FanPost

Things I Wish I Could Say to Indians Fans

The beginning of the season magnifies everything - bad games (like last night, April 3rd) and great games (like the night before). I've been encouraged by what I've seen of the 2018 Indians, and while I am somewhat concerned about the offensive output of the outfield and the reliability of the bullpen, those were two things I was concerned about entering Spring Training, and I'm confident the Indians will find their way to solve whatever problems might be there through minor-league depth and trades, if need be. We've played five games, and none against division opponents.

With that said, there are a few things that Indians fans say in person, online, and on fan-sites to which I would like to offer responses to which they could refer anytime they feel tempted to hot-take their way through another season. The great thing about LGT is that most of those who post here are not reactionaries. Anyway, time to get some things off my chest. Here goes...

1. The reason that you are so upset that the Indians didn't sign Jay Bruce is that you would rather root for a big, white power hitter than a big, brown power hitter. Man, how I wish I could say this to everyone who whines about how the Indians didn't re-sign Bruce! I have great memories of Jay Bruce. His game-tying homer against the Yankees was the most underrated moment of 2017, in my opinion. With that said, I would 100% rather have Carlos Santana or Yonder Alonso at first base than Bruce trying to hack it there, either on the field or at the plate.

2. Josh Tomlin is a fifth starter. He will not pitch for the Indians anymore when he does not give the Indians a chance to win. With Salazar hurt, there is not a clearly better option in the Indians system at the moment.

3. Terry Francona is not a perfect manager, but he is not giving preference to good cribbage players or good clubhouse guys over players who would improve the Indians' chances to win. Yes, Tito gets into trouble being loyal to guys, but you cannot manage a team for an 162-game season making knee-jerk reactions or giving up on a proven player when he goes throw a tough time. When in doubt, managers have to make decisions based on an established track-record of major league success.

4. Brandon Guyer and Lonnie Chisenhall are a good platoon option. If healthy, they are more than capable at producing a 3+ WAR year together. Francona is a master of managing platoons, and you could not get this production from another single player for the salaries Chisenguyer will be paid.

5. Chief Wahoo is clearly a racist caricature and the real, underlying reason you are upset about the logo's departure is because it is another sign that the dominant culture (WHITE!) of the past ever in American history is subsiding and a new, more diverse culture is replacing it. Look, we can argue that Wahoo was not created to offend Native Americans all we want. He has a red face, a hook nose, and shiny Sambo teeth. He's a racist caricature, and needs to be abolished, and every day I see him on my favorite team's uniforms it becomes less and less tolerable.

6. Let flashy personalities and plays make baseball fun. There is certainly a place for the stoic warriors of baseball's past, like Corey Kluber, and there always will be. There is always going to be a place for the all-American, humble generational talent like Mike Trout. But, as Latin players provide the hope for baseball's future, we need to get over our hang-up's about showboating and embrace some bat flips, some trash talk, over-the-top celebrations, and controversial personalities to allow the game to grow and reach a new generation. These new, in-your-face, over-the-top performances will then allow the Kluber's and Trout's of baseball to excel in their own individual personas. Give me more Tommy Pham trashing the Cardinals' outfielders they tried to use while keeping him in the minors, give me more of Encarnacion's ritual parrot-rides following every long-ball, give me more of Ronald Acuna's sideways hat, I'll even take more of Dee Gordon channeling Griffey against my Tribe and more of Trevor Bauer's ridiculous alt-right-hander comments and his hilarious and generous charity campaign's poke in the eye to societal sensibilities... let's let this new generation of players make our game more fun than it's ever been. Give us heroes, villains, heels, faces... and MLB should promote the heck out of all of it.

Phew. That felt good.

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