They did it!  The Indians did what most around the country thought was impossible, that is defeat the best offense in baseball, the New York Yankees, in the AL Division Series 3 games to 1.  The Tribe advances to the AL Championship Series against the Red Sox, which will begin Friday night in Boston.  The Indians won with good starting pitching, great relief work, and timely hitting. 

 

Eric Wedge was criticized all day yesterday for starting right hander Paul Byrd in Game 4, but his confidence in the veteran righty was rewarded with five innings of gritty work, allowing two runs.  Wedge was second-guessed again for keeping Kelly Shoppach behind the plate to work with Byrd, just as they have done all season, and the back up catcher hammered two doubles in three at bats.  The skipper stayed with what he believed in all year, and his ballclub performed just as they did all season long.

 

In actuality, Byrd did have a bad start against New York this year, but last year he had a 4.22 ERA against them, and in 2005, he made one start, throwing seven innings and allowing three runs.  Also, Byrdie was better on the road this year; with his ERA almost 1.5 runs a game better away from Jacobs Field.

 

These Yankees remind me of the 1995-2001 Indians, in that they are teams built on offense.  The Tribe did get to two World Series, but didn’t cash them in, usually because the hitters didn’t do as well against better pitching.  Last year, New York couldn’t handle Justin Verlander, Kenny Rogers, and Jeremy Bonderman, and this year C.C. Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, and Paul Byrd did them in.  The old axiom that good pitching beats good hitting is never truer than in the post season.

 

 We said before the series that the Tribe needed to score runs in this series, and they did averaging six runs a game while holding the Yankee attack to four runs a contest, two runs less than the averaged for the regular season.  Cleveland moved runners, bunted (to the delight of many Wedge critics), and received contributions from everyone who played in the series, including Trot Nixon who had a homer and double in game three.

 

I like to focus on the Indians and their accomplishment, but I also have to laugh at the national media today.  The story is all about how the Yankees lost, and what is going to happen to poor Joe Torre.  Besides, the Yankees didn’t lose, the Indians won.  They had the clutch hits; they made the big pitches when it counts.  They are the ones going to Boston the ALCS.   They were the better team in this series. 

 

KM

 

We have seen some great individual days in Cleveland sports this year.  I recall the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend when the Cavs beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Indians completed a sweep of the Tigers in Motown.  Alas, yesterday was not one of those days.  Too many mistakes by both the Browns and the Indians led to a pair of defeats.

 

The Browns.  Our city’s football team is improving, but not enough to overcome three turnovers against one of the elite teams in the NFL.  The offense moved the ball well at times, but Derek Anderson’s poor decision on the first drive of the game loomed large in a 34-17 loss at New England. 

 

We have to remember that Anderson has made less than ten starts at quarterback, and hopefully he will learn from his errors, but his interception on the doorstep of the Patriot end zone was not a good decision.  Cleveland could have tied the game at 3, but instead came away with no points, and Bill Belichick’s crew moved out to a 20-0 halftime lead and cruised to a win.  Anderson’s other interceptions came off of deflections, one while being hit trying to throw, but the first pick set the tone. 

 

On defense, the Browns put no pressure on Tom Brady as the three time Super Bowl winner picked the secondary apart going to other options with the defense doubling on Randy Moss.  The lack of pressure stems from the fact Todd Grantham’s squad still cannot stop the run.  You can’t blitz if you are facing a 2^nd and 5 defensively.  That tactic has to be used in long yardage situations.

 

The Indians.  The Yankees avoided a sweep by capitalizing on some Tribe mistakes and a poor outing by Jake Westbrook to claim an 8-4 victory and force a Game 4 tonight in the Bronx.

 

Mistake #1:  Victor Martinez picking up Melky Cabrera’s harmless roller in front of the plate and trying to get Hideki Matsui, who was not forced, at third.  At that time of the game and the Indians leading 3-0, Martinez should have taken the sure out.  Without a man on first, Johnny Damon’s single through the hole that produced the first New York run, might have been fielded by Ryan Garko, who was holding Cabrera.  Westbrook did minimize the damage by getting Derek Jeter to hit into a double play.

 

Mistake #2:  Jhonny Peralta has to throw out Alex Rodriguez on a ball hit to the hole to start the sixth inning.  It was a routine play and the Tribe SS double clutched the ball, and then threw high and late to Garko at first.  If the Indians get that out, then maybe mistake #3 doesn’t come into play…

 

Mistake #3:  Trot Nixon overruns Robinson Cano’s single to right allowing three runs to score.  It’s quite possible two runs would have scored anyway, but these two mistakes were a big reason for the three run sixth that effectively put the game away.  Eric Wedge’s hunch to play Nixon did pay off from Trot’s solo home run against Roger Clemens did pay off, but let’s face it, Nixon is the Indians’ third best defensive right fielder, behind Franklin Gutierrez and Jason Michaels.  It did come back to nip, not bite, the Indians in their collective backside.

 

So, tonight it’s Paul Byrd’s turn to try and get the Indians to the AL Championship Series, and with the Browns’ next two games against the winless Dolphins and Rams, they could be 4-3 and very much alive in the playoff race in the AFC.  Try looking toward the sun; it has to be a brighter day than Sunday for Cleveland sports fans.

 

JD/MW

 

The Cleveland Indians got an assist from Mother Nature last night to take Game 2 of the AL Division Series and also take a commanding lead in the best of five series against the Yankees, 2-0.  The Canadian Soldiers unnerved reliever Joba Chamberlain and the Tribe took advantage scoring the tying run in the eighth without the benefit of a hit.  The insects overshadowed a tremendous pitching performance by Fausto Carmona, however, and his dominance on the mound is the real reason Cleveland needs just one more win to advance to the AL Championship Series.

 

Carmona allowed just three hits in nine innings, one of them a third inning home run to Melky Cabrera, which gave New York a 1-0 lead.  The last hit by Bobby Abreu in the ninth didn’t even leave the infield.  Mix in a diving catch by Grady Sizemore, a couple of double plays, and Carmona’s 95 mile an hour sinker, and the Bronx Bombers did not look like the team who led the major leagues in runs scored this season.  The young right hander was that good.

 

Before the game, I questionned Eric Wedge’s decision to start Kenny Lofton since the veteran was 4 for 32 against Yankees’ starter Andy Pettitte in his career.  But Wedge played a hunch and it came up big, as K-Love had two hits off Pettitte and drew a leadoff walk in the 11th against reliever Luis Vizcaino and came around to score the winning run.  Lofton has played the first two games of this series like he turned back the clock to 1995, when he was one of the best leadoff hitters in baseball.

 

You also cannot say enough about Rafael Perez, who came back from throwing two innings in Game 1, to do the same last night, and was the winning pitcher.  Once the Yankees used Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera and the score was still tied, you had to feel good about the Indians’ chances against the rest of the New York bullpen.  Remember, if the game remained tied, Wedge still had Rafael Betancourt, Jensen Lewis, and Joe Borowski to go to.

 

Now the series goes to Yankee  Stadium where Joe Torre’s crew’s season rests on the arm of a 45 year old pitcher who hasn’t started a game in over three weeks.  Granted, that hurler is one of the game’s all time greats in Roger Clemens, but I’m sure even the staunchest Yankee fan has got to be concerned about what The Rocket will give them Sunday night.  It might be the kind of game where both teams will have to go to their bullpens early because a lot of runs will be scored.  If the good Jake Westbrook shows up, I like the Tribe’s chances to close out the series.

 

Today’s off day will be welcomed by the fans, since last night’s game took a toll of everyone’s nerves.  Relax and gear up for a night of Ohio State football, and a big day of sports tomorrow which will include the Browns and Indians games.  It’s a great time for Cleveland sports.

 

MW

 

I have always been of the belief that the most important games of a five or seven game series are the even numbered games.  Those games can either get you even if you lost the first game, or give you a commanding lead, either 2-0 or 3-1.  That being said, it was nice for the Tribe to win game one against the Yankees, 12-3, last night, but it doesn’t mean the Tribe is off and running.  It does mean that the 0-6 record in the regular season means nothing.

 

The key to last night’s triumph was the Indians ability to answer the Yankees scoring in the first and fifth innings.  After Johnny Damon’s lead off home run in the first, C.C. Sabathia gutted through the rest of the inning without allowing another run.  The Tribe tied the game with a Ryan Garko single, but Kenny Lofton’s two run single up the middle was huge.  It put Cleveland on top and showed me the Yankees or post-season play did not intimidate the ballclub.

 

The same thing occurred in the fifth inning after the Yankees closed to within a run at 4-3.  First, Sabathia came up huge by striking out Jorge Posada and getting Hideki Matsui to pop up with the bases loaded.  Then in the Tribe half of the frame, Victor Martinez belted a two run homer to put the lead back to three runs at 6-3.  The Indians bats added three more to effectively put the game away at 9-3.  Lofton and Martinez came up huge last night.

 

In reading this morning’s paper, I was glad to see I was not the only one who thought Bruce Froemming’s strike zone was the eye of a needle.  I felt C.C. got squeezed on the first batter of the game when Damon took a pitch that appeared to catch the inside corner, but was called a ball.  As a matter of fact, could Derek Jeter stop his ridiculous jumping back on any pitch on the inner half of the plate?  To Sabathia’s credit, he said in the post game press conferences that the umpire called a good game, once again showing the maturity he has developed since his rookie season.

 

The Yankees are throwing Andy Pettitte (read:  soft tossing lefty) tonight, which is supposed to be a disadvantage for the Indians.  However, in past post-season series, Cleveland has never had that second good starter like they have now in Fausto Carmona.  If Carmona is on his game, I like the Indians chances to go up 2-0 in the series.  But, he is pitching on long rest (he hasn’t started in eight days) and is throwing first post-season game. 

 

We said the other day that the Indians needed to score runs in this series to win, and at least for last night they did.  They have to be patient against Pettitte tonight.  The last time they faced the veteran lefty, the hitters swung early and often and the Yankee starter threw only 60 some pitches through the first six innings.  If Pettitte can go six tonight, Joe Torre will go with Joba Chamberlain for two innings and Mariano Rivera for one inning to secure the victory.  They have to make Pettitte work and get into the soft part of the New York bullpen. 

 

Regardless of what happens tonight, the invincibility of the Yankees has been erased.  The Indians know they can compete with the pinstripers. 

 

KM

 

Let the angst begin.  Tomorrow, the Cleveland Indians start their AL Division Series against the powerful New York Yankees at Jacobs Field.  Some fans are thumping their chests because of the one-two pitching punch of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, but there have been many circumstances where having dominant pitchers don’t guarantee success.  For example, look at Roger Clemens lack of success in the post season prior to 1998.  One thing is for sure; this is a series of contrasts.

 

TRIVIA QUESTION:  Who was the last Indians’ pitcher to win a post-season game? 

Answer below

 

The Yankees have the best offense in baseball, scoring 157 more runs this season than the Indians, an average of almost a run per game more.  However, the Tribe has allowed 73 less runs this season than New York.  The Bronx Bombers led the AL in scoring, Cleveland ranked 6^th.  In ERA, the Indians ranked 3^rd in the junior circuit, New York was 8^th.  The conventional wisdom in baseball says good pitching beats good hitting, but they play the games on the field.

 

There is no question the Yankees have gaudy offensive numbers, but they have much more pop at home, averaging almost a run per game more at Yankee Stadium than on the road.  Although they scored almost 1000 runs this season, remember this, the last team to score that many runs in a season was the 1999 Cleveland Indians.  That team lost in the Division Series to the Red Sox. 

 

The New York pitching was also more effective at home, allowing about a half run per game less than on the road.  The Indians pitched better on the road, with an ERA of under 4.00 away from Jacobs Field for the season.  On offense, the Tribe did fair slightly better at home scoring 425 runs here, and 386 on the road. 

 

To me, the key to the series is the Cleveland offense.  In the well-documented six losses to New York in the regular season, the Tribe scored 17 runs, an average of less than three per game.  You simply are not going to win games against New York with the puny attack the Indians mustered this year.  The Indians have to put their hitting shoes on, work counts, and get into the middle of the New York bullpen, before Joe Torre can get to Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera.

 

Another concern I have is Rafael Perez.  You may not have noticed because of the games on the west coast last week, but Perez has struggled in his recent outings, including Saturday night against Kansas City.  I’m hoping he has not hit a wall.  The bullpen needs his left-handed offerings, especially against a team with as many left handed hitters as the Yanks have.  Also, he shortens the game if he is on, with the starters having to give the ballclub six innings before going to Perez, Rafael Betancourt, and Joe Borowski. 

 

Eric Wedge’s one game at a time approach must be enforced for the young players, many in their first post season.  Trot Nixon’s advise to slow the game down also helps.  For the Tribe to win and advance to the ALCS, they have to do better offensively.  As good as Sabathia and Carmona have been this year, Chien Ming Wang is no slouch.  He has won 19 games each of the last two seasons, and is definitely one of the best hurlers in the game. 

 

Trivia Answer:  Tomorrow’s starter C.C. Sabathia, who won Game 3 against Seattle in 2001, 17-2. 

 

MW

 

Look who has an offense!  The Cleveland Browns scored more than 24 points in a game three times all last season, and this year they have accomplished the feat in three consecutive games.  After going 0-6 in division games in 2006, Romeo Crennel’s crew has won two of three home games against divisional foes and hit the quarter pole of the NFL season at 2-2, a big surprise for many who felt a 0-4 start was very possible.  By the way, isn’t it great to knock the smirk off of offensive genius and Ravens’ head coach Brian Billick’s face.

 

The Browns scored early and often against the Ravens, taking advantage of some early turnovers to build a big lead at the half and doing just enough to hold on for a 27-13 victory.  QB Derek Anderson continues to cool the “when will Brady play” talk with an efficient performance throwing just 18 times and hitting for two touchdowns.  Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski stayed with the running game once he got the lead, keeping the Raven defense honest, as well as working the clock.  It was simply a workmanlike performance for the offense.

 

You simply cannot say enough about the Browns’ offensive line.  Anderson was not sacked at all yesterday by the big, bad Raven defense.  The work that Phil Savage put in improving this unit the past two seasons is starting to pay off.  Joe Thomas looks like he is the real deal.  Eric Steinbach is playing well.  Hank Fraley has provided leadership and well as good play.  This week, the line gets Ryan Tucker back from his four game suspensions and that will provide even more depth. 

 

The early lead made the Ravens throw the ball a more, thus easing the Browns’ weakness on defense, that is, stopping the run.  Baltimore still averaged 5.6 yards per carry, which is way too many.  In the first half, before they abandoned the running game, they were getting over six yards a pop.  Willis McGahee became the fourth opposing back in as many games to hit the 100-yard mark against the Cleveland defense.  This does not bode well with New England on the schedule next.  You know Bill Belichick will not get cute, and will run the ball down the throats of the Browns until they can stop it.

 

Crennel and defensive coordinator Todd Grantham did make some personnel changes on the defensive line, starting Ethan Kelley instead of Ted Washington.  The staff also kept players fresh by consistently rotating fresh bodies in the game.  However, the biggest play on defense was Leigh Bodden’s interception killing a Ravens’ drive in Browns’ territory in the first quarter.

 

Also, what about the performance of kick returner Joshua Cribbs.  Once again, Cribbs gave the team momentum by taking the opening kickoff back 41 yards.  The former Kent State quarterback averaged over 30 yards a return yesterday, and continues to average that for the season.  He also is regularly in on tackles on the defensive special teams.  He is worthy of All Pro mention.

 

This week the brown and orange take on the early favorites to win the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots.  That game is followed by a contest against the Dolphins, so it is entirely possible the Browns will be 3-3 at the bye week.  If that is the case, Derek Anderson will continue to start at quarterback because Cleveland will be in the playoff hunt.  Who would have thought that was possible after the opening day massacre against the Steelers.

 

JD

 

Various things that have crossed my mind with the baseball playoffs approaching—

 

·         His delivery may be unorthodox, and his voice is scratchy, but I could listen to Bernie Kosar talk football all day long.  It’s a great move for WKNR to have #19 give his insights on the Browns a few times a week. 

 

·         Speaking of WKNR, it’s a split decision of the new hosts they brought in this spring.  Tony Rizzo’s show is the best new program on that station in a long time.  However, Mark “Munch” Bishop’s show makes my ears bleed.  I think a talk show host should do better than think like the average fan sitting at home watching television.

 

·         Trot Nixon will be on the Indians post-season roster, period.  There is no debate.  As much as he has struggled on the field, he is regarded as a leader in the clubhouse.  Eric Wedge and Mark Shapiro might have a problem in the locker room if Nixon is not included for the playoffs.

 

·         Cavs’ fans need to relax.  GM Danny Ferry and Mike Brown are counting on the improvement from second year guys Daniel Gibson and Shannon Brown to make a big impact.  Of course, it would help if the coaching staff can design an offense that is not from the stone age.

 

·         At an average age of 26.6 years, the Indians will be the fourth youngest team to reach the post season since the divisional era in 1969 (information courtesy of Hardball Times.com).  That bodes very well for the future of the Cleveland Indians.

 

·         Can anyone explain how the Browns went into their game against the Raiders over confident?  Based on what?  This is a team that hasn’t won two games in a row in almost four years.  That would seem to be part of the problem in Berea.  That Romeo Crennel can’t explain it might be a bigger problem.

 

·         It pains me that LeBron James roots for the Yankees.  It isn’t even a matter, like many of us, that the Indians weren’t very good when he grew up.  The King was a kid when the Tribe was making playoff runs in mid to late 90’s.  Like Pete Franklin used to say, rooting for the Yankees is like rooting for Microsoft.

 

·         Despite Joe Borowski’s struggles in Seattle, he should be the closer in the playoffs.  This is not the time to restructure the bullpen.  Replacing Borowski not only changes his role, but it also changes Rafael Betancourt’s spot.  As good as the latter has been this season, he has had problems in the past trying to close.

 

Enjoy the sunshine this weekend, and start getting wired for a huge sports week in Cleveland.  The evil empire will be here next week, so ESPN will be wondering whom is this team playing their beloved Yankees.

 

MW

 

There has been much concern about the seeding in the American League playoff match ups.  I’ve heard many people saying it is critical that the Indians keep the pedal to the metal to try to get the best record in the league.  After last night’s results, it is fairly obvious that the Tribe will take on the Yankees in the first round, and therefore will have game five of the division series at home, if indeed there is one.  With a doubleheader tonight, I say it’s time to start resting the regulars and get them ready for the post season. 

 

First, there is no advantage to having the best record in the league when it comes to the playoffs.  The 2004 Red Sox were a wild card team, and so were the Tigers last year.  In 2005, the White Sox had the league’s best record, but slumped badly down the stretch until the last week of the year when they ended the season by knocking Cleveland out of the playoffs.  It would be nice to have the last game of any series at Jacobs Field, but it’s not like the NBA where it has been eons since a visiting team won a game seven.  It’s more important that the ballclub is rested and ready to go next week.  If they get the best record in the league, that’s okay, but it’s not a huge deal.

 

Since it looks like we will play New York, I’m not sure I want the extra day of rest anyway.  In reality, the Yankees have two very good starters in Chien-Ming Wang and Andy Pettitte.  After that, they would have to go with a hot and cold Mike Mussina, an injured Roger Clemens, or youngsters like Philip Hughes or Ian Kennedy.  The Tribe can counter with 15 game winner Paul Byrd, and Jake Westbrook.  That would seem to be an advantage for the Indians.  If Cleveland picked the series with the extra day off, they could pitch C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona twice on normal rest, but Joe Torre could do the same with Wang and Pettitte.

 

Another comment I would like to make on the playoffs is to remind everyone that they truly are a crapshoot.  Just because the Indians have two Cy Young candidates in their rotation doesn’t guarantee them anything.  I’m sure the Houston Astros thought the same thing in 1998 when they traded for Randy Johnson to go with Shane Reynolds and Mike Hampton.  The Braves wiped them out in the first round.  The Twins were thought to have a huge advantage the last few years because they have the best pitcher in baseball in Johan Santana.  That hasn’t worked out well either.

 

The main thing to remember is the Tribe is in the mix.  All four teams in the American League are capable of not only going to the World Series, but also winning it.  That said, remember last season when the St. Louis Cardinals won 83 games in the regular season and then got hot at the right time and became World Champions.  The key for the Indians is their hitting.  Will they hit enough if they get good pitching to win?  The Tribe has had good success against some very good pitchers this year, as indicated by their 8-1 record against Santana and Detroit ace Justin Verlander, but they have also lost several 1-0 and 2-1 games when they weren’t hitting.

 

A key for the offense will be the guys at the bottom of the order.  When you are in the playoffs, the opposition will not pitch to Victor Martinez when he is in a position to hurt them.  No team does.  That’s why the Mark Lemkes and Brian Doyles of the baseball world become post-season heroes.  That means guys like Jhonny Peralta, Casey Blake, and Asdrubal Cabrera will have to provide big hits if the Indians are going to succeed in the playoffs.  I, for one, can’t wait for next week when it will all get started.

 

KM

 

Please raise your hand if you thought the Browns biggest problem after three games would be the defense.  Yes, I understand the kinks have not been worked out of the offense, but Romeo Crennel’s specialty has allowed over 100 points in three games (the only NFL team to do so), and the rush defense is especially porous, allowing almost 180 yards per contest.

 

If you can’t stop the run in the NFL, you have a major problem, and in reality this team hasn’t been able to do it since they returned to the league in 1999.  The Oakland Raiders scored their last touchdown in yesterday’s 26-24 loss by driving more than 90 yards in 15 plays, 13 of those plays being rushes.  The front seven of the brown and orange were powerless to stop it.  Major changes need to be made on the aging defense line.  Crennel benched Ted Washington yesterday, but when you allow this many yards per game, the problem involves the defensive line and the linebackers.

 

Again, the head coach gave me more reasons to question whether or not he is the man for the job with his comments regarding rookie cornerback Eric Wright.  Granted, Wright made a huge mistake on the long touchdown pass to Ronald Curry on 3^rd and 1 in the 2^nd quarter to put the Raiders up 16-0.  However coach, if you think Wright is the problem with your defense, you don’t have a clue.  This is just another coach picking on a rookie to mask the problems his veteran defenders are having.  Crennel gives his veterans a lot of credit, but they are the ones letting him down, not Eric Wright.  Wright wouldn’t be the first cornerback who struggled in his rookie season, and later became an All Pro.

 

In fact, GM Phil Savage and Crennel should consider replacing some of the aging veterans on the defensive line with younger guys.  I would be surveying the waiver wire looking for young guys to bring in.  They could hardly do worse than the players who are currently playing the position.  Until this rush defense improves, the Browns will not win consistently.  The secondary, where there is some talent, will continue to look bad because they are trying to help with run support.

 

On offense, this is what Derek Anderson is.  He has some talent, but at this point in his career, he is streaky.  I don’t know what he was looking at in the first half, but he was making awful decision with the football.  However, in the second half, he got hot and was moving the ball down the field effortlessly. 

 

Why is Tim Carter the third receiver?  He has a key drop on a third down yesterday on a play where the network focused on Joe Jurevicius being wide open.  He was, but if Carter catches the ball, it’s a first down.  Why can’t Joshua Cribbs or Travis Wilson be used in that spot?  Also, I understand the Browns were trailing by 16 early, but they ignored Jamal Lewis once again.  Lewis had only 11 carries after gaining 200 yards the week before.  Rob Chudzinski needs to stick with the running game a little bit more.

 

The bottom line is, when you score 24 points in an NFL game, you should win.  Right now, grade school running backs are asking their coaches to get the Browns on the schedule.  Just remember, if Willis McGahee gains 150 yards for the Ravens next week, it’s all Eric Wright’s fault.

 

JD

 

 

When the 2002 season was going nowhere, Indians’ first year GM Mark Shapiro decided to take a bold step.  He decided to blow up a team that had won six division titles in the last seven years, and start the rebuilding process.  So, he dealt his most tradable commodity, righthander Bartolo Colon, who would win 20 games that year for a cadre of prospects from Montreal, including Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips.  This weekend, the fruits of that bold move will be realized.

 

Shapiro tried to rebuild while still winning after the division title in 2001.  He saw his team getting old.  DH Ellis Burks was 36, Kenny Lofton and Omar Vizquel were 34.  Roberto Alomar was 33, and third baseman Travis Fryman was 32.  The pitching staff wasn’t any younger.  Three starters were older than 34, Dave Burba and Charles Nagy (34), while Chuck Finley was 38.  So Shapiro tried to get younger by dealing Alomar for younger outfielder Matt Lawton. 

 

The initial reaction was great.  The 2002 Tribe got off to an 11-1 start.  But, they finished the month at 13-13 mainly because they stopped hitting.  April ended with a crushing 21-2 loss to the Angels at home.  In May, they treaded water finishing the month at 13-15, and were just 4-1/2 behind the front running Twins.  However, the young GM sensed something was not right with this team.  In the 28 games in May, the ballclub scored less than four runs in 16 of them!  In June, it was more of the same.  In the first 16 games of that month, the Tribe scored less than four runs in 11.  They were just 7 games out when Shapiro decided to pull the trigger on Bartolo Colon.  Their record was 35-40, but since the great start they were 24-39.

 

The Indians were running in reverse, so Shapiro took a bold move.  If you don’t think it was an aggressive move, ask other teams how their rebuilding program is going.  Orioles’ GM Pat Gillick wanted to do the same thing in 1998, but his owner wouldn’t let him.  How’s that working out?  Shapiro’s trade kick starting the process and by 2004, just two years later, the Tribe was in contention in mid August.  The following year, the Cleveland Indians were back in the hunt for a playoff spot.  This year, five years after the Colon deal, they will be the Central Division champs.

 

Not all of Shapiro’s deals worked out, but by the end of that calendar year, he had picked up Coco Crisp and Travis Hafner is separate deals.  The farm system, a point of emphasis for the GM and the Dolans, started producing, as Victor Martinez, Jake Westbrook, and Jhonny Peralta would be ready to help the big club by the 2004 season.  In 2005, Sizemore was the starting centerfielder, and Lee was in the starting rotation.  Even though the season ended with the Indians missing the playoffs by one game.  The rebuilding program was in full bloom.

 

Last year, the bullpen was horrible, but Shapiro took that opportunity to unload more veterans who were not part of the future, and one of the players who came to the Tribe was young infielder Asdrubal Cabrera.  Shapiro is not afraid to pull the trigger when it is clear his ballclub is not going to win.

 

It’s not easy to rebuild a major league baseball team.  Just ask fans Pittsburgh, Kansas City, Baltimore, Texas, Cincinnati, etc.  Sometimes it’s because the ownership isn’t willing to sell the fans on the process.  Give Mark Shapiro and the Dolans credit for being willing to take the hits associated with dismantling a team, especially a club that won as much as the Tribe from 1995-2001.  In the next few days, their dream will become a reality.

 

MW