Fire from the Hip: Thoughts on Sports & Real Life

Watching the Cleveland Indians isn't an easy hobby. I sure it’s not for fans in Baltimore or Pittsburgh either. Last season's collapse against the Red Sox in the American League Championship Series damaged my psyche more than Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. Even though I recall griping about how the Marlins bought a World Series with talent they couldn’t afford, the 90s-era Indians, fueled by revenue generated from a sellout streak that would eventually reach 455, could at least keep up with big market teams’ spending.

Not so for the Indians of today. Sure, they can keep it close against teams that spend twice as much but sooner or later, the $160 million dollar left fielder or even the under-achieving $75 million dollar right fielder is going to outperform the out-of-nowhere second year starter or the closer who was only signed after he failed a physical for another team. Sound like sour grapes? Perhaps, but it’s true.

Like many fans, my team’s track record plays a part in how I perceive them. Specifically, the history that I’ve personally witnessed. The Tribe has collapsed at critical moments in the playoffs since I was 11. And they’ve failed to live up to expectations at every turn, especially in 2000 and 2006. After overachieving in 2005, the team of young talent and over-achieving veterans struggled to string together hits as the bullpen imploded. So through thirteen games, I am ready to peg this team as a 2006 redux. Too early, perhaps but you try watching a game like Monday night’s against the Sox.

The only thing I was assured of as Manny Ramirez stepped to the plate against Cleveland closer Joe Borowski was a free beer courtesy of the bartender for pain soon to be inflicted. Interestingly enough, it was the same bar where I witnessed Borowski’s implosion against the Yankees last April. The one where the Yankees scored six runs with two outs to shock the Indians in the Bronx. I received several free shots for my troubles that day.

So am I pegging them as a disappointment in 2008 a bit too early? Do I already assume C.C. Sabathia is as good as gone as a free agent this winter? The answer to both questions is a definitive yes.

Hey, that’s my team. Only four months till the Browns play the Giants in the first of six primetime appearances they’ll make in the 2008 season. They’re my other team, the team in a league with a salary cap. I heart salary caps and Grady Sizemore.

Labels: Boston Red Sox, cleveland browns, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland sports, MLB

1. It was with resignation that I sat down to watch Game 7. After following this team for six and a half grueling months, I couldn’t believe how ready I was for the end. Normally I can envision them winning. No matter how hard I tried throughout the day Sunday, I couldn’t imagine a scenario, enabling them to defeat Boston Sunday night. It was as if the collapse had already been completed. That said it was awesome to watch the team battle for six and a half innings against a superior opponent.

2. I don’t know what to make of the series: whether it was a collapse on Cleveland’s part or a stirring comeback for the Red Sox? Looking back at 2004, I would deem the Red Sox series with the Yankees a comeback. The Yankees had several games in their grasp, particularly Game 4 and Game 5, in which Boston rallied to stave off elimination. The Indians never had the Red Sox on the rope after Game 4. So I guess I would call it a collapse. Although, one major difference between New York of 2004 and Cleveland of 2007 is that the Indians weren’t supposed to win this year’s ALCS.

3. As I bemoaned the fate of the Tribe Sunday night and Monday afternoon, I kept coming back to the same agonizing conclusion. Every year, the Indians are playing against a stacked deck. I am not blaming the Red Sox or Yankees for spending a ton of money on players. Teams that generate as much revenue as each of those teams should use the money to field the best team possible. However, it’s hard to be optimistic as a mid-market team.

The Indians won the 2007 AL Central crown because a couple of guys came out of nowhere to become key contributors. Without surprises Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, and most importantly Fausto Carmona, the Indians don’t make the playoffs. So many things went right for the Indians, which enabled them to get to a seventh game in the ALCS. A Boston fan told me yesterday: “Sorry man, there is always next year.” Unfortunately, the reality is that next year’s Tribe will need just as many things to go right for them to get back to the playoffs. The Indians closer this season, the infamous Joe Borowski failed an MRI for the Phillies and only after that, did he sign with Cleveland. He won the closer’s job by default when his only other competition, Keith Foulke retired because of problems with his arm. They will be only slight favorites ahead of the Tigers and Twins next season in the AL Central.

Each spring, the Red Sox and Yankees head to Florida, knowing and expecting to make the playoffs. Could you imagine being a Blue Jay fan or an Oriole fan? To be honest, if I was a die-hard fan of one of those teams, I would quickly become disinterested due to my team’s complete irrelevancy year in and year out. The Indians are very fortunate to play in the American League Central where no one team arrives in Spring Training, appearing impregnable. Let alone two! Though much of this particular thought was driven by the painful defeat of the Indians ALCS, I can’t help but feel like every season, the Indians and teams like them will face a stacked deck in their quest for a World Series. That is my major gripe with Major League Baseball.

4. What team and when was the last time a team besides the Yankees or Red Sox made the playoffs from the American League East? Answer below.

5. There isn’t much to say about the game other than two key plays didn’t go the Indians way. The first play happened at second base after Kenny Lofton hit one of the left-field wall. Lofton slid into second base just ahead of Dustin Pedroia’s tag of his right arm. The umpire ruled him out on what was a very close play. The Indians scored a run that inning after consecutive singles and a sacrifice fly, but the game would have been tied had Lofton been ruled safe. The second play happened in the top of the seventh. With Lofton on second, Franklin Gutierrez lined a base hit down the left-field line. The ball ricocheted back towards shallow left-field and the speedy Lofton was held by third-base coach, Joel Skinner. After watching the play repeatedly, it is safe to say that Lofton would have scored. Casey Blake, the next batter, promptly hit into an inning-ending double play. That was all she wrote for the Indians as the Red Sox went to work on Cleveland ‘pen in the seventh and eighth innings, turning the game into a laugher.

6. Two Other Quick Thoughts: Rafael Betancourt had one of the most amazing postseasons ever for a reliever who wasn’t a closer. He was so dominant throughout the ALCS that if he had shut the door on the Red Sox in Game 7 and the Indians had come back to win, he would have been in the conversation for series MVP. The only other arguments you could make for MVP would have been Jhonny Peralta or Jake Westbrook. When a middle reliever deserves consideration for MVP of a series, he deserves mentioning in a low-level and little-read blog post. Speaking of Jake Westbrook, his performance in Game 7 was jaw-dropping to Cleveland fans across the country. I never gave him a chance and he proved to be the best Indians starter in the series.

7. It’s hard to sum up my thoughts in just a few words on the ALCS and the Indians season in general. It’s a weird feeling to be proud of people that you don’t even know. But I found myself appreciating this team, even in the top of the ninth as the season came to an end. The bottom of the order ripped three balls in a row that the Boston outfield made terrific plays on, helping making the final moments a little more palatable.

8. The Red Sox are an unbelievably good team. Many are writing about the Indians bright future in the wake of their defeat. But the Red Sox are going to be a World Series contender for years to come. With Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon and Jacoby Ellsbury, it’s hard to envision this team not winning several World Series over the next decade.

9. Answer to 4: The Baltimore Orioles in 1997 though the Yankees won the Wild Card that season. The last time neither the Red Sox nor the Yankees made the playoffs was 1993.

Labels: ALCS, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Game 7, MLB

1. 1. It’s an interesting experience to watch a playoff game with a fan of the opposing team. Tonight, I watched the game in my apartment with my roommate who is a huge Red Sox fan. We had our spats especially with the inconsistent strike zone of Home Plate Umpire Kerwin Danley. The humor reached a high point when in the ninth, Ryan Garko popped one down the first base line with the go-ahead run at second. Shouts of “Get outta play!” and “Come on…get over there Youk,” filled our apartment. I think we’re still friends…

2. It’s not surprising that Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz are having incredible postseasons. They are locked in and the strike zone has been tight in almost every AL playoff game I have watched thus far. In Game 2, I believe there was only one called strike three. While we’re talking about the Red Sox lineup, how about the at-bats of Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis? They have an eye for the strike zone that is unparalleled in my opinion.

3. Maybe I am wrong but the drama of the eleven pitch at-bat by Kevin Youkilis against reliever Rafael Betancourt with the winning run on second and two outs was unbelievable…and shouldn’t have been taking place at midnight on the East Coast. Why is this game starting at 8:23 p.m. on a Saturday night? Regarding the AB, afterwards, I was able to take a step back and appreciate the intense drama of that moment. ALMOST. I had to take two Maalox to settle my stomach.

4. I would be curious to know how many Indians fans were comfortable with a seven run lead and Joe Borowski on the mound…especially after two singles and the top of the Red Sox lineup looming. This guy is taking years off my life and thousands of others! There should be compensation for this sort of thing…a class action suit of some sort?

5. The key to the series may very well be the bullpen. Boston had to like their chances once Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis, and Rafael Betancourt were spent. And if you had to guess who was more likely to get hammered by the opposing team, Tom Mastny or Eric Gagne, not many people would say Tom Mastny. What a performance in the tenth retiring David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, and Mike Lowell in order, especially when you consider that he went 2-0 on both Ortiz and Ramirez.

6. Right now, every string Indians Manager Eric Wedge is pulling is working. Allowing Trot Nixon to hit against Javier Lopez seemed questionable at the time but worked out as Nixon singled in the go-ahead run. Starting Franklin Gutierez after a dismal performance at the plate thus far in the postseason also seemed dicey but didn’t cost the Tribe.

Labels: ALCS, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, MLB Postseason