Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

Cliff Lee might have missed the first month of the season, but he looked to be in mid-season form last night, as he tossed a nifty three-hitter aagainst the Angels. He even went all the way for only the third time in his career.

If Lee is back, the Indians really do have quite a staff of starting pitchers -- maybe the best since the mid-1960s when they featured Sam McDowell, Sonny Seibert, Luis Tiant, Gary Bell and Steve Hargan. That stellar group was undermined by one of the world's worst bullpens, but that doesn't seem to be the case -- so far, at least -- with the 2007 staff.

The 28-year-old Lee has averaged a shade higher than 15 wins over the last three seasons, and most baseball experts believe he has the chance to get a lot better.

I've always liked Lee for his soft-spoken, Arkansas charm. Though polite and reserved by nature, he always goes out of his way to connect with Indians fans of all ages. Twice he's visited Erie as part of the club's annual winter caravan, and each time he was a huge hit at the Dr. Gertrude Barber National Institute. It's because Lee has an uncanny knack for picking out the young fans who are most excited to see their heroes up close and in person. They're thrilled, but they're too shy to say anything, or even to look their heroes in the eye.

I've watched Lee sweep kids like that into his arms and make a big fuss over them in front of their family and friends. On his last visit to Erie in 2006, Lee told me about the terrible ordeal he and his wife went through with their young son after he fell deathly ill. Through good medical care and a lot of love, the boy is now in remission, and Lee feels a compulsion to give back. "God was good to me and my family, and the least I can do is try to brighten up somebody else's day," he said mildly.

He seemed like such a good guy. Yet, at the same time, he's known as a tough customer out on the mound. Nobody's going to be pushing this guy around. As a lefthander, Lee has yet to reach his full potential, and he showed last night that he's taken note of Fausto Carmona's excellent work as a substitute starter -- first for Lee and, more recently, for the injured Jake Westbrook.

If what we saw last night is the result of competition on the pitching staff, I say, "Keep the competitive fires burning intensely!" I'm sure the rest of Indians fans are with me on that one.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Steve O'Neill, Cleveland's great catcher of the early 20th century.

Today's quiz: Name the Tribe player who led the club with a .235 batting average in the six-game World Series against the Atlanta Braves in 1995. Remember, the Tribe batted only .179 as a team in that series.

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-- Kevin Cuneo