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.

*******************
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.

********************

-- Kevin Cuneo