March 9, 2009

Tribe needs to cut dead wood

Hello Tribe fans everywhere!

We're a couple of weeks into spring training and it's becoming clear that for the Indians to contend this season, every player must contribute. There's no room for slackers. I've been one of the many Tribe fans who's urged the team to purge David Dellucci, but, after arriving at camp with a cut hand, the reserve outfielder has slugged a couple of home runs.

Should Dellucci slip back into his old bad habits, however, the Indians should send him packing -- pronto! Forget about the $4 million salary. If he's not a contributor, then he's a drag on the club.

Actually, the player the Indians must be worrying about is reliever Masa Kobayashi. The 34-year-old Japanese righthander has been getting hammered thus far. It's a concern because hitters teed off on Kobayashi's pitches throughout the final two months of last season. At the time, fatigue was blamed, as Kobayashi had pitched in more than 53 games just once during his 9-year career in Japan.

It seemed like a legitimate excuse at the time, but the hitters are still crushing Kobayashi. Yes, it's still early in spring training, but I suspect the Tribe brain trust is concerned. It would have to be, now that it appears that Adam Miller will wither be forced to start the season on the disabled list -- either in Cleveland or Columbus.

I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but the Indians seem to have enough arms in the bullpen. They shouldn't feel as if they must keep a player only because they've committed a high salary to him.


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Today's quickie quiz: The Indians are training in Arizona again, which recalls the memory of this former Tribe second baseman who went into the hotel and restaurant management business after his career.

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-- Kevin Cuneo