Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

The first couple days of October usually rank among the saddest days of the year for this Indians fan. No matter how bad Cleveland is -- and for three-quarters of my 40-plus years as a Tribe fan,the Indians have really stunk -- I hate the end of the season.

This year is no exception. I know that baseball experts say that performance in September doesn't count for much, but I sure enjoyed Cleveland's 7 wins in its last 8 games. Also, I feel confident that if Travis Hafner had remained healthy, the Indians might have finished at or above .500.

The second half of the season was so much more enjoyable than the first half, thanks primarily to the emergence of such youngsters as Jeremy Sowers, Ryan Garko, Shin Soo Choo and Joe Inglett. Andy Marte also hit fairly well after a horrible start, and the rookie looks like a natural in the field. The kid relievers were also better than the retreads the Indians started the season with, although the bullpen still needs a significant upgrade.

It's a shame that the club sent Bob Wickman packing to the Braves. Unless Cleveland signs a top closer from Japan, I'm almost certain the Tribe won't end up with a closer as good as Wickman. I've complained about this before, I know, but it's still hard for me to accept it. How could Mark Shapiro and his staff misjudge this one so badly? Perhaps bad blood remained from the fall of 2005 when the Indians tried so hard to replace Wickman. He eventually re-signed with Cleveland, but maybe it was an uneasy truce. All I know is that he's been lights out in Atlanta.

As management begins to retool the Indians, I can only hope that Shapiro et al think long and hard before dealing one of the starting pitchers -- unless it's Paul Byrd. It makes me nervous when they toss names such as Cliff Lee and Jake Westbrook around so nonchalantly.

For the next several days, it'll be fun to go over the numbers compiled by this year's Tribesmen. That's part of the ritual of the off season. It also won't be long before we're starved for any news about the Indians.

One final note, I'm sorry that Aaron Boone is no longer the player he once was, because he certainly is a class act. The Indians shouldn't re-sign him, of course, but he's the kind of guy they should consider for future jobs in the organization.

-- Kevin Cuneo