Two Games. What If?

Today is August 2nd, just 2 months of regular season baseball left. Only 2 games behind the first place Detroit Tigers. At this point last season the Indians had a record of 45-61 and were 15 games in back of first place. A lot can change in a year. What exactly has changed? Everything. Most importantly the mindset of not only the team and it's players but of the fans. This year the Indians haven't given up and broken down. Just when it looks like they might be heading into a downward spiral of no return, they surprise us. Down but not out.

The "What If?" slogan chosen for this 2011 season was chosen to fire up the fans. It has not disappointed. When i first heard and saw the What If? commercials i was taken aback. First they are so well done. Second, they mix together the old with the new. They bring back memories I've shared with friends and family. They honestly gave me chills listening to them. So when the season started i was not only hopeful, i was pumped. However this really was no different than any other year. Before the start of every season i am generally full of excitement for Tribe baseball. I expect them to win and am most certainly disappointed when they lose. But when i listened to that What If? commercial, i knew something was different.

The Tribe have now played a total of 106 games this year and are just 2 games out of first place. That What If? slogan has been playing through my mind all season and i can't even count how many times the word playoffs has come to mind. Am i setting myself up for another Cleveland letdown? No, that would be too easy. Expect the unexpected. Expect the Tribe to make a big push and separate themselves. If we fall short, well so be it. One thing i can say about this group of Indians though is that they don't give up. They can't. It's easy for me to get down about a lose or a couple of loses, but i have to stay positive. Tribe fans have to stay positive and hopeful.

So it was about a month since my last post. I'm not gonna let that happen again. These last two months of baseball will be too exciting and too much fun not to write about. So expect more. GO TRIBE.

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4th Of July. Can We Get Some Fireworks Tonight?

Happy 4th everybody!!! Hope you all enjoy this day of independence! I'll be at the game tonight and Wednesday so I'll be doing some live in-game tweeting. I've been wanting to do it all year I just haven't gotten around to it. Jeter is supposed to be back in the lineup for the Yanks and needs just 6 hits to reach 3,000. Back to back years now I have had the opportunity to witness some pretty amazing milestones in the careers of two Yankees, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod didn't pull through last year when they were in town so we'll see if Jeter can come up with those 6 hits by Wednesday. In no way am I saying I want Jeter to get 6 hits this series but it would be something cool to tell my kids.

So the Tribe come up short yesterday after falling behind early and end up losing 7-5 to the Reds. We couldn't get that season series sweep but we definitely owned the other Ohio team this year. In the six games played against the Reds, we outscored them 35-19. It was obvious early on that Mitch Talbot did not have his stuff going and he was pulled after just 4 innings giving up 10 hits and 6 runs. Our bullpen kept the Reds in line for the rest of the game but they had what proved to be too big of a lead even with our offense getting some runs back. Not a great way to finish interleague play but overall the Indians held strong and finished with a 11-7 record against NL teams. I know that Manny Acta, Tribe fans, and Travis Hafner are happy to finally get through the long stretch of games in NL ballparks to get back home and get Pronk back in this lineup. His presence will be greatly needed in these next two series against the Yanks and Blue Jays.

Alright that'll do it for the Tribe but someone asked my thoughts on the Cavs yesterday and I said I'd put it in my next post so here goes. First I'll start off with the draft. Kyrie Irving and Triston Thompson will be immediate impacts for the team in the 2012. Here's why; Irving is a legitimate PG. He's quick and can get to the basket and finish. Yes we have Baron Davis and Ramon Sessions but who really thinks Davis will be with us very long? We'll see what happens in the off season with the lockout but get ready for Sessions and Kyrie to battle it out for that starting spot. It may be closer than you think. Let's get to Thompson now. I think I probably saw him play once or twice and was quite surprised that the Cavs picked him up. While he is more proven than Irving it'll be tough to say what kind of impact he will have, but he will have one.

J.J. Hickson is a goner. Cavs fans have been expecting this for some time now, and if you weren't then you should have. It'll be sad to see J.J. go but he was simply inconsistent and never reached his full potential with the Cavs. However, keep an eye on him. He is still young and could make the Cavs front office regret this trade. Now what did we get? We got another unproven potential starter at the small forward position. While we don't have a small forward and we needed one, I don't think Casspi will flourish with the Cavs this first season. All together I think the Cavs will have a competitive team next year but in no way do I believe they will be competing for a playoff spot. That is about as optimistic as I will get about the Cavs this early in the year. Expect the worst so if we do good we can be happy and if we're bad then you can say you expected it. Better to be safe than sorry and embarrassed.

Hopefully that wasn't too long and boring for you but I had a lot to write. That's two posts in two days. Be happy. Be grateful. Who knows when I'll get the chance again but hopefully it'll be soon. That's it for today. Everyone have a safe and enjoyable 4th. GO TRIBE!!!

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The Rise And Fall..And Rise Of The Cleveland Indians.

It has been a roller-coaster of a season so far for the Tribe and I'll give you 2 reasons as to why. Although the Tribe hold a game and a half lead over the Tigers with just 8 games left to play before the break, one can wonder how much longer we can hold this slim lead.

First I'll start off with injuries. With a healthy club at the start of the season (excluding Sizemore) the Tribe was fresh and energetic. Since then Mitch Talbot, Carlos Carrasco, Travis Hafner, Vinnie Pestano, Matt LaPorta, Shin-Soo Choo, Travis Buck, and Fausto Carmona have all spent time off the field with injuries. While those four pitchers listed above were missed (Fausto is out but if anything that was a blessing in disguise) our pitching staff has been excellent all season long. Without the run support from guys like Pronk, LaPorta and Choo, our pitchers have been wasting starts. For example; you have a guy like Justin Masterson who started the season with 5 wins in 5 tries. Since then he has started 11 games with only one win. In those 11 games he lost 5 and had no decisions in 5. He gave up a total of 22 earned runs in those 11 starts, which averages out to be 2 runs per game in that span. In only two of those starts he gave up more than 2 runs. If he would have gotten the run support from just those injured guys alone, he had the potential to have over 10 wins before the break. You would think a guy would have more than 6 wins through 22 starts that posts an ERA of 2.85.

Moving right along we'll go with the month of June. 17 loses in 27 games. The Indians were lucky to get off to a great start because not to many teams would be sitting atop first place in their division with a month like they had. 5 out of the 17 loses were shutouts and 10 out of those 17 we failed to score more than 4. In 4 of the 17 loses we were blown out but you'll have that. What is more frustrating is how many games we lost by one run (5). The blame game can be played to multiple sides with that last stat. Some of those close loses were due to blown saves, blown chances with RISP, or dumb management. Altogether you have to look at the general trend in that month which can be categorized by one word. SLUMP. The Indians went through a huge slump in the month of June in every category there is. While some of this was due to the aforementioned injuries, some was due to guys tapering off.

While July has gotten off to a better start (2-0) I can see these same problems popping up the rest of the season. As long as our guys are able to weather the storm and stay confident, playoffs are in the future for this young team. With Choo out Michael Brantly has stepped up and been a huge contributor and will continue to help during the time Choo is out.

Well that'll do it for today's post. Sorry for the lack of posts in the past couple months. Job and Girlfriend take up almost 100% of my time. I had almost forgotten how much fun writing was so it feels good to be back. Check back soon for more.

GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!

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

Well as promised here are the final 15 reasons to love the Tribe.

16. Sandy Alomar.

-I just love that I can turn on a Tribe game and still see Sandy in that Indians uni.

17. PRONK.

Travis Hafner might be one of the more surprising players this season. 

18. Jacobs Field (AKA The Prog)

-John Adams, Slider, Sugardale dogs, Lines for the bathrooms. All things to love about going to the Jake.

19. 15 Games Above .500

-Tied for the best start in club history.

20. 7 Game Lead Over Detroit in the Central.

-Getting off to a fast start will be what helps the Tribe the most this season.

21. +67 Run Differential.

-The second best run differential is +50. Looks like some teams have some catching up to do.

22. Top Ten In Team Batting, Pitching and Fielding.

-One of the many reasons why the Tribe are the best team in baseball.

23. Manny Acta.

-Picked by the Rangers manager Ron Washington to be one of the 3 coaches on this years AL All-Star coaching staff.

24. Grady Sizemore.

-After missing the start of the season, he returned looking refreshed. Just a couple weeks later though and he's back on the DL. Don't know how much longer he'll be able to keep this up.

25. Dollar Dog Nights.
-1 dollar hot dogs. Doesn't get much better than that. 

26. ESPN Web Gems.
-Asdrubal Cabrera has already had 2. They just add to the fun and excitement of Cleveland Indians Baseball.

27. Pretenders To Contenders.
-Though the first 10-15 games there were many skeptics. Now 46 games in, the Indians are looking like real contenders.

28. #1 In Power Rankings.
-I may be wrong (don't really feel like checking the truth of this) but this is the Indians first time back at the top of the power rankings since 2007. Last time I checked 2007 was a pretty special year.   

29. 17-5 Home Record.
-About to be 17-6 with the bludgeoning the BoSox are putting on right now, but even so the Tribe are winning at home. With or without a sellout crowd.

30. This Blog.
-Without the Tribe I would be bored. They give me something to write about, something exciting to write about.

Well that concludes this post. I might just make a set day for posts just so I can make time to write. Hit me up on Twitter or Facebook and tell me what day you think. Maybe I'll even put up a poll? Who knows. GO TRIBE!!!

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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!!!

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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. 

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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.

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