Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

Just when I'm ready to pronounce the Cleveland Indians one of baseball's top teams, the Tribe comes crashing back to earth. Jake Westbrook, Cleveland's $33 million dollar man, pitched as if he has a 5-cent arm in last night's 10-3 loss to the Yankees.

Westbrook has been a solid performer for Cleveland for the past four years, so I can't fault him for one lousy performance. But did he have to pitch so miserably against the Yankees? Man, I hate the Yankees!

Half of New York's team is on the disabled list, Derek Jeter is mired in the worst fielding slump of his career, and list of the Yankees' woes goes on and on. So, what do the Bombers do against the Tribe in their first meeting of 2007? They blew Cleveland socks off in the span of two innings, that's what.

Fortunately, the baseball season is a long one, and there's plenty of time to make amends. When I did enjoy in last night's game, incidentally, was strong work in relief by Jason Davis, Francisco Cabrera and Tom Mastny. Roberto Hernandez probably would have escaped unscathed from his only inning of work, as well, had the Indians turned a fairly routine double play in the seventh.

What the game showed is that the Yankees have the ability to bounce back from a crushing loss. Good teams do that. New York's win also gave me a slap in the puss for predicting great things for the Indians on April 17. I should have at least waited until May.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: John Lowenstein. He was a character and a valuable utility infielder for the Tribe for much of the 1970s.

Today's quiz: Name the Indians manager who also managed the Erie Sailors in the 1940s.

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-- Kevin Cuneo