Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

If the Indians were 8-14 instead of the other way around, second baseman Josh Barfield would probably feel a lot more heat. The 24-year-old Barfield, who came to the Indians during the off season in exchange for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Brown, batted only .162 during the first month of the season.

In truth, it would have been even worse than that if not for a good homestand against Texas and Baltimore. Barfield is finally showing signs of coming alive at the plate. The good news is that, even during stretches when he produced little or no offense, Barfield still played an excellent second base.

In Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Orioles, Barfield turned in half a dozen nifty plays in support of Fausto Carmona.

Barfield seems to have two things going for him: first, even though he's only a second-year player and he looks like a kid, Barfield is a veteran in the way he carries himself. You can tell he's been around big-league clubhouses all his life. The son of former Blue Jays and Yankees outfielder Jesse Barfield, Josh knows better than most players his age how baseball is a game of ups and downs -- especially in your first season in a new league.

Barfield also noted that he's been a slow starter throughout his career, but adds confidently, "I always finish strong." I've been impressed with Barfield because his disposition has remained the same throughout the first month of the season.

He's been lucky in a way that Andy Marte, who also wasn't hitting much, but who failed to perform at a high level defensively, landed on the disabled list. If both Marte and Barfield were hovering at .150, it might not be so easy to overlook his offensive shortcomings.

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The Indians sent Fausto Carmona back to Buffalo today, which is a shame. The kid, who pitched a gem against Baltimore on Sunday, is clearly ready for the big leagues. Cleveland should clear a spot for him on the roster. Don't ask me how, but the club runs the risk of having Carmona wither on the vine at Buffalo.

It kind of happened to Ryan Garko last season before he was finally promoted to Cleveland. When a young player with this much talent is forced to remain at AAA, they usually go backwards after a while. Carmona deserves better than this. The Indians would also be doing themselves a favor by finding a spot for him.

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The answer to the last quickie quiz: Birdie Tebbits was the manager of the Indians in 1964 who suffered a heart attack on April Fool's Day. Tebbits was only 51 at the time, but he lived to be nearly 88.

Today's quiz: Richard Jacobs bought the Indians in 1986 for $35.5 million. How much profit did he make when he sold the team to Larry Dolan in 200?

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-- Kevin Cuneo