Not such a good idea

Someone, and I am very remiss in not remembering who, conjectured that the Indians might make a hit with their fans if they signed three former Indian hero's to contracts next year. The three are Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, and Omar Visquel. They also figured they could be signed for about two to three million apiece. They thought it might be doable.

I agree it might be doable, but I think most fans even though the idea is intriguing would not like to see it happen, and it would seem more like a traveling road show and would in fact distract from the business of molding a winning team consisting of the young kids they have assembled.

Cleveland Indians and Mark Cuban

I have no idea how you initiate a ground swell of opinion, but I saw this at CBS sports message center today, and I so whole-heartily agree with it. It would be a great thing for we continually disappointed fans from the North Coast of Ohio and other Indian fans from around the country. The days of the Indians being considered a feeder of talent for the teams with deeper pockets (that's everyone else in MLB) really has to stop. It is perpetually demoralizing.

Indians Should Be Sold To Cuban

Now it seems that Mark Cuban has been shut out of the MLB team ownership circles for the second time. It seems Cuban despite his antics has a real passion for the game, plus it seems like it has been his dream to be an owner of a professional team. I really don't see why some people are having a major problem with this possibility. I mean if anything Cuban has shown he can promote his team and go out and spend good money on quality free agents.

I think he could turn around even one of the worst franchises in a matter of five years if given his resources and the current salary structures. I for one would love for him to be sold the Cleveland Indians as I am tired of seeing some of my favorite players shipped off to whatever port of call overnight. The Dolans really seem intent on only providing a somewhat competitive franchise as the limit. It has become almost blatantly obvious they have been stalling the fans of Cleveland and blowing smoke up their backsides for years now.

The fans were promised a competitor by 2005. That promise was made in maybe 2002 or 2003. Here we are in 2010 and once again free agency has claimed more of their assets while getting virtually nothing in the depository. Mark Cuban would be a great owner for the Indians and reminds me of the time when they were almost owned by George Steinbrenner. There were some same parallels between the two and I am pretty sure George turned out alright. The guy had turned a what less than 30 million dollar franchise into a billion dollar industry? The Indians organization I think could take similar leaps and bounds if sold to Cuban or his like.

It is only January, but it is starting to get very interesting for the team that plays at the Jake, now known as Progressive field. The team that plays at the Jake/Progressive field is one of those burdened with trying to obtain players within a budget that runs about two plus times less than the big guys. The big guys are those who play in stadiums on the coasts, the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers from Los Angeles, and a few more assorted teams that seem to have pockets full of an unending amount of money. My team belongs to that un-illustrious group of teams that come from what is called small market areas. But for what they lack in money to buy whomever they wish, they can make up in fan loyalty. The fans love their team and you have to love the fans for their devotion to the team who runs hot and cold depending, of course you know, how much money they have to spend.

But this year it is shaping up as a good collection of former star players who because of injuries cannot demand big money, so they come to our team for less money and a chance to showcase their talents. Hopefully to do so successfully and again be able to ask for the big bucks.

We also seem to be a team that handles young players well in their learning years, as they progress in their talent until they reach that magic year when their talent becomes marketable and free agency beckons. Then we lose them to those dreaded coast teams and start the whole process over. The young players never sign with us because the money being offered is so great and we cannot compete. We just lost CC Sabathia to the Yankees who gave him 161 million dollars. It's happened many times before with Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez. We expect it, we don't like it, but that's the way it is.

Our General Manager is a crafty dude and gets pretty good value for the amount of money he can spend, and this winter he seems to be amassing a group that if they can grab the gold ring one more time will make a really interesting season for us fans on the north coast.

If course we will need a little help on the medical side of our former big bopper who used to hit baseballs out of the stadium with regularity, but his big body has failed him. This year he says he feels good and the body is being carefully monitored by illustrious doctors preparing him for what could be his last hurrah. A lot of fans are praying for him, and the collection of ex stars that are being accumulated for one last collective shot at the elusive post season play.

I snatched this pic from the blog Diatribe. Today is the day I do believe that the actual auction for C.C. Sabathia will begin. I think also today will be the day that the tribe will begin to clear their roster of a whole lot of dead weight. Those who follow the tribe know who I'm talking about. I also think that while the worthless are being discarded the roster will be populated by a whole lot of players from Buffalo.

It's sad, but hey if you are a Cleveland Indian fan of more than ten years, you know it takes a regular dose of the philosophy that 'whatever will be will be, tomorrow will be better than today, or any other philosophical crap that will be the trick.

Kinda, sorta, good news for the Cleveland Indians came out of New York. The Mets just agreed to pay Johann Santana, a really good pitcher about 21 million dollars a year for seven years.

Why is this good news kinda, sorta for the Cleveland Indians?

Well they just happen to have the reigning Cy Young winner Charles Carsten Sabathia, CC for those outside of Cleveland, who is in exactly the same situation Santana is or was. He is going into his last year with Cleveland before going into free agency in 2009. The Indians are facing the dilemma of having a limited bankroll for salaries and losing him after this season to better financed ballclubs. So according to what I have read, the Indians have offered CC, or more correctly his agent, 20 million a year for five years, the most the Indians have ever offered to pay anyone in their history.

The good news? That's pretty close to the 21 million Santana is going to get, but two years shorter for the length of the contract. So should Cleveland be jubilent that it's even this close? and maybe they have a chance to sign him?

Cleveland fans do not have good memories of these contract talks and their stars going to free agency. The most recent star to walk for a few dimes more was Jim Thome, the one all of Ohio thought would certainly stay with the team who made him a star, but alas as with Manny Ramerez who also walked, so did the big Jimbo.

But hope springs eternal and since there's only one million dollars difference, what's one million between friends, mere chump change baseball style. But CC will probably want to have the seven years also and most teams do not want to sign pitchers to very long contracts. The Indians being one of many teams to get burned doing that, but today is another day and the Indians are on the upswing so maybe, just maybe they will open up the Jack Benny vault and taker another chance for the fans of Ohio, including me.