If you had told me in April that the Indians and the Yankees would have identical records on September 2, that would have been an acceptable outcome of the first five months of the season for me. It will only take a 15-13 record the rest of the way for the Tribe to reach the 90-win level that seemed so unattainable just a week or two after the All Star break. I think it will take at least two or three more wins than that though, to win the Wild Card playoff spot.
In the meantime, enjoy the ride. Looking ahead, I like our starting pitching and our bullpen as well as any of the other Wild Card contenders. In terms of national attention, I don't think this team could be any more under the radar. All the ink is devoted to the Yankees of course, with the race between Oakland and the Angels getting second billing. When they talk about MVP candidates, there's not a whiff of anyone wearing the Wahoo. In fact, the absence of any obvious candidate on the Indians is their calling card in a way.
None of this disturbs me in the least though. I'm happy to see us lying in the weeds, out of the limelight and away from the pressure of expectations and press scrutiny. We'll either get trampled down there, or rise up to bite somebody.
Posted by dan at September 3, 2005 12:03 AM