Hello Tribe Fans Everywhere!

Final score: Umpires 3, Indians 0. An odd ruling on Cleveland third baseman Casey Blake helped snuff out a ninth-inning rally Monday and secure a 5-3 victory for the Red Sox over the Tribe.

With runners at 2nd and 3rd and one out in the 9th inning, Blake was struck on the hand by a Jonathan Papelbon high-rising fastball. Home plate ump Rick Reed told Blake to take his base, but a protest by Boston manager Terry Francona prompted Reed to consult with first-base umpire Chuck Meriweather.

Meriweather ruled that Blake swung at the pitch, which meant it was a dead ball and, therefore, a strike. Blake was out and, so too, for all intents and purposes, was the Tribe's last-inning rally.

It marked the third time this season the Indians came up on the short end in a fairly major dispute with the umps. Reed was behind the plate on opening night in Cleveland when Seattle manage Mike Hargrove protested that his players couldn't see the ball for the heavy snowflakes that were falling at Jacobs Field. Reed suspended play -- even though the Indians were one out away from winning the game. Play never resumed and the Indians' lead and the game were wiped out.

A couple weeks later, the umpires reversed themselved on a decision in Baltimore and the Orioles were awarded a run three innings later. The snow on opening day was a tough call, but the other two were really bizarre. The umps, as it turns out, were within their rights, according to the rule book, but the calls were bizarre -- something you rarely see.

So, what does this mean? Nothing, if the Indians can continue to toss off such setbacks as if they don't matter at all. That's the way you have to do it -- play as hard as you can and not be overwhelmed by things over which you have no control.

Monday's game might have been one of those rare nights when the Indians could stage a three-run rally to come back against a talent like Jonathan Papelbon, but if it doesn't work, you can't fall into a tailspin. So far, the 2007 Indians have proven to be a resilient crew. Let's hope it stays that way.

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The answer to the last quickie quiz: Cleveland's "Babe Ruth with the bases loaded" was Pat Tabler. He was a pretty fair hitter the rest of the time, but, with the sacks jammed, he turned into Cobb-DiMaggio-Mays, all rolled into one.

Today's quiz: Name the player who started in the Indians organization as an outfielder/first baseman, but who wanted so desperately to pitch that he threatened to quit baseball. The Tribe finally relented and gave him a chance, and he ended up pitching in the big leagues for 12 seasons, winning 140 games.

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-- Kevin Cuneo