The Observer, February 18, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 18
Hope of the Tribe contending brightens an otherwise dull Februar
It's mid-February, and you know what that means! Yes, it is time for the annual Hottest Athlete polls on espn.com! Yes, I voted for pro golfer Natalie Gulbis with the hope that the rumors of her romance with Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger might be true, and that by voting for her I might somehow be messing with his psyche. But that's just a fun diversion in this lackluster month of sports. The big news for those of us longing for sunshine and sunflower seeds is that spring training is underway!
Hall of Fame second baseman Rogers Hornsby once said, "People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring." The calendar says we have to wait four more weeks, but the sights and sounds coming out of Florida and Arizona tell us that spring is already here. Pitchers and catchers reported to camp for the Cleveland Indians Wednesday, and while we may still have to deal with snow, the pop of ball in glove overwhelms the sound of any more plows going down the street.
The beautiful thing about spring training is that in February and March, everyone can be confident about their team's chances of winning in the coming season. However, this year the Tribe has a real shot at returning to the top of the American League's Central Division. Most years I can talk myself into believing that the team has potential, but this spring I'm not alone in my optimism. While acknowledging that much can change in this month and a half before Opening Day, Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer has preliminarily picked the Indians to finish second in the division behind the Minnesota Twins. The national media also has a positive view of the Cleveland club, as cnnsi.com ranked the Tribe's starting pitching staff of C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Kevin Millwood, Cliff Lee, and Scott Elarton as the fourth best in the American League, behind only Boston, New York, and Minnesota. (But really the Red Sox and Yankees are in a league of their own, where there's no crying in baseball and no limit to payrolls.)
In 2004, the Indians won 80 games, a 12-game improvement over the previous year. Of course, that means they only won 68 games just two years ago. (MATH 122 was very good to me.) At any rate, the 80 wins last year were near or slightly more than what most "experts" expected, and had the team not run out of gas in the last six weeks of the season, that number could have been even higher. Conventional (and convenient, for the purposes of this argument) wisdom says that the experience the young team gained last year will make them stronger for the long haul in 2005.
As is always the case, the health of players is crucial to any team's success. Juan Gonzalez's back, Bob Wickman's elbow, Aaron Boone's knee, and Kevin Millwood's shoulder are just four body parts that could play critical roles in making Tribe fans' collective heart either skip a beat or drop to their feet. Time will tell if this team is ready to ascend to the top of the Central, but for today we can view the proceedings in Florida with rose-colored sunglasses.
