Why "It's How You Start" Means A Great Deal If You're the Cleveland Indians

Major League Baseball presents one of the most grueling seasons in all of professional sports. Over 30 Spring Training games, 162 regular season games, 3 rounds of playoffs, and for most, Winter Ball. Add all that together, and you usually hear phrases like "It's a marathon, not a sprint" and "It's not how you start, but how you finish". In the case of the Cleveland Indians, where for the last 10 years, their seasons have come to rest in April due to their inability to get out of the gate quickly, the latter of the above phrases carries little weight with me. For this team, getting off to a fast start has lead to success. So the formula is simple; win early and you have a shot, lose early...

The 2011 installment of Indians baseball is off to a better start than the entire nation expected. At 15-8, they own the best record in the American League. While there have been a few disappointments, there have been plenty of surprises. Manager Manny Acta seems to be pushing all the right buttons early on, and I would argue that the way the Indians "finished" Spring Training lead to this hot start. The team is young, but has displayed a veteran poise that should be credited mostly to their skipper.

Youth is a great tool, but it's only one of the tools. For a young team, a team that was and still is expected to grow and mature over a long MLB season, quick starts have historically proven to be beneficial. A little confidence never hurt anyone, right? With the Indians, there were a number of young, talented prospects (that's right, prospects), that the brass has been secretly keeping their fingers crossed on, hoping for a quick start. Players Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta, Carlos Santana, Carlos Carrasco, and Josh Tomlin are at the top of that list. These players have exceeded expectations collectively early on, and have been put to the test in big spots this year.

While the season is still in it's infancy stages, all of us in Cleveland aren't discrediting the Indians fast start. Under Eric Wedge, the team often stumbled through April, posting only 1 winning opening month in the 8 years of Wedge's tenure. That year was 2007, the year the Indians moved within 1 win of reaching the World Series. That year was also full of surprises, and you could see the pressure lessen and the confidence grow with each early win the team notched.

Early Observations

To win, you have to find the right mix of players. The Indians certainly have plenty of youth to go around, but they are often searching each year for the right bargain veterans to mix in with their youth. Newcomer Orlando Cabrera has been just what the doctor ordered. He's been around, been on winning teams, seen the playoffs. He's a pro's pro. He can also play a variety of positions on the infield. He's gotten the timely hit, along with the big hit, and he's usually right in the middle of most Indian innings where crooked numbers are posted. Returning veterans Shin-Soo Choo, Grady Sizemore, and a reborn Travis Hafner, whose numbers are very encouraging through the first 23 games, have all helped stabilize and support the young guns in the Indians offense. Sizemore has especially been electric since his return from microfracture surgery on his knee. He's displayed a good burst, a quick bat, and has done a good job of cutting down on the strikeouts that plagued him the last 2 years. Manny Acta no doubt was faced with a tough decision upon Sizemore's return. Michael Brantley was doing a great job in the leadoff spot, and the argument could have (and probably was) been made to bat Sizemore lower in the lineup until he felt stronger. Acta didn't hesitate, returning Grady to the leadoff spot, and thus added a new threat to the top of the order. The lineup seems to be gelling, as the Tribe was ranked third in the league in runs scored.

While the hitting has grabbed plenty of attention, it's been the pitching that has really been the story. You want surprises? How about Justin Masterson and his 5-0 record and sub 2.50 ERA? Josh Tomlin is 4-0. Mitch Talbot was 3-0 before his injury. Carlos Carrasco has pitched well at times also. The big disappointment has been Fausto Carmona, the guy everyone was counting on to put it all together and establish himself as the ace of this staff. After a disastrous opening day start, Carmona has pitched better, but not much better. He was shelled by Minnesota last week, and has often struggled with his command. Recently, Manny Acta challenged his young ace to attack hitters more often and trust his stuff. He's constantly falling behind hitters, and heading into tonight's start, he sports a record of just 1-3, with an ERA near 6. If he Indians hope to contend, he'll need to be the driving force.

The bullpen has been equally as good as the starters. I believe this is mostly due to the fact that the Indian starters lead the league in quality starts. Rarely is a Tribe starter removed before the 5th inning, and Acta has had the luxury of using his relievers in the roles that they are most comfortable in. There have been a few really bright spots in closer Chris Perez, and rookie Vinny Pestano. Rafael Perez has been solid, but he hasn't looked the same since 2007. Tony Sipp and Chad Durbin need to do more if they hope to be around in September.

Steady players Asdrubal Cabrera and Jack Hannahan have been great for the offense. Cabrera's defense at short is elite, and teamed with Orlando Cabrera, also a former shortstop, the team has a solid double play duo up the middle. The team has been fun to watch, and has even showed a little resiliency in games that they've fallen behind early. There's plenty to be optimistic about.

While no one truly knows how this year's Cleveland Indians season will play out, the one thing we can all agree on is that they seem to be pointed in the right direction. Attendance is a bit disheartening, but Cleveland fans have shown that they'll support a competitive team. Owner Larry Dolan certainly isn't the most popular man in town, but Mark Shapiro, Chris Antonetti, and Manny Acta are helping him stay out of the direct line of fire right now. The team is playing well at home, winners of 9 straight (the longest streak since 2005). There is one thing that Tribe fans can be sure of; their offense will get better...because Lonnie Chisenhall is coming.

TR

To Be The Man...

As the NBA regular season came to a close last week, and playoff seeds were finalized, a few stories began to surface regarding Dwyane Wade's message to both LeBron James and Chris Bosh this past summer, which lead to both stars deciding to join Wade in Miami for the next 6 years. No one truly knows exactly what Wade said to his free agent-to-be friends, but Brian Windhorst, who is very close with James, and covers the team, summed it up in one sentence. Wade's message was loud and clear- being the man was "overrated". I have a problem with this message.

Athletes do this kind of stuff all the time. It's almost comical to watch the events unfold. It's like you're driving down a highway, and up ahead you see a 10 car pile up. You know you should slow down and use caution, but you just don't. Before you know it, you're in the pile up wondering why you didn't heed the warning signs in the first place. They use words like "sacrifice" and "maturity", "teamwork" and "commitment". These are all the buzz words that fans love to hear their super stars say to them. Rarely do the actions of the super star athlete reflect what they spent so much time trying to convince us of.

Being from Cleveland, I did not follow the college and pro careers of both Wade and Bosh, but in the case of James, we all know how the script has been written. Did James believe that being the man was overrated when at the age of 17, his face was plastered all over the cover of Sports Illustrated, touching off a national media frenzy that eventually lead to his high school games being televised (which at the time was unheard of) on ESPN? Perhaps he felt this way when he received throw back jerseys for free from a Shaker Heights sporting goods store, leading to an investigation from the OSHAA, and a subsequent penalty for James. Surely it had to be when his mother received a loan for James' brand new Hummer (while he was still in high school), a loan that Mrs. James could in no way pay back with her current income situation.

When Nike came calling, giving James a shoe deal worth $90 million, all before he played a single professional game, surely that had to be the foundation for Wade's pitch. As LeBron filmed commercial after commercial, unveiling all his unique personalities such as "Business" LeBron and "Wise" LeBron, do you think he was telling himself "this really sucks, I wish these guys at Nike would just leave me alone"? Endorsement deals with Vitamin Water, State Farm, and McDonald's had to bolster Wade's position, right? And what about all the self-appointed nicknames like "King James" and "Chosen 1" (hell, he even got a tattoo across his back for that one)? Wearing #23? It seems like someone was right at home with being "the man".

I could go on for a long time about the wild parties, website launches, cartoon spin-offs, LRMR, appearances on "Entourage", clothing lines, celebrity event hostings/appearances, and soccer club ownership- all of which came with being and wanting to be "the man" for James. Wade and Bosh also used these platforms to maximize their own brand, and seemingly become multi-millionaires overnight. In the case of Wade, Bosh, and James (especially James), it seems that falling back on Wade's words are convenient only when failure accompanies these men on the basketball court when the stakes are the highest. Game-Winning shot attempts? Championships Won? No thank you, I'm not cut out for being the man after all. Maybe James never wanted to be "the man", but then again, he shouldn't have spent the first 25 years of his life trying to convince us all that he was.

Joe Tait and the Long Shadow he Casts

I'll always remember the first time I heard Joe Tait's voice without realizing it was Joe Tait. I was going through some of my father's cassette tapes and blindly playing them on his stereo one afternoon shortly after my parents told my brother and me that they didn't love each other anymore. I was 11, and had started to take an interest in basketball. The Cavs were a good, solid, young team on the rise, with plenty of stars to like. Anyways, after pressing play and starting another random tape, I heard the closing minutes of the 4th quarter of perhaps the most famous game in Cleveland Cavaliers franchise history. The Miracle of Richfield. The Cavs were in just their 6th year of existence as a franchise, and this was their first playoff series in team history. The opponent was the Washington Bullets. The year was 1976.

As I listened, so many sounds were flooding through the headphones and into my ears. The crowd was roaring, the players were making big time plays at both ends of the floor, and the announcer of the game, Joe Tait, was shaking the mic with every call. I couldn't see him, but I could just see him; sweat beading on his forehead, shortness of breath, and sweaty palms as he called every second of this battle. His voice was strained at times, barely audible over the crowd noise. After it was all over, it was as if Joe was on the floor, fighting for rebounds, setting screens, and directing teammates on the floor. When the Cavs won that game, you felt like you won. You felt how Joe felt...alive!

I was hooked. I listened to all the Cavs games moving forward. Turn the sound down on the TV, put on the Sony Walkman, and just listen to Joe Tait bring it home. 7th grade camp, yep I had to have my Sony Walkman so I could listen to the Cavs/Bulls playoff series. I heard all the catch phrases over the years that became favorites with Cavalier fans like "3 Ball...GOT IT", "Wham with the right hand!", "Line to the left, sights it, shoots, it...good." and "The Cavaliers will be moving left to right on your radio dial". I would be shooting hoops outside and would play all the parts; the crowd, the d-fense chant, and of course, Joe Tait's radio play-by-play. Joe Tait was responsible for my interest in basketball. I was certain that I would do radio broadcasts one day, just like him. I often regret not following through on that.

Now, only 2 games remain in the broadcasting career of Joe Tait. I'm not sure what the Cavaliers have planned for their radio team beyond this year, but it's going to be hard, after 39 years, to flip on the radio for Cavs broadcasts, and not hear Joe's voice. I suppose he's earned a break. Thank you for being you, Joe, and thank you for sharing your passion of basketball with all of us. You'll be missed after one final "Have a goodnight, everybody".

TR