Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

A year ago, when Cleveland acquired Jason Michaels from Philadelphia as a replacement in left field for Coco Crisp, Tribe GM Mark Shapiro cautioned fans that Michaels was not the same type of player as Crisp. He wasn't. In fact, he failed to make much of an impact at all.

By batting .267 with 9 home runs and 55 RBIs in 494 at-bats, Michaels took his place along such undistinguished Indians outfielders as Jorge Orta, Jim Landis, Al Luplow, Dion James and Roy Foster. Remember those guys? If you do, you'd probably rather forget them.

It wasn't so much that Michaels was a bad player. He wasn't. But neither was he the impact outfielder the Indians have been seeking since Manny Ramirez bolted the reservation for Red Sox Nation. Michaels lacked Crisp's spark on the field and in the clubhouse.

During the off season, when the Tribe signed David Dellucci, I remember thinking, "Oh, no. They've added another Jason Michaels type. And, worse, they kept Michaels, too."

Dellucci, who had surgery on his torn hamstring muscle Thursday, turned out to be just like Michaels -- the old Jason Michaels. Actually, he's been worse. But the new Jason Michaels, the one who slugged a game-winning, 3-run homer to propel the Indians over the A's on Thursday, is in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak.

He's batting .302 overall with six home runs and 25 RBIs. Not exactly Ruthian, I'll admit, but Dellucci's presence on the club limited his playing time. To his credit, Michaels didn't sulk. He just kept working, staying ready, and now that he's playing on a more regular basis, he's producing.

It might not last. Probably won't. But, for now, Michaels is helping to pick up the slack. During the months of May and June, when Travis Hafner -- until this week -- pretty much disappeared, the Indians were desperately looking for somebody else to provide some offense. Ryan Garko fell into his own mini-slump, and the Indians' ability to score runs quickly evaporated..

Only recently, as Michaels got hot, has the team showed signs of coming to life at the plate. By taking three of four from the A's, Cleveland has a chance to post a winning month in June. Not by much, but it can still happen. On Sunday, as they finished up a dismal series in Washington, losing 2 of 3 to the lowly Nationals, they fell two game behind the Tigers, and fans like me were ready to write off the Tribe.

Thankfully, unsung players such as Michaels, Casey Blake and Kelly Shoppach stepped up. Can the Indians count on these guys for the rest of the season? Probably not. If I was Shapiro and had a chance to acquire a hard-hitting outfielder -- Jermaine Dye, for example -- I'd do it in a heartbeat.

But you can't beef about the way players like Michaels have worked and hustled. They've done a job and earned the respect of Tribe fans. Even old grumps like me.

Well done, Jason. Keep it up.

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The answer to the last quickie quiz: Gaylord and Jim Perry combine for 38 pitching victories for Cleveland in 1974. Gaylord won 21, while his older brother Jim posted 17 wins upon his return to Cleveland. Both were traded the following season.

Today's quiz: Name the Tribe centerfielder who shook off a severe case of the stomach flu to bash a 3-run homer late in the game to square the 1997 American League Championship Series against Baltimore at one-game apiece.

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-- Kevin Cuneo