Belliard strains hamstring, leaves game
07/19/2006
ANAHEIM -- Ronnie Belliard left Wednesday's game against the Angels in the fifth inning with a mild left hamstring strain.
Manger Eric Wedge couldn't put a timetable on when the Indians second baseman could return to the field, as the team didn't yet know the severity of the injury.
"We'll see how he feels [Thursday], then we'll have a better idea," Wedge said. "We'll know if it's something that is going to be a couple days or see if it will be more than that."
Belliard was hurt when he hit a high chopper to shortstop. After beating out Orlando Cabrera's throw, he reached to grab his leg and gingerly slowed up down the base line. Wedge and the Indians' training staff ran to shallow right field to assist the infielder.
After a few minutes, it was determined Belliard would be unable to continue, and the second baseman walked off the field without any assistance.
Ramon Vasquez entered as a pinch-runner and scored as part of the Tribe's five-run inning.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Big inning helps Indians get past Halos
07/19/2006
ANAHEIM -- Everything finally went right for manager Eric Wedge and his Indians. Well, except for one call in the ninth.
Wedge was ejected by home-plate umpire Ed Montague for arguing a changed strike-three call, but that didn't stop him from enjoying an end to his team's five-game losing streak. Behind a five-run fifth inning on Wednesday, the Indians escaped Southern California with a 6-4 win against the Angels.
The Indians did what several teams before them could not -- figure out Angels starter John Lackey. The Tribe's explosion in the fifth ended Lackey's scoreless inning streak at 30 2/3 frames.
In completing a 2-5 road trip that included losses to two Angels rookies and a Twins starter with an ERA north of 6.00, the Indians ironically book-ended the week with victories against the two hurlers that entered the day as the top ERA leaders in the American League.
"You don't like what happened in between, but to win the first one and win the last one against those two pitchers says a lot about our club," Wedge said, referring to Lackey and Twins phenom Francisco Liriano.
Wednesday's starter, Paul Byrd, had plenty to say about right fielder Casey Blake, who made a diving catch in the bottom of the sixth that stopped the tying runs from scoring.
With the Indians leading, 5-3, Chone Figgins sliced a ball into the right-field corner. With two outs, Blake sprinted to his left to snag the drive that was tailing away from him. If the right fielder had botched his attempt, the two Angels on base would have surely scored and, with the speedster Figgins at the plate, the play could have ended as an inside-the-park home run.
"That was the whole game, in my mind," Byrd said. "I am still amazed, I thought he had no chance."
Blake, himself, said he was just as surprised.
"I remember thinking I didn't know how I came up with it," he said. "I didn't think I had it until I looked at it in the glove."
Blake, who went 0-for-5 with a walk and hit into two double plays in Tuesday's loss, was just happy to contribute in some way.
"Personally, I was kind of a rally-killer [today and Tuesday]," he said. "It feels good to help out Byrdy and the team a little bit."
Blake's walk in the fifth sent Lackey (8-6) to the clubhouse, but not before the Indians got the big inning they had been striving for all series. The Tribe had baserunners all throughout its three games in Anaheim, but found it tough to push across multiple runs.
Ben Broussard put an end to Lackey's streak, driving a two-run homer on an inside fastball that tied the game at 2. Four of the next five Indians banged out hits, with Jhonny Peralta delivering a two-run single and Joe Inglett hitting an opposite-field RBI double.
Aaron Boone increased the Tribe's lead to 6-3 with a solo home run in the seventh.
The big fifth inning was essential for a team that entered the day having lost nine of its last 11 games.
"It's one step in the right direction," Broussard said.
Byrd (7-6) was his normal quality self. Never one to overpower hitters, he usually allows hits here and there and gets into jams. But almost always, he's able to get out of them with minimal damage.
Admittedly over-emotional and overthrowing because he was facing his former teammates, Byrd completed six innings and allowed three earned runs on 10 hits. He gave up Juan Rivera's third home run in two nights and two RBI singles to Vladimir Guerrero, but ended with the sixth quality start in his past eight games.
"I'm not good enough to stay in a place too long, but I'm not bad enough to retire," he said.
Inglett, playing in place of Grady Sizemore -- who hadn't been out of the starting lineup all season -- also helped Byrd out by playing the best game of his young Major League career.
He reached base five of the six times he came to the plate and raised his average from .176 to .286. His RBI that capped the Indians' five-run fifth was the first of his career.
A game like Wednesday's should do plenty for the 28-year-old's comfort level. Breaking out in the manner he did made Inglett feel he belongs on a Major League roster.
"It was a big-time confidence builder," said Inglett, who also swiped his first base. "Everything is starting to slow down, my heartbeat is not even that fast anymore."
Wedge became irritated in the ninth when closer Bob Wickman apparently struck out Figgins leading off the inning. Angels manager Mike Scioscia popped out of his dugout to protest that Figgins had tipped the ball to the ground. Montague conferred with third-base umpire Marvin Hudson and signaled for Figgins' at-bat to continue.
"A call with the opposite umpire is usually made right away, it's not something that's debated upon," Wedge said. "For them to change that call after the fact, I didn't think that was right."
Indians second baseman Ronnie Belliard left the game in the fifth when he strained his hamstring beating out an infield chopper. He is day-to-day.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Peralta looking to improve defensively
07/20/2006
CLEVELAND -- The Indians expect their young players to grow every year.
Jhonny Peralta's body took that notion literally.
When he reported to Spring Training in February, Peralta, then 23, against all logic, stood an inch and a half taller than he had in 2005, when he was listed at 6-foot-1. He had also gained 10 pounds, bulking up to about 205.
It was, as general manager Mark Shapiro put it, "a very late time to have a growth spurt."
For an organization that has long pondered whether Peralta might outgrow his shortstop position, the spurt has been somewhat of a concern. And Shapiro said he's not ruling out the possibility that it's played a role in what has been a frustrating defensive season for Peralta.
"[The spurt] can't be overlooked," Shapiro said.
Nor can the limited range and erratic throwing tendencies Peralta, who was signed to a five-year, $13 million contract in March, has displayed in this wayward '06 season. Through 90 games, he's committed 13 errors, second-most among AL shortstops. What have often been more glaring, though, are the balls Peralta is unable to get to.
Despite Peralta's struggles, the Indians have no immediate plans to move him elsewhere in the infield.
"Ten months ago, this guy was an average defensive shortstop we felt good about," Shapiro said. "Nothing that's happened this season leads me to believe he can't [again] be an average defender at short."
If hot prospect Andy Marte wasn't waiting in the wings at Triple-A Buffalo to take over Aaron Boone's third base spot, the Tribe might be exploring the possibility of making Peralta a third baseman in '07 or beyond.
"When they signed me in the Dominican to play professionally, they said my body is going to grow," Peralta said. "So they said in the future I could play third base. But I want to play shortstop."
Second base could be open next season, depending on how free-agent negotiations with Ronnie Belliard go, and manager Eric Wedge said earlier this year the club might look to put Peralta there at some point. But Shapiro said he is 100 percent certain Peralta will still be at short next year.
Not that he doesn't recognize Peralta's need for improvement.
"Jhonny's problems have been with pre-pitch setup," Shapiro said. "He needs to do a better job of anticipation, just as a lot of bigger-sized shortstops do. He needs to play a very mental, heady shortstop."
In '05, Peralta's defensive foibles were most frequent in the season's first two months. He made nine errors in the season's first 46 games, but only 10 in the final 95 games.
This year, the errors have been committed with more regularity. The most glaring came on June 28 in St. Louis, when his ninth-inning throwing error allowed the Cardinals to score the game's winning run. That drew the ire of Wedge, who had also called Peralta out earlier in the year for not running out a ground ball to first in the eighth inning of a 3-0 loss to the Tigers on May 13.
Looking at Peralta's season, to this point, Wedge couldn't help but detect a lack of focus.
"What he has to control is his mindset and his awareness," Wedge said. "I want his standards for himself to be higher."
When players sign long-term deals, an organization's greatest fear is that once the ink is dry, the player's work ethic will dry out as well. But no one with the Indians is openly questioning Peralta's dedication to his job.
"I don't think Jhonny's changed," Wedge said. "He's going through some difficult times this year. He needs to learn from it and have a better second half."
For his part, Peralta admitted the contract has gotten in his head a bit this season.
"You want to do everything better than the last year," he said. "I think I wanted to go out and do more than I could. I tried to rush and tried to make everything better than last year. But I had to relax and let it go to do my best."
After a brutal first two months of the season, Peralta appears to be much more relaxed at the plate. On June 14, his average had dipped to .222, but he's hit .331 (39-for-118) since that time to raise it up to .258. The key has been laying off breaking balls and changeups that he too often chased early on.
"I feel more comfortable," he said. "I'm swinging at better pitches, and I'm making good contact."
Peralta feels just as comfortable with his improvement as a defender.
"I think I'm doing better," he said. "I've made some errors, but errors are going to happen. My range is getting better, and I'm working every day."
With that work, the Tribe hopes Peralta will grow in a more figurative sense.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Indians trade Wickman to Braves
07/20/2006
CLEVELAND -- The Bob Wickman era has come to a close.
The Indians traded Wickman, their all-time saves leader, to the Braves for Class A catching prospect Maximiliano Ramirez on Thursday, marking their third deal involving a veteran member of the active roster in the past month.
With the Tribe out of contention for a playoff berth, general manager Mark Shapiro saw an opportunity to get an early read on what might be in store for his club in 2007.
The Wickman deal opens the door for 22-year-old right-hander Fausto Carmona to assume the closer's job for the final stretch of the '06 season.
"The standings speak for themselves and played a large role in the decision," Shapiro said. "In light of where we are, a lot of what we're doing is making quality decisions to make the club what we think can be a contender next year. The chance to look at Carmona in the closing role is very important to us."
Carmona began the year as the club's sixth starter. On May 12, though, he was called up from Triple-A Buffalo and placed in the bullpen. In 20 appearances since that time, he's gone 0-1 with a 1.03 ERA and pitched himself into the eighth-inning role.
"He's rapidly moved into that role," Shapiro said. "This will allow us to take a look at him the rest of the season in a closing role and see what happens. Until you give a player a look at that role, you never know."
The Indians always had a pretty good idea what they'd get out of the 37-year-old Wickman. Though he has a dramatic tendency to put baserunners on, he's one of the game's more effective closers.
In 156 save opportunities since being acquired by the Indians from the Brewers in the middle of the 2000 season, Wickman saved a club-record 139 games.
This year, Wickman was 15-for-18 in save situations, with his last coming Wednesday in the Indians' 6-4 win over the Angels. That appearance was the 750th of Wickman's big-league career.
Off the field, Wickman made a sizable contribution each year to Indians Charities through his Wickman's Warriors club.
"I think it's important to recognize what he's meant to this franchise and this city," Shapiro said. "His contributions on and off the field have been exceptional. In a lot of ways, he's not only an elite closer, but the way he did it with toughness and heart raised the standard for what it takes to be an effective closer in terms of toughness and mental makeup."
After looking for multi-year closing options last winter, the Indians eventually settled on re-signing Wickman, who saved 45 games in '05, to a one-year, $5 million deal for '06. He surpassed Doug Jones as the all-time saves leader on May 7 in Seattle when he notched his 138th save as an Indians closer.
With the club struggling, though, Wickman's save opportunities this season have been sporadic. The Braves, meanwhile, are desperate for veteran relief help for a squad that has vaulted itself back into the playoff picture.
Because he has 10 years of service time in the Majors and five with the same club, Wickman had the right to veto the trade.
"Bob expressed a lot of concerns about leaving the team," Shapiro said. "He had a strong sense of conscience not to abandon us. At the same time, where he is in career, he signed to be on a contender. That's what this trade offers him the opportunity to do."
The Wickman trade is the third such deal made by the Indians since the club effectively fell out of the American League Central race. Jason Johnson was dealt to the Red Sox for cash on June 21, and Eduardo Perez was traded to the Mariners for middle-infield prospect Asdrubal Cabrera on June 30.
Like Cabrera, Ramirez won't be making an immediate impact on the Indians.
The 21-year-old Ramirez, a native of Venezuela, has spent this season at Class A Rome, where he's hit .285 with nine homers and 37 RBIs in 267 at-bats.
Known more for his offense than his defense, Ramirez was the Co-Player of the Year in the Appalachian League in '05 and was a starting catcher in the South Atlantic League All-Star Game earlier this month.
"He's young, he's far away and he still has a lot of work to do as a defender," Shapiro said of Ramirez. "But he's a guy who's got the tools and bat to be a good prospect. He's a guy we're excited to have."
The public perception will most likely be that the Indians didn't land much in exchange for Wickman. But Shapiro pointed out that the Braves are only acquiring the veteran as a two-month rental, and he insisted the Indians chose Ramirez over some higher-level prospects from other teams. The Tribe's farm system is weak at catcher, while the Braves' system is loaded at the position.
"At times, you have to go lower to get a high-ceiling player," Shapiro said. "It comes down to a choice between a lower-ceiling player at an upper level, or do you take a little more risk on a guy with a higher ceiling at a lower level. This is the guy we chose."
With 11 days remaining before the non-waiver trading deadline, Shapiro is still talking with other clubs about potential deals.
"Most likely, this one will have the biggest magnitude of any that we could make," he said. "But this is a period of time where you are constantly talking to a lot of other teams. When you talk to teams, the potential for deals always comes up. It's not out of the question that we could make a smaller deal, and it's not out of the question that something bigger arises."
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Notes: Shapiro pays attention to depth
03/01/2006
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Mark Shapiro doesn't have much interest in watching the likes of Cliff Lee, C.C. Sabathia and Travis Hafner this spring.
The Indians general manager knows what those players are capable of.
Shapiro would rather put the majority of his attention on guys like Franklin Gutierrez, Ryan Garko, Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers -- players who won't break camp with the big league club but who could make an impact with the Tribe further down the line.
"Depth decisions are some of the primary things I'm focusing on," Shapiro said. "They won't matter much on April 2. But on May 13, they could be huge."
The official evaluation period for those on-the-cusp players began with this week's intrasquad games at Chain of Lakes Park. The Indians will open their Grapefruit League schedule Thursday in Kissimmee, against the Astros.
As far as the big league roster is concerned, the Tribe has little competition for roster spots to sort through. The only real question marks are the last bullpen spot (Danny Graves, Steve Karsay, Jason Davis and Andrew Brown are the leading candidates), the backup catcher's job (Kelly Shoppach and Einar Diaz) and the utility infielder's role (Ramon Vazquez and Brandon Phillips).
"We want to set the roster as early as we can," Shapiro said. "This year, the decisions are so few."
One goal of Spring Training will be to have the 25-man roster basically nailed down before the last week of exhibition games, so that the final team will have a chance to gel and bond before heading to Chicago for the April 2 opener.
"We want to improve our readiness and preparedness for April," Shapiro said. "The core of our team is in place. If we feel it's easy, we want to make our decisions sooner."
Classic combatants: With Sabathia officially out of the mix for the World Baseball Classic, the Indians have five players listed as potential participants in the tournament.
Eduardo Perez and Cabrera are confirmed to be representing Puerto Rico, while Rafael Betancourt and Victor Martinez are set to play for Venezuela.
The only question mark is second baseman Ronnie Belliard, who is on a list of 32 players being considered for the Dominican Republic squad. That list must be whittled down to 30 players by noon ET on Thursday.
Belliard is fresh off playing a full season of winter ball, including the Caribbean Series, so one could forgive him if he's a bit tired. But he said the tournament is still something he's interested in.
"It's just like the Caribbean Series," he said. "I've played in that the last four or five years. It feels good when you win and bad when you lose."
Team B goes 2-0: It was another day and another 3-1 victory for Team B in the Indians' intrasquad action Wednesday.
Bob Wickman, held to a pitch count in the low 20s, didn't complete the first inning, as he got into trouble by giving up an RBI single to Team B's Victor Martinez. Shoppach added a two-run double off Jason Stanford for Team B in the fifth.
Ramon Vazquez hit a solo home run off Davis in the fourth inning to give Team A its only run.
Other highlights included a nice scoop of a ball at first base by Travis Hafner, who's looking to put some time in at the position this season.
Phillips was nailed on the left hand by a pitch from Davis after Vazquez's home run. But manager Eric Wedge said the hand checked out fine and did not require X-rays.
Sign 'em up: The Indians agreed to terms on contracts for the 2006 season with 12 more players Wednesday.
The latest batch includes infielders Michael Aubrey, Andy Marte and Garko, outfielders Gutierrez, Brad Snyder and Jason Dubois, right-handers Fernando Cabrera, Carmona, Davis, Ed Mujica and Kaz Tadano and left-hander Rafael Perez.
Five unsigned players remain on the 40-man roster. The deadline for contract renewal is March 11.
Going, going ... gone: The Indians announced that tickets for the April 7 home opener against the Twins have sold out more than a month earlier than in 2005.
This is the 13th consecutive sellout for Opening Day at Jacobs Field since the ballpark opened in 1994.
Single-game tickets for regular-season home games go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. ET. A free open house will be held at the ballpark from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.
Small-screen star: Popular center fielder Grady Sizemore appeared on ESPN2's "Cold Pizza" program Wednesday to discuss the outlook for the Indians this season.
Each portion of the team was given a preseason grade, including a B-plus for the lineup.
"Hopefully we'll get some extra credit and bump that grade up," Sizemore said.
Then things got a little silly, as host Jay Crawford, a Sandusky, Ohio, native, had Sizemore compare the current Indians to the characters in the movie "Major League." Jake Taylor apparently has nothing on the grittiness of Victor Martinez.
Tribe tidbits: The Indians have extended their player development contract with the Class A Kinston Indians of the Carolina League through the 2008 season. ... Right-hander Jake Westbrook will get the start in Thursday's game against the Astros. He'll go up against right-hander Dan Wheeler. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:05 p.m. ET.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Hollandsworth expects to make roster
03/01/2006
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Todd Hollandsworth knows the "non-roster invitee" tag can look like a scarlet letter, of sorts.
It's not the type of label he expected to ever have affixed to his bio back in 1996, when he was the National League Rookie of the Year.
But Hollandsworth knows a spot is waiting for him on the Indians' 25-man roster when all is said and done this spring. That's why he had no problem signing a Minor League deal with the club in January.
"Even though you get the 'non-roster' tag early on, that didn't bother me," he said. "[General manager Mark Shapiro] was pretty clear what the direction was. I understood the position they were in at the time with their roster. He just basically said, 'You come in and do your thing, and you're on the team.'"
Hollandsworth's "thing" could impact the club both on and off the field.
His career has shown him the best and worst the big leagues have to offer, from the highs of winning a World Series with the Marlins in 2003 to the lows of missing most of the 2001 and 2004 seasons with a fractured right shin.
Needless to say, the 32-year-old Hollandsworth has plenty of experiences to draw from when giving advice to the Tribe's young players.
"The highs and lows. That's how the book on me has been," he said. "I have a lot to pass on. That's the reality. You have to grasp each and every year and take it with you."
One of those years that has special significance is 1997, Hollandsworth's sophomore season with the Dodgers. After being named Rookie of the Year in a '96 season that saw him hit .291 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs from the second spot of the lineup, Hollandsworth was moved to the seven hole.
With that move, Hollandsworth figured, came increased expectations for him to drive in runs. He thought he was suddenly going to be counted on to hit more homers.
"Ask anybody who was in charge back then, and they'll probably say they didn't ask me to do that," he said. "But I gave myself the problem. I wasn't a No. 2 hitter anymore. I was a No. 7 hitter. I allowed myself to get caught up too much in changing myself."
Sure enough, Hollandsworth struggled that year, batting .247 with just four home runs and 31 RBIs.
Talk about a learning experience. In fact, it's an experience Hollandsworth will probably find himself talking about with Indians youngsters Grady Sizemore and Jhonny Peralta, both of whom are coming off breakout first years.
"My advice to them would be that you can't be more than you're capable of being," he said. "There's obvious expectation, because you had a great year. You lived up to what everybody said. But don't believe the hype.
"Someone once said to me, 'You're never as bad as you think you are, and you're never as good as you think you are.' Keep that in your back pocket."
Another lesson Hollandsworth wishes he would have learned sooner revolves around the value of shin guards.
In 2001, while playing for the Rockies, the left-handed Hollandsworth chopped hard at a cut fastball from a right-hander, slicing the ball directly into his right shin, fracturing the bone and crushing a nerve.
Almost unfathomably, he did the exact same thing three years later, this time in a Cubs uniform.
"Crazy, fluky stuff," he said. "It's been two abrupt halts to a season."
Hollandsworth came back from the second injury to make the Cubs' Opening Day lineup last season. When he hit just .111 in 36 at-bats in May, though, he found himself on the bench.
The veteran had been forced to adjust to a utility role before, though. In '03, he gave way to young prospect Miguel Cabrera in the Marlins outfield.
"That was one of the toughest years of my career," he said. "But at the same time, I was happy to contribute, regardless of what the circumstances were."
Hollandsworth, who will make $900,000 this season if he makes the 25-man roster, is in a similar situation with the Indians, who will count on him to be the backup at all three outfield spots, in addition to getting some pinch-hit opportunities.
"I think there are a minimum of 300 at-bats for me here," he said. "I believe that in my heart, and I think it's going to happen. I think the better I perform, the more there could be."
Regardless of how often he gets to the plate, Hollandsworth's words of wisdom to young players looking for advice could benefit the Tribe.
"I'm not the kind of guy who's going to call meetings," he said. "But at the same time, I'm compassionate. I can talk to a guy about something that can help. That's what comes with being a veteran on a team with some younger players. You're kind of like an older brother."
That's a tag that suits Hollandsworth much better.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
Making the transition to first base
03/01/2006
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Spring Training is in full swing, and everything is going great.
We have been at it for about a week now, and all of the guys are getting into shape and getting excited for the upcoming season. We have spent the last few days working on our individual skills, as well as some team drills and live batting practice. Our team drills include bunt plays, first and third defense, cutoffs, pickoffs and rundowns. We do the same drills in camp every year, and it does get pretty tedious, but these are very important parts of the game and all the guys take them very seriously.
Most of the responses I received after my first diary entry were about making the move from catching to first base, so I thought I would write about it this week. I am pretty excited about making the move, because I think it will only increase my value as a player and help me make rosters down the road. I definitely am not giving up catching, and I still plan to do that at some point again in my career. But it is my goal to be an everyday player with the Indians, and the more versatile I am can only help me achieve it.
A lot is demanded of a player when he learns a new position at the big-league level. So far in my experience, the biggest adjustment has been having balls hit at me by other players. A catcher has a totally different view of the game than the other eight guys on the diamond. Turning around and having to go after balls off the bat is a much different experience than receiving the ball from a pitcher.
Reading the ball off the bat seems to be the most important thing for me to work on right now. My footwork around the bag feels good, and picking balls in the dirt is pretty easy after dealing with balls in the dirt as a catcher all the time. But seeing the ball off the bat is something a catcher never experiences. Other than that, I have to know where to be in every situation and continue to work on scooping throws out of the dirt. I am definitely learning that this is not an easy position to play, if you want to be a good first baseman. There are a number of nuances and skills the good ones have that save runs for their teams and errors for their teammates.
I appreciate all of the e-mails and questions I received, and I thought I would answer a couple this week. Games start this week, and I can't wait to get out there and start playing again. Until next week, take care.
With things like aluminum bats, playing positions, and innings pitched by pitchers, would you recommend or not recommend the college experience for high school draftees (say, those drafted in the first five rounds)? Also, outside of baseball, what has the Stanford experience in particular given you? -- Scott C.
I get asked questions about college all the time. The funny thing is, looking around the locker room, there are a hundred different guys in the room and each one has taken a different path to get there. For me personally, there is no amount of money I would trade for my college experience. I got to play for a great coach at a great school, and I learned a great deal about life and the game of baseball. Pro ball is fun, but it is definitely a job and it is a grind. I am glad I made the choice to stay in school and be a kid for four more years.
Do the veteran players mingle with the new kids on the block, such as yourself? -- Lee M.
The older guys on the team definitely share a lot of advice with the young players. I feel lucky to have so many guys that are role models in the same locker room. It definitely makes the transition from the Minor Leagues to the Major Leagues a much easier one. My go-to guy on most subjects is actually Grady Sizemore. Even tough he is a younger guy, he has proved himself in every way and has a lot of good advice about breaking in and succeeding out of Buffalo.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
