Featured – Page 2 – CLEVELAND WINS !

#Cavs Coming Together As A Team Just In Time

With all the media focus on manufacturing fissures in the team between Blatt and LeBron, the real story has been lost in the sandstorm of silliness. The story is one of a team, combining experienced veterans with young playoff neophytes, that has grown through adversity and trial by fire. The growth of the team is manifest in their ability to oust a far more experienced team in six games despite many injuries and even a two game suspension for one of the starters. That growth was further evident in their ability to dominate the Bulls in a clinching game on their home court while Kyrie Irving sat out with an injury for most of the game. The post game interview room where Tristan Thompson and Matthew Dellevadova flanked LeBron James was a visual image of the transformation of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The transformation was started when David Griffin had the vision to spend every chip he inherited from Chris Grant and created on his own to retool this Cleveland team with pieces that “fit” and that balanced the team. It has progressed with this difficult playoff run where the team has been reduced to a MASH unit starting with game 2 against Boston and continuing to worsen until game 6 against Chicago.

Every single thread of that “fit” is needed as the injuries mount and the competition stiffens. Kyrie Irving declared to all of us on multiple occasions that this team is the closest team he has ever played with. I kind of shrugged that off because I knew an irritant to Kyrie (Dion) was gone and that this team was winning and his other pro teams did not. Often that translates to a closer team that develops chemistry. Whether or not I was right to shrug it off earlier in the year is uncertain, but for me to ignore that now would be a sign of blindness. The Cavs are a team growing closer by the minute and their belief in each other is clear for all to see. The most obvious evidence was the way they embraced Dellavedova when he entered the locker room after the game 6 dismantling of Chicago. But to me the most telling sign is the way LeBron has changed his tune when he talks about the team. The passion in his voice as he explained the importance to the team of both Thompson and Dellavedova spoke volumes about where the team had been and where it was headed.

Even though LeBron has stopped a bit short of saying it with conviction thus far, clearly he now believes in this team and believes in their growth. He feels that the young players who had not been playoff tested are responding well and showing no signs of “wilting” in the moment. LeBron is not that hard to read in this regard. It was clear in the 2 final years during his first run with Cleveland that he did not have that confidence in the team or his teammates. He believed, and said as much later, that they HAD wilted in the playoff light. Without question they were a great regular season team, but not a great playoff team. For that matter, LeBron himself had a great deal of growing to do in that regard even though he had some spectacular playoff games in those earlier years.

This team is clearly different as the lights have turned on. Shumpert is playing some of the best basketball of his career despite a groin pull that has certainly not fully healed. Kyrie Irving is pretty severely hampered by a multitude of injuries and yet has contributed to the wins, sometimes in a big way. JR Smith, despite a suspension, has come up huge with three point shooting during quarters 3 and 4 of the final two games against Chicago. Without his shooting, the final spectacular shot that LeBron made in game 4 would never have happened. That game would have been over long before.

Timofey Mozgov has been a bit spotty in his play but made a huge contribution in game 4 as well to give us a chance to win and is blocking shots at a near record pace. Tristan Thompson has been nothing short of amazing after taking over the starting power forward position from the injured Kevin Love. His energy and offensive rebounds have made him a dominant force in these playoffs and no one can question his immense value to the team. Delly has shown that, under pressure, he can perform even better than he did during the regular season. His 3 point shooting has been solid, he is protecting the ball well, and continues to be an enormous pest on defense to anyone he guards. Aaron Brooks was basically made a nonfactor in the Chicago series, primarily a tribute to Delly’s tenacity. And who can deny the importance of the 3 point shooting of James Jones? Although his points have not been overwhelming, his timing of those points has been critical for the Cavs success. And Kevin Love, before his untimely departure, had just delivered a dagger 3 point shot to put away Boston in a game.

Finally, the team has battled defensively to produce the best field goal percentage against statistic of any team left in the playoffs. That is partly a reflection of the teams they have played, but it doesn’t erase the fact that the Cavalier defense has been solid throughout. Mozgov’s rim protection has been second to none in the playoffs, and the Cavs are swatting shots away like flies on a hot summer day. Cleveland has some elite defenders (LeBron/Shumpert) on the floor much of the time and other competent and pesky defenders (Thompson/Dellavedova/Smith) to complement.

The team’s toughness has been tested and Cleveland has passed the test at every turn. Thompson jumping up after a fall on his shoulder that would have sidelined most players and Shumpert playing like a monster after a cheap close line attempt by Mirotic. Kyrie playing basically on one leg since early in the Boston series and “playing on one leg” is now even an exaggeration of his health given the current state of his formerly “uninjured” leg. Shumpert has continued to be an elite or near elite defender despite a groin pull that primarily saps a player’s ability to laterally move and defend. Cleveland’s depleted bench basically outplayed the vaunted “depth” of the Chicago Bulls that so many pointed to as the difference in that series.

When the roster and each player in the rotation is judged thus far, there is not one who isn’t stepping up in these playoffs. One could point to Perkins, Miller, and Marion but they have played so little as a group that it is hard to even count them as a part of these playoffs. Their time may yet come but it is unfair to judge them at this point. It should be quite obvious to anyone who objectively measures these playoffs that the Cleveland Cavalier players AND coaches have stepped up big time when it has counted most leading to an 8-2 record in these playoffs. Yet, despite this record and despite the grit and determination shown by this team, they will be discounted by the pundits and picked to lose against the Hawks. Las Vegas will have no such bias and may look at the series differently, but that is what you will hear from the “experts” on TV and radio.

Disregarding the naysayers is very difficult for Cleveland fans. They have been kicked around so much it is kind of like the horrific “battered wife” syndrome that sadly occurs in society. But it is important for Cavs fans to look at the facts that their team is VERY hard to beat. They have the best player in every series (and would have the second best player in most except for injury) and a team that is stepping up to the challenge and not wilting under the playoff pressure. This team is NOW vastly better than the sum of it’s parts. It is developing the togetherness and toughness needed for a champion. Again, there is no guarantee that they win the Eastern Conference or the NBA Championship. But make no mistake about it, they are developing the identity of champions! Cleveland should celebrate that during this next series and hopefully beyond. In case you forget how Ohio teams can be so easily disregarded, think of the 2014/15 Ohio State Buckeye football team. They had repeated injuries to the most important position on the field and came out National Champions. They were discounted at every turn as inferior to the competition. They won. It can happen again. Hold on!!

ALL IN – TOGETHER – Can #Cavs Fans Embrace The Concept After Game #4?

We just experienced another type of “shot” in Cleveland sports. One that actually won us a game and put us firmly back in a series that was looking kind of rough. After one of the best shots in Cleveland sports history, what do we see on Twitter, in the media, and during the television commentary? A whole ton of time focused on Blatt trying to call a timeout when he had none and being stopped before the officials saw it. Another large chunk of time spent on the last out of bounds play that Blatt tried to call and LeBron overruled by asking for the ball. Additional time spent on how it was “fortunate” the Cavs had time to draw up a play while the officials looked at the time left on video. This is just another example of the Cavs media, social media, and national media focusing on what divides the Cleveland Cavaliers instead of what binds them. I am not questioning the fact that some of these things are interesting and worthy of some comment. But I am questioning the way they dominated the post-game talk and social media instead of the fact the Cavaliers won a hard fought game and James made a shot for the ages in Cleveland post-season history.

Let me provide an alternative narrative!

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their backs against the wall today in the hostile environment of the United Center in Chicago. A loss would put them down 3-1 in a series that would be slipping away as fast as an ice cube on a glass mountain. The Cavs have fought an uphill battle throughout this series with an injury plagued roster. The injury rolls have continued to expand and show no signs of stopping. Despite this unfortunate set of circumstances, the Cavaliers and Bulls have put together a spirited and competitive series. The Bulls even decided to join the fun by losing their All Star power forward Pau Gasol to an injury keeping him out of game 4. To gauge this series by “what ifs” based on who is injured or seriously impaired would be an insult to the effort and professionalism displayed on the court in this series.

It is a hard fought series. It is very physical. But, as has been noted many times by coach Blatt, it is not a dirty series or unnecessarily physical. This is a credit to both teams. Both for how well they are coached and how professional they play. This also makes for some darn competitive games that are fun to watch. Both team’s mega stars have now made huge buzzer beater shots to win games.

The Cavs have needed to make adjustment after adjustment in this series. The suspension for JR Smith combined with the large number of injuries has kept the Cavs in an inconsistent rotation. Coach Blatt has needed to find significant contributions from his bench and ways to match up with a variety of adjustments made by Thibodeau for Chicago. The adjustments made by Blatt have, on balance, been excellent and those made for game 4 were even better than previous.

The decision to play Timofey Mozgov for almost 39 minutes, far more than in any game previously, was a brilliant way to create mismatches and keep rim protection in the game most of the time. He was unbelievably efficient with 15 points on only 5 shots and 8 foul shots. He also had 3 assists and 3 blocked shots. His presence was felt from start to finish. JR Smith was given significant minutes but not excessive while trying to get his game legs and wind back after a long layoff. His contribution in the fourth quarter was critical toward bringing the series back to Cleveland tied 2-2. Although some could question playing a hobbled Kyrie Irving almost 41 minutes, LeBron James explained how he always has to be accounted for by the opposing team because of his ability to make shots. Mathew Dellavedova has been used about 16 minutes per game and has been very effective in his limited role. His game 4 performance was probably his least effective, but he has played good defense especially against Brooks, who has been essentially a nonfactor in this series.

The Cavaliers played hard, especially in Chicago. This is again a tribute to the quality of Blatt’s coaching and the quality of the player’s professionalism and togetherness. The Cavaliers have truly had each others backs, whether it has been a teammate or a coach. LeBron has earned the right to ask for the ball at the end of a game and Blatt was happy to accommodate. Did Blatt repeat a near mistake from earlier in the year where he tried to call a timeout when none were left? Yes he did. But his assistant coaches, specifically Tyrone Lue, saved him from that fate by having his back. That is one of the main jobs of the assistant head coach to support the head coach and reduce the chance of mistakes. To act like Lue doing his job was some kind of miracle save is putting too much emphasis on too little. That being said, if Blatt ever tries that again, I’ll be all over his case. But in this game, his excellent adjustments and ability to keep the team in focus during very disruptive times far exceeds any presumed problems in his inbound plays or time out management.

And, while we are on an alternative narrative to negativity, I think the decision by Blatt to draw up a play with James taking the ball out made perfect sense. James had not been able to make shots. Had made multiple mistakes down the stretch creating turnovers that hurt the team. He admitted all of this after the game. LeBron is a great decision maker and should be the most reliable inbounder. So you could argue that Blatt was simply sending a message to LeBron to get his shit together or these would be the plays drawn up. LeBron, saying “No” to that message, called for the ball. Blatt said, “Sure, let’s do that”. LeBron makes the shot. All is good. It is almost impossible to coach a superstar. It is even more impossible to coach a generational superstar. Blatt will get few chances to send a message without his superstar shutting him out. Blatt sent the message. LeBron held himself accountable and answered the challenge. So, regardless of whether I am right about this narrative or wrong, the result was positive and Cleveland is tied 2-2.

And, in case you wonder, I am not the only one who felt a play at the end of the game with LeBron inbounding was the correct play. But that doesn’t matter, if the generational superstar asks for the ball to take the shot, that’s the play that should be called. LeBron was right AND, in my opinion, so was Blatt.

It took a great effort from the Cleveland Cavaliers to retake home court in this series. The Bulls fought hard and showed skill and resiliency. However, their offensive lapses are not unexpected given their regular season history and playoff history this year. That, coupled with the Cavs underrated defense, means that the Cavaliers can expect to see more of those lapses and need to take advantage of each and every one of them. The Bulls will not go away. The series will likely remain tight. But, as I have repeatedly said, if the Cleveland Cavs play with energy and effort they are the better team. They now have home court back and a tiny bit of momentum. Let’s hope that carries through and they can actually field a full team to face the Bulls. I am hoping upon hopes that Pau Gasol is healthy and returns to game 5. I missed him in game 4 and want him back. The Cavs don’t need the Bulls to be injured. Better to win with them healthy.

We come up with pretty good rallying cries in Cleveland. The season started with a great one called “Together” and is finishing with another pretty good one “All IN”. For anyone that doesn’t know, this idea actually was promoted, if not originated, from the Cavalier radio color commentator Jim Chones. Jim is a former Cavalier that many feel could have helped win us a championship if healthy. He has been using that catch phrase all season in his post-game and in-game commentary. Both ideas are intended to bring a sense of solidarity between the city, the fans and the team. It is my opinion that, if you are truly a fan of the Cavaliers and Cleveland sports, we should embrace the concept and move forward with a positive sense of purpose. It is fine to disagree. It is fine to debate. It is fine to be uncertain and fearful this team might lose despite their talent. If is fine to even be unhappy about how things are done and question. But, in the final analysis, for Cleveland to get their elusive championship it is not in any of our best interests to be “realistically” negative and focus on why Cleveland won’t win. For us to break through this wall of negativity and win, WE need to believe. No matter how “unrealistic” we think it is. Why don’t we all embrace the concept? The Cavs are still the better team. We should be ALL IN …………… TOGETHER !!! Try it if you haven’t yet. You’ll feel good believing in what could be instead of what might not be.

Getting Nervous Yet?? #Cavs Game One Loss Not Pivotal

After their victory in game one of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Chicago Bulls might think they smell blood in the water. In reality, if you break it down with some logic, they might be smelling a Yellow Sea Anemone. As you will see in this excellent picture by National Geographic, this is a lovely creature that looks quite helpless at first glance.

Just when you are feeling real comfortable as a nice little fish next to this beauty, it pokes out a venomous spike and you are the one dead in the water. So if I were the Chicago Bulls after game one, I don’t think I would get all that full of myself quite yet. LeBron admitted to this being a “feeling out” game and sounded super excited to break down the tape from the game and find some solutions. He admitted that he needed to play better and I couldn’t agree more. The fans also need an excitement transplant but I will attribute that to the Cavs never taking the lead and squandering multiple opportunities to come back and put the Bulls on their heels. When the team looked on the verge of taking back a lifeless game, the fans were super loud and standing. So I will give the fans a pass this game. I plan to do the same for the Cavs coaches and players.

I am sure that if we are honest with ourselves, we saw this coming. The interesting thing is that the reason for seeing it coming had less to do with who the Cavs didn’t have on the court and more to do with the Cavs being set up for a lifeless performance by circumstances not all within their control. The Cavaliers dispensed of the Celtics in short order and hadn’t played in more than a week. They tried to practice and work hard, but practice can never simulate a playoff game. Plus, practice does not maintain game fitness or readiness. It actually drains game fitness and reduces readiness. Until the last game, the Bulls had been virtually embarrassed by the Bucks and had not been playing well. But, they did play well in their last game when the Bucks basically called it in early in the game. And, they had a nice rest but not too much time that their game readiness would be affected.

So on the basis of the long layoff compared to the Bulls brief rest, the Cavs might not have the stamina or “edge” they needed to knock off the Bulls with 2/5ths of the starting lineup not available and 1/5 done for the series. The Bulls knew this and counted on it. They were fully aware that they could steal game one. However, when one analyzes the game, it is clear that LeBron played passive despite his numbers and made crucial mistakes whenever they were gaining momentum or could take the lead. Both Kyrie and LeBron missed critical layups near the end of the game when the outcome was still very much in doubt.

As can happen to a team that hadn’t played together in awhile, the Cavs started nearly comatose with almost nonexistent defense and lifeless/unimaginative offense. The easy way to pass blame for this would be the coaching staff but the reality is likely quite different. The players simply couldn’t execute and were not aggressive enough early along going to the basket or getting shots in the paint. Instead they fired up longer shots (some threes) and hoped they would go in, which they didn’t. Chicago on the other hand was white hot with much of the first quarter seeing them hitting close to 70% of their shots and about 70% from beyond the arc. This was a combination of a fortunate hot shooting start for the Bulls and the Cavs nearly complete lack of resistance. Either one being different might have changed things, but they were not.

Another severe blow to a good start and a good game was the fact that the starting lineup had not played together in a game since early in the season if ever. This is not whining about who the Cavs didn’t have available to play. This is about the Cavs not using the correct starting lineup correctly. Yes, I absolutely did feel that the starting lineup was exactly what should have been done. But the offensive flow of the Cavs did not move to get some open shots for Mike Miller as the Bulls did for Dunleavy. If it had, the results might have been similar to the Bulls and we would have been able to score the ball consistently and keep the game close early. The energy expended to catch up and try to take the lead was especially difficult to overcome given the Cavs reduced endurance from the week layoff.

The lack of being able to adjust quickly to the repeated open elbow looks for Pau Gasol and Taj Gibson, especially in the third quarter, made the lead swell back to 14 and make a comeback even less certain. That falls partially on the coaching staff and partly on the player’s overall lack of effort. And, to be honest, that was the difference in the game because Gasol just stood their at his favorite spot and drained jumpers without creating any physical contact. Meanwhile Rose, a notoriously average to poor shooter, kept hitting tough jumpers and helped the team maintain their lead. Jimmy Butler did eventually get 20 points but he was contained for much of the night.

So, in a nutshell, it was Dunleavy carrying the first quarter with 13 points mostly from deep, then disappearing. It was Derek Rose dancing around and throwing up ugly floaters and good shots, when he wasn’t assisting Gasol. And it was Gasol pot shotting from the elbow with absolutely no one around him. Sprinkle in a few wide open threes and you have the Bulls offense. Nothing there was special and all of that could be defended. Unfortunately, none of it was.

LeBron James game was not a good one despite the gaudy 15 rebounds and 9 assists. His 19 points were very hard to get and he committed crucial turnovers and missed a “must make” driving layup late in the game. Kyrie Irving was absolutely awesome in spurts but only in spurts. Shumpert was basically terrific and, had other things gone better, would likely have won us the game.

Not to analyze every nuance, the Cavs simply played an almost predictable lackluster game and the Bulls did what they had to do to win. But, despite shooting over 50% for the game and well over 50% from three point range, the Bulls could muster only a close win that would have been 94-92 with plenty of time left had LeBron made his driving layup. The final 7 point differential should be no comfort for Thibodeau and the Bulls. If the Cavs play their normal game, they win this game going away.

So it is definitely NOT time to be nervous. However, it is time to expect the team to pull out a home win Wednesday with a much better effort and a better game plan going in. I have every expectation that will happen and nothing I saw from the Bulls today changes my viewpoint. The Cavs are the better team even with the player losses right now, but they will need to play better and LeBron will need to attack more for the Cavs to take back momentum in the series. Passive “feeling out” play going forward will not cut it when it comes to getting the wins they need to oust the Bulls.

Tragic Loss of Kevin Love Will Galvanize #Cavs Going Forward

Let’s get one thing out of the way at the beginning of this post, the injury to Kevin Love was a senseless act of a desperate player who couldn’t control his emotions in the moment. His team had just completed a game where he only played 3 minutes. He was trying to establish his position by blasting into Love’s back under the boards and was completely blocked by Kevin Love from getting the ball. Love turned to get the ball and Olynyk immediately grabbed at Love’s shoulder, locking it up, grabbed his forearm with the other hand, dropped down and turned away from the ball trying to drag Love with him away from a ball he knew he had no chance to get. This was almost a picture perfect MMA or self-defense move where a person can incapacitate an attacker and drag them to the ground even if the attacker is bigger and stronger. The person has to follow you because they know their shoulder is about to dislocate if they don’t. In the heat of the moment, Love’s momentum going the other way wouldn’t allow him to turn in time to avoid the inevitable. Within an instant, Kevin Love’s shoulder had sustained major damage and his season was ended. Olynyk, hearing Love scream in agony, immediately released the arm in a typical NBA acting move to show the officials he had done nothing wrong.

If you doubt that this was not just a simple “lock up” of shoulders as so confidently and defiantly defined by Charles Barkley, take a close look at this Cleveland.com picture of the incident. Look at the grabbing of the forearm by the second arm and the look on Olynyk’s face and the look on Love’s face. And by that time neither man was looking at the ball, with Olynyk completely turned away from the ball. When you lock up you are still trying to get the ball, not drag another player’s helpless and dangerously exposed arm with your two arms.

I happen to be an experienced injury physician who has taken care of hundreds of athletes and injured people through the years. I am an expert in looking at how an injury occurs and why it occurs. I would not be so presumptuous to know that Olynyk was trying to dislocate Love’s shoulder. That would certainly give Olynyk too much credit anyway. What I do know is that this was a deliberate act of aggression in the heat of the battle that was not in any way a basketball play. Look at Olynyk’s face! He was mad he wasn’t going to get the ball and was going to show Love who was boss by dragging his arm. I doubt he even gave any thought as to what terrible harm he could do at that instant when he pulled and dropped his body away from Love. Notice carefully how much lower Olynyk’s body is than Love’s. It is that fast violent downward drop while turning away (that took less than a second) that ripped Love’s shoulder out of the socket in the most vicious way. In this case, because of all the force generated by Olynyk and the bodies in motion, major damage to the joint was done when it was dislocated.

My final piece of evidence is Kevin Love himself. How often have you EVER heard a player after they get hurt call out their opponent for a cheap play??? Virtually never. They virtually never say the opponent did it on purpose. But Love said exactly that after the incident. The victim usually knows when he has been attacked vs when an accident just occurred. In over 25 years as a sports medicine physician, I have never heard that said by an athlete after they are injured.

So for those national commentators and ex-players and the NBA league to say Cleveland fans are overreacting and this was just an unfortunate incident, I say we know better!! It is expected that this will be covered up and that the Cavs management and players cannot say anything further. They made their case to the league and the league said “We will slap him on the wrist for one game. Now be quiet.” And Charles Barkley had the nerve to say that was “unfair” to Olynyk. And now the Cavs know the league could care less what they say and they just need to move on and keep quiet. Not being affiliated with the league in any way, I am under no such obligation.

Based on specific comments by key individuals including David Griffin and LeBron James and others, it is clear that they know the stark truth as well. They have no doubt that what I have outlined here is the truth. Kevin Love certainly knows the truth. Kyrie Irving knows the truth. The entire Cavs organization knows the truth and the only thing they can say and not get fined is that it was “not a basketball play”. That’s fine. They can move on from here and the fans must move on from here.

Sure, we can boo Olynyk for as long as he plays the game and comes to Cleveland but that’s about it. He would never be “killed” as he so loosely states but he will find it unpleasant. Cleveland fans are passionate and have long memories.

What is much more important to do is focus on the playoffs going forward and try to root for our team to win a championship. What is more important for the organization, players and coaches to do is focus on the task at hand and take care of business. Crying over losing Kevin Love to a senseless act is silly and self-defeating. But I see no reason why it can’t be used as a rallying cry and to help Galvanize the team. That is why my featured picture with the post is the new shirt made at GV Art and Design. I think finding things to bind us closer together now is more important than bemoaning the loss.

Do it for the love of the Cavs. Do it for the love of the city. Do It For Love. I personally think the playoff crowds will be more intense. The players will be even more focused. David Griffin says now that we are the hunters instead of the hunted. That is kind of true. Now we aren’t the odds on favorite to win it all this year. Vegas has changed odds to give the Warriors the gambling edge to win.

It won’t be easy. Players will have to step up. The coaches will have to step up. The team will have to play even harder. We still have the best and most experienced playoff player in LeBron, a star who rises to the challenge in Kyrie, and a ton of other good players who have contributed much to our season or contributed little but will need to contribute now.

Make no mistake, there is NO REPLACING Kevin Love. As LeBron said, “He is special for a reason”. However, we have the team to overcome this and still accomplish a goal not achieved in Cleveland since 1964. To abandon that goal because of some bad luck is defeatist and doesn’t fit Cleveland’s toughness. We can do this !!! When all were doubting them, I told you this team was still special. I am telling you now that they are still special and it will be a monumental task for ANY team to defeat the Cavs 4 times in 7 games! Until that happens, Cleveland hasn’t lost a thing.

Great Game !! Now #Indians Must Follow Through

It was certainly great to see the Indians club the Tigers last night !! It is a game we all have been waiting for. We know the Indians are not a juggernaut offensive team. That is OK. They only have to be a solid and above average offensive team to win games and have at least a fighting chance to draw fans. The potential is there in this team to become better than average with some pop in their lineup. However, I have not seen it yet and never saw it last year. Combine that with a distinctly awful defensive team and you get a boring team that over relies on it’s starting pitching and can’t win consistently without a solid bullpen.

I know this sounds distinctly negative to those who, like myself, want the Tribe to come alive and be a contender this year and beyond. But I think the reality is clear. As of now, none of that seems possible without a true transformation of this team’s emotional and talent make up.

The question that burns underneath all of this is whether or not the Indians have the ability from within to make this happen. I have not given up on that possibility and am hopeful. But we need to understand that a grim reality might present going forward that forces a break-up and revamping of this team’s talent structure. Since we have invested so much money signing our young talent to longer term contracts, this would be a stark reality indeed and I hope it doesn’t come to that.

That brings us back to the game last night. If that game is a reflection of last year’s team and there is no follow through, we are looking at a pattern of huge numbers of games scoring three runs or less. That is the key to the 2015 Indians!!!! They must reduce dramatically the number or games they score three runs or less. So far, it is half our games over more than one year (or close to that). The Cleveland Indians must break that pattern.

Another pattern they must break is being the sorriest defensive team in the league. It is not just their number of errors. It is the number of balls Chisenhall, Ramirez, Kipnis, Santana, Murphy, Aviles and Moss don’t get to because of inferior quickness/range/speed. The best of that bunch range wise is probably Santana, what does that tell you?

Fangraphs recently had a nice article from Mike Pitriello, who outlined this “Different Kind of Problem” with the Indians defense. It is worth a read. Where we actually disagree quite a bit is on Ramirez’s SS defense. He might be our best defender, but there are many balls this year that he should have knocked down and/or made plays and he couldn’t.

That is why we need to consider a quicker call up for Francisco Lindor! Not because he will hit so much better than Ramirez. Current averages seem to indicate neither player is hitting. But he has superior range and hands. Plus, when he does hit it, he has superior pop in his bat. That will help with the less than stellar range around him. Ramirez is a superior second baseman to Kipnis as well but that is another discussion for another day. I am still rooting for Kipnis. I know all about the service time argument and I say that is irrelevant if we let this year’s team slip away from inaction. Another thing to consider, one great defensive player (and Lindor may or may not be that guy) makes the other players around him better. Just ask anyone who played with Omar.

The reason all of this seemingly negative talk is so critically important is that our starting pitching is developing into a potentially generational group. By that I mean these guys can become 4 ACES in a staff!! How often does that happen?? Almost never in the history of baseball. And, when it happens, it is generationally great. Plus, two are locked up longer term and the others will still be around for many years. Maybe they will lock them up as well going forward.

That is the vision Antonetti and Shapiro had going into all this. That is why they signed Gavin Floyd even though they knew it was a risk. That is why they signed Kluber and Carrasco. They optimistically looked at Floyd as a top notch fifth starter and a glue for these young guys. That gamble failed. But the game is not over. Veteran starters can be acquired at times without mortgaging the farm system. We will see. Clearly though, at least for now, House has been a disappointment.

Our bullpen is shaky right now but I think it can improve as the season progresses. I have finally seen progression for Nick Hagadone. I think Shaw will come around. I am almost certain Allen will be OK. Atchison has been amazing. Others have been inconsistent thus far but I think the group will come together going forward.

So, with the base of starting pitching the Indians have and the potential for another solid bullpen, they MUST find a way to get consistent offense and defense on the field night in and night out. Painful losses from costly errors and repeated failed hitting opportunities drains the starters and the bullpen. These guys are, on balance, very young. To drain them with such shoddy performances around them will eventually allow the crack in the dam to break open and it all falls apart.

Even though I don’t necessarily know how to achieve it, I know what the Indians must do. Dramatically reduce the games where they score three runs or less and pick the darn ball and throw people out!! If this can happen and there is follow through on last night’s game both offensively and defensively, the Indians can go on a monster roll and get right back into this race in a hurry. If they revert to last year, the final result will be worse than 2014. Remember, don’t be fooled by total runs scored!! Look for a reduction of games with 3 runs or less.

GO TRIBE !!!!!