Indians Confidential

Or are they?

Maybe you remember this famous outburst by the then-Arizona Cardinals’ coach, Dennis Green following an extremely embarrassing fourth quarter collapse to the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football.

The Cleveland Indians are clearly not who we thought they would be, at this point into the season. Many people around baseball believed that the Indians were one of the best teams going into the season. Several TV and radio personalities even predicted that the Indians would win the World Series, this year.

So who are the Cleveland Indians 52 games into the season?

•A record of 24-28
•Third in the American League Central
•Currently 4.5 games back of their current opponent the Chicago Whitesox
•2-8 in their last 10 games
•Team Batting Average of .234, last in the American League
•Tied for last in all of baseball
•5th best team E.R.A. 3.60
•Cliff Lee is 2nd in the American League with 7 wins and a league leading E.R.A of 1.50 as a starter

One common thought amongst baseball analysts is that you can’t judge a team until Memorial Day. The belief is that by Memorial Day a team has developed its’ identity. Personally I don’t follow this train of thought. Baseball is a game of momentum! One minute you think your team is headed straight to the cellar of their respective division. Give it a week, your team then proceeds to win its’ next 5 games. Your perception and outlook of your team suddenly goes from bleak to bright. As the old cliché states, “Baseball is a marathon,” and within that marathon there are many ups and downs. The Indians may need a shake up of some sort, via a trade, or a roster move, but I can’t believe for one minute that this is the team that we are going to see all year. The bats will come alive and the pitchers will eventually receive the run support that they deserve. Like I said, “Give it a week!” Also, it doesn’t hurt to cross your fingers.