A look back at recent observations

A review of recent column topics in which the writer brags a little bit about something he wrote:

A few weeks ago in a column here about the Cleveland Indians and their lack of acquisitions at the trade deadline, I made the point that two pitchers already in the organization could be seen as “new” players if used in certain roles.

I opined that Danny Salazar, pitching at the time at Class AAA Columbus, could be a shot in the arm to the starting staff and that Carlos Carrasco, at the time pitching in low-pressure situations out of the Cleveland bullpen, could provide help at the back end of the bullpen if used in late-game situations.

I was right, sort of, on both counts. What in fact has happened is that both Salazar and Carrasco have been starting rotation stalwarts during August as the Indians’ staff put together an outstanding month to get the team into the thick of the playoff race.

Salazar and Carrasco, along with Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and T.J. House, have, for the most part, given the Indians, a team with an inconsistent offense, a chance to win night after night. The fact they’ve been working deep into games has given the bullpen a bit of a break, also.

Whether the pitching staff can continue to carry the struggling offense and spotty defense remains to be seen.

I complained in a recent column about how bad the Cleveland Browns look every preseason and that the increased media attention because of Johnny Manziel only made things worse.

Now that Brian Hoyer has held off (barely) Manziel for the starting quarterback spot, I expect him to play better than he did in the preseason games.

Hoyer, in his brief stint at the helm of the Browns last year, showed an ability to rise to the occasion and do what needs to be done according to the game situation. If you want to call that “managing” the game, that’s OK with me.

At this point, with a lack of playmakers on the offense, I will take a game manager willing to play the field position game, hand off the ball and keep what looks like a solid defense out of difficult situations.

The Browns do not, in my opinion, have the ability to beat anyone 37-35 (or even 24-21) and need to be playing games with scoring in the teens in order to win.

At this point Hoyer gives them the best opportunity to win compared to the rookie Manziel.

Last week I stated that in order for the Ohio State Buckeyes to reach the college football playoffs this season they must develop a running game.

In the first week against Navy, there were signs that it could happen. The line has four new starters and runners Carlos Hyde and Braxton Miller are gone.

But backs Ezekiel Elliott, Dontre Wilson and Curtis Samuel all ran hard and the run game overall was better in the second half when the Buckeyes literally ran out the clock.

Let’s hope that trend continues. As a native of Ohio, coach Urban Meyer knows the importance of running the ball in November, so there’s every reason to believe it will.

Doug Chapin is a sports writer at The Vindicator. Email him at dchapin@vindy.com