I just want one of your 27

When it's been 16,384 days since any of your favorite teams have won a championship and you've only existed for 12,368 days, you tend to build up a lot of venom towards other franchises. There is an ebb and flow to that hatred usually based on how much success these other franchises experience, or what they have done to your teams directly. So forgive me if I don't rejoice at the thought of the Yankees collecting their 27th world championship last night. The thought of it actually makes me want to vomit.

I'm not sure why I even bothered to watch the end of the game last night - I guess because I like seeing the moment when a team reaches its ultimate goal. But watching the celebration of the Yankees and their arrogant fans - who had been expecting that moment since missing the playoffs last season... the whole seen was just nauseating. Again, I'll sit here and hope for a lockout someday when the owners get the balls to fix this sport. Until then we can hope for the little guys with the script I on their caps to overcome all odds and win it all... a scenario that seems completely unlikely in my lifetime given the way the sport is currently constructed. Ugh.


And on a night when the Cavs didn't play I was also following the scores around the NBA, hoping for a few other teams I dislike to chalk one up in the loss column. No such luck - the Lakers, Celtics, and Magic all prevailed last night. I hate sports nights like that, hoping for the failures of other teams for my own satisfaction and they all end up winning. I much prefer just watching my team win - like tonight when the Cavs hit the court at the Q again to take on the Bulls. I guess at least LeBron can happy that his Yankees won. And should we be happy for CC? I guess so, but then it reminds me of how ordinary he pitched in 2007 when we absolutely needed him. Just give me one title in my lifetime. Just one. Please.

Update: This guy gives a better view of the state of baseball than I ever could. Great read > http://www.bugsandcranks.com/davidchalk/baseball/yes-im-really-retiring/.

Down in a hole... losing control

That's one of my favorite AiC songs from my college days, and an appropriate way to describe our Cavaliers today. I purposely waited to post my thoughts from Game 2 for a variety of reasons. Honestly, I'm tired of having to wait to spill my thoughts after these head-scratching losses. I have no answer for how the Cavaliers can race to a 21-9 first quarter lead, and then let it all slip away so quickly. I know the Celtics play very good defense. I know the crowd was likely a factor in the first two games. But I don't see how our shooters can perform so poorly. And I have no explanation for our terrible execution on offense or the incredible amount of unforced turnovers. It feels like a broken record at times with this team on the road this year. But I don't think it has looked worse than it did yesterday in the second quarter for the Cavs.

I've been trying to tell myself all morning that we were down 0-2 the last two years to the Pistons and rallied to win the next three both times, even closing out the Pistons in Game 6 last year a fourth win in a row. I know it's possible with LeBron - really anything is possible when he's on your team. But the Celtics play such good defense, I don't see them letting LeBron go off like he did with his "Video Game James" performance in Game 5 of the ECF last year. I hope I'm wrong and he can silence the critics yet again. I will be at the Q tomorrow night hoping like the rest of Cleveland that our team has an answer at home yet again...

These easy looks have been few and far between for LBJ in Round 2

Also, as expected yesterday, the Tribe lost in their final game ever (barring this postseason) in Yankee Stadium 6-3. Paul Byrd gave up three home runs and the offense just never really got going (shocker, I know). That runs the Tribe's losing streak in weekday getaway games to about 75 (OK, maybe a slight exaggeration). If you're wondering, the next scheduled one of those games is Wednesday, May 28 vs. the White Sox. I'm already chalking up an "L" for that game unless Cliff Lee is pitching that day.

Lee Dazzles Again

Cliff Lee is on a mission this year and it is quite a thing to behold. I can't believe this is the same pitcher that I watched during this game last year, right before he was demoted to Buffalo. I remember sitting in Jacobs Field at the time wondering if we'd ever see the same reliable Cliff Lee we had known before the '07 season. Fast forward to today and he now stands at 6-0 with a microscopic 0.81 ERA. He is the first Indians pitcher to win his first 6 starts of the year since Greg Swindell in 1988. Lee pitched another scoreless 7 innings in Yankee Stadium last night as the Tribe handed Chien-Ming Wang his first loss of the year. To boggle your mind even further, Lee now has 39 strikeouts and only 2 walks so far this season, with opponents batting just .163 against him! Who knows how long this will last, but it sure is fun to watch. Here is a nice article from today's New York Newsday about Lee's amazing turnaround.

The offense did get some timely hits again last night and David Dellucci has now made me a believer. Ben Francisco seems right at home in a big league uniform and Travis Hafner continued his puzzling and depressing slide at the plate (literally a 2-foot GIDP with the bases loaded!). But today the Indians look for their first sweep in Yankee Stadium in almost 20 years. Unfortunately it is an afternoon "getaway" game and I think the Tribe has dropped somewhere around their last 50 of those. Hopefully they get a good performance today.

39 K vs. 2 BB? The Nintendo numbers continue for Cliff.

And tonight the Cavaliers look to even their series in Boston after letting Game 1 slip through their fingers. The Cavs do have a history of playing well on the road in the postseason after "letdown" games so we'll see what they bring tonight. Don't expect LeBron to dump a 2-18 shooting night with 10 turnovers again. I expect big things from him in Game 2. I smell a win for the Cavs and a loss for the Tribe. Maybe someday soon they can both win on the same day...

We'll have to take the split

I guess a split with the Yankees in a four-game series in April isn't the worst thing. But after taking the first two games of the series (and winning 5 straight) I was hoping for at least three out of four. We were done in by Chien Ming-Wang on Sunday, but encouraged by CC's solid outing. Then last night, we were done in by a bunch of infield singles by the Yankees in the 6th inning. Aaron Laffey did pitch 5 no-hit innings, so that is something to take away from this one.

I'm still more than a little concerned about Travis Hafner. And basically the entire bottom of our batting order. But I'm hoping we can escape April at .500 by taking the next two from the Mariners tonight and tomorrow night. Fausto gets the start tonight and then the amazing Cliff Lee looks to continue his hot streak tomorrow. I like our chances with those two guys on the mound. Hopefully they can get some support from the bats.

Laffey was solid in his spot start Monday night

It's Always Fun

I always get a little extra enjoyment out of beating the New York Yankees. Tonight was a great game down at the Prog. I got to experience that old Jacobs Field magic for the first time in the new seats. On this evening Jhonny Peralta was the hero, hitting a two-out, three-run homer off Andy Pettitte to put the Tribe on top for good.

Positive things to take away from this one:

• This was the Tribe's fourth consecutive win and they are now 11-12, only 2 games out of first place.
  
• Paul Byrd did a decent job tonight (other than when facing the greasy steroid monger Jason Giambi). He had great command of the strike zone (59 strikes and only 18 balls).
• The bats banged out another 9 hits and 6 runs. The offense seems to be coming around.
• Franklin Gutierrez added an important insurance home run and the offense manufactured another important 2-out run in the 6th inning as well.
• Finally, and most importantly, the bullpen was solid. Rafael Perez came on in relief and pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings. And how great was it to see Rafael Betancourt come in and get a 1-2-3 ninth? I can't remember the last time JoeBo accomplished that.

Tomorrow we look to finally get back to .500 as Jeremy Sowers gets the call in place of Jake Westbrook. Let's keep it rolling.

Jhonny did the Yanks in with a huge 2-out, 3-run HR