It was quite surprising news from the Indians that they plan to make Progressive Field a winter wonderland starting Thanksgiving weekend.  The ballpark will have a skating rink around the field, a fire pit on the home run porch, and an innertube slide from the bleachers according to reports.

 

At least people can have fun there in the winter, because no one had a good time watching the baseball team that plays there in the summer.  That is, if you consider winning fun.

 

The ability to make money at the park is no doubt at the core of the decision, and actually, it’s quite innovative.  Concessions will be available and it will bring cash into the pockets of the ownership. 

 

Whether they will spend it or not is up for debate.

 

Back in the 70’s and 80’s, following a poor season, the fans could at least look forward to the hot stove league to find out what Gabe Paul and Phil Seghi would do to try and improve the team.  Fans today don’t even have that to look forward to. 

 

Instead, the front office will try to tell us how great the minor acquisitions they make are and how they will provide a “veteran” presence for the young core of players.  Unfortunately, you still have to be able to play to be an influence, and lately, the guys the Tribe signed haven’t been able to contribute on the field.

 

There are some promising young players in place, both position players and pitchers.  Plus, hopefully, the team will get a healthy Grady Sizemore back in the lineup for Opening Day 2011.  Players such as Shin-Soo Choo, Michael Brantley, Asdrubal Cabrera, Fausto Carmona, and Chris Perez are a good place to start gearing up for a competitive team.

 

However, the early talk from the front office is scaling back the payroll to the $40 million range.  And that would probably mean another winter of inactivity. 

 

This team needs to sign at least one proven starting pitcher and a third baseman to be competitive and not face another 90-loss season.  They cannot go into next season with guys like Jayson Nix, Luis Valbuena, and Andy Marte manning the hot corner.  Although he’s not a great option, a guy like Tigers’ 3B Brandon Inge would be an upgrade.  So would Ty Wigginton of the Orioles, as suggested by the News Herald’s Jim Ingraham.

 

The Indians can’t go into spring training with Carmona being their only proven starting pitcher.  And no, please don’t include Mitch Talbot or Justin Masterson in that category.  You can also make the case that Carmona is not a sure thing either as he spaced two poor years (’08 and ’09) between productive ones (’07 and ’10).

 

Guys like Carlos Carrasco, Jeanmar Gomez, and Josh Tomlin have shown promise, but you can’t base a starting pitching staff around a bunch of young hurlers who have no proven track record.  Of these three, Carrasco is the guy who has the upper hand on a spot in the rotation based on his stuff and minor league experience.

 

If the ownership of the Indians really wants fans to have fun this winter, they should concentrate on improving the major league team, not on putting the Winter Olympics on at Progressive Field.  The fans are already angry with the management, and having another 90-loss season in 2011 might leave the summers at the ballpark available for a bird sanctuary.

 

MW

 

The game was going very well for the Cleveland Browns.  They were winning 14-3 in the second quarter and where playing very well until an old problem for QB Jake Delhomme raised its ugly head.  The bad interception.

 

It turned the game completely around.

 

Tampa Bay scored on the first play after the pick, closing the gap to 14-10.  Cleveland would score no more on this day, and the Browns went down to defeat, 17-14 in a contest where they outgained their opponents.  The problem was not holding on to the ball, as Cleveland committed a fumble and two interceptions, losing that battle by one. 

 

Coach Eric Mangini has to be furious following this one because holding on to the football was made a priority after the second pre-season game, and on opening day this happens.  Not to mention there were two other fumbles by the brown and orange that they recovered themselves.

 

Worse than that were the timing of the mistakes.  Besides the pick at the end of the first half, Peyton Hillis’ fumble came inside the Tampa 20 with a chance to add on to the Browns’ lead.  One turnover gave Tampa points and the other cost additional points for Cleveland.

 

Besides the turnovers, the offensive strategy was strange.  During the off-season, it appeared the team was building towards having a strong running attack, but they didn’t use it yesterday.  They strengthened the offensive line, brought in Hillis and drafted Montario Hardesty, who of course, is out for the season, to emphasize the running game.  However, they passed 38 times and only ran 23 times.  They need to get back to their strength.

 

Also, where was Josh Cribbs yesterday?  Understand that the Buccaneers have a good special teams unit which helped contain Cribbs on returns, but where was he on offense?  The All-Pro was talking about how special the package Brian Daboll put together with he and Seneca Wallace, but it was rarely used on Sunday.

 

Defensively, which was thought to be the shaky area going into the game, the Browns were solid.  Granted, they were not facing an offensive juggernaut, nor were they playing against a top flite quarterback, but the young secondary played well.  Joe Haden gave up the winning touchdown pass, but he was right on the receiver.

 

LB Marvin Benard continues to show an ability to get to the quarterback with 1-1/2 sacks, and the front seven did a good job against the run as well, holding the Bucs to 119 yards rushing on 30 attempts, 34 of those on a scramble by QB Josh Freeman. 

 

It was a topsy truvy game with the defense playing better than the offense, exactly the opposite of the pre-season.

 

This was a winnable game on the schedule and the Browns kicked it away by making mistakes.  Next week’s contest in another one they can win, against Kansas City at home.  However, the team needs to show progress and get back to playing to its strength.  This year’s Browns have an improved passing attack, but they aren’t the Saints in terms of being a passing team.

 

JD 

 

 

 

 

 

When Jim Thome left the Indians for the Philadelphia Phillies following the 2002 season, many fans in Cleveland were upset because the big first baseman had intimated that we would take less money to remain in an Indian uniform.

 

To this day, Thome still hears boos whenever he returns to Progressive Field. 

 

This weekend, Thome’s current team, the Minnesota Twins, come to Cleveland for the last time this season.  The Twins lead the AL Central and appear likely to make the playoffs yet again, and Thome has been a key contributor to their cause.

 

It’s time to stop the vitriol towards the big man, and afford him the standing ovation he deserves as this franchise’s all time home run leader, and a player who provided many thrills for the baseball fans of this city. 

 

He’s going to the Hall of Fame, and when he does so, he will be wearing an Indians’ cap. 

 

Thome is perhaps the most overlooked great player of this era.  He currently ranks 8^th on the all time home run list, tied with Frank Robinson, and he has never been linked to any performance enhancers, unlike many of the contemporary sluggers.  He also ranks 30^th all time in runs batted in.

 

He was one of the key players on the last two Indians teams that went to the World Series in 1995 and 1997, and since he left he has regularly appeared in the post-season.

 

He caught a pop up for the last out in the division clinching game in 1995 against the Orioles, putting the Indians in the playoffs for the first time in 41 years.  

 

He hit the home run to put the Tribe ahead in pivotal Game 5 of the 1995 ALCS against the Mariners.  That win gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead in the series, and the Tribe advanced to the World Series two nights later. 

 

In 2008, his home run in a one game playoff gave the White Sox the division title over the Twins.  He’s ranked in the top five in his league in dingers eight times, most recently in 2008 when he belted 34.

 

He’s finished in the top ten in the MVP voting four times in his career. 

 

And he’s still belting them out, smashing one off the top of the flagpole in Target Field earlier this week, an estimated 480 foot shot.

 

It was upsetting when Thome left because he talked about how he wanted to stay, but in the end he went for more money.  That’s no different than most other professional athletes.  However, that was almost eight years ago.  It’s time to turn the page.

 

The big guy is now 40 years old, and even though he’s been very productive this season, at that age, you don’t know if this will be his last appearance at Progressive Field, a place where he’s hit more home runs than anybody else.  He deserves to hear an ovation in this city one last time, a city that he’s given more than their share of thrills.

 

Thome is one of the remaining symbols of when the Indians were one of the best teams in all of baseball.  There aren’t many left any more, just Omar Vizquel and Manny Ramirez, who will be here with the White Sox at the end of the season. 

 

Jim Thome has been on winning teams for most of his career.  Let’s give him our thanks for the good times he contributed to with the Tribe.

 

KM

 

Football people always say that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships.  For the 2010 Cleveland Browns, that’s the reason they probably will not win more than half of their games this season.  Despite improvements at cornerback, the defense is still the team’s biggest question mark.

 

For years, the primary weakness on defense has been not being able to stop the run, and in the pre-season, it’s still an area of concern.  And if you can’t stop the ground game, it’s tough to rush the passer and use blitzes to stop the opponent. 

 

Until this area is improved, the Browns won’t be able to win consistently.

 

There is nothing wrong with starting the rebuilding on defense with the cornerback position, and GM Tom Heckert and Mike Holmgren upgraded that spot with first round pick Joe Haden and by trading for veteran Sheldon Brown.  Having good cover corners allows you to blitz more often with the comfort of knowing the receivers will be handled.

 

Rookie T. J. Ward also looked impressive in the exhibition games, but the other safety spot, manned by Abe Elam has to be considered iffy.

 

The Browns certainly have quantity at linebacker, with 11 on the roster following the release of last year’s 2^nd round pick David Veikune, and while there are several solid pros, there is no difference maker.  The unit has definitely been upgraded, but there still isn’t a future all pro looming at the spot.  Marvin Benard may have the best chance to be an impact player.

 

The defensive line is filled with guys with little future, including three veterans over 30 years old in Shaun Rogers, Kenyon Coleman, and Robaire Smith.  Rogers has been a Pro Bowler.  The best of the younger guys is NT Ahtyba Rubin, at just 24 years old.  The balance of the personnel at this spot is filled with journeymen. 

 

Now Haden, Ward, Rubin, and Benard may be impact players down the road, they aren’t now, and there will be some pressure on them to step up right away if Cleveland’s defense is to improve. 

 

The other troubling thing about the opening day roster is the amount of players with 10 years of experience on a team that is supposed to be getting younger with an eye on improvement down the road.

 

There are nine Browns with 10 or more years of experience in the NFL, and 17 players who are 30 years old or more.  Many of the ten-year guys are backups, so perhaps the thought process is to have experienced backups for some of the young starters, but most of the age is on the defensive front seven.  Four of the ten-year pros (LB Eric Barton and David Bowens, and linemen Rogers and Smith) play these spots, while seven of the 30+ crowd (the previous four plus LB Scott Fujita, CB Sheldon Brown, and Coleman) are in the front line of defense.

 

There is a fine line between experience and age.  This defense is skirting that line.

 

Perhaps the experienced hands will play well early in the season, but you have to worry about how they will hold up over the 17 week season.  Maybe the front office is biding time for some of the young players. 

 

However, for all the hand wringing about the offense last season, it has improved to the point where the success of the football team depends on the defense.  If the Browns can stop the opponent from running the ball, they will be fine.  And stopping the run would be a first since the team came back in 1999.

 

JD

 

Manny Acta is suffering through the same type of season Eric Wedge had during his last season at the helm of the Cleveland Indians.  The Tribe is approaching 100 losses once again after dropping 97 games a year ago. 

 

The current team is five games below the pace set last season, although to be fair Cleveland won just five of their last 25 last season.  Still, the 2010 Indians will need to go 11-14 the rest of the season to win one more game than they did last season.  And that would make them 66-96.

 

In order to win 70 games, Acta’s crew needs to go 15-10, something that is not likely to happen based on the way the Indians are playing. 

 

Most of the optimism in hiring Acta was based on the premise that he was not Wedge, and as fans, we would finally be rid of the "Wedgespeak", talking about grinding through the season, and separating one game from another. 

 

Was that optimism warranted?  In retrospect, based on Acta’s managerial record, it wasn’t. 

 

If the Indians do lose 100 games this season, it would be the third straight season the team he managed lost 100 games.  The 2008 Washington Nationals wound up 59-102, and last season, although the skipper was let go after a 26-61 start, the Nats wound up at 59-103.  In fact, the current Indian manager has a career "winning" percentage of .389, which is a 63-99 record over 162 games. 

 

Now this isn’t a total indictment of Acta, who wasn’t blessed with an all-star roster provided by GM Mark Shapiro.  However, what he has shown in his big league managerial career is ability to handle losing. 

 

And the Indians are an organization that needs to change a culture of losing, and it seems a manager who is used to losing doesn’t accomplish this.

 

Everyone wants a skipper who is is fiery and an emotional leader, and that’s not always the right course of action.  Take a look at Joe Torre.  However, what is needed is a manager who will fight for his team, and I don’t see that out of Acta.  His players need to know that he feels winning is important. 

 

Take Sunday’s game for example.  Acta was ejected after going out to protest a poor call by umpire Hunter Wendelstadt, which SS Asdrubal Cabrera complained about instantly, and with just cause.  However, it seemed like he went out there more to keep his shortstop from being kicked out more than he did to stand up for his team. 

 

The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago against the A’s with the Tribe in a losing streak.  The umpire ruled a hit by pitch on catcher Kurt Suzuki, on a ball that ricocheted 50 feet after hitting the knob of Suzuki’s bat.  Acta protested the call calmly.  With his club playing listlessly at the time, a tantrum was in order. 

 

Again, if Acta was winning big with his approach, it wouldn’t be questioned, but he’s not. 

 

Acta seems like a good baseball man, and the Houston Astros were interested in hiring him last year in the off-season.  And surely, Shapiro will point that out in his and Acta’s defense. 

 

With the organization in a losing spiral since their division winning season of 2007, one would think a person used to winning would have been brought in to change the attitude of the players.  The Indians like to play it safe, and you reap what you sow.

 

The manager deserves credit for his patience with Rafael Perez and some of the other young players, but he has been too tolerant with guys like Trevor Crowe, who has had the second most at bats on the team despite mediocre offensive statistics.  He also has given Luis Valbuena over 200 at bats with a batting average of around .170.  But, maybe that’s a directive from the front office.

 

This is a team that needs to change directions, and needs to do it right away.  Fans are being driven away by the continued direction of the organization, and that direction continues to head south. 

 

Something needs to change baseball wise in Cleveland.  A nice start would be winning, and hiring people who have been involved in winning would be a good start.

 

MW

 

 

 

If ever there was an argument for less pre-season games in the NFL, last night’s Browns-Bears game would be exhibit A. 

 

Both teams scored one touchdown, and both were set up by turnovers deep in the opponents territory.  There were no long sustained drives by either team, and both coaches held out most of their key players, including starting quarterbacks Jake Delhomme and Jay Cutler. 

 

It was really like watching a controlled scrimmage, except that it was the last opportunity to impress for many players who are on the bubble. 

 

No one wants injuries in the last pre-season game, but the Browns may have suffered a key one, when RB Montario Hardesty left the game with a knee injury, and left the stadium on crutches.  It is a tough blow for a kid who missed the first three games with an injury to his other knee.  He is out for the season.

 

RB James Davis took advantage of the situation by running for 66 yards on 13 carries and catching five passes for 53 yards.  However, with Hardesty out, both he and Chris Jennings will likely make the team. 

 

Colt McCoy overcame a bad snap early, which led to the Bears’ only touchdown, to then complete every one of his 13 passes.  McCoy dinked and dunked his way to doing this, but after watching Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn complete low percentages last year, it is nice to see this type of efficiency.  By the way, this is not to say the rookie should get any meaningful playing time this season. 

 

However, he probably beat out Brett Ratliff for the third string QB spot.  Although McCoy starting gave everyone the indication he’s the guy the front office wanted to win the job.

 

Veteran Bobby Engram also showed there was some life in his old legs, catching six balls for 61 yards.  His inclusion on the final roster will probably depend on how many receivers Eric Mangini wants to keep on the roster.

 

Defensively, LB David Veikune made his bid to be included on the roster with five tackles, and rookie Larry Asante should have cemented a spot with seven stops from the safety spot.  Defensive lineman Derreck Robinson played well too, and has done some good things throughout the pre-season.  LB David Bowens is said to be on the bubble and he responded with four tackles and a half a sack with Brian Schaefering. 

 

CB Brandon McDonald helped his cause with two pass break ups. 

 

So, GM Tom Heckert and Mangini will have a tough job when cut downs come on Saturday.  For the first time in a while, tough decisions will have to be made, and it will be interesting to see if the team goes with youth or veterans when push comes to shove. 

 

And of course, they will also be looking at other teams’ cuts to see if there is anyone who can upgrade this football team. 

 

The pre-season is over.  It’s time to play some games that count.

 

JD

 

 

 

September call-ups happen today, and the Cleveland Indians wasted no time getting Carlos Carrasco into the starting rotation.  And to welcome him to the team, the bullpen blew what could have been Carrasco’s first major league win. 

 

Perhaps the recent performance of Mitch Talbot had something to do with inserting the rookie into the rotation right away.

 

Talbot has been struggling for the last two months, and with Justin Masterson’s inconsistency and Josh Tomlin and Jeanmar Gomez being rookies, it makes Fausto Carmona the only starter that skipper Manny Acta has any faith in.

 

That’s probably why Acta has kept Carmona perhaps one batter too long in each of his last two starts.  The bullpen has been taxed by the starters barely making it through five innings, so when Carmona takes the bump, the manager needs him to go at least seven frames.

 

Some other thoughts on the Tribe as they enter the last month of the season: 

 

Another reason why the Tribe is so maddening to watch:  Joe Smith.  Smith has shown effectiveness since coming back from Columbus, but then he goes through a stretch like he’s in right now, where he walks too many.

 

He comes into games for one reason and one reason only, to get right-handed hitters out.  So, in the last week, he’s come in three times and walked the first batter he faced.  On Tuesday, Acta brought him in to face three straight righties, Alex Rios, Paul Konerko, and Carlos Quentin.  He walked Rios, struck out Konerko, and then walked Quentin. 

 

Please, let’s hope he’s not on the roster come 2011.

 

It appears that Jared Goedert will be this year’s Jordan Brown in terms of not getting added to the big league roster in September.  Once again, more excuses from the front office about defense are the reason as to why he won’t be called up. 

 

First, it’s not like the Tribe is getting gold glove play at the hot corner from Jayson Nix, Andy Marte, and Luis Valbuena.  It is doubtful Goedert would be worse.  And really, isn’t it possible that he could hit better than the .170 average put up by Valbuena.  Just another reason to cast a jaundiced eye at Tribe management.

 

The White Sox used their first round pick in this year’s draft, southpaw Chris Sale, in the first game of the series this week, and actually used him to close game three!  Can you imagine the Indians ever doing something like that under the current management regime?  Heck, the Tribe’s first round pick, Drew Pomerantz, didn’t even sign until August 16^th.

 

So as not to be all-critical, the recent issue of Baseball America listed three Cleveland farmhands as players to watch in 2011.  It bodes well for the organization that 2B Cord Phelps, OF Nick Weglarz, the 2009 first pick for the Indians, right-hander Alex White were all mentioned. 

 

The writer said that White has a better upside than any of the pitchers recently acquired in deals by the Tribe.  He could be in the rotation as early as next season, although he likely will not open the season in Cleveland even if he throws 20 scoreless innings in Arizona. 

 

Oops, there goes the negativity again.

 

KM

 

Boy, how about the Browns’ offense.  After having virtually no passing game a year ago, the team looks precise and fine tuned.  QB Jake Delhomme has a rating of over 100 in three pre-season games and Seneca Wallace has proven he can move the unit as well. 

 

They are even getting production out of the wide receiver position as Brian Robiske has contributed, and Josh Cribbs has shown great improvement as a wide out.  Ben Watson and Evan Moore are catching ball at tight end, and the running game hasn’t been as good as it was the last four games of the 2009 season, but Peyton Hillis has proven to be an effective power runner.

 

If only James Harrison can cut down on the fumbles.  Don’t forget, we haven’t even seen Montario Hardesty yet.

 

The offensive line performed okay, and it should get better once T Tony Pashos can get regular reps in practice. 

 

That’s the good news.  The bad news is the defense hasn’t been mentionned so far.

 

Yes, the Browns used a very vanilla scheme against the Lions, with not a lot of blitzing, but Detroit gashed the defense with the running game, and if that doesn’t get fixed, it could be a long year for Cleveland defenders. 

 

The game started with rookie Jahvid Best running for a 51 yard gain.  In total, Detroit gained 154 yards on the ground in 26 attempts.  Even without Best’s run, the Lions averaged over four yards per carry, which is unacceptable for NFL defenses.

 

The defense also got virtually no pressure on Matthew Stafford without the use of the blitz.  Yes, we know Shaun Rogers did not play, and hasn’t played yet in the pre-season, but it’s unlikely that Rogers will open the season on the active roster for the first game of the regular season against Tampa Bay.  In fact, he will probably start the year on the physically unable to play list.

 

One of the problems this team has had since coming back in the league has been stopping the run, and so far in the exhibition games, it’s still a problem.  Not being able to control this area puts the defense on it’s heels, and doesn’t allow coordinator Rob Ryan to attack, which is what he wants to do.

 

The defensive line is an area that GM Tom Heckert will be searching the waiver wire for when rosters get cut down over the next two weeks.  The front office upgraded the linebacking corps and the secondary, but still need to help the front three, although NT Ahtyba Rubin continues to play well.

 

This Thursday’s game against the Bears is simply the last chance for players on the bubble to make a statement.  It is unlikely that Delhomme, Wallace, and many of the other key personnel on the roster will play in that game. 

 

The next meaningful game is on September 12th against Tampa Bay.  That one will count in the standings and the defense has to be ready.

 

JD

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Cleveland Indians are limping through this stretch of the season, and it is tough to watch.  It is reminiscent of last September, when the Tribe went 7-25 from the beginning of the month through the end of the season. 

 

Just think, they still have 35 games left!

 

In watching the games, I started thinking about whom currently playing for the team will definitely be here next season.  And the answer is not that many are for sure.  This doesn’t include guys like Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana, who will likely be part of the 2011 Indians, but are currently not playing.

 

It also doesn’t account for off-season trades, although the players who would be in the for sure column are unlikely to be dealt by the current front office.  It also doesn’t count players the Indians would like to be in next season’s lineup either.

 

That would leave SS Asdrubal Cabrera, RF Shin-Soo Choo, and DH Travis Hafner, and the latter is only in this category because of his untradable contract.  If they are healthy, Sizemore and Santana will be starting on Opening Day 2011 too.

 

Matt LaPorta has struggled mightily since his salvo immediately after his call up, and should no longer be considered a sure thing at first base.  His prolonged slump has caused his average to dip below .240. 

 

Jason Donald has done some good things in his rookie campaign, but he has had problems defensively and hasn’t hit enough to be considered a lock.  His OPS of 692 is below average, and with the plethora of candidates for 2B in the organization, such as Cord Phelps, Jason Kipnis, Josh Rodriguez, and holdover Luis Valbuena, he’s not guaranteed to start.

 

Third base is a mess, and it doesn’t seem like the team is going to take a look at Jared Goedart anytime soon.  It wouldn’t be a surprise if Andy Marte and Jayson Nix weren’t in the organization come spring training.  The same can be said about Shelley Duncan, who with extended playing time has shown the holes in his swing.

 

In the outfield, Michael Brantley’s recent performance gives him a leg up on a starting job, but it shouldn’t be etched in stone.  If Brantley can hit, then it makes it easy to move Sizemore to LF to help take some pressure off his knee.

 

Trevor Crowe has the second most at bats on the team this year, which is an indictment of what type of team this is.  However, he’s failed to take advantage of his opportunity.  He’s a fourth outfielder, at best and certainly not a lock to make the team next year. 

 

On the pitching side, the only for certain is Fausto Carmona.  Mitch Talbot’s recent slide should put him in the candidate stage for next year, and Justin Masterson looks to be headed to the bullpen in 2011. 

 

The other current starters, Jeanmar Gomez and Josh Tomlin, will be in the mix to open next year in the rotation, but certainly aren’t locks. 

 

The bullpen is actually the most stable part of the team.  Chris Perez will open 2011 as the closer, and Rafael Perez has rebounded from his horrible start to prove quite effective.  Joe Smith is serviceable, and Tony Sipp will be back next year as well, although it would help if he could keep the ball in the park regularly.

 

The point is the organization isn’t taking advantage of their time out of contention.  Yes, it’s understandable to show loyalty to guys like Duncan and Marte, but if they aren’t going to be here next season, then let’s look at Jordan Brown and Goedart.  Maybe they will show something to impress the brass.

 

These guys can be called up in a week anyway, but just maybe they should have been in there already.  Some of these will be on the roster to open the season in 2011, but that doesn’t mean they are major league players either. 

 

The uncertainty for next year can’t be encouraging if you are a fan of the Cleveland Indians.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Indians can drive you crazy.  After playing well against contenders immediately following the All-Star break, they are playing with seemingly no purpose in losing 9 of 12 versus teams out of the race.

 

In the meantime, the front office (including the ownership) is busy patting themselves on the back because they spent over $9 million on draft picks taken in the June amateur draft.  Isn’t that what a good “small market” franchise is supposed to do?

 

Since the odds of the team signing any major free agents are slim, the lifeblood of the organization must be in player development.  That’s how the Minnesota Twins remain competitive.  They keep adding good young players to their farm system and then they develop them.

 

That’s also the biggest reason the Tribe has floundered for much of the last ten years.  Poor talent evaluation and poor draft picks usually mean a long period of time looking up at other teams in the standings.

 

Make no mistake, it’s better that the Indians spend money on the draft than not.  However, fans get tired of the constant promotion when the franchise decides to pony up.  They don’t care.  They just want to see a winning team, a team they can be excited about.  They don’t care how you get the talent, just as long as you get it.

 

The Dolan family and the front office seem to want to tell you when they do well, but they are offended by criticism when they don’t.  This is the mentality that has to change on the corner of Ontario and Carnegie.  Just get better and get competitive.  

 

Stop talking about the pitfalls of being a smaller market team, and stop griping about how unfair the system is.  Fans see plenty of examples of teams in similar size cities that are successful, there aren’t many, for sure, but the Twins, Reds, Rays, and Padres are having good seasons.  Instead of moaning and complaining, just get to those teams level.

 

It seems like the Indian ownership would rather wallow in their mediocrity.  Instead of complaining about the inadequacies of baseball, tell fans how you are going to combat it and win anyway.  It’s possible.  However, if all you focus on is that life is unfair, and then it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

Maybe the Dolans should adopt the philosophy of their manager, Manny Acta, who has been quoted as saying “life’s not fair, grab a batting helmet”.

 

There are even rumors that among the changes being made at Progressive Field next season is a reduction of suites, because the ownership doesn’t think the park can have more than 40,000 seats anymore.

 

Here’s a clue…get a better team and watch people buy tickets!  There will be sports dollars available in this market over the next few years due to the departure of LeBron James.   If the Indians can get back to the top of the AL Central Division, the fans will come back.

 

Right now, everything about this franchise is defeatist.  That’s has to end.  When Phil Savage made his infamous comment about the “woe is me” attitude in Cleveland, the Indians took this to heart.

 

Please Mark Cuban, call Larry and Paul Dolan and make them an offer.  Baseball fans in this city will be forever grateful.  They would like to be optimistic about the Cleveland Indians.

 

KM