Thursday, September 25, 2008

 

Random Thoughts on Cleveland Sports 9/25/08

On a rather overcast day in New York, I've been thinking about sports and as usual, it's about Cleveland sports. With that in mind, here are some of the things that have crossed my mind...
  • I wonder if Travis Hafner will ever be the player he was in 2005 and 2006. In those two years, he hit .305 and .308 respectively with a total of 77 home runs and 225 runs batted in. Since '06, chronic shoulder and elbow pain, presumably the reason, has caused him to struggle. In 2007, he hit .266 and this year, he has played in just 55 games, hitting a paltry .205 with 5 home runs. Now that Hafner is back and supposedly healthy, his bat continues to look slow and he's struggled to drive the ball. It's beyond depressing for a player who looked like a dominant power hitter a few short years ago.
  • Does Romeo Crennel who I defended yesterday really know what he's doing with Derek Anderson? I based my argument yesterday on the idea that Phil Savage was involved in the decision and that they came to the conclusion that this team needs to keep Brady Quinn on the bench for at least another game because once the switch is made, it's going to be impossible to go back to Anderson and the Quinn era will begin. But the more I read, the more I get the sense that Crennel will go to Quinn at some point Sunday in Cincinnati. That is a disastrous idea in my mind. A possible quarterback switch handled in such a way will become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
  • All in all, I am satisfied with a .500 record for the Tribe in 2008. I know that it's a disappointment for the team and its fans after advancing to the ALCS in 2007. But realistically, the C.C. Sabathia contract issue was going to loom over this team no matter how successful the team was on the field. Injuries were a problem and the bullpen was horrendous. All in all, a pretty good recipe for disaster. The team has played well in the second half, 36-22 since the Sabathia trade, and Cliff Lee looks to win the team's second straight Cy Young Award. More amazing, the team was swept by an awful Mariner team Labor Day weekend. Take two out of three against that team and Cleveland is suddenly on the periphery of the A.L. Central division race.
  • Many pundits believe the Browns are completely done. And I am not exactly sure how I feel on the subject but I just refuse to think that these past three games accurately define this team. If Cleveland can steal a win in Cincinnati on Sunday, the Browns have two weeks to pull themselves together and get healthy for a Monday night affair against the Giants. I think Sunday's game will define Romeo Crennel, Derek Anderson, and the 2008 Browns. It's going to be a difficult game, a very easy game to lose. Carson Palmer always plays well against the Browns and the Bengals have won four straight at home against the Browns. Maybe I am wrong but somehow the Browns are going to find a way to win this game. If they don't, a season which began with such high hopes will have morphed into a runaway train, to steal a line from former head coach, Chris Palmer.

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# posted by Nate @ 5:57 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

 

A Tranquil Cleveland Playoff Run?

For the last few weeks, a marvelous feeling of tranquility has overtaken me. No, I still don't have a job. No, I haven't found my "center." And no, I haven't paid my ever-growing credit card bill. But what I have discovered is an Indians team that is cruising towards a Central Division title and a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2001. I feel that I am getting a rare glimpse of what it's like to be a Red Sox or Yankees' fan. It is the expectation that your team will win, that your team is going to perform when it matters most, and that a fear of the team self-destructing isn't necessary. In the 2007 regular season at least. It isn't a completely foreign feeling as I recall something similar back in the mid 1990s. However, this is unique.

I still remember Cleveland's last playoff game in 2001. So does my fraying Tribe hat. I vividly recall the sunny fall day in October as I watched the Indians looked utterly hapless against Jamie Moyer at Safeco Field in Seattle. My hat received it's first four stitches that day. The bill came apart from the rim of the hat after I tossed it in frustration after Robby Alomar grounded into a crucial inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. I can't believe we started Chuck Finley in that game. What a mistake! Okay...enough reminiscing.

Since that October day, GM Mark Shapiro dismantled the team and rebuilt it around a core of young players. I witnessed their potential in 2004 when they clawed to within two games of Central-leading Minnesota before losing ten straight games, ceding the AL Central title to the Twins. In 2005, I was so nervous as the Indians rolled through August and early September looking like a playoff team. I couldn't dare trust the Tribe to play with a lead. And sure enough they broke my heart, losing six out of their final seven games and missing the playoffs. With that painful memory still very fresh in my mind, you might understand why I think no lead is safe with this squad.

However, watching last Thursday's afternoon game in Minnesota, I couldn't help but notice how calm I felt. No longer was I comparing the Indians and Tigers schedules. I hardly panicked as we left countless runners on base against Twins pitcher Kevin Slowey. And I started to slowly come to the realization that this team is different. They don't need to be examined closely for fear of finding the cracks. I find myself enjoying the games and the contributions of young players like Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, and Rafael Perez.

The last two nights in Chicago provide good reasons for why I am composed. The Indians were on the road playing their 21 and 22 consecutive game without a day off, in U.S. Cellular Field where they tend to struggle. At critical junctures in each game, unsung players made big contributions. With the Indians trailing 2-1 Monday night, minor league call-up Ben Francisco lined a game-tying single into left. Two batters later, Cabrera hammered a two-run go-ahead homer down the left-field line. In a ten minute span, the Indians had taken control of the game. Last night with the Indians seemingly in control at 8-3, Jensen Lewis came on with runners on second and third with one out. It was an opportunity for the Sox to claw back into the game. The rookie right-hander who started the season at Double A Akron struck out the next two batters on six pitches to thwart Chicago's final scoring threat. Performances such as those highlighted above have left me awkwardly calm as the season winds down.

That's not to say that this team doesn't have flaws. Closer Joe Borowski is a heart-attack, waiting to happen, as he continually walks a tightrope in the 9th inning of games as evidenced by his 5.40 ERA. Their platoon at each of the corner outfield positions also leaves something to be desired. While, I can still tell you the remaining schedule for both Detroit and Cleveland and how many games each squad will play against teams with a record above .500, I am starting to believe it won't matter. I won't completely relax until the Tribe clinches but at least for the time being, I am enjoying the Indians September stretch run without the benefit of an oxygen tank. A pleasant change of pace.

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# posted by Nate @ 12:35 PM 0 comments

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