tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post5283503285382285918..comments2024-03-16T08:21:16.037-04:00Comments on The DiaTribe: Flipping the ScriptPaul Cousineauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490622970961409253noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-27596595867878162882010-10-21T16:45:47.457-04:002010-10-21T16:45:47.457-04:00Paul mentioned that one a couple weeks ago -- have...Paul mentioned that one a couple weeks ago -- have you heard anything else on that Paul?Halifaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712626480683595819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-67313663055564129042010-10-21T16:44:54.047-04:002010-10-21T16:44:54.047-04:00Makes sense to me Cy. I, for one, wouldn't min...Makes sense to me Cy. I, for one, wouldn't mind seeing the presence of an actual baseball guy (maybe he's not, either) in former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes in the upper organization. This bunch needs an injection of baseball smarts to go with its investment portfolio.Halifaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712626480683595819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-52611384631238967122010-10-21T15:50:27.975-04:002010-10-21T15:50:27.975-04:00well, i never claimed to have the answer. i reali...well, i never claimed to have the answer. i realized i was stumped in my exchange with paul, which too be honest, was a little surprising to me. i don't know what will light the fire again, and as i said, its not just winning. i, like many of us, am not a front runner. the reward of a season like 2007 is greater when the investment is long term. when many of the miles on my car are spent driving to cleveland and when i went to the ballpark for the 2005 final weekend collapse, even showing up hungover on Sunday for the final nail in the coffin before driving home...wondering if my losing record for games attended was partially to blame. <br /><br />however, i'm now the guy that did not replace my wind tattered tribe flag this year even though i have a dormant $50 MLB.com gift card in a drawer at home. i'm no patriot, but i flew an american flag all summer instead. and i went out and bought said flag with cash. i didn't do it as an f you to the tribe, i just didn't think about it.<br /><br />the the cost to follow them is not too much, its the effort. i still go to games, albeit, less frequently. went to one game at the cell this year and none at the jake. i'd listen to hammy call the game on drives into cleveland (1100 comes in around south bend), but i chose to spend my time in cleveland visiting with family and friends as opposed to games at the jake. for the first time in a long time, i didn't sign up for the mlb audio package. passed on the baseball tv package as well. didn't even tune in and mute the hawk during chicago broadcasts. and no, i didn't recently have a child.<br /><br />watching this "team" stopped being fun. 2007 hurt, but i figured, who cares...we're on the verge of a juggernaut. then 2008 happened...and then 2009.<br /><br />i sat and watched the team be decimated and saw no accountability. who was responsible for starting the season with an injured closer in 2008? who was responsible for our complete failure to acquire and develop young talent? luis isaac?!?!<br /><br />i know there was a lot of bad luck, player regression, and baseball economics in there, but the big problem that was well within the team's control crippled us. it wasn't addressed and by the time it was, it was too little, too late.<br /><br />perhaps it is b/c as a fan, the organization wants us to make a big investment in this team. when we do, we expect a certain return. and when we see we've been investing and haven't been receiving our expected return, we want answers and accountability. i don't need a new manager or GM as a gesture that something is being done, but something needs to happen (specifically as it relates to the things the team can control) and it needs to be communicated very effectively.<br /><br />i guess thats why i like a lot of what paul wrote here. give me a reason to care, b/c blind faith and the same tired message i've been sold for 8 years isn't enough anymore.Cy Slapnickahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109399114263980881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-42456120921329443172010-10-21T11:47:43.572-04:002010-10-21T11:47:43.572-04:00I totally agree with Fritz. Everyone has a bit dif...I totally agree with Fritz. Everyone has a bit different take on how they follow the team. At least this is an intelligent conversation. Go read these boneheads griping about the Lee and Sabathia deals at the PD.<br /><br />http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2010/10/indians_comment_of_the_day_nee_3.html#comments<br /><br />The fact is, those deals still cannot be weighed upon yet due to the development process. What they got for CC was good return, just not any pitching, which they tried to correct with the Lee and Martinez deals. Why do fans seem to think the Tribe got fleeced on Lee when they have two MLB position guys (albeit, likely backups) and a power righty that is young and looks to have a hi-end rotation ceiling? Check out what the Phillies got for him in their trade, not nearly the same return. The market is tight for dealing young talent.<br /><br />The team that made out was the Tigers receiving Austin Jackson in the Curtis Granderson deal. Jackson is going to be exceptional (already is).Halifaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712626480683595819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-30755583112621950902010-10-21T10:12:24.864-04:002010-10-21T10:12:24.864-04:00How about that Paul. I finally got this bloody thi...How about that Paul. I finally got this bloody thing to work!!fritzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02168331505356843840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-43951457840117176252010-10-21T10:00:39.572-04:002010-10-21T10:00:39.572-04:00I loved this article and also agree with both Hali...I loved this article and also agree with both Halifax and Cy. One has to deal with the losses in their own way. It's difficult to watch them lose all the time so you just have to look away sometimes. But it's great to have a team to watch and we root for them to win no matter what the real economics in play are. But Paul's point that they ought to be more up front about where things went wrong is also correct. Clearly, to me, it' been the wasted draft years that are to blame. Young talent is absolutely essential to this franchise - literally the life blood - and they clearly screwed that up year after year after year. The slow starts are possibly blamed on chemistry or human frailties or the manager, and key injuries are sometimes simply bad luck. These things haunt every franchise in every sport. But this franchise cannot tolerate those wasted draft years. They have perhaps managed to correct the problem somewhat with all of the trades the last 2 years and hiring a new draft director, but it seems to me to be the main reason we are at the bottom of this cycle once again. Hopefully this time the front office can sustain the growth and somehow I feel certain, Cy, Halifax, Paul and I will all be watching it happen.fritzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02168331505356843840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-21278696736765658722010-10-20T21:49:08.699-04:002010-10-20T21:49:08.699-04:00I'm pretty sure they would like to do that, bu...I'm pretty sure they would like to do that, but what exactly is the plan, Cy? Those obstacles are precisely why they struggle. Is the fix in free agency? Signing guys like Lee and CC long term? Better drafting? They can't do much in the first two and they're trying to address the third.<br /><br />It doesn't cost a lot of money to follow the team. We go to 2-3 games a year, and don't even get STO, I still follow the team. It's not costing much or helping them sign more players, but it's fun.Halifaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712626480683595819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-5280133877608539692010-10-20T18:14:21.546-04:002010-10-20T18:14:21.546-04:00i don't think its people feeling sorry for the...i don't think its people feeling sorry for themselves as fans, i think its people asking "whats the point?" my entertainment value is decreasing and further, i can expect long periods of low value and short periods of high value. i have many things in my life to entertain me, is it worth the investment in the long periods of low value for the period of high value for me as an indians fan? i don't have infinite resources from an attention span, time, or money perspective, so something has to give. even more so for a fan that is not in the home market and must spend additional resources seeking a knowingly low entertainment value.<br /><br />i don't expect to root for a winner all the time, but its not entertaining watching that team implode and having a rebuild the only option. its not entertaining becoming attached to an entity and watching that entity destroyed. i root for the name on the front, but you cannot help becoming attached to the names on the back. its not entertaining watching crowe play. its not entertaining rooting for a bunch of pieces that have no future in this organization.<br /><br />i'm pretty confident any cleveland sports fan does not expect a team to make them feel good 100% of the time. but when you rationalize how much time, money, and effort you spend following a team and rooting for them, it becomes harder and harder to justify given the current situation.<br /><br />nobody expects the indians to change baseball economics or organization crippling guaranteed contracts. i'd prefer they just spit in the face of those obstacles and said, F it. we're going to win despite them.Cy Slapnickahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10109399114263980881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-4377689819872198892010-10-20T09:34:18.897-04:002010-10-20T09:34:18.897-04:00People need to stop feeling sorry for themselves a...People need to stop feeling sorry for themselves as fans and realize that the Indians aren't there just for their viewing pleasure and to make them feel good 100% of the time. The fans are just part of the equation, which also includes the fact that it is a business in which grown men make millions to play a game which is, unfortunately, based on ENTERTAINMENT VALUE for fans. Why this is unfortunate is because there is an extreme disconnect between teams like the Tribe and teams like the Yankees, because THOSE big teams are the ones that MLB cares about driving in the cash cows from the grazing fields to their bank vaults. As long as those teams remain strong nobody cares what becomes of the Indians and Pirates.<br /><br />As a baseball fan, I am thrilled to have a team to root for, to care about...to be relevant to me. I'm glad I can get upset when they do something stupid and be thrilled when they make runs as they did i 2005 and 2007. It's fun to look at the minor league talent they have coming and dream of them maturing into fine players -- yes, fine players that will eventually be dealt to the big boy cash cows because A)The players love the game bit are in it for the money, and B) those big teams are the only ones that can afford CC & Lee money.<br /><br />Get over it.<br /><br />I have a team I can root for. Sorry if that team is not the Yankees. But when that team BEATS the Yankees, and they have and they will again, it makes it so much more sweet.<br /><br />Enjoy the new crop of talent coming. The organization has addressed the fact that they have had poor drafts by getting a new director that seems to have a clue. People think it's the same old story, but when was the last time they drafted and traded for power arms like WHITE, POMERANZ, CARRASCO, KNAPP, PRICE, BRYSON and more?<br /><br />They have changed their approach in hopes of better competing in the future. Unfortunately, for them, they cannot change the landscape of the game, so don't expect them to.Halifaxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16712626480683595819noreply@blogger.com