While We’re Waiting… OSU and Iowa, Mangini’s Jets, and Arenas to Orlando?
January 18, 2010Lebron In the Dunk Contest? Nope
January 18, 2010
I was emailing with a buddy of mine this week on how stupid a particular song is by The Black Eyed Peas and he changed the topic mid-way through the email. He is a giant Tribe fan and mentioned the following.
By the way, what do you make of the Tribe’s attempt to sign a bat off the scrap heap? Mark Grudzielanek, Austin Kearns, and Shelley Duncan don’t knock my socks off, but between the 3 of them, one has to have a semi-productive season right?
I thought about it for a second and I might have been excited about the potential of finding one good bat out of the three once upon a time. Maybe three or four years ago when the Tribe was rebuilding the first time around this would have been fun conversation. I remember having a conversation with the same friend a few years ago when the Indians signed David Dellucci and how he might be a nice addition to a young outfield. Of course, that turned out to be a punch line of a contract for Mark Shapiro in the mostly disappointing rebuilding effort that culminated in the trades of CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez over the last two seasons.
I haven’t been this far down on professional baseball in a very long time. Actually, maybe ever. The lowest point in my life as a professional baseball fan up until now had been losing out on Manny Ramirez. Jim Thome was tough, but on the heels of Manny it wasn’t as bad. But even in those days, I had a little hope that the team would be able to take the Central and get into the playoffs. But this year, I haven’t been able to talk myself into being interested just yet.
I know I have written similar articles before about the imbalance in pro baseball and how much it stinks. I apologize for coming off like a broken record in that respect, but it is kind of current. The fact that I am expected to be mentally prepping myself for spring training with conversations about Manny Acta, Mark Grudzielanek, Austin Kearns, and Shelly Duncan is mind-boggling to me. I don’t want to go through the whole exercise of spouting the “woe is me” line again. So, I will spare you that this time. I will just tell you that it might be a different situation if we at least still had Victor Martinez coming to Spring training. Even without CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee, I might have a little bit more hope with Victor Martinez to go along with a healthy Grady Sizemore.
With that, I will finish with a question. Assuming you will eventually get in the spirit of things with the 2010 baseball season, how are you getting up for the Tribe in 2010? I know I will end up getting into it, but I am having a difficult time getting there. In other seasons, I would be counting down the days by the middle of January.
32 Comments
I’m taking solace in the fact that the Cavs should be playing well into June and that the Browns training camp starts roughly 6 weeks later.
“Here in Cleveland? I didn’t know they still had a team.”
“Yeah, it’s great, we have uniforms and everything.”
Decades ago, when the Cavs really sucked, their marketing song had the line: “Takin’ on the best in the NBA!” Meaning hey, watch the game and at least you get to watch one good team.
Since you cannot reasonably assume the Dolans can afford to field a team that can compete for the better part of the season, even in this smaller market division, this is not a bad way to sell them. Or maybe: “our youngsters are spunky, just like Cleveland!”
Just don’t sell Martinez and Lee off a year early to make payroll and then tell me have a chance to compete.
Excited about the upside of Brantley, Laporta, and Valbuena.
Also, fireworks nights.
Pretty much everyone I know is down on them this year but for some reason I’m not. I guess after suffering through the Brown’s first 12 games this year my standards are well below where they once were. I don’t see them competing in the Central this year, but I think they’re going to emerge as an exciting young team that can put a lot of runs on the board. They’re pitching will cost them more than a few games, but I think Choo, Sizemore, and Brantly are going to turn some heads this year. Hopefully it’ll be something to build on for 2011.
Sadly I’m more excited about the Browns draft than I am about the 2010 Indians season, and I’m a die-hard Tribe fan. True there’s lots of young talent, but the team is still saddled with three terrible contracts. If you’re the Yankees or Red Sox, you can live with a Hafner or Westbrook contract. The “shop at Wal-Mart” Tribe cannot. I’ll probably see more Aeros and Captains games in person this year than Indians games. Until the Indians get out of these horrible contracts, they won’t contend.
I just want to watch the young talent grow and develop.. I still have my fingers crossed on Marte being a legitimate big league’r.. His was VERY productive in the minors before he got called up.. I think if Acta has a consistent batting order and plays a player more than 2 games out of 5… cough. cough.. unlike Wedge.. cough.. than a player like Marte or Valbuana or Laporta can really show improvement and get into a groove
@ J-Dub — You mean, we should wait ’till next year!??!
Sorry…I couldn’t resist.
I’m finding myself down on the MLB and everything it stands for, but I love the game and will never not watch the indians. Given that, the casual fan has very little to look forward to this year.
And what was the song? If its anything from The END, I will firmly disagree.
Ugh you mean baseball will be starting again soon – didn’t it just finish? đ I guess technically it’s been almost a year since the Indians season ended, ya know, it was over before it started!
Baseball?
“Here in Cleveland? I didn’t know they still had a team!
… Yup, we’ve got uniforms and everything, it’s really great!”
I’ll be watching and hoping the young guys develop. I also think the Tribe will score a lot of runs – so at least the games will be entertaining. It is a rebuliding year no doubt. However, if Brantley and LaPorta continue to progress, the Tribe’s lineup is in place to be good this year and going forward. It’s the rotation that needs serious help.
d’oh! Chris beat me to it *shakes fist*
I haven’t followed baseball since the Colon trade. My friends get so optimistic every year, and I keep quiet until june, at which point I can inevitably mock them for following a game that is inherently unfair.
No matter how people try to justify the inequality by pointing to the Marlins, unfair is unfair. Following baseball at all is essentially just giving Yankee fans a playground to frolic in.
@ roosevelt – why would you trade away your colon you must be very uncomfortable now.
Excited about Valbuena, LaPorta, and Brantley. Preparing for a bit of a “comeback” year with Kelly Shoppach. I don’t think he’ll hit better than .250 but that would definitely be an improvement and I think he will hit with more power than last year. If he continues to suck it up out there, I’m excited to see what Carlos Santana can do with a late season call-up. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed with the starting pitching… it could get really ugly really fast, kind of like when you drink the water in Mexico.
Kelly Shoppach was traded to Tampa… FYI
Tom Hamilton on the radio is reason enough for me to listen to the games while working on other things.
@ Denny, um, is that what following the Indians is reduced to? Colon jokes? Imagine the fun we’d have if we could have traded Pujols away.
Whoops… I meant I was excited to see him have a comeback year in Tampa (he says while sweating profusely). Who the heck is our catcher then?
“These guys don’t look to #$@%ing good.” and
“I’ve never heard of half these guys, and the ones I’ve heard of are way past their prime.” “Some of these guys never had a prime.”
@ rosie – at least we got dreamy Grady in exchange for your GI tract. UPSIDE!
I’m excited for a season without expectations – we’ve gone into the last 3 years thinking that anything less than a divisional crown is a bad year. In a small market – having those expectations (especially over a long time period) is unrealistic.
The next 3 years are all about watching the kids developing and hoping we can put together a decent team. Instead of being the favorites we are going to be the underdogs.
I think that is something Cleveland can get behind.
Pat – Lou Marson – acquired in Cliff Lee deal. Giminez and Redmond will back up. At least until Santana comes up in the fall.
I sort of look forward to watching a young team with nothing to lose (except, of course, 162 games). But now, more than ever, I’m starting to agree with the salary cap whiners–in fact, I’m becoming a bit of whiner myself. It was one thing, in the early ’00s, when a smart team could beat a rich team. Now? Not so much. The rich teams bought the smart guys, and now we’ve got no chance. Can you imagine a city like New York or LA be told, with a straight face, that competing once a decade is as good as it gets? That’s what Dolan and Shapiro told us last year, and it made me sad.
That said, I’ll probably watch every game like I always do. Cuz I’m a big sucker…
Ahhh, I remember Marson coming over in that deal now. I left Cleveland baseball lying in its own feces back in September and have been reluctant to help it back up now that spring training is getting closer. Is Marson any good?
I believe the Indians are in worse shape financially then they’ll ever admit — no other was to explain the salary dump in 2009 with so little in return.
Like Pavlov’s dog I’ll look forward to the season once spring training gets underway and think there will be some pleasant surprises with hitting and maybe even the bullpen. The starting pitching will be as awful as projected.
I am down on MLB too. Bottom line is a team in Cleveland will never compete on a regular basis. One must hope the stars align and we can catch lightening in a bottle similar to 2007 because once we get good the NYY, Bos, LA, Phils of the world swoop in and take our players away.
I believe if this team still had Lee & Victor they would have a shot in the Central if our kids play well which makes those trades even more sickening. It is not like the haul we got for either was so amazing that we couldn’t turn it down and play our cards for one more year. It was cheap cost cutting that has made MLB a joke to anyone not in a major market.
This’ll be the first season I’m living entirely out of the market and, sadly, I’m not all that disappointed. Rather than watching a AAAA team on TV and for still-pricy tickets in person, I’ll go and watch a really good AAA team (Durham) in person when I feel like baseball.
Not interested in MLB at all. Thanks Selig!
@#19: “This guy here is dead!” “Cross him off, then!”
I’ll probably have to see some good results first before getting up for the Tribe this season. A decent spring training leading into an okay April and May would do. Don’t know how to quantify ‘decent’ and ‘okay,’ especially with such low expectations for this team – but I’ll know it when I see it.
My blessing and curse is being in love with the game of baseball. Therefore I have been anticipating April for a good number of weeks already. I’m pumped. Why? Because. It’s baseball. And mark my words: It’s going to be an interesting season. Mind you I didn’t say winning season or anything like that, but if I had to put my money on a random hunch or two, it would be these: 1) Our record will be better than last years, and 2) Some of these kids are going to make these games very worthwhile. Brantley looks brilliant, Grady should be healthy, Choo is… Choo, and there’s other bright spots. I also have a feeling we’re going to see /marginally/ better performances from the ‘pen, or at least less complete collapses. So hate on the trades and the acquisitions and the crappy management all day, but I’m ready to see what they do come April. Whining isn’t winning.
Karsten… I’m with ya ! I’m excited too… happens every year around this time… just after the holidays, when I’m scraping ice and mounds of snow off my car, my mind wanders to spring and spring training and the first “Play Ball” of the season.
I can honestly say had we not changed managers, I would NOT be as excited about the 2010 season. I look forward to seeing how the players respond to a different voice and I look forward to seeing some of these young players develop.
I would have liked for them to have added a couple ARMS to the roster instead of more outfielders & and first basemen. But maybe that is yet to come.(I realize there would no big addition, but just another pitcher or two would be nice).
Have to say I’m not too excited for Indians baseball. Something about MLB just doesn’t excite me anymore. I think it’s the disparity between the good and bad teams. The good teams get better and the bad teams get worse.
I hope the young talent shows us a little something this year. But I’m not getting too excited about it. Once an Indian becomes a good player and demends more money, we’ll just trade him away.