Tribe’s Message to Fans: We Don’t Care about Winning

Perception is reality. This is something the front office of the Cleveland Indians doesn’t understand, or else the fans are exactly correct about the management of the team.

They don’t care about winning.

They can bring out their spreadsheets and flow charts and mission statements all they want, but the perception of the people who buy tickets is that the only folks involved with the Indians who want to win are the players.

That’s their perception, and perception is reality.

The Indians finished below the .500 mark last season, but they were in contention until the beginning of September. The team that won the division, the Detroit Tigers, added a premier free agent, Prince Fielder, to their roster.

The Tribe basically did nothing.

On May 24th, the Tribe beat Detroit to run their record to 26-18 and had a 3-1/2 game lead in the AL Central Division. They still had weaknesses, getting no offense out of 1B, 3B, and LF. The front office didn’t feel the need to add to the roster.

A month later, on June 24th, the Indians record was 37-34, meaning they went 11-16 in the last 30 days. They dropped out of first place, but were just a half game out of first.

The same weaknesses remained and Derek Lowe’s season started to go south. The Indians needed to get some starting pitching along with help to cover up some of the other flaws, but the front office still did nothing to help out a group of players trying to keep their heads above water.

On July 24th, the Indians beat the Tigers to improve their record to 49-48, meaning they went 12-14 over the last 30 days. The dropped to third place, but were just three games of the pace.

The weaknesses remained, but the front office did nothing outside of replacing the 25th man on the roster, replacing Aaron Cunningham with Brett Lillibridge.

It the meantime, the White Sox traded for Kevin Youkilis and Brett Myers, and the Tigers got Anibal Sanchez and Omar Infante.

The Indians’ front office claimed it was a slow trade market.

What they are really telling you is that they don’t care about winning.

Whether it’s the ownership holding the purse strings tight, and not allowing president Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti to add to the current roster, or it’s the executives not feeling this team needs help, the end result is they don’t want to win.

The disinterest has even seeped down to the dugout where Manny Acta seems void of emotion.

Three more blown calls which hurt the Indians were made in the series against the Twins with the skipper glued to his seat.

The one that occurred yesterday was protested vehemently by SS Asdrubal Cabrera, who seemed to be close to an ejection. Acta sat there like a statue while one of his best players argued.

Acta has done a good job keeping a team with more holes than swiss cheese around the .500 mark, but you have to wonder if he’s losing his team because he doesn’t seem to have their backs.

The perception, there’s that word again, is that Acta isn’t fighting to win, he isn’t defending his team.

Look, a manager can’t get kicked out of every game, but every once in a while, he needs to go out and show his team and the umpires that the Cleveland Indians aren’t going to be pushed around.

The entire organization seems slow to react to problems, slow to argue calls, slow to bring in more talent.

Then they wonder why fans are slow to show up to games.

It’s because the message they send is the Cleveland Indians do not care about winning.

Here’s is what we thought in April, before the season started…

Cleveland Sports Perspective

Last season, the Cleveland Indians led the AL Central Division for a little over three months before being surpassed and then blown away by the Detroit Tigers in August.

They wound up the season 15 games behind the Tigers.

Then, in the off-season, the front office basically did nothing to shore up the weakness on the team. Last year’s Indians finished 9th in the AL in runs scored and 10th in ERA.

They added Derek Lowe to the starting rotation, but lost Roberto Hernandez, and offensively, they did nothing to improve a hitting attack that badly needed some right-handed hitting.

It is entirely possible for the Indians to catch lightning in a bottle if an awful lot of things go their way, but there are too many question marks to think the Tribe will make the playoffs this season.

We’re predicting a fourth place finish behind the Tigers, Royals, and…

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Wonder How Long Haslam Has Been Involved?

It was a shock to all sports fans in Cleveland today to find out the Browns are in the process of being sold to minority Steelers’ owner James Haslam III, the CEO of Pilot Corporation.

So, one of the three professional sports teams will have new ownership. Unfortunately, it’s not the team most fans wish, as many would prefer the Indians be sold.

It likely will mean the departure of Mike Holmgren as team president because he was brought in to run the team on a daily basis, mostly because Randy Lerner didn’t want to do the job.

The rumors are that former Eagles president Joe Banner will become involved with the Browns as part of the Haslam ownership. That would seem to make Holmgren superfluous.

GM Tom Heckert and coach Pat Shurmur have worked for Banner before, so they should remain safe, at least for now.

One thing to ponder is how long have these negotiations been going on because there is no way this deal happened in the last couple of days. In fact, a little over a month ago, Philadelphia radio personality Howard Eskin reported the Browns were for sale, which of course Berea denied immediately.

If Haslam and Lerner were talking since the end of the season, for example, it’s likely that the new owner signed off on the drafting of Trent Richardson, the trade up in the draft move to get QB Brandon Weeden, and using a supplemental second round pick to get WR Josh Gordon.

It also may answer the question as to why the Browns were not very active in free agency. The Steelers are rarely involved in the process either, and perhaps the new owner feels if it’s good enough for Pittsburgh, it will work here as well.

It may be that the good feelings that have revolved around Cleveland’s football team this off-season started when Lerner made a decision to get out of the NFL business. We know he didn’t like it because he sent Holmgren to most of the league’s ownership meetings.

If Haslam has been the driving force behind the scenes of the team he is hoping to purchase, then he should be off to a good start with the fans. Playing time will tell, but it appears for the first time in a long time, the Browns have some playmakers on offense and the makings of a solid offensive line as well.

If Haslam was not involved in these moves, let’s hope he lets things play out this year, before making any decisions on front office personnel. If the team shows some improvement this year, it would not be good to start all over once again.

Browns’ fans are all too familiar with the constant rebuilding process that has cursed the franchise since 1999. Now that it seems like things are looking rosier, it would be a shame to halt the momentum.

For fans hoping for a more active owner, they have their wish. For those who said Lerner didn’t care about the Browns, they no longer have that to complain about.

Now if only someone would pop out of the woodwork to buy the Indians.

Tribe Management Gun Shy?

With last night’s win over the Detroit Tigers, the sixth in seven meeting against the Motor City Kitties this year, the Cleveland Indians are now just three games out of first place in the AL Central.

This means even if they were to drop the last two games of the three game set, they will be only five games out of first place as we hit the last weekend of July. Where we come from, that’s being in the race.

And don’t pay attention to folks who point out all the teams ahead of the Tribe in the wild card race. That might be a factor if this were the beginning of September, but the schedule still has over 60 games remaining, so there is plenty of time to pass all of those teams.

So, why isn’t GM Chris Antonetti making any moves to help a team this close to first place?

It may just be the sins of the past catching up with the organization.

Last year, Antonetti was aggressive going out and getting Ubaldo Jimenez from the Rockies for a slew of top ten prospects in the organization. Although Jimenez pitched well in the series opener last night, that trade hasn’t worked out as well as the GM probably anticipated.

To be sure, the Indians thought Jimenez was a top of the rotation starting pitcher with swing and miss stuff. He would be classified as the #2 starter for Cleveland right now, but he would be lower on most American League teams.

He currently leads the league in walks allowed and is tied for 10th in giving up home runs, never a good combination.

His lack of success may have the front office a little gun-shy go out and obtain another big name guy.

And of course, because of that deal, the Cleveland farm system is not as deep as it was in 2011. Several publications have the Indians ranked in the bottom 10 in all of the major leagues.

Still, there are some positions in the organization where there is some depth, most notably middle infielders (particularly at the lower levels), catchers, and relief pitchers.

Another factor that makes the organization hesitant to trade young players is the success of Brandon Phillips. We are all familiar with then manager Eric Wedge’s non-favorable opinion of the second baseman, which led to his trade, and ultimately a few all-star appearances in Cincinnati.

Cord Phelps is a good example of what happens now. The third round pick in ’08 reached the AAA level in 2010 hitting a combined (with Akron) .308 and an 825 OPS.

Last season, he didn’t hit in a cup of coffee in the majors (he was used sporadically), but put up a .294 batting average and 868 OPS in his time at Columbus. It would seem someone looking for a 2B might be interested, especially since the emergence of Jason Kipnis has made him an expendable commodity.

This year, his numbers have dropped at AAA to a .263 average and a 781 OPS, thus lessening whatever trade value he may have. His career has grown stale.

Maybe the Indians tried to deal Phelps over the winter, but there was no market for him because of his struggles (.155 in 71 at bats in Cleveland last season), but that seems unlikely. There was usually teams looking for middle infielders with a little pop.

Phelps might be able to play, but you never hear his name in the trade rumors which swirl at this time of year.

The Indians can’t afford to be this conservative. They need to trust their talent evaluators and go out and get some players who can help a team very much in the post-season race.

Come to think, maybe that’s the problem. They don’t trust themselves to get the right players. And if that’s true, that’s a bigger problem for the Indians’ front office.

The Tribe Shouldn’t Sell Right Now

After losing the first three games of a four game set against the Baltimore Orioles, the rats are jumped off the S.S. Tribe very, very quickly.

There are people even saying that perhaps the Indians should now be sellers at the July 31st trading deadline instead of trying to improve the team.

As horrible as the Indians have looked since the All-Star break, and they have been bad, especially on offense scoring just 31 runs in 10 games with 19 of those occurring in two contests, they remain just 4-1/2 games out of first in the AL Central Division, and a mere 3-1/2 games off the pace for the second wild card spot.

A few people have mentioned how many teams the Indians would have to climb over to get the latter spot, but that would only hold water if there were a couple of weeks remaining in the season. However, there are more than 60 games remaining, more than enough time to pass a number of teams.

That’s why GM Chris Antonetti cannot start trading his most marketable people in the next eight days. In fact, he still should be looking to help the current roster, because it is obvious the Indians cannot make gains in the standings with its current personnel.

While everyone wants the team to make a huge splash, dealing for an all-star type player, that may not be necessary. Improving the roster could involve cutting bait on players who haven’t been productive for the Tribe from day one.

That would mean finding replacements for the deadwood currently on the team, guys like Casey Kotchman, Aaron Cunningham, Jack Hannahan, and yes, even Travis Hafner. Replacing two of them could have an impact.

The same would be true getting another starting pitcher, even replacing one with someone from Columbus. Who knows? You might just catch lightning in a bottle.

The other night saw a rumor saying the Indians were close to getting Phillies OF Shane Victorino, a free agent at the end of the season. That’s not a sexy pick up, but Victorino is a switch-hitting outfielder, who has been productive in the past.

Let’s say the Indians get him. They would no longer have a need for Cunningham because Victorino is a CF by trade. Victorino could play LF for the Indians, upgrading the OF defense.

It strengthens the bench because Johnny Damon or Hafner would no longer be in the lineup everyday, and it adds another right-handed bat (and a productive one, he’s hitting .318 with a 981 OPS vs. lefties) when facing a southpaw.

And it would also allow Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo to get an occasional day off, keeping them fresh.

It would also lengthen Manny Acta’s batting order, where production ends after the cleanup hitter usually bats (although with Carlos Santana starting to hit a little, it would be after the 5th spot).

It’s one smaller type move, but it should make a decent impact on the team.

Plus, it would also show the players that the front office believes in them, and is concerned with winning baseball games.

Two or three more moves like that could make an even bigger impact, and we’ve been advocating making these subtle moves for over a month.

Yes, the White Sox have lost five straight, but look at the immediate impact Kevin Youkilis made upon his arrival. By the way, does anyone else think it’s odd that the Red Sox wanted either Josh Tomlin or Zack McAllister from Cleveland, but accepted Brett Lillibridge (since released) and Zach Stewart (in the minors) from Chicago?

We’ve always thought you are in the race if you hit Labor Day five games or less out of first. There’s still five weeks or so before that holiday and the Indians have a smaller deficit.

It’s not the time to sell right now. Antonetti needs to help his team, not take it apart.

Tribe Front Office Needs to Look in Mirror

The news broke yesterday that the local television ratings for the Cleveland Indians are down significantly from last year. This shows the interest in the team is definitely waning, and they are starting to lose even the hard-core fans.

This can’t be good news on the corner of Ontario and Carnegie.

The powers to be in the front office will probably issue the usual spin they put on things, and try to bamboozle the fan base with corporate babble and say the numbers are incorrect based on their research.

Much like they did when Forbes Magazine said they made a tremendous profit last season.

What Mark Shapiro, GM Chris Antonetti, and the Dolan family aren’t hearing is their fans are fed up with the way things are with this franchise.

It’s time they looked in the mirror and realized their “process” isn’t getting it done.

First, if the Indians finish under .500 in 2012, that will be 9 out of the last 11 seasons that has been the case. Sounds a lot like the 1960’s and 70’s, doesn’t it?

The front office will freely admit they have drafted poorly over these years, with just one first round draft pick, Lonnie Chisenhall, that was drafted prior to 2011 still being in the organization.

Moreso, only one home-grown player, Jason Kipnis, can be considered a regular right now, and Josh Tomlin is the only starting pitcher originally drafted by Cleveland.

For a small market team that doesn’t attract free agents, that’s completely unacceptable.

The people who pay tickets realize it’s just a matter of time before Shin-Soo Choo will be dealt away or leave as a free agent, and the same is true for Asdrubal Cabrera.

That’s based on history.

Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds, at least a similar size market (most likely smaller) decided to pay their best player, Joey Votto, so he will spend the majority of his career with the team.

How can they do it?

That’s the question Tribe fans keeping asking and they are dissatisfied with the answers they are getting. They feel betrayed by an ownership and front office that does nothing more than offer excuses and reminds everyone that they are losing money at very opportunity.

At some point, doesn’t someone stand up at a staff meeting and say this isn’t working? Right now, that won’t happen because the organization is loath to hire someone from another team.

Yes, the organization has made some good moves, but name one from recent vintage? Is signing Jose Lopez, a limited bench player really a success?

The front office blew it in the off-season by not getting the right-handed bat it sorely needed, and they made a huge mistake in handing $5 million to the oft-injured Grady Sizemore.

They complain about attendance, but tickets are sold in the off-season, and the team did NOTHING in the winter to spur interest in the team. That’s not something that can be blamed on the fans, that’s on the guys who run the Indians.

They need to do something that excites the fans. If that takes spending money, then so be it.

Fans are tired on the same old, same old.

After last year’s great start, a season in which the team was in contention for most of the year, they didn’t capitalize, and the people buying tickets found something else to spend money on.

Perception is reality, and the reality is the fans don’t trust the Dolans, Shapiro, or Antonetti. That’s why fans seem to cater to the Cavaliers, they trust Dan Gilbert.

They believe he wants to win. They don’t have that same feeling about the Indians.

Change for change sake usually isn’t a good idea. After 11 years of mostly mediocre baseball, it’s time for an internal audit.

That last comment is something the corporate front office of the Indians might understand.

Will Tribe Do Something?

The more and more the front office of the Cleveland Indians talk about the July 31st trading deadline, the more and more it appears they are setting up their fan base for inactivity.

Team president Mark Shapiro tweeted yesterday about how difficult the trade market is in 2012 with the inclusion of an extra wild card in this year’s playoffs.

The other night they informed us that 11 teams in the American League were over .500 for the first time in league history, showing us how many teams feel they are still in contention.

It seems the mantra of the front office is “when in doubt, make excuses, and oh, throw in that we are losing money too”.

If the Tribe wants to see attendance figures decline even more, then it would be a good idea not to improve the roster before the end of the month.

This team is currently just four games out of first place, and just a half game out of the second wild card spot.

It’s pretty clear they cannot reach the playoffs with the roster currently in place, no matter how optimistically the powers that be look at it.

However, this is the same front office that needed a right-handed power bat after the end of last season, and did nothing to address that problem.

In fact, 90 games into the 2012 season, that is still a need for the Indians.

The rumors are out there already that the White Sox and Tigers are trying to add to their teams before the deadline. As for the Tribe…nothing.

They did have a chance to add Kevin Youkilis a few weeks ago, and many fans and media people talked about how it was a bad idea. We said if the cost wasn’t particularly high (it wasn’t), he would at least be an upgrade over the Jack Hannahans, Shelley Duncans, and Johnny Damons on the roster, and there is no harm in getting him.

He’s reborn with the White Sox, which is a knife to the back of the Indians.

Heck, the Tribe doesn’t even try to help its roster by getting players from Columbus.

(Note to Indian lackeys: Don’t sell Russ Canzler as nothing more than a “AAAA” player. He’s had three big league at bats, he’s done nothing to show he can’t hit in the majors).

It boggles the mind that the front office doesn’t tinker with the current roster. Why do they seem to have so much loyalty to guys like Duncan, Damon, and Casey Kotchman?

It seems like they are afraid to cut them loose and/or bench them for not hitting.

Are they trying to be nice? If so, the handling of the Nick Hagadone situation contradicts that theory.

Look, it would not be in the Tribe’s best interest to deal the best prospects in an already thin farm system, but there will be players who could be available a lower cost who can help this team.

Getting players who are even marginally better than the non-producing players helps the Indians.

Why the front office can’t see this, who knows?

Instead, they seem to be grasping at straws, taking a good two-week stretch by one of the struggling players as proof they can do the job. However, 20 good at bats followed by 40 poor at bats doesn’t make you a good hitter.

If GM Chris Antonetti does nothing in the next two weeks, look for more disgust and disdain from the Indians’ fan base. It will be just another example of trying to do everything needed to put a winning team on the field.

Cavs Lead Summer in Rumors

In some respects, the Cleveland Cavaliers are like Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan, they seems to be constantly involved in the rumor mill.

Everyday, there is a new trade proposal out there involving the Cavs.

First, it was the Dwight Howard mess, with the Cavs getting a bunch of picks, some cash and Kris Humphreys for Luke Walton.

No brainer, right?

Then the wine and gold were involved in a possible sign and trade with the Nets for F Antawn Jamison.

Since Jamison was leaving anyway, it would be great to get something for him, correct?

Then it was back to Howard again, this time the Cavs would get Lakers’ C Andrew Bynum in a three-way deal which would send the current Magic big man to the Lakers.

Getting a 24-year-old all-star would be a great move, without a doubt.

They also were interested in F/C Luis Scola, amnestied by the Rockets, but they came up short on their bid.

It is all just speculation, and so far, GM Chris Grant has not made any move.

We understand the Cavs have a plan and want to build a team through the draft, using the “Oklahoma City model” as many have called it.

Still, there are plenty of holes remaining on the roster that need to be filled, and the GM needs to address them.

A look at the current roster would show a starting lineup of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters at guards, Alonzo Gee and Tristan Thompson at forward and Anderson Varejao at center.

Who would back them up?

And this is assuming the Cavaliers will match any offers for Gee, who is a restricted free agent.

They do have Donald Sloan to back up for Irving, although there are rumors they are looking at Johnny Flynn.

They have Daniel Gibson to be a reserve at shooting guard, but he’s injury prone, and the guess here is the front office doesn’t want to bring him back.

They also have Kelenna Azubuike on the roster, but he’s missed most of the last two seasons with a knee injury.

Among the big men, they do have first round pick Tyler Zellers and veteran Samardo Samuels to provide depth, but there really isn’t anyone behind Gee, if he indeed returns, except Omri Casspi, who wasn’t very good in his first year with the team.

So clearly, there is still much to do to get this roster ready for the regular season, that is unless the Cavs plan on winning about 20 games again in 2012-13.

People will point out that Cleveland wouldn’t mind getting back in the draft lottery again next summer, and while that may be true, they also don’t want to regress from last season.

To show improvement, Grant is likely to bring in a productive veteran to take some pressure off of Waiters, so the coach Byron Scott doesn’t have to count on the rookie to score 15 points per game.

That is unless either feel comfortable giving meaningful minutes to guys like Luke Harangody or D. J. Kennedy, and that is extremely doubtful.

There have been reports that now that the initial wave of huge cash being spent on free agents has passed, the Cavs will be active soon.

However, fans don’t want rumors and speculation, they want to see a young team improve even more.

Odd Facts on Tribe Stats

The second half of the season started Friday night with a 1-0 win over the Toronto Blue Jays ending a four-day stretch without the Indians playing. It gave us some time to examine some numbers for the Tribe.

Some of the numbers will surprise you and others will back up the need for improvements for the balance of the 2012 season.

With all of the fans complaining about 2B Jason Kipnis not making the All Star game, it was certainly a little odd to see to the great variance in the OPS for Kipnis and his double play partner Asdrubal Cabrera, because the two-time all-star has an 821 OPS compared to the second baseman’s 764.

Kipnis’ style of play has won over the paying customers, but his on base percentage and slugging average are both less than Cabrera’s, mostly because the latter has 10 more extra base hits.

That’s surprising because Kipnis has led the Tribe in home runs for much of the season, but now is tied with Cabrera for the club lead, one ahead of Shin-Soo Choo.

In fact, Kipnis ranks just fourth on the club in extra base hits behind the other two, and also behind Michael Brantley.

Kipnis is having a fine season and will be an all-star soon, perhaps next year, but there is no question here that Cabrera deserved the honor more in 2012.

Most everyone would agree that Shelley Duncan is having a mostly disappointing season with a .222 batting average, 8 HR and 21 RBI, correct? But did you know he has the same number of long balls and just four fewer runs batted in than Travis Hafner in just seven more at bats?

It’s another reminder that Hafner is not the same player he was up to 2007, but the management of the Indians treat him like a panacea for what is troubling the offense. He can still contribute, but is no longer a presence in the middle of the order.

Another player that takes a lot of criticism is Carlos Santana. Fans are understandably frustrated with him after he hit 27 homers last year, and the internet commentators want him traded, which is ridiculous. He’s having a down year.

Still, the catcher has as many extra base hits as Casey Kotchman, and a higher OPS than crowd favorite Jack Hannahan.

Other numbers to note:

Brantley is having a fine season, but his OPS (755) is over 100 points less than Choo’s (866). Choo has a higher on base percentage and a better slugging percentage. He’s given the Indians the best leadoff man since Grady Sizemore’s heyday.
Since the end of April, Hannahan has gone 20 for 97, with just 2 HR and 6 RBI, and since returning from his back and leg problems, he’s just 9 for 54 (.167).
Jose Lopez has 27 RBI in 161 at bats. He has more ribbies than Hafner, Duncan, Hannahan, and Johnny Damon.
It has been said a good starting pitcher allows fewer hits than innings pitched and strikes out twice as many as they walk. The Indians have one such pitcher: Justin Masterson. They also have one that does neither, and surprisingly it’s Derek Lowe.

Most of these stats talk about offense, but the most meaningful team number is 13. That’s the Indians’ rank in ERA in the American League. Unless they improve in that area, by getting a starter and another reliever, it will be tough to keep pace with the White Sox and Tigers in the AL Central.

Should There Be Urgency?

Everyone in northeast Ohio is aware that no professional sports teams in this area have won a title since 1964.

That’s 48 years for the mathematically challenged.

So understandably, fans are extremely impatient. They want to win and win now!

The folks that run the franchises around here feel the need to win, but are conflicted by the need to build a team with a strong foundation, one that can have a chance to play for a title for the long haul.

The Browns were a mess when Mike Holmgren took charge in late 2009, suffering through poor drafts since Cleveland returned to the NFL in 1999.

Holmgren has made some mistakes, but the most notable is keeping Eric Mangini as coach for the 2010 season, a move that retarded his efforts to build the football team from the bottom up, and with people who share his vision.

The Cavaliers saw their immediate chances for a championship go out the window when LeBron James left following the 2010-11 season.

They have a new face of the franchise player in Kyrie Irving, and are now trying to put the proper pieces around him in order to climb back to the top of the mountain.

Surprisingly, the Indians have been the most aggressive in trying to get to the post-season, giving up two top prospects last year to get Ubaldo Jimenez.

Fans want teams to sign free agents to speed up the process, but in many cases, the players who are available are being paid much, much more than their worth.

That may be great if a franchise is possibly one player away from a title, but we can all agree that is not the case with any of the Cleveland teams.

And overpaying free agents who are not elite in a salary capped sport has severe ramifications down the road. That is, of course, unless you are in the NBA and the commissioner gives the larger market teams all sorts of loopholes.

In baseball, the one thing the smaller market teams can do is bill through the draft. Look at the success of Tampa Bay, Cincinnati and Milwaukee over the past few years.

They have built through the amateur draft, the less expensive way to go. That’s why the Indians have to be very careful about dealing more top prospects (i.e. Francisco Lindor) for playing who will only wear a Cleveland uniform for two to three seasons.

So, the front offices are torn between winning soon, which would appease the starving fan base, and make heroes forever out of the people who brought the title to Cleveland, and putting together a solid foundation.

The latter method would erase the errors of the past, which is the reason for the long drought without a title.

Think about it, in the last 50 years, how many teams were put together correctly? Obviously, the Browns of the 1980’s, with Ernie Accorsi being the architect. He put together a strong defense, a franchise QB in Bernie Kosar, and used the demise of the USFL to build a contender.

The Cavaliers of the late 80’s and early 90’s used a strong draft guided by Wayne Embry to get Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper, and Hot Rod Williams as the base for a very good team.

And the Indians of the 90’s, which used a strong farm and scouting system to acquire players like Albert Belle, Jim Thome, and Manny Ramirez to become one of the sports’ best teams of that era.

When Cleveland teams have won, they’ve done it the long, hard way, just like they seem to be trying now.

Fans should remember that when they long for the quick fix.