Tribe Fever is back.
I haven't had much to say in this space recently about the Indians spurt to within striking distance of the Central Division lead. They have been known to tank immediately after some of my more fawningly optimistic posts, and I'm a superstitious soul where my home teams are concerned.
I have also expressed my chagrin at the lack of enthusiasm and spirit in the Jacobs Field crowds, especially this year and in 2003. It has seemed like everyone forgot how much the packed house and the relentless, deafening support of the crowd helped the team win so much in the 90's. Back then the organization didn't have to display the pathetic "Make Some Noise!" instructions on the scoreboard at key moments so the fans would know what to do.
But something has been happening the last few nights that makes me think that, not only can this team's hot streak survive a Wizblog jinx, but that the fans of Cleveland are reawakening to embrace a whole new group of kids, over-achievers this time, and the "chemistry" at the Jake is once again palpable.
A few weeks ago, the team had battled back from several games under .500, and were coming home on a roll from a road trip to face off with the Chicago White Sox in a big two-game series. The stage was set for them to make a statement that they could contend for the Division title. Well, they proceeded to lay a big fat egg, getting shut out on consecutive nights by Freddy Garcia and Mark Buehrle.
That el foldo had been on my mind as the big series with the Twins loomed this weekend. I was at the ballpark last night, and in the early part of the game, with the Indians down 2-0, the crowd was disappointing, not only in numbers (23,000) considering the hot streak, but also in terms of spunk.
Ben Broussard's tie-breaking, pinch-hit grand slam put a charge into them though, and the feeling carried over to tonight's game, when the buzz from the 90's seemed to be back, right from the start. Broussard's buzz continued as well, when he jacked a monster home run in the first inning to just about end the suspense right there, putting the Indians up 5-0.
My standard line (and my sincere feeling) in the last few weeks has been that the Twins will probably still pull away to win the Central, having the superior pitching and an array of veterans and solid young hitters. But then, back in March I predicted that the Indians would finish two games under .500, and that the Royals had the best team in the division. Nostradamus I ain't.
The 2004 Twins are without A.J. Pierzynski and Doug Mientkiewicz, two veteran leaders from previous years, and the team I saw tonight didn't have the look of a cinch pennant winner, talented though they may be. The Indians still haven't made a signifcant move to get better for the stretch run, (and if other teams are holding out for Grady Sizemore or Brandon Phillips in trade deals, then I hope we stand pat.) We're not even at the three-quarter pole, and I'm not marking off playoff game dates on my calendar yet, but Shapiro and Wedge have something special going on here, even if it doesn't bear fruit this season. Pretty soon the national media may be forced to sit up and take notice.
Posted by dan at August 14, 2004 12:06 AM