…Just some random musings after watching the Cleveland Indians blow another lead. This time, it was against the Red Sox (4/15/08), and it was a game that should have been won by the Tribe. Sure, it’s early in the season, but there are a couple of things that make me question if this the kind of team that can do well in (or even make it to) the post-season. So, here’d it be….in the spirit of Terry Pluto (you got to respect the Pluto-have met him a couple of times and he is the nicest guy imaginable), I will only offer short blurbs about the concerns….

• Joe Borowski doesn’t even look as good (a stretch of the word) as he did last year. His velocity is obviously down and his control has been lacking. Makes me wonder if he is healthy. By no means am I a Major League pitching coach, but he appears to be short-arming the ball…this could explain the lack of pop on his fastball and the flatness of his slider, which is his go-to pitch.
• Because it is only a couple of weeks into the season, in no way am I calling for Borowski’s head on platter, but if this continues, the Indian’s HAVE to move Rafael Betancourt from being the setup man and into the closing role. JoBo (this is what I call Borowski) just doesn’t have that intimidation factor that most closers posses. There is a big difference from his fastball of 85m.p.h and Betancourt’s heat (around 95m.p.h. when he’s on)
• Paul Byrd is old…and probably withdrawing from steroids. He has been sub-par so far and it may be time to cut bait. If the struggles last through May 1st, I would much rather see the likes of Jeremy Sowers or Aaron Laffey take the ball every 5th day. Again, I need to remind myself that it is early.
• The team in general has been playing very lethargically….no component of the team has been executing on a regular bases. Hopefully, there is not the air of entitlement in the clubhouse, because this team doesn’t have the raw talent to simply coast back to the A.L.C.S. this season. It will be an uphill climb for them to repeat the achievements from last year.
• Speaking of achievements, C.C. Sabathia doesn’t look like a Cy Young winner right now. You have to wonder if the contract year is getting to him mentally. My guess would be that yes, it is. Ever since The Fat Unit (again, another one of my nicknames for a player) has been in the big leagues, he has had a tendency to over-throw when in pressure situations (i.e.-every Playoff game he has been a part of). What is more stressful than knowing that your production (or lack of) could affect your yearly salary by MILLIONS of dollars? In my dreams, I would like to see C.C. struggle mightily for the first half of the year, settle for a reasonable contract and clear his mind and then lead an Indians team that is still in the hunt to the playoffs. Was that a run-on sentence? Guess it doesn’t matter, ’cause people like John Madden(check out the Kankles on that guy!) continuously mangle the English language… without apology. “Boom! Check out the kid in the sombrero!” My bad, I think I just combined a Madden reference with a Harey Carey imitation….   
• The platoon of David Dellucci / Jason Michaels does not equate into one solid, quality Outfielder. It’s amazing-even my XBOX 360 knows this. When starting a virtual season earlier in the week, my XBOX recommended that I trade Dellucci because he was grossly overpaid and has not been healty for over two straight years. Plus, his Batting Average has not matched his weight in quite some time. Juan Pierre is lookin’ mighty fine right now….and that is SAD! At least he would get some steals and move a couple of runners to the next base every now and then. Hell, I’m even pining for Shin Soo-Choo. Or Ben Francisco. Do both of those last two names remind you of side dishes containing rice? 
• Cliff Lee finally looks like Cliff Lee again. Which is fantastic. Looking back, it is crazy to think that he was once the main cog that the Indians received in the Bartolo Colon trade. Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips have become All-Stars (the two other players that the Tribe acquired) and Cliff Lee has been fighting for a roster spot for the last season and a half. 
• I won’t dwell on this for too long, but I’m still not over the Indians giving up on Brandon Phillips way too quickly. Who in their sane mind would rather have Ramon Vasquez (not even with the team…and maybe not even in the league right now(?)) instead of Phillips? Damn you, Eric Wedge! Rumor has it that G.M. Mark Shapiro wanted to keep the talented, young 2nd Basemen, but Ol’ Wedgie begged to differ…..Bone-Head! Since when does an employee make an executive’s decision?
• Despite Eric Wedge getting rave reviews for last season, I still am not a fan. I don’t think that he can take this team to a World Series championship.
• Trade Andy Marte NOW!!!! There is a saying that goes something like this = “Talent is Lazy, and Laziness leads to Inconsistency”. Maybe he does have untapped power potential. So did Russell Branyan. My patience is running thin with Marte. His defense has always been a concern. The Indians, who have a lot of ground ball pitchers, do not need a liability at the “hot corner”. Marte is more valuable to the Tribe as trade-bait than he is as an everyday player.
• The new “Progressive Field” thing gives me the willies. It will always be Jacobs Field to me. Has anyone thought of making a campaign where enough money could be raised to rename the park once more? Let’s say that each game draws 20,000 fans-a very conservative number if the team is winning. There are 81 home games per season, not counting the playoffs. The total amount of people at the park throughout the year (by these numbers) equals a total attendance of 1,620,000. If every fan donated $5.00 for every game they attended (bringing the total yearly sum to $8.1 million), we could easily buy back the naming rights to the stadium.

That’s it for this session of whining….stay tuned for more useless banter throughout the season.

Go Tribe!

And Happy Tax Day! After writing out a sizeable check to the I.R.S., I just wish the government would find a different way to f*ck me. Through the gas tank AND now the wallet! They could at least buy me dinner before they rape my finances. Bet I get audited if Uncle Sam reads this…..I should probably shut up now.