Goodbye, Eric Wedge

The Eric Wedge era is over, after seven years. Well, OK, it's not over until Sunday. But it's official now that Wedge is gone at the end of this season, an extremely disappointing 64-92 (so far) year that began with the Indians expecting to contend for a division title. Despite being in baseball's most mediocre division, they never threatened to get into the race.

During Wedge's tenure, the Tribe went to the playoffs exactly once. That was in 2007, when they won the AL Central with a 96-66 record, tying the Red Sox for baseball's best mark, and losing to those same Red Sox in seven games in the ALCS. Had the Indians won that series, they likely would have rolled over the Rockies in the World Series, as the Red Sox did. But as we all know, that didn't happen. The Indians were up 3-1 on Boston, but didn't come close to winning any of the last three games. Was that Wedge's fault? A little, probably.

Wedge's only other plus-.500 season as manager was in 2005, when the Tribe overcame a lousy start (lousy starts were very common during the Wedge era) to finish 93-69 and threaten to overtake the White Sox for the division title, only to lose five of their last six and fall short of the division and the wild card. That was an epic collapse. Was that Wedge's fault? A little, probably.

Their next best season under Wedge was 2008, when they finished 81-81 after another cruddy start. They were expected to contend last year, but they didn't. They were expected to contend in 2006, but they didn't. As mentioned above, they were expected to contend in 2009, but they didn't. Was that Wedge's fault? I think largely so, yes. For whatever reason, he didn't have these guys ready to play.

Eric Wedge seems like a genuinely nice guy, and a pretty smart guy. I wish him well in whatever he does next (unless the Yankees hire him as a coach). But I'm glad someone else will manage this team in 2010.

Shaq is in the house

The Cavs' two-a-day practices start today, and the great Shaquille O'Neal showed up yesterday, which made for a bit of a media circus. Shaq knows he's not the player he used to be, but he hopes to augment the already talented team led by the NBA's reigning MVP, LeBron James.

Taken from this morning's Plain Dealer:

"I'm 37 years old; it isn't my time anymore," O'Neal said. "I had my time, and I did what I did. I'm not one of those players that always thinks it is his time. It would not be advantageous for me to take 30 shots a game when you have a guy like [LeBron]. We'll get him the ball and let him do what he does, and when he drops it off to me, I'll do my job."

Shaq is going to help this team; I don't think anyone doubts that. The Cavaliers won 66 games last year. I'm darned excited about seeing what they do this year.

My, but these Browns are bad

Browns coach Eric Mangini hasn't decided who's going to play quarterback on Sunday against Cincinnati. My question is, does it even matter?

Brady Quinn has been turnover-prone, as he's thrown three interceptions and lost two fumbles in the first three games of the season. He has thrown one touchdown pass, putting a meaningless score on the board late in the two-touchdown loss against Minnesota to open the season. He went 6-for-8 against Baltimore last week, but for a measly 34 yards. He hasn't been able to convert third downs worth a darn. His 62.9 passer rating is 30th in the NFL. He's still young, so maybe he'll find something if Mangini keeps putting him out there, but right now, this team is going nowhere with Quinn.

Derek Anderson moved the ball a little bit against the Ravens, leading the Browns' only scoring drive in that 34-3 embarrassment. But he also threw three interceptions. Maybe he was just rusty, and can put something together if he gets a chance. He is a former Pro Bowler, after all. But he put up a 30.3 rating in that game, which is obviously pathetic.

And that Browns defense is just as pathetic as the offense. They're giving up more than 30 points a game. They're 30th in the league in total yards allowed, at 412.7 per game. Couple that with an offense that is dead last in the NFL in total yards, at 218 per game. They might do just as well if they send everybody home and rebuild the roster with unsigned free agents.

Even the Lions have a win now. The Browns are in every sense the worst team in the NFL.

Double-digits and counting

In what surely came as a surprise to absolutely no one, the first-place Detroit Tigers kicked the crap out of the last-place Cleveland Indians last night. The 11-3 loss was the Tribe's 10th in a row, knocking our boys down to 61-90 on the year. At this point, a 2-9 finish that would allow the Indians to avoid a 100-loss season seems almost optimistic. As my friend Jeff Brown pointed out to me, the AAA team currently wearing Tribe uniforms is 3-19 in its last 22 games. That surely isn't all Eric Wedge's fault, but he just as surely will be looking for employment in a couple of weeks. These guys have just plain quit. Their 10-game skid is two shy of the franchise record, set way back in 1931 — three years before my dad was born.

These are not fun times to be a Cleveland sports fan. The Browns have failed to even get within smelling distance of a victory, the Indians are playing like the worst team in the world, the Buckeyes recently let a great chance to stay in the national championship hunt slip through their fingers ...

But on the bright side, the King-n-Shaq Show is scheduled to open October 27 at an NBA arena near you. (Provided you live near Quicken Loans Arena.)

Still losing

The Indians' 3-1 loss to the Tigers last night was their ninth straight. The Tribe fell to 61-89 on the year, on the day the freaking Yankees clinched a freaking playoff spot. They have fallen past the Royals into last place in the AL Central, and are just a game and a half ahead of the Orioles, owners of the AL's worst record. Things can't get much worse, if only because there are just 12 games left in the season.

The Tribe bats couldn't get anything going against Detroit starter Edwin Jackson, who shut them out for seven innings. They had a couple of chances, though. Matt LaPorta got thrown out trying to score from second base on a Trevor Crowe single in the second inning, and the Indians had runners in scoring position at least two other times, but couldn't bring them home. And they had a shot at a big inning in the eighth against the Tiger bullpen. But Jamey Carroll's bases-loaded walk turned out to be the only run the Indians would score.

The offense wasted another strong effort by Aaron Laffey, whose only mistake in 6 2/3 was a solo home run to Ryan Raburn in the third. Chris Perez gave up two more runs in the top of the eighth. At 24 years old, Laffey has had a pretty good season, and has shown a great deal of potential.

The Indians have to finish at least 2-10 to avoid losing 100 games. The way they're playing right now, that's hardly a sure thing.

Tribe skid continues

I know most of you aren't paying attention to the Tribe at this point. Honestly, even though baseball is my favorite sport and the Indians are my favorite team, I haven't been paying them much attention myself the past week or so. They've been on the West Coast, which means their games during the week started right around my bedtime. And the rest have been while I was at work or doing yard work or whatever. So I haven't watched an Indians game in several days.

And by the look of things, I haven't missed much. The Athletics' 8-4 win yesterday was the Indians' sixth straight loss. The skein drops the Tribe to 61-87, their low-water mark of the season in comparison to .500. Which I suppose is to be expected. They traded away most of their marquee talent, Grady Sizemore is out for the season, and a very large percentage of the current roster has spent time in the minors this year.

In fact, there are just two pitchers currently suiting up for the Indians who haven't spent a single day in the minors this year: Kerry Wood and Justin Masterson. And 2009 is Masterson's first full season in the bigs. And among the position players, it's just Kelly Shoppach, Jhonny Peralta and Shin-Soo Choo. Travis Hafner and Asdrubal Cabrera both had rehab stints in the minors, so they weren't really minor-leaguers. So that's a grand total of seven players the Indians have right now who were never true minor-leaguers this year. No wonder they're struggling.

This team could be better next year, but unless they make some free-agent signings, don't expect them to win more than about 65 to 70 games. And I don't think they'll make much of a splash in that department.

Disappointing weekend

I know it's Tuesday, and the Buckeyes played three days ago, and the Browns played two days ago. I wasn't eager to write about them until now. For that matter, I'm not eager to write about them now either, but I do have a few thoughts I want to get down.

First, on the subject of the Buckeyes: The fighting Tressels should be proud of their effort against one of the nation's very best teams. But they should also be disappointed that they didn't close the deal. And no doubt they are. The defense played tremendously well over the first 3 1/2 quarters, with USC's only touchdown to that point having been set up by a long interception return. Really, the OSU defense's only weak moments were at the ends of both halves. Behind freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, the Trojans put together drives of 61 and 77 yards in the second quarter (the first resulting in a missed field goal; the second in a made field goal), and of course the 86-yard drive that led to the winning score with 65 seconds to go. The Buckeyes had numerous chances to stop that drive, but USC kept pulling out clutch plays. It would have been nice if they could stop a quarterback sneak up the middle when they knew it was coming, but all in all, it was a pretty good effort by the defense.

Terrelle Pryor made some big mistakes in this game. On the Buckeyes' last possession, Pryor looked totally lost trying to operate a 2-minute offense. Of course, he threw an interception on OSU's first possession that led to USC's first touchdown, and often chose to pass when it was clear he should have run. He went 11-for-25 passing, which just won't get it done without a strong running game, which the Buckeyes never did get going.

The loss puts a serious crimp in Ohio State's national title hopes, but doesn't dash them entirely. One-loss teams do get into the national championship. They're now ranked 11th in both polls, and there's still a long, long way to go on the season.

And the Browns ... Well, they looked good in the first half, but they pretty much fell apart in the second. But at least they scored their first offensive touchdown since their 10th game of 2008.

Day of reckoning for Buckeyes?

There's some reason for optimism as the eighth-ranked Buckeyes get ready for their big showdown tonight against USC. For example, Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor is a better bet to have a big game than Trojans freshman Matt Barkley. OSU is playing at home. And ... well, that's about all I can think of.

After last week's egg-laying against Navy, I'm afraid I don't have high hopes for the Buckeyes tonight. Sure, Ohio State won that game, and that's the most important thing, but it should have been a blowout. A performance like that won't get the job done against a team like the third-ranked Trojans. They'll have to win the turnover battle to have any shot. I'll watch the game, and I'll always have faith in Jim Tressel, until he gives me reason not to. But I predict the Buckeyes' national title hopes will be dashed tonight.

Quarterback follies

I know this isn't exactly breaking news at this point, but I just moved over the weekend, so I've been busy. So sue me. (Actually, please don't. I don't want to pay a lawyer.) But anyway, Eric Mangini has declared that he has chosen a starting quarterback, but he won't tell us who it is. The idea is to make it that much more difficult for the Vikings to prepare for Sunday's game, because they have to allow for either Brady Quinn or Derek Anderson to be running the Browns' offense.

The thing we all have to understand is that football coaches are not like the rest of us. They are paranoid men, constantly afraid that the other coach is going to outsmart them. As well they should be; the other coach is doing the same.

I would guess we're going to see Quinn out there on Sunday, but both quarterbacks had good training camps, and really, there is no wrong choice, unless he puts someone like Brett Ratliff or D'Qwell Jackson behind center. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing it.

September means debuts

The rosters expand to 40 every Sept. 1, which leads to teams who are out of the race (like the Indians) giving their young prospects a look against major-league competition.

Last night, that meant Carlos Carrasco making his major-league debut on the mound against the Tigers, and Michael Brantley making his major-league debut in left field. Brantley's debut went pretty well. Carrasco's was ... did I mention Brantley?

Carrasco, the first to debut of the four players the Tribe got for Cliff Lee, went just three innings and gave up six runs on nine hits, including three home runs. He walked three and struck out three. His career record is 0-1, and his career ERA stands at 18.00. That's obviously not going to get it done, but debuts can be that way. He's 22 years old, and he went 5-1 with a 3.19 ERA at Columbus after the trade. This kid's got potential, for sure.

Brantley had two hits. His first hit was a solid single the second of which was an infield single that he hustled to beat out. He was solid but not noteworthy in the field, though it should be said that in any individual game, most of the players don't do anything noteworthy on defense. Brantley's career average stands at .500. His on-base percentage is also .500, and his slugging average is .500 as well.

Andy Marte, who went nearly 60 at-bats before hitting his first home run of the season at the major-league level on Aug. 25, hit his fourth last night. Marte, like Carrasco and Brantley, spent most of the season in Columbus, but got called up after the Ryan Garko trade, and is finally starting to show the hitting talent he was reputed to have when they got him. Since Aug. 20, he's hitting .364 with the four dingers and 13 RBIs in 44 at-bats over 12 games. Obviously, we can't expect him to hit like that over the long term, but this is the first time he's produced anything like this, and it's great to see.

Thome to L.A.

Our old friend Jim Thome has been traded again. The White Sox sent him to the Dodgers to rejoin his former teammate Manny Ramirez. We all remember how devastating those guys were when hitting back-to-back in their 20s. Now they're both in their late 30s, and both can still hit the ball hard, if maybe not quite as often as they used to. It will be bittersweet to see them together again, wearing something other than Tribe unis.

But consider this: Unless Thome is ever hit with steroid allegations, he's a sure-fire Hall of Famer. He spent 12 years in Cleveland, three years in Philadelphia, and now 3 1/2 in Chicago. I don't know how long he'll be in L.A., but it won't be 12 years. He'll have Chief Wahoo on his Hall plaque.

I know, that doesn't change the fact that he left for more money after the 2002 season because the Phillies offered him more money, after saying he wanted to do whatever he could to stay in Cleveland. But as I said at the time (to friends; I didn't have a blog then), you and I would most likely have done the exact same thing.

Thome is currently 12th on the all-time home run list, with 564. Home run totals in this era don't mean as much as they used to, but if he's been clean his whole career, that's a very impressive total. Among those ahead of him are Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez and Rafael Palmeiro, all of whom are known to have taken performance-enhancing drugs. Manny is behind Thome on the career list, but his numbers carry that taint as well. The only other recent player ahead of Thome is Ken Griffey Jr. If both those guys are clean (which we don't know and may never), we probably have seriously undervalued their careers because of the era in which they played.

Regardless, I wish Thome well, and will always remember his time in Cleveland fondly. May he have success in Los Angeles.

Tribe pulls one out

I know that many of you have hardly been paying attention to the Indians lately, and I certainly understand why. We all know it's been a lost season for the Indians, Browns camp has started, the Buckeyes are looking good again, the Cavs have made some big moves, etc., etc. But what a game the Tribe played last night in Baltimore!

Andy Marte is the one getting the headlines today, and not without cause. Marte's been a pretty big bust since he came over here in the Caca Crisp* trade, and that home run he hit off O's closer Jim Johnson was clutch. Marte has been hitting much better lately, and that was his second home run in his last three games, which is great to see.

But I'd like to point to the previous hitter, Matt LaPorta. LaPorta, up with two outs, nobody on base and the Indians trailing by a run, won an epic battle with Johnson. He worked the count full, then fouled off pitch after pitch before finally singling up the middle. (I want to tell you how many pitches LaPorta faced, but unfortunately, I've been unable to find that information, and I didn't count them. But it was a lot.) Without that great effort from LaPorta, the game would have ended right there, and Marte would never have come up to hit that home run.

LaPorta and Marte both spent most of the season in Columbus before the recent flurry of trades created opportunities for them. They were both hitting great down there, but had both struggled in previous major-league opportunities. I don't want to make too much out of a small sample size, but it's nice to see those guys swinging the bat well.

* For the record, I have nothing against Coco Crisp. In fact, I like him. I just think it's funny to call him Caca, much as I think it's funny to call a certain former teammate of his Feces Sabathia. This is my blog, and I can be as infantile as I want.

Clifton and Carsten

If it's time to dip into the mailbag, that means it's time to hear from Jeff Brown:

Cliff Lee is 5-0 with the Phillies with a 0.68 ERA!

This is about as dominant as you can be. So much for the Phillies "settling" for Lee instead of getting Roy Halladay -- even Halladay would be hard-pressed to pitch THIS well, even when he's on a hot streak.

Similarly, C.C. Sabathia went 11-2 with the Brew Crew in 2008 with an ERA of 1.65, 7 complete games and 3 shutouts.

And that was after slowing down a bit toward the end of the season, after he won his first 9 starts.

Steve, this is truly remarkable, and for a change, this is not hyperbole on my part.

There's no exaggeration necessary with these numbers.

So now my question for you -- why did each of them have such a lousy record with the Tribe immediately prior to joining their new teams and absolutely dominating everyone in sight?

First, Lee was far from lousy for the Indians this year. He wasn't as good as he's been for the Phils, but he was pretty darned good. In fact, he was pitching his best ball of the season just before he was traded. True, he was only 7-9, but his ERA was 3.14, and he suffered from poor run support in Cleveland this year. Similarly, if I remember correctly, Sabathia was pitching pretty well just before he got traded last year, after a lousy start. Like Lee, he had a losing pre-trade record (6-8) but with a 3.83 ERA; and the latter number had come way down over the past month or so before he was dealt to Milwaukee. So both men would figure to pitch well after the trades too. Of course, neither could have been expected, based solely on their Indians performances, to dominate as they have/did.

I have a trio of theories. One, the American League is simply a stronger league than the National League, as evidenced by the junior circuit's dominance in interleague play (not to mention All-Star Games) the last few years; therefore, anyone who moves from AL to NL can expect his numbers to improve. Two, Sabathia and Lee both left situations in which they were pitching for nothing but their next contract (and I realize that's an oversimplification, but you see what I'm saying) to situations in which they were/are pitching for October, and presumably responded to the added incentive. Third, there will be some random fluctuation in any player's performance, and I think some of that is in play here.

Still, what Lee has done since that trade has been eye-popping. Few pitchers have a run like that at any time in their career. It must be fun to be Cliff Lee right now.

A new team record ... for the Royals

There's something very bittersweet about seeing a record set against your team. On the one hand, you have to appreciate seeing someone do something nobody's ever done before; on the other hand, every success for one team or individual is a failure for the opponent, and when that opponent is your team, that means your team is failing badly.

Such was the case in last night's game between the Indians and Royals. Zack Greinke has been a monster all season — there's no secret about that. But he had never missed as many bats as he did last night. Greinke went eight strong innings and struck out 15 Indians along the way, setting a new Royals team record for strikeouts in one game. (The record he broke, incidentally, was set 21 years ago by Mark Gubicza. Thought you'd like to know.)

Greinke took advantage of the Tribe's reluctance to swing at curveballs early in the count. And he was putting all his pitches exactly where he wanted them, which meant he had no trouble getting ahead in the count. Then he'd punch them out with sliders and his mid-90s fastball. Some of his off-speed pitches were somewhere in the 60s, and that variability in speed makes for a tough evening for the other team's hitters.

Greinke struck out Kelly Shoppach and Shin-Soo Choo three times each; Jamey Carroll, Travis Hafner and Matt LaPorta twice each; and Jhonny Peralta, Luis Valbuena and Andy Marte once each. Asdrubal Cabrera was the only hitter in the Indians lineup to avoid being whiffed at least once; he drove in the Tribe's second run in the eighth, and then promptly got thrown out trying to stretch a double into a triple. Marte got a measure of revenge with a home run in the top of the sixth, his first of the season in the bigs. Peralta, for good measure, struck out a second time in the ninth against Robinson Tejeda, giving the Royals staff 16 total for the game.

Greinke is now 12-8 with a 2.43 ERA (tops in the American League) while pitching for a team that's on pace to lose 100 games. The Cy Young discussions tend to favor pitchers who get a lot of wins, and there are six AL pitchers who've won more games than Greinke, but it's not his fault the Royals suck.

Justin Masterson struggled in his fourth start as an Indian, giving up four runs on seven hits, including one home run, and two walks in six innings. He struck out four, which looks laughable next to Greinke's 15. He wasn't awful, but I'd sure hope he'd do better against the worst team in the American League.

And hey, how about that Valbuena?

As soon as the ball came off Luis Valbuena's bat in the bottom of the 11th of last night's game against the Mariners, I knew it was gone. The only question was whether it would stay fair. Of course, it did, giving the Indians a 4-3 walk-off win. It was the first walk-off home run Valbuena had ever hit as a pro, and you could see how excited he was as he tossed aside his helmet between third and home so his jubilant teammates could beat him up once he touched the plate.

Valbuena's long ball was the lead story, but the secondary story was another impressive start from Aaron Laffey. Laffey gave up three runs in the top of the first, and then settled down to put up zeroes the rest of the way. I've said it before, but Laffey is an ace in the making. I wouldn't be a bit surprised to find him in the 2010 All-Star Game, and maybe making a run at a Cy Young in a couple of years.

And the bullpen came through too, as Chris Perez, Kerry Wood, Tony Sipp, Joe Smith and Rafael Perez put up four more zeroes to hold the Mariners off long enough for Valbuena to end it. Rafael Perez, in particular, has been pitching much better lately, after getting off to a terrible start this season. He had a couple of bad outings after being recalled from Columbus in early April, but has been rock-solid since then, giving up nothing over his last five outings, and getting the win last night.

Rolling over a bad team

There was a lot to like about the Browns' effort last night against the Detroit Lions, but of course, you have to take it with a grain of salt because the opponent was the first team ever to come off an 0-16 season. Still, it was good to see our guys dominate like that.

Derek Anderson got the start behind center, and did not disappoint. Anderson went 8-for-13 for 130 yards as he led the Browns to a 20-0 first-quarter lead (aided in large part, of course, by Josh Cribbs' 84-yard punt return for a touchdown). He did throw a pick, but was mostly very solid. Brady Quinn got his chance in the second quarter and looked pretty good too, though he only threw five passes, completing three for 29 yards. I'd say the spot is still up for grabs, but Anderson is probably ahead by a nose after this.

And the Browns made a number of big plays. Besides Cribbs' impressive runback, there was the undrafted James Davis' 81-yard TD run at the end of the third quarter, and Eric Wright's interception of first overall pick Matthew Stafford. Stafford telegraphed the pass a bit, but Wright still made a great read on it. And getting back to Davis, I don't know if he's a good bet to make the team, but he sure looked good last night, albeit against the third-string defense for the NFL's worst team.

The Browns take on the Titans this coming Saturday. The quarterback situation is obviously the biggest story line to follow, but I look forward to seeing how everybody does against a real NFL team.

Masterful Masterson?

On the surface, Justin Masterson turned in a pretty darned solid performance last night against an explosive offensive team in the Los Angeles/Anaheim/California Angels. Masterson, acquired in the Victor Martinez trade, went 6 1/3 innings, giving up just one unearned run on three hits. But Masterson only struck out three hitters while walking four. That's way too many walks. Usually, if you do that against a team like LA/A/C, you're going to get burned in the butt. Still, holding the Angels, who had eight .300 hitters in the lineup, to three hits is impressive, so I don't want to be too negative.

The real story last night was the Indians' offense, which has chugged along all season, no matter who is in the lineup. It was looking like a pretty good pitchers' duel until the sixth, when the Tribe hitters blew it wide open. The Indians hit four singles and three doubles in the inning, with a walk for good measure, in the course of batting around and putting a 7 on the board. Even the outs were pretty loud in the inning. Kelly Shoppach's sacrifice fly to deep center was the first out, and Shin-Soo Choo's liner to shortstop was the second and third outs, as Asdrubal Cabrera got doubled off second. Shoppach was the only hitter in the lineup who didn't reach base in the inning. The Tribe wound up putting 11 on the board for the game.

Lifelong Indians fans

Today, we're going to dip into the good ol' mailbag, from our most diligent correspondent, Mr. Jeffrey William Brown of Columbus, Ohio:

If you're feeling anything like I am these days, you are resigned and despondent about being a Cleveland Indians fan.

I mean, we trade away our best players and immediately they rock and roll with their new teams. The latest example: P Carl Pavano, who pitched 7 shutout innings in his first start with the Twinkies.

Also, Cliff Lee. Also, C.C. Sabathia last year, who not only "upped" his game, but pitched the most dominant 2 1/2 months of baseball I've ever seen.

Also, also, also... (and on and on and on).

Where does it end, Steve?

You and I are 38 years old, and let's just say for the sake of argument, we'll live to be around 85 years old.

That leaves us with 47 seasons to hope to see the Indians win the World Series, and realistically we've only got 46, because they already chose to be a last-place team next year.

Really -- and I ask you to be utterly realistic and honest -- do you believe and you and I will live to see a World Series champion in Cleveland?

For the record, Jeff and I were both born in 1971. I'm sure I don't need to remind Of Fair Hooker readers that none of Cleveland's three teams has won a title since the Browns in '64.

Let's keep in mind that these things tend to be cyclical. Two years ago, would you have said the Tampa Bay (not devil) Rays would even get into the playoffs over the next 10 years, much less win an American League pennant? Now look at them. They're not likely to get back in this year, but they're still one of the better teams in the majors, and they are still in contention for a postseason berth.

And look at what are the most pathetic franchises in baseball right now: You've got the Royals, who won a World Series 24 years ago; you've got the Pirates, who won a World Series 30 years ago; and you've got the Nationals, who have been to the playoffs once in their existence (as the Expos in 1981, the year the playoffs were expanded). The Nationals are a bad example, and I hope we can agree the Indians are a better bet than the guys in our nation's capital. The other two of those teams have won titles that I'm old enough to remember. (That '79 World Series is the first one I remember well, and hating Pittsburgh as I did even at age 8, I was rooting hard for Jim Palmer and the Orioles.)

The Dolans are clearly spending less money now than they did in 2007 and 2005, when they gave us a serious contender. The fact that they decided to cut expenditures right now doesn't mean they won't spend again when they think we have a real chance, possibly as soon as 2011 or 2012.

And that's just talking in the short term. Jeff and I will be 60 in 22 years, we'll be 70 in 32 years, and presuming medical science and/or our strong constitutions can keep us alive that long, we'll be 80 in 42 years. I say it's a strong bet the Indians, Cavaliers and Browns ALL win a title in that time. The fact that it hasn't happened in our lifetimes already is a statistical aberration; and all three have had championship-caliber teams that we are old enough to remember well.

So that's my answer. Yes, I believe Jeff and I will both live to see a World Series champion in Cleveland.

Now that the pressure is off ...

The Indians are playing very well right now, using players who have spent large portions of the season in AAA. Since the trade deadline, the Tribe has won six of nine, taking three straight series against Central Division teams, capped off by yesterday's 8-4 win over the White Sox. The stars of that game were David Huff, who opened the season in Columbus; Jamey Carroll, who has been the club's utility infielder all year; and Wyatt Toregas, who would still be in Columbus if not for the Victor Martinez trade.

In an odd way, the Indians' recent run seems to somehow reflect badly on Eric Wedge. I don't know if that makes sense, but think about it: The Tribe got off to a very slow start, as they have almost every year Wedge has been here, and fell out of contention early, even while playing with an $80 million payroll made up of players we were counting on to make us contenders. Now that many of those players are gone and there's no pressure, the players who are left are playing their best ball of the season. Where was this in April and May?

I've heard a lot of people calling for Mark Shapiro's head, and some of the same people are calling for Wedge's. Leaving aside the Shapiro question for now; it's hard to know what a manager's true effect is on a team, but I say somebody else ought to get a shot to get these guys playing well out of the chute next year. As we've said in this spot, it seems like Shapiro's given up on 2010 already, but the reality is, it might not take more than 85 or 86 wins to take this division next year. If these guys can play like this in August 2009, they ought to be able to play like this in April 2010. But I don't think it'll happen with Wedge in the dugout.

Mangini speaks on SportsCenter

Chris Mortensen's tour of NFL training camps for ESPN's SportsCenter took him to the Browns' camp yesterday, and naturally he spoke to Eric Mangini about the quarterback controversy. Mangini basically said he's going to give both Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn every chance to impress him, and that he won't make a snap decision. (Mortensen asked him to bring us "up to snuff" on how the competition is going, which I don't think is quite what he meant to say.)

"At some point, one will make a really strong case that they should be the starter, and at that point, we'll name them," Mangini told Mortensen. "The most important thing to me is not to make a quick decision, it's to make the right decision."

There was no mention of the recent release of Shaun Smith, apparently for being lazy and insubordinate. I have to say I like the way Mangini is running his camp, based on what I've seen. Sure, giving both quarterbacks a fair chance to be the starter isn't exactly brain surgery, but a lot of coaches would have just named a starter by now so they wouldn't have to worry about it. And he's making sure his players know who's boss. It comes to mind that a certain former coach with a Shakespearean name wouldn't have done that.