Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Why can't the Indians beat the lowly Kansas City Royals? During the disappointing 2006 campaign, the Royals owned the Tribe, and so far this season it appears as if nothing has changed.

Cliff Lee proved to be the big problem Wednesday night, as he quickly coughed up a 3-0 first-inning lead and handed the game right back to KayCee. Lee botched what should have been a double play and then later failed to cover first, as the Royals took command of the game.

The Indians really need Lee to step up and post the kind of numbers he has over the last three seasons when he averaged nearly 16 wins per year. So far, though, a pulled muscle midway through spring training cost Lee the first six weeks of the year, and he's yet to return to form on the mound.

Tribe manager Eric Wedge publicly upbraided Lee for his screwups last night, which is not Wedge's style at all. But it shows the depth of concern the Indians have for Lee and for a possible letdown. No contending team in the A.L.'s powerful Central Division can afford to go through the motions and expect to remain in the race.

Wedge pulled Lee behind closed doors and ripped him unmercifully, according to press reports. Then he told reporters what he'd done, though not in detail. That was the surprising part -- that he went public with it. But Wedge, who's in the final year of his contract, is under a lot of pressure, too. I applaud him for taking Lee to the woodshed.

Of course, the main thing is to get the 28-year-old lefty back on track. Lee is a laid-back, slightly eccentric pitcher who's always reminds me of the quintessential lefthander. I think Wedge has done a good job helping C.C. Sabathia, another southpaw, to turn his career around. Sabathia has honed his approach to the game and is now a gritty warrior on the mound. He stands to make at least $100 million when he becomes a free agent following the 2008 season.

More and more, you can see how vital the performance of Fausto Carmona has been to the Tribe's success this season. With Lee and Jake Westbrook out for much of the year thus far, and Jeremy Sowers still winless, Carmona's emergence as a reliable starter has been key.

I don't think it's realistic, however, to expect Carmona to continue to perform at this level. We saw how he struggled and eventually blew a lead to Kansas City Tuesday night. And despite how this young club managed by Buddy Bell performs against the Indians, we shouldn't forget they're still the Kansas City Royals.

That's what makes the losses in the first two games of this series so galling.

**********
The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Walter Johnson managed the Indians for parts of three seasons in the 1930's. Even though he was respected as a gentleman during his long, successful career as a pitcher with Washington, Johnson was widely despised during his tenure as Tribe skipper.

Today's quiz: Name the Indians first baseman-designated hitter-outfilder-third basemen who went 29-for-55 with the bases loaded during his five plus seasons with the Tribe in the 1980s.
*********

-- Kevin Cuneo