Thome's Home

At long last, an Wahoo Hero returns.  Jim Thome was traded by the Twins to the Tribe on Thursday.  Thome, who was brought up in the Indians' farm system and spent 12 years with the Tribe, returns to the Tribe lineup on Friday.  Do not underestimate this move for Tribe fans.  It is huge.  Why?  Let me try to explain.

Jim Thome was a hero to many Tribe fans.  He left via free agency.  After professing his love for Cleveland, he spurned a multi million dollar contract offered by the Indians for more millions offered by the Phillies.  No matter the reason, Indian fans were angry and hurt.  A local baseball icon left willingly, in spite of saying how much he loved Cleveland.  He could have stayed but chose to leave of his own volition. When Thome returned to Cleveland in a White Sox uni, he was roundly booed.  Indian fans let their anger be known loud and clear.

They say time heals all wounds.  I hope it has for many Indians fans.  A local hero returns.  Two of my kids, Emily and Drew, will be in attendance cheering their baseball hero.  I hope Jim Thome gets a standing ovation.  I hope he retires an Indian and is hired by the front office to work for the organization after his retirement.  He should go into the Hall of Fame as an Indian.  One of the greatest players of the modern era returns where it all began for him.  In this era of free agency, it is nigh impossible to hope that a player plays his entire career for one team, as did Feller or Musial.  Maybe this is as close as it gets as the local hero returns.  Presently, Cardinal fans are sweating bullets wondering if their local hero will resign with the team.  If you are Cardinal fan, please know that we Indian fans can relate.  What is going on with Albert is a microcosm of what we went through with Jim Thome.  We feel your pain.  we know what you are going through.  But tonight and for the month of September, there is joy in Cleveland.  Thome's home!  THOME'S HOME!!! Welcome home, Jim Thome, it is good to have you back where you belong.

A Trade at the Deadline

It has been a while since the Tribe made a significant trade at the deadline to add players for the stretch run.  This time is was for pitcher Ubaldo Jiminez, a true ace of the staff.  When I first heard about the trade, I was with Drew at the Clippers game last Saturday.  We were following the events on Twitter.  First White was to be traded, then Pomeranz, then both of them along with two other players.  At first, I thought, wow, this is too much.  Much as I hated to give up TWO FRONTLINE PITCHING PROSPECTS, I began to think through the trade.  By completing the trade, the Indians are saying that they are all in this year to win it.  Jiminez is a heck of a pitcher, he pitched a no hitter last year.  If he is on, he is the ace of the staff, a true number one pitcher who can match up with other aces of other staffs.
What I particularly like about the trade is that Chris Antonetti added pitching at the deadline.  Think about it, the Indians are where they are at this year because of pitching.  Pitching and defense wins ball games.  Yes, they need to hit, but with a good pitching staff a small market team can compete with the bigger clubs.  I think that this will be the Indians blueprint for the foreseeable future.  They have pitching prospects STILL in the minors: Chen, Hagadone, Judy, Gomez, Huff, and a few others.  If they Indians can continue to draft and develop pitching, bringing the studs to the big leagues, we may see a window of opportunity opening for the Tribe for a long, long time.  I like the trade.  Did the Indians give up too much?  That remains to be seen.  But right now, they got another front line pitcher in the rotation.  Ubaldo pitches tomorrow night.  And the eyes of all Indians fans will be watching and rooting for him to succeed.

The Tribe at the Break

Presently we are at the half way point of the MLB season.  The Featherheads are in first place!  How did they do it?  Pitching, pitching, and pitching.  The starting pitching has kept the team in games, the middle relievers (such as Frank Hermann on Saturday vs the Reds) and the relief pitching has closed out games.  I don't know if they can hang on, but I do know this.  Indian baseball is relevant.  It is fun again to be an Indians fan.  And we have something to look forward to namely meaningful games in August.

Playing with the big boys

One of the difficulties in Major League baseball is trying to contend with the likes of the Yankees and Red Sox.  These big market teams have double the payroll of many of the other teams in major league baseball. Well, there IS one way to level the playing field, and we are seeing it now with our beloved Wahoos.  It is pitching.  The Indians are playing great baseball right now and winning games because of pitching.   Wasn't it Branch Rickey that said that pitching was 90% of baseball, meaning that pitching is the most important part of the game.  If you have great pitching, you can contend and win in the game of baseball.  Great pitching is the great equalizer.

So here is the way the Indians can play with the big boys, year in and year out.  Cleveland needs to be a pitching development factory.  They need to find, draft, develop, and send to major league team quality pitching.   They need to have an over abundance of pitching.  When you think of Indians baseball, you need to think of pitching, it needs to become their identity and what they are known for.

My hope is that the Indians front office will apply the lesson they have learned early in this 2011 season.  Baseball is built upon the foundation of pitching.  Keep drafting and developing it in the minors so as to send it to the majors.  When you have pitching, you have a real shot of playing with the big boys, year in and year out

Wahoo!

As some of my most faithful reader will note (this would be you, Rachel) I am a big Indians fan.  This season they are off to their fastest start in history, possessing one of the best records in baseball.  The key to their fast start is pitching.  Yes they are scoring runs, hitting homers, and fielding the baseball, but a huge part of their success is pitching.  It has been estimated that pitching is anywhere between 75-90 % of baseball, which means that if you have great pitching, you have the opportunity to contend year in and year out.
In that past few years we have seen the demise of Wahoo baseball. Much of that can be attributed to trading away CC and Cliff.  I know why the Featherheads did it, and I agree that they had to do it.  The two Cy Young Award winners weren't going to resign, so they needed to trade them away to get players back.  I have no problem with that.  The issue I had is that they had no pitchers coming up to take their place.  This is why Wahoo baseball has been in decline, no pitching to pick up the slack when CC and Cliff fled the teepee.  Also, if you will remember, the bullpen (I am looking at you Kerry Wood) would blow save after save, costing the Tribe much needed wins.
Look at the difference this year, there is good starting pitching (which keeps the team in games) and great bullpen work which closes games out for victories.  The Tribe has been getting both, which is why the Wahoos are winning.
I think that this will be a fun season down at the Lakefront.  The pitching will keep this team in games.  They may not win the division, they may not even make the playoffs, but they will be in games and baseball IS relevant again in Cleveland.  And I expect more of the same in the coming seasons.  Pomeranz and White among others are the pitchers coming up through the system.  Position players such as Kipnis and Chizenhall will be with the Tribe in the next season or two.
The Indians are winning.  All I can say is Wahoo!

It's Tribe Time Now

Here is another one of my favorite songs about the Tribe;

http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/downloads/itstribetimenow_track15.mp3

Copy and paste the link into your browser if the link doesn't work.

Indian Fever

There was a jingle introducing the Indians games on radio when I was younger called: Indian Fever.  Even thought the attendance has been HORRIBLE, if the Indians start to put some wins together, the fans will show up and Tribe fans will have a case of Indian Fever.  After reading my son, Drew, tweets, it sound like he has Indian fever. I know Rachel, Emily, and Mark do as well.  If only Luann would catch it (ha ha).  I found this link.  I hope you enjoy!  If you can't click on the link, copy it and paste it in your browser.

http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/CLEVELAND-OH/WTAM-AM/Indian%20Fever_2.mp3

My favorite baseball team (s)

As you know, I am a die hard Indians fan.  I will be until the day I die, and even then they won't win the World Series.  But I digress.  As I sit in my easy chair on my day off, I am watching the Brewers pregame show.  I am a Brewers fan, sort of.  After going to a few games with Emily when she was at Mequon, I developed an interest in the Brewers.
Then again, I am a Cardinal fan, sort of.  I watched the Cards while on vicarage and maintain an interest in them.  So too the Nationals, as I was able to attend a Nationals game in Washington in their first season in DC.  I got to see the Astros play at Minute Maid Park last year during the LCMS convention.  I am not presently followed the Stros, but I could be persuaded to follow them.  Funny, though, I don't follow the Cubs or the White Sox.  Even though I went to games in Chicago when I went to RF, I never really developed an interest in them.
Now, I may develop an interest in the Pirates this year.  Pittsburgh?  Why Pittsburgh?  Well, I do get to see them for free on tv, and I really would like to make a trip to Pitt to see their ballpark, so who knows?
Now the Reds, they are a different story.  I never liked the Reds, but I do appreciate their history.  Plus, it doesn't hurt that the Reds ALWAYS send me a clergy pass to see games for free each season (are you listening Mark Shapiro????).  So I will watch the Reds, and hope to go to at least one game this season to make good on that clergy pass!  Those are the teams I follow, but it is the Tribe until I die!

Time begins

There is an old baseball saying: Time begins on Opening Day.  I went to the Indians opener last Friday after the District Board of Directors meeting in Cleveland.  I took my daughter Emily and we enjoyed the day together.  You can't really have a bad day at the ballpark.  The Tribe lost in typical Indians' fashion, giving up a slew of runs in the first four innings, driving most fair weather fans out of the ballpark.  This was fortuitous for Emily and I, as we moved down into the box seats in the lower deck to watch the rest of the game.  While disappointed in the Tribe loss, it was great to spend the day with Emily at the ballpark.  There were some reasons for optimism regarding the Indians this weekend: the play of Jack Hanaman at third, the hitting of Travis Hafner, the pitching of Justin Masterson and the rest of the bullpen.  If the Tribe gets some pitching they MAY surprise this year.  But what do I know, I thought OSU would win the NCAA tourney and I picked the Blue Jackets to make the playoffs.  That being said, it is good to have baseball back.  After running some Coroner errands I will be watching some baseball this afternoon, thanks to the free MLB preview this week.  The Brewers are on, followed by the Cardinals/Pirates tonight.

Don't Over React, Browns Fans! Give Me a Break

There are those in the media today who want to err on the side of caution.  They are telling Browns fans: "Don't over react!  Don't go over board!  You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you think that this Browns team is THAT good.  You are setting yourself up for disappointment if you think that the Browns have a CHANCE for the playoffs because they don't.  Isn't that sweet, that these media types caution Cleveland fans so that we won't be disappointed or hurt?
Give me a break!  I am 54 years old and have been following Cleveland teams all of my life.  I have seen more years of bad baseball than I can remember.  I remember the Drive, Red Right 88, the Fumble, and Coach Marry's "there is a gleam, men." I have seen the Browns move and was at the rebirth of the franchise.  I was at the Miracle of Richfield and witnessed a hope for a Championship for the Cavs being squashed when Jim Chones broke his foot.  I have witnessed the Quitness and the Decision and have seen "the SHOT".  I have had more than my share of disappointment following Cleveland sports.  My sports heart has been broken more often than not. and now I am supposed to not get excited, even over react when the Browns beat two potential Super Bowl teams?  How do I know that the Browns WON"T make the playoffs this year?  I do I know that Colt McCoy won't become a star that we all hope he will be?  I don't know, and nether do the so called experts.  No one knows, that is why they play the games.  And that is why I am a sports fan.  I watch because the unexpected happens.  For Cleveland, the expected is major disappointment.  I have experienced it, and will experience it again.  So what will it hurt if the Cleveland sports fan over reacts?  It hurst nothing.  Will we be disappointed?  Hey, I have been disappointed in Cleveland teams for over 50 years. I am tired of getting excited over a new uniform for the home team ( I like the Indians' new look, by the way).  I can handle it, so can Cleveland.  So over react if you want to Browns fans.  It is okay.  A fan is a shortened term for the word fanatic.  Fans root for the name on the front of the jersey.  All we want to see is our team win.  When they do we rejoice. When they don't, we are disappointed.  But we don't need anyone telling us to not to get our hopes up.  We can handle it.  We always have, and we always will.

Only in Cleveland

The Tribe's 2010 season is now officially over.  On this first day of the offseason, the Indians announced six promotions in their front office.  Some, such as Mark Shapiro becoming the president of the organization, have been previously announced.  Others were announced today.  My question is, where else does this happen?  Perhaps in the government, but where else would mediocrity be rewarded.  The team finished in fourth place in 2009 and 2010 and the front office types get promoted and a raise?  Only in Cleveland. Oh, the pain of being an Indians fan.

Do they have a plan?

After watching the Wahoos all season, I have one question.  Do they have a plan, a blueprint in place to contend soon?  In the Hart era, there was talk of a blueprint that the organization would follow.  Is there one for this group?  I wonder, because when I hear that Jayson Nix is headed to winter ball to improve his play at third, surely they jest!  The man plays like he has a gold glove at third, meaning that ground balls bounce off of his glove for errors all of the time.  Why not give Chisenal or Goeddert a chance next year and try to catch lightening in a bottle?  Or how about signing a free agent?  Anyone but Nix.  That being said, I still love the Tribe

The Yankees Win Another One

So the New York Yankees have won another world championship. Whoop Dee Do! Shouldn't they win the championship? Just look at their payroll. The Yankees have bought a championship for $280 million dollars. To put this into some perspective, the Yankees' payroll is almost 1/3 TRILLION DOLLARS! The Red Sox are close behind. With a player payroll of over 150 million dollars, shouldn't you win the championship EVERY SINGLE YEAR? The Yankees win is not newsworthy. A Red Sox championship or for that matter any big market championship in baseball is not newsworthy. SPENDING THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY, THEY SHOULD WIN!

I find it interesting that the fans of these big market teams will justify these payrolls because they have more media revenue and have larger attendance figures (they DO have a larger metropolitan area to draw from) and even thumb their nose at fans of smaller market clubs when the cry goes forth for revenue sharing. So, here is an idea, why not just put the Yankees and Red Sox and other big market teams in their own league? Why not just let the Yankees play inter squad games so that they can claim their own championship? Let the Red Sox compete with the Red Sox! Give them their own intramural championship trophy. And then let the mid to small market teams such as Cleveland, St. Louis, and others compete for the World Series, if the big market teams don't want to share revenue or resources to a greater extent than they are now, so as to level the playing field, then give them their own championship. It would be worth as much as the championship we saw awarded last night.

The Managerial Search

News reports say that the Indians are presently conducting interviews with their managerial candidates. Acta, Valentine, Mattingly, and Louvello are supposed to be the final four. Don Mattingly would be at the top of my list, followed by Chris Chambliss (who doesn't seem to be on anyone's radar), Mike Hargrove (who is out of the running), Travis Fryman, Acta, Louvello, and Valentine. Why would Valentine be last on my list when he has the most experience? I just don't think he fits. He is a journey man manager, not having done anything of note in my book. A big name, yes, but unimpressive. Mattingly, Chambliss, and Fryman would bring differing perspectives, all three were all star ball players and played in winning organizations. I think it would be beneficial to bring a perspective of a former Yankee in Mattingly and Chambliss. Chambliss was an excellent batting coach before he became a manager. Fryman is a class act all the way around who knows baseball. From what I understand of Manny Acta, he too is a class act who didn't have any talent in Washington. That being said, Acta would feel right at home with the Tribe, who didn't have any pitching to speak of last season and fielded a AAA team the last few months of the season. Whoever the new manager is, I wish him good luck. Man, will he need it. Probably a few prayers wouldn't hurt as well.

My Teams Finally Have Won!

In an unprecedented move by the commissioners of the NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB have all awarded the teams from Cleveland and Columbus Ohio the Championships in their respective sports. Citing the recent awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize, the commissioners unanimously awarded the Lombardi Trophy to the Browns, The Commissioner's Trophy to the Indians, the Larry O'Brien Trophy to the Cavaliers, and the Stanley Cup to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Fans of these teams were ecstatic, however it is understood that the fans of the Ohio State Buckeyes are petitioning the NCAA for a similar ruling for the 2009-2010 football season.

The Last Home Game

Well the last home game of a dismal season is over for our beloved Featherheads. What did we learn? We learned that this team was a bunch of underacheivers. It had little starting pitching outside of Cliff Lee, a bullpen from Hades, a one armed DH who gave new meaning to warning track power, a gimpy center fielder, a manager who loved utility players, and in the end, a team of minor leaguers learning to play the game of major league baseball. What does the future hold? Hope always springs eternal, and there will be new hope this winter as a new manager is hired.

But the more things change, the more they remain the same. This team is woefully short of starting pitching. There is a lack of a number one and two starter and it remains to be seen how the bullpen sorts out next spring. If these last two home games have taught us anything, they have served to reinforce the VALUE of starting pitching. You need a starting staff that will get the team into the seventh inning. That's for starters. Without that, all hope is lost for a winning season.

If I were the Indians brass, I would trade Peralta for even more pitching, send Santana to the winter league to work on his ability to handle a pitching staff, and work with Carmona and Masterson in the off season so that they will develop into the starting pitchers that the Fans of Cleveland hope to have in order to contend in 2010. Hope springs eternal, only if you have starting pitching.

Eric Wedge

So Wedge is fired. I never want to see anyone lose his job. However, I am happy with this move. I understand that Wedge knew about this move for a few days, which goes to show what a class act he is. He has conducted himself in the past few days in a professional manner. He is a class act, too bad he couldn't maximize his talent. STO says not to be surprised if Wedge gets the Atlanta job. Good luck, Eric Wedge. And please, Indians, win.

Memory Lane

Watching the Tribe attempt to play baseball and field a winning team this season is truely a trip down memory lane. When I was a boy.....

I have rooted for the Tribe since 1959 ( I was born in 56, so I figure that 59 would be my earliest memory). My favorite player was Rocky Colavito. I mimicked his mannerisms, from the way he stretched in the on deck circle by putting his bat behind his back, to the way he pointed the bat at the pitcher when he was in the batter's box. I was heartbroken when Trader Frank Lane traded the Rock to Detroit, and rejoiced when he returned to Cleveland later in his career.

I learned early on as an Indians fan that players come and go, and more often than not, good players leave and cheaper, more inexpensive players take their place. The replacements may not be better, but they have Indians across their chest and they become one of our own.

I learned that baseball season started in February when hopes were high and ended in June when the Indians were out of contention. Players would be traded to contenders and fans would then look forward to football season in late June.

Some things never change, do they? My kids are tired of hearing me say that these Indians are just like the Indians of my youth. And they are, from the way they play the game, to the trades that they make. Yes, as you can tell, I am presently underwhelmed by the Cliff Lee trade. As fans we can only hope for the best, because the present is so discouraging.

Yes, this 2009 season is just like a trip down memory lane. The only difference is that we are looking forward to a potential championship from the Cavs and not the Browns. The Indians potential challenge for a championship is now put off for a couple of years. For a Cy Young Award winner we get four minor league players, the centerpiece of the deal having not pitched in a while because of a tired shoulder.

I think I have watched this rerun before.

It seems that if you are an Indians fan, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Blowing Up The Tribe

What do we do with these Indians? Picked by some to make the playoffs, they now reside in the bottom of the AL standings. As a lifelong fan, I suggest to blow up the Tribe as they are currently constructed. My suggestions:

Keep Mark Shapiro conditionally. Shapiro has done a good job of talent evaluation from other organizations, but a lousy job drafting and developing home grown players. Besides Victor Martinez, who is on this roster that is homegrown (drafted and developed by the organization) AND making an impact at the Major League level? If I were running the Tribe, I would seriously look at overhauling the scouting department, and place more value in drafting and developing high school players, as they have more of an upside than college players.

Fire Eric Wedge. Wedge consistently does NOT have the team ready to roll coming out of Spring Training. Under Wedge, the Indians have been consistently a team slow getting out of the gate. The one time they started the season by winning 10 of their first 11, they didn't make the playoffs. The one time they need to win a game or two to make the playoffs, they couldn't. The one time they needed to win a game to get to the World Series, they didn't. This team has under performed under his leadership. It is time for Wedge to go.

Trade trade trade. Peralta, Pavano, Garko, and bring up the kids, such as Gator for God ( the twitter name of Matt Laporta), Andy Marte (yes the same Andy Marte who has failed in previous attempts), and Micheal Bradley. See what the kids and do and give them experience now.

Keep Lee and Martinez, unless the price is right. If a team will not overpay for these guys, keep them for next year.

Develop, trade, beg, borrow, and steal for Pitching, Pitching, and more Pitching. Pitching is the name of the game. Find starters that will go deep into the game, rely on them rather than a bullpen to pitch four or more scoreless innings. I remember when Billy Martin was manager of the Oakland A's, he worked his starters deep into the game. Why? Because they were his best pitchers. Guys in the bullpen are there for a reason, because they can't last longer than an inning or two. Find guys who can do deep into a game and rely on them.

Let your best players play. In search of flexibility, Eric Wedge has turned everyday players into utility players. Only recently has he gone with a set lineup, yes, I know that there were injuries, but seriously, have you seen Ryan Garko play the outfield? He makes me yearn for the days of Leon Wagner.

Be patient Tribe fans. Why? Because we have waited so long for a winner, I am willing to wait for the Tribe to get it all together at sometime in the near future. Well, after all, as a minister I am supposed to be a man of faith.

Blessings!