Testing the Bench

Manny Acta has some balls. On what may have been our biggest game of the year (ok, second biggest? Third?) he puts in a rookie pitcher and half the bench. Well you know - why the fuck not? Have to make up for Tomlin and Gomez had to start sometime. Grady can't play ever day and neither can Hafner. And, we're 2 games up on the Royals plus we've got 2 more to go, and then on to the not-so-hot Tigers.

Dude is a chess master, really. He's got it all planned out.

So what can these cats do against the Royals? Well, not much against Bruce Chen but statistics coulda told you that. Actually, statistics could show you that the modern Indians can't usually beat the Royals anyway. However, the team still managed to cobble together runs late in the game - which I just LOVE to see. I guess that's the difference between a young team and an old team (Red Sox). Our guys are still in top form in the 8th and 9th and ready to take on some relief pitchers.

You know who got a hit? CHOOOOO! He also picked up his 4th stolen base and 8th RBI! Slow and steady wins the race...

Brantley was back in the top spot and dude got THREE hits. I'm feeling good about having him down in the lineup when Grady plays.

Bencher Shelley Duncan got a hit and his fellow bencher Loooooouuu Marson got a double. Those guys are both batting .357! So so awesome to have a happenin' bench like that.

Check out this email I sent to Kevin Keane (OMG I MISS YOU!) at WTAM in September of 2009 when he asked if anyone was "still into it":

"Of course I'm still into the Tribe, Kev! I'm a lifelong Clevleand fan - I've learned not expect much. Our job as fans is to find excitement in each and every game, see what happens tonight, hash it out with Extra Innings afterwards...and if we get into some playoff action - hey!

Low expectations, deep disappointments and pleasant surprises. That's what Cleveland is all about, man.

Asdrubal in '09!"

I guess I didn't write to WTAM in 2009, but here's what I wrote to Bob Frantz after the last game of the season in 2010:

"Bob - I don't agree with you on most things (politics!!) but I think your assessment of the 2011 season is spot-on! Healthy Grady, healthy Santana, newly-found solid pitching and our existing studs Asdrubal and CHOO - and HAFNER - will make for a really great 2011.

I saw some exciting baseball this year, including tonight's game, and I KNOW it's going to rock hard in 2011."

I hate to agree with Bob Frantz (no, really, I REALLY hate to agree with the dude) but we did agree on that point at the end of last year.

So far, I'm sticking by what I said! And even though we had not-the-best year last year, reader and Dodger loyalist Asimovian was keen to see what was next for the Tribe because he knows good baseball when he sees it. Well he also knows a hot chick who's a die-hard Tribe fan but that's another story. Anyway, hopefully the Positive Tribe bandwagon keeps up its momentum and perhaps creates more fans of Indians baseball.

Tomorrow we get MASTERSON and hopefully the A-team back. Or maybe some fancy concoction of players from Manny's playbook, who knows. It's all good!

Radio Chatter:
"I've never seen that before! It literally bounced off the ground and hit Cabrera. Can this game get any wackier?!"
- Tom Hamilton (the game wasn't particularly wacky...I think he's been on the road too long)

The Red Sox Are 0-4

Three exciting things to top off tonight:

1. The Red Sox are 0-4. According to some stat that Hamilton read, no team has ever won (or been in...?) the World Series after starting the season 0-4. Off-the-wall stat but there you go.

In case you didn't know, we hate the Red Sox probably more than we hate the Yankees. Everybody but Yankee fans hate the Yankees.

Although if you go to Progressive Field on a night when we play the Red Sox, you would think that everyone in Cleveland was a Red Sox fan. It's surreal. Since this is a positive blog, I won't go in to how the Red Sox fans in Cleveland almost ruined my 30th birthday. I think I'm finally over it.

2. I taught my baby niece how to say "CHOOOO!" and it's just precious. She was not getting it at all (it sounded more like...tea?) until she finally just blurted it out. Way to go, baby!

Homework for all of you with kids: Teach your kid to say "CHOOOO!" Next up - Asdrubal.

Speaking of Asdrubal, I did not catch his tattoo even though I actually was watching on a DVR today. I'm pretty sure it's two names, probably his wife and kid. Will get it.

Also speaking of Asdrubal - his "magic pearls" are gone. They were gone last year too I think. Let's hope they weren't protecting his bones from being broken.

Choo has quite the necklace now. I don't know what the heck it's made out of...but I did notice he took it off by his final at-bat.

3. Another solid start (7 innings, 1 run) by our starter. This time it was our 4th man, Josh Tomlin. That's ALL we need - solid starters. And then the "Firsarter" Chris Perez closing it down, getting Big Poopy to fly out. Just need that sort of stuff. Our bats can't help but be red-hot.

Ok maybe not red-hot but we are hitting for sure. All we needed were 2 runs and we got 3...thanks to Hafner, O. Cabrera and Hannahan.

HAFNER! How about that guy? Man I bet the Indians' marketing team is pissed right now. They did all that work last year to bury Pronk and Pronville to replace it with the Choo-Choo Train and the players have turned the tables so far. OOPS!

Feels so good to have Hafner back and doing it right, tho, for real.

I didn't catch too much defense today (see: baby niece) but I did see a big CHOOOO put out at the plate. Of course, they had to bring up a similar putout from last year (Choo to Santana, against the Red Sox) in which Santana seemed to have been killed but it was "only" his knee and half of the remaining televisions in Cleveland Fandom were turned off for the rest of the season.

On the post-game show right now, Bob Frantz is asking people why they aren't coming to the games. So far I haven't been happy with anyone's answer. Everyone is bitching that there's no "marquee players." Well so what? Are you only going to pay attention once we have a Gold Glover or a HR King? How about coming to see some BASEBALL?

This is baseball, folks. This is young guys, this is low-paid guys, this is guys without rings, guys without commercials, guys without slogans on t-shirts (erm, mostly). This is Cleveland. This team right here is what represents Cleveland and its fans. No kings, no one leader. A TEAM.

It's gonna be a great season. I promise.

Radio Chatter:
"It wasn't easy but Chris Perez notches save number one here in 2011. And the Red Sox are winless after four."
- Tom Hamilton