Sunday, June 29, 2008

Is The Season Half Gone or Half Ahead?

Today, we find ourselves at the halfway point of this disappointing season. With our 81st game concluded last night, our record is 37 - 44, tie for last place in the American League Central.
Our team batting average is dead last in the league at .246.
Our 4.03 ERA is middle of the pack.
We have been riddled with injuries but so has every other team.
The next half of the season begins today with 13 games remaining until the All-Star break. Those 13 games will not make the first half go away. We have one game remaining with Cincinnati today. Then we play three with division leader Chicago in Chicago, three with red hot Minnesota in Minnesota, two with surging Detroit in Detroit, and then we come home for four games to host Tampa Bay who has won 7 of their last 10 games and looking like a playoff team.
Manager Eric Wedge insists that if they keep after it (not sure what they are keeping after), things will turn around. Hmmm, after the All-Star break, we play another 13 games with the Mariners, Angels, Twins, and Tigers to finish out July. As a matter of fact, August and September look almost as tough for the Tribe.
We stand at a crossroad today;
Give up and make moves for next year?
Keep our fingers crossed and hope we get on track?
This team has the reining Cy Young award winner who is dominating.
We have Cliff Lee who is tie for the most wins in the league.
We have the premier center fielder who does it all with bat, glove, arm, and wheels.
Casey Blake leads the team with RBIs and clutch hitting, batting .281.
Ben Francisco is performing well at the plate and in the field.
Kelly Shoppach has filled in very well for Victor Martinez.
Jamie Carroll is on fire.
It is long past time to turn the heat up on the others; Garko, Guttierrez, Peralta, etc.
The crazy thing is that if this team could get hot, as badly as they have played, they could get right back into it. But that would require the coaching staff to stop waiting for things to turn around by themselves. They would have to hold players accountable for their results to beat the Tigers, Sox, Twins, etc.
Better start making the moves for next year, this coaching staff doesn't have it in them.

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