Objects in Rearview Mirror...
Due to FSN's inexplicable decision to not televise today's 11-0 win to complete the sweep over the Royals, the meliflous tones of Tom Hamilton and crew relayed the utter dominance that took place at the Jake. C.C. was outstanding, with 8 innings of shutout baseball (allowing only 5 hits, no walks, and striking out 8), and the offense coming through with a full scale onslaught of Jose Lima.
Baseball Tonight led their telecast off with the scorching Tribe (as the clocked ticked down in Lambeau), with the boys at ESPN seemingly finally on board with the Indians' bandwagon. It only took the Indians tying for the 3rd best record in baseball for anyone to sit up and take notice.
The ChiSox took a 2-1 game from the Twins, so the Tribe remains 3.5 games back, with a big series in The Cell for the next three days. The way that the Tribe is rolling, particularly with their starting pitching, this could be a monumental 3 days. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This team bullied its way into the Wild Card lead and into AL Central contention by keeping its collective head down and taking the season one game at a time. To their credit (and Wedge's), they didn't overlook the Royals, with an eye to the Chicago series. They did what they were supposed to do - sweep an inferior team.
Granted it is a Sunday night, after a Tribe sweep and a Browns victory (which didn't make my bride - a Milwaukee native - too happy), but I've got a pretty good feeling going into these last two weeks of the season.
Going down to the Jake Saturday night, we arrived about 5:30 at the Box Office. After buying our tickets, we hit E. 9th to grab some food. One problem - you couldn't get in to any of the places. Panini's - packed, Winking Lizard - packed, The Clevelander - packed, Thirsty Parrot - packed. So much so that you couldn't get in the front doors...at 5:30! I realize that the OSU and ND games were on, but it was quite a return to the days when all those places were packed all the time with Featherheads. We opted for the Batter's Eye, which was also packed, but was having a halfway to St. Patrick's Day party, complete with live Irish music, Guinness on draft, and scantily clad ladies giving out green shamrock beads. Finally someone in the Tribe front office is doing some heavy thinking. It was a great game to attend as the Tribe exploded for 5 in the first, then held on (thanks to Mr. Roboto Bob Howry and the usual tightrope act by Sticky) to win in front of 32,000. Plus, with a victory, the jinx may be behind me as a 2 game winning streak has improved the season record to 5-12.
Hitting the team shop before the game on Saturday, I have a prediction to make. May I present to you the Cleveland Indians 2006 hat. I know that I've mentioned it before, but 
that C logo with the Chief is everywhere on shirts, hats, or anything. I dont' mind the hat. In fact, I think that it's a nice way to incorporate the C for Cleveland into the uni. I do, however, believe that it is the first step towards the elimination of the Chief from our uniforms. He's already gone from the Jake. Now if they could only do something about those hideous sleeveless jerseys.
Watching the Tribe take a game, knowing that the White Sox had lost made me think of a line in the Metallica song that Casey Blake comes out to, "The soothing light at the end of tunnel, is just a freight train coming your way."
White Sox, there's a freight train bearing down on you, picking up steam daily, and it's got Indians emblazoned across the front of it.
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12 comments:
a) i hate that hat, but at least it's better than the script I.
b) few great stories on espn about this series
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=rogers_phil&id=2166045
i wont list the other one, because it gives the series edge to the sox mainly because we dont have cliffy or C.C. going.
c) only game i missed last week was wednesday. awesome, dominating series this past weekend. gonna hit all 3 tampa next week, but unfortunately will miss teh big series because although it worked out for the browns bye week, my brother picked a hell of a weekend to get married...
also, my joke saturday night was...
ozzie guillen called. wanted to know what the international sign for choking was.
Yanks in town for the 4th of July, nice.
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/cle/schedule/tentative_2006_season_schedule.jsp
up 2-0, bases loaded in the third with guillen coming out to straighten out garcia's head...
seriously casey, you haven't won us over yet. take off the roller skates and play some defense.
how awesome was it to wake up this morning all groggy and tired and late and then realize the tribe won? it was like an extra shot of expresso.
was anyone else wondering if the atomic one was going to PH for Bennie last night in the 8th with Jose? Bennie looked bad there. Not that Jose has been hot or anything...
GREAT game with all of the drama (game ended about 11:45, way past my bedtime), but wouldn't it have been a little less stressful had Wedge made 2 moves:
1) The aforementioned PH of Hernandez for Broussard against a tough lefty. Broussard was simply overmatched. I understand that Guillen would've countered with a RH to face Hernandez, but that effectively would've emptied the Sox pen. Thank God Boone bailed Benny out with the clutch hit.
2) Having Howry start the 8th! Why would Sauerbeck come in to start the 8th? There were no LH bats on the radar? Luckily, the Robot, Bob Howry dispatched of the White Sox, without dispensing a drop of emotion.
Those are my only problems with the game last night. On the bright side, this feels like the playoffs, nitpicking every pitch, hitter, and pitcher.
Let's keep that line moving.
I hope that Hafner lines a shot off of Buerhle's bad sideburns tonight.
anyone else so nervous about this stuff they feel like they are gonna puke? and can i go on like this for two weeks?
and, why oh why, can i not go on a national show and tell someone big like gammons, "thanks for jumping on the bandwagon, its been kind of lonely around here." of course that would probably be followed by him challenging my sexuality. kinda like what happened when the white trash guest on the Jerry Springer Show alluded me and the Baltimorian having homosexual tendancies when we went to the taping of an episode.
for the record, our buddy was interning for the springer show at that time...and cy did make a horrible comment about the guy's baby's momma
speaking of white trash, the drunken criminal sox fans came across very loud listening to T. Hamilton from the internet, i even caught a "cleveland sucks" chant...makes the victory even sweeter, just hope the jake returns the favor next weekend
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT:
YOU CAN GET DIVISIONAL SERIES ON PRESALE BEFORE THEY GO ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON SATURDAY:
PRESALE PASSWORD IS HUNT
ahhhh! don't give that out on here! otherwise those of us that are still trying to coordinate our idiot friends might miss out.
i'm ready to just buy 4 bleacher or RF seats and be done with it, just worried about getting stuck. home game 2 could be at a weekday or weekend game. don't want to end up not being able to go but having four tix
i'm glad you have that much faith that 20,000 people read this, but i kind of doubt that's the case.
you obviously underestimate the kind of pull PC has. women mail him panties....without the skid marks.
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