Beware the year of the Ox

Are we talking baseball wise or in general? If we mean just baseball I can see that, otherwise Olin and Crews has to take precedent.

Well, we did finally get rid of Wedge.

1985 sucked pretty hard.

I am opposed to the title of this post.

And the mid-80s were worse in almost every way. Except for the uniforms, which I liked.

To me, it’s a question of whether you’re more emotionally soured by dashed hopes or by imperturbable hopelessness. Argentina, 1951; or USSR, 1982? Though, still, as Spidey alludes to upthread, even if you’re beset with glumness over the current state of affairs, you’ve got a pretty ballpark to visit and likable young players to watch and the (somewhat) comforting sense that the team is operated by grown-ups. We never had to stomach trading three of our best four players in the ‘80s, but then we didn’t have that kind of talent on the roster to begin with. So: better to have loved and lost…?

You’re also going to fight the generation gap in your effort to get a straight answer to this one. By the time I was old enough to care about baseball with any comprehension, the Indians were worth caring about. I remember Municipal well enough, but not a bit of the actual baseball that was played there.

but not a bit of the actual baseball that was played there

Not sure you could call what the Indians did in that ballpark in the 80’s actual baseball ….

For me, I would have to say 1994 was the worst. I waited my entire life to see the Tribe in the playoffs and in the Series. Then, whammo. Strike. Over. How amazing would that Cleveland/Montreal WS have been? The season was great until the abrupt and unfortunate stoppage.

admitted excessive use of italics.

For me it might be Aught-Eight. The Tribe had just come off a great 2007 campaign in which they were tied for the best record in baseball, had two aces and the majority of the ALCS roster returning… and then crudded up the bed something fierce. Early. And often.

I find dashed hopes much harder than consistent futility (which is why I should be alright for the next two years or so).

This year was the worst for me. Coming into my fandom in the early 80’s made all the bad years then seem normal, and yes ‘87 really did stink. The run from the mid 90’s until ‘07 were either good years or there seemed to be a plan and some hope. Watching the team flounder, having the manager fired and seeing weak spots in the front office have not been fun and have reminded me of the ghosts of the ’80s. And there really haven’t been any silver linings this season either. No strong finishes, no big moves, etc. This year would have fit in well with the ’80s years.

A few low lights from 2009 for me..

The shadow of CC’s signing with the Yankees and his opening press conference still lingering in my head on January 1st

Trading not one, but two of the team’s best players, both on team-friendly contracts not just for 2009 but also for 2010

Seeing the two previous AL Cy Young winners, both earning the award with the Tribe, pitching against each other in game 1 of the World Series….for different teams. Game 1 – not some random middle game shuffle, but headlining the World Series.

Grady getting hurt

Fausto continuing to shoot poorly-aimed sinking fastballs into my heart

June 15-21

A 1-7 start out of the gate, starting the whole season in a funk

Jhonny Peralta following Ryan Garko’s 2008 lead and totally muffing his age-27 season

The team not committing to Peralta at 3B from the start of the season

The front office and coaching staff essentially taking a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best approach during the critical period of May and early June

Andy Marte finally showing some ability to hit…just in time to not be part of the 2010 team

Not trading Kelly Shoppach prior to the season

Top pitching prospect David Huff giving a less than stellar rookie campaign

The bullpen

71 innings from Tomo Ohka…71

Hafner’s tease of a season (OPS+ by month: 137, 191, 114, 75, 114)

The Yankees winning the World Series…and then having (what looks like) a fantastic November and December

An awesome 7-25 end of the season (here we come 2010!)

Going 4-14 against Detroit

These are just some of the reasons 2009 was the worst for me. And again, a big part of why this was so much worse than anything in the 80s for me is that I had real, and not unrealistic, expectations that this team would be good. And unlike the 90s, this team fundamentally was not good and there isn’t much of a “just wait till next year” attitude at the moment (just wait till 2011 or 2012 doesn’t quite cut it).

Catharthis…

I would say that 2009 was a close second to 2008. However, I watched more games in 2008.

My issues with the season were as follows:
-Sizemore’s struggles and injuries
-Losing Victor and Cliff a year before their contracts due to “economic hardship”
-The rest of division’s continued mediocrity and not being able to capitalize on this
-Carmona’s not returning to form
-Westbrook not being able to return
-Hafner not being able play everyday
-We finally spend significant money on the bullpen and it gets worse
-Wedge not playing Laporta more
-Watching Lee and Sabathia duel in the world series

I think of 2008 and 2009 this way (quoting Hunter S Thompson)

“And that, I think, was the handle – that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of old and evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn’t need that. Our energy would simply prevail. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look west, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark – that place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.”