Bob Feller Discusses Battle With Leukemia
August 30, 2010Fans Shouldn’t Replace Jerome Harrison Just Yet
August 30, 2010I know many of you must view the daily Tribe recaps as a thankless job. But I love this team. I love the game of baseball. I am completely in the tank for a game that hasn’t loved me back since 2007. Really, it hasn’t loved me back since 2001.
The system is broken and it may never change. Commissioner Bud Selig, a small market owner to the core, is overseeing a system of haves and have nots where the big market clubs can outspend their mistakes while the small markets have no choice but develop young players until they become free agents, and then watch all the good ones go because they can not afford to keep them. Maybe once every 5-7 years, you can contend, but sustaining success in a small market is a tough hill to climb.
This brings me to yesterday’s Royals/Indians game.
I was in the park with a couple of friends and our four boys ages 3, 3, and 6. There is no doubt we had a great time. They stuffed their faces full of food, took a photo with Slider, enjoyed the Hot Dog race after the fifth inning, and sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame during the seventh inning stretch. My buddy even caught a foul ball.
This was all in spite of the fact that the play on the field was a complete bore. On top of that, the crowd was dead. I’m serious. You could have heard a pin drop in that stadium yesterday. Remembering what it was like at The Jake back in the mid to late 90’s compared to yesterday was beyond sad. People sit on their hands and are content to enjoy the summer day outside. Who can blame them? I said it last week and yesterday certainly falls under this statement: Its one thing to be bad, its another thing to be bad and boring.
Yesterday’s 6-2 loss was a complete snoozer. Journeyman lefty Bruce Chen was completely shutting down the Tribe for five innings before a Jason Donald two-run homer tied the game. Donald was only in the game at the time because first baseman Matt LaPorta left with an injured hip. I couldn’t tell you if the crowd was louder on Donald’s blast or when Mustard just outlasted Ketchup in the Sugardale Hot Dog Derby.
It was a little league crowd (19,725 on a Sunday afternoon in the summer) and the Tribe played some little league defense. Perhaps the most classic of all was when Fausto Carmona and third baseman Luis Valbuena (who isn’t really a third baseman) both attempted to field a Bryan Pena bunt and both players backed off at the last second waiting for the other to make the play. That was followed by Carmona dropping a third out toss from Andy Marte while trying to cover first.
The Wahoos made three errors in all on the day, not including the brain cramp by Sweet Luis and Fausto.
Even with the offense essentially doing nothing, the Indians were still in a position to win. Tied at 2-2 into the seventh, Carmona was touched up by Kila Ka’aihue for the back-breaking RBI double which put the Royals on top for good. Fausto exited after six and two-thirds and 118 pitches, allowing three runs on six hits. He walked four and struck out four.
“It was a hot day out there, but he’s our No. 1,” Acta said of Carmona’s 118 pitch afternoon “We tried to give him as much opportunity as we could to come up with the win.”
Tony Sipp relieved and got out of the seventh unscathed, but was crushed by a Mitch Maier solo shot in the eighth. It was the 11th homer Sipp has allowed this year, most of any Tribe reliever, breaking his tie with gas-can extraordinaire Hector Ambriz, who allowed two more Royal runs on three hits and a walk in the ninth.
Sunday’s loss spoiled a weekend in which the Indians had a chance at the sweep. But at least we had fun at the ballpark! My son still clapped along with John Adams drum beat and yelled “Chooooooooooooooo” every time his favorite player came to the plate. Oh, but only the Indians wouldn’t capitalize on the popularity of their best player. If you go to the team shop, they have zero Shin-Soo Choo t-shirts for four year olds and younger. They only sell two players – Sizemore and Hafner. That is genius marketing.
So the Indians welcome the Chicago White Sox in for a three game set starting tonight. Interestingly, we could see Manny Ramirez either Tuesday or Wednesday playing for the South Side Nine. He is rumored to have been claimed on waivers by the Sox. Mitch Talbot (8-11, 4.44 ERA) looks for his first win in more than a month. He will go against lefty Mark Buehrle (12-10, 3.93 ERA).
3 Comments
I love the Tribe and all, but its hard to give them priority over the many other things that could be occupying our leisure time. Baseball isn’t doing much to make it worth our while.
I do *not* understand Manny Acta insisting on running Carmona out there to start innings when he’s at 110+ pitches.
Unless, of course, he’s trying to avoid having to use Hector Ambriz in a game (which didn’t work on Sunday).
I stopped reading after the first two paragraphs. Go football