Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
What can we learn from the Indians’ loss in the American League Championship Series?
Just this: if you have two aces on your pitching staff, they better pitch like aces in the postseason.
The Indians’ two aces, C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona were Cy Young Award-caliber pitchers in the regular season, but they were no-shows in the ALCS.
Sabathia and Carmona combined to start four games in the ALCS. The Indians didn’t win any of them. Given that, it’s amazing that the Indians even managed to reach a seventh game.
The Indians got zero wins from their two aces, and a dismal showing by their No.3 hitter Travis Hafner. Those are a lot of things going wrong for a team trying to win a series against an opponent as good as Boston.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Carmona
Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
Well, the question now becomes, much as it did with C.C. Sabathia, what in the world has happened to Fausto Carmona?
How could a pitcher who won 19 games in the regular season, a pitcher who figures to get lots of Cy Young Award votes, a pitcher who is acclaimed league-wide as being, even at this young age, one of the best in the business, how could a pitcher like that pitch this poorly in the postseason?
Carmona only lasted two innings in Game 6 Saturday night. He threw 36 pitches in the first inning and 63 in two innings. After loading the bases in the first inning with no outs, he got the next two batters and it appeared as though he was going to pull off a miraculous escape act.
But then he left a pitch over the center of the plate, and J.D. Drew, the Boston hitter who already has gained a reputation as the worst clutch hitter on the team, pounded it over the wall in center field for a grand slam that not only changed the game, but basically ended it.
Carmona did have that one spectacular start against the Yankees in the bug game at Jacobs Field. But in his two starts against Boston Carmona has awful.
I’m no pitching coach, but to me he looks like a pitcher who seems intimidated by his first trip into the postseason. In particular Carmona seems unable to handle the atmosphere in Fenway Park, which can be one of the most intimidating places to play in the major leagues.
Remember, his outstanding start against the Yankees came at Jacobs Field. His two starts vs. the Red Sox both came at Fenway Park. Fenway Park is also where Carmona suffered two of his three meltdowns as a closer last year, giving up two walkoff hits in a couple of spectacular blown saves.
It looks to me like Carmona is having trouble handling not just the pressure of the postseason, but the pressure of facing a very good Boston lineup in a very difficult ballpark in which to pitch.
Maybe a year from now, if the Indians make it back to the postseason, Carmona’s experience in the playoffs this year will help him. But that hasn’t helped any this year. And if the Indians lose Game 7 in the ALCS to Boston tonight it won’t be because of anything that happens in that particular game.
It will be because the Indians started Carmona and C.C. Sabathia in Games 1, 2, 5 and 6 _ and they didn’t win any of them. Had they just won one of those four games started by their two aces, there never would have been a seventh game.
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
Well, the question now becomes, much as it did with C.C. Sabathia, what in the world has happened to Fausto Carmona?
How could a pitcher who won 19 games in the regular season, a pitcher who figures to get lots of Cy Young Award votes, a pitcher who is acclaimed league-wide as being, even at this young age, one of the best in the business, how could a pitcher like that pitch this poorly in the postseason?
Carmona only lasted two innings in Game 6 Saturday night. He threw 36 pitches in the first inning and 63 in two innings. After loading the bases in the first inning with no outs, he got the next two batters and it appeared as though he was going to pull off a miraculous escape act.
But then he left a pitch over the center of the plate, and J.D. Drew, the Boston hitter who already has gained a reputation as the worst clutch hitter on the team, pounded it over the wall in center field for a grand slam that not only changed the game, but basically ended it.
Carmona did have that one spectacular start against the Yankees in the bug game at Jacobs Field. But in his two starts against Boston Carmona has awful.
I’m no pitching coach, but to me he looks like a pitcher who seems intimidated by his first trip into the postseason. In particular Carmona seems unable to handle the atmosphere in Fenway Park, which can be one of the most intimidating places to play in the major leagues.
Remember, his outstanding start against the Yankees came at Jacobs Field. His two starts vs. the Red Sox both came at Fenway Park. Fenway Park is also where Carmona suffered two of his three meltdowns as a closer last year, giving up two walkoff hits in a couple of spectacular blown saves.
It looks to me like Carmona is having trouble handling not just the pressure of the postseason, but the pressure of facing a very good Boston lineup in a very difficult ballpark in which to pitch.
Maybe a year from now, if the Indians make it back to the postseason, Carmona’s experience in the playoffs this year will help him. But that hasn’t helped any this year. And if the Indians lose Game 7 in the ALCS to Boston tonight it won’t be because of anything that happens in that particular game.
It will be because the Indians started Carmona and C.C. Sabathia in Games 1, 2, 5 and 6 _ and they didn’t win any of them. Had they just won one of those four games started by their two aces, there never would have been a seventh game.
Friday, October 19, 2007
C.C.'s problems
So what are we to make of C.C. Sabathia’s three-start whiff in the postseason? There are lots of theories, but the one I’m sticking with is this:
He’s out of gas.
Sabathia’s workload has finally caught up with him.
After throwing a major league-high 241 innings in the regular season Sabathia has pitched 15 more in the postseason, hiking his season total to 256. That’s almost 50 more innings than Sabathia’s previous career high.
Throw in about 30 more innings in spring training, and the Indians’ No.1 starter is at 286 innings. That’s a lot of wear and tear on one arm, even if it is attached to a body as big and durable as Sabathia’s.
And all that mileage seems to be taking its toll in the postseason. After averaging seven innings per start in the regular season Sabathia has averaged just five innings in his three postseason starts.
There hasn’t been much dropoff in his velocity, but there has been a dramatic dropoff in his ability to control and command his pitches. In those 15 postseason innings Sabathia has walked 13 batters, after only walking 37 batters in his 34 regular season starts.
Sabathia looks like a pitcher who has hit the wall this season. So even if the Indians advance to the World Series, there are no guarantees about how effective Sabathia would be if they get there.
He’s out of gas.
Sabathia’s workload has finally caught up with him.
After throwing a major league-high 241 innings in the regular season Sabathia has pitched 15 more in the postseason, hiking his season total to 256. That’s almost 50 more innings than Sabathia’s previous career high.
Throw in about 30 more innings in spring training, and the Indians’ No.1 starter is at 286 innings. That’s a lot of wear and tear on one arm, even if it is attached to a body as big and durable as Sabathia’s.
And all that mileage seems to be taking its toll in the postseason. After averaging seven innings per start in the regular season Sabathia has averaged just five innings in his three postseason starts.
There hasn’t been much dropoff in his velocity, but there has been a dramatic dropoff in his ability to control and command his pitches. In those 15 postseason innings Sabathia has walked 13 batters, after only walking 37 batters in his 34 regular season starts.
Sabathia looks like a pitcher who has hit the wall this season. So even if the Indians advance to the World Series, there are no guarantees about how effective Sabathia would be if they get there.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
A "slice'' of heaven
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
DISPATCH FROM THE STREETS AROUND JACOBS FIELD, THURSDAY, GAME 5
The sidewalks on both sides of East 9th Street between Prospect Ave. and the ballpark are packed tonight.
Jam-packed.
People are eating, drinking, smiling, hanging out, talking about the Indians.
Bars and restaurants are operating at full capacity and beyond.
No pretense of precision here, but 75 percent of the thousands of the men, women and children I've seen in the last 20 minutes are wearing Tribe gear.
Every once in a while, someone in Red Sox garb joins the passing parade. So far, I haven't heard one derogatory comment directed at a Boston fan.
It's a beautiful, summer-like night, and the lack of venom is a beautiful thing.
Just outside of the ballpark, I run smack dab into Bernard Lechowick and his son, Vince. Bernie is a successful writer and producer of TV shows. He also teaches screenwriting at University of Southern California. Vince is a college student.
Although he's lived in Los Angeles for many years, Bernie grew up in Mentor and still thinks of himself as a Clevelander. He's also a big Tribe fan.
That's why he spent a nice chunk of change to buy four Game 5 field-box tickets from a broker. He and Vince flew in from L.A. yesterday.
Seen those clever commercials for a popular credit card?
Here's one for Bernie: "Two round-trip airline tickets and two nights in a nice hotel, big bucks. Four great tickets to ALCS Game 5, REALLY big bucks. Chance to do the full Cleveland with my kid, priceless.''
Bernie and Vince were making their way to the ballpark with Norman and Laura Aladjem, Cleveland-area natives who also have live in L.A. Norman is an agent representing Bernie and his wife, Lynn Marie Latham, executive producer and lead writer for "The Young and the Restless.''
Tribe fans from near and far are mixing with Red Sox fans, and it's all good.
This is the dynamic brought to downtown Cleveland by baseball in October.
When the vibe is right and big games are being played at Jacobs Field, downtown is alive again. It's the place to be and be seen.
Vincenza Turchi is smiling from ear to ear at Vincenza's Pizza and Pasta, the restaurant she owns and operates with her sons, Anthony and Nick.
The family-style place, at the Prospect Avenue end of the Colonial Arcade, bears her name and the feeling of a "pizza-by-the-slice'' emporium in New York City.
No surprise there, as Vincenza and her late husband, Dominic, came to Cleveland some 40 years ago from Brooklyn.
Folks are lined up to buy a tempting array of pizza, pasta, calzones, subs and salads. The service is fast and friendly, the food is great and the prices are outstanding.
"This place is buzzing,'' one guy says to his buddy when they come inside just after 7 o'clock.
Vincenza overhears the comment. Again, she's smiling.
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
DISPATCH FROM THE STREETS AROUND JACOBS FIELD, THURSDAY, GAME 5
The sidewalks on both sides of East 9th Street between Prospect Ave. and the ballpark are packed tonight.
Jam-packed.
People are eating, drinking, smiling, hanging out, talking about the Indians.
Bars and restaurants are operating at full capacity and beyond.
No pretense of precision here, but 75 percent of the thousands of the men, women and children I've seen in the last 20 minutes are wearing Tribe gear.
Every once in a while, someone in Red Sox garb joins the passing parade. So far, I haven't heard one derogatory comment directed at a Boston fan.
It's a beautiful, summer-like night, and the lack of venom is a beautiful thing.
Just outside of the ballpark, I run smack dab into Bernard Lechowick and his son, Vince. Bernie is a successful writer and producer of TV shows. He also teaches screenwriting at University of Southern California. Vince is a college student.
Although he's lived in Los Angeles for many years, Bernie grew up in Mentor and still thinks of himself as a Clevelander. He's also a big Tribe fan.
That's why he spent a nice chunk of change to buy four Game 5 field-box tickets from a broker. He and Vince flew in from L.A. yesterday.
Seen those clever commercials for a popular credit card?
Here's one for Bernie: "Two round-trip airline tickets and two nights in a nice hotel, big bucks. Four great tickets to ALCS Game 5, REALLY big bucks. Chance to do the full Cleveland with my kid, priceless.''
Bernie and Vince were making their way to the ballpark with Norman and Laura Aladjem, Cleveland-area natives who also have live in L.A. Norman is an agent representing Bernie and his wife, Lynn Marie Latham, executive producer and lead writer for "The Young and the Restless.''
Tribe fans from near and far are mixing with Red Sox fans, and it's all good.
This is the dynamic brought to downtown Cleveland by baseball in October.
When the vibe is right and big games are being played at Jacobs Field, downtown is alive again. It's the place to be and be seen.
Vincenza Turchi is smiling from ear to ear at Vincenza's Pizza and Pasta, the restaurant she owns and operates with her sons, Anthony and Nick.
The family-style place, at the Prospect Avenue end of the Colonial Arcade, bears her name and the feeling of a "pizza-by-the-slice'' emporium in New York City.
No surprise there, as Vincenza and her late husband, Dominic, came to Cleveland some 40 years ago from Brooklyn.
Folks are lined up to buy a tempting array of pizza, pasta, calzones, subs and salads. The service is fast and friendly, the food is great and the prices are outstanding.
"This place is buzzing,'' one guy says to his buddy when they come inside just after 7 o'clock.
Vincenza overhears the comment. Again, she's smiling.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Belly of the beast
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
During this AL Championship series, some players on the Indians have expressed wonder at the size of the media contingent streaming into their clubhouse before and after games.
Third baseman Casey Blake was smiling and shaking his head yesterday when, before an off-day workout, he was encircled by at least 20 media types wielding notepads, tape recorders, microphones and TV cameras.
No offense meant to the always accomodating Blake and his equally media-friendly teammmates, but they've had it easy compared to the guys quartered on the opposite side of the lower level in the visitors clubhouse at Jacobs Field.
Let me set the scene as I witnessed it yesterday.
Just before the 1:15 p.m. opening of the Boston clubhouse, I counted 86 people with media badges waiting to get inside. At least 15 of the properly credentialed had TV cameras perched on their shoulders.
When the doors swung open, the media mass moved as one into the main clubhouse. My eyeball's guess is that the room measures 60 feet by 25 feet. Comfortable, to be sure, but maybe half the size of the home team's digs.
The majority of the media types were from newspapers, radio stations and TV stations in New England that regularly cover the Red Sox. Plenty of big-city newspapers had reporters in the room, too, as did ESPN, Fox Sports and a bunch of sports dot.coms a la mlb.com and espn.com.
Once inside, the wait was on for individual Red Sox players to appear at their assigned dressing stalls and signal a willingness to talk.
When one of Boston's big-name players did so, the rapid movement of media types toward interviewee was analagous to antibodies surrounding and enveloping rogue cells in the bloodstream.
The media crowd fanned out six-deep around Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek in a half-circle. If you were in the first couple of rows, no problem. From the third row back, it was lean in and hope to catch bits of the conversation with scribbled notes or a tape recorder.
Varitek, in his 10th season with the Red Sox, was in complete command of the situation. He knows the drill - TV videographers roll in with the first wave, get what they need in five or so minutes and then step back to allow print and radio reporters to move in and do their thing.
The scene was repeated in front of the stalls of two other media-savvy veterans, first baseman Kevin Youklis and Mike Lowell.
This reporter staked out his turf in the first row of the scrum around Lowell. It proved to be a mixed blessing, as prime access came at the price of having to make like a wall as multiple layers of men and women leaned in to get within earshot of Lowell.
(Memo to self: All the squat thrusts you did this summer just paid a dividend.)
Then came the day's biggest and most pleasant surprise.
Amiable but enigmatic Boston slugger Manny Ramirez, who started his career with the Indians, decided to hold court for only the second time in two years.
That's the good news. The great news was Ramirez was stationed two stalls down from Lowell. All I had to do was pivot slightly to the left to be in the second row for "Manny being Manny.''
The normally media-shy Ramirez stole the show, holding forth on topics ranging from his latest return visit to Jacobs Field, post-home run antics and his team dangling on the edge of postseason oblivion.
"Alright everybody, it's time for the 2 o'clock workout. Let the players do their work,'' said a team official.
With that, the interview session ended and the media types slowly filed out of the clubhouse.
It was just another moment in another October day in Red Sox Nation, where baseball long ago ceased being a pastime and became an obsession.
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
During this AL Championship series, some players on the Indians have expressed wonder at the size of the media contingent streaming into their clubhouse before and after games.
Third baseman Casey Blake was smiling and shaking his head yesterday when, before an off-day workout, he was encircled by at least 20 media types wielding notepads, tape recorders, microphones and TV cameras.
No offense meant to the always accomodating Blake and his equally media-friendly teammmates, but they've had it easy compared to the guys quartered on the opposite side of the lower level in the visitors clubhouse at Jacobs Field.
Let me set the scene as I witnessed it yesterday.
Just before the 1:15 p.m. opening of the Boston clubhouse, I counted 86 people with media badges waiting to get inside. At least 15 of the properly credentialed had TV cameras perched on their shoulders.
When the doors swung open, the media mass moved as one into the main clubhouse. My eyeball's guess is that the room measures 60 feet by 25 feet. Comfortable, to be sure, but maybe half the size of the home team's digs.
The majority of the media types were from newspapers, radio stations and TV stations in New England that regularly cover the Red Sox. Plenty of big-city newspapers had reporters in the room, too, as did ESPN, Fox Sports and a bunch of sports dot.coms a la mlb.com and espn.com.
Once inside, the wait was on for individual Red Sox players to appear at their assigned dressing stalls and signal a willingness to talk.
When one of Boston's big-name players did so, the rapid movement of media types toward interviewee was analagous to antibodies surrounding and enveloping rogue cells in the bloodstream.
The media crowd fanned out six-deep around Red Sox catcher and captain Jason Varitek in a half-circle. If you were in the first couple of rows, no problem. From the third row back, it was lean in and hope to catch bits of the conversation with scribbled notes or a tape recorder.
Varitek, in his 10th season with the Red Sox, was in complete command of the situation. He knows the drill - TV videographers roll in with the first wave, get what they need in five or so minutes and then step back to allow print and radio reporters to move in and do their thing.
The scene was repeated in front of the stalls of two other media-savvy veterans, first baseman Kevin Youklis and Mike Lowell.
This reporter staked out his turf in the first row of the scrum around Lowell. It proved to be a mixed blessing, as prime access came at the price of having to make like a wall as multiple layers of men and women leaned in to get within earshot of Lowell.
(Memo to self: All the squat thrusts you did this summer just paid a dividend.)
Then came the day's biggest and most pleasant surprise.
Amiable but enigmatic Boston slugger Manny Ramirez, who started his career with the Indians, decided to hold court for only the second time in two years.
That's the good news. The great news was Ramirez was stationed two stalls down from Lowell. All I had to do was pivot slightly to the left to be in the second row for "Manny being Manny.''
The normally media-shy Ramirez stole the show, holding forth on topics ranging from his latest return visit to Jacobs Field, post-home run antics and his team dangling on the edge of postseason oblivion.
"Alright everybody, it's time for the 2 o'clock workout. Let the players do their work,'' said a team official.
With that, the interview session ended and the media types slowly filed out of the clubhouse.
It was just another moment in another October day in Red Sox Nation, where baseball long ago ceased being a pastime and became an obsession.
Proud teacher, star pupil
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
It's great talking baseball with Lee May Jr.
May just finished his fourth year as a coach or manager in the Indians' minor-league organization. This season, he was hitting coach for the Class AA Akron Aeros.
In 2006, the 39-year-old son of former major-league standout Lee May managed the Lake County Captains, the full-season Class A team I've been covering as beat reporter for five years.
The younger May is a baseball guy by choice and by birth. He was the first-round draft choice of the New York Mets in 1986 out of high school in his native Cincinnati.
Although he never made it to the big leagues as a player, May now is helping some of the most talented prospects in the Tribe's farm system hone their skills.
One of those prospects, 21-year-old middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, started the 2007 season at Akron. May worked with Cabrera on driving the ball more consistently.
Cabrera was promoted to Class AAA Buffalo on July 30 and to the Indians on Aug. 7. Tribe manager Eric Wedge quickly made Cabrera his starting second baseman and No. 2 hitter.
May was in town this week along with many other Tribe minor-league managers and coaches to watch Games 3 and 4 against Boston in the AL Championship Series.
I ran into May both nights at post-game receptions at Jacobs Field. He is pumped about the way the Indians have played in beating the Yankees in AL Division Series and staking themselves to a 3-1 lead over Boston in the best-of-seven ALCS.
"The Indians are doing so many things well right now,'' May said. "They're getting contributions from everybody in the batting order. The pitching and defense have been great, too.''
May is proud of the way Cabrera emerged as a key contributor in the Indians' exciting run to the brink of the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1997.
"As a coach or manager in the minor leagues, there's nothing more satisfying then seeing guys you worked with get to the big leagues and make an impact,'' May said.
If at all possible, May said he'll be back Thursday to take in Game 5 at Jacobs Field.
"I'd love to see these guys finish the job against Boston at home and get to the World Series,'' May said.
So would Tribe fans everywhere.
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
It's great talking baseball with Lee May Jr.
May just finished his fourth year as a coach or manager in the Indians' minor-league organization. This season, he was hitting coach for the Class AA Akron Aeros.
In 2006, the 39-year-old son of former major-league standout Lee May managed the Lake County Captains, the full-season Class A team I've been covering as beat reporter for five years.
The younger May is a baseball guy by choice and by birth. He was the first-round draft choice of the New York Mets in 1986 out of high school in his native Cincinnati.
Although he never made it to the big leagues as a player, May now is helping some of the most talented prospects in the Tribe's farm system hone their skills.
One of those prospects, 21-year-old middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera, started the 2007 season at Akron. May worked with Cabrera on driving the ball more consistently.
Cabrera was promoted to Class AAA Buffalo on July 30 and to the Indians on Aug. 7. Tribe manager Eric Wedge quickly made Cabrera his starting second baseman and No. 2 hitter.
May was in town this week along with many other Tribe minor-league managers and coaches to watch Games 3 and 4 against Boston in the AL Championship Series.
I ran into May both nights at post-game receptions at Jacobs Field. He is pumped about the way the Indians have played in beating the Yankees in AL Division Series and staking themselves to a 3-1 lead over Boston in the best-of-seven ALCS.
"The Indians are doing so many things well right now,'' May said. "They're getting contributions from everybody in the batting order. The pitching and defense have been great, too.''
May is proud of the way Cabrera emerged as a key contributor in the Indians' exciting run to the brink of the franchise's first World Series appearance since 1997.
"As a coach or manager in the minor leagues, there's nothing more satisfying then seeing guys you worked with get to the big leagues and make an impact,'' May said.
If at all possible, May said he'll be back Thursday to take in Game 5 at Jacobs Field.
"I'd love to see these guys finish the job against Boston at home and get to the World Series,'' May said.
So would Tribe fans everywhere.
Monday, October 15, 2007
The "it'' factor
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
Indians closer Joe Borowski isn't quite sure when "it'' happened.
"It,'' Borowski explained after the Tribe's 4-2 victory Monday over Boston in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series, being the moment he and his teammates bought into the notion they were serious World Series contenders and not just pretenders.
"It was when we started to believe we belonged here and were here for a reason,'' Borowski said.
Probably, a combination of moments have carried the Indians to the brink of something big in this marathon of a season.
Maybe it was when the Indians shook off their August funk and stormed through September to claim their first AL Central title and playoff berth since 2001.
Maybe it was finishing the regular season with a 96-66 record, tied for tops in the big leagues with Boston.
Maybe it was when they powered past the bugs and the New York Yankees to win the AL Division Series in four games.
Maybe it was when, in the wee hours Sunday morning, they hung a 7-spot on the Red Sox in the top of the 11th inning to win Game 2 at Fenway Park.
Borowski said he's less concerned with pinpointing "it' than enjoying "it'' to the fullest.
Consider the reaction in the Indians bullpen Monday when starting pitcher and eventual winner Jake Westbrook used three inning-ending double plays to squelch promising Boston rallies.
"We're down there screaming and pumping our fists. It was great,'' Borowski said.
To be sure, the Indians have a lock on nothing right now beyond carrying a one-game lead into Game 4 tonight at Jacobs Field. This series could still turn Boston's way in a heartbeat.
But the more you watch Borowski and his teammates go about their business, the more they seem possessed of the "it'' that extends a season deep into October.
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
Indians closer Joe Borowski isn't quite sure when "it'' happened.
"It,'' Borowski explained after the Tribe's 4-2 victory Monday over Boston in Game 3 of the AL Championship Series, being the moment he and his teammates bought into the notion they were serious World Series contenders and not just pretenders.
"It was when we started to believe we belonged here and were here for a reason,'' Borowski said.
Probably, a combination of moments have carried the Indians to the brink of something big in this marathon of a season.
Maybe it was when the Indians shook off their August funk and stormed through September to claim their first AL Central title and playoff berth since 2001.
Maybe it was finishing the regular season with a 96-66 record, tied for tops in the big leagues with Boston.
Maybe it was when they powered past the bugs and the New York Yankees to win the AL Division Series in four games.
Maybe it was when, in the wee hours Sunday morning, they hung a 7-spot on the Red Sox in the top of the 11th inning to win Game 2 at Fenway Park.
Borowski said he's less concerned with pinpointing "it' than enjoying "it'' to the fullest.
Consider the reaction in the Indians bullpen Monday when starting pitcher and eventual winner Jake Westbrook used three inning-ending double plays to squelch promising Boston rallies.
"We're down there screaming and pumping our fists. It was great,'' Borowski said.
To be sure, the Indians have a lock on nothing right now beyond carrying a one-game lead into Game 4 tonight at Jacobs Field. This series could still turn Boston's way in a heartbeat.
But the more you watch Borowski and his teammates go about their business, the more they seem possessed of the "it'' that extends a season deep into October.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
The longest night
Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
So you say you want to be a baseball writer? Well, the baseball writers who were covering the Indians-Red Sox game Saturday night at Fenway Park were seriously questioning their choice of a profession at about 1 a.m.
See, there’s this thing in the newspaper business called a deadline. That’s the time by which you must get your story in so it can appear in all the papers.
Saturday night’s game was a baseball writer’s worst nightmare: an east coast game that went so long it ended on west coast time. Most of the reporters at the game missed at least some portion of their deadlines.
Let’s just say that when a game ends at 1:38 a.m. in the morning, the chance of you reading about it in your morning paper isn’t real good.
It reminded me of a game I covered in Oakland several years ago. There was a rain delay, and then the game went into extra innings. The game ended at something like 4 a.m. Cleveland time.
After the game, I sent my story to the paper, and called the office. The night watchman answered the phone and said there was nobody there. The papers had already been printed. Everyone had gone home.
To this day, I don’t think anyone east of the Mississippi knows what happened in that game.
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
So you say you want to be a baseball writer? Well, the baseball writers who were covering the Indians-Red Sox game Saturday night at Fenway Park were seriously questioning their choice of a profession at about 1 a.m.
See, there’s this thing in the newspaper business called a deadline. That’s the time by which you must get your story in so it can appear in all the papers.
Saturday night’s game was a baseball writer’s worst nightmare: an east coast game that went so long it ended on west coast time. Most of the reporters at the game missed at least some portion of their deadlines.
Let’s just say that when a game ends at 1:38 a.m. in the morning, the chance of you reading about it in your morning paper isn’t real good.
It reminded me of a game I covered in Oakland several years ago. There was a rain delay, and then the game went into extra innings. The game ended at something like 4 a.m. Cleveland time.
After the game, I sent my story to the paper, and called the office. The night watchman answered the phone and said there was nobody there. The papers had already been printed. Everyone had gone home.
To this day, I don’t think anyone east of the Mississippi knows what happened in that game.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Fenway
Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
First trips to Fenway Park can be memorable. It’s not often you get to visit a ballpark built in 1912, and still hosting major league games nearly 100 years later.
“I’ve always wanted to come here, and I finally made it,’’ said Channel 5 cameraman Tom Livingston. “When I walked through the gates I thought I’d hear the sound of trumpets and angels singing.’’
Fenway does have a different feel, a different, smell, a different sound than other major league parks. For all its character and charm, however, it’s not the greatest place in which to watch a game.
The seats are very close together, the aisles very narrow, and the concrete under the stands in the concourse is uneven and at times slippery.
But it is one of the only places you can go to watch a ballgame being played on the same field Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb played on, so there’s something to be said for that.
There’s another feature at Fenway that is very appealing. They play organ music there. A lot. This is just a personal opinion, but there isn’t enough organ music played in major league ballparks anymore.
In most parks the music is loud, short bursts of recorded music, sandwiched around all the mindless games and gimmicky promotions displayed on the Jumbotron.
Fenway Park doesn’t have a Jumbotron.
That’s another reason why Fenway is so nice to visit. It can be noisy, but the noise is generated by the baseball team, not the marketing department.
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
First trips to Fenway Park can be memorable. It’s not often you get to visit a ballpark built in 1912, and still hosting major league games nearly 100 years later.
“I’ve always wanted to come here, and I finally made it,’’ said Channel 5 cameraman Tom Livingston. “When I walked through the gates I thought I’d hear the sound of trumpets and angels singing.’’
Fenway does have a different feel, a different, smell, a different sound than other major league parks. For all its character and charm, however, it’s not the greatest place in which to watch a game.
The seats are very close together, the aisles very narrow, and the concrete under the stands in the concourse is uneven and at times slippery.
But it is one of the only places you can go to watch a ballgame being played on the same field Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb played on, so there’s something to be said for that.
There’s another feature at Fenway that is very appealing. They play organ music there. A lot. This is just a personal opinion, but there isn’t enough organ music played in major league ballparks anymore.
In most parks the music is loud, short bursts of recorded music, sandwiched around all the mindless games and gimmicky promotions displayed on the Jumbotron.
Fenway Park doesn’t have a Jumbotron.
That’s another reason why Fenway is so nice to visit. It can be noisy, but the noise is generated by the baseball team, not the marketing department.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Life in Boston
Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
It’s a small world. My cab driver in Boston Friday told me he was hoping the Phillies would have won the National League pennant _ naturally, the Red Sox will win the AL, because he said his wife is the aunt of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels.
That may have helped the cab driver to get a ticket to a World Series game, if it is, indeed, played in Boston. Because Boston is a bit pricy.
Another cab driver told me that the top priced ticket to Fenway Park for a game in the American League Championship Series was $2,900. I didn’t check that out, but I’m almost certain that’s wrong.
That price sounds like the price for one seat to ALL postseason home games at Fenway, although I could be wrong. Remember, we’re talking about a city that is charging $400-$500 per night for most downtown hotel rooms.
And that doesn’t count what they’ll charge next weekend, when there apparently is an international regatta in town, which a cab driver told me routinely draws upwards of 600,000.
That, again, sounds a little high to me. The cab driver said this regatta takes place on the Charles River on the third weekend of every October, and is annually the single biggest event in Boston every year.
I’m no expert on aquatic sports, but when the cab driver told me this I said, “How can something that big be going on here and most of us in the rest of the country have never heard about it?’’
He said he didn’t know, and acted like it was our problem, not his, but then added that the Patriots will be at home next weekend, too, as will the Red Sox, for Games 6 and 7 with the Indians, if the series goes that far.
With the Patriots busy next weekend I guess that means Tom Brady won’t be attending a Red Sox-Indians game wearing an Indians cap.
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
It’s a small world. My cab driver in Boston Friday told me he was hoping the Phillies would have won the National League pennant _ naturally, the Red Sox will win the AL, because he said his wife is the aunt of Phillies pitcher Cole Hamels.
That may have helped the cab driver to get a ticket to a World Series game, if it is, indeed, played in Boston. Because Boston is a bit pricy.
Another cab driver told me that the top priced ticket to Fenway Park for a game in the American League Championship Series was $2,900. I didn’t check that out, but I’m almost certain that’s wrong.
That price sounds like the price for one seat to ALL postseason home games at Fenway, although I could be wrong. Remember, we’re talking about a city that is charging $400-$500 per night for most downtown hotel rooms.
And that doesn’t count what they’ll charge next weekend, when there apparently is an international regatta in town, which a cab driver told me routinely draws upwards of 600,000.
That, again, sounds a little high to me. The cab driver said this regatta takes place on the Charles River on the third weekend of every October, and is annually the single biggest event in Boston every year.
I’m no expert on aquatic sports, but when the cab driver told me this I said, “How can something that big be going on here and most of us in the rest of the country have never heard about it?’’
He said he didn’t know, and acted like it was our problem, not his, but then added that the Patriots will be at home next weekend, too, as will the Red Sox, for Games 6 and 7 with the Indians, if the series goes that far.
With the Patriots busy next weekend I guess that means Tom Brady won’t be attending a Red Sox-Indians game wearing an Indians cap.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Rainy Fenway
Jim Ingraham
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
The mist and fog hung low over the 52-story Prudential Tower, which dominates the Boston skyline, as seen from the press box at Fenway Park. This was Thursday afternoon, when the Indians were supposed to be working out in preparation for tonight’s first game of the American League Championship Series.
Because of the inclement conditions, the formal workout never took place. Tribe players took some turns in the indoor batting cage, did some light throwing on the edges of the tarp that was covering the field, and that was about it.
Instead, the Indians’ players spent the afternoon ensconced in what is the smallest visitors clubhouse in the American League. The Indians’ home clubhouse at Jacobs Field is the largest in the league, so the adjustment when they visit the cramped quarters of the vistitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park is considerable.
With all the players in the clubhouse, plus the large media throng on hand to cover the ALCS, the clubhouse Thursday was pretty much wall to wall people.
For all those reasons, if the Indians do win the ALCS, the media contingent is hoping the clincher comes in Cleveland. The Indians’ huge clubhouse in Cleveland allows reporters a better chance to dodge the champagne showers that accompany all post-game celebrations following postseason wins.
The visitors clubhouse at Fenway is so small that any celebration held there virtually guarantees that everyone goes home drenched.
JIngraham@News-Herald.com
The mist and fog hung low over the 52-story Prudential Tower, which dominates the Boston skyline, as seen from the press box at Fenway Park. This was Thursday afternoon, when the Indians were supposed to be working out in preparation for tonight’s first game of the American League Championship Series.
Because of the inclement conditions, the formal workout never took place. Tribe players took some turns in the indoor batting cage, did some light throwing on the edges of the tarp that was covering the field, and that was about it.
Instead, the Indians’ players spent the afternoon ensconced in what is the smallest visitors clubhouse in the American League. The Indians’ home clubhouse at Jacobs Field is the largest in the league, so the adjustment when they visit the cramped quarters of the vistitors’ clubhouse at Fenway Park is considerable.
With all the players in the clubhouse, plus the large media throng on hand to cover the ALCS, the clubhouse Thursday was pretty much wall to wall people.
For all those reasons, if the Indians do win the ALCS, the media contingent is hoping the clincher comes in Cleveland. The Indians’ huge clubhouse in Cleveland allows reporters a better chance to dodge the champagne showers that accompany all post-game celebrations following postseason wins.
The visitors clubhouse at Fenway is so small that any celebration held there virtually guarantees that everyone goes home drenched.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Late-inning law and order
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
Lewis, Perez, Betancourt and Borowski.
An outsider could look at the collection of names and say, "Sounds like a high-powered law firm.''
As sports fans in these parts well know, those names belong to guys who are laying down the law in the Indians' bullpen.
After playing a major role in the Tribe's drive to the AL Central title in September, the bullpen back-end foursome helped the Indians take care of business against the Yankees in the AL Division series.
In two ALDS appearances covering two hitless, scoreless innings, rookie right-hander Jensen Lewis struck out four of the six batters he faced.
That's showy stuff for the 23-year-old Cincinnati native who started the season at Class AA Akron. He was promoted to Class AAA Buffalo on June 14 and joined the Indians on July 13.
For the Tribe, Lewis went 1-1 with a 2.15 ERA in 26 appearances, 21 of which were scoreless.
Indians manager Eric Wedge and pitching coach Carl Willis were so impressed by the hard-throwing Lewis that they gave him the ball in the late innings of big games throughout September.
"It was awesome when they did that, a real confidence booster that motivated me to get the job done,'' Lewis said.
Perez, a 25-year-old left-hander from the Dominican Republic, was summoned to the Indians from Buffalo on May 28. In 44 appearances during the regular season, he was 1-2 with a 1.78 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.
Against the Yankees, the best late-inning lefty in the AL went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three appearances.
If there was an award for best eighth-inning set-up reliever in the big leagues, Rafael Betancourt wins the thing hands-down for 2007.
The 32-year-old right-hander went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA, three saves and 31 holds during the regular season. In the ALDS, the Yankees managed one harmless hit off Betancourt in two appearances covering two innings.
And then there's Joe Borowski, aka JoeBo, aka "The Guy Who Has 46 Saves But Scares the Bejeebers Out of Tribe Fans Everywhere Every Time He Toes the Rubber.''
The 36-year-old right-hander, signed as a free agent last December with an iffy shoulder, gets the job done on guts, guile and willpower.
Will the Indians get past the Red Sox, beat the National League's representative in the World Series and win the franchise's first title since 1948?
If the firm of Lewis, Perez, Betancourt and Borowski keeps making its case during this postseason run, hope reigns supreme.
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
Lewis, Perez, Betancourt and Borowski.
An outsider could look at the collection of names and say, "Sounds like a high-powered law firm.''
As sports fans in these parts well know, those names belong to guys who are laying down the law in the Indians' bullpen.
After playing a major role in the Tribe's drive to the AL Central title in September, the bullpen back-end foursome helped the Indians take care of business against the Yankees in the AL Division series.
In two ALDS appearances covering two hitless, scoreless innings, rookie right-hander Jensen Lewis struck out four of the six batters he faced.
That's showy stuff for the 23-year-old Cincinnati native who started the season at Class AA Akron. He was promoted to Class AAA Buffalo on June 14 and joined the Indians on July 13.
For the Tribe, Lewis went 1-1 with a 2.15 ERA in 26 appearances, 21 of which were scoreless.
Indians manager Eric Wedge and pitching coach Carl Willis were so impressed by the hard-throwing Lewis that they gave him the ball in the late innings of big games throughout September.
"It was awesome when they did that, a real confidence booster that motivated me to get the job done,'' Lewis said.
Perez, a 25-year-old left-hander from the Dominican Republic, was summoned to the Indians from Buffalo on May 28. In 44 appearances during the regular season, he was 1-2 with a 1.78 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 60 2/3 innings.
Against the Yankees, the best late-inning lefty in the AL went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA in three appearances.
If there was an award for best eighth-inning set-up reliever in the big leagues, Rafael Betancourt wins the thing hands-down for 2007.
The 32-year-old right-hander went 5-1 with a 1.47 ERA, three saves and 31 holds during the regular season. In the ALDS, the Yankees managed one harmless hit off Betancourt in two appearances covering two innings.
And then there's Joe Borowski, aka JoeBo, aka "The Guy Who Has 46 Saves But Scares the Bejeebers Out of Tribe Fans Everywhere Every Time He Toes the Rubber.''
The 36-year-old right-hander, signed as a free agent last December with an iffy shoulder, gets the job done on guts, guile and willpower.
Will the Indians get past the Red Sox, beat the National League's representative in the World Series and win the franchise's first title since 1948?
If the firm of Lewis, Perez, Betancourt and Borowski keeps making its case during this postseason run, hope reigns supreme.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Wedge and Torre
Say what you will about Eric Wedge, and most of us have, but you’ve got to give him high marks, and a lots of credit, for where he’s taken the Indians this season.
Counting the Division Series win over New York, the Indians have won 99 games this year, and they’re not done yet. Through it all Wedge has been a beacon of consistency.
He may not be the most colorful manager in the league, or the most quotable. But he’s one of the most consistent and most true to himself. That’s probably one of the reasons why Wedge is such a staunch supporter of Yankee manager _ for now, anyway _ Joe Torre.
The two men share a lot of the same principles, one of the main ones being you’ve can’t try to be someone you’re not. Torre talked about that before Game 4 Monday night.
“I know when I first came in here (as Yankee manager) in '96,’’ he said, “I started thinking I was trying to be somebody a little bit different, because it didn't seem to work in all the other places (I’d managed).
“I remember picking up Bill Parcells' book, and I started thumbing through it. I saw this one little passage where it said ‘If you believe in something, stay with it.’ And that sort of locked me back into who I was. Because you try to be somebody else. You try to be a (tough guy) or you try to do something a little bit different, eventually it's going to be exposed because you're here every day.
“So what I try to do is make sense. Try to be as honest as I can possibly be and be able to communicate. I think that's the most important thing. Whether you're managing a baseball team or running a business. I think it's all about people. Moves are one thing. You can say you put on a hit-and-run that didn't work. Those things anybody can do, and you're lucky when they do work. When you change a pitcher, you hope it works, too. But I think it's all about people, because they have to play the game, and the game belongs to the players.
“I'm one of those managers that likes to stay out of the way and let the players play. I think it certainly gives the fans a better show, and it gives them a lot more freedom.’’
Torre was speaking about himself, but that’s also a very accurate description of Wedge and his managerial style.
Counting the Division Series win over New York, the Indians have won 99 games this year, and they’re not done yet. Through it all Wedge has been a beacon of consistency.
He may not be the most colorful manager in the league, or the most quotable. But he’s one of the most consistent and most true to himself. That’s probably one of the reasons why Wedge is such a staunch supporter of Yankee manager _ for now, anyway _ Joe Torre.
The two men share a lot of the same principles, one of the main ones being you’ve can’t try to be someone you’re not. Torre talked about that before Game 4 Monday night.
“I know when I first came in here (as Yankee manager) in '96,’’ he said, “I started thinking I was trying to be somebody a little bit different, because it didn't seem to work in all the other places (I’d managed).
“I remember picking up Bill Parcells' book, and I started thumbing through it. I saw this one little passage where it said ‘If you believe in something, stay with it.’ And that sort of locked me back into who I was. Because you try to be somebody else. You try to be a (tough guy) or you try to do something a little bit different, eventually it's going to be exposed because you're here every day.
“So what I try to do is make sense. Try to be as honest as I can possibly be and be able to communicate. I think that's the most important thing. Whether you're managing a baseball team or running a business. I think it's all about people. Moves are one thing. You can say you put on a hit-and-run that didn't work. Those things anybody can do, and you're lucky when they do work. When you change a pitcher, you hope it works, too. But I think it's all about people, because they have to play the game, and the game belongs to the players.
“I'm one of those managers that likes to stay out of the way and let the players play. I think it certainly gives the fans a better show, and it gives them a lot more freedom.’’
Torre was speaking about himself, but that’s also a very accurate description of Wedge and his managerial style.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Indians eliminate Yankees
There’s nothing like the sound of silence coming from 56,000 fans. It was heard near the stroke of midnight Monday night in Yankee Stadium. When Indians closer Joe Borowski, after giving up his obligatory home run, struck out Jorge Posada to end the game and give the Indians a victory over New York in the Division Series, the huge crowd in baseball’s most famous stadium sat in stunned silence.
From the press box you could hear the yelps of joy by Indians players as they rushed the field to celebrate. You could hear the muted squeals of their wives and family members sitting in the family section behind home plate.
And you wondered if this was the end of a particularly noteworthy Yankee era. The Indians’ win Monday night might have been the last game in the Yankee career of Manager Joe Torre, a future Hall of Famer. It could have been the final game in a big league uniform for 45-year-old future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens.
Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, still another future Hall of Famer, is a free agent after the World Series. Who knows? He could be with another team next year, as could catcher Jorge Posada, another free agent.
Maybe that was why it got so quiet so fast after Borowski sent the Yankees into the off-season. Maybe the Yankee fans realized this might indeed be the end of an era.
For the Indians, however, it’s the beginning of another chapter in what is fast becoming one of the most historic seasons in franchise history.
The Indians are now just four wins away from a trip to the World Series. It would be nice if they could win a postseason series at home for a change.
Where the crowd wouldn’t be as quiet as the 56,000 fans who filed out of Yankee Stadium Monday night. Stunned and silent.
From the press box you could hear the yelps of joy by Indians players as they rushed the field to celebrate. You could hear the muted squeals of their wives and family members sitting in the family section behind home plate.
And you wondered if this was the end of a particularly noteworthy Yankee era. The Indians’ win Monday night might have been the last game in the Yankee career of Manager Joe Torre, a future Hall of Famer. It could have been the final game in a big league uniform for 45-year-old future Hall of Famer Roger Clemens.
Yankee closer Mariano Rivera, still another future Hall of Famer, is a free agent after the World Series. Who knows? He could be with another team next year, as could catcher Jorge Posada, another free agent.
Maybe that was why it got so quiet so fast after Borowski sent the Yankees into the off-season. Maybe the Yankee fans realized this might indeed be the end of an era.
For the Indians, however, it’s the beginning of another chapter in what is fast becoming one of the most historic seasons in franchise history.
The Indians are now just four wins away from a trip to the World Series. It would be nice if they could win a postseason series at home for a change.
Where the crowd wouldn’t be as quiet as the 56,000 fans who filed out of Yankee Stadium Monday night. Stunned and silent.
The Jake rocks as Tribe wins ALDS
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
Two outs.
Bottom of the ninth inning.
Indians leading, 6-4.
JoeBo on the mound.
Tribe on the verge of beating the Yankees and advancing to the American League Championship Series.
Small wonder that the atmosphere at Jacobs Field was charged Monday night as closer Joe Borowski faced Yankees catcher Jorge Posada.
Wait a minute.
The game was being played at Yankee Stadium.
Still, thanks to Indians ownership's decision to throw open the gates at Jacobs Field for all playoff road games, just shy of 10,000 fans were hanging on every JoeBo pitch as midnight drew near.
The faithful - young, old and in-between - had their eyes glued to the TBS telecast showing on the main scoreboard above the center-field bleachers.
"It doesn't matter. We're still up by two,'' one of the fans said to no one in particular after Borowski gave up a one-out, tape-measure home run to Bobby Abreu.
JoeBo, ever resilient, bounced back from getting taken deep by Abreu to dispose of playoff non-legend Alex Rodriguez.
"One more, one more,'' shouted the same guy who wrote off Abreu's bomb as no big thing.
Posada tormented JoeBo and the cheering throng at the Jake by darn near slamming another home run. The long drive to right field curved foul, barely.
Just a few second later, JoeBo closed the deal by striking out Posada.
At the Jake, fans stood, jumped, yelled, exchanged high-fives and did what Tribe fans do when playoff series are clinched and the ghosts of Cleveland sports failures past are, at least temporarily, banished.
On an unseasonably balmy night, many of the fans celebrating the ALDS clincher were children, tweens and teens too young to be carrying emotional baggage from the painful World Series losses of 1995 and 1997.
What mattered to Matt Wallin and Ashley Eleo of Twinsburg was that their Indians had taken down the Yankees and they were there, together, to savor the moment.
"I'm almost losing my voice,'' Ashley said.
"We knew they'd win. We knew it,'' Matt added.
The two teenagers, both wearing ear-to-ear-smiles, waded into a sea of joyous people heading to the exits.
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
Two outs.
Bottom of the ninth inning.
Indians leading, 6-4.
JoeBo on the mound.
Tribe on the verge of beating the Yankees and advancing to the American League Championship Series.
Small wonder that the atmosphere at Jacobs Field was charged Monday night as closer Joe Borowski faced Yankees catcher Jorge Posada.
Wait a minute.
The game was being played at Yankee Stadium.
Still, thanks to Indians ownership's decision to throw open the gates at Jacobs Field for all playoff road games, just shy of 10,000 fans were hanging on every JoeBo pitch as midnight drew near.
The faithful - young, old and in-between - had their eyes glued to the TBS telecast showing on the main scoreboard above the center-field bleachers.
"It doesn't matter. We're still up by two,'' one of the fans said to no one in particular after Borowski gave up a one-out, tape-measure home run to Bobby Abreu.
JoeBo, ever resilient, bounced back from getting taken deep by Abreu to dispose of playoff non-legend Alex Rodriguez.
"One more, one more,'' shouted the same guy who wrote off Abreu's bomb as no big thing.
Posada tormented JoeBo and the cheering throng at the Jake by darn near slamming another home run. The long drive to right field curved foul, barely.
Just a few second later, JoeBo closed the deal by striking out Posada.
At the Jake, fans stood, jumped, yelled, exchanged high-fives and did what Tribe fans do when playoff series are clinched and the ghosts of Cleveland sports failures past are, at least temporarily, banished.
On an unseasonably balmy night, many of the fans celebrating the ALDS clincher were children, tweens and teens too young to be carrying emotional baggage from the painful World Series losses of 1995 and 1997.
What mattered to Matt Wallin and Ashley Eleo of Twinsburg was that their Indians had taken down the Yankees and they were there, together, to savor the moment.
"I'm almost losing my voice,'' Ashley said.
"We knew they'd win. We knew it,'' Matt added.
The two teenagers, both wearing ear-to-ear-smiles, waded into a sea of joyous people heading to the exits.
Friday, October 5, 2007
Cleveland Indians playoff blog
David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
For weeks, Indians veteran outfielder Kenny Lofton has been regaling younger teammates with stories about Jacobs Field at its electrifying playoff best.
Lofton, 40, is in his third tour of duty with the Tribe. This is his sixth playoff appearance as an Indian.
Now, Travis Hafner understands that Lofton wasn't exaggerating.
Sellout crowds of 44,608 and 44,732 turned out at the Jake for the first two games of the American League Division series pitting the Indians against the Yankees.
They came, they roared, they watched the Indians stake themselves to a 2-0 lead in the series with a 12-3 rout Thursday and a 2-1, 11-inning thriller Friday.
Hafner definitely heard the roar after he singled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th last night to put his team in the driver's seat of the best-of-five series.
"This has been unbelievable. In my career, I've never seen anything like it,'' Hafner said.
He hasn't heard anything like it, either.
"It's a tremendous atmosphere out there,'' he said. "We're having a blast playing right now.''
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
For weeks, Indians veteran outfielder Kenny Lofton has been regaling younger teammates with stories about Jacobs Field at its electrifying playoff best.
Lofton, 40, is in his third tour of duty with the Tribe. This is his sixth playoff appearance as an Indian.
Now, Travis Hafner understands that Lofton wasn't exaggerating.
Sellout crowds of 44,608 and 44,732 turned out at the Jake for the first two games of the American League Division series pitting the Indians against the Yankees.
They came, they roared, they watched the Indians stake themselves to a 2-0 lead in the series with a 12-3 rout Thursday and a 2-1, 11-inning thriller Friday.
Hafner definitely heard the roar after he singled in the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th last night to put his team in the driver's seat of the best-of-five series.
"This has been unbelievable. In my career, I've never seen anything like it,'' Hafner said.
He hasn't heard anything like it, either.
"It's a tremendous atmosphere out there,'' he said. "We're having a blast playing right now.''
Indians get over jitters in big way
The Indians threw a curveball at the baseball world Thursday night.
Against the potent, playoff-tested Yankees in the first game of the American League Division Series, it was the young, relatively inexperienced Indians who were considered more likely to stumble in the spotlight.
To the tune of a 12-3 demolition of the Bronx Bombers, the Indians demonstrated they weren't about to stumble.
To hear Tribe first baseman Ryan Garko break it down, he and his Tribe teammates quickly got over whatever pregame jitters they may have taken onto the field in front of a sellout crowd of 44,608.
"Once the first pitch as thrown, it was the same game we've been playing all our lives," Garko said.
Garko, who smashed one of the Tribe's four home runs, said he and his teammates took to heart some words of wisdom from 40-year-old left fielder Kenny Lofton.
"Kenny told us that when we get to this moment, we need to take advantage of it," Garko said.
"My biggest fear was that we were going to try to do too much out there and get away from what we've done all season," Garko added. "Fortunately, we did a good job of staying within ourselves."
Against the potent, playoff-tested Yankees in the first game of the American League Division Series, it was the young, relatively inexperienced Indians who were considered more likely to stumble in the spotlight.
To the tune of a 12-3 demolition of the Bronx Bombers, the Indians demonstrated they weren't about to stumble.
To hear Tribe first baseman Ryan Garko break it down, he and his Tribe teammates quickly got over whatever pregame jitters they may have taken onto the field in front of a sellout crowd of 44,608.
"Once the first pitch as thrown, it was the same game we've been playing all our lives," Garko said.
Garko, who smashed one of the Tribe's four home runs, said he and his teammates took to heart some words of wisdom from 40-year-old left fielder Kenny Lofton.
"Kenny told us that when we get to this moment, we need to take advantage of it," Garko said.
"My biggest fear was that we were going to try to do too much out there and get away from what we've done all season," Garko added. "Fortunately, we did a good job of staying within ourselves."
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
'Tribe, 1995-2001' - a trip down memory lane
Went up to the attic late yesterday morning to retrieve the box marked "Tribe, 1995 - 2001."
Inside the box, in seven manila file folders, were original copies of hundreds of feature and news stories I'd written about the Indians during that heady stretch of six playoff runs and two World Series appearances in seven years.
Normally, I'm not keen about taking trips down memory lane. This one seemed an appropriate exersize, though, as it might yield an anecdote or two for use in a written history of all the Tribe's postseason adventures.
That history appears in today's special playoff section.
Turned out that leafing through those stories triggered a flood of memories about some of the most dynamic and disappointing moments in recent Cleveland sports history.
Let's start with 1995, when the brash upstarts managed by Mike Hargrove slugged their way into the playoffs and ended 41 years of frustration for loyal Tribe fans everywhere.
Sure, the Indians fell to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series that year, but there was no reason to suspect Albert Belle and company wouldn't be back and knocking on the door in 1996.
In fact, they did knock on the door again in 1996, only to be summarily dismissed in the ALDS by Baltimore. The heady run to within one out of winning the 1997 World Series did not end well. Enough said about that.
The Indians made postseason appearances in 1998, 1999 and 2001, but none produced a return engagement in the World Series.
Many of those stories revolved around Tribe fans and the emotional roller coasters they rode during the six playoff seasons.
Six years hence, with the Indians set to face the New York Yankees starting tomorrow in the ALDS, another wild ride through October is afoot.
Hang on tight.
Inside the box, in seven manila file folders, were original copies of hundreds of feature and news stories I'd written about the Indians during that heady stretch of six playoff runs and two World Series appearances in seven years.
Normally, I'm not keen about taking trips down memory lane. This one seemed an appropriate exersize, though, as it might yield an anecdote or two for use in a written history of all the Tribe's postseason adventures.
That history appears in today's special playoff section.
Turned out that leafing through those stories triggered a flood of memories about some of the most dynamic and disappointing moments in recent Cleveland sports history.
Let's start with 1995, when the brash upstarts managed by Mike Hargrove slugged their way into the playoffs and ended 41 years of frustration for loyal Tribe fans everywhere.
Sure, the Indians fell to the Atlanta Braves in the World Series that year, but there was no reason to suspect Albert Belle and company wouldn't be back and knocking on the door in 1996.
In fact, they did knock on the door again in 1996, only to be summarily dismissed in the ALDS by Baltimore. The heady run to within one out of winning the 1997 World Series did not end well. Enough said about that.
The Indians made postseason appearances in 1998, 1999 and 2001, but none produced a return engagement in the World Series.
Many of those stories revolved around Tribe fans and the emotional roller coasters they rode during the six playoff seasons.
Six years hence, with the Indians set to face the New York Yankees starting tomorrow in the ALDS, another wild ride through October is afoot.
Hang on tight.
Fresh faces tells story of Indians season
Lets put fresh, young faces on the Indians playoff run of 2007. A week ago Sunday at Jacobs Field, Tribe players celebrated their clinching of the AL Central Division title in their champagne-soaked clubhouse. Those fresh faces, framed with wide-eyed smiles, belonged to C.C. Sabathia, Victor Martinez, Grady Sizemore, Fausto Carmona, Rafael Perez, Ryan Garko, Casey Blake, Travis Hafner, Jhonny Peralta, Josh Barfield, Franklin Gutierrez, Jake Westbrook, Ben Francisco, Aaron Laffey, Asdrubal Cabrera, Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers, Tom Mastny, Jensen Lewis and Kelly Shoppach. True enough that Sabathia was a major contributor to the 2001 team that advanced to the playoffs, but six years probably seems like ages ago to a guy who is all of 27. As for those other players, this is their first exposure to the unrestrained joys and unrelenting pressure of October baseball. At yesterdays playoff pep rally in Gateway Plaza, I saw two more fresh, young faces that tell the story of this special baseball season. Heidi Kosileski of Garfield Heights and Kelly Parker of Bedford, both 16 years old and sophomores at St. Peter Chanel High School, are Tribe fans through-and-through. Each wore a Ryan Garko uniform top. Their smiles spoke volumes. Were the original Garko Girls, they said in unison. The same as Garko and the other young players in the Tribe clubhouse, Heidi and Kelly are new to all this playoff excitement. They arent carrying any emotional baggage from past playoff heartbreaks. When closer Jose Mesa melted down in the bottom of the ninth inning in the 1997 World Series, they were six years old. Heidi and Kelly are living in the moment and loving it. We should all follow their lead.
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