Friday, July 31, 2009

...i'm a fan of the team... i'm a fan of the team...

As a TEAM-centered fan, I have to keep repeating the mantra above. With today's release (er, trade) of Victor Martinez to the Red Sox, I am reminded of the great fire sale during the time that Thome and his fellow players were given the boot. I hated to see Thome go.

I hate to see Lee go, and what makes things even harder is to see and hear how much VICTOR MARTINEZ hated to go. "This is my house," he said. That is not only heartbreaking, but shows just how much the Dolans and Shapiro do NOT give a rat's rear about the team they control.

I know baseball is bigger than any one player, than any given group of players. And I know that rooting for a specific team is bigger than the players on that team. But, part of having a favorite team (for me, anyway) is finding the players that help you WANT to root for the team. Luckily, we still have Pronk and Grady, but for how long? I know what the contracts say (not specifically, just generalizing here), but that is very little consolation.

The Indians, in just a couple short seasons, have been "MANAGED" into the team of the 70's and 80's, and that is VERY unfortunate and sad for those of us that back our team to the bitter end, through good times and stupidity (er, bad times).

I would give just about anything to have the means to walk up to the Dolans, write a check and put my name on the ownership list. Shapiro would be gone. The field would once again bear the name "Jacob's Field," (even if it had to share it with Progressive due to contracts or whatever) and measures would be taken to make sure this kind of crap does not happen if at all possible.

I am not naive. I understand the business better than I communicate, and I understand the logic (if you can call it that) used in getting young, cheap "talent" in order to head off payroll problems. I'm not sure the payroll problems are as dire as we are being let on to believe, though.

And, above all of that, I love the Tribe. What happens to them happens to me, in my heart, and while business decisions cannot always be handled by following one's heart, it sure goes a long way in the overall process.

If there is any chance of rain in Cleveland over the next few days, I hope Jacobs is up there with his zipper undone, and directs as much of it as he can on the boneheads behind the dismantling of his beloved team.

5 comments:

  1. I feel bad for you, man. I am in the process of rereading "The Curse of Rocky Colavito" and I see the same thing happening. Maybe You'll get Victor back in five years, or have another 10 cent beer night.

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  2. That pretty much sums it up. If there is any good news,our new "Ace" Carlos Carrasco, beat Pedro Martinez in Columbus last night.That probably isn't saying a lot though.The boys and I are headed to the Nationals now and the game later. If any one leaves a V-Mart bobble behind tonight(yeah right!) I'll grab it for you! Dan,from "Saints of the Cheap Seats" is supposed to be there too.

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  3. I really can't recall two teams from the same general region gutting their teams at the same time. This seems really extreme for the Indians and the Pirates. The Pirates, I can sort of understand, but the Indians gutting puzzles me a bit. Is it a money issue? Even though the Indians record didn't show it, they were a difficult team to beat this year.

    It's hard to watch a team and not become a fan of some of the players. As a White Sox fan, I hated to face Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee, among other Tribe players. They garnered a lot of respect from me for how they played for the Indians.

    To paraphrase the infamous Harry Doyle line from Major League II: Obviously they're thinking... I don't know WHAT the hell they're thinking!!

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  4. I feel your pain and sorrow over the events of the Tribe over the past couple of days. I cried last night when I heard they had traded away Victor, and they did not even get much in return for him. I feel Victor's pain in leaving Cleveland; the man loved his teammates like no one else and the city he played in. How many other baseball players can say that in today's world? I also agree that Shapiro needs to go and go as quickly as possible. I don't understand his logic in the trades. Are we going to be constantly in a "rebuilding" stage? It appears that those are some of his favorite words anymore. Dick Jacobs would never have put up with this as owner. I will go with you to Cleveland and sign up to be an owner. Let me know when and where you want to meet and I will be there. I will continue to be a Tribe fan, but I don't have to like Shapiro or Dolan to do so.

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  5. I feel bad for all of the Cleveland fans, it's hard to lose players you've been cheering for and get back minor leaguers you never heard of.

    But I'd rather watch a team commit to a rebuilding plan than see it keep its recognizable stars and flounder around .500 every year.

    Also, don't discount the affects of the economy on baseball. Even the Yankees are finally starting to worry about how much money they are spending.

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