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