then is safe. They need to go. We could also use some more strategic options for offensive. Pressing "1", "1", "1", "1", "1" over and over while throwing in the occasional steal attempt gets boring -- especially when you allow the computer to control your baserunning decisions. Put in a Scioscia Option where you can have your guy try to hit the ball to the right side to advance a runner. Or if a guy's on third, make your hitter try to at least hit a long fly ball for a sacrifice at the risk of a higher strikeout or popout percentage. Heck, a few more defensive options would be great as well. Maybe putting on the shift or shading outfielders a certain direction. For a strategic game, the strategic options are a bit 1992 Atari baseball.

BD: Which baseball stadiums have you visited and which is your favorite?

MS: Being that I've lived within two miles of Jacobs Field (not Progressive Field) for the past four years, I'm there quite a bit (though not as often as you'd think). Still love the Jake. When the crowds are small it's very simple to get in for less than 10 bucks and find your way to a very good seat. When the team's rolling it's still not hard to get good seats for a decent price. Nothing beats a summer night at the Jake with the sun setting down the third base line and the Indians are playing well. As much as it pains me to say it, Pittsburgh's got an awesome park. Only been there once though. I've been to both Yankee and Shea stadiums, but now they're gone, so I'll have to revisit NYC to try their new stadiums. Been to both Chicago stadiums and actually liked the White Sox field better. Wrigley can be nasty cold -- shadows all over accentuate that bitter Chicago weather. And just because it's been around forever doesn't mean it's any good. Wrigely can go as far as I'm concerned. Also been to Miller Park in Milwaukee. If you blindfolded someone and put them on the pitcher's mound there, they would have no idea what stadium they were in. There's nothing there that identifies it as Milwaukee. Camden Yards still holds up, much like the Jake. Very bland. Only others I've been to are gone or not used for baseball anymore -- Tiger Stadium, RFK, and Riverfront Stadium.

BD: What are the Indians doing wrong? So much talent coming out of that system, and yet they can't get that to translate to playoff appearances ... even winning seasons!

MS: Can you believe they had the 2007 and 2008 Cy Young winners on their team to start the season last year and still barely finished .500. Still, their position talent is overrated. When the people they count on have bad years, it's over. Hafner (who is probably finished) and Martinez gave them next to nothing, and there wasn't enough hitting to overcome it. Then the bullpen implosion turned a few wins into losses, and everyone started looking forward to Browns training camp. Speaking of disgraces ...

BD: For some reason, the whole notion of the city of Cleveland turns people off. Why is that? Is Cleveland's reputation of being dirty and crime-ridden an unfair assessment?

MS: Cleveland needs to accept what it is and be happy with it. Maybe go on the Dr. Phil show someday for some tough love. We are not NYC or Chicago, even though we might have been right up there 60 years ago. We need to be like Milwaukee, and just love ourselves. Ever hear Milwaukee complaining? They're over there, eating their brats, drinking their beer, and bundling up against the cold and loving it. Maybe it's because of The Fonz and Laverne & Shirley, but they seem to love their average lives in Milwaukee. Cleveland needs to embrace itself. And get a few businesses in here. And some sun. Every winter I get closer and closer to moving somewhere warm.

BD: If I was going to spend a day in Cleveland, what should I do (other than visit Progressive Field)?

MS: I love the music scene in Cleveland. We have venues all over the place hosting people you've heard of and people you haven't. Odds are you can find something good to listen to any night of the week, big name or small. Jazz, blues, rock, rap, anything you want, you'll find it somewhere around here just about any day of the week. We've also got a very vibrant arts scene -- more going on there than you think. Plenty of museums and exhibits to be found, often in unexpected places. So if you want a day in Cleveland, I'd say start off in the Tremont neighborhood which is a mile or so west of downtown Cleveland, spend your day at some coffee shops and little art stores or exhibits (or even the Tremont Art Walk if you come on the right weekend), go find a good restaurant for dinner (former Iron Che Michael Symon's restaurant is right downtown), and then find one of those music clubs.

BD: Mike, how else do you like to spend your free time, other than BDBL, when not in the library?

MS: I'm good at sneaking into movies. We have a couple of those huge theaters where there's about 20 screens inside and everyone gets lost looking for the one with their movie. With good planning I can easily watch three movies in a row. No one ever knows! It's great at this time of year when it's cold and I get a lot of days off from work. Believe me, there's plenty of movies not worth paying $7.50 for, but they are definitely worth sneaking into! Besides perfecting that technique, you'll find me playing softball in the summer and at concerts year-round. Oh, and this year I got a bargain on season tickets for the Cavs, so I'm down there cheering on LeBron most every home game.

BD: Are libraries keeping up with today's technology and world? If yes, how so?

MS: A lot of them are. Libraries are more adapters than innovaters, and sometimes you have to drag some old ladies (and men) kicking and screaming into the future. But anyone who hasn't been into a library in 10 years wouldn't recognize it today. Let's just start with the basic card catalog. That's all online now, unless it's a tiny or rural library. Most libraries run their own website and offer services through it, such as book ordering or answering questions in either chat form or email form. New buildings are being built around wireless technology. These types of innovations sound basic. Beyond that, you might see a library using RFID to track all its materials (not to your home, but at least within the library -- find those misplaced books!), Facebook or MySpace to connect with people and plan programming, or subscribing to databases which offer audio book downloads. I've been buying a lot of Playaways for my library, which is an entire audiobook on a device that looks like a little iPod. You just plug in your headphones and press play. They are fun and pretty cool. I haven't worked in an academic library in almost seven years, but I think you'll find even more technologically innovative things in that type of library.

BD: When should we expect a rapid economic rebound?

MS: My idea is that the world should just enter the lottery. As The World. That's our best chance.

BD: 24 or Scrubs?

MS: Tough one. For repeat viewing, Scrubs. But I'll take 24 for appointment viewing.

BD: Foo Fighters or The Apples in Stereo?

MS: Foo all the way. Seen them three times in concert. Dave Grohl is in my Top 10 Current Rock Gods. Just think, the dude was in Nirvana, the seminal band from the '90s THEN started his own freaking Grammy-award-winning band that still puts out quality material. Not only that, but he supposedly wrote the songs that Courtney Love stole for Hole's big album. That he's from nearby Canton, Ohio gets him even more fired up to perform in Cleveland. Hasn't let me down yet.

BD: Empire Falls or Crooked River Burning?

MS: Are you reading my Facebook page?? Empire Falls is my all-time favorite, the book by which I'll probably forever judge all other books. The Corrections comes close. And while Crooked River Burning is very, very good, I'll have to go with Empire Falls in this one -- even though I've been playing in a fantasy baseball league with CRB's author for 17 years.

BD: Plasma or LCD?

MS: I hear about plasma burn, so I'm afraid to go there. But I still need to be educated on the topic.

BD: Skittles or M&M's?

MS: M&M's, hands down.

BD: Who will win a BDBL World Series first: The Cleveland Rocks or the Salem Cowtippers?

MS: The Rocks, with Cliff Lee as MVP.

BD: Thanks, Mike!