Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

For all the turmoil the Indians are in -- and don't kid yourself, this team has problems -- they're very lucky nobody else is off to a hot start in the A.L. Central Division. Only the White Sox, at 14-12, are over .500, and they've lost two straight, and four of their last six. The Indians, at 14-15, are tied for second with the Tigers.

Both Cleveland and Detroit should thank their lucky stars the White Sox did not break out to a 21-5 start. Such a mediocre beginning by every team in the division means the Indians and the Tigers, who stumbled throughout most of April, did not lose any ground to speak of.

Does that mean the Tribe need not worry about its anemic offense or leaky bullpen? Absolutely not. The offense clearly needs another bat and could use more speed (paging Ben Francisco!), an the bullpen is hampered by the lack of an effective closer.

Two poor outings this week by Rafael Betancourt makes me think he lacks the fire in the belly to close games. Betancourt was one of baseball's best set-up men in 2007, but he's been underwhelming as a replacement closer since Joe Borowski went on the disabled list. I was thinking Masa Kobayashi, a longtime closer in Japan, would be the natural replacement for Borowski until he entered last night's game in the 9th inning and promptly surrendered a first-pitch home run to Richie Sexson.

Cleveland eventually pulled out a 3-2 win in 11 innings, but a brilliant pitching performance by Paul Byrd was wasted, and several other screwups marred the evening. On the bright side, Travis Hafner returned to the lineup and batted sixth. He responded with two doubles and looked better at the plate than he has in weeks. Maybe he was feeling too much pressure.

The weather should be warming soon, which means the hitting could come around, but it's a shame so many outstanding pitching performances have gone for naught. Cleveland's lucky to be in position for a fresh start during the merry month of May.

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The answer to the last quickie quiz is: Fred "Wingy" Whitfield was the "Yankee Killer" during the 1960s.

Today's quiz: Progressive Field is the new name of Jacobs Field, home of the Tribe since 1994. Name the other two ballparks where the Indians played prior to that season.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

And now the tinkering begins. Cleveland General Manager Mark Shapiro knows his ball club has many areas that need immediate attention, and he started the process Monday by cutting Jason Michaels and promoting Ben Francisco. It's a move long overdue, because it's time the Indians decide if Francisco can play or not. He'll get a long look in the outfield.

You also get the feeling the Indians are on the verge of making a fairly significant trade. My only fear is that Aaron Laffey, Jason Sowers or Adam Miller will be a part of a deal. With C.C. Sabathia set to move on to greener pastures after this season, the Indians will need the three young hurlers. It would make more sense to trade Sabathia. Cleveland will be finished with the Yankees for the season after this week, so why not trade him to New York?

Yes, I know it sounds like lunacy, but it doesn't make any sense to get nothing in return for the 2007 Cy Young Award winner. Now that Sabathia has straightened out his mechanics, he would be a welcome addition to practically anybody's pitching staff, but only clubs that can afford to sign him would likely be interested. Though he's pitched well for Cleveland in recent outings, he only has one victory, so it's not as if he'd be greatly missed from this team.

The Tribe needs offense, yes, but it could also use a closer and help at third base. But, I repeat: it cannot afford to lose Sowers, Laffey or Miller. Except for Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore, everyone else should be on the trading block.

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The answer to the last quickie quiz is: the Tribe previously played at Municipal Stadium and, before that, League Park.

Today's quiz: Tue or false -- Gaylord Perry won two Cy Young awards for the Indians.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

David Dellucci's tough start in 2007, followed by a season-ending hamstring injury, put a giant target on his back for Cleveland fans. Of all the players they love to hate, Dellucci was the one they hated most. They blamed him for keeping Ben Francisco in the minors, they blamed him for butchering balls in the outfield, they blamed him when he stranded runners.

Then a funny thing happened in 2008. Practically every Indians hitter, with the exception of Victor Martinez, lapsed into a deep slump. Everyone, that is, but Dellucci. He's hit consistently from opening day, and his pinch-hit, 3-run home run last night propelled the Tribe past the Yankees, 5-3.

You have to give Dellucci credit for blocking out all the negativity and just doing his job. From all reports, he's a solid teammate and a hard worker. He never lost faith in his own ability, even though have the sportswriters and broadcasters in Cleveland called him the worst Indians outfielder since Russ Nagelson.

Is he playing over his head? Depends who you talk to. Dellucci's only been a .260 hitter through much of his career, but he's got power, and has enjoyed seasons when he hit as many as 27 home runs. That would be a godsend in this year of meager offensive output.

Dellucci absolutely came through for Cleveland last night when it needed him most. Despite playing miserably in the first six weeks of the season, the Indians are still only a game and a half out of first. It means they can still win the division -- but only if they start playing with some consistency.

A few more heroics like the kind Dellucci provided last night is all it would take.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz: False. Gaylord Perry won only one Cy Young Award with the Indians. He did win a second award while pitching with San Diego.

Today's quiz: True or False -- Jhonny Peralta is a college graduate.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

I knew Cliff Lee was a much better pitcher than what he showed last season -- a year marred by injury -- but who knew he was this good? Lee hurled 7 shutout innings against the Yankees last night, leading the Indians to their second straight win over the Bronx Bombers. It was the latest in a string of excellent starts, and Lee, named April's "Pitcher of the Month," is 6-0 with an 0.81 earned run average.

It shows you how important confidence is -- especially for a major league athlete. Lee, who averaged 16 wins per season from 2004-06, was a former All-Star who clearly knew how to pitch. But it all fell apart a year ago after he suffered an injury in spring training. When he finally returned to the rotation, the southpaw couldn't keep the ball down, and hitters were murdering him. Lee grew so frustrated that, after beaning Sammy Sosa, he tangled publicly -- not once, but twice -- with Tribe catcher Victor Martinez.

Lee was sent to the minors shortly after the incident. It was a bitter experience for the veteran, and he did not take the demotion well. Indians officials played hardball with him, too, by failing to promote him until the end of the regular season, and then by leaving him off the post-season roster.

Some observers, myself included, felt the Indians treated Lee way too harshly. After the season, he was so damaged he no longer had significant value as trade bait.

As it turned out, the Indians were fortunate they didn't deal Lee. He's been one of the club's few bright spots this season and is the main reason why, despite their rocky start, the Indians stand just one game out of first place today in the A.L. Central Division.

Lee was always a good guy during his numerous visits to Erie, and it's gratifying to see him pitching well again. Hope he keeps it up.

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The answer to yesterday's quickie quiz is: No, Jhonny Peralta is not a college graduate, although he did attend Collejo Pedagojico in Santiago in the Domincan Republic.

Today's quiz: Name the big league club that originally signed Cliff Lee.

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-- Kevin Cuneo

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

The Cleveland Indians used to dominate the Cincinnati Reds during their annual inter-league series, but no more. It was the Reds who flexed their muscles in a three-game sweep over the weekend. The losses bumped the Tribe out of first place and reminded Indians fans of a very bad trade.

Brandon Phillips might be a loudmouth and a braggart, but, man, can he play baseball. Worse, he's exactly what the Indians need -- a power-hitting middle infielder who can run and hit for average. The Indians more or less gave him away because they didn't like his attitude. That trade and the Kevin Kouzmanoff-for-Josh Barfield deal with San Diego really hurt the Indians.

Kouzmanoff, a third baseman, is batting .270 for the Padres, while Barfield continues to languish in the minors, where he's batting about .250. The Indians must feel Barfield does not have a future as a big leaguer. Otherwise, he'd be up in Cleveland and Jamey Carroll, who's hitting .194, would be on the bench.

It looks as if the Tribe will have to make a trade, which means they'll be forced to part with one of their young pitchers -- Aaron Laffey or Jeremy Sowers. What a pity it would be to trade one of these two, especially when it looks as if the Indians will be without C.C. Sabathia and Paul Byrd in 2009.

I'm a fan of Mark Shapiro, but trading Phillips and Kouzmanoff really hurt the club. It appears the decisions to re-sign Jake Westbrook and Travis Hafner are also turning out to be horrible calls. Westbrook has become injury prone and Hafner appears to have lost it. And now the Indians have nearly $100 million locked up in those two players -- money that could have been spent to resign Sabathia.

I guess the Tribe will have to make a deal to add some offense to the lineup. The Indians can't keep limping along with these hitless wonders. The shame of it is that the starting rotation has pitched so superbly.

It's not Shapiro's fault that the Indians can't hit, but he's the one who assembled this crew and must accept responsibility for their failure.

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Quickie quiz: Name the Texas banker who played a solid third base for the Tribe in the 1960s.

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-- Kevin Cuneo