The Campus Sports Guy
I'm sorry Mr. Sabathia
By Corey Ryan, Sports Editor
September 10, 2007 | 4:26 p.m.
There is no better way to sum up Sunday afternoon's stomp down at the foot of the Pittsburgh Steelers than the opening line of the Plain Dealer's Bill Livingston's Monday column.
"The Browns should have started the coin."
On the Monday after the worst game since the 1999 return I find myself in hell on campus. A sea of orange and black has corrupted this town like a plague of locusts.
It's like in this documentary I watched in my history of documentary class last spring, Leni Riefenstahl's Triumph of the Will, except instead of Nazis I have Bengal fans.
I have no idea what's worse, but next Sunday could be the day when the campus is deafened by such an obscene amount of "Who Dey" chants that we will experience a phase of reverse evolution.
Do you want to know why I haven't transfered schools, jumped ship to Hong Kong and become a looper for the Dali Lama?
The team that everyone has forgotten, that no one goes to see anymore in a sport that hasn't be relevant nationally since 2004 and in Ohio since 2001. It's time to remember America's original pastime and Cleveland's best shot at a championship in my lifetime.
Once dismal, fading faster than Romeo Crennel's head coaching career, now the Cleveland Indians are looking like a baseball team that could really make some post season noise.
Why am I anointing this team to be the best shot at a championship of the past 20 years? Well, rather then breaking down all of the bad teams Cleveland has seen since 1990, I was way to young to consider those Browns teams of 1986 and 1987, I'm going to just fill you in on some of the things the Tribe has been doing the last two weeks while everyone was being swept up into the euphoria that is the opening weeks of football season.
During the end of July and beginning of August, the Indians were in a "so who can piss more down their own leg" competition with the Tigers. Now, the Erie Warriors are starting to put those pussy cats in the rear view mirror.
After defeating the Anaheim Angels on Saturday and Sunday, the Indians are six games ahead in the Central Division with 19 games remaining.
This would be the biggest collapse in the history of Cleveland, worse than the Red Sox and Mariner divisional series fiascoes and way worse than in 2005.
So, despite being the prototypical pessimistic Cleveland fan, I am going to go ahead and put us in the playoffs and here's why.
C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona still have a minimum six starts between them, Rafael-squared (Perez and Betancourt) are arguably the best one two punch in any American League bullpen and despite his Bob Wickman like tendencies, Joe Borowski is the American League leader in saves.
What does that all mean? Well, with the exception of Dennis Martinez in 1995 and arguably Bartolo Colon in 1999 and 2001, the Tribe has never had one starter who can go out a win a game. These two are flat out carrying this team.
Sabathia is the MVP, the Cy Young winner and soon to be the next $18 million a year player after this season. He is now at 17 wins, second in the AL while he also leads the league in innings pitched.
If he wouldn't have had that seemigly four start streak where the offense could only put up one run of support, he'd already be a 20-game winner and shoe in to win the Cy Young.
He's 5-0 against Johan Santana, the unanimous best starting pitcher in the game. Since July 24, he has an 1.83 ERA and in his last ten starts he hasn't given up more than two runs.
Not once did he complain about poor run support, constantly being asked to go at least eight innings every outing or about his contract which ends in 2008.
Nor has he, or any Indian, complained about how the town has only talked about the Browns for the past three weeks despite their absolute absurd performances and inevitable double digit loss season, which will hopefully not include a home loss this Sunday.
Well, I'm here to say I'm sorry C.C.
I'm sorry that the Jake hasn't been rocking like it was in the '90s, when there was no football.
I'm sorry that you have been neglected by the majority, myself included at times, while you have put together a season where you were only off your game maybe three times and that's only because you have finally elevated your game to the ace level everyone thought you could get to.
I'm sorry to Carmona, who was booed without mercy last year after his horrendous stunt as a closer, only to work his ass off to come back a year later and exceed expectations. Paul Hoynes wrote in one of his blogs that Carmona will actually lift weights after a start.
I'm sorry to Victor Martinez, who I thought was destined to be a first basemen after a dismal 2006 behind the plate. Not only is he throwing more runners out, but he's increased his productivity at the plate, becoming the Tribe's most consistent batter.
I'm sorry to Eric Wedge, Chris Antonetti and Mark Shapiro, the guys who put this team together despite all the moans and groans when everyone realized the Tribe dominance had come to an end.
I'm sorry to all the guys, with the exception of Trot Nixon who is accepting a $7 million salary to throw whipped cream around, because this team is special. They have that extra charisma to win a championship.
They can be relaxed and giddy as well as have a killer instinct that has prompted countless comeback wins this year (I think somewhere in the 30s with come from behind wins, including last night).
These guys go out and play the game with one of the lowest payrolls in the Major League Baseball. This team was put together the right way, with scouting, patience and sweat, rather than dollar bills like some of those AL East teams.
Carmona and Sabathia can get five starts between the two of them in every playoff series. If this offense gets hot rather than just efficient like they have been the last two weeks, this could get real exciting.
I remember being confident in 1997, but that was because it was against the Marlins. The 1999 and 2001 teams were pretty good, but they both lacked a second option behind an up-and-coming Colon.
Never again will I forget my priorities, which numero uno is to see a championship team in Northeast Ohio.
When Sunday rolls around, I'll most likely watch the football game which will be played simultaneously with the Indians game, but that's only because the Tribe is expected and will more than likely win that game, something that could never be said about the Browns.
But I'm not jumping ship with the Browns, because when you've been dragged through the mud as much as Browns fans, it's impossible to just walk away. I'm just starting to get excited for October for the first time in years.