Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Yes, Cleveland's youngsters are a joy to watch, but when the game is on the line, you like to turn to a guy like Travis Hafner. That's why Hafner's severely bruised hand is looming as such a key injury. It looked as if Hafner might have broken his hand last Friday when he was drilled by a pitch against Texas. Fortunately, there were no broken bones, but the hand is still so sore that he's having a difficult time gripping a bat. He hasn't played since.

Without Hafner, the Tribe lost two of three games against Toronto. The Indians slugger could have made a difference in last night's 3-2 setback. It shows what an impact a true slugger can make in the lineup, which is why Cleveland needs to acquire another big bat in the off season.

While Paul Dolan's pledge to increase Cleveland's payroll for next season is encouraging -- he offers a vague promise to bump it up in the $70 million range -- it really isn't all that much. When you consider that the Blue Jays owner says he understands that Toronto needs to greatly increase its payroll -- and the Jays are already well over the $70 million mark -- Dolan's promise doesn't seem all that impressive. Still, it's not so much the dollar figure as it is what you do with it. That is, get real value for every penny.

Although Tom Mastny, the 25-year-old righthanded reliever, has pitched well in recent weeks, saving five games in as many attempts, Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro says he still wants to go after an established big-league closer. I suppose that makes sense, although I'd keep Mastny close, and certainly wouldn't sign some geriatric closer or a retread who's coming off serious injury.

I really like the way Mastny's pitches move. He doesn't possess great speed, but he strikes out a lot of hitters because his fastball darts all over the place. In that sense, he reminds me of Doug Jones, the one-time Tribe bullpen ace who used a changeup to set the club record for saves.

The decision to end Jeremy Sowers' season after his next start on Tuesday means that the Indians likely won't make a run at finishing .500, which is a shame. I really think that would have meant a lot as the team goes about retooling for next season.

I also see where the Indians brass is considering sending Kevin Kouzmanoff to the Arizona instructional league to learn to play first base. There's some sense to that, but where does it leave Ryan Garko? I think I'd try to teach Kouzmanoff how to play another position -- if not second base, than maybe the outfield.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz: Bobby Avila, second baseman on the Tribe's 1954 pennant-winning team, is the last Indians player to win an A.L. batting title. He topped the league with a .341 average in '54.

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Today's quickie quiz: Now that the Marlins Anibal Sanchez has finally regsitered baseball's first no-hitter of the season, it brings to mind various Tribesmen who've also pitched no-hit gems over the years. Of the following Cleveland pitchers, name the player who has NOT hurled a no-hitter for the Tribe: Bob Feller, Gene Bearden, Sam McDowell, Sonny Seibert, Dick Bosman, Dennis Eckersly and Len Barker.

-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

He should have had a chance to hit 50 homers.
He should have had an opportunity to hit that record-setting 7th grand slam.
He should have had a shot at leading the league in home runs.

But, alas, the season is over for Travis Hafner. Cleveland's slugging designated hitter has a broken hand after all and is finished for the year. When Hafner caught a fastball on his upper left hand in Texas 10 days ago, it looked like be broke his hand. X-rays showed it was only a very bad bruise, but when the hand still hurt several days later, a second X-ray located the fracture. It's disappointing news for Tribe fans who've come to love Pronk.

At least it would open a place for Kevin Kouzmanoff to step in as designated hitter. But whom do we find in the DH role in Sunday's game against the White Sox? Would you believe, Casey Blake?

Sometimes I don't know what's in Eric Wedge's head. This is Blake's fourth season with the Tribe. Everyone knows what he's capable of -- at least at bat. If they want to try the guy at second base, that would be understandble, but to slide him into the DH spot is insane at this point of the season. Do they not want to know what Kouzmanoff is capable of?

Kouzamanonff is starting to feel like a Brandon Phillips character to me. He puts up great minor league numbers -- much better than Phillips', incidentally -- but the kid gets little respect from the Indians. It's almost as if they'd like him to go away.

I know there's big pressure for Andy Marte to succeed at third base. The pressure's on the Indians front office as much as it is on Marte. Mark Shapiro is the guy who traded Coco Crisp for the promising rookie. But at this point in this lost season, it's crazy to play a veteran like Casey instead of getting an extended look at Kouzmanoff.

The Indians hold an option on Casey's contract at the end of this season. They can say if they want him back, or not. I like the guy -- have always admired his hustle and leadership in the clubhouse. But if Casey Blake is back next season as a starting outfielder, then the Indians will be no better off. This team needs to upgrade, not to stand pat.

I would make the same argument against Jason Michaels, Hector Luna and Joe Inglett. They're all good players, but they're not going to get the Indians over the top. It reminds me of the days when the Tribe played Jorge Orta in the outfield for two seasons; or they went with Jerry Browne at second base. One year I remember Phil Seghi arguing that Alan Bannister could be a quality big-league shortstop. Yes, Bannister could play short, but he wasn't even a decent infielder. His only skill was that he could play a lot of positions.

Blake is better than Bannister, but unless he could become an adequate second baseman, he has not place on the club. And the Indians are wasting time and money by not giving Kouzmanoff a serious look.

I think Hanfner's absence finishes the club's chances at finishing .500. But there still might be some interesting games left if only Tribe management would get its collective heads out of the sand.

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today's quickie quiz: How many seasons did Alan Bannister play with the Indians?

-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Funny how I didn't really miss Omar Vizquel last season, but I've thought a hundred times this year what a difference he could have made. What's changed, of course, is Jhonny Peralta. Last year he was a hitting machine. Also, after a rough start, he performed steadily in the infield over the second half of the year.

It's all changed now. Pitchers adjusted to Peralta -- they don't throw him fastballs anymore -- and he's become a .250 hitter without much clout. He's hit half as many homers this season, and there are times when he looks asleep at bat and in the field. He's also become a strikeout king, but not in the good Bob Feller/Sam McDowell way. He's more from the bad Russell Branyan/Dave Nicholson school.

In last night's game against Kansas City, Casey Blake stole second base as Peralta struck out. But wait! Was that Jhonny who failed to get out of the way of KC's catcher, as he threw to second to try to get Blake? Yes, it was, and Peralta was called for catcher's interference. It meant that Blake, who was safe at second by a country mile, was also called out. The next batter singled to left, which likely would have scored Blake with the tying run. But, alas, the Indians would never come close to tying the Royals for the rest of the night.

Once again, Peralta was caught sleep walking. It's happened too often this season, which has to be the reason Manager Eric Wedge benched him for three games. Last night was his first game back.

Even though Peralta recently went 41 games without an error, and he should finish the year with fewer errors than he committed in 2005, the 24-year-old Dominican did not progress as a fielder. In fact, I think he played much better in the second half of '05 than he did in the second half of '06. He doesn't seem to reach balls that he got to last season, and his intensity is not the same.

I used to think the Indians would simply shift him to second or third base, but now I believe the Tribe might trade Peralta. He signed a long-term contract in the spring and just hasn't performed since then. This is a club that hates spending money in the first place, and club execs probably feel that Peralta is taking them for a ride. Baseball front office types always tend to think that way.

Of course, the danger of trading a player like Peralta is that he redisovers his swing and eventually comes under the influence of a manager who knows how to motivate him. Then he puts up big numbers, leaving everyone in Cleveland wondering: "How in the world did we ever let a star like Peralta get away?"

Yes, Peralta looks like a player who is badly mismanged. Now, I wouldn't want to be in Wedge's shoes, trying to get a headstrong young guy like this to play for me. But that's the challenge. The Indians need to find a way to get Peralta to play up to his potential.

Nobody ever said it would be easy. But it has to be done.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz is: Alan Bannister played three years for the Tribe.

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Today's quiz: Name the Indians starting pitcher who once spent a season toiling for the Wareham Gatemen in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Frank Lane -- Trader Lane, as he was known -- was famous for falling in love with the enemy. Now I'm afraid I'm becoming like him.

When Lane was general manager of the Indians in the late 1950s and early 60s, he would see a player get three hits against the Tribe, and he'd covet the guy. Even if the player was a bum -- and Lane fell for a lot of bums during his tenure in Cleveland -- he'd move heaven and earth to acquire the fellow. It's how the Indians ultimately came to exchange Rocky Colavito for Willie Kirkland. Lane traded The Rock for Harvey Keunn, of course, but then turned around a year later and dealt Keunn for Kirkland. Because he fell in love with Boom-Boom.

Anyway, the reason I'm getting like Lane is that I'd love to trade Eric Wedge for Buddy Bell. In all the games Cleveland played against Kansas City this season, I felt Bell really had a leg up on Wedge.

The Royals improved greatly under Bell this season, and I'm worried that KayCee could overtake the Tribe in 2007. That is, if the Indians stand pat, which could happen.

Even though he has a lifetime losing record as a manager, Bell reminds me a lot of Joe Torre. Until he went to the Yankees, Torre was kind of a managerial retread -- never much success with several clubs. Of course, in New York, Torre became the new Casey Stengel.

Perhaps I'm overestimating Bell's managerial skills, but I don't think so. If and when he finally ends up with a decent club, I think he'll show results.

Either that or my name is not Frank Lane.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz is: Jeremy Sowers. He's the Tribesman who once pitched a season (2002) in the Cape Cod League.

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Today's quiz: Name the infielder who toiled for Cleveland who is also Buddy Bell's son.

-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

After losing 14 of 19 games, the Indians seem to be making a push to finish the season on a somewhat higher note. That helps, but it doesn't take the sting out of what's been a vastly disappointing season.

In retrospect, it's easy to see that the club -- from the front office down to the bat boy -- thought the team was significantly better than it is. Last year's 93 wins were largely a mirage, based on excellent starting and relief pitching. Not until Jeremy Sowers joined the Tribe rotation in late July did the team's starting pitching begin to resemble last year's. And the bullpen was awful practically from day one.

Most baffling, however, was Cleveland's miserable defense -- especially up the middle. Jhonny Peralta has been such a rotten fielder at shortstop that he could be in danger of losing his job. Peralta might either be shifted to second base -- providing the Tribe can sign a decent shortstop -- or he could be traded. That shows how badly his stock has dropped. At the start of the year, Peralta signed a long-term contract. It was a sign of how much the Indians valued the young infielder, because they this club does not spend money foolishly. Mostly, it doesn't spend money at all.

Now Peralta's is a hot name in trade talks. So, too, are pitchers Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee. I think trading either of those pitchers would be crazy. If the team needs to clear a spot for Fausto Carmona in the starting rotation, send Paul Byrd packing.

Lee, who picked up his 13th win in last night's 14-1 triumph over the White Sox, ranks fourth in wins in the American League over the past three seasons. His 44 victories trail only Johan Santana (54), Kenny Rogers (49) and Jon Garland (47). Right behind Lee is Westbrook, with 43 wins. That's the same number as Curt Schilling.

GM Mark Shapiro needs to put together a reasonable game plan going into the off season. He needs to target specific players to bolster specific areas. And he can't afford to make a "trade for the future," which is essentially what the Coco Crisp-for-Andy Marte/Kelly Shoppach deal was.

A couple things that have impressed me in recent weeks, even as the Tribe stumbled toward the end of the season, are 1) the play of first baseman Ryan Garko. The kids has 37 RBIs to go with his solid .288 batting average. Cleveland's crazy if it goes shopping for a first baseman. The Indians should concentrate, instead, on bolstering second base, shortstop, the outfield (with the exception of Grady Sizemore), and the bullpen.

That's a big shopping list, but unless some team bowls over Shapiro with an offer, the GM shouldn't touch Lee or Westbrook.

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Today's quickie quiz: Grady Sizemore owns 52 doubles, 11 triples, and 27 homers this season. He's the fourth player in baseball history to accumulate 50 doubles, 10 triples and 25 homers in the same season. Of the following Hall of Famers who also accomplished this feat, pick out the one who does not belong in this group: Tris Speaker, Chuck Klein, Joe Medwick or Lou Gehrig.

-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Have you noticed how shabbily the Cleveland Indians always seem to treat their young? They bounce them back and forth from Cleveland to Buffalo, and pretty soon promising farmhands, who don't know if they're coming or going, seem to lose focus.

Either that, or the Tribe abandons them in the minors for so long that the players' lust to make the majors turns into rust. That's what nearly happened to Ryan Garko this season. In his third year at Buffalo, Garko looked as if he was on his way down, instead of on his way up. He was shuffling along, batting in the .240s, when, because they'd already traded away Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez, the Indians finally summoned him.

It seemed like the most unenthusiastic call to the majors, I must say. In fact, I could have sworn that the club had already given up on Garko -- that somebody at a high level in the organization said, "Nope. This guy is not our kind of guy. We can try him now, but he's not worth future investment."

Then a funny thing happened. Finally given a chance to play in the big leagues, Garko started to hit. He still hasn't stopped. Last night against the White Sox, he homered, doubled and singled, driving in five of the team's six runs. It gave him 41 RBIs in 45 games, to go with his seven home runs and .299 average. The converted catcher has also performed adequately at first base. So, maybe he's not quite Steve Garvey around the bag, but he certainly hasn't embarrassed himself.

So, how are the Indians reacting? Are they thrilled that the farmhand came up and put up impressive numbers? In a word, no. First, General Manager Mark Shapiro had little to say about Garko. All he did say was that the Indians would "seek a bonafide first baseman" during the off season.

Lately, as Garko continues to smash baseballs -- even in the absence of Travis Hafner, the club has amended its position toward Garko. Now Manager Eric Wedge says, "He certainly has gotten our attention. He's making a strong bid for next season." I get the impression that Wedge is going further than his bosses would like. They don't seem too fond of Garko -- for some unknown reason.

The 25-year-old slugger remains an unpolished first baseman, but he seems to have good instincts around the bag. Soon, he'll be off to play winter ball for former Tribe shortstop Felix Fermin at Aguilas in the Dominican Republic. "I need to get some more mileage at first base," Garko good naturedly told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "It's like (third base coach) Joel Skinner says, 'Instead of doing things for the 100th time, I need to be doing them for the 1,000th time."

He'll also be catching once a week at Aguilas. See, what a bonus this guy offers? In a pinch, he can go behind the plate. The Indians would still have to carry two catchers, but, say, one gets hurt. You've got Garko in reserve. Or, say you're in the 17th inning and you need another catcher. Garko's your man.

What's most galling about this situation is that it would seem that Garko's emergence allows Tribe management to concentrate on other areas that need improvement. Why would the club keep dwelling on "looking at other players to find the best fit for first base"? It doesn't make sense.

I guess I shouldn't worry, because, with the exception of Kevin Millwood, who was coming off serious arm trouble, the Indians haven't been able to sign a decent free agent since this decade began. But it's the arrogance that bugs me. And, I also worry about losing another good young player -- in the same way that Brandon Phillips escaped the organization.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz is: Tris Speaker. He was great -- a true hall of famer, but he never had a season like the one that Grady Sizemore's having. Well, he did hit .349 for his career, but you know what I mean.

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Today's quiz: Name the impressive college that Ryan Garko attended.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

No matter from what angle you study it, 1-10 is not a good record for a baseball pitcher. Not when you have a 5.42 earned run average to go with it. Yet, I am tempted to argue that Fausto Carmona has pitched better this season than those statistics would have you believe.

The 22-year-old righthander was the loser in last night's 2-1, rain-shortened setback to the White Sox, but, for the second game in a row, he gave the Tribe a solid outing. Carmona surrendered two runs in six innings, while pitching through several jams. In his last two starts, he gave up a total of 3 runs in 11 innings.

Still, he finishes what has to have felt like a tumultuous rookie season with a 1-10 record.

Now, let me tell you what I like about Carmona. First, the kid has great stuff, and his size -- 6-foot-4, 195 pounds -- enables him to look quite intimidating as he delivers it from all angles. I was impressed with the young Dominican in spring training, when he pitched well enough to make the club. He also turned in two good starts during a brief promotion to the Indians in May, even though his record stood at 1-3 at that point.

Carmona's best stretch occurred at mid season, during a three-week period when he worked as a setup man for Bob Wickman. The kid looked great in those games, which is probably why the club foolishly traded Wickman away for a Class A catcher. That catcher had better turn out to be Bill Dickey II. Otherwise, this trade looks downright lopsided.

You'll note that the Braves recently coaxed Wickman to return for 2008 by waving $7 million under his nose. For a closer with a record like his (16 saves in 17 attempts for Atlanta), $7 million would probably seem like a deal for the Indians. Now, they have to go out and find a new closer, and it will likely require a significantly higher investment. Oh well. When will this club learn?

Anyway, getting back to Carmona, he clearly is not ready to be a closer. A four-game meltdown against the Red Sox and Tigers in August made him look like the second coming of Fred Lasher.

But didn't you like the way Carmona never lost heart? He never bellyached when the Indians sent him back to the minors to re-tool as a starter, and then when he returned to Cleveland, he pitched fairly well.

It's clear the Indians don't know what to do with the guy. But he looks like a starter to me. He's so young that the club could keep him in the minors at the start of '08. I would hope that the experience with Jason Johnson and Paul Byrd has convinced the Indians to stay away from signing aging, retread starters. That's being a little unfair to Byrd, I know, who is infinitely better than Johnson, but I would rather have seen Carmona in the rotation.

In fact, the club's reluctance to promote Jeremy Sowers until late July probably doomed the season. Had he come up, say, on June 1st and replaced Johnson in the rotation then, perhaps the Indians would not have folded so soon. I think it goes back to the club's reluctance to take a chance with promising youngsters.

Carmona easily could have been crushed by this topsy-turvy season (lots more turvy than topsy). But he looks resilient to me, which is a blessing in a young, hard-throwing hurler.

Speaking of hard-throwers, I would have let C.C. Sabathia go out for the 9th inning of Tuesday's game. Yes, I know how many pitches he'd thrown, but, my gosh, it was his last game of the season. He has five months to recover.

I suppose I shouldn't question Cleveland's success at keeping its starting pitchers healthy, but there are times when Eric Wedge, et al, seem rather anal to me. Plus, it was great watching Sabathia, who was so pumped all night long.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz is: Standford University. Ryan Garko likes to say Tiger Woods taught him a lot about golf during his time there, but I don't think they actually went to that distinguished university at the same time.

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Today's quiz: Who was the first player from the Lake County Captains to earn a promotion to the Cleveland Indians?

-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Paul Byrd won only 10 measly games this season, but at least he's not a bellyacher. Once the Tribe finally sent Jason Johnson packing, Byrd became Cleveland's worst starting pitcher in 2006. This is the guy who was supposed to take Kevin Millwood's place in the rotation. Byrd actually posted one more victory than Millwood did, but that doesn't tell half the story.

Millwood, who compiled a league-best 2.86 earned run average in 2005, was a leader on the club. He became a mentor to the young pitchers, and they worshipped the ground he walked on. C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook are better pitchers today for their exposure to Millwood.

Byrd's not a bad guy, even though he tangled in the clubhouse with Bob Wickman earlier in the year. I'd loved to have seen that fight -- two giant dancing bears bouncing off each other in the lockerroom. Since then, the two vets made up and now Byrd says he has an off-season date with Wickman to hunt deer together.

That's what I like about Byrd. He's no Millwood, but, at 33, he's a veteran who can make a big difference in a clubhouse. It's what he has to do next season to make a real impact in Cleveland. He did show that kind of the leadership last night by offering no excuses for his 10-9 season. "I didn't give the Indians what they paid for," said Byrd, who just finished the first of a 2-year, $14-million-plus contract.

He sounded sincere about going home and working to detect the mechanical flaw that made him less effective in the second half of the season. Byrd said he's usually a better second-half pitcher.

As much of a disappointment as this season has been for Tribe fans, little things like Byrd's apology and nice gestures toward the fans by Byrd and Sabathia this week ease your mind a bit. After last night's 5-4 win over Tampa Bay, Byrd tossed his game jersey to fans in the stands. Then he said nice things about the fans.

Earlier in the week, Sabathia signed an autograph for a little boy after the game, and then he took off his game cap, signed it, too, and then handed it over to the kid.

One of my biggest disappointmens as an Indians fan/sportswriter occurred during the 1995 World Series, when I discovered what miserable cretins so many members of that Tribe team where. I'd say at least 7 or 8 players on that club were complete toads, led by the incorrigible Albert Belle.

Conversely, I've found it difficult in recent years to hate the Yankees, because that club had so many good guys.

It shouldn't matter, I suppose, what a player is like once he crosses the white line into civilian life. But it does. I'm glad that if the current Tribesman are going to be losers, at least they're lovable losers.

On another subject, did you see where the days of Jacobs Field -- or at least the name "Jacobs Field" -- are numbered? The Plain Dealer reports that National City Bank is the leading contender to buy the naming rights, which expire at the end of this season.

It will always be "The Jake" to me.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Fausto Carmona. He's the first former Lake County Captains farmhand to advance to the big leagues.

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Today's quiz: Which Cleveland pitcher grew up worshipping then-Tribe shortstop Omar Vizquel. He once said, "I'm walk across a floor littered with broken glass to gaze upon Omar's face."

-- Kevin Cuneo