Hats Off to Boston, but Not Happy

Great comeback by Boston. You have to tip your hats to the Red Sox. They played hard and their line-up showed up from top to bottom the last three games. They showed what Cleveland seemed to lose all of the sudden after game 3: Heart! May you please roll over Colorado in the series and bring the World Series back to the AL.

As far as having the same attitude that Philly, Chicago or Arizona fans had when they lost, there is no chance. I am not satisfied that the Indians made it this far. I will not say that they gave it their all. I will not say they weren't supposed to make it this far anyway. I'm ticked off, sickened to my stomach and not one bit happy with a season that ends this way.

There is no excuse for being up 3-1 in a series and losing. There is no excuse for being up 3-1 in a series and getting crushed three games in a row. There is no excuse for having the look of quitters, while getting laughed at by an entire city that just knew they had it won heading in game 6, still down 3-2 in a series.

There was no fight in this team. They completely rolled over and let the Red Sox Nation plow over them. And it all starts with the Tribe's two Cy Young hopefuls. I don't know if Sabathia & Carmona were simply afraid to pitch to Boston's line-up or if they just think they are that good and that guys will swing at their pitches off the plate. It may have worked during the regular season, but come playoff time, you have to throw strikes and these two completely dropped the ball for their team.

I'm not going to rah-rah this team and say it was a good year, because it wasn't. There were good moments during the season and during the playoffs, but the way this team folded does not leave me looking forward to next year. This team has a lot of holes that need filled, especially the huge, gaping one that seems to be right about the sweet spot of their number three hitter's bat; Pronk. They need a closer. A real closer and if moving a middle man to closer is the solution, then they need more help in middle relief. They need a shortstop that can move more than 2 or 3 feet to his left or right to make a play. They need more power from the 3B position. After a collapse like this, you can go on all day with the problems that this team has.

Am I being too hard on the Indians. I don't think so, as the Red Sox will be even better next year with the young talent they have. The Blue Jays will be better, the White Sox will insist on turning it around and most importantly, the Tigers will be back with the best rotation in baseball again and have every Indians game circled on their schedule.

Cleveland should be headed to the Jacob's Field to be playing games 1 & 2 before a weekend in Denver right now. Instead, the Indians and Indians' fans are left with a full off-season of questions and continual frustration. And I don't blame the Curse of Rocky Colavito!

A Perfect MLB World Series Path

Here is how the post-season will shake out starting today with the Rockies-Phillies game. The only logic involved in this is that the Indians will win their first World Series title since 1948. Best record in baseball and best 1-2 punch on the mound.

Look for the Rockies to be playing the D-backs in the NL finals. Why will the Rockies top the Phillies? Because when the Tribe reaches the World Series, it would be much more convenient to see them play in Denver than in Philly. But, here's hoping that scenario doesn't shake out, as I have to root for my current hometown and NL team, the D-backs. Making only a 30-minute drive to watch the Tribe play and possibly wrap things up in the Series on the road would be a very sweet thing.

We already know the Indians are taking it all, but how are they getting there? Through LA of course. A nice little $98 one-hour flight is definitely in the cards for next weekend. The Yankees will go down and the Red Sox do pose an area of concern, but it's only right that on the road to a title, that the road runs conveniently close or through the Phoenix area.

So there you have it...Indians over Yankees. Angels over Sox. Tribe over Yankees. Colorado over Philly. D-backs top the Cubs and then roll over the Rockies. All to get to the 2007 World Champion Cleveland Indians.

How sweet it will be. Go Tribe!

Borowski = Wickman = Mesa

It's been 49 years since the Cleveland Indians won a Championship and 10 years since their last appearance in the World Series. If 2007 is to prove to be the year for Cleveland, they have one major problem at the end of the rotation to overcome. Anyone who has witnessed Joe Borowski pitch the ninth inning this year with a two or three run lead understands exactly where I'm coming from.

Yes, it's hard to complain about someone who is leading the American League in saves with 40, but how many times can the Tribe get by with Big Joe loading the bases and giving up one or two runs before closing the game out? The Indians won't be playing the likes of the Royals, White Sox and Devil Rays in the playoffs. The Yankees, Red Sox and Angels will not let opportunities go by and offer a little more firepower as well. What's the Tribe's record against the latter three teams this year? The answer is 2-5 against Boston, 0-6 against New York and 3-3 against the Angels. Borowski's line in those 19 games - 1 loss, 1 save!

Cleveland fan holds their breath every time Borowski toes the mound. But, then again, Cleveland fans have been holding their breath with closers since 1994. That's the year Jose Mesa joined the Tribe. As with Borowski, Mesa put up great save numbers, but did it at the expense of an inflated ERA and a WHIP that makes all fantasy owners cry. This is a disturbing trend in Cleveland, one that the Atlanta Braves couldn't deal with, which led to the release of Bob Wickman in the middle of a pennant race. Tribe fans are extremely familiar with Wickman's closing issues, but hey, the saves were there right? Mesa, Wickman and Borowski are all the same person - plenty of saves but many more heartaches. I'm one Tribe fan that hopes Borowski doesn't lead to another heartbreak year for Cleveland fans.

So I ask, why will 2007 be different for the Tribe with Joe Borowski as their closer? A closers job is 3 up and 3 down. Remember, it was 10 years ago this October that Jose Mesa took the mound in the 9th inning of Game 7 against the Florida Marlins. How are the Borowski days of today any different than the Mesa days of old?