Game One Hundred Thirty-Seven: Indians 5, Twins 0

I want MORE Ben Francisco!

Are we still the worst?  First-place team?  Ever?

go go go go go

Isn't Jason Michaels gone after this season anyway (contract expires) or did we extend him?

So, for lack of a better place to put this.  I had a great weekend in NE Ohio.   Went to Friday's comeback and Saturday's Cobra Attack.  Both nights had some of that stilton cheese soup (and several steins of the Octoberfest) at GLBC before the game.  Sunday I was boating and had no access to soup, so that loss was on me.  Monday I listened to much of the game on the way to the airport enjoying the styilings of Mr. Hamilton while recovering from polishing off a growler of Octoberfest.

It was awesome to see scores of people dawning Tribe gear again, scoreboard watching and talking baseball - talking Indians baseball.  It was great to see two robust crowds at the games I attended and really excellent to see the place go nuts when Casey hit that double.  I won't get back to the Jake for the rest of '07 so those will be my strongest memories for this season no matter the eventual outcome.

Still looking forward to next week's series on the Southside though to close out my season at the ballpark(s).

For the record, I saw Jason Michaels Sunday night in Minneapolis. Sadly my camera was in the hotel.

John (Chicago IL): C.C. Sabathia has got to be a Cy Young Frontrunner. He is in the top 10 in the league in every major statistical category, including leads in wins and innings and fifth in era. Plus he's beaten Santana three times head to head for a division leader?

SportsNation Rob Neyer: Well, okay. But in terms of what the voters look at -- wins, losses, ERA, strikeouts -- there's really not much separating him from Beckett and Lackey, not to mention Haren and Escobar, both of whom have sub-3.00 ERA's. The award probably goes to whoever's lucky enough to win 20 games.

Tom (Stratford): Looks like you were right about the Indians. How much does Borowski put them at risk in the playoffs? I know the closer position may be a little over-rated, but they don't strike me as a team that's going to have many 8 runs games that make the closer moot in the playoffs.

SportsNation Rob Neyer: I touched on this in the blog last week ... Borowski's obviously not a top closer, but I do think he's somewhat better than his lousy ERA. I also think we might see him demoted between now and October if he has a few more rough outings. But you know, it's not like Betancourt and Rafael Perez aren't pitching important innings already, and the Indians are not loaded with great relievers.

Brad (Columbus, OH): I know this is still early, but let's say that the Red Sox, Indians, Angels, and Yankees all make the playoffs in the AL. Who's your early pick?

SportsNation Rob Neyer: I like the Indians is Hafner's healthy, and the Red Sox otherwise. But they're all quite good, and none would be surprising World Champs.

and I know it's only an extra hour than normal, but I can't wait for tonight's game.

Didn't the Indians get the memo about how Mastny sucks? Why not give garbage innings to someone who hasn't yet established themselves as a garbage pitcher?