What Have I Done?

After witnessing all 4 games of the current 4 game losing streak, I am seriously banned from the Jake for a while. I was so upset at my role in the losses, I spent the drive home figuring out what I have been doing differently or what I can do to change the luck. The decision was made that the new belt that I had gotten last Sunday and had worn to all the games was the culprit. As I held the belt over the trash can last night, I said, "what the hell am I doing?" Had I become that superstitious that I truly think that I can change the outcome of the game?

I wondered where this philosophy could have come from. It couldn't be those countless Browns games when nobody could change seats if the Browns were winning and HAD to change seats after an interception or a fumble, could it? During the Browns-Jets OT playoff game, my father didn't let my friend's mother (who was at the house watching the game) leave our downstairs bathroom for the whole OT, because "it would ruin the momentum that we had going". In retrospect, how insane is that? But it made perfect sense to everyone there at the time. During the Tribe-BoSox Game 5 in 1999, me and my buddy C-Badd changed seats 3 times during Pedro's pitching performance to see if we could "change things up a little bit". My buddy Dozer's family are big Illinois fans and he said they switched seats over 10 times during the Final Four games. Maybe it just makes us feel like we're doing our part to bring home the W.

I think that in Cleveland (where the only "luck" we've ever had is bad), it's amplified. I hear conversations of people that say that LeBron is certain to leave, but maybe if they get a LeBron jersey, it'll change the mojo to make him stay. As if, one Saturday as the cashier is bagging a 23 jersey in Great Northern, LeBron (sitting at home in Bath) will have this revelation come over him that he should stay in Cleveland. It's such an insane premise, but normal, intelligent people subscribe to these superstitions every single day.

I remember this one TV movie when I was a kid called Tiger Town, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086439/, with Roy Scheider (the guy from Jaws), with the premise being that this little kid's favorite player was this washed up vet (Scheider). When the kid went to the games, and prayed real hard when Billy Young (Scheider) came up, Young would always go yard. The movie ends with the player finding out about it, and the kid not making it to the big playoff game in time, but the player hits a homer to win it at the end, without the kid's help.

It's a ridiculous movie, but there I was, about 7 years old, whenever the Tribe was up at old Municipal, head in my hands, deep in prayer. Never worked for the Indians teams of those days though.

What's wrong with us?

On a Tribe note: Let's be patient and see how they close out the homestand. They should've touched Milton up for a ton more runs and it should not have been that close at the end. There is no production coming from the corners.

On a Cavs note: The draft is rapidly approaching, they've cut ties with Traylor and Harris (no argument here), reportedly almost traded Gooden for Kurt Thomas, and are trying to deal Jiri Welsch to get into the draft. One question: WHO'S MAKING THESE DECISIONS? Wouldn't it make sense to have someone in place WELL before the draft and the Free Agency period begins?

Interestingly, they showed on the scoreboard that yesterday were birthdays for George Vuckovich (remember how he always made his hat fall off?) and Doug "Special Delivery" Jones (what a horrible nickname).

I'll recount the conversation between me and my wife about what's wrong with Cleveland sports fans tomorrow. I promise to be nowhere near the Jake tonight.

What in the Wide, Wide World of Sports?!?

After watching another roller-coaster save by Wickman on Friday (spirits high), I get to return to Cleveland after two abysmal outings by the Wahoo Warriors. Before I start a complete overhaul as a knee-jerk reaction, I'm going to sleep on it and think about what I think is wrong with the 2005 Tribe and what can be done to fix it, which will be forthcoming.

So, with that in mind, and with Ryan Drese throwing a 6-hit shutout on Saturday night, I thought that I would recall one of my favorite stories.

To set the scene, for my bachelor party, myself and about 20 other guys sat in the bleachers for a Saturday game with thoughts of hitting every watering hole in sight after the game before retiring for the evening. While watching the game, my buddy TB mentions to the group that Ryan Drese (who was pitching that day for the Tribe) is his second cousin on his mom's side. He says that his mom has invited Drese (who hails from California and was spending his first year in Cleveland) over to the house for a family dinner; a nice offer which Drese had not yet taken up. TB tells us (as Drese is getting shelled) that he thinks he met Drese once or twice, but not recently. The conversation is forgotten until later...much later.

Fast forward to the Shooters' deck, about 1:00 AM. TB runs over to us to tell us that Drese just came in with some other guy and they're hanging out. I convince TB to go over to him and introduce himself. "What's the worst that could happen?", I ask him, telling him that I'll go so it doesn't look too gay (while it actually probably made it look MUCH more gay). TB sidles up to Drese, who looks annoyed that someone not wearing a halter top has come within 5 feet of him. And the exchange:

TB-Ryan! My name's Tim. I'm your second cousin. My mom and your mom are cousins!

Long pause.

Drese-So?

Long pause.

TB- So...nothing.

TB walks away red-faced and fuming, tosses his full beer across the deck cursing like I've never seen him curse before. I'm dying to know what happened in the conversation, which TB plays back for me. Drese is called every name in the book when word spreads of the encounter. About fifteen minutes later, TB is still visibly upset. I tell him not to worry about it, that Drese is a prick, and who cares? TB's classic response, "I don't care that he blew me off. If my mom ever found out that Ryan is a jerk it would break her heart." TB didn't tell his mom for a few years, for fear hurting his mom's feelings.

Apropos on Mother's Day. Always thinking of mom.

Speaking of which...Happy Mother's Day to Nikki Addington, who miraculously gave birth to a 10+ pound baby (Gavin Thomas) BEFORE her due date.

Drese is still a prick, though. More on the Tribe in the next DiaTribe.

Draft Day Thoughts

With the Big Event (whom one person has called "his Christmas") happening at noon today, a few random thoughts:

• I woke up this morning to find my paper completely soaked through, thanks to a beautiful 4o degree rainy day in Cleveland. As I pulled out the hair dryer muttering to myself, "of all the days that I actually want to read Grossi" and "there goes your tip Helen Malloy" (our local paper carier, whose name for some reason I know off of the top of my head), I was hoping that the heat would kick in so I could dry the paper from 2 sources. My bride then bounced down the stairs and said, "you want me to go out and buy you a dry paper?" Gentlemen, when you find someone who is able to know you better than you know yourself (without immediately judging or mocking a 27-year old in his pajamas sitting Indian style on the dining room floor holding a hair dryer over the sports page), don't let her go.
• Am I a loser to sit by myself in a Browns jersey in the middle of April, surrounded by draft magazines and depth charts? Don't answer that.
• I'm watching Channel 19's pre-draft coverage with Bob Golic and I'm reminded when I ran into Golic at a bar before a Browns game this year. After marveling at the size of his head and admiring his mullet, my buddy C-Badd asked him what the most challenging part of playing "Mike" on "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" was. End of conversation.

On to some Tribe thoughts, as I did watch the game last night with the Crooked Cap looking very strong. Maybe the light switch has finally been switched on for C.C.

Here's a note from Peter Gammons latest column on the potential free agent pitchers after the 2005 & 2006 seasons:
Soon C.C. Sabathia, who would be a top free agent after the 2006 season, will begin working on an extension because of his belief in what the Indians are building. For some perspective: Sabathia won't be 25 until July. He has 54 career wins. The next highest total for any pitcher under 25? Jake Peavy has 33.

Think about that. C.C. (after last night) has 55 wins. Let's do the math-if C.C. pitches for 10 more years, until he's 35, and averages 15 wins a season; he's got 205 wins. And that's a pretty cautious estimate. Say he pitches until he's 40 (15 more years) and averages 16 wins a year-that's 295! In this day and age when, after Greg Maddux got his 300th win, most pundits said that the era of 300 game winners is essentially over, that's incredible.

C.C.'s return means even more to this team when you look at the impact of his place in the rotation to Westbrook. If C.C. can bring it against the #1's (Santana, Buehrle, etc.) that frees up Jake to take on lesser pitchers, which (hopefully) means more wins for Sinkbrook.

Does Travis Hafner look skinnier all of the sudden? I know that is difficult for a man who's 6'3", 240; but his neck, in particular, suddenly looks thin. Maybe it was just the TV's at the West End.

Question: Who got the best of the Randy Winn-Lou Piniella deal? Answer: Every other team in the AL West.

Carlos Silva and Justin Morneau came off the DL for the Twins yesterday. Did you see how Gassner (who shut down the Tribe in his first start, and was sent down when Silva came back) got shelled in his second start? I don't want to think about that.

I still can't get used to seeing Grover in another uniform. It would be like seeing Thome or Omar in another uniform. Oh, wait...

Bats Still Slumbering

The offense wasted a phenomenal outing by Millwood and Riske today by scoring only 1 run. This is not a good sign if Buerhle and Garcia are having their way with this lineup. I got in the car after work, only to hear Podsednik's RBI - to paraphrase Kramer from the Keith Hernandez/JFK episode, "my day was ruined".

I caught the last couple of innings on TV and noticed the revolving sign behind home claiming, "Season Ticket packages starting at $36." Yeah, that's for 6 games up in the right field corner, where you can hardly see the game. I sat up there once, for about two innings with my friend C-Badd, and it was a zoo. Nobody's watching the game, kids are everywhere, and the sound of the crack of the bat reaches you while the team is running off the field after the third out. What a misrepresentation of season tickets.

The offense better wake up, and soon. Before the game (out of 14 AL teams), they're ranked 11th in Average, 13th is OPS, and 11th in runs scored. Time to figure Contreras out and make him wish he was back on a raft halfway between Cuba and the Florida Coast.