Ask me on September 30th and I would have a much different answer. We play 17 of our final 30 on the road, Detroit plays 16 of their final 29 at home. Both play KC and Chicago for 9 of their games. The tough part will be when the Indians make the road trip that takes them to Minnesota(3), Los Angeles(4), and back through Chicago(3). At that same time the Tigers host Chicago(3), Seattle(3), Toronto(1), and Texas(3 in two days). The three game set in Cleveland (17th-19th) will be huge and hopefully the Tribe will be in great shape before leaving to end the season on a road trip to Seattle(4 in three days) and KC(3).
It should be a very interesting stretch run and the Indians have the starting pitching to carry them. Hopefully the bats will provide adequate support.
Another Indian's fan here....born and raised in the Cleveland area...now residing in Parma.........looks like they have a gem in that Cabrera kid that they brought up....Peralta may be in trouble...... Tomorrow night I'm taking the family to the game, White Sox in, fireworks, kids are already planning their menu when we get there
I pray they dont have an epic collapse. This is the 20th anniversary cheering for these clowns! I love em win or lose. I love their starting pitching and middle relive. Grady is a God, and if Hafner wasnt hurt I'd feel a lot better, but Victor has picked up the slack. They play decent defense, I just wish Borowski wasnt such a psycopath lol.
at least Jose Mesa had an ERA under 5.00, and he didnt blow the big one till the world series. any number of other relievers could close instead of borowski.
Treetop. glad to see Angels doing well....I've posted a message in your thread...no disrespect intended...GO TRIBE.................................small letters go angels (at least until September 6th)
The Tribe has just defeated Santana for the 5th time this season. Sabathia has three of the wins and Carmona has the other two.
Twenty-six games left with sixteen on the road to hold off the Tigers who now stand six games back. Would love to see the Tribe go 6-4 on this current trip through Minnesota, Oakland, and LA.
Division leaders Angels and Indians go head to head, while second place teams (Tigers / M's) go head to head. Probably won't see much movement in the standings in the next few days. Have a feeling all 4 teams will go 2 and 2.
<< <i>Division leaders Angels and Indians go head to head, while second place teams (Tigers / M's) go head to head. Probably won't see much movement in the standings in the next few days. Have a feeling all 4 teams will go 2 and 2. >>
magic number is 9.....GO INDIANS!!! You have to give the tigers some credit though, they continue to hang around....guess the Indians will have to take care of business when they arrive starting tomorrow.....
The Red Sox should ALSO thank us.. since they might eke into the playoffs as the Wild Card if they don't right their ship!
Indians have now tied the sox for best record.
Swept the Tigers today... coming from behind in every game to win.
My favorite Indians player of all time hits his 500th HR (THome)... and it's been 20 years since I first started cheering for these clowns! woohoo! ahem. WahOO!
The sweep of the Tigers have put us in a commanding position in the AL Central and now we find ourselves in the mix for best record. Next up the final home series vs. Oakland. Hopefully the Tribe can give the home fans a division clinching celebration. Hold the champagne, order more whipped cream pies!
hey Leo, don't be so hard on JoBo. he isn't as pretty and flashy as most of the pre-eminent closers and doesn't come with the 95+ mph fastball that everyone seems to love, that's the primary reason why his trips in the ninth tend to be adventures!! the end result is that he has a fastball that moves a little, a slider that moves a little more and a nice change of pace which usually holds most batters in check. his real strengths are the fact that he has good accuracy and a great partner behind the plate to guide him.
what i find most intriguing about the Tribe is that they seem to have come together as a Team absent any real superstars or egos. they have a blend of veterans, rookies, well traveled and home schooled players, solid defense, fine long relief, excellent short relief and some of the best starters of playoff wannabees. as the picture sharpens and the match-ups become clear, i expect we'll play the RedSox with home field advantage throughout the playoffs, up to and including the Series if we get that far. i'm more whipped up than i have been since the mid-90's when Cleveland always seemed to find a way to win. the difference in this team is that we have the hands down advantage with starting pitching, just like the Braves did when they made their nice runs. i really think that'll be the difference in the short series' that the playoffs provide.
hey, here's my quick roster, tell me what you think...................
The only way the Indians have a chnace to advance in the play-offs, is if they play the Angels. Yankees, Red Sox will shut down the Indians. The indians and Angels are very close to being mirror images of each other and it will be anybodies series. Indians won't be able to take the heat in Fenway or Yankees Stadium and the Indians will cough up at least one game at home to either of these teams.
I know you (Indians) don't play the Yankees well, and I bet its the same with the Red Sox
the year's whitewashing by the Yankees(six losses) is really an anomaly and doesn't bear much weight on where the respective teams are today. we played two series' with them, both at times when the Yanks were playing well and the Indians were playing poorly. the first series in NY was without Byrd and Westbrook in the starting rotation while 2-3 major contributors to the starting lineup were still down on the farm. the series in Cleveland was even worse-----the Yankees were playing perhaps the best ball of the season for both leagues, meeting the Indiand at a time when they were in their worst slump of the season. after playing flat against NY they shook off the dust and fared well against contenders Boston/Detroit/Angels while smokin' the rest of the American League.
today the teams are rather evenly matched with NY having the edge in batting, Cleveland the edge in pitching and defense, so it would be fun. from my lofty perch, NY has to make it past the Angels and Cleveland past Boston for the teams to meet. i don't really see Boston closing out the season strong and NY has a considerably easier schedule. you're right about one thing, Cleveland and the Angels are very similar-----neither team is loaded with superstars and i actually think that'll prove to be an edge in the playoffs. Boston and NY especially are loaded with big name prima donnas, Cleveland and the Angels go a bit more towards demonstrating what team play is all about.
A lot is up in the air. The Indians may very well play the Yankees in the ALDS first round. It all depends on who wins the AL East and whether the Indians or Angels finish with a better record.
"The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."
For the record I'm hoping for an Indians-Cubs World Series:
-Two cities with LONGstanding baseball histories
-Neither team has won the Series in many years. (Ok, so the Cubs haven't won in many, MANY years.)
-These are two mid-western teams, and a World Series between these two will give fits to the east coast sports media. (After all, it has a rather abnormal fetish with anything that is associated with the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees.)
I might even toy with the idea of moving lofton up to the leadoff spot and dropping sizemore down to 3rd, then Hafner/Martinzez. Bottom line, is that they need lofton to be in the lineup; i think his presence and speed are crucial.
Indians are indeed playing well together as a team, coming back in tight games and playing solid ball. Whatever team they face Im cautiously optimistic. However I would love to face the sox in the first round, if only to piss off all my co-workers in Boston; where we all work "at the official hospital of the Boston RedSox" LOL.
I would love to see Sabathia/Carmon duel Beckeet and Schilling. If it all possible we can avoid the Yanks and let them battle the Angels.
Any A.L. team should win the world series this year as the NL teams are simply embarassing. (Im still surprised the Tigers didnt win the W.S. last year) but who knows with this crazy season.
The playoff teams in the AL are fairly set with Boston, New York, Cleveland, and Los Angeles. New York and Cleveland both have nine games remaining, while Boston and Los Angeles have eight each. Boston is the only one of the four to close at home as the other three probable playoff teams hit the road after their current series.
Cleveland has 2 left at home with Oakland and the will head to Seattle(4) and KC(3) to close their regular season. I think the Indians will split the last two with Oakland, split the four in Seattle, and take two of three from KC. They would finish at 96-66.
Boston has two at Tampa Bay and then closes hosting Oakland for two and then Minnesota for four. If Boston goes 5 and 4 on this stretch, they would tie Cleveland and win the tiebreaker based on head-to-head.
New York hosts Toronto for three, and then travels to Tampa Bay and Baltimore for three with each. New York would have to go 8-1 to match Cleveland's projected record.
Los Angeles hosts Seattle for two and then travels to Texas and Oakland for three game series. If LA goes 5-3 they would tie Cleveland and but Cleveland holds the tiebreaker edge over LA.
I do not know the tiebreaker if all three division winners would finish with the same record. If it is record within your division, I think Cleveland would hold the edge there.
I would hope that the Tribe can do better than 5-4 in the remaining games. If they can manage to get that sixth win I think it would be very difficult for Boston or Los Angeles to match there 97-65 record. Of course Tribe fans also know that Cleveland could just as easily go 3-6 on their remaining schedule.
Indians win and become the first team to lock up their division. Seven games left to prepare for what looks to be tough playoffs series no matter how Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and New york align themselves.
however it shakes out the AL playoffs should be fun, exciting and very competitive. i don't see the four teams that far apart, but anything can happen in October. one thing about Cleveland that stresses me out is the fall-off in play whenever Byrd pitches, a result of his "Personal Catcher" being in the game. what that's all about i have no idea, but it will probably result in Westbrook being the Number Three starter throughout the playoffs, unless they roll over C.C. and Carmona. they're just weaker with Shoppach behind the plate and Martinez at first with Garko riding the bench. a case in point would be when that scenario played out against the Angels a while back, coupled with Barfield at second and Cabrerra at short. sprinkle in a case of jet lag and it spells whitewash!!! it has repeated itself with regularity all season, i find it remarkable that Byrd has sustained his record like he has. my wonder starting tonight is whether Wedge will do the correct thing and keep the Team set and rolling or let guys rest. i think he'll play a forfiet on Wednesday in the second game, letting a few subs play, than close out strong through the weekend.
well, i stayed up till the ninth and watched the rest of the game on replay this morning as we beat the M's with our "B" Team!!! i know i wasn't the only one not surprised to see Cabrerra at the center of the victory.................again. this guy seems almost destined to be a star, even when he doesn't do anything he still does something.
Another big game today. The experience of Pettite vs the inexperienced Carmona. I hope the Jake can get rocking for this late afternoon start and put the Tribe up two. It won't be easy, but it would be nice to head into NY up two in the series.
Comments
Do me a favor and kick Seattle's butt today!
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
It should be a very interesting stretch run and the Indians have the starting pitching to carry them. Hopefully the bats will provide adequate support.
Tomorrow night I'm taking the family to the game, White Sox in, fireworks, kids are already planning their menu when we get there
I pray they dont have an epic collapse. This is the 20th anniversary cheering for these clowns! I love em win or lose. I love their starting pitching and middle relive. Grady is a God, and if Hafner wasnt hurt I'd feel a lot better, but Victor has picked up the slack. They play decent defense, I just wish Borowski wasnt such a psycopath lol.
He's Jose Mesa part deux.
Signed Angels Fan
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
Twenty-six games left with sixteen on the road to hold off the Tigers who now stand six games back. Would love to see the Tribe go 6-4 on this current trip through Minnesota, Oakland, and LA.
Keep it up Tribe!
John Adams Rules!
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
<< <i>Division leaders Angels and Indians go head to head, while second place teams (Tigers / M's) go head to head. Probably won't see much movement in the standings in the next few days. Have a feeling all 4 teams will go 2 and 2. >>
Treetop, I for one would be very happy with that.
At this time of the year with 4 more games under the belt and still have the same lead, I would too!
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
Do I smell a sweep?
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
Ron
Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
woohoo. got to Zumaya... good job Tribe!
Indians have now tied the sox for best record.
Swept the Tigers today... coming from behind in every game to win.
My favorite Indians player of all time hits his 500th HR (THome)... and it's been 20 years since I first started cheering for these clowns! woohoo! ahem. WahOO!
ISO 1978 Topps Baseball in NM-MT High Grade Raw 3, 100, 103, 302, 347, 376, 416, 466, 481, 487, 509, 534, 540, 554, 579, 580, 622, 642, 673, 724__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ISO 1978 O-Pee-Chee in NM-MT High Grade Raw12, 21, 29, 38, 49, 65, 69, 73, 74, 81, 95, 100, 104, 110, 115, 122, 132, 133, 135, 140, 142, 151, 153, 155, 160, 161, 167, 168, 172, 179, 181, 196, 200, 204, 210, 224, 231, 240
Next up the final home series vs. Oakland. Hopefully the Tribe can give the home fans a division clinching celebration. Hold the champagne,
order more whipped cream pies!
what i find most intriguing about the Tribe is that they seem to have come together as a Team absent any real superstars or egos. they have a blend of veterans, rookies, well traveled and home schooled players, solid defense, fine long relief, excellent short relief and some of the best starters of playoff wannabees. as the picture sharpens and the match-ups become clear, i expect we'll play the RedSox with home field advantage throughout the playoffs, up to and including the Series if we get that far. i'm more whipped up than i have been since the mid-90's when Cleveland always seemed to find a way to win. the difference in this team is that we have the hands down advantage with starting pitching, just like the Braves did when they made their nice runs. i really think that'll be the difference in the short series' that the playoffs provide.
hey, here's my quick roster, tell me what you think...................
Sizemore
Cabrerra
Hafner
Martinez
Garko
Peralta
Lofton
Guttiuerez--sp.
Blake
Sabathia
Carmona
Byrd
Westbrook
Laffey
Lewis
Fultz
Perez
Betancourt
Borowski
Shoppach
Michaels
Gomez
Barfield
Francisco
Nixon
I know you (Indians) don't play the Yankees well, and I bet its the same with the Red Sox
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
today the teams are rather evenly matched with NY having the edge in batting, Cleveland the edge in pitching and defense, so it would be fun. from my lofty perch, NY has to make it past the Angels and Cleveland past Boston for the teams to meet. i don't really see Boston closing out the season strong and NY has a considerably easier schedule. you're right about one thing, Cleveland and the Angels are very similar-----neither team is loaded with superstars and i actually think that'll prove to be an edge in the playoffs. Boston and NY especially are loaded with big name prima donnas, Cleveland and the Angels go a bit more towards demonstrating what team play is all about.
"The answer was in the Patriots eyes. Gone were the swagger and c0ck sure smirks, replaced by downcast eyes and heads in hands. For his poise and leadership Eli Manning was named the game's MVP. The 2007 Giants were never perfect nor meant to be. They were fighters, scrappers....now they could be called something else, World Champions."
-Two cities with LONGstanding baseball histories
-Neither team has won the Series in many years. (Ok, so the Cubs haven't won in many, MANY years.)
-These are two mid-western teams, and a World Series between these two will give fits to the east coast sports media. (After all, it has a rather abnormal fetish with anything that is associated with the Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees.)
I might even toy with the idea of moving lofton up to the leadoff spot and dropping sizemore down to 3rd, then Hafner/Martinzez. Bottom line, is that they need lofton to be in the lineup; i think his presence and speed are crucial.
Indians are indeed playing well together as a team, coming back in tight games and playing solid ball. Whatever team they face Im cautiously optimistic. However I would love to face the sox in the first round, if only to piss off all my co-workers in Boston; where we all work "at the official hospital of the Boston RedSox" LOL.
I would love to see Sabathia/Carmon duel Beckeet and Schilling.
If it all possible we can avoid the Yanks and let them battle the Angels.
Any A.L. team should win the world series this year as the NL teams are simply embarassing. (Im still surprised the Tigers didnt win the W.S. last year) but who knows with this crazy season.
nine games remaining, while Boston and Los Angeles have eight each. Boston is the only one of the four to close at home as the other
three probable playoff teams hit the road after their current series.
Cleveland has 2 left at home with Oakland and the will head to Seattle(4) and KC(3) to close their regular season. I think the Indians will
split the last two with Oakland, split the four in Seattle, and take two of three from KC. They would finish at 96-66.
Boston has two at Tampa Bay and then closes hosting Oakland for two and then Minnesota for four. If Boston goes 5 and 4 on this stretch,
they would tie Cleveland and win the tiebreaker based on head-to-head.
New York hosts Toronto for three, and then travels to Tampa Bay and Baltimore for three with each. New York would have to go 8-1 to
match Cleveland's projected record.
Los Angeles hosts Seattle for two and then travels to Texas and Oakland for three game series. If LA goes 5-3 they would tie Cleveland
and but Cleveland holds the tiebreaker edge over LA.
I do not know the tiebreaker if all three division winners would finish with the same record. If it is record within your division, I think Cleveland would hold the edge there.
I would hope that the Tribe can do better than 5-4 in the remaining games. If they can manage to get that sixth win I think it would be very difficult
for Boston or Los Angeles to match there 97-65 record. Of course Tribe fans also know that Cleveland could just as easily go 3-6 on their remaining schedule.
Go Tribe!
no matter how Boston, Cleveland, Los Angeles, and New york align themselves.
Angels win and are second to lock up there division
"If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
my wife and I both registered (and again the other day for ALCS) and got denied.
The kids are hitting, so is old man Lofton! I feel like its the mid 90's again....
Wow, I couldn't believe this game tonight!!!! I was cheering so loud my neighbor came to make sure I was okay.
I hope the Jake can get rocking for this late afternoon start and put the Tribe up two.
It won't be easy, but it would be nice to head into NY up two in the series.
where in the heck is the happy dance icon??!!!??
Feels so great to be a Tribe fan!!!!
Great game. This is October baseball at its best.
<< <i>Great game, and Chamberlain showed he doesn't have the stuff needed to pitch in the postseason. >>
What's needed in the post season? The ability to pitch through the bugs?