Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

In spring training, when the Indians worked hard to convince Travis Hafner to sign a multi-year contract extension, fans prayed it would happen. It didn't, but insiders say Hafner now would be more amenable to extending his career in Cleveland.

Sure, fans say, now that he's hitting .257, he wants to stay. The case also illustrates what a difficult business baseball can be for people such as Tribe general manager Mark Shapiro. Say he swallows hard and commits tens of millions to Hafner, and the big slugger ends up being a .257 batter with occasional power for the rest of his career. Fans would scream bloody murder.

On the other hand, fans scream boody murder over everything, and Shapiro, who's a big boy with a tough hide, understands that. But the question remains: should the Indians re-sign Hafner for big bucks. That's certainly what it would take.

Let me pause for a moment while I mull this over. Like most Tribe fans, I love Pronk. Until May 1st, the guy had been locked in for nearly three full seasons. Last year, only a broken hand prevented him from hitting 50 homers. But since the 1st of May, Hafner has looked lost for much of the time. Only until the last couple of weeks has he shown signs of pulling out of this long slump. Is it enough of a concern for the Tribe to close the checkbook and head in another direction? Good question.

First, Shapira and staff need to find answers to some questions. What do Eric Wedge and his coaches think? Has Hafner suddenly grown old at age 30? It's happened before in baseball. The last thing you want to do is commit to a player just as his prduction is about to head south.

Or, is Hafner just going through a prolonged slump? In Cleveland, fans blame his poor hitting on Pronk's bride, unfair as that seems.

I don't know the answer to this dilemma, but my gut tells me it's just a slump, and once Hafner's contract worries are behind him, he'll start murdering the ball again. Of course, as an Indians fan, I reserve my right to complain -- no matter how things turn out. Isn't fandom wonderful?

I say, if the Indians can work out a deal that's fair to both sides, go for it. The truth is, the club probably won't be able to afford to re-sign C.C. Sabathia when his contract expires at the end of the 2008 season. Unless, that is, the big lefty keeps pitching like he did against the Tigers on Wednesday. Then we can blame it on his wife.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: Larry Doby, the American League's first black player, started his career with the Indians in July, 1947. Jackie Robinson, who broke the color barrier three months earlier, is remembered best as baseball's greatest pioneer. But, as Doby once told me in an interview, "Things didn't change all that much in baseball or in the nation between April and July of '47."

Today's quiz: Which one of the following men never had an ownership share of the Cleveland Indians -- Vernon Stouffer, Nick Mileti, Ted Bonda, Steve O'Neill, Peter Bavasi, Richard Jacobs.

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-- Kevin Cuneo