Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

Like Rip Van Winkle, I feel as if I've just awakened from a long winter's nap. And what better day to awake than on the day when every player on the Cleveland Indians roster is due in spring training camp.

Though still a bit in shock over the sudden retirement of relief pitcher Keith Foulke, the Indians seem to be in high spirits. Foulke, who, after signing with the Tribe was expected to compete with Joe Borowski for the closer's role, apparently has serious arm trouble. If that's the case, the Tribe is better off to find out now than later on.

Unlike Keith Hernandez, who signed a 2-year deal at the end of his career to play first base for the Tribe, but then did practically nothing but collect his paychecks, Foulke said he didn't want the Indians' money to just sit around. The Indians had high hopes for Foulke, but if he can't pitch, he can't pitch. His departure might open the door for a young Indians reliever, such as Tom Mastny.

Either way, the Indians bullpen remains a key for the 2007 season. The relief corps was awful last season, which led to the club's disappointing fourth-place finish.

Another big decision to be made during spring training will be the utility infielder who makes the club. Hector Luna, if he's in better physical condition than he was last season, would seem to be the odds-on-favorite, but my hope is that Joe Inglett wins the job.

Inglett came out of nowhere last year -- he was pegged as a Triple-A player at best -- to put up decent numbers for the Tribe during the second half of the season. Inglett's not exactly a kid -- he's 28 -- but he hustled and did everything the Indians asked of him.

Inglett's drawback is that he is primarily a second baseman. But, according to all reports, worked his tail off during the off season to polish his skills at shortstop. I hope he can play short, because Inglett's drive is so impressive. He seems to bring out the best in those around him.

If Inglett just doesn't have the tools, though, the important thing is for Cleveland to find a single untility player who can play second, third and shortstop. That would clear the way for Ryan Garko to make the club.

It would be a shame if Garko does not make the Tribe roster this spring. Garko, too, has devoted much of his off season to improving his defense at first base, which seems to be the key to his future in the big leagues.

The great thing about spring training is that everything is so fresh and new that it opens the door for players such as Joe Inglett and Ryan Garko. I'm looking forward to the coming days with great anticipation.

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Tribe Quickie Quiz: Name the Indians farmhand of the 1950's, who set club records for spring training home runs in two different seasons. Unfortulately, he always left his best back in Tucson and quickly bombed out once the season began.

Hint: His initials are R.R.

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Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

Maybe they're too close to see the big picture, but Ryan Garko should not be the big concern of the Cleveland Indians brain trust. Andy Marte is. And, to a lesser extent, Jhonny Peralta.

Here's how I see it: Garko is an ace in the hole. He can play first base, albeit a bit clumsily, and he's a righthanded hitter who can also go behind the plate in a pinch.

If I'm Mark Shapiro, no way do I think about sending Garko to the minors. I keep him around in case Marte can't hit. The young third baseman looked great in the field last season, but his swing is too long. Even though Marte has a quick bat, the Indians can't afford to carry a .240 hitter at the hot corner. Marte needs to hit at least .265 and show some pop.

Anything less than that and he should be shuffled back to Buffalo and Casey Blake moved to third. I'm not one of these people who hates Blake, but neither am I as crazy about him as Shapiro and Eric Wedge.

In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if the Indians might have some serious weaknesses at judging talent. On paper, the trade for Josh Barfield looks like a steal. But San Diego absolutely loves Kevin Kouzmanoff, the hard-hitting third baseman who never impressed any of the Indians brass. They so discounted Kouzmanoff that they went out and traded Coco Crisp for Marte.

It also still puzzles me that it took so long for the Indians to promote Jeremy Sowers last season, even though nobody could touch him at AAA. Once he came to Cleveland, Sowers pitched superbly. Yet the Indians continue to damn him with faint praise. What gives?

As for Garko, he does everything the club demands -- and he smiles through gritted teeth while doing it. Still, Shapiro, Wedge and company make the kid feel like a leper.

Cleveland boasts some excellent talent in its farm system, but I'm getting a bit concerned about the way the club is managing it.

It's terrible to have qualms about your leaders -- especially when the team's been in training camp for less than a week. Perhaps that's the price of being an Indians fan.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz is: Rudy Regalado, who was the Babe Ruth of the Cactus League. Too bad he couldn't do anything in the big leagues once the season started.

Today's quiz: Name the make and year of the car in which Grady Sizemore is tooling around Winter Haven.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

So many explanations were offered in 2006 for Jhonny Peralta's sharp dropoff at the plate and in the field. They included: he let up after signing a big cointract; he grew too tall and had become too bulky to play shortstop; he was out of shape and didn't work hard enough at his job; etc., etc.

Here's one I hadn't heard: Peralta couldn't see. Not too well, anyway. From shortstop, when he'd peer in to see Victor Martinez's signals behind the plate, everything looked fuzzy. Certainly, Peralta's 2006 campaign seemed like a blur, especially coming on the heels of the previous season when his hitting and defense made the decision to let Omar Vizquel go seem like a good one.

Even though he committed fewer errors last season than in the previous one, Peralta's range was terrible. There were games when he looked as if he was glued to one spot.

But now it turns out Peralta's sight was giving him problems. Nearsightness wrecked his season, and when the Indians insisted that he try contact lenses, Jhonny found them uncomfortable. Not until the final two weeks of the season did he go back to the contacts. Suddenly, he found his batting stroke and he even seemed to move better in the field.

I would assume that Eric Wedge spent most of the year hounding Peralta to use his contact lenses. The kid is stubborn, though, and not until Wedge reamed him out at a meeting that blistered the paint on the walls did Peralta finally go back to the contacts.

In December, Peralta had LASIK surgery, which, according to the Indians, corrected his vision problem. Why he didn't have it sooner is anyone's guess, but Wedge and staff are now telling everyone how pleased they are with Peralta.

According to Bill Livingston's column in today's Cleveland Plain Dealer, Peralta is still growing. Even though he'll turn 25 in May, the shortstop grew another inch and three-quarters during the off season. A year ago, the Indians reported a similar growth spurt. He seems old to be growing so much, but Peralta must now be closing in on 6-foot-3, which does seem tall for a shortstop.

Some quality shortstops have been that tall -- Cal Ripken comes to mind. But, usually when you're that tall, you can't move as quickly as you need to play the position. We'll see.

Peralta wants to be a shortstop, however, and turns up his nose every time somebody mentions that third base might be a more suitable position for him.

Clearly, he'll be one of the most studied players in camp. If Peralta's defense remains shoddy, he won't stay at short for long. Should Andy Marte fail to impress at the hot corner, that could be Peralta's future. Or, he might even be offered in a trade.

For now, though, the Indians seem pleased that Jhonny can see. It should help the picture become clearer in the days ahead.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz: Grady Sizemore in tooling around Winter Haven in a classic, 1966 Lincoln convertible.

Today's quiz: How many pinch-hit home runs has David Dellucci hit during his career?

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

They're weighing in the players at the Indians training camp and some guys are tipping the scales a bit too much. Not C.C. Sabathia, however, whose weight varies from that of, say, a Humvee to the northestern corner of the state of Alabama. In other words, Sabathia is huge.

Doesn't seem to matter, however, because the 26-year-old lefty has shown he can pitch. "No, C.C.'s just a big guy," said Tribe manager Eric Wedge.

Hector Luna, on the other hand, who would fit under Sabathia's crooked cap, apparently is catching a lot of flak for his weight. Packing on the pounds was a bad idea for Luna, whose slowness in the field infuriated the Tribe brass in 2006.

Shin-Soo Choo also took heat when he reported a bit portly in December. All of a sudden the Indians became interested in Trot Nixon, and now Choo seems destined for Buffalo. It's too bad, because he reported to Winter Haven looking fairly svelte. In this case, it was too much too soon.

The most important "thin man" on the club is Jhonny Peralta. Had he looked fat on the first day of camp,we might have heard the screaming in Erie.

When Gabe Paul was president of the Indians, he despised overweight players. Paul excortiated Rick Manning one spring early hin his career for showing up heavy at training camp. Manning had packed on a few pounds over the winter, which didn't help his surgically-repaired back, but you'd have thought somebody had shot Paul's wife.

Few people bellyached about Babe Ruth's ample girth, because he was leading the league in home runs every year. It's the Hector Lunas of the world who take the grief.

Actually, I hope Luna makes a great impression this spring because I want one versatile ultility man to make the club. If one guy can fill in at second, third and shortstop, it enhances Ryan Garko's chances of making the club. I'm a big Garko backer. I'm convinced his strong righthanded bat makes the Tribe a better club.

Thanks goodness Garko reported at a weight that satisfied all of the top bosses.

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The answer to yesterday's quiz is: David Delucci owns 8 career pinch-hit home runs, which is quite impressive.

Today's quickie quiz: Name the Tribesman who slugged four home runs in a game on June 10, 1959.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere.

When the Indians announced a few weeks back that Travis Fryman would visit training camp at Winter Haven, there seemed to be no plans for a specific role for him. Spring training, by nature, seems like such a laid-back affair that it almost sounded as if, "Oh, and Travis Fryman will stop by for a few days to say hello to the team."

Well, Fryman's role is much more important than that. Officially, he will serve as Andy Marte's mentor. Marte couldn't do much better than the former Tribe third baseman. Fryman was a class act during his decade-long career with Detroit and Cleveland. A bad back forced him into a premature retirement at the end of the 2002 season, when he was only 33.

Prior to that, Fryman was a gold-glove third baseman who averaged about 20 homers and 85 runs batted in per season. What's more, he was the ideal teammate. It was Fryman, Indians insiders say, who kept the peace between shortstop Omar Vizquel and second baseman Robbie Alomar. Those two players formed one of the best keystone combinations seen in the big leagues over the past 25 years.

Frankly, it's hard to imagine a more talent combo that Vizquel and Alomar. Only problem was they despised each other. The personal chemistry between the two players was so bad that it threatened to disrupt their play on the field. But Fryman, Cleveland's third baseman at the time, and then-first baseman Jim Thome worked to keep the peace. You must also give Vizquel and Alomar credit, because they were both professional enough not to let personal feelings affect their play.

"If it hadn't been for Fryman, though, I don't know what might have happened," said former Tribe manager Charlie Manuel.

Now Fryman can use those same skills to help Marte reach his potential as Cleveland's new third baseman. Fryman is also raving about the 23-year-old player's defensive skills, and he said he also likes Marte's swing.

Suddenly, Fryman is one of the most important leaders in Cleveland's camp at Winter Haven.

Nice to have an old pro like Fryman back in the Tribe's clubhouse again.

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The answer to the last quiz: The great Rocky Colavito slammed four consecutive home runs in a game in 1959 in Baltimore Memorial Stadium.

Today's quickie quiz: Name the Indians infielder who was selected in the 8th round (246th overall pick) of the 2000 First-Year player draft.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere.

Those of us who really want Ryan Garko to be the Indians' starting first baseman tend to take it out on Casey Blake, but it's nothing personal. You've got to love a guy like Blake, if you're running a big league club, that is.

An overachiever from Indianola, Iowa, Blake knocked around the Blue Bays and Twins organizations for six years before the Indians signed him as a free agent in 2002. Blake shocked everyone by winning the third baseman's job that spring, and he finished the year with 17 homers. The following season he showed even more power, slamming 28 home runs and driving in 88 runs.

In the last two seasons, Blake has played mostly right field, though the Indians also expect him to move in and play first base and third base, when needed. The plan this year is for Blake to split time between right field and first, which could curtail Garko's chances of becoming a starter.

I think Garko has more upside potential for the Tribe than Blake, but Casey's still a good guy to have around. Should Andy Marte struggle at third base, Blake could step in. If one of the starting position players slumps or gets hurt, Cleveland can rely on Blake.

What's so nice about the guy is that he's steady and unfaltering, reflecting his solid upbringing in Iowa. His hometown fans recognized Blake's athletic skills and voted him one of the state's all-time 10-best athletes. That's because he starred as a high school quarterback, high-scoring basketball guard (he averaged 27 points per game during his junior season), baseball pitcher and shortstop, and in track and field.

At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, the solidly-built Blake is neither flashy nor speedy, but he's respected by his teammates and is a quiet, thoughtful leader on the club.

I hope he plays about 130 games this season, belts 23 homers and drives in 70 runs. If Blake puts up those kinds of numbers, it means Garko will get his share of plate appearances, and the Indians will be a better team for it.

No, those of us who like Garko don't dislike Blake. We just tend to take Casey for granted, like most of the rest of the baseball world.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Joe Inglett

Today's quiz: Name a former Indian who, in addition to Casey Blake, appears on the list of Iowa's top ten high school athletes of all time.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

I'd love to go to spring training camp to see things you never see throughout the rest of the season. There's a note in a blog today by Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes that says Bob Feller will report to camp on Thursday. It's only been 70 years since Feller's first spring training camp with Cleveland.

Every day before the regulars take the field, Feller will put on a uniform and play catch with young Indians in front of the dugout. Then, once the game begins, he'll head out to an area beyond the right field fence to sign autographs.

Feller will turn 89 later this year, but he looks and acts years younger. At the Indians fantasy camp in January, he faced 24 batters and surrendered only 4 runs on 8 hits. The man is 88 years old, yet he can still bring the heat.

Years ago, shortly after Ron Leonardi joined the Erie Times-News sports staff, we sent him to cover Feller's appearance at Ainsworth Field, prior to an Erie Cardinals game. In those days, when he was "only" 79, Feller used to pitch from the mound to half a dozen batters -- mostly reporters from local TV stations or newspapers.

On Feller's third or fourth pitch, Leonardi got pretty good wood on the ball and lined it foul, just over third base. Then he made the mistake ofglancing back at his friends and smiling. The next pitch from Feller put him on his kiester. We howled with laughter, seeing our friend and co-worker getting dusted off by a 79-year-old pitcher.

Of all the players who lost the prime of their careers to military service during World War II, Feller's time likely cost him 100 victories. Had he played those seasons, he probably would have finished with about 370 victories.

Feller can be cranky at times. I recall an interview I did with him the year that a 20-year-old Dwight Gooden broke his record as the youngest pitcher ever to post 20 wins in a season. Instead of muttering a few platitudes about Gooden, Feller snapped, "Yeah, he's won 20 this year, but will be win 24 next season, and 25 the year after that, and 26 the year after that? That's what I did!"

I remember thinking, what a sorehead. And I went back to the record book to see how much he was exaggerating. But he told the truth, and, ironically, he was right about Gooden, who never really fulfilled his potential.

The Indians are lucky to have a hall of famer like Feller to call upon when needed. And the thought of seeing him playing catch and then signing autographs makes me want to catch the next plane for Winter Haven.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Bob Feller. He and Casey Blake are both ranked in the top ten of Iowa's all-time great schoolboy stars.

Today's quiz: Name the player on the current Tribe team who claims to be the club's best PlayStation 2 player.

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-- Kevin Cuneo