Passion by design helps Eric Wedge - Terry Pluto

Passion by design helps Cleveland Indians manager Eric Wedge thrive
Thursday
October 04, 2007Terry Pluto Plain Dealer Columnist

Life is a tough place. Bad things happen to good people. The only way to make it is to work hard, do what you're told, expect no favors. Eric Wedge grew up in Indiana learning many of those lessons from his father, a Fort Wayne truck driver who later became a supervisor for his company.

As the Indians' manager said: "When kids came to our house, he'd tell them that he didn't care what they did at their own house or down the street, we have rules here. And you better follow them."

Tim and Nina Wedge were married in 1963. They moved into their current house in 1965, and they still live there. Eric was born in 1968. His mom is a registered nurse. Everyone was expected to obey their parents, not cause problems at school.

"We were not allowed to be soft," said Wedge. "There were chores, and you did them. You wouldn't even think about talking back."

What if you did?

"You just didn't," said Wedge. As his college coach, Gene Stephenson of Wichita State said: "I never had to worry about Eric's parents coming to me about something. They didn't believe in interfering."

Stephenson was the man in charge, and that man deserved respect. Just as Tim Wedge did when he served as the president of the local Little League in Fort Wayne, and was at the fields nearly every night when Wedge was playing.

Understand that Wedge loves his parents, he treasures growing up in Fort Wayne. He believes they made him the man that he's become today, a 39-year-old who just managed the Indians to 96 victories, tying Boston for the most victories in the major leagues this season. But their impact is not just about winning the Central Division for the first time since 2001, or him being a strong candidate to be the American League Manager of the Year.

It's about making him strong enough to take over the Indians when the budget was being whacked, veterans were traded off and they were destined to nose dive deep into the Central Division. When he was hired in 2003, he knew that it would be at least two years before he could even dream of managing a winning team. But he believed he would handle it. That's because he's used to being the underdog. He is not shocked when things go wrong, and yes, he knows life isn't always fair.

Wedge the hunk

But first, here's something you don't know about Eric Wedge, something he'll never tell you.

It comes from his wife, Kate. They met in 2001 at a T.G.I. Friday's when Wedge was managing the Tribe's Class AAA Buffalo team.
"There was an instant attraction," said Kate Wedge. "I mean, just look at him."

So Kate thinks her husband is a hunk, which is good for any marriage. But there's more. They dated for nine months, then one day he led her up to his room at the Buffalo Hyatt.

Wedge went down on one knee and asked her to be his wife.

She accepted.

Then he pulled out an engagement ring. It was obvious that he had been thinking about this, preparing for it, making sure to cover all the romantic bases.

"We went to the lobby and I told the person at the desk that I wanted the chair where I was sitting when he proposed," said Kate Wedge. "We bought it, and they had it tagged so I knew they'd ship us the right chair. I'm just glad it's not some ugly plaid thing."

The chair is in their living room.

Wedge the dreamer

Just as Wedge recruited his wife, he had to pursue a college scholarship.

Stephenson still remembers the day a videotape arrived at his office from someone in Fort Wayne named Eric Wedge. The coach of one of the nation's top collegiate programs, Stephenson had never heard of Wedge. He had a few minutes, so he popped the tape into the VCR and, "saw a big, strong kid who was a catcher and seemed to have a pretty good swing."

Stephenson had lost two catchers to graduation. He had recruited a player who was drafted in the 11th round out of high school - and decided to attend Wichita State instead.

"I could use another catcher, so I called Eric and offered him a scholarship," he said. "I never saw him play. I based it on the tape. As far as I could tell, the only school recruiting him was Valparaiso."

Wedge's team won a state championship at Northrop High, so he had some credentials. Nonetheless, he was underrated coming out of high school.

"Especially since he came in and started as a freshman," said Stephenson. "He beat out the high school kid picked in the 11th round. He was a leader from Day One. I tell my players that most people have a will to win, but few have the will to really prepare. Eric always had that."

Within three years, Wedge wasn't just a good college player, he was a great one. He was first-team All-American in 1989, runner-up to Ben McDonald for the Rotary Smith Award as the college player of the year. He led the NCAA Division I players in walks and total bases, and was second in home runs and RBI. His team won the College World Series.

The Eric Wedge of 1989 was a power-hitting catcher who could throw and call a game. "He had a chance to be a major-league catcher for a long time," said Stephenson. "If only he had stayed healthy."

From the moment Wedge was picked in the third round by Boston in the 1989 draft and signed with the Red Sox, he had a painful career. "I had eight surgeries," he said. "I never had an off-season where I wasn't rehabbing something."
What impact did this have on Wedge, the kid who had big-league dreams from the moment he was a Little Leaguer under his father in Fort Wayne?

Wedge just shrugs.

"I hate talking about myself," he said.

Wedge the leader

Wedge also loathes the hypothetical. What's the point of thinking of what would have happened had he not had all those knee injuries, the elbow injuries, the endless injuries. He says given all that, he's grateful to get those 39 games in the majors over small snatches of four different seasons in the early 1990s.

"But it had to be disappointing and frustrating for him," said Stephenson. "He expected to play a long time. He never found out how good he could be."

Here's a player from Fort Wayne who had to fight for a scholarship to an elite program, then becomes a star. He did it with sheer sweat, lots of desire, and maybe a few tears he never allowed anyone to see. And his knees went. First one, then the other. Then the elbow. It was always something. He never had any serious injuries in college, he was almost a man of iron behind the plate. Now, it hurt just to squat.

By 1997, he was 29 years old. His body felt 70. His big-league playing dreams were dead, buried and he was not about to dig them up and endure the heartbreak again. It was time to move on, time to "separate," as he likes to say. Yesterday is gone, today is all you have, so make something of it.

"I knew I wanted to stay in the game, and I was preparing myself to manage for the last few years I was a player," he said.

Or as Kate Wedge said, "He really does take lemons and tries to make lemonade."

Stephenson encouraged him. "He really knew the game," Stephenson said. "He had strong opinions. We butted heads a lot [about strategy], but I loved his passion. He thought about the game. He's a natural leader, players listen to him."

The Indians' minor-league director in 1998, Mark Shapiro, had gotten to know Wedge when he tried to sign him as a minor-league free agent. When he heard Wedge wanted to manage, Shapiro called and offered him the Class A Columbus, Ga., job.

"There's something about him, a presence," said Shapiro. "I knew he'd be successful as manager because of his work ethic, his passion."







Pen could spell trouble for New York Yankees, says Terry Pluto
Friday, October 05, 2007
Scribbles in my playoff note book as the Indians bounce the Yankees, 12-3 . . .

Recipe for the Indians to win? Get to the Yankees bullpen in the middle innings. Their first reliever - in the fifth inning - was Ross Ohlendorf. He wears No. 60! He was recalled from the minors on Sept. 9 and had pitched only 6 1/3 big-league innings. The Indians knocked him around for three runs in one inning to take command of the game.

In Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Pa., the 25-year-old right-hander was 3-3 with a 5.02 ERA, allowing 86 hits in 66 innings - not exactly dominating as opposing batters hit .320 against him.

Next was Jose Veras, who started the year on the disabled list and pitched only 21 innings in the minors before his September promotion.

This highlights the Tribe's big advantage, bullpen depth. In the sixth inning, they turned to Rafael Perez. Many Tribe fans may not recall that he opened the season at Class AAA Buffalo, where he was 3-3 with a 3.66 ERA as a starter. He was recalled on May 29 and became one of the premier lefty relievers in baseball. Perez whiffed four in two innings, six up, six down. Then came rookie Jensen Lewis, three up, three down in the eighth inning. Lewis was 3-0 with a 1.72 ERA in minors with 61 strikeouts in 52 innings. Put together what Lewis and Perez did in the majors and you have a 1.90 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 90 innings.

Don't you love to watch Franklin Gutierrez play the outfield? He made a terrific diving catch on Derek Jeter in the seventh inning. Earlier in the game with a runner on second base, he made a strong throw that prevented Shelley Duncan from advancing to third base. Duncan didn't even think about it. Gutierrez has played a Gold Glove right field for the Tribe after being recalled on June 1. It's especially impressive because his natural position is center field, where he is outstanding, as anyone who saw him play for any length of time in the minors can attest.

Gutierrez drew two walks. And to think he walked only three times in 143 official big-league at-bats in 2006. He has improved his plate discipline considerably.

I hear the Indians will open next season at home with a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at the end of March, then head west for a long trip. Right now, they are projecting a 2008 attendance of about 2.5 million - minimum. That can go up if the Tribe advances in the playoffs or off-season ticket sales are brisk.

Veteran Bruce Froemming was the home-plate umpire and he did no favors for the pitchers. His strike zone was tight, especially early. Yes, C.C. Sabathia was a little nervous and some of his pitches were high. But six walks in five innings? He never walked more than three in 34 starts this season. He walked only six in five September starts! New York starter Chien-Ming Wang also has good control, but walked four in less than five innings. It's not like Froemming favored either side, he just made it tough for the pitchers.

Froemming, 68, has been an umpire since 1971. In his biography, he lists his first baseball memory as watching the 1948 World Series with a team from Cleveland in it, one that happens to be the last Cleveland team to win a World Series.

Not sure what this means, but Wang allowed only three homers in his last 17 starts dating back to June 28. Asdrubal Cabrera and Victor Martinez homered off him on Thursday night. Sabathia had allowed three homers to lefty hitters in 202 at-bats in the regular season. He gave up two on this night.

Not sure what this mean, either, but the last time the Tribe won a postseason game was Oct. 13, 2001. The winning pitcher? C.C. Sabathia in his only postseason start before Thursday night. The score? How about 17-2 over Seattle. That gave the Tribe a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. We won't mention what happened after that, but it wasn't good as the Tribe scored only three runs over the next 18 innings. But the good news is the team that wins the opener of a five-game series prevails more than 70 percent of the time.

Previous columns online:
cleveland.com/columns
To reach Terry Pluto:
tpluto@plaind.com, 216-999-4674


Chilling thought: Tribe hitters get quiet at home
Thursday, October 04, 2007


Chilling thought: Tribe hitters get quiet at home

My biggest fear about the Tribe is . . . they won't hit. This team still can turn cold at the plate. After the All-Star break, the Indians were 44-30, but the main reason was because they had the second-lowest ERA in the American League in that span. But they ranked only 10th of 14 teams in runs scored. The Yankees scored 164 more runs than the Tribe after the break - that's two per game!



Las Vegas has the Yankees favored . . . and they should. New York was 51-25 after the All-Star break. This team can mash like the 1995 Tribe. They had a team batting average of .300 after the break! The Indians' pitchers should not be shelled by these Yankees, but the Yanks will score some runs.

Tribe player likely to have a big postseason . . . Go with Travis Hafner. He batted .316 in September and seemed to be on a crusade to get the Indians into the playoffs and drive in 100 runs - he did both, driving in 23 runs in the final month. He hit .373 in his last 17 games. This guy is hot. This season, he was 8-for-12 vs. New York and 28-for-62 in the past four seasons.

Tribe player the nation will discover . . . Grady Sizemore. Tribe fans love him, he sells twice as much merchandise as any other player on the team, according to the marketing department. But the nation still hasn't seen him, especially on a big stage against New York. Sizemore's season was almost greeted with a yawn, but he batted .277. He led the team with a .390 on-base percentage. His 24 HRs were one behind team leader Victor Martinez. A year ago, he had a staggering 101 extra base hits. He had 63 this season, and stole 33 bases in 43 attempts. Fans sometimes dwell on his 155 strikeouts, but he does so much, so well - it's not a huge negative. He plays with such passion, look for him to have a big series.

Tribe player who will be immune to playoff pressure . . . Why not Asdrubal Cabrera? In every postseason, a rookie acts like he's spent his life in the playoffs. In 1997 for the Tribe, it was Jaret Wright. Remember rookie Adam Wainright saving the World Series for St. Louis last year. Like Wright in 1997, Cabrera began this season at Class AA Akron with no word that he'd be a key piece to a playoff drive. The Indians are 31-13 since he took over as a starter at second (and sometimes short) and 24-6 when he bats second.

Indians fans hate to see these numbers . . . Jorge Posada, Jason Giambi, Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez are a combined 9-for-13 with four homers against Tribe closer Joe Borowski. Saving games against the Yankees in this series will be the greatest challenge of his career. His only postseason experience is good: seven scoreless innings for the Cubs in 2003. The question is, what will manager Eric Wedge do if Borowski struggles? Another bad number: Jhonny Peralta was 1-for-22 vs. the Yankees this season. The Indians really need him to be at his best in the field, because an error can change one of these games.

The bullpens will matter . . . Especially if the Indians can get into the Yankees pen early. In September, Mariano Rivera and Joba Chamberlain had a 1.75 ERA. The rest of the Yankees bullpen was 7.51, with 49 earned runs in 58 2/3 innings. A key guy for the Yankees will be Luis Vizcaino, the veteran who has been solid in the past but had a weary arm in September with a 10.12 ERA. The Indians have three good set-up men before Borowski: Jensen Lewis (2.15 ERA), Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez. The Indians have an edge here.

The pressure will be on . . . the Yankees. They have not won the World Series since 2000, not been to the World Series since 2003 and not survived the first round since 2004. The pressure on the Indians is different, because winning 93 games in 2005 and missing the playoffs shows how hard it is for a middle-market team to get here. The Yankees are a great team (52-29) at home, but a modest 42-39 on the road. The Indians should try to beat these guys now with their top two pitchers in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona backed by the home crowd

Wedge the Thinker
Kate Wedge knows what Shapiro means by the presence. When she met Wedge, he was 33, but seemed older. It's the same thing most people say about him. It's not just his rugged appearance, but his attitude. He seems to think about things. He tries not to appear surprised. He keeps a lid slapped down hard on his emotions.

"He thinks things out," she said. "He plans."

It seems like some people are born 40, and that's Wedge.

"I immediately noticed that," said Shapiro. "It's why I wasn't afraid to make him a manager [at 29] in the minors, and why I had no concerns when I hired him [at 36] to manage the Indians."

"I don't know why, but people have said that about me since I was a kid," said Wedge. "I suppose I've always felt older."

Maybe it comes from his parents, who taught him there are few shortcuts in life. Or Fort Wayne, where the wealthy are few, a man earned respect by doing the job, keeping his mouth shut, taking care of his family and not wasting much time or money.

Wedge moved up the Tribe minor-league ladder as a manager, making stops at every level. By 2002, he was named the Manager of the Year for the entire minor leagues by The Sporting News.

The placid Eric Wedge you see in the dugout is by design. He doesn't want to seem angry or panicked, he knows the cameras are on him and he "refuses to show my players up by throwing stuff or screaming when they make a mistake." He said "behind closed doors, it's different." He will rip into his team. But that's not for the public to see or hear.

"I knew Eric was going to be a big-league manager when he first came to Buffalo," said Mike Harrington, a veteran baseball writer for the Buffalo News. "You could see it the way he carried himself. He was only 33, barely older than the players. But he was so in charge. I'd never seen any manager like that. He was demanding with the players, I never saw one of his guys not run out a ground ball. He had such confidence."

Wedge the Grinder

"When we met, Eric was very focused on his career," said Kate Wedge. "I think what happened with us surprised him. I mean, 18 months after we met, we were married."

Wedge says it's the best move that he's ever made, a smart husband talking. But he seems to mean that. He is capable of working insane hours, but when he comes home, he is dad to 17-month-old Eva.

"He changes diapers, he gets up to see her in the middle of the night," said Kate Wedge. "He gets excited when she calls him Da-Da, or when she sees Chief Wahoo or the Indians on TV and starts saying Da-Da. He loves being a father."

And he will soon be again, as Kate is expecting their second child (a boy) in February.

Mark Lombardi is Wedge's best friend and business partner. They own Strike One Sports Complex, a 40,000-foot indoor facility in Danvers, Mass. He and Wedge started the business in 1992, and Lombardi said it took at least "6-7 years" to turn a profit. He said Wedge refused to become discouraged, how they kept changing their approach to the business, thinking deeper, working harder.

"With Eric, there's a sense that he'd be successful at whatever he wants do to, or he'd almost kill himself trying to get there," said Lombardi. "When he commits to something, he stays committed. Kate has been great for him. They met before they had any money, any fame and she really didn't know who he was. She brings some balance to his life, and I really think that has made him even a better person and manager."

Wedge finished his fifth season managing the Tribe. Overall, he took a team that has been in the bottom 25 percent in payroll for most of those five seasons from 68-80-93-78-96 victories. The big picture is one of gritty, determined progress against the odds.

"This team reflects Eric," said Shapiro. "It's not real flashy, but it's determined. The guys like each other, hang together and finished strong. That didn't happen by accident. Eric had a lot to do with it."

You Gotta Love These Guys - Cleveland INdians Basball

'You gotta love these guys'
Indians' fun-filled playoff run hits home to fans young and old Sunday, September 30, 2007

Nice guys can finish first, or at least they did in the Central Division.

Think about this year's Indians, winners of 95 games, more than any National League team.

Think about all the smiles

Think about the home-plate home-run celebrations. Little Leaguers seldom seem to have so much fun.

Think of the Indians at the high-roller table with teams from New York, Boston and Southern California.

Think about the Indians vs. the Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Division Series.

They aren't just playoff underdogs, they're Cinderella at the ball with a dress from Kmart.

Now think of whipped cream pies in the face for the hero of the game. Think of how Casey Blake seemed even more shocked than the fans when he won two games in four days with ninth-inning homers. Think of Joe Borowski sweating and fretting through the ninth inning, of Travis Hafner stomping and stalking in the on-deck circle, waiting for a chance to bat.

Then think of Hafner wearing a shirt reading: I may not be smart, but I can lift heavy things. Or think of how none of these players have complained about being in Cleveland, how they score high on the ladder of gratitude, low on the thermometer of entitlement.

Now, think of the fans - new ones come to the team every day.
"I think of my childhood rooting for WHO-LEE-OO [Julio Franco], Cory Snyder, Brook Jacoby and buying $2.50 general admission seats with my dad," e-mailed Trey Edwards from Mentor. "Now my 5-year-old son Ben wakes up every morning and asks who the Indians are playing. We watch the evening games on TV as long as he can stay awake, then the next morning he gets up and asks me to turn on STO for the replay."

Or, as Susan Keen Flynn e-mailed: "My 7-year-old son Connor has been obsessed with the Indians for two seasons. He rattles off the pitching lines and checks the stats in The PD. He takes his glove to the games, even though we often sit in the nosebleed sections. Connor even asked the barber to give him a "Pronk cut."

Playoffs help families make baseball memories

The Indians are in the playoffs.

Think about that - "the Indians" and "the playoffs" in the same sentence. Or the Indians and the World Series in the same dream for a team that was only 78-84 last season and 18 games out of first place.

But the playoffs are about more than winning and losing. They are about parents and kids, and maybe grandparents, too. It's about families making baseball memories. It's about a town rallying around a team, neither of which are supposed to be winners.

The fans began to warm up to the team as the season went on, averaging 31,869 fans after the All-Star break compared with 24,840 before. They sold out the final three games of last weekend's homestand as the town began to sizzle. The Tribe had one sellout in 40 games before the All-Star break, 10 in 37 games after.

"On Sunday, Sept. 23, we had the second-biggest regular-season merchandise sales in team history," said Kurt Schloss, team merchandising director. "People are buying anything that says Division Champs on it. We have six retail stores, and we are fighting to keep up with the demand."

The Indians are supposed to be too cheap to play with the big boys in this medium-sized major-league market with one of the nation's highest poverty levels. According to a USA Today survey of salaries at the start of the season, the top four payrolls were New York Yankees ($190 million), Boston ($143 million), New York Mets ($115 million) and the Los Angeles Angels ($109 million). The Indians ranked 22nd at $62 million.

The Tribe payroll has increased to about $72 million with the bonuses from the contract extensions to Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook. But the Yankees' payroll rose to $216 million, and Boston up to $153 million with their additions during the season.

So the Indians remain the Little Engine That Could in this high-octane playoff race where everyone else seems to be roaring around the track in a Porsche.

But that also has become part of their appeal.

"They play good old-fashioned baseball and leave their egos at the door," e-mailed 55-year-old Kerry Kralik. "It's refreshing to see a group of athletes that actually have fun and put the team first before themselves, jumping around like little kids."

With 13 victories at Jacobs Field in their last at-bat, the Indians might lead all of baseball in mob scenes at home plate, the players piling on the hero of the day. Then there's the pie-in-the-face routine when the star of the game is interviewed on television. Good teams have these rituals. The 1995 World Series Tribe would stick bubblegum on each other's caps. The 1997 Tribe all pulled up their socks to honor Jim Thome on his birthday, and they began to win with the high uniform socks. It carried all the way to the World Series.

Andy Sikrovsky of Shaker Heights has three children, and he e-mailed, "In addition to falling asleep to the [radio] voice of Tom Hamilton . . . my daughter Mary likes Kenny Lofton. Alison likes Jhonny Peralta. Jimmy likes Victor Martinez. They all like C.C. [Sabathia] and Grady Sizemore. . . . My favorite memory was holding Jimmy in my arms when [Kelly] Shoppach connected on a 3-run homer on June 26 to cap an amazing 5-run, ninth inning rally.

"Fireworks, cheering, celebrating . . . Jimmy got hooked."

And dad was glad to reel in the Tribe's new 6-year-old fan.

Indians fever catching up nationwide

This team is developing its own identity, apart from the failures of the past or the near misses of the late 1990s.

As Mike Luck e-mailed from Gahanna, Ohio: "I'm 61 years old and my first Indians memories are from 1954. This team has been on a mission since the start of the season. . . . It has no egos, everyone helping each other. . . . Victor Martinez is my new favorite Indian . . . consistent, but plays with passion."

Ah, yes, Victor Martinez.

The catcher who a year ago couldn't throw, but now he can. The catcher some wanted to make into a first baseman. The catcher who once barely said three words when he came to the majors, but has matured into a team leader who encourages most players. He also challenged pitcher Cliff Lee in a voice that roared early in the season.

Victor Martinez, the switch-hitting catcher, the clean-up batter, the guy who made up special handshakes for each teammate. He is a superstar, but it seems no one outside of Northeast Ohio realizes it. Even some of the hometown fans don't fully appreciate the thoughtful, determined, gritty man behind the catcher's mask.

The most popular player is Grady Sizemore, dominating merchandising with more than $1 million in sales. Next is Travis Hafner at about $500,000, according to the Indians.

Sizemore appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated this season and no jinx attacked the star center fielder. Instead, the 25-year-old continued to be one of the most potent leadoff hitters in baseball, and attracted even more fans.

"One of my grandsons is named Grady, you can figure out who he's named after," e-mailed Steve Eighinger from Quincy, Ill.

Tribe fans are not just limited to Northeast Ohio. Clevelanders now spread across the country are living and dying with their favorite team, passing the tradition down to their children.

"Last Sunday, my 11-year-old son Jake came down to breakfast in his Grady Sizemore shirt and Indians cap," e-mailed Larry Dunn from Salt Lake City. "He said this was the day we're going to clinch. We subscribe to MLB Gameday Audio and listen to the radio play-by-play and follow pitch-by-pitch on the Internet scoreboards."

Unlikely heroes make game fun for all

The Indians have been building up to this season from June 2002, when General Manager Mark Shapiro realized the team that treated the Central Division as its own baseball playground was getting too old, too expensive to compete. Over the next five years, the team went from 68 to 80 to 93 to 78 and finally to 95 victories this season.

"They are a real TEAM full of unlikely heroes," e-mailed Fritz Johnson from Dover, Ohio. "Down the stretch, Casey Blake, the same Casey Blake that nearly no one wanted at third base - me included - hit two walk-off homers in a week!"

While many adults become frustrated with Blake's struggles to hit with runners in scoring position, he is fourth on the team in merchandise sales as kids love his No. 1 jersey.

This is not a time for hard-eyed, stat-driven logic. It's the Tribe in the playoffs.

"My 6-year-old son Noah and I have invented songs about the Indians set to the 'Jetsons' theme," e-mailed Jim Gill from Beach City, Ohio. "The song goes, 'Meet Trot Nixon. His boy Casey. Daughter Sizemore. Pronk, his wife!' We laugh and laugh when we sing that song."

Why not? The Indians don't do this every year.

"These guys are easy to like," e-mailed Jeff Musselman from Wooster. "We met the team at a function in August. . . . Ryan Garko took my [8-year-old son] around to meet the players. What a nice guy!"

That is the Tribe's reputation. Solid citizens, not especially flashy, perfect for Northeast Ohio.

Kristine Meldrum Denholm e-mailed that her 9-year-old son loves Kenny Lofton "because he played for the Indians three times." Seven-year-old Ryan likes Sizemore because he's fast, and Fausto Carmona because he's winning a lot of games.

But what about 4-year-old Caroline?

"She doesn't follow the Indians too much," wrote Denholm. "But she says she likes Slider, 'He's a funny guy. Once, I sat by him!' "

Welcome to the playoffs, time to enjoy, no matter who your favorite Tribe player (or mascot) may be.

No question: Piniella never doubted himself
But concedes it was 'tougher job than I thought it would be'

By Paul Sullivan
Tribune staff reporter

September 29, 2007, 12:06 AM CDT

CINCINNATI -- Lou Piniella was just the latest in a long line of purported saviors when he took over the Cubs in November.

But with the Cubs having clinched the National League Central Division title after Friday night's 6-0 victory over the Reds combined with Milwaukee's 6-3 loss to San Diego, the decision to bring the veteran manager to Chicago appears to be one of the best moves the organization has made since Bill Veeck planted ivy at the base of the outfield walls.

How rewarding has this been for Piniella after all he has been through this season?

"Look, I'm just the manager of the team," Piniella said. "These are the guys who play. All I do is try to get the right combinations on the field and stay out of these guys' way."

But there were doubters in May when the Cubs were nine games below .500 and making fundamental mistakes on the bases and in the field, looking much like the last-place team Piniella inherited from Dusty Baker.

"You have to remember I didn't take over a club that had won 90 games last year," Piniella said. "There were some things we needed to do and some things we needed to change, and we slowly went about doing it.

"We utilized our farm system very well, and these kids gave us some life and some energy. They performed. They had their day."

Piniella's leadership when things looked bleak was one of the main reasons for the stunning turnaround.

Now the Cubs can pull off a memorable October surprise, and millions of baseball fans with no rooting interest in the Cubs suddenly will be in their corner.

"Everybody roots for the underdog," Reds right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. said. "But I wouldn't consider Lou an underdog. They have a great bunch of guys out there, and now they're putting it all together for the run."

The Cubs have gone through so much in one year that it boggles the mind. Piniella thought he knew what he was in for when he signed on, but he admitted Friday he really didn't expect the Cubs to be so … well, Cublike.

"This is a tougher job than I thought it would be," he said. "I have to be honest with you."

Did Piniella ever doubt himself?

"No, why would I ever doubt myself?" he said. "You have to realize it takes a little time for a manager to learn his club and for the players to acclimate themselves, and at the same time see what works and doesn't work. When I went to Tampa, I thought I could win the pennant over there. So why should I doubt myself about anything?"

Now that Cubs are in, anything can happen
By Gene Wojciechowski
ESPN.com

CINCINNATI -- At exactly 9:15 local time, with the Chicago Cubs leading the Cincinnati Reds, 4-0, in the top of the eighth inning, a roar moved across the Great American Ball Park stands Friday evening.

For more on the pennant races, see Hunt for October.

Reds rookie Norris Hopper stood in center field and began to look around nervously. Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee, who was in the middle of an at-bat, must have wondered why all the sudden noise.

And then the reason became obvious.

Just left of the 379-foot marker on the outfield wall scoreboard was the latest update from Milwaukee: San Diego Padres 3, Brewers 2. It didn't matter that the game was only in the fourth inning. To the predominantly pro-Cubs crowd at Wrigley Field East, it was another piece of welcome magic-number news.

But it wasn't until an hour and 49 minutes later, when the only people left in the stadium were the grounds crew, a clean-up crew, media members, and -- camped in front of the visitor's clubhouse TVs -- the Cubs, that the National League Central at last had a winner. It took 160 games (and a Brewers collapse), but the Cubs are going to the playoffs.

A 6-0 win against the Reds, combined with the Padres' 6-3 win against the Brewers reduced Chicago's magic number (and heart rate) to zero. They're in, and will open the divisional playoffs on the road next Wednesday, likely in Arizona against the Diamondbacks. It will be their first postseason appearance in four years.

"Seems like 15 years ago," said reliever Kerry Wood, happily soaked in Korbel and beer.

Only three active players -- Wood, Carlos Zambrano and Aramis Ramirez -- remain from the 2003 Cubs playoff roster, a team that came within five tantilizing outs of reaching the World Series. (OK, four, if you count Derrek Lee, who played for the team that beat the Cubs that year, the Florida Marlins.) And not one starting position player for the '03 Cubs Opening Day lineup was part of Friday night's celebratory champagne showers.

These Cubs are better. And worse. They are capable of the bizarre (Zambrano using soon-to-be-traded catcher Michael Barrett as a punching bag), the financially perplexing (nine games below .500 in early June, 8½ games back in late June -- all with a near-$100-million payroll), and the impressive (the NL's best record since June 23). They are exactly as their record indicates: a team with flaws, but not enough of them to gag away the division lead like the Brewers did.

"You get in the playoffs and anything can happen," said Wood.

This is true. Just ask the St. Louis Cardinals, who were afterthoughts as the 2006 playoffs began. They ended up winning the World Series.

Are the Cubs good enough to do the same? It depends if you believe in lineup cards or fate. The Cubs won't be the best team in the playoffs, but they'll be a tough out, if for no other reason than they survived a difficult race.

"It's been ... a long summer; it really has," said Cubs manager Lou Piniella, shortly before the Padres' victory became final. "We've been at it hot and heavy for a long, long time. You get off to a bad start. Then you got to fight like heck to get to .500. Then you got to fight to get above .500. Then we've been in a pennant race since about the middle of August that's really been separated by a couple of games one way or another the whole summer. It's a long experience."

Piniella was talking about 2007, but he could have just as easily been describing the Cubs' franchise futility. You'll know the numbers by heart in the next week or so; the Cubs do. Repeat after the billy goat: The Cubs last played in a World Series in 1945 and haven't won one since 1908. There are shorter glacial ages than that.

But late Friday evening, in a clubhouse protected by taped-up plastic sheets, the Cubs weren't interested in history. Piniella walked around with an open bottle of bubbly. A Cubs coach wore a pair of swim goggles to protect himself from the sting of champagne. Players hugged, guzzled and screamed.

"We had good stretches, we had bad stretches," said Wood before someone popped a cork nearby and sprayed away.

Bad stretch: Arriving in Cincinnati after being swept on the road by the NL East last-place Marlins.

Good stretch: Does Friday night's game count?

The Brewers had to face Greg Maddux and the Padres, who were locked in their own playoff cage match in the west. Meanwhile, the Cubs played the Louisville Bats. One-third of the Reds' lineup was from the team's Triple-A affiliate. The Reds were without right fielder Ken Griffey Jr., left fielder Adam Dunn, center fielder Josh Hamilton, shortstop Alex Gonzalez and first baseman Scott Hatteberg. That leaves a bruise mark on anybody's lineup card.

So the Cubs needed to take advantage of the situation, and they did. Only a few minutes into the game, Alfonso Soriano fell behind, 0-2, to Bronson Arroyo and then sent the next pitch into the right-center-field seats for his 11th leadoff home run of the season.

The Cubs added an unearned run in the second and then, in the bottom of the fourth, watched almost with bemusement as Reds third-base coach Mark Berry waved Joey Votto around on a single to left by Edwin Encarnacion. Soriano fielded the hit and threw a one-hopper to catcher Jason Kendall for his 19th outfield assist this season.

Two words to Berry: scouting report. Soriano's 19 assists are the most by a Cubs player since 1951.

Soriano led off with a double in the fifth, followed a few minutes later by a Lee home run to left. Four-nothing. Then Jacque Jones doubled in the eighth to drive in the final two Cubs runs. And that was that.

In the visitor's clubhouse several hours before the game, the Cubs were so tense that reliever Will Ohman could barely concentrate on his crossword puzzle. Blame second baseman Mark DeRosa, who had a handful of teammates laughing at a fake batting stance and swing.

Closer Ryan Dempster was a nervous mess. On second thought, no he wasn't. He might be the first ballplayer to ever switch the clubhouse plasma to "The Golden Girls." Nothing says nail-biting playoff chase like Bea Arthur. Dempster was later seen playing cards with pitcher Ted Lilly.

Come to think of it, none of the Cubs looked particularly freaked out about their situation. Two reasons for that: They began the night with the largest lead (two games) of any NL leader and ... it could always be worse -- they could be the New York Mets, who were greeted Friday morning by this headline in one of the NY tabloids: Paging Dr. Heimlich.

The Cubs, who lost 96 games last season, aren't going to need anything dislodged from their throats, except maybe champagne corks. Now they try to do what the 2003 Cubs couldn't do.

"When I took over here, the conversation was winning right away," said Piniella. "There was no grace period. Let's win now. I like those sort of situations. But I'll tell you this: It's been a tough journey."

For now, the Cubs aren't micro-analyzing themselves. They're too busy celebrating. And thinking about what's next.

"This is why we [play] -- this moment right now," said shortstop Ryan Theriot, as he peeled the foil off another bottle of Korbel. "But we're not done yet."

We'll see. Like Wood said, anything can happen.

Garko finds his place in the field

Terry Pluto, 15 Sept 2007

It's about 90 minutes before Friday night's game with Kansas City, and Ryan Garko sat in the Tribe dugout. He couldn't stop smiling.

"When you go from staring Buffalo in the face in spring training to batting in the middle of this lineup . . ."

Then Garko paused.
"It's feel good," he said. "Really good."

He paused again.

"There were a lot of sleepless nights this spring," he said. "I worried about making the team. I felt a lot of pressure when I was at first base, like everyone was watching me."

Unlike some pro athletes, Garko is candid about his emotions. He went from the last player to make the team in spring training to a guy hitting .295 with 18 homers and 57 RBI. He's matured from a Doctor Strange-glove at first base to "a pleasant surprise" in the field, according to manager Eric Wedge.

"I was never a Baseball America darling," Garko said. "I went to Stanford, but they recruited me as much for my grades [4.2 GPA] as baseball. For a long time, I never even knew if I'd get drafted."

Garko didn't begin his pro career until he was 22, putting him at an immediate disadvantage.

"I was with a bunch of guys 18 and 19 years old in Class A," he said. "I realized that I didn't have a lot of time."

What Garko did have was a degree in American Studies (a combination of history, political science and economics) from Stanford. He had a bat that roared, a .402 hitter as a senior and a first team All-American.

But he also had a question mark next to his name. Yes, he could hit, but where would he play?

He was a catcher at Stanford, and played there for two years in the Tribe farm system. But the Indians believed he was better suited for first base. He arrived in Cleveland in July of 2006, hitting .292 with 45 RBI in 50 games.
But he had six errors in 45 starts at first. The front office feared he was a liability in the field. In spring training, the plan seemed to be Casey Blake at first base, and Garko on the bench - or perhaps headed back to Class AAA Buffalo for a third year at the age of 26.

"I never thought I was as bad [at first] as some people thought," he said. "It's just that the position was so new to me. The game seemed so fast. But I was working hard at it. I knew I could do it."

Garko is 6-2, 225 pounds. Graceful he is not. Give him relentless. Give him determined. Give him a chance, that's all he asked after being a .293 hitter in the minors.

"In this game, they liked to tell you what you can't do," he said. "They label you, and it's so hard to overcome. I've had to prove a lot of people wrong."

But not manager Eric Wedge.

"He's been in my corner from the beginning," Garko said. "That's why I've been working my tail off to make it. When a manager goes to bat for you like Eric did, I want to prove him right."

Wedge saw Garko spending so much time in the field. He kept Garko on the roster, believing that his "time would come." It did early, when Andy Marte was injured, and Blake moved to third base.

First base opened for Garko, and he grabbed it.

"Ryan hasn't hurt us in the field, and he's made some good plays to help us," General Manager Mark Shapiro said. "He's been very good at digging throws out of the dirt, and that helps our infielders."

Meanwhile, Garko hits.
He began the recent 10-game trip in a slump, then made an adjustment.

"My dad told me to pull my [uniform] pants down over my socks," he said.

Garko did, and has three homers in the last seven games. Garko was 1-for-4 in the Indians' 5-4 win over the Royals on Friday night.

In his major-league career, he's a .294 hitter with 25 homers and 102 RBI in 623 at-bats.

"I don't take anything for granted," he said. "I appreciate the Indians sticking with me. Playing with this team, that means so much to me."

Cleveland Indians' bandwagon has plenty of space available - Terry Pluto, Friday, September 14, 2007, Cleveland Plain Dealer

Are you ready to buy into the Indians now, or at least throw down a few bucks for a ticket as they return for the final homestand of the regular sea son beginning tonight at Ja cobs Field against Kansas City?

Does first place in the American League Central Division do anything for you? Especially first place with a 5½-game lead over Detroit and Tigers manager Jim Leyland re cently waving a division surren der flag.

Yes, the man who managed the Tigers in the 2006 World Series recently told reporters, "[The Indians] are winning the way division champions win. They are going on the road and winning at Minnesota. They are coming back and winning games. They have all the earmarks of a division champion."

He really is talking about your Tribe.

Fans, the Indians won't blow it this year. It's not a repeat of 2005, when the Tribe was battling hot teams from Chicago to New York to Boston for a playoff spot and fell apart in the final week.

The Indians are going to the postseason for the first time since 2001, period.

They aren't backing in, they're storming the Central Division castle, kicking down the doors, climbing the walls, pouring through the windows and claiming it for Cleveland.

They have just finished a stretch of 23 games in 23 days and won 17 of them. They're home from a 10-day trip where they were 7-3.

They are 14-4 against defending Central Division champion Minnesota, and have beaten Twins Cy Young winner Johan Santana five times.

Want more?

They are 41-22 in their own division. They are 85-61 overall, the third-best record in baseball behind Boston and the Los Angeles Angels.

They have been in first place for 102 days this season and have won 11 games at Jacobs Field in their final at-bat.

They have what should be their own Cy Young Award winner in C.C. Sabathia. Eric Wedge may be American League Manager of the Year. Mark Shapiro could be Executive of the Year. Catcher Victor Martinez won't be the Most Valuable Player, but he could be the American League's most underrated and least-appreciated star.
They have three starting pitchers with at least 15 victories in Paul Byrd, Fausto Carmona and Sabathia.

They have the American League saves leader in Joe Borowski. They have a lefty telephone pole of a reliever named Raffy Perez who has allowed only one extra base hit to a lefty batter in two years.

They are doing all this with two of their projected starting pitchers (Jeremy Sowers and Cliff Lee) out of the rotation, and with projected starting third baseman Andy Marte spending most of the year in the minors.

They are doing this with an old friend (40-year-old Kenny Lofton) and a new one (24-year-old Franklin Gutierrez) joining Grady Sizemore to become one of the fastest, most athletic outfields in the majors.

They are doing this as fans learn to pronounce Asdrubal (ASH-drew-bull) Cabrera, a 21-year-old who has risen all the way from Class AA Akron to hit .308 since taking over as the second baseman in August. The Indians are 20-9 with him in the lineup.

They are doing this with five players who have at least 18 homers, but their top home run guy is their leadoff man - Sizemore with 23. He also leads the team with 32 steals. He has played in 341 consecutive games and never failed to run out even the most discouraging pop-ups or ground balls.

If you are a baseball purist, you should love this team. In the AL it ranks third in pitching, third in defense, fifth in runs scored - and first in overachievers, doing it all with a payroll in the bottom 30 percent of baseball.
But for all the whining over the Dolan family being frugal, the owners have signed key players Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook to multiyear deals worth nearly $100 million - adding $20 million to the payroll this season with those and other moves. They will not lose a significant player to free agency this winter.

"I love this team!" e-mailed Karen Corrigan of Lakewood. "At the beginning of the season, I didn't think there was a chance they'd make the playoffs. Now, the Tribe [is] in the postseason again. I'm very excited."

That may seem obvious, but more than a few fans in Northeast Ohio have missed it. The Indians rank 22nd out of 30 teams in home attendance. They average more than 32,000 on weekends when there are promotions for fireworks and giveaways such as bobbleheads. But during the week, it's about 23,000.
It would be lower, but the team has Dollar Hot Dog Night (the last is Tuesday) during the week, and those have averaged 35,399 fans.

Many fans are like Corrigan. She wrote that she has not been at a game this season, but watches nearly every night on television.

Another fan, Robert Oberlin of Akron, said he also hasn't been to a game yet but sees "about all of them on TV. My wife wears a Travis Hafner T-shirt. We love the team." He has been to Winter Haven, Fla., for spring training three times, and recently sent The Plain Dealer a detailed six-point plan to re-sign Sabathia. He is a loyal, knowledgeable fan, "but it's easier to watch the games on TV."

Television ratings are up about 35 percent overall from 2006, and 63 percent since Aug. 1 from a year ago. Attendance has risen every month, from 18,572 in snowy April to 32,883 in August. Since the All-Star break, the Indians are averaging 32,608 fans - seventh best in the American League - and up from 24,837 in the first half.

"I've been to 10-12 games this season," e-mailed Mark Cousineau of South Euclid. "I was talking to a fan who kept saying, 'What a great team, I don't know why the ballpark isn't packed like it used to be.' To which I asked how many games has he been to this year - he said, 'None, it's too expensive.' "

Actually, it's not, at least compared to the other Cleveland sports franchises. The team has offered lots of discounts, especially for weeknight games.

But only tonight's fireworks game and Saturday's game with Kansas City have a pre-sale of at least 30,000.

The Tigers are in town for three games beginning Monday night when the team has asked fans to wear red, but so far, an average of only 24,000 tickets have been sold for each night of that series.

"People remember the 1990s (455 consecutive sellouts) and it probably will never be like that again," said team President Paul Dolan.

"But support is growing. You can see it in the TV ratings, merchandise sales and the tickets. We have added about 1,000 season tickets during the year, most in the past three months. The foundation is in place for us to contend the next several years. This is not an illusion."

Rehab, patience and hardwork, if possible never surgery

Cleveland Indians closer Borowski made a crucial choice with shoulder
- Thursday, September 06, 2007, Cleveland Plainsdealer

Minneapolis- Joe Borowski's right shoulder will probably never be 100 percent again.

"There's a torn something in there," the Indians closer said.

In 2004, when Borowski pitched for the Cubs and strained his shoulder, the doctors gave him two options - rehabilitation or surgery. There was a catch, there usually is with a pitcher's shoulder.

"He said if you rehab, it'll give you a chance to pitch again," Borowski said. "He said if you have surgery, you'll never come back. When they talk about putting screws in your shoulder, you're not coming back."

What course of action did Borowski take?

Tuesday night, he saved his 40th game for the Indians in a 7-5 victory over the Twins in 11 innings. He's the fifth Tribe pitcher to save 40 or more games in a season.

Jose Mesa is the franchise leader with 46 in 1995. Bob Wickman had 45 in 2005, Doug Jones 43 in 1990 and Mike Jackson 40 in 1998.

"It's very satisfying," Borowski said. "To tell you the truth, I didn't know if I'd ever be in this situation. When I was with the Cubs, I thought I might have a chance. Then I hurt my shoulder. I didn't know if I'd ever pitch again."

Said manager Eric Wedge: "Joe has been a huge part of our success. He's strong and consistent on and off the field."

Borowski, to get back to this point, trained like never before.

"I always worked out, but never like the last three years," he said. "Instead of taking two months off during the off-season, I take one week. But that's all right because I like it."

The Indians feel the same way about Borowski.

Patience:
The roles were reversed on Rafael Betancourt in the 10th inning Tuesday night.

The Twins had runners on first and second with two out. Catcher Michael Redmond, on the 10th pitch of his at-bat against Betancourt, injured the middle finger on his left hand. The debate to take him out or let him continue the at-bat lasted almost five minutes.

Betancourt, who usually makes hitters wait for him with his deliberate delivery, made a couple of throws to catcher Victor Martinez to stay loose. Finally, Joe Mauer, who didn't play because of a strained left hamstring, pinch-hit for Redmond with the count full.

It took one pitch for Betancourt to strike him out. Redmond was charged with the strikeout.

"I didn't expect to see Mauer in that situation," Betancourt said. "But I told myself, I just needed to make one more pitch."

Enjoy the Success - Terry Pluto, Sept 5

Wednesday, September 05, 2007Terry PlutoPlain Dealer Columnist
When the first-place Indi ans took the field Tues day night . . .

How do you come to terms with that yet? It's Sept. 5, the Indians went into Tuesday's game with the third-best record in baseball. They had a healthy six-game lead over Detroit.

The season is winding down, and they are gearing up.

Wait a minute, is that some grumbling from the eat-dirt-and-die crowd? They are the ones who wake up in the morning and say, "What about The Fumble? The Drive? Jose Mesa?"

They are convinced that if you look hard enough at the collapse of the mortgage market, you'll discover Eric Wedge is behind it because the Tribe manager plays Casey Blake too much and won't bunt enough.

They are certain the only player Mark Shapiro ever signed is David Dellucci and the only trade he ever made was to give away Brandon Phillips. They whine about 2005? Remember how all the Indians had to do was play .500 ball in the last week of the season -- and how they blew it?!

Hands wring, teeth gnash, violins weep.

Can we interrupt this pity party to mention the Indians have only Detroit between themselves and the playoffs? That team is 21-29 since the All-Star break with a 5.35 ERA -- third worst in the American League.

The Indians have the second-best pitching (3.65 ERA) of any team in baseball -- in either league -- since the All-Star break. They are dominating their own Central Division with a 37-21 record; Detroit is 26-28.

They have beaten Johan Santana five times this season. The Cy Young winner is 0-5 with a 4.38 ERA against the Tribe, 14-6 with a 2.85 ERA against everyone else. When you beat Santana five times in a single season, it just may be your year.

Consider that C.C. Sabathia is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA against the Twins ace this season. That's because Sabathia is truly the Tribe's trump card, the No. 1 starter --even if some still don't like how he wears his cap tilted to the side.

What's happening now is not an accident. The Indians are pitching well nearly every night. They were 21 games over .500 heading into Tuesday, the third-best record in baseball behind only Boston and the Angels.

It's tempting to dwell on the trades and signings that flopped, ignoring that Franklin Gutierrez and Asdrubal Cabrera not only came to the rescue from the farm system -- but they are the products of trades.

Shapiro and his staff are not perfect, but have assembled a roster that has depth and youth. It's not just built for one year, and then doomed to spend the next five summers deep in the Central cellar.

But what about Joe Borowski? He makes everyone nervous. The fact that, going into Tuesday, he was leading the AL with 39 saves doesn't matter. You'd swear some fans think this is figure skating, and saves are rated on style points: 8.1, 8.3 and 7.2 from the Russian judge.

But Borowski was not just a solid 39-of-45 in saves. Detroit has Todd Jones, who was 33-of-39 in saves. Big deal. The Tigers had trashed 19 save opportunities, compared to 12 for the Tribe.

It's either a save or it's not. It's like today is either a Wednesday or it's not. It may not feel like Wednesday to you, but it's Wednesday.

So it is with the Indians. They are solidly in first place, even if it doesn't feel like it to some fans.