The Cleveland Indians continue to do nothing this off-season. They are also projecting 2010 attendance to be in the 1.3 million range, easily the lowest figure since moving into Progressive Field following the 1993 season.
That figure is causing the Dolan family to be very frugal with their operating budget, which was the reason for trading Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in the middle of last season, and also the reason GM Mark Shapiro has basically done nothing to improve the club in the off-season.
However, it this a self-fulfilling prophecy for the Dolans?
If you do nothing in the hot stove circuit, there won’t be any buzz about your franchise, which means nobody is lining up at the ticket windows. So basically, the ownership is at least partially responsible for the declining number of people who are paying to watch the Cleveland Indians.
The ownership will tell you that the depressed economy in the area is at fault too, but it doesn’t seem to deter fans from attending games of the Cavaliers, who reside right next store to where the Tribe plays.
The difference is the Cavs are winners, and their owner is doing everything he can to win a championship.
Yes, there is a salary cap in basketball. However, the Cavs’ Dan Gilbert understands that if he puts a good product on the floor, people will attend the games. It doesn’t hurt that he has the best player in the NBA on his team, but he knows a good product will draw fans.
The Dolan’s have it backwards. They want people to show up before they spend money to better the ballclub. But, if you aren’t doing anything to improve the team, you aren’t really giving the fans any reason to stop at the ticket window.
If the ownership gave even a hint of trying to improve the team, fans would be interested.
Again, no one expects the Tribe to sign John Lackey and Jason Bay as free agents. They don’t generate that kind of revenue. Perhaps GM Mark Shapiro is waiting for the price tags on other quality free agents to drop and then he’ll jump into the waters. However, this waiting doesn’t promote ticket sales.
Many people are projecting less than 90 wins will win the Central Division, probably somewhere around 85-88 victories. That’s not an unattainable figure for the Indians, who weren’t as bad as their 65-97 record says they were based on run differential.
However, doing nothing doesn’t help the team, nor does it make anyone excited for the upcoming season. In fact, it makes most Tribe fans angry that the ownership and management is unwilling to do anything.
There has been a lot of baseball news over the past month with the winter meetings happening and the usual trades and free agent signings. There just hasn’t been any news out of Cleveland.
The front office will get what they deserve at the ticket window, when the same inactivity they have given fans is returned to them at the box office.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 
If Jake Westbrook can stay healthy throughout the season it will be like signing a key free agent, but I still think they need another veteran arm in the starting rotation and more capable bats in the lineup. I agree with you about GM Mark Shapiro possibly waiting around for price tags to drop on quality players. It’s truly a shame to see him scavenging around for talent. Larry Dolan is making it very difficult for Mark Shapiro to bring a contender to Cleveland. Maybe it’s time for him to sell the franchise to someone who truly believes in the city of Cleveland. The Browns and the Cavaliers both spend large amounts of money in free agency. There is no excuse for why Larry Dolan is so cheap and unwilling to invest more into this struggling franchise and its fan base.