Tribe Needs To Get Better…At Accomodating Crowds.

The Cleveland Indians have a growing problem.

No, it’s not a willingness to improve their team, which currently resides at the top of the American League Central Division, although the issue is a result of their success.

The problem has to do with attendance, and we aren’t complaining about the club’s rank among major league teams in getting fans to show up.

The current homestand has seen a sellout on Monday, the fourth of July, and a crowd of 24,000 plus for a noon start on Wednesday. This weekend’s four game set against the Yankees promises more large crowds at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Who could have figured that winning baseball is the best marketing plan?

The problem is handling these larger crowds. It doesn’t seem like Progressive Field is equipped to accommodate the growing throngs of people who want to be part of Indians’ baseball.

Keep in mind that the ballpark holds approximately 8,000 people less than it did two years ago, and when 42,000 fans regularly showed up at then Jacobs Field, there didn’t seem to be the problems there are today.

Maybe our memory betrays us, but that is our perspective.

At the games we have attended over the last month or so, we have noticed long lines waiting to get in the park, and we have confirmed with several other fans that this is not unusual.

If you arrive at the park at least a half an hour before the game starts, or any event for that matter, you should be able to be in your seat by the time the contest starts. We don’t believe that is in unreasonable request.

The lines getting into Progressive Field 15-20 minutes before the first pitch should be a concern to the front office. They simply have to have a better way to get people in the seats.

Once in the stadium, we have noticed restroom doors locked and poor staffing at concession stands. The latter means standing in line 15-20 minutes to get something to eat or drink. That’s unacceptable.

The Indians are finally getting good crowds going to Progressive Field, and they must improve the customer service.

Fans shouldn’t be expected to have to arrive an hour before a game begins in order to be in their seats when the first inning begins.

After this homestand, the Tribe will be on the road again because of the Republican Convention and won’t return until July 26th. This gives them plenty of time to fix the problem.

Because in our estimation, the crowds are going to continue to increase as the season progresses because the Indians are a very good team.

Our guess is that there will be more attendance figures over 20,000 the rest of the year, than there will be smaller crowds than that figure.

In fact, for many games, they would probably be able to sell more than 34,000 tickets, something we thought about when they put the storage containers in the right field upper deck.

What the organization doesn’t need is fans finally deciding to go to an Indians’ game, and having a bad experience due to standing in lines for extended periods.

The front office has done the hard part. They’ve put a team on the field that people want to see. Now, they have to make sure fans can be in their seats to watch it.

Once Again, Ignore The Warriors Until Next June.

Last year, when all the hullabaloo from the national media was going on about the Golden State Warriors, we said we would escape the noise until if or when the Cavaliers had to play them in the NBA Finals.

Now that they have signed Kevin Durant as a free agent, we will comment about them now, and then ignore them again until if or when the wine and gold have to play them in a playoff situation, which, of course would be the rubber match between the two franchises for an NBA Championship.

Many national pundits are conceding the 2016-17 title to the Warriors while wondering if they can go 82-0.

Basketball doesn’t work that way. It will be interesting to see who’s game or shots are altered by Durant’s arrival, and how it affects the player who will get less looks.

Since Stephen Curry is the two time MVP, our guess is that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will have to change the way they currently play, and how will that play out.

And to fit Durant’s salary in, the Warriors will have to sacrifice the roster depth they’ve had over the past two seasons. This means more minutes for the starters.

We saw how the extra playoff minutes took a toll on Curry during The Finals, and will it take a toll on the remaining squad if all of them have to play two to three minutes per game over an 82 game season.

And don’t forget, an injury could derail the best laid plans of Golden State too.

What should the Cavs do to combat the Warriors move?

There isn’t much they can do, because of salary cap constraints, but with the limited resources they do have, we would look for another wing defender (preferably someone 6’7″ or 6’8″) who can have shooting range.

Kind of a smaller version of Channing Frye.

Remember that there are players on bad teams, non-playoff teams that when used in the right situation can be a perfect fit on a club with championship aspirations.

Before LeBron James came back to Cleveland, people were upset with Tristan Thompson, because at that point, he was the second best player on the team, and was limited offensively.

But when the Cavs became a title contender, Thompson’s skills of being able to defend smaller players out on the floor, and his ability to get offensive rebounds were invaluable to the wine and gold.

So, now that Thompson is the fourth or fifth best player on the roster, he is regarded as a very good player.

The same is true with Matthew Dellavedova, who parlayed his contributions the last two seasons into a $38 million contract with Milwaukee.

When he was a rookie, we wondered aloud why Mike Brown kept putting him into games. He was a solid defender, but at that point didn’t have a reliable jump shot and wasn’t a particularly good ball handler.

However, on the James-led Cavs, Delly’s defensive skills and gritty play earned him minutes. He improved his jump shot too, and became a solid threat from beyond the arc.

It will be interesting to see how he plays with a team that will probably be in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference next season.

So, there are guys in the league who could come here and be very productive in the Cavaliers’ situation.

We trust in GM David Griffin’s ability to find those guys.

As for the Warriors, they will be the story in the regular season, much like they were this year.

We know how it all turned out in the end.

Tribe Not A Secret In Cleveland Anymore

The Cleveland Indians will hit the halfway point of the 2016 Major League Baseball season today in Toronto on pace for either 98 or 100 wins for the year.

And although we did predict them to win the American League Central Division title, even we didn’t think they would be this good.

Moreover, the Tribe’s club record 14 game winning streak has not only drawn attention to them nationally, but also within northeast Ohio, where they were becoming an afterthought to the Browns and the world champion Cavaliers.

We were at the Hard Rock Casino Friday evening, and when Francisco Lindor fielded the last grounder in the bottom of the 19th inning and threw to first for the out, a cheer went up throughout the venue.

Yes, people in this area are excited about the Indians.

While everyone figured the pitching staff would perform well, and it has, ranking 1st in the AL in ERA by a pretty good margin, the Indians have also scored a lot of runs, 6th in the Junior Circuit in scoring per game.

How? That’s a mystery based on the other offensive stats.

Cleveland is 10th in on base percentage, 6th in slugging, and 6th in OPS. They are 8th in batting average.

They have used their speed though, leading the league in stolen bases and triples.

They also have the most sacrifice flies and the fourth least runners left on base, meaning they have made the most of their opportunities to score runs.

That’s something you have to wonder will hold up in the second half, and that’s why many experts think the Indians need to get another hitter at the trade deadline.

While that would be nice, the back end of the bullpen is a concern too.

Bryan Shaw has been in 37 games and Cody Allen in 34. The next most games appeared in by a Cleveland reliever is 28 by Zack McAllister.

It is obvious that Terry Francona only has confidence in the first two pitchers listed and both of those guys have flaws.

Shaw is prone to giving up long balls (7 homers in 31-2/3 innings), and Allen has control issues (17 walks in 34 innings).

For those who say it is not a big deal, bringing Bryan Shaw into a one run game is a nail biter. He gives up a dinger, and it’s a tie game.

As for Allen, the walks mean he pitches himself into trouble more than he should. That’s something you can’t have in a pennant race or in the playoffs.

McAllister has been a disaster recently, so much so that Francona doesn’t use him in high leverage situations anymore. He can’t throw anything but a fastball for a strike. We know it, and so do big league hitters. There is no reason to look for anything but a heater facing the big right-hander.

We would start using Dan Otero and/or Joba Chamberlain with more regularity in close games to see if they can handle the load. But, we all know about Tito’s loyalty to those who have performed in the past.

Making a move for top flight relief pitcher would enable Allen to pitch the eighth inning and leave the 7th for Shaw.

The Tribe doesn’t need to shorten games like Kansas City because their starters are much better than the Royals, but it would make the bullpen as lethal of a weapon as the rotation.

The front office is anticipating large crowds during this week’s homestand after a 22-6 record in June and a six game lead in the division.

Who knew that winning would be the best marketing plan?

And don’t forget that after the convention leaves town, the Indians will be home for long stretches in August and September. The way the Tribe plays at Progressive Field this season, that’s a huge advantage.

But the front office can’t stand pat, and we don’t think they will. They know this is one of baseball’s best team this season.