tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post6798853852385915836..comments2024-03-16T08:21:16.037-04:00Comments on The DiaTribe: NO PAIN! NO PAIN!Paul Cousineauhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03490622970961409253noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-58015784270434459172007-10-18T13:11:00.000-04:002007-10-18T13:11:00.000-04:00The time is tonight.Thursday, October 18, 2007Terr...<B>The time is tonight.</B><BR/>Thursday, October 18, 2007<BR/>Terry Pluto<BR/>Plain Dealer Reporter<BR/><BR/>Don't let the series go back to Boston. Don't think about doing later that which can be done right here, right now.<BR/><BR/>Win the American League pennant, tonight, at Jacobs Field.<BR/><BR/>Do it while the Red Sox are still feeling blue. Do it at home with 44,000 red-shirt, white-towel screaming maniacs ready to roar on every pitch. Do it because a team has to work so hard and so many things have to go so right for the Indians to be in position to eliminate Boston and New York in the same postseason.<BR/><BR/>Yes, baseball is more than a battle of wallets. But why do you think Boston and New York are in the postseason nearly every year? They have the top two payrolls in the game. That can't buy you the World Series title, but it does secure your team a tremendous chance to play big games in October. Tribe fans know how difficult it is for their team to simply reach the playoffs.<BR/><BR/>The payroll list has the Yankees at No. 1, Boston at No. 2 and the Indians at No. 22.<BR/><BR/>But what matters most is the Tribe being up, 3-1, in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series with Game 5 tonight at home. Let's not get into the Indians' failure to win a World Series since 1948, and all the sad history of The Drive, The Fumble and The Shot. Let's watch this Tribe create its own legacy, one that we'd love to tell our kids and grandchildren about - without weeping!<BR/><BR/>There have been 65 major-league teams that have led a best-of-seven series, 3-1.<BR/><BR/>And 55 of those 65 have won it.<BR/><BR/>And 34 of those 65 won it in Game 5, which is tonight.<BR/><BR/>Boston still has fresh memories of 2004, being down 0-3 to the Yankees and coming back to win the series. To that, the Indians should say not tonight, not in our house and not in our year.<BR/><BR/>The time is now because Jhonny Peralta is playing like Cal Ripken Jr. in his prime. That .406 postseason average and that pair of three-run homers in the series are impressive, but even more revealing is when Peralta took a hard ground ball off his throat, staggered back, then scrambled to the ball and picked it up in time to throw out the runner.<BR/><BR/>The time is now because Casey Blake broke open Game 4 with that homer off a Tim Wakefield knuckler, which may be harder than trying to stab a fluttering butterfly with a two-inch pencil.<BR/><BR/>The time is now because the Indians' sometimes streaky offense is on high-octane, a .295 postseason average. In five of the 10 postseason games, they scored at least six runs. Their lowest output was two runs, and they still beat the Yankees, 2-1. In eight postseason games, only two starting pitchers (Andy Pettitte and Josh Beckett) have lasted five innings against the Tribe.<BR/><BR/>The time is now because the bullpen is beautiful, because the relievers have turned these into five-inning games. If the Tribe is leading after five innings, it's been over. Not only do the Indians know it, so does the other team.<BR/><BR/>The time is now because Sabathia needs a big game in October, and this is the perfect place for it to happen as he was 11-3 with a 3.13 ERA at Jacobs Field. All he needs to do is understand hitters now are taking all his breaking stuff, thinking he can't get it over the plate. The lefty has a nice slider - throw it on the first pitch and watch how easy it can be working with the count being strike one.<BR/><BR/>The time is now because Boston is a scary team, especially in its own park. It's now because Boston is feeling the pressure, because the Indians are riding a tidal wave of confidence. Yes, the Indians are good enough to win a game in Boston this weekend, but why wait when the time is now, the chance is tonight, and all of Northeast Ohio is waiting to celebrate.<BR/><BR/>© 2007 The Plain Dealer<BR/>© 2007 cleveland.com All Rights Reserved.t-bonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557582144953901789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-64730051186506393192007-10-18T10:47:00.000-04:002007-10-18T10:47:00.000-04:00as long as Baltimore-Washington International airp...as long as Baltimore-Washington International airport is good to me...see you all at Local HeroesBaltimoranhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08224994781147499885noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-17215797413858818022007-10-18T10:26:00.000-04:002007-10-18T10:26:00.000-04:00to any readers going down tonight, local heroes (t...to any readers going down tonight, local heroes (the former cooperstown) is the unofficial DiaTribe pregame headquarters. corner of e.9th and bolivar.t-bonehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557582144953901789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-5833627510800181012007-10-18T09:17:00.000-04:002007-10-18T09:17:00.000-04:00Great comparison to the movie...let's just hope Pr...Great comparison to the movie...let's just hope Pronk doesn't give the same speech to the crowd after the fight is over.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00685668393542686977noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-87258493457380462312007-10-18T08:47:00.000-04:002007-10-18T08:47:00.000-04:00Pat, you're the best. ADRIAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!!!Pat, you're the best. <BR/><BR/>ADRIAAAAAANNNNNN!!!!!!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13905575374474035740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11805401.post-63794597297261350042007-10-17T22:52:00.000-04:002007-10-17T22:52:00.000-04:00your post got me pumped up. Fuck em up tribe.your post got me pumped up. Fuck em up tribe.Mevshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13758948812088905146noreply@blogger.com