30 Wins, 30 Reasons To Love The Tribe. Part I

Well I'm back. It's been nearly a month and it's been killing me. What with work, girlfriend, friends and more work, I've had a really tough time making space for this blog in my busy schedule. So I just want to apologize right off the bat (pun is definitely intended) for neglecting you all. No promises but I'll try to make more time.

Alright on to the main event. Instead of recapping every game that I've missed and boring the heck out of everyone, I'll give you my 30 reasons to love the Tribe. Here is the First 15. Check back shortly for Part II

1. The national media attention.
-Not just for the Indians, but for the City of Cleveland. It's good to be back in the spotlight.
2. Sweeping The Battle Of Ohio.
-First sweep of the Reds in 7 years. Do I need to say more?
3. Tom Hamilton.
-Going on 22 seasons with the Tribe. Best play-by-play announcer in baseball.
4. The Fans.
-We got off to a slow start but have picked it up and are now averaging just a little over 18,000 a game.
5. The Bandwagon Fans.
I've heard so many of my friends and co-workers bash the Tribe over the years..guess who their favorite team is now?
6.Cheap Tickets.
-I payed 6 dollars for lower level tickets right on the third base side earlier this year.
7. Chris Perez.
-13 saves and now tied for the most saves in the AL with the great Mariano Rivera.
8. Bullpen.
-The bullpen has been phenomenal this year, keeping those blown saves to a minimal (just 5).
9. Jack Hanahan.
-One of the better fielding 3rd basemen the Tribe has had in awhile. Let's just hope his hitting can sustain and he can stay with the club for the duration of the season.
10. Best Record In Baseball.
-First to 30. 30-15. Speaks for itself.
11. Role Players.
-From Travis Buck to Lou Marson. The Indians bench players are performing at a high level day in and day out.
12. Late Inning Heroics.
-I've lost count of how many late inning comebacks the Tribe has had this year. I'm not complaining. Riveting baseball!
13. Asdrubal Cabrera.
-He's the best shortstop since Omar, and he has the potential to be better. Not only can he field the heck out of a ground ball, he also leads the Tribe in homers.
14. Starting Pitching.
-Josh Tomlin just recorded his 6th win of the year. Tied with a couple other players for most wins in baseball.
15. The Weather.
-The season started off a bit cold but has since warmed up and excluding those two rainouts against Seattle, the rain has held off..for now.

Well that'll do it for tonight. I work in 4 hours..Should be a good day!! Everyday is a good day when the Tribe play. GO TRIBE!!!

Tweet of the Day:

One More Win, One Step Closer.

What a week for Cleveland sports fans. First the Indians end the month of April with 5 straight wins all the while securing the best record they have ever had in this first month of baseball. In dramatic fashion too. On Thursday night the Tribe had a little more in them the the Tigers expected and came back from 3-0 and 5-2 deficits; taking the lead on the last hit of the game, a Carlos Santana grand slam. This Indians team is scrappy. They fall behind but never give up. Their never out of a game and they never look that way. This is the late 90s teams reincarnated. 

I got a chance to go to the game on Saturday with some friends and family and boy was it a blast. Before the game we all met up at my grandmas. As we were about to leave they pulled in and were just arriving home. My grandpa parked the car and got out to talk to us. His words were awesome. I hadn't seen him this excited about Indians baseball in years. He talked about Santana's slam and how great it is to have the Tribe back at the top of the standings. He was so enthusiastic about them and he just knew there might be something special with these 2011 Cleveland Indians. Let's hope you're right gramps. 

Alright time for yesterdays game. It was amazing. Best ball game I've been to since the first game against the Yanks in the 2007 playoffs. It was truly amazing to see the long lines leading into the stadium and even longer ones for the ticket office. This was the most people I had seen at a the Prog since that playoff game 4 years ago. 26,433 in attendance. Opening day aside, that was the most people at an Indians home game. The crowd was electric. You know Cleveland baseball is back when you have lines to the ladies room. I'll say it again, it was amazing. It was almost a little awkward though. We had all loved the Tribe but since our slide after the 2007 season, we had drifted away from them a bit. But on this night, we were all coming back to home. After Santana's and Brantley's bombs I high five'd everyone within a 10 foot reach. It was amazing. After every huge double play we turned or strike out we recorded, the place went crazy and my hands ended up being sore by the end of the night, not to mention my voice was gone. This was vintage Tribe baseball. After Cabrera's single to center ended the game, we all stood and cheered and sang for about 10 minutes. I hadn't seen that many people stay for that long after a game in years. Granted there were fireworks after but still, they all stayed. Another thing I'd like to mention is that it was John Adams 3000th game. For those of you who don't know, John is the drummer in the left field bleachers who bangs that drum all game long. He's been around for forever it seems and to me and a lot of other Tribe fans, he's apart of Indians Baseball. I remember a couple years back we were walking back to Tower City and John Adams was outside walking along with the fans, or at least trying to walk. He would never get more than a couple steps before he was stopped for an autograph or picture. This man is a legend and he will continue to stick by his Tribe for as long as he can, Congratulations Mr. Adams. 

A great day for baseball and now I have been to 2 games this year and we have 2 wins in those 2 games. Don't even ask when the last time that happened was. Can't wait for many more games like that. Couldn't have asked for better baseball. I would also like to say that I caught a t-shirt thrown out to the fans. This was the first and probably the last thing I'll ever catch out in the stands, but it was another thing to add to my Indians baseball memories. GO TRIBE!!!!

I would talk about the Browns draft or Peyton Hillis making the cover of Madden 2012 but I think we've all heard enough about that. So I'll spare you the boredom. That's all for today...maybe. I might post something else later but this was a pretty lengthy post so probably not. We'll see. Stay tuned. 

Tweet of the Day:

Off day..A Couple Off Days Actually.

Well I haven't posted in awhile. In fact it's been a week today since I last posted. I just started a new job and am still working my other. This will all be over next week and hopefully I'll get back to posting on a regular basis. Enough of that.

The Tribe have been a bit of a disappointment  recently, losing 4 out of their last 5. They blew a comeback opportunity when Carlos Santana decided he had played enough baseball for the night and ended the game on 3 straight strikes. They bounced back though and got the win the next night. In the final game of the series we saw some of the old Chris Perez. Recording his first blown save of the year in a 3-2 lose. We can't win them all and we showed that we weren't invincible. Adding to the blown comeback and save, we had a blowout. Not in our favor though, with the Twins absolutely dismantling Carmona for his second lopsided lose of the season after a couple solid outings. Still a lot of questions with Carmona; hopefully he and the Tribe pitching staff can answer some of those questions and get him straightened out soon, or we might see our "ace" get demoted to the number 2 spot. Finally to end the series the Tribe fought until the end but couldn't pull out the victory in the rain shortened series against the Twins. All things considered I don't think there is too much to worry about (other than Carrasco going down with an elbow issue).

The Tribe had an off week where they looked much different than the team who scraped and fought hard to win games. With some better starting pitching and clutch hits we can get back to our winning ways. The Indians are back home tomorrow after an off day today to start another series with the Royals and hopefully notch a couple more wins to their belt and keep themselves atop the standings. Finishing the first month strong and a couple of games above .500 will do wonders for the Tribe and keep them confidant. Which will be a major factor for these young guys. Let's get em boys!!! One game at a time.

Voting for the Madden cover ends this week and Peyton Hillis needs all the help he can get. As a Cleveland fan I know it would mean the world to me to see a Browns player on the cover. I'm sure many of you agree. Let's make it happen, let's make history! Here is the link to vote: http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2012cover

Well that's all. A longer post than I had originally planned but I had a lot to talk about. I'll try to keep up so this doesn't happen again. Thanks for the support and goodnight.

Tweet of the Day:

The Great White Buffalo. And A Tribe Win.

Peyton Hillis has reached the finals of the ESPN Madden Cover Voting. Beating out the favorite and reigning super bowl champ Aaron Rodgers. Hillis has some tough competition, going up against a former Madden cover alum, Mike Vick. A lot of people are questioning why Vick is even in the running considering his recent legal troubles and the fact he's already been on the cover. But somehow he's made it through every round and is now facing an upset machine in Hillis.

I don't really think Vick has a chance. For one you have all of Browns nation backing Hillis up, and that is not a small contingent. Add the fact that anyone who still hates Vick for his dog killing days are going to to be voting against him, and we may see the first white non-quarterback on the cover of Madden 12. Also the first Cleveland Brown to ever grace the cover of one of the most successful video game franchises in history. As a Cleveland sports fan I honestly don't give a hoot about the "Madden curse". Peyton deserves to be on that cover and it will be a great day in the Cleveland sports world when he wins the title. GO HILLIS!!!

My summary on the Tribe will be short tonight. The games is going late and I have work early. Never a good combo. It took 10 innings but the Tribe finally broke the Royals pitching staff. Grady has another great game, going 3 for 5 with another double. Carasco worked out of several jams but he was clearly losing it at the end of his start. Great situational base running put together by the Tribe in the 10th. Couldn't ask for a better game. Hopefully tomorrow us Tribe fans will be able to relax a little more than tonight.

Well that's all for tonight. Great win for the Tribe which gives them the tie with Colorado for the best record in baseball and a two game lead in the Central. I can sleep easy tonight. GO TRIBE!!!

Tweet of the Day:

The Tribe Does Some Spring Cleaning Today. Sweep The O's.

Well there you have it. Another day, another Tribe W. There wasn't much to complain about today. Carmona notched his first win of the young season, going for 7 innings and striking out 5. He put himself into a lot of jams today but worked out of all but one unblemished. Another quality start from an Indians starter.

Scoring early has been the key for the Indians success this year. Scoring 3 runs in the first four innings was key and kept Carmona pitching with the lead. Somehow someway the Tribe have figured out the winning formula in just the first 15 games this season. Quality starts combined with solid defense and the offense to back it up.

Grady Sizemore. What can you say about this guy. He hadn't played in a major league game in nearly a year and he didn't skip a beat. Going deep in his second at bat with an 0-2 count. Then in his third at-bat he doubles; he might have had some rust but it didn't take long for him to shake it off. There wasn't much going on in the field for Sizemore, just one fly ball. I can't wait to see him start laying out for balls again. Welcome back Grady, we missed you.

While in no way do I think Santana is out of his slump, but that homer in the second was a good sign. He went hitless in his last 3 at bats. The big rip had to have boosted Santana's confidence, but he is still just 1 for his last 28 at-bats. It's only a matter of time before we see the true potential that he possesses.

It's looking like Travis Hafner is for real this year. He homered again today and had a solid single, which raised his batting average to .354. A hot start for Hafner is just what he and the Tribe need. It's looking like we now have a legitimate lineup now with guys 1 through 9 contributing. So far this year we are looking offensively competent. Something that wasn't the case all of last year.

Well that'll do it for today. The Indians are now 11-4 heading into the series against the Royals, which surprisingly should be a very interesting series. Kansas City is currently down 2 heading into the bottom of the 7th with Seattle. If they lose the Indians will be in sole possession of first place in the A.L. Central. Not too shabby. GO TRIBE!!

Tweet of the Day:

Chance Of A Win In The Forecast For The Tribe? I Think So.

O-Cab gets to second on the wild throw by the O's third baseman then scores on the Travis Buck single. Maybe Buck is worth another look. We'll see what he can do the rest of the day. Grady doubles to right in the 5th, continues to impress on his first day back for the Tribe. Choo with a deep ball to center but Pie makes a flailing catch to end the inning. Carmona gets another double play and works out of a jam in the 5th. Solid pitching so far from the only pitcher on the Tribe without a win. PRONK. Hafner gets a solo shot to right field. Gotta love and respect the power of
3.the Tribe this year, unexpected but accepted. The chances of Carmona getting the win is looking better and better each inning while the Tribe continue to pour on the runs. Indians 4 Orioles 1 at the end of 6 in Cleveland. GO TRIBE!!!

Check back at the end of the game for more.

Grady Is Back.

Finally get to watch a game for once. Carmona is pitching his lights out right now. Through 3 innings he has 3 strikeouts and mostly groundouts. Santana homers in the second to put the Indians up 1-0! Good to see a hit finally from him..it's been too long. Grady is back!!!! I questioned Acta for putting him at the lead-off spot. I should have known that was wrong. It's good to have you back Grady, keep up the good work. Carmona is getting himself in a bit of trouble right now. The Orioles finally break him and grab a run off of the double play. Indians 2 Orioles 1. Carmona gets Guerrero to strike out, that's now 4 in the game. So far so good for the Tribe. Looks to be another good game.

Check back in the 6th for more updates and analysis.