I’m still trying to cope with Sunday’s loss. It still hasn’t quite clicked yet. I’ll give a long, season wrap up once I finally come to terms with it. The banwagon Red Sox fans at my university make it worse. Seeing the Red Sox caps all around campus doesn’t help. Give me a few more days then expect a comprehensive update as well as hopes for next year.

And the series, and the hopes of Cleveland, come down the Jake Westbrook. Jake has been shaky all year, but his last start against the Sox was solid. Dice-K, has been shaky the entire second half and the Tribe beat him good in game 3. That would give the Tribe an advantage, right? Well, right if we were not in Fenway. All the critics have again counted us out. They say Jake cannot put together two brilliant performances after another. The Sox have Beckett ready to go if Dice-K chokes. They have Papelbon ready to throw the heat. But what they don’t have is the ability and the magic the Tribe has had to come back all season long. They don’t have the unity in the clubhouse which makes this try team special. They don’t have a will which is stronger than the Tribe. It hasn’t been 59 years since they won a championship. Tonight is do or die. Tonight, is the meaning of October baseball. Tonight is what we dream the playoffs will be. Tonight its win for the Pennant or dream of next year. Cleveland doesn’t want to dream anymore. They’ve been dreaming for a sports championship since 1964, let alone a baseball championship, since 1948. This town suffers more then them all. The Sox had their win in 2004, but ITS TRIBE TIME NOW. It’s time for us to be the miracle team. It’s time for our championship. Jake, we believe in you now! Go out there and win the pennant for this city!

There were a few bright spots in the Tribe loss last night, though, including Aaron Laffey. If the Tribe makes the series, I think I might consider starting him, if I were Eric Wedge. He pitched 4.2 innings of shutout ball and really came through for us. Right now, inserting him in for a struggling CC or Fausto might help. But that’s a big if, because there is still game 7 tonight. But either way, I see Laffey as a solid 4 or 5 starter in the rotation next year.

So, the inevitable happened— The Tribe found a way to blow something. And it didn’t come from the usual suspects either. The usual suspects are Westbrook, Byrdie, Peralta, and Borowski. Although I have faith in these guys, they are the ones you expect to blow opportunities in the postseason. Yet, they’ve done just the opposite. All 4 have performed brilliantly, while CC has not looked like the top candidate for the AL Cy Young. You cannot explain a situation like this. You just have to continue to move on and try to play your best baseball. That being said, going back to Boston, the Tribe puts their best on the mound in the wonder known as Fausto Carmona.

Fausto may have had a bad outing against the Red Sox, but that was because his sinker wasn’t working. Luckily for him and the Tribe, the bullpen (with the exception of Raffy Perez, whom, in my opinion has not had the best September or postseason), saved him. But also remember what Fausto’s sinker can do when it works. Game 2 of the ALDS was a brilliant performance by Fausto, only giving up 1 ER in 9 IP of Cy Young quality baseball. The one thing he doesn’t have going for him is the fact he’ll be in Fenway. Fausto’s one good start this postseason came at home. Now, he again has the face the ugly green monster. But Fausto has the stuff to win the ballgame. The Tribe bats, if patient, can pounce on Schilling like they did in game 2. It’s all a matter of the pieces coming together. The pieces have come together all year for this Tribe team, and it will continue to do so now. Have faith, Cleveland. Last night was a tough loss, but it will be even sweeter to send all the Bostonians home crying on Saturday.

Tonight is the night, Tribe fans, when Big CC has revenge on
Big Papi and co. Tonight is the rematch where CC proves he is finally over the
postseason jitters. Tonight, is the night when CC leads the Tribe to its first
World Series in a decade.

Every single critic has already dismissed CC as a choke. The
east coast bandwagon continues to ride the Beckett/ Sox wagon saying they will
come back to beat the Tribe in 7 games. It’s not going to happen. CC
has had two bad starts in a row, but I can guarantee you, he will not have 3. CC
has walked 11 batters in the past two games (though 2 intentionally), more
walks than he’s had in the entire month of September. But  CC also had one of the best in
the league in Walks per K ratios. If someone pitches like that the entire year,
it’s hard for them to go bad. CC is a fighter. Everyone on this team is a
fighter. CC knows now that the pressure is on him to win tonight so we do not
have to go back to Boston. Even if we do go back to Boston, I’m confident
Fausto or Westbrook can win, but that’s not the point. It is a must win for the
Tribe to get the momentum going into the Series. Right now, the Tribe offense
is on a roll. They are hitting like there is no tomorrow. Though I think it
will be hard to hit off of Beckett, if CC can give us 7-8 solid innings
tonight, the Tribe pen can take care of the rest. Also, if the Tribe can get
through Beckett, I think we can tear apart the Sox fragile pen. Right now, to
be quite honest, the only good person they have in there is Papelbon. Delcarmen
had a terrible performance on Tuesday night and he’s usually solid. If it stays
that way, if the Tribe can get through Beckett and Papelbon, they should tear apart
the Sox pen like they did Monday and Tuesday nights

CC, Cleveland believes in you. They’ve believed in you for
the past 7 years. Now, it is time for you to shine. IT’S TRIBE TIME NOW!

On a side note, someone asked who the person that sat behind the visitor’s dugout at Jacobs Field. Here is an article on Tribe fan, Tom O’Toole, posted by a commenter. O’Toole wears a new neon Tribe hat each inning, and has had the same seat since Jacobs Field opened up in 1994. O’Toole is a great example of the kind of fans Cleveland has and how deserving this city is of a championship.

Byrdie shocked the Yankees in a masterful performance to win game 4 of the ALDS and move the Indians into the ALCS for the first time since 1998. That was at Yankee stadium. Now, with Byrdie home at the Jake, the Indians have a great advantage. Byrdie should not be taken lightly. He is a 15 game winner and a veteran leader of the ballclub. Though he admits his stuff is not that good, he always throws strikes. He only gave up 28 walks the entire season. That’s amazing for a guy who’s stuff is not overpowering. But Byrdie is a gutsy guy. He finds something extra when it really counts. It’s that heart which is going to lead to a Tribe victory tonight. As long as Byrdie doesn’t leave any breaking balls hanging tonight, he should win. His only real flaw this year is his tendency to give up the long ball. But, with the home crowd backing him, I see Byrdie giving us 6 solid innings tonight. If he gives up 3 ER or less, the pen should be able to shut the Sox down again.

Wakefield is a true enigma, though. He’s 41 years old and just got off the DL. He wasn’t even on the Sox active roster for the ALDS. To be quite honest, I thought Francona would start Beckett on 3 days rest, given his history and the way the series has developed. Wakefield, though is a 17 game winner. That number, though, maybe deceiving given his recent injuries and his performance during the month of September. Wakefield has not pitched since September 29th. That’s a long time for a pitcher not to pitch and to come in and be expected to win. Although he went 3-2 in the month of September, his performances were not overpowering and often he gave up a lot of runs. Also, his wins came from subpar teams such as Tampa Bay, the O’s, and the Twins. I see Wakefield struggling against a powerful Tribe offense. As long as the Tribe can wait on his knuckleball, they should be fine. The Tribe bats have been really patient this postseason. Also, I want to see the Tribe stealing bases tonight. Wakefield cannot hold runners at all, and even with a catcher like Varitek behind him, guys like Grady, Kenny, and Asdrubal should have a field day off of him tonight.

The momentum is building, and gametime is less than 4 hours away. Get ready, Cleveland, because it’s TRIBE TIME NOW!

Good pitching wins championships. Period. Right now, the Tribe has the best bullpen in baseball. If CC and Fausto can get there stuff back from rough starts, the Tribe has the best rotation in baseball. Westbrook silenced all the critics today. His sinker ball was working wonders and the Tribe turned 3 double plays tonight behind him to get him out of some big jams. That’s what you expect from a good sinker ball pitcher. This is the Jake Westbrook who won 15 games in 2005 and 2006. Everyone counted the Tribe out with Westbrook on the mound tonight, but, as I said before, Jake comes through in clutch situations at home. We saw it when he pitched against the A’s to clinch the division, which was probably, along with tonight, his best outing of the year.

But tonight, what clutch work by the AL Save King, Joe Borowski. He silenced all the critics who said he was bad because of his ERA. He was cheated out of consideration for DHL’s Delivery Man of the Year award. But Borowski illustrated tonight why he is the real
delivery man by going 1-2-3 with all the intensity and emotion of the city of Cleveland. Joe Borowski is our delivery man. He gets the job done. It may not be pretty at times, but 45 times this year and 2 times in the postseason, he’s done it. He is the closer of the year, and the press may cry Papelbon, Putz, Hoffman, but, Borowski is the Delivery Man.

Kenny went yard for the first time since he got back in an Indians uniform. That’s right, for the first time in a Tribe uniform since he came back from Texas. Kenny’s always been a contact hitter, but you cannot complain when he goes yard. His curtain call was due, and
like Ryan Garko  said tonight, he is the mayor of Cleveland.

2 more wins to the big show, Cleveland. Tomorrow, veterans Paul Byrd and knuckleballer Tim Wakefield face off. There is some talk of Josh Beckett coming in on three games rest, but we all saw what it did to Wang in the ALDS. I don’t care what Beckett did in the 2003 WS on 3 games rest because historically, it’s always a bad move. We’ll just have to wait and see.

And on that note, it’s TRIBE TIME NOW.  The AL Pennant is so close I can almost taste it.

Westbrook returns home to make his first start in Cleveland of the postseason. Westbrook had a slippery start against the Yanks, but he was in a tough environment. When the Jacobs Field crowd rallies around Westbrook, he rises to the occasion. I think that’s going to happen tonight. When the Tribe clinched the Central Division against the A’s, Westbrook had a career high of 9 Ks. Westbrook can surprise the press when the heat is on, and I think, he’ll give the Tribe the win tonight to take us to a 2-1 series lead. The key with Westbrook is, though, is keep the ball down in the zone, getting the ground ball outs, and keeping the pitch count down. I think he’ll be able to do it tonight, especially since CC and Fausto have fallen short of expectations. Even though the Tribe had the day off yesterday, everyone in the pen but Laffey and Fultz will be on short rest from Saturday night. Betancourt especially, though, might be on short rest because he pitched 2.1 innings Saturday, his season high. Hopefully, though, we can get at least 5-6 solid innings from Jake. If he gives up 3 or less runs, the Tribe should have a good chance to beat the Sox.

Dice-K, on the other hand, did not look so good in his outing against the Angels in Game 2 of the ALDS. He went 4.2 innings giving up 7 hits and 3ER. For a while, it looked like the Angels might win if it hadn’t been for the HR Manny hit. The point is, though, Dice-K is not the Dice-K he was before the All-Star break. His second half did not live up to expectations and his last outing was bad. That being said, the Indians have a much better offense than the Angels. They should have a good chance to pound on Dice-K and win this game if Jake keeps us in the game.

I think today, the key to victory, though, is Gutierrez keeping up the high note he started last night with his HR in the 11th. He’s been a slump lately, and if he can get out of it, he can carry the Tribe through the postseason. So, wake up, Gut! Cleveland needs you.

That being said, ITS TRIBE TIME NOW!

Ok, Dad, Trot Nixon officially is not a bum anymore. In fact, if I was Shapiro, I’d almost resign him for next year. That’s a big almost, though. And the 7 run lead was enough for Borowski. And Mastny pitched the inning of his life. Almost a perfect night, except for the first 9 1/2 innings.

What’s with the Indians starting pitching lately? Two bad nights from our aces. I don’t know if we can attribute it to them being afraid of Big Papi and Manny, or if they were both just having bad nights. Hopefully this means Westbrook and Byrdie turn into aces to step it up and cover for CC and Fausto. We’re back at the Jake Monday, so hopefully, they can wrap it up at home. It’s a 5 game series. We’re back to square one.

Oh man, Jhonny HR or K Peralta continues to have a hot postseason. Just switch him over to third base next year and he’ll be better. But wow, a triple away from the cycle. Jhonny sure picked the right time to get hot. Hopefully, that wow factor can continue.

Gutierrez finally came out of a slump with a 3 run smash to put the icing on the cake. After Papelbon left, the Indians tore apart the Sox bullpen. And Gagne. Hahaha. I never understood the hype on Gagne, to be quite honest. He certainly ruined the game for the Sox, setting up the RBI single for TROT off of Lopez. I’m just praying, though Gutierrez can keep it up because we’re going to need his bat to win this series.

Too bad there wasn’t a pie waiting for the King of the Rally Pies tonight. Too long of a game for that. It certainly was his night and he made the Red Sox fans who booed him pay.

Well, the Tribe sealed Joe Torre’s fate as the manger of the NY Yankees.

Many people counted the Tribe out to begin with. All the national media and Yankees fans thought the Indians would be swept. Tonight, many people doubted whether Wedge should have went with Byrdie instead of Sabathia. Espn.com’s gave the Yankees a 63 to 37% advantage. But, tonight we saw the results of trying to rush pitchers on 3 days rest. You get a Wang

who gives up 4 ER in 1+ IP. Wedge knew his staff and his players. Byrdie pitched a great game. He always gives the Tribe a chance to win, start after start. That’s why he’s a 15 game winner this year. He won tonight in 5 IP giving up only 2 ER.
He gives the Indians sometime to rest before going into Fenway for the Indians first ALCS appearance since 1998.

One thing that worked in the Tribe’s favor, though, was the big bats for the Yankees staying quiet. Also, Jeter earned himself a new nickname: The King of the Double Play. Jeter grounded into 3 double plays in 4 games, including one which ended a critical Yankee rally tonight.

As I stated to begin with, the key to the Indians winning this series was Ja-hon-ey getting hot and not trying to swing for the fence.
He did just that tonight, going 3 for 4 with 1 RBI. Even though Garko didn’t start tonight, he was also critical to the Tribe winning this series, as he became much more patient with his bat, driving in many runs while not relying on the long ball.

But the way, there is no doubt the man who won the series for the Tribe was Kenny Lofton. Although he wasn’t as active in game 4, he carried the Tribe through the 1st 3 games. He is my choice for the MVP of the series. Hopefully, the curse of Kenny Lofton ends this year.

Sizemore and Shoppach also had big games.

Sizemore started off the game with a HR, which set the pace for the Indians lineup to demoralize the Yankees. Shoppach, the personal catcher of Byrdie, had two doubles tonight. Many doubted whether he should even start tonight as we’d lose the offense of Garko. But, we didn’t lose much offense there. Shoppach really came through, taking a ball for the team, and keeping Byrdie in the game. He was gutsy tonight and showed the depth of the Indians roster.

Borowski had another interesting save tonight. He can never go 1-2-3 and always makes it interesting. But somehow, he always gets the job done. That’s why he lead the AL this year with 45 saves.
Joe Borowski is a gutsy man. As long as he doesn’t turn into Jose Mesa (The game 7 1997 WS version of Mesa) this postseason, I’ll still believe in him.

The Indians are off to Boston. Game 1 will feature the match of the century, AL Cy Young candidates, CC Sabathia vs Josh Beckett. It should be a great pitcher’s duel. I’ll highlight the matchup later this week. But what a victory, Tribe. We showed the world why we were not the “underdog”. Now it’s time to show the Red Sox why we are going to win the AL Pennant. It’s TRIBE TIME NOW!!!

I’ll make this one short, but sweet, as we all don’t want to whine about a loss like most Yankees fans do.

1. The pitch Westbrook left hanging to Damon.
2. Eric Wedge bringing in Fultz. If he wanted to bring in a leftie, put in Perez or Laffey. I know Perez was on short rest, but, you still have Laffey. I have no idea why Fultz made this roster. I would have rather carried Lee even though he doesn’t have much relief experience than carry Fultz. At least Lee was doing somewhat well at the end of the season in the limited relief roles he was in.
3. The Tribe under estimated Phil Hughes. The kid has good stuff. Luckily for the Tribe, we will not see him in Game 4.

4. Victor’s choice to try to get the runner at third rather than getting the sure out on Melky Cabrera.

I was right though in my observation that the Rocket was rusty. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if this is the last MLB game he plays. The Tribe pounced on him early, especially Trot. It’s just too bad we didn’t have more time to get to him. Hats of to Torre, with his job on the line, for taking him out early.

Byrdie needs to pitch the game of his life tomorrow. It’s gonna be a tough one to win. I think the Yanks will start Mussina,(EDIT: Guess Torre is going to start Wang on 3 days rest.) so we’ll just have to have round 2 off him. I said to begin with, though, I think the Tribe will win in 5. I’m going to stick to that. It was wishful thinking to think we’d get the sweep. It was a nice thought, but now, it’s time to buckle down and start playing our baseball.

On a side note, though, Peralta had a good night and so did Trot, which is always a good sign.