Indian Bummer

If you drive around Fenway Park today, pay no attention to the chalk outlines and the police tape. A crime took place there over the weekend. The hopes and dreams of all Cleveland Indians fans were killed just beneath the Green Monster. Sure they will still play a World Series but I won't be watching. No matter what is going on in the world, no matter how lousy your day, during the baseball season you can always look forward to the game. The game can get you out of doing lawn work or from having to talk to your wife. There is nothing like baseball and there are no words to describe what it feels like when its gone.

The Indians lost this game because Joel Skinner stopped Kenny Lofton at third when he could have scored the equalizer in the 7th inning. The game was lost because Lofton was safe at second earlier in the game and the ump missed the call and called him out. The Indians lost this game because information from MLB drug czar and member of the Red Sox Board of Directors George Mitchell's investigation into performance enhancing drugs was leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle which ran a front page story the day of game 7 linking HGH to Indians pitcher Paul Byrd. The Indians lost this game because Rafael Betancourt decided he hadn't sucked all season and it might be his last chance to do so. But what happened last night isn't why the Indians lost the series in 7 games.

No, the reason the Indians are cleaning out their lockers today instead of sleeping off a hangover and preparing to face the Colorado Rockies in the World Series, is that C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona were replaced by inferior pod replicas. I don't think Sabathia and Carmona were tired. I think they were scared. They pitched the whole series, and in Sabathia's case all of the postseason, as if they were frightened to throw the pitches that earned them both 19 wins during the course of the season. The Indians lost to the Red Sox because they wilted under the pressure and couldn't seal the deal after they took a 3-1 series lead.

I will not join in the chorus signing the popular refrain "wait till next year." There will be a next year (hopefully) but this isn't the talent heavy Indians team of the mid 90's. This is a good club that caught lightning in a bottle and game within 1 win of going to the World Series. It was a fun ride but the end sure is bitter.