The news that free agent 1B Prince Fielder signed with the Detroit Tigers was a punch to the gut of many Cleveland Indians’ fans.
After staying in contention for most of the season, the Indians wound up fading last year while the Tigers got hot, finishing 15 games out of first place. However, it was the team already on top of the division that fired the biggest shot of the off-season, signing a 27-year-old slugger to add to their lineup.
It doesn’t mean that Detroit is assured the AL Central Division title in 2012. Sure, they have Miguel Cabrera and Fielder, a powerful 3-4 punch in the middle of their batting order, but the rest of their batting order can be considered suspect, depending on who you talk to.
What is frustrating for Indians’ supporters is once again another team makes a bold move, not a team who for most of the 2011 season was in contention for a playoff spot.
And it wasn’t the big market Yankees, Red Sox, or Phillies that made the move, it was the Tigers, with an owner that wants to win!
People can debate about the sanity of the pact for weeks and years, but what was striking was that Mike Ilitch feels he has a chance to bring the first World Series championship to Detroit since 1984 and he is going for it.
When the Indians came within a win of the Fall Classic in 2007, they did virtually nothing.
It was funny that after the Fielder signing, Twitter was filled with fans reciting their opinion of the canned and predictable responses from the Tribe front office on the contract. The buzz words referring to “market size”, “long-term financial committment”, and “doesn’t fit into the way we do business” were most often used.
That’s why Indians fans get frustrated. It is tiring to hear these worn out platitudes as to why they can’t compete. No one is suggesting that the Dolan’s shell out the same amount of cash on major league salaries as the Red Sox or Angels. The people who buy tickets know that’s not possible.
But it’s the lack of willingness to raise the payroll that upsets people. That, and the ownership telling its fan base that the best anyone here can hope for is to contend every five years or so.
And they wonder why they can’t sell tickets? Tribe PR guru Bob DiBiasio should get an award every year for trying to spin the organization’s tale of woe.
Think about a relationship with a member of the opposite sex that you are trying to woo. Does anyone think they will have a chance if they keep babbling on and on about their not so desirable traits? Of course not. Yet, that’s what the Indians do under the guise of “telling us the truth”.
We get it. The Dolan family cannot compete with the Yankees, Red Sox, and Angels, and now apparently the Tigers and Rangers as well.
You know what? Then sell the ballclub to someone who can. When Larry Dolan bought the team more than 10 years ago, he proclaimed he was a fan of the Indians. If he is, then he should know it would be in the best interest of the franchise he loves to sell it.
Admit that he can’t compete and sell it to someone who wants to win.
It’s frustrating to be an Indians fan these days. And nothing seems to be on the horizon to change those feelings.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 