COMMENTARY
Indians take steps backwards
Here's all you need to know about what's gone on in Cleveland this season: Neither Victor Martinez nor Travis Hafner has played a game in Cleveland since early June and now we're approaching the end of August and they both are playing in Dunn Tire Park.
While the Buffalo Bisons' season has largely been a mess since the day it began, things have been no different for the Herd's soon-to-be-former parent. We're left to wonder if 2007, which ended a win shy of the World Series, was a one-year mirage for the Tribe.
The Indians have a better record than just two American League teams (Kansas City and Seattle). In fact, they have the same number of wins (57) as the Pittsburgh Pirates, who last had a winning season, oh, when the Bills were still going to Super Bowls.
The party line in Cleveland centers on injuries and that's hard to argue with. Martinez, Hafner, plus pitchers Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook have all missed substantial time. Take that core off any roster and see what team survives.
"Something we're really learning through this long process is turn the page and keep moving on," Martinez said. "There's nothing you can do about injuries. If you know you're going to get injuries, you're not going to come to the ballpark."
Still, it's naive to think a full deck automatically means success in 2009. When I talked to Grady Sizemore during All-Star festivities in New York, he was adamant the Tribe does not need to go through another total rebuild, that pieces remain for a quick bounce back.
Key problem: Even with Lee, Carmona and some good young pitching coming, there are no CC Sabathias around.
"You can't look at who's not there. You have to look at who we do have," Hafner said. "We have a lot of good young talent. You build your team around pitching and Cliff Lee is having a great year and we still have Fausto."
"CC was the man, no doubt about it," Martinez said. "But he's gone and we've got to keep moving on. You just keep your head up, keep working hard and see what happens. We will try to finish strong and hopefully next season everybody's healthy and things are different."
The Tribe is 14-1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the AL Central. The Sox finished 24 games behind Cleveland last season so the teams have experienced a remarkable 38-1/2-game swing in just one year.
That can't be only because Joe Borowski flamed out in the Cleveland bullpen while Octavio Dotel and Scott Linebrink have thrived in the Sox pen and Arizona castoff Carlos Quentin has become an MVP candidate.
The Indians stood pat last winter and they know now it was a mistake. Too many players, names like Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez, simply didn't get better or even regressed. To think 45-save closer Borowski would come anywhere close to that again when he had an ERA over 5.00 was foolish.
Look at how different the '07 Red Sox were from '04. The Yankees always made tweaks in the '90s. When the Blue Jays went back to back in 1992 and 1993, they made huge changes the second time.
Change can be good. The Indians didn't get that message and their baffling inconsistency under GM Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge continues.
The rebuilding of 2003 led to progress in 2004 and real contention in 2005 until a final-week choke. Another bad bullpen ruined 2006, '07 was a breakthrough and then came '08. What's next?
"It will be a pretty busy offseason and we'll see," Hafner said. "We still have a lot of talent on our team. I feel good about our chances. It seems we're good every other year. I don't know why that is so I guess that gives us some optimism for next year.
"We came into this year with real high expectations. To not live up to that is really disappointing."
