The Cleveland Indians, the youngest and likely least talented team in Major League Baseball, came out of the All-Star break with surprising vim and vigor, winning 13 out of 22 games and looking like a team that had found itself, or at least found... something.
Sadly, predictably, having played over their heads for three weeks, thereby shooting their anemic collective wads, the Tribe then returned with a vengeance to the miasma of suck, losing 13 out of 16 games, leading to a stultifying current record of 50-76, with an entire month of miserable ickiness remaining in another pathetic, lost season.
Having cleared out every random veteran from their roster — again — the Indians once again speak of the process of rebuilding. Who do they think they are, the Pirates?
Sure, the Indians have acquired some young talent over the last few years — Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana (knee injury, out for season, naturally), Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley; and pitchers Chris Perez... crap, he's the only one worth a damn — as they have shed Cy Young winners Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia and essentially every other player from the team that, miraculously, almost made it to the World Series in 2007.
Yes, Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner remain, but Hafner has chronic shoulder problems and will never be the same; and Sizemore has been injured most of the last two years himself, to go along with declining numbers in every category.
So, what's the answer? The answer is a new owner. Professional sports teams CANNOT be run like a business. You cannot, especially in a medium-sized market, try to match your payroll to your revenue. This is exactly backwards: you decide you want to win, you are willing to spend money to build the best possible team, THEN the fans come, you break attendance records, and you kick ass for almost ten years ('94-01).
Article comments
1 - jeannie danna
Eric,
When they get a new owner, can they also get a new name?
:( They are not a tribe...
2 - Eric Olsen
I think they're stuck with the name and that damned logo
3 - jeannie danna
I also want you to know that I read this article. I just didn't understand it, because I don't watch any sports.
4 - jeannie danna
You don't like it either? Good! :)
5 - Eric Olsen
well, thanks for reading!
6 - jeannie danna
I read all of your articles...I'm just too chicken to comment! I'm afraid you'll correct my grammar, or lack of...
:)I'm still looking for one in politics.
7 - Dawn
Jeannie, you are a girl after my own heart. What fabulous taste you have. You ma'am are a woman of class and distinction.
Don't be afraid to comment on EO's posts, his fans get special dispensation from grammatical criticism.
Unless of course, you are me...and an editor. I get it in spades.
But seriously, the Indians are the suck and as a life-long Cleveland sports fan I have officially given up. It's time to embrace our loser status and make the best of it. It could be a cottage industry here in Cleveland.
We could give tours of our city's history of failure. Here lies our abandoned steel mills. And here's our Rock Hall that no ones gives a shit about, including the Rock Hall Foundation that only begrudgingly comes here every four years because they have to. Here's our baseball team whose losing record is to be marveled at...and so on and so forth, you get my point. Sometimes you just need to go with it.
8 - roger nowosielski
Wasn't Cleveland, or parts of it at least, a culture center once upon a time?
The Cleveland Orchestra comes to mind.
9 - Eric Olsen
yes, old money, corporate hq's=cultural institutions
But we're talking about the important stuff, and Dawn is right - embrace the suck!
10 - jeannie danna
Dawn,
Thank you so much for your comment. I'm speechless and that doesn't happen often, just ask my husband! lol
: )BC has done wonders for me...miracles if you want me to get all dewy eyed. *sob*