Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

If the Indians learned one important lesson from their disappointing 2006 season, it's that they can't stand pat. They went way too long with veteran players last year who just couldn't do the job anymore. It was painful to watch Jason Johnson get hammered time and again, every time he took the mound. What made it absolutely torturous, though, was having Jeremy Sowers down in Buffalo, blowing hitters away.

Finally, on June 21, the Indians traded Johnson to Boston. But by then, the season was over. When Sowers joined the Tribe, he pitched almost as well as he had at Buffalo.

Cleveland can't make the same mistakes in '07. If Paul Byrd, who was only marginally better than Johnson last year, struggles again, the Indians must promote Adam Miller to take his place. Miller is the best prospect in the organization, and he didn't allow a single run during spring training.

I can see why the Indians don't want to rush their prospects, but they can't afford to be conservative. You'll recall in 1994 that Mike Hargrove didn't want to keep young Manny Ramirez on the roster, but was overruled by John Hart.

Ramirez went on to have a solid rookie season, which ended abruptly when play was interrupted in August of that year, due to a labor disagreement. It turned out Ramirez played a significant role in the Indians' development, which culminated the following year in a pennant.

Young pitchers are a bit different than young hitters, but Cleveland doesn't have so many weapons it can let Miller remain at AAA, especially if pitchers are struggling at the big-league level.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Infielder Bill Wambsganss made an unassisted triple play for the Indians in the 1920 World Series.

Today's quiz: True or false: Former Erie Sailors manager Mal Fichman once managed in the Indians farm system.

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-- Kevin Cuneo