Hello Tribe fans everywhere!
The Grapefruit League wins keep piling up for the Indians, as Tribe pitchers post goose egg after goose egg. But don't be lulled into thinking the Indians are better than they are.
Personally, I'd rather they were more in the middle of the pack, rather than near the top of the Grapefruit standings. We can't forget these games count for very little. It's important for players to perform well, of course, and you like to see the pitchers, especially, put up nice numbers. But it's better if the teams makes it through spring training with as few pulled muscles and sore arms as possible.
Cliff Lee is already sidelined with a muscle pull that threatens to keep him on the shelf through much of April. At least Fausto Carmona and Adam Miller appear to be ready to step in, just in case.
The big question of the spring -- who will step up as the team's utility man? -- is still unclear. That there has not been a standout has positively affected Hector Luna's status, because he's still in the running. Two weeks ago, it seemed as if Eric Wedge would have been pleased to send Luna packing.
When questioned about his six errors this spring, Luna replied, "I don't know why, but I always make a lot of errors early on. Last year I had 8 and this point."
The guy's got a lot of nerve, but that kind of attitude appeals to me. Plus, it looks as if Luna has the most natural ability of the other candidates.
The Indians must really be worried about their defense, but it appears they're ready to send Ryan Garko back to Buffalo, even though he's hitting a ton. Garko's committed two errors, and you have the feeling that if he makes one more, he's history. Personally, I don't get this. Why put so much pressure on the guy? If they don't want him at first, then bite the bullet and put Victor Martinez there.
The other big concern for this club is the bullpen. So far, the guys are pitching great, but spring numbers don't mean much. Hardly anyone is playing for keeps -- except players like Garko.
In scanning press reports from the weekend, it was rather starting to note that when one of the utility guys dove for a ball and started a nifty double play, three beat reporters who cover the Tribe regularly pointed out it's the first time they've seen a Cleveland shortstop dive for a ball since Omar Vizquel left.
That would seem to indicate that Jhonny Peralta, despite impressive numbers this spring, is still a shaky figure at shortstop. Those are the questions the Indians need to ask: are they prepared to go with Peralta for a full season at short? If not, make a change. Same deal with Garko.
You're not going to win a pennant, though, with a whole team full of Casey Blakes. It's not nearly enough.
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The answer to the last quickie quiz: When Bert Blyleven took Rick Manning's no. 28, which number did the Tribe centerfielder switch to? No. 20. Manning said he wanted Frank Robinson's old number.
Today's quiz: Name the former Indians catcher who caught two perfect games -- one for the Tribe, and the other for a National League club.
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-- Kevin Cuneo

