6 and Counting...

Sitting in the Right Field Mezzanine (where we got a great view of Joe D-G's catch) with my buddy TC tonight brought up some interesting topics:

• If the Indians fall out of the race by the trading deadline, do you trade Millwood, Wickman, and Howry?
• If the Indians are right in the race by the trading deadline (which I think they will be ), what do they add? What does this team need? Everyone harps on Dolan's "unwillingness to spend money", but really what would you add to the mix here and who would go? The only pressing need that I see is a RH bat, possibly as an OF. It seems that the two-headed monster of Hernandez and Blake is not doing the job.
• What starter conveys the attitude of an "ace" the most? Or, what starter, when on the mound, gives you the most confidence? Consensus in the Mezzanine was Lee, Millwood, Sabathia, then Westbrook. Sabathia #3, you say? The reasoning is that despite his claims that he wants (and needs) to be this team's ace, C.C. still seems to let things pile on when the inning gets tough. The other 3 don't seem to have that problem.
• Is Bob Howry expendable to get a RH bat in the lineup? With Cabrera tearing it up in AAA and Howry's contract up at the end of 2005 (he's sure to get a multiyear deal with the way that he's pitching), do you trade Howry with a minor leaguer to get a RH bat?
• Who are the core players on this team? Super Sizemore is obviously the best position player on this team right now (the Baldelli comparisons have started), but who else will be here in 3 years? With no obvious Manny, Thome, or Vizquel here, who's going to stay for a few years, and who will pull a Paul Sorrento?

Other things seen and heard at the Jake and afterwards:

• The Team Shop is selling #48 Pronk jerseys. If I see a #52 Crooked Cap or a #41 The Stick at the Team Shop, I'm asking for a commission.
• The lineup was introduced to The Crue's "Kick Start My Heart" to get the crowd in the mood. Very well done video montage that got me ready for baseball, more so than "We're talkin' baseball...Indians Baseball...talkin' Tribe!" Who still hits the play button on that one? Is someone in the Indians' front office related to this singer? Let's bring back "Indians Fever, Be a Believer".
• Why does the crowd start the wave with a Tribe runner on first and nobody out? Because Cleveland is not a baseball town. I'm sorry, but it's not.
• WTAM's postgame with Kevin Keane and Mark Schwab gives a voice to the intelligent Tribe Fan. They give a cautiously optimistic view on the team while not getting too high or too low, while also remaining subjective and sometimes critical.
• At a street vendor's stand on Bolivar en route to the game, I saw the script "C" on a hat, which I feel should be incorporated into the uniforms. The other symbol that REALLY needs to be brought back is the silhouette of the full Chief Wahoo against the baseball (think the old Chief sign at Municipal Stadium). Why can't that be the depiction of the Chief, rather than just that big, smiling, red face?

D-Backs in time for the weekend. In the words of Lou Brown, "starting to come together, Pepper...starting to come together." Still shooting for 40-33 out of the homestand.

Random Thoughts

Watching the Tribe take Friday night's game in Detroit, my mind was racing...
...why does Wickman always have really red cheeks while breathing uncomfortably hard when he's pitching?

...since when have the Indians' hats gotten a lighter shade of blue? It certainly is no longer navy.

...the Chief Wahoo logo is getting smaller and smaller. Next time you're at the Jake, try to find him anywhere in the stadium. It' all script "Indians" or the "I" that's supposed to look like a feather.

...Friday's PD carried a picture of CC in his Akron rehab assignment. I thought that I read that he was in the best shape of his career. He looked huge. Maybe it was a tighter uniform, toit like a tiger.

...I like the renewal of the longer hair by players. Boone, Riske, and Ludwick just to name a few have that "baseball curl" coming out of the back of their hats. It certainly isn't a Danny Gravesesque mullet, but it is a step in that direction.

...if Wickman, Rhodes, Riske, Miller, and Rocky keep pitching like they have (Wickman's meltdown notwithstanding), it will go a long way to keeping the Tribe in contention all year.

...you have to like the flexibility of the current lineup. Boone batted 4th last night and came through with the big homer. Hernandez, Cora, and Bard give Wedge the necessary bench players to keep everyone fresh (something that was sorely lacking last year).

...why doesn't Cleveland have a cool "C" for a logo. We used to have the Reds "C" with Chief Wahoo, then the Flintstones "C" of the late 70's, and finally the block "C" of the Andre Thornton era. What would be wrong with the script "C" from Cleveland on the front of the road unis. I've seen guys outside the Jake selling them and they look pretty cool.

...does anyone else see Ben Broussard as a cross between Herbert Perry and Paul Sorrento. I just don't see him on this team when they really start to put it together.

...Jhonny Peralta's inconsistency thus far can be chalked up as inexperience. I think that once he figures it out, he'll be fine.

...who put Ivan Rodriguez's head on Derek Jeter's body. That is scary looking. Just goes to show what can happen when you "eat right in the offseason", you drop 60 lbs. and completely change your body type. Right.