Good Things

Welp, Cleveland Baseball is over until next year. This is pretty sad for me and I'm sure for you too.

We did end with some good things, just tonight:

- Rookie pitcher Zach McAllister had an amazing game giving up just one run to the best team in the division, pitching better than Ubaldo, Fausto and Masterson in their last starts.
- Even though we lost we still ended up in 2nd by ourselves, with Chicago losing earlier today.
- Even though we didn't end the season at or above .500 we won more games than last year when we ended up in 4th.
- The Red Sox completed their meltdown and will not be going to the playoffs. !!!! (My brother pointed out that they probably got in to the locker room just in time to see the Rays win it in 12 with a walkoff homer).
- Hafner's healthy AND playing well and will be ready for 2012. Same for Hannahan.
- This

So really, it was all good. We had a great showing against the Tigers tonight and that is great. Putting up a good showing against what seems to be an amazing team right now is a great memory to leave us with until April.

McAllister had a fantastic game, giving up 0 earned and 1 un-earned run in 5 innings with 4 strikeouts. This is his best outing so far - of 4 this year.

As I had hoped, Joe Smith came in to relieve him but he didn't fare so well. Neither did Putnam or Pestano, giving up 4 runs between them. We didn't see Chris Perez. Drat.

The Tigers out-hit us 12-7 but they only out-scored us by 1. They had as many LOB as us! Heynow!

Item of note: Manny Acta was thrown out of the game in the first inning. The Indians published a story about it right away suggesting that "conspiracy theorists" say that Acta planned it in order to give retiring bench coach Tim Tolman a chance to manage the game.

There was also the fact that Acta - I mean Tolman - put Jim Thome in to bat for Fukudome in the 9th. The good spirit just OOZES from that Manny Acta, doesn't it? Cool guy.

So Fukudome sort of tripped up a bit at the end there (he didn't get on base tonight save for getting hit - again) but I like him. I would not mind him as part of our 2012 outfield and lineup one bit! I hope he has an interesting time exploring Cleveland this winter if he decides to stick around in town instead of stay in Chicago.

Kipnis...best second baseman since Robby Alomar? He is obviously not Alomar in the field but close enough and then he's pretty close at the plate. He got 19 RBI in only 36 games. AND...he only played 36 games but did he or did he not leave a HUGE impression on us? Oh yeah! And Jason Donald isn't too bad either. Nice to know we aren't going to be wondering what to do at 2nd next year. It's locked up.

You all know how I feel about Asdrubal, so I don't need to OMG all over the place about his 2011 season. Word has it that he was slated to sit tonight but he TOLD Acta (en Espanol?) that he'd be playing tonight. Because he's awesome. And he's got some fans now that want to see him play and everything!

Jhonny Peralta got his 21st homer tonight, and had his best season ever. Well, Asdrubal had 25 homers and an even bester season. SO WE DON'T MISS YOU, JHONNY!!!

Did I mention Travis Hafner is back? It's beautiful. So many guys come back from injuries and just never are the same. Hafner, while he didn't even manage 20 home runs, still managed to hit .280 with 57 RBI in just 94 games. That's more than one RBI every other game!

You know how I feel about Thome and, by God, it sure would be awkward to have a guy on the field who is also a statue in the stadium, so I hope this means Thome is done and Hafner is our new Thome. Which he is, and he already was, he just had a bit of a hiccup. Man, I even saw Pronk HUSTLING around the bases a few times this year after his foot injury! See you in 2012!

Carlos Santana - I was skeptical. No doubt I was skeptical. He was as frustrating as hell in the beginning of the season because he was pretty much the one I was most looking forward to seeing back and healthy in 2011. He actually ended up impressing me - perhaps not until Asdrubal laid into him one night after a missed play. Obviously Asdrubal didn't fix Santana's bat but his play got a little better and in the last 1/3 of the season he was hot as hell. He ended up with 27 homers and 79 RBI, which is pretty amazing considering how slow he started.

I look forward to seeing he and Lou trade on and off next year. Speaking of catchers - Sandy Alomar Jr. is slated to be our new bench coach next year. He says he would go for an interview with the White Sox if called but ultimately he wants to win a championship here in Cleveland. LOVE!

Speaking of trading off with Lou...I do look forward to LaPorta too. He's got it in him and everybody knows it but him. However, if we need someone worth trading to trade, I wouldn't mind losing him. Because I would be proud that he's good enough to trade. If he does come back, I look forward to that as well.

Oh hey, Shelley Duncan! YOU ARE AMAZING!!! With Choo and Fukudome here next year, it will be interesting to see who ends up in the outfield. There's one more spot left for Grady, Zeke and Shelley. If they don't give Shelley an honest shot...I don't know what they are thinking.

Supermanahan! In at 3rd tonight and going 2 for 3 at the plate. He only ended up hitting .250 this year but he was impressive enough in the field to make us forget. And, really, he ended up being decent at the plate at the end there.

Of course we like Lonnie too, who is 8 years Jack's junior. That's a rough call because Lonnie's bat is hot and they are predicting he might be the team HR leader if he had a full-time job. But Hannahan is a fucking VACUUM out there so...what does one do?

My favorite part about this season was meeting all the new players and how amazing they all ended up being. Not just the sprouts - with Zeke's game-winning first-at-bat drag bunt, Kipnis's first hit being a game-winner, Lonnie's walkoff homer - but also good stuff from new faces Ubaldo and Fukudome. And some smiles from that bastard Jim Thome.

Plus, my favorite player ever, Asdrubal Cabrera, had his best year ever. He can only get better, right? I predict "OMG ASDRUBAL!!!" will totally take off next year.

So much fun and so much excitement! We did better than anyone thought we would, regardless of "losing" first place. Last year I knew this year would be special. Now I know that next year will be unforgettable.

And maybe I'll hang out with the Hargroves again. You never know!

I think I'll have another post or two on the blog, as a wrap-up. I hope to reach 10,000 pageviews by October 1 and I'm REALLY close. As soon as I have time I'll do a Radio Chatter Roundup and highlight some of the best quotes from this year.

So, so long! Thanks for reading and after the Roundup we'll see you again on April 5!

Radio Chatter:
"If you think the players were hooting and hollering you should have seen the wives. They were hooting and hollering from Saks."
- Tom Hamilton on the Indians watching the White Sox lose this afternoon and the $10,000 2nd-place bonus they all recieved

"If there were 81 home games, I had 81 pieces of carrot cake every year at the ballpark."
- Mike Hegan is enjoying some carrot cake and reminiscing about the old dessert cart

"That's what common sense would say, which is why it hasn't happened."
- Tom Hamilton agrees that the last games of the year should be day games

"Boy...the Tigers are relentless."
- Tom Hamilton in the 7th

"There is life outside New York and Boston. Those folks just don't know it."
- Tom Hamilton on a Detroit/Milwaukee World Series

"I think right now if the Indians played the Tigers a hundred more times they might not beat them again."
- Tom Hamilton