Indians take 2 out of 3 from Padres, off to Colorado

Winning a series will always bring hope to a struggling team. Winning consecutive series's may unfortunately bring false hope. If the Indians would have went 2-4 or 1-5 over the past homestand, I believe the "trade CC" talk may have been elevated to sooner rather than later. Now that the Tribe is only 5 1/2 games back, I imagine Sabathia will be around until the end of July. This is in no way inferring that I want the Indians to lose. I just think the front office really has no idea what path to take with the remainder of the 2008 season.

If they trade CC, they are telling the fans that they are raising the white flag and giving up. If they keep CC, they risk not getting anything for him besides two first round picks next year which won't help the big club for 4-5 years. Is this team good enough to contend with four of their top six players on the disabled list? My answer is I have no idea. The team has hit better, and I attribute it to Hafner and Martinez being OUT of the lineup. They were obviously hurt and not the best option at their respective positions everyday. Once they were removed, a healthy nine seemed to take pressure off of each other instead of relying on Victor and Travis.

These injuries should ultimately make the rest of the lineup stronger as guys like Francisco, Choo, Shoppach, and Carroll are racking up major innings played and confidence. The way this team is currently constructed, I don't think they can win the AL Central mainly due to the inconsistent bullpen and Jeremy Sowers pitching every fifth day. If I were a betting man, I would wager the CC is an Indian for the rest of the season, due to the fact 2 1st rounders may be more valuable than medium grade prospects and Mark Shapiro relationship with Sabathia. They are very close and I believe Mark may still feel he has a chance to resign him (a pipe dream at best.)

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 3-12 3 HR's 4 RBI's. Grady is second in the A.L. with 17 homeruns. He is just mashing right now, but I would keep him in the leadoff spot because, well he likes hitting there. Why mess with a good thing?

Jamey Carroll: 5-12. Scrappy Doo is a solid utility guy, I will have to admit. Now I wouldn't keep him as out starting 2nd Baseman for more than a month, but he is playing extremely well.

Shin Soo Choo: 3-10, 3 RBI's. I like Choo as a platoon option in right and DH. He drives the ball pretty wll and has a good approach. I don't think he will ever be an everyday guy, but a very useful 4th outfielder on a contending club.

CC Sabathia: 8 IP, 3 earned runs, 10 K's. The hefty lefty pitched another gem. Every time out he has been outstanding, increasing his trade and free agent value along the way.

Areas of Concern:

Jeremy Sowers: 4 1/3 IP, 9 Hits, 4 earned runs. Now I know he had to sit for like 3 hours during Friday's rain delay, but don't you just have the feeling he is nothing better than an average 5th starter? He is a guy who relies on hitting spots, so when he doesn't, he immediately becomes batting practice. Looking forward to Fausto coming back sooner rather than later.

Edward Mujica: 1 IP, 3 hits, 2 Walks, 5 earned runs. He just plain sucks, always has, always will.

Ben Francisco's Defense: He looked like he was getting better in spring training but he has seemed to regress. He is adequate at best in left, and a total nightmare in right. He sure can mash, though.

Jhonny Peralta's eye commercials: No one will go and get Laser eye suregery at the Cole eye institute of the Cleveland Clinic off of Mr. Peralta's recommendation. He claims he see better than 20/20 now. I would prefer him batting better than .220.

More interleague play for the Tribe as we get to watch Paul Byrd bat tonight! Woo Hoo! He takes on Colorado Rockies' ace Scott Reynolds. At least Scott believes he is an ace.

Tribe Wins Series, Dodge Beanballs

The Indians finally won a 3 game series, beating the Minnesota Twins yesterday 12-2. It was their first since mid-May. Two outstanding pitching performances led to victories, along with an offensive explosion Thursday. Manager Eric Wedge showed some vigor as he exchanged multiple profanities with Twins manager Ron Gardenhire after Andy Marte was hit with a pitch, apparently in retaliation of Alexi Casilla being plunked the inning earlier, which was in retaliation of Jamey Carroll being plunked even earler. The next series with Minnesota will be more interesting than usual. With the rash of injuries plaguing the team, maybe they can come together and win a few. The White Sox were swept by the Tigers, so it shows you that this season is long from over. If I were to tell you names like Haad, Tyner, Elarton, Velandia, Mujica, Snyder, Aubrey, and Bauer would all be on this team before July, you would have probably laughed or punched me in the face. Although the batting order looks downright bleak at the moment, stranger things have happened. You figure some of the hitters are due. If the bullpen can straighten themselves out (they are due too), the Tribe could be .500 before the All-Star break! Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves.

Here were some of the Highlights:

CC Sabathia: 9 IP, 5 Hits, 0 earned runs, 5 K's. Who said we should trade CC? Continues to prove why he is on of the top pitchers in baseball. Need his consistency more than ever now with Westbrook and Carmona on the shelf

Grady Sizemore: 5-14, 2 HR's, 4 RBI. He is now the greatest threat in the Indians lineup. Can the team afford to keep in the leadoff spot? Time will tell.

Jamey Carroll: 8-9, 2 RBI. Continues to slap base hits around the yard, raised his batting average like 50 points in 2 days.

Areas of Concern:

Paul Byrd: 3 IP, 6 Hits, 5 earned runs, 0 k's. He got absolutely shelled. I sat behind home plate for his last start and the ball Jason Kubel hit for homerun was the loudest crack I have ever heard. It was like a firework going off. Paulie has been pitching good one game, bad the next for a lot of 2008.

Joe Borowski: 1 IP, 2 earned runs. He should really only pitch in save situations, this tends to happen often when Wedge brings him out when the team is losing.

Victor Martinez: Apparently Victor had a bum elbow to go along with his bum hamstring. Why the Indians insist to keep these things quiet is beyond me. If he is hurt, put him on the DL. He may have overcompensated for his early hamstring injury and put too much pressure on his elbows/arms when swinging. I understand he is a "gamer" but we have a capable backup (Shoppach). 80% of Victor as we apparently were watching for most of 2008 is not as good as 100% healthy Victor. Hopefully he will heal and be back sometime in August.

Interleague play starts up again as the San Diego Padres come to town for a three game series. Jody Gerut makes his triumphant return to the NorthCoast, so buy your tickets today!

Victor Martinez and Josh Barfield to DL: Yamid Haad and Jorge Veladia called up

Who in the heck are Yamid Haad and Jorge Velandia? This just goes to show how injuries can kill a team. Haad is 30 a career backup, and currently batting .159 in Buffalo and Veladia, a 33 year old career minor leaguer was picked up in April after the Toronto Blue Jays cut him. Jorge was batting a crisp .235. Victor may be out awhile, and Barfield just got some bad luck. I can't wait to watch the double play combo of Velandia to Carroll! Did 2007 really happen?

Down on the Farm Report: Chris Gimenez

Chris Gimenez has been one of the many shinning stars currently playing down I-77 for the Akron Aeros. This converted catcher is putting up huge offensive numbers, batting .309 (with an eye-popping .472 On Base Percentage), 4 Homeruns and 18 RBI in 46 games played. If he continues to get on base at his current pace, look to see him up at some point with the big club in 2009.

Gimenez was drafted in the 19th round of the 2004 Draft out of the University of Nevada, where he played all over the diamond. Indians Director of Player Development Ross Atkins has raved about this prospect, saying he is a natural leader who takes charge in the clubhouse. Atkins also stated that Chris is currently one of the most productive minor league bat in the system. At 6'2, 200 lbs, he is an extremely durable player who has been transitioning to the catching position pretty well.

The Akron starting staff has been up and down (with David Huff and Ryan Edell being the "up"), but the coaching staff has still allowed Gimenez to call 100% of his pitches. Roving catching instructor Tim Laker has been working with him often, even utilizing a catching machine that delivers real live pitches (Fastballs, Curves, etc) as if it were a live game. Atkins stated that he still needs to be consistent throwing down to second in order to control the running game.

Chris Gimenez has raked at every minor league level. Through 2007 (387 games), he has amassed 60 HR's and compiled a .374 OBP. With Victor Martinez possibly eventually being moved over to first, I believe Gimenez may be a guy who may not be the best defensive catcher, but provide a bat this team and system is in dire need of.

Note* The majority of this articles' information was researched from Cleveland Indians Minor League Insider, and you can find even more about Gimenez here.

Tribe Splits with Tigers

You win one, you lose one. That has been the theme of the Tribe for about one month. The Indians latest series split with the Tigers was nothing spectacular, just the same old story that has been told all season long. Spotty hitting and a shotty bullpen has been popping up all year long. The total self-destruction of Dontrelle Willis also aided in the series split, as he was downright horrible Monday. The Tribe again attempts to win its second game in a row since May 15th.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Ryan Garko: 3-12, 2 HR, 7 RBI. At least someone in the order is driving in some runs finally.

Shin Soo Choo: 3-7. I like his bat, his defense is not too great. His best fit is as a platoon player.

Paul Byrd: 7 IP 4 Hits, 2 earned runs, 0 Walks, 2 K's. Paulie is a gamer.

Cliff Lee: 5 IP, 6 Hits, 2 earned runs, 2 Walks, 5 K's. Cliff is now 10-1 and one of the few bright spots on this team.

Franklin Gutierrez: Made an unbelievable catch on Sunday to save Betancourt from serving up yet another homerun. His defense is outstanding, but his bat seems to be just average.

Areas of Concern:

Rafael Betancourt: (Saturday) 1 IP, 4 earned runs, 1 Grand Slam. Killed the potential winning streak Saturday, I sure miss the 2007 version of Raffey. CONQUEST!!!

Ben Francisco: 1-14 4 K's. Benny cooled off considerably over the weekend, as did the rest of the offense. Has real trouble with the outside fastball. If he can start seeing and taking that pitch the other way, he could be even more dangerous.

Jeremy Sowers: 4 IP, 7 Hits, 5 earned runs, 2 Walks, 2 K's. Never had any flow to the game, his long 7 day layoff from his previous start in Buffalo may have got to him.

2008 Season: Slowly slipping away as the Indians are 8 1/2 games behind the Chicago White Sox.

The Minnesota Twins invade Progressive Field Tuesday as Scott Baker takes on CC Sabathia.

J-Barf all smiles while slumping Drubal sent down.

Josh Barfield was probably the happiest man in the Tribe dugout today as he finally is back with the big club after a little over two months in Triple A Buffalo. He didn't really improve on his problem areas (too many K's, not many walks) but Asdrubal Cabrera has been downright inept at the plate. Wedge loved having him on the roster with due to his superior glove, but his at bats were not improving. Hopefully Cabrera will be back soon as currently the only back-up for Peralta at shortstop is Jamey Carroll and that is not a good sign. With Andy Marte entrenched on the bench, we will see if J-Barf can finally develop into the talent the Indians brass projected him to be.

Sowers Called Up, Slocum sent down, Tribe loses again.

The Indians lost Sunday 5-2 to Detroit. As it stands today, they are currently 8 1/2 games out of first place and 7 games under .500. Barring a miraculous winning streak, the 2008 version of the Cleveland Indians looks about done. With all of their major extension signings on the DL (Westbrook, Carmona, Hafner), the starting staff looking vulnerable, the bullpen crapping the bed, and the offense mired in a season long slump sans one four-day stretch in Texas, it is becoming increasingly painful to watch them play day in and day out.

The papers today are pondering the question of whether or not to trade CC Sabathia. I say might as well, it would be better than letting him walk in 2009 and he has more value now than at the trading deadline (July 31st). I would consider hanging onto and then resigning Paul Byrd next year if he is looking for a modest 1 year deal with a club option (like $4-5 million per season). Although he does have the propensity to allow the big innings, the guy is a workhorse and really enjoys being an Indian. As a 5th starter I cannot think of better guy to have on this club.

The Indians future is still somewhat bright, but this is the time for GM Mark Shapiro to make some key decisions. His free agent track record has been sub par, so trades have been one of his only avenues of player acquisition success. We fans need something to talk about concerning the Tribe, or the next 2 months will be extra long until Training Camp begins for the Cleveland Browns.

Texas-Sized Split

Just when you think the Indians potentially may string together a few wins... they don't. While hitting in The Ballpark in Arlington is similar to hitting at Softball World, at least the offense got going a bit. I will give the rotation a pass for the past 4 games as it must be extremely difficult to pitch there, but the bullpen is an utter mess. 11 pitchers have been used in relief and a total of zero of them have been consistent. General Manager Mark Shapiro laments the fact that bullpens are volatile, and he has never been more correct. If the Tribe's relievers were even average, this team would be over .500 and probably tied for first place.

This team is now at a crossroads. There are 102 games left in the season, so I would say the next 20 games will tell the tale of how management proceeds the rest of the season. If they tank, I say deal CC Sabathia when you have a chance to get value for him. Now I realize that they probably won't deal CC since Carmona and Westbrook are on the DL, but might as well try and build for 2009 while maybe pulling together something for the rest of 2008. If the Tribe can string any type of winning streak together over 4 games, they are immediately back in the race. I personally don't feel to encouraged right now, and here is why:

• Victor is obviously hurt and not the same player. Just end his misery and place him on the DL.


• No meat in the middle of the order. Garko had a great series, but he is not a clean-up hitter. The Indians have no legitimate middle of the order hitters.


• Jhonny Peralta's inconsistency at the plate has been excruciating to watch. He flails away at the high fastball, waves at curveballs in the dirt, and has actually less range in the field than he did last year. I wrote back in early April that Jhonny was destined for a breakout year, boy was I wrong.


• Injuries to Carmona, Westbrook and the myth Adam Miller has quickly dwindled the teams pitching depth. One more injury to the starting staff and guys like Jeff Harris and Matt Ginter are in discussions about starting. EESSHH.


• Travis Hafner is also on the DL and hopefully he is searching for his stroke because it is gone. Along with Sizemore and Martinez, he is vital to the success to this team. Without him performing at least average, the Tribe has struggled mightily.


• Guys like Blake/Dellucci/Carroll/Choo/Gutierrez/Cabrera have to over perform to make this team a contender, and they have not. This team lacks punch, and besides a few great single game feats of strengths, these guys have all collectively been well below mediocre.


• The Bullpen as I stated before is awful. Nothing deflates a team more than the blown save, and this squad, (especially Betancourt) has blown a bunch. Names such as Bauer, Mujica, Elarton, and Slocum do not strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters, (all of which are actually sitting out in the pen). The Wahoos will not go anywhere this season without a decent bullpen, and that is looking less likely game by game.

The team did hit the past four days sans a 15 batter stretch Thursday. No lead is safe in that park, so with the Rangers pitching looking pretty terrible, I assume they will not be a contender in the AL West.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Ryan Garko: 11-20, 6 runs, 7 RBI's. The singles machine sure got some confidence back over the past 4 days. If he can consistently bat around .300 it will help this team immensely.

Ben Francisco: 9-20 HR, 5 RBI. One of the few consistent hitters on this team. Had some pretty bad at bats Thursday, but everyone is entitled to bad days. Will play everyday in this lineup as long as he continues to hit.

Casey Blake: 6-18, 2 HR 8 RBI's (7 in one game). Casey had a great Tuesday, would love to see him in a super sub roll instead of an everyday player.

David Dellucci: 6-10, 2 HR, 7 RBI's. Double D raked in his former ballpark, which was nice.

Areas of Concern:

Victor Martinez: 4-15, 5 RBI's. Drove in some runs, looks uncomfortable at the plate. I would stick him on the DL, looks like Victor will continue to "grind."

CC Sabathia: 6 IP, 4 earned runs, 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 K's. CC pitched ok but seemed to lose his composure after infield hits and defensive misplays (Choo). Needs to work through these situations and lose his cool.

Rafael Betancourt: (Thursday Game): 2/3 IP 2 hits. 2 walks, 3 earned runs. Has been up and down (mostly down) all year. Apparently he almost went on the DL a few days ago, might be there soon. Mr. Conquest was a main key to this team last year, and his terrible pitching this year is killing them.

Tribe Decision Makers (Shapiro, Wedge, Willis) I understand that the team was in a bind Wednesday with Westbrook going on the DL, but how could they have not known of this potential issue beforehand? Having to start a reliever in a major league game is inexcusable. They basically threw away the game and chalked it up as a loss. The way the Indians have played in 2008, can they really afford to do this? Call up a guy in Akron or Kinston, someone who can pitch more than 2 innings. If it means you may lose an arbitration year or a crappy guy like Elarton, Mujica or Slocum off of the 40 man roster, than so be it. This is not 2007, every game counts now after the proverbial hole they have dug for themselves being 6 games below .500.

I am not ready to kick dirt on the 2008 Wahoos, but am really close. They can't gather any momentum and seem to just float on by series by series. Since sweeping Oakland on May 15th, the team has went 5-14. That just is not going to cut it, even in a division as bad as the AL Central this season. Expectations were huge going into this season, as many pundits (including myself) predicted a World Series appearance. I knew I shouldn't have done it, since the last time I predicted such success was 2006, when the team fell apart. I predicted a 3rd place finish in 2007 which was smart since I wanted to avoid my self-inflicted jinx. This blog and my prediction may have jinxed the 2008 Indians, but who believes in such things? Every time the Tribe has people expecting big things, they fall on their face. I am now predicting the 2009 Cleveland Indians will finish in last place with the worst record in baseball.

Indians Select Infielder Lonnie Chisenhall with First Round Selection

The Cleveland Indians just selected with the 29th overall pick in the 2008 MLB Draft shortstop/third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall Pitt Comunity College in North Carolina. Only 19, this left handed hitter projects to be a corner outfielder in the majors who has a crisp line drive swing with potential power. He was arrested as a freshman at the University of South Carolina on charges of burglary and grand larceny and was subsequently kicked off of the team. The Indians front office is very thorough in their background checks of players, so they must feel confident that Chisenall's past digressions are now behind him. With the lack of high ceiling position players in the minors, the Tribe was almost forced to go with a bat with this selection. Baseball America ranks him as the 74th top prospect so Shapiro and Company may be reaching here a bit. Minor League Baseball has an excellent write-up on him here, and also check out Cleveland Indians Minor League Insider with up to the minute draft news.

Breaking Blockbuster News: Mastny and Lewis sent down, Brian Slocum and Rick Bauer called up.

Can you believe it? I sure can't. In a move that is sure to change the Indians fortunes, Tom Mastny and Jensen Lewis were sent to Triple A. You cannot really blame Mastny for his performance Tuesday, but he was really, really bad. Lewis was more of an emergency call up as the front office still wants him to sort out his velocity issues. Rick "Jack" Bauer was called up and his minor league stats are impressive (1.55 era, 15 saves). Hopefully it will translate to the majors. Brian Slocum on the other hand has been getting pounded down in Sabres country, posting a 5.44 era in starting duty. Apparently that performances warranted a call up. Slocum is also apparently the clubs barber in Spring Training, so I guess with the way the economy is today, a player with multiple skills is a plus. Either one of these guys (or possibly Elarton or Mujica) will be sent down Sunday when Jeremy Sowers is called up to start. One of the strengths I felt going into 2008 was the bullpen. Boy was I wrong. Watching the army of arms toting the rubber last night gave me flashbacks of Mark Wohlers and Jose Jimenez, which is never a good thing. And by the way, Edward Mujica is horrible. Also, pictured to the right is Brian Slocum, I had no idea what he looked like so here he is!

Westbrook to DL again, Lewis back up, Mastny to start tonight

Jake Westbrook is being placed on the 15 day DL for the second time this year tomorrow with elbow issues. Jensen Lewis has been recalled, and Tom Mastny will start tonight in Texas. With the Rangers starting a minor league pitcher due to Vincente Padillas' family issues and the Tribe going with the pen, the score may resemble a beer league softball game. That puts three key guys on the Disabled List (Carmona, Hafner, Westbrook), and another hobbled (Martinez). They won yesterday, so let's make it two in a row for the first time in three weeks!

Mastny up, Aubrey down.

Tom Mastny has been recalled by the Cleveland Indians, and First Baseman Michael Aubrey has been sent to Buffalo. I understand sending Aubrey down because he has struggled for a week (along with the rest of the team), but bringing up a pitcher? I guess it really does not matter, but carrying 12 pitchers on a team who can't hit is kind of ridiculous. Another blockbuter move by the Wahoos.

Royal Rubbish

The Cleveland Indians have lost their fifth series in a row Sunday by losing to the hapless Kansas City Royals Sunday 6-1. Paul Byrd pitched terrible, the team continues not to hit, and the Tribe is barely even watchable. Apparently Manager Eric Wedge believes this team is close to coming out of it, but I have no idea how that is possible. The middle of the lineup looks pathetic, and the team collectively looks like they are going through the motions. Will they make a trade? Probably not until July, and unfortunately that will probably to dump CC. I predicted a successful May for the Indians, and I was way off. Oh well, better to be an optimist.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 3 Homeruns, drove in 4 of the 8 runners who scored over the weekend. He single-handedly won the game Friday with his 2 homeruns and amazing catch to end the game. Only player on the team that strikes any fear within the lineup.

Areas of Concern:

Starting Pitching: Was less than stellar over the weekend. If they struggle at all, more losses will occur due to the utter crappiness of the hitting.

Hitting: What can possibly be said that hasn't been rehashed? They suck.

Victor Martinez: Wedge said yesterday that Martinez is still nursing a sore hamstring for TWO MONTHS! Great job by the Indians brass covering up these injuries, we could never figure it out. The guy has 0 homeruns and bats cleanup. Stick him on the DL so we don't have to watch him struggle anymore.

Cleveland travels to Arlington today to take on the Texas Rangers for 4 games. Aaron Laffey takes on Vincente Padilla. The beat goes on.

Pronk to DL, Choo to the Rescue

Friday the Indians placed Designated Hitter Travis Hafner on the 15 day DL with a shoulder injury. Hafner should be out for at least a month due to interleague play coming up in the middle of the month. This is the best case scenario for Hafner, as he has struggled all year. Hopefully he can heal and straighten out these massive batting struggles. Shin Soo Choo is back, and will be added to the various platoons going on throughout the lineup. We will get to see what type of hitter he is as he will be used 3 or 4 times a week. With Victor Martinez continuing his own personal power outage, the middle of the lineup looks bleak. Still the team is only 5 games out, so who knows.

Tales from the Teepee Volume 8: Alex Cole

With the Cleveland Indians of 2008 in desperate need of a true leadoff hitter, (Grady should be batting third), we decided to go back 18 years and look at who the Tribe felt would be their leadoff hitter for the next decade.

The year was 1990, and the John McNamara led Cleveland Indians were in need of a spark. Hank Peters had noticed that the St. Louis Cardinals possessed a slick fielding speedy outfielder who sported motorcycle goggles. With Mitch Webster not exactly tearing the cover off of the ball, the Indians went ahead and traded catching prospect Tom Lampkin for Centerfielder Alex Cole.

When Cole arrived in Cleveland, he was immediately put into the leadoff spot during a double header against the New York Yankees on July 27th. He went a combined 3-8 and stole his first base off of pitcher Jeff Robinson. That was the first of 40 stolen bases he would accrue over the next 63 games, a staggering feat. Just one week later he would set a Major League record by stealing 5 bases against the lollypop arm of Kansas City Royals catcher Mike MacFarlane. He ended the season batting .300 and driving in 13 runs. As an 11 year old back then, he instantly became my favorite player and I waited over 2 hours to get his autograph at a local baseball card shop that summer.

The Front Office was so excited about this projected future phenom patrolling center field for years to come they immediately moved back and increased the height of the center field wall in old Cleveland Municipal Stadium for the 1991 season. This was done to apparently maximize Cole's range and potential gap hit opportunities. Alex Cole was subsequently caught stealing 17 times that year and never showed his gold glove potential. The wall experiment didn't work as the Indians finished a dismal 57-105 and John McNamara was fired in the middle of the season. Murray Chass wrote about Cole's struggles in the New York Times on July 28, 1991. Here is what he said;

Alex Cole of Cleveland has posed this season's greatest stolen-base puzzle. As a rookie last season, starting a year ago yesterday, he had 40 stolen bases in 49 attempts in only 63 games. This season, he got his 12th stolen base last Thursday night in his 64th game, and he has been thrown out 12 times.

Ironically, Cole's performance in 1990 was pivotal in prompting the power-poor Indians to move back the Cleveland Stadium fences. They figured they would win with speed, primarily Cole's.

"I think it goes back to spring training when Alex fell coming out of the batter's box and dislocated his shoulder," Mike Hargrove, the Indians' manager, said, trying to explain the outfielder's enigmatic effort. "He's been tentative as a baserunner since. He's been hesitant about sliding headfirst, especially going back into first base. It's made him more cautious. He's not aggressive, and he doesn't get a good jump like he did."

Cole, Hargrove added, has played "like he doesn't want to make a mistake" and that, too, has made him cautious. "We did some things to calm his fears," the manager said. "We said if we make mistakes on bases, do it on the base ahead and not on the base behind. Go out and put pressure on the other team. We've let him know that no one's going to shoot him for being thrown out. No one's ever given him that idea. It's just a perceived notion of his that he's under pressure not to make mistakes."

Even though he has tried to steal only 24 times, Cole ranks second in the American League in number of times caught.

It was the beginning of the end for Alex Cole in a Tribe uniform, as he was traded on July 4th, 1992 to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor leaguer Tony Mitchell to give way to former University of Arizona point guard Kenny Lofton. Cole bounced around the majors the next 4 1/2 years with the Pirates, expansion Rockies, Twins and Red Sox. He was out of the league after the 1996, while bouncing around the minors a few years after that. Unfortunately this is not where the Alex Cole story ends.

In 2002 he plead guilty to possession with the intent to distribute heroin and served 18 months in jail. Four years later, a judgment in excess of $30,000.00 was entered against him for running up credit card bills under a friend's name and then not repaying them (i.e. stealing money).

I prefer to remember Alex Cole as I did 18 years ago, as a speedy centerfielder with the cool goggles. There wasn't much to root for with the Wahoos back then, and he provided hope for a prosperous future. Hopefully the current Indians regime can find a spark plug that they can stick at the top of the order to set the table so we don't have to suffer through anymore disappointing summers.