5 and a half hours for that?

I really feel bad for the few brave souls who remained at the Prog last night to watch that debacle. Luckily, I wasn't one of them. My wife and I were finishing up a major landscaping overhaul at our house and didn't even tune into the game until around 9:30 when it was already 11-7. A comfortable lead in the 8th inning, right? Not exactly with this bullpen. They (mainly Edward Mujica and Masa Kobayashi) unraveled yet again, allowing the Tigers to tie it in the 8th and then actually take the lead in the 9th. Some heroics by Kelly Shoppach (five extra base hits on the night) allowed the Tribe to tie it in the bottom of the 9th, but that really just delayed the inevitable.

Shoppach's incredible night went to waste in another bullpen meltdown

I do vaguely remember waking up for a second around midnight to see the Tribe had the bases loaded in the bottom of the 12th with no one out. But I fell back asleep and didn't see what transpired until this morning. Shoppach struck out (but he can be forgiven after his banner day), and then my favorite double-play candidate, Andy Marte, did what he does best ending any possible hope of a win. How you can't score with the bases loaded and no one out is beyond me. But then again, this game did also feature an 8-1 Indians' lead with Cliff Lee on the mound. Obviously he's not perfect, but with that much run support he shouldn't have to be. And the bullpen should be able to nail down a win in these types of games. Final score: 14-12 Tigers. Just another microcosm of an ugly season.

Today's game should be tons of fun. Fausto Carmona is on the mound in a noon start at the Prog. He needs to redeem himself after his forgettable comeback from the hip injury on Saturday. And I won't go into another rant about these weekday getaway games, but by now we all now how much the Tribe sucks in these situations. With both bullpens being worked so hard last night I expect an ugly game if either starter is shaky. But the Tribe knows all about ugly this season.

Cavs Update: LeBron James made a surprising move yesterday. I don't want to go all political on here but let's just say that I endorse his endorsement.

Browns Update: Day 8 of training camp went without any major glitches. Brady Quinn is showing improvement. And Shaun Rogers is a hit with his new teammates. 38 days to go Browns fans...

"I'd have to say he's got to be one of the best if not the best defensive tackle in the NFL," said Fraley, a nine-year veteran.

This #92 is more intimidating than MDP... will he get his own McDonald's sandwich too?